#then i got out of the dome and went into the sea

[lilacthebooklover]

okay but i would watch this

ok I just had a dream I was watching a musical but the musical doesn't exist in real life? crazy. Can't even remember any of it except for one (1) scene :(

rip that musical you will forever be missed

[deadsetobsessions]

Sea Cryptic! Danny- pt. 10

[Pt.1] [Pt.2] [Pt.3] [Pt.4] [Pt.5] [Pt.6] [Pt.7] [Pt.8] [Pt.9]

“This you?”

Danny glanced at the stone tablet in Spoiler’s hands and groaned, Phantom form flickering with embarrassment as his face got even more neon green. It was indeed him.

——

The first Atlantean and Ghost King encounter went something like this:

Imagine Danny, sleep deprived. Easy enough. Now, imagine Danny, trying to corral a ghost that had a penchant for sea life.

“Alabastor, I swear to Ancients, if you don’t get back here, I’m gonna make you into ghost sea-food boil!” Danny yelled as he chased Alabastor through the ghost zone. The crustacean shaped ghost cackled, skittering along the Zone.

"Make me, Phantom! You have not seen the might of the sea!"

"That's it, soup-time, crabby!"

Danny dove after Alabastor, chasing him face first into a temporal portal and right into the sea.

"BEHOLD!" Alabastor rumbled, claws raised and sea churning around him. Danny flew at him, noticing the screaming people below. He quickly raised a dome of clear ice to protect their entire city before returning his attention back to the giant crustacean. The distraction cost him, as Alabastor blasted him with a beam of his power. "THE MIGHT OF THE SEA!"

"SOUP!" Danny bellowed back, Alabastor's power forcing him into a giant crab form, aside from, hilariously, his head. Danny, always quick to adapt, slammed a massive claw straight into one of Alabastor's eyes and popped open the Fenton Thermos with a feral grin. In but moments, Danny manages to soup Alabastor but not before slamming him down onto the unbreakable ice Danny had just made.

Carefully turning by skittering sideways, he unmelted his ice.

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly to the gawking civilians below.

"Suh-ree? What is suh-ree?" A brave woman asked.

"Oh," Danny uttered as he realized that he should probably switch languages. His giant crab body and small itty bitty human head swayed in an unsure motion. "Sorry means "my apologies." I had not meant to involve you. I am Phantom."

"It is alright... thank you for protecting us... God Phantom?"

He grimaced. "Not a god."

"King, then." She stepped forward. "May I ask of the ice?"

——

Spoiler, sensing weakness like the Riddler to a riddle, leaned in. "Did you know they have a traditional dance to honor the god that gave them the unbreakable ice that protects Atlantis to this day? It goes like this," Spoiler stepped back and did the dance, complete with exaggerated arm movements and, embarrassingly, the scuttle walk Crab!Danny was forced to learn with his new crab form.

"We shall never speak of this again," Danny huffed.

"But King Phantom, the God of Eternal Ice and Protection, how could we not celebrate your iciness?" Spoiler simpered, Black Bat not too far away and shaking with laughter. The purple donning vigilante did the scuttle dance once more, picking up bottles as she went a small circle around one of Bludhaven's rock beaches.

Danny scowled and plucked the tablet away from her, hair flowing an a more agitated direction. His jumpsuit burned brighter. "Why are you two menaces in Bludhaven? I thought your territory was in Gotham."

"Nightwing asked for back up and we were in the area." Spoiler, blessedly, stopped the walk to answer him. "By the way, are you and Danny dating?"

"Pardon?" He asked, insulted but highly amused.

"Oh, you know, he has your number, and you only ever talk to him outside of us, and how you guys have a high level of communication." Spoiler said leadingly.

Oh, Danny knew what this was about now. He found out their identities and now these two are interrogating him because he liked them best. They thought they were so clever. Well, they clearly haven't gotten to know Danny at all if they thought he was going to make good decisions.

Danny tilted his head, making sure his face gets as eerie as possible, shadows elongating and eyes burning just that much brighter. The neon green of his face shone even brighter against the suddenly dark landscape of the place. Black Bat stood up, laughter seizing immediately. Spoiler tensed.

"I have a riddle for you. You are good at those, are you not?"

Spoiler blinked but gamely said, "Bring it."

"What do these things have in common? An arguing couple, papers on a stranger's desk, and Star City's robbers."

"..." Spoiler slipped into her solving mode. "Stolen goods. Stolen hearts?" She guessed.

"No. The answer is that they're all none of your business," Danny snarled. His form flickered. "Keep your questing away from Danny- Daniel, vigilante. Your duty is to protect your city and help her," Danny swept an arm out. "Stick to that instead of inserting yourself into places you are not wanted."

Then, with a toss of an ecto-crossed recorder that held the verbal report he'd promised Nightwing towards Black Bat, Danny blinked out of the visible spectrum and flew above the two.

"... Shit, I think I pissed him off."

Black Bat nodded. "He was defensive."

"Yeah... did you hear that slip? Oh, they are so dating."

Danny grinned. He couldn't wait for Tim to interrogate him soon.

——

"You're kidding."

Danny shook his head, maniacal grin still on his face hours later. He'd taken the liberty to call his best friends before classes started for the day.

Tucker groaned. "Danny, I can't believe you're messing with Batman. Why are you like this."

"Look, I need your help."

"Oh no, keep me out of your dumbass plans, Fenton," Sam pointed at him through the screen, immaculately painted black nails threatening.

"Okay, if you go along with my plan, I'll give you Dr. Isley's number."

"Deal," Sam said immediately, changing her tune at a drop of a hat. Or, at a drop of a number.

"What about me?" Tucker asked, offended. "I deserve compensation for my work too, dammit!"

"I'll give you Tim Drake's number and persuade him to let you have a crack at Wayne Industry's tech basement."

"Deal, what are we doing?"

Danny's grin spread even wider. "We're dating. And, you two? You're Phantom's exes. Tucker, you say good stuff about me. Sam? You make up terrible things about me. But we're all dating each other and I'm dating Phantom on the side."

"I hate you," Sam deadpanned. "But fine, it's not that hard. I've got tons of embarrassing stories about Phantom. You better get me that number, Danny, because you know Dr. Isley was my gay awakening."

"For Tim Drake, I'd be willing to puff up your ego." Tucker said solemnly.

"Perfect. I'm cleaning his brother of ectoplasm today. so expect a call later! Love you guys!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, boyfriend." Sam clicked off the call.

"Think Tim Drake would be interested in a date?" Tucker asked Danny.

"Nah, I think he's got his heart on Benard."

"Damn," Tucker sighed. "Guess I'll have to mend my broken heart with the tools of a state-of-the-art lab, right, Danny?"

"Yep, see ya!" Danny hung up. Today was going to be a good day.

[squad-724]

Behold! More mer batch! Part 1 out of 3

Crossshair’s first day in the Pabu Sea Sanctuary

Warning for blood and heavy skin burns

This time with a snippet provided by @pinetree-tbb who did an unbelievably fantastic job at writing this three parter!

Crosshair woke up slowly, taking a few deep breaths and letting the cool water flow through his gills. He felt weird, like something was missing. Did his brothers let him oversleep? He made a small move to straighten out his tail, a sudden jolt of pain waking him up instantly.

With a gasp he raised up, eyes open and watching the room around him. He wasn’t on the ship deck anymore, but it didn’t look like underneath it either.

No, the room was stationary and clean. The lights were all turned off, but a smell of antiseptic and medicine lingered in the air. Instead of wet wood he was curled up in a sort of small pool with a weird aftertaste to it, fresh instead of salty. The last thing he remembered clearly was Hunter reaching for him while the imperial humans tossed him overboard into the ocean, the face of the man who tortured him and took his brothers. He had to find them!

He pushed himself up on his skeletally thin arms that almost gave up under his weight to look around. The pond he was placed in was below the floor level, covered under a dome made of a construction similar to lobster trap, but much bigger. Crosshair narrowed his eyes and went underwater again, then he looked at himself. The net was gone and was replaced with bandages in all the places the nylon broke through his skin and scales. All the wounds got dressed, but because of the wet environment the blood was still flowing, although slowly. Mer blood clots much quicker than human.

It would have to do. With one wave of his tail he was at the wall of the pool and trying to haul himself up to reach the metal bars that covered his prison. It took him a few tries, but he was able to hang on one of his elbows and rest before trying to reach the locking mechanism. Unfortunately that’s when the doors to the room opened and the outside illuminated the room. Crosshair hissed, shielded his eyes from the sudden light, dropped back into the pond and retreated into the opposite side of the pond.

"Well look who’s up, Kix! He's awake!" A female voice rang out as she entered the room and looked through the metal bars, dim light burned now and Crosshair could see the shape of a human, distorted by the water. He flicked his tail and bared his teeth as a warning.

"I think he's in a bad mood." She said to the man coming up to her, much taller and wearing a white coat. "Let's leave him alone for a bit longer to get used to the medical pond, then we can see if we can communicate in some way." He noted and with that the humans walked out, leaving the room in the darkness once more.

If they think they can just keep him here, they have another thing coming! Crosshair waited for a while after they left, then went to the edge of the pond again. He pushed himself out of the water. With the same technique as the previous attempt he hung off of his good elbow and pushed the lock of the metal dome open. It took some effort but he was able to drag his whole tail up and through the newly opened hatch.

With a wet flop he landed on the cold ground and hissed in pain, then propped himself up on his once again bleeding arms and crawl-slithered to the door. He tried the handle but it refused to open. Frustrated, he scratched at the door frame, leaving behind a few marks. After a few deep breaths he looked around but there was nothing else in the room. He growled, flicking the tip of his tail in annoyance. He had to get out of there. But how?

The only ones that knew how to open the doors were- the humans! The same ones that had a weird obsession with fixing his wounds. He now had a plan.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Kix decided to come back in an hour, long enough for their new friend to get more comfortable with the pond and the room. He asked Phee to bring the soundboard, courtesy of the twin in providing sound samples of common phrases in the mer language for arrivals that did not know English. They hoped the eel friend did not come from afar, or the dialect could prove different enough for the tablet to become useless. He did not know of any pod, neither having a territory nor traveling through nearby, with similar features as the new patient.

However, all of his positive approach popped like a balloon when he turned on the lights of the emergency pool room, his horrified gasp making Riyo and Phee rush in too. The eel mer was floating unmoving on the surface of the water, face down.

“Oh no, is he?-” The pink haired woman didn’t get to finish her question before the doctor rushed towards the pool, the latch undone in one good yank and the man rushing to the mer. If it happened recently they still had the chance to help him.

His state was dire but non life threatening, did the starvation make the blood loss so much severe-

His colleague ran a step behind him, ready to assist. Phee stayed out while the two adults raised the patient out of the water, Kix lowering his head to listen for heartbeat.

Fast. Very fast. Same as breath. The eel mer wasn’t unconscious. He was waiting.

Before Kix could run the mer opened his eyes, and with a yelp the doctor was pushed underwater by his long, white tail. Bloodied water rushed into his nose and mouth.

As he choked, Riyo was faced with a snarling mer, blocking his leap towards her neck with her arm. With a strong shake he pushed her to the side and slithered towards the open latch of the pool.

"Don't- cough- let him out!" Kix called, Phee rushed the door, unfortunately not fast enough to outrun the mer, who pushed her to the ground and smashed his shoulder to fully open them. He let out a painful hiss but did not slow after pushing and crawl-slithered out of the room.

"Oisk!" Kix cursed and ran after him, Riyo close behind, grasping her bleeding arm. Phee jumped up to her feet and followed.

"Let's herd him to the Twins!" She called after them.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

He was out! It worked! Now he just had to get out of the building! Crosshair crawl-slithered as quickly as he could, biting down the groans which wanted to come out of him with every move. He didn't know where to go but he kept moving and hissing when someone got into his way. Crosshair heard his blood rushing in his ears and heart beating against his ribcage.

There! That must be the door to go outside! It was a glass door with two wings, fragile, so he threw himself at it trying to make it shatter. He growled and looked around for something heavy but when he turned around he saw the man from before in front of him, holding his hands up, coming slowly closer.

"Easy boy easy, we want to help you."

'Help? Yeah, not falling for that you fishhead!' Crosshair thought. He drew his shoulders up in a threatening manner and let out a deep slow hiss, flicking his tail in. He pushed against the glass behind him, trying to get it to open.

"Easy. Stay calm." The man whispered and came closer.

"I don't think he can understand you Kix." The short, pink haired woman beside him noted.

"Well, I hope he understands my tone and body language."

'Well you obviously don't!' Cross thought and slammed his tail against the glass, letting out another growl. The Kix guy took another step closer and Crosshair lashed out at him with his claws, which made him step back again.

"We have to get him secured before he hurts himself more." The dark skinned woman said, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. When his eyes moved to look at the gesture Crosshair spotted a chair to his left, so he slowly edged closer to it, without looking at it to give away his intention. He just stared down the man, the biggest danger in his current situation. When the chair was within reach he grabbed one of its legs and swung it behind him at the door, the glass shattering into a thousand tiny shards and rattling to the ground. Crosshair turned and rushed through the broken door, ignoring the pain as the pieces pierced his body.

"After him!" He heard the man call behind him but he kept crawling. The rocky concrete under him scrabbed up his hands and tail, and he felt the bandages around his body come loose. A quick look confirmed that his motions on the ground roughed up the bandages and made them tear apart. He had to get into the water. It was noon and the sun was burning from the peak of its travel across the sky, Crosshair running on the fumes of adrenaline, but he couldn’t give up now, he had to go back and find his brothers!

He sniffed the air, his nose filled with the metallic scent of his own blood, but underneath it he was able to smell the salty water of the ocean, in which direction he slithered towards.

Suddenly, a shape blocked his path, the man from the inside, this time a blanket in his hands. Crosshair made a sharp turn, avoiding the piece of cloth as it was thrown towards him, but not slowing down even for a moment, even as the burning concrete ripped a few of his scales. He made another dodge, this time to the left as the pink haired woman made her attempt at blinding him with her blanket.

He ignored the shout made by the man, sounding weirdly delighted, to finally see the shimmer of his destination, water! With a few more pushes forwards he reached the sand and then the blessed ocean. He was out!

FInally able to open his gills he took a deep inhale, letting the cold water flow through them as he swam further away from the humans.

Cross felt a sense of triumph, managing to escape from that place and darted through the currents, but then was abruptly stopped when he slammed into an invisible, no, glass, wall in front of him.

What?! No! No nO NO!!! He swam up to the surface, looking at the wall in disbelief. He turned around and saw the people from before at the beach and realized what they had done. Now it made sense what they wanted with the blankets! They shepherd him into this pond!

Crosshair growled deeply and looked back at the wall, he could easily jump over this. So he dived deeper and rushed upwards gaining speed. In his horror as he sprung out of the water he felt something grip his tail, instantly losing momentum for the jump. Crosshair slammed into the upper edge of the wall, crying out in pain. He tried to hold onto it, but slipped and fell back into the water. He looked around but could not find the reason for his failure of escape, so he quickly tried a second time, but he used up all of his strength he had in the first jump. He slammed into the wall, slipping back down, leaving claw marks on the clear surface. He tried another jump but the adrenaline that kept him going the past few minutes began to wear off, leaving him behind tired and exhausted.

