#why is she holding laser swords like a stick

[meandmyechoes]

東施效顰

[bigasswritingmagnet]

With My Own Hands (Ch 2/2)

Fandom: Girl Genius Pairing: Higgs/Zeetha Summary: Higgs meets a real tough lady with a very nice hat. By the time he finds out she's Zeetha Wulfenbach, it's too late.

Chapter One | AO3 Link

Higgs sipped his beer as all around him the evening fight raged. Sometimes he wished he was still the kind of Jӓger who enjoyed fighting for the sake of fighting. He liked a good tumble, now and again, but if there wasn’t a reason, a goal, something to be gained or lost or saved, it was hard to see the point. Hard to see the point of a lot of things, these days.

The thought made him frown. Gkika had given him the find an anchor lecture and it was infecting his thoughts. He wondered if the other generals drew straws once a decade to decide who was going to be the one to nag him. Last time it had been Zog, who at least merely said his piece and was done with it; Gkika argued.

It didn’t matter how many times he told them he already had one, they always said it wasn’t a proper anchor. Love for the Heterodynes made you a Jӓger, an anchor was supposed to keep you human. The town then, but apparently that didn’t count either, because he didn’t do anything to the town. It was just there, an idea, an ideal.

They were young. When they got to be six hundred and change, they’d understand. No, seven hundred. Eight? He’d have to find a history book and double check when the Jӓgerdraught was invented. One advantage of being among the very first—he could always keep track of the centuries, if not the decades. How old had he been when he drank it? Twenty? Twenty-five?

Someone banged into his table, causing his beer to slosh out of the mug. He looked up, startled, but instead of a Jӓger, he was looking up at a young woman. The green hair caught his eye first, it was hard to miss. The second thing was the look on her face when she looked back at him. There was a fierce determination there, the laser focus of a warrior in battle.

She shoved something into his hands.

“Hold that,” she said. With her now free hands, she picked up a chair and swung it, smashing into the Jӓger who had leapt towards her, sending him tumbling back into the fray.

“Careful,” he said. “You do that too many times, it’ll mean you’re part of the fight. And definitely don’t draw your sword.”

“Of course I won’t draw my sword,” she snapped. “This is a friendly brawl; I’m not going to stab someone. And I wouldn’t mind taking part, if I wasn’t in a hurry. It’d be easier if I didn’t have to carry that thing around, but if I put it on, I’ll definitely make myself a target, even if I don’t hit anyone.”

Higgs looked at the object in his hands, and realized it was a hat. An extremely elaborate, ostentatious hat, one that would indeed draw the envy of any Jӓger—even Higgs himself, who was abruptly filled with a sullen self-conciousness over his own unimpressive regulation headgear.

It looked a cross between a shako and a candelabra, the purple fabric caged by decorative brass arms that came together at the top in a single point. There was something written on the front, but before he could really read it, the woman snatched it out of his hands and a Jӓger came crashing down onto the table, sending Higgs’ beer flying.

He sighed.

“You need to get out of here?”

“And find my friends,” she confirmed.

“They smart guys?”

“Can be, why?”

“Then they’re probably the ones who aren’t sticking around for the fight,” he said, pointing at the group hightailing it towards the exit.

The woman’s head whipped around and she nailed him with a glare so ferocious, Higgs felt—for the first time in centuries—real, genuine fear for his safety. Higgs knew, logically, that he could take her, and easily. He could snap her neck in a second if he wanted.

But he felt that it was no solid guarantee he’d make it to her neck in one piece.

“…because they’re smart enough to know they can’t take on a room full of Jӓgers,” he hurriedly added.

To his surprise, the woman blushed. She ducked, caught a charging Jӓger in the chest with her shoulder, and tossed him backwards over her head.

“That’s sweet,” she said, as if nothing had happened. Then her eyes narrowed. “Hang on—”

“Let’s get you to your friends,” Higgs said, hurriedly.

They ducked and wove their way through the crowd. Most of the Jӓgers moved around them, knowing better than to try and take him on. His companion—the woman, he corrected himself, hurriedly—was not always so fortunate, but she had no trouble at all fending off any of the Jӓgers who came at her. In fact, he could tell she was holding back.

Higgs found himself wondering what she looked like when she put her all into a fight, how well she’d hold up if she actually did take part. She’d still be standing at the end, he was sure. Maybe he could find some way to see that—she didn’t seem Mechanicsburg born, but she certainly would fit right in. Maybe he could find a way to get her back down here on a day when she didn’t need to leave—

He ducked a chair and shook his head, wondering what in the flaming hells had gotten into him. Why couldn’t he keep his eyes on the fight and off of her? She was just so…bright. More real than the rest of the world around her, somehow.

Then they broke through the edge of the storm of Jӓgers and into the still safety of the passageway out, where the woman’s friends were waiting. He recognized some of them.

“There you are,” Vannamonde said.

“I got caught in the fight,” the woman said, defensively.

“You probably would have had an easier time if you got rid of that thing,” said a man who was, technically, not shirtless, although the leather straps covered about as much as the Jӓgerfrauliens’ outfits. 

The woman bristled and put the hat on her head.

“I earned this hat,” she said, and very pointedly turned a little handle at the top. At the point where the arms of the hat connected, a little flame burst into life. The extra light illuminated the words on the band at the front:

Zeetha Wulfenbach Clank Killer

Uh oh.

“That’s a joke, right?” Higgs asked, who had a sinking feeling he knew why he had suddenly started feeling the ground so solidly under his feet. “You’re sending me out for a crate of balloon juice.”

Zeetha Wulfenbach adjusted her hat.

“I took out two giant laser-canon crab clanks single handedly this morning,” she said, proudly, and his heart skipped a beat.

Uh oh.

He managed to salute. His only hope was that the dynamic of superior officer and soldier would force distance between the two of them, that she might be the kind of person who kept her subordinates at arm’s length.

“Airman First Class Axel Higgs of the SS Rozen Maiden, at your service, ma’am.”

She blinked.

“Oh! That’s...” She looked embarrassed. “At ease, I guess. Probably best you don’t salute or call me ma’am. I might be a little bit enemy of the state right now, what with the whole ‘actively working against my father to protect the Heterodyne from him until she can retake Mechanicsburg’, thing.”

A rope went taut and the drifting world of Axel Higgs shuddered to a halt, held firm by its shiny new anchor. 

God’s little fish in trousers, Higgs thought, I am never going to hear the end of this.

[phoenixyfriend]

Have my other Harry Potter/Star Wars crossover

Fifth year, a group of Weird Adults move into Harry's neighborhood. It's a young-ish married couple, their baby twins, and some middle-aged dude always wearing sweatervests. None of them speak English very well, but they're rapidly improving even through the accents, and while the Dursleys are definitely racist, at least the older dude is white-and-bland enough to sort of ease the acceptance into the neighborhood.

Harry doesn't pay them much mind because, like, they're just passably odd muggles, right? There was some rumors at first about the nature of the relationship, but then someone went nosing with "welcome to the neighborhood" pastries and got an explanation, that the older fellow is the husband's brother. He’s helping around because twins are a lot of work and the birth was hard on the mother, and the father is having some issues with War Injuries. See, the brother moved in with them for a bit to help out with the kids, and the fact that nobody can get more information out of them about what's going on with why they moved here etc. is charted up to the language barrier. Mostly, though, they're just a little weird, but not wizards weird.

Anakin--the husband--sees Harry passing by one time and asks him to come help out with something (there are pastries offered as payment), which turns out to be "I'm working on this car engine and the hood prop is broken, can you hold it up while I get the prop rod fixed?" Harry, bored out of his mind for the summer and not wanting to go back to the Dursleys if he doesn't have to, ends up spending a lot of time learning about car engines. He promises himself that he'll explain everything to Mr. Weasley when they see each other again.

Harry gets to meet the babies, and Anakin's wife--who's absolutely gorgeous, but seems super stressed--and also the older brother, who's got an office filled with books in an angular alphabet Harry can't recognize at all. He'd almost guess it was magic, but there isn't even Floo powder, so.

Oh, also to note: I'm going with the AUs where Padme is of at least partial desi background because of her name, and so is Harry because I like those AUs, while Anakin is racially ambiguous. Just for fun. I think it would be nice if Harry met Padme and was like "oh hey, she's like me" but it's Padme so she's Refined and Commanding and Gorgeous even when she's exhausted and recovering from near-death, so Harry has no idea that she's a little insane (she's been dealing with assassination attempts since she was fourteen, that kind of trauma does things to the brain, it's fine).

Then there's the dementor attack, and before Harry can even draw his wand and deal with the problem, Anakin is there! With a glowing sword! What the fuck, dude! The dementors are quickly dead, and Dudley is delivered to the Dursley's house, and Anakin is his very specific brand of 'I know what I'm doing but also I have no idea what's going on' and just kind of wanders off with Harry in tow instead of sticking around to explain things to the Dursleys? Because. Anakin. Yes Dudley saw his laser sword, no the Dursleys aren't getting an explanation, it's metallic and sci fi instead of magic-y, and Anakin's a military dude, mind your own business.

(They do not mind their own business, they start conspiracy theorizing that Anakin's a spy from another country.)

He drags Harry to his house and demands an explanation for the magic stick, while Harry wants an explanation for the magic sword, and Padme comes down from the twins' room to hiss at them to calm the frick down, the babies can feel you being upset and Obi-Wan isn't here to help her, be nice or do this Somewhere Else.

Harry gets part of an explanation! They are not from around here. They do not know where they are from, compared to Earth, because the Milky Way doesn't match up to the galaxy they know, and they aren't sure if it's just incompetent imaging technology and them being in Wild Space, or if they got shot into the wrong dimension or galaxy or something.

Harry wants to call them insane, but Anakin can float things with his mind and no wand, and Padme has a hologram projector that is very clearly tech-based, and that's kind of helping their argument that they are from space/another dimension.

He asks how they got the money for a house, or fake IDs, or whatever. Anakin says something about Obi-Wan playing poker. Harry tries to pursue that line of questioning, being fifteen-at-most, and fails because if Anakin doesn't want to tell you something, you will not hear it.

Harry doesn't get explanations for how they got here, mostly because they don't know, and he doesn't get an explanation for the Space War beyond the fact that one happened and it gave Anakin that nasty scar and his arm loss (and like... that PROBABLY explains the shell shock he's seen on Anakin and 'Ben').

He asks why the birth was so hard if they're from a place with reliable interstellar travel. Wouldn't that kind of place have better medical care?

Anakin tells him not to ask those questions. He looks a little wild-eyed when he does, so Harry listens on the premise of 'that's how Sirius looks when someone asks him about Azkaban or Wormtail'. Maybe the pregnancy was part of the shell shock thing. Harry doesn’t know enough about pregnancy to say.

Obi-Wan gets home. They talk a bit more. Harry resolves to ask Dumbledore about interdimensional travel after he gets to Hogwarts. At some point, Ms. Figg gets involved. I haven't figured out her effects, but whatever.

Harry gets to Grimmauld Place! He does not have a hearing, because Anakin dealt with the dementors before Harry cast a Patronus. Shit happens. It's fine. He gets to Hogwarts.*

There's two new, adult faces wandering the school. Umbridge hates them, and nobody seems to agree on what they're there for. One of them looks barely older than the seventh-years, and the other is mid-twenties, but wearing full armor that literally nobody can get an answer about. Rumors abound. They confirm none of them. The girl has an accent Harry thinks is familiar, but he dismisses it.

He's talking to some classmates about how he spent his summer. He doesn't mention interdimensional bullshit at all, but he does talk about how he learned about muggle car maintenance over the summer with a neighbor by the name of Anakin Skywalker, and THAT is when the girl half of Dumbledore's Weird Hired Guards (Ahsoka Tano, he knows, but everyone calls her Miss Tano, even though she's barely any older than them) grabs Harry by the shoulder and demands that he repeat himself. She basically interrogates him in the middle of the hall, and then begs him to send a letter for her because she needs to get in contact with Harry's weird neighbors, just on the off chance...

Harry's like. Not sure what's going on but he can sort of guess. And he agrees to send the letter. And then goes to Dumbledore and asks if uhhhhh hey, if it turns out his neighbors know Rex Fett and Miss Tano, and they're sort-of magic, can it be arranged for them to come to Hogwarts, or for Fett and Tano to go out to Little Whinging? Or something?

And that all happens, Ahsoka's 'enchanted object that makes her look human because being a Togruta on a planet that's never encountered extraterrestrials and is really human-centric is just a pain in the ass' gets turned off in the middle of the Great Hall when she sprints to Anakin, because if she's going to hug her brother and cry on him then she wants to look like herself, and Rex talks to Obi-Wan and looks very depressed, but Harry doesn't have any context about why (it's about Cody and if Cody made it and no he did not), and IDK that's where I peter out.

* Harry meant to talk to Dumbledore about the Skywalkers, but kind of missed the boat on that since he was a bit preoccupied with Being Angry About Voldemort Things, and also there was no hearing. This felt like a "have in person" conversation and Harry was meaning to get to it once at school.

[awkwardspontaneity]

Until The Battle Is Won

BOTW Link x GN!Sheikah!Reader

Final part of Memories of You!

Previous

AN: Hey everyone!! This is the final chapter of this story. I wanna thank everyone for sticking around with my lousy update schedule ':). Anyways, I've loved writing this story and I'm kind of sad to see it end but also I love this ending so much- even though it hurts. So grab some water, maybe a snack, some tissues, and strap in. This is long and pretty sad.

TW: gore, reader death, descriptive injuries

Summary:  The final battle is here. Hyrule is in ruins as Ganon tears through every defense they had and now, the final champions must protect their Princess in the race to deliver them to their destinies.

It was dark.

Link was running through the forest, another hand in his as Y/n led the way. Their white hair was a beacon amongst the trees as he surged to keep up with their gazelle-like pace. He was focused on keeping up with the Sheikah warrior when he felt the hand slip from his. Link skidded to a stop, shouting for Y/n over the pouring rain. He knelt in front of Zelda, watching as she dug her fists into the mud beneath her. “How did it come to this? The Divine Beasts. The Guardians. They’ve all turned against us. It was... Calamity Ganon.”

Y/n had made their way back to the pair, carefully falling to their knees beside Link. He felt their hand curl around his, sensing the turmoil in him. It was all falling apart around them. They had worked so hard, faced so many trials, and made so many friends. And it was all for nothing. The fight was stacked against them, so much so that even Link was feeling the knot in his chest. They all felt helpless.

“Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk…trapped inside those things...” the princess let out a heart-wrenching sob. “It’s all my fault!”

As Zelda cried into her hands, Y/n reached out to pull them back down, carefully pulling away the strands curled into her fists. When watery green eyes met red, the young Sheikah gave a pained smile. They linked hands with the princess and the knight, giving them both a firm squeeze. “I know it feels like we’ve already lost, like everything we’ve done has been for nothing. But we can’t think like that. We have the power of the master sword and the sealing light of the Goddess. As long as we hold our heads high and give this fight everything we have, Hyrule will survive this.”

“But I can’t use the sealing power!” Zelda pulled her hands away, fisting them in her dress to stop the shaking. Maybe if she weren’t such a failure, Hyrule wouldn’t be in danger. Her friends wouldn’t have to give their lives to face that monster. Why couldn't she do this one thing right! “I’ve tried everything and still I keep failing. Because of me they’ll die fighting the very beasts they were meant to pilot!”

“None of us can save them!” Y/n was looking down at the ground and, even through the rain, they could feel the tears sliding down their cheeks. “We can’t go back from where we are. We don’t have the time or the ability to save them from those beasts. So we must move forward. If we give up now… everything we went through…everything they are going through... it will be for nothing. And Hyrule will fall.”

Zelda surged forward, collapsing in her friend's arms. She clung to both as a sob tore from her throat. None of them could be strong. Not strong enough. Pressing his hand against Zelda’s back, Link reached out and placed a hand on Y/n’s arm. His voice was gruff, the stress and pain of what they were about to do- what they had already done, was too much for any person to bear. “All that we can do is keep fighting for their sake. We have to keep moving or we lose. We can win. We have to.”

He met Y/n’s eyes and they gave him a soft smile. They pressed their hand against his back and the princesses shoulder drawing both pairs of eyes to them. “No matter what happens, our friends will be by our side. Their wills become ours. And when you face down Ganon, you won’t be doing it alone. You’ll have the love and support of all your friends. All of Hyrule. So save your tears until the battle is won.”

Zelda sniffled, bringing a hand up to wipe at her cheek- not that it did much help with how muddy they had gotten from being on the ground. She wanted so badly to give into the crushing weight of everything that had happened. Just this morning she had held hope within her as she climbed mount Lanayru and now… she had lost everyone she loved. Her kingdom had fallen along with her father. All she had left sat here before her. Gazing at her with matching weight on their shoulders. They too felt the chains of destiny closing in around them. But they stood tall. These two bore the weight of the world without complaint and now, they placed their belief in her. The failure of a princess would not fail again. She refused to fail her friends. “Then we have no choice. We have to fight for them… and for each other.”

Y/n smiled at the princess, carefully pulling the trio together so their heads touched. “When this is over we can do as many crazy experiments as you want.”

Laughter bubbled up amongst the trio, smiles breaking through the tough exteriors they had adopted the closer Calamity had gotten. Each of them had suffered at the hands of destiny, and now they would face what could be their final battle.

Y/n choked back a sob as they thought of the sacrifices that had brought them to this point. The sacrifices they would need to make to save Hyrule. All they wanted was for their friends to be able to look over their homes with smiles. For the weights to finally be lifted from their shoulders and allow them to live their lives without the looming threats of their destinies. They knew the knight and the princess could never go forward after all that had happened since Calamity broke through but, if there was something they could do to protect those they had left, Y/n would do whatever it took.

Link watched his friends with a tightness in his chest. They were ready to face Calamity Ganon. He would protect them in the final battle and, when the time came, they would finally be free of the weight of Hyrule. He stood up, reaching a hand to the princess to pull her to her feet. Y/n placed their hand on his cheek, wiping with their thumb as he watched them. They gave a smile and he knew. They had confidence in him. He never viewed himself as a hero, no matter how many times his partner had called him one. But when Y/n looked at him it was like that pressure lifted. Like he really could defeat Ganon. And he would. No matter how long the fight lasted. To finally be able to spend his days doing what he wanted with the person he loved. To be free.

The trio took off again, heading towards the castle. Y/n stuck close this time so they could discuss battle plans with Link. They knew the most Guardians were in the fields near the castle so they would need to find a way past them. They couldn’t release the Guardians from the corruption so they would have to destroy them if they were spotted. The question was if they could destroy that many.

Y/n was starting to wish they had Robbie's anti-Guardian weaponry, even if they weren’t perfected.

------

The answer was no. They could not defeat the Guardians.

They had barely made it halfway through the fields before they were spotted. Once one Guardian had seen them, the rest followed. They were surrounded in seconds and, no matter how many Link and Y/n took down, it seemed like 5 more took their places. They were more than outnumbered. They were losing hope fast.

