#watching the AO men’s final and

[wearechecking]

girl being a sports fan is so exhausting

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

I don’t know why, but I’m feeling oddly nostalgic for the good ole days when “Agents of SHIELD” was still premiering. I mean, today, it has a fairly solid reputation as a sci-fi action superhero show. But if you only started watching after the show ended, you have no idea just how much drama this show created. There’s like…whole arcs of drama with AOS. I actually kinda miss the drama, it was lowkey fun to follow.

Off the top of my head, there was the:

* “1st season is complete garbage, why is this even a thing” arc.

* “Stand With Ward” arc. Just…Grant Ward in general.

* “Jemma has a space boyfriend/the creators ruined Fitzsimmons” arc.

* “10 PM time slot is gonna kill this show” arc.

* “Fandom hates that Fitz has a Nazi Doctor alter ego” arc

* “Is this show even canon after season 5” arc

* “This show wants to be X-Men so bad with the Inhuman persecution” arc

* “Did the show blow its budget? Where are the lights?” arc (subplot: Ghost Rider really ate up the budget, that’s why we could only afford Gabriel Luna for 9 out of 22 episodes)

* “Season 6 was really fucking weird” arc

* “Fuck this show for killing Fitz. Wait, I forgot he’s technically not completely dead” arc.

* “Fuck this show for teasing which main member of the team will die in the S3 finale” arc (side note: the drama from this was milked so much that I remember Marvel actually made a poll in which you got to vote who you think was gonna die. Lincoln won the poll, followed by Fitz.)

* “I hate how the show just forgot that Daisy used to be Skye the hacker. It’s like they completely erased Skye from the canon in favor of the comic character. She doesn’t feel like the same character anymore.” arc (yes, this was an actual complaint I saw from people at the end of season 2/the beginning of season 3)

Ah…good times, good times. Marvel TV show drama nowadays feels much less interesting in my opinion. AOS was a drama goldmine.

[wellthebardsdead]

Lucy: *quietly standing before Asmodeus and all the other Arch devils within all the 9 hells, Raphael standing off to the side next to his father looking visibly terrified for her and hoping this plan she’s concocted works*

Asmodeus: And at last our honoured guest greets us with her presence. A favourite with great potential, now squandered in the filth beneath the very hooves I gave her.

Lucy: I’d argue my potential simply reached higher than what the hells could provide.

*silence so deafening you could hear every devils asshole pucker in fear*

Asmodeus: … *chuckles lowly* A shame then your insolence, unlike your potential knows no bounds. And yet, there is one thing redeeming about you, a final shred of praise I may offer as a crown for your head before I sever it. My title.

Lucy: *smiles as she feels Ao’s presence within her chest*

Asmodeus: Behold now before you all, the true, lord of lies. *gestures to her* A mortal woman, parading around as an all knowing, all powerful, unstoppable force when in reality, it is but nothing more than a mere mask of lies to hide the truth. That she is nothing more than a nobody who got lucky. *holds up her lucky D20, one of the items that fell from her bag when she fell from the nautiloid and killed Zariel* But now, your luck, has run out. *tosses it to her feet only for it to land on a 1* Zhalk. Kill her.

Zhalk: … *picks up the dice and hands it to Lucy, looking into her eyes and smiling softly as he turns to his men and gestures for them to all drop their weapons, only to see them already disarming themselves* … *looks back up at Asmodeus* No.

Asmodeus: You dare defy me you lowly whelp?!

Zhalk: I am loyal to her. And only to her.

Glasya: *looks up at her father, then at Lucy, seeing a glint of divine energy glimmering from her chest and the dice in her palm glowing with it* …So am I… *rises from her seat and walks over, flanking Lucy’s side*

Asmodeus: Glasya?… You would throw away everything for this filth?!

Glasya: I would. And I will.

Dispater: as will I. *rises up with his courtiers and joins her side*

Mephistopheles: *seeing what he thinks is an opportunity to finally get rid of Asmodeus* As do I… it’d be wrong for me to not back my own daughter in law…

Raphael: *looks up at him before running to Lucy’s side and embracing her, feeling the same divine energy spark within his chest* I hope you’re sure about this-

Lucy: I am. Pinkies never let me down. *smiles at him before blinking in surprise as all the other arch devils begin moving from their seats. All of them believing they have a chance to rally behind her and steal the throne for themselves*

Asmodeus: *glares them all down before chuckling softly, then laughing as the whole palace quakes with his wrath* Such a disappointment. No matter… I’ve plenty of fodder to replace all of you. I’m sure they’ll all greatly appreciate my gifts more than you freaks ever have! *raises his hand to strike them all down*

Lucy: *smiles and kisses her dice as the spark begins to consume her* I can only roll higher than a 1. *rears back and throws the dice, knocking him in the forehead, making him halt in confusion as everyone watches it bounce, then roll to a stop, landing on a nat20*

Asmodeus: what was that- *gasps as his hooves suddenly turn to stone, then his calves making him fall back into his throne, his claws melding with it along with his arms and torsos, leaving only his face to contort into an agonised scream as he becomes fully petrified.

Lucy: *laughs softly and pulls Raphael into a kiss as the divine light consumes them both, the court of devils backing away in a panic as the energy radiating from them repels their very beings, leaving only her cambions left to stand bravely and accept the gift bestowed upon them with their duchess*

Zhalk: *smiles, staring into the light as his red akin burns away into a glistening coppery hue, his horns vanishing as a halo dons his head and his wings sprouting feathers*

Raphael: *embraces Lucy as they both transform into a fine line between solars and arch devils, halos adorning their horns, gold markings covering their skin, feathers glistening from their wings and an incredible power radiating from them both* it… worked…

Lucy: it did… *smiles up at him as the light fades into a gentle, Heavenly glow* sometimes the best plans all come down to a dice role and a lot of divine intervention. *looks over to see the court of devils staring in a mix of shock and concern at them* …Zhalk?

Zhalk: *smiles at her and nods* yes your grace?

Lucy: Kindly show our guests the door.

Zhalk: yes madam. You heard her men! *looks to his angels, cambions no more, all of them drawing divine weapons capable of killing any devil they come into contact with*

Glasya: even me??

Lucy: …You can stay for now sis.

Glasya: yay!

Dispater: …

Lucy: you’re always welcome too Dispater.

Dispater: I’m glad. *smiles as he looks to Lilis before leaving with her willingly*

Mephistopheles: *in complete shock along side the other devils, staring at his spawn in disbelief that he could hold a higher power than him* y-you- little- you can’t do this!!

Raphael: I believe we can, father. Tata. *waves to him as the guards drive him and the other devils out of the doors* … we’ve a lot of work to do.

Lucy: We have eternity to figure it out… but first… returning what asmodeus stole to the demons and ending this war… it’s about time hell finally came under new management.

[shojosparkle]

Eek!!

I’m super excited to finally have a blog to talk about one of my girlier obsessions. No one in my real life would ever suspect that I read a n y of this. I’m your typical laid back, comfy clothes, rock music blaring person irl. But I think there’s something so appealing about Shojo/Danmei/BL/Otome/Josei material. The relationship dynamics are just sooooo cute and I absolutely adore the aesthetic and all the pining.

Now, I just have the cutest little space that I’ve created where I can talk about this to my hearts content. This is a positive little safe space for me, so please if you’re not into this, just scroll <3. So to start out, here’s what what I’ve read/watched, what I’m currently reading/watching, and what’s on my list to come :))) (sparkles indicate my favourite’s or most anticipated)

Already Read/Watched:

Ouran High School Host Club (Anime)

My Next Life As A Villainess (Anime) ✨

Sasaki and Miyano (Anime + Movie) ✨

Banana Fish (Anime) ✨

Fruits Baskets (Anime, both versions)

Horimiya (Anime)

Kiss Him, Not Me (Anime)

I’m the Villainess so I’m Taming the Final Boss (Anime)

Kamisama Kiss (Anime + OVAs) ✨

The Scum-Villain’s Self-Saving System (Danmei) ✨

My Love Mix-Up (Manga) ✨

Currently Watching/Reading:

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Danmei) reading volume 1 ✨

Wotakoi: Love as an Otaku is Hard (Manga) 4/6 Volumes ✨

Romantic Killer (Manga) 3/4 Volumes

Wotakoi: Love as an Otaku is Hard (Anime) 2/12 Episodes ✨

Shortcake Cake (Manga) 2/? Volumes

Kamisama Kiss (Manga) 1/? Volumes

On my Watch/Read List:

Snow White with the Red Hair (Anime)

Heavens Official Blessing (Danmei) ✨

A Condition Called Love (Anime + Manga)

Twilight Out of Focus (Anime)

Nana (Anime + Manga) ✨

Ouran High School Host Club (Manga)

Frieren (Anime)

Convenience Store Boyfriends (Anime)

Eighty-Six (Anime)

Charlotte (Anime)

Ballad of Sword and Wine (Danmei)

Case File Compendium (Danmei)

Dinghai Fusheng Records (Danmei)

Guardian (Danmei)

Joyful Reunion (Danmei)

Legend of Exorcism (Danmei)

Peerless (Danmei)

Remnants of Filth (Danmei)

Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory (Danmei)

Run Wild (Danmei)

Silent Reading (Danmei)

Stars of Chaos (Danmei) ✨

The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish (Danmei)

The Husky and his White Cat Shizun (Danmei) ✨

Thousand Autumns (Danmei)

You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post (Danmei) ✨

Love Nest (Manga)

The Legendary Master’s Wife (Danmei?) ✨

Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me To You (Manga)

Daytime Shooting Star (Manga)

Ao Haru Ride (Manga)

Did Not Finish:

I’m In Love With the Villainess (Manga) 2/? Volumes

I’m always on the lookout for more recommendations, so feel free to add your own in the comments <3333

Stay Sparkly,

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Shojo Sparkle *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

[keira-kaz2y5]

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

SPOILERS FOR NEW MARVEL STUFF! ⚠️

Finally got around to watching The Marvels on Disney +!!!!! It’s the best mcu film this phase istg omg it’s SO GOOD and immediately you can tell it was written by a woman NOT TO MWNTION THE INSANE END CREDIT SCENES WTFFFFF KATE BISHOP PIZZA THE DOG AND XMEN?!?!??!!!!!!! Omg I’m ecstatic this is the best marvel film in years it’s finally giving avengers early phase vibes! And I’m actually happy with every single plot moment! Unlike no way home where there were many questionable plot moments and bad scenes and bad cgi and multiverse of madness was something different entirely like I loved the horror and stuff and it made sense but as a whole that works with the rest of the marvel universe I didn’t like how it went and wandas “death” or “fake death” and the whole x men stuff. Loved America in that tho! Her whole moment made sense and ugh I can’t explain it properly plus the shitshow that was the She Hulk series and overall it just made me lose faith in marvel and that’s why I didn’t see The marvels in cinema like I usually do bc guardians of the galaxy 3 was so shite and I thought this would too maybe that’s why it flopped cuz the hype on past films wasn’t lived up to. But this FINALLY brings back early marvel vibes and I’m so into it. (Plus the reign of the cats 🐈‍⬛ 🐈😆)

Cuz as much as I liked NWH there were questionable parts yk, Dr Strange characterised Wanda badly from start to finish and didn’t do her justice, Wakanda Forever was amazing don’t get me wrong I really loved it and cried A LOT, but I wasn’t too keen on the whole Namor thing or unnecessary deaths, and some characters really just deserved better than what they got, like Okoye.. and Black Widow was great but it could’ve been a bit better with cgi and plot-wise like the deleted scenes should’ve been kept and so on.

