#while toga is getting her heart absolutely shattered

[incorrect-league-of-villains]

Sako: [sees Toga and Ochako fighting]

Sako: They're cute. I would put them on a boat.

Dabi: You mean…ship them?

Sako: No! I would never send them away.

Dabi:

[swordduels]

NO. No, no, no. NO.

This was all wrong.

Not at all according to her plans. She wanted Clarimonde’s body to get their magic. It was too soon for her to gain a body and she absolutely didn’t want him to bring one for her. If he expected her to be overjoyed by his little tricks then he was quite delusional. Once the skeleton, muscles, inner organs and skin was in place she gasped loudly while glaring at him. How strange it was to breathe again after centuries. Her arms and legs felt much heavier as she was used to hovering or flying around with ease. When touching the wooden surface she was somewhat surprised that her fingers couldn’t pass through the solid material. Suddenly she could feel the temperature again as well as the smell of blood and the fabric of her toga moving with each heavy breath. One day she would get away from him. One day. The donkey statue fell from its place and shattered into pieces while Circe kept staring at Regulus. Bugs started to crawl from the loudly creaking floor. “If I die now you have to rely on Clarimonde.” Circe hissed the words as if she was making a curse. But there was no attempt to attack him. This idiot had triumphed over her. For now there was nothing to be done except go along with his stupid whims even though she wished to give him all kinds of curses. Was that truly it? Breaking her part of the curse before leaving this boring farm where nothing ever happened. What angered Circe most was the fact it had been so easy for him to put a snare around her neck. The nerve of him giving out orders as if he spoke to a servant. Circe followed his pointing finger with her narrowed eyes while she snarled heavily. “Fine then, my dear husband.”  With one swift motion she lifted one palm and aimed towards his chest where the cursed symbol sat. “From man to a donkey Regulus has been for too long. I now wish to set him free as he is standing as a man. His heart no longer needs my mark, the burden of it will be taken away.” The hand motion then moved backward as if she was dragging a thread out of his body. “Done.” It was quite simple to break some curses but it rarely worked if someone other than the spellcaster tried. Now as the curse was somewhat undone they would no longer have donkey ears.

Next part should be leaving then. Though she couldn’t grasp what he had in mind for their little escape or how to fully break the curse. Surely Clarimonde would be needed? Ugh. Being in servitude to such a shortsighted man. Things had been different on her own island. Beautiful women and men turned to slaves or animals. Mmm. Roasted pig on an open fire. 

@fallesto

There was more he can do, he can alter time to his wishes and whims and it was what he had done as well, to ensure that she would be loyal to him as he can give easily, but take just as simply as well, as Circe will find that she was flesh, bone and blood as well, all he had to do was focus on her, take the flow of time and push it back, Circe was alive, living and breathing once more and her fate was linked to him, just to ensure she had no bright ideas within her head, yes all this time he has been watching, listening, waiting as well, the last thing he wished was for Circe to downgrade him from a human to a donkey, worse to a pig given her antics with males, it was something he wished to avoid.

“I stole your heart, and now it beats within me.” As if anything happened to him he would make sure the same exact fate would befall her as well. “Everyone can die, do you want to test that?” Did he wish for her to truly die, he can do that, he can end her, nothing afterwards, no cheats, no tricks, real death, forever, no spirit, nothing he can erase her if he wished, if she pushed him.

All he wished for, was to get away from here and nothing else.

“I want out of here.” Away from here, as quickly as possible, he needed out and he needed to be free and she was the means and the way to see that done, like that or not she would aid him or he will give her a taste of her own medicine, he cannot die, but she can and he will prove that.

“Then break this.” As he pointed up at his ears. “Get rid of these.”

If she cannot break it fully, she can delay his curse, he did not take a gamble and a risk like this for nothing to be given back to him in the end, he knew she was powerful as well as dangerous and he knew a donkey was the least of his issues with someone like her, but he did not wish to go back to being an animal, so wrapping her around his finger was the only choice that he had right now. “Break it.” He was not asking her.

Oh no, he was not asking.

He was telling her to do it.

A command was being given and she needed to obey.

He wanted her end of the curse to stop, and with that he would be able to slip out of here, with her as well and get as far away from here as possible, Circe was his now, he had her heart, it was done, it could not be taken back, it did not work that way, it only worked with the sinful power he had and he was making sure, her heart would beat for him, anything that happened to him would happen to her, they where linked now and if she enjoyed living once more, he can continue that and make sure she got what she wanted, but if she tries and stop him.

He can make her have a fate worse than death.

The same that they had given him.

Only worse.

As he was not someone who gave second chances, to anyone, this was it, this was all that she had, and it was down to her to aid him.

[arkus-rhapsode]

MHA Chapter 315 Discussion-An Almost Great Conclusion, But Misses It’s Mark

Hi guys, Rhapsode here and it’s time for another MHA discussion. I haven’t really done one in a while, but after reading 315, I had a lot of thoughts I was working through. And before I start I want to say, I do not think this chapter is overtly bad. I think there’s a lot of good ideas to it, and overall nothing objectively bad. However, as the climax to this Deku vs Lady Nagant fight, I felt it didn’t quite hit its mark (pun not intended).

If you want my brief opinion of this current arc of “solo Deku”, I actually enjoy it quite a bit. I’m happy Horikoshi refocused on Deku after such a long war arc. As well as Deku FINALLY be proactive in his hero duties. No longer on the rails of the school setting. And I have especially enjoyed his current fight with Lady Nagant.

In terms of sheer action, it’s got a tried and true set up of a sniper battle, but then adds to it by taking the fight into the air. The action is hectic in all the right ways with the unpredictable bullets cutting up Deku as he dodges them with Danger Sense. As well as the introduction to a new quirk of OFA.

But where this fight really shines is Nagant and her origin. Lady Nagant was hero assigned to maintain the illusion of order by getting rid of potential threats and heroes up to no good for the Hero Safety Commission. Until being told to kill in the name of improving society and any of her activities being covered up finally weighed on her and she killed the then president of the Commission and placed in Tartarus. While she’s only hunting down Deku because she’s assigned to, she says that even if AFO wants to rule the world, it’d be more transparent than a return to the status quo.

It’s honestly a great reveal as it finally puts out in the open the actual corruption in the system that’s hinted at, but was never really delved into. But now it also finally has Deku confront the problems of the status quo that he’s grown up in. This isn’t an ideological battle like with Stain on the definition of hero or reaching people who have fallen through the cracks of society like Gentle. This is real flaws with the system that people have had faith in from the mouth of someone who has done their dirty work.

It’s something I think a lot of people have wanted to see. And I’m glad Horikoshi finally did dive into it the structural problems of hero society.

So how does this all get resolved in 315? How does all this end? Well after Lady Nagant targets Overhaul and shoots at him to make the situation harder for Deku to focus, Deku without hesitation goes into trying to save Overhaul (despite knowing Overhaul is a villain), Deku homages All Might and then shatters Nagant’s arm, and finally Deku makes an observation that Nagant wasn’t really going to hit Overhaul and that if she seeing the darkness of society, she knows where to expose it as she still has the heart of a hero. Nagant should join Deku.

But then AFO activates an explosive power right as Nagant is coming around. The blast fries her as Hawks arrives and we’re left on the cliffhanger of “is she going to survive.”

Now after reading this, my feelings have been… mixed. Let me get out this out of the way there is nothing with this chapter I disagree with: I have no problem with Deku making an emotional appeal to Nagant, I have no problem with AFO acting like a heel, and I have no problem with Nagant not being fully evil and never intending to kill. I know that last one has upset some people, but given Nagant’s backstory of killing innocent people for others because they told her so is the reason she fell off her path in the first place. So it makes sense she never intended on killing anyone.

And I know some people have nitpicked how it’s the female villain who isn’t fully evil, but that honestly doesn’t matter to me. As narratively, this arc started with the attack by Muscular and Deku couldn’t reach him. So it’d make sense to potentially end this mini arc on an example of Deku reaching and reforming a villain. It also helps that Nagant has actual layers to her motivation that could actually allow her to be swayed away.

Now my real issue with this chapter is honestly a problem that I was afraid Hori would do after he introduced just how messed up the Commissions back dealings, it’s that Deku doesn’t really take any concrete stance on what should be done about this status quo. Instead, Deku focuses more on telling Nagant she is a real hero and he ultimately wins her over after showing how much a real hero he is.

While Nagant uses the term “fake”, “sham”, and “phony” when discussing heroes and hero society, it doesn’t address the bigger issue. Namely that she feels this way because of the corrupt and unheroic things the Commission has done to maintain faith in it. Deku offers no actual answer to the very real and very hard question she poses.

And his only real response is this:

(I’m being generous as there can be something lost in translation here and it’s a bit on the flowery side )

While Deku did acknowledge this world isn’t Black and white and he’s saying she can expose corruption if she works with them, he dodges actually offering a solution to her concerns about the status quo. Instead more time is devoted to the same kind of “I will save anyone” appeal he always does.