Y/n shot three bomb arrows into Guardians eyes, barely dodging blasts from two others. As the Guardians collapsed to the ground more followed. Mechanical limbs crushing their brethren to the ground with a deadly screech. They only cared to destroy the champions that stood below them. And it was starting to feel like they would.

Another blast echoed in Y/n’s ears and they felt the burn of the laser against their cheek. Too close! They knocked an arrow when the screech of metal sounded behind them. They barely managed to roll out of the way of a destroyed Guardian collapsing to the ground where they stood. They barely came up from the ground when they were knocked back down again.

“AHHH!”

Y/n could barely hear their scream over the shrieks of metal and the ringing in their ears. Flames crackled around them but the heat was nothing compared to the agony in their shoulder. They had been hit. Their skin still burned like thousands of needles pricking their way across their chest. They could feel nothing and everything at once. Like every nerve in their body was exposed and on fire. They couldn't focus, flames and metal blurring into one. It was over, wasn't it?

“-n… Y/n… Y/N!” Y/n felt the arms around them, a sob tearing through their throat as a hand brushed against the wound. Red eyes finally focused in on teary green orbs. It was only when their vision blurred did they realize tears were falling. The princess was crying too, shouting over the noise as the young Sheikah lay limp in her arms. Her hands slipped on the blood surrounding their shoulder and Y/n shot up with a silent gasp of agony.

“Y/N! You’re okay!”

Y/n stared at the princess in front of them. “Where’s Link?”

Zelda pointed to the center of the battle where the champion fought. Y/n shot to their feet, ignoring the pain that tore through them. They drew back their bowstring. “Whistle so he comes this way princess.”

She whistled as loud as she could and Link spun to the duo. His eyes widened as an arrow streaked past him and he took off. The champion slid behind the pile of fallen Guardians as the bomb arrow exploded. Dust and flames shot into the air creating a cloud over the battlefield.

Y/n ducked under the fallen Guardian with the others, heavy breaths escaping them all. It was only a moment. A single breath of time to plan their next move.

Link was the first to move, lunging forward to inspect his partner. He had seen them fall. Seen the princess holding them in her arms. And he had thought that was it. But here Y/n sat. Injured, but alive. And that was what mattered. That they were alive. He brushed hair away from their face with a shaky smile- honestly more of a grimace. He couldn’t find the words to explain his relief. How much he needed them and that he was happy they were okay, so he stuck with simple. “I love you.”

Y/n smiled back. They always knew what he meant, like they could read every thought in his head. They had felt it too. That moment of fear that they would never see each other again. But they were still here, giving him that goofy grin he loved so much. Despite their pain, Y/n was a rock- solid and unmovable. And they gave him hope. Y/n could smile at him and he could fight until his last breath. “I love you too.”

They sat in each other's arms, taking in the moment they had together. What could be their last moment with each other. Because Y/n had a plan.

“You have to go ahead without me.”

Y/n watched their friend’s faces morph to shock, then anger. Y/n knew they would fight the idea, but they had no choice. Even as their friends protested the idea, the Sheikah held up a hand. “If you and Zelda are to make it to the castle you need a clear path.”

“You can’t take on the Guardians alone!”

“It’s the only choice.”

“You said we fight together.” Y/n met Link’s eyes and they almost broke at the agony in them. They had never seen so much painted across his visage, the boy keeping a stoic face for the sake of his role. But here they were. There weren't enough words to describe the pain they both felt, physically and mentally. They were fighting on the losing side, and now they could lose each other? It was hard to see a point in the fight with so little left.

“Leaving you is my last choice… but I need you- both of you- to survive.”

“And what about you!?”

“I’M NOT THE CHOSEN ONE!” Y/n finally allowed the tears to fall. They didn’t matter. What mattered was guiding the chosen pair to Ganon. As long as Link and Zelda survived, they had completed their duty. Their life never mattered. It didn’t hold the same weight. Choking back their sobbing, Y/n tried to smile. They had their happy moments. Made friends. Fell in love. And now they had to fulfill their destiny. No matter how much it hurt. “Right now our destinies have to part ways… and I don’t know how long we’ll be apart. So I need you to keep fighting, even when I’m not beside you. Because together I know you can beat Ganon.”

“We shouldn’t have to leave you.” Tears were swimming in his cerulean eyes. The only thing that kept Link from crying was the promise he made. He wouldn’t cry until the battle was over. “I can’t lose you. You are my life… and I can’t live without you.”

“You can.” Y/n reached out, caressing his face in their hands. “You will… because I love you. I love you in this life, and the next, and every one that follows. I will stand by you until there isn’t a reason to fight and even then, I’ll stay with you. I. Love. You.”

Link surged forwards, pressing his lips against theirs. It was desperate. He needed to convey everything he felt in the few moments left. That they would stand together no matter what time they were in. They could be ripped apart or thrown through time, or even lose all their memories and they would still share this bond. As long as destiny brought them together, they would connect like perfect halves. They completed each other.

Link was the first to pull away, hands running through Y/n’s hair and over their face. It was like he was trying to memorize every detail about them. Like if he focused he could commit Y/n to memory. He needed to be able to find them again, even if it was only within his own thoughts.

“You need to go.” Y/n broke the trance, whispering the words neither of them wanted to hear.

They had to part ways.

Link pressed a final kiss to Y/n’s forehead before he stood up. Zelda lunged forward to hug the Sheikah, sobs escaping her. She squeezed so tightly Y/n had to bite their tongue to keep the whimper at bay as pain shot through their injuries. They would bare the pain for this moment with their friend. Pulling Zelda close to their form, Y/n whispered encouragement and thanks for their time together.

When Zelda pulled away, she wiped her tears before giving a grin. She may not hold the same belief in herself that the others did, but she would do what she could. She would hold onto the strength of her friends and use it as her weapon. Everyone had protected her for a reason. She would show them it was not in vain.

With their final goodbyes Link and Zelda took off, weaving through the corpses of Guardians. Y/n waited until they had reached the open fields before stepping out from their hiding spot and whistling. Mechanics whirred to life around them as Guardians rose to defense. Y/n drew back their arrows, white hot pain flaring as their shoulder stretched. This would be their final stand. They would give it their all, here and now, so their friends could go on.

The next few moments were a blur of exploding arrows, machines being crushed, and the blasts of lasers. Y/n couldn't keep track of how many times they had pulled back the string of their bow, loosing arrow after arrow in order to keep the masses of mechanical beasts focused on their being. They reached for their quiver once more, red eyes focused on the glowing eyes of the Guardians targeting them, only to come up empty. There were no arrows left.

There was no more hiding. All the Sheikah had left were the dual blades strapped to their side and the hope their speed would be fast enough to survive.

Y/n pulled out their blades, taking off towards the closest Guardian. They jumped up the front, thrusting their blade into its eye before flipping onto the next. The process of picking off Guardians continued as the Champion flipped and twisted their way through the masses of mechanical monsters.

Flipping off the top of a Guardian, the Sheikah noticed Guardians getting away from them. They had noticed the others! Y/n ran towards where their friends were and, in their panic, missed the giant arm heading their way.

CRUNCH

With a strangled cry, the Sheikah champion hit the ground. They tried to stand, curling in on themselves as they hit the ground again with a sob. There were too many. Y/n was exhausted. Everything hurt. So. Much.

Letting out a cough, Y/n felt a warm liquid trickle down their face. They could hear the Guardian closing in on them. The rest seemed to have lost interest when the champion fell, allowing this one to make sure it was for the last time. Propping themselves up, Y/n could see the red target on their chest. Mustering all the strength left in their body, they launched their sword at the Guardian. It struck the eye and, twitching in its failure, the beast fell. Unfortunately, this drew the rest of the Guardians back to the young Sheikah on the ground. Y/n fell back to the ground.

Thump.

Guardians picked their way over mounds of mechanical parts.

Thump.

Y/n closed their eyes.

Thump.

At least it didn’t hurt anymore.

BOOM!

Golden light erupted across the fields of Hyrule, extinguishing the flames and sucking the light from the Guardians deadly eyes.

It was warm.

Y/n smiled. Zelda had done it. She wasn’t a failure. She had unlocked her sealing powers and finally, Ganon would know defeat once more.

Y/n watched the clouds clear from the sky, stars beginning to light up the night. They supposed Ganon had pulled back from the golden aura. Maybe one day they could lay under the stars with Link. Swallowing the metallic taste of their blood the fallen warrior reached a hand up. They basked in the light of the stars twinkling above. It was like they were waving the champion up to their sides. As Y/n’s light faded, the stars grew brighter, blurring together into one light.

And with a soft breath, the Sheikah Champion allowed themselves to rest at last.

------

100 years later Link stood there watching over the fields of Hyrule. Calamity Ganon had finally been defeated. Zelda was safe as was Hyrule. The duo had made their way down from the wreckage of the castle, ready to begin their new adventure. They were free of their destiny, but the memories would follow with them forever. The Hylian Champion felt a tug and he spun back to face the castle. There above floated the spirits of his fellow Champions. Finally free from the corruption of Ganon and his malice beasts. But what stole the breath from his lungs was the spirit of the one he loved- Y/n- floating there with a grin on their face. Noticing him watching, they sent him a goofy wave, knocking their spectral arm against Revali. Link let out a snort. They never changed. Their lights began to dim as the Champions began to walk away leaving him to watch their final goodbyes. He smiled softly as he saw Y/n mouth ‘I love you’, a hand pressing against their heart, something he was quick to respond to. With one last wave, the Sheikah Champion faded away. And as Link watched the spirits of his friends- his love- fade into light, he let a tear fall quickly followed by more.

The battle was won.

[imanonymousfanfic]

How do you think the strawhat would be with a crewmate who has a cat (or like three) ?

I am so sorry this took so long to answer. I've had university deadlines.

Anyway

This is my personal take on the characters. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I had fun writing this. Thank you anon ❤️

Luffy would LOVE to have cats aboard!! Luffy would be giggling childishly after hearing the new crew mate has cats, unless that’s why he asked for them to join in the first place (no surprise there). Since it’s Luffy, and he’s oblivious as hell, he’ll probably do a couple things that would get them feisty, earning him a good cat fight. He’d end up looking like he does after Nami has a go at him. Luffy’s love will go on endlessly, as they’re not part of the StrawHat family. Before the cats can explore the ship, the idea of teaching the fur balls some “cool tricks” will come up, maybe even plotting to sneak some meat behind Sanji’s back. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t... probably not, knowing Luffy. He’s good company for them, a good partner to play with if he has a feather stick. You will find them resting on his belly as they both nap in the sun on Sunny's head. And without a doubt, ass will be kicked if a single whisker on their faces is touched out of malice.

For a brief second, Zoro will question the cats safety: traveling on water, but at the end of the day it’s not his problem… kinda. Despite his stiff “cool guy” exterior, the swords man would definitely jump in after any of the cuties that have gone over board. He will angrily mutter about their reckless climbing and playfulness as he rushes them out of the water. I mean he does the same for Luffy, so what’s new? He’d give them some small here and there, nothing too special. Their compatibility will really shine when they crawl all over the man during his meditation, they will have fun tapping at his gold earrings, and as much as he would like his silence, the cats company will make him smile. There’s no doubt about it, Zoro loves them, he just expresses his affection to his crew own way. They’re part of the family and their silly antics will make his night shifts a lot more entertaining.

Sanji will ban any cats from the kitchen right away, which is entirely understandable. Cats shed like crazy and don’t think about where their paws have been. They would knock over things carelessly, even on purpose at times when they want attention. That will irk Sanji. Should it ever happen, though, he’d take the opportunity to show off his cool moves in front of Robin and Nami. His envy would melt the man, seeing them curled up in the ladies laps too, but that’s just Sanji being himself. Since are respectable for the most part, and for this reason Sanji wouldn’t treat them any less than he would the rest of the crew. He’ll work hard on their meals, spoiling their little toe beans off.

Chopper will be the CUTEST with cats, he will be befriend them on an emotional level much faster than the others as he’s one himself. He’s in tune with them, and since he’s a doctor, he will be eager to pick up on veterinary studies to care for them. You will find him often studying their anatomy, even physically studying the little fur balls himself. He’d play with them lots, mostly with him originally chasing them, but knowing Chopper, they will turn that around. You’ll catch Chopper reading books with the cats crawling over him and covering his desk. An adorable sight to see.

Franky is definitely more a dog person, but he won’t reject the adorable purring of a cat. He’ll walk around with one or two of them perched on his shoulders, the height and the stability of Franky is a fun place to hang out. They see lots, and he’s a fun person. When not busy, Franky will take a moment to give out some pets, maybe even making some kissy noises at them. He’ll incorporate some kind of play pen or netted area so they can play safely. You’ll definitely catch him blubbering emotionally about them at some point. It’s Franky, after all, he’s a ginormous softie. When maintaining the ship, he’ll keep the cats locked away for their safety, all the heavy materials and tools could be dangerous, and the last thing he wants is them hurt while they get a little too curious. Let’s hope whenever they crawl over him, none of their claws have a scratch at his banana hammock.

100% Robin is a cat mom, calling it immediately. She’s elegant and has that cheekiness that cats posses too. She likes to soak up some sun, explore her surroundings to understand them better, and is intelligent with a talent in sneaking around. Robin confirmed to be a human-cat? All jokes aside, Robin’s companionship with the cats is calm, just like how many of them like it. They’d be spoiled with lap cuddles, and her devil fruit will make sure none of them are left feeling jealous. Her and Chopper will be often spotted hanging together, or helping the vet check ups.

For some reason, I have a hunch Brook is scared of cats and his hair would pop off seeing them. He’d jump behind one of the crew members, his bones rattling loudly as you hear his cheerful voice pronounce his fear. Luckily for him they’re not dogs, his femur would be gone in seconds if they were. He’d be nervous around the little things at first but with time he will open up to them. Seeing how the crew plays and cuddles with them will make him step out of his comfort zone, and next thing you know, they’re huddled around him as he plays the violin. Music, after all, is calming for cats. He will have his own furry fans to give him all of the love, which will warm his heart (if he had one).

Nami will think they’re super cute, but wouldn’t be quite as enthusiastic as some of the other crew members. That’s just Nami though. She’d definitely be cracking some skulls if you hurt any of them, and she’s a very protective cat mom. She might not be the super cuddly type, but she doesn’t care about them any less than the rest of the crew. She’d save a little bit of money on the side for some nicely made collars, which will be a BIG deal coming from her. They’d be gold plated, or something nice along the lines which is definitely her way of showing affection. No matter how cute they are, however, they won’t be caught in her cartography space - their paws are chaotic and Nami needs her maps to be pristine. As cute as inky paw prints are, she rather not have them.

Usopp will talk to the cats a lot, befriending them like they’re any other person. Even though they can’t understand him or his exaggerated stories, they’re entertained by him no matter what. He’s enrapturing, able to hold their gaze as they get lost in his enthusiastic tone. They sure feel playful around him too, his goofy behaviour is exactly what they need, but they might end up chasing him across the ship with how much a coward he can be at times. With his ingenious building skills, he’d take the time to make them some cool toys, a crazy laser, a feather toy, who knows what Usopp has up his sleeve. Oh, the ideas are endless and Usopp’s designs will be spoiling their tails off. If only Sniper King is able to see how adorable they are… *wink-wink, nudge-nudge*

As I’m not fully caught up and his character to me is still quite hard to write about, I will try to capture Jinbe to my best understanding of him.

I imagine him to find great companionship with cats, understanding their free will, but sense of loyalty they have. Unlike dogs, who are loyal to nearly anyone, a cats sense of loyalty is out of a devoted love they choose to share. Jinbe holds a similar integrity with the relationships he choose to be a part of. Naturally their natures of being are opposites, as he’s a fish man, strongest when in water, while cats run from it. They share a wholesome companionship. If it isn’t Zoro first in the water to save them, Jinbe will be the next to be a kitty rescuer.

[project-paranoia]

Let’s Watch: Yin Yang Master: Dream of Eternity

I have watched this movie 85 Whole Entire Times and I do not regret.  The only thing wrong with this movie is that it wasn't a fifty episode series.  I cried, I laughed, I fell in love.  The cinematography is on point, the acting is amazing, the crew member who put snow on people's eyebrows did an amazing job, and the acting!  The subtlety, the gentleness, the love and affection, the discussion of race is one of the best I've ever seen.

As people have pointed out before in series like X-Men that fear of mutant's is practically if not thematically justified due to the laser eyes in a way that fear of ethnic minorities just isn't in real life.  In Dream of Eternity however humans are equally if not sometimes more super powered than the yao they hunt.  Demons - very much not in the Christian sense - are a mixture of spirits, resentful souls, and animals and plants who cultivated to human form.  They often appear human at first glance and in some cases the extent of their power seems to be the limited to turning into a smaller more vulnerable animal.  Qingming's deliberate care and gentleness not only reflects his upbringing as a Yin Yang Master, but parallels the experience of racial minorities labelled as aggressive.

The movie takes particular care as well in the way it looks at trauma, grief, and love.  The three of which haunt the main characters and send out ripple effects into the world around them.  In the world of Dream of Eternity no loss is purely private, it spools out into the world around the person effected until they make an effect to acknowledge and deal with their experiences.  Qingming's warmth and gentleness isn't just marked by his behaviour but by the orange light he's lit by and his variety of shishen - but he is also separate, standing alone in frame and facing away from the people around him.  Boya's loss has made him unforgiving and as cold as the blue light he's lit in, and yet he is open and instinctive, talking and acting as soon as the thought enters his head.  The Empress is lost and drifting, trapped and grief stricken, vulnerable to those who profess to love her.  The film is simple, it says and shows what it means when it means it - but it is also as complex as the very human characters it depicts.  

The movie is made even more complex by its pull from theaters.  Claims of plagiarism drench the edges of the movie, which as true as the assertion that Fan BingBing went on a spa vacation in 2018.  Although this blog is about Chinese censorship dealing specifically with BL content, Chinese censorship also effects those who criticize governmental policy.  I hope that supporters of this blog will also support Chinese media threatened by censorship for many reasons so that artists and others involved in film making can continue to make meaningful content.