For the first time I just really enjoyed every part of this film, since marvel has gone downhill lately, this is new for me. also I loved the queer undertones for Kamala and Carol, although they should’ve been braver and put it in explicitly if they wanted to show Carol and Valkyrie together instead of the kiss on the cheek and no talk of them being together. But headed in the right direction for sure and not to mention the Kate and Kamala scene? Female avengers team? Finally not outnumbered by men? Also I really ship Kate and Yelena so I hope she comes onto the team too, though she might just stick with the Thunderbolts antihero theme. I love that it’s so clearly written by women and directed by them plus the brilliant casting and having the villain also be a woman and with a realistic villainisation like I get why she turned out the way she did, she just wanted her home back for her people, also it’s Zawe Ashton, Tom Hiddlestons wife so it would be cool to see them act together perhaps, but either way brilliant casting and script and everything, I love Kamala really speaking for the fans in a lot of it, and the musical scene was fun in a mystical way, like when we first got introduced to Asgard way back when, I just wish we saw what happened there at least a small look in at the end with Carol checking in on them because they left in the middle of a battle and then we don’t find out what happened to that planet. But other than that small detail the film was fantastic and I loved how even Goose got a good storyline.

(My dreamteam avengers would be Bucky🦾, Yelena🕷️, Kate🏹, Carol💫, Kamala👊, Monica🌠, Shuri🐾, Riri 🛠️(ironheart), America⭐️ and Cassie 🐜 and Morgan Stark. Plus some xmen if that’s now an option?? And AOS team but marvel would never do that

Maybe Peter🕸️ Sean⭕️, Wanda and Moon Knight🌙🤺 boys too but idk )

[anonymousewrites]

Logos and Pathos (AOS Edition) Chapter Seventeen

AOS! Spock x Empath! Reader

Chapter Seventeen: Hidden Plans

Summary: Khan reveals his true self.

Mouse Note: Who wants to play where are the AOS and TOS Logos and Pathos parallels?

            “I don’t mean to tempt fate here, but where is everybody?” wondered Scotty.

            He, (Y/N), Kirk, and Khan had yet to encounter a single officer on the Vengeance, which was highly suspicious since such a large starship would ordinarily be crawling with people.

            “This ship is designed to be flown by a minimal crew—one, if necessary,” said Khan.

            “One? I—” Scotty jumped as an officer lunged out of the shadows.

            Khan pivoted, caught the man’s punch, and slammed him into the wall. Kirk took a step back, and another three officers sprang out at him, (Y/N), and Scotty. Scotty ducked, and (Y/N) and Kirk took on the officers attacking them. (Y/N) dodged attacks and punched them, and Kirk threw himself into them. When necessary, (Y/N) struck with empathy, making the men stumble with fear. Down the hall, Khan glanced back as he took on officer after office with ease.

            Finally, Kirk slammed the last guy into a wall, and he fell unconscious. He knelt next to Scotty. “You alright?”

            “Yeah,” said Scotty. He had gotten a few good punches in.

            “Where’s Khan?” asked (Y/N) sharply, noticing he was gone from the corridor.

            “Shit,” cursed Kirk, running farther into the ship with his phaser drawn. Scotty and (Y/N) exchanged a look and hurried after him. “Where is he?”

            (Y/N) felt Kirk’s worry and anger. Letting Khan go free couldn’t happen, not after all that he’d done. An aura of calm, cold feeling appeared behind them, and (Y/N) turned to find Khan, looking evenly at them all, standing in the hall.

            “This way,” he said, not addressing his disappearance. He moved forward through the ship.

            “(L/N)?” said Kirk. “Any sign of danger?”

            “Not in his emotions, but that doesn’t mean much in a soldier,” said (Y/N).

            Kirk nodded. “As soon as we get to the bridge, drop him.”

            “What, stun him? Khan? I thought he was helping us,” said Scotty, bewildered.

            “I’m pretty sure we’re helping him,” murmured Kirk.

            “He’s much too calm and pleased for that not to be the case,” agreed (Y/N).

            But they followed Khan. What else could they do?

            Around them, the lights flicked on. The ship was gaining power again, power to shoot. They needed to hurry or the Enterprise would be destroyed, and then all would have been for nothing.

            Luckily, they arrived at the Bridge a moment later. Scotty pushed the button to open the door, and Khan instantly fired on several officers. The stun setting knocked them unconscious, but (Y/N) felt Khan’s frustration at the action. They narrowed their eyes. He wanted to kill these people.

            But (Y/N) had to shoot, too, so they focused on knocking out the officers targeting the Enterprise. Carol noticed her colleagues and elbowed the guard holding her back to grab a phaser of her own. In a storm of phaser-fire, the bridge of the Vengeance was taken.

            Bzzt!

            Khan fell as Scotty fired, and Kirk nodded to him.

            “Make sure he stays down,” he ordered, keeping his phaser trained on Marcus.

            Scotty nodded and stood over Khan to watch him carefully. (Y/N) glanced at his body, but his emotions were steady except for frustration from being “betrayed.” Unfortunately, that could indicate sleep or that he was just his usual self. There were very few times he showed more emotions outside of calm, which meant he felt in control. (Y/N) didn’t want Khan to feel in control. That meant he was a danger.

            “Admiral Marcus, you’re under arrest,” said Kirk to Marcus firmly.

            “You’re not actually going to do this, are you?” scoffed Marcus.

            “Admiral, get out of the chair,” said Kirk.

            “You better stop and think about what you’re doing, Kirk,” sneered Marcus. “You better think about what you did on Kronos. You made an incursion on an enemy planet! You killed a Klingon patrol. Even if you got away without a trace, war is coming.”

            Emotions ran high, and (Y/N) found themself in a cloud of anger and frustration.

            Marcus glared, and his fury burned across (Y/N)’s skin. “And who is going to lead us? You?! If I’m not in charge, our entire way of life is decimated! So if you want me off this ship, you better kill me!”

            “We’re not going to kill you,” said (Y/N). “We’re not like you, looking for violence anywhere you can.” They smiled. “But we can stun you and drag you out of that chair with no problem.”

            “I’d rather not do that in front of your daughter, though,” said Kirk, and Marcus’s gaze went to Carol, who looked back fearfully.

            “You alright?” asked Kirk, glancing at Carol.

            She nodded, trying to stay strong. “Yes, Captain.”

            A surge of anger, stronger than that of Marcus’s, surged through the air, and (Y/N) whirled.

            “Scotty!” They warned, but it was too late.

            Khan knocked Scotty to the ground and launched himself across a table to grab Kirk. Carol let out a cry, and Marcus jumped to his feet to run.

            “Captain!” said (Y/N), running to his side.

            They kicked Khan off of Kirk and pulled him back. Khan turned on them with an angry look on his face. He lunged for them, and (Y/N) pushed Kirk away to protect him. Khan grabbed them and threw them across the room. Hitting the wall, (Y/N) collapsed to the ground. Kirk attacked Khan, but he was knocked down. Brutally, Khan punched him over-and-over until Kirk lay unconscious.

            Khan whirled and stalked towards Marcus. Carol let out a cry and got between them, but Khan pushed her down effortlessly. Carol caught herself as she landed, but Khan raised his leg and stamped down on Carol’s leg. She screamed as the bones broke under his attack, and (Y/N) gasped as the pain ran through everyone’s emotions.

            But Khan’s brutality wasn’t over. Before Marcus could escape, Khan grabbed him, a hand on either side of his head. Viciously, he pressed inwards. Marcus groaned and attempted to struggle, but Khan’s strength was superior to his.

            “You should have let me sleep!” hissed Khan, cruelty lacing every word.

            (Y/N) cried out in shock and horror while Carol let out a scream of terror and grief as Marcus died by Khan’s very hands. Khan let go of his body, and Marcus’s corpse slumped back in the chair.

            Carol let out a sob and tried to move towards Marcus, but Khan tossed her to the side, and she hit her head, slumping to the ground unconscious. Then, Khan turned towards (Y/N) as they dragged themself to their feet, and the look in his eyes made their skin crawl as they tried to step back. Seeing Khan approaching, Kirk tried to stand, but Khan kicked him. Kirk’s head hit a computer bank, and he stopped moving.

            It was just (Y/N) and Khan left conscious. (Y/N) took a step back as he approached, but their head spun as they still tried to recover from his attack. Khan prowled around them. His eyes flicked to their hands, knowing that if they touched him, they could force his emotions to spin out of his control to their advantage. At the same time, (Y/N) warily watched Khan because his strength was a danger to them.

            “This doesn’t need to end poorly for you,” said Khan.

            “I know,” said (Y/N). “Because you’re going to lose. There is no situation where you win.”

            Khan scoffed. “You have no tactical advantage. Your ship is broken. Your crew is weak. I am the superior being here.” He tilted his head. “Though…you are not average. No, you have skill. Your empathy and sharp mind would be quite an asset.” He stepped closer to (Y/N). “And you would thrive at my side. An empath with such power would just be held back in Starfleet. I can bring you the power you deserve as a superior being.”

            (Y/N) narrowed their eyes. “What you want is to use me for your own gain,” they said. They wrinkled their nose as they felt Khan’s emotions. “And so that you can ‘be’ with someone you deem as superior.”

            “You are attractive, but I can assure you, I look at more than that,” said Khan, smirking.

            “No, you look at ‘superiority,’ ” snapped (Y/N). “Which is a shallow concept, too, and one that I don’t care for at all. So whatever you’re offering, I don’t want it. Not you or your power.” They spoke coolly, barely any emotion.

            “Are you sure? I can offer you more than any other person can,” said Khan, stepping closer.

            (Y/N) felt his emotions thread with something very distasteful and fought the urge to gag in disgust. “You can’t. You don’t offer me anything that I want.” They narrowed their eyes.

            “You’ve never met a man like me,” said Khan.

            “You’re a man who thinks he can take whatever he wants,” replied (Y/N). “I’ve met a thousand.”

            Khan narrowed his eyes, and frustration ran through his emotions. “You are going to learn exactly how superior I am. You and all the other inferior beings.”

l

            “Where is the Captain, Mr. Sulu?” asked Spock, voice clipped as he tried to control the situation as best he could. There were so many variables to monitor, so many people that could get hurt, and he needed to protect them all.

            “Our sensor array’s down, sir. I can’t find him,” said Sulu. He looked at Spock. “I can’t find (L/N), either.” It wasn’t a mystery how Spock and (Y/N) felt for one another, so Sulu made sure to inform Spock about what he knew about them, too.