And while one could argue Nagant’s only on the side of AFO because his reign would keep the Commission from having the power they did, even if she doesn’t fully believe in him. She still poses why being ruled by AFO has its appeal to her and Deku doesn’t actually counter that. No pointing out the obvious anarchy that could result from this or how AFO uses even the people he claims to love like Shigaraki. Deku doesn’t rebuff anything and once again passes the tough decisions onto other people. With Hawks appearance here at the end and his baggage about killing Twice, I can very easily see cleaning up the commission as becoming his motivation going forward. Once again resolving Deku of actually needing to make hard calls or form stances.

This is compounded by the fact AFO just blows Nagant up. It really doesn’t matter if you rebuff anything that AFO has said or offered to convince Nagant to join you, there’s no way she’d work with him after he attempts to kill her. Which feels like it undercuts this conversation about morally gray society.

Look we all know that AFO is evil. The audience knows and this is absolutely what he would do, but if you’re trying to give all of the illusion that we’re finally confronting issues with society and bringing this up and why we would get people loyal to AFO or people like the liberators or people like stain. And trying to sway someone away, then just having him nuke them for having a change of opinion. then it undercuts any actual ambiguity of a clash built on addressing moral grayness. Which I feel is always been one of the strengths of MHA.

I was not expecting Deku to have a thesis on how he plans to dismantle the shady parts of society. Or go full Eren Yeager and become his own revolutionary. But when confronted by a villain who isn’t like Shigaraki or Toga or Twice, who fell through the cracks in the system and needed a safety net like Deku wants to be, Nagant was a part of the system. The corruption of society runs deep in her motivation and Deku doesn’t really address it beyond acknowledging its flaws. And yet his actions of “true heroism” are enough to sway her. It just feels incomplete. There is a brief line that you can interpret of him wanting to clean up the system, but it feels way too short for a moment like this. Deku being confronted by all the darkness of a system he admires should cause him to make some kind of stance.

And no, I’m not going to speculate on if Lady Nagant is actually dead and this will finally forced Deku to take a firmer stance or what have you. I do want to keep these discussions at least relative to when they are released and in this moment the thing that wins over Nagant is the same “save everyone”/“inspiration by example” Deku usually does. Which doesn’t feel as satisfying a conclusion as it could be.

Not helped by a good chunk of this chapter being taken up by explaining all the bits and bobs of OFA’s power system and finally explaining what exactly his third quirk does. This feels like padding when I wanted the space could’ve been used for character dialogue or a continuation of their conversation about the status quo.

I do want to repeat though that there is nothing outwardly bad with this chapter. There is no real objective failure in the writing. It’s just a case of, “ this could be stronger.” And that’s the frustrating part.

Tl;dr there’s a lot of things that are good about this chapter from a technical and narrative level. The natural progression of characters and the switching of allegiance makes sense.  however it’s just all shy of really living up to a lot of the stuff it sets up about society and going back to the status quo. As Deku doesn’t seem to have any real concrete stance beyond his usual.

And because a lot of the things around it are very good it makes it a lot more noticeable when it doesn’t quite stick the landing. Not helped by what feels like nothing more than padding with the explanation of quirk ability instead of character introspection about this very legit and difficult revelation. There is nothing outwardly bad, it’s one of those cases of something that could be an 8-9/10 ends up more as a 5-6/10.

That’s my opinion at least. But I am extremely interested in seeing where Hori goes with this. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.

[comfyswitcherblanketfort]

Geralt and the Minotaur p3

Y’all this could get hella complicated if I go hard with all the character sub ideas and all that but I’m here for the relationship so its gonna be bare bones on combining the canon bc I’m just not that skilled as a writer 😂 

Pairing : Geraskier

Warnings: talk of human sacrifice, talk of cannibalism, ye ole impending death, mention parents death, imprisonment, public humiliation (kinda), we got major soft boys falling for each other vibes too

part 2 here!

__________

Geralt woke with his head still resting on Jaskier’s thigh, though he was now lying on his side, resting his head against Geralt’s hip just above the dagger tucked in his belt. He had draped his arm over Jaskier’s waist as they slept, holding him closer, and Jaskier’s arm was resting on Geralt’s chest. It was still dark and, from the sounds of it, everyone else was still asleep save a few soldiers at the helm. The waves had settled to a gentle lapping at the hull and Geralt found himself completely relaxed and at peace for the first time in weeks. His hand rose and fell in a gentle rhythm with Jaskier’s breathing and every now and then the blue eyed boy would sigh, bringing a soft sleepy smile to Geralt’s face. He didn’t dare move, lest he break the spell, but someone else woke from a nightmare with a scream that shattered his illusion. 

Jaskier hummed and nuzzled into Geralt’s hip before he was fully awake, making the prince blush furiously and gasp. Sure he’d fallen asleep with friends and romantic interests back home, but that sensation was… different. 

“Is it morning?” Jaskier mumbled, not moving to sit, but at least the nuzzling had stopped. 

“Probably,” Geralt answered, resisting the urge to run his hand over Jaskier’s shoulder, “still early.”

“You haven’t been lying awake all this time have you?”

Geralt forced a breath out his nose in amusement, “Only a few minutes or so.”

Jaskier sat up, laying his arm over Geralt’s, keeping it wrapped around his waist as he moved to be able to inspect the young hero’s face, “You still look… weary.”

Geralt frowned, shifting so he was leaning on his elbow over the boy’s legs, still very much resting on him, “I wonder why?”

Jaskier smirked, “Is it true you’re a child of Poseidon? Why not sink the ship and we can all ride horses made of sea foam back to the mainland?”

Geralt cast his eyes down to the deck, “They’d just come back for more. It doesn’t matter who’s son I am or what favor I do or don't have.” 

"Pull the weed at the root." Jaskier nodded. 

Geralt hummed in agreement, sitting all the way up to lean against the mast next to the brunette, "What about your family? Anything exciting waiting for you at home?"

Jaskier hooked his arm around Geralt's and rested his head on his shoulder, "Doesn't matter." 

"Does to me." Geralt mumbled, a little taken aback by the physical affection. When Jaskier rolled his eyes he laid his hand over his knee, "Humor me." 

They sat and waited for the sun to rise over the water as they discussed Jaskier’s life. His parents death, the farm he worked for his uncle, the mundane little things like how often he gets sent to the market and who cuts his hair. They learned each other's birthdays as a joke, but the hopeful side of Geralt still repeated it to him a few minutes later just to be safe. Jaskier asked him about life at the palace, if it was as grand as everyone believed. Geralt felt squeamish admitting he didn’t know, seeing as he'd only really lived in the lap of luxury. Sure his trek to Athens was dirty and many nights he slept in barns, but most of his 20 years were spent in bright white togas and tunics with colorfully stitched hems. Jaskier didn’t seem bothered, he just asked more specific questions about the beds and the fountains. He pontificated for a while on the poor musical choices made in a performance at the amphitheater last summer and did his best to explain to Geralt how to delicately pluck a harp using a lock of his white hair as a prop. Joking was easy, being earnest wasn’t quite effortless, but it was easier than with other people, and Geralt lamented that they’d only met yesterday. 

“Do you think you’d’ve given me the time of day?” Jaskier asked.

Geralt grinned, giving the brunet's leg another squeeze, “You wouldn’t have given me a choice.”

Jaskier rested his chin on Geralt's shoulder, his hair fluttering into his eyes and glowing gold as the sun began to peek over the waves, "Probably not, no." His voice was soft in Geralt's ear, the warmth of his breath made the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention. 

Geralt turned to look at him, their noses brushing. He was about to ask Jaskier something reckless and naive, no doubt born of desperation, but the moment was broken by shouting. 

"LAND" Echoed from various soldiers and strangled sobs broke out in response. Reality was once again stubbornly planted in the forefront of Geralt's mind and he forced himself to pull away. His heart beat furiously in his chest as he stood to get a better look. 

Someone gripped his elbow and spun him around, staring up at him with wide eyes full of terror, "You can do it, can't you? You can get us home?" The harsh whisper seemed to carry over the whole group, commanding their silence and attention as they formed a circle around him. 

Vessimir's parting words echoed in his head, he was a leader now, he had to act like it. His year of lessons and training and taking notes were over and he knew right then that even if they made it back, he'd never have a day of peace again. 

With a glance back toward Jaskier he nodded, "I will bring us home or die trying." 

The person's grip on his elbow tightened and he stared back at them with what he hoped was reassuring confidence for a moment before they released him, "Do you have a plan?" 

All his preparation could never have braced him for the absolute devastation on the group's faces when he hesitated. In the fraction of a second he took to open his mouth they knew. Only Jaskier seemed to accept the facts and take them in stride. 

"All I know for sure is that we need to make it out and back to the docks by dawn." Geralt's admission was met with curt nods from some and fresh tears from others, "I'm sorry." 

