#this was such great teamwork! them coming out of nowhere to help each other out without saying anything

[iamgroot-42]

#6 Avengers 1

Welcome back for my #6! I'm so glad you're still here!

So obviously by the title, my #6 ranked is Avengers 1 and I will be explaining why that is, so keep reading :)

So this movie was my all-time favourite movie growing up. I vividly remember seeing it in theatres with my whole family as my birthday gift. So, just for that, it gets bonus points. But, not only does it hold great memories for me, that's not the reason I love it so much. It genuinely is such a great movie. Great characters, great plot, great humour, and is literally the baseline for all future Avengers movies.

So, I know a lot of people either don't remember the plot of this movie or simply have never seen it. So let me break it down, without spoiling... don't worry, I would never ;)

So basically, Nick Fury, director of "Agents of Shield" recruits 6 highly skilled and trained people and activates the "Avengers initiative". He gets, Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Bruce Banner (Hulk), Tony Stark (Iron Man), Steve Rogers (Captain America), Clint Barton (Hawk Eye) and Thor to work as a team to retrieve the Tesseract, which harnesses the most power known to man, from Loki.

So now, that you understand the base of the movie, you can clearly see how it already seems intriguing. From the amazing heroes, to my personal favourite villain, and everything in between, this movie comes together so well.

I'm gonna start off with why I love the heroes so much, particularly in this movie. So, these 6 people, are the original Avengers. Throughout the movie, they go through their ups and downs as a team. They strongly dislike one and other and can't seem to figure it out. Therefore, failing their mission multiple times in the movie, just because they're careless towards each other. Along the way, they realize that the only way to defeat Loki, is to work together and put together a proper plan to out smart him. I love this because it really shows how powerful teamwork really is. As for me, I've always played team sports, so I've experienced many times in my life that you can't do it all on your own. No matter how mad we could be at each other, it's important to come together to out smart the other team. So the message the Avengers portrayed has a deep meaning to me personally. Especially, because at the end of the movie, they realized that they want to continue to work together because they will be able to change the world.

To continue, I love Loki as the villain. That is probably one of the most controversial things I could say, so don't come at me. But whatever, he is. He is one of the smartest ones, he knows how to manipulate almost anyone, he's very sneaky and smooth with his getaways, and he somehow will always manage to trick me. Also, because he is Thors brother, they always go a little easier on him, so it gives him more room and opportunity to manipulate and escape, which always keeps things interesting. Lokis character in general is so fun to watch because he is so tricky with his words and gets in my head. He will always make himself the victim and play with the characters emotions and my own.

Furthermore, what makes this movie so great is the comedy. Like almost every Marvel movie, there are so many great jokes cracked in throughout. This one in particular because it's filled with the funniest and wittiest characters, like Thor, Loki, Tony, and occasionally Steve. My two favourite scenes are the ones when Hulk tosses Loki around like a rag doll and says "puny god" and one scene when he is against the wall with one of the aliens, and they just stare at each other, and he just punches him out of nowhere. My brother and I used to think that they were the most comical thing in the world. I remember almost every time I've seen this movie with my brother, and I can't help but smile every time I imagine them.

To conclude, I just love this movie so much, it brings back so many childhood memories, like my Avengers themed 7th birthday party inspired by this exact movie. The plot is so intense and very original, it brings together my favourite characters and creates the most powerful team in the world. The only reason I'd put this at #6 and not higher, is strictly on the CGI. This movie was made in 2012, so I understand, but now that I'm older, it's so easy to tell how fake it is, so it ruins it in the slightest way.

But overall, an amazing movie, it'll never get old, not even in 3000 days.... hehe, get it? Okay, I'll stop

Stay tuned for my #5! We're half way!

[wuxiaphoenix]

On Characters: The I in Team

The painful irony of Hollywood these days is that actors are so focused on being Individuals that their characters blend into an indistinguishable mob. This is not how you want to write your stories.

For one thing, it robs your readers of the pure delight that’s seeing competent individuals come together to pull off a mission (whether rescue, caper, heist or counter-heist) that none of them could accomplish alone.

The Lone Hero is a powerful archetype, worthy of good stories. A team of heroes, especially a Rag-Tag Bunch of Misfits, is a different archetype, and lends itself to potentially more intricate stories. Because more individuals means a broader range of skills, from the mundane to the esoteric. (See Egon Spengler reading Sumerian underwater.) And that means you can have a wider range of challenges to throw at your heroes. As long as you’re able to keep track of all the moving parts, maybe with a conspiracy board, you can build thrilling stories.

And it all starts by remembering that while individuals can choose to create a team, a team cannot exist without individuals.

Sure, you can have the idea of a team, or a team-to-be. An army platoon. A homicide investigation squad. A gang of thieves out to right wrongs. But the team itself does not exist until there are living, breathing humans stepping into place.

(Unless you’re the Yiling Patriarch and your team has a Ghost General. Still. Individuals, not minions.)

Which means Hollywood is going about it all wrong. Your character doesn’t lose their individuality by being part of a team. They showcase it, by how they contribute to beating the odds all the team is facing.

Some books that demonstrate teamwork: P.M. Griffin’s Star Commandos. The Icewind Dale Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore. The Safehold series by David Weber also has some great moments.

Some shows that demonstrate teamwork: The A-Team. The original Scooby Doo cartoons; Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island also works. Airwolf. Knight Rider; while Michael Knight is the hero, he’d get nowhere without Kitt and the gang backing him up. Leverage, oh so much. Without each of their skillsets the heists won’t work. An interesting element as seasons go on is when various team members have to fill in for each other in a pinch; sometimes it works, sometimes it really doesn’t.

A recent show is Be Reborn, a 2022 Chinese suspense I found on YouTube. I can only vouch for the first five eps, but in them we get to see two teams at work. Thieves carrying off a heist, and the cops trying to stop them. The link between them is a young college law student trying to live down a family reputation of being thieves... yet gets dragged in by the thieves’ Mastermind anyway, and is desperately trying to help the cops bring them down.

Working together in teams is one of the biggest survival advantages humans have. Write a good team, and your readers will be back for more!

[babymetaldoll]

Stargazing (Spencer Reid/Reader)

Requested: No, but I needed some hardcore fluff

Summary: The team is “forced” to go camping, and Spencer finally decides to make “his move” on Reader.

Pairing: Spencer Reid/ Reader

Category: Hardcore fluff

Warnings: Zero

Word count: 3,2K

Masterlist

-

-

It was the first time the BAU didn't argue Strauss's decision. She had walked into the conference room and explained to the team that the FBI had decided each department had to do a workshop related to teamwork and trust.

- "You will spend this weekend camping together. You will be part of a Team-Building Training Workshop"- Strauss wasn't excited about the idea of her best team wasting a whole weekend. But she was glad her department didn't have to do the activity. She hated camping.

- "Are you telling me we have to spend our weekend in sleeping bags, singing kumbaya?"- Rossi raised an eyebrow and looked at Erin, and she didn't move a muscle- "I'm out."

- "David, I'm not asking you if you want to do it. The whole team has to be part of this activity, that includes you."

- "Come on, Rossi,"- Prentiss smiled and tried to cheer him up- "It will be a nice change from catching serial killers for a weekend.

- "Really, Emily?"- Rossi crossed his arms on his chest and looked at Reid- "Hey, kid. How many dead bodies are found each year in the woods in the country?"

- "Over 2.543 last year,"- Spencer answered. And didn't stop talking, of course- "We can not be sure they were all serial killer related cases. The most common ways to die in the woods are drowning, car accident, and suicide."

- "Suicide it is."- David whispered. He knew it was going to be a long weekend.

Even when he wasn't a person who loved camping and outdoor activities, Spencer was excited to spend the weekend with the team, especially with (Y/N). His teammate, best friend, and secret crush. Ok, it wasn't really a secret.

Of course, everybody knew about Spencer's feelings. He never successfully hid them from the team. You didn't need to be a profiler to notice each time (Y/N) walked into a room, Reid's eyes would follow her, and his cheeks blushed. When they sat together in the jet, Spencer would always be too self-aware of his own movements. He would try not to move, especially when she had fallen asleep, resting her head on his shoulder. And when they were working on a case together, he would always cover her on the field, and he would make sure she was safe, even when the unsub was already caught.

He loved her. Even a blind man could see. Except for (Y/N), of course. Because according to her own words: "There's no way Spencer Reid is in love with me. He would never look at me that way. He is perfect, and I'm a mess. He deserves the perfect genius girl."

-

- "Ok, Romeo, this weekend is the perfect opportunity for you to make your move"- Derek and Reid were alone in the SUV on their way to the retreat.

- "Sure. Because there's no better time to make a fool out of myself than in front of all my friends in the middle of nowhere."

- "What's with the attitude, pretty Ricky? Relax"- Morgan frowned and put on some music, singing along for a moment. Reid looked at him and raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh.

- "Ok man, picture this: you, your pretty lady, in the middle of the night, gazing at the stars together, alone in the middle of the forest. The full moon is the only light."

- "Who are you? since when are you a romance expert?"

- "Hey! I can be romantic!"

- "I've seen you get girls only by raising an eyebrow"- Reid argued, and he was right. It had happened once, but that was another completely different story.

- "What I'm trying to tell you is that you have the perfect chance to tell her how you feel during this trip"- Spencer was about to start debating that idea when Derek continued.

- "And stop saying she has no feeling for you!"

Reid bit his tongue and looked at the road. Neither of them said a word for the next couple of minutes. Until Spencer whispered

- "But she doesn't"

- "She does!!"- Derek nearly yelled

- "Why are you so sure?!"

- "Because she told Penelope she is in love with you!!"

The silence in the car was as intense as the red in Spencer's cheeks. Derek knew he shouldn't have said that, but he was tired of seeing his best friend's sad eyes each time he stared at (Y/N). Someone had to do something, and he knew neither of them would make the first move.

- "Are you sure?"- Reid's mouth was hanging open- "I mean, maybe she was joking."

- "No, she was honest. So please, this weekend, make your freaking move."

-

How could Spencer ever make his move? He had no idea. He didn't even have a "move"! But something inside of him felt a little more confident now.

That didn't show on the outside at all, 'cos during the whole day, he was more clumsy than ever. He dropped his coffee. He failed the first two attempts to set up his tent and nearly fell carrying logs for the fire.

He wanted to dig a hole and hid.

But (Y/N) didn't notice any of that. Not because she didn't pay attention, but because she was oblivious to any of those things. She just couldn't stop staring: He was wearing jeans. Spencer Walter Reid was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. (Y/N) thought she was going to have a heart attack when he got out of the car.

Sure, yes, she had seen him outside work in a more casual outfit, but nothing prepared her for Spencer's camping clothing. It suited him too well for his own good.

- "Hello? Anybody there?"- Prentiss waved at (Y/N). She and JJ stood in front of her, trying to catch her attention.

- "Jesus! you look like a schoolgirl today!"- JJ teased her, laughing- "Can you be more obvious?"

- "What are you talking about?"- (Y/N) tried to look all innocent and continued setting the logs for the campfire.

- "If Spencer wasn't so clueless about your feelings, I swear you two would be already married,"- Emily joked and helped (Y/N) with the logs. The young SSA just shook her head and tried to keep her eyes from Reid for as long as she could. She successfully did it for five minutes. That day's record.

- "(Y/N), hey"- he stood by her side, and she quickly stood up.

- "Hey, how are you doing?"

- "Good... you?"- she just nodded and smiled. She really was acting like a schoolgirl in front of Spencer- "Great... hey, I thought maybe tonight you would like to do some stargazing with me..."- Emily and JJ heard him and nearly squealed. They tried to look away, but it was impossible. They needed to know what was happening. Where was García? she was going to be so mad she missed that.

- "Yeah! I'm sure tonight we can see way more stars than on your building's roof like last time."

(Y/N) answered, smiling, thinking there was nothing more romantic than being underneath a starry sky, listening to Spencer talking about constellations.

- "Ok, kids,"- Rossi's voice stepping out of his huge camper interrupted them and forced everybody to turn around- "Let's do this trust thing we are forced to do before it's lunchtime. Maybe we can manage to go home early."

-

Of course, they weren't. The whole team had to work as a unit to fulfill a series of activities an expert team the FBI had hired forced them to do. Aaron thought it was unnecessary, considering they worked on the field together, and they trusted each other with their lives all the time. But he was also sure his team needed a break, and everybody could use some fresh air.

- "Great work, team"- Hotch hugged everybody and smiled when the whole activity was done- "I think we've earned a nice dinner."

- "Please don't tell me we have to hunt our food"- Penelope wide opened her eyes suddenly and looked at Hotch- "I can eat blueberries."

- "Don't worry, kids"- Rossi shook his head and pointed to his camper- "Anyone in the mood for a nice steak?"

- "I bought marshmallows for the campfire later,"- (Y/N) said and smiled- "You are never too old for some s'more."

- "Scary stories by the fire eating s'mores? I'm ten years old again"- JJ looked excited- "I need to do this with Henry."

- "Just don't tell him your "I'm scared of the woods because I found the camp director dead" story." - Derek said, smiling.

- "You freaked out!"- JJ chuckled, remembering how she had scared her friends a few years earlier while working on a case in the woods.

- "I need to hear that story!"- Emily said- "I bet it's no better than mine, I'm sure."

- "Battle of horror stories?"- (Y/N) smiled evilly- "You two have nothing on me."

-

The evening was fun and a little terrifying. Garcia was holding Derek's arm so tight it was starting to feel numb. Rossi and Hotch had told a couple of stories that left the team completely frightened, to be fair. Especially Spencer. He had forgotten an essential part of his plan: nights in the woods are dark as pitch. And he was afraid of the dark. How would he successfully take (Y/N) to a nice spot, sit down and stare at the stars with her if he was too scared to move from the fire?

(Y/N) looked at Reid and sighed. Maybe he had regretted it. Of course, he hasn't forgotten his invitation, 'cos Spencer remembered everything. Still, he hadn't made any move or sign to go stargazing. Being alone with him in the dark was scary but in the right way. Maybe she could finally tell him how she felt. No, no way. That wasn't going to happen.

- "Ok, so... it's late, and we are out of wine"- Rossi stood up and looked at the team- "I am ready to go to my comfy bed"- the rest of the team groaned. They were going to spend the night in a tent, probably freezing, while Rossi was going to be in his warm camper.

- "I'm going to sleep too, we have trekking in the morning, and it's going to be a long walk. I suggest you all go to bed early."- Hotch stood up and waved at the team, to then walk to his tent."

- "Sweet chocolate thunder, is there room in your tent for me?"- Penelope asked, and he chuckled immediately

- "Are you still scared of the stories? they are just made up things people create to terrify us."

- "I know. But I'm also scared of bears, psycho killers, and slender man"- Morgan looked at her, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't joking.

- "Bring your sleeping bag."

- "You are my hero. I love you."

Prentiss and JJ went to bed soon after, leaving the two love birds alone.

- "Stargazing?"- Reid whispered, and (Y/N) nodded- "We should find a darker stop... or we can stay here by the fire if you like."

- "Are we going to get a nice view here?"- (Y/N) looked at the stars and tried to see anything.

- "No, it has to be darker,"- Spencer whispered, taking a look around- "There was a nice spot by the cliff, that way."

- "I don't think walking to a cliff in the middle of the night is a good idea"- (Y/N) smiled, and Reid shook his head

- "You are right..."

- "But we can walk carefully and carry a flashlight,"- she added and smiled, looking at him. His brown curls moved with the wind, and his chocolate eyes were brighter than the sparks of fire next to them.

- "That sounds good."

Spencer stood still for a second. He had a blanket in one hand and a bag of marshmallows in the other. (Y/N) put on her scarf and jacket and stared at him.

- "Are you ok?"

- "Yeah."

He wasn't. He was trying to calm himself down, thinking that walking in the middle of the dark was worthy because it meant spending time alone with (Y/N).

He kept telling himself he didn't have to worry because nothing was going to happen. He wished he had his gun with him in case of any danger, though. Maybe that could make him feel better.

- "You can't kill darkness, stupid"- he whispered to himself and sighed. (Y/N) walked a step closer and took the marshmallow bag. Then, she held his hand.

- "Let's go?"

That was all Spencer needed. He was ready.

- "Did you know astronomy is the oldest of the sciences?- Reid whispered as they walked hand in hand to a nice clear spot - "Ancient astronomers were able to differentiate between stars and planets, as stars remain relatively fixed over the centuries while planets will move an appreciable amount during a comparatively short time."

- "And when did you start learning about the stars?"- Spencer loved that. How each time he started rambling, she wouldn't get annoyed like the rest of the people he knew. Instead, she would always ask him something related to the subject. And it was usually something personal. She wanted to learn more about him and how he had ended up being such an amazing human being.

- "When I was four, mom started taking me regularly to the library. That was when I started to learn more about science. I could pick ten books each time we were there, and I decided I wanted to know everything I could about everything I loved."

Spencer confessed and smiled, looking at her. His heart was warm with their conversations. He was never comfortable talking about his personal life, especially about his childhood. But with (Y/N), it all came naturally.

- "How often did she take you?"

- "Every other day"- she chuckled and remembered the pictures Diana had shown her of Spencer when he was a little kid last time they visited her. He was adorable, with his glasses and his messy hair. It was impossible not to imagine having a family with him.

- "This is it... this is a good spot."- Spencer said and stopped walking. He moved a log and tapped on it, smiling at (Y/N). She sat with him, and he wrapped them together with the blanket.

- "So, what am I staring at?"- (Y/N) asked and kept her eyes on the starry sky. It seemed she had never seen so many stars. And they even looked closer. Spencer looked at her, and his heart skipped a beat. He was about to start a lecture on astronomy, but instead, he decided to do "his move." Or the move he could think of. He didn't really know if it was a move, but he was going to give it a shot anyway.

- "Most stargazers learn about constellations looking for different noticeable patterns across the sky"- he made a pause clearing his throat. That was it. He was going to do it.

- "That's how it all started,"- he continued- "Some of these noticeable patterns up there are still the same ones our ancestors noticed while sitting around a campfire telling stories like we did today."

- "Telling stories about the stars sounds a lot less creepy, though" - (Y/N) whispered, and the two of them smiled- "Wanna tell me a story about these stars?"

There was no way Spencer could say not to her puppy eyes.

- "Ok... let's see..."- Reid sighed and thought for a moment, looking at the constellations above them- "Do you see those stars over there that look like a cute bunny?"

- "Which ones?"- Spencer pointed at the sky, and (Y/N) nodded- "I see them"

- "Well, you'll see, there was a comet in love with the bunny, but it could only look at her from a safe distance."- Spencer finally confessed. (Y/N) held her breath for a second and tried not to get her hopes high.

- "Why?"

- "Well, the comet was afraid he wasn't good enough for the bunny"- Spencer was whispering, and his soft voice sent shivers to (Y/N)'s body- "So he stared at his favorite constellation every day and only imagined what it would feel like to hold her in his arms."

- "And the bunny never saw the comet?"- (Y/N) asked softly, while very, very slowly, she moved her hand and reached Spencer's.

- "The bunny thought the comet just wanted to be her friend because he was scared to tell her how he felt,"

(Y/N) kept thinking there was no way on earth Spencer was telling her how he felt about her with that adorable story. Was he? Really? 'cos it was too romantic, and if he wasn't and she was wrong... it would be heartbreaking. But, there was only one way to find out.

- "I think the bunny felt the same, but she thought she wasn't good enough for the comet"- Spencer's heart raced at those words, and he turned to look at (Y/N). She blushed and stared at him with a shy smile.

- "Why would the bunny ever think that?"

- "The comet is too brilliant and too amazing to settle for a simple constellation when he could have the sun."

(Y/N) was embarrassed to confess those feelings, but it was now or never.

- "But the bunny is the sun in the comet's life."- Spencer whispered and caressed her cheek with his thumb carefully.

- "Really?"- her voice was so soft, it melted Spencer completely. He couldn't answer. All he could do was to lean in slowly and kissed her as gently as he could, enjoying the sensation of her lips against his. He cupped her face with both hands and moved a little closer.

It was the sweetest kiss he had ever given. It wasn't just because (Y/N)'s lips tasted like marshmallow, but because it was filled with pure love. He could feel it, even when he still couldn't believe it. She loved him. She really did.

(Y/N) was sure that wasn't really happening. She had probably fallen down the cliff earlier and was now unconscious or dead, living a fantasy. There was no way Spencer Reid was kissing her.