            Suddenly, the viewscreen flipped on as the Vengeance opened up a communications channel again. Spock whirled on it instantly, and his eyes nearly widened as Khan dragged (Y/N) onscreen, holding them tightly to him. Uhura tensed and froze in worry.

            “I’m going to make this very simple for you,” drawled Khan.

            “(Y/N),” said Spock, eyes focused on them.

            “Your crew for my crew,” said Khan, tightening his grip on (Y/N). One hand was near their neck, and the other restrained their hand so they couldn’t use their empathy against him.

            “You betrayed us,” said Spock, stepping forward.

            (Y/N) blinked. Something in Spock’s tone…didn’t sound right. But it didn’t worry them any more than this situation already did. Still, whatever their intelligent boyfriend was up to, they were still stuck with Khan, so (Y/N) concentrated.

            “Oh, you are smart, Mr. Spock,” said Khan, sneeringly.

            “Spock, don’t—”

            Khan tightened his grip on their neck, and (Y/N) coughed as their warnings were cut off. Spock tensed, and Uhura gasped. Bones narrowed his eyes.

            “Mr. Spock, give me my crew,” said Khan.

            “And what will you do when you get them?” questioned Spock.

            “Continue the work we were doing before we were banished,” said Khan, honest as he wanted to be because he had the power.

            “Which, as I understand it, involves the mass genocide of any being you find to be less than superior,” said Spock.

            Khan smirked. “Shall I destroy you, Mr. Spock? Or will you give me what I want?”

            Spock paused, and his eyes flicked to (Y/N). They gazed back at him with absolute trust in their eyes. They knew Spock, understood his heart. (Y/N) trusted him to handle the situation the best way possible.

            “We have no transporter capabilities,” said Spock.

            “Fortunately, mine is perfectly functional,” said Khan. “Drop your shields.”

            “If I do so, I have no guarantee that you will not destroy the Enterprise,” said Spock.

            “Well, let’s play this out logically, then, Mr. Spock,” drawled Khan. “Firstly, I will kill your Captain to demonstrate my resolve. Then, if your resolve holds, I will have no choice but to kill you and your entire crew.”

            (Y/N) felt a shiver of disgust run down their spine as Khan didn’t mention anything regarding what he was going to do to them.

            “If you destroy our ship, you will also destroy your own people,” said Spock.

            “Your crew requires oxygen to survive, mine does not,” said Khan. “I will target your life-support systems located behind the aft nacelle. And after every single aboard your ship suffocates, I will walk over your cold corpses to recover my people.” He gazed at Spock. “Now…shall we begin?”

            Spock paused for a moment, brow slightly furrowed, and his eyes went to (Y/N). Then, he addressed Sulu. “Lower shields.”

            The shields of the Enterprise powered down.

            Khan smiled, and (Y/N) hated the self-satisfied emotions around him. “A wise choice, Mr. Spock,” he said. Abruptly, he pushed (Y/N) aside, and they fell to the ground as he went to program the transporter. “I see seventy-two torpedoes are still in their tubes. If they are not mine, Commander, I will know it.”

            “Vulcans do not lie,” said Spock, his eyes dark and set on Khan. (Y/N) was the only one who recognized anger in him. “The torpedoes are yours.”

            Incredibly proud of himself, Khan transported the torpedoes into the Vengeance and relished in his victory. “Thank you, Mr. Spock.”

            “I have fulfilled your terms,” said Spock. “Now fulfill mine. Return my Captain, my Engineering Officer, Dr. Marcus and (Y/N).”

            Khan sat back in his Captain’s chair. He looked at Kirk. “Well, Kirk, it seems apt to return you to your crew.” He smirked, and (Y/N) jolted at the joy he took in hurt others. “After all…no ship should go down without her captain.”

            Kirk, Scotty, and Carol dematerialized as Khan watched with a smirk. Spock’s eyes widened a sliver as he realized (Y/N) wasn’t being transported, but Khan shut off the viewscreen.

            “No!” said (Y/N), eyes widening. They whirled on Khan, promptly narrowing their eyes angrily. They lunged at him, and he dodged, grabbing their arms to try to restrain them. “Let me go!” They didn’t want to stay there with him. They’d rather die with the people they loved.

            “No, no, no,” said Khan, keeping ahold of them. “No, I need you to wake my people properly. The mental strain…I would hate for them to become inferior.” He scowled at the idea. “So you’re going to stay with me.” Khan grinned. “You’ll understand it’s not so bad.”

            Disgusted, (Y/N) raised their legs, pushed off the desk, and shoved them both back into the captain’s chair. The edge of it tripped Khan, and he stumbled to sit.

            (Y/N) took their chance and lunged for the computer readout. They plugged in their data. Enraged, Khan grabbed them, and they gritted their teeth as his anger burned over them. However, (Y/N) refused to let him win again. They reached out with the last of their strength and slammed their hand on the transporter button.

            “No!” shouted Khan as (Y/N) dematerialized in his own arms.

            (Y/N) had escaped Khan.

Taglist:

@a-ofzest

@grippleback-galaxy

@genderfluid-anime-goth

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@unending-screaming

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[theirmadness]

for @king7doms, with love. ♡

she'd openly challenged him, because she knew, his hands were tied.

there was naught he could do with caraxes so far away. all the way in the dragonpit, where he'd be no help to daemon as his brother's men surround him. no, dark sister alone would not do to steal her... not on her wedding night, not right under the king's nose. so, for the remainder of the night, he sat, brooded, and he waited. daemon was going to orchestrate a situation, himself, but the gods smiled upon him: a situation arose, without the rogue prince having to lift a finger.

pandenonium broke loose. guests were at each other's throats, half of them too drunk to know what was happening. amidst it all, there was her. hand on his sword, he watched. she was pushed to corners, but she'd end up getting hurt, if she wasn't careful. he moves a foot, ready to step in, when he catches glimpse of ser harwin strong. great big oaf that he is, making his way towards her. daemon pushed in, all elbows. one calculated shove, and he had a man tumbling towards a rather pissed looking, taller man. the end result? ser strong out of the board, getting punched in the face. in the time it took him to recover?

daemon had made his way to the princess. he said nothing. no words were needed. she knew that it was him; daemon tossed her over his shoulders as if she was naught more than a sack of potatoes. funny thing was, she weights less. he kept a hand on her back to hold her in place as he pushed through the crowd. no one knew ways in and out of the castle better than him. and no one notices as he escapes the crowd into one of the servant's entrances. it's a poorly lit, otherwise deserted hallway that leads into one of the lower kitchens. there's no one there, but he glances around to make sure. only then, he sets her down, eyes doing a quick scan of her face and her arms. she was fine.

❝ iksan stealing ao, dārilaros. ❞ i'm stealing you, princess. daemon smirked at her, cupping her cheek as he stole a passionate kiss from her lips. a kiss that promised her a lot more. rhaenyra was not going to marry some boy, no. rhaenyra had been his from the moment she had been born. he didn't give her a chance to think, or to protest. and if she did, he paid her no mind. he grabbed hold of her and led her outside. his other hand was on dark sister, ready, just in case. most of the castle's guards were indoors, but the few stragglers outside were of no importance ot him. daemon managed to avoid most of them, although a few had been at the receiving end of his elbow or his fist. eventually, hurried foosteps led them to narrow steps leading down to the dragonpit. he scoops her into his arms, again, and is unsurprised to find that both syrax and caraxes are there: waiting. the bond daemon shares with his dragon is special.

caraxes never needed spoken commands. and it seemed that he, too, had seen it fit to steal syrax. he led her towards caraxes, and only set her down to help her up onto the saddle. syrax would follow. now?

she is flying with him. he may not have cut down many men, but he was stealing the princess right under the king's nose. this, could cost him his head. but daemon does not care. he can hear the distant and faint sounds of footsteps, shouting. ah, so they finally took notice of her missing. the rogue prince merely smiled, climbing atop caraxes. his dragon screeched into the night, and before long, daemon and his soon-to-be-bride were flying to dragonstone. he made her wrap her arms around him, and held her dainty hands firmly there. she'd be his, before the night was through. and no one, would take her from him.

[jabeur]

what's your favourite tennis match? :33

hi! thanks for asking!

so bear with me bc i'm gonna ramble instead of giving a straight forward answer. But. i was thinking about this and it mostly came down to a few 5 sets thrillers/long matches bc man i just love those. (yes i am pro 5 sets in gs for the women!!!!!)

first that came to mind was actually the wimbledon 2008 men's final. that was an INSANE match almost 5 hours and SO good. and it was the first year that i'd started watching tennis, literally only a few months before, so you can imagine how shocked little me was to witness.... That. anyway i'm not picking that tho bc rafa won in the end and i've always been a roger fan lol i was never mad when rafa beat him i do like rafa but. you know. your fave's your fave.

then i thought of the us open 2009 men's final, roger vs del potro, which actually. is really really reallyy one of my favorite matches ever even if again it was a roger loss but it was THE upset. it was INCREDIBLE. i was so stressed out but also so in awe of juan martin and tbh i was a fan of his after that and rooted for him all the time.

but ALSO. the us open 2015 women's final LIKE. first all italian final and flavia becoming the oldest player to win their first gs???? roberta beating SERENA to get there???? like. the narratives. i could cry. and it was a good final!!

the wimbledon 2009 men's final was also incredible that one stayed with me for a long time. AND the ao 2017 men's final ohhhhh man. roger's comeback that was. i was so. so so so happy 😭 AND WAIT JUST REMEMBERED ANOTHER ONE . schiavone vs kuznetsova ao 2011...... longest women's gs match !!!! almost FIVE HOURS . for a BEST OF 3 MATCH. do you realize how insane that is pls go watch that match. (also, a few years later they battled again in a looong match, almost 4h, at rg 2015. genuinely my favorite underrated 'rivalry'/h2h)

also for more recent ones bc i do still watch great tennis matches i swear lmao the sincaraz 2022 wimbledon match will stay in my heart AND it's very recent but i literally think about it all the time, one of the best matches i've ever watched, the igaryna madrid final this year

to finally answer your question: i think it's got to be the 2017 fedal ao final. ik i wrote 2 words abt that but it IS the one that made me the most emotional

[hummingbird-of-light]

Ninth story for @badthingshappenbingo ~

Title: The Perfect Specimen

Fandom: Star Trek (AOS)

Character(s): Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Original Alien Character, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, James T. Kirk, Keenser

Relationship(s): Montgomery "Scotty" Scott/Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (mentioned), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott & Keenser

Rating: M

Words: 1,657

Prompt: Stalking

Warnings: Psychological Horror, Angst, Kidnapping, Humans as products

(You can also find this story on AO3)

~ The Perfect Specimen ~

It was already past midnight when Montgomery Scott made his way back to the hotel. He had been out with Keenser, but the wee Roylan had said that he would stay at the club a little longer. After all, it was their last night on the planet.

It had really been a great shore leave and although the engineer had been separated from his silver lady, he had managed to enjoy the time. Which was also thanks to a certain doctor.