Jaskier pipped up, stepping into the center of the small crowd with Geralt, "You volunteered to try to save us. We need no apology." He sent a glare to someone about to speak in protest, cutting them off, "It's more than we've had in the last 18 years and I, for one, am grateful." 

Geralt gave him an appreciative nod but their theatrics were drawing attention from the soldiers. He shooed everyone away, not sure he could handle another altercation this close to the soldiers homeland where they'd have something to prove to onlookers.  

As they drew nearer to the shore they heard shouts of laughter and music, saw banners waving in the wind and people dancing around the port. They were throwing a festival. A festival of revenge and dominance over their enemies, where people who would have been sacrifices delighted in the activities. It made Geralt's stomach churn. 

Jaskier stood next to him as close to the bow as they were allowed, "Twisted, isn't it? And they wonder how we so readily believe they eat their brethren." 

Geralt took his hand, searching for anything to ground him as the fear crept up his neck and threatened to strangle him, "Monsters never think they're monsters." 

"You like being cryptic don't you?" Jaskier sighed, keeping his eyes forward as the festivities grew clearer and clearer. 

Geralt only shrugged in response. 

Soon enough they were all corralled by the soldiers with shouts and shoves. They tied Geralt's hands first, yanking on the rope so it burned into his wrists. The man was watching his face, waiting to see him wince or twitch. He gave them nothing. The end of the rope was then tied to Jaskier and so on until they were all lined up, hands bound in front of them and linked like sausages. 

When they docked there was a heavy drum roll, fitting for the captives in line behind Geralt trembling. The plank was lowered by soldiers in what had to be ceremonial dress and when they stepped back the drummers hit one last beat, leaving the whole crowd silent. 

At the front, surrounded by soldiers and standing on a throne made to be carried, was King Minos. His eyes were cold and calculating, and it was clear he was declining in health, but he still invoked fear with his gaze. There was no doubt to any rumors anymore. Geralt was sure this man was capable of absolutely anything. 

The Queen sat in a similar throne, next to them was their daughter, walking but flanked by guards. She didn’t take her eyes off Geralt as they prodded him down the plank. Her eyes were soft, betraying the rest of her face set in a hard mask of disapproval, and she made no effort to hide her ogling. Geralt stared right back, never one to back down from a challenge, until they were ushered past the royals into the crowd. The citizens were far more animated. Some threw food scraps at them, some jeered and gestured rudely, others spat, though they all blamed the 14 young men and women before them for the death of a prince before they were even born. 

They marched through winding streets and up set after set of switchback stairs to reach the palace dungeons. The guards were having their fun with Geralt in the lead, shoving him around when they needed to change direction and tripping him when they passed a large crowd. 

When they finally reached their cells they were shoved in, two to a cell, and the rope was cut. They had to hold their arms through the bars for the soldiers to cut the knotts. They took the rope with them when they left, leaving only bread and water on the bed and one torch lit hanging outside each cell. It was dreary and cold, and Geralt could hear the others crying.

Jaskier broke the loaf of bread in half and tossed it to Geralt, taking a long pull directly from the pitcher of water, “Eat. No arguments.”

__________

part 4 here

tag list: @hailhailsatan @so--many-fandoms

hmu if you want tagged 💕 I will cry tears of joy in my coffee

[randomwankystuff]

Confession: Deku Annoys Me

Disclaimer: I’m not entirely caught up on BNHA - I read the manga/wiki pretty much at random. 

I can’t stand how obnoxiously perfect Deku is. He was presented as this underdog protagonist but hasn’t been since episode 1. And I don’t just mean his quirk - OFA is powerful, but All Might doesn’t have the same Gary Stu problems Deku has. My problem with Deku isn’t that he’s too physically powerful, but that he plays too many roles in class 1-A. Right now he’s:

1. A physical powerhouse. Only Todoroki, Bakugo, and nighttime Tokoyami can even compete.

2. Probably the fastest student. Full cowl 8% was already about as fast as Gran Torino, and Iida hasn’t been useful for several arcs...

3. The best strategist. Even though Yaomomo is canonically a genius, and Iida and Bakugou are more booksmart, most of the time it’s Midoriya that comes up with a brilliant yet simple plan to save everyone’s asses. Yaomomo only really seems to be relevant when she’s in school, taking a test. Midoriya had the best actually useful plans during the U.S.J. incident, Kamino, etc. 

4. The most effortlessly selfless. (I mean, this goes without saying, this is pretty much his defining character trait.)

5. The best leader. His classmates voted for him at the beginning of their first year, and pretty much everyone except Bakugou defers to him without hesitation in sticky situations.

6. The hardest worker. He’s always training, always trying to improve. Remember the air chair exercise in Season 1? Casually just squatting throughout the entire class. Everyone was in absolute awe.

7. The most inspirational. Everyone looks up to him, from Aoyama to Kota. Aizawa notes he and Bakugo are the pillars of 1-A.

8. The most social. Yeah he’s presented as an awkward nerd, but he makes friends in two seconds flat with everyone. He’s charmed his way into friendships with Aoyama and Todoroki. Eri absolutely adores him. He’s always sweet, thoughtful, likable. 

9. He’s even good looking. Ochako and Toga have crushes on him, and his art is designed to be pleasant to the eye. 

Although BNHA tries to pretend Deku has flaws, he actually doesn’t, because they’ve never had any real life consequences. 

“He’s insecure.” Well, his insecurity rarely hurts him. He was always committed to pursuing his dreams as a hero. He doesn’t lash out at others when he feels unworthy. When death is hammering at the door, he magically summons the confidence not just to act, but even to command and to inspire others. In real life, insecurity is often much more debilitating. Insecurity in real life often means you don’t even try because you believe you’ll fail, you get uncomfortable or temperamental around people who make you feel less than, and you don’t magically get a confidence boost when it’s convenient. Yaomomo’s arc is much more compelling than Deku’s when it comes to overcoming insecurity because, unlike Deku, her insecurity actually holds her back. 

“He’s an awkward nerd.” That hurt him when he was a child, hanging out with Bakugo, but since he entered UA, he manages to effortlessly charm everyone he knows, so really, he doesn’t have a significant social handicap. His awkwardness is presented as sincere, endearing, and funny more than anything.

“He’s selfless to a fault.” To what fault? He gets lectured, but he’s always right in the end. His charging into danger without any regard for his own safety has been proven to be the right thing to do several times. He inspired All Might to fight against the sludge monster. He saved Bakugo when he was kidnapped. Yeah, he breaks bones doing selfless things, but this is shonen - temporary pain has very little emotional weight because everyone gets hurt all the time, and then they get healed by magic. He breaks his bones, discovers he has legs, and then goes back to fighting at pretty much full strength. A cool looking scar doesn’t count as a real consequence of his selflessness. Honestly, I’m just waiting for Deku to rush in to save one person even though he’s warned against it, and because of that, the villains are alerted of their presence/he isn’t there to help others when they need them, and several other people die as a result. 

To be clear, none of what I’ve mentioned above is a problem on its own. OFA is obviously an absurdly powerful quirk. Midoriya spent years taking notes on heroes and learning from them. He’s naturally a selfless person - that’s the point of his character. He should be likable, clever, hardworking, and inspirational. But he shouldn’t be the strongest AND fastest AND smartest AND most selfless AND the best leader AND the hardest working AND the most charismatic AND the most social, all while having pretty much zero relevant flaws. It’s absurd. Especially in a place like UA - isn’t it supposed to be one of the two best hero schools in the country?

I know plenty of people who have gone to top tier universities, work at Google, are top ranked athletes, etc. None of them have been anywhere near as perfect as Midoriya. Generally, if you’re the most athletic person in the room, it’s not likely you’re also the smartest. If you’re the most likable, you’re probably not the hardest working. If you’re the most selfless, you’re probably not the leader who gains everyone’s undying loyalty and respect. Perfection almost never happens. You can’t be the best at everything, especially at a place like UA, which is supposed to be the Harvard of the BNHA world. Rather, everyone should shine in certain areas only. For example:

Yaomomo is canonically a genius, and she’s also shown to be meticulous and hardworking. She should be the best strategist of 1-A.

Ojiro made it to UA with just a tail - no fancy, overpowered tricks, just a damn tail. Just think about how hard you have to work to stand on the same level as people who can destroy buildings with a punch, shock a dozen people simultaneously with electricity, and shatter rock with their ears. It’s not even some magical tail, it’s just a damn tail. He has to have worked his ass off to get in incredible shape, think of ways to creatively use his quirk, and learn martial arts. Ojiro should be the hardest worker of 1-A.

Kirishima is easygoing, loving, loyal, and charming. He should be the one befriending Aoyama, earning people’s trust, inspiring children. He should be the most social and charismatic of 1-A. 

Highlighting the abilities and positive traits of these three would be a easy way to get more attention on BNHA’s fantastic cast while also helping Deku grow as a character.

