#they added a new hero to try for a few days and shes really fun but every time i pick her the other support will throw the game

[poorlittlevampire]

btw idk why i started playing overwatch again it is so bad

[itsabouttimex2]

Descendant of the Lady Bone Demon: Part Two

(Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three)

Maybe they should’ve seen this coming. Maybe there were a few warning signs they didn’t pick up on. Looking back on it now, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? All those little things should’ve added up a long time ago.

The way the room grew silent and tense when you walked in, no matter how how exuberant it had been prior. How you manage to sneak up on everyone without even trying, as though you had no presence. The wide berth that strangers give you, even though they can’t explain why. That last one had been particularly strange for your friends. They hadn’t understood why people would treat you so coldly, not back then.

They understand now.

MK has already had so much placed on his shoulders, and all of it was without his asking. The fate of his friends. The fate of the city. The fate of the world. Time after time, countless lives are placed into his hands, and he does his very best to bring them safely through the danger posed by ancient threats and lurking demons.

Once, living out the dream of being a hero had been fun. Back then, all he had to do was master a new power or bust down another bad guy, and then everyone laughed and went on with their peaceful lives. Back when every adventure ended before the day was over and he was back home just in time for Pigsy to start scolding him for being reckless.

But as he grows stronger, so too does his vast array of enemies. As he trains his body and masters his skills, all those who seek to oppose him are doing the same.

Which means higher stakes. More danger. More destruction. More lives on the line day by day. It means that every last friend and companion of his will end up finding themselves in danger just on account of being associated with him. His enemies are rarely noble, most of them willing to target his friends in an attempt to devastate his heart and mind, hoping to leave him mourning and unsettled. He thwarts these attempts one after another, always saving the day in the end.

His greatest fear is that a day will come where he falls short of such an accomplishment.

A fear that the Lady Bone Demon brings to the forefront of his mind. She brings this hidden terror to light, and exacerbates it.

“Foolish child. Do you really think that one person can save everyone from pain and suffering? Or are you truly arrogant enough to believe that your strength alone can forge a better tomorrow?”

She makes him want to be stronger. Smarter. Better. Good enough to protect anyone who’d ever be put in danger. Especially you.

“Y/N! Let’s hang out today! Come on, I’ve got my room set up for a Monkey Cop marathon!” He takes you by the hand, dragging you along after him with a big smile that he struggles to maintain. When he’s sad or upset, he turns to you. In turn, he makes it clear that you can always rely on him to protect you.

If he were a bit more mature, a little more confident and self-assured, he’d make for a wonderful older brother figure. He’s spontaneous, energetic, supportive… and entirely terrified that he might lose you.

That fear drives him to train harder, to work harder… to be someone you are truly and honestly proud of. To be someone you can rely on and turn to in any time of need. He tackles his training with a renewed vigor, all in preparation for the moment that you might need his protecting.

And now that said moment has come, he’s more scared than ever before. The person he fears most bears down on him as he stands in front of the person he fears losing most, and all he can do is hold strong.

“You will not stand between me and my destiny!” The Lady Bone Demon’s voice is furious, her eyes crackling with arcane energy.

The very same eyes that you have. MK doesn’t know exactly what started his suspicions, but your eyes are what confirmed his little hunch. The two of you are related in some way, he’s sure of it.

And with how insistent she is with getting her hands on you, it’s only a further nail into the coffin. There’s no denying that you and the Lady Bone Demon have some sort of connection. But what? Are you her descendant? Did she plant a seed of her essence into your forefathers long ago to ensure that some part of her would go on, and only now is returning to reclaim it? Are you simply powerful enough for her to see use in you? Does she think she could sway you to her side?

There’s a dozen explanations that could be true. However, he has no way to prove which one of them it is, because the Lady Bone Demon is staying tight lipped on why exactly she wants you, perhaps as to not give MK a chance to counter her plans.

It doesn’t matter, MK reminds himself. What she wants with you doesn’t matter. What matters is that she wants you, full stop. And if he can stop her and her well-intentioned plans, then he can save you and everybody else too. All he has to do is push a little harder.

And then?

Maybe he can just… forget about it all. Forget about the Lady. Forget about your nebulous ties to her. And everything can go back to the way it was, when he didn’t jump every time you spoke to him, when he could look into your eyes without feeling like someone had dumped ice down his shirt, when he could fall asleep next to you without waking up in a cold sweat.

He’ll forget all about it, burying it deep inside his brain.

And then things will go back to normal, with you safely under his protection.

Right?

He knows right from the start. I sincerely believe that if someone was the Lady Bone Demon’s descendant, Wukong would be aware the very moment he met them.

A dread chill races down his spine the moment he see you, freezing him for just a second as he contemplates one of his worst fears coming true. The Lady Bone Demon is back.

Except… no, not really. That’s not her at all, is it? You’re just… some kid. With the exact same crushing spiritual pressure that she personally exerted. And the same eyes that she had.

Yeah, this isn’t a coincidence. There’s just no way. He goes off to do some digging, but not before subtly tasking MK with keeping an eye out for you while he searches for anything that could prove your ties to one of his greatest enemies.

And this is Sun Wukong we’re talking about, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. It doesn’t take him very long, whether through cleverness and trickery or sheer brute force.

Maybe the monkey demon twists a few heavenly arms to get the information he wants. Maybe he utilizes the 72 Transformations to eavesdrop on a keeper of records. Maybe he’s just got a sacred book of lineage hidden away in some pile of junk somewhere.

However he does it, he gets the job done well, with just the conclusion he’s looking for- you are indeed, of the Lady Bone Demon’s blood.

But Sun Wukong has come far from his days before Five Phases mountain. He’s not some vicious demon who bullies those around him, nor does he jump to outright murder as a solution for every last problem.

He’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, just so you can maybe prove yourself to him.

It starts with him crashing at your house without an excuse, he himself writing it off with a very unconvincing “bout of motion sickness” that would supposedly leave him incapable of comfortably riding his cloud back to Flower Fruit Mountain.

His true intention is to see what you’ll do while he’s “asleep”, laid across your couch with his head rested on a cushy pillow, tantalizingly propped-up for one who might wish to try and crush his skull or slice his throat.

Instead, you usher him to a cozy guest room, asking him to call you if he needs anything. He makes use of this several times, asking for food and water to see if you’ll poison it.

But you don’t. There’s no hand-made poison sourced from the Underworld slipped into his peach tea. No sacred knife hidden inside your sleeve. No Heaven-forged needles baked into the slice of pie you bring when he mentions being hungry.

You aren’t a scheming demon, he realizes. You’re just a good kid.

You remind kind to him, even as he intentionally tries to fray your nerves. You don’t snap or argue or whine, instead tending to his false needs with a smile on your face.

He drifts comfortably to sleep in the guest room, stomach satiated and his brain whirling. Before he passes out, he realizes with a pang of sympathy that he’s clearly the first person to have ever slept here. Stocked and furnished comfortably for anyone who might stop by and spend time with you… it’s instead been rotting without occupancy, left unused for what may well have been years.

You aren’t a bad person. You really, really aren’t. You’re just a good kid who clearly needs someone to quell the stomach-turning loneliness that finds you down each path you take.

At first, he decides to be that person out of pity. He stops by sometimes, ducking in to snag a bite from your fridge, engaging in a short but friendly conversation, watching sympathetically as the mere exchange of several sentences boosts your mood to healthy levels.

You start to anticipate his visits, making sure you have food and drink he’ll enjoy on hand. Lots of peach-filled pastries, to nobody’s surprise. Pies, tarts, cookies… it turns out that Sun Wukong has a pretty unabashed sweet tooth. He’s actually somewhat touched that you out in the effort just to make sure that he’ll have something nice to eat when he stops by.

Just as pity went to warmth, slowly that warmth comes to a peak, igniting.

Eventually, he starts taking you back to Flower Fruit Mountain to spend time with you there, trying to acclimate you to an eventual residency there with him to repay every kindness you’ve done for him.

There’s not a single pivotal moment where he realizes that he wants to keep you beside him, just a slow, day by day fall into platonic obsession. He gets attached, hard.

From your point of view, your kindness and determination to forge bonds with those around you has finally earned you a friend.

From his point of view, you’re a lonely, wayward child who needs someone nearby to protect and shelter you.

This is far from the truth, but his delusions grow by the day, in part an innocuous desire to repay your kindness, in part an unhealthy attachment to someone who has no hope of escaping from his grasp.

Really, though… if he did spirit you away, would you complain or argue? Fight or run?

Even if you did, there’s no way you’d get away from him. Just sit back, and let him take care of you, just the way you took care of him.

That’s what family does, after all.

You’re another one of his weird kids. That’s where it starts and ends for Pigsy. You fit snugly between Mei and MK, forming a neat little trio that he wants to both throttle and hug. Just as often as you three make him feel like he’s heading to an aneurysm-induced early grave, you make him feel fulfilled and content. His noodle shop, his two best friends, his three high-energy goofy kids.

Pigsy is happy with the life he has. He’s happy with the life he’s provided for MK. He’s happy to see Mei overcome her insecurities with her family and gain their approval. He’s happy that Sandy has found peace and improved himself. He’s even happy when Tang comes to visit, though he’ll gripe about the man “freeloading” whenever he stops by.

It’s a strange, stressful life that he’s built for himself, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

A world he wishes was just a little kinder.

It has served him kindly enough, though. Success, family, friends, some degree of fame. Most things a person can want, Pigsy has in decent abundance.

His problem is the way it treats you.

You’re a good kid. You really are. You’ve been visiting since you were a child, and he’s watched you grow up. If it weren’t for Tang, you’d be his most frequent customer. (Because you actually pay for your food, he calls you his favorite customer, to Tang’s dismay) And because you’ve spent so much time here with him and his family, he has a pretty good feeling he understands you.

Is isn’t just the renowned food you’re coming back for. It’s the company, too.

You always come in alone and drag out your visits to last as long as possible. You make conversation whenever and wherever you get the chance, stretching out these moments of companionship for as long as you can.

You’re lonely. Not for a lack of trying, of course. You try to strike up conversations, try to reach out to others wherever you can. People seem consistently unsettled and unnerved in your presence, immediately looking for an out when you come around. No matter how kind you are or how often you try to make connection, you get left in the dust.

If you aren’t at Pigsy’s Noodles, then you’re alone. So you keep coming back, again and again. Not just for the incredible food, but for them.

For him.

It’s sad, but it warms his heart a little at the same time. You rely on him. Maybe he could go as far as to say that you need him. Who would he be, if he didn’t welcome you with open arms?

Pigsy wants you to be happy. He wants to keep you safe. And eventually, those feelings grind slowly towards wanting to keep you close.

And close he keeps you, there and then, and then, here and now.

Pigsy does not let go of you. Even as the manic wide-eyed man he only knows as “the Mayor” demands your unconscious body from him, talking about “bloodlines” and “destiny” and “the power she requires”, the chef refuses to be parted from you.

Since he can’t run, he has no chance but to stand and fight, wielding a nine-toothed rake with one hand and keeping you slung safely over his shoulder with the other. He’s never been good at fighting, so it isn’t truly an even match. He’s instead trying to block and dodge the Lady Bone Demon’s sycophantic servant, barely warding him off after each blow.

His efforts to hold out eventually do pay out, with MK stepping shortly in to knock the “Mayor” away from you both, punting him across the landscape and then into the ground from there.

Leaving Pigsy to weigh the options left before him. However, it’s not much as much of a struggle as one might assume. You’re a kid, he thinks to himself, holding you close as he examines your bruises and scrapes. You don’t need to know. What would it accomplish? Do you need to know why people fear you? Why they think of you as unapproachable? Why they run away from the kindness and warmth you offer?

Would it help you, to know the reason? No, Pigsy decides. It could only lead to trouble and heartbreak. What if you ran away from both yourself and your friends, and never came back for fear of hurting them? What if you lost the ability to trust yourself? What if you hurt yourself?

He can’t run the risk of losing you. From now on, he’s going to take a much more personal role in your life, very potentially bringing you to live in the restaurant with him and MK.

“You don’t have to worry about those two freaks, kid. Just let me look out for ya, from now on.”

[shigarakisdumbwhore]

Here Without You - Chapter Two

Summary: You had been developing a deep crush on Dabi for quite some time. But he was difficult to get through to and know. His distant demeanor made it hard to get close to him. However, when Hawks shows up, things take a turn in a different direction than you could have imagined. Dabi doesn't know your true feelings, you don't know Hawks is a spy, and they don't know you're in love with both of them. This love triangle is about to cause lots of drama and confusion.

Words: 3, 823

Warnings: none

Chapter One

Days went by and you hadn't seen Dabi. Hawks was around sometimes but he seemed busy before he left to fulfill the image being a hero. He hadn't been around. When you asked the others, they didn't know where Dabi was either. It was weird not seeing him in so long. You felt withdrawal symptoms. It was strange, and kind of ridiculous.

You would go outside to look for him, making sure to stay in disguise or try not to bring too much attention to yourself. He shouldn't be hard to miss. You knew him, you'd recognize him anywhere. Or you should have. However, Dabi could be the master of disguise and hiding. He didn't get to this point for just fun. He had to be skilled. The news station broadcasted the faces of the league often, there was no doubt you'd be recognized. Especially Dabi with his distinct scars. You worried about him getting caught.

Dabi was skilled enough to win or escape the fight, but the thought of him getting hurt pained you.

After a few hours, you came back. Mr. Compress, Spinner, and Toga were sitting at a table all eating together. They seemed to be enjoying their meal in their own world as they talked to each other. They hadn't noticed you until you got closer to the table, greeting you with loud and warm welcomes.

"Y/N, please put a jacket on. It's cold outside," Compress said as he threw a compressed marble at you. The marble disappeared the moment it got close to you, allowing a large black coat to emerge. You caught it in your hands and looked at the fabric. It was soft, very thick, and presumably warm. It was too late now, but you appreciated the offer from Compress by putting it on. The league really did feel like a family. It wasn't just Dabi you were worried about, it was all of them.

"Thanks." You sat down next to all of them, looking down at the table. You could feel your heart ripping open on the inside. You missed Dabi so much. It was a no-brainer that not being able to find him made you feel like a complete failure. How could you not know?

"Any luck?" Spinner asked. He looked sad and concerned for you. Typical of Spinner. Many wouldn't know it because they didn't care to get to know him, due to his appearance, but he was a sweet guy. At first, he was opposed to you going out for Dabi and worried about your safety. However, you reassured him you wouldn't stay out too long and would do your best to remain hidden. So far you did good by your promise and Spinner appreciated that.

"No, I'm not sure where he is or what he's doing. I just don't understand how someone can just up and disappear like that!" You raised your hands in frustration as you slammed back into your chair.

"I wouldn't worry about it. Dabi has always been the more isolated one from the league," Spinner added for solace.

Toga giggled, "It's cause she has a crush on Dabi!"

Mr. Compress jumped out of his chair from excitement and yelled, "Huh?! Dabi?!" You sank back in your chair from embarrassment. Did Toga really have to confess that? Sure, it was true, but was it really that obvious? And if so, for how long could people tell? If others could tell then... you hoped Dabi didn't notice or at least wasn't creeped out by it.

Dabi was a very direct, outspoken, and honest person. Surely if he noticed or found it odd, he would have said something. He never held anything back, except his past. Which made it that much more unusual.

Speaking of the devil, Dabi arrived. He looked careless as he walked forward, hands in his pockets and looking off into the distance as if he couldn't be bothered to see what was right in front of him. You were the first one to jump up, almost angry-like.

"Dabi? Where were you?"

"Out," he paused as his eyes scanned the table, "Doing stuff. What's it to you all?" He looked amongst everyone with a confused expression. He couldn't be that oblivious. The rest of the league stared at him, unsure of what to say, and a shade of tomato red blush across their cheeks. They may have been just as embarrassed as you. One doesn't just casually talk about the romantic life of Dabi.

"It doesn't really matter... I guess," you grumbled. He didn't look injured or any different than before. That put your mind at ease, just a little bit.

"Before the leader left, he tasked me with a 'side quest' to continue gathering more to our cause. The more numbers, the merrier, or something stupid he said. Anyways, I figured I'd ask you to come."

"Are you talking to me?"

"I'm not looking at anyone else."

You turned back to look at the league. Toga was covering her face, obviously covering a wide grin. Spinner and Compress exchanged glances.

But... why you? Should you even be asking that? You'd love to go out on a mission with Dabi. Just the two of you together. Maybe alone... No, no! You couldn't start thinking that way, giving yourself some false hope. You weren't even sure how he felt about you. But, you definitely couldn't say no.

"Yeah, I can help out."