Doing a watchthrough of a movie is not feasible, but please enjoy a few thousand words - with spoilers on Yin Yang Master included:

* That gentle chiming and rain soundscaping is so soothing, what a great way to calm and lull the audience before the movie even starts * Qingming is so small and isolated in the frame - cinema! * The lighting and cinematography is just so good * Shifu, soft gentle teacher * So much love stored in the Shifu * Instant grow * This boy is Sassy * This theme of deflection in Qingming's character is established early * Deflection with a teleportation portal and then immediately deflection verbally * Shifu is certainly an attractive man aged up, but his face is also soft and gentle, something to note when his double pops up later * Also the awkward question of don't you have someone you want to protect, maybe part of the problem is that shifu is just really bad at wording things * The answer that yes he does has several meanings, one of which is immediately apparent when Shifu acts out one of those Father Saves Child By Yeeting them youtube videos * ACtion MuSIC * I love them your honour * The spirit guardian's design is so specific and elegant, absolutely superb you funky little shishen * I wonder if Qingming ever thinks about that if he didn't come back with all his fellow disciples that Shifu would have been fine * Maybe it's not that he doesn't have someone he wants to protect and more that he believes that he's not capable of protecting those he wants to * subtle indication Shifu's qi is corrupted * Precious Magic Childe ;-; * The framing, I'm living for it * The Serpent graphic is lovely * Also the way they set things up * Qingming cares so much about his shifu * Mark Chao just has the ability to crumple his face like paper * Sad Time exposition involving the corrupting influence of desires * "When you're gone I'll be all alone" in just about all you need to know about Qingming at this point in the story * Also like, sympathy for Shifu in raising this lonely child.  By all accounts he was an absolutely superb father figure, and Qingming I'm sure was not an easy child to raise.  He's the sort of kid that would take a lot of calm and patience. * Slumber party! * It's kind of interesting that this is an activity Fangyue and He Shouyue are doing together.  He's definitely obsessed and in love with her and she's just doing friends and family activities with him * Also yellow/gold lighting is kind of their thing * It's interesting how they do the make up for He Shouyue.  The actor is very attractive, but they make him up to look doll like, a little too pretty, a little too shiny.  Like a porcelain doll. * Cool lit Boya and warm lit Qingming appear! * Camels! * The framing is so good, they're careful to be sure he's shown as obviously isolated as much as possible * And it should go without saying that I adore the City * The matte painting is outstanding * But there's also the lighting, the vignettes, the clusters, the foliage * It is a supremely beautiful set * The irony that Killing Stone is playing along with Boya's music and then it's Boya who kicks him around * A small note, but one I appreciate - even when Boya has warm highlight's they're red instead of orange * "It's Jason Bourne!" * I hope Qingming paid for that water taxi * It's interesting how Killing Stone goes from the safety of Qingming's orange light to the danger of Qingming's blue * Colour related foreshadowing! * Look at this poor sweet man, how could anyone suspect him of anything.  He's just a sad man who loves his dead wife * Qingming's use of a fan is interesting - battle fans show up all over wuxia and xianxia, but it feels like it also ties into the way he's so very careful in how he presents himself.  There's that quote that a sword can only be a sword but other weapons are also able to serve other purposes - not a perfect quote but the point is got across. * The way Qingming just knocks Boya back, like get An Clue, my dude * The way that Killing Stone curls around the pipa ;-; * So the movie is based on the book series 'Onmyoji' by Yumemakura Baku.  The books start with Seimei (Qingming) and Hiromasa (Boya) already in a relationship talking about various cases Seimei has recently experienced.  Plotwise, obviously the stories are different, however thematically Seimei and Hiromasa discuss why some yao stick around and solutions to the difficulties and dangers they might cause - which is generally from Seimei's very successful perspective to listen and treat them like humans.  So in that way the plots of the books and the movie are quite different, but the themes are just about identical. * Boya says Don't Talk Me I Angy and also that demons don't have feelings and Qingming's face takes out a billboard that's just like Ah, Another Fantasy Racist, Excellent * Qingming also does what should be done in this situation, taking care of the victim not the racist * Fight scene!  Fight scene! * Qingming's first few moves aren't to attack, they're to distract and just hold his fan up to block Boya's way and his view - it's only when Boya persists in attacking that Qingming fights back * Qingming's sassy smile, he is very much deliberately irritating Boya as much as he's refocusing his attention and distracting him * "nICE sWORD" * I've sighed that sigh before * This boy is taking great pleasure from teasing Boya, but also he makes a really good point * I understand and relate to what Qingming did, but also I can understand why Boya was ready to throw rocks at Qingming when he saw him again * Killing Stone lit in Qingming's orange light again * Killing Stone, my beloved * A good gauge to the state of the world for yao is no one has told this sweet boy before that demons have feelings too * There are several lines like this in the movie that just drop kick you with Implications * The same way Qingming clung to Zhongxing, Killing Stone wants to join up with Qingming to have some compassion in his life * The way he asks to be a spirit guardian is so formal too, and Qingming is so gentle with him, I cry ;-; * The warm orange light of Qingming's love ;-; * He heals the wounds * It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realise it's the actual imperial degree speaking and not one the of Jingyun Temple Masters * The mutual this guy again is delicious * "Is it because of your pretty face" * Boya draws his sword so fast and Qingming is so amused by it * Longye!  Queen!  I love her! * The two of them seem to understand each other instantly * Those sassy little smiles * He Shouyue looks even more like a doll than before * Longye has her head on a swivel from second one, she plays the Maiden so well like she's not a skilled master * And her customer service smile * Qingming is shooketh

* What happens next?  You'll have to watch and find out!

[yugirl]

Day 18: “This Wasn’t in the Rule Book.”

Crossovers, coffee shops, and canon divergence collide today in the wonderful world of AU! Go nuts.

((Magical girl au? Magical girl au! @pridewhatpride my love?? This is for you!))

~~~~~~~~~

I gritted my teeth and looked up with fear and dread. It was no use… the Light of Destruction was so strong and so powerful.

Jaden was struggling to get up; Bastion was struggling to breathe; Jesse couldn’t move.

But… I couldn’t let it end like this…

“Yellow… Green… Black…” I whispered. My spirit partners appeared and looked in concern.

“What are you gonna do, boss…?!” Yellow squeaked.

“I’m going to keep fighting with everything I have… but I understand if you three don’t… if you want to run… now’s your chance….”

Jaden seemed to see what I was doing and summoned Winged Kuriboh.

“Chazz is right… just because we’re going to keep fighting doesn’t mean you guys have to… so if you want to get out of here, then go….”

Bastion grunted, “there’s no need for you to put yourself at risk if you don’t want to Pikeru… go….”

Jesse looked at the Crystal Beasts. “I’m with them… you’ve all been by my side from start to finish, but I want you to be safe….”

“YOU'RE INSANE!!” Yellow squawked.

“Huh?”

“Sure, I may be a scaredy-cat, but I’m not backing down when we’re this close to the finish line!!”

Green nodded in agreement. “Yeah!! If you’re gonna keep fighting, boss, then we are too!!”

“That’s right!! Brothers stick together!!” Black added.

I couldn’t help but smile “thanks, you guys….”

Winged Kuriboh seemed to mewl in protest as well, nuzzling against Jaden and assuring he was staying.

“Thanks, Pal…” Jaden smiled.

“Yeah! If you losers even think you’re fighting without us, think again!” Pikeru said smugly.

“Thanks, Pikeru…” Bastion chuckled and patted her head.

“Your friends are right, Jesse….” Topaz Tiger nodded.

“we’ve all come so far together, and as you said, we’ve been here from start to end. But it’s not the end yet….” Amythest Cat added.

Jesse teared up and nodded. “Thank you!!”

I used my lighting spear to help myself stand up before turning to help the others up one at a time…

“If this really is the end… I just want you to know…I… I love you guys….” I muttered.

Jaden teared up and nodded. “I love you too!”

Bastion wrapped an arm around Jaden to comfort him. “I love you all as well….”

Jesse teared up too and pulled us all into a hug. “I love you all too!! Thank you so much for staying with me and helping me complete my mission!!”

We hugged each other for the longest time, our hearts burning… no, they weren’t burning; they were glowing.

“What is this!?” I gasped

“Could this be… a new power?” Jesse wondered.

Suddenly four rainbow coloured crystals appeared, a star, a gem, a heart and a diamond.

“This isn’t anything like the rainbow dragon….” Bastion whispered

“That’s because it’s not!” Jaden explained, “I can feel it… this is our power!!”

I looked to my friends… the three boys I met on this journey, and the spirit partners who stuck with us. This indeed was the final battle.

“Everyone… LET’S GO!!”

“Right!!”

The rainbow crystals resonated with each of us. The power was overwhelming.

All of us ascended into the sky,

“SUMMON RAINBOW DUEL SPIRIT FUSION!!”

Thanks to the rainbow crystals, we transformed one last time into new, more powerful forms. It was time.

The light of destruction couldn’t believe that we were still fighting. It thought it had destroyed us once and for all.

“No matter what happens, we’ll always keep fighting to protect those we love!!” Jesse declared

“We want to live and pursue the future!!” Jaden added

“Destruction may always exist, but creation and life are needed to maintain balance!” Bastion stated

“And that’s why we can’t bow down to the likes of you!!” I pointed my spear at him. “We will defeat you once and for all!!”

Jaden charged in first, his new gauntlets glowing with power.

The light of destruction fired a laser towards us in response, but Jaden was having none of it.

“レインボー　コスミククラシ!!”

“RAINBOW COSMIC CRUSH!!”

He punched through it, blasting the light in different directions, leaving earth and us unharmed.

The light was baffled. It couldn’t comprehend this power.

“My turn!!”

Bastion flew towards the light and readied his throwing knives.

“レインボータイダルブラスト!!”

“RAINBOW TIDAL BLAST!!”

The knives surged through space, pinning the light to the spot and rendering it helpless as the power of the elements coursed through it. It had nowhere to run now.

Jesse went next, readying his sword. He was ready to avenge everyone and everything the light had ever hurt.

“レインボークリスタルストリーム!!”

“RAINBOW CRYSTAL STREAM!!”

The rainbow light burst from his sword and started to break the light up. It tried to escape, but it had me to deal with.

“THIS IS FOR EVERYONE YOU’VE MANIPULATED AND HURT!!”

I raised my spear high into the air, Channeling my lightning powers.

“レインボーデルタサンダー!!”

“RAINBOW DELTA THUNDER!!”

The light screamed in pain and agony. It wasn’t done. It conjured up his power for one final attack, but we knew it was on its last legs.

“EVERYONE WITH ME!!”

We gathered together, and with the power of our bond, our weapons fused together, creating a brand new weapon—the Miracle Rainbow Spear.

“Impossible!!” The light snapped, “don’t you know if you use all your power, the worlds will be separated!?”

“Even so… I have a sworn duty to protect both this world and the spirit world…” Jesse reflected “, my friends have shown me the true importance of being the crystal protector, and I will always treasure that… I will never forget that even if we are separated!!”

“People come and go… that’s an unfortunate part of life… but I will not cry when it’s over….” Bastion felt a grin grow on his face, “I will smile because I’ll remember every precious memory we’ve given each other!!”

“No matter what comes between us, we will always be together no matter where we are in one world or another….” Jaden added, holding back tears. “OUR FOUR HEARTS WILL ALWAYS BEAT AS ONE!!”

“It’s funny… when this journey began, I didn’t want anything to do with these guys… but now I don’t want this adventure to end….” I smiled “but I know they’re right!! No matter what happens, we’ll always be together!! I’ll never forget any of this and the friendships we made!!”

Our hearts beat as one as the spear resonated with us. It was time to end this.

“ミラクルレインボーレフラクション!!”

“MIRACLE RAINBOW REFRACTION!!”

The bright colour exploded from the spear charging towards the light, eliminating the white completely

“Stop it!! It’s too bright!! Stop it!!”

I screamed as I thrust the spear forward, charging with one last burst of energy.

“IMPOSSIBLE…. I AM THE LIGHT I AM ALL POWERFUUUUUL” piece by piece it was disintegrated

It was over…he was gone…

The four of us floated through space, relieved it was all over.

“Y’all… thank you so much for your help… I can’t believe it’s all over….” Jesse sighed

“Yeah…” I smiled. “I’m glad we were able to save everyone….”

“Now humans and duel spirits and live in peace….” Jaden nodded

“Indeed, a happy ending all round”, Bastion chuckled.

Suddenly Jesse and the duel spirits started glowing.

“Huh!? Jesse, what’s happening!?”

“It’s time, guys… I’m going back to the spirit world….”

“N-now!? But I thought we had more time!! I thought we’d at least spend more time together!!” Bastion gasped

“Sorry, y’all… I don’t make the rules, my missions over, and now it’s time to go home….”

“You can’t go, Jesse!! There’s still so much I wanted to do!!”

“Jesse, please!! We love you!!”

“I love y’all too!! But remember what we said… we’ll always be together… no matter what… we’ll see each other again… I know it!!”

Winged Kuriboh flew over to Jaden, who eagerly hugged him. “I’ll miss you too, Winged-Kuriboh!”

“I’m gonna miss you!!” Pikeru sobbed

“I’ll miss you too, Pikeru….” Bastion sighed and patted her head “don’t forget me, alright?”

“I don’t think I could ever forget a loser like you….” Pikeru giggled before flying in to hug him.

“BOOOOOOSS!!”

I pulled the Ojamas into a tight hug. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was going to miss them a lot.

“We love you, boss!!”

“I… I love you guys too… take care now, alright…?”

I slowly let go, and the Duel Spirits flew back to Jesse, all returning to their world while we returned to ours…

I don’t remember much after that… the months sort of flew by, and I graduated high school. Bastion left to work with Professor Eisenstein, Jaden disappeared after graduation… That was the last I saw of th-

“That can’t be the end!!”

“Huh?” I looked down to my oldest daughter “what do you mean, Aurora?”

“That can’t be how it ends!!” Aurora protested, “did you really get separated forever!?”

“That’s so sad!!” Rosalie, my second daughter, nodded.

“Uh-huh!” My son Damien agreed.

“Well, I said we got separated. I never said forever….” I mumbled

“S-so, did you get to see each other again?” Rosalie asked.

“I don’t know….” I pulled my kids onto my lap and hugged them “do you want us to see each other again?”

“I do, I do!”

I chuckled and hugged them all close. “Maybe we’ll see each other again….”

I heard the door open and the sound of tired shuffling.

“Oh, let’s see who’s home!!”

Aurora jumped up first and dashed out the door, seeing the three exhausted adults.

“DADDY! PAPA! MOM!”

“Hey, Aurora!” Jesse grinned and picked her up, giving her the biggest hug.

Rosalie ran over to Bastion and hugged him tightly. She was always a papa’s girl.

Damien and I chuckled and walked over to Jaden, both greeting him with a kiss on the cheek.

“How was work?”

“Oh, you know the usual!” Jaden smirked.

I walked over to Jesse and wrapped my arms around him, planting a firm kiss on his lips.

“Mmm, that’s nice! What was that for?” Jesse grinned

“I just missed you a lot today….” I smiled.

Well, it seemed to work. The kids wanted us to meet up again. And we did.

[tanyawritesstories]

Frozen Possibilities | The Mandalorian x Reader pt.4

The next chapter in the Frozen Series! This is the longest fic I've ever written to date. It's starting to pick up now. Spoiler for next chapter: y'all are in for it 😎

Word count: 6.7K

Warnings: fluff, so much yearning!!!, the usual violence, Din has feelings???

•••

Corvus was finally in sight after the long detour they had taken. Y/N had been flying and woken Din up when the planet was in sight. It appeared to be a dull forest planet from space but it could be a whole different story on the surface.

You never told me what we’re doing here.

Din watched her sign and considered her question. She’d already been shot at and chased because of him, might as well let her in on the rest too. “There’s supposed to be a Jedi here that I need to find,” he said. She looked inquisitive.

Which Jedi?

He turned his chair slightly to look at her. The child playing on the control panel next to him. "Do you know of more?"

Only by name. My mother told me stories about them.

"What do you know?" He asked. He wanted any information he could get. She made sure she had his full attention before signing away.

They were peacekeepers. During the Clone Wars they were soldiers, when the Empire took over they were slaughtered. She told me they used powers like our children have and carried colored laser swords for weapons. Apparently she knew a couple of them.

"Who was your mother? How did she know all this?" Din asked. She looked insecure and shy after he asked the question, he would go so far as to say she looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-” She smiled dismissing him with a wave of her hand.

It’s alright, it just upsets me to talk about her.

“Well, if you have any useful information on the Jedi, feel free to share..if you want,” he said, swiveling his chair back. “I’m going to start the landing sequence, you should buckle up." Y/N nodded and plucked the child off the control panel, sitting him in his seat and buckling him up. She sat in the other seat and secured herself in. Mandi was secure in Din’s bunk, sound asleep.

Din was pleased with his landing this time, just as smooth as usual. He descended into the hull with the kid and thought about his plan of attack. He decided not to take his jetpack and bring his pulse rifle instead, slinging it onto his back. He opened the ramp and took his first step on Corvus. The forest planet looked more like a wasteland than anything and was eerily quiet except for the low bellows of animals off in the distance.

He turned around at the sound of footsteps, seeing the child and Y/N walking down the ramp. He sighed. “You should stay here, I don’t know what’s out there,” he told her.

I’ll be fine.

She signed to him and he sighed again. He didn’t want to argue with her but he didn’t want her to get hurt.

Jedi are peaceful, they won’t hurt us.

“Fine, but stay close to me,” he said. The child plopped down on the ramp and Din noticed he had the metal sphere from one of his levers in his hands. “What did I say about that,” he said, bending down to take it from him. “This needs to stay in the ship.” He tucked the sphere into his belt and looked around, bending down to pick up the child and place him in his carry bag. “Let’s go into town and see if we can pick up a lead.”

Y/N followed close to Din looking around in wonder, Mandi was once again slung across her chest in her wrap. Din had flown over the town on the way in, the entire thing was surrounded by a large wall. It would be intimidating to a normal person, but for Din it just raised questions. Why did they need it? Were they keeping something in or keeping something out? He saw the guards on the top of the wall, he didn’t know what they were but a normal human man stood with them.

“State your business,” he called down from the wall. Din kept the child tucked out of sight behind his arm and Y/N held Mandi close. “Been tracking for a few days, looking for a layover,” Din announced. The man complimented Din’s armor, asking if he was a hunter. Din confirmed his guild allegiance and the man huffed, seemingly finding something funny. “Haven’t known many with families,” he mused. Din wanted to roll his eyes this time. How many times were people going to assume the same thing? He heard her shuffle beside him. “My assistant, she’s the bait when I need her to be,” Din replied. The man looked unamused and Din heard Y/N stifle a laugh from next to him.

“Open the gate.”

Inside the walls, villagers silently milled around going about their daily tasks, seemingly with little to no interaction with each other. He looked to Y/N as they walked, the expression on her face gave away her thoughts.

Something isn’t right here.

Din saw a vendor nearby and decided to ask the woman if she knew anything. He only got a couple of words out before she unexplainably walked away without a word. He turned and looked at Y/N and saw she was as confused as he was. He spotted a man in a nearby alley, helping two children with something. Din approached him instead, asking for information. The man looked between Din and Y/N, noticing their children. “Please, don’t speak to them, or to any of us,” he pleaded. Din tried to persist but was cut off by two guards behind him. “The Magistrate wants to see you,” one of them said. Their voices sounded mechanical to Y/N but they moved too fluidly to be droids. Din ushered her to follow him.

“The Magistrate only asks to see the hunter,” the guard clarified. Din squared his shoulders and stood firm. “Wherever I go, they go,” he said firmly. “Affirmative,” the guards acquiesced. Din motioned for her to follow and she glued herself to his side. The guards escorted them to the inner gate. There were electric cages standing with three unfortunate villagers trapped inside. Din looked to one who pleaded for help, he knew there was nothing he could do. He felt something touch his hand and realized that Y/N had taken his hand in hers. He looked over at her and saw the fearful look in her eyes, her hand was shaking as he held it.

She was scared.

He squeezed her hand and held it tightly in his, reassuring her that she was safe and he would protect her. The gates opened and the duo walked in. Inside the inner gate was a stark contrast to the rest of the town. It was peaceful, a wide walkway separated two ponds and trees grew throughout the area. A woman in a maroon garb stood halfway down, a small bowl in her hand as she tossed food to some creatures in the water. The gates closed behind them, causing Y/N to flinch.

“Come forward,” the woman spoke. Din looked to his companion. “Wait here,” he whispered. He walked out to meet the Magistrate, Y/N not letting go of his hand until he was too far away. She watched as the woman asked about him, giving him an offer. Din countered, not knowing what she might be asking him to do.

“A Jedi plagues me, I want you to kill her.”

Y/N was taken aback by the Magistrate’s words. Kill a Jedi? Why? “That’s a difficult task,” Din stated. She seemed to have faith in him, probably because he was all she had at the moment. Din disregarded her words about the Jedi and Mandalore, instead restating that he required high payment. The woman reached her arm out behind her and a droid approached, holding a metal staff which it placed in her hands.

“What do you make of this?” She said, holding it out for Din to inspect. He walked closer and took the spear from her hands, looking it over. It looked awfully familiar. He tested his theory and knocked it against his vambrace. The resounding noise was a pleasant and loud, but not ear piercing, ring. It was more like music than anything. “Beskar,” He confirmed out loud. “Pure Beskar,” she added, “like your armor.” She then went on to promise it to him if he could kill the offending Jedi. Din knew something wasn’t right, he had to choose his words carefully, he didn’t want to secure a deal he wasn’t sure he could commit to.

“Where do I find this Jedi?” He asked, handing the spear back to her. The woman looked pleased with his answer and told him the last known location of their enemy. The man they had seen on top of the wall earlier led them out to the gate. “What is that thing?” The man asked, looking at the child in his bag near Din's hip. He blurted whatever he thought of first. “I keep it around for luck,” he said. “You’re gonna need it where you’re headed,” the man assured. Din looked around before he and Y/N began walking to their new destination.

