#the emotional torture of rogue like

[x-mensirens]

"Habe keine Angst."

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Love That Burns ~ 17

LOVE THAT BURNS MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 2,700ish

Summary: Logan's guilt consumes him. The remaining X-Men try to gather.

Warnings: torture, violence

Notes: One day there will be fluff. Also, I hope the scene at the end eases some fears about Jean!

Reminder: I DO NOT do taglists. Please don’t ask. Please follow and interact! I appreciate any reblogs, likes, comments, and asks! 

“Logan, you’re going to break the steering wheel,” Rogue said as she watched Logan’s grip on it only tighten. He simply remained glaring at the road. “Cyclops is not going to be happy—“

“Don’t care,” he replied gruffly.

“We’ll get her back, Logan.”

“I should have fought harder. I should have went to her immediately.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Logan seemed to not even hear Rogue. “If I had just been down there already, with her, I could have—“

“This is not going to help her.”

“Did you know that man?”

“Stryker. His name is Stryker.”

“I can’t remember.” Logan’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.

“Where are we headed anyway?” Pyro wondered, acting like this situation was no big deal.

“Storm and Jean are in Boston,” Logan explained. “We’ll head that way.”

“My parents live in Boston,” Bobby offered.

“Good.”

“We’ll get her back, Logan,” Rogue tried to comfort.

“We better.”

~~~

There was still a collar around your neck when you woke. You tried to move to grab at it, but you were cuffed down by the wrists and ankles. Turning your head as much as you could to the side, you noticed that Scott was in a similar situation. Your stomach dropped. If Stryker had Scott, that meant he had Charles too. You couldn’t let anymore of your family be hurt by Stryker. He had already taken too much from you.

“Ah! She’s awake,” Stryker stated as he entered the room. Your blood ran cold at his voice. “It’s been far too long, Y/N.”

“Not long enough,” you grumbled.

“I know that we didn’t end on the best note—“

“You shot James in the head! He lost all his memories!”

“He seemed to still find his way back to you. I guess that’s true love for you.” Stryker walked over to Scott, examining him.

“What do you want with him?”

“I need another mindless slave. Soon you’ll be one too. Though, you’re going to be more than a mindless slave. You’ll help create the next generation of mutants—of weapons.”

A group of people in lab coats entered the room, each going to a different location like it was rehearsed. Your cuffs suddenly became impossibly tighter, including the collar around your neck. An electric current began to flow through the collar, causing you to scream out in pain. Scott screamed out as well, the same thing happening to him.

Stryker’s laugh echoed as he left the room.

~~~

When they arrived at Bobby’s parents house, Logan decided he needed some form of alcohol. Something to try to wash what he was feeling down. The guilt. The regret. The terror. He had tried and failed to get in contact with Jean or Ororo, which was a whole other problem. Logan opened the fridge and sniffed around for the closest thing he could find to alcohol. Quickly grabbing it, he began chugging it. Suddenly, he stumbled back as a memory hit him.

He was in a warehouse. Stryker was there. You had been tossed over to Logan and he barely caught you. You whispered is name. His real name.

“I’m here, baby,” he whispered, his face up against yours as he tried to force himself to believe that you were real. “I’m right here… I’m going to get you out of here. They aren’t going to hurt you again.”

Logan shook his head, exiting the memory. He had failed you. He had told you that Stryker would never hurt you again. Didn’t matter that he didn’t remember that promise until just now. He had failed you, once again. With a groan, Logan leaned his head against the fridge, letting himself dwell in his emotions. 

~~~

You don’t know how long you were tortured for. In the midst of it, both you and Scott had been flipped onto your stomaches and drilled into at the base of your necks. They had somehow found something that wouldn’t get immediately kicked out of your system due to your healing ability and inserted it. You were turned around and the table was lifted to put you in an upright position. Stryker waltzed in with a smile. 

“Almost there, Y/N,” he told you. “I do wish that it didn’t have to be this way. You were once a good soldier.”

“Logan will find you,” you told him with a snarl. “And he will kill you.”

“Not unless you kill him first.”

Before you could retort, Stryker shoved your head down and injected some liquid into whatever device they put at the base of your neck. Your mind quickly went blank, eyes dilated.

“Hello, Weapon XII,” Stryker greeted. “Ready for your first assignment?”

~~~

While Logan was listening to Bobby trying to explain being a mutant to his family, Logan’s comms device rang. He quickly went out back onto the porch and answered it.

“Jean?” He answered.

“Logan!” She responded. “What is going on? No one is responding!”

“The mansion was raided. A guy named Stryker. No one’s left, Jean. Soldiers came.”

“What about the children?” Ororo asked.

“Some of them escaped. I’m not sure about the rest… They took Y/N.”

“We haven’t been able to reach the Professor or Scott either,” Jean said.

“Where are you, Logan?” Ororo wondered. 

“Boston,” he answered, “with Bobby Drake’s family.”

“Okay. We’re on our way.”

“And Storm? Make it fast.” He hung up and headed for the house. He paused, hearing rustling in the bushes. “We have to go now.”

“Why?” Rogue asked.

“Now!”

“Logan, what’s wrong?”

Logan’s claws extended as he walked out onto the front porch. Rogue, Pyro, and Bobby were right behind him. Police officers quickly made their presence known from all sides.

“Drop the knives,” one ordered, coming up from the side with a gun up, “and put your kinds in the air.”

“What’s going on here?” Logan asked.

“Ronny,” Bobby muttered.

“I said drop the knives,” the officer repeated.

Glass shattered from inside the house, causing Rogue to squeal and everyone to face the door.

“This is just a misunderstanding,” Logan tried to reason.

“Put the knives down!”

“I can’t… Look.” 

Logan lifted his hands up, but before he could show the officers, one of them shot him in the head. Logan dropped, presumably dead. Rogue shrieked.

“All right, the rest of you, on the ground now!” The officer ordered. Bobby and Rogue obeyed, with Pyro staying standing. “Look, kid, I said on the ground.”

“We don’t want to hurt you, kid,” the female officer stated.

“You know all those dangerous mutants you hear about on the news?” Pyro said. He opened the lighter in his hand. “I’m the worst one.” 

Using the flame, he shot fire towards the officers in all directions. He didn’t stop, enjoying the feeling of the power. He continued to do damage, shooting large lengths of fire out. Rogue could see that the power was getting to him. She ripped off one of the gloves Bobby had given to her and grabbed Pyro’s ankle. Pyro gasped as Rogue channeled his power and extinguished the flames. Rogue didn’t let go until the flames were gone and Pyro was weakened. 

The bullet that Logan had been shot with fell out of his head just before he woke. The wind began whirling all around as the jet lowered close to the house. Logan stood, making sure the kids got to the jet safely. Ororo and Jean were in the co-pilot seats while the mutant they had picked up was seating nearby.

“Who the hell is this?” Asked Logan as he sat and buckled up.

“Kurt Wagner,” the blue mutant responded. “But in the Munich circus, I was known as the Incredible Nightcrawler—“

“Yeah, save it. Storm?”

“We’re outta here,” she told him.

“Whoa.” 

Logan gripped onto the chair tighter as the jet lifted back up into the air. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine you were there, holding his hand. When the jet steadied, Logan unbuckled and walked closer to the front.

“How far are we?” Logan wondered.

“We’re actually coming up on the mansion now,” Jean said.

“I’ve got two signals approaching,” Ororo said. “Coming in fast.”

“Unidentified aircraft,” a voice came over the radio, “you are ordered to descend to 20,000 feet. Return with our escort to Hanscom Air Force Base. You have seconds to comply.”

“Wow. Somebody’s angry.”

“I wonder why,” Logan muttered, looking at Pyro.

“We are coming up alongside you to escort you to Hanscom Air Force Base,” the voice continued. The two planes came up on either side of the cockpit windows. “Lower your altitude now. Repeat, lower your altitude to 20,000 feet. This is your last warning.”

“They’re falling back,” Ororo stated when the jets disappeared. Rapid beeping came from the controls. “They’re marking us.”

“What?” Logan said.

“They’re gonna fire. Hang on!”

Logan stumbled to sit back down as Ororo turned the plane. He quickly buckled up right before Jean turned the jet around completely.

“Please don’t do that again,” Pyro requested.

“I agree,” Logan said, feeling more uneasy. They didn’t have time for any of this. He needed to get to you. “Don’t we have any weapons in this heap?”

Ororo summoned her powers, bring in large storm clouds, lightning and tornadoes. Jean tried her best to maneuver the jet to avoid the other planes. It didn’t take long to lose one of them. When Jean saw that the other pilot ejected, she slowed down, signaling Ororo to pull the clouds away.

“Everybody okay back there?” Asked Jean.

“No,” Logan replied. 

The controls began frantically beeping as two missiles headed for the jet. Jean channeled much of her strength to stop one of the missiles, but wasn’t strong enough to fully stop the other. The missile hit the back of the jet, tearing it open. The jet began falling from the sky. Rogue screamed as she got ripped out of the jet, her seatbelt having never buckled.

“Rogue!” Bobby shouted.

“No!” Logan screamed. He couldn’t lose another person he cared about. Not like this.

Suddenly, Kurt disappeared only to quickly reappear at the back of the jet with Rogue in his arms. The force caused them to tumble to the front as the jet plummeted. Logan grabbed onto your dog tags that hung from his neck, silently apologizing to you in case this was the end. 

The sound of metal scraping had everyone’s heads turned to the back of the jet. The jet seemed to be fixing itself. The jet began to slow before suddenly stopping.

“Jean?” Ororo called.

“It’s not me!” She replied.

They all looked out the window to see Magneto with his hand up, controlling the jet, and Mystique beside him.

~~~

Using the supplies in the jet, the crew set up camp. Eventually, Jean, Ororo, Logan, Magneto, and Mystique ended up away from the others, surrounding a fire.

“His name is Colonel William Stryker,” Magneto explained, “and he invaded your mansion for one purpose: he wanted Cerebro. Or enough of it to build one of his own.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Jean said. “Stryker would need the Professor to operate it.”

“Which I think is the only reason why our friend’s still alive.”

“Oh, my God,” Ororo exclaimed.

“Now, what are you all so afraid of?” Logan asked.

“While Cerebro is working, Charles’ mind is connected to every living person on the planet,” explained Magneto. “If he were forced to concentrate  hard enough on a particular group, let’s say, mutants for example, he could kill us all.”

“Wait a minute,” Ororo said. “How would Stryker even know where to find Cerebro in the first place?”

“Because I told him. I helped Charles build it, remember? Mr. Stryker has powerful methods of persuasion. Even against a mutant as strong as Charles.”

“So who’s this Stryker anyway?” Jean wondered.

“He’s a military scientist. He spent his whole life trying to solve the mutant problem. If you want a more intimate perspective, why don’t you ask Wolverine?” Logan looked around, confused. “You don’t remember, do you? William Stryker, the only other man I know who can manipulate adamantium. The metal on your bones? It carries his signature.”

“But the Professor—“

“The Professor trusted you were smart enough to discover this on your own,” Magneto interrupted Logan. “Or with Y/N’s help. He gives you more credit than I do.”

“Why do you need us?” Ororo wondered.

“Mystique has discovered plans of a base that Stryker’s been operating out of for decades. We know that’s where he’s building the second Cerebro, but we don’t know where this base is. And I believe one of you might.”

“The Professor already tried,” Logan said.

“Once again, you think it’s all about you.” 

Magento looked up, allowing everyone to realize that Kurt had been in the trees listening in. Kurt sheepishly came down at sat by the fire.

“I didn’t mean to snoop,” he told Jean.

“Just try and relax,” Jean said. She lifted her hands to his head and entered his mind. Gasping, she released her hold. “Stryker’s at Alkali Lake.”

“That’s where the Professor sent me,” Logan stated. “There’s nothing left.”

“There’s nothing left on the surface, Logan. The base is underground.”

~~~

When Logan thought couldn’t get anymore angry at himself, now he was furious. He paced at the end of the jet stairs, huffing a cigar. Why didn’t he think to look underground? If he had, would you have been taken? Would Logan have been able to stop Stryker before all this could happen?

Not to mention that Logan was growing more worried for your safety with each passing second. What were Stryker’s plans for you? And would Logan be too late whenever they ended up there?

“Hey,” Jean greeted as she came down the stairs.

“Hey,” he huffed, focusing on his spiraling thoughts.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You sure?”

“What do you think?” He inhaled, turning to face her. “How we doing?”

“Not good,” Jean sighed, wiping her hands off with a rag. “It’ll take four or five hours before I can get it off the ground.”

“Great.” He shook his head with a scoff.

“I’m trying my best, Logan.”

“It’s not enough! Y/N is there, with Stryker! Something that I promised would never happen again!”

“You remember that?”

“Yeah, I do,” he chuckled darkly. “And the cruel matter of it all is that I remembered after she was taken. So it doesn’t matter now!” He began pacing again. “I should have been with her anyway if I wasn’t so chicken. If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in my own fears, I would have been down there with her when they came.”

“They would have fought to get to her. Stryker probably wanted her back.”

“I would have fought harder.” He fell back onto one of the steps, head hanging. “Did you know about her history with Stryker?”

Jean sighed. “Y/N has never opened up about the specifics of her past. She didn’t want to talk about you, it seemed. I did know that she had gone through trauma. But not who caused it and what it was.”

“Stryker faked her death to get to me… at least that’s what I’ve pieced together… I don’t put it past him to do something worse this time around.”

“We’ll get to her, Logan. We’ll get her back and Scott and the Professor.”

“And what then? I don’t even know where to start with her. Y/N remembers having a whole relationship and I remember fragments. Not enough to make sense of anything.”

“Do you care for her?”

Logan waited to respond, searching his own emotions. “I do… Too much. But it’s all…” He tapped the side of his head.

“Then how about you start at the beginning?”

Logan shook his head. “She doesn’t deserve that.”

“I’m sure she’ll do it… for you.”

Logan went silent, focusing on his cigar and his thoughts. Maybe Jean was right. Perhaps starting over, a clean slate, would be what’s best for the both of you. Logan vowed that when he rescued you, he would be honest with you and figure out how to start back at the beginning. 

next chapter >

[clarencethemouse]

Bleeding Light (pt. 1)

Nightcrawler x reader

because I'm feral and no one can stop me :)

This has been festering rotting in my brain for a week. This reads like a whole story (and a long one, because I have a lot of thoughts), but my brain spouts better as bullets. So it's bullets. But as a story. Enjoy :))

(also I totally may write out a proper story later. But you get the lore right now)

the Pining.

let it be known that it was mutual. And it was mutual for a Long Time

You were already with someone else when you two met. With his never-ending charm, wit, and kindness, it didn't take long for you to hit it off as good friends.

this soon became a close friendship, often closer emotionally than you were with your partner. You were a mutant, unbeknownst to your partner (out of shame). You trusted them, and they respected mutants, but by the time you gained the courage to tell them, you felt it was too late to risk losing their trust over such a crucial lie. So you maintained this front, masterfully, for over a year

with Kurt, you didn't feel the need to hide. He understood. With him, you could bond and relate life stories in ways you could never with your long-term partner.

it was soon that you began to realize your feelings for Kurt were stretching farther than any other friendship before. And that you liked Kurt more than you ever loved your partner

this tore you up, and you became wracked with guilt. You didn't know how to end it with your partner, though you knew it had to be done. You still loved and cherished the person you spent the last year with, but it wasn't fair to them

over the last several months you two had planned a future together. It was a critical time of your life to gain independence, move out of home, and start your own journeys of life. For so long, you wanted to start this new life with them. It wasn't so simple as breaking up. Their, and your, near future was built upon the assumption that you would marry, as you did love them.

but not as much as you liked Kurt.