As he slumped back into the water he just went limp and let himself sink. He watched as the surface became more distant and fogged with the slowly seeping blood from the wounds he reopened and obtained in the last few minutes. He looked at his hands, scratched up from the concrete ground and missing two claws which he must have ripped out while climbing. He watched his blood come out of his wounds, mixing with the water in tiny swirls. He was hurt, and tired, he didn't know what to do... He fought to keep his eyes open, but unconsciousness called to claim him...

No. Not here, not out in the open.

Slowly he flipped his tail to make himself turn around and look, spotting a few rocks at the bottom of the pond, in between the sand, corals and seaweed. He inspected it to see if there was enough space, then started to dig. Every move hurt, but he refused to stay out in the open like that. He made himself a hollow in the sand under the rocks and got in, and with his tail he pushed the overstanding sand back to the entrance to make it smaller. With his hand he shoved more ground up to close the entrance and his little shelter turned dark. Crosshair wrapped his long tail around himself and settled down. The hole wasn't big, but that made him feel safer... for now... The sand he laid on was soft, much softer than the sand in the open waters, so he burrowed a bit in with a few wiggles. Now, laying there in his burrow, Crosshair began feeling everything that hit him today. The pain of his wounds has doubled, each and every scab and missing scale sending jolts of stabbing pain. The blood finally stopped flowing when he stayed still, but now the sand got into the cuts caused by the net, and stung horrifically. He was scared. Alone, for the first time since his original pod abandoned him. He wanted Ninety Nine. And Hunter, Tech and Wrecker. He wanted to go back home to the bay. He wanted… to… sleep…

Part 2

[redtsundere-writes]

hi! try this :) https://pin.it/7yDRk3alf

OOOOOOH I CAN COOK WITH THIS *puts on chef's hat*

Something small. 1367 words. I have no title lol.

“You have to live your life to the fullest, kiddo,” Kusakabe often told her that whenever they went to a mission together. As her mentor, he only wanted good things for her, specially since they worked in the same dangerous job. Even though she thought he was somewhat of a boring man, she really appreciated him.

“You have to come right now!” Utahime called her in the middle of the evening, as she was walking back home from a solo mission she just had.

“To where?” She wondered, maybe her best friend wanted to invite her to a party. It was Halloween after all.

“To Shibuya!”

On this spooky night, Shibuya transforms into a vibrant, pulsating carnival of chaos and color. The narrow streets, usually teeming with shoppers and commuters, are now a sea of people in costumes, each more outrageous and imaginative than the last. Neon lights, loud music and crazy energy. It would be a great night to party.

“Yeah, it would,” she thought disappointed when she arrived to the place to work. She didn't hate her job like most sorcerers do, but sometimes wished she had more time to relax. Hopping from one mission to another could be really stressful.

Apparently, almost every sorcerer was called to help in an emergency in Shibuya. Last time this happened was in Shinjuku, The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. So, this was about to be big again. She held her sword tightly as she ran to the place she was supposed to meet her mentor.

“Long time no see, kiddo,” Kusakabe greeted.

“I'm 21,” she answered with a quick grin tugging her cheek.

“You are still a kid for me,” he scrambled her hair. “How is the other kid, your little sister?”

She hadn't seen Miwa in a while, due to her living in a different city for sorcery school, but they called and texted every day to make sure she was fine. Once Utahime hung up, she called her little sis to check if she was going as well. Apparently, her and some of her classmates were on their way in a bullet train.

“She is fine, so excited to see Gojo sensei in action,” she joked. “And who is the big fella?” She pointed at the giant panda behind Kusakabe.

“I'm Panda,” the puppet answered.

“No shit.”

Panda and Kusakabe explained that around 7:00 pm a curtain with a four-hundred meter radius is cast around Shibuya. The center of the curtain is at the Tokyo Department Store. It only traps non-sorcerers, making it, so civilians can enter but not exit. There were several teams making sure that no more civilians entered.

“Shoko is here,” Kusakabe said as they were walking around the dome.

Sadly, she had seen Shoko more than your sister, since she constantly got injured at missions. She remembered the good old days when she looked upon Shoko. Always looking cool and hanging out with Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, special grade sorcerers, meanwhile she hanged out with Ino, the guy has been friend-zoning you for the longest time.

“Ino is here as well,” Kusakabe smirked, looking at her to get her reaction.

“So what?” She blushed intensely by thinking about him.

She doesn't remember when she started liking him. There was that day when Ino invited her to watch a movie after class, and he fell asleep on her shoulder. He looked so cute sleeping with this mask falling slowly on his face. She didn't move an inch just to make sure he had a good nap.

She really liked him a lot, but he didn't felt the same. Ino constantly talked about his failed dates, completely oblivious that she was interested in him. That was a clear sign what he wasn't interested in her in that way, but she just stopped caring. She was just happy to be in his life as his friend.

“What do you mean 'so what'? I can see in your cheeks you are excited to see him,” Kusakabe teased her.

“Do you like Ino?” Panda asked her, curious about the topic.

“No.”

“Yes.” Kusakabe and her answered at the same time.

“Ugh! Fine! Yes, alright?” She finally accepted with her tomato face.

“You are very pretty, I bet you have a shot.” Panda gave you a hopeless thumbs up.

“Thanks, Panda.”

Walking around the perimeter, they crossed paths with the Zenin's Team, which whom they had a casual conversation about the plan and continued their way. As they continue their path, Kusakabe smirked when he saw Nanami's Team for afar.

“Look, your boyfriend is coming,” Kusakabe teased her, nudging her on the side.

She gasped softly when she saw his disheveled brown hair, shiny black eyes and jolly smile, and he chatted along with Megumi Fushiguro. Her pounded hard against her chest as they got closer. It was funny how even though they saw each constantly due to work, she felt the same every time her eyes landed on him.

“Kusakabe's team,” Nanami mentioned as he saw the team walking up to them.

Ino whipped his head to lay his eyes on her, stop talking mid-conversation with Megumi. She looked as pretty and professional as always. He gulped as he took a quick look at her luscious hair, big breasts and swaying hips. That's the only thing he could do since he knew he didn't stand a chance with a girl like her.

“Your crush?” Megumi quickly figured from his abrupt change of behavior. Ino shushed him, blushing intensely. “That confirms it,” Megumi didn't care much about his discovery.

“She doesn't know and doesn't have to know. We are just friends,” Ino tried to hide his feelings towards her.

“Whatever you say,” Megumi shrugged.

Everybody greeted each other as they met mid-way. Nanami and Kusakabe, the leaders of their respective teams, exchanged information about the situation. Ino and her exchanged greetings, pretending they were definitely not checking each other out. The situation was painfully obvious to Panda and Megumi.

“How are you doing? I heard from Shoko that you were in a mission earlier,” Ino asked her as smiley as usual.

“I was but finished earlier,” she answered as honest as usual. “Wow, she is so cool!” Ino thought. “How have you been?" she asked back.

"I am fine, doing my best, you know,” he said, staying as humble as he could. “He is so cute goddamnit!” she thought. "I just wished I wasn't working in Halloween night," he pouted.

"Same," she answered, crossing her arms disappointed. Ino started imagining her in many costumes. She would look cute as a cat, sexy as a with and hot as a demon. He shook his head to get rid of his naughty ideas.

"Hey Ino, can I ask you something?" Panda got closer to him, tired of hearing the dumb lovey doveys talk.

"What's up?" Ino asked as Panda pulled him to the side for a private convo.

"Do you like big or small breasts?" Panda asked him curiously, whispering. Ino blushed intensely and gulped hard at the dangerous question.

"Well… I always liked big breasts," Ino said, while peeking at her, she looked confused at the random private meeting.

Ino realized he didn't just like big breasts, he liked HER big breasts. He liked HER more than anything, but he was so afraid that she didn't like him back. It was silly to be afraid of that when they were about to do one of the most dangerous in the world.

“Stop fooling around, we are moving," Nanami scolded both teams. Ino pulled away from Panda to say “see ya later” to her.

"Maybe after this, we could watch a horror movie to celebrate our victory," Ino proposed his idea.

"Sounds good, I haven't gone to the cinema in a long time," she said excited.

"I meant at my house," Ino clarified with a determined look. She smiled.

"Sure."

Both teams continued their ways. Ino and her looked back at each other and smiled embarrassed as they caught themselves checking each other again. After losing each other from their respective sights, they focused back on the dangerous mission ahead of them. "After this, I'll finally confess," they thought.

[katsona-the-katsequel]

An Elegant Day For Koromaru

Next up is Koromaru! I wonder what amazing tales will revolve around the best boi.

___________________________________________

It was a pleasant Sunday with the refreshing sunlight of early summer. Today was also a good day for a walk. It might be good to go out a little earlier and take a little detour. The Shiba Inu was thinking something like that, without saying it out loud, when he got up from the stone pavement of the shrine and yawned lightly.

The dog's name was Koromaru (コロマル). It was officially spelled Koromaru (虎狼丸), but since the dog himself couldn't read, he didn't care about the difference. What he did care about was daily walks. Recently, his owner, the head priest of the shrine, died in an accident, and since then, the new head of the shrine provided him with the basic food he needed, but he didn't take him for walks or stroke his head.

Koromaru himself believed that his previous owner was his one and only master, so even if the new priest wanted to take him for a walk, it would be unthinkable for him to change his old route. So today, Koromaru went for a walk. First, he went from Naganaru Shrine, over the Moonlight Bridge, to the front of the station on Port Island. After that, he returned from the bridge towards Iwatodai, went around the town, and then returned to the shrine. This was the route for his long daily walk.

“Wan!”

In human terms, it would be something like "Let's go!" Koromaru let out a cry and began walking at his usual leisurely pace.

"Oh, Koro-chan, good morning!"

Hearing the sudden voice, Koromaru turned his head with an annoyed look on his face. It was a girl around elementary school age with braided hair tied up in buns on both sides of her head. She was the kind of girl who would always play at the shrine in the evenings.

To tell the truth, Koromaru didn't like this girl very much. It's not that he disliked her, but she did tend to pay him a little too much attention. Imagine a child, whose body temperature is higher than an adult, hugging him as if devouring him on a hot day. The hardships that the furry Koromaru faced were far beyond imagination. However, the compassionate Koromaru didn't treat such a girl lightly. Koromaru knew that this girl had had quite a hard time. Although it's not that often, her parents seemed to have a terrible fight, and sometimes she clinged to Koromaru at the shrine in the evenings to hold back her sadness. For the dog tribe, who live in packs, family and friends were as important as life. How sad must it be for them not to be able to live together in harmony? When he thought of this, Koromaru couldn't help but be kind to her, even if she was a bit annoying.

"Oh, it's time. Sorry Koro-chan, I have to go now. Ah, cram school is such a pain."

Saying that, she stroked Koromaru's head and walked off in the direction of the Iwatodai shopping arcade. Yes, this amount of skinship was just right for Koromaru. Feeling a little better, Koromaru started walking again.

With the smell of the sea in the air, Koromaru trudged across the Moonlight Bridge. Humans seemed to be grateful to come and see this place as a tourist spot, but for Koromaru, this was the most boring part of the walking route. The handrails of the bridge were too high, so Koromaru couldn't see the rumored spectacular scenery from his height. What's more, there were so many cars rushing past from the front and back, they were dangerous, dusty, and they spit out an unpleasant oily smell. It was always unpleasant.

So Koromaru walked mindlessly around this place, concentrating as much as possible on the smell of the sea, and walked steadily towards the round dome of the Paulownia Mall that he could see in the distance. Occasionally, people who were running would stop and reach out to him, but he ignored them as much as possible and just kept moving forward.

However, even so, if Koromaru was called twice, he would stop. If Koromaru didn't go to them, the human who called him sometimes looked very hurt. Hurting humans was not Koromaru's intention. So Koromaru only "reluctantly" let humans pet his head as much as they wanted. Koromaru was sometimes even proud of his personality, but he didn't realize that he was actually wagging his tail while being petted. That's the kind of dog Koromaru was.

"Hey, Koro-chan? Did you come all the way out here for a walk?"

"Oh, you're right. You have some good legs."

When he arrived at Paulownia Mall, he met a high school girl who he often saw around Iwatodai. They were not wearing their usual uniforms, but casual clothes. The girl with the long hair was wearing a pink tank top and denim jeans, and the short girl with the short hair was wearing a light blue dress. Of course, the difference in their clothes didn't really matter to Koromaru, who was a dog.

These two were quite popular with Koromaru. The one in the light blue one-piece seemed to know how to handle animals, as she stroked Koromaru in exactly the right places. The one in the tank top stroked Koromaru in a normal way, but was likable because she didn't try to be too clingy. You could really tell that she wanted to touch Koromaru, and sometimes even he wished she would touch him more. If there was anyone who could understand dog language, he'd tell them not to be shy. Well, it was not that easy, Koromaru, who was intelligent despite being a dog, thought.

"Oh, Koro-chan, would you eat something like this?"

Saying this, the girl in the light blue one-piece took something out of the bag she was carrying. It was a rod-shaped object wrapped in red plastic. The faint scent that wafted out made Koromaru's tail swing wildly in anticipation.

"Huh? It's a sausage. Where did it come from?"

"Eh? Ah, I was thinking I'd try cooking for myself for a change... I was just at the department store a while ago."

"Hmm, so Fuuka cooks too."

"Well, I guess so. Ahahahaha."

The one-piece girl seemed a bit impatient, but Koromaru's mind was already filled with the taste of the sausages that he could imagine. The one-piece girl quickly peeled back the plastic as if to meet Koromaru's expectations.

"Here you are."

“Wan!”

Without even a moment's thanks, Koromaru bit into the sausage. Come to think of it, quite a bit of time had passed since he had breakfast. This unexpected stroke of good fortune came at just the right time, and a sense of happiness slowly spread through Koromaru's heart. After all, eating something is the happiest thing. And when someone you love feeds you with their own hands, what more could you ask for?

Koromaru ate the sausage without leaving a single piece behind.

He said "Woof" again to thank her.

"You're welcome." replied the one-piece girl, and as she had more shopping to do, she patted Koromaru and the two of them set off towards a store. Very rarely, there were times like this when Koromaru's thoughts seemed to be transmitted to humans. It might just be an illusion or a misunderstanding, but that was one of the things that gave Koromaru a sense of satisfaction.

Anyway, Koromaru was grateful for the good fortune of meeting them today and decided to continue his walk. Eventually, just as he had imagined, Koromaru met someone who could understand his words, and realized that the most fortunate thing that had happened that day was that the food the girl in the dress had given him was "uncooked," but that's another story.