~~~~

They trudged through the deforested, barren land looking for any clues. Din had unshouldered his pulse rifle and held it in his right hand, ready for anything to happen at any moment as they approached the coordinates the Magistrate had given them. “This is it,” Din announced, “keep your eyes open.” She nodded and continued looking around while making sure she didn’t trip over the occasional tree root sticking out of the ground.

So far they hadn’t found anything. A noise in the distance alerted the both of them and they froze. “You hear that?” She nodded, keeping still. “Stay right here, let me see what’s out there,” he said, raising his scope up to his helmet and surveying their surroundings. He found only animals in the distance to be the source of the ruckus. “False alarm,” he said. The second after he said that a figure jumped down from behind him, attacking him with two glowing swords of light. He vaguely heard Y/N let out a noise akin to a scream.

He parried several of her strikes, her laser swords deflected easily by his Beskar vambraces. Din panicked and activated his flamethrower, sending her back a bit, and tying her with his whipcord after. That was a mistake. She leaped into the air and over a tree branch, lifting him into the air. Din cut the cord quick before the Jedi got free and landed on the ground, pulling his blaster on the woman just as she cut herself free and turned to face him.

“Ahsoka Tano!” He shouted, holding his other hand up, hoping to deter her. “Bo-Katan sent me,” he said, taking a few wary steps back. “We need to talk.” She looked from him to the woman and child behind him a bit. Y/N was standing partially in front of his little one, shielding him with her body, she looked terrified. “I hope it’s about him.” She said, deactivating her swords. She seemed to be friendly once she saw the child, and Y/N slowly moved aside as Ahsoka and Din walked over. She wanted a few minutes with the child and Y/N and Din stood several feet away watching as the sun set and darkness enveloped the planet.

~~~~

It felt like hours that Ahsoka was sat with the child while Din and Y/N waited. She could tell Mando was nervous by his non-stop pacing back and forth. Mandi had grown tired of the action and fallen asleep in her wrap. Y/N watched the pacing Mandalorian, wondering what he was thinking. Ahsoka hadn’t spoken a single word and the child hadn’t made much noise, yet they sat facing each other as if they were having an entire conversation. Was it something to do with their unique powers? If so, could Mandi hear them?

After a while Ahsoka picked the little one up and brought him closer, meeting Din halfway between them. She set her lantern on the ground and the child on a rock before taking a seat herself. Y/N stayed a few feet behind Din and watched as Ahsoka nodded, as if she was agreeing with something the child had said.

“Is he speaking? Do you understand him?” Din asked, his voice laced with curiosity. Ahsoka folded her hands under her cloak. “In a way,” she said, “Grogu and I can feel each other’s thoughts.” Y/N cocked her head and Din repeated the name. The child instantly perked up, hearing his father say his name for the first time. “That’s his name,” she confirmed. Din tried out the name again, his child having the same response immediately, cooing up at his father.

Ahsoka began telling them of Grogu’s life, that he was raised and trained by other Jedi on Coruscant, and when the Empire took over that he was taken and hidden away. Somebody protected him. His memories were dark after that, he couldn’t remember much. Din had taken a seat on a rock opposite Ahsoka, listening to every word. Y/N leaned against the same rock, listening and trying to make sense of what she was telling them.

“Can he still wield the Force?” Ahsoka asked. “You mean his powers?” Din questioned. “The Force is what gives him his powers,” she clarified. “It is an energy field, created by all living things. To wield it takes a great deal of training, and discipline.” That made Y/N confused. Grogu had training in the past so it made sense that he could use his powers so well. Mandi was only a few weeks old, how was she able to use the same power? Did Mandi even know she was doing it? Evidently Y/N wasn’t the only one wondering about it.

“What about her?” Din asked motioning back to Y/N and the baby. “She’s only a few weeks old, but wields the same powers.” Ahsoka turned her attention to the mother and child and Y/N took a few steps closer. “May I see her?” Ahsoka asked. Y/N was hesitant, but walked over and gently took Mandi out of her wrap, placing her in Ahsoka’s arms. She held the little girl, watching Mandi's face morph into complete calm. Ahsoka just stared at the baby for several minutes, Din wondered if she was having the same conversation as she had with his son.

"Her brain is developing much faster than a normal human's," Ahsoka finally said. "Beyond that, she's perfectly normal. You've been good parents." Din held back the urge to sigh. "I'm, I'm not her father.." he said. Ahsoka looked over at him with a knowing glance, as if she held information he didn't. "She says you are."

Din's eyes widened under his helmet and he was at a loss for words. Mandi thought he was her dad? Perhaps he had been right before, the one time she saw him without the helmet he had imprinted on her. It was simply how her little mind worked. She hadn’t known her real father, Din was that man for now.

“Her husband was killed a few months ago, I’m merely her transportation.” Din explained, motioning to where he knew Y/N was standing behind him. Ahsoka could feel more than see the sadness that washed over Y/N at his words. She clearly didn’t agree with his words, or she wished they were different.

Ahsoka held Mandi out and Y/N took her back into her arms. She studied her child, barely hearing the conversation Din was having with Ahsoka. What could have prompted her to be born with such powers? No one in Y/N’s family had ever wielded powers like that before, she’d only seen a Force sensitive once. He appeared a normal human being, nothing about him had set him apart from the others. She only found out later that he was known as a Jedi, a powerful user of a rare mystical power which she had never seen manifested. Now her own daughter held that same power, as well as the child of the man she was slowly falling for…

~~~~

Ahsoka had told Din that she would “test” the kid today, whatever that implied. She led the rest of them to a spot in the forest, Din carrying Grogu and Y/N carrying Mandi. Ahsoka instructed Din to set his child down on a rock while she thought up a challenge. Y/N knew she had no reason to be involved and hoisted herself up on a large rock to observe. Din stood off to the side, knowing it was up to the kid now.

Ahsoka chose a small stone from the ground and held it out for the child to see, she turned her palm out and the stone floated through the air towards the child. The other three in the group watched in awe as the stone moved fluidly through the air with nothing supporting it, levitating into the child’s awaiting hands. Ahsoka smiled softly and asked for the stone back. The child seemed confused, or shy. It was hard to tell. Did he actually know what he was doing?

“He doesn’t understand,” Din assumed. “He does,” Ahsoka corrected. The child still looked apprehensive, as if Ahsoka was asking him to do something unfathomable. Was it simply that difficult to use this strange power? Din tried to provide encouragement by jerking his head in Ahsoka’s direction, but it did no good. Grogu dropped the stone and Din sighed, of all the times he had used his power, this was the one time he was refusing to use it.

Ahsoka strode over and crouched in front of the child, taking his hand and closing her eyes. She appeared to be searching for something. “I sense much fear in you..” she said. Y/N watched with curiosity as the Jedi called Din over to stand by her and asked him to try the same thing. Din’s first attempt was laughable and Y/N let out a snort of laughter that had Ahsoka smirking in the other woman’s direction. Ahsoka leaned closer, reminding him to use the child’s name before giving them space and leaning against a rock.

Din tried again, this time calling Grogu by his name. Din had his attention, but Grogu wasn’t buying this whole rock-moving gig. He only asked once and immediately gave up, it was no use. The kid was more stubborn than even Din, perhaps he’d picked up a few bad habits from traveling with the Mandalorian.. He looked over at Ahsoka who urged him to try and be more understanding, to connect with the child. He noticed Y/N signing from behind Ahsoka.

Be patient, level with him.

He concentrated, a thought popping into his head. He retrieved the metal sphere that the child had tried to bring with from his belt, twisting it in his hand. “Grogu,” he called softly. “Do you want this?” He crouched down, holding the sphere out in front of him. He certainly had Grogu’s attention now, he knew the child loved the ball and would do almost anything to get it. Grogu had his hand held out in front of him, his little face scrunched up with effort as his father encouraged him.

The ball suddenly flew from Din’s hand straight into the child’s tiny palm. Enthusiastic words of praise spilled from Din’s mouth as he strode over to the child, elated with how well he did, and proud too. Despite the positive result of her test, Ahsoka seemed put down, noting Grogu’s apparent attachment. “I cannot train him,” she finally declared. The ensuing argument between Ahsoka and the Mandalorian had Y/N becoming concerned. What feelings was Ahsoka speaking of? Were Jedi that powerful that simple emotions could destroy them? Most importantly, what was the option now?

Y/N had always been told there were two sides to everything: good and bad, light and dark, the Republic and the Empire. She’d always been forced to choose a side, she was sure it was even more forceful for the Jedi. While Y/N had always chosen the better option, the light and freedom, what about others? What was it like to be in the middle, to not have a side, to not have to worry about who ruled the galaxy? Truth be told she had never known that life until she had met her husband and settled on Tatooine, but there she felt like she was missing out. Like she had been stuck in a corner, albeit a lovely corner, and forced to watch as the action and interest passed by. She wanted to be like Mando, a drifter in between the light and dark. Y/N didn’t want a life of black and white anymore, she wanted grey. Currently the grey she was seeking, happened to be gleaming a Beskar silver.

~~~~

Din had agreed to help Ahsoka with freeing the village as long as she would train Grogu. The Jedi had found it a fair trade and Din informed her of what he had seen beyond the gates, with Y/N filling in essential details that he missed. They strategized on the walk back to the Razor Crest, Din intending on leaving Y/N and the children in the ship while he and Ahsoka freed the village from the vengeful Magistrate. Y/N tried adding her own input into their plans, which Din didn’t seem too interested in. They formed a plan and Ahsoka headed back to her camp to wait until nightfall, while Din and Y/N continued back to the ship.

I can help, you know.

“No,” Din immediately shot her down, “I need you to stay here with the kids.” She scoffed.

I can handle myself, please let me help.

Din slung his rifle off his back and leaned it against the wall of the ship, he would need his jetpack for this mission. “I said no,” he shot her down again. “I can’t have you getting hurt out there. Ahsoka and I can handle it.”

But I want to help. She signed desperately. Din turned to her, pointing his finger in her face. “No!” She recoiled from his harsh tone as if he had hit her, a scowl crossed her face and she signed furiously.

I know a lot more about combat than you think, don’t underestimate me. I know what I’m doing!

She was aggravating him now, couldn’t she just be happy with staying on the ship? Why now was she all of a sudden so interested in being target practice for the inhuman looking beings that guarded the city. “You’re not going anywhere, end of discussion.” He walked towards his bunk and set Grogu down in his hammock. His arm was yanked as Y/N forced him to turn around and look at her. She had set Mandi down comfortably on the floor before confronting him. He saw how angry she was as she began signing to him.

The discussion isn’t over until I say it is! You don’t know who you’re dealing with, I have-

Din grabbed her hands to stop her signing and backed her against the wall of his ship. The position he just forced them both into left her almost no room to move as they were, once again, within inches of each other. “You have no power here,” he growled, “this is my ship, I call the shots.” Y/N squirmed in his tight grip, trying to communicate but only managing to annoy him more with the defiant look on her face. “Do I have to remind you that I hired you? You’re only here because of me and I can change that at any time I want to,” he said darkly.

A look of hurt crossed her face before it was replaced with anger once more. She wanted to slap him, she would if he didn’t have that helmet on. Instead, she used all her might to plant her hands on his chest plate and shove him off of her. Din let her go and watched and she huffed and walked towards the ladder to the cockpit. “You’re acting like a child,” he sneered. Why couldn’t she understand he was just looking out for her! She paused halfway up and glared at him, signing a firm and snappy two words.

Fuck you.

Din sighed tensely. Why was she acting like this? He just wanted to protect her, he couldn’t lose her, he just couldn’t. He wanted her to be safe, he would never forgive himself if she sustained so much as a scratch at this point. What was worse was that he couldn’t give her an explanation as to why he was being so protective. It wasn’t as if he could just tell her he didn’t want her leaving the ship because he was in love with her and his heart couldn’t bear to see her in pain. Maker, was that even what he was feeling? Love? He didn’t know, but he did know he didn’t like it. It made him feel strange, and now it was seeping into his actions.

He heard the cockpit doors close, he hoped she was mad enough at him that she would stay up there the entire time. He grabbed his jetpack and secured it onto the back of his armor, sealing the ship and heading out to meet up with Ahsoka.

~~~~

Y/N sat frustrated and still somewhat angry in the pilot’s seat, staring out at the deforested landscape. What was Mando’s problem, why had he been so opposed to her coming with? The kids would be fine in the Crest, sleeping while the adults were out and about. His words had upset her, especially when he said she was basically just a babysitter. She had thought they were at least friends by now, what with all they had been through and all the times they had helped each other. She also wanted to provide him backup.

She didn’t want to admit it, but she had been scared when he left on mission with Karga and Cara on Navarro. She had been frightened that he wouldn’t come back. She hadn’t noticed until recently that she had been tensing up whenever he went out of sight, always relieved to see him when he came back, even if it was just to a different part of the ship. She was afraid that another person she loved would leave to do a normal task and end up disappearing, just like her husband. She furrowed her brow and looked down.

Had she really just used that word? Love? She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. It had to be a part of her grieving process, her husband had died only seven months ago, there was no way she was in love again. Just thinking about it nearly brought her to tears. She cared for the Mandalorian and his child deeply, so much so she would willingly put her own life on the line. But there was a voice scorning her in the back of her mind, saying she should be ashamed and how dare she care for another man. Y/N just wanted to be happy again, she had spent every day since her husband’s death in agony until she met this Mandalorian.

She so desperately wanted the freedom and adventure he had. She sat up in the seat as an idea came to her. If he didn’t believe she was as tough and hardened as she actually was, she would have to prove it to him. A huge wave of confidence washed over her and she dashed down into the hull. Both children were asleep and she placed Mandi on Din’s bunk beneath Grogu. She turned off the lights and closed the door to his bunk. Time to get ready.

Only now did she realize that she hadn’t changed clothes since she left Tatooine. Gross. She stripped down to her underclothes and searched around for some extra clothing of Mando’s. He would probably get mad at her for wearing his things but she didn’t care at the moment, she was on a mission. Y/N managed to find a spare black, long sleeved shirt and pants that were much too big, but she could work with it. She tucked the shirt into the pants before pulling the trousers as far up on her waist as she could, tying a leather string around her waist a few times to keep them up.

With more rummaging she came upon an old cloak, either a spare or one Mando had given up on wearing it was so full of holes. She wrapped it around her neck and let it drape down to her knees behind her, taking her own head cloth and wrapping it into a hood over her head. She slipped her boots back on and began looking for weapons. She found a holster to put her DT-22 in and buckled it onto her hips, it also helped to keep the pants on her. She grabbed a spare vibroblade and stuffed it into her boot. Just as she was about to leave she spotted his pulse rifle, leaning against the wall where he had left it.

Her husband had owned a pulse rifle back on their farm on Tatooine, he had taught her how to use it until she became an expert. Y/N tore a length of strong cloth from her old skirt, tying one end to the long barrel of the rifle, the other end to the stock just in front of the trigger. Making sure the knots were secure she slung the rifle over her shoulders, grabbed several extra bullets for it, and exited the Crest. She passed a very reflective surface on her way out, spying her appearance, she looked kind of like Mando. All dark clothes, cloak and weapons; only with a hood instead of a helmet, and no armor of course.