When they slowly moved and looked at each other, neither of them knew what to say. So (Y/N) did what she always dreamed of doing and leaned in and kissed him again. Spencer didn't hesitate and wrapped his arms around her waist, moving her closer to him. Her hands played shyly with some of the curls of his hair, and they simply kissed for what seemed to be forever, even when it wasn't enough time for them. Spencer felt he could kiss her his whole life, and he still wouldn't get enough of her.

- "So..."- (Y/N) whispered after some minutes and looked at Spencer, blushing- "Do you think the comet and the bunny could... maybe try to be more than friends?"

He smiled and kissed her again, rubbing her lips carefully with his; (Y/N) sighed into the kiss.

- "The comet is willing to do anything the bunny asks him because he just wants to make her happy all day, every day."

(Y/N) couldn't speak. She could only kiss him again and again.

- "Bunny just wants her comet to be happy too."

- "Then would Bunny be the comet's girlfriend?"- she giggled and nodded- "Good, because I don't think I could ever live without your kisses ever again, Bunny."

- "Neither do I, Comet"

And after that, stargazing was forgotten. There were enough stars in their kisses to keep the two of them lost in their own new universe. 

[mc-lukanette]

do you have any lukanette ideas with chat/adrien salt? the newest episode reignited my annoyance towards him and his stans acting like he didn’t do anything wrong is not helping. i mean, flirting with ladybug while he’s dating kagami? getting excited over a possible akumatization?? and since i know that behavior won’t be addressed bc adrien is “perfect” and “the love square is endgame” therefore he gets a pass for any bad behavior, i was hoping for some fanmade salt (and lukanette is always a great addition to any story)

I can appreciate how starved you guys are to hear me salt on this blog.

But yeah, I came up with something considering that quite a bit of Chat’s behavior happens before Truth appears in “Lies.”

So hear me out--

Truth is a threat, considering that Luka is the only hero outside of Ladybug intended to be a planner. All others take orders directly from Ladybug herself, but Viperion could plan on his own.

This means that Truth realizes quickly that his strategy of asking for the heroes’ identities isn’t going to work because they’ll shout over him every time. He has to get creative and comes up with the idea to divide the heroes.

He comments on their teamwork, perhaps saying vaguely about how their teamwork can’t outmatch his and Pharo’s. Chat obviously takes the bait, talking on and on about how he and Ladybug are the best team and that they’re made for each other.

“Really?” Truth asks casually. “You’ve never done anything against her?”

Chat Noir responds, his white lips moving to say, “Of course I have!”

Ladybug gapes, and Chat looks calm for a second before his eyes immediately widen in panic.

He tries to say that it’s not what he means, but Truth’s power is active, so he just blurts out, “That’s exactly what I mean!”

He tries to cover his mouth with his non-Cataclysm hand, but gets shot by Pharo.

“I told Theo Barbot that we were dating and it got him akumatized!”

“You did what?!” Ladybug asks, having never heard this before.

Chat doesn’t stop - he can’t - and his mouth keeps moving. He admits that he sacrifices himself because he knows it won’t matter since Ladybug will fix it, and it means he’ll always leave an impression on her. He admits that he didn’t care when Nadja or Alya were egging on the LadyNoir ship because he feels like Ladybug will come around eventually. He admits that he doesn’t take her seriously when she goes off on him because “she’s cute when she’s angry.” He admits that he wanted an akuma to happen even though he knew Ladybug was busy, just because he wanted to spend time with her. He admits to telling his kwami he’d quit while Paris was underwater if he didn’t spill what Ladybug was hiding.

Honestly, even Truth at this point is like, “man I wanted to divide your teamwork, not your entire relationship.”

Ladybug eventually manages to snap out of her trance and deal with the whole situation (mostly by herself), but the damage is done. Even after the akuma has been purified and Truth turns back into Luka, Chat’s words linger and Ladybug ignores him.

“Are you okay, Luka?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah, thanks...”

Chat is awkwardly standing nearby, his tail in both hands as he fiddles with it. “So--ah... Bugaboo--”

“Don’t,” Ladybug cuts in, not even looking at him. “Is that why you use that nickname when I’m mad? To butter me up? Try to earn points? Do you think it’s funny?”

“No, no!” He waves his hands frantically. “It’s not--”

“See, the thing is that now I won’t know whether you’re lying or not,” she points out, the situation feeling all to familiar to when Tikki lied to her, only this was worse. She honestly wanted to trust Chat Noir; he was her partner, irreplaceable in the sense that he was there from the start.

But maybe not irreplaceable elsewhere.

“I wouldn’t lie to you!” he swears.

“But you’ll keep things from me,” she counters. She sighs, gently taking Luka’s hand and helping him stand, then addressing him as she says, “I’ll take you home, alright?”

Luka’s gaze briefly flickers between the two of them, but he asks no questions and nods. “Thank you.”

She guides him up the staircase to take him up to the balcony, Chat Noir rushing over to stand at the bottom of the steps.

“M’lady--!”

Ladybug turns to him with a silencing glare. “I really don’t want to be around you right now. We’ll talk later when I’m ready.”

(He’s going to be in for a long talk when they finally meet back up again, and suddenly, he isn’t so eager for an akuma to come rushing by to force them to come back together as a team.)

And with that, Ladybug goes up to the balcony, takes Luka in her arms, and leaves. Things are quiet at first, her taking in a few breaths of the night air as she tries to relax.

The past few days had been a mess, and that was putting it lightly. The kwami, dating, the akuma (that Chat Noir had apparently been soooo excited about), and now this big revelation. The stress must show on her face too, as she can occasionally feel Luka’s concerned gaze on her.

In a way, it’s nice, just having her boyfriend care like this, even when she’s in a mask. He’d put up with way more for her than she felt like he should’ve, and she knew that he’d disagree if she even dared to voice that thought.

Without really thinking, she starts talking to him. She talks about Ladybug, about everything; being thrown into this life that she didn’t ask for, and being happy to save Paris but sad at the emotional toll it takes. She tells him about all the friends who tease her for her lateness, and while it might’ve been funny at first - she was genuinely absent-minded at times - it doesn’t become as funny when knowing that it was something that couldn’t be helped.

“...I’m sorry you’re going through that,” Luka says in an offer of comfort. He sighs, not recoiling from her but it feels like he’s distant anyway. “I know it didn’t help that I was akumatized. I hope I didn’t do anything to Marinette.”

Her gaze softens; of course he’s thinking of her again. It’s Luka, she has no right to be surprised.

Chat Noir, meanwhile, was just thinking of himself.

“Actually,” she corrects, something occurring to her, “I think you might’ve helped in your own way.”

Luka tilts his head at her, puzzled.

She changes course just slightly, specifically to a spot not too far from the Liberty; one that is very familiar to both of them, and she can tell by the way his brows raise that he’s surprised by where she’s about to land.

Underneath the bridge, in the spot where he’d initially asked her - when she was Marinette - where she’d always been going, just before he got akumatized.

She sets him down, then paces around to try and clear her head.

“...Like I said, I didn’t get a lot of choice in this,” she begins. “I tried to give my miraculous up once in the beginning, but there was so much pressure and everything was going wrong. Then, things would just--happen around me, things that I couldn’t really think of--and this is coming from me!” She turns to him dramatically, gesturing to herself. “I imagine things going wrong all the time and I still can’t predict when they actually do!”

Luka chuckles lightly at that, but otherwise stays quiet, unsure of where she’s going with this but giving her his full attention.

“Me becoming the new guardian of the miraculouses so out of nowhere... it was a lot, and suddenly I had a bunch of kwami around my room who all wanted to get into my stuff or mess around. I didn’t choose to let them out; it just happened when I was trying to see how the box with all the miraculouses worked.” She groans a bit, rubbing her forehead as she paces around again. “Then in came Shadow Moth and all the akuma showing up, and now I’m even busier. I can’t even make time for my boyfriend.”

There’s a flicker of emotion in Luka’s eyes at that, but he doesn’t say anything, though his fingers twitch slightly at his sides.

“Then--” She looks down. “--there’s Chat Noir. I didn’t choose him either; the old guardian chose him for me, and he wasn’t even fully trained. I was Chat’s partner and that was it; I didn’t get a choice to give up, it just... was, and I have to deal with whatever the relationship--” She makes a face at the word. “--we have is, because if something goes wrong then everything can go wrong, and then Paris is in danger.”

She shakes her head, realizing that she’s rambling. She continues staring quietly at the ground, then releases the tenseness in her shoulders.

“But...” She looks up to meet Luka’s gaze. “I did choose you, Luka. I finally got to choose something for me, and the only thing I regret about it is everything that I can’t choose. You chose me and I chose you and...” She almost laughs. “It’s weird that it’s that simple for once.”

He’s clearly pieced the puzzle together by now but hasn’t quite processed the result. She can see the whisper of her name on his lips and she smiles at him, taking a step back and spreading her arms wide.

“You’re my real partner, Luka. You get me, you care about me, and we’re similar but different and it’s great.” She swallows, feeling her nerves building a little but pushing forward enthusiastically nonetheless. “So I want to make a choice for us, because we trust each other and I want to give you something no one else has.”

Then, she closes her eyes, taking a breath and briefly tightening her hands into fists.

“Tikki, spots off.”

[junko-and-riri-domain]

exam season ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ni-ki

“you aren't wasting my time, and you need rest. please, ___ this isn’t healthy.” riki pleaded, and he seemed so genuinely concerned for you.  “I know we’re labelled as rivals all the time but I want to get to know you better. as someone who ranked 1 consistently, I wanted to meet the one person who managed to achieve the same thing."

or 

you and nishimura riki are rivals under the same company. after all, being the same age and pretty much the same level of talent made you and him quite unstoppable. the company thought it’d be a good idea to let you two meet and get along, but it turned out to be quite the opposite ordeal. though, this always remained to be a respectful rivalry. nothing petty.

warnings : overworked reader, insecurities, fainting from exhaustion, hints at negative body image ( good ending ) 

note : this is also off the top of my head, please ignore any mistakes !

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ rest under the cut

what were you supposed to think?

you had to admit it to yourself though, similar age and practically same amount of skill in dance would mean that this unit would be pretty much unstoppable. it’s just ;; the unspoken consequences of young teamwork at play. 

training for about half a year at belift, you’ve become quite popular among the trainees. they describe you as a dance prodigy. if you were going to be honest, it was kind of embarrassing. the spotlight was okay depending on the circumstances but, to be described as something so honorable made you feel like you weren’t worthy of it. on top of that, your vocals were always stable while practicing, making you stand out and always place #1 on exams. 

and so you started to practice harder, with the same thought of

‘i have to prove that i’m worthy to be labeled as a prodigy, otherwise why else am i here?’ 

to ni-ki, you were always so hardworking. sometimes, he thought it was too much. he’d pass by the room you were practicing in during lunch breaks and he would see you dancing your heart out, sweat threatening to fall from your face. he could tell you were tired, but due to the rules, he wasn’t allowed to talk to you. he considered you his opponent in a way, but it wasn’t to the extent of ruining your workflow. 

and to you, ni-ki seemed like a charming rival. the way he danced had always mesmerized you, his snaps and swift moves are always close to perfect. this motivated you to practice even harder, despite already achieving extreme skill. you often nitpicked on yourself and keep saying that you’re not doing something well enough, and that you’re not good enough and you have to try harder. you honestly thought he was kind of annoying. not only is he literally so tall, he's a dancing machine. everything that you wanted to be. ni-ki may have been your unspoken rival, 

but overcoming your extreme feeling to be better than the previous day is your true rival. 

coming home after training, you were always exhausted. as much water you drank, it never felt as if it quenched the thirst you brought upon yourself from working so hard. while doing homework you always zoned out, your concentration nowhere to be found. at some point, you even stopped messaging your friends as much as before, ignoring any notification that popped up and practicing till the sun peeked above the horizon.

this feeling of wanting to slip away into well-deserved rest never sat right with you.

'if I have time to do something, then I'll do it now. rest can wait.'

---

the week before, an exam was assigned to all the trainees. the exam was to be separated by gender, but you thought this was kind of dumb. and so what did you do? you asked the choreographer if you could take both of the choreographies instead of being categorized into one section.

"that's a great idea, ___! I'll allow it this once, since you always rank 1 anyways. in fact, why don't I ask riki if he wants to do an co-op exam with you? you guys are the same age right?"

all you could do was let out a hum and nod.

'nishimura riki... I hope I don't mess anything up.'

"he always ranks 1 in exams as well so I think it'd be perfect!" he continued, a bright smile flashed across his face at the realization of a great performance in development.

he walks off, and briskly walks to where riki usually practiced.

phew

you let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding. you've done many exams before but it had never been with another person. trying to convince yourself everything would be okay, your intrusive thoughts came in again.

'what if i embarass myself? what if I can't learn the choreo and mess everything up? what if he doesn't like m- wait. that doesn't even matter- ugh.'

you stood there for so long thinking to yourself about the future that one of the trainees had to tap you on the shoulder to make sure you didn't see medusa or something. repeating your little sorries and thank yous, you left the practice room and went on your way home.

you'd think that after weeks of non-stop overworking you'd hit your limit by now. the thing is, you never learn your lesson until you have to learn it the hard way. and that's exactly what's gonna happen.

---

back to the present, riki was currently doing a run-over of what he thinks you guys should do to make the choreography better. if there was one thing you and him had in common, it's that you always wanted to be ranked 1 through hard work.

however, you disagreed with some of the steps he created, and respectfully asked if you could show him what you were thinking of. in all honesty, riki was quite impressed. he'd never seen you dance up close since all he was able to do was take quick glances, but seeing you pour your heart into what you love and being absolutely great at it, it kind of gave him the feels.

yes. the feels. the butterflies. 🦋🦋🦋

though, in the next moment, butterflies was far from what he felt. his stomach did a full 180 and his face in such a shocked state as he watched your eyes roll back as your body practically shut down in front of him. he sped down to your side quickly and shouted for help, as he tried to shake you awake.

"please please wake up, I'm not sure if you'd wake up at all if you fell asleep so please..."

was the last faint thing you heard before slipping into unconsciousness.

---

beep , beep , beep

your eyes flutter open to reveal that you were in the nurse's office in the same building. to say you were relieved was an understatement, hospitals scared you a lot more since they'd have to call your parents.

looking around the dim room, it still resembled a hospital room, monitor, needles, riki, IV, wait. riki?

your eyes practically shot back to where he sat, head bowed down in an awkward position, closed eyes with phone in hands.

honestly speaking, it was kind of cute. but you knew it was uncomfortable. and you also felt SUPER guilty making him wait for you and practically ruining practice. he stirred a bit, easy to wake up due to the uncomfy position his neck was in.

in a couple of seconds you hear him ask, "___? you're awake?"

"riki.. what happened?"

"the trainer, our choreographer and the building's medical team were all here. they said that you were overworking yourself. not only that, you didn't eat, drink, or sleep enough. which I can only assume is because you're constantly practicing."

"... I'm guessing that has to be true then, if I'm already here. riki, I'm sorry."

"sorry for what?"

"for wasting your time. you didn't have to be tangled up in my mess if I wasn't an idiot and asked them for a different exam. we could'v-"

he cut you off, “you aren't wasting my time, and you need rest. please, ___ this isn’t healthy.” riki pleaded, and he seemed so genuinely concerned for you.  “I know we’re labelled as rivals all the time but I want to get to know you better. as someone who ranked 1 consistently, I wanted to meet the one person who managed to achieve the same thing. you didn't disappoint me, you didn't waste my time, in fact, it was fun watching you disagree with the things I said. but then you fainted in front of me. I had no idea what to do, but thankfully Jungwon-hyung came in and helped me. but all that aside, your body needs rest. I've talked too much."

"it's okay, your voice seems to be making me sleepy anyways."

he didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

you handed him a spare pillow from your bed though, so he'll just take it as a compliment for now.

he didn't know what took over him in the next few seconds but he slowly put his phone in his pocket and reached his hand out to you, his hand resting on the bed right next to your waistline. as if it was beckoning you, your hand gravitated towards his, and the warmth of his hand and his comforting presence was enough to lull you back to sleep.

---

all the trainees in the floor were gathered in practice room #1, awaiting the announcement to see who got rank 1.

of course, they were expecting you and riki, but not together at the same time.

"nishimura riki, ___ ___. rank #1"

you and riki looked at each other in excitement, you could do nothing but listen at the moment, but celebration was in order later.

celebration? oh did you mean cuddles, making sure you're rested well and eating okay, hand holding, and a whole lot of light-hearted teasing? yeah.

[end]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ written by junko

|blog masterlist|

[frobin]

Hi! Ok, I know it isn't very related to Frobin (except if you decide to mention them in the answer), but I am curious about your opionion on this thing. If the end of One Piece have someone of the Straw Hat crew that can die, who can be? OBVIOUSLY I hope nobody, that this thing doesn't happen, but never say never. There're people who say Luffy to recreate Roger's connection. Someone else Usop (but I miss the reason). Or Jinbe, who has also some problems and enemies from previous experiences?

Hey there anon!

No worries about asking questions. This is a FRobin blog but it's also a One Piece blog so it's fine to ask all kind of questions about One Piece. Even though I wouldn't consider myself much of an *expert* so everything I write is very much influenced by my own impressions.

But you're asking for my opinion anyway so that disclaimer is not necessary in this case. XD

---

Okay, first of all: I'm no fan of death flags. I never see them and when I read about them I feel like people pull them out of nowhere.

So I don't think any of the Strawhats will die before or even while the big end fight. Also it's not like they will reach their goal and then just drop dead (don't forget the dream are very different too but more about that later). Like what kind of life would that be?

Also we can't forget that Oda still believes he is writing this story for 14 year old boys. So, even though death is and will be a theme I don't think he will kill off the main crew.

That would not be very clever story wise and is not how to tell a story about adventure and fulfilling dreams for young boys.

Right now it's very "fashionable" to let characters die for shock value. But the more it's done the more annoying it becomes and less of a shock and Oda won't stoop so low to use this kind of element. Why do I think that?

So far we had three deaths in OP and they all shocked us a lot. But they were also used as motivator for other characters. Whitebeards death was a motivator for a whole new Generation of pirates, as well as his crew to try to save Ace and his little brother. Ace's death was a launch of character development for Luffy, Sabo, Garp and even Sengoku and probably more. Pedros death was a motivator for Carrot and other Minks. (Even the fake death of Pell was a huge motivator for Vivi. Interestingly compared to other deaths his sacrifice did not stop the war, which would have been an adequate impact. So him coming back alive actually makes sense.)

But look how few and far between they are. Of course there was more death but the important ones are kept as those.

Why am I talking about that? Who would benefit from a Strawhats death?

Literally no one. They are all already motivated to go until the end for each other. It's more likely that a death would cause Luffy to just give up, him becoming catatonic again.

Who would Luffy fight for if he even loses one of his crew mates? Or maybe two?

If I were a Marine I would try to make Luffy think that his friends are dead and then catch him but that is beside the point.

But for One Piece, a Strawhat death it would not move the story further. There is no additional motivator needed and that would be the only reason to kill one of the crew.

Killing a Strawhat makes no sense in my opinion.

A death would only make sense after they reached their goal.

So it is possible that we see the Strawhats die but long after the story came to an end, them reaching Laugh Tale (if that is the end). And yes, I think all of them will die of natural causes and/or sickness. Most of them at an old age. I think Luffy, Zoro or Usopp being the firsts because of the trauma their bodies had endured would make most sense.

I hope that answered your question anon... and anyone who does not want to read even more about my nonsense can stop here.

But let me break down why I think that all Strawhats have plot armor against death flags, behind the read-more.

-> It is very important that I think the huge clash with the Blackbeard Pirates, which will be the end fight, will happen right before Laugh Tale. And Laugh Tale is the end-goal and the end of the main story. (I MIGHT BE WRONG!!!)<-

Everyones own story can only end after they reached their goal so let's look why I think that these dreams give the Strawhats Plot Armor.

Luffy: Become the king of the pirates. That means he has to reach Laugh Tale. I often hear that Luffy will die early because of the parallel to Roger. That does not mean he won't reach his 40s or 50s. Even after reaching Laugh Tale Roger lived a bit longer and even had time to "make a child" so, killing off Luffy in the end fight makes no sense. So maybe dying after the fight, on Laugh Tale? That could happen and would be the earliest death of any Strawhat imo.

Zoro: Become the strongest sword fighter. That means he still has to kill Mihawk. I don't think Mihawk will go and look for Zoro. So, Zoro has to survive and then return to Mihawk and have his duel. No sense in killing off Zoro. I am 100% sure that he will survive until then.