When he reached Port Island Station, the halfway point of his walk, the sun had passed the southern sky and it was the hottest time of the day. The open-air cafe near the station was full to capacity, being a Sunday. Usually, he would be getting hungry at this point, so he would try to be friendly with the cafe's customers, but today, thanks to the sausages he had been given, there was no need to do so.

When Koromaru looked around the square in front of the station, wondering if he should try to find a cool, shady spot, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if the fur on his back stood on end. He unconsciously curled his tail and tucked it between his legs. Koromaru knew that feeling before.

...and there she was.

A girl in a white dress sat on a bench near a flower bed. She held a large sketchbook in her hands and stared blankly ahead for a while before shifting her gaze to her hands and moving her right hand. The girl continued to work single-mindedly.

Koromaru hadn't been close to this girl for much. She hadn't done him any harm. But there was one time before, when he was in front of the girl, and she stared at him with those eyes. That was it. Those eyes still frightened Koromaru.

Koromaru, unable to speak, was unable to summarise his impression, but if he had to describe it, it would be that the girl's gaze was filled with an emptiness that was impossible for a living being to have. In Koromaru's eyes, the girl was already as good as dead.

"...Come on"

To his surprise, the girl had recognized Koromaru and called out to him. After a moment of hesitation, Koromaru approached the girl. He mustered all his strength to return his curled tail to its normal position. He felt somehow sorry for showing his fear in front of the girl. He didn't know why.

As Koromaru approached, the girl flipped through several pages of the sketchbook she was holding, and eventually showed him a picture. The outlines had inconsistent strength and weakness, and the colors were unstable. To be honest, being a dog, Koromaru had no way of knowing whether a picture was good or bad, but there was something overwhelming that came across in the picture. It was the image of "death'' itself, which all living things in this world were destined to fear.

"This is for you."

Hearing this, Koromaru tilted his head and looked at the picture again. He didn't quite understand, but his keen senses as a living being sensed another image contained within the picture.

Was this a dream?

In the negative image of death that filled every corner of the paper, there was a faint hint of a yearning for life, like a white hand reaching out towards the sky, clinging to it from the middle of a bottomless black swamp that stretches to the horizon.

"Normally, I wouldn't show it to anyone, but since you took it upon yourself to model for me, I thought I might just..."

Without making eye contact, the girl muttered an excuse and quickly folded up her sketchbook. "Hmmm."

Koromaru snorted fondly. The image of the mysterious death that haunted the girl had not faded in the slightest, but he still felt a tiny, tiny presence calling for help. However, the girl did not understand such feelings.

Holding a sketchbook that seemed out of proportion to her small body, the girl walked away without a word.

He could not save her from that emptiness. Instinctively sensing this, Koromaru felt a little sad. And then, he realized.

...he wanted the power to protect someone.

He was surprised at how strongly and overwhelmed he was with these feelings. They were like a fire that had been quietly smoldering somewhere he hadn't noticed since his beloved owner died in a sudden accident.

After that, Koromaru took a long walk around the Port Island Station area to cheer himself up.

There were a lot of interesting people today, and even though he wasn't barking or groaning, one was like, "Hey! I don't like dogs! They say dogs can tell who's bad, so I'm sure they'll bite me! Shhh! I'll sue you and get compensation!" He also tried to follow the male students from Tsuki High School who were stalking the female students. Then, feeling a little better, Koromaru left Port Island and headed home along the same route he had taken.

Resisting the temptation of the smell wafting from the shopping bags of housewives chatting with at Paulownia Mall, he made his way across the dusty Moonlight Bridge, and took a quick detour to Iwatodai Station, which was also his usual route.

Coming to this area, the sun was already setting, even though it was a summer with long days. A variety of delicious smells wafted from the numerous food stalls in the shopping district in front of the station. What particularly caught his eye was the fragrant smell of burning sauce. It was the smell of takoyaki, which he had only eaten once before.

On a whim, the owner tossed some takoyaki to Koromaru while he was out walking, and they were the tastiest takoyaki he had ever tasted.

"Actually, octopus and squid are bad for dogs and cats. But look, ours doesn't have octopus in it."

The shopkeeper had said that, but Koromaru didn't really care. However, he felt bad that he had gotten into the habit of stopping around here, hoping that the shopkeeper would feed him just one more time.

Koromaru walked through the shopping district, trying to endure his hunger. Unfortunately, today, no one seemed interested in giving him food. The meals always provided by the new priest were not enough for Koromaru. He was a little tired today, so maybe it wouldn't be enough. Just when Koromaru was preparing to endure his hunger and go to sleep tonight...

"Hey, isn't this Koro-chan?"

A voice came from behind.

Wagging his tail, Koromaru ran towards the source of the voice. Except for his dead master, there was probably no one else Koromaru loved the most.

"Come on, don't hurry."

Saying this, the man took out a container from his pocket, placed it on the ground and opened it. Inside was some kind of stewed meat. He was often seen around the Iwatodai Shopping Arcade and Port Island, and at some point he began bringing food to Koromaru on a regular basis. He was a kind person, although he spoke rudely.

"Okay, that's good. Eat it."

As always, Koromaru dutifully barked a thank you and then began to eat the food that had been served to him. Koromaru didn't care much for the taste, but the meat was delicious. Not too strongly flavored, with just the right amount of texture, it was a world apart from the dog food served at shrines. As he ate, Koromaru thought, a lot had happened, but today had been a good day overall. Would tomorrow be a good day too? Either way, Koromaru would just live each day to the fullest, and his daily walk would likely continue unchanged. Protecting happiness that is within his reach is what was important to Koromaru, and this was certainly true for all living things.

___________________________________________

Tag List: @kerto-p

[glitteringaglarond]

'Do you think those halls are fair, where your King dwells under the hill in Mirkwood, and Dwarves helped in their making long ago? They are but hovels compared with the caverns I have seen here: immeasurable halls, filled with an everlasting music of water that tinkles into pools, as fair as Kheled-zâram in the starlight.

'And, Legolas, when the torches are kindled and men walk on the sandy floors under the echoing domes, ah! then, Legolas, gems and crystals and veins of precious ore glint in the polished walls; and the light glows through folded marbles, shell-like, translucent as the living hands of Queen Galadriel. There are columns of white and saffron and dawn-rose, Legolas, fluted and twisted into dreamlike forms; they spring up from many-coloured floors to meet the glistening pendants of the roof: wings, ropes, curtains fine as frozen clouds; spears, banners, pinnacles of suspended palaces! Still lakes mirror them: a glimmering world looks up from dark pools covered with clear glass; cities, such as the mind of Durin could scarce have imagined in his sleep, stretch on through avenues and pillared courts, on into the dark recesses where no light can come. And plink! a silver drop falls, and the round wrinkles in the glass make all the towers bend and waver like weeds and corals in a grotto of the sea. Then evening comes: they fade and twinkle out; the torches pass on into another chamber and another dream. There is chamber after chamber, Legolas; hall opening out of hall, dome after dome, stair beyond stair; and still the winding paths lead on into the mountains' heart. Caves! The Caverns of Helm's Deep! Happy was the chance that drove me there! It makes me weep to leave them.

'No, you do not understand,' said Gimli. 'No dwarf could be unmoved by such loveliness. None of Durin's race would mine those caves for stones or ore, not if diamonds and gold could be got there. Do you cut down groves of blossoming trees in the springtime for firewood? We would tend these glades of flowering stone, not quarry them. With cautious skill, tap by tap – a small chip of rock and no more, perhaps, in a whole anxious day – so we could work, and as the years went by, we should open up new ways, and display far chambers that are still dark, glimpsed only as a void beyond fissures in the rock. And lights, Legolas! We should make lights, such lamps as once shone in Khazad-dûm; and when we wished we would drive away the night that has lain there since the hills were made; and when we desired rest, we would let the night return.'

And this. This right here is why Gimli has been one of my favorite characters ever since I was a child. There is a reason my tumblr url is glitteringaglarond, and it’s this passage right here.

Gimli has proved himself to be many things throughout this story - he’s a badass, he is witty and intelligent, he has a brilliant sense of humor and is the funniest character in these books - but one of the most important things about him is his love for beauty.

We saw it in his longing to see Moria, regardless of the dangers. We saw it as he couldn’t help but turn aside and gaze into the waters of Kheled-zaram. We saw it as he praised the beauty of Galadriel. Gimli is a character with a deep, artistic, soulful love for beauty. And it comes across most strikingly here, in this passage.

Because Gimli is out of his element right now, traveling through this strange, dangerous, magical wood. He is injured and weary from battle, and is once again riding a horse - something that he explicitly dislikes. This is the absolute last situation where somebody should be unveiling their poetic soul, and yet that’s what Gimli does.

Because to Gimli love for beauty is stronger than weariness and fear and uncertainty. And while being in this forest makes him fearful, only being forced to leave a thing of beauty can make him weep.

So he tells Legolas about the caves, using language so poetic that we can’t help but see the caves through his eyes and appreciate their beauty in ways we might never have done otherwise. And even Legolas is moved.

I cannot overstate how important his love for beauty is to me, and unlike Gimli I am not enough of a wordsmith to communicate exactly how deeply the beauty of his soul, expressed through this love, touches me. The best I can do is express my joy at having been taught appreciation for beauty at such a young age by such a teacher, and I can only hope that like Gimli, I too can help others find an appreciation for the beauty around them that they might not otherwise have seen.

[splatoonpolls]

SPLATOON OC TOURNEY

ROUND 1 BATTLE 2

OC PROPAGANDA

Moon by @ace-octo-pix

an octoling born in the domes. she enjoyed her time with the few friends she made, but her parents constantly moving between domes and her seeing the detoriating condition made her reject it in a teenage moment and escaped to inkopolis, changing her tentacles to blend in with the locals there. a year or so later, she stumbles onto captain cuttlefish, becoming agent 3. as an octoling. she's still fully against anything related to octavio, who she blames completely for the conditions of the domes. of course its more complicated than that but she's 14 and fighting against them. When she beats up octavio, things get complicated fast when the other octolings ask her... how best to escape. when her previous path has been blocked off. and she tries to help them. she remembers a bit of the community, and things get so much more complicated, and she's still trying to hide from cuttlefish by covering up her forehead suctions. this does wonders for her personal schedule and she dedicates herself too much to work. However, when coming across agent 8 (before the memory loss), they reunite before Something attacks them and sends them spiraling into the underground, leaving Moon alone to try and work her way out of something again. she gets taken over. captain cuttlefish learns. and after that, Moon has to deal with having free time again... and during the time of learning how to have personal hygiene and do turf wars for fun again, she falls for agent 8, Sun, once more. And then she becomes captain and at this point i'm still forming things. still trying to keep that balance, which marie and callie help with. yeah. agent 3 octoling oc!

Dapplez by @swimspeedupabilitychunk

shes bi and trans and a traumatised octopus :D very autism and anxiety.she has endured the horrors and is on the way to endure more. yes she stays silly!!

this is the only actual image of her i have, i doodle her so much that her design changes very often. sorry D:

dapplez (who was called alexi at the time) and agent 8 (who is called ezra) grew up as child soilders together. they were both present when og 3 beat up octavio the first time, and because reasons were un-brainwashed and started looking for a way to escape. eventually, they found the deep sea metro. while looking for a way in, a group of sanitised octolings attacked them and alexi kinda pushed ezra onto the train tracks to save him. there was in fact a train car pulling up behind them and ezra fell in. she got splatted and lost all her memories. all she knew was she wanted to get to the surface. after reaching the surface (because after octavio left the whole power vacumm resulted in a breakdown of octarian society) she begins working for grizz co to make ends meet. she just happened to be on shift (with a pair of dapple dualies) when mr grizz kidnapped a bunch of workers (mostly octolings who were in the same situation as her) and fuzzied them. after return of the mamalians cici (neo 3) went around feeding all the fuzzied octolings golden eggs to free them. this included the octoling now known as dapplez. she had fully lost her memories (also this is where she just. gravitated to she/her pronouns. thats how im working the trans into this) but began to learn how to person again. callie retaught her octarian!! she also ended up dating cici. enventually though, she wanted to head back to inkopolis plaza to see if that would jog any memories. train car pulls up. who's on the other side? ezra. insert side order plot but shes helping ezra

[aftmostreaper]

Morning Memories (Cypher x Male Reader)

Memories of what had happened swim across his mind as he makes breakfast

its been some time since i written somethin, but i still hope you like it

Fluffy and stuff:)

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

The morning sun shone through the curtained windows, seeping into the small kitchen where a man stood in front of the stove, humming to himself as the sun kissed his shirtless torso, the scars from his previous occupation littering across the surface. 

He smiles as he pours the pancake batter onto the heated stove, turning around to look at the clock as he waits for the side to cook. He taps his fingers on the countertop to the beat of a song lost in time, fond memories of his past as an agent working along with his crew swimming across his mind.

“So tell me, what made you want to join this protocol?”

The masked man in front of me asked as he moved his pawn forward, his gloved fingers dragging the piece across the board, his ‘eyes’ never leaving mine

I chuckled and moved my horse, raising the piece up before placing it down.

“I got a phone call from an old friend”

“Brimstone? Well, that isn't a surprise, but why did you agree in the first place?” 

He leaned in closer. Eyes still burning into mine. As he moved another piece.

I casually shrugged, countering his advance with a rook

“I have my reasons”

It was times like this that the man remembered fondly, the small times when he and his husband met and interacted and talked like normal people, calm and enjoying each other’s presence.

But not all memories are always positive. And in their line of work, there were not many.

The symphony of gunfire rang across the dry and sandy air. The sun blazing down along with the bullets. Radiant abilities were thrown and radiant tech was scattered along the site.

He held his gun close to his chest, ignoring the searing pain in his leg, he pressed the earpiece.

“Enemy Jett B site, got nicked in the leg. Hearing 2 more footsteps” he said through gritted teeth before pulling out a flash grenade “Flashing” he yelled and threw it into the air, the blinding light giving him cover to back away into Hall

“Need backup” but he was met with static “Fuck” he cursed and ran up to elbow. Catching jett off guard as she dashed up to the air and into site. It didn't take long before a bullet was shot into her head.

Ducking behind cover, he didn't have time to catch his breath before the screech of a hawk echoed into the air and a blinding light filled his vision. He gasped and tried to recover as more footsteps approached the site.

He held his breath, listening to the sandy footsteps, as he held his gun close to his chest.

That was when the familiar sound of the spike being planted pounded across the sand.

He was under the pressure of time.

“Coming up behind them through window”

The voice of his comrade echoed silently in his earpiece. Momentary relief filled his head as he threw another flash grenade outside the opening, a shot rang in the air.

“Skye down”

The beeping of the spike rang faster.

“You should run”

The enemy Killjoy placed her device, a sea of lights dancing across the walls as the neon dome formed above them.

“She is behind the radianite boxes, spike is in front of site”

Cypher’s voice once again echoed.

I nodded, pushing up to elbow, shooting at the nanoswarms littering around the spike. The beeping became faster as the lights pulsed quicker. 