Or, just treat Deku the way BNHA treats All Might. All Might is amazing but he’s far from perfect. He’s not the best strategist - he’s very smart, but he still relied on Nighteye to look out for him. He’s caring and charming, but is shown to be a pretty mediocre teacher. His overwhelming selflessness and his heart-over-head mentality actually had consequences in that it cost him his relationship with Nighteye. His trusting nature and his empathy for the powerless led to conflict and complications when he chose Midoriya over Mirio. His heroic drive wrecked his health, forced him into retirement, and prevented him from saving more people.

Even Mirio, who is probably a Gary Stu, gets arguably better treatment than Deku because, although he’s very powerful, he doesn’t shine academically/strategically the way Deku does, and he also literally loses his quirk as a result of his selflessness. Todoroki and Bakugo both also have plenty of flaws/weaknesses, and suffer for their mistakes all the time.

I still root for Deku, but honestly I continue to follow BNHA mostly for characters like Todoroki, Aizawa, Kirishima, and Yaomomo.

[reluctantly-plus-ultra]

Rei

Totally random thought here, but can we consider how absolutely crazy the LOV plot could’ve been if they’d taken in Rei? Like, total crack theory, but there are so many fun ways that could’ve been spun.

-It all just starts off with them trying to take out the new number one hero, and nobody’s really sure who mentioned that Endeavor’s wife had been hospitalized (not exactly common knowledge), but it seems like a pretty easy way to take a hostage and lure him in

-Dabi’s kinda pushing against it, but that’s not super shocking as he’s always been a pretty grey-area villain, and if any one of them are likely to have doubts about kidnapping mentally unstable women and putting them in potentially life-threatening situations, of course it’s this crispy dude

-So they take some time planning this whole thing out, and when the time comes around to actually pull it off, it works without a hitch. In and out, nobody notices a thing- particularly not Rei’s caretakers who can’t tell the difference between the real Rei Todoroki and one of Twice’s clones (which is saddening in and of itself)

-They all get back to the base and are putting on this whole evil production, trying to really play up their front and frighten their captive a little bit, but part-way through Shigaraki’s speech about how she’s going to be the bait that helps bring down Endeavor, Rei just...Cuts him off?

-Everyone’s kind of a little taken aback, because nobody does that unless they have a death wish, but here’s this frail wraith of a woman looking completely undaunted while literally tied to a chair, helpless and surrounded by villains

- And she looks their leader dead in the eye and tells him that if they’re looking to take down Enji, there are better ways of doing it 

-LITTLE DID THEY KNOW they kidnapped a literal powerbank of info on their number one target, yes, but they also kidnapped a broken woman who has a story to tell, an army of skeletons in her closet, and more than a few grudges to settle.

-And so, this is how the League of Villains become the first group to hear the truth of what went on behind closed doors in the prestigious Todoroki household, and the facts churn more than one stomach. After all, they might be villains, but for the most part they’re not total monsters, and not a single one of them present can deny that the whole situation is ten variants of fucked up.

-If Dabi had to leave for a cigarette or two when Rei started talking about her children, well, that was his own business.

-When the whole tale is said and done, it doesn’t take long for the league to come to the consensus that hell, if Rei wants to join their cause and crush her husband’s career, they’re not in any position to stop her. They were on the hunt for new recruits anyway, this is really just a win-win situation.

-Things are different with her around; Rei might be part of the cause, but she’s not a true villain like the rest of them. She sets the ground-rules pretty early on; what she doesn’t and doesn’t agree with, what she will and won’t help accomplish. None of them really argue it, because it’s not like they can truly force her to become an evil-doer, and in some ways, it’s nice having a motherly figure around and knowing she wasn’t cleaning blood off the knives in the kitchen earlier.

-And with time, she does gradually become the den mother of sorts, in an odd, peculiar way. It was to be expected, as many of the LOV lacked parental figures, and Rei had a hole in her heart where her children had been stripped. That doesn’t make it any less strange to walk in on Rei patiently braiding Toga’s hair while the teen chatters on about boys and blood like the two subjects were interchangeable, but Rei missed the opportunity to have bonding time like this with Fuyumi, and she’ll be damned if she passes it up again.

-Eventually, this compassion spreads throughout the other members of the league, though, and it’s evident in all kinds of little ways. Compress is meticulous about finding her pretty objects and flowers every time they go out, something to brighten the woman’s day, especially after years of staring at the same four walls. Twice is particularly good at finding new rom-coms for him and Rei to binge when time allows for it. She and Kurogiri know how to make everyone’s individual favourite kinds of tea (and stronger drinks as well, with the exception of Toga)

-She sews Shigaraki a pair of gauntlets that cover one finger and leave the rest of his hand exposed so he can touch things and not have to worry about destroying them, and ooh boy, emotions are high that day.

-They often give her “progress reports” about how Shouto’s doing too, tell her about how strong he’s getting and what new tricks he’s learned from whenever they encounter her son in combat situations. Nothing will ever top the time that Twice came back with three missing teeth and a broken nose, and proudly told Rei Todoroki about how well Shouto could roundhouse kick

-Is it weird to be keeping a special eye on up-and-coming heroes, and be proud when they kick your ass? Probably. Most of them don’t care though, because that’s Rei’s son, look at the little squirt go-

-Poor Todoroki becomes doubly confused when a few of the LOV visibly perk up whenever he uses his ice, which makes no fucking sense, and you can guarantee that he and Midoriya theorize the hell out of it like the true conspiracy theorists they are.

-Dabi’s relationship with Rei is oddly strained, and nobody seems to understand how the typically mild woman manages to put their sarcastic edgelord into extreme defense mode. It’s remarkable to him that none of them have made the connections between Rei’s son Touya and the fire-wielder who they see every damned day, but he can’t tell if it’s worse or better that Rei herself hasn’t seemed to pick up on it either.

-and hAWKS, DEAR LORD HAVE MERCY HAWKS

-Of course, upon doing his undercover work in the league, he’d expected to come across a few surprises, but finally convincing Dabi to let him meet the league and immediately running straight into Endeavor’s wife was not anywhere on the list. It’s something he knows he should be reporting to the Commission as soon as he’s clear, but there’s just... Something not right about how this is sitting, and it causes him to wait things out a little bit.

-And then, upon getting to know her, and finding Rei to be surprisingly sweet and kind for the people she was affiliated with, some red flags were bound to go up. Like, he was confused as hell to begin with even seeing her in the League, but seeing her there and knowing that she’s helping take down Endeavor without being a complete nutcase? Not a good sign.

-So when he too finally gets the whole story, it completely rattles the entire world he stands on. Everything he’s thought of this man he’s looked up to his whole life, everything he thought he was surefooted in putting his faith in, has been completely shattered. It’s devastating and horrible, and a really hard pill to swallow.

-But beyond that, and despite whatever airs he puts on, Hawks is one smart chickadee and it takes him all of 2.36 seconds to figure out that the brooding 20-something-year-old with a vendetta against this same man and a fire quirk too powerful for his own good is none other than Rei’s son Touya without a doubt. He doesn’t blame himself for missing it before, but knowing Dabi and knowing the whole story of what went down suddenly brings things into a whole new perspective, and it unfortunately makes a lot of sense.

-Eventually, after about a month or so and neither Dabi nor Rei seeming to make any move to reconnect, Hawks intervenes a little, pulling Rei aside to nudge her towards the struggling young man. It’s a surprise to find out that she’s known all along, has known since the day they took her from the hospital, and she first laid eyes on him. “He’s different, older,” She says with a small smile, patting the winged hero’s arm, “But I’d recognize my son anywhere.”

-Hawks chooses not to mention how Endeavor had faced Touya in person and not even come close to the same conclusion, but the knowledge of the thing still simmers in his gut.

-She says she’s waiting for him to come to her and tell her himself, but Dabi’s a stubborn little shit, so when things get a bit too overwhelming for the fire-user one night and Hawks has to bring an absolutely drunk-off-his-rocker Touya Todoroki back to the league or risk him passing out in a gutter somewhere, he takes him straight to Rei. He’s a mess, has been for the last three hours since he first broke into Hawks’ apartment just after midnight and began info-dumping his story to him then and there, scuffed knuckles and bleeding scars indicating that he’s already had some trouble earlier in the night.

-Of course, Dabi isn’t in the mood to chat and takes one look at Rei before trying to walk right back out the door. But the strain is becoming too much for Hawks too, and it’s time to lay some old demons to rest.

-It’s a little uncomfortable, being a bystander to their reunion, but Hawks can’t honestly trust that Dabi won’t flee if he’s not blocking the way and tracking him down again would be an absolute pain in the ass. So instead, he tries his best to be a mute fly on the wall as Rei approaches her rigid prodigal son, and gently raises one hand up to his cheek, using the sleeve of her sweater to carefully wipe away the blood trails.

-”I knew a boy just like you once.”

-Hawks can’t deny that his heart breaks a little as Rei tells this unmoving statue of a man about her Touya, how kind and gentle and loving he was, how he played so well with his younger siblings, and always put them first. How much she loved him, how much they all did, how she’d treasured his crayon drawings and cried in secret when he burned, and the slowly crumbling look on Dabi’s face is something he never wants to see again.