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

The room was small and worn down. Holes in the walls, peeling wallpaper, dust everywhere. The only thing in the room was a bed, a chair, and a lamp. The windows were boarded up with wood and curtains draped over them. Only the tiniest bit of light peaked from it, barely enough to illuminate the room on its own. The lamp didn't provide much light either. It was still very dim.

Dabi sat down in an old recliner chair. His feet went up in the air as he reached over to pull the lever. The footrest sprang up with a loud crank and thud. Then he leaned back to rest with his hands behind his head.

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" He gave you an unamused look. It was written all over his face. What do you mean? The answer is obvious.

"Don't be ungrateful, it was all I could find for you." For you? You looked over at the bed. There was only one.

"So... is this where you've been?"

"What's it matter? You're not my mother." He raised his hand in the air, fiddling something in the air as he watched it with intensity.

"Never mind then," you said as you sat on the edge of the bed. It was lumpy and creaked loudly when you put your weight on it. It sunk really low. Surely this wouldn't be a comfortable night. But you couldn't complain. As a villain, you were used to this poor stuff. And as a gift of kindness from Dabi, you had to appreciate it. Any other time would include sleeping on the floor.

"How did you get it?"

"The frame was already here, I just had to find the mattress.

You tried to imagine Dabi dragging a large mattress all this way. How did he manage to stay undercover and not bring attention to himself?

"So, where will you sleep?"

"In this recliner."

You felt kind of guilty. How fair was it for you to sleep in a nice bed while he got a dusty chair. So what if it reclined, it wasn't a real bed. You looked at the size of the mattress. Probably a full or queen size.

"Dabi, you know," you couldn't believe you were about to say this, "you could sleep in the bed next to me." He looked up at you, his expression unreadable. Not being able to tell what he was thinking made you jump. Your hands got clammy and it was hard to swallow. "I'm not trying to be weird, I just don't want you to have to sleep in that. There's room here."

His face softened. He didn't say anything, but you could see he appreciated it. However, the mere idea of it made your heart flutter. You and Dabi, sleeping together in the same bed.

For the first night, you didn't do much except hang around in the room. Dabi spent most of his time sitting in the recliner on his phone. Now and then, you and him would strike up a conversation. Though, you didn't mind the silence. It was nice to just be in Dabi's presence, especially since it had been so long.

Nighttime came faster than expected and Dabi was the first to go to bed. You were too nervous to sleep just yet. You went out for a bit of fresh air to calm your mind. When you returned the room was dark and Dabi was already fast asleep. You tip-toed with soft footsteps to the bed, careful not to trip on anything or walk too loud to wake him.

You laid down. It was cold. Little mountains of goosebumps formed from the back of your neck down your arms. You wrapped them around yourself and tucked your knees into your chest, hoping that you could contain some of the heat in your body. A strange instinct to cuddle up to Dabi for warmth came to mind and your body almost reacted.

Then, a fuzzy feeling crept up your body and you could see a dark figure reaching over you. At first, you tensed up in fear, wondering who was here. You were too tired to fight but... no, that wasn't it.

Dabi was pulling a blanket up to your shoulders. He stopped once he reached below your neck and placed it down. It was a large, fuzzy, and thick blanket. You sat there for a moment, processing what just happened. Your mind was blank, not a single thought.

You could feel the bed shift and sink down as he turned back over to sleep.

Your face felt so hot. Your chest was warm and fuzzy. He seemed so careless. So heartless. This was a different side of Dabi you never saw, that probably nobody ever saw. No one would even believe you.

Maybe this was a dream. Some kind of fever dream, but it felt so real. How could it be fake?

In a way, you felt a bit guilty. The blanket was only large enough for one and he had nothing. It seemed a bit selfish of you to take the whole blanket.

Eventually, you drifted off into a light sleep. All night you had brief flashes of Dabi and the blanket. Different unexplainable scenarios. You were stuck in a trance of half asleep and half awake with unusual dreams, never able to truly get any real rest. You were woken up by Dabi announcing his entrance into the room. You had no concept of time.

"I got you something to eat."

"With what money?" You smiled as you sat up from the bed. You hadn't even noticed him leaving. Your eyes still felt heavy and sleepy, but it was time to get up.

"You don't have to worry about that," he smiled. He set the food down on the torn-up cushioned chair, the only reliable surface. It was wrapped up in a brown paper bag with wet marks all over it. You practically dove for the food. It was still hot. It had been so long since you had hot food. You just hoped it tasted as good as you imagined. However, you couldn't help but wonder how he got it or where he got the money.

"It's a little chilly in here," you said as you curled up on the chair with the food. The warm bag gave you a little bit of heat to keep you comfortable.

"I'd light a fire, but I don't want the place to burn down." He sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed the back of his neck. The seams of his rotten skin were steaming and sizzling. Your chest tightened.

"Yeah, maybe it's best," you muttered softly before looking down into the bag. You took your time eating, savoring the flavors and the full feeling in your stomach. It may be a bit until the next time you'd feel this.

Dabi laid down on the bed with his feet dangling off the edge and took a bouncy ball out of his pocket. He began throwing it at the ceiling. Each time it bounced back he would catch it in the palm of his hand and repeat.

"So, is this really what you did when you were out? I didn't see anyone new around."

"Honest?" He paused. The ball bounced back and landed in the middle of his palm. He brought it up to his face and examined it. "I just had to get out of there. Those poor bastards make me sick."

"Yeah, I get needing some time alone... but-," you paused. But why did you take me? No, you couldn't ask that out loud.

He stopped throwing the ball once again. A heavy pit twisted and formed in your stomach, feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds, dragging your body to the floor. Your legs felt heavy and weak at the knees. You feared he was going to ask you to finish the sentence.

He bounced the ball again, completely ignoring what you said. He was so unpredictable.

Days passed as you two stayed in that room. It was the same routine, almost. You and Dabi were in and out trying to gather people for Shigaraki's cause. There was a surprising amount of people who believed in him and supported his cause despite the popular public opinion. Some of these people were real tough and stereotypical villains. Some looked like average people who were too afraid to voice their true opinion, but would if provoked and given a sense of security. However, they weren't the fighting type you needed.

Dabi was charismatic enough to gather people before getting too angry or annoyed with them. Toga was right. She loved to tease him for being so picky. He just burned whatever he didn't like, it didn't matter what or who.

One night in particular was different. Dabi didn't come back at his usual time. The two of you set boundaries to come back at the same time every day. Therefore if anything happened, you would know. At first, you gave him the benefit of the doubt. Dabi did stuff like this often, disappearing into the night like he never existed.

A sick feeling washed over you and wouldn't go away. You knew you had to find him.

He wasn't too far away from the abandoned building you hid in. He was just standing there, staring out from the back alley at the busy street.

Dabi looked out, smiling. It always seemed like he was staring at something out of reach, something only he could see. A glob of blood emerged from his waterline and streamed down his cheeks, thick and dark red.

"Dabi... are you crying?"

"Nah, I burned those off a long time ago."

Dabi looked down slightly. His facial expression changed like he was staring off into nothing now. It was a mixture of all different emotions. Deep inside there was joy, anger, resentment... happiness... sadness. So many things spilled out of him. He didn't need to talk to show it. What had this poor boy gone through?

"Dabi please if you could just let me in I could understand you!" You reached out to him.

"No!" he turned around and grabbed you by both of your wrists. Your faces were mere inches from each other. You could feel his calloused skin rub against your wrist like sandpaper. His eyes piercing your soul. He looked trapped. You could tell he wanted to open up, but something inside him couldn't. He physically couldn't, no matter how badly he wanted to. However, that didn't stop the rejection from stinging so badly.

"Dabi, I...," you thought for a moment as tears swelled up, "I've got to go." You turned and ran off.

Once you were away from him, you found yourself back in the busy streets of the city. So many people walking by and not a single one looked at you. No one noticed you. Everyone was in their own little world. Chatting with each other, sharing stories, talking on the phone, listening to music with earbuds in. Is this what it felt like to be normal? To be unrecognized and live civilly amongst everyone? Was the villain life with Dabi the life you wanted to continue living?

You jumped at the sensation of something wrapping around you and lifting you up in the air. Before you knew it, you were so high you could see the top of everyone's heads. You began to struggle from the grip of this stranger, unsure of what was going on and going too fast to process everything.

"Woah, woah, slow down there. You're gonna make me drop you," a familiar voice said. You turned your head to see a smiling Hawks looking down on you. How?

"Oh, god. I'm gonna be sick," you groaned as you covered your mouth with your hand and closed your eyes. Even the sensation of flying in the air made you nauseated.

"Ew," he teased, "Don't go throwing up on me now. Just try to relax, we're almost there." Was he going to turn you in? Was Dabi correct about him being a mole all along?

Hawks was right, you were almost there. Before you knew it, your feet were planted down on a hard, sturdy surface. When you opened your eyes, you found yourself on top of a flat rooftop with a small porch. Metal bars wrapped around the edges of the building.

"I'm sorry to have startled you like that. I just wanted you to see this from up here." You looked around, taking in your surroundings. The world seemed so wide and big. You felt as light as a feather, your mind totally distracted from what transpired. You thought back on what Hawks mentioned before about feeling trapped by the hero society.

"You really are free... it must be nice," you said. You hid in the shadows and here he could fly all around without a worry or care in the world.

"You can be free too." His voice was low and soft, a tone that sounded almost like he was offering you something. You wished he could take it all away. All the mistakes, the crimes, the difficult life you had to face all the time. Erase all the nightmares you suffered through.

"I don't know. You don't have to hide. You can just always be yourself." For a moment, it was silence. He didn't say anything. No witty comeback, no teasing, just quiet.

"You don't have to hide yourself around me." You turned to him and smiled, but his expression confused you. He looked happy yet unsure, like his mind was stuck in the middle of something.

You leaned over the railing, wrapping your hands around the cool metal to appreciate the view. You could see the city for miles. Tall, clustered buildings, and tiny people walking around them on the sidewalks. They all looked so careless and unaware. Nothing to hide from. Nothing to worry about. No need to conceal their face from the police.

"Hey, careful now, don't lean too far over the edge." He walked beside you and joined you on the railing.

"Aren't you the hero too fast for his own good? You can save me," you teased.

"Oh please, don't give me too much credit. I'm only number two." His witty sense of humor was refreshing in such a suspenseful time. You needed this. Being stuck in that tiny room, only allowed to sneak out around at nighttime when it was hard to see. It became depressing despite Dabi's best efforts.

What would he think if he knew you were up here with Hawks instead of doing what you were told. He would be furious. It was not something you wanted to admit to him after finally being in his good graces.

Were you still in his good graces? Did you push him too far this time? It didn't take much for him to snap. You wondered what he had been bottling up after all this time. There was always something in Dabi's eyes but you couldn't explain it. Something fearful. You once even heard the doctor mention it, but he didn't elaborate. He wouldn't tell anyone what he saw. You wondered what he knew that others didn't.

The skyline turned into beautiful, vibrant shades of oranges and pinks as the sun set behind the horizon. A gentle breeze blew between the two of you. His soft locks of blonde hair waved in small circles, the longer pieces framing his face like an angel. His golden eyes illuminated and glowed with the reflection of the sun. You could see why he always had a fangirl club following him at every corner.

"Is something on your mind?" His voice sounded so warm and caring, a stark contrast to Dabi's.

"No, not really," you lied, but when you looked out once more it was like all of those things disappeared.

Your body melted and eased into the environment. Even though your feet were planted firmly below you, you felt like you were floating in air. Nothing was touching you. Nothing irritating your skin or rubbing you the wrong way. The only thing you could feel was the compassionate presence of Hawks.

"But, now you mention it... I think I have to go back. If it's getting dark and I'm gone too long, Dabi will think something is wrong."

Hawks's smile faded as he stared at you, then turned to look back at the sunset. In that short period, it disappeared from the skyline. The sky was darker than before, more of a purple-gray now. It seemed fitting for the sad mood of goodbyes.

"I had a nice time seeing you again. Even if it was short." His smile returned. "Do you mind if I...?" he trailed off as he walked behind you. His arms slipped under yours and wrapped around your stomach in an almost romantic gesture. You couldn't help the blush from creeping up on your face.

"N...no, I don't mind."

His wings flapped and with a swift jump, you two returned to the air. The wind got stronger and colder, but you could see everything again from a whole other angle. Hawks dropped you off in a location of your choice, near the building you stayed in. He didn't say much before leaving, just a wave, and away he went. Just like that, he was gone. 

[takingchences]

𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐩𝐭. 𝟐

A descendant of a legendary quirk longs to separate herself from her family name, but first she'll have to confront villains, ghosts from the past, and her growing attraction for Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight.

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x OP!fem!oc

Warnings: swearing

series masterlist + my masterlist

"What? A Quirk assessment test?" Most of the class exclaimed in unison.

"But orientation!" Uraraka whined. "We're gonna miss it!" Who cares? Sana sighed, just wanting to jump into the action already. She was dying to know the quirks of her new classmates and get a feel for her competition.

Their home room teacher obviously couldn't have cared less about missing something as trivial as orientation. "If you really wanna make the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies." Uraraka and others gasped at the haggard man's brutal honesty. Sana nodded her head solemnly in agreement. "Here at UA, we're not tethered to traditions. That means that I get to run my class however I see fit." A few uneasy looks were spotted in the crowd. The unidentified pro held up a small tablet. "You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives, but you never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before. The country's still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn."

Not if my father has anything to say about it, she argued.

Mr. Aizawa turned towards the angry ash blonde standing not two feet away from her. "Bakugou, you managed to get the most points on the entrance exam. What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in Junior High?"

"Sixty‐seven meters, I think."

So Blondie's name is Bakugou.

"Right. Try doing it with your Quirk. Anything goes, just stay in the circle." Bakugou stepped inside the designated area. Sana watched his every breath and each shift of his muscular frame in anticipation. That confidence of his is killer. His quirk must be incredibly strong.

"Go on. You're wasting our time." An impatient Aizawa stood off to the side with his hands in his pockets.

Bakugou stretched his throwing arm in preparation. "Alright, man. You asked for it." He replied nonchalantly. Then, with a crazed look in his eyes, he suddenly wound his arm back and-

"DIE!" He screeched inhumanly as he released an explosion from his hand, sending the ball rocketing through the sky. Sana's eyes narrowed at the display of power. Just as she'd expected, Blondie had a strong and flashy quirk... but did he really have to be so loud all of the time?

"All of you need to know your maximum capabilities," Aizawa narrated as the class silently followed the trajectory of Bakugou's pitch. The ball eventually came to a stop, making the device in Aizawa's hand beep. "It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro hero." He flipped the device around to show them Bakugou's results.

705.2 meters. An impressive score, Sana could admit, but not an unbeatable one.

"Whoa, 705 meters, are you kidding me?" Kaminari was shocked by the results of the test, pun very much intended.

Bakugou returned to his original spot with a cocky smirk, flashing his teeth at Sana in hopes of provoking a fight. He obviously wasn't one to shy away from a challenge. Luckily, neither was she. Just you wait, pretty boy. I'll blow you straight out of the water.

After a few students made the mistake of commenting on how fun it looked, their teacher smiled sadistically before adding a punishment: whoever ranked last at the end of the eight tests would be expelled.

"You can't send one of us home! I mean, we just got here! Even if it wasn't the first day, that isn't fair!" Uraraka once again confronted their teacher.

"Oh, and you think natural disasters are?" Aizawa countered. "Or power‐hungry villains, hmm? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out whole cities? No, the world is full of unfairness. It's a hero's job to try to combat that unfairness. If you wanna be a pro, you're gonna have to push yourself to the brink. For the next three years, UA will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So, go beyond. Plus Ultra‐style." He bent his finger in a come here motion. "Show me it's no mistake that you're here."

Sana's fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms. Her eyes cut to the dual-haired boy standing in the back of the group. So close, yet so far away. I have to prove that I'm strong enough to make it on my own.

"Now then. We're just wasting time by talking. Let the games begin."

The first part of the apprehension test was the 50-meter dash. So far, the most impressive score had come from Iida, but what else would you expect from a guy with engines in his legs? Soon, it was Sana's turn to run. She was paired up against a blonde guy with a tail.

This is my time to shine. As she'd passed by Bakugou to stand at the starting point, she'd made sure to brush his shoulder with her's. Immediately, a warmth had flowed through her body from where they'd made contact. Sana crouched low to the ground and released a deep breath.

Thank you, Bakugou...

Her glowing eyes locked with the said male's just as the starting pistol was about to go off. Her lips curved into a devious grin, making his red eyes widen slightly.

...for being my stepping stone.

There was a burst of blinding light where the girl had once been standing, causing many of the observers to turn away and shield their eyes. Before the class had time to process what had just happened, the measuring device beeped.

"0.11 seconds!" The automated voice cheered.