Nami: Drawing a world map. For that Nami has to travel the world many times more. After they reached Laugh Tale, Nami has only finished part of her dream. She has to visit all of the Blues, travel the Grand Line and the New world multiple times. Drawing a Map of the world will take a lifetime. Her dream will take the longest to be fulfilled.

Usopp: Become the great warrior of the sea. Now here we have a dream that is not really tangible. Usopp will be a great warrior as soon as he realises that he is one. In my opinion he already managed to become a great warrior. Time and time again he has shown how amazing he is but this is all about his own self image and so hard to grasp. This actually makes Usopp the most likely to have a death flag BUT we can't forget that he still has to return home and tell his stories to Kaya and the Usopp pirates. It's part of a promise that is only secondary but for me it's enough to think Usopp too is safe until he did that.

Sanji: To find the All Blue. Sanji thinks that the All Blue is something physical. We can't know that and if it is physical we can consider that it's maybe a part of the New World near the Red Line where all seas somehow come together. So again, until Sanji found that place he hasn't fulfilled his dream. And since I think that would be BEHIND Laugh Tale, again I think Sanji is safe. Alternatively the All Blue is just a metaphor for something completely different but I can't hink about what.

Chopper: To cure all illness. Here too, this is something that takes time. Chopper is still only at the beginning of his career of being a doctor. Finding a magical cure for every illness that exists is not something that just happens. Logically he would need to talk with many other medical experts and together they might be able to find it. When and how and if that happens is impossible to say but again that would be something that would fit best in the time after reaching Laugh Tale.

Robin: To find the truth of the void century. Right now we figure that she will find that at the end of their travel, on Laugh Tale. Maybe it will happen earlier in case the Strawhats storm the World Government. Either way she will learn the truth. But that will not be the end to her. After learning the truth it's up to Robin to bring it to the world, to write it down, to teach, to make people understand that they can't erase history and that they have to learn from it. Again, that is something that takes time and so, truly fulfilling her dream.

Franky: To travel the world in the ship of his dreams. Again that is a vague dream. But it would mean to at least return to Water Seven, so that Sunny has traveled the world once. But even then it's only been a small part of the world and traveling the world would mean to visit at least every of the seas. So far, Sunny had been in two to four, depending on how much you take the movies into account. But to fulfill Franky's dream he needs to survive a bit longer and so does Sunny.

Brook: To meet Laboon again. This is simple. But for that Brook has to reach the end of the New World and then get over the Red Line again. What he will do after that is hard to tell. But again, the Red Line is behind Laugh Tale and so I'm sure Brook too, has to survive... even though he is already dead YOHOHO!

Jinbe: Equality between merfolk and humans. Again this is something that is no easy feat and will probably take more than one generation. Also it is not only up to him and more to Shirahoshi and the World Government. This dream is about teamwork too, but who could be a better ambassador for the merfolk than him? Losing Jinbe would be a huge backfire for the cause. Jinbe too is safe in my opinion. If you have reached the end of the post, let me tell you again my headcanon about FRobin: After the main adventure Franky and Robin return to Water Seven where Franky helps to turn W7 into a boat and after that is done, they travel to the island where Ohara used to be and there they rebuild the island. More people return and it again becomes a hub for scholars and history.

[darkpoisonouslove]

Ranking the Winx Club Finales

I recently finished my rewatch (and first watch of a season and a half) of Winx Club and wrote out my thoughts on all of it. However, to send off a year that was in experience a lot like watching this series - meaning, generally frustrating and downright disappointing whenever I got excited over a thing with a few highlights that actually stuck the landing - and to get out any remaining feelings over the series, I have decided to rank the finales from least to most favorite. I just have a lot of rage to spare over season 8′s finale and needed an excuse to do so. Plus, I am being thematic here goddammit! Here we go:

8. Season 8

Yeah, I really spoiled that already. To sum it up:

But let me elaborate. Like I already said, this finale enraged the living fuck out of me. I just cannot comprehend whatever possessed them to write a finale so, so... excruciatingly devastating... to a season that started out with a lot of promise and had some extremely solid decisions (except for the art style, which is just NOT IT). This finale is an absolute disaster in every way. First, there is a new plot point introduced mere minutes before the finale and it is never tied into the overall narrative of the season which doesn’t do it any favors, especially after the two halves of the season already have trouble connecting together into one overarching story. The reason they brought in the creatures from the Dark Dimension was to distract Valtor while Winx make their attempt at stealing the stars which could have very well been a role filled by Arken confronting Valtor in an opportunity to clear up all the muddy details around their partnership and bring together the two halves of the season. The Winx’ plan had potential that was completely wasted by their own interruption instead of seeing each girl (provided Layla was playing Icy, Stella - Darcy and Musa/Tecna - Stormy) doing her best to pretend to be the Trix she’s posing as to give the Trix the due role they should have had in this finale. Instead, we get an Icy that is a complete opposite of the character we’ve known her to be for seven seasons all for the sake of a wish she doesn’t even get fulfilled despite her decision to help. Her motivation is a direct contradiction to the original plan of the Trix and disrespects her character from all previous instances of her being on the show for absolutely no reason as she is left with nothing in the end and the whole backstory they invented for her out of nowhere and couldn’t fit in any way with anything previously known about her was in vain because it was never resolved. Winx essentially manage to defeat Valtor once they wish for their own power-up and are gifted powers they haven’t really earned only to be pronounced great heroes who even get their own constellation in the sky. Come again? There was no narrative tension in this episode, no big climax to resolve what is supposedly the biggest threat in the universe at the moment, and no actual emotional conclusion to the season. It can’t even be called a messy wrap when so many threads were left hanging in there. A true disaster on every front.

7. Season 6

Even if you count both 6x25 and 6x26 as the finale of season 6, the structure is still lacking big time. Acheron who is the main drive of the entire season is defeated before the end of 6x25 and the Trix who are the other main villains were also more or less neutralized at that point to leave absolutely no stakes for the last episode so they had to pull some bullshit to fill it. The Winx are useless for the entire episode, including Bloom whose battle with the Trix is an absolute joke. Like, they can’t even think of syncing their attacks so that she can’t protect herself from all three of them with her ridiculously small shield and Bloom couldn’t even bother to actually buy herself enough time to leave the Legendarium. The only saving grace of that fight is the little emotional moment it causes for Bloom but that was also not really set up at any point of the season so it was just out of the blue. Selina changing her affiliations permanently even after the imminent threat for her life was neutralized made about as much sense as her turning evil in the first place and the fact that they needed her to lock the Legendarium made everything 1000% shittier because of how convenient it was that she just decided to turn good again without any justification for her course of actions. That coupled with the lack of consequences for any of her actions (she nearly killed Flora for heaven’s sake and no one even brought that up?) plus the dreadful info dump monologue they gave her just brought the whole thing down. The wrap-up of the season was also underwhelming after they had an entire episode that was mainly free of villains in order to close the other storylines... but, of course, there were no other storylines. Pretty disastrous.

6. Season 7

Just like in season 6, Winx were pretty useless here as they really didn’t do all that much for the plot. Luckily, the fact that the Trix were brought in allowed for the villains to have a battle that was more intriguing and provided some action as for a finale. The other key elements of the season (fairy animals, Trix, wild magic, Kalshara and Brafilius and the time travel) were actually woven together pretty well to make for a pretty satisfying finish to a season that really lacked any solid plot. The mini worlds and the Tynix transformation did not have use in the last episode but that wasn’t too catastrophic. There was actually a pretty emotional moment between the fairy animals and Winx that would have been even better if their relationships had been better developed throughout the season... You’d really think that since fairy animals were the main point of the season and there was no solid plot to account for, they would have taken the time to pay attention to Winx bonding with their fairy animals but nah. I am still impressed with how touching their goodbye was given the fact that they didn’t really have all that much time to actually become close so bonus points for that. The very last scene is a little generic but what else to expect from a season that has sung all its songs already (thank god that there were no musical numbers in this because I have a feeling it would have been even worse)?

5. Season 5

Season 5 could at least pat itself on the back for dealing with the main villain of the season even if there were a couple iffy things about the whole deal. I’m taking away consistency points for a) the fact that the Throne was supposed to be activated with the seals from the Pillars of the Infinite Ocean, yet suddenly stealing a random Sirenix would do, b) Tritannus being defeated by simply having his trident taken away even though he literally grew in body mass implying that the power of the Emperor’s Throne had seeped inside of him (also confirmed by Mystery of the Abyss) and c) the mutants inexplicably turning back into people once Tritannus lost his powers even though they never turned back during his times of relapsing back into a human thanks to running out of pollution. His defeat was just ridiculously easy and Bloom got to do it even though Layla was the one with the personal connection to Tritannus and the one most directly impacted by his actions as her family fell prey to him. Instead of getting to shine in a season that focused heavily not just on her home world but on the environment from which her powers come, she got benched in favor of Bloom getting to do everything again with only mild assist from Layla’s cousin. They should have kept it in the family and left Layla and Nereus deal with Tritannus. The Trix were blasted out of the narrative extremely conveniently and the rest of Winx were saved twice by the mutants just turning their back on them instead of destroying them right then and there and then being turned back into their original form as well. There wasn’t the usual teamwork of the whole Winx unit which I am still salty about despite being sick of all the time they reached for convergence in that season. Theredor fighting alongside Winx (different from his own daughter) was a nice touch but the king and queen of Andros coming off as so helpless (and apparently the only people in the castle unless you admit that everyone else drowned) was frustrating. Where was the Andros army? We only got Tressa, Roy, four of Winx and a handful of mermaids. Is that the whole population of the Heart of All Oceans? Additionally, the finale left no time for any emotional resolution of the season’s events, especially considering the big deal that Daphne’s revival was. Instead they opted for a musical number at the end. Not the best form.

4. Season 3

Season 3 had a finale and then another finale. Granted, better than season 6 that had a finale and then filler but there was not a lot of glory to the ending of a story with such a strong opening and emotional moments that send you bursting into tears. The spell of the four elements was pretty decent in its first appearance in 3x25 but the way Valtor lost it all was a real let down after the climatic confrontations between him and the Winx girls throughout the rest of the season. His return was more or less a desperate last attempt at personal revenge against Winx as his goal was mostly out of reach at this point. The spell of the elements was brought down in both its use to create clones of Winx’ boyfriends and in its power as it was much easier to undo in its reappearance. The saving graces of this season’s finale are the couple emotional moments sprinkled through both 3x25 and 3x26. Bloom’s willingness to sacrifice herself for her friends and the world was the thread that the finale hangs on as she is mostly the one resolving the whole conflict which was a bit dissatisfying after the emotional damage Valtor inflicted on all of them directly or indirectly. There is a few moments left to recover from the emotional intensity of their battles against Valtor but nothing that really addresses the seriousness of the trauma they had to survive because of him. The Trix didn’t even get to have a last stand of their own in either of the last two episodes despite the position in which they started the season but that was more or less unnecessary anyway since we’d already seen they can’t hold their ground against Enchantix Winx even with a boost from Valtor. Overall, the finale is pretty weak, especially as a follow-up of the dynamic and strong experiences that the season put them all through. It was the first finale that was confined to a single episode (or rather two separate battles spanning over an episode to end the season) and there wasn’t enough tension building in the confined storyline an episode told.

3. Season 4

The season 4 finale is overall a solid conclusion that delivers both a final battle with the Wizards and enough time left to address all the other storylines left unfinished. The final battle was pretty short but there was enough intensity in the previous couple episodes to have covered the action demand that the season had already set up and it also provided the opportunity to have Winx come back together as a team after Layla split up. Not only that, but Nebula and Roxy also get to play their part while the Wizards make their last desperate attempt to regain the upper hand. It’s pretty climatic for something that length that also left about 15 minutes of the episode still to fill. Everything that had to do with the closure of the Earth fairies storyline was emotional beyond belief and gave more depth to all of them and Layla’s decision to join them. Winx had to face all of the separate responsibilities they have on their shoulders and find a way to balance them all so that they can pursue their dreams. There was a plethora of emotional moments and a deserved spotlight shined on Layla’s situation and how she’s dealing with it, plus the others’ feelings. It was a really touching finale and also an inspiring one to see Winx stand behind their dreams while still balancing their responsibilities. It seemed to achieve the initial goal of the season to have them adapting to the adult life they were shifting into.

2. Season 2

I’m gonna be honest, I had a very hard time deciding whether this would be number one or two because the season 2 finale had a lot more character moments that were very moving. It really corresponds to the season since it was more character driven than the first one and the finale suited that. However, ultimately I decided that it would take silver because of a couple minor things that bring it down. To get that out of the way, the second portal to Realix that led Winx there was imo a copout that destroyed pretty much all of the tension that the entire season spent building around the search for the Codex. It just felt so wrong for there to be another way to enter that dimension and to me it was a big disappointment. Especially since the key to activating the copy of the Codex was the color riddle that was a ridiculous panicked attempt on the writers’ part to show that Stella isn’t useless and has what to give the team but it only made her look worse in my eyes. Also, minor gripe for the fact that there wasn’t that much of a final battle since everything ended with a single convergence. Of course, there were several battles across the episode between different sides that made for good action and tension and there was magic involved in more ways than simply the convergence in order to defeat Darkar but it was still a bit of a letdown to never truly see him put his everything in battle. And the fact that Griffin and Faragonda held him off for as long as they did on their own actually hurt his credibility as a threat as well. But hey, on the plus side, remember when the teachers actually helped and did not leave the fate of the whole universe in the hands of 16-year-olds? Good times! The MegaTrix and her? their? battle with Darkar was epic. 20/10 on that concept alone, plus it really brought a great feeling of vindication after the number Darkar did on them and felt so satisfying even if they were also part of the villain team of the season. They were portrayed as three-dimensional and weren’t cast out of the narrative without care just because they were villains and that was actually probably the most solid moment that the Trix have ever had on the show (just minor gripe for the fact that they were supposed to be trapped in Realix when the dimension was sealed forever but they were later somehow brought out of there which was never explained). Sky’s speech to Bloom was actually a pretty emotional moment and the payoff from it felt earned and allowed for Bloom’s victory against the darkness to feel natural and in place. It was probably one of their best moments as a couple. Plus, the cute little interactions that we got during the celebration party to send off the season on its merry way made for a great finale. (And a shoutout to the Musa x Riven scenes both in 2x25 and 2x26 because that was some good shit and some cute shit and it was exactly what we deserved).

1. Season 1

Season 1 reigns supreme with its finale. There is just no other finale that can rise to the level of the first one that was built for about one third of the season so that the last episode could dive right into the action without wasting time on setup. This is also the only place where we truly and fully get to see each of the Winx and the Trix (well, minus Layla who hasn’t been introduced yet) showcase their powers but especially Bloom and Icy. It is the longest battle we have seen and it builds a lot of tension on top of what was already there to leave you on the edge of your seat. The exploration of magic in this episode makes it so iconic and such a great watch even on the 300th time. There isn’t really much more to say than simply “It is epic”. What makes it even better though is the fact that there is enough time left in the episode to wrap up everything else and not in a rushed way. The battleground is extended to the locations that have already suffered the previous battles to show the full extension of the action and to setup the wrap-up that comes at the end. They even find the time to let some of the minor characters have distinct and touching moments as well and thus expand the universe of Winx further than just the main characters. Speaking off, they all get their moments, too, and the Specialists aren’t left out of that (you will never catch me not fangirling over Sky and Riven fighting back to back). The finale also doesn’t forget about the overarching story about Bloom’s origin which is commendable considering the constant lack of consistency the show suffers. This is really the only finale that isn’t lacking in any of the departments and manages to provide a truly fascinating story that keeps you entertained and in suspense while at the same time does not discard the emotional payoff or the logical continuation of events. It just excels in every way.

Well, this is my analysis on the finales of Winx Club. What started out as a bitch fest actually left on on a positive and uplifting note to make for a great ending to a harsh year. Let’s see what beginnings 2021 will bring! ;)

[popculturebuffet]

Legend of the Three Cablleros: Pyra-Mid Life Crisis Review “Get Back, Ya MonkeyBatDonkeyRat”

Saludos Amigos! After four days of working on intensly exausting and through projects, my best of the year list and second Scott Pilgrim review, it’s nice to get back to some fun hyjinks with my boys. And boy oh boy.. did I get that. This one was a fun one.. not the best so far and we’ll get to it’s flaws as we go but damn if it wasn’t hilarous and insanely weird. 

So let’s get right to it, on with the show.  We pick up where we left off, Leopold, Felldrake’s mummified monkeybatdonkeyrat, as the boys come to refer to him, is carrying donald off and after a game of “What the fuck is this thing” And Jose understandably asking Xandra what the fuck is that, they try freeing him wiht Xandra successfully shooting him down... before the boys nearly kill donald with spikes and other pointy things before using Panchito’s hat to catch him. 

So Leopold returns to his master, and Feldrake reveals his plan for the episode: Their going to egypt. Okay so FELDRAKE is the reason Ancient Egypt is so evil. Huh, you learn something every day.  Meanwhile the boys try to hide because well.. Donald just got kidnapped and they’ve been at this one day. After some meh shenanigans, Xandra reveals her world map, where she can fast travel to any location with a “spark point”. Oh boy that means we’ll be getting  Zoey’s Infinite Playlist Crossover any day now... but while we ait for that, and we get a nice bit of the boys comparing the map to a GPS and Xandra for once being the one whose totally lost with the girls just nodding for her to accept it. But she can also track felldrake with it. You may be wondering “Wait why and how” but I thought of that: Because the original cabs mission once freeing Xandra was undoing Feldrake’s damage, she likely set up the atlas to track traces of his magic, and any flare ups in case he somehow returned.

So our heroes are off to egypt, though while the girls are staying behind, they give Donald the magic mirror from last episode so they can call them if they need them. HOnestly.. a pretty clever setup and a way to let April, May and June help without having to shove them into every episode. And being a fan of Ducktales, having it feel organic that a character isn’t going and still finding things for them to do is just.. it’s nice okay. Seriously Frank why didn’t you watch this. You still have hte better show so far but come on. 

My griping about another show aside our boys are off to Egypt.. anddddd in the middle of the desert.... wait so Xandra set up fast travel world wide to alls orts of leylines and stuff.. but the best she could do in freaking egypt.. was in the middle of one of the many stretches of uninhabitable desert. 

I mean I get it for some locations but this is freaking Egypt.. why isn’t the pyramid their going to the fast travel point. Start making sense making sense! Anyways so Feldrake gets an easy lead because Xandra took her stupid pills when picking this spot while Xandra and the cabs sweat it out, eventually arriving after them. We also get a really great bit where Panchito and Jose give the camels their water, and then Donald naturally needs some. I”m.. i’m not giogn to questoin where theyg ot suplies or anything, again the bigger issue of “why was your mystical fast travel point in the middle of nowhere” still stands. I mean at least say it was the best she could do or it screwed up or something. Not just “whoops guess we gotta somehow get camels to get the pyramids. “ Sheldgoose and Feldrake are ahead of them, and while obviously I can’t cover EVERY single bit.. there is a TON of good banter this episode, as Kevin Micheal Richardson shows a humerous side to feldrake, constnatnly insulting Sheldgoose, rightfully so, and just in genereal being throughly hilarious. Which given I was expecting him to be a pretty 1 dimensional bad guy, It was a nice suprise. My faviorite being when they fall on a skeleton “You are useless.. not you Carla, I like you... liked you”. The point is our villians are ahead and our heroes have to get past Leopold. Xandra suggests strategy.. but Donald’s already ahead to do a Donald and yell at it, wanting revenge. Before Donald can die horribly, Xandra simply blinds him and they run inside, accidently triggering all the traps and taking out leopold. Leopold finds his master.. just in time for the Cabs to find a control room.. 

Oh.. the what has not even begun as a button Panchito presses.. sends a rocket off to the MOON. 

Yup their going there. As Feldrake explains to sheldgoose, rapidly as he dosent have the patience for it but to Sheldgoose’s credit he picks up on all of it, the pyramid is a ship, aliens built the pyramids in this universe, they  mysteriously vanished but left a city full of robot soldiers on t he moon, hence why we’re going there. 

Yeah this is GLORIOUSLY weird stuff, our heroes having to go into space to fight an army of astro-mummies and ancient robots copotped by an ancient sorcerer. Yes.. yes just.. gimmie. This is insane in the best ways. WHat’s not is that the boys can’t work the ship together as they approach the dark side of the moon... huh I wonder why the moonlanders left all this here. Questions for later.  Oh .. and theirs an astro mummy on board, forcing Panchito to reveal he’s a famous luchador and he and xandra hold him off while Jose and Donald TRY to pilot the ship but can’t translate the manual and just make things worse. Thankfully he remembers the mirror and asks the girls for help, so they put the instruction manal through a translator. 