She programmed the Crest’s security protocols to engage once the ramp closed, and made sure that it closed and that the children were safe inside. She remembered the way to the village and began jogging in that direction.

~~~~

Din helped the last of the three villagers out of the cages and motioned for them to take shelter inside. The militarian man whom he assumed was some sort of mercenary now was approaching him head on, calmly walking down the center of the road. The man’s eyes looked behind Din and he assumed the man saw Ahsoka. “So you threw in with the Jedi,” he accused. “Looks that way,” Din replied. The man slowly stalked towards him, the sounds of Ahsoka and the Magistrate locked in combat echoing from the inner gates.

The man continued to talk as he walked forwards, either trying to distract Din or stall something else. Din stood firm, unmoving and unintimidated. “That’s far enough,” he warned when the man had gotten too close. Din’s hand hovered over his blaster, his spilt-second reflexes ready to engage. Through the noise of the fighting behind them, Din could swear he heard blaster fire somewhere off in the distance. He found it odd, perhaps there were reinforcements coming. Is that what the man was stalling for?

Meanwhile, Y/N had been jogging to the city and wagered she was about halfway there when she heard a twig snap off to her left. The woman skidded to a stop and listened, she heard the quiet crunching of footsteps on the hard dirt. She knew how to play this game. Y/N waited until they sounded within range. In the blink of an eye, she had drawn her blaster and fired. One of the masked guards fell dead onto the ground, her shot had hit him directly in the chest. Reinforcements. Seconds later more guards emerged from the trees and pursued her.

Y/N ran, breaking into a full sprint, firing behind her. All her memories and skills were coming back. She saw the city come into view and ducked behind a tree stump for cover shooting out from behind it, taking down guard after guard. She made it look easy. There were three guards left, she shot one and aimed at the next pulling the trigger on her blaster. Nothing. She pulled it a few more times, still nothing. Of course she had bought a blaster with only half ammo. She holstered the weapon and drew her stolen vibroblade, hiding until she heard the guards stop running and start looking for her.

She listened to their footsteps, closing her eyes to better picture where one of them was around her. Once she heard his steps stop, she stood, and threw. The vibroblade flew through the air and stuck itself into the guards neck, killing him. Y/N had been aiming for his head but clearly she was out of practice. A blaster bolt whizzed by her head and she slung the pulse rifle off her shoulders, swinging it backwards and knocking away the guard’s blaster. He had been charging her and he pulled his own vibroblade, swinging at her trying to get a strike. She blocked him easily with the barrel of the rifle.

He was a clumsy and graceless opponent and Y/N soon found an opening in his defenses. She seized the moment and jabbed the electric prod end of the rifle into his chest. Surges of electricity went through his body and she shoved him a few feet away, allowing her time to grip the rifle tight and pull the trigger. She watched as the man disintegrated before her very eyes, only his clothes and mask left behind on the ground. She looked over the weapon fondly, the same model her husband had and everything. She looked up as she heard more footsteps coming towards her. She reloaded the rifle and crouched behind a stump, using the top of it to steady the weapon as she fitted the stock tight to her shoulder.

Bring it on.

~~~~

Din was quite confused as to what he was hearing beyond the wall. The sounds of combat mixed with blaster fire, he forced himself to ignore them and focus on the man in front of him who was still holding his weapon, finger poised to pull the trigger at any second. The sounds of Ahsoka’s laser swords colliding with the Beskar spear Din was certain the Magistrate was using to fight the Jedi suddenly died out. A few seconds after, the blaster fire beyond the wall ceased as well. Who in space had been fighting out there?

“Sounds like you win,” the man said. He held his rifle out in front of him and slowly set it down on the ground. Din relaxed, this had gone more civil than he thought. The moment the man’s blaster was on the ground and Din had drawn his hand away from his blaster, the mercenary pulled a pistol from his belt and aimed at Din. The Mandalorian was much faster and had his blaster drawn and fired within nanoseconds. The man dropped dead on the ground. So much for civility.

The local man who had helped Din free the trapped villagers emerged from his home, his eyes and face asking if it was safe. Din nodded to him and the man came to stand next to him, surveying the damage. The man’s face instantly changed to panic. “Behind you!” Din drew his blaster once more and aimed at the assassin droid. Before he could pull the trigger, the droid's head was blasted clean off, the hunk of metal tumbling down from the roof and landing with a loud crash. Din was confused, he hadn’t shot, so who had?

Both him and the local man followed the trajectory of the powerful bullet to where it had come from. There, on one of the roofs of a home closer to the gates, they could see a crouched figure in all black with a familiar looking pulse rifle in their hands. They moved the weapon into one hand, holding it comfortably. It stood up and slid down the incline of the roof, landing gracefully on their feet in the road. Din could now see who it was. Y/N walked towards them slinging Din’s pulse rifle back onto her shoulders with a makeshift strap she must have fashioned. Din sighed, disappointed that she had left the ship and disobeyed him. At the same time, she was a sight to behold. She looked like a bounty hunter: rugged, dirt on her clothes, weapons from head to toe, and that aura of mystery.

Din swallowed hard as she sauntered forwards a smirk on her face, she was pleased with the job she had done. He didn’t know where she had gotten the clothes from but she looked good in them. They were a bit big but they made her look dangerous, sexy even. Was he really getting turned on by this?

Told you I could handle myself.

“And I told you to stay on the ship,” he replied. The annoyance dissolving the arousal he had briefly felt. She shrugged, finally standing next to him and the other man.

Last I checked you were my employer, not my puppeteer. She signed, a determined but proud look on her face. Are you alright?

Her face had softened as she asked her question. “I’m fine,” he answered, “you?” She smiled, brushing nonexistent dust from her shoulder with a wave of her hand.

Not a scratch.

Din couldn’t help but roll his eyes under the helmet, she might have saved him from a droid but that didn’t give her a reason to be so cocky. The trio stayed and helped the villagers clean and restore the village until dawn came. Finally the gates could stay open. As soon as they were outside, Din was greeted by the unpleasant sight of more than a dozen bodies scattered throughout the clearing along with piles of clothes, which was the work of his pulse rifle. The causes of death included stab wounds, blaster shots to the face or chest and even burn marks from the prod on his rifle.

Din turned his head and gave Y/N a guilty look that she could feel through his helmet. She looked at the ground innocently, poking at the dirt with the toe of her boot. “You did this?” She slowly nodded, still not looking at him. She wasn’t embarrassed, she just didn’t want the attention, she wasn’t one to rub her achievements in other people’s faces. Din, however, was pleasantly impressed. He had thought that she came all that way just to shoot one droid and try to call herself a hero, when in actuality she had taken down about twenty guards all by herself. That had been the blaster fire he was hearing outside the gates.

“Nice work.” He said. Y/N looked over at him, surprised that he would compliment her work. She had thought for sure he would be mad. Ahsoka joined the two of them, the sound of the villagers celebrating behind her. She gifted the Beskar spear to Din, saying it belonged with his people and he reluctantly accepted it. When prompted by Ahsoka, Din went ahead to get the child from the Crest while Y/N and Ahsoka walked that way at a leisurely pace.

Are you really going to take Grogu away from him?

Ahsoka may not have known what the woman was saying with her hands, but she knew her thoughts. She smiled sadly. “I’m not certain I can,” she answered. “They’re too attached to each other, but there are other options.”

And what of my little girl?

Ahsoka smiled kindly at Y/N. “Keep being her mother,” she said. Y/N smiled and nodded and the pair continued walking. They met Din at the Crest just as he came down the ramp with Grogu in his arms. “You’re like a father to him,” Ahsoka called. Y/N went to check on Mandi while she heard Din and Ahsoka talking, she returned to hear the end of their conversation. It sounded like they had a new destination. Tython it was.

[hailing-stars]

@febuwhump day 19 sleep deprivation 

resentfully awake

summary

“You are so annoying.” Peter growls, low and animalistic, and for a few glorious seconds, he thinks he’s scared Tony away. That is, until the tugging begins on his arm again.

“I cannot send you to bed without dinner, Pete. Your freaky fast metabolism would put your body into starvation mode. Remember the last time you went too long without food? And you fainted -”

“-how can I faint if I’m already asleep?”

OR

Peter is tired after a day at Disney World, and Tony attempts to get him to stay awake through dinner. 

Peter falls backwards on his room’s king sized bed, and shuts his eyes, tight. He’s ready to sleep. He didn’t think he would be, but a full day being dragged around Disney World by Morgan’s whims is something capable of tiring even a half-spider out.

He’s drifting in a state of half consciousness when the door to his designed room in the hotel suite flies open. Peter sits up, and cracks his eyes open. The terror herself stands in the doorway, still wearing her Elsa wig and Star Wars tunic.

She waves a lightsaber around, and eventually points it at him. “Daddy says it’s time for dinner.”

Peter groans and falls backwards on the bed, letting his eyes slide shut once again. “Tell him I’m not hungry. I only know sleep.”

“He said you’d say that,” says Morgan. “And he said to tell you that he doesn’t care. You have to eat your veggies.”

“Tell him I’m in a coma.”

“I don’t think people in comas can talk,” she tells him, in a matter of fact tone, letting the end of the lightsaber hit the ground.  

“Just tell him I’m not coming to dinner,” says Peter.

“Okkkaayyy,” says Morgan, in a sing-song voice, “but he probably won’t listen.”

The frozen Jedi skips off, slashing the air with the plastic laser sword, leaving Peter to bask in the quiet. He shuts his eyes again and crawls further up on the bed, so his legs aren’t hanging off and so he can rest his head on the pillow.

It’s so soft. The pillow. The comforter. The bed underneath. He can fall asleep right then and there, in the same clothes he’d sweated in all day long, and he almost does, but he’s pulled back to reality by someone annoyingly tugging on his arm.

“Pete,” says Tony. “Wakey wakey Cinderella.”

“Cinderella doesn’t even make sense,” mutters Peter, into his pillows, beyond annoyed. “Sleeping beauty is the one who was in a magic coma.”

“Yep, I know,” says Tony. “I was testing you. Asleep people don’t know their Disney factoids.”

“You are so annoying.” Peter growls, low and animalistic, and for a few glorious seconds, he thinks he’s scared Tony away. That is, until the tugging begins on his arm again.

“I cannot send you to bed without dinner, Pete. Your freaky fast metabolism would put your body into starvation mode. Remember the last time you went too long without food? And you fainted -”

“-how can I faint if I’m already asleep?”

There’s more tugging on his shoulder, and Peter wants to cry into his pillow.

“Come on, Peter, we’ll go somewhere good.”

“We’re in Disney World. It’s all good.”

“Uh, no,” says Tony. “You are so wrong. There are about fifty different things today I saw on menus that shouldn’t be allowed to be counted as food.”

Peter stays still and doesn’t talk anymore and hopes that Tony will take pity on him and leave him be. Tony doesn’t. Because of course he doesn’t. Because Tony is just as stubborn, or maybe even more stubborn than Peter.

He grips his arm and pulls him until he’s sliding off the bed, and forced to stand.

“I hate you.”

“As long as you hate me while you’re eating dinner, I’m okay with it,” says Tony. He pushes him out of the door and away from his bed.

*

Peter doesn’t know the name of the restaurant they end up inside. He doesn’t even know what Tony has ordered for him, since the effort to open up a menu and peer inside of it was too great for him, and he’s too annoyed to pay attention to Tony’s words when the waitress comes around to get their order.

“Maybe we should’ve ordered room service,” says Pepper, watching him with concern. He’s wobbling in the booth, and Morgan has to push him in the other direction to prevent him from falling on her. He hits the wall of the restaurant, and stays leaning against it. “He looks ready to pass out.”

“Nonsense,” says Tony. “He’s young. A little sleep deprivation is good for him.”

“You know that’s a torture method, right?” asks Peter, letting his eyes flicker open and shut, open and shut.

“Of course, pal,” says Tony. “So is starvation.”

Peter opens his eyes just to roll them, then shuts them again to drift off while they wait for their food.

His half sleep is filled with talk from Morgan about her plans for their final day at Disney World, the low music playing, and incoherent chatterings from the rest of the customers in the restaurant.

He’s brought back to being fully, resentfully awake, when a plate of food is placed in front of him. Tony snaps his fingers in front of his face when the smell of his dinner isn’t enough to convince him to open his eyes.

His food blurs together on his plate. His stomach makes a funny growl, and although it smells really good, it just looks like way too much effort to actually eat. That is, until Tony asks him if he needed to be fed via the airplane method. Then he suddenly has enough energy.

“You’re like a  petulant child when you’re tired.”

“And you’re more annoying,” says Peter, talking with his mouth full.

“Daddy’s annoying all the time,” says Morgan, making their entire outing to the restaurant completely worth it, in Peter’s eyes, causing him to admit, only to himself, that the food’s good enough to have made it worth it all on its own.

*

It’s almost ten when they make it back to the suite, and Peter manages to change into his pajamas before climbing under the covers.

He shuts his eyes.

Sleep doesn’t come.

It turns out Disney World is loud at night. Even when most people are in their rooms for the night.

Peter can hear it all. It’s like the apartment times a hundred, with the added bonus of the creaking metal of the rides abandoned for the night.

He flops around on the bed, tossing and turning, and growing more and more frustrated every second he isn’t asleep. He gives up, eventually, and wanders out into the suite’s living area to find Tony nursing a small glass of scotch and watching some late night show on TV.  

The lights are dim. The laughs coming from the TV are gentle, and so are Tony’s. He doesn’t even notice Peter’s presence until he plops down on the couch next to him.

“Thought you’d be lost in your dreams by now, kid.”

“Can’t sleep,” mutters Peter. Full sentences are too much effort. He sinks further into the couch and eyes Tony’s scotch. He reaches for it. “Maybe a little drink might help.”

“Yeah, that’s a nice try,” says Tony, slapping his hand away. “But it’s gonna be a nope from me.”

Peter laments by whining words inaudible to humans. It’s a torturous thing. To be this tired and not able to sleep.

“Something on your mind?” asks Tony.

They both have experienced these restless nights. Thanks to their responsibilities, and the guilt their minds forces on them, and the horrors in their past that always seem to crawl their way up to the forefront of their minds when the lights are switched off.

“No,” says Peter. “Just too loud here.”

“Ahh,” says Tony. He takes a slow slip of his scotch, and creases his forehead in thought. “Why don’t you put on your headphones?”

The headphones Tony designed for him, with his extra sensitive senses in mind, are without a doubt one of the best gifts Peter’s ever received. His memory’s just a little fuzzy sometimes.

“I forgot them. They’re at home.”

“Oh, I see,” says Tony. “It’s too bad I was too busy being annoying and didn’t grab them for you on my way out of the house, what with my genius brain having foresaw this exact situation.”

Peter looks at him, and frowns, while Tony shuffles himself off the couch and disappears into his and Pepper’s room, sadly taking his glass of scotch with him. He returns with Peter’s beloved headphones.

Peter’s so relieved, so happy, he wants to cry.

“You don’t get them unless you say I’m not annoying,” Tony tells him.

“That’s blackmail.” Peter crosses his arms.  

Tony smiles annoyingly. “And?”

“Fine,” says Peter. “You’re not annoying.”

He reaches for the headphones, but Tony snatches them away, raising his hand higher and holding the prize there.

“And I’m the greatest mentor in all existence.”

“You’re really going to make me say that?”

“If you want your headphones.”

“Fine. And you’re the greatest mentor in all existence,” says Peter. Tony smiles, and hands over the headphones. “But you’re still the worst.”

Tony messes up his hair, causing it to stick up even more than it already had been, and Peter catches him off guard by hugging him. He’s sleep deprived. He’s tired, and he’s so damn appreciative of Tony and his genius brain that he just wants a hug.

“Thanks, Tony,” says Peter. His eyes slid shut, and he rests his head on Tony’s chest. “You’re a pillow now.”

“Yep,” says Tony. “And you’re losing your mind to exhaustion. Let’s get you to bed.”

He lets Tony direct him back to his room, into his bed, where the headphones are slipped over his ears and the world goes quiet. Tony tells him goodnight, but Peter can only understand him by reading his lips through his blurring vision. His eyes slid shut, and that time, he’s finally allowed to slip into his dream

[mahou-furbies]

I actually really liked those insight posts about Precure brooches, items, and fairies. I was wondering if you could do one about their weapons?

The Precure rankings take quite a lot of time to write so it’s nice that someone reads them!

But yes, the weapons. I haven’t made it a secret that I dislike the toy ad-like weapon designs so I don’t really care for many of these (common complaints: looks ugly and cheap, too much pink even for non-pink characters, rainbow buttons where they don’t belong, buttons or lights that don’t seem to serve any purpose, too much detail), but reading about me complaining about that for dozens of paragraphs probably wouldn’t be very fun. So I won’t put that everywhere and this will be more about judging the items in relation to each other than how they’d fare against all fantasy item designs I know.

Especially with the season I haven’t seen it was a bit bothersome to see if an item was weapon or not, so I just made some quick judgements. I’ll do the other items that aren’t in this or the other precure item posts later.

Futari wa Precure

Not a huge fan of these kind of items where the design philosophy seems to have been “it doesn’t have to resemble a weapon in any way, a pink plastic thing with buttons will do”. I’m not against all weapons looking incredibly impractical (like I love Mew Ichigo’s Strawberry Bell) but here these just look incredibly bland and cynical to me (I mean cynical in a different way than me). 

I was going to be more generous with this since I thought it was a bow and bows are always elegant weapons and I’m always happy to have those regardless of how dumb the design looks, but reading the wiki I guess this is a baton instead. Boo! Still I like how it can be both a heart and also be bent open. The design makes me think of a baby toy though with all the round corners.

Futari wa Precure Splash Star

I like how the girls wear their items differently and the way the heart is framed is nice. But apart from that I don’t find these particularly aesthetically appealing, and they also look a bit too busy compared to the rest of the costume. Busy item designs are less of a problem if its a handheld item that’s clearly not a part of the base design, but when the characters are supposed to wear the item it often looks very out of place, as if it was just tacked on because the marketing team demanded it. Okay I’ll stop with this now

Not pictured: the versions with a star instead of heart, but they look otherwise the same and I like the heart better.

Yes! Precure 5

We now reach weapons I actually like! They’re pleasantly simple without unnecessary buttons everywhere, but with the tulip-like design with the cute little swirl there’s actually some point to it and it’s not just haphazardly placed buttons and lights and jewels. And as a fan of customisation I really like how everyone has their own take on the item. The pink girl apparently doesn’t feel the need to fit the theme though and hers is a lot less interesting to me, but at least it can sort of look like a flower (more like a butterfly though) so it’s not completely out of place.

Laser swors? That is a good idea. The flower is pretty too but I’d prefer it if it was a bit smaller, now it looks a bit unbalanced, and also why does everyone have to have a pink one again? Meanwhile the powerup version looks a lot more cheap, busy and gaudy.

Not a fan of this one, it feels like a portable lottery wheel, which would be a fun idea if Milky Rose had to work around with an item that gives her random powers, but I’m guessing that’s not the case. Another option would be that she’d use this to cut pizza. The blue roses and purple handle would make for a pleasant colour scheme, but then there’s the rainbow mini roses which break that, I think this would look more appealing if the roses were detachable and she’d attach the one she wants to use, but I guess the spinning wheel is supposed to be the Thing here.

Fresh Precure!

Pretty standard magical girl wands, white with obligatory pink for everyone and rainbow lights. At least everyone gets a crystal thingy at the tip in their own colour and card suit and it’s nice that they use their items differently (though Berry this is not a sword no matter how you try to slice it) but otherwise I’m not really interested.

Nice colours and the wing is cute, and I actually like the bizarre idea here. Like you could add power to the harp with the heart while playing it, or attach different attacks or whatever. But this exemplifies my main issue with the Precure items: okay, you can’t sell an actual harp with actual strings to kids so you sell this instead, ok. But why does the item in the show have to be a 1:1 replica? Disney can sell Elsa’s castle legos or inaccurate cheap-looking dolls but the counterparts in the movies look perfectly serviceable, so why can’t Passion have actual strings in her harp instead of these huge led lights?