Standing at the finish line was Sana, lightly panting as she bent to rest her hands on her knees. Running at the speed of light, her pastel hair cast her eyes in shadow, but did nothing to hide the proud smirk on her face. Try and top that.

"HUUUUUH?" The class exclaimed.

Mina, Kaminari, Kirishima, and a boy named Hanta Sero immediately circled the peach-haired girl once she rejoined the rest of the class. "What the heck was that?!" Mina grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "It was crazy cool, babes!"

"What a manly score!" Kirishima held out a fist, making Sana laugh as she bumped their knuckles together. Thankfully, his quirk wasn't activated, otherwise her hand would've crumbled like wet paper beneath his.

Kaminari slung an arm over her shoulder. "So that's your special move, huh? How about I show you mine tonight-"

"Oi, Flashlight!"

The lightning-haired teen was cut off by a gruff voice. The small group turned to face Bakugou, his red eyes seemingly trying to peer into her soul and learn all of her secrets. "It's Sana," she reminded him with a sigh. "Did you need something?"

"What's your quirk?"

"Does it matter?"

The ash blonde's lip curled in annoyance. "Ya think I didn't notice? You did something." He squeezed his shoulder with a frown. He quickly snapped out of his trance and thrust a finger in her face. "So tell me what the hell your quirk is!"

"I didn't do anything to you." Sana held her hands up defensively. "I just wanted to power up."

"Huh?" He yelled, just as visibly confused as the rest of her new friends.

(Present Mic announcing) "Sana Sakano, her Quirk: Light Manipulation! By absorbing heat and light into her body, she can create blasts of radiation. The more energy she takes in, the stronger her attacks are!"

"Obviously, the Sun is my main source of energy, but any kind of heat will do." Sana tried her best to explain the inner workings of her quirk. "Your quirk has to do with fire, so naturally, your body's core temperature is higher than normal." She placed a hand on Sero's and Kirishima's toned arms and felt a sliver of warmth soak into her palms. "It works with anyone, though I prefer people like you." She shrugged.

"Does your shitty quirk weaken the other person?" Bakugou pressed, his anger unwavering.

"No," Sana answered sourly. "So don't blame me when you lose."

The explosive blonde scoffed. "Whatever. I don't need other people to help me win." Her spirits fell as he turned and stalked away in his strange, grumpy-old-man way, hands shoved into his pockets. Her new friends noticed the sadness in her eyes and immediately tried to cheer her up.

"Hey, don't mind him." Sero reassured her.

"Yeah!" Mina jumped in. "We believe in you, so go out there and kick his ass!" Sana's eyes glimmered, her mouth slightly open in surprise as she stared at each of the four teens in front of her.

They're so... warm.

She didn't mean physically, but a different type of warmth altogether. They offered their attention and affection, two things that Sana had craved her entire life. She had always known coldness: a distant father who brushed her thoughts, feelings and existence aside, a broken, empty home where she spent most nights alone, eating her meals in deafening silence. A family that wasn't a family at all, but business partners. To them, Sana was nothing but an investment, her stock only rising as her power grew and developed. The second that changed, she'd be deemed worthless and discarded.

Just like her mother.

It was why she and Shoto had gotten along so well. They'd lived such similar lives, experienced a lot of the same pain. They could relate to each other in a way most people would never understand. And that was fine, because they knew that they would always have each other.

But somewhere along the way, she'd lost him too.

He'd left, grown cold like his right side, become unapproachable like her father. The home she'd once found in him had become just as dark and deserted as the one she would return to day after day, and once again, she found herself out in the cold. But here, with these people...

U.A really is the best.

The class was tested on their grip strength, followed by the standing long jump. Bakugou had cleared the sandbox by setting off explosions to keep him airborne, which gave Sana an idea for her turn.

When her name was called, she felt her eyes light up as her quirk powered on. Leveling her palms with the ground, she pushed off with her feet and activated her quirk. Like a rocket, blasts of energy burst from her palms and sent her shooting through the air, easily clearing the sandbox. Her landing, on the other hand, could use some improvement. She rolled across the grass a few times before finally coming to a stop. Hearing the concern in her friends' voices, she flashed them a lazy smile and a thumbs up.

Idiot. Bakugou thought to himself as he watched the girl climb to her feet, dirt now smudged along her cheek and PE uniform.

A few pieces of pastel hair, which she'd tied back with a ribbon at the beginning of the assessment, had been freed during the tumble. They floated and danced around her face as she bounced up to the group of morons she called friends. Her smile hadn't wavered, not since he'd confronted her about her quirk. It was seriously starting to piss him off. How could she be so happy with the way things were going? The only standout score she'd managed to get so far was the 50-meter dash, and that was because she'd used him to do it!

One of the final tests was the ball toss, where Bakugou had set a high standard. I just have to beat 705.2 meters, Sana repeated like a mantra in her head.

She'd turned away, as it was Shoto's turn to throw. She hadn't been able to look at him for too long. The distance—both physical and metaphorical—between them too great and far too painful to acknowledge. So Sana ignored it, shoving every thought of him out of her mind. Of how much stronger he'd become over the last few months, how his hair was longer, how he seemed taller than the last time she'd seen him, his muscular frame more developed-

No, bad Sana. She scolded herself for letting her mind slip. She doubted Shoto had thought such things when he'd seen her this morning, learned that they'd been placed in the same class-

Dammit! I'm doing it again!

Thankfully, Shoto was now done, Uraraka having taken his place inside the white circle. She didn't even have to throw the ball. With her gravity quirk, one touch was all it took for her to reach infinity. Midoriya was up next, then Sana.

"If Midoriya doesn't shape up soon, he's the one going home." Iida put to words what they were all thinking, worry clear in his voice.

"Huh? Of course he is. He's a Quirkless loser." The explosive blonde glared at the greenette from across the field.

"Really?" Sana exclaimed in awe.

The rest of 1-A was surprised by her genuine excitement. Ever since U.A had amended the rule about quirkless students entering the Hero Course, she'd been anticipating the day that someone without a quirk would step up and prove themselves. It wasn't power that made a hero. Endeavor was living proof of that.

"He has a Quirk." Iida insisted, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Did you not hear about what he did in the entrance exam?"

Damn, she cursed. I forgot about that.

In the circle, Midoriya readied his arm, a look of pure concentration on his face. His arm seemed to glow for a moment before he released the ball. The baseball fell to the ground seconds later, barely 40 meters away.

"Wow. That was, uh..." Sana's eyes shifted between the boy and the ball. ... extremely underwhelming, she sweat dropped. What could he have possibly done during the entrance exam to impress so many people?!

Midoriya exchanged a few words with their teacher before coming to a realization. "Ah! Those goggles. I know you! You can look at someone and cancel out their powers. The Erasure Hero. Eraser Head!"

"Eraser?" Sero scratched his head. "Who's that?"

A frog-like girl came to the rescue. "I've heard of him. I think he works on the down��low."

Teacher and pupil spoke a little longer, none of them being able to hear exactly what the two were saying. Once Midoriya returned to his spot to try again, the class whispered amongst themselves about what they possibly might've discussed.

"I wonder if our teacher gave him some advice."

"Probably told him to start packing." The satisfaction oozing from Bakugou was troubling to say the least. It was unlikely that he enjoyed much of anything due to his prickly personality, but did he really dislike the green-haired boy so badly that he was actually rooting for him to fail?

"SMASH!" Midoriya shouted as he released the ball a second time. The ball was launched into the air from the pressure, the speed and velocity of the ball on par with Bakugou's, though the explosive teen was too shocked by the fact that surprise—Midoriya is, in fact, not quirkless—to do anything other than gawk.

The end result? 705.3 meters.

Alright, Midoriya, Sana nodded her head in acknowledgment.

Bakugou, shaking himself out of whatever stupor he'd been in, immediately launched himself at the greenette, Aizawa being forced to restrain him with his fashionable scarf—sorry, capture weapon.

"How the hell am I supposed to follow that?" Sana muttered to herself.

"You're wasting my time now." Aizawa grumbled as the students crowded around the boy with the broken finger. "Whoever's next can step up."

That would be me, Sana sighed, stepping forward. Aizawa handed her the ball, which she reluctantly accepted. Taking her place inside the circle, Sana couldn't help but frown down at the white paint, grateful that the class—namely Bakugou—was unable see her unease. Her quirk didn't enhance any of her physical abilities besides her speed and that stunt had burned through most of her stored energy. Thankfully, it was a bright, sunny day out, so whatever reserves she'd lost had quickly been replenished. But throwing a ball (ideally) over 705.2 meters would be a difficult task.

I don't know what to do.

She couldn't help but picture a white-and-red-haired boy in her place. Shoto would've already thrown it. Only the weak hesitate, a voice berated. But it didn't sound like her own. The voice was deeper, more masculine, like her father's telling her nothing she does will ever be good enough. Or like Enji Todoroki's, always reminding her of his son's superiority.

You're not weak, Sana grit her teeth, banishing all thoughts of her former friend. She spotted ash blonde spikes out of the corner of her eye, thought of the harsh words he'd spoken. You don't need others to help you.

"Any day now." That was her teacher's voice. Shit. How much time had she wasted already?

Sana took a deep breath in, felt the rush of her quirk flooding through her. Releasing her breath slowly, she began to run along the inner edges of the white circle, her figure a blur of peach and navy blue. Gripping the softball tightly, she drew her arm back before flinging it into the air. It may not be much now, but...

Her glowing eyes followed the ball's course intently. It whistled through the air before crashing into the soft earth. The device in her teacher's hand displayed her score: 607 meters.

I'm just getting started.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

batman recommendation anon!

i've been looking to get back into comics lately so i'd be up for a bigger series

i prefer a more serious tone but typically try to avoid gore simply for the sake of it

i don't know if this is canon to the comic books, but i like the kind of partnership between catwoman and batman in some of the movies

oh, ideal! this is such helpful information, thank you!

bearing in mind that these are some personal preferences, my taste is what it is, more recs are welcome but nobody give me shit about my shit:

Batman: Year One (Frank Miller and Mazzuchelli, 1987) - this is a short, 4-part series that locked down the new official origin story for Batman after Crisis on Infinite Earths. it's pretty serious but not gory, following Bruce and Gordon as joint protagonists as they each struggle through their first year protecting Gotham. Selina is also present whooping Bruce's ass before they ever become Batman or Catwoman, and if you want to see more of her side of things there's a Catwoman mini-series (Mindy Newell, J.J. Birch, and Michael Blair, 1989) that takes place alongside the events of Year One (warning for that one dealing much more heavily with the violence Selina was facing as a sex worker!). also I don't know how important the art is to you but I LOVE the art in year one, it's so moody and evocative and really makes the most of an extremely minimalist palette.

for serious, self-contained stories you really can't do better that Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's triptych of the Long Halloween (1996), Dark Victory (2000), and When in Rome (2004). the Long Halloween is iconic for a reason, taking you on a tour through Gotham's rogues gallery early in Batman's career when costumed villains are just starting to overtake the old mob families with a newer, much more unpredictable breed of crime. the story is fairly simple - an unknown killer strikes each month on a holiday, and Batman, Gordon, and Harvey Dent are on the case - but sweeping and atmospheric. the sequel, Dark Victory, sees young Dick Grayson added to the Bat-family, and When in Rome follows Selina on a solo adventure to Italy seeking out information about Carmine Falcone. you only need a broad strokes understanding of Batman lore to follow along with the plots here, and Bruce and Selina's relationship in here is interesting and tense because they only know each other as Bruce and Selina, while Batman and Catwoman are still unsure how much they're on the same side. also I just really like how Loeb writes Selina, especially when she gets to be the star in When in Rome.

for a story that is part of the larger Batman narrative at the time but can be read as a standalone, I like Heat (Doug Moench and Russ Heath, 1993)! It's a 4-part story from Legends of the Dark Knight, a series whose rotating cast of writers and artists could introduce a brand new Batman story every few months. Heat is a pretty grounded crime story, featuring Batman, Catwoman, and Gordon all chasing a cat-themed serial killer while Gotham is in the grip of a crushing heatwave. aside from the costumed vigilantism of it all it's a relatively grounded story, with Catwoman dealing with the fallout of being a suspected murderer and Gordon having to quell racial tensions that arise in the city when the serial killer is suspected of being a Black man.

skipping WAY ahead in time, can I tell you about Their Dark Designs (James Tynion IV, Tony S. Daniel, Danny Miki, and Tomeu Morey, 2020). TDD runs from Batman vol. 3 issue #86-94 and is SUCH a fun story, centering on old plans that the Batman's fab four - Catwoman, Joker, Riddler, and Penguin - made in the early days of their crime careers coming back to bite everyone in the ass and rock Gotham to its fucking core. Bruce and Selina's relationship is very central, as she's officially made the leap to be more hero than anti-hero as she works alongside him, and it's very grounded in well-known characters while still serving up just a heap of premium bananagrams comic book bullshit. the plot is convoluted but a lot of fun, I had a great time with it and I infamously don't care for modern comics. this is important: you will be tempted to read what comes immediately after this. it's Joker War, and it's very bad. do not say you weren't warned.

lastly, if you want to get Catwoman-heavy I cannot recommend Catwoman: Lonely City (Cliff Chiang, 2022) nearly enough. although it takes place in a Gotham 20 years after Batman's death, Selina is still heavily influenced by her relationship with him and spends much of the series trying to puzzle out the legacy he left behind. it follows her fresh out of prison in a Gotham where Mayor Harvey Dent has outlawed costumed vigilantes and criminals alike, and you get to see Selina fighting to rebuild her life when the entire world around her has changed. you get middle-aged versions of classic characters - Selina, Dent, Barbara Gordon, Killer Croc, the Riddler - and some sparkling original characters - Edie Nygma, my beloved!!! - taking on a world after Batman, once again requiring very minimal knowledge on behalf of the reader to just sit back and enjoy the world. also, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that Cliff Chiang's art if fucking gorgeous.

[rollforfelicity]

What skins are all your players playing in Monsterhearts? I think there's multiple versions of each skin and I'm curious which ones y'all picked.

Ooh, this is a good question! (Also this is my first ever ask, I'm so excited!!) I'm running two games of Monsterhearts 2, but I'll talk about the one that I posted a screenshot from first, and then I'll talk about my home game because I just love Monsterhearts so much. In my streamed game, Monsterhearts: Freshman Year, they're playing The Pegasus by TechnicolorTraveler, The Werewolf (from the core rulebook), The Knight by anxiousmimicrpgs, and The Siren from the Skin Deep Collection by Ferretheim Games. In Season 2 we have slightly adapted the Darkest Self of the Werewolf and The Siren. For the Werewolf we took the escape condition from The Cerberus which is "You escape your Darkest Self when disrupted by a virtuous hero, or when the power of true love tempers your resolve." For The Siren, we swapped to the Darkest Self of The Creature.

Season 1 is five episodes where they're solving a murder on their college campus during orientation week. Season 2 is going to be six episodes (we're streaming Episode 5 on Tuesday) and the players have entered a fey pact where they have to make 4 couples fall in love by midnight on Valentine's Day, and also before Queen Mab and her court cause 4 couples to break up. Did some of them decide to get themselves involved by falling in love or starting ill-advised relationships and now they're miserable? I'll never tell. (They did. It's great.)

In my HOME game, all but one of the players are playing core skins, but we've been playing for like 43 sessions, so for Season 2, some of them switched to new playbooks and their characters have moves and aspects of each.

Kate (who is basically Captain America meets Boba Fett in terms of laboratory experiments) started as The Queen but now that she knows she was created in a lab has switched to The Hollow.

Spencer and Frances have both been playing their original skins, The Ghost and The Fey, the entire game.

Riley started off as The Vampire, but in Season 2 switched to the The Heartless. This has been really fun because Riley already didn't know who her sire was and had a plot thread in Season 1 where she was trying to find him, and because she picked The Heartless for Season 2, I ended up adding a detail about her sire taking her heart when she was turned that made the whole situation even juicier and has been really fun.

Justin started off as The Witch, but when he gained his witch powers the ghost of one of his pilgrim ancestors took up residence in his head, so in Season 2 he is now The Infernal, with the ghost being his Dark Power.

Also in my home game, I added a few basic moves because we have been playing this game for like 2 years and it was nice to add some mechanics to mix things up. So I added Act Under Pressure from Monster of the Week, and String Advance and Figure Out A Person from Thirsty Sword Lesbians. Both of those Thirsty Sword Lesbian moves work REALLY well for Monsterhearts, in case you were wondering.

[extraneousdominomask]

What I did on my summer vacation

As you've no doubt gathered by now, for the last two years I've been playing various old games with my wife. I often used to post about that adventure here, and then I kinda stopped. I feel bad about that, especially when it comes to the two excellent, free indie games I had fully intended to spotlight. So here's a quick rundown!