I ran towards the radianite boxes, cypher ran towards the spike the diffuser in his hand. I pulled out my gun and swung. Crosshair pointed at Killjoy’s head, and hers pointed to mine. A second didn't last before 2 shots rang with the lights and beeps.

Blood splattered the sand as two bodies fell to the ground. The lights went dark, the beeping stopped and a loud shout echoed with the dry winds.

He was at the medical bay for a few weeks after that. The damage to his head was quite severe and Sage needed multiple sessions and healing orbs to try to heal his brain and head together.

And the person who stood beside him through the weeks and more months of recovery was no other than Cypher. His scarred hand is always there to guide his comrade back to full health.

The details were after a lot. Fighting, misunderstandings, and therapy for both of them and their pasts. But in the end, they still got together.

The man’s smile got softer as he added another pancake to the pile, His gaze drifting to the ring on his finger. The memories of the starry night bring a sparkle to his eyes.

“Amir” I looked up at him as I got down on one knee, my heart beating loudly in my chest as I fished out the red box from my pocket, opening it to reveal the ring glistening under the starry moonlight “Will you marry me?”

I hopefully looked up to his shocked eyes, realization quickly setting in as he tackled me to the ground, burying his head into my shoulder and muttering “I do” repeatedly before bending back to look at me.

The kiss we shared that night was nothing short of passionate and full of love. Eyes twinkling in adoration as we settled under the moonlight.

The wedding was small and sweet, the guests only being that of the members of the protocol and a few close friends and family members.

The honeymoon was….

The man chuckled to himself, touching the nape of his neck as he remembered the events that night. 

It had been years since they became a couple. Time passed by as they soon retired, having enough money to comfortably live on a peaceful farm in the countryside until death came knocking at their door.

But before he could dwell on those thoughts and memories. The door to their shared bedroom opened and a set of footsteps soon stopped at the doorway behind him.

The man turned around and looked at his husband, his mature features being kissed by the morning sun. A smile quickly grew on his face as he set the second stack of pancakes down at the table. 

“Good morning, Love” he greeted, Turning around to grab their morning drinks and setting them at the table.

He was met with a small and sweet “Good Morning” before the other approached and gave him a peck on the lips. They looked at each other’s sparkling eyes before kissing once again and sitting down at the table.

They ate their breakfast in relative peace, talking about what they were going to do the day and the days after. And that was when a notification popped up in the man’s phone, his smile quickly growing wider.

“What is it?” Amir asked as he took a bite from his pancake

“The adoption agency said that we could adopt her”

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

Hope you liked it, i just started playing valo again so yah:3

[buriedlove]

Hey Buried Lovers,

Just a little birthday something for you. Hope you’re all surviving September - all is busy but good for me - looking forward to some quieter times and getting back to writing! ❤️

The Party

Alex clears his throat and looks around the dome, running his hand through his hair.

“Do you think we’ve got enough balloons?”

Zein snorts and kicks their foot at one of the balloons now bouncing around on the ground. “Alex, if we had any more balloons I think this place would start floating to the surface.”

Alex grins sheepishly. “Ok, I accept I might have gone overboard.”

Balloons are floating around in the air. Some rising to the top of the dome, but others hovering in mid air, or bouncing their way along the ground.

Rota eyes them suspiciously. “Why aren’t these strange orbs following the laws of gravity?”

“That would be one of those questions it’s better not to ask,” Eli playfully bats one of the balloons with his hand as he walks past everyone and makes a beeline to the bar.

“A more important question is what drinks am I going to mix tonight? I feel like trying something new. Something spicy?”

Aayush raises an eyebrow but says nothing, instead walking through the swirling mass of balloons, somehow managing to avoid touching a single one. He lays down on a sun lounger and closes his eyes.

“Aayush!” Fleur calls out, “aren’t you supposed to be on outfit duty? There’s no time for relaxing!”

Aayush smiles and waves his hand. A sea of balloons parts to show a clothing rack with beautiful outfits hanging off of it. Fleur squeals as she runs over and picks up a hanger that has a label with her name written on it. A dress that looks like it’s made from thousands of delicate lilac petals hangs from it. “It’s perfect! Aayush how did you find these…?”

Aayush smiles. “You don’t get to live through all of the ages without getting a certain sense of style. This will be the best dressed party this dome will ever see. Guaranteed.”

Abe appears carrying trays of food. He looks wholly uncomfortable as he looks around the dome. “Where am I putting these?” He looks to Fleur who has assumed the role of party coordinator.

Fleur points to some tables over to the side of the pool. “Over there next to Cerri. While you’re over there could you ask her to go and throw all of the inflatables into the pool? It’s going to look so cute.”

Abe swallows and looks like he’s been asked to fight a bear, but he nods obediently and walks over to Cerri who is glowering at everything happening around her.

“Uh Cerri,” he starts, his deep voice shaking ever so slightly. “Fleur asked if you could get the pool ready? Uh. Please.”

Cerri rolls her eyes but doesn’t protest and wanders over to Cat who is standing proudly surveying a menagerie of inflatable pool animals.

“Cerri! Hey! Help me get these in the water will you?”

Cerri grunts but picks up a giant flamingo and throws it through the air with ease, watching as it lands in the pool with a splash. Cat smiles. “Finally an outlet for all that tension, huh?”

Cerri responds by throwing an inflatable panda.

Cat laughs quietly and walks slowly over to Alex, placing an arm around his shoulder. “Wow, when you were put in charge of balloons you really went for it, huh?”

Rota interjects, “I believe there may be more orbs in here than there are stars in the sky.”

Alex starts to protest but instead closes his mouth and his eyes rest on a point in the distance. Everyone turns to see what he’s seen, their eyes all fixed on one thing that has just entered the party.

You.

[girlbossblackbeard]

s2 brain thoughts: the squeakuel (ep 2)

as a reminder, if u see me posting any of these points as their own posts mind ur business:

-i'm sending my hospital bills to david jenkins for weaponizing thef cuking "you wear fine things well" scene WITHOUT ANY KIND OF WARNING i literally almost choked to death from shock

-hey so what the whole actual fuck is up with transitioning directly from the very painful "you wear fine things well" scene which, as we've already established, has REAL HUMAN CASUALTIES DUE TO THIS USE-CASE, into the "run from me darling" lyric overlayed on top of the god damn shot of ed pAINTING THE BRIDE CAKE TOPPER TO LOOK LIKE HIM AND BASICALLY PLAYING OUT HIS FANTASY OF MARRYING STEDE. david jenkins you have committed crimes

-also!!!!!!!!!! that cake topper has kohl smudged all over it so you KNOW our boy ed has been caressing it against his cheek and sighing longingly

-i know we've all talked about how insane the "ed plays with the wedding cake toppers pretending they're him and stede" scene is but i don't think we've really comprehended how GENUINELY INSANE it is like??? edward teach, blackbeard, the kraken, the scourge of the seven seas, the most fearsome pirate the caribbean has ever known that has recently been on a non-stop slaughtering spree, painted a bride wedding cake topper to look like himself which he then scoots next to a wedding cake topper that looks like stede so he can imagine that he's marrying him. this man carefully rubbed kohl on a cake topper to give it darker skin and darker hair and a BEARD. to make it look more like himself. so he could then. put it next to a cake topper that looked like stede. and pretend. they were getting married. i've written that 3 times now and my brain STILL refuses to fully process those sentences.

-i said it in my first brain thoughts post for ep 1 and i'll say it again: every time im reminded that ed has been crying NON-STOP. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. for MONTHS. over stede. my wall gains another hole

-the way ed is so delirious in his sadness as he pushes the cake toppers out the window. i don't even have any thoughts on that i feel like all i can do is just note it and let y'all deal with the rest

>>actually I lied, he literally watches them sink into the sea after he pushes them out the window that's so fucked up whomever made that decision to make him do that is so fucked up

-"the sea is restorative isn't it" "YYYYEEESSS QUEEN!!!!!!!!!! I'VE ALWAYS SAID SO!!!!!!!!!!!!" "ohh that guy knows" IS THE MOST UNDERRATED EXCHANGE IN THE ENTIRE SERIES IT LITERALLY HAD ME SHAKING WITH LAUGHTER

-would looooooooooooooove to know what went through stede's head as soon as roach mentioned "some place called China??" like did he immediately think of the kiss or getting sent to the naval academy or the kiss or ed's excitement at the prospect of running away together or the kiss or getting kidnapped by chauncey or the kiss or watching chauncey shoot himself in the dome or the kiss or his flop behavior of running back to his family that doesn't even want him or the kiss or

-the crew of the red flag being so immediately kind and welcoming to stede and his crew <3

-i genuinely cannot wait to watch buttons fully immerse himself in the red flag traditions like he was made to be on that crew

-"how should I put this, your energy is..." can't believe they got hatecrimed like that

-RAT BOY

-HE'S HERE

-OUR BOY IS HERE

-fun fact: i recorded my live reaction to episodes 1 - 3 and posted the clip of my friends and i reacting to lucius coming back because we were quite literally jumping for joy and crying over the reunion and THE illustrious Nathan Foad himself told me it was literally the cutest thing he's ever seen (his words, not mine!!) so we're basically best friends forever now and the rest of my life will be spent chasing the high of the happiness i felt during that interaction

-i am also crying once again over his reappearance and i think that's just gonna happen every time i watch this scene :')

-roach's shocked face when lucius appears is something that can actually be so personal

-the way they all dogpile on top of him because they're so happy to see him bitch what the FCUK

-also stede's STUPID LITTLE "huh!" LIKE??????????? THAT WAS YOUR SCRIBE AND RELATIONSHIP GURU YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER WHERE IS THE ENERGY AND EXCITEMENT AT KNOWING HE ISN'T FUCKING DEAD??????????????

-"i love it" *BIG SMOOCH* "i love all of it" *BIGGER SMOOCH* oh so they're trying to kill me by smothering me in the syrupy sweetness of their love. okay

-okay sorry but lucius's absolutely microscopic furrowing of his brow right before black pete kisses him again. for a split second he had a slight look of sadness which lines up with the very real trauma he's endured and how even in extremely happy moments they can be tinged with sadness - maybe a sadness for the past and the way things could've been if he hadn't been pushed off the boat - and all i can say is nathan foad. ur big powerful acting mind

-we gotta talk about lucius choosing not to reveal that ed had pushed him off the ship in front of the whole crew. i'm still trying to figure out if that was him trying to spare stede's feelings (unlikely considering he lets it all out later), spare black pete's feelings (possible, since he knows black pete idolizes blackbeard), prevent himself from having to relive that trauma in front of his friends when he's not prepared to confront those memories, or a combination of all of the above

-"i fell. off the ship." "that doesn't sound like you. you have impeccable balance, babe" i literally love black pete so much i may legally have to change my name to lucius spriggs

-"toouwelss? what is this? are these jobs?" stede i love you so very much to the moon and back but for the love of god you gotta shut it my guy

-I AM LITERALLY SO EXCITED FOR THE BUTTONS SEA WITCH STORY ARC LIKE IT MAY ACTUALLY BE ON PAR WITH MY EXCITEMENT TO SEE ED AND STEDE PROPERLY REUNITE AND OPENLY LOVE EACH OTHER AGAIN

-ed just. washing the door handle. i dont have any other thoughts

-GODDDDDDD HE'S SERVING SOOOOOO MUCH GENDER WITH HIS LIL HAIR BUN AND MOSTLY CLEANED UP WAR PAINT AND DANGLY EARRINGS AKEFJAPWHFA OPERGJAER

-the way frenchie looks genuinely happy for ed when he says he thinks he got all the poison out of his system and it's a new day :((

-idk much about piracy but i really don't think there's a rule about the new first mate traditionally having to kill the old first mate, i think ed just made that up so someone else would have to kill izzy instead of him. despite everything, despite how low he's sunken into the very dark parts of his mind due to the heartbreak, ed still can't bring himself to deal the killing blow

-"i expect great things from you" might be one of the more chilling lines in that interaction because for THE blackbeard to have not just any expectations from you, but GREAT expectations? that's not a compliment, that's a threat. measure up to what blackbeard thinks you should be or else

-can't comment on the amputation scene too yucky sorry

-stede trying to triangulate ed's coordinates based off of his string of crimes on a map HE drew is me trying to triangulate where tf this season is going based off of buckwild theories i've made up and used as the foundation for even more buckwild theories

-yeah idk what the mushy ass lyrics stede wrote on that map mean but i know they're frighteningly homosexual

-"FUCK YOU. that's how i am" I am SO glad lucius gets to be openly bitchy towards stede it feels like a cathartic release for me personally

-ed's fuckin "heyyyy" to frenchie in the kitchen is both hilarious and unbelievably unsettling

-absolutely obsessed with the writers for once again showing just how scarily observant and intelligent ed is when he calls frenchie out for using his right hand to mime killing izzy even though he's actually left handed

-i really admire how david chose to use a low camera angle that looks up at ed as he reveals to frenchie that he's well aware he hasn't killed izzy yet because taika's performance was already unsettling enough but that specific angle adds so much to his overall menacing presence in that scene

-joel fry's performance in the kitchen scene with ed literally makes me want to bite something he's so good at acting quietly terrified

-this is almost certainly an unpopular opinion but i really would've loved to see more buildup to jim and archie kissing. i just feel like we know NOTHING about her let alone her relationship with jim prior to the two days we've seen them interacting and i feel like that kiss would've felt like a much more satisfying payoff if we had seen more interactions between them before they got to that point. i would've taken delaying that kiss by a few episodes if it meant feeling fully invested in it once it did happen, but i also know the show already has so much material to get through (which is why we should've gotten 10 eps but i digress)

-"hey no one told me this room existed" is giving "i didn't even realize there was piracy happening"

-"take the fuckin leg" is such a perfect line delivery

-love the foreshadowing of olu explaining how the little ships on the war table were all over the place and "some of them were over land"

-roach waxing poetic about the noodles is so relatable

-"jesus christ stede keep your pants on" hands down one of the funniest fucking lucius moments of all time

-sorry but we gotta give a shout out to lucius modifying the chinese fleet uniform so it's sleeveless. the edges are cleanly done so either he was put on tailoring duty at some point and picked it up there or someone on the ship wanted to enable the slayage

-there's something to be said about the fact that the only other man who has lasted being on board the red flag ship is another member of the revenge who was picked up and welcomed into the fold well before stede and the rest of the crew wound up there. something about how stede attracts and retains other people who he can tell are gentle at heart, even if they're putting up a tough front. something about how lucius had bounced from ship to ship until he finally wound up on Zheng Yi Sao's ship where he was allowed to be himself

-"ya don't know............if ya picked up....smokin....." nathaniel buttons my beloved

-OOOOF stede's guilty face after lucius talks about how he must've picked up smoking somewhere. after the crushing guilt he already feels about the ed situation this definitely would've weighed extremely heavy on him

-MY SPICY LIL RAT BOY IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME

-"what the hell is going on in towels" wee john my beloved

-look i know izzy is on the brink of death but he genuinely looks kinda beautiful before ed wakes him up from his shock induced coma and i won't apologize for that

-"my leg" izzy is so fred rechid coded

-"it's up in leg heaven now" i need to know if ed said that as a way of metaphorically digging the knife into izzy and getting back at him for trying to force ed to send stede to doggy heaven in season 1

-i dont have the emotional capacity to dive into the ed and izzy shooting scene rn but just know it destroyed me on a metaphysical level

-"too scared to do it yourself" no because unfortunately now im thinking about ed thinking through taking his own life but coming to the realization that he can't do it. whether it's because of childhood christianity trauma and thinking he'll be sent to hell for doing so or because he knows he can't follow through with it himself if there's still a tiny shred of hope that he'll reunite with stede and everything will be okay again, he always has to outsource the big job

-also, very interesting choice to have almost jovial classical music playing in the background of the ed/izzy scene. it definitely undercut a lot of the tension compared to how supremely uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing the scene would've been if it were dead silent behind the dialogue

-"i loved you...best i could"

-"i've got an ex-wife, two messed up kids probably" LMAO stede acknowledging he would have no way of knowing how fucked up his kids are because of him

-"sounds like you're quite the fuck-up pal" "yeah, i am! and im alone! talk to pete. don't be like me" ohhhhh my god stede is in just as much agony as ed is over this breakup he's just been using his polite society social skills of saving face and never showing how truly devastated you are to others to cover up how supremely messed up he is over all of it. he is BEGGING lucius to talk to pete and NOT make the same mistakes he did because maybe if he can prevent lucius from bottling it up and actually deal with this in a healthy way he can make up for a fraction of all the hurt he's caused not only ed but lucius as well. maybe if he can get lucius to talk to pete he can absolve himself of some of the soul-crushing guilt he feels over how his actions have irreparably damaged the people he cares about the most. maybe if lucius and pete are able to work through this trauma and still come out the other side loving each other just as much or even more than they did before, he can believe that there's still hope for him and ed.