Heartcatch Precure!

I like the metallic or glassy sheen at least in this shot and the shape of the handle. What I don’t like is the middle heavy design, I’d rather have the rainbow thing in the middle (which I’d prefer not be rainbow) either be smaller and moved to the tip, or the end part being longer so it’d look a bit like a sword.

This one is rather basic, like it’s just a circle with hearts around it. But at least it doesn’t do anything stupid and the colour palette checks out.

Suite Precure

I like the idea of being able to split the item in two but especially Rhythm’s looks a bit silly when it’s not in two parts, like now it’s not a baton or staff or really anything I could describe. But somehow I still like Melody and Rhythm’s items, at least they have consistent colour schemes and despite initially looking very different actually use the same base so that’s nice customisation. But how come the pink girl didn’t get the more ornate one? The guitar looks more on the cheap side, this is a toy guitar, not a magic guitar. And are those multicoloured buttons I spy again? But thanks to the more calm colour palette it’s not the worst toy guitar ever at least.

Smile Precure!

My first impression on this was “wow this is so dumb”, but the horse’s sleeping eye with the glamorous eyelashes makes it loop back to awesome. This is girly fairy tale magical girl design cranked up to eleven and I can only marvel the boldness. However like with the Heartcatch wand this one feels a bit unbalanced, the bottom and middle are pretty big so I’d prefer if the “blade” part was a bit longer and again the rainbow hears feel unnecessary.

Based on design alone this is a contender for my least favourite battle item, but I’ll have to hold my full judgement until I see it in action. But this has it all, there’s obligatory pink and rainbow, overdesigned, looks very cheap and gaudy. 

Doki Doki! Precure

This is some seriously extreme lipstick. I guess this is a serviceable design if you want to make a lipstick based weapon, it’d probably not look very impressive if it was regular size. I like the twist-able red jewel, and the fact  that while she can use different lipstick colours, the item sticks to just red and yellow.

Here we have the collapsible bow I was hoping we’d get with Shiny Luminous. Apart from the obligatory pink palette for everyone I really like these, again bow makes for a great weapon, and I also like its collapsed form, that thing just invites you to press a button and have it open up. Though holding the bow looks kind of awkward. And is this the largest Precure weapon we have? Where are the huge staffs?

For starters, I find there’s something absolutely hilarious about the name “Magical Lovely Pad”. Story-wise it has the baggage of belonging to an attack where the other characters send their power to Mana (of course) so she can take all the spotlight, but as far as the design goes I guess it’s alright for a magical tablet. And I thought this was one of the items where it just floats in the air awkwardly but apparently the Cures do hold it in their hands, so points for that.

The harp is kind of silly looking but i have to commend it for at least having the strings not be thick as a straw.

Happiness Charge Precure!

A pretty straightforward item, nice colour palette and the heart ribbon things at the ends are the same as the bracelet and resemble the brooch too so it’s consistent with the reset of the items in the season. I also like how it can be split into maracas too.

I think the idea of a star-shaped tambourine is perfectly serviceable, but this one just looks kind of cheap, like we’re in the baby chew toy category again. But I feel this could be salvaged if you gave it a more harmonious colour palette, made the heart look more like a crystal and the jingles metal (i.e. not so plastic-y).

This one always felt hilarious in that you have a grown man character showing interest in this thing. But as a weapon it’s one of my least favourites. The makeup pens that come with this are fine I guess (though the makeup the girls put on themselves looks like the “this character doesn’t know how to use makeup” kind) but the main item is very unappealing to me. I guess it boils down to the fact that this kind of items feel more like that the Cures just push a button and then the item does its magic light blast of goodness and love on its own, while with the wands and musical instruments and such the Cures feel more like they’re actively using the weapon.

Go! Princess Precure!

An alright wand, even if the tip feels a bit too heavy. The mostly white-and-goldd design is a lot more preferable to the usual pink, the dress up keys get to take a part, and the tip looks a bit like a crown.

This is in the same category as Passion’s harp, nice colour palette and a musical instruments make for a great magical girl weapon in theory, but here the result is just too cheap and toylike. No way I can imagine a violin sound coming out of this, the only thing I hear is two pieces of plastic rubbing together.

This is it, the worst item. Magical girl weapons don’t all need to resemble actual weapons, but there are some limits to how far you should go. Out of all the Precure items this feels the most like the toy department just said “we want to sell a toy castle, so have the main characters play with one in every episode after its introduction”. Can’t they use a less awkward item to conjure this castle around them and sell a miniature version of that as a dollhouse or something?

As a toy this is fine, like I had a similar little castle (it was semi-transparent blue and you could turn on a pink light in it) and sure I could imagine placing some Pikachu toys on it and have them dance, but as a weapon in a story I hate it. 

Mahou Tsukai Precure!

These look pretty nondescript and forgettable. At least they don’t have multicoloured beads running down the staff, but there’s not much to talk about.

This one is cute but kind of basic too; the gold butterfly feels a bit unnecessary but if you remove it the whole thing would be pretty bland. Still, there’s nothing overly stupid and I like that the flower bud doesn’t miss the obvious that it should open in an attack.

Kira Kira Precure A La Mode

This one is a bit too bulky, but at least it makes it stand out a bit more. It also helps the item not look so unbalanced with the huge glass (?) ball in the middle. And it’s nice how you can see the Kira Kiraru in it; it makes the item feel more real when you get to see the resource it uses. The cream like decorations are cute and appropriate and the walking cane shape reminds me of the candy filled plastic canes I used to get from the summer market as a kid.

I got nothing on this, it’s another magical girl wand that doesn’t particularly stand out in any way. At least the rainbow buttons fit the theme this time?

Google tells me it’s an actual product, but to me ‘creamer’ still sounds like a Wrong kind of name to use in a kids’ show. That aside the idea of piping cream on the enemy is fun, but I don’t think they do that in the attack... But for the potential I like the design; unsurprisingly I’d remove the multicoloured decorations on the handle but otherwise it’s alright.

Hugtto! Precure

This one feels really generic, white staff with pink accents and rainbow jewel thingies. Not interested, next!

These look a bit too bulky for my taste, I think they’d look better if the neck was longer. The colours are also a bit too gaudy for my taste (and the guitar totally disappears in Macherie’s dress), though in their defense in better pictures you can see they have more white so the result isn’t quite so stuffy. But still magical guitars make for a good weapon for idol themed characters.

This feels really generic, like it’s just a bunch of hearts glued together. Next!

Star Twinkle Precure

The wand is pretty basic, but there’s something in its simpleness that I like. If you removed the pink and purple crown thingy it would be better, like only neutral white and gold, and everyone’s theme colours equally in the shooting star (or I guess the star is also yellow for Soleil but it still feels more neutral than the usual pink). With its many colours and short tail the shooting star feels like something from a baby nursery but I guess if the tail was longer it’d start feeling more like a sickle.

As for the prefume bottle, I don’t find the design particularly attractive, and it also feels like yet another case where pink has been shoehorned in. And the little ribbon feels very unnecessary.

Healin’ Good Precure

My criticism on Passion’s harp also applies here, and this time I also find the overall design less appealing with several of the details feeling a bit tacked on.

(the wands have already been bitched at in the henshin item post)

[lucyreviewcy]

The Three Three Musketeers (or Where The F*ck Did All The Stupid Hats Go)

I read The Three Musketeers and then I watched the 1973, 1993 and 2011 adaptations. Which one wins tho?

Adaptation is a fascinating concept, especially of texts which are frequently adapted or parodied. After I rewatched the 2005 Pride and Prejudice I was reminded how weirdly divisive the two dominant adaptations of that book are. A lot of people consider the 2005 to be an inferior betrayal of the 1990s BBC version. I actually prefer the 2005 because I think Matthew McFadyen’s Mr Darcy is a wonderfully complex character. McFadyen imbues Darcy with social awkwardness and anxiety, which Lizzie misinterprets as his pride. To overcome the “Lizzie doesn’t fancy him ‘til she sees his house” debate, director Joe Wright includes a moment where Lizzie glimpses Darcy alone with his sister. He’s comfortable, his body language is completely different, and he’s smiling broadly. That moment really sold me on the entire film because it made Darcy a full character and was a really simple addition that rounded out the story. I still like the 90s version but for me, it’s the 2005 that takes first place.  (Although an honourable mention for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies because it is an excellent romp.)

Look: adaptation is always a complicated topic. You can’t untangle one adaptation from another, because it’s pretty rare that somebody adapting a classic text like Pride and Prejudice or The Three Musketeers is not already familiar with existing adaptations. The most recent adaptation of any classic text is not simply an adaptation of that text, but the next step in a flow chart that includes all the previous adaptations and the cultural context of the newly created product. These three adaptations of Dumas’ 1844 novel are all texturally and stylistically very different, and two of them diverge significantly from the original text. What I found truly fascinating was what all of them had in common, and what each new era (these were made at around 20 year intervals) decides to add or remove. What do all these movies agree are the essential parts of the story, and what are some adaptations more squeamish about including from Dumas’ original narrative?

Before we dive in, no I have not seen every single adaptation of the story, that would be a dissertation level of research and I do actually have things to do right now (although, I will admit...not many.) I’m looking at these three Hollywood adaptations because they all had star studded casts (for the era they were made in), they’re all English language, and (crucially) they were all easily available on the internet for me to stream.

What are the essential ingredients of a Three Musketeers adaptation?

Firstly, there should be at least three musketeers. Secondly, D’Artagnan (Michael York 1973, Chris O’Donnell 1993, Logan Lerman 2011) should be a young upstart who is introduced part way through a sword fight. He should also have silly hair. He is also consistently introduced to the musketeers in all three films by challenging them each individually to duels at noon, one o’clock and two o’clock. 

The films all maintained some elements of the original “Queen’s Diamonds” storyline, and featured the Queen, Milady and Constance. The characterisation of these three varied a lot.

Our villains in each case are invariably the Cardinal, his pal Rochefort (who always has an eyepatch, although this trope is not in the book and is actually attributable to the way Christopher Lee is styled in the 1973 film), and Milady de Winter. Satisfyingly, at least two of the villains usually wear red because they’re bad. Red is for bad. 

All three are very swashbuckling in tone, have elements of physical comedy, and two of them include one of the three valet characters Dumas wrote into the original story, Planchet (1973 Roy Kinnear, 2011 James “ugh why” Corden). They also all bear the generic markings of the movies made during the same era, our 70s D’Artagnan feels like a prototype Luke Skywalker. The 90s version features a random martial arts performer. The 2011 version has CGI and James Corden in equal measure (read: far too much of both.)

What are the big differences?

I’m going to divide this category into three main segments: character, story and style. My own three musketeers, the three musketeers of movie making.

Character

D’Artagnan

D’artagnan in the book comes across as a pretty comical figure. He’s nineteen and there’s something satisfying about how similar Dumas’ caricature of a nineteen year old is to a modern character of the same age. He’s overconfident, has a simplistic but concrete set of morals, and falls in love with every woman he sees. If D’Artagnan were a 2021 character, he’d really hate The Last Jedi, is what I’m saying. He’d definitely have a tumblr blog, probably a lot like this one, but perhaps a scooch more earnest. He really loved The Lighthouse but he can’t explain why. Isn’t it nice to know that awkward nineteen year olds have been pretty much the same for the last three hundred years at least? 

In all three films he’s kind of irritating, but at least in the 1973 this feels deliberate. This version has a certain “Carry On Musketeering” quality to it and D’Artagnan is your pantomime principal, he’s extremely naïve and he takes himself very seriously. This is the closest D’Artagnan to the book, and the 1973 is, in general, the film which adheres most faithfully to that source material. 

The 1993, which is (spoiler alert) my least favourite adaptation, has Chris O’Donnell as the least likeable D’Artagnan I’ve come across. I’ve only seen O’Donnell in one other thing, the Al Pacino movie Scent of a Woman. He’s bearable in that because he’s opposite Al Pacino, and so his wide-eyed innocence makes sense as a contrast to Pacino’s aged hoo-ah cynicism. Rather than being introduced in a practice sword fight with his father, as in the other two films, D’Artagnan is fighting the brother of an ex-lover. This captures the problem with the film in general: this adaptation wants D’Artagnan to be cool. He is not. The comedy of the 1973, and indeed the book, comes from D’Artagnan being deeply uncool, and from his blind idolisation of the deeply flawed Musketeers who actually are cool, but not necessarily heroic, or even good people. Their moral greyness contrasts with D’Artagnan’s defined sense of right and wrong, but he still considers them to be role models and heroes. 

2011′s version also suffers from “Cool D’Artagnan” syndrome, with the added annoyance of that most Marvel of tropes: the quip. One of the real issues with this film is that the dialogue has a lot of forced quippery that doesn’t quite land, and the editing slows the pace of the entire film. D’Artagnan’s first interaction with Constance is a bad attempt at wit which Constance points out isn’t very funny. The problem is that Constance has no personality so there’s no real indication that she’s in any position to judge his level of wit. She’s just vague, blonde and there: three characteristics which describe an entire pantheon of badly written female characters throughout the ages. Cool D’Artagnan also means that Constance should be additionally cool, because in the book, Constance is older than, smarter than and over-all more in charge than D’Artagnan. 

Female Characters

Let’s go into this with an open mind that understands all these films were made in the sociological context of their decade. The 1973 version would absolutely not be made in the same way now. Constance is a clumsy cartoon character who is forever falling over and accidentally sticking her breasts out. This is not the character from the books, but does at least leave an impression on the viewer one way or another. 

In contrast, the 1993 has a Constance so forgettable I literally cannot picture her. I think she holds D’Artagnan’s hand at the end. That’s all I can say on the subject. 

The 2011 has Gabriella Wilde in the role, and absolutely wastes her. Anyone who’s seen her in  Poldark knows that she can do sharp-tongued beautiful wit-princess with ease. It’s the writing of this film that lets her down, in general, that’s the problem with it. The storyline and design are great, but the actual dialogue lacks the pace and bite that a quip-ridden star vehicle needs. This Constance is given simultaneously more and less to do than the Constance of the original book, who demonstrates at every turn the superiority of her intellect over D’Artagnan, but doesn’t get to pretend to be a Musketeer and whip her hat off to show her flowing golden hair like she does in the 2011. 

The best character, for my money, in The Three Musketeers is Milady de Winter. Even Dumas got so obsessed with her that there are full chapters of the book written from pretty much her perspective. In the book, she’s described as a terrifying genius with powers of persuasion so potent that any jailor she speaks to must be instantly replaced. My favourite Milady is absolutely Faye Dunaway from 1973. She’s ferocious and beautiful and ruthless, but potentially looks even better because the portrayals in the other films are so very bad. 

The 1993 version has your typical blonde 90s baddie woman (Rebecca De Mornay), she wouldn’t look out of place as a scary girlfriend in an episode of Friends or Frasier. 2011 boasts Milla Jovovich who presents us a much more physical version of the character, even doing an awkwardly shoe-horned anachronistic hall of lasers a la Entrapment except instead of lasers its really thin pieces of glass? The “yeah but it looks cool” attitude to anachronism in this film is what makes it fun, and Jovovich’s Milady isn’t awful, she’s just let down by a plot point that she shares with 1993 Milady. Both these adaptations get really hooked on the fact that Athos used to be married to Milady at one time (conveniently leaving out the less justifiable character point that Athos TRIED TO HANG HER when he found out she had been branded as a thief - doesn’t wash so well with the modern audiences, I think.) Rather than hating/fearing Milady, the two modern adaptations suggest that Athos is still in love with her and pines for her. This detracts from Athos’ character just as much as it detracts from Milady’s. Interestingly, and I don’t know where this came from (if it was in the book I definitely missed it), both films feature a confrontation between the two where Athos points a gun at Milady but she pre-empts him by throwing herself off a cliff (or in the 2011, an air-ship.) I think both these versions were concerned that Milady was an anti-feminist character because she’s so wantonly evil, but I disagree. Equality means it is absolutely possible for Milady to be thoroughly evil and hated by the musketeers just as much as they hate Rochefort and the Cardinal. If you want to sort out the gender issues with this story, round Constance out and give her proper dialogue, don’t make Milady go weak at the knees because of whiny Athos (both Athos characters are exceedingly whiny, 1973 Athos is just...mashed).

The Musketeers

These guys are pretty important to get right in a film called The Three Musketeers. They have to be flawed, funny but kind of cool. Richard Chamberlain is an absolute dish in the 1973 version, capturing all those qualities in one. Is it clear which version is my favourite yet?

Athos is played variously by a totally hammered Oliver Reed (1973), a ginger-bearded Kiefer Sutherland (1993) and a badly bewigged Matthew McFadyen (2011). They all have in common the role of being the most level-headed character, but the focus on the relationship between Athos and Milady in the 93 and 11 editions undermines this a lot. Athos should be cool and aloof, instead of mooning over Milady the entire time. The 2011 gives Athos some painfully “edgy” lines like “I believe in this (points at wine) this (flicks coin) and this (stabs coin with knife.)...” which McFadyen ( once oh so perfect as Mr Darcy) doesn’t quite pull off. 

Porthos seems to be the musketeer who is the most different between interpretations. A foppish dandy in the 1973, a pirate (!?!) in the 1993, and then just...large in 2011. I think the mistake made in the 2011 is that large alone does not a personality make. There are hints at Porthos’ characterisation from the book: his dependence on rich women for money and his love of fine clothing, but these are only included as part of his introduction and never crop up again through the rest of the film. Pirate Porthos in 1993 is... you know what, fine, you guys were clearly throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck. 

Aramis is our dishy Richard Chamberlain in 1973, followed by womanising Charlie Sheen in 1993 and then strikingly suave Luke Evans in 2011. I actually didn’t mind Luke Evans’ interpretation, his dialogue is forgettable but his sleek charm stuck in my head. For some reason, this version has Aramis working as a parking attendant for horses, it worked for me as a fun A Knight’s Tale-esque bit of anachronistic character development. Charlie Sheen has never managed to appear likable or attractive to me and so his role in the 1993 falls flat. In fact, in that edition there’s not much distinction between the musketeers as characters and they’re all just very 90s and American. As anyone who’s read this blog before will expect, I think Keanu Reeves as Aramis would have really upped this film’s game. In fact, Keanu Reeves as Aramis, Brad Pitt as Athos and Will Smith as Porthos could have been the ultimate 90s adaptation, throw in DiCaprio as D’Artagnan and Roger Allam as the Cardinal and I’m fully sold. 

The King and Queen

All three films try and do the “Queen’s Diamonds” storyline, but only the 1973 actually includes the Queen’s affair with Buckingham. The queen, played by Geraldine Chaplin, is a tragic romantic figure (she doesn’t have a tonne to do besides being wistful and sighing over Lord Buckingham). The king is played as a frivolous idiot by Jean-Pierre Cassel (voice dubbed by Richard Briers). He doesn’t really think of the queen as a person, more as a possession that he doesn’t want Buckingham to have. 