So with our heroes subuding the mummy and having instructoins they finally encounter feldrake and sheldgoose, whose in a cool looking hood with a mask and is naturally baffled to find his idiot neighbors who screwed him over are on this spaceship with him, while Panchito asks to donald’s reply. “You ever been to a party where everyone knows everyone but you? “ “Every day of my life”. PFFT.  But the whole group notices their about to crash so the bad gys use the escape part which Xandra condems as cowardly.. before admitting that was her plan too. Thankfully the girls come through, and they land.. I mean kinda.. Donald insists on landing, but their alive so better than Jose expected.  So on the moon.. wait let me cue the approraite music. 

There we go. Scrooge is on the other side though, long story. Point is our boys disembark sharing the astromummy suit and Xandra says they need to work as a team. The.. where did this moral come from? No seriously their incompitent sure, ti’s part of their charm.. but this dosen’t reallyc ome up till the last act. Them not working together. Sure they push a lot of random buttons but this seems like they pulled a teamwork moral out of their ass, especailly since them learning to work together is a GOOD idea, it’s a classic trope for a reason teams take time to get the rythum right, it’s just sorta shohorned into an otherwise unrealted space adventure. But they soon find the bad guys have taken over a giant super robot, and have the army preparing to blast off for earth. Uh-Oh. While Xandra prepares to stand and fight the boys.. flee. 

And while this is played off as their usualy incompetence... their the right ones this time. Xandra is thor with hawkeye , the good one from the comics, aim. She is VERY powerful.. but as it bears out even she can’t take down a whole army. She can fight them well enougha nd destroys man, in a very awesome sequence reminscent of Claude from Fire Emblem three houses, been playing that lately good game, but... she’s one person. And the boys are three normal guys with no combat training in a clunky robot suit. What’d you EXPECT them to be able to do? They made the right call.. as while they ran off they also found a giant robot of their own so we get an evil sorecer versus donald duck, panchito and jose, both in giant robots on the fucking moon. 

Look at times i’m a simple man. But if you can’t enjoy donald duck and his two best friends fighting an evil sorecerer, his descedant voiced by Wayne Knight, and a donkey bat rat, with both parties in giant robots .. I don’t get you and enver will. Our heroes end up finally working together smoothly with each boy taking a leg and donald? “I’ll take the fists!”.. bad...ass. And he does and despite a tense fight our heroes win, destroy the ships and donald FUCKING UPERCUTS FELDRAKE’S MECH’S HEAD OFF AND SENDS THEM INTO SPACE. Our heroes won, relfect ont heir teamwork because apparnelty that’s the lesson and Feldrake and Sheldgoose head home, with Feldrake pointing out that those idiots being next door means their just an easier target for him. 

Fianl Thoughts; This was a fun episode. While the teamwork thing is kinda.. shoved in there everything else is just a brisque, fun and rediclous adventure episode. And this is from someone who dosen’t like the ancient aliens idea for the pyramid as it has racisim at it’s core.. but works here because clearly their just being rediclous. I didn’t even get to the flight attendant or half the jokes. This is just a really fun, charming, delightfully cheese episode. And sometimes.. that’s all you need. Unitl the next rainbow, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. 

[fairymadnessyeah]

Secrets in the Dark

Shigadabi week day 1

Ao3 Link

Summary: After a job well done, the party starts their journey home. But the path is tricky and the past sneaky when memories start to show their ugly face.

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Memories / Fantasy / Bittersweet 

"We'll rest here for the night," Tomura said as he watched the rest of his party drag their feet through the forest floor.

As Bounty-Hunters, their jobs were usually easy. They did what people didn't want to do. Nobody would search for a murderer or criminal and risk their life when you could hire them and let them do it for you. Nobody would go into a dungeon when they would go for the right amount of money. It didn't always go the way the client wanted, but that was their fault for trusting Bounty-Hunters.

This job was one of those examples. They had been hired to retrieve a dagger from a nearby hunted cave. The legend said it could reveal every secret someone had and, judging by the unhappy married life the lord who hired them had, he probably wanted to check if his wife had a lover. Too bad they wanted the dagger more. The quest took them two days, one to retrieve the weapon and another one to forge it.

It wouldn't be the first time they did something like this. Twice, an excellent alchemist and blacksmith, was the best at making doubles of things. The copies didn't last though, so once they were paid and started on their journey back home, the lord figured out their scheme. He sent a squadron after them, who chased them non-stop. When night fell, they had finally lost them but were too tired to continue.

"Wonderful idea, Tomura," Compress exclaims as he takes out a marble of his pocket and throws it to the ground. The marble explodes and reveals a giant tent, which they all enter.

"Ugh, I'm beat," Spinner moans and starts cracking his bones behind his scaley skin. "How far are we from Furesurbs?" he asks and collapses into the pile of cushions he slept on.

Furesurbs was the cannibal city of the continent. Only the bravest and most skilful of heroes had been able to go through it without ending dead. Or that was what the common people knew. Foresurbs was actually a lawless city. Thieves, killers, Bounty-Hunters, they all lived in peace with plenty full jobs to earn money. The hero who ever stepped foot inside was dead the moment he breathed.

"I'll track a course for tomorrow, for now just rest," he tells the others and takes out his map of the region. As a warlord, he was well-versed on many subjects. He was almost positive he was the only one who had had an education in some way. But then again, they didn't know much about Dabi or Compress.

Their group of Bounty-Hunters, The Vanguard Action, was not the usual group. If anything, their partnership shouldn't work. Why would it? A Warlord apprentice, an Alchemist with a personality disorder, a druid with a craving for blood, a known thief and con-man, a survivor from the Draco kingdom and ex-slave, a witch trapped in a man's body and a cursed runaway arsonist. Their teamwork should have been a disaster, a failure.

Yet, somehow, after half a year of travelling together, they had become such a tight group that Tomura was sure his Sensei would be disappointed of his attachment. But in an unlikely moment, the young warlock didn't care. His Sensei's approval and pride should be his drive, his greatest achievement. But his party -his friends- they meant the world to him, and he would make sure that when his time to rise came, they would get everything they wanted.

And bizarrely, he knew the feeling was mutual. From the hundreds of times they had had his back, to the quiet nights they spent comforting each other; Tomura knew his party would be there for him when it mattered. Magne, Toga and Twice repeatedly told him so, Compress, Spinner and Dabi showed it with their actions. They all said he had brought them together, that he had saved them in some way or another. That they were a family and they wouldn't let anybody come between them and their happiness.

Thought this journey would put that trust to the test.

"Stop playing with that, Crazy, it's not a toy!" Tomura was distracted from his routing by the disturbance. Toga and Twice were testing out the new dagger, passing it between them and asking questions, to which the dagger would burn if the one holding it lied. Magne was cooking while Compress and Spinner were sleeping, but were distracted by the mess.

Dabi, the one who scolded the two fools playing with the ancient and powerful tool, was up from his own nap and trying to get the dagger from the girl. "No! Wait for your turn! I'm using it now!" Toga threw her tantrum and tried to keep the artefact away from the older man.

"Yeah, don't be a party pooper, Dabi!  You trying to hide something, cursed boy!? " Twice said as he helped Toga.

The three entered a tug war, with Dabi trying to get the dagger and Toga and Twice trying to keep it to continue their game. The rest of the party soon lost interest in the usual shenanigans. It was a daily occurrence that the three would argue like siblings, and they went back to what they were doing previously. That changed when Dabi screamed. The dagger clattered against the floor as the arsonist held his bleeding arm close and cursed out loud in pain. They tried to get close to him and aid him with his injury, but he stepped away and told them he was alright before stomping out of the tent. He was probably going to his horse, Licen.

"Good job, you morons," Spinner tells them once Dabi is not in the tent. "Now he is going to be even more cranky," the lizard-looking man complains.

"Don't worry, once Dabi gets some sleep and food, he'll be as happy as he can be," Magne tells Spinner and stirs the stew she is preparing. "But you two better apologize and stop playing with that thing. Dabi is right, it's not a toy," she turns to the two blondes and scolds them.

"Yes, Big Sis Mag... Why don't you make me, Old Hag!?" Twice says.

Toga, however, doesn't. She is staring at the dagger with rapt attention and holding the blade in her hand. "Hey Tomu, what does Blue blood mean?" the youngest member of their group asks him out of nowhere.

"Usually it means the person is part of a noble family," he answers her. Toga always asked him stuff out of nowhere. She had lived away from cities and society for most of her life, and she didn't understand most of the new world that surrounded her. "Why are you asking?"

"That's the blood that came out of Dabi," she tells him and shows him the blade of the dagger. It wasn't a lot, but the small amount of liquid the blade had was blue-purplish colour. 

"That's impossible," Spinner comments about the implication of the blood. "Dabi hates royals and nobles more than any of us," he argues. And he was right. Even if rich families were the largest source of income for the lawless, there was no Hunter or Thief alive who didn't hate the higher society. Dabi did so with a passion and never stayed quiet about it. He could look past a lord or count that were in the rich inner circle of the kingdomes, but royals were a pest in his eyes. Tomura had noticed the small chain he had with stolen Royal rings the hunter had collected over the years. To think that somebody like that came from a noble family was ridiculous. Unthinkable even. 

"Can't it be that since he is cursed, his blood is blue now?" Compress cuts in.

"No, cursed blood is purple," he tells them. "Maybe he is a bastard from a noble family, or the descendant from a dead royal house. But it is none of our business, now is it?" he asks the rest of the tent, with a clear hint of dropping the matter.

It works though, and they all go back to their tasks. Magne gets help with dinner by Twice, and Toga cleans the dagger and places it in a scabbard that doesn't fit it. When they get to Furesurbs, they can have one made. The tent is plagued with silence until Magne announces it's dinner time. Dabi still hasn't come back by that time. Tomura is not worried. If Dabi wants to be a gloom and be alone, that's his problem. He doesn't need the fire user. Even if he is a great source of heat in cold nights.

When they finish dinner and Dabi still hasn't appeared, Tomura has had enough. While the others build a fire to keep warm, he takes his hooded cape and goes looking for him. Their camp is hidden between the plants of the forest they were in. Licen was still here, but the mare also had the heart of an apple at its feet. Dabi spoiled his horse like no other, always giving her an apple even if it meant hunger for him. Licen in exchange was the most loyal horse there could be, even if she was a stubborn mare that only let a few ride on her. So if she was still here, Dabi couldn't have gone far.

Tomura found him a few feet away from the camp, near a stream. Dabi was a sight to behold. He had patches of healthy skin but most of his body was covered in deep purple scales. His curse was slowly turning him into a monster. When he lost control, the scales would start to take over his body, covering more skin, and he would become more animalistic. It scared the crap out of them the first time it happened.

They had come to a crossroad with another group. The party of teenagers because, yes, they were a bunch of teenagers along with an alchemist knight and they had unfortunately been after the same target. They were both looking for the golden scabbard of All Might's famous sword. They wanted it for the money, but the kids needed it to unlock something, they were in a quest with pointless ideals of heroism. They had ended up clashing, and Dabi lost control, though he wasn't the only one. He was in battle against The half cursed prince, Todoroki Shouto, and as the fight grew heated, both men turned into monsters. Both groups had to separate them by force before they killed one another. Dabi didn't speak for two days after that, and they didn't get the scabbard.

However, curse and all, Tomura couldn't help but find the hunter mesmerizing. It was like he was made to distract him. His strong jaw, his deep hoarse voice, his dry humour and his eyes. Oh Divus, his eyes. Tomura could drown in them. Deep, bright blue orbs that he could stare at and get lost in at any time. Even now, in a dark moonless night, he could still see them. It infuriated him.

"Did you come here to stare, creep?" Dabi asks him, turning to see him.

"You missed dinner," he tells him and sees the other roll his eyes at him. "Let me look at your wound," he orders him.

"It's fine, I cauterized with my magic," he says but still holds his hand to him.

The wound is not deep, but it's large, it starts at the bottom of his finger and ends in the middle of his forearm, cutting through the purple scales. With a simple chant, his hand lights up in a red hue, and he starts healing the hunter. He can feel Dabi's eyes on him. Those blue gems piercing his being and somehow looking into his soul. He didn't know how, but Dabi was one of the people who were able to read him like an open book.

"Stop that," he tells him as he heals him.

"Stop what?"

"You know what..."

His relationship with Dabi was weird. Sometimes he wanted to kill him. The hunter loved to rile him up. He was lazy and disrespectful. He would attract trouble wherever he went. He could count the times they had been persecuted out of an area because of the messes him, Spinner and Twice had gotten in. However, he trusted him with his life.

If something happened, he knew Dabi would be there. He was his right-hand man. He could leave the Vanguard Action with him without worrying things would collapse the moment he left. Dabi and him on some late nights, when neither of them could sleep, would be there for each other. Tomura had told the arsonist secrets he didn't even share with Kurogiri. And Dabi had told him things none of the other league members knew. They had bonded in some sort of way.

And sometimes, even when the raven was just a few centimetres apart from him, he wanted to be closer. Tomura was not afraid to say he finds the hunter attractive, scales and all. He was as hot as a fireplace and as a warlock, whose dark powers sucked all the warmth from inside him, he had many times cosied up to the fire-user to get warmed up. All of the party had. There were times he would see couples on the road and imagine it's him and Dabi. There was also the dream accident.

A few months ago Magne convinced him in trying her new sleeping potion. They had just come from a good-paying job, so using the free time they had, he accepted. The concoction was supposed to trap him in a dream for a few hours and rest his mind and body. Tomura tried it, following Magne's instruction and soon enough fell asleep. When he opened his eyes, he could tell he was not awake. The first indication was the changing background. The second hint was Dabi entering the room and kissing him without a hesitation. In that two hour nap, Tomura was caressed, worshipped and loved by Dabi. But even if it was a dream, it felt so real. When he woke up, he couldn't look at the hunter without remembering his dream. He avoided Dabi for an entire day. He still felt awkward about it.

"There, done," he tells him and quickly takes a step back from the raven. "Now come to the tent, we have a long journey tomorrow, and your food is getting cold," he turns, giving his back to his party-member, but stops when he hears the other speak.

"You're not going to say anything? About the blood?" he sounds... nervous, which is very offputting, since this is Dabi who's talking. He always talks in a monotone, leaving people guessing what he meant by his tone.

"It's none of my business," he responds. "We all have our secrets, Dabi. If you ever want to tell me, I'll listen," he heads back to the tent and hears Dabi silently walking behind him.

The rest of the party is already in their bedrolls when they arrive. They aren't asleep, just laying comfortably around the small fire. Dabi sits in between Toga and Compress and starts eating his bowl of stew. Shigaraki goes back to his maps and tracing a road, idle chatter fill the tent as they all get ready for bed, but Tomura interrupts all of that.

"We have a minor inconvenience," he announces, and they all turn their attention towards him. "If we take the easy road, it might take us a while to get to Furesurbs. But we can cut that time to three days if we don't avoid some of the more dangerous areas,"

"What areas?" Dabi asks.

"For the first day of the journey, we have options. We are surrounded by three of the most magic-hated cities, Servusurbs, Magumless and Torquecastra. If we want to avoid them, we need to go around them, but that is going to add three days to our travels. Though we could go through the Aurum Mountains, using the mines. Although I doubt we'll find a way past it without help, and that is going to cost us a lot of money," he explains.

The rest of the group is pensive for a moment. Torquecastra is a fortress, getting in they might be able to achieve, but getting out is going to be tricky. Servusurbs would be easier to get in and out, thanks to their slave business, but Spinner was not going to set foot in that place again. That left only Magumless, but the place was very strict with their magic laws. All those who possessed magical abilities had to be collared and sorted by colour, and they could only enter if they had an escort.

"I know a way we can get through Magumless," Compress says. "There are underground tunnels we can go through, used for smuggling magic-ingredients in. If Dabi doesn't show off his flames and Magne hides her potions, we would have enough escorts to get to them," he explains and looks at the ones who would have to get chained along with him, Toga and Shigaraki. They all nod, agreeing to the plan.

"What about the second day?" Magne asks.

"We have two options if we don't want to spend another three days travelling, Libidine forest or the Erat fields," Tomura explains and watches everyone groan.

Libidine forest was a death trap. The place was plagued with Succubuses and Incubusses and it was theorized to be sacred ground for them. If they caught you, you were either sacrificed or used as breeding stock. They would have to be on high alert if they went there, but that wouldn't mean they would make it out.

The Erat fields were the same. A spell was cast in the form of a mist on the place that created illusions to confuse travellers. Going alone was a sure death, but since they were a group, they might just make it. They would just have to keep each other grounded.

"What about the Nix mountain range? It would be a day more, but better than any of the other options," Dabi says.

"We are not prepared to spend two days in a frozen hell," he explains. "And it's wyvern season," Dabi grunts at his logic. "Erat is our safest option," they all nod, agreeing with him.

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 The next day of their journey went well, luckily.

They arrived in pairs to the city, and once they were registered and inside, they would meet in an arranged location. Magne and Compress went first, then Toga and Twice and lastly, Tomura with Dabi and Spinner. The city of Magumless had a metal system to identified magic. Steel collars meant useful harmless magic, bronze was useful harmful magic, gold was useless harmless magic, silver was useless harmful magic, and black iron was dangerous magic. Tomura was collared with one of the laters.

They almost arrest him when he entered the city after the collaring. But Dabi, whose clothes covered his scales, stopped them, lying about a life debt he owed him. The guards luckily left them alone after that. Spinner, who was acting as his stead for the day, might have a lot to do with that. Nobody would come in between a man with a warlock and a giant lizard monster at his beck and call. Once they reunited, the trip went on smoothly. They weren't able to take out the chains until they reached the other end of the city, but below the city, they didn't have to be on constant alert.

By nightfall, they were all out of the town and camping by the side of the road. It took them another day to get to the Erat fields. They decided to wait for the next day to cross it and camped a few meters away from it. The next morning, they all woke up already dreading the journey before them.

"So what exactly are the fields going to do?" Spinner asks in his big lizard form asks as he carries Tomura, Twice and Magne. "I know it's supposed to be illusions, but what kind? Monsters? Or something like that?"

"The stories vary," Compress answers by his side, riding a magic-made horse Tomura conjured, Toga behind him. "Some say you see your past, your happiest moments, and you desire to go back keeps you in here. Others say you become delirious. You turn into a future of yourself that may never happen and get trapped inside the fantasy," As theatrical Mister Compress was, he was right. The stories were told by those who were able to survive the fields, and the only consistent theme in their tales was that they would never go back to it.

They soon got their answer, though. Magne suddenly let out a scream, scaring all of them and making some of them unsheath their swords. Luckily it was a false alarm. Magne just panicked because out of nowhere it looked as if she had been burned to death. When Shigaraki had met her, she was in Furesurbs running away from her family of witches. They didn't accept her as herself and gave her an ultimatum, be normal or die. She ran away and joined them.

One by one, they all changed. Twice suddenly looked like a teacher -(he was once offered to teach at the university of Libriratum, but he refused)-, Toga turned more druid-like (she had been raised by druids, but got kicked out when they didn't approve of her magic), chains and whip welts appeared on Spinner (he had been sold and bought as a slave until Tomura saved him), and Compress looked like he had been hanged (he had escaped from prison before they were able to do it). Tomura didn't change much. Instead of looking like a warlock in his black clothing and magical jewellery, he looked like a farmboy. His shirt turned rough and scratchy and his hair, which was a platinum and identified him as a Master of the Dark Arts, changed into its original black colour. Toga also complained about his smell, but she was the only one who noticed. Dabi was the last one to change. And boy, were they not ready...

The first hint they had that he changed was the metallic clangs and Twice's gasp. When they turned to look at Dabi, the person they knew was gone. Their cursed leather-wearing hunter with a hot temper and a cold stare was nowhere in sight. Instead of him, the dead prince of the Flame Kingdom rode beside them in his stead.

Golden armour on his legs, a white silk cape with golden trims flailing on his back, a blue regal vest with King Enji's emblem, his skin clear out of any scale, red hair sweeping with the wind and adorned with a golden crown encrusted with gems. Even his horse had a golden armour and a brand new leather seat. His crossbow was gone, as well as everything else and only his sword remained by his side. The only reason they knew it was Dabi was because of his eyes. The same blue as they ever been.

None of them dares to utter a word. They just stared at their friend as they walked. It was so weird to see the man so adorned and wearing so much expensive stuff. Especially since this was Dabi. The guy who had spent an entire job without a shirt because he wanted to cut expenses to afford some more food for his horse. He didn't cover up until Tomura bought him a new shirt.