Celeste, OJONMRAG, Double Cross

Three great indies I got in the same bundle. Celeste needs no introduction, and I've spoken about it before. I don't know if I ever mentioned Oh Jeez Oh No My Rabbits Are Gone!!!, but it's a fun puzzle game with cute visuals and surprisingly catchy music. And speaking of those two things, Double Cross is a hidden gem of a game. We really enjoyed its eclectic cast, and still sometimes quote the zany catgirl in particular. ("All cats are tyrants, Zahra.")

Manic Miners

Lego Rock Raiders was a toy line in the 1990s, which earned its own video game tie-in. I remember it fondly... as did one absolute hero, who remastered the dang thing as a non-profit passion project. Manic Miners is available via Itch for free - because it's a fan game! He had to ask very nicely to do this at all! - and it completely revitalizes what was an engaging but flawed fuzzy memory from my childhood. As well as adding several quality of life improvements to make the game flow better, cut content is restored and entirely new features are added in, such as a character creator. If you want an accessible game that can provide the sweet, sweet satisfaction of collecting every scrap of resources from a initially messy environment, I highly recommend this.

inFamous 2: Festival of Blood

An important thing to know about me is that I hate vampires. I don't like 'em and I don't like looking at 'em, so I usually avoid and and all vampiric media, even if they're getting slaughtered. For that reason, despite loving inFamous 2, I never checked out its DLC side-adventure Festival of Blood... until now. (Making a new purchase on the PS3 digital store was hard, but not impossible. Thanks for complaining every time they try to shut it down, everybody!) It's a short experience, but a lot of fun, thanks to the wise decision to let Zeke narrate the whole bullshit stor- I mean, thrilling tale of true heroism. I found Bloody Mary to be an entertainingly nasty villain, despite my biases.

Psychonauts 2

Psychonauts is one of the video games ever, no question. Expectations were lofty for its much-delayed sequel. If anything, I think I prefer this one! The core (the gameplay, visuals, hilarious writing, and Peter McConnell's consistently excellent music) all remain unchanged, with new mechanics, some quality of life improvements, and an impressive voice cast all added on top. Jack Black and Elijah Wood are both in this game, and they're both great!

Pokémon White

this one kinda sucked ngl

Halo: Combat Evolved

Mostly, I'm showing my wife a game and not the other way around. There was one major franchise that I had almost entirely missed, however - aside from a few free-form skirmishes at parties - that she fondly remembers. This summer, we both experienced the first Halo together, and in short: yeah, I can see why this changed the course of the industry singlehandedly. It still feels great to play, even with my wife assuring me that the sequel is a big improvement from these already solid bones. I frankly don't relish slaughtering the fleeing, crying Grunts, since we as a society have moved on considerably when it comes to the rights of funny little guys. But it feels great to shoot aleins and Cortana is my friend. Exactly as advertised.

Jak II: Renegade

this one definitely sucked, holy shit. I remember this being a good game. I remembered incorrectly.

Shantae (2002)

I've played two of the more recent Shantae games, and I found them charming. But how does the original hold up? Pretty well, honestly! It's far from perfect - the day and night cycle really adds nothing beyond referencing Castlevania - but the music and visuals are truly impressive for the original GameBoy. I'm gonna be thinking about Shantae's cute little 8-bit dances for a while.

Undertale Yellow

Like anyone who listens to a lot of Toby Fox's music over YouTube, I've seen my fair share of dubious OCs and "epic fights" floating at the corner of my vision. With that in mind, I went into UY with managed expectations, despite the positive buzz. Could a fangame really match the unique energy and charm of one of the greatest independent games of our generation?

Uh... yeah! I'm as surprised as anyone else, but everything from the music to the gameplay to the writing was really bang-on. It's not a flawless experience - the El Bailador fight needed reworking, it was WAY harder than other, more impactful fights - but the eight years of passion very much shine through. If you're a fan of UT/DR and need something to tide you over as we all wait for Chapters 3+, I fully recommend this. It's free!!!!

Spyro the Dragon (1998)

Finished this just yesterday! I got the remaster when it came out, but - no offense - nothing beats the blocky low-poly charm of the original. This was my first time replaying it in several years, and for the first time, it felt small. Levels I remember struggling with posed no challenge any more. But I think that only speaks to how many times I replayed this lovely little adventure. Also, did you know that of the, like, four voice actors in this game, one of them is Clancy goddamn Brown? He plays like 30 of these polygonal dragons!

...I would normally try to end a post this long on a more climactic note, but, uh... yeah.

[purity-town]

It’s been a very long week with a lot of stuff happening, so I didn’t have the time to finish the next page, but I did finally get ask responses typed up, so the inbox should be all cleared out again!

I haven’t really decided if/how I’ll work in town pets/slimes! They’re fun, though -- I might try to work them into the background in places?

To answer your question about Andrew knowing about King Slime, though- Andrew is very aware of what happened to his brother, and it’s stuck with him as a lesson about how becoming flippant or secure in your power can lead to something as unassuming as a few slimes being able to unexpectedly defeat you.

They relationship wasn’t always the best even back before all that, but they still cared about each other.

(And thank you! I will!)

Firstly: I’m glad to hear it’s gotten you back into your playthrough! I really ought to start a new proper playthrough this summer...I haven’t played a whole much since shimmer got added! And thanks for the kind comment on the backgrounds :) I can’t always put as much detail into them as I want to due to a mixture of time constraints and my general ability as an artist, but I do enjoy making them look nice.

As for the other NPCs: I want to get more NPCs worked in here! I honestly didn’t mean to exclude them, as I meant to add them into the backgrounds of earlier chapters where characters were walking through town or at the tavern. But again, due to time constraints, that didn’t happen, because adding in any additional characters to a scene just ups the complexity a ton. But others will be joining!

…You know what? Yeah, you’re right, hahaha! Spot on. Heather’s view of the situation was that she knows Andrew used to be much more of a traveler before finding himself in Purity Town, and she knows he’s under some sort of strange, magical curse, based on the strange circumstances under which his injuries appear and how difficult they are to heal. Andrew’s also generally quite knowledgeable about Hell and its workings -- putting all of it together, it makes sense that he once either went to Hell himself and was cursed by a demon, or maybe came into contact with a cursed item another adventurer obtained there, or similar (for obvious reasons, going to the Underworld as a living mortal is a big deal -- it’s dangerous, it’s deep -- but it’s not impossible to think someone, somewhere has done it).

Thus, kill the demon → end Andrew’s curse! It’s foolproof! Unfortunately, while it’s a theory that makes sense, it’s not quite so simple in reality.

Hahahaha, I would highly recommend you not think too hard about individual background objects…I try to keep things at least a little consistent, but it’s never perfect. I was mostly intending for Andrew to have just dropped the apple and knife on the cutting board, but then forgot to draw the cutting board. His counter is also rather barren/inconsistent/missing some things it should have. At the end of the day I only have so much time to work on backgrounds, and sometimes detail is lost.

Pshhhhhhhhh, hahahaha, I can’t imagine why! What a crazy coincidence...

1) It’s variable, but in the current day (that is, Terraria has recovered to the point of resurrection being possible) it’s fairly quick. Resurrection is a strange process, with the target’s life flashing before their eyes before they’re suddenly pulled back into a mortal form, and thus it roughly correlates with how long someone has been alive. It would take much longer to resurrect Andrew or the Dryad compared to, say, Becca or Heather.

2) It’s not an exact science, but those who are resurrected tend to appear someplace close to home. Not necessarily in their bed or something to that capacity, but always in the general vicinity. Their body doesn’t physically reappear until just before they reawaken, and it can be a disorienting process.

3) Relief, lots of crying. Resurrection isn’t unheard of, but is usually reserved for those who die a truly wrongful death before their time, local heroes, and Guides. It is never a given that someone will be brought back to life, and is in fact rather uncommon.

Those closely linked to Terraria are well-used to being tugged whichever which way for whatever business. Chris got it to a more extreme extent, with a strong pull and weird dreams, while someone who’s more in-tune to Terraria’s will such as the Dryad will intuitively know and follow.

Andrew didn’t have any particular business. Rather, he was pulled to go there, and when he came, he saw many potential reasons why, including the whole “cult” thing (and the Lunatic Cultist in particular), the local Corruption, particular placement relative to certain structures in the Underworld, and so on. He even went around the region looking for anyone who fit the bill of a hero, best he could tell, but found nothing promising until Chris showed up.

Yep!! At the moment I’m planning to introduce her in the next chapter? We’ll see!

Corruption isn’t uncommon, but there are few regions that are being actively threatened by it: it’s rather stable and reserved in its growth, so beyond encouraging folks not to go to such areas, it’s mostly ignored. Most patches are also relatively small; if anything, it’s a bit larger in the area by Purity Town just because the region is relatively unsettled and has been left unchecked for years and years.

There probably is some

Pre-Cthulhu/War, the Corruption was far more common and spread more aggressively, but there were also hundreds of Dryads who could cure it with a wave of their hand to keep it in check. That isn’t...really an option, anymore, for obvious reasons, but since with most of the ancient spirits locked away the Corruption isn’t nearly as dangerous as it once was, it’s not a world-ending concern by any means.

For why Andrew came to town, see a few asks above!

I’m not sure if I’ll have Chris go through all of the optional boss fights! Maybe in a boss rush montage? Ultimately it’s just a lot of time to dedicate to something, so I would prefer to be selective in what we focus on...maybe in an addition to the ficlets series?

As for your second question -- assuming slimes are able to channel magic/absorb the power of the things they contain, then I like the idea that they can specifically hold/maintain items in them to achieve a particular effect. Such as the Queen Slime with a crystal, and smaller slimes with creatures such as zombies. So perhaps he’s more so merged/been incorporated into King Slime? Very dead, but his abilities remain.

Take that with a grain of salt, though! It’s very late and I haven’t thought it through a whole bunch.

There’s quite a list to go through, including a lot of NPCs that I haven’t thought up a lot of lore for, but to generally summarize, it’s a mix of things! The region containing Purity Town (and a smattering of smaller villages within the different biomes) is relatively new, in the sense that it hasn’t had a significant modern settlement until recently. So most of the locals have moved there to get out of their hometowns, experience something new, and so on!

This is super kind of you to share; I’m super super happy you’re enjoying this comic so much! I’ve said it before, but like -- the whole point of this is me getting excited and having fun with my ideas for NPCs, so it makes me really delighted that other folks are enjoying it too.

I do apologize for being on and off with updates as of late, but I’ve been very busy with school. Good news is that the semester is over in less than a month, and then I’ll be fully free for the summer and can work on things more!

I genuinely am so excited for those two fights in particular. Lunatic Cultist fight will have so much in the way of complex angles and spell effects...I probably wouldn’t be able to make it happen tomorrow, but we’re still quite a ways out from there, so fingers crossed that by the time we get there I’ll have had plenty of practice with all of the other boss fights!

And then the WoF fight...considering how this whole comic started because I wanted to draw my favorite NPC (Guide), if you can imagine, that whole scene has been written and re-written and planned and added on for the entirely of the time I’ve been working on this comic so far, and I can’t wait to finally get to draw it.

We’ll be getting into this more soon enough! But the short of it is that he’s always had a bit of magic to him, got involved with the dungeon cult, fell in too deep, and is now facing the consequences.

As a side note, while checking over the Old Man’s wiki page I noticed that apparently he specifically can’t drown. I’m not sure if that’s intentional or just a consequence of how Terraria is coded, but that alongside the whole ladybug luck mechanic interacting uniquely with the Clothier/Guide is now one of my favorites of the “random trivia facts that have lore implications” collection.

Well, Chris knows that there’s something up with Andrew -- and from his talks with Malik/Heather/Becca last chapter, he knows that Andrew suffers from burns that are in some way strange/inexplicable, supporting the theory that Andrew suffers from some sort of curse. Everything beyond that is…circumstantial at best.

Beyond that, Chris doesn’t want to agree with Malik’s theories that Andrew is some sort of monster -- Chris has put a lot of trust in Andrew’s character since he’s following Andrew’s guidance through all of this, and agreeing with Malik would call that advice into question.

It’s also possible that there’s a fairly benign explanation for Andrew’s current behavior; he’s honestly not acting all that strange right now. All Chris knows is that Andrew left in a hurry earlier, didn’t intend to be out for so long, and didn’t expect Chris to notice, and while coming off the heels of the previous night it’s a little questionable, Chris is more concerned than anything.

[twin-books]

The above piece was a redraw of this old piece for my Fragmented AU. This new piece is a collaboration with @koo1creations​. I did the sketch, she did the line art, I did the coloring, she added the cataclysm effects, I did the rest of the effects. We both really enjoyed making this. I am very grateful to her for helping me make this so I can finally post the second part of the Fragmented AU. If you are curious you can find the second part here: Fragmented AU 1. Where it all began. Yes, it took me one whole year to finally get to this. I was really trying to figure out how I wanted to write this and my antagonist and then life got busy... Anyway, I finally got around to it. Again, I preface by saying this story isn’t meant to have any salt. It is only for pure fun. I wanted a mystery in Miraculous and since the show refuses to give me one, I made one myself. I do try to keep it as canonically accurate as possible but the story does take place between season 3 and 4. Anyway, if you want to know what the drawing is about please enjoy the following. I decided to try something a bit new. I do hope I succeeded.

Adrien Agreste doesn’t remember September 7th. If you had asked him what happened that day he couldn’t tell you. But that doesn’t bother him.

It should, though.

It should because that was the day Ladybug and Chat Noir fought over how he barely showed up for fights anymore. That was the day Chat Noir promised her he wouldn’t miss another fight, another patrol, another moment where she needed him again.

He doesn’t remember that. But Chat Noir does.

Why?

If he had the ability, he would remember that the day started out like any other. He was juggling going to school, piano practice, private lessons, fencing, and modeling all at once. It was at night where it all went wrong. In his scramble to get things done he missed yet another important akuma battle. Ladybug had to bring in another 5 heroes and even then, still barely managed without him. They all needed training. Training she didn’t have time for. It was too much for her to handle. Between that and her responsibilities as the new guardian, she lost her cool.

When he showed up late, again, she ripped into him. Of course, she didn’t truly mean every single word she said and immediately apologized afterwards. But the damage was done. He knew he hurt her and he knew he had to fix it. So he promised he will always be there when she needs him. She appreciates the sentiment but knows he can’t keep that promise. He would prove her wrong.

When he heads home that night his chest is burning with anger. He is mad at himself for failing Ladybug. He knows he could do better.

He is so stuck in his own head that he fails to notice the small black cat following him.

Had he noticed, he may have been able to observe how it moved. It was like a glitch. Like some sort of extra in a video game missing a few frames in its walk cycle. It sucks in the light around it as it travels forward, the area around it almost appears blurry.

It's careful in its illogical movements. It stalks behind him, maintaining a safe distance. Its tail is wiggling and its eyes are fixated on Chat.

It’s hunting.