Your choice was made when you finally sat down with them and revealed your mutation. One thin cut was made on your hand. Light poured from the skin, igniting both of your faces in shock and fear. As the white blood trickled down your palm, your partner demanded why. Why could you keep this from them? Why did you withhold such an important part of you for so long?

when you could provide no answer they deserved, they walked out.

with your future with them obliterated, you had nowhere to turn. Nowhere to go to escape the psychological torture (and emotional abuse) of your parents' failed marriage. When you turned to Kurt for a deep shoulder to cry on, he provided an answer. An answer he knew would be best for you, and cursed himself that he was more excited about what it could mean for him. The X-Mansion

it only took mere days before you packed everything of value and were stationed at the mansion. It didn't take long for Kurt to convince the professor to let you stay, at least for as long as it took you to get on your feet on your own (and he wanted you to stay because... reasons).

you were more than happy to suggest doing your part as a teacher for the school

settling into the flow of the school, and life so close to people just like you, was a struggle eased by Kurt. He was the new kid before, and just as he had Rogue, you had him.

soon you built your own social circle and support group of friends, fitting perfectly into the puzzle that is the X-Men family. Soon, you were able to grieve your lost love and move on with the world you were always meant for.

...it did not take long for everyone to notice the brighter smiles you offered Kurt. The glances you sent him after making your witty, slightly dirty comments. How he was the first person you sat with during movie night, resting your head on his shoulder as you both grew tired. How you distracted yourself during end-of-the-day classes, searching for him in the hall through the window in your classroom door. How he was the only one you didn't hide the blinding paper cuts and golden scraped knees from.

and it did not take long for everyone to notice the way his tail whipped more excitedly the instant you entered the room. The way he recalled you explaining your day so enthusiastically as if you were the brightest, most wise creature to grace the planet. The way he was always the first to appear by your side after a more gruesome training session, examining every inch of your visible body more thoroughly than Beast. The way when he would let you down after a piggyback ride, his smile faltered ever so slightly to stop touching you.

so Rogue and Gambit formed a plan. Because that's what good friends do

she worked on whittling you down to admit it to yourself. He was happy to encourage Kurt to take more forward action with you. Jubilee soon joined in the plan, and soon there was a whole network of friends conspiring to get you two together because GOD WE ALL SEE IT. THE STUDENTS SEE IT. THE PIGEONS SEE IT. CHARLES AND JEAN HAVE TO SEE IT IN YOUR MINDS EVERY DAMN DAY. GET A ROOM.

and it works

Rogue got it out of you quickly. She was able to help you sort out your feelings and stop feeling so guilty about the past. You did what had to be done, and you never would have been truly happy with your old partner living a life of lies. But you can't lie to Kurt. He knew you deeper than anyone without even trying, and you wished to God he could know you a little better.

it took a month before Gambit was finally able to convince Kurt that you were struggling just the same. Because as much as the man flirted, teased, and worked himself into our attention by any means possible, he could not shake the dreaded pit feeling that you were still someone else's. You were still just out of his reach, and he would never know the feeling of your beautiful lips; your hands beyond high fives and thumb wrestling matches. Never have the honor to show the world everything he wished he could have with you

Kurt met you on the mansion roof. You were minding your business; reading a book and playing with light over the shadows. You didn't want to come inside. And if you were on the roof, that's where Kurt was gonna make himself comfortable. He would hang by the cell tower by just his tail if it meant you would talk to him. Anything if it meant he could tell you the truth.

it started with you looking over at him in a moment of silence, when you truly had no inclination to think he was there with any ulterior motive. Just one thought on the tip of your tongue

"You're so beautiful."

kurt.exe has stopped working

neither of you left the roof. The night wrapped with your head on his chest and his hand in your hair, him wondering where the absolute Hell it all went wrong.

you did wake up around 2 a.m. Sitting up abruptly at the surprise of your position, you were met with Kurt's golden eyes already awake and on you. No one beyond you two knows what happened on the roof that night, but your relationship changed. No more hiding.

when you returned to your lives the next morning, the others didn't need to be told that the mission was successful. Your smiles and bright eyes shared the whole story

[the-amazing-digital-guardians-au]

The Amazing Digital Circus: Guardian AU

My TADC AU is now up and running! I will be making a poster, character cards, general art, and possibly comics based around the storyline. Here’s the information!:

Description:

Caine is the ringmaster and ruler of The Amazing Digital Circus, but there are some things that even he can’t control. NPCs go rogue all the time, often acting out and trying to genuinely hurt the circus members as they go on adventures. Because of this, Caine has always appointed two circus members he deems the most worthy to protect him and others from danger. They have been different over the years (mainly due to abstractions), but currently Jax and Ragatha are his Guardians. The two of them are more privileged than the regular circus members: they are allowed to wield weapons, swear, indulge in vices, and the like as long as they do so in private, do their jobs well, and don’t disrupt the "family-friendly" atmosphere of the circus. Caine trusts them…or so he says. And to make matters worse, it looks like NPCs are forming an uprising to overthrow Caine, led by none other than a revived Gummigoo! Travel through the colorful world of TADC, but covered in a grimy layer of violence, corruption, and deception.

Who will the story focus on:

Caine

Abel

Pomni 

Jax

Ragatha

Kinger and Queenie

Princess Loo, Gummigoo, and other/more NPCs as the canon Digital Circus web series progresses

Genre:

Religious and psychological horror

Comedy

Action

Philosophical(?)

Content Warning - Anything produced for this AU may have any of the following elements:

Religious themes

Implied/referenced torture 

Blood (No gore, but this may change in the future)

Mental health issues 

War themes

Gambling

Alcohol and Drugs

Foul Language

This AU is recommended for ages 16+

…Wait, there’s more?!

FAQ:

Can I make fanart?

Yes, fanart is encouraged and always appreciated! Just make sure to credit me as the creator when needed. Do not use my creations if you are hateful/racist/sexist/anti-LGBTQ or just problematic in any other way. I don’t want what I make to be associated with these things. As for NSFW stuff…I would prefer if you didn’t. (Okay, well…now that I think about it, sure, go ahead, go crazy. But please don’t send it to me, I don’t really wanna see it. And tag it appropriately! Be mindful of others!) Ocs are allowed!! Ships (Canon x Canon, Canon x OC, OC x OC, whatever) are allowed! Tag me in anything as long as it’s SFW. Seriously, do whatever you want!

What are the religious themes?

Christianity. I am a Christian myself, but I also really enjoy religious horror and researching different religions. Does Pomni represent Jesus in this story? Not really. But, I will be using themes/images of Christianity (like angels, for example) to enhance the horror. I also like studying Japanese and Chinese mythological figures, purely out of interest. I will never try to push my beliefs onto the audience in any way. People can believe in whatever they want!

Are there any ships?

Bunnydoll (Jax x Ragatha) is the main ship. It is mostly implied/referenced and nothing overly romantic happens. The story focuses on their emotional bond since they are both Caine’s guardians. If you don’t like the ship, please don’t be rude to people who do. And if you do like the ship, don’t be rude to people who don’t! There’s enough hate on the internet already. Just be mindful that we all like different things, and have fun!

How will the story be told?

Through comics, probably. It’s easier for me to write things in a document (as a script) and then draw, so it will take time. I will also make art on the side that may or may not have canon information or events. It depends.

What inspired you?

The 70s (lots of yellow, orange and brown colors), Skinnamarink, religious horror, vintage Las Vegas, vintage snacks, and other random stuff. I have specific inspirations for different characters. But my inspiration to even start this project is definitely @/burrotello and The Amazing Digital Fight Club AU. It’s awesome!

Can I ask questions about characters, the story, etc?

Yes, but if it’s an answer I don’t want to reveal yet��well, we’ll see what happens. Sometimes, I will make drawings where a character reacts or responds!

[baldurs-writers-3]

This week, we have fics focusing on Tav! Check under the cut for eight fics that explore custom Tavs as they navigate the challenges of BG3. And as always, comment and kudos if you like them!

staeve multiverse by Deerna (30082,Not Rated) Warnings: Check individual fics for rating and content notes Pairings: Astarion/Halsin/Tav

This is a relatively large collection of fics surrounding Staeve, the drow rogue made by Velnna

Reccer says: Staeve is a super fun tav, and there are so many fun fics exploring his dynamic with his partners.

Be Worth Something by Masterangst12 (4445,Not Rated) Warnings: None Pairings: Astarion/Tav

Tav (named Axel) gives Astarion a present, a thoughtful gesture and Astarion sucks it up and returns the kindness by learning to comfort someone else for once.

Reccer says: I love how everyone picked up on the signs of Axel's self-worth issues, and I love Astarion's response to them even more

Under the Sussur Tree by spacesunderstairs (73724,Mature) Warnings: None Pairings: Astarion/Tav

Halinae (a reclusive drow bard) wakes up on a mindflayer ship and must find her way out.

Reccer says: I really like Halinae as a character, and enjoy seeing her interact with the various companions.

tomorrow (and tomorrow, and tomorrow) by maximumentropy (51352,Mature) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Rape/Non-Con (though the non-con is not super explicit, if that helps), Self harm Pairings: Astarion/Halsin/Tav

Astarion is newly freed from Cazador, and Morrow is newly freed from their own abusive master. And Halsin? Halsin is the only one who knows the three of them are soulmates.

Reccer says: I really like Morrow as a character, and the way these three play off each other and grow together. Just very lovely all around

Fidelity by narla_hotep (102674,Mature) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Body Horror Pairings: The Emperor/Tav

Fidelius was a thrall; a mind flayer's loyal servant who obeyed his master's every whim. But everything changed when the nautiloid descended. Now with his master missing and presumed dead, Del is free for the first time in decades... And he has absolutely no idea what to do with it.

Reccer says: The premise is executed so well, and the descriptions are wonderfully visceral.

Weight of The Crown by Nikolai_237 (2613,General) Warnings: None Pairings: Karlach/Tav

A young Archfey warlock attempts to become familiar with a mysterious power bestowed to him.

Reccer says: I really enjoy the feywild imagery, and Rivera is just a joy to read

And two fics each for:

Oathbreaker by Mellybaggins (186136,Explicit) Warnings: Dead dove content, major character death, rape, torture, religious trauma, gaslighting/emotional manipulation Pairings: Tav/Astarion, Tav/Halsin, Tav/OC

The fic follows Morwen, an oathbreaker paladin Tav through the events of the game, but also during her rich backstory as told through recovered suppressed memories.

Reccer #1 says: It seems to start as just another Tav fic but really takes off after Raphael messes with her and the suppressed traumatic memories start to resurface. Reccer #2 says: Morwen is such an interesting Tav, and I love fics that really dig into the divide between good vs evil, especially in such a dark way.

Until I Met You by onlymine139 (50846,Explicit) Warnings: None Pairings: Halsin/Tav

A slow burn that focuses on developing the relationship between Tav and Halsin during the events of BG3.

Reccer #1 says: It helps to fill in some of the gaps in the in game romance with Halsin as well as develop some cute friendships with the other companions. Heavy on Tav's (Tav'ahria) backstory as well, who was also present for the unleashing of the shadow curse. Reccer #2 says: I really enjoy the sweet back and forth between Tav and Halsin, and their companions' sometimes disastrous matchmaking attempts.

The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ!

Next week, we’ll be back with Humorous Fics!

[physalian]

Transformers Prime Appreciation Post

You know what. You know what?? This show has featured in so much of my writing advice, it deserves its own “This show is amazing and has amazing writing and shit you can learn from it to be a better writer” post. It’s streamable on Netflix at the time of this post. I own it on DVD. I have all three seasons on actual, physical discs that I bought new for my DVD collection. That’s how much I love this show.

What is TFP? TFP aired on The Hub network, the joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Channel that died after MLP ended, I think. We lost cable before that happened. TFP was probably single-handedly sustained by MLP money for a while, like the rest of HBO on GOT.

This show came out when I entered high school and I have extremely vivid memories of some of the constant previews they showed of the season 1 finale 3-parter, to the point where whenever I watch the scenes that were in those teasers, I still get a physical reaction from being bludgeoned over the head with those lines of dialogue.

I used to scroll ahead in the TV guide as far as the scheduled programming allowed, just to catch snippets of what episodes were slated to air within the next month. This show was the shit.

But it was too expensive and its budget got eaten by Friendship is Magic. The bronies ruin everything I guess.

It’s 3 seasons (technically 2.5 since 3 was only greenlit for half its episode count) of near-perfection and a tv-movie. There are a few weak episodes, sure, and one absolute dud of a clipshow episode, but there are no awful episodes. There ain’t no “Great Divide” for this show.

Why you should watch it:

1. A “kids” show that absolutely takes itself seriously

One of the Autobots dies 5 minutes into the series and it’s the inciting incident for the entire story. He gets blown up, taken prisoner, and then stabbed through his chest by a Decepticon’s fist without warning. He then gets brought back as a zombie, killed again, infects his partner with the zombie juice when she’s trying to save him, and dies for good.

Two main characters get straight-up murdered, long-running characters whose deaths have lofty consequences for the narrative. There’s betrayals, double-agents, robot torture, robots getting eaten alive by scraplets, gaslighting of an amnesiac, near-murders of POWs, near-murders of fan-favorites who get so hurt, their recovery spans 4 whole episodes, attempted child murder, terrorism, and mad science.

But there is also some heavy emotional shit. The surviving partner of the zombie is damaged by his loss for the entire show because she can’t properly manage her grief. There’s characters going on suicide missions to avenge their dead/dying friends, getting beat to shit while a child watches helplessly on the sidelines screaming at them to get up and run through tears. There’s war flashbacks to dead friends and comrades and the terror and fallout of being eons-old soldiers.

There’s quiet moments, too, about grief and loss and living with disability and disfigurement from battlefield wounds. There’s the machinations of a tragic villain, openly and explicitly abused in front of his whole team and who keeps crawling back and groveling at his master’s feet and his internal identity crisis over who he is, if he’s not with his abuser. There’s the fallout of an extremely divisive trolley problem where a normally calm and collected character loses their shit with grief over the decision that was made. There’s the quiet rumblings of dissent and rebellion in the ranks and all the backstabbing that follows.

And there’s clever moments. Rogues and rebels orchestrating complex and interwoven plots to further their agendas. A POW who no one would ever expect to be captured absolutely trouncing their captives and laughing all the while while they free themselves. Characters who always have a backup plan to force others into awful predicaments.