Scotty smiled at the thought of the man in whose hotel room he had spent most of the last few nights. At first he had been a little nervous, but in the end it had really been a good decision to finally tell Dr. McCoy about his feelings for him.

But for the last night, they had both decided to stay in their own rooms. After all, they had to get at least some sleep to be fit to continue the mission the next day.

A strange feeling spread through Scotty's stomach as he felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. He wheeled around, looking over his shoulder, but there were only a few people walking through the night streets. No one seemed to be paying any attention to him.

The Scotsman quickly shook his head and continued on his way. Over the last few days, he had often had the strange feeling that someone was watching him or staring at him. But... that was probably normal on the planet. After all, humans were a rarity in this place. The Federation had accepted the planet into its fold not so long ago, but all the locals were still very hospitable. This was also evident from the many different species they encountered in the capital. It was a great planet.

Scotty sighed. Maybe he was just tired and imagining things. And yet... he just couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following him.

The engineer was just turning into a less busy street when he suddenly heard a noise behind him.

"Let go! Hey, let go of me, you creeps!"

As quickly as he could, Scotty wheeled around and what he saw made anger boil up inside him.

Two large males were trying to pull a female of their species into a van. The female was a beautiful lady dressed in blue. Her white hair stood out next to her purple skin.

Scotty clenched his hands to fists and walked back, gritting his teeth in anger.

"Oi! Ye heard what the lass said, didn't ye?"

All three of the purple species looked at the Scotsman in surprise. While the female's eyes were wide, the males only grinned superiorly.

"Of course we heard it. But why should we care about it?"

These bastards! Did they really think they could treat a lady like that?

"Well, where I come from women are treated with respect and-"

The Scotsman didn't get to finish his sentence, because the moment he was close enough to the van, the male creatures suddenly let go of the woman and grabbed him by the arms instead.

"Hurry up. Pull it in."

Scotty couldn't believe it when he heard the female being's voice. It... had been a trap! The men had only pretended to kidnap the woman in order to get to him.

The Scotsman stood no chance against the strong beings when they bound his feet together and tied his hands behind his back. As much as he tried to kick and punch, he was simply helpless.

"Wonderful. A perfect specimen of this new species. A... human, isn't it?"

The lady's grinning face appeared in Scotty's field of vision and he spotted pointed gleaming white teeth.

"How incredibly... exotic."

A shudder went through his body as long fingernails touched one of the engineer's cheeks and brushed gently across it.

"Look, lady, kidnapping a Starfleet officer is a violation of Federation law. If ye don't release me immediately, then-"

Scotty fell silent and suppressed a cry of pain as his counterpart giggled and pinched his cheek.

"Oh, how adorable. It thinks we're abiding by the laws that apply on this planet now, huh? Well... I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you there, human."

Scotty bared his teeth angrily. Who did this woman think she was?

"Ms. Farie, ma'am, we should leave for the shuttle as soon as possible."

One of the males turned to the woman - Ms. Farie - and she just rolled her eyes.

"Well then. Chop, chop. Start the car. I'll take care of the goods myself."

When Scotty heard the word 'goods', his stomach turned. The way that woman said it...

The henchmen quickly left the back of the van and only a short time later Scotty felt them start to move.

"I-if ye want to blackmail my captain or Starfleet, then-"

Once again, Ms. Farie laughed.

"Oh, sweetheart, no. I just want you for now."

Only now did the Scotsman realize that his blood was on the female creature's fingernails. He shuddered as he watched a long, dark red tongue lick up the liquid. Ms. Farie let out a surprised sound.

"Mmm, that's really good. I bet the meat tastes just as delicious."

Scotty's eyes widened in shock. 'Goods', blood, meat - surely this woman couldn't be...

"You know, sweetheart, I just love this planet. So many different species visit it. And every time I visit here, I pick a new one and take a specimen with me."

Slowly, Ms. Farie stood up and wandered around the back of the van. She went to a screen on one of the walls and activated it.

Scotty's breath caught in his throat at what he saw.

Photos. Photos of him and other members of the crew.

"I've been watching you for a while now. I don't know, but you... are just perfect. When I saw you, everything was just right. Size, proportions, body fat. The perfect specimen for a tasting."

The blood froze in the engineer's veins and he shook his head slowly.

That... this woman couldn't be serious! He wasn't a piece of meat!

"Y-ye... this is crazy! Release me immediately!"

Scotty tried again and again to pull at his restraints, but he couldn't free himself. His heart was racing with panic, but his captor didn't seem to care in the slightest.

"Listen, sweetheart, my restaurant is the most culinary on my entire home planet. My guests always expect a variety of dishes. And I think that Human will definitely win them over."

That couldn't be true! It all had to be a cruel joke!

"Help! Can someone hear me! Help!" Scotty screamed as loud as he could, but Ms. Farie just giggled.

"Save yourself the trouble. The walls are soundproofed. No one will hear you."

No... no, no, no! That couldn't be true!

Ms. Farie slowly sat back down on the ground, a tricorder of sorts in her hand. She ran it over the Scotsman's body, a grin on her face.

"Well then... let's see how much of you we can use. What tasty dishes can we whip up from you?"

The lady moved her head back and forth thoughtfully and looked at the screen of the device.

"With the number of guests who have registered for the tasting... A nice soup to start. And for the main course... hmm... roast or steak, what do you think, sweetheart?"

Scotty's voice caught in his throat. He wanted to do or say something, but he was completely helpless. He stared at Ms. Farie with frightened eyes.

He wasn't a piece of meat! He was not an animal to slaughter!

"Oh, I guess I'll decide that on the spur of the moment. But I'm quite sure we can make a lovely wine from your blood, don't you think?"

Slowly, the woman leaned forward and ran her smooth tongue over the gash her fingernails had made. Scotty's whole body trembled.

"P-please... don't."

But Ms. Farie wasn't even listening to him. She sighed dreamily.

"Hah, this is going to be a lovely dinner. I can't wait."

Scotty shook his head in panic as he felt the van come to a halt.

"Oh, I think we're there already. Well then..."

Smiling, Ms. Farie ran her fingers through Scotty's hair once more before standing up and walking to the door.

Scotty felt his heart almost jump out of his chest. He had to do something! He had to get out of here!

"The ride went so fas-"

Scotty narrowed his eyes in confusion when he heard his kidnapper stop talking. He turned his head to see what was going on.

"What the-"

"Get out of the car, ma'am, you're under arrest for kidnapping a Starfleet officer."

When he heard the familiar voice of Lt. Hendorff, Scotty couldn't help but let out a shaky sigh. They had found him! His crew had actually found him!

It wasn't long before Scotty was free of his restraints. His knees trembled as he got to his feet and the security personnel had to support him on the way out.

Kirk and McCoy were already waiting for him there.

"Scotty!"

"Thank God! Are you okay?"

The Scotsman nodded slowly as he hugged both friends.

"A-aye. But... how did ye know-"

He had lost his communicator with the tracking chip during the abduction. So how had the crew found him?

A smile appeared on Kirk's lips and he nodded his head to the side.

"Keenser must have had a strange feeling and followed you after all. He saw you being pulled into that van. And then he immediately pulled out all the stops to get us to look for you."

Scotty nodded understandingly before falling to his knees in front of Keenser and simply hugging him tightly.

"Thank ye, wee man. Thank ye so much."

Keenser only grunted and wrapped his short arms around his friend. For Scotty, he would do anything.

[batsplat]

omgg i started following you because i loved your motogp posts and i did not expect to get emotionally attacked about my tennis fave like this. you've lit expressed everything ive felt abt tennis lately like daniil's return game has developed so well these last few years if only his shoulders were still functional he wld be soo unstoppable (i remember like last 2 year-ish when his serve suddenly went to shit and i was like wtf is going on?? but then it turned out his shoulders don' work anymore😭😭😭) ngl i did not expect him to make it to the ao finals this yr at all but then he did and i started getting hope again and then well uk what happened next... (i actually went to bed when he was up 2 sets because i alrdy had premonitions for what was abt to happen and i didnt need that experience twice 😭) anyways i finally quit watching the men's tour reguarly middle of this yr-ish because mostly because my biggest opp started winning big tournanments/slams consistently and i cld not take it anymore (part of why i got into motogp ig, i needed a new thing to fill in the hole)

also ur thing being having to be the chosen one in men's tennis is soo true but i wld argue it cld even be broadened down to being in the chosen generation... every 90s born player doomed to be seen as the weak links of the sport, both forever destined to be surpassed by those who came before and those who came after...

anyways mostly i also just wanted to thank you for writing all your super information motogp posts!! not only is ur writing style super informative/consistent, all the topics u've written abt feel super unique like i doubt i wld ever randomly stumble elsewhere. i'm not that good w/ words so idk how to fully express my appreciation, but your posts are the main reason i started delving into more past motogp races and interviews instead of just sticking to current ones which has 1000% made my experience of becoming a motogp fan more enjoyable!

🥺🥺 such a nice ask from a fellow sufferer... I actually tried to sleep in for the ao final and managed for like. maybe a set. it's so funny to have a whole fanbase quite literally begging their player not to go up two sets to love, zero hindsight needed I was HORRIFIED by that second set going his way... especially since I noticed the balance of play in the actual games had changed and meddy wasn't winning any return points anymore, just relying on an earlier break to seal that set iirc. and then I started going for increasingly desperate tactics to distract myself when the inevitable happened in the next three sets (including rewatching marc marquez: all in, it was rough man, like I get what you're saying about getting into motogp to escape because generally I too have fled to this sport whenever tennis has most been pissing me off)

and obviously that final was very trauma flashbacks to my definitive sports trauma, a match I'm STILL not over and at this rate have accepted I'll be miserable about until the day I die. but this time I couldn't even BLAME him because it was an insane effort to even get to the final, he'd done such a fantastic job given his tennis really wasn't there at the start of the tournament, he just kept figuring out ways to win... the hurkacz match where he basically ran out of fuel in the fourth, that crazy semifinal where he just refused to know when he was beaten, and then taking two sets off sinner in that final!! the resilience and the grit but also the tactical acumen, like my god when he blindsided hurkacz by radically altering his return position RIGHT AFTER doing that post-match back-and-forth with courier where he explained in detail why he favoured his regular return position. the cleverness and the bravery he showed in clutch points in that semi, something that zverev is completely incapable of (monte carlo 2023 still lives rent free lol), like the psychology of that match slapped. how he took it so sinner, completely caught him off guard by mixing up his game, and it was WORKING. really managed to change the dynamic of that match up... he lost that match first and foremost in his legs. just so cruel after everything. we had the guy who easily disposed of an admittedly rubbish djokovic in the semis on the ropes. and it still. was. not. fucking. enough. one of the best slam final runs in recent memory and it still wasn't enough!! he's already far outperformed what he SHOULD have been capable of in his career and somehow he keeps developing a game style which should have plateaued ages ago and I have so much respect for the work him and gilles have done post-2022... and he really should have more to show for it