In the 1993 version, Buckingham doesn’t really feature, and it’s the queen’s refusal to get off with the Cardinal that prompts his fury at her. The book does touch on the Cardinal’s desire for the queen, but it’s placed front and centre in 1993. This is definitely the boobsiest version, with quite a lot of corsetry on show and a cardinal who hits on literally all the women. The king is shown as a stroppy teenage boy under the thumb of the cardinal, who just wants to ask the queen to the dance but doesn’t have the nerve. The king is, essentially, a Fall Out Boy lyric. 

The 2011 also seems to be really squeamish about the idea of the queen having an extramarital affair. It paints Buckingham (played with excellent wig and aplomb by Orlando Bloom) as a stylish villain, who’s advances the queen has rejected. Like the 1993 version, the King is a feckless youth rendered speechless by the presence of his wife. Both these versions want the King and Queen to be happy together, while the 1973 doesn’t give a fuck. 

The Cardinal and his Cronies

The cardinal is kind of universally an evil creepy guy. One of the characters from the 1973 version who actually left the least impression on me, played by Charlton Heston. I think he’s overshadowed in my recollection by cartoonishly evil Christopher Lee as Rochefort. Lee’s Rochefort is dark, mysterious and wonderfully bad, and so influential that all other incarnations’ design is based on him. The 1993 version had truly over the top Michael Wincott as a character I could honestly refer to as Darth Rochefort from the way he’s framed, while 2011 boasts a chronically underused Mads Mikkelsen in the role. 

Cardinal-wise, 1993 was my favourite with Tim Curry in all his ecclesiastical splendour. It was disappointing that everything about this film, including the Cardinal’s sexual harassment of every single female character, really didn’t work for me. Tim Curry is a natural choice for this role and gives it his campy all. 

2011 has not one but two trendy bond villain actors, with Mikkelsen working alongside Christoph Waltz who was...just kind of fine. I was really excited when he appeared but he didn’t really push the character far enough and left me cold. 

Story

The story is where the different adaptations diverge most completely. 1973 follows the plot of the novel, D’Artagnan comes to Paris, befriends the Musketeers and becomes embroiled in a plot by the Cardinal to expose the Queen’s affair with Buckingham through the theft of two diamond studs. D’Artagnan, aided partially by the musketeers, must travel to London to retrieve the set of twelve studs gifted by the King to the Queen, and by the Queen to Buckingham. He does so, the plot is foiled, he’s made into a musketeer! Hurrah, tankards all round.

The 1993 version drops D’Artagnan into the story just as the Cardinal has disbanded the Musketeers. I found the plot of this one really hard to follow and I think at some point D’Artagnan ended up in the Bastille? There was this whole plot point about how Rochefort had killed D’Artagnan’s father. In the original, and in the 1973 version, D’Artagnan’s entire beef with Rochefort is rooted in a joke Rochefort makes about D’Artagnan’s horse. I guess for the producers of this one, a horse insult is not enough motivation for a lifelong grudge. That is really the problem with the entire film, it forgets that the story as told by Dumas is set in a world where men duel over such petty things as “criticising one’s horse”, “blocking one’s journey down a staircase” and “accusing one of having dropped a lady’s handkerchief.” The colour palette and styling are very 90s “fun fun fun”, but the portrayal of the cardinal and the endless angst about D’Artagnan’s father really dampen the mood. 

The 2011 version, this is where the shit really hits the fan. We meet our musketeers as they collaborate with Milady to steal the blueprints for a flying ship (it’s like a piratecore zeppelin). Milady betrays them and gives the plans to Buckingham, they all become jaded and unemployed. D’Artagnan arrives on the scene (his American accent explained by the fact that he’s from a different part of France) and befriends the Musketeers. The cardinal tries to frame the queen for infidelity by having Milady steal her diamonds to hide them in Buckingham’s safe at the tower of London. Something something Constance, something something help me D’Artagnan you’re my only hope. MASSIVE AIRSHIP BATTLE. The king and queen have a dance. James Corden cracks wise. 

It seems like as time has passed, producers, writers and directors have felt compelled to embellish the story. I think, specifically in the case of the two later versions, this is because they wanted the films to resemble the big successes of the period. Everybody knows no Disney hero can be in possession of both parents, so D’Artagnan is out to avenge his father like Simba or Luke Skywalker. In the 2011 version, the plot is overblown and overcomplicated in what seems like an attempt to replicate the success of both the Sherlock Holmes and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises. Remember the plot of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End? No, me neither. 

Style

The style of these films grows increasingly wild along with the plots as time passes. The 1973 features a lot of slapstick comedy, some of which really made me cackle, and some of which was cringeworthily sexist (Constance’s boobs through the window of a litter.) That’s the 70s though! I love The Godfather but Diane Keaton’s character is unbelivably dull and annoying. Star Wars features a pretty good female character but she does end up in that bikini. The 70s seems to be a time of movies that were great except for their occasional headlong dive into misogyny. That doesn’t mean the entire movie is bad, it just means it’s suffering from the consequences of being made in the 70s. There were other consequences of this, I doubt many modern productions could get away with physically injuring so many of it’s cast members. From a glance down the IMDB trivia page, this film yielded a higher casualties to cast ratio than the My Chemical Romance Famous Last Words music video, and that’s a hard figure to top. 

The 1993 version is a Disney feature and suffers from having a thin sheen (not Charlie in this instance) of “Disney Original Movie” pasted over every scene. It looks like The Parent Trap might be filming in the adjacent studio a lot of the time. The vibrancy of the colours makes the costumes look unrealistic, while the blandness of the female characters means this movie ends up a bit of a bland bro-fest. Also occasionally the sexual and violent moments really jar with the overall tone making it an uneven watch. One minute it’s Charlie Sheen cracking jokes about trying to get off with someone’s wife, the next minute you see Milady throw herself off a cliff and land on the rocks. Weird choices all round. 

The 2011 version, as I’ve already mentioned, was trying to borrow its style from the success of Sherlock Holmes and Pirates of the Caribbean, with a little Ocean’s 11 thrown in. The soundtrack flips between not quite a Hans Zimmer score and not quite that other Hans Zimmer score, and after the success of Stardust it ends with a Take That song (for it to match up to the story it should have been Take That feat. Harry styles imho). Visually, there’s some fantastic travel by mapping going on, there’s far too much CGI (one of my friends pointed out that the canal in Venice seemed to be full of Flubber). Everyone is dressed in black leather, and there are not enough big hats at all. One of the best things about Musketeers films is that they’re an excuse for ridiculous hats, and in a film with a quite frankly insane visual style, I’m surprised the hats didn’t make it through. The cast, unfortunately, really lack chemistry which means the humorous dialogue is either stilted or James Corden, and the editing is just very strange. It’s one of those films that feels about as disjointed as an early morning dream, the one where you dream you’ve woken up, gotten dressed and fed the cat, but you actually are still in bed. 

Conclusion

Adaptations focus on different things depending on the context they were created in. The 2005 Pride and Prejudice is deliberately “grittier” than its 1990s predecessor, at a stage when “grit” was everywhere (The Bourne Identity, Spooks, Constantine). The Musketeers adaptations demonstrate exactly the same thing: what people wanted in the 70s was bawdy comedy and slapstick with a likeable idiot hero, the 90s clearly called for... Charlie Sheen and bright colours, and the 2010s just want too much of everything and a soundtrack with lots of banging and crashing. The more modern adaptations simplified the female characters (although the 1973 version definitely is guilty of oversimplifying Constance) while over-complicating the plot. There’s a lot of embellishment going on in the 2011 version that suggests the film wasn’t very sure of itself, it pulls its plot punches while simultaneously blindly flailing its stylistic fists. 

The film that works the best for me will always be the 1973 because it’s pretty straight down the line. Musketeers are good, Milady is evil, falling over is funny and the King’s an idiot. The later adaptations seem to be trying to fix problems with the story that the 1973 version just lets fly. The overcorrection of Milady and the under characterisation of Constance is the perfect example of this. If you want your Musketeers adaptation to be more feminist, don’t weaken Milady, strengthen Constance. Sometimes a competent female character is all that we need. A Constance who is like Florence Cassel from Death in Paradise or  Ahn Young-yi from Misaeng could really pack a punch.

I adored the energy of the 2011 adaptation, I loved how madcap it was, I loved how it threw historical accuracy to the wind. I thought the king was adorable, and I really enjoyed seeing Orlando Bloom hamming it up as Buckingham. I was genuinely sad that the sequel the ending sets up for never came, because once they got out of the sticky dialogue and into the explosions, the film was great fun. It was a beautiful disaster that never quite came together, but I really enjoyed watching it. I love films that have a sense of wild chaos, some more successful examples are The Devil’s Advocate, Blow Dry and Lego Batman. I think the spirit of going all out on everything can sometimes result in the best cinematic experience, it’s just a shame the script wasn’t really up to muster for 2011 Musketeers. 

I’m excited to see what the next big budget Musketeers adaptation brings, even if I’m going to have to wait another ten years to see it. I hope it’s directed by Chad Stahelski, that’d really float my boat (through the sky, like a zeppelin.)

[what-if-i-imagine]

Another request from my love @a-single-drop-of-ink​ for the quote “I was dying to hear someone say that I didn’t need to try so hard to be perfect, that I was enough and it was okay“ with Damian, Jason and Talia in the League of Assassins.

Damian grunted as he hit the ground again. Just as all the other times he had been knocked down, he sprung right back up without hesitation and faced his teacher again.

The young assassin eyes him carefully with a raised eyebrow. He seemed no more impressed by Damian’s stubborn refusal to stay down than he had any of the other times. And just as all the other times, the assassin finished his always silent assessment of Damian’s physical state and turned to Talia.

Damian rushed forward while the teen’s face was turned away, but both his bokken and fist were easily caught and held still without him so much as glancing back.

“If he wishes to continue then let him,” Talia assured the silent teacher. “He must learn somehow when it is time to give up.”

His teacher gave a small nod and turned back to Damian, roughly pushing him back to put a yard of distance between them.

There were many things that frustrated the young al Ghul about his teacher. The teacher had been around since the day he was born, and had been one of the first to ever hold him, but he had never spoken a word. As the years went on, his mother explained that the boy was completely catatonic when she found him, and had remained that way for a very long time.

His mother never told him what jolted the boy out of his catatonic state, or why even after seven years he still sometimes slipped back under and when lucid remained silent. He thought he might have heard his voice once, speaking in a hushed tone to his mother, but he wasn’t sure anymore.

Another thing he found extremely frustrating was the way his teacher carried himself. It was filled with so much sorrow, wonder and indifference. He had only seen a few expressions on his face that were not microscopic. Damian was always unsure if it was due to his mother’s training, or some other thing from the boy’s past that his amnesiatic brain would possibly never remember.

Then there was the thing that frustrated Damian above all else. It made his blood boil and he gnashed his teeth and rushed forward again, raising his bokken to strike.

His teacher treated him like a kid.

Ever since his birth when the boy was nine, he had treated Damian as if he were delicate, fragile. As if he weren't the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, the grandson of Ra al Ghul. He found it more than frustrating, it was infuriating.

Damian had aged through his infant and toddler years at an accelerated speed due to the nature of his birth but had quickly slowed to the normal age progression, leaving him now physically ten when he was technically only seven. Physically speaking, the boy his mother called his teacher was only six years older than him at the most. He had no powers, unless you counted the multiple times he had to be thrown into the Lazarus Pit after some of his missions resulting in a quicker healing process as a power, which Damian did not. He was small for his age even with the growth Lazarus had tried to force him into, his muscle was lean and though Damian knew how damaging one of his punches could be first hand after watching it shatter a man’s skull, he was nowhere near intimidating.

And yet this boy, this fool his mother called her greatest warrior, had the audacity to treat him, grandson of the Demon's Head, as a child.

He went easy on him in training unless his mother prompted him not to. He fought with only his hands while forcing Damian to use a bokken. He jumped into every fight Damian picked with the other assassins and teachers, putting it to a swift end in whatever way he could then personally tended to Damian’s wounds as if he couldn’t do it himself.

Damian tried to channel his anger and frustrations the way his mother had taught him into every strike of his bokken. His teacher effortlessly dodged every attack.

When he saw a split second entry, his teacher snapped forward, using one hand to meet Damian’s bokken with an open palmed uppercut as the other hand’s heel struck Damian's chest. All air was pushed from his lungs in a painful surge, and for a second he was almost sure the boy had pushed his soul entirely from his body.

Damian's back collided with the ground, his neck giving a snap when his head bounced from the force. His bokken had left his hand before his descent,and he now found himself staring up at blank, almost unseeing eyes, with the business end of his bokken pressed right below his throat.

Damian was about to reach up and push the wooden sword away so he could stand again when his mother’s voice stopped him.

“Damian, that’s enough,” she snapped.

“But mother-” he tried to protest but she cut him off.

“You have lost fifteen matches in ten minutes. It is fair to say that will be enough for today.”

“I can keep going-”

“Did I not just say enough?”

Damian gulped down any words that tried to escape him after that, glaring with a vengeance at the teacher who still stood over him.

“Alwarda,” his mother said, causing the boy to turn his gaze back to her. “Your assistance is not needed for the remainder of tonight. You are dismissed.”

The boy nodded and stepped away from Damian. He offered both the mother and son a small bow of respect before disappearing inside with the bokken still in hand.

Damian had bathed and tended to his wounds alone, brooding in his defeat. His mother often told him the way he brooded reminded her of his father, who happened to be an american billionaire completely unaware of his existence. He would never say it to her face, but he always thought during these moments that she was wrong. He brooded like her as well.

After he was dressed comfortably for the uneventful evening ahead, one of the servants came to his door to inform him his mother was waiting for him.

It did not take long to find her. He knew when it came to their private dinners, they rarely ever ate in the actual dining room, or with his grandfather and other members of their family. This night in particular he found her in her meditation room with her favorite incense burning and her eyes closed. A pot of oxblood soup sat between her and another mat with two empty bowls and spoons beside it.

In moments like these, he would enjoy just staring at his mother in the awe and respect she deserved. She was more deadly than anyone he had ever known in his short life time, but it was sometimes hard to forget when she was sitting there, looking so beautiful and at ease.

Damian always wondered if he would inherit any of that beauty. Sometimes prayed that he would, though he would never tell anyone that.

“If you keep standing there, the soup will get cold,” his mother informed him without opening her eyes or moving a muscle.

He obeyed the silent order, making his way over to the mat to sit in a cross legged mirror of her position. He served up both bowls, presenting his mother’s to her with a bow of his head. She took it with a small chuckle.

"You fought hard today, I figured you deserved your favorite,” she said as he tried to control himself while taking down spoonful after spoonful of soup.

“But I lost,” he said, almost baffled. The loss after loss would have been considered intolerable by his grandfather. Unacceptable. Not the makings of a true al Ghul heir.

“Loss is inevitable,” his mother said easily. “Without it, there is no way you would learn.”

Damian tried to let her words sink in, tried to learn the lesson she was trying to teach, but it wouldn’t stick. He had lost fifteen times to a foul blooded boy right in front of her. How could she act as if his failure meant nothing?

He filed the question away for another day and accepted the moment for what it was. He ate three bowls of the soup before deciding he was satisfied, and went into meditation, allowing the scents of the incense, soup and his mother to overcome his senses. He let all his thoughts go by as if he were watching waves on a beach from afar, letting them go to be dealt with in a different time.

As much as they had helped to ease him in the moment, the soup and meditation’s effects did not last long.

The next morning he had woken up and spent sunrise until noon doing non stop training. He avoided his mother the best he could, sure that the shame must have sunk in by now, even opting to eat his lunch with the other assassins.

He couldn’t stop thinking about what it had felt like each time he hit the ground. The distasteful sound of his body colliding with the dirt. The way his teacher would stare down at him with the unreadable expression and expertly masked emotion. The way his mother had snapped when he found for a sixteenth round.

He was tired, and his body ached with sore muscles that didn’t want to work no matter how late in the day it had gotten as he kept up his training as intense as ever. His mind blurred the hours into minutes and the minutes into seconds, his attention laser focused on getting better.

He reminded himself over and over like a mantra that he would never be good enough the way he was. That a true al Ghul, a true heir to the Demon’s Head, is so much better than this. He trained until it became hard to breath, then said air was for the weak and kept going.

As the sun started to set, he took a brisk shower and toweled off, dressing in his copy of the outfit he had seen the assassins of the League wear to dinner. It was more casual and comfortable than their usual uniforms, but still displayed their place in the League based on color and material. Damian’s was made from the finest silks just as all his other clothing and was green to remind everyone of his biological superiority to them.

With his katana resting on his hip, and his green hood pulled up, he melted into the crowd of tired assassins as they filed into the dinning hall.

He took his serving off food, as always pleased with how well his grandfather fed his warriors and took a seat at a fairly crowded table. The moment he was seated, everyone cleared away from the table besides one assassin, even as his little friends tried to pull him away.

“I’m not moving just because some demon brat decided this was his table,” the assassin said.

“Just move,” one of his friends said. “You don’t want to provoke him.”

“And why not? Didn’t you hear how badly he got his ass kicked yesterday during his training. From what I heard, he came out of the training center looking like absolute shit,” the assassin laughed. “I bet any idiot with two thumbs could beat him.”

“Then do it.”

All the assassins in the room slowly turned to look towards Damian, who had finished almost all of his food already while the assassin was talking.

“What?” the assassin snapped. “What did you say to me?”

“I said do it,” Damian glared at him. “You think you can beat me? Then do it.”

“Let it go,” one of his friends tried, but he brushed her off.

The man stood and marched over, his tomahawk already in his hand. When he brought it down, Damian was able to dodge it, taking advantage of the time it would take to pull it out of the wood as he hopped up onto the table and drew his katana.

The tomahawk came flying at him and he dodged it again while moving forward in one fluid motion to sink his katana into the man’s shoulder. As any good member of the League, he didn’t even flinch from the piercing cut of the blade and got to work on trying to cut Damian down.

The battle was not long by any means, but it had its fair share of blood. The man was surely going to bleed to death if he took any more trauma from Damian’s blade, and Damian himself was littered now with gashes. The next blow was sure to be the end to either of them.

Damian had never needed the Lazarus Pit yet, but by the looks of it, he might. Then again, if he won he wouldn’t, but they would be down one assassin.

He didn’t have time to fully process his katana being roughly forced from his hand, and he wasn’t entirely sure how it happened, but the next thing he knew, the chain of an all too familiar kusarigama style fixed knife was wrapped around his wrist, slamming him down into the table with a harsh force no one else would dare to use on him even during a fight.

Damian managed to push himself up enough to take in the rest of the scene that ended his fight. He belatedly realized that the chain was not the only part of the weapon fixed on him, as he came face to face with the two blades of the weapon perfectly angled by the chains to stab into his arms at any moment.