When it meows, Chat jumps in surprise and then turns to it. It is sitting still. Those visual glitches are no longer a problem with it frozen in place so Chat doesn’t notice a thing. He carefully approaches. Its pupils grow wider as a result. It’s clearly excited. “Hey there little guy...” Chat says, crouching down in front of it, only an arm’s length away. “What are you up to?” It doesn’t move. “I bet you’re doing great compared to me.” Chat falls to the ground, sitting crossed-legged. He sets his elbow on his knee and rests his head in his hand. “I can’t seem to do anything right.” He sighs. “Or nothing I want to do right.” He reaches his hand out to pet the cat’s head. When Chat looks away it leans into the pet. Chat is no longer paying attention to it, absentmindedly petting it as he rambles on about the earlier day events. “I just want to make it up to her! I wish I could be both Chat Noir and Adrien.” Another sigh escapes him. “You’re so lucky all you have to do is hunt mi-” He’s cut off by a sharp pain shooting up his arm. He lets out an agonizing cry. It feels like venom is shooting through his veins. His reaction time is quick and he rips his arm away from the cat. Or, at least, he thought he did. It takes him a little longer to realize the cat’s jaw is still clamped onto his hand, somehow holding him in place, and its grip is getting tighter. He watches in horror as spines protrude from its tail, flesh falling off to give way to them. It is accompanied by the loud cracking and twisting of its spine. It’s a sound that makes Chat want to gag. His eyes grow wide as he quickly stands up trying to shake it off. It somehow pulls its whole body forward with pure muscle power and digs its claws into his arm, its tail wrapping up and around the rest of his arm, the spines digging through his suit and into his skin.  How? How is it doing that? That shouldn’t even be possible! His suit is made of magic! Unless... It’s made of magic too. He notices that somehow, even with its jaw firmly locked onto his hand, its lips begin to melt away, making it appear like it’s smiling as wide as the Cheshire cat. There’s a loud crack. A bright green, electric like energy manages to escape through the gaps in its teeth and skin. That’s when it occurs to Chat that this is his right hand and the pain shocks him back to reality. “My miraculous!” He screams, slamming the creature into a wall. He continues this several times but its grip only gets tighter. Its teeth sink into his skin, making it feel like it’s hitting bone, as it sets his nerves on fire. He’s only making it angry.  Chat narrows his eyes knowing what he has to do. “Cataclysm.” He growls. The creature suddenly yelps in pain and immediately jumps off Chat, splitting into several smaller versions of itself, each shifting and morphing into incomprehensible shapes. It seems it can no longer hold its more “innocent” appearance.   Chat is quick to take his opening and uses his baton to bat each piece of thing into a wall. It doesn’t put up much of a fight. It seems his cataclysm really frightened it. It quickly sunk into the wall, much to Chat Noir’s shock, forming an exact shadow of him and quickly running off. He begins to chase but only stops when he feels his right hand begin to numb. He looks down to examine it and finds a fracture in his ring with crackling magical energy quickly seeping out. He looks back up to find the creature has disappeared in all the other shadows, masterfully blending in. With his predator out of his sight he grabs his rapidly numbing arm. He then notices that despite just using cataclysm, there is no countdown timer.  He needs to get home. No time is wasted. He makes it to his home and through his bedroom window in what he could have sworn was under five minutes. His hand is shaking now, he can’t seem to control its spasms. His heart is racing a million miles a minute. “Plagg, claws in!” He immediately whispers, afraid of shouting for fear of waking someone. Even in a crisis like this he still can’t get his priorities straight. Almost instantly the rapidly escaping energy is sucked back into the ring as Plagg appears beside Adrien’s head. Slowly the feeling begins to return to his hand but he still can’t seem to stop the shaking. He turns to Plagg and notices how Plagg twitches, similar to Adrien’s hand, as if he can’t control his body either. “Are you okay?” The little cat asks, seemingly unbothered by his own jittering. “Am I okay?” He cries. “Are you?” Plagg looks down at his own paws and notices the way they tremble. His eyes grow wide in horror. “What-What happened?” “I don’t know!” He says in exasperation. He was hoping Plagg would have the answers. He runs his fingers through his hair, trying to ignore the shaking of his hand. This motion gives Plagg a perfect view of the ominous glowing coming from the bottom of his ring. He quickly grabs Adrien’s hand and flips it over to look at his palm. There’s a small fracture  in the band of the ring. “No! No!” “What’s wrong?” “The reason I can’t hold my form is because my magic is seeping into you!” Plagg says. “You aren’t meant to hold this kind of magic without some sort of conduit! If this keeps going this could cause a huge disaster! I’m talking extinction of the dinosaurs' levels of bad!” “What?” “We have to tell Ladybug! I think the grimoire has a page on how to fix this!” “No!” Adrien yells after Plagg before he can escape through a window. “Adrien. This is really, really, really bad. This can’t wait.” “Please. I-,” Adrien is struggling to find the words. He’s ashamed to admit that he just doesn’t want to bother Ladybug again after he let her down earlier. He fears her look of disappointment. “Can’t we just-” He takes a moment to breathe. “Can’t we just figure out what happened first and get our story straight before we bother Ladybug about this?” Plagg’s eyes drift to Adrien’s hand, the convulsions becoming more and more violent as time goes on. Then he looks into Adrien’s shaky eyes. “Adrien…” Plagg bites his lip. “Fine. But let’s make this quick! What do you remember?” “Okay. Cool. So, um…” He hums in thought, trying to go over the events in his mind. “I was heading home and then I stopped for a moment in that alley way. I was trying to figure out how to make it up to Ladybug-” “Not important. Skip to the point where the miraculous broke.” “Right! Sorry.” Adrien pauses for a moment, trying to think it through once more. So much of it didn’t make sense. “I was petting this cat. It looked like a normal cat. But then it bit me. And this cat, this thing, had the jaw strength of a crocodile!” Plagg nods in understanding, showing he’s following along. “It grew spines out of its tail,” He makes a disgusted face as he recalls that memory, “and then wrapped it around my arm and it somehow pierced through my suit. And then I heard this loud crack and saw this bright green light and I just knew… I knew that was the miraculous.” “How?” Plagg gives Adrien a puzzled look, seemingly having a hard time wrapping his head around the scene Adrien is describing. “I don’t know!” Adrien says, continuing on, “I tried slamming it into a wall but that only made it angrier so the only other thing I could think to do was use cataclysm.” He turns to look at Plagg and that’s when energy starts crackling out of the ring again, suddenly sucking Plagg into it with him shouting protests along the way. Adrien jumps back in surprise, staring down at the ring as the energy starts stinging his skin. He can feel his hand going numb again. “Plagg? Plagg! I didn’t say claws out!” He feels his heart rate spiking. Something isn’t right. “Plagg, claws in.” Nothing. “Plagg, claws in!” Nothing. “I said claws i-” He cuts himself off when he sees the black beads suddenly appear one by one, surrounding his hand like a swarm of wasps. Surrounding his ungloved, unprotected hand. “Plagg?” He whimpers. He’s scared now. With nowhere else to go and no magical outfit to protect him from the raw power of destruction it directs its wrath towards Adrien. The black particles seep into his skin causing unimaginable pain as he falls to his knees. “Plagg, claws out or in or whatever! Please, Plagg!” He begs, but the pain only gets worse. He’s not escaping this. He quickly rips the ring off, in a futile attempt to stop it. He tosses the ring aside and lets it slide under his dresser. Too late. Tears pour down his cheeks as he screams in agony. He cannot hear the shouts from Nathalie or his father. They are asking if he is okay, what is going on? Cracks similar to the one his miraculous bears begin to form in his skin, followed by violent magical energy trying to escape through them. He’s consumed by the rapidly escaping magical light as two pairs of panicked footsteps can be heard racing towards his room. “Adrien!” When the door is slammed open that light is already gone. Adrien is curled up in a ball on his bedroom floor. His eyes are squeezed shut. He is no longer screaming. Nathalie races over to him while Gabriel looms in the doorway. “Adrien! What is going on? Are you okay?” She helps him up and onto his bed. He’s silent. The silence is deafening. Gabriel steps forward. “Adrien. It’s the middle of the night.” He says, sternness in his tone. He eventually lets out a sigh. “Why were you screaming?” “I’m sorry…” Adrien says, shaking from a lingering unknown fear. “I don’t know. I don’t know!” He can’t remember! Why can’t he remember? What happened? What happened? Adrien begins to sob. Nathalie pulls Adrien into a tight hug while Gabriel clenches his fists and turns to leave. “Gabriel.” Nathalie says, calmly. “He needs you.” Gabriel stops and looks back at Nathalie. “You look like you have it handled.” He says and takes his leave. Nathalie’s grip on Adrien gets tighter. He can tell she’s angry but she would never say that. Instead she rubs his back. “Shh…” Her tone is soothing and brings his pulse back down to a normal pace, “It will be okay, Adrien. I’m right here.” It takes a while to calm him down but eventually Nathalie can finally lay Adrien to rest in his bed. “Call if you need anything.” She whispers to him. Once she has made sure all his fear is silenced she heads for the door. “Good night, Adrien.” He feels so tired. He pulls the sheets over his head, shielding his eyes from any light that comes from the moon and the stars. He can no longer remember why he was so upset. He eventually succumbs to sleep, unable to notice yet another sudden bright light that fills his room for merely a second. Chat Noir is now standing in the middle of his room. Chat looks around in confusion before fleeing out the window. He’s in a bit of a daze. Wasn’t that Adrien Agreste’s room? Why was he in Adrien’s room in the middle of the night? What happened? He can’t remember.

[raindingrandom]

Any particular stories behind why your brain rot trio is your brain rot trio or did it just happen to turn out that way?

That's a very good question, Zac! My stories and reasonings ended up being much longer than expected, so I put a TL:DR on the very bottom of this post.

Without further ado, here's how my Brain Rot Trio came to be, starting with...

Donkey Kong

I had an SNES growing up, and the Donkey Kong Country trilogy were my favourite games on the system. I was too young to understand how big of a deal the pre-rendered graphics were for the time. I just enjoyed them because they were fun! I also enjoyed playing Donkey Kong 64 and Diddy Kong Racing at my cousin's house, even if I never got very far in the former.

One day, we gave our SNES and games away to some kids who didn't have a game console since another family gave us their Nintendo 64 and games. So in the late 2000s, I replayed the DKC trilogy, and fell in love with them again.

This was really good timing, as Donkey Kong Country Returns was announced a few years later. Needless to say, I was super excited! In fact, that game is what got me to buy a Nintendo Wii! History would repeat for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and the Wii U.

So yeah, I hold the Donkey Kong Country series, and by extension the Donkey Kong series in general, very dearly to me to this day. One day, we'll get that new DK game... one day...

Crazy Frog

One day at primary/elementary school, a friend of mine found a funny website called "The Insanity Test", where you had to stare at an image of an F1 racing car while a distinct "Beh ding ding ding di-di-ding ding bing pscht daaarhm" noise played. The text said that if you laughed at it, you were apparently insane. (and yes, I laughed)

So later that year (I think?) when I heard the sound on TV from another room, I went to see what it was: An ad for the Crazy Frog ringtone. I found the commercials and the character funny. According to my friends, I could do a pretty good impression of the noise too!

When Crazy Frog mania was at it's peak, I was really excited for the Crazy Frog's first single, Axel F. I remember my Dad picking me up from school one day, and when I entered the car, I was greeted by the Axel F CD on the car dashboard! I got to play it on the stereo too, much to the irritation of my brother. Hehehe.

As with all fads, Crazy Frog's fame faded, and people moved on. But for some reason, whether it was the catchy music, the fun music videos, or just plain nostalgia, I continued to like the character, and slowly built up a collection of CDs and merchandise over the years.

And whereas many people feared Crazy Frog's comeback in 2021, I was one of the few who was happy to see the annoying amphibian return.

Shantae

One day, I was looking through the Wii U eshop for some games to buy, and I happened across a game with a cute anime-esque aesthetic: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. The metroidvania gameplay looked like something I would enjoy, so I bought that and the previous Shantae game, Risky's Revenge.

Sure enough, they had fun gameplay, great music and amusing writing. Trying a new franchise really payed off here! But I think I fully became a fan of the series with Half-Genie Hero and Seven Sirens. I got a greater appreciation of the endearing characters and quirky humour.

Shantae herself is such an endearingly dorky protagonist (her pirate talk in Pirate's Curse is absolutely adorable), and it's amusing to see her reactions to the wackier events throughout the games. I also like that while she's occasionally hot-headed, she's a legitimately caring and selfless hero who's always determined to save the day.

Phew! Sorry that ended up being a longer response I expected!

TL:DR:

I loved the Donkey Kong Country games as a kid and got back into them in the late 2000s.

I was a fan of Crazy Frog during his heyday, but I remained a fan because of the catchy music and fun music videos.

I discovered the 2nd and 3rd Shantae games on the Wii U eShop, and eventually became a fan of the franchise by the 4th and 5th installments.

[britcision]

I mean hear me out: we like a “things work out for Danny AU”

I like a “chaos reigns AU”

Danny declares a dramatic “well FUCK YOU I’m going on vacation!”

The other ghosts, whose primary motivation for wrecking shop is to throw down with Phantom more than half the time… no longer have that motivation

Amity Park quiets down for months

The Box Ghost is still wandering through and unleashing temporary boxy mayhem, but Val’s got this on lock. She can handle him any day of the week, twice on Sundays

No Skulker, no Johnny and Kitty, no Cujo, no Plasmius, no Youngblood or Spectra coming through

This is the most normal the city has been in years

(Mayor Vlad Masters hasn’t been seen in a while because he’s in preemptive soup time out but that’s fine there’s no disasters to need a mayor)

Danny, on his way to Io with Dani, doesn’t know to care except that occasionally Skulker is still showing up in space to try and hunt him and will tell him how Val’s doing

The Justice League aren’t sure why everything is so quiet, but they’re so proud of new member Red Huntress who is holding it together So Well. So Well she deserves a break and a retreat with the Teen Titans to bond with other young heroes!

Red Huntress, who knows full fucking well she did not do anything to scare anyone off, is suspicious as shit

Phantom left her a communicator to call if she needs him (whether they’re officially allies or not) but this much quiet? This can only mean one thing

Cuz see… the usual rogue’s gallery show up to fuck with Danny specifically. He staked a claim over the whole city that basically said “come on if you think you’re hard enough” and has been throwing down since

(And ghost socialization is all about punch punch anyway they’re just being polite by raising the stakes)

You know who doesn’t show up to fuck with just Danny, who tend to have their own plans and motivations?

The fucking heavy squad

Vortex sneaks back in

Or Undergrowth makes another go at a green makeover since the mayor’s gone

Or Nocturn decides that really this Teen Titans meet and greet should really really really be a slumber party

Or, worst of all for the JL, Clockwork decides they’ve had enough fun and it’s time they appreciate just what Danny was doing for them

And suddenly Val’s going from wrangling occasional ectopusses and Boxy to a world ending level event and when the hell did a ghost get this strong, this one came by once before and it wasn’t this bad, what changed???

Did someone else stop it last time???

Sam and Tucker are more than happy to scream “yea you fuckwits, PHANTOM DID”, with recorded evidence cuz they’ve been having a very annoying few months of people suddenly unsure if the League was right and it’s good Phantom left?

The full Justice League pile in to try and help and it’s escalating and escalating and JL Dark swan in to ask where the fuck the Protection spirit went, who fucked this up, and for once Constantine gets to be the one telling everyone else off

(Cuz yeah he didn’t read the update adding Amity Park to the roster but it’s a fucking Infinite Realms site, the regular league had no goddamn business trying to categorize it at all)

Val’s communicator is taking longer and longer to reach Danny because That’s How Physics And Space Travel Work, and they’ve gotten far enough now that Danny will hear they’re in trouble in about a week - way too late

So Constantine raids the Nasty Burger, slaps out the world’s ugliest summoning circle, and summons Danny directly back to remind him once more How Physics And Space Work Why The Hell Did You Use Electronic Communication

(Bonus points if Dani is left behind and has to come back on her own with Skulker for a vengeance tour)

Danny, still salty, asks why the hell the League is asking a rogue for help

Shazam gives him an intentionally awful “We’re Sorry Our Coworkers Suck” card that he made all of the regular Justice League sign while Constantine made burger monuments (it’s almost as tall as Danny)

Danny can appreciate the bit and also another secret magical girl

Kicks some ass and reminds the ghosts exactly why he’s the most fun to fuck around with

And then someone points out that they had basically no ghost attacks while Danny was gone, if he’s not a villain then what the hell?

(Someone else points out that Batman’s rogues also usually go quiet when he’s gone, fuckface, that’s actually really normal they tend to worry shit’s gonna hit the fan)

Danny learns for the first time in his not-life that the other ghosts all thought he was in on it this whole time and negotiates for a goddamn schedule and weekends off

Happily ever after, all solved, everyone goes home…

Just in time for Johnny and Kitty’s bi-monthly break up and hey that Red Robin kid was real cute

It’s not always only about bugging Danny

Danny’s gonna let Val handle them until the JL paperwork comes through though

I'd love to see a dpxdc story where the Justice League knows about Amity Park and the Ghosts the whole time, and does think the ghosts are rogues to be addressed. Doesn't agree with the GIW, maybe doesn't even know about them? THE IMPORTANT PART.

The Red Huntress is the only active vigilante in Amity Park, according to the JL. Phantom is marked as one of her rogues. Maybe the Fentons even are marked as rogues from all the property damages and random shooting/sliming of citizens. Valarie is the only person successfully taking care of the ghosts, masking and suiting up in the classic vigilante way the whole time.

[sirspazingtonthefourth]

A Well-Tempered Blade

Chapter 2: Starry Eyes

Summary: Katherine has a lousy quirk. At least, that's what everyone says. After all, who would want to be able to mimic any sound they hear? That's no quirk for a hero. But Katherine's quirk is not mimicry, but something worse; something that would get her labelled a villain the second she revealed it. So to keep her family she hides her quirk, not even telling her closest friends her secret. But secrets must eventually come into the lights, and Katherine's are no exception. 2.3k/16k, no romance, angst? oc

A/N: Had some fun with chapter. I really wanted to showcase the generational trauma and how Katherine's family really do care about her. The pace of the story made it a little difficult though, so if anyone wants to know more please comment or message me! Anywho, hope you enjoy!

Content Warnings (will be announced by the chapter): Bullying based on quirk, knives, family/generational trauma, I think? cutting, I think? As always, let me know if I missed any.