The first episode after the 5-episode mini-movie that opens the show features an A-plot about school science projects, and a B-plot about waking a loyal ‘Con from stasis and trying to convince him to bow down to the ‘Cons’ temp leader, Starscream, while Megatron is elsewhere. It does not end well for him. The very next episode features robots getting eaten alive by alien metal termites.

2. Depth of Character

Beyond the actual plot, the villains might be more compelling characters than the heroes across many arcs and episodes. You’ve got five main autobots for most of the show that generally fit the 5-man band:

Optimus: Leader

Ratchet: Smart Guy

Bulkhead: Tough Guy

Arcee: Lancer

Bumblebee: Heart

Also guest starring the Alien Robot Cowboy Samurai known as Wheeljack, he’s amazing.

These characters have some really rich episodes and arcs, and moments where they have to put their own values, wants, and agendas aside for the greater good or the problem at hand. They feel like real people, for lack of a better word. They laugh, they cry, they rage, they grieve, and since the show is one long storyline, what happens seemingly inconsequentially in season 1 will come back to haunt them in season 3.

But then you have the villains, an extremely dysfunctional team of “every man for himself, we’re all not here because we like each other, but because we hate the Autobots,” and I can tell from the fanfic that the ‘Cons are the much more popular characters to write about.

Megatron: The fascist narcissist warlord

Starscream: His scheming SIC both too smart and too dumb for his own good

Soundwave: The utterly badass TIC comms chief who never loses and is insanely, fiercely loyal to the cause

KnockOut: The absolutely gay-as-fuck cosmedic surgeon/chief of medical voiced by Daran Norris, who’s only design requirement was to make him a sexy sportscar, and they ended up with a cherry red Aston Martin. One of his first lines in the show is "*whistle* Sweet rims” at Optimus in truck mode.

Breakdown: KO’s himbo, canon* boyfriend with some of the best, cringey puns

Airachnid: Arcee’s arch nemesis, the only other female transformer, a “love to loathe her” type

And others down the line for both teams.

*Canon insofar as a kids show on a kids network allows a la “we’ve given you as much subtext as we can, do the rest”.

KO is technically my favorite but it’s a tossup between many and that is a feat, especially when they’re the villains. They are all extremely compelling characters.

3. The Story

With some exceptions, episodes don’t happen in isolation. Most of season 1 is a bit random with a foggy throughline, but season 2 is utterly amazing, sans that one clipshow the producers probably insisted on.

Season 2 is the show’s finest hour and without spoiling anything: The end of season 1 sees this database that had been in the ‘Cons possession suddenly now with the means to decode and decrypt whatever’s locked behind it. The database contains coordinates on Earth of a myriad of confiscated weapons, ancient relics, and the like and the entire season is one big fetch quest with both sides racing and beating the shit out of each other to decode coordinates and retrieve the relics before the other side.

The macguffins are pretty cool in their own right (alien mustard gas, a giant Final Fantasy sword, an alien nuke, a phase-shifter) but it’s the intensity of the story and the action and drama that happens around the various quests that is so amazing.

At one point, the show takes four episodes to tackle a fetch quest across four separate relics that involves the entire cast on both sides and the two rogues all gunning for their targets at the same time, ending with one character critically injured that grinds the whole plot to a stop.

The show is one long story, as I mentioned, where something that happens in episode 2 shows up again as critically important in episode 40 and that’s a heck of an achievement on the writers’ part, making it all feel like it was planned that way from the start, even though it wasn’t.

Season 3 is… lesser, mostly because it has half as many episodes because the show was canceled. However, the writers knew about the cancellation early enough to still deliver a satisfying story, and wrap up loose ends with a tv-movie that is also pretty good.

Episode-to-episode there’s definitely a mixed bag of what kind of tone you’ll get. It’s still a kids show and there are human characters so there are some lesser episodes with the humans’ lives as the focus and the Autobots running support. Then you’ll have small-screen perfection, but like I said, there’s never a single episode of story (not clipshow) that I skip upon rewatch, no matter how many times I’ve seen it. The second “clipshow” episode is far and gone above the first, told through the eyes of a character as they’re on trial, only their scenes through the story, as they await judgment that might see them executed.

4. The Production Value

The majority of the animation budget rightfully went to the transformers themselves, which left the environments and the human characters a little rough around the edges. But you came for alien robots and before I got this show on DVD, I streamed crap quality episodes online. Once I saw these characters in full HD color, for the first time since it aired on TV, I was blown away. The reflections are, bar none, the best part. Which seems like a strange hill to die on but these are shiny metal giants. There’s some shots where you can see the reactions of other characters reflected hazily in the chest plates of the speaking character, and this is kids animated TV.

Some episodes do stand out, possibly because they changed studios, but some do have some off-kilter coloring or shadows, but you wouldn’t notice if you’re not like me and have picked some scenes apart frame by frame.

The music, also, is amazing. It’s grand and epic and far and gone from the 80s synthesizers, with a few choir tracks thrown in. The foley and sound design can get a little gratuitous with the metal-on-metal squeals, but none of it ever feels out of place.

I bought the directors’ commentary without knowing it for seasons 1 and 3 and they talked about having all the digital screens in the backgrounds of both bases constantly moving and showing data, not just static, blank images, and it really ups the feel of the quality and care put into the show when there’s always something cool to look at in every frame.

There are also some money shots. At one point there’s a fight that demands Optimus and Megatron join forces and with zero dialogue between them, only choreography in the span of about 25 seconds of animation shows you that these two really were old friends, old allies, old confidants. Their moves are mirrored, back to back, showing that Megatron clearly taught Optimus how to fight and this shot, the one at the top of the post, is too good to not spoil.

5. The Writing

Beyond the overall arcs, I mentioned in my “How to make your writing less stiff” post that the dialogue in this show is stellar. Due to animation budgets, they didn’t have the means to fully render a huge variety of environments, and that includes anything on Cybertron. So, when necessary, outside of when characters actually go to Cybertron later in the show, they use some beautiful matte paintings and voiceover narration by Ratchet, absolutely dumping exposition on the audience in spectacular fashion.

I have the director’s commentary. I know Ratchet’s monologues were a thing of beauty. They also had the cast all recording their dialogue at once, standing in a big U for more natural line deliveries.

The actual writing though, from the different ways the characters speak to the lore, the backstories, how the show can be a horror trip one minute and a kids’ science fair the next, showed incredible variety and flexibility in the writers’ room.

Optimus’ lines remain my favorite because they’re just that juicy, but then you have characters like Starscream, a perpetual schemer who loves to hear himself talk, pontificating whenever he can about his plans and how much he hates Megatron and how self-important he is. Or other righteous characters who use Big Words like Optimus that don’t feel out of place against somebody like KnockOut who says stuff like “I like the way I look in steel-belted radials” or Wheeljack who clearly learned English from watching Clint Eastwood movies.

Or, a later character, Shockwave, the most “robotic” of the robots and very poncy and scientific with the way he talks and interprets the world, with most of his lines including whether or not a character’s choices were “logical”.

This show is fantastic at creating tension out of mundanity and keeping you on the edge of your seat for nail-biting action scenes. You feel the anguish and the grief with the characters. Their rage and elation and devastation.

Some faults, because I love this show and I can recognize them

The human characters are… well, teenagers. Miko is pretty divisive, you’ve got the camp of “wah she’s a girl and she’s annoying” and just people who don’t find them as compelling. Which, fair. Their animation is a bit gummy and sometimes they disappear for entire episodes and their human world arcs are kind of abandoned. They’re not the best, but this isn’t about humans, it’s about transformers.

Due to probably time constraints with the show being canceled, some transformers’ arcs also felt abandoned or not given their due time to shine (of which fanfic has made painfully clear and rectified). It’s a very tight plot, but there are some dangling loose ends.

Sometimes it is incredibly in-your-face that this is a show meant to sell toys, particularly in season 3 with the whole uh, “we must become beast hunters” and the soft rebrand.

There exists a subplot of C-list villains, human militants who want to dissect cybertronian biology and make weapons. While some of their episodes are absolute bangers, you can tell the writers were getting sick of them before they’re finally written out of the show.

And a few awkward lines here and there.

Other cool shit if nothing else has convinced you

No love triangle or romantic subplot for the two female robots and one of the female humans. You can read one of Arcee’s relationships as romantic or platonic, but she is far beyond just “the girl” of the group, she’s a badass. The other romantic subplot is between a mom who’s deadbeat ex-husband is inexplicably missing, and a pot-bellied Army vet, and it’s really sweet and healthy.

(I think) incredible representation of characters with disability, in Bumblebee’s various war scars and his mutism.

The Gays. I swear there’s a page in the art book (of which I am desperate to find a copy of) for KnockOut and the caption of his art legit says something like “we made him too sexy, oops”.

So. Many. Puns. Puns that know they’re awful and relish in it. Dad jokes, too.

Ratchet losing his mind over how human children can get “twisted limbs and metal burn” if they do a dangerous thing before realizing the latter does not apply. Ratchet losing his mind in general. Just all of the cranky medic. Jeffrey Combs can make a phone book entertaining.

One of the last times we’ll probably get Peter Cullen and Frank Welker together doing Optimus and Megatron, the OGs. And also, one tiny moment where Frank has to say “treasure” and he still flubs it just like he does for Fred in Scooby Doo.

Consistency between character injuries. If Optimus’ sword breaks in a battle, whenever he summons it before he can have time to fix it, it’s still broken in ensuing shots.

An episode of zombies infecting the Decepticons’ ship and Starscream and KnockOut accidentally admitting they love each other while cowering in terror, while also calling back to a different pair of characters they did not witness saying the exact same lines.

Optimus transforming, ramming Megatron in the chest in truck mode, booting him off a cliff, and using his tires to melt rubber in Megatron’s face once they land because he is pissed.

All of Starscream’s immensely satisfying comeuppance for situations he gets himself into.

Using the murder termites for good in a rather horrifying death of a random goon.

Megatron’s hate boner for Optimus that clearly shows how badly these two don’t actually want to kill each other, despite having a million chances to do so, because like Batman and the Joker, “you and I are destined to do this for eternity,” and killing one would leave the other alone, after eons of fighting.

The gorgeous matte paintings.

—

Somebody on here once drew KnockOut with Autobot blue eyes and I have not been able to find that post since. If anyone sees it, please send it to me, it was gorgeous.

Now go watch this show. You can do it in a weekend.

[sanjoongie]

𝔻𝕒𝕪 𝕋𝕖𝕟: ℍ𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕊𝕖𝕩

🥀Pairing: Kang Yeosang x Reader (f)

🥀Genre: Smut

🥀Rating: 18+, Minors Do not Interact

🥀Au: ninja au, anime au, Naruto au, historical au

🥀Trope: enemies to lovers

🥀Summary: when you claim that Yeosang was a man of no emotions and Yeosang demanded you prove yourself right, a passionate and hot sex session follows

🥀Kinks: hate sex, rough sex, degradation kink, fingering (f), mean dom! yeosang, mean sub! reader, breast/nipple play, strength kink, creampie

🥀Word Count: 1,693

🥀author's note: thanks to @mejuii for helping my gears begin to turn. Apologies for any terms you don't understand, I pulled directly the anime and this was completely self indulgent

🥀Day Nine: Long Distance Sex/ Praise 🥀Mini Masterlist 🥀Day Eleven: Somnophilia

Your ancestors would, in fact, be rolling in their graves if they knew whose fingers were deep inside of you. Your hips rolled into the hand that was giving you pleasure, but he wasn’t going to just let you take from him without giving back.

“What’s this?” Yeosang purred into the shell of your ear. “I thought you said there was no way that you could possibly get pleasure from anything I ever did to you?”

“Fuck off, Yeosang,” You snarled weakly, hips still bucking into his movements.

“Kinda pitiful, really?” Yeosang continued to torture you with his words. “A Senju letting an Uchiha fuck her with his fingers. We should be fighting instead of fucking.”

A jolt went through your nerves. It tightened your nipples immediately and made your lower half flood even more than it already was.

“Who’s fucking?” You argued, “You’re incapable of anything other than throwing barbed insults and using those damn eyes of yours.”

Yeosang hummed mockingly in agreement. “Right, how could a passionless man possibly fuck?”

You had been sent by the Hogage herself to infiltrate the Akatsuki. What you hadn't been aware of was that Yeosang, who had gone rogue when his elder sister had died by his own hands, had joined up with the merry band of shit disturbers. You had been sent here to figure out exactly what their grand plan was. You most definitely were not sent here to fuck the enemy, let alone an enemy that was generations in the making. 

All you had to do was keep your mouth shut, but you were so sick and tired of Yeosang's damn emotionless face. You had watched him fight, watched others die, and he never showed a single drop of emotion. You, however, had cried when the first Jinchuriki had died for the Akatsuki’s grand plans. Yeosang had accused you of having a weakness.

“Shouldn’t you have ripped your heart out a long time ago, great granddaughter of Hashirama?” Yeosang had mocked you then. 

“Oh, go find someone else to spar with Yeosang, I'm tired of you,” You had attempted to dismiss him.

What you hadn't known was that your explosions of emotions were what Yeosang looked forward to the most. He was so devoid of feeling anything for such a long time that you were refreshing, despite all his provoking. 

Yeosang quirked an eyebrow at you, making direct eye contact, the most you had ever seen that beautiful face move. “Tire of me? I haven’t heard that one before. Normally, everyone is begging me to show them something.”

You laughed mirthlessly. “Like that would ever happen. I don’t think you would know emotion if it hit you on the head.” That’s when you pushed it. “In fact, I doubt anyone could get a rise out of you, including your cock.”

Yeosang cocked his head at you, face still blank. “Don’t think I know how to use the sword on my body?”

“Tch.” You sneered. “I highly doubt you could please someone, let alone be passionate.”

A shiver went from the top of your head down to the tips of your toes as Yeosang smirked. You should have been terrified. Instead, you were turned on. “Do you want to test that out, brat?”

You took a step forward that brought you nose to nose with the enemy of your ancestors. “I’d relish proving you wrong.”

And then the rough sex that followed was like nothing you had ever experienced. You both ripped your robes in order to grope at each other’s chest. Yeosang pushed your breasts together while massaging them while you flicked your thumbs over his nipples, looking for him to break. 

You wrestled and fought for the upper hand, to be the more dominant one, but Yeosang was simply a smidgeon stronger than you. He pinned you against his chest, an arm against your collarbones, and he began to play with your body even more. It wasn’t until those skilled fingers found your wet folds that you heard a low chuckle in your ear. 

“Are you having fun, little one? You’re so wet I would think you were eager to be beneath me.”

You were so shocked by the sound of his laugh but didn’t fight him when he released your upper body and instead pulled one of your legs up so he could have easier access to your aching puss. 

“That’s simply the adrenaline talking,” You argued. You had to bite hard into your lips to keep the moan that was attempting to escape your lips in. “Like I could ever get pleasure from something you did to me.”

Except now, that was exactly what was happening. And you were starting to think that Yeosang was enjoying himself. 

“Does it make you wet at the thought that I’ll impale you in the middle of this forest where anyone could stumble upon us? Hmmm, little brat? Want someone to watch while your mortal enemy fucks you into an orgasm?” Yeosang teased and tempted you.