anyway yeah I remember the serve decline in 2022, back when I was really in the weeds with analysing meddy's game. and that was also the year it felt like his legs completely deserted him. his deciding set record that year was horrific after ao, very rarely even got it that far win or lose and when he did so almost always lost (karatsev was cramping, let's not talk about the other third set win)

scorelines from the tour finals genuine miracle i did not throw myself into the sea

only one four set match post-ao and he also lost that, incidentally. and obviously that was partly because his brain was fucked, BUT I also wondered whether it was the aftereffects of the hernia operation that year affecting both the physicality and the serve. and I can't remember if he confirmed that anywhere but the theory's certainly cottoned on to help explain the serve decline, even if his endurance obviously has massively improved again. and then add in the shoulder... it's so brutal because it used to be such a key pillar to his game, like the whole magic was tied together by being able to whizz through his own service games while making his opponent's return games hellish

and like,, the thing I really admire about him is that there was a period in 2022 where it did feel like he'd been 'figured out', like there was increasingly a game plan that could be used against him. serve and volley, etc etc. but to some extent, he's managed to resist just being written off when facing elite competition BECAUSE he keeps coming up with ways to throw his opponents off-balance. what he's been doing this year, for all that it hasn't gotten him great results, has been so much fun to watch - really reminded me of his summer/autumn 2019 stretch where he'd played so much he should've constantly been at risk of keeling over of exhaustion but adapted to it by just becoming a completely different player. wawrinka uso 2019 match still goes crazyyyy, one of his most underrated performances. serve and volley in the uso 2019 final I wanna run to u. it's such a wonderfully unique game that's frankensteining all these unique parts together that all sort of shouldn't work but all sort of do, harnessed and constantly reinvented by (let's face it) the smartest top player currently in the game. and it really does piss me off that he hasn't been rewarded more. he's been the best of the rest since 2019, he's absolutely maximised his game for someone who doesn't have that stratospheric big three-level of talent and I WANT it to actually matter. but men's tennis will always see talent triumphing over guile I fear, and meddy has consistently been a victim of poor timing

and yeah, the generational aspect is true, where the entire ''''''''nextgen''''''''' cohort has essentially been doomed - partly because they just weren't good enough, but partly because they arrived at just the right time window to still be thoroughly traumatised by the big three without getting any kind of a break before the next super talents showed up. until 2022 I really did naively believe we were getting a chaos era of SOME kind until that decrepit spanish ghoul showed up in australia to trample all over my soul and give me depression, and then immediately another bloody spaniard started going at it. how can you not be a little bit bitter that alcaraz got to swan to his first slam title without having to face a single member of the big three? idk man like sometimes it really is the magic of sports that the anointed few don't just have talent on their side, they are also fantastically lucky. you see it with how the big three all secured their first slams... things just seem to work out somehow. infuriating and existentially horrifying

anyway. lol. as you can see I do always have a tennis rant in me. will always be a major part of my life, obviously something I have a far far better understanding of than any other sport, still keep up with the women's game fairly closely... where icl it helps that the players I'm most invested in have dropped off SO badly this year, partly due to injury, that I can merrily ignore their existence. plus, and this bit is crucial, I don't loathe the players who actually win things. so I'm in a happy place where I just enjoy the sport and (if anything) want Certain top players to do better than they currently are... but also don't lose any sleep over the results. like, have I been massively frustrated with iga this year? yes, but it's also not made me stare at a wall for five hours. also, it's just been a way better product than this predictable basher servebot shit from the men. women's wimbledon semi day THE best tennis day of the year, prove me wrong. they've had actual classic matches, which the men have been noticeably short on. just sort of been an odd season for the men, with djokovic shrivelling and alcaraz patchy outside of two slams and sinner doing his whole 'I'm not a cardboard cut out I'm a REAL boy' routine on his way to fifty hard court titles and everyone else irrelevant. as I've already said... it's fine. whatever. hope the sport enjoys fifty thousand alcaraz/sinner slam wins as the earth keeps turning around the sun and eventually we all turn to dust. it's fine

and seriously, thank you for everything in the ask... always happy to hear I've made someone's fan experience like. better. and that I add something a little bit different to the mix lol, also literally no compliment I like to read more than anything to do with my actual writing. because this ask was so lovely, here's my personal favourite moment as a tennis fan this year:

still think that australian open title should be restored to us

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, June 20

Anya: You're going away for a week?! That's great! Giles: Yes, yes, everybody seems delighted about it. Anya: Well, I get to run the store, right? Giles: You? Ah, w-well, it's quite a lot for one person to take care of. Well, I-I mean, the trash men, for example, I mean, they, they, they've been making such a mess in the back alley, the recycling people can't get in there to collect. Well, somebody has to talk to them. Anya: I can take care of that. Tara: I'm envious, Mr. Giles. A trip to England sounds so exciting and exotic. Un...less you're English.

~~Triangle~~

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[dragonnwriter]

Inviolable Bindings

Aemondxfem!OC and Aegonxfem!OC

All Chapters Here!

Chapter 49

**NSFW 18+**

The tension could have been cut with a knife, even through such darkness. 

“​​Ribazmoqitta riña.” One of the dragonkeepers spoke from behind her. Foolish girl.

“Kostilus, nyke nūmāzma daor ōdrikagon,” she spoke with desperation in her voice. Please, I mean no harm.

“ Emā ribazma ojūdan,” he seethed. You have lost your mind.

The disgruntled sounds of more than one dragon reverberated through the stone walls of the Dragonpit and two of the dragonkeepers began heading towards the building chaos. A spear was kept level to her chest with focus, the man’s eyes staring sharply through her as he weighed the consequences of her presence.

A bright flash of light came with the heat of dragonfire, lighting up the space down the ramps. The sound of yelling mixed with others shouting commands was evidence that whatever was happening below seemed far from under control.

“Skoros ēdas ao gaomagon?” He demanded, his voice rough with frustration. What have you done?

Viserra met his eyes, narrowing her own. Truthfully, she hadn’t done anything. She was not even sure what he was talking about but whatever it was, she intended to use it to her advantage. “Ñuha zaldrīzes āeksio iksan,” she replied.  I am my dragon’s master.

Another dragon was heard louder and more forceful than the last. Smaller ones began screeching and squawking as well. The dragonkeeper grunted in frustration, his grip tightening on his spear as he seemed to be struggling with how to handle both her and the uproar beneath them.

It wasn’t until one of the other dragonkeepers rushed back up the ramp, that he seemed to budge on his initial intention of keeping her barred from the dragons.

“Zaldrīzoti rȳbagon gaomagon daor,” the man shouted, his face soiled with soot and eyes wide with panic. The dragons will not listen.

The heat of another blast of dragonfire warmed the already hot air and illuminated both of their faces. Finally, with a reluctant nod, the dragonkeeper signaled something to the other and the sharp prod in her back urged her forward.

Viserra focused on keeping her breath steady as she walked between the two men to where the dragons were housed. The heat intensified and though the chaos had lessened some, it was evident that many of the beasts down there were still quite agitated.

When they reached the bottom of the ramp, Rhyn’s cry echoed through the cavern. This time, however, it was filled less with frustration and rage, and more of desperation. Her eyes darted around watching the dragonkeepers stationed at the entrance to each dragon’s cave. They all continued to shout out commands with their spears drawn, attempting to calm the uneasy beasts.

They took her down one of the largest corridors where two charred corpses lay still smoldering on the ground. A smug sense of satisfaction crossed her mind, knowing that her dragon was not afraid to inflict such a fate on those who kept him chained. She knew that as soon as she could free him from the bindings that kept him imprisoned, they would have no problem getting out.

As they came upon the cave where he had been held, Viserra’s breath caught in her throat. The beast began to thrash wildly against the chains that bound him, his large body straining against the restraints and crashing into the wall next to him.

Without warning, a sudden blast of dragonfire filled the air, the force of it all so intense that it drove the dragonkeepers and Viserra to the ground. They all held still for a moment as the heat took its time dissipating from above them. Slowly, each of them uncovered their faces to see the wild dragon before them.

“Udrāzma zirȳla!” One of the dragonkeepers shouted. Command him!

For a moment, Viserra froze, her mind reeling from the near miss that had almost incinerated them all. She could still feel the heat of the fire on her skin, the sight of her dragon so wild and furious, made her realize just how out of control the situation was for all of them. Was it truly her presence there that caused him to act like this?

Carefully, she stood, looking over to the dragonkeepers whose faces were equally as full of rage as her own dragon. Her breath heaved in and out of her chest, struggling to steady herself. “Jikagon mērī kesan,” she managed to say. I will go alonelone.

The dragonkeeper hesitated briefly, torn between his duty and what that truly meant in this moment. But eventually, he nodded, signaling for the others to step back and give her space. “Mērī,” he confirmed. Alone.

Viserra approached her dragon once more, imagining an invisible tie between them in hopes that she could help him feel she meant no harm. “Lykirī,” she called out. “Ōdrikagon ao kesan daor.” Be calm. I will not hurt you.

Rhyn’s eyes still flashed with fear, fixed on her as she walked closer. He let out another loud roar, but this time, there was no fire. She kept her pace slow, each step finding it easier to tuck away her own fear. Her bond with Rhyn was strong, but he was both wild and fragile from their separation and incarceration.

“Kesan dāez ao yn istia lykirī,” she promised. I will free you but you must be calm.

Viserra closed in on him, reaching up to hold his snout in between her hands. His sharp eyes softened with the connection, both feeling the tension ease. After a moment, it hit her. She had come there to not only find her dragon, but to successfully leave the city with him as well.

Turning back towards the dragonkeepers, she suddenly felt a wave of anger pour through her. “Zirȳla dāez,” she demanded. Free him.

But they did not move nor make an attempt to act.

“Dāez zirȳla istia,” she repeated again. You must free him.

Finally, one of the men stepped forward. “Lo gaomagon issa,” he spoke, his tone relaying the seriousness of his words. “Henujagon adhirikydho istia. Se māzigon arlī ȳdra daor” If it is done. You must leave immediately. And do not return.

Initially, Viserra had not realized he was complying with her demand. “Ñuha udir emā,” she replied, her own tone softer now. She had never wanted her dragon housed there in the Dragonpit, no doubt she would uphold her word in keeping far from there. You have my word.

Slowly and cautiously, the dragonkeepers moved to turn a large winch built into the stone wall. It was difficult to adjust, requiring more than one pair of strong hands. After a few seconds of the combined effort, the chains that had bound her dragon came clanging down to the floor around them.

Though they were no longer holding him in place, he was still burdened with the heavy metal links connected to his tail, feet, and a bow shackle around his neck. But he was free enough to move now, and that was all he needed.

Viserra avoided the chains as he shook his large body, testing his newfound freedom. She rushed to his side, quickly climbing into the saddle and without even giving it another thought, urged Rhyn forwards. He carelessly barreled through the corridors to free them both from the Dragonpit. The dragonkeepers scrambled to get out of his way, throwing themselves flush with the walls to avoid being crushed under his feet.