“You know, you should try to learn ventriloquism,” Kai said. He, Sunē, and Katherine were walking side by side to their first day of middle school. Since that day in elementary school, Sunē and Katherine had been nigh inseparable. Kai had joined, but would still hesitate to defend the two if anything happened, which it did quite frequently.

After all, Sunē was seen as a villain waiting to happen, and Katherine was never far from her side.

“Yeah, Kat! Think of it, drawing the villains’ attention to some corner while we snuck up behind them!” Katherine giggled at the idea. Even through the constant bullying about her and her best friend’s quirk, she and Sunē had been dead set on being heroes. The bullying just added fuel to the fire.

“That’s not a bad idea! I might be able to get some computer time and start trying to figure it out.”

“Good! You should also look for defense courses, when you get the chance of course. We don’t want you to get hurt,” Kai said as the three reached the gates of their new school.

“Don’t worry, I will. What’s your guy’s homeroom?” Kai and Sunē checked their schedules, frowns creasing their faces.

“I’ve got E1. Kai?”

“F1. Katherine? Are you in either of those classes?” Katherine checked her own schedule, and her face fell.

“No, my homeroom is C1.” The schedule comparing began, and the trio was dismayed to realize that they could only see each other at lunch.

“Well, at least we still get before and after school,” said Sunē, ever the optimist. Kai shrugged in disappointment, and Katherine tried to hide hers with a half-hearted, “sure.”

“Well, I’ll see you guys at lunch,” Kai said, walking into the building. Sunē walked into the building, Katherine at her side. They came to an intersection, and Sunē waved goodbye as she went to her own class. Katherine walked alone to her class, pushing the door open. She saw a few faces she recognized from elementary, but most were foreign to her.

She gave a little wave, careful not to let the long sleeves of her uniform fall down her arms. She had been practicing her quirk in secret, but the constant firing of blades from her arms had begun to leave a permanent indent in her flesh, almost like sheathes. But, with her quirk being unknown, it looked more like self harm. She didn’t want that to get reported.

“Oh, Katherine. It’s you,” One of the people Katherine recognized said. It was a boy with purple hair. His quirk was telekinesis, and while he hadn’t actively picked on Katherine and Sunē, he had watched without an ounce of guilt in his eyes. It was one of the reasons that Katherine didn’t interact with him.

The teacher walked in not long after Katherine found her seat and took roll. Everyone took the day to get to know their classmates and go to orientation. Part of that introduction was what your quirk was. When Katherine said mimicry, everyone looked at her with pity, disgust, or mischief. It wasn’t going to be a good year.

Katherine couldn’t find Kai and Sunē in the lunchroom, so sat alone. This further widened the gap between her and her classmates, who were all sitting with the other children from their elementary schools. Sitting alone was tantamount to admitting that she should be avoided or targetted.

After the long day, Kai and Sunē were waiting outside the school to walk home. Sunē looked exhausted, her snakes not even flicking their tongues out. Kai, on the other hand, looked quite jubilant, practically jumping up and down in excitement.

“Katherine! You’re not gonna believe this!” he said, running up to the dark haired girl in excitement. “There’s a group of kids in my class that all wanna be heroes too! They said they wanted to meet you guys, so that we could all be heroes together when we get older!”

Kai was so excited about the idea of new friends with the same goal that he failed to notice Katherine’s worn out look, or Sunē’s obvious exhaustion. Still, Katherine smiled and nodded, telling Kai that it was all great and of course Sunē and she would love to meet those new kids.

Kai couldn’t stop talking about those kids the whole way to his house. It was the closest of the three, and as he waved on his doorstep, Katherine couldn’t help but feel a little joy that he was gone for the moment. She could finally check on Sunē.

“Hey, are you alright? You haven’t been talking, and you look really tired,” Katherine asked after Kai closed his door. Sunē gave a weak smile.

“Just getting picked on. You know, the usual comments,” Sunē reassured. Katherine, though, didn’t believe her. She saw how hollow Sunē’s eyes looked, how her shoulders sagged and her shoes scraped along the ground. So Katherine did the first thing she could think of. She hugged her.

“Those douchebags are lying, okay? They’re lying, or they’re just too stupid to see how amazing you are. You’re funny, and smart, and you’re great at making people feel safe, and those are all important when being a hero!” Katherine pulled back to see Sunē nearly at tears. 

“They don’t get to tell you who you’re meant to be. That’s for you to decide.” Sunē smiled again, lip trembling, and wiped her eyes.

“You’re right, Kat. Thank you. Thank you for believing in me.”

“These are your friends, Kai?”

“They don’t look like heroes.”

“That one even looks like a villain! Are you sure she won’t try and stop us?”

“Guys, I promise! Sunēkuai and Katherine are awesome!” This last one came from Kai, making a vain attempt to convince his new friends to stop picking on the ones that had been with him since early childhood. “Sunē can turn people into lizards, and Kat can mimic anything! If they can just train their quirks a bit more, they’d-”

“No way, Kai. These kids aren’t cut out to be heroes. Look at them! They should just stay outta the way. If you want to come train with us, fine. But don’t bring these two rejects with you,” the biggest boy said, walking away with his posse of five trailing. He boasted bright green skin, and Kai said the pockets on his skin were full of acid.

Kai seemed to deflate as he walked away, and Katherine felt a little bad for him. She had expected this, but Kai always saw the good in people, always saw hope that maybe someone would look at his friends like they were real people, instead of a villain and a bystander waiting to happen.

“At least they didn’t kick us,” Katherine said, only half joking. Kai just stared after the boys for a while, lost in his own thoughts. Sunē sighed, walking up and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks for trying, Kai, but it’s no use. Come on, we should head to class. Don’t want to be late on the second day.” Kai turned to face Sunē.

“I’m going to train with them.”

The silence hung in the air a minute. Sunē’s snakes all turned to stare at Kai, who subconsciously took a step back. Katherine, only having the one set of eyes, stared with those.

“Are you serious? After what they just said?” she burst, waving her arms in frustration. She regretted it, as her sleeve started to ride up a little too far.

“I don’t think what they said was right at all! You guys can be great heroes, we all can! But we need training, and they’re our best bet. I’ll train with them, then I’ll teach you and Sunē what I’ve learned after! Does… does that sound alright?”

Kai had the biggest, brightest, puppy-dog eyes. Katherine was convinced it had something to do with him altering the water in his eyes, but had never gotten him to spill about it. She tried to use that logic to clear her mind as she reasoned her way through Kai’s decision as he tried to sway her and Sunē.

“I guess it’s fine, if Kat’s alright with it?” Sunē said, turning to Katherine. With a sigh, Katherine nodded.

“You’d better still be our friend though, alright? We can’t have study-sleepovers without you,” Kat said. Kai beamed and nodded. The bell rang as he tried to say something, alerting the trio that they were about to be late. Without a word, all three sprinted to their classrooms, happy and hopeful at the new arrangement.

Katherine arrived home several hours later. She’d found Sunē at lunch this time, but had to endure the same vicious mockery that had always followed her and Sunē. The ridicule would doubtless follow her the whole year, and though the fact was familiar it still weighed heavy in her mind.

“Hello, my little star! How was your day at school?” Katherine’s mother asked.

“It was fine,” Katherine called back, taking her shoes off at the door before walking in. Her mother emerged out of the kitchen, holding a small bowl of sliced apples.

“Well, anything exciting happen?” her mother asked as she handed Katherine the bowl. The girl picked up a slice and bit down on it, enjoying the sweet flavor but saddened by the soft texture of the apple. Regardless, she finished the slice before answering.

“Kai joined a group of boys that are training together to be heroes,” she said offhandedly.

“Only Kai?” her mother replied.

“Mhm. He’s going to train with them, then teach me and Sunē what he learned so we can all be heroes together.” Katherine’s mother tutted softly.

“Star, you know how I feel about that… about Sunē. She will lead you down a dark path, and I don’t want that for you. Plus, think of your quirk! You weren’t meant to face villains, darling.”

Though the words were nothing new to Katherine, they still stung every time she heard her mother say them. It hurt to know her own mother didn’t think she was cut out for her dream. But it was worse to know her mother thought that Sunē, who was closer to her than anyone, could lead her toward being a villain.

“I’m going to do my homework. I’ll see you at dinner, Mom,” Katherine said, handing the bowl back to her mother. She turned toward the staircase and went up without a glance back.

When she reached her room, Katherine shut the door and changed into more comfortable clothes. She’d been lying about the homework: she’d finished it all in class today. That meant she had time to practice her quirk.

Carefully, she pulled a paring knife out of the sheath in her right arm. Satisfied, she resheathed it, absorbing the iron for later. She pulled out a bread knife from her left arm and did the same. This continued for several hours, until she heard her father announce that dinner was ready. That did a lot to brighten her mood, and she quickly absorbed the shortsword she’d made and raced downstairs.

Katherine’s father was a personal chef, and a brilliant one at that. Because of this he wasn’t usually around to cook dinner, but when he was it always tasted spectacular. It didn’t matter if it was something as simple as pizza or as complex as biryani, it always tasted amazing.

This, unlike those he went to culinary school with, had nothing to do with his quirk. He’d had to work at least twice as hard as his classmates to pass his classes, and he had not only done that but graduated in the top three. And he had done it all in spite of what everyone thought about his quirk.

His quirk was the ability to make anything a weapon. He didn’t change the structure of anything, but he could pick up any item and would know how to use it as an effective weapon. With a quirk like that, he’d been told by his classmates that he would become a villain, and his parents had worried about that fate as well. It made sense, then, that he had married someone that went through a similar struggle.

Katherine’s mother was an actress. She sang for commercials, and appeared as an extra in those commercials and a few small movies. Her career did align with her quirk, but she did her best not to share it out of fear that she would never get a commission again. Katherine’s mother could command anyone that heard her sing. Just like her husband, her family and classmates had been afraid that she’d become a villain.

Perhaps the mutual experience of ridicule and fear the two had felt was what led them to worry so much over their daughter’s quirk and friends. Katherine couldn’t blame them, though. After all, they were only worried about keeping her from ruin. She shouldn’t begrudge them that.

The dinner was terse between mother and daughter, with Katherine’s father trying to bridge the gap between the two. He had always been the more sympathetic of the two, and Katherine adored him for it.

After dinner, Katherine went back upstairs, honing her quirk. One of her knives came out too sharp, and she cut her finger slightly. With a hiss, she dropped the knife. In a panic, Katherine held out a hand to try and catch the knife, and it stopped right above the floor.

The point was about to be impaled in the carpet, floating a bare inch above. Katherine slowly bent to pick it up, and it lifted into her hand. With the knife in hand, she went and opened her window. Stepping back around her room, she dropped the knife again.

When it was floating above the floor, she lifted it back towards her hand, but didn’t grasp it. It was floating level with her shoulder, parallel to the ground. Katherine swung her arm, gesturing towards the window. The knife flew out, point first, with a faint whistling noise. Katherine pulled it back before it went too far, staring at the clean blade in fascination.

[celestialspecial]

These Beautiful Moments

Epilogue snippets from These Beautiful Torments

Warnings- Fluff, so much Dad!Billy, just cute ass Billy with his son

Billy walked into the diner, his usual haunt late some evenings, and occasionally early Sunday mornings. The waitress smiled and gestures to his spot, in the back by the window, she remembered him from when he would show up at 3am after a long work haul, just leaving the office and craving shitty coffee and greasy food. Strolling in, wearing his three piece suits and a satisfied tired look in his eyes.

Nowadays they’d still remembered him, but a different kind of satisfied tired in his eyes, and now the company he brought was different. A baby carrier carseat in his one hand, bag of tricks that all new parents got acquainted with one way or another, in the other. Sitting down he settled the baby onto the table in front of him, giving the most grateful look to the waitress who without needing input brought over a pot of coffee for the table.

It was early morning, a Tuesday. Working remotely was Billy’s new favorite thing, when you’d go into the office it was just him and the baby, unless your schedule got reversed or tangled somehow. Anvil had been rebranded, a new facelift and look, something more along the lines that Billy could better stand behind after the internal transformation he’d also experienced.

 He was no longer ceo but was able to get a higher placed position in there once again, now that his name was cleared, the work of his friends and friends of friends had gone over well, in some eyes he might even be considered a hero, but he’d dismiss any notion of that.

It was drizzling outside, hopefully clearing by early afternoon but right now he enjoyed the peace of it, not many people were in the diner because of the weather and that’s how he liked it. Jack let out a high pitched shriek of joy watching Billy pour himself a cup of coffee. Baby babble was a new language he was picking up on, smiling and making a goofy face at Jack before tickling the baby’s side.

His new son was only a few months old but watching him each day and how he grew, and learned and picked up on things confounded him every time. You were right, Jacks eyes had begun to darken into that chocolatey brown, large orbs staring back at him as he added cream and sugar. The little guy seemed to take in everything at once, looking around  from his seat, playing with his buckle and wiggling trying to break free.

Jacks favorite place was on a blanket on the floor, where he’d lay in his tummy, or look up at the playmobile Billy had assembled with all sorts of fun things that moved, rattled, and made other fun noises. The little guy was getting strong enough to push up and rock back and forth, crawling would come next and Billy knew neither of you were gonna be ready for that.

You had gotten a book for Billy to read to Jack about baseball, coming with its own soft toy to accompany the story. Jack liked to mouth at the toy while his father read. You could tell Billy couldn’t wait to toss a ball back and forth with him and his son.

“The usual?” The older waitress asked Billy, before turning to Jack and making kissing noises at him, Jack gave his signature beaming gummy smile in return, as well as a string of nonsense noises.

“Yes please.” He responded watching her walk off before turning to his son. “A ladies man just like your old man. Gonna be making me jealous, huh?” Jack made a gurgling noise before returning his attention to breaking free of his restraints. 

Billy was lost in his coffee, not hearing the sound of the bell ringing as the door opened and another patron walked in. Jack noticed though, clapping his hands and blowing a spit bubble. “What are you doing?” Billy asked him, amusement glimmering in his eyes watching his son grinning back at him.

“Oh boy, he’s got your smile.” Billy nearly choked on his coffee before turning around to see his old friend…former friend? Not really sure- but Frank, standing before him. Frank nodded his head to the seat across from Billy, who silently nodded, watching the other man scoot into the booth, pouring a cup of coffee from the nearly empty pot. He didn’t really know what to say, thankfully his little man was never at a loss for words…or rather making noises.

Jack cooed, and babbled on, to himself or to anyone within earshot all before sticking his foot into this mouth, sucking on the fabric of his pajamas.

“Kids got a mouth.” Frank noted, taking a sip of the dark beverage. “He looks…”

“Just like me.” Billy responded, running a hand through his hair, then laying it protectively over Jacks tummy. Frank ‘hmmmfed’ in agreement.

“I’m sure y/n loves that.”

“She likes to joke with me about it all the time.” Billy’s eyes squinted at Jack who made a big yawn, releasing his foot and potentially was getting tuckered out from trying to escape his car seat. After a moment of awkward silence Billy was the first to speak again, “Were you just… in the neighborhood? Or-“ he couldn’t think of the next words. Wondering how Frank had found him, maybe not even how, but more of a why.

“I know we left on…terms that were shaky. Our lives have not been…well they should’ve been different. I’m sorry for, for not listening to you or believing some of the things you said. I-“ Billy held up a hand, Frank had no need to apologize, for anything. Looking at his little boys eyelids get heavy, starting to drift off to sleep in his carrier, inconceivably small.

 The love he had for this little human who’d only been in his life less than a year, coupled with the love he had for you that bloomed larger and larger than he ever thought possible day after day. To imagine…that being taken from him right before his eyes…there were few fates worse than death and his friend had suffered it.

“Frankie…you don’t have to apologize. Not even once. I- should’ve been a better friend to you. If I could go back-“

“I do have to apologize. If I’d have just listened to you even after the fact I wouldn’t have…your face..” two marines trying to make amends, with feelings put into words they both could barely manage.

Billy rubbed a hand over his face. The scars were fully healed, no longer red and angry but a softer pink, in some places on his nose and hairline fading to the silvery white that most scars got to. There were days where he still felt like a monster, catching a look at himself in the mirror, craving to don another mask to conceal his features.

But then Jack would either wake up from a nap, or look up from his place playing on the floor and just seeing Billy’s face he’d smile from ear to ear in recognition of his father. It was enough to make Billy tear up, and often times he did. And you, his love, the only good thing he’d ever done besides father Jack, would hold his face, kissing him tenderly. Running your hands over his body, neck, jaw, facial features, kissing each one in kind, seeing him for who he truly was and still attracted to him.

Becoming a parent with you by his side was the greatest adventure, terrifying and wonderful all at once. Jack’s little brows drew up into a frown from his seat, he’d just been falling asleep and suddenly was once again awake and fussy. Making noises of distress in his chair.