A whine was building in the back of your throat and the plea for him to fuck you was on the tip of your tongue. But your pride was burning your throat. 

“You have to say it,” Yeosang whispered into the skin along your neck. “I could bring you to the peak of your pleasure and stop. Again and again. In fact, I could torture you with my Tsukuyomi in that very way, and only a moment would pass.”

“Make no mistake,” You panted, your body still rolling into his hand as his fingers squealched and fucked your pussy. “I hate you.”

“And yet.” Yeosang was hanging off your words. He just needed you to give him the go-ahead, and he would show you exactly how you affect his emotions and his passion. 

“Fuck me, Yeosang,” You asked lowly, “Make me feel something for you that isn’t hatred.”

Yeosang moaned. “Gladly.”

With both of his hands cupping just under your knees, Yeosang held you aloft and lowered you down on his straining cock. You whimpered as he fought his way inside of you, thrusting into your wet cunt, making room in your soft walls for his cock. Each inch pushed inside was torture because it felt so good but you wanted the whole of him inside of you; you needed to be fucked until you screamed from your orgasm.

Each whimper that you let out as Yeosang fucked you was a gift to the Uchiha. For someone who had suppressed quite a lot in his life, sex was the one time he could let loose. The way you trembled for him, begged for him, whined for him was reawakening parts of him that he thought had long died. But what he wanted the most was for you to say his name with passion. He wanted to hear your name drip like honey from your lips instead of like poison.

“Does it feel that good, being fucked by your mortal enemy, brat?” Yeosang poked at you. “Does my cock give you that much pleasure that you have no more words to throw at me like a kunai?”

Your head lolled back, pleasure making you a willing ragdoll for Yeosang to fuck. You had never felt this way with any man. It was like with each stroke of Yeosang inside of you, he was looking for you to be pleased rather than himself. It was as if he wasn’t taking from you but giving. 

“How is it so good?” You rasped hoarsely, your moans already making your throat dry. “I’ve never felt such pleasure before?!”

“There’s a reason they beg me to never leave,” Yeosang admitted tonelessly, “After one taste of me, you’ll be ruined for everyone else. On that, I can swear.”

You believed him because no cock had ever felt as good as the one sheathed between your legs did now. “Wanna cum,” You whimpered, mind solely on your growing orgasm.

“Already? You’re a greedy brat,” Yeosang mocked you. “You’re an easy lay.”

“I’m--hnnnn-not--ah, ah, ah--just--fuck, shit, Yeosang! Yeosang, just like that,” You whined, the build up of your orgasm ushered by the way that Yeosang fucked up into your pussy like a well oiled machine. 

“Say my name like that again,” Yeosang demanded.

“Yeosang! Yeosang! Yeosang!”

He came inside of you with a quiet grunt, buried deep inside of you. He unloaded into you, an amount that filled you to the brim and then spilled out. You felt as his cum dripped out of you and onto the ground of the forest. 

With the final thrust, so deep inside of you that you felt his tip nudging your womb, you came. You screamed his name, stars lighting up behind your eyelids as you were gifted with such an intense orgasm that you were happy that Yeosang was holding you aloft.

Yeosang let go of one leg, then another, a hand on your waist to make sure you didn’t collapse. “Let me fuck you like that again, brat. I promise you I can show you a lot more.”

Wooyoung’s hyena laughter shattered the illusion that Yeosang had created just as he released you. “He’s right, you know. Men and women beg for him to show them something other than his cool, pretty face.”

Yeosang had indeed used his Tsukuyomi, the power of his eyes to trap you in a moment in your own mind, and had fucked you there the minute you had met his eyes. The illusion, the mind power, was so powerful that it felt exactly like reality. 

Your face burned with embarrassment. Your undergarments were simply flooded from the pleasure your mind had thought you had received. Your clothes were not ripped either. Wooyoung’s laughter died, and he peered at you and then Yeosang with curiosity. 

“You two should just fuck already, the sexual tension is palpable,” Wooyoung observed, albeit a second too late.

You screamed in anger, triggering a tree to grow, capturing Wooyoung by the collar and leaving him hanging, not quite understanding what exactly he had said. And Yeosang, the immovable statue of the Akatsuki, laughed at his best friend and partner, unable to contain any glee at the moment.

🥀Day Nine: Long Distance Sex/ Praise 🥀Mini Masterlist 🥀Day Eleven: Somnophilia

[rei-ismyname]

Logan tried to murder Chuck. What then?

After the sun set on Krakoa and the dust settled, Charles Xavier surrendered himself to 'human authorities.' He was being transported to his super prison built by Reed Snitchards and Tony Nark when...

Logan came to kill him in a very unsubtle way. Surely those guards died or at minimum suffered serious permanent injuries. What little we get of his motivation is an objection to Chuck's time as Sentinel X - killing a bunch of humans. Logan Behavior, basically. Certainly hypocrisy.

Pretty stylish entrance though, The Shining style. He's just about to gut him after Chuck declines explaining himself or speaking at all. Keep in mind resurrection Protocols just phased into another dimension - Logan is aiming to kill Xavier permanently (comic book permanent obviously) here despite the fact he's going to prison for life. He'd actually be subverting punitive state justice here.

I hardly need to say that this is pretty extreme for Logan. He's killed countless people, but for the last few decades he's worshipped the ground Charles walks on. After AvX, when Chuck committed suicide by Phoenix, Logan appointed himself the custodian of 'the dream' and ran the school (though he renamed it after Jean because he's a creepy and petty man.) Cyclops is often held up as Chuck's heir, but I think Logan is just as much. (Though Jean and Storm beat them both out and surpass him.) Maybe this is a hypocritical broken pedestal moment.

Magneto objects, freezing him in place and proclaiming 'no more martyrs.'

Did you know 9/10 failed murderers say 'cripes?'

Then he yeets him out of the prison and levitates it so he can't get back in. Mags and Chuck have a chat and we see nothing of Logan until Wolverine #1.

These people all need therapy. Emotional intelligence so low.

That murderous unilateral motivation seems to have cooled - 'Charles doin' what he did' is third on his list of things that took their toll. Not to minimise his pain, but everyone else has experienced those things too. Many had it worse. Scott, for example, was tortured for six months with his eyes sewn shut and a broken back (which... healed somehow.) If someone else was doing this he'd call them out at best, more likely he'd tell them to get over it. This is #Logan Behavior, though it's weird he doesn't mention Daken's death.

Brief aside - was he truly needed in the pack? I can't see what use a throng of wolves would have for a naked guy with opposite sleep patterns, very different dietary requirements, and the inability to breed with them. His presence got them killed. He was tolerated at best, more likely an imposition. Kevin Costner motherfucker.

I'm 99% sure this is next chronologically. Scott says Logan was 'in the area so he asked him to investigate' - 'the area' being Santo Marco, a fictional South American country that Magneto briefly conquered in 1963. The X-Men answered his distress call.

No mention of Chuck here, and he greets Scott warmly. No thank you though. They patch him up back at the Factory. Looks like he does have use for X-Men.

Wolverine can absolutely give up. It's his thing.

From 'I never should have left the woods' this has to be after Wolverine #1, but before Uncanny X-Men #1-4, because that takes place over a few days and the phone call between Rogue and Scott implies so. We only get the end of this conversation, but it's very safe to assume it was a soft recruitment offer and assumption of a family relationship. No mention of Chuck here either. He claims he's done, citing Krakoa as a loss. It is a loss, but it also bought back the 16 million Genoshan dead and established a mutant paradise in a heaven dimension - one he could have gone to.

Also, Logan didn't build shit. He had nothing to do with Genosha, in fact he opposed and obstructed it. He bailed on Utopia and the narrative kept genocidal threats away from the school. He had little to do with building Krakoa itself and while he went on the missions he was asked to, he remained a skeptic the entire time. He didn't trust the island and lived on the moon in a polycule. Anyway, he tells Scott not to come looking for him. I promise you he wouldn't say that to Jean.

Sure, stay in the woods, idiot. Get more wolves killed.

She's right, they're not strategists.

Looks like he's fine hanging out with Rogue and Gambit. Rogue seemed fine with joining Cyclops and co, but doesn't argue at all when Logan (who is hours away from leaving and has no intention of staying) shoots it down for... reasons? They were X-Men enough when they rescued him from Santo Marco, ingrate.

Neither should struggle to imagine a community 'run' by Scott Summers. Logan has been living with him for at least 3 years and he wasn't everywhere when Logan and Jean were banging. Rogue was on a Krakoan X-Men team with Scott and he and Jean prepped new leaders and stepped back. They all considered themselves Krakoan and Scott 'lived to serve.' How does it end this way? The Chuck question answers itself, though Logan doesn't say 'I wish Magneto didn't stop me killing him' or something. Scott? Uhhh, you took this misanthrope's grumbling as gospel. Go to Alaska and say hi! Or maybe he'll call you. Kate? Uhm, she just told you. She broke in Fall of X, you know this.

Interestingly, Logan uses the term 'fill Chuck's chair.' I thought he was quitting the parts that don't work? 'Why do you even want to?' should be self explanatory. Rogue receives a phone call after this from Scott, and she says he's 'the last person she wants to speak to.' Maybe Logan is right and he shouldn't be around people. He infected Rogue with Scott haterism very quickly.

The Outliers show up and less than a day later he leaves, heading for the nearest forest. Even the swamp hag that guts him thinks he's a whining bitch. Logan is aware that Rogue's group are planning a prison break, that children are being hunted, though it doesn't stop him leaving.

Put all this together and it paints a very human portrait of a traumatized person pushing everyone away, albeit in the most immature way possible. This is what Magneto referred to when he said Logan Behavior, and he's right. If I was talking about a real life person it'd be unforgivably callous, but I'm not. I wrote this piece to interrogate his continuity from Krakoa to FTA, and I was expecting it to make less sense to be honest. As I said, this is textbook trauma response. It portrays that well, but the whiplash of Logan going from 'murder Chuck no matter the collateral damage' to 'Chuck did bad things but Cyclops is worse - don't be friends with him, Rogue' is severe and unsatisfying.

Uncanny #700 was one of the last things written for Krakoa, so it's likely that information wasn't available for FTA writers. Except Logan and Kate had both sworn they'd kill Chuck with plenty of notice, so I don't think that deserves a pass. Is anyone surprised by this? Maybe I should just write a post that says 'From The Ashes doesn't care about smooth continuity and has clumsily broken up these teams by fiat. Just ask Havok, Polaris, Angel, Storm, Omega Red, Jubilee and Shogo, etc etc. Also, it's pretty fucking mid' and pin it on my Tumblr.

That's no fun though. Even when it sucks, when it's safe and nostalgic, when everything you loved has been swept away and replaced with cardboard cutouts, when it's 'fine I guess', and even when it's great; the play's the thing. I love the X-Men and fans have as much ownership of the story as anyone. Not entitlement, just the right to be a part of the narrative, close to the characters. I find it fun and if I ever don't I'll stop (or spend a few years covering Krakoa). I hope you do too. Importantly, you should be critical of the things you love in good faith. As for Marvel the capitalist entity - all bets are off. Fuck em. They do it for the money, we do it for the love.

[crows-of-buckets]

One thing I really wish about crow rook, would them just refusing to admit that their training was basically torture.

In casual conversation dropping about how viago broke their hand once during training, and how much of a bitch it was to heal, but immediately defending it because they've never forgotten to keep their hands protected in a fight.

Or maybe they do know it was torture. Maybe they know it was abuse and not something that should have been done to a child, but if they think about that they would have to reconstruct the idea of Viago in their mind. Viago the man who saved them, the man who trained them, the man who also tortured them. I think an internal struggle of 'but that torture kept me alive. I'm only breathing because of my lessons paid in my own blood' would have done so much for the crows

And maybe they see it reflected in Lucanis's stories. And hearing about Caterina and Lucanis, they can't reason it away with sentimentally. Maybe they try to. Lucanis survived a year of torture. Was that because of Caterina? Or because of Lucanis's own spirit?

Idk, I think crow rook could have been an interesting story about the crows. Because in other back stories, it makes sense that the crows would try to boast about freedom and how they defend their city. Make themselves look good to their new allies. But crow rook would have known about the blood underneath, and the bruises and the welts and the cuts. And maybe they can't forgive Viago - maybe they can. Maybe they have to, because if they don't then they lose their only family. Maybe they know Viago only wanted them to survive. Maybe they don't know if that makes it better or worse.

Sorry forever mourning that the crows aren't actually morally gray it could have been such a neat story about their internal abuse and how the system itself works. The only previous crow companion we had talks about how bad his torture was; a blood bath, a survival of the fittest. When asked about their training, crow rook can reply 'it was torture'. I wish there was some idk depth to it? It's implied that house de Riva does training differently from house arianai, which makes sense as clearly that did NOT work out for house arianai. However rook was personally trained by Viago (from what I understand. Talking to Heir at the casino reveals that rook never trained with her, and also received the best training they could. Probably training from the talon himself). That couldn't have been easy training.

Yet even through all that, it's clear Viago does care about them! Any other crow would be dead if they went rogue on a job like rook did, yet Viago only sends them away.

I don't remember where I was going with this but. I think Rook de Riva should be allowed some complicated emotions about their training and viago. As a treat

[midnighthazee]

Greenridge ABO Series

Series Masterlist Masterlist

Characters:

I just kinda made things up for them/their personalities. Sorry if it's weird or cringe. Also.... sorry to be another "Alpha I.N." story as well but I like the idea lol

Omega Y/N L/N

- Bought at a young age by the Nyko pack. 

- Abused by them (mostly the alpha) and forced submission (almost died from a sub drop once).

- Lived with them for nearly ten years.

- Convinced you that the neighboring packs are worse than he is....they would kill her just for being on their property unwelcomed.

GREENRIDGE PACK

Alpha Chan

Leader of the Greenridge Pack

Amber eyes, black hair

True Alpha known to be ruthless

Rumour is he killed his older brother to be Alpha (did not, was there when he was murdered and got blamed)

Protective of his own 

Secretly a softie for those he holds dear - barely sleeps worrying over his pack

Doesn’t do well with disobedience/defiance

Usually with Jisung or Seungmin during his ruts

Alpha Minho

Second to Chan

Menace

Brown hair, dark eyes

Doesn’t open up to people easily

Refuses to submit to anyone but Chan

Helps guide Jeongin and teach him how to control his Alpha urges

House chef

Favors Jisung to help with his rut

Gets aggressive leading up to and during his ruts if he doesn’t get what he wants

Beta Changbin

Head Beta

Dark hair, dark eyes

Keeps the other Betas in check

In charge of training to keep everyone in shape and fight ready

Also does interrogation with Minho and tortures if needed

Intimidating but softie

Gets babyish and pouty leading up to his rut (and during)

Pouts and begs for Hyunjin to help with his rut (eventually Hyunjin reluctantly caves)

Beta Hyunjin

Quiet, keeps to himself

Best tracker and hunter

Black hair, dark eyes

Tech savvy and good at reading people

Becomes clingy and touchy leading up to and on his rut, slightly aggressive during it. Very jealous

Prefers Felix or Changbin during his ruts

Beta Jisung

Loud and boisterous

Brown hair, dark eyes

Impulsive and acts without thinking a lot

Has the messiest room

Gets aggressive leading up to his ruts and Only minho gets thru to him.