“Gīda!” Viserra yelled. Steady!

She struggled to fasten herself to the saddle as Rhyn’s erratic movements made it difficult. She was just as desperate as her dragon was to flee, but she needed him to listen and not injure them in the process.

The stone walls of the Dragonpit flashed by in a blur, the cool air hitting her face as he launched them hard into the skies. The elevation change took the breath from her lungs, the force of the takeoff itself was quite overwhelming. Viserra took a moment to be thankful for the straps that helped her stay secured in the saddle and for herself for making it a priority to fasten them.

King’s Landing quickly shrank behind them, Rhyn flew fast and hard to distance them as quickly as possible. The last time she had been in the skies with him, they had been ambushed by Daemon not far from where they were now. The thought brought shivers down her spine that was only relieved when they had completely cleared that area, but with each mile behind them, her nerves began to settle.

They followed the river north, right back up until the God’s Eye was barely visible beneath them underneath the heavy fog. The familiar sound of Vhagar resonated in the air before the massive fortress came into view.

Rhyn responded immediately, his own greeting echoing off of the water below them. He did not need to be guided, making his descent to the ground next to the other dragon his next priority.

“Valītsos sȳrī gaomagon,” she called, speaking of the entirety of the last few hours. Well done, boy.

Without hesitation, Viserra dismounted from the saddle the moment Rhyn settled down. Her feet barely touched the ground as she quickly began to make her way back to Harrenhal’s gates. She raced to the castle doors, impatience growing as she waited for them to be answered and opened. And as soon as she stepped inside, she found Aemond waiting right there.

It seemed that the sound of his own dragon had stirred him from sleep at this hour. Though she did not care why he was there, just that he was. As soon as she could, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face against him and taking in the familiar scent.

“Nyke gōntan,” she breathed.  I did it. 

Aemond tightened his arms around her for a moment before pulling her back just far enough to look her in the eyes. “Did you come across any others once you fled the city?”

“No,” she confirmed. “But it caused quite the commotion just to get to him.”

Aemond stared at her with a thousand thoughts behind his eye. “We must assume they will counter such a breach to their walls.”

Viserra nodded, knowing this to be true. Though she had successfully done what she set out to do, she would be foolish to think there wouldn’t be repercussions on the horizon. In the time it took to get back to Harrenhal, she had thought of a few ideas of what to do next. They had the strength of the two dragons there, plus Daeron’s mount back with the Hightower army. And now that she could travel much faster on dragonback, she thought it might be time to search Dragonstone for any traces of Aegon.

They would need to act and plan quickly, with fear of the Blacks coming before they were ready to face them. Right now, however, she would not bring it up. Part of her knowing it would most likely end up in another disagreement.

“A bath,” she suggested softly, her words pulling them both away from the other more serious matters. “I know there is much to discuss, but it can wait another hour.”

Aemond took in the whole of her with his eye. “A bath,” he repeated, the corner of his lips pulling into a smile. He too, welcomed the momentary distraction, trading in her concerns for the ability to enjoy her warm touch before diving back into it all.

The bathing was made  to be readied, one of the few servants there scurrying off to ensure it was done. They walked at a much slower pace, Aemond listening intently as Viserra recounted the last few days of events. She told him that there was a point she did not think she was going to succeed, from being found by the dragonkeepers to her own dragon lighting up the caves and almost burning her there.

When they finally reached the bathhouse, the familiar scents of oils hung in the hot, humid air. The steam rising from the water was telling of how hot it was and Viserra did not need any more convincing to get in. She reached for her sword, unfastening it from her hip and setting it against the wall.

Aemond’s hands gently stopped her own before she began to work on the rest of her clothing. “Allow me,” he murmured, leaving no room for an argument.

Viserra let out a small sigh, her shoulders relaxing as she felt him reach around and take over where her hands left off. She closed her eyes, feeling every movement of him untying, unbuckling, and pulling off each clothing item that covered her.

As soon as the cool air hit her shoulders, it was replaced by a pair of warm lips that slowly marked their way down from her neck. His touch brought her into the moment, grounding her and forcing her to be present.

Piece by piece, her clothing fell away. Now completely baring herself before her Prince Regent, she could feel that there was a degree of admiration in his gaze. It was as if he took pride in having someone he deemed worthy of flaunting their Valyrian blood by his side.

“Get in,” he urged, starting to free himself of his own clothing.

Viserra did not hesitate to step down into the bath. The water was just as hot as she hoped it would be, the oils pulling the dirt and sweat from her body as soon as she had submerged herself within it. She watched Aemond remove his undershirt and breeches with movements that were both unhurried and careful. He was quick to join, the water rippling around him as he tread over to her.

“I was worried you would not return to me,” he confessed, carefully wrapping his arms around her and pulling her onto his lap.

Viserra leaned back into him, his breath warm against her ear. “Did you think I would flee after reuniting with my dragon?” She asked, unsure of the meaning of his words. “Or were you afraid I wouldn’t survive while attempting it?”

Aemond did not answer for an uncomfortable amount of time. But she would not prompt him further, wanting him to elaborate on it all on his own. “Both,” he finally admitted. “I feared you might not survive it, knowing what they would do to you if they had gotten their hands on you again. But if you succeeded, I feared you might leave here, seeking your freedom back in Essos with your father.”

“Aemond,” she replied quietly. “I am too far involved in this all to just flee without consequence.” she felt his hands come up to her arms, running them down her soft skin as his lips met her shoulders again. He would not explain himself further, but his silence showed he dwelled in his unspoken worries.

Aemond’s fingers trailed down to her hands, tracing the bones on her wrists. Slowly, they moved to cup the soft curves of her breasts while she let out a long breath. She could feel that there was no mistaking how eager he was to be touching her after a few days apart. She let him continue to kiss at her neck while his hands took their time exploring the body he already knew.

When he gripped onto her hips to turn her to him, she eagerly obliged. Aemond’s hands then pressed to the small of her back, bringing her closer until they were again pressed together. She met his mouth with hers, claiming him with a hungry kiss as her fingers tangled in his hair to keep him there.

The heat of the water already had beads of sweat forming on her hairline and suddenly she wondered how productive this bath was even going to be. Breaking the kiss, Aemond’s lips trailed down the untouched front of her neck. His hands moved to her thighs, lifting her just enough to position her over his ready cock.

With a gentle but insistent push, he guided her down onto him and the feeling of him filling her brought noises from them both. Viserra arched her back as her hands gripped the edges of the tub to keep herself steady. She let herself move the way her body told her to move, feeling Aemond finding each of her nipples and pulling them gently into his mouth one at a time.

The noises from each of them and the water sloshing with the movement echoed around the tiled walls. Her breath came in short gasps as she continued to ride. Eventually, Aemond’s hands moved back to her hips and he began to meet her rhythm with his own.

Feeling as if her body was on fire, she leaned down, taking his lips with hers. She had wanted to taste him as she let herself go, something that was building quickly as he aided her in the process. It hit her like a wave as she came, moaning into his mouth just as he gave himself permission to take his own pleasure.

Aemond held firmly onto her hips until he had spilled himself within her. Their lips remained locked until they were both finished riding the aftermath of it all. Sensing a natural pause, Viserra pulled from him and slid into the middle of the bath. She submerged herself slowly, enjoying the feeling of the water and oils working to cleanse herself from the last few days.

Aemond did not reach for her, instead he leaned back to wait until she resurfaced. As she came up, she took in a breath of air, hair clinging to her skin and a smile spread on her lips. For a moment, he only watched her without anything else on his mind.

Viserra quickly broke their eye contact, continuing to wash herself off without saying a word. There was something reverent in the way he was watching her, something she did not see in him in their day to day interactions. She realized there was a certain, unexplainable intensity that happened when they were reunited, as if the fire in their blood only strengthened after being separated.

Aemond was the first to rise from the bath, quickly working to dry himself off while tying up his hair and dressing in the clothes he had worn previously. Not long after, Viserra followed in suit before heading back to the tower.

The chill of the hallways was unpleasant and Viserra was relieved to see the large fire burning in the room as they entered. Immediately, she took herself over to sit in front of it while she finished drying off.

He poured them each a cup of wine before joining her. Viserra found herself pleased with the rich drink, which was very welcome after the bitter ale of King’s Landing. For a while, they sat comfortably beside each other, sipping their wine in silence.

“You spoke of seeing my brother’s dragon on Dragonstone,” he began, completely unprompted. “Tell me again what you saw.”

Viserra was taken aback, having wanted to bring this up herself but sure he would not be pleased to hear as such. “It was Sunfyre without a doubt, climbing up into the side of a volcanic mountain,” she recalled. “I did not see Aegon, but I believe it is possible he is there.”

She watched Aemond closely, searching his expression for clues on what his reasoning was in bringing it up. “Now that you have your dragon, you wish to go there to see for yourself?”

“I feel it is important to know if Aegon is there or not. Knowing if he is alive and well, and if he is able to ride,” she explained. “And if the three of us can join Daeron and his dragon, we would most certainly have power in our numbers.”

Aemond’s eye darted from the fire to her. “I have thought this over,” he finally spoke. “Yet I believe that luring out each one of Rhaenyra’s dragons out and attacking them one by one would more likely ensure our victory.”

Viserra understood the logic, but she herself felt as if there was too much unknown. “There is too much at play. And they will most certainly go for Aegon if they suspect he is alive. They will pick us off one by one.”

“You wish to find him,” he stated.

She hesitated for a moment, sensing the potential trap in his question. “Yes, of course,” she answered with caution. “I believe it is worth the risk.”

Aemond’s expression hardened. “I knew that this would come once you had your dragon back. Have you thought about the risk it would be to chase after Aegon, who may not even be in any condition to help us?”

Viserra felt a surge of frustration at his words. “Aemond, you speak as if my priorities are misplaced when this is not only your brother, but a true asset to have another dragon on our side. Are you so blinded by your jealousy that you would disregard this?”

Aemond tensed at her accusation. “This is not about jealousy, Viserra.”

“And yet you hesitate to make a decision that might bring us considerable strength,” she argued back, her voice rising with the intensity of the conversation.

Aemond stood abruptly. “We have other matters at hand,” he fumed.

Her brow furrowed as she watched him and his suddenly erratic reaction, trying to piece together what he wasn’t saying.

“It is something we can consider,” he continued on, his voice cooler than it had been a few moments before. “But right now, Daeron has reached out for help.”

Though he had reeled himself back in considerably, Viserra still felt quite unsettled. “What for?” She asked.

Aemond swallowed before answering, his expression hardening again to hide whatever he was feeling inside. “He spoke of an ambush that involved our nephew as he was to be taken to safety.”

Viserra’s heart skipped a beat as a brief wave of nausea hit the back of her throat. She recalled the last time she had seen Maelor, safe in the tunnels being taken away with Jaenaera and Aegon. “Ambushed?” She choked out. “They were to be taken to whenever Aegon was to be hidden.”

Aemond’s jaw tensed. “I have not been privy to the workings of Aegon and whoever has been orchestrating things on that end,” he replied sharply. “But what I know is that the child is dead.”