-”What happened to him?” Dabi asks, voice wavering, and it’s devastating that he’s still trying so hard to keep that mask on, to hide behind a scarred face and dyed hair like he doesn’t already know who he is, like he wasn’t admitting it all in Hawk’s living room an hour beforehand, pacing a hole through the carpet.

-“Nothing that was his fault,” Rei answers quietly, finally letting the unshed tears roll down her cheeks, even as she smiles, “I’m just glad to see he’s still alive.”

-It takes half a second for both of them to be embracing in a crumpled heap on the floor of the warehouse, and damn it, even Hawks is crying when he hears Dabi call Rei “Mom” for the first time in twelve fucking years, both of them sobbing, though the tears aren’t all sad. There’s a relieved look on Rei’s face as she combs through Dabi’s hair soothingly, saying his name over and over again until it finally doesn’t feel strange to associate it with the broken man Hawks has come to know.

-Things are better from then on. Explaining this revelation to the rest of the league the next morning was… Something, but Dabi’s smiles come easier after that night, and Hawks is learning to appreciate how simple it can be to make him laugh. There’s a light in his eyes that wasn’t there before, and while Hawks knows he shouldn’t be making these kinds of promises, not with the orders he’s under, he swears he won’t let it flicker out again. Damned hero instincts and all that.

Honestly, I have a lot more ideas to run with this prompt, but I don’t want to make this unbearably long- let me know if y’all are interested in a part two!

[rigel126]

RK1K Week Day 1 Fic

Day 1 – Painting | Playing an Instrument by Rigel126 Tags - Fantasy AU, Fluff, Established Relationship, RK1K Kissies

*

Ever since the Kingston Senate voted to grant rights to Spellcasters, great changes have swept through society. Prejudices against Spellcasters were slow to change, but now many of them found the courage to stand up tall, proud and open in the streets.

Foremost among the Spellcasters living in Kingston was the Jericho Coven, who now had their own shop called the Manfred Art House down in the Merchants Quarter. The group of Spellcasters who dared to stand up to oppression and fight for the rights of their brethren had achieved a certain level of fame within the city and beyond.

Lieutenant Hank Anderson and Inspector Connor were summoned to the Manfred Art House for an investigation, ever since Captain Fowler, leader of the Kingston Peacekeeper Corps decided that they would specialize in Spellcaster-related crimes. When they arrived, other Peacekeepers were already at the scene, with several nasty-looking men lumped together on the floor with their hands tied up. There was evidence of an altercation in the shop, with shattered fragments across the floor.

“What happened here?” demanded Hank to no one in particular.

A Peacekeeper officer jogged up to Hank and saluted. “Sir. The shop owners called us in. Witnesses say that these men came here to scare off customers, vandalize the shop and intimidate the witches-“

Hank clapped one hand heavily on the Peacekeeper and growled. “It’s a new age with new laws, lad. And the word you should be using now is ‘Spellcaster’.” Hank squeezed hard until the Peacekeeper winced in pain. “You hear me?”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“Good!” Hank gave him a shove as he released the man. “Bring these thugs back to the station for questioning. I’ll have a word with the staff here.”

The Peacekeeper was not happy, but he saluted Hank and went on his way.

“Hank! Connor! Thank you for coming so soon.” A wooden wheelchair rolled across the floorboards, propelled by nothing except magic. Upon it sat Carl Manfred, master painter, owner of the shop and a respected elder of the Jericho Coven and among Spellcasters.

“Master Manfred,” Connor took a step forward and bowed. “I heard what happened here. Was anyone hurt?”

Carl smiled at the young man. “No, my good boy. A few of our customers were shaken and we lost a few of our wares as you can see around us -” Carl waved a gnarled hand to the debris on the floor, “but fortunately my children were able to stop those brigand before they could cause any serious harm.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” said Hank. “This looks like a clear-cut case of hate crime against Spellcasters. I’m sure they will be convicted pretty easily. As for your loss in goods, you can file a claim for compensation against those good-for-nothings.”

“Certainly, and thank you so much for your help and support.”

Carl noticed Connor looking around and grinned. “Looking for someone, my boy?”

Connor looked startled but quickly recomposed a stoic appearance. “No, sir,” was his mechanical answer.

“If you’re looking for Markus, I believe he’s still at the palace to discuss some draft laws with His Majesty and the Elder Senators.”

“Connor?”

Just the sound of that familiar voice was enough to make Connor’s face light up. “Markus!”

“Hank! Dad! What happened here?” Markus demanded, alarmed by the mess.

“My son, do not worry. We had a few troublemakers come by, but everything’s fine now. Luther and Leo took care of them. Hank and Connor are here now so it’ll be just fine.”

“Ahem!” Hank cleared his throat. “Connor, it’s nearly the end of your shift. Why don’t you let me wrap this up?”

“But Lieutenant,” protested Connor. “Your shift will –“

Hank silenced Connor with a hand. “You haven’t seen your boyfriend in a while, haven’t you? You’re dismissed.”

“Hank, I –“

“But! In return I want you to write up the report for me tomorrow morning, you hear? No more arguments from you, kid.”

Connor’s stiff lips showed his mild displeasure. “Fine.”

Hank nodded smugly. “Good.” He glanced at Markus and pointed a finger. “I’m leaving my boy in your hands. Be sure to return him to me in one piece tomorrow morning or I’ll break you in two, even if you are the most famous Spellcaster in Kingston.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Markus blinked, then smiled broadly. “Absolutely, Lieutenant Anderson. You have my word for it.”

“Hank!” Connor blushed, but Hank was already on his way out of the shop.

Carl’s magical wheelchair creaked again, and the old man rolled over to the shop counter. “Don’t you boys worry a thing about this mess. The others can help me clean up. You two just go upstairs and get some rest till dinnertime.”

“Dad –“

“You heard your old man.” North cut Markus off, hefting a broom and a bucket in his hands. “Now go snog your man where we can’t see you.”

“Screw you North.”

“Hah! Just try, jackass! But it’s not like you can take your hands or eyes of your doe-eyed boyfriend long enough for that.”

Markus pouted and crossed his arms. “Hmph! That girl.”

But Connor was smiling shyly in the way that always made Markus’ heart beat faster. At times like this it was hard to believe that Connor was a Peacekeeper and before that a Paladin tasked with hunting Spellcasters back in the days when the zealotry of the Sanctum of Life fed hatred and fear into the minds of the people.

“Come on Connor. Let’s get you changed into something more comfortable. After that, I want to show you something.” Markus took Connor’s gauntleted hand and led him towards the stairwell.

*

It took Markus all his willpower not to drool as he watched Connor change out of his armour and Peacekeeper uniform and into Markus’ clothes.

Connor hardly fared better, gawking like a love-sick idiot while Markus shrugged off supremely annoying toga and sashes in favour of something more comfortable and less restrictive.

“This way.” Markus waved at Connor to follow him to the back on the spacious loft which housed Markus living space and personal workshop.

Connor lips parted and he gazed in wonder at a painting that Markus was working on. It depicted a young man in a ancient-styled tunic with a lyre on his lap and a soft cone-shaped cap on his head, playing music for a beautiful dancing woman. Although the painting was only half-finished, Markus’ artistic skill was apparent in achieving the summit of realism – no, it was beyond realism, for Connor felt his gaze drawn to the painting, almost as if he would be sucked into it.

“It’s beautiful,” marvelled Connor, his soft brown eyes running admiringly on the strokes of grey outlines on the canvas and colours between them.

“It’s a commission from the wife of Senator Brielle. I call it ‘Orpheus courting Eurydice’.” Markus put his hands on his hips to survey his work thus far.

Connor stepped closer, but cautiously, careful to keep his distance lest he inadvertently ruined such a masterpiece. “I can see how your painting alludes to the legend.”

“Would you like to help me finish it?”

“What? But I’m not painter, Markus. I can’t even hold a paintbrush right.”

Markus chuckled and fixed his green and blue eyes on his lover. “Maybe, but that’s not what I’d like you to do. You see, I’m experimenting with a new form of art, one imbued with magic. I call this art-form ‘living painting’.”

Connor tilted his head, casting an inquisitive look at Markus, whose rust-coloured skin seemed to glow when hit by rays of the late afternoon sun that filtered through the window.

“When this painting is finished, the figures will move as though they were alive. And since I’ve depicted Orpheus here playing his lyre, I thought that it would be wonderful if I could incorporate music into it.” Markus turned to Connor and looked at Connor hopefully. “Would you play the lyre for me while I paint and enchant the picture?”

Connor hated himself for being so weak to Markus’ puppy eyes, but really, who could say no when Markus had that look? He sighed. “Alright, I only know a few songs, however. And I can’t say that I’m the best bard in the city either.”

Markus kissed Connor on the cheek. “Just play what you can and try to put some magic into your playing. I’ll do the rest.”