"Stop. Staring." said guy says after a while, his eyes never leaving the path ahead. His request fell on deaf ears though. He sighs frustrated at his peers gaze. "You can ask one question each. After that we don't speak of this. Ever. Again." he grunts.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead? A GHOST!?" Twice exclaims with his usual tact.

"I never died, I just faked it and ran away," Dabi tells them.

"Why? You were living in a castle, with servants, freshwater and food and everything you could ask for, why give that up?" Spinner ask.

"I don't need much to be happy," Dabi shrugs. "'Sides, being king wasn't worth the price,"

"Do you have one of those lovely royal rings?" Compress suddenly asks, staring at his new attire with interest.

"I do. You take it, and I will cut off your fingers and feed it to Toga," Dabi warns, and it's enough to ward off the old thief.

"My turn! My turn!" Toga exclaims happily. "Let's see... Oh, were you ever betrothed?" she smiles and Tomura feels his blood heating up.

"Twice," Dabi answer with a grimace. "First to a princess who died before I could ever see her and then to the daughter of my fathers' army general as a prize after their last campaign," Tomura doesn't like this question.

"Don't you miss your family?" Magne asks softly.

"Sometimes, but they seem to be alright without me..." he answers surely remembering the last time he was his brother.

'His brother... the half cursed prince...' Tomura remembers, and his gears start turning in his head. It couldn't be a coincidence that they both were cursed. The two princes of the same kingdom, of the same family, supposed to inherit the same land? It didn't sound natural. Curses were like a string they had a start and an end, but they were also personal. Only a person could be cursed. Objects or other things could be blessed or damned, but curses were the result of a human. But who could have done that?

He had lived in the Flame kingdom for a while, and even if he didn't, it was no secret how much the people loved the heirs of the Royal family. The four siblings were praised for their selflessness, kindness and compassion. Princess Fuyumi taught how to read outside the palace to whoever passed by. Prince Natsuo was a diplomat who had given the people of their kingdom lower taxes. Prince Shouto was a brave warrior and a gentle soul. And Prince Touya, Dabi, he had had the closest relationship with the people. He was known as the Free Prince before his death. Always running from his duties and spending time with the peasants outside the castle. The kingdom had mourned his death for months. They had expected a great ruler from him, even greater than... the current... king...

"Was the king the one who cursed you?" Tomura asks, hoping to be wrong.

"Yes, he did,"

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

 They all turned back to normal once they were out of the field. They took a moment to rest after it, the experience draining them all. None of them had a past worth going back to, so being reminded of everything they had run away from or escaped had hit them quite strongly.

They didn't stay there for long though, and soon enough they were at Furesurbs. Toga, Twice and Magne decided to go to Kurogiri's bar to unwind when they arrived while the rest of them went to their quarters. Being Sensei's apprentice, Tomura had been able to afford a big enough place for all of his party. They were near the bar where they got their jobs, and they were able to guard each other's back while in there. Their line of work gave them more enemies than friends, and they were stronger united than separated. Not to mention it was cheaper than any other inn or place they could rent.

Dabi was laying in his bed, unable to fall asleep when he heard a small knocking in his door. Believing it was one of his drunk partners, he ignored it. They would get tired soon enough and leave. He wasn't feeling up to being with anybody at the moment. But when the knocking came again, he figured whoever was doing it wouldn't stop until he opened the door. He gets up with a groan and opens the door, ready to send whoever it was away, but his words die in his mouth when he sees who it is. On his door is his leader, Shigaraki Tomura, with a crazed look in his eyes and a scratched up neck.

The guy doesn't even wait for him to let him in he just pushes him to the side and gets in. He is only wearing a loose pair of black pants and a black shirt with a simple pair of boots. His silver hair is messed up, and he is mumbling in a low voice.

"Tell me more about your curse," he demands once Dabi closes the door.

"...What?"

"Your curse, how does it work!?" he asks again.

"Why the sudden curiosity?" Tomura had never inquired about his curse. Ever. So what could have changed?

"How does it work, Dabi? Don't make this more difficult!" he goes off again, the scratching getting worse.

"No," Dabi crosses his arms. "Why do you want to know? Do you think once I'm cured you can use me to take over the kingdom? You want to use me for your world domination!?"

"JUST TELL ME, DAMNIT!" the warlock screams.

"TELL ME WHY!?"

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE!" Tomura finally snaps at him, leaving Dabi speechless. "Curses usually end in death! You can't avoid it! You either finish it, or  it  finishes you! Now tell me everything you know about it so I can try to stop it!"

Dabi is quiet for a few minutes as Tomura hyperventilates after his rant. "... you can't," Dabi breathes. He had given up a long time ago. "The curse is the missing half of my brothers. One day we will turn into monsters and kill each other for the throne. Once my brother is crowned king, the curse should be broken-"

"It won't work," Tomura interrupts him. "Curses are conditional, if your brother wants to be king, he needs to fight you," the warlock tells him. Dabi feels as if he was shot through the heart when he says it. He falls to his bed defeated and stares at nothing.

"It won't happen," he hears Tomura mumble under his breath as he walks to the door. "You might have given up on it, but I won't. I will find you a cure, and I'm going to remove that curse from you," he tells him and flees the room, leaving an ex-prince behind with a heart that won't stop beating, as if trying to jump out of his chest.

[n0irrrr]

e m p t y / 12

shingeki no kyojin | series [various x male!amnesiac!reader] summary: [Name], an amnesiac boy awakes in a unknown place – trying to remember anything makes him have horrible headaches. Who is he? And why he can’t remember his own face? masterlist

chapter twelve

flying

When the aptitude test began once again, [Name] was ready for it now— but of course, things got on his way as they have always done.

As he was being lifted in the air he didn't find much trouble balancing himself. Everything was going according to plan, but a small uncomfy feeling was slowly appearing on the back of his head, quickly creeping his whole head with a heavy weight with it. It soon became more painful, seeing his clenched jaw and a twitch on his left eye. Nevertheless, the boy didn't voice his discomfort and tried to keep going as normal.

Fortunately, the boy could whine mentally, ”oh fuck!” He clenched his fists, trying to not lose his balance that much. It may have sound like an exaggeration, but the headaches more than just hurting they clouded his mind— as if he couldn’t see trough the fog. He felt horribly tired out of nowhere, but didn't give in.

Unfortunately, his trouble couldn’t be hid. Why now, of ALL times, this is happening to me? Gritting his teeth, he tries as best as he could to not have a worse performance like yesterday. Somehow he stood his ground and managed— well, the test result didn’t have to be perfect, right? If it only allowed him to pass just barely, then that was enough for him.

Waiting for his result with a poker face, the silence Shadis fell in made [Name] worried. Was his performance so horrible he couldn’t be allowed to stay?

It seemed whatever Shadis was thinking had finished, and with a deep loud voice he spoke, ”I see you have problems with it still— just be careful your useless ass doesn’t make you fall to your death!”

[Name] couldn’t stop a sigh of relief getting out. Well, that was better than not passing. It was pretty disappointing not being able to do his best thanks to the headaches, but it isn’t as if he needed to be in the top ten to join the Survey Corps— he will just have to manage the upcoming tests and keep passing somehow. That if my headaches don't make me kill myself.

”I’m happy for you, [Name]!” Marco grinned, looking happily to him as he returned, “I knew you could do it.”

Jean rubs his head, ”man, your headaches really come in the worst time, do they?”

”It’s so absurd.” He bitterly stated, placing a hand on his forehead while closing his eyes, clearly frowning.

“Seems this is going to go for a while, seeing the amount that haven’t made it.”

"Can we stay there in the mean time?" [name] pointed a place pretty far from where they were— just a spot under some trees. Jean instantly knew he just wanted to sleep. You lazy sleepy adorable thing...

The trio walked away, sitting on the grass.

”Could we get in the air today?” Marco wondered, supporting his hands on the grass as he looked at the others trainees doing the test.

From afar he could see Eren’s failure and raising— it was pretty inspirational. [Name] always felt what truly made Eren into the person he was was his great sense of freedom. He truly fights of what he really wants. That can make him stupid or brave, if not both. By his surprise, it seems the brunette was looking for somebody— and that was him. They meet gazes from far away, [name] tilting his head to the side, curious. Looks like Eren is debating what to do, but in the end he sent a wave to [Name]. His eyes widened slightly, returning the wave unsure.

...?

"Where do you plan to go, [Name]?" Marco inquired, looking at him with prying eyes. His attention from Eren shifts to Marco,

"The Survey Corps."

"Really? That's... a lot of courage..." [Name]'s choice reminded Marco everyone would take their own paths in the future— many of them would not see each other again at the end of all of this.

"Or just really stupid," Jean couldn't help but mutter, crossing his arms. [name] sighed, knowing his choice was still not accepted by his friend. The [hair color] haired boy approached Jean and wrapped his arms around his torso, resting his head on Jean's chest. The action made the taller male blush, "o-oi, what the hell are you doing?!?

"Don't get mad," he closes his eyes, drifting off to sleep slowly. Rubbing his head against the other's chest, [name] muttered things Jean couldn't hear clearly. He just mumbled curses, not really trying to get [name] off of him. Secretly, he liked the gesture.

Marco just watches the interaction with interest, wondering about their past relationship. He noticed these two came together— childhood friends? but they look too intimate...

The freckled boy tilts his head. "You don't want him to join?"

Jean frowns, clearly showing his displeasure. "Of course not! Why would I when I know he— he will..." He doesn't finish the sentence, but Marco knows what he means. Unconsciously, the freckled boy moves [name]'s hair from his face, looking at the gentle expression he's making.

He smiles softly, "then... we should enjoy these moments together." While his embarrassment goes away for some time, Jean wraps his arms around [name], as if he fears for him to disappear.

While Jean and Marco talk about what the life inside the Military Police would be like, a certain brunette couldn't stop frowning at the close proximity Jean and [Name] were in. He just glared from afar, not liking one a bit the horrible scene.

After some hours, the test was over with when the instructor announced it's end. Both Jean and Marco hurriedly tried to wake [name] up, and after some tries the boy barely was awake. They didn't care about the state he was in and actually dragged him to were everyone was lining up, talking over his ear to wake him up. After some tries, the boy seemed to be conscious enough to at least stand up properly. All the cadets grouped in under the heavy gaze of their instructor, waiting for their new test.

Shadis stared at all of them with a harsh gaze while shouting, "the next test will be using your gear! Get familiar with it because then you will be doing teamwork practice, useless maggots!"

Everyone collected their new gear with grins on their faces, including [name]. His sleepy state had partially gone away at the feeling of finally being in the air.

Finishing wearing it, the trainees lined again to hear the instructions of the new test.

"Alright, maggots! The test from today is simple and an introduction for the next— use your blades to get the dummies! Every well done slice is a bonus point for your performance and your rank. At the count of three, the test will begin. It will finish when I say, so don't get too distracted!"

  Jean turns to [name], showing one of his 'handsome' smiles. "Okay [name], watch how a natural does it, hmn?" [name] just stares blankly at him, not caring much. "At least say something..."

"...one! THE TEST BEGINS!"

Seeing everyone already entering the forest, [name] took his time to get used to the blade's weight. He wanted to make sure everything was in order before going into action; there was no rush for now. Walking trough the forest, [name] clearly heard where the majority was. He jumped and shoot his hooks, heading to the left. I don't hear much here.

Managing the complete gear was something else. [name] had to be full awake to use it, if not, he could get badly injured if something went wrong. Nevertheless, the boy couldn't stop from closing his eyes and go with the flow, the feeling the wind against his face and the smell of grass present. He felt free.

Hearing the squeak of the dummies moving, the boy opened his eyes, ready to attack. There were two dummy titans of different size and pretty far away from each other, but without much wait [name] gripped his guns, releasing gas to quickly slice trough the fake neck successfully. That was good— now the other. Repeating the same process, [name] was getting the hand of it fast. Thanks to his good hearing, he could notice everyone was not that far away, seems like they are fighting for dummies.

Grinning at the sight of another untouched dummy, the boy prepared his grip to get another successful slice. Getting close to his target, he heard someone approaching quickly, stealing the kill. [Name], unamused, closed his gas to recognize the stealer was Reiner, who had a smug grin in his face.

"Thank you for the help, [name]! If it wasn't for your great sense of direction I would have not found this goldmine."

[Name] just stuck out his tongue, not really that bothered by the stealing. But just for a slight second, [name] changes, but to be precise his eyes change, and Reiner clearly see the difference— they look at him harshly, but with a tint of mocking along with a grin. "Let's see if you steal my kill when they break the wall again, giant." Leaving the blonde frozen by the sudden and dark comment, [name] left carelessly, as if he didn't say something weird.

Reiner just carefully watches him leave, the smirk long gone from his face.

  Ẍ̵̨̛̛̺̫̜̼̞̀͊̉̄͒͂̽̿̉̊͗̌ͅX̶̺̤͕͈̙̘͙̬̣͕͕̥̀̇́͗̆͛́̔̄̈̚X̵̹̤̗̋̚͝X̴̡̛̖̜̗͕̓͑͌̑̍͂̿X̶̨̙͎̩̮̖̖̬̘̌̓͐̐̽̋͛̅̌̄̄͊̐͝Ẍ̷̢̢̮͚̠̙͇̞͙͎͈́̌̆͊̒̉̂̇͑̐ͅX̶̨̖̗̰̮̖̜̲̜͇̊͐̌̒̾̾̆̾͝͠,̸̨̳̞̲̻̭̃̄͛̈̓͒̑̄̿̈́̽͑̈́͊͜ͅ ̶̢̡̠̝̮̳̦̟̜̙͖̰͔̑͑͑t̴̨̧̻̟̤̫͕̝̠̖̭͚̲̄̌̿̉̑͆̍͝h̷̙̝̟̎̄͆̿͐̚͝ȃ̴̧̱͉̬͔͈̮̬͎͚̦͖̘̔̄̐͆̓̌̀̅̅̇͘̕͝ͅt̴̛̠̬̼̰͈͉̖̜͛̉̏͆̽̐̒̈̑͆̄͠ͅ ̶̭͕̟̺̯̀̌̊̽̃̽̚͝ḯ̸̫̠̩͔̈́̉̕s̵̡̥̰̤̩͈̬̒ṇ̸̜̝̳̲̼̣̒̓͝'̷̢̱̺̝̪͛̈́͆͆̆̔̾͒̾̔̋̏̌̕ẗ̶̻́͆̒̈́́̃͌̏͆͂̎͠ͅ ̵̛̥͕͉̤͚͇͈͍̇̿̽̈́́͑̕͝ͅa̵̰̗̤̥̲̦̙̟̰̽̚͝l̴̨̨̧̛͎̞̗͉̬̲̼̭̣̀̓͋̿̈́̈̄̌̃͒͒͌̚̕l̸̩̻̮͈͍̼͍̺̪͚̬̜̣̟̦̋͒̃̔̂͐͒̈͘͠ò̸͚̖͍͕̀̋͆̅̑̽̍̂̈́̿͌ẅ̷̢͎͉́̐̔̃͠e̴̛̖̥̖͖̦̲̥̯͚d̸̺̲͇̊̓̑̃̄̄͘͜!̶̛͖̪͓͉̜̹͍̣́̎̍͒̈̓̂ͅ

  "Don't care."

"Everyone! Get your asses back here!"

"Next test will be for teamwork! Learn to cooperate together to take down a titan! Teams are already done, so hear carefully!"

"First team: Eren Jäeger, Jean Kirstein—"

[Name] heard Jean curses under his breath, and he couldn't stop a chuckle from coming out of his lips. He can see Eren, who is at the front, frowning and cursing too.

"Next team: Bertolt Hoover, [Name] Knight, Marco Bodt, Connie Springer and Mina Carolina!"

He didn't care much of who was he paired with— there wasn't anyone he disliked. [Name] was pretty excited for the practice, thanks to his adrenaline using the gear in the air just minutes ago.

The instructor had explained the practice consisted in taking care of the dummies inside the forest with your team— as he was going to watch everyone performance, seeing any lack of teamwork would get minus points.

"You have to learn how to cooperate— if you don't, there's nothing but mistakes and unavoidable mess," Shadis spoke, "get with your team and prepare for the test!"

[Name] waved at Jean before leaving, receiving a grunt. He reunited with his team, spotting Marco first who was already with the three soldiers. When they saw [name], Connie grinned enthusiastically and wrapped his arm around [name]'s shoulder.

"Ready for being first place, partner?" [Name] nodded, blinking blankly, "okay everybody! leave this to me!"

"Not so fast, air head!" The black haired girl spoke, "this is about teamwork, don't go all crazy and dandy doing your own thing!"

"I believe all of us will do our best— we just have to coordinate right!"

[Name] not interesting much in their conversation, looked at Bertolt with his usual poker face and waved, tilting his head slightly. The taller soldier blinked in surprise, shyly returning the greeting. [Name] sure looked to have some childish behavior– the brunette couldn’t stop imagining him as a little kitten when he was with Jean. The sudden thoughts made him blush. A kitten...

  "Everybody, in place! The practice will begin in 3...2..."

The practice was being an absolute failure.

The team wasn't communicating properly— between the silence of some members and the independent actions of others, the team regrouped to discuss about their currently horrible performance.

“What the hell are we doing?!”

”Connie! Stop going on your own and follow orders!”

”What?! Nobody is giving shit! Why is it my fault?!”

”Hey—! Please calm down! We still have time to get it together!” Marco tried to control the situation, but the two weren’t listening to him. He turned to the other two, “Bertolt, [Name]! Help me out!” The taller soldier couldn’t speak properly. His shyness didn’t let him, and just opted to stay silent and look apologetic.

[Name], in the other hand, feeling done about the bad experience, placed a hand on his hip, while the other took one of his blades and pointed at the two fighting members, gaining their attention. He frowned, “we need to replenish and think about something. We look like fools.”

While they found a base to resupply, Marco spoke in the gentle voice he had, “we need to have a clear task ahead— we can’t just scatter and find a target for ourselves.”

”Well, it’s not like we have a leader in the team!”

”It’s true... we are just doing our own thing." Mina said, grunting, "we need someone giving orders!"

The freckled boy hummed, trying to think about something. “I don’t think I’m capable of leading... what do you say, Bertolt?”

”No offense to Bertolt, but he doesn’t even say his thoughts,” Mina replied instead, sighing. The taller cadet just sweated, playing with his hands nervously. “Connie is no good either, and I don’t think I’m good to take over the leader thing.” The bald kid just huffed, pouting.

They all stared at [Name], who was yawning. But as soon as he felt their stare, with a raised brow he questioned, “what?”

* * * * * * *

”Well... I guess this is better than nothing.” [Name] spoke, still unsure by their choice. He didn't feel particularly confident by being the leader of the team this time, but it wasn't as if he thought it was something hard.

”Don’t worry, [Name]. If you have trouble with something I will be happy to help you!”

”And why aren’t you the leader?” He narrowed his eyes, raising a brow.

Marco mumbled, "w-well, I'm not really good at giving orders... hehe..."

"Whatever. I heard a lot of noise in the right side of the forest, so let's go to the left," [Name] guided them in what he thought would be a good path, "there should be more dummies left here, and less people."

"How can you tell? I really can't distinguish where are they right now..." Mina asked, looking around her, "do you have good hearing?"

"I think so. Right now I can hear Eren's loud voice fighting with Jean," the amnesiac boy shifted his gaze on a intact dummy— jackpot, "Connie! Get the legs while I go for the neck!"

"A-Ah, sure!"

Their performance had gotten better with someone taking the lead— as [name] gave orders, others followed them. Mina nor Marco still didn't have the strength to make a good cut, but thanks to [Name] observing everyone's performance he yelled for Bertolt to back them up, or sometimes doing it himself. At the beginning everyone seemed to lack confidence with what they were doing, but while the practice progressed everyone was gaining trust in each other.

  "Everyone retreat! Practice's over! Once we announce your ranks, retrieve your gear!"

"[Name]! You did great!" Marco complimented him, grinning. Everyone patted from the harsh practice, but the smiles in their faces told him they were pretty satisfied with their performance.

"Did I?"

"Of course!" Mina laughed, "this time it really felt everyone was pulling their own weight. Nice job!" She patted his shoulder, giving thumbs up.

"Hey, hey— yeah, [Name] did great and all but don't forget the ace of the team— Connie Springer!"

"Sure thing, baldy— I can't imagine what we would have done without you!" The girl sarcastically spoke, already leaving the place, "let's hurry to see who made it first place!"