[lenievi]

001 for both mckirk and spones please!

This is gonna be long :D I'm gonna have to use read more

001 | send me a ship and I will tell you: mckirk

when I started shipping it if I did: so when the lockdown in 2020 started, I had nothing to do and just watched stuff. I have this favourite dubber and I was looking at the list of stuff he dubbed, and saw Star Trek AOS on that list. This guy is the voice of 2000s Alan Rickman, Tom Hanks, Tony Stark, he also apparently dubbed Garak in that one Star Trek series, and so seeing the reboot films on the list and his name next to McCoy, I was like, gotta check how he sounds. The fact that Kirk was also dubbed by a guy I generally like was a plus. (funnily enough Captain America/Iron Man and Kirk/McCoy are dubbed by the same guys here, which is funny to me). So I checked youtube and the scene I saw was the scene in Beyond where Kirk and McCoy are alone and are having a drink. And that scene did something to my brain, and I was like this is the dynamic I want, I wanna read fics, so before that I had to watch the films. So I watched AOS, basically through McCoy (Kirk/McCoy) lenses and started to read fics. Three weeks later, I decided to watch TOS because a lot of the fics referenced Kirk's backstory, so I wanted to know about it. The three weeks reading fics and looking through livejournal, kind of made me think that McCoy wasn't really an important character in TOS and that AOS made up the mckirk relationship (such a lie), so when I started watching TOS, I only planned to watch episodes heavy on McCoy. Which like... were most of them at the beginning lol I kinda decided not to trust the fandom after like three episodes or something. I binged the three seasons of TOS in like three weeks. I've had a hard time seeing tos!Kirk with men for a long time (I've had a complicated "relationship" with tos!Kirk for so long), so my interest in tos!mckirk was primarily as a platonic relationship [but it was always my fave relationship, I liked it even more than spones, actually] (but romantic in aos), but I started to insert Kirk into my spones fics, wrote a part from his POV, and then one day I just woke up and decided to write a tos!mckirk fic (it was actually because I started to read aos fics again, getting back into aos!mckirk, but... the tos version has been calling me) and just embraced the romantic (and sexual lol) aspect of their relationship.

my thoughts: I love their friendship so much. It's very important to me. I like that McCoy knows what to say to pull Kirk back on the right path, I like that Kirk can be vulnerable around McCoy. In AOS I like that McCoy is the only one Kirk shares stuff with about his mother and his insecurities (in Beyond it looked like he never even allowed the other crew to acknowledge his birthday... until McCoy finally decided to give him a party, after 5 years on the Enterprise...)

What makes me happy about them: we see both of them the most at ease around each other. They can forget who they are around each other, for a moment, at least. McCoy gives Kirk some of his most brightest smiles; McCoy can make Kirk genuinely laugh. Kirk needs him. badly.

What makes me sad about them: I eat angst for breakfast, so uhm...

things done in fanfic that annoys me: the lack of their friendship even in gen fics T_T (we all know what annoys me in aos fic, we don't need a rehash)

things I look for in fanfic: having more fics would be fun lol You know, just a genuine intimacy they show in the the show. Jim's sense of duty being the cause of angst.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:  McCoy with Spock (I do like the idea of mckirk to spones after the movie era, more or less). tos movie era Kirk? Actually, no one.

My happily ever after for them: buying a cabin in the mountains and getting two dogs (one big and one small) post TUC (then we can stop time lol or not...)

who is the big spoon/little spoon: idk haven't thought about their sleeping position. It would probably change based on what kind of story I'd wanna tell

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: .... you know, they're happy when they find the time to have sex...

spones under the cut

001 | send me a ship and I will tell you: spones

when I started shipping it if I did: so above I said that I started to watch TOS because of mckirk, right? Mainly because of The Conscience of the King and Tarsus IV, right? Well... I finished that episode shipping spones LMAO It really was quite quick for me.

my thoughts: the most engaging dynamic in TOS imho

What makes me happy about them: The loyalty, the trust. They were in each other's lives for 100 years. 100 years. That they're more similar than different. That they actually understand each other, but would never admit it. "I don't think I could stand to lose you again." < what is that? so real to have McCoy say that

What makes me sad about them: that they would leave the other one behind and die if it meant to save Kirk (this isn't meant negatively, I'm not really explicit about it or talk about it, but my spones know that Kirk's life is a priority, sometimes even just to show that no, we're not emotionally compromised, we know what our duty is kinda way. I just think it'd be great to explore that in a fic)

things done in fanfic that annoys me: uhm (I'm speaking in general, it is just my opinion based on my taste; I believe that everyone should write what makes them happy, we can't ever please every single person) McCoy using hobgoblin, elf, jackrabbit (the last two are terms that Kirk used to make Spock angry) as a form of affection/endearment, or at all tbh. McCoy being insecure because of Kirk. (give me Spock being insecure because of McCoy-Kirk friendship) Some people feeling guilty about writing spones and therefore still making kirk-spock have the specialest bond *rolls eyes* I just don't get the need to quantify relationships, I guess. Any kind of pet names.

things I look for in fanfic: balanced relationship, mature arguments that don't rely on pettiness, trying to combine the different world views, not needing to express love in a traditional way, but a way that works for the two of them and their two differing cultures.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: McCoy with Kirk, obviously. Spock with Chapel or T'Pring (even during the movie era, yes).

My happily ever after for them: 100 years. What more do you want? LOL My personal hc is that when McCoy dies, and Spock goes to Romulus, McCoy's spirit is always there because a part of his soul stayed inside Spock's katra. So Spock is just haunted by McCoy's spirit until he dies on New Vulcan, and then they're put into the katra stone. Together forever.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: I imagine them more as Spock sleeping on his back and McCoy's head on his arm/chest.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: banter (they especially enjoy if it makes Kirk exasperated)

[ask meme]

[yukiokumura]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Okumura Yukio/Shima Renzou, Okumura Yukio/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Okumura Yukio/Shima Renzou/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Shima Renzou/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji Characters: Okumura Yukio, Shima Renzou, Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, Mephisto Pheles (Ao no Exorcist) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Inspired by Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas (2003), Fix-It of Sorts, In which we give the Sinbad story the threesome it deserves but with our boys, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Canon-Typical Violence

Summary:

A long time ago, Renzou left behind his royal duties to become a pirate. He didn't expect a fateful meeting on the sea to drag him into a life or death adventure where time was of the essence, love was lost and found, and his true character put to the test.

Based on the movie: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

--

“Are you nervous about it?”

Ryuuji’s shoulders tensed at the question. He glanced towards Konekomaru who met his gaze all too knowingly, then his eyes unwillingly flickered towards the heavy wooden door, behind which his future lay. 

“Why would I be?” he answered back, stubbornly correcting his line of sight and looking forward, back to overseeing the large ship full of guards and navy men performing their duties. “It’s just a book,” Ryuuji said firmly. 

Konekomaru gave Ryuuji a sympathetic look.

“It’s a book that will show the world the bright future you’ll lead us toward,” he corrected gently. “Your father's prophecy foretold as much. And we all know that you're up for the task. Shouldn't you be more excited about finally being able to hear it with your own ears?"

Ryuuji sighed, his gaze falling slightly under his friend’s gentle encouragement. “Of course I’m excited,” he muttered as his brow furrowed and his jaw set firmly. He knew that Konekomaru could see how truly nervous he was, and so he couldn’t bring up the courage to say it out loud. “I’ll be what everyone needs me to be, and what the Book of Prophecies tells us will be more of what we already know.” Ryuuji shook his head and straightened up, more determined than ever. “So I’m not nervous! You don’t need to worry about me.”

Konekomaru laughed quietly. “Let me worry a little, while it’s just the two of us. Somebody’s got to watch out for you,” he added teasingly. 

“I’m the prince, soon to be king. I’m the one that’s supposed to be watching out for all of you,” Ryuuji pointed out.

“Even a king needs his guards. You don’t need to do it all by yourself. But I suppose I won’t have to worry about that either soon, will I, Your Majesty?” 

The look Konekomaru gave him now was even more teasing than the last. Ryuuji flushed, but as he opened his mouth to reply, they felt the ship lurch violently. Konekomaru staggered into him and Ryuuji clutched onto his shoulder and the railing, keeping both of them on their feet. A few of the crewmen weren’t so lucky, some of them flipping head over heels from the force of the of the large, two mast ship scraping into the side of theirs. Hooks and blades gripped to the side of their vessel, latching on firmly. 

Chaos broke out. Men and women both rushed onto the ship with swords out and excited battle cries. Ryuuji’s eyes widened as he and Konekomaru pulled out their swords. 

They were being boarded by pirates.

Ryuuji and Konekomarau quickly found themselves standing back to back as they fended off their attackers. It wasn't the first time either of them had seen combat, so they were able to hold their ground with some ease, but as Ryuuji peered over to look at how the rest of the crew was handling things, he grimaced. 

There was a busty woman showing far too much skin dancing circles around Ryuuji’s crew members with unmitigated glee and calculated violence. A pair of blond, bulky twins brothers were making quick work of several others with little difficulty, and— 

Is that a dog?

Ryuuji almost let the grip on his sword falter as he stared, incredulously, as the large Mastiff mix lunged forward with purpose and closed its teeth around one of the guard's unprotected backside.

The ensuing yowl of the man made Ryuuji wince in sympathy—and drew a hearty snicker from a man with the brightest shade of pink hair Ryuuji had ever seen, who darted forward with an acrobatic twist in the air and kicked the injured man right out into the sea before landing next to the dog.

"Atta boy, Sinbad!" the man cooed in a voice that rang familiar.

And when he turned to beat back another incoming attack, Ryuuji was stunned to see a pair of brown eyes that really were unmistakably familiar. The structure of his face had aged with time, no longer the teenager he remembered, but Ryuuji knew without a doubt who it was that stood before him.

He was stunned by his presence, and the pink-haired man seemed to be equally as stunned when his gaze slid over to meet Ryuuji’s.

"Renz-" 

But Ryuuji hardly had a chance to wrap his lips around the name that he hadn’t uttered in years when he received a blow against his back that brought him to his knees.

"Your Majesty!" Konekomaru gasped, but that distraction cost him as well, and they both found themselves pinned in place by the blond twins whose grip was unrelentingly tight.

Those few seconds of distraction seemed to be all the time needed for the pirate captain that had boarded Ryuuji's ship to recover his wits.

"Well, well. Heya, Ryuuji. Long time no see. You're looking well." 

Renzou, his longtime childhood friend, approached him with an amused smirk stretching across his lips.

“Renzou!” Ryuuji shoved at the bulky blond holding him down. He didn’t know whether to be shocked, betrayed, or happy to see him again despite the situation. The mix of the three emotions just left him feeling on edge. “You can’t just act like this is some get together! What’s going on here? And get off!” Ryuuji barked at the twins who only smirked back at him in response, giving Renzou a knowing look. 