Connor rolled his eyes with a sigh, picking up the lyre that Markus had left for him. Connor got comfortable on a tall stool, balanced the lyre on his lap and propped it in place with his left hand. In the fingers of his right hand, Connor held a pick into which he channelled his magic. Not too much however. “Whenever you are ready, Markus.” Connor’s magically charged fingers hovered next to the strings.

Markus picked up his paintbrush and palette. “Let’s do this.”

Pick in hand, Connor began to pluck a calming, nearly hypnotic melody while Markus’ paintbrush swam across the tightly-drawn canvas strung up on his easel. Magical energy flowed in both the brush and the strings, the colours and the music, obtaining an ethereal quality born out of the synergy of two lovers who completed each other.

Nearly two hours later, Markus put the last dab of paint and gently blew life into the two figures that he drew. At the same time, Connor drew his song to an ending cadence. The two men laid down their respective instruments. Connor came closer until his shoulder brushed lightly against Markus’ to see what was done. If Connor had not been impressed by Markus’ work earlier on, he would be now.

Markus chuckled. “Now watch this.” He touched his fingers on a discreet line of runes painted at the bottom corner of the canvas, and the painting came to life: Orpheus, seated on a mossy rock, began to strum his own lyre to the tune that Connor played while his wife Eurydice danced, her loosely pleated hair and the folds of her dress twirling with every spin and sway body made. The flowers around Orpheus swayed too, as if moved by wind, and in the background birds glided across the blue skies.

“This is amazing,” gasped Connor, his voice filled with wonder.

All of a sudden, Connor grabbed Markus and pulled him close; he kissed Markus deeply for the longest time, arms holding tightly onto Markus as if Connor was afraid of losing him.

Even after they stopped for air, Connor continued to hug Markus. “You’re amazing, Markus,” Connor breathed.

Markus leaned in. “I’ve been wanting you to do that for a while,” he whispered. “Kiss me again.”

And so Connor did. Again and again. As many times as both he and Markus desired, with all the overflowing love in their hearts while the Orpheus continued to play his lyre in the background.

END

[einlov]

(⊃｡-́‿-̀｡)⊃ Cramp buddies!

⁎ Comfort with Toga ⁎

Episode I: Blood sisters!

“Helllloooo, friends!”

The screen finally gets clearer, the blond girl sits in a ripped up chair. Pillows overflow from her seat. She shifts and stares into the camera. A side table near her holds a mug, the picture of two tampons tangled to each other is on the mug. The words ‘Girl power! Strong and just enough!’ is under that picture.

Her smile widens,

“Welcome to or back to Toga T.V!!!”

She does a little dance in her seat with each word.

“Soooo, this is a new segment!!! Hopefully it helps people feel better! And well, less bored!”

She sits up a bit and sips her drink. After sighing she continues,

“Though, today is for the ladies!! Go away boys!! It’s time to talk about...BLOOD!”

She claps her hands and squeal when saying the last word.

“Sorry, hehe! I like blood, though this type of bleeding is intriguing and messy!”

Her face grimace at the last word.

“Nevertheless, this pain will pass on! As long as you stay here, I’ll be helping you! Even if I’m not there physically, I’m here for you all!!”

Her stands up slowly and sets down her mug.

“Now, get up! I know it can be a little tough to get up right now, but as a girl on the run from the cops, hehe, the cramps are numbed a bit when you stand up...and RUN!”

She jogs in place, her knees near reaches her chest. Her mouth opens again, with a smile,

“Hey! Hey! Slow down! You’re going too fast!! Let me catch up!”

Her smile widens, her pearly teeth and sharp canines are showing. She dramatically whips her forehead and pants.

“Do you run often??? You should run in the Olympics! I bet you’ll get first place!”

Her laughs are soft. She releases her hair from the two buns. Her hair hits her face and shoulder as she continues to run. Even when her hair is facing towards every direction, she continues to smile.

“Who said running required you to look pretty?!? Social standards that’s what! But guess what, you still look absolutely cute with your hair ‘unkempt’, throw up lingering in your breathe, and sweat! At this time, you can be yourself! Why restrict yourself from that!?”

She shakes her head and gives her hair a shake. Some of the strains sticks onto her forehead. Yet...she still smiles. Why?

“Random fact, when you start your period, rumor is that a mini devil uses his pitchfork to poke your uterus! He uses the extra blood to give his buddies lives! Your blood is literal magic! Look at that, a strong woman helping save others! Periods aren’t the worst after all!”

Her hands comes up to show 10 fingers. One comes down with every 10 seconds passing.

“You wanna know what happens when the mini devil saves all of his friends?? They stay in your body and create mini civilized cities! You make notice the lack of blood after that, they are all happy and alive, and finally decide to stop hurting you, as they all need you! You’re like Mother Earth!”

5 fingers are now remaining. Her breathing gets a bit rugged.

“Now that we have that out of the way...we are gonna stop jogging for a minute! In 4.....3......2......2 and a half?? Ok ok!....1!”

She stops running in place and catches her breath. Before reaching for her mug she looks back at the camera,

“Don’t drink coffee! Soda! Or any other sugary drinks! They cause more harm!! In this mug there is water! Stay hydrated! I’m serious! Don’t make me find your location, to force water down your system! Gently of course! Hehe!”

She gulps down the water quickly, finishing with a smack of her lips. A grin is on her face as she rubs her stomach. A small burp leaves her, she laughs it off.

“I know how embarrassing that could be...especially when it comes from other areas! It’s okay!! It’s natural! Your system is just under stress, so it tries to release a lot of things from you. Don’t harm yourself! Just relieve yourself in your trusted room! Besides, you’re cute when you are flustered!”

Her body eases into the chair. She sighs and closes her eyes. While continuing to shut her eyes she says,

“You must feel all uncomfortable now from sweat. A warm bath should do the trick! Showers are okay, but relaxing in the tub in warm water feels amazing! Spoil yourself, use cute and nice smelling soaps that doesn’t disturb your lady parts! Don’t use bath bombs! They may irritate your hoo-ha! Like your PH.”

She relaxes more into the stiff chair, her eyes opens slowly and looks into the camera.

“Before you do that, make a mini food tray! No sweets! Not now, sorry but you’ll have to wait for that! Sugar is the enemy at these times! Salt is a frenemy, so you can snack on cheese cubes, low-salted chips and maybe sandwiches, in a limited amount!”

Her legs stretch out a bit and helps her stand up. She walks to the camera, the screen is completely taken by her face.

“You know, I wish I was strong like you. Taking on these cramps like they’re nothing! Who could tell you that you aren’t strong?! No one! As they would be laying cold on the ground before completing their stupid comment! It doesn’t help that you are extremely pretty as well!! Ugh! Save some flair for me!!! Hehe! Strong mentally and physically, the type of girl that I look up to. I adore you! I love you!”

The last smile is sent through the TV, before the screen is now displaying the regularly scheduled programs like the local news.

-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-🌸 🌸 🌸 🌸 -•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-

Sigh.

“Another day completed!”

The blond girl covers the camera’s screen with her small hands. The camera is shut off, cords are covering the hard and cold floor. She records in this small cold room. The room is almost pitch black. The windows glass are almost completely shattered.

The same bright face seems to drop slowly. She takes in the environment with a small pout. Thoughts are the only thing keeping the room from being too silent. Her feet are now white noises as she drags the chair out of the back door of the room. It leads into an alleyway.

‘...too many dead bodies...’

‘...too many dead family members...’

‘...betrayal....for what?’

‘....doesn’t matter. Why care now?’

‘pathetic, don’t you agree?...’

The chair is placed beside the nearest garbage bin.

She releases and drops the chair with a sigh.

Small raindrops soaks into her hair. She embraces the smell of the raindrops. After a couple of seconds, she returns to the room.

The camera is snatched from the cords, the cords could only leave small thrumps. Her hands creases the lens of the camera. A small heart connected to her necklace grazes the lens a bit.

‘S + T’

Her lips form a small smile.

“Syria.”

She looks back the camera.

“...Too many mistakes.”

Her smile widens as she recites that famous line,

‘We’re only human after all.’

She breathes in slowly. After a small break, she talks to the boring camera.

“...For you. I hope you don’t think I’m a bore! Are still watching?...Of course you are, who else would watch this crappy show?”