Prefers Minho during his ruts

Beta Felix

Sweet and kind

Blonde hair, blue eyes

VERY Sensitive to emotions

Trusts too easily

Usually helps Minho with cooking

Training to be pack medic with Doc Quinn

Prefers Minho or Seungmin during ruts (likes it rough)

Very emotional leading up to and during his ruts and exhausts himself worrying about everything.

Beta Seungmin

Laid back and even tempered. Takes awhile to get a rise out of him.

Light hair, dark eyes

Reads often and likes photography

Leading up to his rut, his tolerance is shorter and he gets lazier. 

Usually gets help from Minho or Felix with his rut

Alpha Jeongin

Newly presented alpha

Was thought to be a beta originally

Dark eyes, dark hair with highlights

Eager to learn from Minho

Does well with just the boys - only an occasional loss of temper

Still training and practice with Omegas, pheromone control, and urges

Gets antsy and quick tempered leading up to and during ruts

Usually has Chan or hyunjin help him

They are all mates with each other so yeah LOL

I'm VERY OT8 for SKZ but I do have a bias....hopefully I don't make it obvious :)

Doctor Quinn

Pack medic

Also helps with a few other ally packs but priority is Greenridge

35 years old

Been tending to injured since she was 15

Rogue Beta

NYKO PACK

Alpha Lewis

Leader of the Nyko Pack

Has 2 little brothers in the pack: Hayes and Milo

Pack also contains 4 other betas and 3 omegas (including y/n)

Used y/n for his own needs and couldn’t care less about her 

Keeps her locked in the basement until he’s ready to use her.

Ruthless and feared by most the neighboring packs. No one dares to cross him

Took over 2 neighboring packs and expanded his territory, gaining their numbers as well

Alpha Hayes

Little brother of Lewis

Alpha in training

Older than Milo by 1 year

Beta Milo

Little brother of Hayes and Lewis

With Hayes always doing the alpha’s bidding

Other Betas:

Samuel

Triston

Frankie

Mallory

Omegas:

Y/n

Asher

Harper

[jaal-ama-daravv]

The man that is Heinrix van Calox

Alright we need to talk about this man because a) i can't stop thinking about him, and b) i don't want to.

Heinrix has this deep, tormented past. He has been tortured multiple times (to extremes), he has struggled for god knows how long to form any sense of security or emotional attachment due to the nature of his job, and he was mutilated then tormented by his colleagues for his appearance (when I saw this in game I was induced with rage in my bones). In saying that it is no wonder he is so afront about his appearance and candor.

This man is a huge ass SOFTY to the core, he's touch starved, love starved, word starved, and probably just starved. He chooses you over his duty if he trusts you wholeheartedly and I can't put into words just how lonely he must be. To find love in such a universe, and its so fucking obvious this man is down as bad as von valancius is and i love it.

I also headcanon the fact that Heinrix will of seen my commisar rogue trader's posters and heard of her feats and had a huge crush ( like a celebrity crush, 'oh ill never meet them') then bam, starstruck. I live for it.

also you will have to pry my opinion that they tried to have heirs at some point after the conclusion of rogue trader from my dead body

thanks for coming to my heinrix ted talk

note: i initially went into this game being like ha ha, ill just romance heinrix till I meet marazhai because damn, and then, well, here we are. heinrix forever, I love pixels

[frownyalfred]

How much violence do you think Batman should be able to get away with and still remain a hero or vigilante while also not losing his characterization?

There are times where no lives are in immediate danger and he only needs to get information but then he just casually breaks bones, effectively torturing someone. Like in the videogames Telltale Batman or the Arkham games' verse or even the movies and comics where he dishes out way more violence than necessary. That scene where he threatens to crush a guy's head with the Batmobile and actually has the car start rolling over his head, cracking it slightly. Or the interrogation of Eli in the Telltale game where Batman can pretty much brutalize and torture an already frightened criminel if the player so chooses. Or the comics, where he sometimes says he enjoys hurting criminals and sends them to the ER without a second thought.

Also, do his kids know just how brutal Bruce can be on a Tuesday just cause he feels like a criminel deserves it? After a patrol, he'll reprimand them for breaking someone's collarbone or if he thinks they took it too far even though he does that all the time. It's not like the Batkids never do it themselves, but when they do, they're mostly in extremely emotional states and not a cold clinical mindset. One could argue Jason and Cass are exessively violent too but, well, Jason is an anti-hero (or villain) and Cass is still learning how far is too far.

And if the kids didn't know/realise, what would happen if they saw a recording of Batman absolutely dismantling a criminal in a detached sort of way (maybe a rogue maybe not, whatever would be worse ig) and then having to reconcile that that's the man who's like a father to them.

It's a very interesting question, and I suspect you'll get a different answer from everyone you ask.

My take is that it comes down to two things: intention and likelihood. Bruce's line for injury/torture/death sits somewhere between probably won't kill them or cause grievous injury and could cause death or grievous injury.

Throwing a guy off a high-up roof isn't just likely to kill someone, it was likely intended to do so. As we see in Batman Begins, you can throw someone off a (low) roof and not kill them, without the intention of killing them, and without the high likelihood of the act killing them.

Breaking a man's leg for information probably won't kill him, but it could! The break could be done wrong, or heal wrong, and cause a blood clot that killed the man. But was breaking the man's leg intended to kill him? Was it done with full knowledge that the break would likely result in death? Is that something a reasonable individual can even evaluate on their own?

The argument can be made that hitting someone in the head could result in death. So is Bruce risking his no-kill rule on a technicality when he punches people into walls? Does dying from a complicated TBI years later count?

I find the branding example in BVS a fascinating discussion of this point. Bruce doesn't kill the men he brands, but he effectively sets the men up to be killed in prison. Is it the same? Does he intend for the brand to kill the men? Does he have knowledge of the likelihood of death as a result of his brand? Does Lex's meddling actually change any of that when it's revealed later?

The third thing I haven't brought up but that you did is Bruce's enjoyment/active participation in all of this. Does he hurt people because it's effective? Is it ever gratuitous? Is he detached from the suffering he causes, viewing it as a means to an end? Does Gotham play by different rules -- i.e., is torture and grievous bodily injury ever acceptable in Gotham when it wouldn't be in other cities? Is Bruce a man willing to do what it takes at the end of his rope, or is he a man who resorts to violence when there are still other viable options? Somewhere in between?

I do agree that, with the addition of Robins and other family members, the violence likely tones down unless absolutely necessary. Hurting people shouldn't be enjoyable, but it is downright painful for some people (not Bruce) to witness firsthand.

[kat-thepoet]

Invisible string

CHAPTER FIVE

A/N: I really don't want to go back to school ☹️ Anyways, enjoy!

Previous chapters: CHAPTERS

Word count: 5090

When we got back to the group, the cold wind biting at my face, Erik was already storming toward me, his expression dark. The snow crunched under his boots, and before I could even catch my breath, he was yelling.

"Where the hell were you?" His voice boomed, harsh and accusatory, cutting through the chaos around us. His glare was fixed on me, and I could feel the weight of his anger like a physical thing pressing down on me.

I stood there, still trying to process everything that had just happened—the man in the cage, the guards, the alarms. It was all a blur, but Erik didn't care. All he saw was that I'd gone off the grid, and now he was furious.

"I—" I started, my voice shaky. "I found something."

"You found something?" he snapped, taking a step closer, his eyes narrowing. "We're in the middle of a mission, and you just wander off to 'find something'? You put everyone at risk."

I clenched my jaw, feeling a surge of defensiveness rise up. "I didn't wander off. I had to check out what was in that room—"

"You had to check it out?" Erik cut me off, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You're not a soldier, Flora. You don't get to make those calls. You don't have the experience, and you sure as hell don't have the right to go rogue during a mission."

My chest tightened with frustration. "I didn't go rogue. I found that man in the cage—he was being tortured. I couldn't just leave him there!"

Erik's face darkened even more, his fists clenching at his sides. "You should've waited for backup. We have protocols for a reason."

"She did the right thing," Raven's voice cut in, firm and unwavering as she stepped between us. "That man would still be locked up in that cage if it weren't for her."

Erik's glare shifted to Raven, his jaw tightening. "You're defending her? She didn't follow orders—"

"Enough!" Charles's voice came through the earpiece, his tone commanding. "We don't have time for this. Everyone back to the jet, now."

Erik's eyes flickered with frustration, but he didn't argue with Charles. He shot me one last cold look before turning and stalking off toward the jet, the tension between us still thick in the air.

Raven placed a hand on my shoulder, her expression softening. "Don't let him get to you. You did what you thought was right."

I nodded, my heart still pounding in my chest. "He's right, though. I didn't follow protocol. I should've told someone—"

"You followed your instincts," Raven said, her voice low but firm. "And sometimes that's more important than following the rules. You saved that man."

I glanced back at the unconscious figure being carried toward the jet, still unsure of whether I had made the right call. But there was no turning back now.

With a deep breath, I fell into step with the others, my mind spinning as we headed back to the jet. Erik's words still echoed in my head, but Raven's reassurance helped ease the knot of doubt tightening in my chest.

As we boarded the jet, the atmosphere was tense. Erik sat in his usual seat, his gaze hard and distant, refusing to even look at me. I sat as far from him as possible, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

The jet began to lift off, the hum of the engines filling the cabin as I tried to focus on anything but Erik's lingering glare. My eyes drifted to the unconscious man lying on the floor, his chest rising and falling steadily, but still, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow for him.

He had been locked in that metal box, tortured, maybe for years, and I couldn't stop imagining what he must have gone through. The thought made my heart ache for him. His body was defended with muscle, which was tense even in unconsciousness, as if he had been on edge for so long that he didn't know how to relax.

I leaned forward slightly, watching him closely, and something in me just wanted to reach out, to comfort him. He looked so vulnerable now, but I knew from what I had seen earlier—the way he'd taken out those guards—that he was anything but.

Who was he? And why had he been locked up like that?

The questions ran through my mind as I studied him. His bare chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, and I wondered how much pain he had endured. How long had he been trapped in that hellhole? A wave of empathy washed over me, and I felt a deep urge to help him. Not just now, but to make sure he was okay, to understand what had happened to him.

We finally got back home, and all I wanted to do was sleep. But curiosity gnawed at me—what were they going to do with that man? Despite my exhaustion, I found myself watching Jean and Hank as they worked on him. Charles was there too, his calm demeanor hiding something beneath the surface.

As Jean and Hank continued their work, Charles tried to enter the man's mind. I watched as his expression shifted, a look of shock and discomfort crossing his face. Sensing something was wrong, I stepped closer to him.

"What is it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Charles took a breath, his eyes still on the man. "He's been through... a lot. He's in a great deal of pain and confusion."

I glanced at the man lying unconscious on the table, his face finally relaxed but still bearing the weight of whatever horrors he'd endured. "I knew it," I muttered, looking back at Charles, who seemed deep in thought.

After a pause, Charles spoke again, his voice low. "His name is Logan."

Logan. I turned the name over in my mind. Somehow, I thought he looked more like a James, but I quickly erased the thought, knowing it wasn't necessary right now.

Jean and Hank finished whatever they were doing and quietly left the room, leaving just Charles and me with the man. Charles, sensing my lingering thoughts, gave me a gentle look.

"You should get some sleep," he suggested, his tone kind but firm.

"Yeah, I will," I replied, my gaze still fixed on Logan. "I'll be up in a minute."

Charles nodded, understanding, and without another word, he wheeled away, leaving me alone with Logan.

I stayed with Logan for a while, watching him sleep peacefully, his face finally free from whatever pain had gripped him for so long. The calmness in his features felt like a stark contrast to the chaos we had just witnessed. I knew I needed to do the same—rest, let my mind settle after everything that had happened—but something held me there a little longer.

Eventually, exhaustion won out, and I decided to head to my room. Before that, I went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, hoping it would help settle my nerves. As I entered the kitchen, Erik was already there, leaning against the counter with a glass in hand. His gaze flicked toward me, cold and assessing, and before I could even reach for a glass, his voice cut through the silence.

"So, you're staying up late playing nurse now? Watching over the wild animal you let loose?"

His tone was sharp, and it stopped me in my tracks. I felt the frustration bubble up instantly. Of course, Erik would find a way to make this about my supposed recklessness.

I turned to face him, narrowing my eyes. "He's not a wild animal. His name is Logan. And I was making sure he was okay."

Erik scoffed, setting his glass down with an irritated clink. "That thing is a weapon, not some poor soul you need to save. You don't even know what you've unleashed."

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my cool. "I was trying to help him. He was trapped in there, Erik. You saw what they did to him."

"Yeah, I saw," he said, his eyes hardening. "And now we've got another loose cannon to deal with. All because you couldn't resist playing the hero."

I felt my temper flare, gripping the edge of the counter. "I wasn't trying to be a hero. I was trying to do what's right. Something you clearly don't understand."

Erik's gaze darkened, his posture tense. "You have no idea what you're dealing with. You think every problem can be fixed with good intentions, but the world doesn't work that way."

I took a step closer, my frustration boiling over. "And what? You think shutting everyone out, pushing them away, and acting like you're the only one who knows anything is better? Maybe you're the one who doesn't understand."

The air between us felt charged, heavy with unspoken words and tension. Erik's expression was cold, but beneath it, I could see something flicker—a crack in the armor he always wore.

"You're reckless," he said quietly, his voice low but cutting. "You put everyone at risk back there. Opening that cage without knowing what was inside. That man could've killed you."

I crossed my arms, refusing to back down. "I knew he wouldn't. I could feel it. Not everything's as black and white as you think."

"You're going to get yourself killed one day," Erik shot back, his eyes narrowing. "And you'll take others down with you."

I glared at him, my pulse racing with anger. "You don't know anything about me."

He took a step forward, his voice cold and unyielding. "I know enough. I know you won't last long if you keep making reckless decisions."

I stared at him, the words hanging in the air between us like a challenge. But I couldn't let him get to me, not tonight. Without another word, I turned and walked out of the kitchen, the tension still crackling in the air behind me.

As soon as I walked away from Erik, the frustration bubbled up inside me. His constant need to be rude and dismissive was starting to wear me down. Every time we crossed paths, he found a way to tear me down, and tonight was no different. I felt the heat rising in my chest as I made my way back to my room, my fists clenched at my sides.

When I finally got to my door, I slammed it shut a little harder than necessary, the echo of it bouncing off the walls. I paced the room for a few moments, trying to shake off the anger, but it only seemed to grow stronger.

"Who does he think he is?" I muttered to myself, running a hand through my hair. "Logan's done nothing wrong, and Erik acts like I'm the villain for caring about him."

I sat on the edge of my bed, taking a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. But Erik's sharp words echoed in my head, playing over and over again. His constant coldness, his need to always be in control, and the way he treated me like I was some kind of nuisance. I just didn't understand him.