Billy unclamped the straps and hoisted the little bundle into his arms, who then chose to thrash uncomfortably in his fathers arms, tears beginning to form, little whimpers and cries that still broken Billy’s heart even if they were just for hunger or a diaper change. Frank finished his cup of coffee and gestured with his hands to Jack.

Hesitating but reassured by Frank’s surprisingly gentle smile, Billy handed the squirming baby over to Frank who adjusted Jack in his arms, holding him taut against his chest, standing to bounce in place gently soothing the crying child. Billy watched in awe as Jack immediately calmed, eyes still bleary with tears but the redness in his cheeks died down and he blinked a few times looking up at the burly man holding him.

They had fought side by side, overseas and at home. Gone through basic training together. Been punched, jabbed, rain drenched with mouths full of mud to the bitter end. They’d suffered bullet wounds, bombs, and basically everything else the world could possibly concoct to attack a person and yet here they both stood. The man across from him by all accounts was a cold blooded killer, and yet here he stood, bouncing back and forth on his heels, shushing the small baby in his arms.

Jacks large dark eyes fluttered closed, rubbing his face into Frank’s sleeve as a long yawn escaped his mouth. The kid was out cold. Once he realized they were in the clear Frank scooted back into his seat still cradling Jack as Billy’s food arrived. Billy made to reach for his son but Frank shook his head, nodding towards the steaming plate of breakfast food.

“I suggest you enjoy this moment of eating hot food while you still can.” There was mirth in his response, but Billy nodded realizing the truth in the other mans words. Digging into his bacon and eggs, eyes flicking up between bites to gauge if Jack was still ok and asleep. “You can relax, I’m not gonna steal the kid.”

“Sorry. I don’t think that…I just… I didn’t know a person could worry so much.” He rubbed the back of his neck, realizing when it was just him the world could be as cruel and awful as it needed to be but then he found you. Then there were three. Worry for his wife, for his child, seemed to dominate his thoughts.

“I’ll let you in on a secret, that never goes away.” Frank brushed a soft whisp of dark hair off Jacks forehead as the sleeping baby only nestled in deeper. “I can’t believe how much he looks like you.” Billy smiled at the little baby, it was a comment he got all the time. Karen insisted that her friend got jipped doing most of the work for him to be a carbon copy of his father.

“I love him more than life itself.” Billy shook his head. “I didn’t even think it was possible for me to feel this way.” A soft snore emanated from the sleeping baby, but Billy looked at Frank’s face as he readjusted baby Jack. The reality of the situation began to sink into Billy’s head. Watching his friend tenderly holding the newborn, a glazed look in his eyes staring down at the sleeping baby.

Frank had all this taken from him. His wife. His children. The reason he had for living, was just…gone. Billy had loved Maria and the kids, they were the family he never had but he was still an outsider. Their loss was felt painfully by him but he couldn’t fathom being the last one left. When rawlins had taken you captive, when he wasn’t sure you and Jack would have made it, he could barely cope, but you did survive and you both were here. Happy. Safe.

“Ya know, it’d be nice if you could stick around this time. Be in his life.” Billy nodded towards the sleeping baby. “I’d like it if you stuck around. Give me some tips?” Frank continued to look down upon the sleeping newborn, a glazed look in his eyes, unreadable expression. After a long drawn out moment he looked up to meet Billy’s eyes and nodded.

“I could maybe do that.” Running a rough finger over the baby’s chubby cheek and pouting lips. “Make sure you don’t fuck him up too much. Would you like that? Having Uncle Frank over more often?” The corner of his mouth tugged into a smirk and Billy responded with a smile of his own. Resting his elbow on the table and leaning his chin in the palm of his hand, watching his oldest friend holding his brand new son.

Jacks little eyes fluttered open, large dark orbs taking in the room around him. So innocent and small, Billy was amazed more and more everyday watching his boy grow, taking in the world and feeling a sense of gratitude he’d never felt before. Not when we was Ceo, not when he had the slickest sports car, no, this was incomparable.

The sight of his son waking up from a nap to see his father who had done so much wrong in his life and giving him the biggest smile anyways. He wasn’t a marine to Jack, or a lieutenant, nor a business executive, he was a father, a safe place, a new start.

Everything he didn’t deserve but was beyond grateful to have. To learn to make it right. His own father was never there, but each day and every night he swore that Jack would never have to wonder where his father was, and if he was loved.

Billy finished his food and tossed back the rest of his coffee, allowing his shoulders to relax an iota more as Frank gently rocked Jack. The baby still soothed, awake but drifting in and out of alertness. He watched as his friend finished his own coffee in return and Billy took out a card, handing it to the passing waitress who spent the next few minutes making cooing noises and gestures at the drowsy baby.

“Yucking up the attention.” Billy murmured pleasantly, running a finger over jacks cheek as well.

“Wonder where he gets it.” The two shared an amused laugh before readjusting Jack into his car seat, moving towards the exit as the early morning ebbed into its usual bustling New York mornings. Even the weekends weren’t slow or quiet.

Frank turned to Billy one more time, “I’ll see ya around?” A soft question, it didn’t escape Billy’s notice of his friends eyes darting down to the bundle, who was now once again asleep.

“You’d better come around. This one’ll be looking for you if you don’t.” He slowly raised the car seat in gesture to Jack who only nuzzled his face deeper into the fuzzy blanket tucked around him. Frank smiled, a genuine smile, that Billy couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen it. His friend then placed a strong hand on his shoulder, clapping his back once, giving a salute and turning in his heel, hands in his pockets as he disappeared into the city.

Once his friend was out of sight Billy looked down at Jack, sleeping peacefully in the loud hubbub of the city that carved Billy into the man he was today. Knowing it would mold and sculpt his son into the man he’d become as well. But hell bent on making sure he was there every step of the way, supporting and loving his boy in every way he knew how or would learn. With you by his side as well, for the first time knowing and feeling he wasn’t alone. 

[oh-holy-slut]

Bloodlust

Pairing: Damon Salvatore x fem!reader

Warnings: smut, explicit language, blood sharing, mentions of death, oral sex

Word Count: 2,6k

Summary: Stefan forced Damon to try his animal diet. Damon hated it, but didn't had a choice... until Reader makes a suggestion. Suddenly things get steamy.

Being with Damon was complicated. Him and Y/N have seen each other a lot in the past weeks. The two of them had a lot of fun; saw a lot of movies. Actually, Y/N was sure Damon secretly hated many of those. However, anytime Y/N suggested another dramatic, romantic cliché movie like "Last Song" - the vampire groaned, put his arm around her shoulder, let her head rest on his chest and endured every single second of the movie of her choice.

Damon even flirted and teased Y/N here and there, but didn't lead to anything more intimate so far.

Today was another of those days. Y/N stuck around at the Salvatore boarding house, brought a few of Damon's favorite groceries and a bunch of movies, of which she thought that they will suit his taste. Even if they were a little to bloody and brutal in her opinion.

"Pick one!", she demanded, holding all three Blu-ray sleeves in front of him. Damon just shrugged, not bothering to even look.

"Don't be a killjoy, Damon Salvatore!" Y/N sighed.

"Tell me what's wrong or pick a movie. You've got no choice. And besides that... Which number of drink is this?" Y/N frowned, pointing at the liquor in her friends hand. Damon usually consumed his beloved bourbon with pleasure.

But the man on the couch didn't seem pleasured at all. His facial features totally hardened and a look in his eyes like he was ready to rip someone's heart out.

You put the disc's back in your handbag, closing the zipper and put the bag on the floor.

"Fine. No movie night today. Who are we going to kill?"

A small smirk appeared on Damon's lips, finally looking towards Y/N.

"Stefan and his hero hair. He made me go vegetarian... well, for a vampire... and I can't get myself to eat one of those chipmunks, bunnies or bambis." He shook himself with disgust.

"And why did he count you in? You clearly aren't excited about the changing... So, why did you agree?"

"He said, he would kill me, which is kinda funny. But-" Damon made a wide gesture "he stole my daylight ring. And he wouldn't give it back until I stop feeding on innocent people - and kill them."

"So, you truly let your younger brother blackmail you like that?! Wow... I don't know how to feel about your dieting or your new path. Or whatever this is supposed to be."

"You don't like me killing people either", Damon maintained, while taking another sip of bourbon.

"Well, I don't", Y/N agreed, took a step forward, stole the glass from the vampires hand and put it on a small table nearby. "But I don't believe in forcing as a method to get people to change their minds. I believe that change for the better must be an intrinsic motivation," she added quickly, giving the vampire an innocent smile.

Damon's lineaments suddenly turned from annoyed to curious. "Any suggestions, little one?" The vampire raised an eyebrow and a little smirk showed up on his lips. On the one hand, Y/N blushed over the nickname, Damon called her.  On the other hand she felt skittish looking forward to making a deal with him. Not only a deal. It's far more than a simple agreement.

It's Y/N, actually giving Damon a part of her. The red elixir of life. She was about to give him total control of her body and she not even for a heartbeat doubt that Damon will use it against her.

"Actually... Yeah. There's something on my mind." Y/N said chewing on your lip. "I could open up a vein for you. I mean, you could feed on me. And since you have my permission, there's nothing for anybody to have objection about."

Damon frowned and gave her an incredulous look. "You would do that for me?" The vampire couldn't believe, he understood correctly. Why would Y/N want to get involved with him feeding on her? What's in it for her? Damon tried hard to connect the dots, but he wasn't able to. It all seemed to make no sense. Y/N wouldn't have an advantage of that. The vampire hesitated, pinning his dangerously blue eyes on the girl in front of him.

"Is it so suspicious of me, that I'm trying to help my closest friend?" It pierced Y/N's heart, realizing, Damon's trust in her was rather fragile. "Never mind", she waved the pain away and forced herself to keep her composure. "I only had a hasty idea; you really don't need to fee-"

Suddenly Damon appeared behind Y/N, using his vampirism. "Shhhh", he whispered softly. "I never said, that I don't want your blood. I'm thinking about if we are going to cross a line? Blood sharing can be very personal..."

"It can be? It is personal already. Believe it or not - I'm not gonna offer my veins to all the vampires of Mystic Falls." Y/N rolled her eyes, her arms folded on her chest to point out the indignation she felt right now.

"Kinda sensitive today, huh?" Damon gently stroke a strand of hair behind her ear, Y/N could hear this smug smirk through his words. It was a true 'Damon thing' to do. "I didn't mean it like that, princess." He sighed; unsure if he should agree or not. Damon didn't want to act selfish towards Y/N. He compelled a lot of girls for the purpose of drinking blood in the past. He literally used them as long as they weren't too annoying - and then he acted like they have never met. Damon Salvatore couldn't imagine this scenario with Y/N. They've been so close, the vampire couldn't stand loosing her. The offer was risky, but it also could bring each other even closer.

Damon tried hard to avoid any serious attraction between Y/N and him, afraid of messing up. Indeed, he found himself thinking, and even dreaming, about Y/N more than he wanted to admit. She was smart and had this special sense of humor, the vampire adored so much. She was the only one, who could make him feel good no matter what. Needless to say she had that glimmer in her eyes, when she did something she truly loved. In these moments she was even more pretty. Y/N was hard to resist.

And maybe now he could have her like nobody else. At least the vampire gave in. He wanted her blood. He wanted her.

Y/N flinched by the feeling of Damon brushing her neck with his lips.  "Oh, Damon", she gasped. "Bite me." Y/N almost begged for the vampire's teeth breaking through her skin. Damon loved the sound of her husky voice. In less than a heartbeat he turned into his vampire shape. "If you insist", he grinned devilishly, ready to place his teeth on to her skin.

Suddenly Y/N made a slight move forward with the intention to interrupt her friend. "Did you change your mind?" Damon was close to switching back to human, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions. Mostly a lack of understanding, but also a little of disappointment and even anger. Was Y/N playing games on him? While Damon Salvatore was sorting feelings, Y/N turned around, standing now in front of him.

She was so close, not even a piece of paper would fit between them.

Y/N slightly exhaled breath, her eyes darting between the vampires eyes and lips. It was the first time Y/N saw him like this. The icy blue of his eyes, she loved so much, has turned darker. Purple veins appeared under his eyes; Y/N couldn't help herself. Damon's appearance fully intoxicated every fibre of her being. Her fingertips found their way gently brushing over his dark purple veins. She felt heat and softness, while tracing one of them.  It took her a few seconds to get out of trance, realizing what she had done. "Sorry", she murmured with a voice barely audible. "Don't apologize, little one." Damon tilted his head, his lips curled up in a self-assured grin, exposing a perfectly white vampire fang. "I never saw you like this before, you loo-"

"... look like a monster?"

Y/N shook her head. It was nothing like that. Yes, he did look unfamiliar. And she should be scared under normal conditions. Instead, his look hit her in an unexpected way. He looked hotter as a vampire, if it was even possible. 

Y/N cleared her throat, looking up at Damon. "I feel... attracted to you."

"So nothing's changed", Damon teased, raising his eyebrows. The girl in front of him softly slapped him on his shoulder; which was only possible because the vampire permitted. "You are always so full of yourself." She smirked, feeling more confident being to something, they have had been so many times before. Granted, he was terrifying accurate, but she wouldn't serve her feelings on a silver platter.

"I'm still into it. You can bite me; feed on me. I only needed to see you before..." 

A shockwave of electricity flowed through her body the second Damon took her hand and pulled her close.

"I'll be careful", he promised, nuzzling his head into the nap of her neck. Damon once again placed his lips on her soft skin. 

Suddenly a harsh pain made Y/N feel like in a kind of haze. She flinched and let out a groan at the same time, unintentionally biting her lower lip. 

During Damon embedded his fang deeper and deeper, she started feeling dizzy. Her hands searched for the vampires upper body, finally wrapped around his neck. She needed him to lean on. A narrow trickle of blood flowed down her neck. Let Damon feed on her felt like flames licking up every fiber of her body. 

With every passing second Y/N could feel her control slip away. Her body was now firmly pressed against Damon's, like she would want to merge them into one.

Damon noticed her staggering, wrapped his arms around her waist, supporting her.

Bloodlust already messed up the vampires mind, so he continued feeding on Y/N.

A tempting moan escaped her lips, but she didn't care to cover up. Y/N's heart was racing, her eyes flattering. It was almost as if he was about to push her over the edge, but in a different way. "Mmm, this...this… feels soo weird... and so good...", she whispered under a shallow breath.

As soon as Damon heard her fading voice, he abruptly

quitted drinking from her.

"Fuck!" He rapidly laid her on his lap and checked Y/N's vital signs, to make sure she was okay. Instinctively he bit his wrist, pressed it against Y/N's mouth. He knew his blood would heal her, but it wasn't going fast enough. A few seconds passed through, to him they felt like centuries. Y/N finally blinked and Damon was relieved. He cupped her cheeks, his gaze never leaving hers. "I thought, I'd gone-" Damon cleaned his throat. "I'm so glad, you are doing well", he whispered, while trailing her lips with his fingertips. "So, fuckin' glad..." The vampire exhaled a deep breath. 

"It... You made me feel good. Strange, but good", Y/N appeased and flushed over the memory. "Maybe you got a little carried away, but I don't mind. I wouldn't trade the feeling for anything."

Y/N quickly interrupted herself, before she could reveal too much.

However, Damon used his vampire skills, noticing that Y/N was hiding something from him. "Isn't there anything else you want me to know?", Damon asked without taking his eyes off her. Y/N shifted and flushed even more. "It's unfair. You use your vampirism to get everything out of me."

"Well, if that were the case, I could easily compel you." Damon shrugged and found back to his smugly self. "Tell me, what you are hiding". He said in a seductive voice.

"I wanted to get lost in you."

Her confession sent shivers all over the vampires body. At first he could not decide, how to handle this. "Are you sure that's what you want? I could really hurt you..." Y/N hummed.

In the next split second, Damon pinned Y/N against a wall, smashing his lips on hers, kissing her with all the passion he had to give. The vampire devoured Y/N with a new kind of hunger. He didn't know he could crave someone so much.

"Fuck me, Damon..."

The vampire felt him getting hard, only by hearing those little three words out of her mouth.

"Say it louder. Tell me, what you want me to do."

Y/N pulled him closer, gently biting his earlobe.

"Fuck... me, Damon." It took her a second to focus and forming the words again. After she was near to climax earlier, it wasn't a long way getting to the edge once more. "Make me cum... You almost had me there..."

A deep moan got over the vampires lips, once he understood, what Y/N was trying to tell him.

With the next blink Y/N found herself in Damon's bedroom, lying on his bed.

From now on there weren't many words needed. Damon's hand's found their way under her shirt, cupping her breasts and make her moan over and over again.

He closely listened to the rhythm of her heart, making sure he would be able to delay her climax to the point he needed her to.