•

•

•

[scuzmunkie]

Run, Little Rabbit, Run: Chapter 8

A/N: Happy October my darling little pumpkins!! You all are so amazing!! I’m so sorry this is so late!! I am so sorry for the small cliffhanger I left you lovelies with last week. I loved each and every comment left!! I love you all so much!! Without further ado, here’s chapter 8! As always please let me know if you want to be added to the tag list or if there are any mistakes, enjoy! Smooches!! Baron Corbin x OFC Word Count: 2000+ Warnings: language, talk of death, mourning. Summary: Run, Addie, the Constable is coming for you..... +++ “Hello?” Addie called out. Looking around, she rubbed her eyes as she realized that she was still in the forest but there seemed to be a slight haze blurring her surroundings. Where was everyone? Looking down she screamed, falling on her backside. She covered her mouth, as she saw her bloody body still in Baron’s arms. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched him rock her lifeless body back and forth. “Please, Addie, please come back. I’m so sorry.” He cried into her neck. “Baron, I’m ok I’m right here. I’m...” She sobbed, trying to touch his shoulder, whimpering when her hand went through his arm. “Dead.” Addie covered her face as bitter tears fell down, knowing that there was nothing she could do now. Like her parents, death had finally taken her. And here she thought that the cancer would’ve killed her and not some supernatural jackass. “There, there child.” She heard as a gentle hand soothingly rubbed her shoulder. Addie sprang to her feet, backing away from whoever it was. There stood a woman, her olive toned skin glowing as her luminous white hair floated as if she were under water. Brilliant eyes that matched the brightness of a full moon. “Will you love him?” The etherial being asked. “Wh-what? Wh-who are you?” Addie asked as she kept putting distance between them. “I am the Goddess of the Moon, Mother to the Wolves.” “Oh, um... I’m Adelina. Do I, do I bow or curtsy or something?” Addie asked. It wasn’t every day one meets a goddess. The moon goddess gave a soft smile and shook her head. She absolutely loved humans, they never ceased to bring a smile to her face. With a wave of her hands, two chairs appeared. Sitting in one of them, she gestured for Addie to take the other one. Seeing as she literally had nothing to lose, she sat across from the moon goddess. Sighing, Addie turned her attention back to Baron, who was still sobbing into her corpse. “Is this what death is? Me walking the earth as a spirit?” Addie asked as a bastard tear slipped from her eye. “Oh no, my darling, death is so different from what your media shows. Death is simply going home, reuniting with loved ones who have passed before you.” As if on cue, a light broke through the night sky, two people standing in its warmth. Squinting her eyes, Addie saw the loving faces of her parents. “Oh my word, they look like they did in their wedding photos.” Addie said, covering her mouth. Without thinking, Addie began walking towards their open arms. Before she reached them, the moon goddess’s voice stopped her. “My sweet child, before you leave, you should know something.” Addie turned to look at the goddess with a puzzled expression. Again, she gestured for Addie to sit. “Death is not always final. You have a choice.” “Wait, what? How is that possible?” The moon goddess stood, walked towards Addie and crouched in front of her as she took both her hands. “I have been watching Baron his entire life. I’ve heard all his prayers, pleas and wishes. All he ever wanted was someone to love and love him in return. His father was never good to his mother, always belittling her, scaring her, hurting her all while poor little Baron watched. He wasn’t strong enough to protect his mother seeing as he was but a boy.” Addie felt her heart break at the thought of little Baron having to watch that horror. “Finally, when Baron was sixteen years old, he came home from school and found his mother, a bloody mess, cowering in the kitchen, his father standing over her, screaming. Something in Baron snapped and he challenged his father to a fight to the death. It was a long, grueling fight that ended with Baron standing over his father’s dead body. As he held and consoled his mother he promised himself that, if given one, he would love, protect and cherish his mate, he would never be his father.” “W-What does this have to d-do with me?” Addie asked in a small voice. “I have been watching you too. I knew that you’d be perfect for Baron.” “I’m nothing special.” She whispered while shaking her head. “He doesn’t want me.” “Oh my sweet girl, you are so special! Even though you’ve lived a life full of pain and loss, you still look for the joy, you love others as if they were your family, you’re strong in the face of adversity and you don’t let others get away with, I believe the vernacular is, bullshit. You have all the traits of a strong and loving luna. And believe me when I say that Baron worships the very ground you walk on.” “Luna... that’s the second time someone’s called me that. What is a luna?” Realization hit the goddess. “Oh how foolish of me for not explaining that. Of course you wouldn’t know. Forgive me child.” The goddess let out a small laugh. “A luna is the mate to the alpha. She is his moon, his queen, his everything. She is the only thing that can calm him even if he is almost completely shifted into his wolf. No other woman can tempt or satisfy the alpha. His love for her runs all through the pack as well. You remember how Ruby became more affectionate towards you within the past few months?” Addie nodded her head, smiling at the memories. “That’s because she felt her alpha’s love for you. So you see? Even if Baron was being stubborn, he and his wolf still had deep feelings for you.” Addie sat in silence for a bit, trying to wrap her head around what was just said. “So,” Addie finally broke the silence, “what are my choices?” “You can go with your parents, free of the sadness and heartache that comes with life.” “....or?” Addie whispered, looking back and forth between Baron and her parents. —- “Will you love her?” a soft voice asked. All eyes shot open and landed on the new voice that broke the silence. Baron, Ruby and Corey immediately felt their hearts warm up, as if their own mothers were holding them. She wore a simple white toga that flowed as she slowly walked towards the small group, never breaking eye contact with Baron. Now standing in front of him, she bent down and gently touched his cheek. “You know who I am” she said, her voice full of love. Not trusting his voice, Baron simply nodded as Ruby and Corey quietly made their way closer to their goddess. “Oh my dear boy, how stubborn you’ve been. I know you better than you know yourself. You really think I’d give you a mate that wasn’t good for you, child?” She lovingly looked at the lifeless body laid in Baron’s arms. Reaching down, she softly moved Addie’s hair out of her face. ”I’ve known since the day Adelina drew her first breath that she’d be the perfect mate for you. She loved you more than anything in this life....” she looked him in the eyes “and in the next.” Baron gave her a confused look. Placing two fingers on his forehead, she closed her eyes and bowed her head. It would be easier to show him. —- “What are my choices?” “You can go with your parents, free of the sadness and heartache that comes with life.” “....or?” Addie whispered, looking back and forth between Baron and her parents. She looked at her parents, a longing in her eyes. It had been so long since she was able to hold her father. And her mother.... she never had the chance to know her. Yet there they were, waiting for Addie with open arms and loving smiles on their face. She took a step towards them, ready to let go of all the pain, but then she heard it. Heard the voice that made her heart beat faster than a hummingbird’s wings. “I’m so sorry Addie, I failed you.” Baron mumbled, into Addie’s hair, “I should’ve told you when I had the chance.” “Told me what?” She whispered to no one in particular. “I love you, little rabbit.” “I’ll ask you again, will you love him?”the goddess asked again. Addie felt her chest fill with warmth like no other, then shatter at the same time. Looking once more at her parents, she gave them a sad smile. They looked back at her with tears of their own, knowing that it wasn’t her time yet. Having made her choice, she looked at the moon goddess and gave her a nod. “I’m ready.” —- Baron’s eyes snapped open as he stared at his goddess in shock. “Now you know what she sacrificed to be with you. Don’t make her regret her decision, my sweet boy.” She then playfully bopped Baron on the nose. “Will you love her?” She asked again. “With every fiber of my being.” Hearing all she needed, Baron watched as the moon goddess leaned down, placed her lips on Addie’s forehead. Cupping Addie’s face, she kissed her forehead, whispering something only she could hear. “I’ve done my part,” she told Baron, sitting up, “now the rest is up to her.” When the goddess pulled away from Addie, she had looked perfect, her clothes were good as new, the blood gone from her body and her shoulder healed only leaving Baron’s mark. The goddess stood and looked around at her other wolves. Walking to Corey and Ruby she kissed their foreheads. “Take care of your alpha, he needs all the guidance he can get.” She gave Baron a loving wink. Making her way towards her wayward wolf, she crouched down and gently touched Dolph’s shoulder. Stirring, he leapt into a fighting stance until his eyes landed on the deity that stood before him. “My dear child, stop this hate, the world is already so full of it. Be better. Respect your alpha and protect your luna!” She pulled him to his feet and cupped his cheek. “I love you, my little rogue, but you forget that I can see into your heart. I know how much you long for a place to belong. Now you’re part of of something stronger and if you give them a chance, they’ll love you more than you could ever imagine. Mind you, you have quite a bit of damage to fix. It’ll take time but be patient. Can you do that for me?” By now, Dolph had tears running down his face that she lovingly swiped away with her thumbs. Not able to use his voice, Dolph nodded his head. “Promise?” She asked, stroking his cheek. “I promise.” He mumbled as he leaned into his goddess’s touch. “Good.” She turned to everyone else, “I leave you now. Please, take care of each other.” With that, a cloud of pure light appeared and disappeared leaving no trace of their beloved moon goddess. Dolph bowed his head, looking at the ground with nothing but shame coursing through his veins. “Alpha, I’m so sorry-“ With lightening speed, Baron grabbed Dolph by the throat, glaring at him. “I should rip your throat out, but I know that she” he pointed at Addie’s cold body now being held by Ruby “wouldn’t want me to.” Sighing, Baron rubbed his face with his free hand. “If she survives this, as your alpha, I command you to stay the hell away from her until she deems it ok to be around you again. Am I absolutely clear?!” “Yes alpha.” Looking towards Corey, Baron gave him a nod. Corey and Ruby took Dolph and the three of them left. “Baron, pick up Adelina and I can teleport you both back to your hotel room. This is no place for you two to be right now.” Nodding, Baron carefully lifted Addie into his arms as Alicia took Aleister’s hand in one of her own and touched Baron’s shoulder with the other, Aleister placing his free hand on Baron’s other shoulder. Bowing his head, Aleister muttered a spell and within a blink of an eye, they were all standing in Baron’s hotel room. “Thank you both, for everything.” Baron whispered. Aleister nodded as Alicia kissed Addie’s forehead. “You better wake your ass up.” She whisper yelled in Addie’s ear. Aleister took Alicia by the hand and took their leave. Baron laid on the bed with Addie, staring at her lifeless face as he pulled her closer to his chest. “Please, little rabbit, please come back to me. I swear to you things will be different, I’ll get my head outta my ass and love you harder than any alpha has ever loved their luna. I just need you to open those pretty green eyes.” He whispered.   His eyes grew heavy as he fell asleep holding his luna in his arms. Hours passed as the sun was now coming up, the warmth shining through his window heating their bodies. All the memories came flooding back to Baron as he let out a small whimper seeing Addie’s eyes still closed. Sitting up, Baron rested his elbows on his knees as he held his fists to his mouth. Had the goddess been wrong? Did Addie choose death over Baron? “Hey, why’d you move?” Addie grumpily asked. “I was comfy.” Baron turned to see the slightly mischievous glint in her eyes, a soft smile on her plump lips. Without hesitation, Baron dove on top of his luna, kissing her with everything inside him. Pulling back he took in her new appearance. She looked more alive, her skin almost glowing, eyes more vibrant and most of all, not a trace of cancer in her scent. Resting his forehead on hers, they quietly gazed into each other’s eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair. “I’m so sorry, Addie, I never should’ve let this happe-“ “Do you want me?” She whispered. “What?” That caught him off guard. “D-Do you want me?” Baron’s heart sank. Had he been a better mate and seen the gift that he was given instead of allowing his pride to get in the way then Addie wouldn’t be asking this. “If you’ll have me, I want you by my side til the end of time. I will give you everything I have in this life.”