"I race ya!!"

"H-Hey! Wait up!" Marco followed them.

The remaining two stayed to catch their breaths, until [name] broke the silence. "Was I good?"

The taller cadet blinked, realizing he's talking to him. His face is slightly red, but the only thing he can do is nod. [Name] hums, feeling particularly... nice by their compliments. "Let's go back, then." The taller boy nodded, giving an awkward smile before leaving the spot.

[Name] rubbed his hand on his neck, relieving some stress. Controlling the gear was expectantly hard— he had to be full awake to not have any accident. And, talking about accidents... he was relieved his headaches hadn't appeared while he was in air. [name] didn't want to be in that type of situation any time soon. Wouldn't be pretty falling from this height...

Jumping, the teenager fired his hooks successfully into a tree, following the others. But as soon as he fired another hook, it didn't came out. Before [Name] could realize what was happening, he was already falling. Oh no. He erratically gripped his controllers to make it work, but it seemed there was something stuck inside or just the gear didn't work. This is going to hurt really bad.

Trying to somehow prepare from the amount of pain he was going to feel, he closed his eyes and tensed. As his thoughts were occupied by the injuries he would get, he didn't hear the steam of someone's gear hurrying to his way. Instead of being welcomed by the harsh ground, there was a much softer and warm welcoming.

Opening his eyes, [name] could feel arms wrapped around his torso. Tilting his head, he recognized his savior was Eren. Both of them didn't say anything at all— the brunette didn't even try to look at him. [Name] could see he was frowning— is he... angry?

Eren landed on a tree branch without much trouble, letting go off [Name]'s hold. The amnesiac didn't exactly know what to say, seeing how tensed his friend was.

Before he could even say something, Eren snapped, "what were you thinking?! Falling like that!" His eyes showed a mix of anger and worry, but the tone of his voice made [name] clear he was upset.

Blinking, [name] tried to explain but was cut off, "my gear—"

"Did you become this careless!? What the hell!" Eren couldn't help but yell— it felt as if he was taking his irritations on him.

Getting bothered by Eren's childish behavior, [Name] harshly spoke, "what's your problem? stop acting like a child!"

[Name]'s outburst had seemed to snap Eren from his anger, seeing his widening eyes. The brunette crossed his arms and averted [name]'s gaze, letting out a huff. [Name] shared the same annoyance, frowning while he sat down to see what was the problem with his gear.

The silence was horribly tense and awkward, but it didn't take long to Eren to give in. He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his neck. His expression looked apologetic— [name] frowned, not liking the situation one a bit. The and being unable of finding the source of the gear's failure, the amnesiac's patience was slowly disappearing.

“Look, [Name]... I...” he tried to choose his words right, “I’m sorry. I—I was an idiot, okay?”

[Name] didn't look at him. "You still are."

Sighing, the brunette sees [name] is the one upset now. It's not that he's not allowed to— after all, Eren was being a child these past days. "I shouldn't have told you that back then... I wasn't thinking clearly." He doesn't know if to keep going, but seeing [name] has stopped his actions and has just stared in front of him made him talk more urgently, "I know what I say was wrong— It's just... seeing you again after two years, not knowing where you were... my emotions just kinda... snapped."

There's silence, but Eren keeps going. "You— you don't know how horrible I felt after that, okay? Back then, when I thought about what had happened to you, and what happened to my mom... I was angry at everything. But seeing you were okay, and with that horse face protecting you as if I wasn't your friend... I guess I was bothered and happy at the same time. Look, I'm... I'm sorry."

Both of them keep quiet, but [name] decides to speak, "...I always thought about all of you," he scratches his hand, "I thought I would never see you again." He turns around, meeting Eren's eyes. [Name] is not good at showing emotions, but the brunette can recognize the pain in his face. "Hearing you say those things, as If I didn't care about you, didn't feel... nice." He stands up, forgetting about his gear.

"...can you... forgive me?" Eren is embarrassed— he's not usually this... passive. Nevertheless, he recognized his mistake. After all, it wasn't much different when they were kids— [name] really made him act in another way.

[Name] got closer where Eren was, "...you have always been an impulsive idiot."

”Hey! I’m trying here!”

[Name] chuckles, leaving a kiss on his cheek, “I know.” The unexpected action makes Eren's face blush, feeling shy, "you are forgiven."

Eren gulps, averting his gaze in embarrassment. "Hey, [name]..." he speaks in a lowly tone, when he hears a hum from [name] he continues, ”can we... sleep together tonight?”

[Name] blinks at the question, ”sure.”

Before Eren can mentally celebrate his success, the practice reminds him of where they were heading. "Shit! We have been here for too long— oh shit. The instructor would yell at us." Eren was going to leave, but [name] grabbing his wrist stopped him. He turns, confused, "what?"

"My gear. I don't know what happened to it but I can't use it." He demonstrated the issue, trying to shoot one of his hooks but nothing came out. Grunting, Eren passes a hand trough his hair, trying to think what should they do.

"There's nothing else— I will carry you there. Just hang on, okay?" Eren carries [name] bridal style, the amnesiac wrapping his arms around the other's neck, a little unsure about it. Nevertheless, it seemed his friend was confident and ready about this, so he didn't say anything and hoped for the best.

Eren carefully fired his hooks, trying to make the trip safer for both. They left the forest successfully, luckily averting the majority of the others' attention. The landing was a little harsh, but nothing they couldn't handle. As they arrived, who noticed their presence was Jean and Marco, the first running to them with a glare directed to Eren.

"What did take you so long?!" Jean yelled at [name], but quickly shifted his anger to Eren, pointing at him, "and you! It's your fault we got last place!"

"Ah?! Why my fault?! You didn't do anything but get in my way every time, horse face!"

While the two were fighting, Marco approached [name] with his usual smile. "I have good news! We got second place!"

"Is that so? Who's first?"

"Reiner's team— I guess he's really a natural leader. Even so, I'm really happy with how we did back there, thanks to you!"

[Name] scratches his neck, feeling shy. "is that so? I didn't do much tough..."

"Of course you did!" He grins, "oh, but what happened? I saw you came without your gear."

While [name] explained what had happened, all of them returned their gear, but not without [name] notifying the failure. The instructors had said they would check the gear and notify tomorrow what was wrong with it. Eren left to find Armin and Mikasa, but not without smiling at [Name] one last time. Jean, suspicious about the new and sudden behavior, questioned [name] about what had happened back in the forest. The amnesiac boy just tells him he will tell him if he gives him his bread.

━━━━━━✧♛✧━━━━━━

Everyone was getting ready for bed, as nighttime had arrived. [Name] had told Marco he would sleep with Eren tonight, and with Jean currently talking to the freckled boy, could not have ignore that statement.

"Really? Did you two became boyfriends all of sudden?" Jean raises a brow, annoyed. It wasn't a secret he disliked Eren— in fact, it was public information.

[Name] blinks, a little confused by the question. "...Boyfriends...? I'm just sleeping with him tonight. Is that a problem?"

"Of course there's a problem! It's weird!"

"Weird? But I've slept with you before..."

Marco coughed, feeling a little embarrassed by how... weird that sounded. Luckily for them, everyone was in their own business, so no one was hearing what they were saying.

"I-It isn't the same!"

"Why are you caring so much if Marco is the one who I share the bed with?"

Jean, irritated and with his face dust in red, averts his gaze and grits his teeth. "Fine! Do whatever you want! Is not as if I care anyways."

[Name] frowns, not understanding Jean's anger. Why was he behaving so difficult all of sudden? Trying to fix the issue, [name] remembers the books he had read before about giving princesses giving kisses. They had always made someone happy just by a kiss, and [name]'s innocence and childish mind doesn't think about the consequences of such actions. He just follows what he thinks is right and closes the gap between Jean and him, giving a soft kiss near the other's lips. Unfortunately, the sudden reaction of Jean pushing him away harshly isn't what he's expecting, seeing his confused and hurt look he wears. Thankfully [name] is still on the bed, so instead of falling on the wooden floor he's met with Marco's chest, who unconsciously takes [name]'s shoulders. The freckled boy can literally feel the uncomfortable, painful and tensing silence the three had fallen to— he recognizes the regretful expression Jean shows, but is soon shifted into a frown.

Lucky or not, what breaks the silence is Eren looking for [name], oblivious of what had happened with the trio. "[Name]! Ready to—" he abruptly sees the faces of both Jean and [Name], and with suspicion he ask, "is something wrong?"

"...no. I was just telling Marco we're changing beds tonight." [Name] stands up, "good night."

"...Alright, then. Let's go." He takes [name]'s hand, tangling his fingers with his'. Smiling, both leave.

Jean just sees them leaving, clenching his jaw. What had occurred was an instant reaction— as they were surrounded by literally everyone, what would have they thought about seeing something like that? It's not that Jean didn't mind, but he did.

"I hate him." Jean states, looking at the back of Eren's head in disgust.

Marco sighs. I fear a war between these two...

  When the lights are turned off and everyone is finally sleeping, Eren can't stop himself from hugging [name] —who is already asleep—, hiding his face on the crook of [name]'s neck, smelling his nice scent. He blushes as he leaves a soft peck on the other's cheek, feeling happiness by being reunited with him finally— a miracle, maybe, or just luck.

Nevertheless, he's sure he will not lose sight of him ever again. Closing his eyes and tightening his hold, he softly mutters a promise he swears to keep forever over [name]'s ear:

"I'm never letting you go again... I promise I'll protect you."

[thebookkeeperslibrary]

Lost Time: Ch. 6

Fandom: Time Warp Trio

Author: The_Bookkeeper_96

Rating: T

Summary: Another summer at Horae Manor begins, but before Joe and Tessa get the chance to train, they are sent out on a mission to explore the magic capital of the universe, Mancika. Rumours of illegal magic conversion spread throughout the city, and Joe and Tessa need to locate those responsible. But after the events of last summer, Joe isn't eager to work with his Aether partner, and the two are struggling more with each other than with their enemies.

A/N: Look who's back ;) I promise, I'm not dead, and I still very much want to keep the small TWT community going. Hopefully, my updates will be more consistent going forward.

P.S.: Thinking about starting a tag list for story updates. Let me know if you're interested/want to be added.

Read on AO3

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"In reviewing the tragic incident that occurred at Horae Manor last week, the Great Council has decided to revise the current requirements for acceptance. From this point forward, for the safety of 'lesser magic' users, Horae Manor will only be open to current Warp and Aether wizards and their potential successors. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the families of those affected by last week's events, and we hope this change will prevent such things going forward." - Excerpt of Great Council Decree 57 from the year 1908

"You can't be serious. He doesn't know anything!" Tessa exclaims, then suddenly remembers that I'm now standing right next to her. "No offense."

I bite my tongue. No point in arguing in front of Rowena and Cassius, they'd just punish us in some other way. Though forcing us to work together when we were clearly not on good terms seems cruel enough. I force myself to shrug like her little outburst doesn't sting at all.

She'd said that with no hesitation. So what if I didn't do my required reading? What good would knowing the history of magic do for me in a battle?

I briefly picture myself fighting a game show host who keeps shouting trivia questions at me. He demands to know who the first Warp Wizard was, and if I get the question wrong, his powers grow stronger. Three wrong answers and he can turn me into a mouse with the snap of his fingers or smite me with a single bolt of lighting.

I snap out of my daydream, hoping I haven't missed anything. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that could never happen. Knowledge wasn't one of the nine magics. Right?

Maybe one chapter wouldn't hurt…

"Tessa," Ro sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, "this is a partnership. Warp and Aether wizards rely on each other. Your magic cannot exist without the other half. Your independence is admirable, but from now on you two need to be working together every step of the way."

"I know that, but shouldn't you at least teach him some basic magic first? How to put up a shield or shoot some energy balls?" Tessa frowns and stares at the floor. "This is serious stuff. He could get hurt, or worse."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here." I cross my arms. Ready now more than ever to start this fight. Why is she acting as if she cares about me getting hurt? She certainly didn't seem to mind last summer in Paris or Cealus. The concerned expression on her face is almost enough to make me believe her, but after last year, I know better than that. What game is she playing here?

"We have spent the last year trying to come up with exercises for the two of you to learn how to cooperate. I had hoped that once we revealed the time decay, you would understand the brevity of the situation. Clearly not." Cas crosses his arms, giving me the impression of a disappointed father.

I remember from our conversation last summer that Cassius is married. Did he have kids too? And had he really spent the last year focusing on Tessa and me instead of his own family? We can't be that special. I wonder if his wife ever came to visit here at Horae. Where did Cas live anyway when he wasn't here? I doubt he'd answer any of my questions about his personal life, especially since he wouldn't answer any of my questions about magic.

"Okay, so maybe our teamwork needs a little improvement," I relent. "But how are we supposed to work on that if you make us fight each other?"

"You're not fighting each other." Rowena flicks her wrist towards us.

I blink. Without warning, Tessa and I are standing on the far side of the gym facing down our mentors. This gym really is bigger than I thought. Or at least, Rowena made it seem that way.

"You're fighting us."

My heart plummets into my stomach. This has to be some weird test. They won't make us fight them. They're professional wizards who had years of magic experience. They are literally the greatest time and space magic-users alive. We would never be able to beat them. I have no training and Tessa only has a year under her belt. She did pretty well against Rowena alone, but with Cassius fighting her too? This would be a disaster for us.

"You guys are really on it with the jokes tonight. But seriously, what's the plan?" Apparently, Tessa is just as stunned as I am, which does nothing for my hopes. We really would be getting crushed. So much for having a good start for the summer.

"We are serious. Don't worry, we'll take it easy on you." Warm purple light glows around Rowena.

"You don't necessarily have to beat us, just knock us out of the arena. As long as we see a decent showing of teamwork from the both of you, we'll consider that a win for you." Cassius' body begins to glow that signature time magic green. "And we won't end this until you do."

Is it my imagination or is the room shifting in size and shape? And why does everything feel like it's moving a lot slower now? Ro and Cas couldn't be using their magic like that already, they weren't even doing anything except standing there. Just how powerful were they?

How powerful could Tessa and I become?

The thought gives me a burst of excitement. This battle could actually be a great way to learn what I will be able to do someday. Maybe there's some way I can trick Cas into showing off all his moves and tricks.

"We're starting now? You're not even going to give us time to strategize?" Tessa holds her arms out in exasperation.

"You will have very few fights in your life where you will have time to strategize. Besides, you know nothing about each other's strengths and weaknesses or fighting styles. And you've only seen Ro fight, not me." Cas cracks his knuckles, the green mist slowly curling farther and farther up his arms.

Okay, so we're doing this.

I try to remember how I felt every time I used my magic before. My hands would always tingle and my chest would feel warm, but the only time I'd ever been able to do anything was in high-stress situations. Like if my life was in danger or the life of someone I care about. But Cas and Ro had already said they'd be going easy on us, so there's no real danger here.

I feel nothing. No tingle. No warmth.

Great, maybe my magic is broken. Which means I have to rely on Tessa during this. Even better. I inwardly roll my eyes. Is that why they were doing this? To build my trust in her by forcing me to lean on her during a fight?

"We can win this if we play it smart. But you need to listen to what I say." Tessa snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Why do you get to be in charge?" I cross my arms. Even if that is Cas and Ro's plan, that doesn't mean I have to follow it. I can prove to them that I know what I'm doing.

"Because I'm the only here with any experience."

"So? You don't know what I've been up to this past year. Maybe I've been practicing my magic non-stop."

"Have you?"

"Well-"

My world turns green as Cas blasts us with magic. "Not off to a good start, you two."

I cringe. I can hear the disappointment in his voice from here. I guess it won't hurt to at least try to cooperate with Tessa. As long as she doesn't betray me again. If Cas and Ro think we're so important that they're spending all their free time thinking about us, the least we can do is try to live up to their expectations.

"Fine. What's your plan?"

"I need you to distract them."

"Distract them how?"

Tessa runs a hand over her face. "I don't know! Just think of something, and fast."

Before I can even blink, she throws up a shield in front of us, blocking another attack from our mentors. I can't help but cough as the smoke clears around us.

"Magic combat lesson number one: move."

Tessa winces and waves the smoke away. "Cas is right. Standing still like this is a death sentence. We have to run or hide."

"There's nowhere to hide."

"So run."

Just like that, she bounces away, using the last remaining smoke as cover.

Okay, distract two super powerful wizards. I can do that.

How do I do that?

My mind races as my feet start to carry me away. I have to get them to focus on me so Tessa can do… what exactly is Tessa planning on doing? I try to find her, before realizing that that's probably not going to help her.

The room shakes, and suddenly I'm running into a wall I'm pretty sure wasn't there two seconds ago.

A stinging pain flares up above my eye. My hand reaches up and pulls away with blood smeared across my palm. Okay, apparently 'go easy on us' doesn't mean we won't get hurt. Noted.

"You need to pay attention. Especially when your opponent can manipulate the battlefield," Rowena calls out.

Well, at least I had their attention. Hopefully, Tessa can go do her thing now. I want this fight to be over with as soon as possible. Cas was right. I'm nowhere near ready for this. Magic only came to me on accident or when someone was in serious danger. Even if I could, there was no way I could focus enough right now to summon any amount of power.

I laughed. "I meant to do that."

Both Ro and Cas raised their brows at me. "Really?"

"Totally. We definitely have a plan, and we are definitely going through with it." Another nervous chuckle escaped my throat. If I can keep them talking to me, Tessa should be able to go through with her plan. I tried not to frown or show any irritation. Of course, it really would help if I knew her plan.

Our mentors' hands begin to glow. I gulp down a bubble of air. This isn't good, but I can't let them see me panic.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tessa scaling the wall towards the seats where Cas and I had been earlier. Wait, is her plan to escape and leave me here while I get attacked? My fists clench. I shouldn't be surprised. This was exactly the kind of behavior she had shown last summer. A list of crude insults runs through my mind. I shake them away. No time to think about that. I have to focus on what's happening right in front of me.

A familiar warmth built up in my chest. Was it magic? One way to find out.

I lift my hands and close my eyes. Just push it out. That's all I have to do. I take a deep breath, feeling the warmth swirl deeper within me. My fingertips tingle in anticipation.

Without warning, the room shakes again, and my body flings to the side. I just barely manage to stay on my feet, but the warmth in me is suddenly replaced with nausea.

My arms wrap around my stomach. I bend over and try not to vomit. Damn space magic.

I look up to see Ro and Cas looking confused, and I understand why. They're no longer near me where they were. Instead, they're a hundred feet away from me on the other side of the arena. Had it always been this big?

I try to find Tessa, but I can't see her anywhere. So she really did leave. Great.

Ro's eyes scan the edges of the arena and land on something in the far corner. Try as I might, I can't see what she sees.

Pointing at the corner, her fingers curl into a fist, and she pulls her arm into her side.

The corner flies in closer, but there's nothing there.

Rowena frowns. "What?"

I see a flash of movement off to my side, but don't dare look at it. Maybe Tessa didn't abandon me after all. But looking at her wouldn't help her. It would only reveal her location to our opponents.

Now, Ro and Cas are both frantically looking around the room, trying to locate Tessa. But they're not having any luck.

Our roles had reversed since the start of the fight. Tessa was now serving as the perfect distraction. Both Cas and Ro were completely focused on her, which gave me the opportunity to strike. And how could I not?

All I have to do is summon one burst of magic and push Cas and Ro out of the arena. No problem. Not at all.

I tried to bring back the warmth that I felt earlier. Surprisingly, it did. The heat and tingling flare back to life, making me shudder. An uncontrollable grin splits open my face. Maybe I am good at this magic thing after all.

The heat increases and my whole body feels electrified. Had it always felt this intense and painful? Whatever, me and my magic were ready to go.

My hands are already glowing by the time I pull them up. I can't contain my excitement. I'm doing it! I'm really using magic! Focusing everything I have on my hands, I point at Ro and Cas who are both conveniently placed near the edge of the arena. They must be so focused on Tessa, they don't even realize where they're standing.

I smirk. This is too perfect. I could feel my magic ready to burst. With one final breath, I let my magic loose just as a wall of purple appears in front of me.

And my world goes white.

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

My hearing returns first. A sharp ringing echoes in my head. As it slowly fades away, the sound of voices filters through.

"Do you know how difficult it's going to be to repair this gym?" The first voice is stern, angry.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know he would do that. I- I didn't want this to happen." The second voice sounds panicky and raspy. Had they been crying? "Why would you think that fight was a good idea? He could be dead!"

"He's not dead." A third voice, one very close to me, says. They didn't sound angry or panicked, just calm.