"Don't cum yet... I want to taste your little pussy first."

Y/N grabbed the vampires head, running her fingers through his dark hair - pushing him down, since she was unable to form a single word.

As Damon got down, he didn't take his eyes off Y/N.

He used a hand pushing up her skirt and lightly stroking over her panties with his fingertips.

"My girl is so wet", he praised in a low husky voice."-and I barely touched you."

His dirty words in combination with his touch lead to another moan, almost turned into a scream.

Damon pushed the fabric aside, leaving sloppy kisses on the inside of her thighs.

Y/N's eyes fluttered, when his soft lips reached her middle.

Damon's tongue licking around her entrance was driving her nuts.

"...so delicious..." were the only words she was able to catch up. Damon knew, he couldn't thrill her forever, so he got back to her. He spit on his palms, stroking his hand over his crotch. In under a second Y/N finally felt this releasing pressure of his cock. It was like a switch went off in her brain and she braced herself for the hard thrusts that would follow.

Damon dimmed the whining noises Y/N made with a passionate, hungry kiss.

He cheated with his vampirism to give it to her deeper and faster, knocking out all the air of her lungs while Y/N screamed out Damon's name. Her walls clenched around him and made him twitch. It was like her pussy massaged his dick the best way possible.

Every time he hit her harder and rougher he was making sure he hit her spot with every thrust.

Damon gathered speed one last time and pushed her over the edge until she was a moaning whimpering mess.

With her last contraction around his shaft, Damon was cumming inside her.

"You are so tight, little one", he whispered under his breath. "We should make arrangements more often."

Please like or/and reblog if you enjoyed reading or/and want me to write more stories about Damon.

Thanks guys ❤️

[five-rivers]

"'Scuse me," said Higuchi, drawing attention to herself again.

Izuku attempted to refrain from fidgeting, but... there was just so much going on. So much new information about quirks, about his friends, about One for All... it was all he could do to keep from fidgeting, either with his own hands or with One for All's hands. He wanted to whip out his notebook and start writing, but the seats in the Demonstration Hall were close together, and Kacchan was nearby and some memories from junior high were deep...

One of the hands of One for All (Nana's, maybe?) fluffed his hair in a vaguely chiding way, and he muttered an apology.

"Okay," said Higuchi, "now that y'all've got that, some other housekeeping details. First off, none of the quirk manifestations will take much in the way of weight. More'n a few extra pounds per square inch, and they'll go poof. As long as it's within my three day time limit, they'll reform, but they'll take the energy to do that from you. In fact, y'all might be noticing that forming them in the first place took something out of you. Other things... don't try to feed them. Don't set 'em on fire - that always gets weird, even if they don't poof."

Izuku wasn't the only one to look at Todoroki's already-on-fire bird.

"Don't try to eat them... And don't try to get to far away from them. That can cause them to disperse and reform, too, and how far away you have to get for that is different for each person. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's it." She gave the students a little wave. "Have fun with your quirks, everyone!"

"Wow," said Izuku, "I wonder why she didn't become a hero with such a convenient ability."

"What do you mean, Midoriya?" asked Mineta. His change was subtle, just a moving ooze-like pattern over his hair balls.

"Well, it sounds like her ability could be used to create instant weak spots. Even for a quirk like Kirishima's, if you can keep making the manifestation, um, poof, then you can eventually wear down the person."

"It's because she wanted to teach elementary school," said Aizawa. Izuku jumped. He'd somehow forgotten he was there.

He blamed all of the fascinating physical quirk manifestations around him. Yaoyorozu, sitting just on the other side of Mineta, glowed. It really added to her image as a goddess!

"Oh," said Izuku, "I bet it's really useful there, too." Especially with early quirk counseling. Well... That assumed she had an occupational use license... not that the lack of one had stopped the teachers at Aldera...

Anyway! No time to think about that! He had quirks to study! Including, and especially, One for All!

Principal Nezu got back up on the stage. "Please take the rest of the day to familiarize yourself with your quirks," he said. "Starting tomorrow, we will be running special lessons that take them into account."

And with that, the were dismissed. 1-A naturally gravitated to Ground Alpha, where they were sure to have lots of room for practice... or just to spread out and compare quirk effects.

"Alright!" said Kaminari, grinning at them and holding up his quirk manifestation, a long, pale yellow creature with long ears that was otherwise somewhere between a weasel and a hedgehog. "Who else has a new little animal bestie?"

"Me! Me!" said Ashido, jumping up and down. "Look at this cutie!"

Izuku... didn't know if he'd call that cute, exactly, but it was visually interesting. Like a wide, flat sea slug that folded over Ashido's shoulders like a cloak.

Other than her and Todoroki... yeah, that was it, actually.

"Do you think we could battle them like Pokemon?" asked Kaminari.

"Hm," said Todoroki, glaring lightly at his two birds (which were still fighting). "Pass."

As Kaminari and Ashido tried to battle each other, Izuku turned his attention to his other classmates. Some hardly looked changed, but for others... Kirishima had patterns on his skin that were reminiscent of what he looked like when he activated Hardening. Jiro's showed lines leading from her jacks and ears that went all over her body. Aoyama had both glitter and sickly-looking cracks radiating out from his stomach. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow had become much more solid-looking, almost like a double following him around.

It was amazing, it was fascinating, it was--

A bit strange, the way that he wasn't able to get a closer look at anyone.

"Todoroki, do you feel like... people are avoiding us?" asked Izuku. One of the hands patted his shoulder in a reassuring way. Absentmindedly, he patted one back.

"No," said Todoroki, who was staring intently at One for All's hands.

"Must just be a coincidence, then," said Izuku. His eyes wandered over to Aizawa and All Might, who were supervising them. Both of them were looking at him.

Coincidence.

Maybe there was something unusual about his quirk manifestation? He hadn't even thought about that, really, and he should have. He missed too much when it came to this quirk, like when he hadn't realized that All Might had been quirkless. What if he gave away the secret of One for All?

Another reassuring pat made him take a deep breath. No. Surely, hands weren't that unusual.

He looked at them. Seven pairs and one extra, for a total of fifteen hands. He brushed his fingers over the golden extra, the one he was sure corresponded to All Might. The shape was right.

What would they do if he activated One for All...?

He pulled up Full Cowl, and the grip of the hands became firmer. He could feel them, ready to lend him their strength. All Might's hand wrapped around his right wrist, giving the aching bones just that little bit extra relief.

He smiled, and whispered his thanks.

He loved quirks, and he was going to make the most of this one.

Class 1a are hit with a quirk that cause them to show ways of how their quirks effect them like aizawa's hair floats and eyes stay permanently red while bakugou's palms glow and momo's skin glows(like a goddess)

but ofa manifests like 8 pairs of glowing hands wrapped around izuku like a hug or pat on the back

feels re assuring for izuku, looks really creepy for everyone else

Izuku has a hand ruffling his hair, a fist pressed to his heart, a splayed palm on his back pushing him forward, a pair on his shoulders in reassurance, hands wrapped around him in a hug, some holding to his arms to balance him, some around his legs to lift him up. It's strange, but not uncomfortable- it feels nice, even

Except Class 1A, who've all seen Shigaraki in his full Hands McMike outfit at USJ, are having flashbacks and nervously trying to figure out why a strength quirk looks like that.

[milliedazzledust]

In Loving Memory (Bucky Barnes imagine)

Request: @missroro the reader is steve twin and she married to bucky after the blip, she had enough of the 'new captain america' thing shes really mad, so when walker and his friend start talking about joining forces she snap like she pull out a gun and pointing right at them, also sam ofc dont forget about sam. Sam trying to stop her while bucky "nah let her do her fun"

Words: 2021

Warning: !!TFATWS SPOILER!! without context - violence

A/N: wrote this today, it basically follows the events of ep3 of fatws but without context. I have a couple of exams this week so I won't be able to post until next saturday. Until then, enjoy

"You shouldn’t have gave him the shield"

Sam frowned, turning back to look at Bucky.

"I didn’t gave him the shield" He defended himself, making a point.

"Well, Steve definitely didn’t" Y/N ironically answered back.

He gave her a pointed stare. They had had this conversation countless times and Y/N never missed a chance to remind him of what she thought was a huge mistake.

"You are the reason this is happening, Sam. You chose to take on my brother’s legacy and threw it out the window"

The man didn’t reply and pursed his lips. He knew she didn’t mean any of her harsh words, she was angry and still mourning. If taking it out on him could make her feel better, he would let her.

"Y/N, stop" Bucky took a step toward his wife, clasping her hand in his metal one. He had hoped the physical contact would be enough to calm her down.

"He abandoned me, Sam" She continued, her voice filled with emotions. "He was gone and all I had left was memories. I chose this life for him, I fought with him, I believed in everything he represented. I looked up to him, to Captain America. And today, even those memories are gone, taken by the same government you and I were up against, mocked by clowns pretending to be heroes, all because you gave up"

The Falcon closed his eyes and dropped his head. She couldn’t see his point of view, or share his opinions when her judgment was clouded by so much pain. He wished she could understand the dilemma, the duality that represented the shield for him.

"Y/N, please, that’s enough" Bucky whispered next to her ear.

She turned her head toward him and as usual, his heart broke when he saw the torment in her eyes. She didn’t need to speak, she was an open book to him. They both had lost so much and yet were all each other had left. They were collateral damage, their own team against a world that wasn’t theirs anymore. She silently nodded, assuring him she was fine. Sam watched Bucky kissing her forehead and he furrowed his brow. He would never admit it but he was glad they had each other, because no one could carry that much pain alone without crumbling apart.

Before any of them could add anything, soldiers in blue and red erupted in the room, bursting through the door of the apartment where they were hiding in Latvia. Bucky instinctively grabbed Y/N and forced her body to move behind his. The two man stood in front of them, tall and proud, a smug smile on their lips.

"Alright, that’s it, your time is up" The man calling himself Captain America announced, the shield in one hand, the other pointing at the three avengers. "Tell me where Zemo is"

"We know you’re hiding him" His sidekick added.

"I’m ordering you to turn him over"

Sam eyed them up and down.

"Let’s be clear, the only thing you’re running here is your mouth" The Falcon firmly replied, crossing his arms.

"I gave you a chance to work with us" He mentioned.

" ‘For us’ is the correct way to put it, tough guy. And we said no." Y/N reminded him, her face showing how much she was annoyed.

"You’re obviously in over your head so I suggest you turn back and go" Sam argued.

"You really want this conversation to go there ?" The hero threatened.

Bucky straightened up when he felt Y/N tensing. He knew she was already on the verge of snapping. One wrong word from the man she hated and this could go down to hell.

"Should I put down the shield ?" He continued to challenge Sam. "Make it fair?"

The woman groaned and when John Walker dropped his weapon, without a second thought, she grabbed the nearest knife and threw it right at his face. The man had barely enough time to move back and his eyes rose in surprise when the blade stuck itself into the wall with force.

"Sorry, it slipped" She ironically explained, shrugging.

"You don’t want to play this game with me" He tried to intimidate her, tilting his head to the side.

She smiled, pleased he was giving her the opportunity to smack his face. Bucky clenched his fists when he saw her walking in front of Walker. Without tearing her eyes away from his, she seized her knife and pulled it out of the wall with a sharp movement.

"I think someone should teach you a lesson, Walker" She told him in a low tone.

"Are you offering ?" He challenged her.

"Don’t tempt me"

"You’re lucky you’re his sister" He grinned. "But don’t push it. This Captain America is not as lenient as the previous was"

Bucky swore under his breath. It was too late now. And just as Sam looked at him with concern, Y/N threw her fist in a curved punch at the soldier. He used his forearm to counter the blow, but she was faster and had far more experience. Using the momentum, her foot rose up and kicked him in the face. The man was thrown back, shaking his head in confusion.

"We should do something" Sam advised the former assassin.

"No. Let her have her fun" He crossed his arms, harboring a small smirk.

The soldier tried to hit her back, but even when he took the shield she blocked his attack. His sidekick soon joined the fight and distracted her for a second, just enough time for Walker to punch her. Immediately, she felt the taste of blood in her mouth, but no pain. She was passed that, far too pissed to feel anything.

Another blow on her chest send her to the ground and Hoskins hold her down while his friend was about to hit her with her brother’s shield. He raised it in the air, with every intention of beating her, but a strong metal hand stopped him in his movement. A very infuriated Bucky stood before him, his blue eyes darkening with anger. He firmly took the weapon, knocked Hoskins out with it and threw it across the room.

"If you wanted to make it fair, you shouldn’t have chosen to hit my wife" His tone was terrifying.

Walker didn’t seem as confident anymore. Bucky looked imposing, brute force ready to strike. His metal arm clenched in a fist and, without warning, it collided with the soldier’s jaw, sending him a few feet away. He strode to the man on the ground and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform

"This is all easy for you, isn’t it ?" Walker spoke with venom, staring at Bucky. "All that serum running through your veins"

With a swift movement, Y/N took the shield and launched it with power right on the soldier’s chest. The blow was so violent his body crashed into a door before landing on the floor. She was furious by his statement and he could see it with every step she made toward him. She grabbed the gun attached to her thigh and pointed it at his face.

"Lesson number one: learn when to shut up. Especially when you don't know what you're talking about" She was fuming but had not intention on killing the man, despite the sheer desire to do so.

She didn’t realize Sam was next to her until she saw his hand lowering her gun.

"This isn’t what Steve would want." He calmly expressed. "Remember, there’s always another way"

Her lips quivered and she closed her eyes, remembering how many times her brother had told her that. She let him take the weapon and looked up at him. The conviction and kindness in his stare were enough. He didn’t have to say anything. Every words she needed to hear, he spoke them in silence.

She turned back to Bucky and he cupped her face, inspecting the bruise on her skin. He seemed ready to go back and beat the man down. Y/N softly smiled and clasped her hands around his wrists. He stroke her cheek and pulled her toward him before carefully kissing her lips.

"Good ?" He asked in a soft voice he only used with her.

"Good"

It was something between them, a single word they spoke every time they fought. Wherever they were, whomever they were up against, if one of them asked, the other had to answer. It was their intimate way to always know they were alright.

Later that day, Sam and Bucky had decided to go talk to the leader of the Flag Smasher, Karli Morgenthau, while Y/N had been charged to follow Walker and Hoskins. As soon as she had seen they were going after the young super soldier, she had warned her friends about the danger. She knew enough about the new Captain to guess he had no intention on arresting Karli. He wanted to make justice himself. She pitied his sidekick. He seemed like a decent man with good ideas struggling to find virtue on the wrong side of the battle. He was Walker’s collateral damage.

She wondered what Steve would think of all that if he could see them fighting both super soldiers and Captain America. He never cared for the star and stripes, never used his shield to harm. His heart was with the people he defended. Even when it had been against Tony, he pursued what he believed was best. Was that what Walker was trying to do ? She couldn’t know. But she was sure of one thing, the man had nothing in common with Steve. Pride, ego and selfishness were never traits anyone would have used to describe her brother. She couldn’t bear for him to be replaced, especially to a man that didn’t share his morals or any of his opinions. The shield he was carrying wasn’t just a weapon, it was her brother’s symbol of hope, a symbol he had fought so hard to forge. The man made the uniform, not the other way around. That’s what Walker didn’t get. Up until that point, people had not been following Captain America, they had been following Steve Rogers.

Standing in that public square, she didn’t realize she was crying until she felt Bucky entwined his fingers with hers. She couldn’t avert her eyes from the horrific scenery. Powerlessly, she watched a man she didn’t know being executed. His opponent was merciless, striking with determination and rage, using the only piece of memory she had left of her brother to bring terror and death. Frozen on the spot in the middle of the crowd, she could see the fear in all those strangers eyes and it felt like grief coming in waves, a shard in her guts that would never leave. It felt like this particular moment was choking the breath out of her body, short circuiting her mind. What was whole once completely shattered and she couldn’t find the strength to be angry anymore. All her brother had built had fallen apart in the split of a second and all the world had left was a bloodied image of his symbol of hope. A symbol that was no more.

“Sam...” She called him, almost like a scared child.

“I know...”

Both men looked worried. Y/N felt Bucky’s hand trembling and she squeezed him harder. She could easily guess how he felt. Steve had saved both of them, he had gave them a purpose, had allowed the former assassin to be more than the weapon Hydra had made of him. Pieces by pieces, he had brought their family back together. And as they both stood there, witnessing the horrifying end of his legacy, Bucky realized everything his bestfriend had fought for was turning into dust.

"I’m sorry" Y/N whispered to Sam. "But there’s no other way now"

Her husband dropped his head, trying to regain a sense of control over his emotions. Wordlessly agreeing with her, he turned to their friend.

“He has to be stopped”

Tags: @taina-eny