Renzou waved a hand carelessly, using the same motion to both dismiss Ryuuji’s words, and signal for him to be released from his captor’s grip. Konekomaru received the same courtesy, but Renzou didn’t spare either of them a glance once they were on their feet. Instead, he waltzed right up to the door his old friends had been previously guarding and broke its lock with a quick twist of the knife that had been hanging from his waist. 

“Really, I’d love to catch up, but I’m kinda in the middle of something, yanno? Got things to do, places to go, stuff to steal… No hard feelings, yeah?”

"Hey, wait a damn second!" Ryuuji snapped, lunging forward to grab Renzou's arm, a grasp that he easily dodged with a twist as he disappeared past the door with a mischievous look. Ryuuji wasted no time in following him into the improvised vault they'd made on the royal navy ship.

There, in the center, was an old, heavy looking tome. The leather was aged, yet showed no sign of wear and tear. The mysterious magic that enabled its prophecies also kept it from truly falling victim to the weathering of time.

Renzou was reaching for it and Ryuuji rushed in, pushing himself between his old friend and the book.

"After all these years, you're just going to walk in and steal from me?!" Ryuuji looked into his familiar eyes.

Or tried to anyway. Renzou’s gaze avoided him, focused as he was on his prize. 

“Yanno, when you put it that way, I do feel kinda bad. I wish I had boarded some other sucker’s boat instead. But hey, I’m sure this won’t be more than a slap on the wrist given that it’s you. How’s old man Tatsuma doing anyway?”

Ryuuji sighed heavily, his expression leaning towards a grimace at Renzou's candid tone. Yet he couldn't ignore the warmth in his chest at the sound of it, like a pavlovian response he still hadn't forgotten.

"He's fine," Ryuuji grumbled. "But would you keep on topic?! You can't take this. You have to know what it means for our country! This isn't some random pirate treasure you can sell in whatever black market you frequent!"

Renzou spared him a glance this time, his lips curved with amusement. “Oh, come on. Have a little more faith in me. I’m going to give it back to its rightful owners—for the right price.” He winked. “Wouldn’t want to deprive the people of the sweet comfort of a known, controlled future. Whatever would they do without it?” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Are you serious?!” Ryuuji hissed, leaning forward. “This book is supposed to make it back to the castle under my protection and you’re still going to take it and ransom it off?! I thought you were my friend!”

Renzou pushed Ryuuji off to the side, his touch more gentle than the exasperated expression coloring his face. “Ryuuji, listen. The time we spent together as kids were good memories. I treasure them, really—just as I’ll treasure this lovely little trinket until I get properly compensated for its safe return. So don’t give me such a hard time. A guy’s gotta earn his living, yanno,” he said as he reached for the book. 

Ryuuji sputtered in shock, but recovered quickly. He grabbed Renzou’s wrist, pulling his hand away and using the same movement to drag Renzou back towards him so they could look at each other face to face. 

“Are you really just gonna dismiss it all, just like that?!” His fist shook at his side as he clenched it, trying not to crush Renzou’s arm within his fingers. Even though he felt like he should. 

“You’re my best friend and you just disappeared for years and now you’re going to just steal the Book of Prophecies and run away again?! You can’t—”

The ship lurched again and, this time, the sounds of panic were from voices they both recognized. The two of them didn’t hesitate and rushed to the door to aid their crews. But what they encountered was hardly anything they were prepared for. 

The ship tipped towards the bow as the heavy weight of a tentacled Kraken gripped the mast and deck, trying to pull itself up. 

They were being boarded by a sea monster. 

“Dammit!” Ryuuji snarled, taking out his sword again. 

“Captain, we gotta go!” the busty woman from before shouted from the edge of the ship. 

“You can’t just leave!” Ryuuji turned on Renzou at once, whose eyes had narrowed in a way that Ryuuji was all too familiar with. That calculating expression made his heart surge, made him think of the countless times they faced a seemingly impossible threat together and won—but the warmth that nostalgic sight filled him with was just as quickly sucked out of him when Renzou’s gaze darted to his crew, his face taking a decisive turn. 

“Seems like you’ve got your hands full, so I guess we’ll have to catch up another time. Best of luck!” Renzou delivered those words with a wink before rushing off towards his crew who hadn't hesitated to jump back to the safety of their own ship. 

“RENZOU!” Ryuuji shouted after him, but was much too slow to grab the back of his shirt. He couldn’t afford to chase after him now. His ship, his people were in danger and if Renzou wanted to run from that, then Ryuuji would be the one to keep his priorities straight. 

He began barking orders to his crew, directing them into a defensive formation. If they didn’t protect the ship, they would all drown. There was no running away for him. 

It was a fact that the Kraken seemed well aware of as it pulled itself up in an almost relaxed fashion, making itself at home on the bow of the ship and batting away any crewmen who came at it with their blades out. 

Then, it began to feed. A thinner, more dextrous tentacle shot out and wrapped around a nearby crewman before pulling him unceremoniously into the monster’s mouth. The crew, spooked, momentarily paused their defensive assault and it was enough for the Kraken to claim another. 

“Ryuuji!” Konekomaru gasped out his name in panic as the lightning fast tentacle wrapped around his middle. 

“No!” Ryuuji rushed forward, arm outstretched to try and grab Konekomaru’s wrist, but his fingers barely grazed his friend’s skin before he was jerked away by the sea monster. “NO!! KONEKOMARU!”

“Oh, for the love of—“ 

Ryuuji hardly registered the muttered swear that the wind carried over the rush of panic thumping at his ears, but his head snapped up as Renzou’s voice rose to utter a snap command. 

“Heads up!”

[Continue Reading!]

[wonderingwendy]

Day 10 of AO yesterday and we had access to the day matches at Rod Laver Arena including two women’s quarterfinals (in the hopes one of the Canadian women would make it 🥴) and the USA men’s face off between Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul. All matches were very entertaining even though we didn’t have any favourites. Good tennis is really enjoyable to watch - momentum swings and all. PS pretty sure Tsitsipas drove by us enroute home in an AO vehicle. 🤩🎾

It’s Australia Day today but there’s growing support for First Nations peoples who are shunning any celebrations or marking this as “Invasion Day”. The Australian Open and others are following this lead. I wonder why there’s no middle ground - just a mutually chosen day for shared pride in your Country and reflecting on its history, mistakes and all. Goodness knows we could use more days of celebration and reflection. (BTW the ACMI footage of a 1950esque predominantly privileged white Australian population in swimming pools shown during the Fed Square entertainment could have been seen as very offensive).

We’re back at the tennis on Friday for the final weekend wrap up on the Melbourne Park grounds including Glam Slam which will be fun. Might need to drink some more coffee and maybe indulge in another Lune Croissant (as shown below) before we do some laundry and make our way to Perth. Wonder what awaits us there.

[beatrice-otter]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other creators to do the same 💕

Aha. Ahaha. Ahahahahaha.

This is a tough one because I have trouble narrowing down to my top favorite ANYTHING, and you want me to choose between my BABIES? I've been writing fanfic for a decade and a half, I've got over 200 fic on AO3, how am I supposed to narrow this down.

However. Let's see what we can do.

open your heart knowing. Geordi had no idea what his soulmark meant, until he saw Data's manual. I had fun writing this one, and it's both the first Geordi/Data I've ever written AND the first podfic I ever recorded.

Keshta'shivau. Star Trek AOS. "All Vulcans are constrained. By our biology, by our clans, by our whole society. But women more so than men, and offworlder women married to Vulcan men most of all." Nyota loves Spock. But she can't have him without taking Vulcan culture, too. I love me some Vulcans, and I love Vulcan worldbuilding, but holy cow, I would not want to be a Vulcan. Or marry one.

That Tender Light. Spock and Nyota are colleagues and friends, nothing more. But now that Spock's bond with T'Pring has been broken, he can't help noticing Nyota in new ways. Good, solid TOS Spock/Uhura.

The Mountain Rose Before Me. The fal-tor-pan is an ancient and dangerous rite, unused for centuries. It is not done lightly. High Priestess T'Lar considers. More Vulcan culture and worldbuilding, this time with religion!

Solivagant. The chain of events that had led a Vulcan woman to Earth, alone, crashed on an alien world light-years out of her way, was quite improbable. But statistics said that even improbable things must happen sometime. Or, the one where Hollywood star Cyd Charisse was a Vulcan. This one is not just crack, it is niche crack. But one time I was watching a Cyd Charisse musical (The Bandwagon, from 1953, if you're curious) and she sings the line "the art that appeals to the heart" and while everyone else is putting their hands over their hearts, she puts hers at her side where a Vulcan's heart would be. This fic comes entirely from me noticing that and snickering, and then not being able to forget it until years later I finally sat down and wrote the dang thing.

To The Stars. Lina Lamont: Mad Scientist. Singin' in the Rain fic about Lina, something I could never have imagined writing until I saw the prompt and had to write it. I really do love the way it turned out.

Past Lives. (WIP but not abandoned.) This is the craziest thing that's ever happened to Finn, and that's saying something. All he wants to do is get back home, but that may not be possible. Failing that, he'd like to change things … but the First Order's history classes for stormtroopers leave a lot to be desired. I love the premise (the ST did Finn dirty!) and I have every intention of finishing it someday, but this is exactly why I should never post WIPs. I get close to the end and then ... nope, nothing.

Home Is Not A Place. They all have different wants and needs. Somehow, they're going to figure this out. Star Wars Legends, Luke/Lando/Mara. This is my OTP, folks, the one that has lived in my brain since reading the old Legends EU as a teenager. I love Luke/Mara, I love Lando/Mara, and when I wrote this fic I discovered that I love Lando/Luke and Luke/Lando/Mara just as much.

Family Matters (The Things Inside Remix). Dee is on Pegasus, finding her place. A Six is on New Caprica, learning what she doesn't know. Lee Adama is a Cylon prisoner, but this is not his story. A New Caprica AU. Battlestar Galactica had so many awesome characters and plot ideas ... and also a lot of hooks and places to write fanfiction. This one grabbed me by the throat and I wrote all 32k words of it in just a couple of weeks, it's probably my highest-ever wordcount-per-week. And I came out of it with a fic I still love!

Will the Cycle Be Unbroken. All this has happened before. Hera wakes up on a Cylon ship, before the Twelve Colonies are attacked. I had a lot of fun with this one, too, especially figuring out the Hybrid's dialogue.

From Castle to Palace. Beauty and the Beast (1991)/French History RPF. The curse is broken. Belle and her Beast would be happy to just live quietly together in the curse-free castle. Unfortunately, the rest of France has other ideas … This was another one of those that took me by the throat and DEMANDED to be written and carried me along for 17k words before I managed to end it. If I had had more time, or if I'd known more of French history of the late 18th and early 19th Century, it would have gone so much longer. And hey, if anyone who knows French history wants to write the story where the Beast becomes King Louis XVI of France with Belle at his side (instead of his younger brother, the Louis who was married to Marie Antoinette),and what that does to the French Revolution, I would love you forever.

And I could keep going, folks, it was painful to narrow this down to this few fics, but these are (at least at this particular moment) the ones I love the most.