I flopped back onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling, replaying the conversation in my head. Part of me wanted to understand why he acted this way, why he went out of his way to make everything harder for me. But the other part of me was just... angry. I had done nothing to deserve this treatment.

I grabbed my pillow, burying my face in it and letting out a muffled groan of frustration. I had dealt with difficult people before, but Erik was on a whole different level. He was rude, dismissive, and just plain mean. And yet, despite it all, I couldn't stop thinking about him—about what his deal was, about why he seemed to have such a problem with me.

"I don't need his approval," I whispered to myself. "I don't need him to like me."

But even as I said the words, a small part of me wondered why it still bothered me so much. Why did I care what Erik thought? Why did his constant judgment get under my skin the way it did?

I sighed, turning on my side and staring out the window. The moonlight streamed in, casting a soft glow across the room. I needed to sleep—I had enough on my plate without Erik's attitude making things worse. Tomorrow would be another long day, and I needed to be focused.

But as I closed my eyes, trying to block out the thoughts, Erik's voice still lingered in my mind, his cold, sarcastic tone biting at the edges of my thoughts. I clenched my fists, determined not to let him ruin my night, but it was easier said than done.

"Why does he always have to be like this?" I whispered into the dark room, wishing for once I had an answer.

With a deep sigh, too lazy to change into something more comfortable, I rolled over, burying myself under the covers, hoping that sleep would finally come and take the frustration away.

I woke up the next morning, groggy and feeling the weight of my restless night. I glanced at the clock—7:45. My heart skipped a beat. I had just an hour before class started.

Panic set in as I scrambled out of bed and rushed into the bathroom. I took the quickest shower of my life, throwing on some pants and a sweater as soon as I was dry. My hair was still a bit damp, but I combed it as best I could before brushing my teeth and slipping into my shoes. I barely had time to think, my mind focused on getting downstairs and grabbing something to eat before class started.

As I rushed down the hall, my stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since that unfortunate encounter with Erik last night. I quickened my pace, heading straight for the kitchen, hoping to find something quick and easy.

When I walked in, I found Raven and Jean already seated at the table, sipping their coffee and chatting casually. They looked up as I entered, offering me friendly smiles.

"Morning, Flora," Jean greeted, her voice warm.

"Hey, you're up early," Raven added with a teasing grin, clearly noticing the slightly frazzled state I was in.

"Yeah, well, I overslept a little," I admitted sheepishly, grabbing an apple from the counter and taking a bite. "I've got class in less than an hour, and I still need to finish setting up."

Jean gave me a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. It's normal to feel a little rushed in the mornings. You'll get into a rhythm soon enough."

Raven nodded, leaning back in her chair. "Trust me, we've all had our 'oh crap, I'm late' moments. You'll survive."

I chuckled softly, grateful for their reassurance, but my mind was still buzzing with everything I had to do before class started. I quickly scarfed down the apple, grabbed a piece of toast, and leaned against the counter, trying to eat as fast as I could.

"How's your class planning going?" Raven asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Pretty good, I think," I replied between bites. "Yesterday went well, so I'm hoping today will be the same. I just... hope I'm not forgetting anything."

"You've got this, Flora," Jean said with a confident smile. "Just trust yourself."

I smiled back at her, feeling a little better. "Thanks. I'll do my best."

Finishing the last bite of my toast, I grabbed a quick glass of water and headed toward the door, waving goodbye to the two of them. "I'll see you guys later. Gotta get to class."

"Good luck!" Raven called after me, her voice light and encouraging.

With my stomach somewhat satisfied and a little more confidence in my step, I hurried toward the classroom, determined to make today a good one—no matter how tired or rushed I felt.

I made it to class just in time, relieved that I'd managed to pull everything together. The lesson went smoothly—today, I introduced the kids to the story of Helen Keller. They were all captivated by her life and how she overcame so many obstacles, their faces lighting up with curiosity and awe as they watched the video I had prepared. I could tell they were intrigued, asking questions and engaging with the material in a way that made me feel like I was truly connecting with them.

After class, I graded the worksheets they had completed based on the video. Their answers were thoughtful, and I smiled as I reviewed them. Once I finished, I gathered my things and decided to check on Logan. Something about him stuck with me—the pain, the mystery. I couldn't help but feel drawn to him, wanting to understand what he had been through.

When I arrived in the med bay, Jean was already there, standing by Logan's bed with a concerned expression on her face.

"Still hasn't woken up?" I asked, stepping closer to her.

Jean shook her head, looking puzzled. "No, and it's strange. His healing ability is remarkable, yet he's been unconscious for this long. It doesn't make sense."

I thought back to when I had put him to sleep back at the facility. "Well, I'm the one who put him to sleep," I said hesitantly. "Maybe I can wake him up?"

Jean paused for a moment, considering it, then nodded. "If you think that might work, go ahead. It's worth a try."

As she stepped away to put some tools back, I moved closer to Logan's bedside, feeling the familiar sensation of using my powers welling up within me. His chest rose and fell steadily, his face peaceful yet tense, like he was caught in a dream. I reached out, placing my hand gently on his forehead, feeling the coolness of his skin beneath my fingers.

"Wake up," I whispered softly, focusing my energy on pulling him out of the deep sleep I had put him in.

At first, nothing happened. But then, suddenly, Logan's body jerked violently, and his eyes shot open, wide with confusion and panic. Before I could react, his hand shot up, grabbing me by the throat with a force that knocked the breath out of me. I gasped, my hands instinctively reaching for his wrist, trying to pull it away, but his grip was strong—too strong.

His eyes were wild, filled with fear and disorientation, as if he didn't recognize where he was or who I was. His breathing was ragged, his chest heaving as he stared at me like I was a threat.

I couldn't breathe, the pressure on my throat tightening with each passing second. Panic surged through me, but I knew I had to stay calm. I focused on my powers, reaching out to him not with words, but with my touch. I pressed my hand against his wrist, channeling my energy into him, trying to soothe the fear that gripped him.

"Calm down," I whispered, my voice barely audible as I struggled to breathe. "It's okay. You're safe."

For a moment, nothing happened. But then, slowly, I felt the tension in his body begin to ease. His grip on my throat loosened, and his breathing started to slow. His eyes, once filled with confusion, began to clear, and he blinked, looking at me with a mix of realization and regret.

I gasped for air as he released me completely, stumbling back slightly, my hand instinctively going to my throat.

Logan sat up on the bed, his chest still heaving, but his gaze was no longer wild. He looked at me, his brows furrowed in confusion. "What... where am I?" His voice was gravelly, as if it hadn't been used in a while.

I took a step back, trying to catch my breath. "You're... you're safe now. You're at a school. We found you."

Logan's eyes darted around the room, taking in his surroundings. He was still on edge, but at least he wasn't attacking me anymore. Jean rushed over, concern written all over her face.

"What happened?" she asked, glancing between the two of us.

"He woke up... but he didn't exactly take it well," I said, still rubbing my sore throat.

Logan rubbed his temples, wincing slightly as if he was trying to piece together what had happened. "How long... how long was I out?"

"Too long," Jean said softly, glancing at me. "But you're okay now."

Logan didn't respond, his mind clearly elsewhere as he tried to process everything.

Jean glanced between Logan and me, her expression thoughtful. "I'll let the professor know he's awake," she said, giving Logan one last look before turning to leave. Just as she reached the door, her voice echoed in my mind. "Are you going to be alright alone with him?" she asked telepathically, her concern clear.

"Yes," I replied, though I wasn't entirely sure if I meant it. "I'll be fine."

Jean gave a brief nod and left the room, her footsteps fading down the hall. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone with Logan.

The silence in the room was heavy, but I tried to shake off the tension, focusing on Logan. He looked lost, still disoriented, and it tugged at something inside me. Without saying a word, I grabbed a hoodie that had been left on a chair nearby, probably one of Hank's. I walked over and handed it to him.

"Here," I said, offering a small, tentative smile. "You might want this."

Logan blinked, his gaze shifting to the hoodie, then back to me. He hesitated for a second before taking it from my hands, his movements slow and unsure.

"Thanks," he mumbled, pulling the hoodie over his head. The fabric covered the worst of the scars and bruises that marked his chest.

I rubbed my neck absentmindedly, wincing as I felt the soreness where his hand had gripped me. "That's definitely going to leave a bruise," I thought, still feeling the raw sting from his sudden attack. But I kept quiet about it, not wanting to make him feel worse.

Logan noticed the gesture, his eyes briefly flicking to my throat, and his expression softened slightly, though he didn't say anything. There was a heaviness between us, an unspoken understanding that whatever had happened to him had pushed him into survival mode—and I had just been caught in the crossfire.

"It's okay," I said softly, my voice a little raspy. "You didn't mean to."

Logan just stared at me for a moment, his jaw tightening, but he didn't respond. Instead, he looked away, his eyes distant, as if the weight of whatever he had been through was still too much to process.

I sat down in the chair next to him, keeping my distance but staying close enough to let him know I wasn't afraid. 

To break the heavy silence, I asked, "Are you hungry?"

Logan glanced at me, his eyes still clouded, and shook his head. "I'm more thirsty," he said, his voice gravelly.

Nodding, I stood and walked over to the small kitchen area in the corner. I grabbed a glass and filled it with tap water, my mind still spinning with everything that had just happened. When I handed the glass to him, he didn't hesitate. He downed the water in one long gulp, like a man who hadn't had a drink in days.

I chuckled softly, unable to help myself. "You want more?"

He looked at me, a little sheepish, his rough exterior cracking just a bit. "Uh, yes please."

I smiled and took the glass back, filling it again. When I handed it to him this time, he sipped more slowly, as if he were trying to regain control, trying to ground himself in this unfamiliar place.

As he drank, I leaned against the counter, watching him, wondering how long it had been since someone had treated him with basic kindness. The awkwardness between us began to ease slightly, replaced by a tentative understanding. Logan was clearly a man who had been through hell, and I didn't need to push him to talk about it—not yet.

For now, offering water and a bit of normalcy was enough.

Just as Logan finished the second glass of water, the door to the room opened, and Charles, Hank, and Jean walked in. I instinctively moved to stand next to Logan, not wanting him to feel cornered. Hank's eyes immediately landed on me, and his expression shifted to one of concern.

"What the hell happened to your neck?" he asked, his voice a mix of alarm and worry.

I reached up and touched my neck, wincing slightly as my fingers brushed against the tender skin. I hadn't looked in the mirror yet, but I could tell the bruises were already visible, likely darkening with each passing moment.

"It's nothing," I replied quickly, trying to downplay the situation.

Hank frowned, clearly not satisfied with my answer, but he didn't push it. Jean, standing beside him, glanced between me and Logan, her expression unreadable but thoughtful.

Charles, meanwhile, wheeled himself closer to the bed, his eyes on Logan. "Logan, how are you feeling?" he asked calmly, as if trying to gauge the man's mental state.

Logan didn't respond right away. He glanced at me, then at the others, his eyes still carrying the weight of disorientation, but there was something calmer about him now. "I'm...fine," he muttered, though his voice lacked conviction.

Hank continued to glance between Logan and me, still visibly concerned about my neck. I gave him a small, reassuring smile, hoping it would ease his worry, though deep down, I couldn't ignore the throbbing pain that pulsed with every breath.

"We need to run some tests," Jean said softly, her tone gentle as she addressed Logan, clearly trying to keep the situation calm. "Just to make sure everything is okay."

Logan's jaw clenched slightly, but he nodded. "Yeah, whatever."

I stayed close to Logan, quietly observing, knowing that things would only get more complicated from here. But even with the bruises throbbing on my neck, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of protection for him.

After making sure Logan was settled and that everything was under control, I decided it was time to slip away. My neck throbbed with every step I took, a constant reminder of the bruises that were probably blooming there.

As soon as I reached my room, I closed the door behind me and went straight to the mirror. I winced as I tilted my head to the side, revealing the dark bruises wrapping around my throat like an ugly necklace. Logan's grip had been strong—too strong—and now the evidence was plain as day.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. There was no way I could walk around like this without people asking questions. Maybe I could find Raven or Storm and see if they had any makeup to help cover it up.

With that thought in mind, I grabbed my phone and sent a quick message to Raven: "Hey, do you or Storm have any makeup I could borrow? Got a bit of a situation here."

I hoped she wouldn't ask too many questions. The last thing I needed was a lecture from Raven about getting into situations I couldn't handle, even though, technically, it hadn't been my fault.

A few moments later, my phone buzzed with a response: "I've got some. Come by my room."

I sighed in relief and grabbed a hoodie to cover up my neck until I could get there. Time to fix this little mess.

As I walked out of my room, I tried to ignore the throbbing in my neck and headed down the hallway, hoping to avoid any encounters. But, of course, Erik was standing there, leaning against the wall like some statue.

His eyes flickered to my neck for a split second, and I could see the corner of his mouth twitch. "Getting into more trouble, I see," he remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I shot him a look, already exhausted from everything. "What's it to you?"

He shrugged, his gaze not leaving my neck. "Just making an observation. Seems like you're making a habit of getting yourself hurt."

I turned to face him fully, crossing my arms. "I'm fine, Erik. And I don't need your commentary on my life."

He gave a nonchalant shrug, but there was something in his eyes, something quieter beneath the snark. "Sure. Keep telling yourself that," he said, his voice softer now, though his words still had that edge.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why do you even care?"

For a brief second, it looked like he might say something real, something that wasn't just another cutting remark. But instead, he scoffed, shaking his head. "I don't. Just hate seeing people make stupid mistakes."

I rolled my eyes and turned to walk away, feeling both irritated and confused. But as I left him standing there, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to his words than just his usual sarcasm. Maybe he cared more than he was willing to admit—though, knowing Erik, he'd never make that easy to figure out.

I made my way down the hall, still fuming from my brief encounter with Erik. My neck ached with every step, and I couldn't help but feel self-conscious about the bruises that were probably becoming more visible. When I reached Raven's door, I knocked lightly before stepping inside.

She was lounging on her bed, flipping through a magazine, but the moment she saw me, her eyes widened. "Wow. What the fuck happened to you?"

I sighed, rubbing my neck lightly. "Logan woke up. Let's just say it didn't go as smoothly as I planned."

Raven sat up, tossing the magazine aside. "Did he do that?" She gestured to my neck, her tone a mix of shock and concern.

I nodded, trying to play it off. "Yeah, but it was an accident. He was confused. I, uh... I calmed him down."

"Calmed him down?" Raven's eyebrows shot up. "With your throat?"

I chuckled softly, despite the soreness. "Not exactly. I used my powers to make him relax. He was just scared, I think."

Raven shook her head, looking at me like I'd just walked through fire. "Flora, you need to stop volunteering for the 'getting hurt' committee. First Erik, now this?"

"Trust me, I didn't sign up for either of those," I replied, feeling a little lighter now that I could joke about it.

Raven stood up and crossed the room, inspecting the bruises on my neck with a skeptical look. "You sure you're okay? Because this looks nasty."