-ed choosing to put on the cravat for what he believes is going to be his last action on earth before dying because he's resigned himself to his fate but is still scared shitless by it and wants that modicum of comfort that stede will always be able to provide him no matter how badly he hurt ed is giving me the urge to find the nearest cast iron skillet and loony toons my skull

-"some people are just broken no matter what you do" noooo why do i feel like lucius was talking about himself when he said that to stede about ed ://

-oof i know they were an unnamed character but fang tried to save someone who went overboard during the storm and wasn't able to :(

-GGGOOOODDDDDDD izzy looks so fucking hot and badass all soaking wet and leaning up against the rigging after shooting ed jesus christ

-"finally" ed was so relieved to have his pain finally end. even after his journey of self discovery in the next episode im really curious how he's going to deal with having to confront the pain he thought he escaped in addition to the pain he inflicted on others while failing to cope with that pain and stopping at nothing, including nearly killing the rest of the crew, to end it

[girljeremystrong]

hi cat!! i have a favor to ask - would you be able to tell me some of your favorite places/cities/anything in italy? my cousins & i are planning a trip & are a bit overwhelmed with choices haha

YES but first i have to warn you that i have barely scratched the surface of the beauty that's in this country and most importantly i have barely been in the south and on the islands except for i went to naples a decade ago so i can't really recommend anything there which is a shame because the south of italy is INCREDIBLE. for instance my dream is to take a road trip through sicily and wander around for like a month. again i can't really speak on it because i've never been but i think it must be one of the most splendid places in the world and it's full of ancient greek architecture and the sea is wonderful and the cities are full of beautiful art and i can't wait to go and see it all with my own eyes.

of course i live in tuscany and specifically near florence and i think florence is the best of the best in the whole world and i think you should definitely go and see it. but also it's a small-ish city and while exploring it fully would take a lifetime i think if your goal is to visit a few places and cities in the same holiday you can probably get away with spending like four days in florence and then go somewhere else! places that i think you should definitely visit while in florence are: the uffizi galleries of course, orsanmichele (i got chocked up the first time i visited because it's so beautiful and the views of the city are stunning), the cathedral of santa maria del fiore where you can decide if you want to climb up the bell tower or the dome (or both if you're very fit!) and i particularly love the medici chapels and the museum galleria palatina in palazzo pitti. and everything is in the city center so it's easy to walk everywhere and walking everywhere you'll be able to see the piazza della signoria with our most beautiful palazzo vecchio and the ponte vecchio!

while you're in florence you might want to go to a few nearby places like you could take an hour train to pisa where you honestly just need a couple hours to bask in the glory of the piazza dei miracoli (which houses the famous crooked tower but also a gorgeous cathedral and baptistery). very near florence (like a short bus ride away) is fiesole which is a cutie little mini town where you can get one beautiful view over florence and also see etruscan/roman excavations and ruins including a beautiful roman theater! also near florence but slightly harder to reach is certaldo where one of the fathers of italian literature was born and which is famous nowadays for being gorgeous and old and having a beautiful beautiful palazzo pretorio. siena is almost a must see in my opinion and it's a train ride away from florence and it is just a beauty. so incredible. further south we have two absolutely stunning little gems called san gimignano and volterra which you might know from twilight SHDJDKJF but no seriously they are so beautiful and you eat so well there and both are so worth seeing.

liguria is just north of tuscany and i know it a little. i think of course that cinque terre are incredible and so italian and great but i will add that a little seaside town called portovenere should absolutely be added to the itinerary if you're gonna be close because it's beautiful and it houses one of the best things i have ever seen in my life which is byron grotto (yes like the poet! apparently he would swim out of there to go reach shelley?) which is soooo gorgeous.

so like. i don't know because i am biased and i was born and raised here but i think tuscany (and that corner of liguria) is the most beautiful gorgeous and perfect little triangle of land in the whole world and if you're coming to italy from everywhere else i think that's the first place you should visit.

of course milan and rome and turin and naples and venice are all incredible and worth of a (long) visit and i have found such beauty and met incredible people and been left speechless by what i've seen in each of those cities but maybe that's for another post and also i definitely do not know them nearly as well as i know florence but i think you would love to visit them.

IN CONCLUSION. i don't know that this will have clared your head in any way at all. it's a bit all over the place. i love florence and i love tuscany but italy is beautiful in every corner in every way!

[illegally-blind-and-deaf]

Snippet of a new fic I'm writing :)

hi (I'm alive, yes), I've been wanting to write this for a long while now but had absolutely no idea how to start it, but I did it! Hope you enjoy :)

TINTIN

The stars gave it all away. How they shone, millions upon millions—raindrops sprinkled on a glass dome. He forgot where he was, that he was about to take man's first step on the moon, that he was in a spacesuit with Ground Control waiting for his reaction. He only stared. They were there, clinging together in a faint band striped across the sky. Hues of copper, amethyst and aquamarine fused and spread between the stars. The Milky Way. How long had it been?

He remembered lying out in the fields with his father—one of his earliest memories—listening to his gentle voice describe Cygnus and Orion and Ursa Major. Above them had stretched the twinkling sky, some stars bright with pride, others softer than the brush of a feather. Between them twisted the faint, cloudy stripe of the Milky Way.

How long had it been?

He remembered before the war, staring through the gap in the curtains, watching the sky slowly roll around him. Though the city dimmed their light, their splendor touched his mind with an awesome smile.  Past that, after the chaos... nothing. Maybe the occasional twinkle from Venus, if he noticed.

That moment, standing on the edge of the rocket, the moon glowing below him, he realised.

"Tintin?"

He jumped, blinking as the radio crackled. Right. Moon landing. Incredible achievement for humanity. He stared back at the stars, praying that the tears blurring his vision wouldn't fall. "Yes. Now I'm descending the ladder which runs down the side of the rocket." 

Each rung seemed miles from the dusty floor as his trblong hands grasped the ladder. Slowly, he inches down the side of the rocket. "Only a few more rungs..." Keep calm, Tintin. Deep breaths. "Now three... Two... Only one... This is it!"

Dust stirred as the boot of the spacesuit struck the moon's surface. The second one soon joined. He took a step, then another, and another. "I've walked a few steps! For the first time in the history of mankind there is an EXPLORER ON THE MOON!"

Emotions swirled inside him, a mixing pot of joy and disbelief, grief and shame. Excitement shot through his veins, though an anxious weight was beginning to tug on his stomach. Stop it. You're fine.

He wasn't, but Haddock was starting to deacend, and he was the last person Tintin wanted to know. The Captain, having reached the ground, came towards him, grinning as though he were a little child at Christmas. "I'm on the moon! It's terrific! I'm walking... Running... Jumping!" As he spoke, he took a leap that sent him high into the air, above Tintin's head. 

Something in the young journalist grew warm and suddenly, he was laughing, despite everything. Of course. Of course the Captain could make him laugh. The bear of a man with large, calloused hands that seemed able to hold anything in them and soft, brown eyes that twinkled in the golden lamplight at home. Of course he could make him laugh when it felt as though the universe was pulling him down. "Oh Captain! On the Moon, gravity is six times less than in earth."

"And I know that all the time, thundering typhoons!" He grumbled, then paused with a sheepish expression. "I'd ... completely forgotten."

"There! Look at Earth! Our good old Earth." Amongst the stars, (how lovely was that to say!), rested a giant globe, hues of green, blue and brown tracing the shapes of seas and countries. "It looks four times bigger than the Moon does when we see it at home."

"Let's hope we'll be able to get back there one day?"

And if they did? What would he do? Tintin tried to shake it out of him, turning as Haddock went to go assist Calculus with Milou, but it grasped under his ribs so tightly, clawing its way into his diaphragm until it felt as though he couldnt breathe deep enough. Calm down, he scolded. You've got more important things to deal with. He turned back to the sky. They were still there, suspended, frozen. But their beauty no longer stuck him. Only their cold stare as they watched him. They knew, and they lied in wait for it to finally escape.

It won't. No one will know.

[amandaoftherosemire]

Second Sight -- Part Eighteen

Fandom: Marvel Avengers AU/MCU AU

Pairing: Loki Odinson X fem!Reader

Characters: Loki Odinson

Author: @amandaoftherosemire

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 5,718

Format: Series WIP

Warnings: Language, gambling

Summary: Loki takes you on a long overdue honeymoon on a pleasure planet. You can’t take your eyes off the spectacle while Loki can’t take his eyes off you. Neither of you notice the eyes on you both.

A/N: Since I started this fic years ago, I am going to be rebuilding my taglist with this chapter. If anyone would like to be tagged in future updates, or if you’re tagged in this and want to continue to be, please drop me an ask or a message to let me know. If you don’t want to be tagged, don’t do anything. I’m trying to get a gauge of who, if anyone, is still reading this. I haven’t got any feedback in a while, and the notes on this would offend me if I allowed myself to be offended by numbers, and I’m not sure updating this fic is the best use of my time if no one is reading it.

To be fair, I get it. I’m not even mad. 😉 Loki is doing fun stuff in the series and people are reading those fics, not novel length fics from the Infinity Saga. I don’t intend this to be a guilt trip as much as an attempt to gather information. I have multiple projects in progress (thank you, ADHD), including some original fiction, and as much as I hate to leave a fic unfinished, I also recognize the possibility I’m in the middle of a sunk cost fallacy. Know when to fold ‘em, and all that. Thanks!

<<Part Seventeen here

Second Sight Part Eighteen

Once through the doors and under a short entryway, the room opened into a spectacle that made the lights of the Vegas Strip look understated by comparison. The walls curved away from you to both your left and right, the room an enormous circle made up of multiple tiers. At your feet, a sea of creamy gold-veined stone under a high, high domed ceiling. You stood stunned for a moment, overwhelmed by the size and splendor of everything around you.

You kept your hand tight around Loki’s arm as he escorted you to the middle of the room, the stone stepping gently into a sunken center beneath the soaring ceiling. The top of the dome was three stories above you, where a bright golden light served as the main source of illumination. The golden globe was one of two hung in the sky of an elaborate sea scape mural covering the zenith of the dome.

The other globe was the tumultuous center of a whirling display. Upon closer inspection, the objects that swarmed in streaming patterns in and out of the center of the second sun were some sort of fluttering creature, akin to a butterfly. They fluttered around a core of flapping wings, soaring in swooping streams and waves. However they were incentivized to do so, they followed tight patterns, coalescing into tight clumps before exploding outward like a living pyrotechnic display. Their vibrant colors sent rainbow light scattering and shimmering over the people below.

From that globe came a light snowstorm of some feathery white substance. Though they spun and floated in the air, once they landed on a surface, the tiny flakes disappeared like cotton candy in water. The shimmering light and the light white flurry created a dreamy atmosphere that lifted you up and made you feel euphoric. You looked down at the flakes seeming to seep into your skin.

"A mild intoxicant, my love," Loki said when he saw you examining the little fluffy flecks. He spoke in your ear to be heard over the roar of the crowd and the clangs and bells and beeps and shouts from the tables around you. "As long as you remember that luck is ephemeral, you should be fine."

You grinned at him, taking the warning as it was meant and deliberately tamping down the oddly lucky feeling surging inside you that urged you to take whatever chance looked the most lucrative. To distract yourself, you went back to studying your surroundings, stunned by the pageantry. Loki had shown you opulent when he'd first dragged you into his personal dimensional pocket, but this was lavish walking the edge of gaudy.

Standing in the center of the room, on the burnished old gold carpet so rich and soft it seemed like velvet clover beneath your boots, you examined the enormous pillars of creamy stone that matched the floor. Too big around to fit your arms, they were adorned with more of the fluttering creatures. These glowed golden, their shimmering wings sending the light scattering and making the air itself seem to sparkle.

You were surrounded on all sides by people of all shapes, sizes, colors, limbs, etc. As you took in the spectacular, you tried to come to grips with your boggled mind. A veritable army of beautifully built, violet-skinned, black-haired beauties wearing short black shorts and matching crop tops with tank sleeves wove in and out amongst the tables. As much muscle was on display as possible and each person had plenty of muscle to display. The matching uniforms went with the trays of glasses full of brightly colored liquids, some fizzing, some sparking, some smoking. A frothy pink something with bright green leaves as a garnish caught your eye and sent one of those lucky rushes through you. Once you'd gotten your bearings, you were going to find out what it was and whether it would kill you. The white flakes urged you to go for it.

Looking up, all around you the walls were hung with silk in vibrant jewel tones, contrasting with the old gold of the floors and walls. Each floor above you had its own balcony, like a dress circle in a theatre, but wider and full of more games and people. The entryway you'd come out from under had been the second floor, open to the rest of the room so that each floor could see the dome and its colorful explosions. You wondered what differentiated each floor, though it seemed the main difference was the first floor was much louder than the others.

In every direction you could see boisterous crowds surrounding tables of dice, or spinning wheels and flashing lights, or in one section, a pit of what appeared to be fighting insects, the scantily clad croupier taking bets on which bestingered, hissing monster would kill the other. You deliberately turned away from that part of the casino.