What's happening? I struggle to regain consciousness, my body fighting me the whole way. The last of the ringing in my ears disappears and all I can see is blurry lights. I hear a pained groan. Was that me?

"See? Not dead. A little battered, but that's to be expected." Something next to me stirs and moves away. "You didn't do anything wrong. We can repair the gym easily enough." A pause, and I think I hear someone huff. "Your shield didn't do this, Tessa. I think he depleted his magic when he blasted off there at the end."

Oh, right. The battle. My memory came back to me in a rush of bright images. Did Tessa and I cause some sort of explosion? That must be Cas talking now. Did he just say something about depleting my magic?

A bolt of alarm zips through me, pushing me back into consciousness. I shoot straight up, gasping for air.

Instantly, Ro, Cas, and Tessa gather around me, but I can't get my breathing under control enough to hear them. Deplete my magic? Like, all my magic? I couldn't feel any trace of the warmth from earlier. Did I just waste everything in one stupid fight? No, no, no! I never even got to do anything cool like stop time or warp without The Book. How could this have happened?

"Easy, Joe. Just breathe. You were knocked out for a few minutes, but everything is fine now." Cas's face fills my view and he puts my hand on his chest. "Breathe with me. In and out. In and out."

I match his breathing as best I can, and eventually the world comes back into focus. I manage to say a few words, "Is my magic gone forever?"

Cas's head jerks back in shock. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you said I depleted my magic." My chest constricts and my breathing picks up again.

He laughs with a shake of his head. "No, your magic is not gone. In fact, I would say your magic is a lot stronger than I expected it to be at this stage. But that stunt you pulled did expend all of your energy. You'll need to rest for a day, but you'll be fine. I promise."

"Stunt?" I took a moment to look at all three of them. Rowena was frowning, but not at me. Her focus was on Tessa, whose eyes were red and locked onto me. "What exactly did I do?"

"You nearly turned yourself into a bomb!" Tessa threw her arms in the air. "I told you to distract them, not attack them!"

"I did?" For the first time, I take in the scene around me. The gym is completely destroyed. Black scorch marks cover the floor all around us and smoke still hovers in the air. Part of the seating had collapsed. Even the ceiling had cracks branching out from where I had been standing before I blacked out. "Oh. Uh, sorry?" What were you supposed to say when you nearly blew up a building?

Cas suppresses a smile. "It's really not that bad. This place has survived a lot worse, trust me. But no more magical attacks like that, until we've got you trained. Okay?"

I mutely nod, not sure what else to do. To be honest, I don't think I could summon any magic now even if I wanted to. I've never felt so exhausted in my entire life. Everything in me ached, and it took a lot of effort just to sit upright.

"Did I really do this all by myself?" The damage in the gym is intense. And what about that flash of purple I saw right before I tried to shoot at Cas and Ro? My magic did feel a little uncontrolled at the end, but surely I'm not capable of this kind of destruction.

"No, but Tessa's force field blocked your magic from going out." Rowena crossed her arms, still clearly upset with Tessa. "It bounced off the shield and shot straight back into itself."

"But I didn't know he was going to do that! I didn't mean to hurt him." Tessa turns to me with wide eyes. "Please, believe me, Joe. Even if we're not exactly friends, I would never try to hurt you like that."

I want to snap back and tell her I don't believe her, but something in her eyes makes me stop. She looks on the verge of tears and has clearly cried at some point already. Why did she care if I got hurt? She'd made it clear that she didn't care about anyone but herself.

Instead of saying anything, I simply turn away and glare at the ground.

"I-" Tessa starts, but is quickly interrupted.

"Enough." Cas puts himself between everyone. Stopping any fights before they can start. "We all have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, and we can all use a good night's rest."

"What's happening for us tomorrow?" I ask. He had mentioned he and Ro had a council meeting tomorrow, but what were Tessa and I going to be doing? Were we going to sit in with them?

"We'll talk about that at breakfast," Ro said in a tone that implied if she told us now, we wouldn't sleep at all tonight. Great, so something not fun was happening tomorrow.

With help from Cas, I got to my feet, and after an awkward good night to everyone, I stumbled to my room. I was asleep before my head even hit my pillow.

[itsclydebitches]

I hate when people use the fact that RWBY has practical experience as justification for them winning the Ace Ops fight as if the Ace Ops aren’t literally the best in Atlas and therefore should have like 5x the experience RWBY has on top of schooling.

I think the ice geist is a perfect example of this. RWBYJNR fought some powerful grimm while wandering around Remnant? Great. The Ace Ops fight powerful grimm as a part of their everyday job. It doesn’t hold up that Team RWBY’s few encounters equal years of additional training + very similar grimm fights. If RWBY had established that the Ace Ops only trained in a simulated way (via computers or something) whereas Team RWBY got “real” combat experience out in the wild, that might be different. But we see the Ace Ops taking out powerful grimm like that’s a regular occurrence, to say nothing of all the grimm coming into the city - and they do that with far more skill than the teens do. 

More than fighting grimm, we see that same skill applied to fighting people. The Ace Ops team took out RWBYJNROQ in an instant. They continually beat RWBYJNR in training. It was a member of the Ace Ops who helped take down Tyrian. Meanwhile, the group’s encounter with other fighters - older fighters, though some even younger than the Ace Ops - haven’t been nearly as successful. Yang lost her arm to Adam. The entirety of RNJR couldn’t land a hit on Tyrian. During Haven Weiss got speared through the abdomen. Until Volume 7 hit we’ve consistently seen the group, if not outright fail to overcome others, suffer greatly in their victory. Even Volume 6 told us that it takes Blake and Yang’s combined forces to take down Adam and the Apathy reminded us that you will die if you charge into a situation unprepared, but now suddenly each member of Team RWBY can pretty much solo the most elite team of the most elite kingdom? Huntsmen who are theoretically just as powerful as the rogue fighters RWBY has been losing limbs to, nearly getting kidnapped by, and nearly dying from? 

The in-world explanation for this is supposedly “You trained us” which neither explains how Team RWBY surpassed the Ace Ops nor is something we got to see on screen (two training montages where RWBYJNR is struggling against them does not a power up make). The real-world explanation for this is that the Ace Ops couldn’t work together as a team whereas Team RWBY’s friendship makes them more powerful. Ignoring how - again - we don’t see this reflected in the story (the Ace Ops fully support one another whereas the group at least theoretically disagrees with Ruby’s leadership and Blake/Yang are off keeping major secrets from the rest), teamwork never came into play. Saying that Team RWBY won because they’re Such Good Friends and work together So Well makes no sense because they didn’t fight together. With the exception of Yang and Blake teaming up against Vine and Elm (so again, they’re even. It’s not even a two vs. one situation like with Adam) everything functioned as an individual fight. Ruby did not lead them to victory. They didn’t pull off team combos to get an edge. How does friendship win a fight when everyone is off in a separate room 1v1ing their opponent? 

Even if we take the teamwork aspect out and insist that the Ace Ops lost because they supposedly lost their cool, that raises the crucial question of why four trained professionals cracked in battle but four teenagers - one of which is known for losing her cool, another who was just shouting panicked explanations over a scroll/sobbing uncontrollably - are suddenly, inexplicably able to remain calm. The justification “They won because they kept calm” has no impact if you can’t explain, “Okay but... how did they manage that?” You can’t suddenly switch off personality traits/established behavior when it suits you. Like having Marrow instinctively use his semblance on a huge group of people at the rally but then randomly insist he couldn’t possibly do that against Team RWBY. Or having Elm give up her advantage (Blake) by getting furious over Yang’s “You’re just following orders” insult even though the whole Ace Ops team have insisted they just follow orders this whole volume. Why would that make her, the trained professional, mad enough to make the dumbest move possible in that situation? The choice to have everyone do the opposite of what they’d done before - Ruby is no longer panicking, Marrow is no longer pragmatic, Elm is no longer confident in her position - or the double standards within the fight - Team RWBY has had waaaaay less training but supposedly learned more, Team RWBY takes more hits but their aura miraculously doesn’t break - is a sign that this victory wasn’t earned. Even the claim that they lost because Clover wasn’t there doesn’t hold up. It implies that Team RWBY is so powerful it’s only a fair fight if it’s 5 vs. 4. These are trained military huntsmen. They don’t need their leader there to use their own skills or to function as a team. To put it another way: would the fandom really believe that Weiss, Yang, and Blake would suddenly fall apart and lose a fight to first year Beacon students if Ruby wasn’t there to guide them? If no, then why would we try to use that justification to explain another team’s loss? 

At the very least the group should have suffered a major setup for charging against what’s arguably the most elite team in the world, especially after years of getting their asses kicked by others. At the very very least they should have been exhausted after that, collapsed on the ground like Oscar and Ozpin were after Haven. Having Ruby arrogantly announce that they’re just stronger now, beat them with almost no difficulty, and then have the energy to turn hiding their bodies into a joke came out of nowhere after 6 other volumes of, “Yeah, fights are hard and this team has a long way to go.” 

[letsbenditlikebennett]

Home No More || Ariana & Deirdre

TIMING: Yesterday Afternoon PARTIES: @deathduty & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: After her conversation with Kaden, Deirdre asks Ariana over to talk. It goes about as well as one would expect.  CONTENT: Domestic abuse mentioned

Deirdre’s house was filled with life. For the first time since its purchase, it had begun to feel like a home---in and out with a stream of friends and love. She had never known a place where the shadows did not loom, or where the silences did not bear foreboding. For once in her life, she knew a home that welcomed her. It was a home that welcomed a few. It was a home that had welcomed Ariana, once. It was a home that was welcoming her again, as Deirdre swung open her front door--slow, as if she dreaded what awaited her on the outside. “Ariana…” She greeted the young wolf with her name breathed like pain. Her house had been a place for good, she had felt some measure of pride to know it as such. Now, she bore no smile, and didn’t so much as gesture Ariana in as she simply stood aside. Beyond them, the memory of her first visit played--the trepidation in which she entered, the earnesty in which she wanted to help. The damn deer that could have killed them both, but died by their teamwork. Each time after blended in her mind, played over each other as they screamed for remembrance. “Thank you for coming,” she offered. Her stone face faltered to memory, and politeness surged back to her. “Sorry, how are you? Not too hurt? You can sit, if you’d like. I just---would like to speak to you.” 

The ominous message in her inbox had been something Ariana knew would be coming one. The only question she had was of the timing. There was only a matter of time before she found out what happened between her and Lydia. Whether she would be met with understanding was another question entirely. The only thing she could truly do that was unforgivable to Deirdre was hurt Lydia, but she hadn’t actually hurt her, had she? At least not yet though it was something she wrestled with as it became more apparent Lydia felt no remorse for the atrocities she’d caused. As such, her mood was somber as she walked up the way to Deirdre’s home, a place that had once felt like a second home to her. Now it only filled her with a sense of dread she couldn’t fully shake. Even as Deirdre opened the door, she could sense the difference. Her shoulders weren’t quite as relaxed as they normally were and her face seemed cold in a way that was unfamiliar to her, at least from Deirdre. But this was a bridge she had to cross. Above all else, after the kindness Deidre had shown her, she was owed some honesty even if it left Ariana’s palms sweaty and her heart pounding erratically. “Of course,” she said, her voice strained and tired. Deirdre seemed to become the Deirdre she knew again and some small part of her relaxed and came into the house. “I’m okay. Not hurt, really. Face is a bit sore from being punched and clawed. Different incidents. How are you? And yeah, we can talk about whatever you’d like.” She sat down on the couch unable to shake the way her stomach seemed to lurch every time she thought of telling Deirdre the truth. Moira seemed to sense her unease and was rubbing against her legs expectantly. 

If there was a bush to beat around, Deirdre couldn’t find it. She searched herself for the niceties that were supposed to be drummed up past the how are you’s. In her heart, she could not find a oh that’s good. In her mind, there was no I was worried. In her fingers, twitching at her side before she eventually curled then into a tight fist, the I’m good, thanks died. She watched Ariana sit on the couch just as she had so many times before, and nowhere was there warmth to see it. She let silence claim the space between them, and she stood still, staring, until words found her. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Betrayal cracked through her voice. “I know--I know how promise binding works. But there are ways around it. You told Kaden. You told Kaden---” And why not her? She tried to understand, and one conclusion sunk into her mind: she was fae. And though that meant she was uniquely equipped to speak to whoever bound Ariana, it also meant her loyalty laid somewhere else. Ariana must have known, she was a smart kid, after all. Pieces fell into place: Ariana’s silence, her nervousness. Deirdre could only guess, but her attempt at hypothesis rang with truth through her cold body: it must have been a fae she knew. A fae they both knew. A fae she would gladly trade Ariana’s life in for. “I could have helped. Why didn’t you tell me, Ariana?” 

The crack in Deirdre’s voice left her with a frown on her face. Did she think this was personal? She hadn’t exactly told Kaden, not until after the fact. It pained Ariana to think her actions had hurt Deirdre somehow when it sounded like all she wanted was to help. She was speaking of how she could have helped and she probably could have, but would she knowing it was Lydia? Someone she seemed to adore so deeply. She clasped her hands in her lap and steeled herself with a deep breath. “I couldn’t tell you,” she started to explain though her voice sounded foreign to even her, hollow almost, “At least I couldn’t then. That was part of the promise. I wanted to back when we talked before even though I knew you would hate this.” She hated this. This whole situation was fucked and had her doubting everything she ever believed in. She always wanted to believe there was a better way than hunting, but Lydia seemed to shake up everything she knew to be true. “I didn’t tell Kaden,” she interjected, “He figured it out when I couldn’t talk about things. He’d come to check in on me before and knew something was wrong. I did send him some cryptic texts on the full moon and shared my location with him. Part of the promise was- I had to change in the Common. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. If he knew I was there, he’d show and he wouldn’t let me.” Her hands squeezed together tighter in her lap, “Even if he had to- He’s equipped to deal with a werewolf. I didn’t-- There were so many people there, some of my kids were there-- I needed someone who knew what they were up against. Who would do what needed to be done when it came down to it- Not that he could. If it wasn’t for Rio showing up, his solution was to just let me eat him.” 

“I could have figured it out!” Deirdre hadn’t meant to raise her voice, it took the glass shaking around them for her to remember herself. It wasn’t so much the secrecy that bothered her, it was who she told. What he must have known. What he would do. What she was still refusing to share her truth about. “I could have talked to the fae, you know I could’ve.” The question of why crashed into her brain like water cliffside. The rocky shadows of her thoughts wouldn’t dare speak their theories, but the water rushed against her over and over again and she knew at some point erosion would take over. “T-that sounds like Kaden…” But humorous as it was, she couldn’t laugh. “Ariana…” Her body quivered, her eyes drifted to the system set up by the TV to play Mario Kart. Stupid as that was, she’d been practicing for the next time Ariana came over. She knew how to throw the shells now, and she was only in last place some of the time. All she had wanted was something good for Ariana, and all the wolf had thought of was secrets. “I want the truth,” she asked, only one tremble away from begging for it. “Please--please, I have to know that what I’m thinking is just...just my worried mind. Tell me the fae who bound you is someone I don’t know, tell me that you told Kaden nothing......Ariana---” It was lies she was asking for, really. And she knew it. Deirdre swallowed thickly, and tried again. “No. The truth, I want the truth this time.” 

 “It was already too late for that. I was already in the Common and the sun was setting. I would have killed you, Deirdre. I couldn’t live with myself if I-- You’re important to me and I couldn’t put you at risk. I needed a werewolf hunter who would be able to take me down if it came to it,” Ariana retorted with a slight quiver in her voice and tears threatening to pool up in her eyes. She couldn’t understand why the big problem here was that she asked Kaden for help. She was a werewolf about to feast on dozens of people. A werewolf hunter made sense. Her stomach turned as Deirdre continued pressing her. Now that she could answer these questions, she wasn’t really sure she wanted to. It was a fae that Deirdre knew, but she couldn’t tell her Kaden knew more outside of what she was forced to do at the Common. At least not until she knew Deirdre would be appalled by what Lydia had done. “I did try to drop hints for you and Morgan, but I couldn’t talk about the situation. That was not of my own choice. You should be asking why your friend chose to keep this a secret from you. I’ll tell you what happened now that I can, like I told you I wanted to before.” She was exasperated even though she felt a twinge of guilt for withholding certain details. This wasn’t how she usually did things and she cared for Deirdre. Respected her a great deal. The matter stood that Lydia couldn’t keep getting away with this. “Kaden doesn’t know much outside of the fact I had to start the full moon in the Common.” The lie felt sour on her tongue, but she stood behind it. “Anyway, it was Lydia. I thanked her once not knowing what that could be turned into. She had one of my friends locked away in her basement and I tried to save him by turning him which was stupid. She killed him, I could hear the gunshot and smell his blood when I had tried to meet him for the full moon. I confronted her about it and that’s when she collected on the thank you.” 

“Before then. Before—“ Deirdre argued lamely. She knew, perhaps just as well as Ariana did, that her real issue laid somewhere else. If only she’d known, she wanted to say, then maybe she could have stopped it all. Why didn’t anyone tell her? Her eyes grew wide as they searched desperately for the answer in Ariana. Truth came to her in echo, pounding in her ears. Lydia, Lydia, Lydia—with a rush, each sour look Ariana gave the fae at the funeral made sense. Deirdre stumbled backwards, crashing against a bookcase, rattling decorations, some of which Lydia had helped pick. Some of which Lydia had gifted. Lydia was a part of this home just as much as Ariana, she didn’t have a room to stay, but she had bottles of wine and glasses she used. That painting Morgan did at her house. All the memories of her Deirdre carried back. She existed here, in her home, in her heart. In the space where the fae was welcomed, she would not have her threatened. “You bit Sammy…” she sputtered, clawing at the truth, and then shoving it away. Wasn’t it her fault for asking questions she already knew the answer to? Lydia never told her what bit Sammy, and she never asked. Ariana never told her who her ghost friend was, and she never asked. She didn’t want to ask. Now Ariana’s silence was given meaning. There was no surprise to hear it all, only the darkness of a puzzle clicking into place. She knew Sammy’s fate. She knew all about the basement. She knew noble Ariana would not accept what Deirdre could so plainly see—humans were designed to be inferior. “You—you—“ There were sides. To every battle, there were always sides. Existing in the middle was a farce, it always had been. A million questions sat on her mind; are you lying to me, who else did you tell this? A thousand truths she could guess at. A hundred concerns. There was a side to take here, and Deirdre knew, staring at Ariana like she was a stranger, that she had already picked hers. They both had. “Get out…” she mumbled. A fae’s loyalty was with the fae, always; Deirdre waited until the voice of her mother soothed her. Only fae understand each other, and there is no greater crime than the endangerment of a fae. Ariana had no place meddling in Lydia’s life; Ariana had no place meddling in hers. She didn’t ask just how bad, how much she did, she couldn’t bear to hear it. Any more and she’d lose her last excuse to keep the wolf alive. “Get out!” Deirdre screeched. Glass flew in vortex around them; the windows thankfully reinforced, but the rest of her delicate glassware shattered. “You think you have any right to decide what happens to a fae’s property?” Deirdre bayed, face twisted with rage. She thought she might have looked like her mother then, she hoped she did. “Get out of my house!”

The quiet was quickly becoming unbearable and Ariana found she couldn’t sit still in her seat. The tension rolling of Deirdre was palpable and she could tell by the way her face contorted into an expression she’d never seen on her before that there were no bridges to mend here. Even if she could have told her before the full moon, there would have been no help or comfort to be found. Part of her had feared as much all along, but after everything, she thought maybe she had meant enough to Deirdre. She hadn’t hurt Lydia, it had very much been the other way around. Transforming in the Common endangered more than just the people around her, it made her a target. Lydia had seen no qualms with putting her life on the line when she had taken every step to make sure no harm came to Lydia, just like Sammy had asked. None of it mattered though. Not the pies. Not the afternoons spent playing Mario Kart. Not the time she’d called Deidre’s house her home. Not the small gifts she’d made for her and Morgan along the way. Not her collection of mini-fridges and Post Malone posters in the room that had been deemed hers. It all meant nothing and her throat was becoming impossibly dry, tightening up as a sob dared to break free. She wouldn’t do this. Not here. Deirdre’s mumble for her to get out had actually been welcome. The air felt too thick in here as if she was suffocating in a place that had once felt like a safe haven. “Okay,” she choked. The screech made her wince and she could hear shards of glass falling to the ground. There was no point in saying Sammy wasn’t Lydia’s property. It disgusted her to believe Deirdre could even think like that. How had she placed trust in someone who valued other’s lives so little? She felt as if she was going to be sick and instead of saying anything further, she ran out to the only place she knew to go.