"I'll live," I said with a shrug. "I just need some makeup to cover it up. Can you help me?"

Raven sighed but gave me a small smile. "Yeah, I got you. But seriously, Flora... maybe try staying out of trouble for a bit?"

I rolled my eyes playfully. "I'll try. No promises."

As she went to grab her makeup bag, I felt the weight of the day settling in. The bruise on my neck might fade, but the tension between me and Erik? That was a whole other story.

🏷️ @nizem8 @maximumchilddreamland @mostlymarvelgirl

Chapter: SIX

[positivelybeastly]

Don’t know if you’ve answered this before but what are your unpopular opinions on Beast? I’ll go ahead and make myself look bad to start by admitting that, while I hate how Trish went about it, I honestly don’t know if I would find myself attracted to cat Beast if I had been actively dating him up to that point. It would cross the line for me from “human covered in fur” to “literal anthro animal” and I have never been a furry, personally. It’s don’t know if there’s any “good” way to break up over that, and I’d hate myself, but I can at least relate to Trish on the changeup.

So, here's the thing, Anon - I don't think you look bad by admitting that you don't think you'd be able to handle Hank's change from humanoid to leonine. Hank himself could barely handle it. And it brings to mind a clip from Star Trek: The Next Generation, from an episode called The Host.

Basically, Beverly here has seen a romantic partner, Odan, change bodies twice in a very short space of time due to emergency circumstances, and now Odan is in a female presenting body, which compounds Beverly's confused feelings about how to process a very tricky and complicated situation.

I don't think anyone can really blame her for finding it hard and saying no to the relationship, honestly? She's open and she's honest about her feelings, and Odan is disappointed, but they understand, because this has been hard for Beverly just like it's been hard for them. And that's where Beverly and Trish differ.

Like, the way Trish did it? Over the answering machine? Like, just. No. That's the kicker. That's always been the kicker. And the way that she said it? Like, you had every opportunity in the world to delete that message, stop halfway through what you were saying and start again, say it in a way that didn't hurt Hank's feelings - and you chose not to. That's always been the part that's hurt the most.

This woman has presented live news coverage. She knows the importance of choosing her words carefully. She should know better. Which implies that this is just the best way she could see how to handle it, and that is a bad look. It speaks to a lack of empathy and a lack of emotional intelligence, which is on brand for Trish, given how she treated Warren after his wings were damaged by Harpoon, but it's still very, very disappointing to me.

There's never an obligation to love someone after they change. There is an obligation to treat them with kindness and respect, especially when they're struggling with the change, too.

Anyway! You wanted some unpopular opinions?

The X-Men use Beast and don't provide him with adequate emotional support afterwards, in part because they're all too wrapped up in their own problems, and in part because Hank does too good of a job of pretending that he's all right when he's really not. This is compounded by the fact that Hank's closest bonds are with the O5 and not the second generation team (Logan, Ororo, Piotr, etc), so the instant he's on a team that doesn't possess an O5 member, or it possesses an O5 member that he's on bad terms with, things go sour for his mental health, especially if he's expected to do something morally unscrupulous. There is intense significance to the fact that Hank left Utopia after Warren shut him out of his life, Bobby failed to provide emotional support after his torture, and Scott continued to change into a man Hank didn't recognise or approve of.

2. Beast's moral decline was not inevitable and it could have been completely avoided if only the X-Men would stop dragging him into their bullshit and pressuring him to do things he doesn't want to do. Furthermore, the complete lack of taking responsibility by Cyclops, Xavier, Storm, Rogue, Wolverine, or any of the other team leaders who asked Hank to compromise his morals upon seeing where he ended up in X-Force is disappointing, but not unexpected. No, Domino, he was not "always like this."

3. The 'lack of consequences' that Hank suffered as a result of his mistakes and errors in judgement prior to X-Force are not his fault, and are an indictment of poor story handling from 2012 onwards rather than him trying to avoid responsibility for those actions. Hank is, when properly characterised, a person who believes in personal responsibility and owning his decisions.

4. Hank is blatantly obviously bisexual and/or gay. If you ever say that he is the 'straightest X-Man' as a pejorative, I will immediately, and without hesitation, block you.

5. Ben Percy is a fatphobic hack and wanted to write furry blue Mr. Sinister. His characterisation of Beast is, without qualification, embarrassingly bad, and it's clear that everything he knows about the character has been gleamed from Wiki skims. Jordan D. White also holds some of the blame here for not putting his foot down and saying, no, that's not how Beast would act, but frankly, I'm not surprised a modern Marvel editor was failing to do his job on both a micro or macro level.

6. Beast's physical strength has largely been forgotten about by many modern Marvel writers, and further exemplifies how little they care about leveraging what is unique about the character. He was the original X-Men's Big Guy. He is strong. He is fast. He is nimble. He is a threat on the battlefield and can go toe to toe with Captain America. Stop making him job like he's Worf and reducing him down to his intellectual capabilities only, I'm tired of it.

7. The idea that a two dimensional war criminal (no, the idea that you're doing something bad for good reasons is NOT a nuanced one) is somehow more 'interesting' than a intellectual character being forced to battle his morality, bestial instincts, pessimism, and existential dread, is insulting, and betrays an immature approach to characterisation that I can only hope people grow out of.

Characters should grow and change, absolutely. But if that change is making the character worse, stripping him of everything that makes him unique, and shitting on years of better stories? Then it's a bad change. That's not my nostalgia talking, that's my storytelling instincts alerting me to the fact that you're an edgy 14 year old, in mind if not in actuality.

8. Cat Beast is fucking hot, I don't give a fuck if that makes me a furry. Give me his phone number right now, I'll do what Trish Tilby was too cowardly to do. (No judgement on you, Anon, I'm just an unrepentant monster fucker.)

9. S.W.O.R.D Hank is cute as fuck and I absolutely love him in this art style, y'all just need to be more open minded about artists who exaggerate for effect and believe in good expression work at the expense of realism. It's comic books. Let characters look goofy.

10. Beast wasn't being an obstinate bitch on Utopia because he didn't like Scott, he was being an obstinate bitch because he was heavily depressed, morally and emotionally compromised, and regularly having chunks taken out of him physically. He made the correct, healthy decision to remove himself from a situation that was destroying him by inches.

Cyclops was correct to make the calls that got mutantkind through, but Beast was just as correct that a lot of what they were doing was morally abhorrent, and someone had to remember that and remind everyone what they were losing by doing these things, because if you don't, that's how you end up with supervillains. It's not a random coincidence that Cyclops ended up disbanding his version of X-Force later on, because he knew it went too far.

11. Hank is not a traitor to mutantkind. No, he did not 'side' with the Inhumans with Inhumans vs. X-Men, he wanted to abide by the treaty that they had established, work to maintain a peace, and, when that wasn't viable, he didn't want to be part of a pre-emptive strike against an allied power that broke rules of engagement in order to inflict cruel and unusual punishments on people, including sensory deprivation, mental hijacking, and imprisoning people in fucking Limbo.

If you want to blame Hank for 'betraying' mutantkind, are you also going to hold Emma accountable for trying to commit genocide with Sentinels, or Storm for being a fucking idiot and starting a conflict over nothing, when she could have just let Hank go and tell the Inhumans what he'd found out, and the entire conflict could have been avoided? Either IvX is non-canon garbage or it isn't, but own your fucking decisions. Don't pick and choose so you can shit on Hank. This applies just as much to the fandom as it does the writers.

12. Beast is underutilised in fan works because a lot of writers don't feel comfortable writing his unique dialogue style and artists struggle with his myriad mutations (which I don't blame them for, professional artists struggle just as much, if not more so). He is a friend to everyone in the X-Men, someone that they would feel comfortable talking to about their problems with, and every time you reduce him down to just being a plot device, you do your story a disservice.

Yes, this may or may not be influenced by the AO3 Hank McCoy tag 70% stories where he delivers medical/science exposition, 20% First Class AUs, and 10% fics that dive into Hank as a character. 5% of which are probably written by me, because I have a problem.

Those unpopular enough for ya, anon? :P

[annes-andromeda]

So no Maelor during B&C, no Alicent during B&C, Da*mon ordering B&C to go after Aemond but they go rogue and go after Helaena’s kids (which is not what happened in the book AT ALL), B&C being between Jaehaerys and Jaehaera and not between Jaehaerys and Maelor, B&C nearly stripping the twins because they can’t tell them apart (again DIDNT HAPPEN), Helaena being physically threatened during B&C when the whole point of B&C was that the kids were being harmed/threatened and Helaena was left alone (one of the many reasons it was so awful because it was psychological/emotional torture for her), Alicole being made canon and sleeping together but it’s happening way too early in the season and they’re doing it during B&C, Helaena supposedly walking in on Alicole doing it, the episode ending on Alicent’s shocked face like a fucking sitcom, Aemond supposedly with the brothel madame who SA’d him when he was younger during all of this.

And despite all of this, apparently Aegon with still name Criston Hand even though he supposedly blames him for B&C.

The writing on this show is a joke and this show in general is a joke

((Yes I know these are just leaks and they could be fake or exaggerated, but I really wouldn’t be surprised if they were true considering this shows track record))

[chaotic-orphan]

June of doom, day nineteen:

That’s going to be one hell of a scar : cage // pliers // scrape

CW: team Whump, leader whump, threats, carving/ cutting ( explicit), blood (explicit), intimate whumper, scary whumper, evil whumper, creepy whumper, defiant whumpees, multiple whumpees, knife mentioned, torture (explicit and graphic), mention of past injury, fear of darkness?, Self sacrifice

Very long and very late I am sorry, enjoy

*~*~*~*~*

Supervillain's Brand (I)

“Leader? Leader!” Medic whispered through the darkness, rousing Leader from their light nap. “Leader?”

“I’m here, Medic,” said Leader, voice reassuring. Leader was sitting with their back against the wall, no, not wall. Leader turned with a groan, their muscles still heavy with sleep and their last fight with Supervillain. Leader’s hand found cool metal bars and that woke them up immediately.

Their last battle with Supervillain… Leader remembers their team sweeping in just in time, just as Supervillain’s fist came down on their temple and darkness swallowed them.

Fuck.

“Supervillain has us?” Leader asked quietly.

“He used you as leverage. Told us to surrender or he’d kill you. I’m sorry Leader.”

“No,” said Leader with a grunt, sitting back against the bars. No wonder they were aching all over. “No don’t be sorry. I would have done the same thing. Where are you?”

Leader squinted against the darkness trying to locate Medic, or anything for that matter. They could barely see their nose in front of their face.

“I’m— I think I’m in a cage,” said Medic. Their voice came from the right. Leader lifted their arm through the bars trying to feel for another cage but felt nothing. They took a sharp breath as the reaching movement aggravated a stabbing pain in their ribs. “Leader?”

“I’m okay,” said Leader through grit teeth. Fuck, Supervillain had gotten a few good hits on Leader. Their upper lip was sticking to their nose from no doubt a trail of blood. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah… we’re all good. Supervillain just took us he didn’t touch us, we were just worried about you…”

“We? Supervillain took all of you?”

A blinding light flashed on and Leader shielded their eyes in the crook of their elbow and heard a couple of familiar moans from the sudden brightness.

“I thought I heard voices,” came the rumbling voice of Supervillain. There was a smile in his voice that set Leader’s nerves on edge. Leader lowered their arm, blinking quickly trying to adjust to the sudden burst of light. Their eyes settled, taking in the room they were in.

Leader was right. They were in a cage. Solid steel bars lined every edge except the bottom which was just a thick metal edge. Leader could fit comfortably sitting down but there was no way Leader could even think about standing in the cage unless they were on their haunches or kneeling. Even then they’d have to bend their torso, there was probably room for Leader’s head again above them and that was it.

Bastard, forcing them to sit like dogs in cages. Leader’s hand clenched into a fist at their side, glaring up at Supervillain as best they could.

Supervillain stood in his stupid grey three piece suit perfectly tailored to his muscular frame. He wore a charcoal grey overcoat and a black scarf over it and had his cane in both his hands, holding it horizontal as his cruel grey eyes focused on Leader in their cage. Face as expressionless as always, impassive, neutral… every part he could control except his grey eyes. His haunting grey eyes that showed exactly what emotion he was feeling. The only part of him that gave Supervillain away.

“Hey let us out of here you psycho!” Youngest yelled, kicking at the bars of their cage. Leader’s eyes went to them. They were the furthest from them on the left. There was a cage between them — where Rogue sat, glaring at Supervillain — then Youngest’s cage after.

Supervillain turned their head to Youngest’s cage and Leader’s heart dropped. “Sprightly little thing aren’t you?”

“How ‘bout you let me out of this cage and I’ll show you how sprightly I can be, hmm?!”

“Youngest,” Medic said, warning in their voice, to shut up or else. Supervillain walked over to Youngest’s cage and crouched down, putting their cane through the bars. Youngest scrambled back, but there wasn’t anywhere to flee to and their back hit the bars with a gentle thud. Leader watched as Supervillain’s cane rested easy on Youngest’s throat.

Youngest swallowed, the cane bobbing with the motion and put a hand up to grab it, but Supervillain batted it away and struck Youngest’s cheek with the cane. Youngest’s cheek whipped to the side with the impact.

“Supervillain!” Leader yelled now at the front bars of the cage, while Medic cried “Get away from them!”

Supervillain didn’t do either. Instead they kept their gaze on Youngest and lowered the cane to Youngest’s throat again, digging into it: “How ‘bout I chain you up and muzzle you for your insolence, hmm? Will that put manners on you?”

“Supervillain,” said Leader, voice hard. “Leave them alone. If you want to hurt somebody, hurt me!”

Supervillain turned their head and their piercing grey eyes found Leader’s. “Hush, Leader. It’s rude to interrupt someone. You’ll get your turn.”

Supervillain turned back to Youngest, and Leader and teammates could only watch helplessly from their stupid tiny cages. Leader’s heart was pounding out of their chest through their ears, as Supervillain used the Cane to force Youngest to look at them. An angry red welt was growing on Youngest’s cheek and they stared at Supervillain with a mixture of fear and hatred.

Supervillain tilted their head. Then asked with their horrible, matter of fact way: “Would you like to be immobilised completely and gagged, Youngest?”

Youngest shook their head side to side. “Use your words,” said Supervillain and Youngest swallowed, then spat out a contemptuous no.

“No what?” Supervillain asked, and Youngest’s entire face scrunched up in disgust. Leader saw their hands ball into fists at their sides. Leader also saw the tremble in their hands before they made them into fists. The fear coursing through their veins masked with their anger.

Supervillain pressed the cane into Youngest’s throat and their hand shot up again but stopped at Supervillain’s soft: “ah-ah-ah. No what, Youngest?”

Humiliation burned red on Youngest’s face as they said: “no, sir.”

Supervillain retracted the cane and stood in one swift movement. “Good. You can learn.”

Supervillain then turned to Leader with his grinning grey eyes. “They have a lot of potential, Leader. You should be proud.”

“Let them go, Supervillain,” Leader said.