Loki noticed the rejection on your face. "Are you not interested in wagering, my love?" He asked the question in silky tones, hoping that whatever had displeased you could be ignored long enough for him to dazzle you with the delights he'd already planned.

You wrinkled your nose and smiled at him, your back firmly to the hissing insects. You’d concluded that it was best not to see how that particular game ended. Your lips twisted wryly, but the spectacle drew your eyes in a thousand directions at once. "I didn't expect to come down on the side of the terror scorpions." You spoke the words with a wry twist to your lips and your voice, as surprised as anyone to find it to be true. "And I never gamble on games when I don’t know the rules."

Loki glanced at the fighting pits behind you, then laughed along with you. "Never?" He asked it with a skeptical eyebrow raised as he turned to offer you his arm. When you took it with an indulgent eye roll, he led you away from the bugs and toward a table surrounded by a crowd of cheering patrons.

"You are the very rare exception."

Loki lifted your hand from where it rested on his arm and kissed the back lavishly, enjoying you, appreciating your dedication to the evening, no matter the size of the stingers that tried to get in the way. The pits hadn't been here the last time he had, or he might have taken you to a different casino, considering your sensibilities. He didn't understand it, but you had a moral difficulty with blood sports that he would not have forced you to ignore for his sake if he could have helped it. You overlooked so much on his behalf, he hated to add even one more.

"Exactly as I prefer it," he tossed back as he drew you over to a large round fountain, elaborate in both the sprays of water that flashed and sparkled in the golden light, but also in the carving of the statues that sat atop the center plinth. Your eyes widened at the sculpture, both the subject matter and the detail. Like a Bernini, the creatures were so finely carved that the stone flesh seemed to give underneath gripping fingers in an erotic tangle of limbs. 

"I know, dear," you retorted absently, your eyes wide as you watched the lavender water froth and sparkle as golden bubbles popped and fizzed beneath the provocative sculpture. The beauty here was unreasonable, so much so that there were moments you felt dazed by it. Your eyes swept the room, taking in the living light show, the crowded tables, the array of people, and your heart sped until it was pounding and pounding. This wasn't a new experience, a unique kind of panic attack that you experienced at Loki's side. You never knew if your heart was racing in fear or excitement, but his wicked smile always drew you on regardless.

He'd turned that wicked smile on you when he purred, his voice a temptation, "Come, throw some dice." He'd seen your eyes widening and your lips parting and knew the things he'd shared with you had overcome your stunning control. Nothing made him happier than watching your breath speed in response to the wonders he gave to you. "Since it’s a special occasion."

You smiled at him, grateful to have him to focus on. You concentrated on that mischievous grin and took slow, deep breaths. Knowing you were hand in hand with someone like Loki helped you stay calm when the universe was almost too much. Not only was he dangerous under all circumstances, but you also knew how highly he valued you, how careful he really was with you. Aside from the kind of danger that goes hand in hand with adventure, you knew you were safer at his side on an unfamiliar planet than you were when walking alone in an unfamiliar neighborhood in New York.

"Something tells me I shouldn’t give into that line of reasoning," you smirked at him, sliding your arm around his waist and pulling yourself in to burrow into his throat, "or everything will become a ‘special occasion’."

Loki laughed, wrapping his arms around your shoulders to squeeze you, exuberant affection bursting out of him like light. You smiled into his face, the sight of his happiness making your throat ache in joy. You loved making him happy like this, especially as so much melancholy had hung on him since you'd met. Grief had dogged his steps for a long time; seeing him look so glad and free made you feel like your heart was full and overflowing.

"Let me tempt you, darling." His joyous face beamed into yours as he enticed you. "Let me prove I can still persuade you to give in to your vices." His head dipped to yours and he nuzzled your mouth, his teeth scraping your bottom lip and making you moan a little, low in your throat. The sound shot straight to his groin, his body impatient for the last item on the evening's schedule. He fought his lust for you, but his hand slid down your spine to your tailbone, pressing you closer to his body the whole way down. "You know how it thrills me," he whispered against your mouth before taking your mouth in a deep, passionate kiss.

"I do, yes." You whispered the words back as soon as your lips were free again. Loki was in a surprising mood, one you were only vaguely familiar with. He seemed reckless, but young and wild at the same time. You wondered if he realized how stifling he found impersonating his father, if he knew how much happier he was when he was out in the universe, causing trouble. You gave in, happy to allow him to corrupt you, if only because it pleased him so much.

"If it will truly make you happy to talk me into gambling with your money, I will try." You looked around, and decided on a table with rolling dice, hoping the rules would be at least somewhat similar to any dice games from Earth. Loki gave you a wicked and wholly satisfied smile as he offered you several of the gold wafers that appeared to be the currency here. Taking his hand, you walked towards the table with the most exuberant cheering. "What are we doing here?" You directed the question at Loki as you watched the creature at the end of the table take three dice into a hook and toss them down to the other end of the table. "It kinda looks like craps, except are those eight-sided dice?"

Loki was watching you, not the table. He loved that he could see you trying to figure out the game, though the rules were opaque and the symbols incomprehensible to you. You watched the gameplay, seeking the pattern that would tell you enough about how the game was played for you to participate. "Two are eight-sided," he replied, the joy of having you with him in his world making his heart ache, "the third is twelve." You looked at him when you heard the exhilaration in his tone, a soft smile lifting the corner of your mouth, tempting him. "Why do you ask?"

You could see only happiness and excitement sparkling in his smile, so you shrugged and turned your gaze back to the gaming table in front of you. "I'm figuring the odds." Your eyes narrowed as you answered absently. Because your attention was entirely on the table, you gasped in surprise when Loki pulled you close to wrap his arms around you from behind, burying his face in the curve of your throat. He took your skin gently between his teeth and bit down, goaded past endurance by the look of concentration on your face.

"And you don't know how it excites me," he murmured against your skin, his lips soothing the slight prickle of pain his teeth had left behind. Truthfully, he hadn't known how you would excite him, how having you slip into his world like you belonged there would have him already quivering for you. Only his determination to drive you both to the brink of madness before he gave in prevented him from finding somewhere private to slake this thirst.

Though he couldn't see the smile on your face, the sultry expression came through loud and clear in both the way you pressed back against him, your ass brushing the erection straining at leather behind you, and in your amused voice. "I have an idea," you murmured as you snuggled back into his embrace, tilting your head to give him easier access to your throat.

"Excite me more," he growled before taking advantage of that access to close his teeth around the cord of muscle where your neck met your shoulder. Between his arms tight around you and your own motion to press firmly against his body, the iron bar of his cock snugged against you and taunted you with the reminder of his ever-present desire for you.

Loki's appreciation for the oddest things about you was a source of never-ending delight, something that made you feel exceptional. He loved things about you that you'd always assumed to be normal, or even mediocre, and you could not think of yourself as ordinary when he disagreed, and he so clearly was none of those things.

You watched as a large humanoid placed a stack of gold wafers on one of the pictographs on the table before taking the three dice in his giant hand. "As far as I can tell," you replied as the man tossed the dice down to the other end of the table, snarling when none of the upright pictures on the dice matched those under his wager, "they're trying to match certain combinations, based on their likelihoods." Your voice was shaking slightly, giving away both your laughter at Loki’s playful mood and your arousal at his touch.

"Delectable." Loki's breath was coming faster as he started placing light, brushing kisses over your shoulder, up your neck, smiling against your skin. He breathed into your ear as he fought his own cravings, trying to keep his hands somewhat under control. As you were wearing your ring, the people flowing around you didn't even notice Loki wrapped around his dark bride. He knew they wouldn't notice if he brought you to a climax in the middle of the casino floor. That knowledge was a constant temptation, one he'd never imagined when he'd been making the rings, but thanks to his love for violating rules and boundaries, had turned out to be an unexpected advantage.

"Loki…" Your voice was a warning as his arms had loosened so that he could run his hands over the sides of your body, up from your hips to directly beneath your breasts, pausing there an edgy moment before running back down. The firmness of his hands against you, like he was holding himself in careful check, sent a thrill running through you. His strength combined with his wildness sometimes made your heart race in something closer to anxiety than desire, but the tinge of fear only heightened the experience. A wild part of you loved him because he was dangerous, not in spite of it.

Loki swore, quietly and viciously, as his hands stilled on your hips, his grip tight enough to almost be painful, but carefully restrained. You could feel how he wanted you in the way he held you, but you also felt him deliberately rein himself in. His voice calm, but with an undercurrent of threat that made you shudder in desire, he removed his mouth from your skin and returned to the subject at hand. “That is the most basic of the wagering, yes."

You took a deep breath, aware that Loki was in a more dangerous mood than normal. He taunted and tempted you into madness on a regular day. How much higher would you soar at his suggestion? What depths would you plumb with his encouragement? In this mood, what outrageous deeds would you commit at his side, at his provocation? What wouldn't you risk when he was the prize?

You'd already done far more shocking things with Loki than gambling on dice. You could only be grateful that the evening's entertainments had started with something relatively ordinary. “And how much you win is based on how much and when you bet. But more important is when.”

Loki felt like he couldn't bear to not be touching you, and so he hadn't removed his hands from your hips. At your words, his hands tightened again as he leashed himself against the rising desire. There were moments it frightened him, what he'd done for you, what he would do. You had so much power over him, it could be terrifying. You'd inspired him to such heights, brought him to such lows, it was insufferable how much more he'd become in your hands. The only way he could bear it was that you were equally under his spell. You never used that power over him for anything but pleasure.

He may have been caught, trapped in the endless pools of fey eyes, but you were caught in his gravity, tidal locked with those compelling eyes on him and only him. He was content, or as content as he was capable.

Loki couldn't help himself; he leaned forward and closed his teeth around the nape of your neck. He was finally playing on the edges of the galaxy with you. Dazzling you, thrilling you, overwhelming you, was the priority. "You catch on fast, love," he murmured against your skin, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to the back of your shoulders as his hands slowly climbed back up your sides. When you pressed back against him and rubbed yourself against him, he growled, "I could eat you alive."

Your face spread in a smile you hadn't had before you met Loki, something wicked and potent. Knowing that something about this trip had him even more unruly than usual, and that unruliness was expressing itself in lust, gave you a feeling of immense power. You grabbed one of the hands about to slide up to cup your breasts and stepped forward, out of Loki's arms.

"Then I'll start there," you said with a cheeky glance back at Loki, whose pale skin was flushed with desire, eyes glittering and smile wide with sexy menace. You felt cold once your body was no longer in contact with his, but you used your hand in his to pull him with you toward the gaming table. You'd been together long enough that you could see that he was planning to make you pay for teasing him. You'd been teasing him long enough that you’d known that when you’d started.

Well used to this part now, thanks to your sojourns on Earth, you tapped on the arm of one of the beings surrounding the table. The man was seven feet if he was an inch, and covered head to toe in what looked like very uncomfortable gray metal armor, giant pauldrons completing the space marine vibe. When you touched him and murmured, "Excuse me," he jumped a foot in the air and shrieked like a little girl.

Too used to this response to your sudden appearance, you smiled blandly at the giant gaping down at you and asked politely, "May I squeeze in here?"

You didn't know it, but Loki had tweaked the spell in your rings to make your appearance more potent and thus more intimidating. Though he didn't want you to draw undue attention, he still wanted the universe at large to know at a glance how significant you were, even if they couldn't put their finger on why.

You leaned forward and waved to get the attention of the croupier so that he would notice your bet as well. His eyes widened, but he was far better than the giant at your side at hiding his astonishment, years of customer service callousing his ability to feel surprise. After a beat, he shouted, "Got a new player!"

This time you glanced around in surprise when, with a glance from the croupier, the man next to you offered you the dice. You took the dice and looked up in dismay when the croupier then shouted, "Place your bet!"

"I've actually never played before," you said to the shockingly gentle looking man, for all his size and armor. He grinned, revealing a full set of shining silver teeth.

"You'll want to pick a Trieklah,” he replied, pointing at the trios of pictographs matching those on the dice. The giant had a surprisingly warm baritone; if he could carry a tune, he'd have made a fortune on Earth giving Hozier a run for his money. "That's the biggest payout, but the hardest to hit."

"One for each die?" You noticed everyone else around the table betting in threes and wanted to make sure that you needed to do the same. The silver-toothed giant smiled and nodded in encouragement. You played with the stack of wafers in your hands, clicking them together like thin dominoes. You quickly decided on a trio, but as you leaned forward, your necklace swung forward, and a glint of colored light reflected off the center opal. That shimmer directed your eye to a set of three that somehow reminded you of Loki. On impulse, you changed direction and placed your bet on the other rectangle. "Let's see if luck is on my side today."

The giant looked at you, his surprisingly light blue eyes in dark skin piercing. Loki's illusion was complete, and Odof the Merc hadn't survived all these years by being naïve. In addition to Loki’s spells, there was an aura about you that you couldn't hide, an aura that had become more and more apparent the more time you spent with Loki and in the wider universe. Even Loki's illusions couldn't hide what you'd become. "You got lucky eyes," he concluded and added his own bet to yours.

Loki, meanwhile, was standing back, watching you charm a dangerous mercenary with ease, a wide smile on his face. There was something deeply gratifying about the way you moved through the galaxy, with the same smooth ease with which you moved through your own world. He felt validated in his view of your extraordinary gifts, enjoyed seeing the way you gently dominated everything around you.

You cocked your arm back and sent the dice tumbling across the walled table. Luck was with you and the dice rolled onto what looked like purple baize on the three sides you'd picked. With a shocked cheer, you turned and hugged your new friend in the kind of exuberance that comes from an unexpected win.

The sheer, unmitigated pleasure on the giant's face when your arms closed swiftly and awkwardly around his bulky armor made Loki smile in an unfamiliar way. The feeling was sheer, uncomplicated delight, and he wondered that he should so enjoy watching another man go to mush over you. Something about the fierce warrior looking soft and bashful as you grinned and thanked him made Loki happy, though he didn't really understand why.

You collected your winnings, turning your head to laugh back at Loki in delight as you stuffed wafers into your pockets. He grinned wildly back at you, and if the croupier hadn't snagged your attention, you'd have been stunned to see the love he had for you naked on his face.

You turned back and threw three gold wafers on another set of three. Since you'd won last time, you evidently were supposed to retain the dice and roll again, like craps, so you cocked your arm back and sent the dice flying again. This time, however, only one of the dice matched any of the symbols that you'd picked on the board. Two of your wafers were collected by the croupier, but the third was handed back to you to pick another set. This time, the giant explained, you had to pick one that had the symbol that already matched yours, but you would bet again and reroll the remaining two dice.

You grabbed two more wafers and placed your bet on another set that appealed to you, but none of the rectangles of symbols grabbed you as the first wager had. You weren't feeling it, and apparently that showed on your face. The friendly giant set his bet on a different trio with an apologetic look. "No offense, girlie, but I don't think you got it this time."

You rolled again, then cursed when neither of your dice matched your bet. The croupier gave back an eight-sided die and you sent it tumbling, though you could only break even now. As you tossed the last die, you grinned wryly at your new friend and replied, "No offense taken, boyo. I did not have it."