[evilmuffinlord]

Stranger in a Strange Land- Chapter 6- Search

Cover art by: https://wolfy1298.tumblr.com/

In which a search is conducted, a deal is struck, and a throne is usurped

Read it on AO3:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/20280019/chapters/62418322

or on FF.net:  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13365894/6/Strangers-in-a-Strange-Land

Teaser below cut

“So, where do we start?” Mina asked as she and Izuku stepped out of the front gate of Astera and into the edges of the Ancient Forest. They had been given a long-term objective by the Commission, but the exact path they took there had been left up to them.

After Mina and Izuku’s initial success in the Rotten Vale, progress on the investigation into Zorah Magdaros had ground to a halt. It was obvious from the massive chunks of solidified magma at the bottom of the Vale that Zorah Magdaros had been there at some point, but it had moved on before the Commission had gotten anywhere near the area, and didn’t seem to be coming back anytime soon. 

Not that Mina really blamed the massive Elder Dragon for not wanting to stick around in the Vale. In addition to being a deeply unpleasant place to spend time, the Vale apparently served as some sort of monster graveyard, feeding the rest of the New World with nutrients. It sounded weird to Mina, but Izuku had found the idea quite fascinating. He and the Tracker had spent several hours back in the Third Fleet’s Research Base swapping ideas about how the Vale “fit into the broader ecosystem of the New World” while Mina did her best not to fall asleep at the table. She hadn’t succeeded, of course, and Izuku had eventually carried her back to the room the Third Fleet had set aside for them, but he at least had seemed to have fun with the discussion.

In the end, despite several more missions to the Rotten Vale (including an assignment to capture a live Odogaron for a half-mad researcher who wanted to keep the ravenous monster as a “pet”), they hadn’t been able to find out any more about Zorah Magdaros’ movements or destination.

The members of the Commission were nothing if not determined, though, and they had immediately come up with several new angles to attack the problem from. The Tracker was staying in the Vale, both to search for any clues that had been overlooked, and to monitor the effluvia levels there, which seemed to be rising the longer the Commission was there. 

Meanwhile, the Field Team Leader was leading an expedition to follow Zorah Magdaros’ trail from where it had first made landfall to the canyon where they had attempted to capture it. They hoped that with the new information they had uncovered about Zorah Magdaros’ reasons for coming to the new world, they would be able to uncover some new clues about where the massive Elder Dragon was heading.

Lastly, Izuku and Mina had been dispatched to the Ancient Forest to search for a First Wyverian who was rumored to be living there. The reclusive native inhabitants of the New World were said to be expert hunters, as well as incredibly knowledgeable on the subject of monster behavior. If there was any group that would know why Zorah had fled its grave site, it would be them.

Unfortunately, they were tricky to find when they didn’t want to be seen, which meant none of the other hunters who regularly visited the Ancient Forest had seen hide nor hair of the Wyverian. Their only clues were a few scattered footprints and a hunch that the recent changes in monster population had to do with a very skilled hunter in the area.

Izuku and Mina’s search for it was a bit of a Hail Mary, but they had known that going in. Besides, it wasn’t any less likely to turn up results than the other avenues the Commission was pursuing, so there was no harm in trying.

There was also another reason that Mina had so ardently pushed for her and Izuku to take the assignment. The researchers had gone on and on about how knowledgeable the Wyverians were supposed to be, to the point that even she had begun to think about what all that knowledge could include. If the stories about them were to be believed, the First Wyverians had been around for ages, and had even interacted with civilizations that were now lost to time. Some of these civilizations had possessed incredible technology, and Mina hoped that one of them might have passed along information about how she and Izuku could return home.

Not that she wanted to do it right away, of course. They needed to help the Commission find Zorah Magdaros before they could return. There were far too many people counting on their help at this point, and Mina was far too invested in the project to leave now. 

But she did miss her home, her parents, her friends, and her original form. Life in the New World was great, aside from the monsters that regularly threatened to eat her, and she had made many excellent friends, but it just wasn’t the same as she was used to.

She knew Izuku was feeling a bit homesick as well. They hadn’t discussed it much, but she often caught him looking at a portrait of his mother that he had drawn in the back of his hunting notebook. The way he had drawn her made his mother look like the sweetest, gentlest woman in the world, which Mina had no trouble believing. After all, only someone as good as that could have raised someone as amazing as Izuku.

“I was thinking we should ask the Bugtrappers if they have any leads,” Izuku replied, breaking her out of her reverie, “They take a lot of paths that the hunters don’t, so they might know where the First Wyverian is staying. Even if they don’t, they should be able to point us in the right direction.”

“Sounds good to me,” Mina said, setting her course for the Bugtrapper village near the top of the Ancient Forest. 

After the adventures in recent weeks, the trek through the Forest was actually rather relaxing. The air was clean and fresh, and made Mina feel all the healthier for breathing it. The ground was firm enough that she didn’t have to worry about turning an ankle on a random patch of gristle or falling into a hidden swamp hole if she wasn’t paying attention. Even the weather was excellent, with nary a cloud in the sky as they picked their way through the foliage and towards the base of the massive tree.

Eventually they reached a large clearing at the base of the tree, one that she and Izuku were quite familiar with. After all, it housed the entrance to the cave where the largest Jagras pack in the Forest made their home, and where Izuku and Mina had fought their first monster. 

The clearing was far from empty though. Apparently the Jagras pack agreed that the weather was quite nice, and had decided to take their lunch outside. The pack was arrayed in a loose semicircle around a pair of Kestodon carcasses, with some mid-feast and the rest sunning themselves in nearby patches of sunlight. 

It didn’t take long for one of the Jagras to notice that their meal had been interrupted. The cry of alarm rippled through the pack, causing every member to leap to their feet and rush the hunters.

While Izuku unlimbered his charge blade, Mina wasted no time in charging the pack. She remembered their first encounter with a Jagras pack well, and she didn’t want to risk Izuku getting surrounded again. True, he was much better equipped to handle a pack than he had been back then, but she still didn’t want to risk him being overwhelmed and gnawed to pieces.

She dashed through their ranks, slashing wildly at any Jagras that came within striking distance and just generally making herself a nuisance. It worked like a charm, and a large part of the pack broke off to attack her, leaving Izuku to battle a much more manageable group of six Jagras.

She, on the other hand, had attracted the attention of nearly a dozen of the miniature wyverns. They hissed and spat as they circled her, weaving back and forth around each other to create the illusion that there were even more of them present. Every few seconds, one of them would dart forward to swipe at her, but Mina was easily able to avoid such blows while countering with her own.

Finally, after seeing that fighting defensively was getting them nowhere, the Jagras paused their circling, then darted forward as one.

Mina had to admire their teamwork and coordination. She and Izuku were a well-oiled team at this point, and they could sometimes communicate their intentions without words, but it still took them time to do so. The Jagras seemed to move as a singular unit. Maybe it was an ability that was inherent to the Jagras species, or maybe it came from living as a member of a pack for their entire lives. Either way, the display had Mina hoping that she and Izuku would someday reach that level of coordination. 

Instead of retreating from the charge or defending herself, Mina surged towards one of the larger members of the Jagras pack. It blinked in surprise and confusion, slowing slightly and making Mina’s job all the easier. She leapt forward, springboarding off of the Jagras’s head and flying over the pack. Behind her, she could hear the cries of surprise and alarm as the Jagras lost sight of their prey and ran into each other.

She snickered, picturing the surprised looks on their faces, then prepared to actually fight them. She’d made them good and angry by now, and Jagras were nothing if not tenacious once they were provoked. They wouldn’t be dissuaded by some surprise maneuvers and a few light blows.

True to form, the Jagras were already recovering from their confusion and lining up to attack again. Rather than let them get into formation, Mina began her assault on the Jagras in earnest. She danced between the members of the pack, slashing at their legs and faces wherever she could and moving on before any could land a blow on her.

The pack, unused to fighting anything her size that was so aggressive, struggled to keep up with her movements. As the damage increased and morale dropped, the Jagras began to retreat one by one. The more that fled, the more their morale dropped, which only increased Mina’s chances.

For her part, Mina was happy to let them flee. She and Izuku might be spending quite a bit of time in the Ancient Forest in the near future, and making the Jagras wary of them might prove to be very useful. Besides, they had an entire box filled with Jagras scales and talons back in Astera at this point.

Then, when only five Jagras remained and her victory was nearly assured, disaster struck.

Read the rest on AO3 or FF.net! Links available on my bio if tumblr deletes them again.

[t00-pi]

Estar fuera de anónimo me pone nerviosa pero eh. Ya que. Tengo una request en la que Shadow y la lectora son amigos cercanos y ambos trabajan en G.U.N., un día, mientras que los dos están en una misión, la lectora es herida gravemente, se recupera pero Shadow se siente terrible y ahí es donde ella quiere tratar hacerle hablar y Shadow explota, soltando que el gusta de ella y revelandole como sentía y entonces le confortamos. (Estaba inspirada lol, dime si crees que es muy detallado 😅)

Being out of anonymous makes me nervous but hey. As. I have a request in which Shadow and the reader are close friends and they both work in GUN, one day, while the two are on a mission, the reader is seriously injured, recovers but Shadow feels terrible and that's where she wants try to make him talk and Shadow explodes, letting go of his liking and revealing how he felt and then comforting him. (I was inspired lol, tell me if you think it's very detailed 😅)

it's ok hun! here you have it (the next post is going to be the original in spanish!)

Shadow T.H x Reader

"Protect you"

enjoy!💖

-----

Welcome to G.U.N, "Guardian Units of Nations" for its acronym in English. I work here as an agent for a few years now, doing my part to protect this world from constant threats, to protect people, and I am happy to do so!

  It seems that we are always in focus of some attack, because something new always happens, be they aliens, an ancient beast that rises to cover the world in darkness or, an obese human accompanied by a humanoid black hedgehog.

who would say it, that hedgehog joined us after a while.

Shadow became an official agent of G.U.N after a while of seeing us in action, just as we took the time to analyze whether to recruit him. I did not object sincerely, honestly it seemed great to have another mobian to work with.

because yes, I am one of the few humanoids here, one (f / a) to be exact. And while I get along almost with most agents (one of the keys to being here is teamwork), I was never completely close to any. After each mission it was and still strange to go out somewhere, to eat, to dance, nothing.

Nor can I boast of being the most sociable person in that regard, and Shadow was not in turn.

He did his own business and things in his own way, we seemed his assistants to some extent, I will not lie. His power surpassed almost everyone. But that's what happens when you're a lonely person, right? I suppose...

From the little we knew exactly about this coal hedgehog, it was that one of its notable characteristics was not that of working in a team. That if he had done it was in his own interest, and at first I doubted he was here for it. I don't know, but I missed something about him.

One day I decided to gather courage and face it.

Apart from the typical eye contact, or some words in certain missions to which we went along with other agents, we never started a conversation. It wasn't that easy anyway. And at first he didn't like me at all.

He did not like that I faced him clearly.

He said that he was only there to help fulfill a mission outside of G.U.N, and there it was. He did not deign to tell me anything else. The answer did not leave me at all calm either.

It was until they sent us on a mission together, alone, that we had to interact again. Neither of us wanted, but orders are orders.

It was not until I cut him off that Shadow realized that it was NOT HIS mission, but OUR mission. We were forced to work as a team even if he didn't like that.

At first he did not deign to answer, until he sighed and responded with a simple "ok".

And if we are done, it was a success!

Since then, Commander Tower has sent us both together to accomplish all kinds of missions, whatever. Even if we were accompanied, the requirement was that we were both in front. While I was in control and strategy, Shadow had the strength, and obviously, when the formula works, does it repeat itself?

At first we did not like this. Shadow still saw me bad just as I didn't want to have him close. But we get used to this routine of working together.

All this led to Shadow and I becoming close, I would say we became friends!

He was still the same cutting hedgehog that he showed to be from the beginning, but he was much more gentle with me. That I was around to open more with me, and I with him. He never wanted to tell me about that mission that did not belong to G.U.N, nor did those who knew tell me where he came from. But I tried to respect that, if it made him feel uncomfortable. Well, I saw how every time they spoke it I could lower my guard for a few moments, especially with that name.

"Maria".

The little I know about her is what Shadow himself told me, that he was her friend and that tragically died. Nothing else.

It is in those moments when I tried to comfort him, but he always rejected my attempts, my hugs, saying that he was fine, that he appreciated the fact of wanting to help. The few times I could get him to smile, even partially, they occurred at that time.

And I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed seeing that smile.

In the missions it became common for us to take care of our backs at all times, so as time progressed, I worried more and more about him, just as Shadow always looked and asked to be sure I was still there.

When I felt bad I could count on him to tell me something to help. He was not the best to give advice, in itself he's not good to tell how he feels in general, but my heart was glad only the fact that he wanted to help. I felt I had done well to face him on that mission. It was worth someone I could trust, even if sometimes I doubted him.

I didn't even know exactly what you felt for him, but I didn't pay much attention to him.

But everything changed.

It was a normal day, a routine mission. Shadow and I were together, about to enter one of Eggman's bases. Strange movements had been registered on the part of the doctor, and G.U.N wanted to make sure that another danger to humanity was approaching.

Everything went as usual, I analyzed how to go without being seen, the possibilities, while Shadow carried me in his arms so I could enter as quickly as possible. Whenever he did it, I blushed, today that has not changed either.

After a few moments, I told him where to go safely, where to leave me and what to do next. We would not separate unless necessary.

And it was. The base was immense, and we needed to travel it as soon as possible. A look and evidence was what we needed. However, we didn't even get to that.

My boots slipped and I fell to the ground, leaving me at the mercy of the security cameras. I got up and tried to get out of there quickly, while calling the hedgehog with a special watch on my wrist. It soon appeared, and charged me again to leave, however it was already late.

The alarm system had been activated, lasers everywhere.

While Shadow was able to dodge them, and we left, the missiles hit us before. One hit near us, and we both flew out together, I hitting my chest fully against a tree and falling from a considerable height. I started to lose consciousness at that moment. Shadow ran over, and the last thing I heard was his voice, worried, calling me repeatedly as I rose gently. After that, darkness.

I woke up connected to several machines, a serum bag, and a shadow next to me,holding my hand

At first I didn't recognize him, until I saw his red lines and his eyes . I could see his eyes light up when I smiled at him.

- What happened? - asked.

- I brought you Emergency here. You broke almost the entire ribcage, as well as some bones of the arm and pelvis. he replied.

I was shocked for a few moments, until I saw the bendages in my body, which I reacted again.

-Thank you...

-You don't have to thank me, it was my duty to protect you anyway. said the hedgehog from nowhere. I looked at him for a few moments, feeling like my heart was beating at those words. Silence invaded the small room for a few moments, until I asked:

-I can go back to G.U.N in no time, right?

-I don't know if you consider a few months for a long time.

-I don't believe it, as long as they don't cancel me ...

Shadow looked at me and lowered his head for a few moments, sighed and looked at me again.

-They won't unsubscribe you, but I'm not going to work with you anymore.

That hurt a lot more than my bones.

-But why? If it was a commander's decision I can go to ...

-It was my decision. - the hedgehog released, seriously, interrupting me, leaving me stunned for a few seconds. He stood up from his chair and opened the window.

-You don't want to work with me then?

-Not that, is that ... -he wanted to explain, however the words just did not come out. I could see it in his gesture, confused, frustrated.

-If it is because, I don't know, I'm very weak? You could always have told me that.

-No no, that's not why, let me explain it to you well ... -he looked increasingly frustrated.

-And then why is it? I asked annoyed.

Shadow exploded.

-I don't want to lose another loved one! I don't want you to be at risk of dying again because of me! I don't want you to be in the same position as Maria ... I can't lose someone I love again. - he exclaimed, while looking out the window, without being able to face me. His breathing was more agitated than normal, and he sighed so he could calm down and regain his composure again. He had been really vulnerable with me.

He said he loved me.

I watched him as my heart sped up even more. My cheeks were red like the color of their betas. The hedgehog continued.

-I ... my mission was to protect you, even when G.U.N didn't assign it to me like that. I was determined to make sure nothing happened to you. To do what I couldn't for Maria. That mission is what Maria left me. She would have wanted me to protect humanity and that I am trying to do. I can't alone, and in you I found someone who helps me to do it. Someone understanding, hardworking like You. Someone who knew how to make the best of me. I...

-Shadow, come closer. I said interrupting him. He looked at me confused. I put his hand between mine, and looked into his eyes. I sighed before releasing:

  -I love you, Shadow.

His lord changed to a surprised one, and when he relaxed him, he smiled.

-Me too, (Y / N). he replied, while kissing my forehead.

------

aaah, what memories ...

wait, we were talking about you being the new recruit right?

sorry! I'm really sorry, the same thing always happens to me. Come, I hope I didn't bore you, because you have so much here to hang out with!

[kyogre-blue]

Naruto Shippuden: ep 471-474

471-472: 

Hagoromo appeared to exposition dump on the Hokage team by using Madara’s cast off legs, which contain chakra from the bijuu and also both his sons. Ngl I’m kinda weirded out realizing that these body parts are just lying around. Not sure why, I expected them to just dissolve into nothing after being cut off. 

Hagoromo doesn’t have any chakra left because he gave it away (to Naruto and Sasuke). Otherwise he would have some. 

Here is the start of Obito’s death and it’s so bad. AC knows how much I complained in the chat. Highlights include: 

Ghost Rin out of nowhere, for no reason. 

Kakashi: “thanks for helping me die, Rin, now the three of us can reunite in the afterlife.” Obito: “Kakashi would just get in the way, let’s spend some time alone with just the two of us, Rin.” 

Dude, she’s still fourteen. This is awkward. 

I know it’s a joke, but it’s a very misplaced one. 

It’s hard to take Naruto chiding Sasuke about teamwork seriously when here is Kakashi spouting off the same nonsense about being useless. 

Obito and Kakashi are both totally OK with dying, but... gotta... be useful...

WHY the Hokage obsession. Worse, they use the “fill the whole in his heart” phrasing, which was previously used for having people you’re close to in general. But I guess Obito can’t imagine having a family or friends or even just comrades without being The Most Useful In The Village. ????? awful

Zetsu really, really wants to drag Obito. Weirdly mad at him in particular. 

Naruto says that since Obito had a dream of being Hokage, he was definitely cool. OK, but you’re the one who dragged him a bunch for giving up on that dream!

Rin and Obito’s conversation is so bizarre. Rin is just totally ok with him committing every atrocity under the sun and then jokes “who are you going to save this time” like he regularly saved people?? I’m gonna write that fic about Rin being stonecold down for mass murder, I swear

473: 

Speaking of the afterlife. I am against it. 

Sakumo was specifically hanging out in a void with a campfire, but apparently you don’t need to do that, you can just move on into technicolor space and clouds land. 

Rin apparently knows everything and can talk to Obito before they finalize being dead as such. But I guess no one bothered talking some sense into Madara while he was dead. Or telling the dead Hokage team anything, since they didn’t know about the massacre either. 

The afterlife has the same general look as any communication via just chakra. It does have different colors, though I’m not sure how to interpret them. Rin is pink-purple. Kakashi later is teal. Obito had been grey-blue. And I think Sasuke way back when was yellow...? 

“Chakra is an energy that connects two worlds” aka the living world and the afterlife. SINCE WHEN how did this work before chakra???

After being sufficiently damaged Kaguya loses control of the Juubi, which starts splitting into the bijuu. Might be because of contact with the bijuu chakra in Naruto. 

Kakashi’s Susanoo is a vivid blue. I always forget that they come in different colors, since Sasuke and Madara are both purple. 

Kekkei Moura... 

Good Bye Miss Kaguya

Ditching her in a moon in her own dimension is better than before, I guess. 

lol @ Kakashi going “you’re a great team now” when Sasuke hasn’t once acknowledged him or Sakura this entire time. 

474: 

Madara just... got spat out. What is this spitting out fixation of Kishimoto’s

I don’t understand why Hagoromo invoked the ghosts of the other Kage. Half of them weren’t even in the war and have nothing to do with Team 7 or Kaguya. Why was this the qualification? Using the jinchuuriki would have made more sense. 

I still don’t understand how B survived all this. 

Hagoromo is going to talk to Obito in the afterlife. I really... don’t like this afterlife thing...

Everyone watching each other’s heartfelt goodbyes is intensely awkward. 

Taken without fillers and excessive flashbacks, the Kaguya battle is rather short and unimpressive.