“Well then,” Addie pressed her lips against Baron’s, pulling back with a mischievous look in her eyes, “I guess you’re mine, Alpha.”

Growling, Baron sat up and pulled her into his lap, burying his face into her neck. He kissed from her neck to her ear.

“Oh, little rabbit,” he whispered against her ear before nipping at the lobe, “you have no idea what you’ve just awoken.”

+++

Darling Little Pumpkins

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[skaikruswan]

First Reunion

Summary:  When Diana comes to think about it, Steve Trevor has been her first in many occasions. But she had never expected him to return to her.

Ao3

When Diana comes to think about it, Steve Trevor has been her first in many occasions.

He has been the first man she had ever seen. She still remembers the sunny day on Themyscira, when she saw his plane crash into the ocean. The decision to save him came natural, she didn’t think twice about leaping into the sea and dragging him to the shore. Thinking back, Diana realizes that she must have looked at him with an almost childish delight. She had touched him to make sure that he hadn’t been an illusion, that her mother’s stories had been true.

She knows and loves ice cream because of Steve. Nowadays, Diana gets to choose from a wonderful variety of ice cream, but it can never compare to one Steve had bought for her. In Themyscira, her sweet tooth had been satisfied by fruits and cakes. Having a cold, sugary treat had been a new experience. When Diana finds the time to relax, she eats ice cream and remembers the man who introduced it to her.

In her job, no, in her new life she has dance on several occasions. Galas are a constant in her life and she has got used to it. Sometimes Diana yearns for the simplicity of the dance she and Steve had. There had been no ulterior motives, no trying to win her favor; only a man who had wanted to teach a woman how to dance. Diana likes winter: she enjoys seeing the world covered in white, the people coming together with their loved ones, the ending and beginning of a new year. When the first snow falls she always steps outside, remembering the magic when Steve had gently swayed her that evening in Veld.

Steve had also been her heart break. When Antiope had died, Diana had felt more shocked and stupefied, and it had taken a moment to understand that her aunt would never talk to her, never train with her, and never encourage her again. But when she had seen the plane exploding and realized that she would never see Steve again, that he was gone, her heart had just hurt so much that it felt as if it had shattered. For a long time, she had only his wristwatch to remember him by. Memories are a tricky thing: no matter how hard you hold onto them, they slowly slip away. Diana has trouble imagining the sound of Steve’s voice, the fond expression in his eyes when he had looked at her, or the roughness of his hands. She can’t thank Bruce enough for returning the picture to her.

Her mother’s departing words still echo in her head: “You’ve been my greatest love, now you’re my greatest sorrow.” Since Steve’s death, she understands them than ever.

Diana is used to get weird phone calls at her work. Antiquities gone missing or mixed up, a schedule that needs to be redone, or distraught owners, she has seen it all. As curator, one should always try to remain calm. Yet, she frowns when her secretary, Sandra, bursts into her office.

“Madam, there’s someone who absolutely needs to see you. Do you know any American who plays theatre? Because his clothes look like it.”

How odd, Diana thinks, and follows her. When she arrives into the entrance hall of the Louvre and sees him, she thinks for a second that she has gone mad. No, that her mind is playing tricks on her. It had happened, especially in the years after the first war: she had seen Steve everywhere, caught glimpses of him, only for him to disappear.

“Steve.” she says and holds her breath. If it’s an illusion, he’ll disappear anyways, the sardonic part of her mind thinks.

“Diana!” he calls out and in the blink of an eye, she’s wrapped in a hug. His clothes are the ones he died in and she grabs his coat to pull him closer. How she had missed him.

“This is real.” she whispers, her mind racing and her heart bursting out of joy.

“Ehem.” Sandra clears her throat and Diana turns her face enough to look at her, but still resting on Steve’s shoulder. “Should I cancel your appointments?”

“Yes please.” Diana says with a smile, her arms still wrapped around Steve. “I am busy today.”

 Driving home to her apartment had been a real experience. As a spy, Steve had been an expert at hiding his emotions and controlling his facial expression. Yet she sees astonishment and confusion flash over his face while they drive back to her apartment in Paris. Diana just sits there, staring at him while trying to burn every single detail of him into her mind. The drive doesn’t take too long and soon they arrive at her apartment. They had driven in silence, and in silence he follows her into her home.

“Wait here, please.” Diana asks him and gestures towards the coach, while she enters her room. It only takes a moment for her to return, the lasso of Hestia in her hands.

“I’m sorry,” Diana says as she sits next to him, “but I have to make sure it’s really you.” She lives in a world where time travel is possible; she can’t rule out clones or worse.

“I understand.” Steve gives her nod and takes the lasso to wrap it around his hands, just like he had done once before.

“Are you Steve Trevor, the man I met on Themyscira?” Diana asks stares into his eyes. So blue you could drown in them, she had thought more than once.

“Yes.” he answers and Diana feels that he’s telling the truth. No illusion, no clone, only the love of her life who has returned to her. Diana feels a radiant smile form on her lips and leans towards him.

“But how?” The question escapes her and she really doesn’t want to ruin the moment, but she’s curious. Dead people usually don’t come back after a century.

“I don’t know.” Steve says with a shrug, a pensive expression on his face. “I remember being in a village where you could find people from every epoch. It didn’t really feel as if time passed. I existed, I was happy, but something was missing.” He pauses to take her hand, their fingers entwining. “Then three men came to me, clad in magnificent togas and radiating power. One said that I was lucky that I bathed in the sacred waters of Themyscira, where his power was still existing. The second one said that for the life I’ve lived and the lives I’ve saved, I deserved the highest of rewards. The last one grabbed my shoulder and mumbled that he wanted to see his daughter happy. Then I woke up in front of this museum, knowing somehow that you would be here.”

“Could it be that you met Poseidon, Hades and Zeus?” Diana was still processing this. Could it be that the gods weren’t as dead as she thought they were? Are they just resting?

“Maybe. I do know some Greek mythology and it would fit.”

“It doesn’t matter now.” Diana says decisively and stops Steve’s answer with a kiss. The moment their lips met, she feels a firework inside her body. The kiss starts gentle yet hesitant, as if both were still afraid. Then she feels Steve’s hands loosen the knot and bury into her locks and she pulls him closer, her hands gently cupping his face. A moan escapes him and Steve kisses her again, this time with the passion and intensity of a missed century. She closes her eyes and allows herself to get lost in the moment, to enjoy it to its fullest. When they slowly break apart she feels breathless but absolutely exhilarated.

“Do you realize what this is?” Steve asks her and she looks up, her head resting on his lap, his hands brushing though her hair. She shakes her head and feels him press a soft kiss, almost like a butterfly’s touch, on her forehead. “More time.”

 Steve Trevor had been her first in many occasions. Diana had never thought that he would also be the first reunion to make her so happy that her heart almost jumped out of her chest.