Odof had never had a little thing like you sass him like this. His armor told the world who he was and what he did for a living. Most people gave him a wide berth, but here you were, seemingly harmless, but with the confidence of a goddess. He threw his head back and laughed out loud, certain you had hidden talents.

Boyo, he thought, tickled pink both by the familiarity and the sparkling smile you'd sent him as you'd said it. "I like you!" He shouted the words, then stopped the croupier when he started to pass the dice to the person to your left. "Let her roll again. The luck's back on her." He winked at you, and you grinned back, delighted with your social success in the wider universe. "Bet again, I'll wager with you."

The lady to your left was a shocking gold, with an oddly superior aura, but she handed the dice to you with a smile. Absently toying with your necklace, another flash of light drew your eye to a rectangle that held script-like symbols. They reminded you of the sigils that surrounded the portal from your linen closet to Loki's pocket dimension. You put nine wafers down in a stack and grinned recklessly at the giant.

The giant gave another boisterous roaring laugh, then threw down a matching stack of gold. As you looked back, you caught Loki's eye and winked, grinning cheekily. Loki thought you breathtaking, playing on the edge of chance and making friends with dangerous mercenaries. He saw more clearly than ever why he'd never been able to permanently walk away from you. He'd found his match in you, his mate, and it was the greatest treasure he'd ever found. Staying with you had become his highest priority. His revenge against his father and the petty usurpation of the throne had become his raison d'etre when his mother died. At some point since he'd met you, holding fast to you had overcome that focus, that need.

He could bear to have all the glories of Asgard torn away, as long as he was still at your side when it was over.

You turned back to the table, unaware of the fireworks of emotion that were going off inside of Loki, to match the bursting explosions of color above his head. You took a deep breath, shook your fist and cocked your arm, sending the dice tumbling over the table.

The table erupted into cheers, delighted and surprised to find that you'd done it again, you'd pulled off another Trieklah. Loki came over, a bag in his hand that he'd seemed to pull from nothing. Once you'd piled your winnings into the bag, a considerable amount after two rare hits of luck, you thanked the lady who'd given you the dice. She was delighted, as she'd hit on a side bet and won a decent amount herself.

Turning to the giant, you patted his arm and smiled warmly up into his oddly sweet face. "Thank you for your help!"

He smiled back and patted your hand on his arm, his hand a bear paw in comparison to yours. "My pleasure, little lady."

You enjoyed being called little, and lady, and your smile took on a sweetness you hadn't intended, but the giant found utterly beguiling. If you hadn't had an Asgardian escort at your side, he might have suggested you hang around, let him get to know you better. His face fell, however, at your next words. "Break a leg, friend."

His expression surprised you. Someone who looked like him seemed to be the sort who would enjoy a more violent idiom. You smiled reassuringly and explained, "That's how we wish someone good fortune on my world."

The giant's face relaxed, and he smiled again, thinking this was proof that you were more dangerous than you appeared. "You must live on a brutal world."

With one more squeeze to his forearm, you laughed up at him. Loki had taken your hand when you'd turned to him to walk away from the table and was leading you away as you tossed back. "You have no idea."

Loki drew you away from the table, grinning at your good luck and the warm happiness that animated you. Bubbling over with excitement, you smugly handed back the stake he'd fronted you. He tried to refuse, but you insisted, then taunted him that you didn't even need him now, because you could buy your own drinks.

The two of you explored the rest of the building, but you refused to play any of the other games, certain your luck had run out and uninterested in giving any of your money back to the casino now that you had it in your possession. Loki thought you were adorable, if a bit perverse, but he remained indulgent, especially when you told him you wanted to remember the night as nothing but fun and triumph.

Once he'd shown you the indulgence of greed, the two of you left the casino and wandered freely through the streets. Loki knew where he was going, however, and pulled you through a door in a side street into a small serving room. The two of you sat at one of the few tables beside the long bar and proceeded to eat the best food you'd ever tasted in your life. You couldn't explain why it was so much better than anything you'd had before, but you didn't question it. The why was unimportant when you were plowing through a pastry the likes of which you'd never had before. Perfectly flaky, the filling was creamy and fruity and smooth, and you’d swear your taste buds were in overdrive. By the time you were done, you were in love with Witter, the lovely purple man who'd made and personally served you the dessert that you were crazy about.

Loki pulled you away from the laughing Witter, telling him to ignore you, that you couldn't marry him because you were already married, dammit. Once you were in the alley, he pulled you into a dark alcove to kiss you, to remind you that he could give you so much more than pastry, no matter how delicious. His body shielding yours, he'd taken advantage of your skirt to bring you to a quick but shuddering climax with his fingers. His eyes burned as he watched you put yourself back together and he sucked your flavor from his fingertips. Knowing he had so much more planned for you, instead of easing the clenching in your core, the orgasm had only whetted your appetite for more.

Loki led you on into the night, you'd assumed to a room where he could unleash the sexual tension that had been building all evening. When he pulled you into what looked like a dive bar, you looked around in surprise and confusion. Accompanying Loki had taught you it was best to go along with him, as he usually had a reason for what he did, even if his reason was overemotional or hyperbolic. With a cocky smile, you shrugged and asked what the frothy pink thing was called and whether anything in it would kill you before swaggering up to the bar to get the tentacled bartender's attention.

Loki wanted you like air, was driving himself mad by waiting to have you alone. You'd blossomed in his life, at his side, as he'd known you would. Still, he’d never known how you’d shine, or how he’d feel about it.

As you'd walked away from the gaming table, however, Odof the Merc had turned back to the game, but for some reason he was seeing flashes of light that he wasn't used to. Like midges on the edges of his vision, the little flashes would draw his eye to particular Trieklahs. When he followed the flashes, his luck seemed better than when he didn't, so he kept following them. When he decided to quit, an hour later, he was up over five thousand credits and was ready to spend it on sex and sauce. Odof was thinking and appreciating that you must have thrown him some luck, whether you intended to or not and he was not certain either way, as he stumbled into the casino's biggest bar, looking for some companionship.

Four guards, each his size and armed, prepared to deal with him if he wanted to make trouble, surrounded him before he made it to the bar. Odof sighed. Luck never stuck around for long.

Part Nineteen here>>

Taglist (open):

@hellzzzbelle @targaryenvampireslayer @cheekygeek05 @bibliophile1773 @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @miraclesoflove @nerdy-bookworm-1998 @destiel-is--endgame @irritated-bisexual @peaceinourtime82 @badassbaker @walkingtravesty97 @fashionworld12 @readermia @fukyouthink @felicityofbakerstreet @lumar014ad @thedistractedagglomeration

[cainluvr69]

Surely, We Can Make Miracles Chapter 13

Previous Chapter

Hwylryn outdid himself, easily pushing his speed and strength past where he'd been just before, racing through the full length of the sky. He must have been holding himself back because of my being there. A sea dragon at full throttle felt like a completely different beast. It was…terrifying to behold. Snow got caught in his icy breath, instantly freezing half of his body.

Snow: Aaahhh…!

White: Snow!

He had no time to try and free himself from the ice before Hwylryn's tail slammed into him, sending his small body flying through the air.

Snow: …gh!

Snow couldn't put himself back on his feet, and so he sank beneath the waves, just like that.

White: Snow…! Damn you! <Noscomnia>!

Spears of ice once again formed, but this time, White was on his own. He launched them at Hwylryn and they chased him down in White's desperate attempt to protect Snow. But Hwylryn simply ignored him, instead diving into the sea. It didn't take long for Hwylryn to show himself above the water again, surfacing with a huge splash of water. He had Snow in his mouth, dangling from between his teeth by his right leg. Snow was hanging limply, as weak and powerless as a doll.

Snow: … Cough…cough…

White: Snow…! Damn you, why are you only going after him…?!

White's bitter howls were caught by the wind. Snow weakly opened his eyes. And then, as if on cue, they chanted their spell together.

Snow & White: <Noscomnia>!

The darkness the twins created wrapped around Hwylryn's body like storm clouds. Hwylryn twisted and writhed, trying to shake it off. He plunged into the ocean again, Snow still in his jaws, diving down to the bottom of the sea.

White: Snow…!

It all happened in the blink of an eye. I'd finally screwed up my courage, because the moment where I would crash into the water's surface was finally upon me.

Akira: (I know my fall got slowed down, but was it slowed down enough?! I hope this doesn't hurt…!)

I squeezed my eyes shut, and then I heard a familiar voice.

Mithra: <Arthim>

Owen: <Cure Memini>

Akira: …!

The snow globe-like dome around me popped and disappeared, leaving my body gently floating. And the next thing I knew, I was landing in Owen's arms with a thud. He was riding his broom scarily close to the surface of the water, and he raised a single eyebrow at me.

Owen: Just what are you doing, Master Sage?

Akira: Owen…!

I saw a spatial door open over Owen's shoulder, and Mithra's head popped out.

Mithra: Excuse me? I was waiting to catch them too.

Owen: Which is exactly why I got in the way of that.

Owen had a thin, sneering smile on his face. And then his eyes went wide. With me still in his arms, one of his feet got caught on his broom and then we were upside down--

Akira: Glublublub…!

The top half of my body got dunked into the ocean. I didn't have any more breath left in my lungs, but Owen was there in front of me, his bangs swaying gracefully in the seawater. A gunshot echoed from above the water. As if that were a cue he'd been waiting for, Owen pulled me back up out of the water. While grabbing onto me by the back of my neck.

Akira: Cough, cough…! Wh…Why did you do that, Owen?!

Owen: If you have a problem, tell it to Bradley.

Akira: …Bradley?!

Owen's words made me jerk my head up to look at the sky. Standing atop his broom, gun at the ready, was Bradley, and he was aiming at Owen.

Bradley: Tch… Missed. Yo Sage, get out of the way! Are you tryin' to get hit by a stray bullet?!

Akira: Obviously I'm not!! What are you even doing?!

Bradley frowned, looking annoyed.

Bradley: I'm tryin' to splatter Owen's brains on the water! Even if he was just tryin' to get us to stop actin' like mussels, the shit he did to me to do that is somethin' I don't even wanna say out loud!

Owen: Ahaha. Sorry, remembering it just made me start laughing again.

Bradley: I'm never letting this one slide, bastard! I'll kill you!

Mithra & Akira: Acting like mussels?

By chance, Mithra's voice overlapped with my own, and Owen and Bradley answered us in unison, too.

Owen: I'll show you later.

Bradley: Just fucking shut up right now!

While we were caught up in talking, a huge, white pillar suddenly shot out of the water, dousing us all with seawater. That pillar was Hwylryn. Spears of ice dotted his face like thorns, blood streaming down from the wounds, as he stubbornly refused to release Snow's leg from his jaws.

Snow: …uwaaahhh…!

White: Snow! How dare you, Hwylryn…!

Owen: You know you can't win. Snow, White.

Owen sat atop his broom and crossed his legs, his words almost disdainful.

Owen: Want me to save you from the sea dragon?

White: Owen…

Owen: Provided you'll forgive me if my claws get caught on that picture frame of yours. I haven't forgotten how you tried to turn me into a laughingstock.

Bradley: Same here. Just because I think a dragon's worth takin' down doesn't make me your ally. If you don't wanna bow your heads and beg us for help, then get crackin' and call Oz. If you don't hurry, the day's gonna be over.

White: Mmmgh… I suppose I have no choice… Snow!

Snow: …kh…

White: I'm going to call Oz!

Snow: Stop that, White! We don't need him…!

White: But…!

Bradley: Better decide quick. That dragon's a smart one. It was a good choice, decidin' to only go after Snow. He must know that turnin' Snow to stone will make you disappear too, White.

Akira: …No…

Hwylryn's roar shook the heavens and earth. I wondered how much time was left until the end of the day. The sky was already so dark I couldn't tell. A sea dragon with the power to match Oz… When the sun sank beneath the waves, leaving Oz unable to use his magic, no one would be able to stop him.

✦✧☾✧✦

Riquet: I hope Master Sage is okay…

Rutile: That man didn't seem like a bad person, and Mithra went after them, so I think they'll be fine…

Mitile: Rutile, Riquet! Look at that…!

Rutile: Hm…? It looks like a storm is coming in from the water.

Mitile: No, not that… Ah, did you see that? Right under the flashing clouds!

Rutile: Flashing clouds…?

Riquet: Could you describe it a bit more, Mitile?

Mitile: Ah, umm… Under that big cloud and the scattered-looking ones, where I'm pointing…

Rutile & Riquet: Hmm…? Oh…!

Mitile: Did you see it?!

Riquet: There's something flying over the ocean!

Mitile: But, thinking about how far away we are, doesn't it seem like it's kind of…huge…?

Riquet: …A dragon…

Rutile: A dragon?

Riquet: I'm sure that has to be a dragon! I've seen one before! Only for a few moments, but I still saw one!

Mitile: That's right! You brought back one of its whiskers to show me, right?!

Riquet: Yes!

Rutile: Wow! That's so cool! Seeing a dragon, huh…

Natalie: Kyaaaa…! There's a dragon over the water…!

Borda Island Resident (Hat): There's what?!

Borda Island Resident (Glasses): Woah…! Yeah, that's definitely a dragon!

Borda Island Resident (Baggage): We've been seein' a lot of big magical beasts lately! Just a while ago we had a leviathan and a kraken fighting off the coast!

Borda Island Resident (Blackbeard): It ain't every day you get to see a dragon! I need to show my son! Heeeey! Quit your workin' and get over here…

Natalie: Hold on! That dragon is what's causing the storm! Don't you think it's dangerous?!

Borda Island Resident (Hat): That's true…

Natalie: Its rampage might bring it all the way here. Maybe the wizards summoned it…

Borda Island Resident (Light Clothes): It's not out of the question.

Natalie: I heard the wizards were trying to poison people in the market just this afternoon, too…

Borda Island Resident (Forehead Scar): Poison?!

Borda Island Resident (Out of Breath): What?! What's going on?!

Borda Island Resident (Hat): There's a dragon! We think the wizards might've summoned it!

Natalie: It's a storm-calling dragon! It might even be the one that sank Adams Island!

Borda Island Resident (Short Hair): What?!?! The wizards summoned the dragon that sank Adams Island?!

Mitile: Wha… All the people on the island are in a panic now… That was so fast…

Riquet: If they keep running around like that, someone's going to get hurt… I will guide them.

Mitile: Wait, Riquet!

Riquet: What is it?

Mitile: If they find out you're a wizard, they'll do something horrible to you. Humans always try to go after weak wizards like us at times like this!

Riquet: But you aren't weak anymore, are you, Mitile?

Mitile: That's true, but… No matter how strong my magic is, a whole crowd trying to blame me for everything is still scary…

Riquet: Mitile…

Rutile: …You two can wait here. I'll try to talk to the townspeople.

Mitile: Don't do that?! If you do that, things are just going to turn violent like they did before! Not to mention that you won't be able to talk to all of them when they're all worked up like this!