“Why would I let them go? I have you all right where I want you. Except for you of course, Leader,” said Supervillain, walking towards Leader’s cage. Leader moved so they were sitting on their arse in the cage, legs stretched out in front of them and back against the bars, craning their neck to keep Supervillain in view. Supervillain stood directly over Leader’s cage looking down at them with a subtle hint of a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips.

Supervillain’s voice dipped, his rumbling deepening as he practically purred: “You I want on display. As a warning and a trophy as to what happens to those who oppose me.”

“In your dreams,” Leader snarled and Supervillain laughed, putting their hands on the top of Leader’s cage. Leader fought the urge to grab Supervillain’s hand and yank them down on the cage just to wipe that smirk off his stupid face.

“Sometimes Leader, if you work hard enough, your dreams can come true. Especially now that I got your little gang here too. You’d do just anything to protect them, wouldn’t you?” Leader’s heart sank at his words, their mouth going dry. That’s why they were here. Because of Leader. Because of Leader’s weakness to them.

“If you touch them—“

“I promise I won’t lay a finger on them,” Supervillain said, “as long as you do as I say.”

“No, Leader!” Rogue hissed from the cage to Leader’s left. “No you can’t let him—“

“You’re not sacrificing yourself for us,” said Medic, tone final. “We’ll get out! We’ll find a way, Leader. We always find a way. He just wants you we’ll be fine!”

“Yeah Leader, I just want you. You gonna make your team suffer in your place?” Supervillain asked with their hideous smiling rumble. Leader stuttered out a breath through their nose, even though it felt like they couldn’t breathe. Supervillain was asking something so impossible of them… and Leader didn’t want to just go along with it as horrible as that sounded.

They didn’t want to be the Leader and sacrifice themselves to Supervillain’s sadistic machinations, but if they didn’t… if they didn’t Supervillain would subject his team to them instead. Their team. Their family.

Leader swallowed hard, eyes focused on Supervillain’s cruel grey ones and nodded, just once. Supervillain’s lips spread into a proper smile now, and they got to undoing the lock on top of Leader’s cage. To the protests from Leader’s team.

“No! Leader no! Supervillain! Hurt me instead, hurt me please!” Medic demanded, pleaded, while Rogue just started kicking at the hinges on their cage and yelled in frustration when they got nowhere. Youngest was dead silent as Supervillain lifted the door of the cage and grabbed Leader under the shoulder and helped them out of the cage.

“Easy. Easy, there you go,” Supervillain praised, letting Leader sit back against the cage, sucking in a sharp breath. Supervillain moved his hand down to Leader’s ribs and Leader shot a hand out, stopping him, breathing heavy and cutting into Supervillain with a glare. Supervillain’s expression remained neutral, yet his eyes were a playful chiding. “I gave you that injury, Leader. Do you really think you can deny me seeing it? Do you really want to risk your teammates getting matching bruises?”

Leader’s glare softened to one of furious shame, as they let go of Supervillain’s hand and allowed him to lift Leader’s shirt up to Leader’s ribs. The cold smile on Supervillain’s face looked wrong. Strange. His hand on Leader’s ribs was surprisingly warm, as he pressed his palm against it and Leader sucked in a breath, clenching their jaw.

“Does that hurt?” Supervillain asked with his rolling rumble like falling stone.

“No. I’m just peachy— ow!” Leader cried as Supervillain dug their fingers into Leader’s ribs. Leader jerked to the side but Supervillain held them firm until Leader was gasping for breath, protesting: “Okay! Okay! It hurts!”

Supervillain removed his hand and dropped Leader’s shirt. “Good,” he said and stepped back. Leader looked at him, then Rogue was shouting in warning as Supervillain’s cane cracked against Leader’s bruised ribs. Leader crumbled to their knees, mouth open in a silent scream as they fell, then gasped again on the ground. They were on one hand and their knees, their other hand cradling their ribs protectively.

“Leader! Leader!” Medic was crying, but Leader just sucked in a sharp breath and raised their head to Supervillain again. Eyes narrowing.

Supervillain let out a loud sigh. “Still so insolent,” he said slowly, and cracked the cane against Leader’s jaw. Leader cried out, struggling to get their balance but it didn’t matter. Supervillain kicked at Leader’s injured ribs again and Leader went down, hitting off the stone floor and curling up protectively around themselves.

Leader opened their eyes to see Rogue reaching out for them between the bars, but they weren’t able to reach Leader. Leader saw a flash of grey fabric before a polished shoe slammed down on Rogue’s hand, driving the heel into it.

“No,” Leader gasped out with a pathetic wheeze. “No…” they said again, getting to their knees and grabbing at Supervillain’s foot. “Me… only… me…”

“Hear that Roguey? Only Leader, so stop trying to help or I’ll just hurt Leader more, yeah?” Supervillain said, lifting their foot from Rogue’s hand and grabbing Leader by the hair. Leader groaned as Supervillain yanked them up to their knees. “Get up, Leader. To your feet, come on now. I have a lesson to teach you all.”

Leader cried out as Supervillain yanked them up by the hair further and got to their shaky feet, holding onto Supervillain for balance. “Good. Very good. Now give me your hands.”

Cold fear washed through Leader’s veins at the command. Not their hands, they wanted to say. Anything but their hands. A punch to their ribs and Leader almost doubled over, but Supervillain used the pain as a diversion and cuffed Leader’s hands together in front of them. The cold metal snapped closed over Leader’s wrists, tightened to the point that Leader wondered if they would cut off their blood flow.

A strong hand under Leader’s chin directed their head up to look into those vindictive grey eyes. “Can you stand on your own?”

“Maybe if my ribs weren’t aching right now,” Leader grumbled, channeling all their pain, all their hatred into their glare they shot into the fathomless steel grey sea. Supervillain let Leader go, but Leader was ready this time. Both feet planted on the ground, knees bent, hands kept low in front of them.

The side of Supervillain’s lips quipped at Leader, as if they were impressed, but Leader could also very well be drunk on pain right now so they weren’t sure if what their eyes showed them were real.

Supervillain took off his black scarf first, then his overcoat and hung them on a hook that was nailed into the door. Next came the suit jacket and he stopped there, hanging that up too. He uncuffed the cuff links from his dress shirt and began rolling up his sleeves.

“Thought you were going to treat us to a striptease,” said Leader, forcing their usual devil-may-care smile onto their face. Supervillain flashed a smile too and then Leader’s head was thrown back, fresh blood dripping down their nose as Supervillain grabbed their hair to bring them up again.

“See, Leader, it’s not your fault per se, but with you being the Captain of your little team, your cute lil quips have spread like a wildfire throughout your ranks. Which means not only do I want to torture you to the point where you can’t even think about any witty comments, but I also want to wring it out of your teammates too.”

Leader’s hands shot up at the mention of their teammates and Supervillain smiled a handsome smile, as if he was happy to have touched a nerve.

“So you think I’m witty?” was all Leader said and Medic let out a tired: “shut up leader.”

“See?” Supervillain said, hand tightening in Leader’s hair. “Even they know when to stop.”

Leader just grinned exposing their bloody teeth. They had gone full feral, anything to piss Supervillain off. Anything to keep him off of their teammates. Just bait him. Bait him. Bait all his anger. All his frustration. Don’t even let him think about touching their team.

“Are you going to put me in my place or is you talking the torture?” Leader asked, tired. Supervillain could still that spark of defiance in Leader’s face and he let his mask of indifference shutter down over his own face.

Supervillain turned Leader and began dragging them towards the darkness behind the cages. Leader dragged their feet, their boots scraping along the ground as they were pulled against their will into the deep dark. Fear clasped their heart in a vice as they went stumbling after Supervillain’s long strides.

Lights flickered on around them and Leader could feel all the blood drain from their face. It looked like a fucked up medical room, with tools and utensils on the walls perfectly hung and cabinets full of god knows what.

And in the middle of the room was a metal table. Leader started struggling more now and Supervillain grinned as he felt the pull become more desperate. Supervillain turned to face Leader and revelled in the panic winding through their features. Supervillain yanked Leader forward and shoved them back onto the table. Leader fought them, trying to push Supervillain away but even on a good day they knew they wouldn’t be able to.

Supervillain wrestled Leader down, yanking their cuffed wrists above their head and hooking them to the end of the table. Leader yanked them down with all their might but they wouldn’t come loose. Supervillain watched Leader struggle until they stopped, lazy grey eyes going to Leader’s, raising his eyebrows, he asked: “no witty remarks?”

“Do your worst,” is what Leader said and Supervillain grinned.

“Oh I intend to,” said Supervillain stepping away from the table and walking over to one of the walls, grabbing a pliers from it and walking back over. Leader felt adrenaline pump through their veins a little too late if you asked Leader, but they tugged on the cuffs all the same just for something to do. Somewhere to put their fear.

Supervillain left the pliers on the metal table then walked back to the cages. The panic seized Leader’s throat as they leaned up, straining against the ache in their ribs, against the strain on their arms and cried out: “Supervillain! Don’t touch them! Just me, remember?!”

The clang of the handcuffs off the metal table was ricocheting through Leader’s ears like a storm of bullets from their struggling but they didn’t care. They saw Supervillain bend and pick up something from the floor and turn to walk back to Leader.

Leader calmed down a bit after seeing it was Supervillain’a cane. “Don’t worry Leader. I only have eyes for you. This just requires a more personal touch,” said Supervillain with his rolling voice, a hint of humour rounding his words. When Supervillain stopped beside the metal table Leader was chained to, he clicked a button on the handle and the hidden blade shinked out of the end of the cane.

The dagger had been a nasty surprise when Leader first felt it slice across his cheek. Supervillain had kept it a secret until Leader finally had the advantage over him in a fight, and then that shink changed the entire pace of the fight. That just seemed to be the general theme of Supervillain and Leader’s relationship.

Supervillain always seemed to have the upper hand.

Supervillain twisted the bottom of the cane and it came loose, the black metal of the cane becoming the hilt of the blade at the bottom. Leader tugged at the handcuffs again. They felt too exposed. Too readily waiting like a lamb for slaughter, they needed to do something.

“Nerves getting the better of you?” Supervillain asked, voice quiet as he placed the cane on a table to the side. “I can always drag Medic over here instead if you prefer.”

“You wouldn’t live to see tomorrow if you did,” Leader hissed and Supervillain smiled down at them.

“Just making sure. Now, to business,” said Supervillain. They grabbed Leader’s shirt and cut it loose with the blade. The cool metal scraped against Leader’s abdomen and chest causing a shiver to run down their spine. Supervillain turned back to face the cages and said louder so everyone could hear: “is everyone paying attention? Good. This is what happens you just don’t know when to stop and piss me off. Pay attention Youngest.”

The harsh tug of metal and Supervillain smiled to himself, turning back to Leader. All helpless and angry below him. Supervillain nearly sighed and stopped his work to just bask in how long it took him to finally get Leader here. Right where he wanted them, to finally hear them scream and not be able to fight back whatsoever.

Not with their hands.

Not with their words.

He wanted them broken, and hollow, to be moulded into something more after Supervillain was finished with them. The potential just sat idle under their skin and Supervillain would be the man to bring it out into the sunlight. That untapped nugget of something extraordinary.

Supervillain walked around the other side of the table, dagger in hand, then hummed, walking to the other side again. Mouth screwing up in concentration. Then, mind made up he sighed and climbed onto the table, straddling Leader’s waist with a knee on either side.

“At least buy me dinner fir— uhst,” Leader gasped as Supervillain pressed their ribs with his fingers.

“I need you to hold still for me now Leader, and tell me when it hurts.”

Supervillain wished he could have photographed the beautiful confusion on Leader’s face before he leaned over them, pinning their shoulder to table and started carving the first initial of Supervillain’s name just below Leader’s right shoulder.

Leader screamed as Supervillain dragged the blade through skin as if it was as easy as paper, thrashing in their restraints and screaming. Trying to loosen the handcuffs from the hook or jab a knee into Supervillain’s side, crotch, leg — anything. Anything to stop the pain that burned through Leader’s shoulder.

“Hold still. Almost there,” said Supervillain and placed a steadying hand on Leader’s bruised ribs to keep them down. Leader opened their mouth in a silent scream, trying to alleviate the pressure by sucking in their stomach and pushing it out. Twisting, writhing, turning— nothing could make them feel better.

Supervillain leaned back and smiled down at Leader. Leader was just happy they had finally stopped, but it didn’t stop the stinging pain from the deep cuts that were still bubbling warm blood down Leader’s torso and onto the table. To Leader’s horror, Supervillain reached back and picked up the pliers they had left on the edge of the table.

Supervillain brought them down to Leader’s fresh cuts and Leader shook their head, tears streaming down their face. “Supervillain— don’t- don’t!”

“Sssh,” Supervillain cooed, pressing a bloody finger to Leader’s lips. “Relax. I just need to make sure it’ll last.”

That sentence did anything but reassure Leader and before Leader could tell Supervillain that they would rate him poorly on yelp, the pliers was in his skin. The metal bites opening Leader’s flesh, ripping them further apart. Leader screamed from their gut, like a banshee, except worse because they knew merciful death wasn’t coming after the torture. It was just more torture.

Leader was in and out of consciousness by the time Supervillain was done, blinking hazily up at the monster above them. “Good. Done. You did so good. That’s—“ supervillain said with a laugh. “That’s gonna leave one hell of a scar, Leader. You’ll die with that one.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Leader croaked, voice hoarse from screaming. Supervillain tutted them.

“Leader. Leader. Leader. Where’s your usual banter, hmm? No funny input? I didn’t expect you to break so soon.”

Leader couldn’t even tug at their restraints in protest anymore. Their body was exhausted from healing and the adrenaline leaving their system. Supervillain lifted the bloody pliers so Leader could see it and sighed.

“You know the pliers was fun, but I think a clamp would be much more effective at ensuring scarring, wouldn’t you Medic?”

Leader barely heard Medic’s desperate reply. “Please… Supervillain. Please, let me look at them. I can heal them, make sure—“

“Enough. I don’t want them healed. I want them suffering. Although I do enjoy this whole family trauma thing, it does spice up the torture a bit.”

Supervillain was off Leader them and Leader nearly passed out with relief. Until their eyes followed Supervillain to the wall again and they pulled out a medical clamp, and the breath was taken from them.

Supervillain wasn’t done with Leader… they weren’t finished yet.

Sure enough Supervillain climbed back on top of Leader in the same position as before with their blood slicked knife in hand and a clamp in the other.

“You… you’re… I thought—“

“You thought we were done?” Supervillain asked and then laughed. A humourless, evil sound. “No. No. That was just the initial of my first name, Leader. How else will people know I tamed you if I don’t write my last name too?”

Distantly Leader could hear Rogue and Youngest shouting, protesting, calling Supervillain ever name under the sun and screaming. Pleading.

It all melded together in the static in Leader’s brain.

“In all honesty, Leader, you should be thanking whatever God is looking down at you that I don’t have a double barrel last name or we’d run out of body parts.”

Supervillain leaned over and pinned Leader’s left shoulder before getting to carving again. Leader screamed and cried and screamed some more and eventually, mercifully, they passed out on the table.

*~*~*~*~*

continued here