Rutile: I'm not going to talk to everyone. A lot of the people here are very scared right now…

Riquet: …Like that black-haired woman…?

Rutile: Yes. Good job noticing her, Riquet.

Riquet: …I'll go with you. Guiding lost lambs that have succumbed to their fear and anxiety is my duty.

Rutile: But…

Riquet: It will be okay. Mitile, what will you do?

Mitile: …I'll go, too. I need to protect both of you.

✦✧☾✧✦

Natalie: Everyone, you need to run…! It's dangerous to be on the shore! A dragon is going to attack! An evil dragon that the market wizards summoned is coming in from the ocean!

Borda Island Resident (Scarf): The wizards summoned a dragon?! There are children living here!

Market Wizard: Hold… Hold on, you. Are you completely sure about that?

Natalie: …Who are you?

Market Wizard: I'm a wizard, but summoning a dragon requires an immense amount of mastery in the magic arts…

Natalie: You're a wizard?! You're the one that summoned the dragon?!

Borda Island Resident (Buff): The wizard that summoned the dragon?! Who is it?!

Market Wizard: …You think I was the one who summoned it? I haven't said a single…

Rutile: Everyone, please calm down!

Natalie: …

Rutile: I am the Southern wizard, Rutile.

Borda Island Residents: A wizard?!

Borda Island Resident (Hat): Which one summoned the dragon?! Or did they both do it?!

Rutile: I am the Southern wizard, Rutile, and one of the Sage's wizards.

Borda Island Resident (Braid): A Sage's wizard… Didn't they attend Queen Liliana's coronation ceremony…?

Borda Island Resident (Glasses): Oh! Right, those wizards!

Rutile: The dragon is still far from the island. You don't need to panic yet. If you run around so recklessly and aimlessly like that, people are going to get hurt. If anything happens, I will protect all of you. So please, let's all settle down now.

Mitile: I'll protect you, too!

Borda Island Resident (Big Brows): …That's all true… Everyone, let's try to calm down! It hasn't hurt anyone or damaged anything here yet!

Borda Island Resident (Tough Guy): Even a kiddo like this ain't cryin' and panickin' like we were. You're a brave one, kid.

Mitile: Thank you very much!

Borda Island Resident (Red Clothes): Sorry about that, mister wizard. And you too, gramps…

Market Wizard: Good grief… I can't believe you wouldn't even want to listen to my advice. What a tiresome lot you are.

Borda Island Resident (Blackbeard): What was that?!

Borda Island Resident (Tough Guy): Knock it off, man. We were the ones in the wrong here…

Rutile: It's only natural to get scared when a dragon as big as that one is so close to the island. I'll make a report to the local lord as soon as I can. Is there anything else I should tell her?

Borda Island Resident (Tall): She ain't gonna help us… She prioritizes the wizards so much she doesn't even bother listening to what we've got to say.

Rutile: …

Borda Island Resident (With Child): Sorry for kicking up such a fuss, but… With how everything's worked out, we gotta protect ourselves these days.

Mitile: It seems like the townspeople don't really trust Miss Dianne yet…

Rutile: Yeah…huh? Where's Riquet?

Mitile: Huh? Riquet?! Where did you go?!

✦✧☾✧✦

Natalie: … Tch…

Riquet: Excuse me.

Natalie: …!

Riquet: Are you alright? You seemed quite frightened.

Natalie: Oh… Yes, thank you. You should run and tell your parents about all of this, too! Tell them a wizard summoned a dragon and it's coming to attack the island! Hurry…!

Riquet: Did a wizard summon that dragon?

Natalie: It seems like it. That was what someone said, at least. You should go let the grown-ups know!

Riquet: I am a wizard.

Natalie: … Oh, that's right…

Riquet: Seeing the dragon overwhelmed your heart with fear, didn't it? My heart started pounding too when I first saw it… But when I see something that makes my heart start racing like that, I know that there are other people who will be just as frightened.

Natalie: Right… Well, I have something I need to do, so…

Riquet: While there is no shame in feeling fear, it isn't good to convey it to others improperly.

Natalie: …

Riquet: Your words only served to drive the island residents into a frenzy. The panic only grew bigger.

Natalie: I'm sorry if it seemed like that. I just thought I needed to warn them and guide them as best I could. I didn't want anything bad to happen to any of them.

Riquet: Guide them…?

Natalie: Yes.

Riquet: You only guided them to chaos.

Natalie: If that's what I ended up doing, then I need to apologize. But… If they're living idly while thinking nothing is ever going to happen to them, only to be suddenly faced with something terrible… Then it's only right to want to warn them and set them on the right path, don't you think? I've faced so many terrible things already. I don't want anyone else to have to face those same things…

Riquet: …I see…

Natalie: Yeah… If that dragon off the shore attacks, if everyone listens to my precautions and prepares in advance, many lives will be saved. If they listen to you instead and calm down so they're walking away and not running, it'll kill them all. That's why I was so desperate to convince them all to run.

Riquet: …

Natalie: What is it?

Riquet: …I'm not exactly sure… What is right…? What does it mean to set people on the right path…?

Natalie: Yeah… I understand how you feel. I like wizards perfectly well, but there's so many people who say it'd be better if none of you existed… I think it might be best if you gathered yourself and your wizard friends up, told them what's happening, and got out of here as soon as you can… There's probably going to be a big conflict on this island soon… Poor souls…

Riquet: …What do you mean by that?

Natalie: Oh, don't feel bad… I'm just warning you so that nothing bad happens to you.

Riquet: …Are you trying to guide me?

Natalie: I wouldn't say it's anything that dramatic.

Riquet: …

Natalie: Thanks for coming to talk to me. I think I was saved because I had you near, little wizard.

Riquet: …You're very welcome.

Next Chapter

[cfrog]

OC-tober Day 19: Inspiration

[full prompt list]

I've got a lot of fun tech inspirations for each of my robots. Each of the bots has a different purpose and was built at different times, so I try to use real technology to demonstrate that.

Nautiloid is named after and inspired by EVNautilus, a real deep-sea research vessel that does livestreams! Though, Naut looks nothing like that fancy box. I did try to make it more practical and simple looking; this is a bot meant for actual science. Their eyes are inspired by both those dome-shaped security cameras and also seal eyes, especially the baikal seal. I imagine their vision is lower-quality than the other two, but they've got that 300-degree vision like a prey animal.

[the autism creature became a trend after I designed Naut, but it would fit here too]

Xiphoid is mainly inspired by that sleek modern tech look, think Apple products. This also fits with their doctor vibe, there's lots of medical robots nowadays with that same fancy look, and Xiph's basically an overcomplicated set of robotic arms. Their eyes are based on expensive digital cameras, complete with apertures (portal reference lol) and shutters. Then I went and made them more like slit pupils like a snake, to match with their Medusa hair.

[these robots are also furries]

A little bonus, for their cyborg design I gave them see-through sections like that clear electronics craze back in the day.

[your circuits are showing 😳]

Viroid is. A virus. So they've got all the Matrix hacker cyberpunk inspo. That includes the screen eye, where they get to display little emotes. I was most inspired by like protogens (that's right, even this one's got furry influences) and other screen-faced robots. It's a popular choice, extra sci-fi feel.

[This is the closest ive got to a real-life Vi example]

Other than that, I just tried to make Vi look as emo as possible. They don't have any "real" or "practical" tech inspirations, I think it makes them look extra out-of-place. This thing's only job is to look cool af.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1090 - Initial Thoughts

Confusion

That was certainly the thoughts that arose upon hearing news of spoilers in a week that's meant to be a break. Honestly I thought it was fakes, attempts to stir fans unaware with falsities.

But lo, they do look very real. If they do become fake expect me to delete this one but the panels, the colour, it all seems to track. Of course TCB hasn't translated it yet so I've had to go back to my older sources, so the context may not be as good.

Spoilers for the Chapter, maybe? Still tentative, but support the Official Release of course

A very rare Kuro return...in the cover page, I do still wonder about the East Blue guys; Kuro, Morgan, Krieg, Gin, not Arlong though don't really give a crap about the shahaha man

We haven't recapped what happened yet, but we've picked up where we left off

Luffy's out with his regular introductions across the Den Den Mushi, which is kinda alarming with the Gorosei on the other side

He confirms to be allied with Vegapunk and uses York's safety to barter the fleet backing off

Embodying evil lads have you considered why humanitarian genius Dr. Vegapunk is allying with a Yonko against the World Government right now?

Ooooh Kizaru's not the only ones listening in, Morgans is too, which means Vivi's getting the scoop...Wapol's also there

The Gorosei engage in Monkey D. Luffy for the first time, asking about their numbers

Luffy goes to answer with 'including the injured' but Robin (identified by the Gorosei) shuts off comms

WHO HURT OUR ROBIN!?

Robin, bandaged around her bare chest, reminds Luffy not to give the enemy information

Through spoiler-talk I couldn't avoid a post saying that Robin was 'uncharacteristic' with people hoping that Devon had already swapped with Robin but this didn't seem uncharacteristic at all

Plus Luffy was hoping that giving them all the info would make the Marines back off, which Usopp points out is not likely

Saturn's already plotting though; they need to keep York, Punk Records and the lab for the Mother Flame (changed back to Flame by Stephen...who still won't fix Zoro/Zolo)

Vice Admiral Doberman does make a case for Lucci and the CP agents, which Saturn affirms is an option and he's just prioritizing the worst case scenario

Aaaaand there it is 'Humans are like insects, they will always reproduce'

Back to York, who uses her communication with the Gorosei to try and threaten the Straw Hats against harming her, only to be smacked by Nami

No seriously who hurt my queen, my wife, my light of the Revolutionaries? I will break them, they will wish they were never drawn

Of course Robin's baby boy Chopper is tending to her so she's in good hands, hooves, hand-hooves

Ah Kaku is also recovering, lamenting taking 2 of the Seraphim

Guessing that means S-Hawk and another (maybe S-Snake) went after Team Atlas/Chopper/Robin, meaning Kaku and Zoro must've engaged against the two since they were following S-Hawk, causing Robin to get hurt

Lilith also mourns Shaka, Pythagoras and the still-alive Edison

For all that aggression Lilith did care, even for Shaka

Lucci's reviewing the situation, which Kaku notices...sus

Usopp contacts with Underground, with the CP agents

They're living it up, dining for the first time in months, they've gone the way the G5 have with the Straw Hats

The Seraphim are also down there, with the CP agents, but trapped in bubbles

The bubbles are reinforced with the same stuff in the Mark 3 Pacifista, with some sea prism energy too

The Seraphim don't look too roughed up, though Snake and Hawk look additionally perturbed

Franky also thanks S-Snake for depetrifying them, which Vegapunk was curious about

Turns out that S-Snake carries the same weakness for Luffy, which Jinbe points out also having seen it first hand

Vegapunk does wonder about the Lineage Factor playing in, I guess he only got Boa's blood after Marineford

Atlas has gotten systems up and running, but the dome remains up, because York locked it in a password she kept from the Records

Stussy is also still here, reviewing the problem with the giant fleet, so she and the Stella look to Nami

The log hasn't reset, but they can still move to the ones active, they set their sights on one of them, which Stella confirms to be Elbaf

Visible shock from Luffy and Usopp, and surprise from Robin too, which leads to singing

Since they cannot escape from the coast, they must leave through the back, but there's still the matter of the fleet and the shield

The VegaForce can fly the Sunny but only out to Egghead's borders, but Franky reassures Vegapunk that they can Coup de Burst the rest of the way

As a result, Atlas, Edison and Stella plan to hack past York's password

With Lilith in charge of the VegaForce, she, Bonney, Luffy and Franky are off to the Sunny

Lilith seems excited, but Bonney and Luffy will miss the food

Bonney praises Sanji though, I wonder if something happened with her and him in the night to make her see him in a high regard

Luffy mentions she's cheerier now though, having given up on killing Vegapunk, since she was crying last night (almost a parallel to Morgans saying the same to Vivi)

Ah sneaky cat, Lucci has been contacting the Navy, that's why he was muttering before, he's given them the whole report

Kizaru and Saturn still feel confident that Luffy's cornered though, though I also feel like they're overestimating the crew

Saturn asks if Kizaru can bypass the shield, since he is light, Kizaru can but notes Sentomaru is down below

Interesting stuff though, even though Saturn suggests ignoring him, Kizaru refuses, he has his own ethics there and he refuses to ignore someone fighting for their duty

He does also pragmatically note that the fleet will be attacked by the Sea Beasts and Mark 3s

But Lucci already found the lab where the Mother Flame is made, which is concerning, York may not be needed at all

The Vice Admirals ready themselves, planning to assault the sea beasts first with intent to free the CP agents

Kizaru makes the move, and Sentomaru is braced for it

The pacifista are ordered to sink the fleet, so down below's gonna turn into a mini-warzone

And Sentomaru and Kizaru clash, the former's Ryou-based ultimate defense vs Kizaru's lightspeed kick

The impact shines bright underneath the labophase, and Luffy senses Kizaru's presence

It's a good chapter even if it is fake.

Taking the impression that it's not because it likely isn't, we do seem to be developing on an exit strategy from Egghead, whether that means direct confrontation with Kizaru remains to be seen.

On the one hand, Kizaru vs Luffy or vs another of the Monster Trio is considered to be the fight of the arc, but maybe it isn't the case? There's still that Blackbeard ship to consider after all. Plus with Saturn coming all the way here we have to expect some physical activity from him. It's not entirely clear how it will go, Oda likely baited a lot of fans with the nine Vice Admirals on the fleet but with Robin injured she may not be as handy in a fight right now. Lucci is still on their side too, and I would guess he plans to strike Stussy at the most opportune moment.

I think I'm most worried about this lab, because you can't make more Mother Flames without more catastrophic consequences. The Gorosei outrank Vegapunk when it comes to the Seraphim so they'd still have them on-hand too. I wonder if the Straw Hats, Vegapunk and Bonney can simply leave Egghead with all that there, plus all that cool tech they could use to upgrade Usopp and Franky, knowing that the Gorosei still get what they want. So we might be in for more delay from leaving, we are expecting an incident to occur after all. I also can't shake some Sabaody energy in this chapter, they say 'we're going to Elbaf' but now Kizaru's here, it's very much like 'we're going to Fishman Island' but now Kizaru's here...it took so long to get to Fishman island and it's taken so long to get to Elbaf XD Still excited though, doubt Shanks will still be there but you could get more Kid and maybe even Big Mom, maybe even Law because Bepo has to surface somewhere.

I am still hoping we track back to what happened the previous day, for the fights and for the Kuma memories, I still also hope Franky gets some shine before leaving the island of his hero. Also I need to put whoever hurt Robin on my list.

But yeah it's a weird spot, since my brain still says 'we're in a break, where did this chapter come from? It must be fake' but it also says 'it looks too much like other chapters to be fake, right down to the grain' so it's messing with my head a little. Either way we'll know next Friday, which means we're getting a week with no official chapter either way.