The assassin he had been fighting was no better off, a sword trained on his neck just far enough to not cut but just close enough that any breath could cause it to. Everyone around them were covering their mouths, paralyzed by one of the few things they feared, or were scrambling to get their food and run back to their rooms.

“Red,” the assassin sputtered, staring up at the red hooded boy. “It’s not what it looks like. I wasn’t going to kill the kid!”

The red clad assassin seemed to consider the man for a moment before the tension left his body and he resheathed his sword. He waved the man away, and the man took the order to leave as a gift.

Damian prepared for the disappointed, or unimpressed, or patronizing look Red was sure to give him. He geared up to shoot a few insults at the boy and push his luck until Red snapped- which he never did, yet another insufferable aspect of his teacher.

When Red did turn to him, Damian stopped dead in his tracks. Red wasn’t looking at him in any of the ways he had expected. He didn't even look at him with pity. Instead, it was an unsheltered, raw kind of worry, fear and something else Damian didn’t recognize written plane as day in every line of his body. His eyes were a deep blue with only a hint of green around the edges, and they were fully in focus in a way Damian was so unused to.

Damian felt every ounce of anger drain from his body, quickly being replaced with a gut turning guilt he had never felt before. Because no one had ever looked at him like that before. Without a hint of disappointment or berating.

He ended up having to avert his gaze to the floor to stop himself from throwing up.

Feather gentle hands unwound the chains and coiled the weapon back up to be clipped to his belt on the other side of his hip from his katana. Without warning, the same hands lifted Damian as if he weighed nothing and carried him away from the dinning hall and to his bed room.

“Are you going to tell my mother?” Damian asked in an almost whisper, risking a glance back up at the teen. His lips had set into a hard line, the same way they did every time Damian though he might want to say something. He started to mentally panic before the assassin gave a small shake of his head.

They reached the room quickly, and Damian expected to be let down to attend to his wounds on his own. Though the red assassin his mother so deeply trusted had taken care of him after fights many times before, it had never been in the secluded comfort of his room. Always in the infirmary, training room or his mother’s office as she scolded him.

He didn’t expect it when the boy opened his bedroom door and carried Damian in. He only let him down when they reached the bathroom, where a hot bath had been pre prepared.

Damian wondered if Red had prepared it, or one of the servants at Red’s order.

“I already took a bath today,” Damian said, regaining some of his mentality.

Red gave him a hard look and nodded to the bath.

“No,” Damian said stubbornly. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was fighting it. Maybe it was the idea of being babied by a sixteen year old mute, or maybe it was because he wanted to see how far Red really could be pushed before he lost his always controlled temper.

Red nodded to the bath again with never ending patience.

Damian crossed his arms, wincing as it pulled at one of the smaller gashes, “Are you deaf and mute? I said no. I don’t need a bath.”

“Get in the bath Damian.”

It was Red’s lips that moved, but for some reason, the barrier between Damian’s eyes, ears, and brain tried to remain strong. He had never, not once, been spoken to by Red.The mixture of Red’s odd bought of full presentness and his first words to him that he could remember were enough to shock Damian into doing as he was told.

Red disappeared from the room for a moment, long enough for Damian to undress and climb into the bath. He had no qualms with his modesty around Red, no matter how old he had gotten. Red had been the one to bathe him, dress him and change him for the first few years of his life after all.

It was a few minutes before Red returned with Damian’s favorite pair of pajamas, a first aid kit, and a few wash cloths.

“Wash off the dried blood, but don’t scrub hard enough to reopen closed wounds,” Red instructed, his voice having a stuttering effect on Damian’s brain that only got worse with every word.

When he snapped out of it, Damian was quick to act, taking the washcloth and lathering it with soap so he could wash himself properly. When a bucket of water was dumped over his head, he flinched away, looking up at Red as if he had burned him.

Red only put up his hands as a show of peace and waited for Damian to calm down and move back into place where he could reach him.

With shampoo covering his hands, Red scrubbed away at Damian’s scalp, his fingers catching, massaging and scratching in the perfect way that eased Damian’s nerves. Another bucket was dumped over his head with fresh water untouched by the now grimy and bloodied bathwater, and this time Damian didn’t flinch away. He did, however, wonder how many buckets of water Red had filled for the bath ahead of time.

With the shampooing process over, Red moved on to working conditioner into Damian’s hair in the same way he had the shampoo. When he seemed satisfied, he pulled back to let it sit for a few minutes and grabbed a fresh washcloth instead to clean the deepest wound Damian had acquired in the battle.

It honestly looked worse than it was, and was the only one that would need stitches as it spanned from the center of his shoulder to his peck.

Red washed it as gently as he had done everything else with Damian that evening and applied pressure enough while cleaning to stop the bleeding. With an alcohol wipe and cleaned it even more, not letting up even when Damian flinched. Without warning, a needle and sterile thread started to run through his skin with expert ease and Damian gripped tightly to Red’s arms to not scream.

The stitches were done in a record time, and Red carefully guided him to lean his head back to rest against the rim of the tub. His head was met by a bucket of freezing water, and he tried to jump forward, but Red’s firm hand kept him in place. When he was adjusted enough to the water, Red massaged his scalp and hair until all the conditioner was out.

“Stand up,” Red instructed with a small nudge. With Damian standing, Red dumped a few more buckets of water over his body to completely watch him off, then wrapped him in a towel and lifted him out of the tub.

Damian was horrified when he found himself curing up in Red’s arms into his chest and realized that he was enjoying the nurturing attention of the red assassin.

“You could have gotten badly hurt you know,” Red said, setting Damian down on his bed to dry him off and dress him in his pajamas. He wasn’t scolding, just pointing the facts out.

“I had it under control,” Damian huffed.

“No, you didn’t,” Red said.

Damian looked down, once again finding himself feeling too guilty to meet his teacher’s eyes.

“Why did you get into that fight?” Red asked in a whisper. “Why do you get into any of them? You have nothing to prove to the League.”

“It’s not about the League,” Damian snapped before quickly coming back down. “They say I’m weak. They mock me.”

“Why does it matter what they think?”

“It doesn’t,” Damian balled his fists. “But if they all think I’m weak, what if they tell my grandfather? I know I’m not the perfect child for him. If I fight them, prove I’m stronger than them all,then maybe I can become perfect.”

“You don’t need to be perfect Damian,” Red said.

Damian scoffed, “Easy for you to say.”

“It’s not,” Red shook his head and lifted Damian’s chin with a finger so that he met his eyes. “I may not remember most of my life, but I can remember feelings. I remember how inferior I felt compared to a superior in my past. Someone who’s role I was supposed to fill. I remember how angry and small it made me feel. But above everything else, I was sad.”

“How did you stop feeling like that?” Damian whispered in wonder.

Red smiled, and Damian’s heart stopped. He had never, never, seen Red smile. His mother had claimed Red smiled when he was born, but he had never seen it himself. Despite that, the smile had the same familiar, easing effect that seeing his mother meditate did.

“I realized that the perfect person does not exist, so I should stop wasting my time on trying to be one and just be the best that I could be. I didn’t become better than him, or my adoptive dad, or anyone else around me. I became better than myself,” Red explained. “I’m still becoming better than myself every single day because I have Ms. al Ghul and you. And all you need is us. Not the League and your grandfather.”

“What if I can’t become better than myself?”

“You can. You are. Just by listening to your mother and I, you are becoming better than yourself. But Damian, I need you to hear me when I say, you need to stop trying to be perfect, because the way you are now is more than enough for us. We love every part of you as you are, without you being able to beat assassins twice your size in mortal combat.”

So that’s what I saw in his eyes earlier, Damian thought in awe. Love.

It was all it took for Damian to burst into tears and hug close into the teen’s chest. Red wrapped his arms safely around him and lifted him into his lap.

“What’s wrong Habibi?” Red whispered fearfully. The small pet name his mother called him caused Damian to cry even harder, latching on tightly to the assassin.

“I was dying to hear someone say that I didn’t need to try so hard to be perfect, that I was enough and it was okay,” Damian said, shaking his head.

“It is okay,” Red promised. “Damian, you are great. You are going to do great things. Your mother and I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Damian said, relaxing from his crying fit as quickly as it had come on. “I love you Alwarda.”

“My name is Jason,” Red whispered.

“I love you Jason.”

“I love you too Dami. Let’s get you to bed.”

[greatbigfour]

07. Town Hall Target

“I smell a trap,” said Jack softly. 

“And it’s so well planned that we have no choice but to spring it,” said Hiccup. 

Merida turned to Jack. “You be ready to give MK that hat. This may be a trap, but this is also a chance at sending one of those villains back to our world. And I’m not about to miss out on this opportunity.” 

“You got it,” said Jack, tipping the hat slightly. 

“Actually, I think you should give the hat to Jamie to hold,” said Mavis. “We’re going to need Jack’s help fighting this guy.” 

Merida tilted her head. “That’s a good idea. Thanks, Mavis.” Mavis smiled. Jack handed Jamie the hat. 

“Alright, let’s get going,” said Hiccup, brandishing his sword. He turned to Rex and Slinky. “And go find the rest of the riders and the dragons, we’re going to need them too!” 

“On it!” said Slinky before taking off down the road, followed by a whimpering Rex. The others raced towards Town Hall. 

“Do we have some kind of plan?” asked JJ as they neared the hall. 

“Just that MK and Jamie find a good place to be ready with the hat and we’ll steer Mordu towards them.” Hiccup turned to MK. “You be ready at a moment’s notice.” 

MK nodded. “I will.” 

“Good.” Hiccup took a breath before grasping the door handles to the hall. “Here goes. Be careful everyone.” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” muttered Merida, pulling out an arrow from her shaft. 

Hiccup grinned sheepishly. “Right.” He pulled open the door, and they filed in. The hall was a mess. Chairs and glass were scattered into pieces across the floor while claw marks were slashed into the walls. Jesse, Woody, and Buzz were backing towards the far end of the wall on the stage while a huge bear with a couple of arrow shafts sticking out of its hide was inching towards them. Behind him, Bo Peep was directing Hamm and her sheep into pulling one of the curtains taut. 

“Buzz, now!” shouted Woody. Buzz aimed his laser at the bear’s eyes and fired. The bear swatted at its eyes, trying to get the light out of them. He backed up into the taut curtain and fell backwards. 

“Yes!” cheered the toys. Jesse and Buzz high-fived each other. But, unfortunately, the triumph was short-lived as Mordu was back on his feet in a moment. Bo let out a scream as she and the sheep dashed off. Hamm, however, wasn’t as lucky. Mordu caught him in his claws and tossed him towards the front of the building. 

“Hamm!” JJ lunged and caught Hamm. 

“Oh thanks JJ,” said Hamm. “That was too close.” 

“You’re telling me,” said JJ. The two got up, and realized everything had gone quiet. Mordu was staring directly at Merida and Hiccup. 

“Wh-why is he staring at you like that?” whispered MK. 

“Because I helped my mom and Hiccup break their curses.” Merida pulled back on the bowstring. “And he didn’t.” 

“And he hates you because of that?” asked Jamie incredulously. 

“Not too surprised,” mumbled Mavis. Merida shot her a look. Mordu let out a growl. 

“Now’s not the time. We’ve got a big bear to worry about!” said Hiccup, igniting his sword. Jack leveled his staff and Rapunzel quickly unbraided her hair. 

“MK, go find a good spot. We’ll push him towards you!” said Merida. She let loose her arrow. It hit Mordu’s shoulder. Mordu let out a roar. “Go!” 

MK grabbed Jamie’s hand and the two ran towards the nearest corner. Mordu charged. Hiccup swung his sword in front of the bear’s face, making him pause and back up a bit. Jack struck the floor with his staff, and ice tendrils crept towards Mordu. The floor became covered in ice and slippery. Rapunzel threw her hair up to the ceiling and with a flying leap, rammed into the bear. Unable to get a good grip on the floor, he went sliding. 

“Yeehaw!” shouted Jesse. “We can take him down!” 

“JJ, go tell them what we’re trying to do,” said Jack. He leaned in and whispered. “The less Mordu knows, the better. He might be an animal, but he’s not stupid.” 

JJ nodded. “Right.” Taking Hamm with him, he dashed to the stage. He motioned for Bo, Jesse, Woody, and Buzz to get closer and quickly whispered out the plan. 

Meanwhile, MK and Jamie got to the corner and were placing the hat on the floor. “Ok, so, I guess it doesn’t matter which way I spin it, I just have to spin it.” She let out a breath. 

Jamie placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve got this, Mom.” 

MK smiled at him. “Thanks kid.” She glanced at the battle. Mavis blasted Mordu with some lightning while JJ threw some wisps at him. Buzz followed up with shooting his laser into the bear’s eyes again. Mordu took a few steps back, but he seemed to have figured out part of the plan and was pushing back. “But I should be out there helping them.” 

“But you are helping them. You’re doing the one part that only you can do, no one else.” 

MK let out a huff. “It still doesn’t feel right.” She glanced at Jamie. ‘Though I think it would be best if you went somewhere else.” 

“But I want to stay here with you!” 

“I know you do, but I would feel better if you were out of harm’s way.” 

“But . . .” 

“Jamie, go find a place to hide, now,” ordered MK. 

Jamie pouted. “Fine.” He got up and raced towards the podium, hiding behind it. 

The battle intensified, everyone trying to push Mordu. But every time they were able to push him towards MK and the hat, he would come back with a fierce attack and try to regain ground. Sweat dripped down MK’s face as she watched with tense anticipation. She couldn’t miss her shot, but the more they tried, the more Mordu pushed back. 

“Oh!” shouted Rapunzel. “JJ, grab my hair!” Rapunzel tossed him the end of her hair. He grabbed it. She ran around Mordu. “Go to the other side!” JJ dashed to the other side. “Pull!” Mordu roared as he fought against the pressure of the hair around his waist. “Jack, ice, now!” 

Jack whooped. “Rapunzel, you’re a genius!” He jammed his staff on the floor hard, creating an icy path straight to MK. MK readied her hands to turn the hat. 

“JJ, let go!” Rapunzel and JJ let go, sending them tumbling onto the ground. The momentum sent Mordu sliding across the icy path. Merida and Mavis ran alongside, to make sure he kept on going. Mavis struck him with some lightning when he got close to stepping off the ice on her end. He roared and kicked her, sending her tumbling. 

“Mom!” Jamie dashed out from his hiding place to check on Mavis. 

Meanwhile, Merida had shot another arrow into him and MK spun the hat. She took a step back as the hat widened and sank into the floor into a portal. Mordu roared as he tried to stop, but the ice was too slippery and it simply made him go faster. He began to fall into the portal, but managed to grab a hold of the floor with his claws. Merida nocked another arrow. 

“We’ll finish this later, Mordu,” she said before releasing the arrow. Mordu roared when it hit his paw and let go. The others cheered. But then a look came into Mordu’s eyes, a look MK and Merida had never seen before. The next second, his other paw reached out and dug his claws into MK’s leg. She screamed as the claws pulled her into the portal. “No! MK!” Merida lunged for her, and fell into the portal as well after her. 

“No! Merida! MK!” shouted Hiccup as he rushed forward.

“MK!” echoed JJ. 

“Mom! Grandma!” cried Jamie. They raced towards the portal, but it was too late. The portal had closed. There was nothing left but the hat. Hiccup sank to his knees in shock. How were they going to get them back?

[missfay49]

Session 1b - I’d Rather Not

This is a retelling, not a transcription.

Word count: ~2,100

Relationships: platonic Moceit

Warnings (may contain spoilers): space, aliens, alien planet, fighting, cursing, disease, venom, exhaustion, mind-control, blood, hostile wildlife (request more tags if needed)

AO3

Last Chapter Next Chapter

******************

“Thanks, Janus.”

Janus’ face twists into a cold focus.  He grabs his pistol and starts firing careful, timed bursts and the other fighters still in control of themselves do the same.  The vracinea makes no sounds when their shots hit, but its latex sap starts pouring from the wounds and its vines become frantic.  They all desperately hope that means it’s dying.

A particularly large electrical blast from the android seems to knock the large Lashunta loose, because they gasp and start running.  The creature gives chase but five of them are shooting it now and before it can attack again its smoking corpse falls with a strange flutter and a crunch.

The human walks up and spits on it before sitting hard on the ground.  

“I am so done with nature,” says the android.  Someone grunts in agreement.

Only a few seconds pass before the smaller Lashunta is shaking their head and backing away from the foliage in disgust.  No one says anything to them.  Janus gives them a questioning look, still catching his breath, but they just blink a few times and join the rough circle of people that has formed to rest.  

“Thank you for not letting me die,” Janus says to no one in particular.  He touches the scratches on his neck lightly, wincing.  

“You’re welcome,” says the small Lashunta.  

“I would not wish that fate on anyone,” adds the android.  “To be eaten by a plant… pitiful.”

Janus looks at each of them in turn, these new companions of his.  The human catches his eye and stares back for a moment, squinting hard at him.  Janus’ lips twitch in an aborted smile and he lets his gaze slide away to the next person.

The large Lashunta and the android are studying the plant together.  The android narrates their findings.  

“The plant was not originally part of the structure’s design.”

“Oh, was it not?  I would never have guessed.”  The human scoffed, leaning theirself back against a fallen tree.  The android continues as if nothing was said.

“This obelisk was a watchtower.  Non-magical.  Sargorssk, would you?”  The android looks at the Vesk and gestures.  They- Sargorssk- seems to know just what to do and draws their sword again to start hacking the remaining vines from the structure.  Once the surface is revealed, the android starts up again.

“There is ancient elven script here. “Warning.  You are approaching Loskialua, monastery of starsong, embassy of the spheres, and Temple of the Twelve.  Messengers and other visitors pay respect to the beyond.”  It says something about purity of the mind.”

“So, we should think pure thoughts?”  asks the large Lashunta.

“Indeed,” the android confirms.  “I suggest you think about soap.”

A few feet away, Janus is struggling with his med kit.  He knows it’s in here, he just can’t think right now through all the pains shouting at him.  He startles when the small Lashunta appears beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder.  Janus makes to remove it, but a warmth blossoms from the touch and travels up and around his neck.  The cuts around his throat and head tingle and disappear.  It lasts only a few seconds, and then the Lashunta gives him a smile and pulls away.  Their hands part and Janus realizes he had been holding onto them throughout.  He stares as they walk back to their travel pack and sit.

“Oh, we’re keeping that one,” he decides.  

~~~

The group keeps moving.  The kaukarikis glower at the survivors walking through their territory.  They drop rocks on the group when they aren’t looking, but always retreat when confronted.  They’re just trying to be irritating.  

They make camp when the sun sets and the android strikes up conversation.

“How did you survive before…?”

“Things were a lot quieter before you came around.  Y’all are bad luck.”  Janus smirks.  “This is the worst mission I’ve ever had here!”

“That may be true,” Sargorssk chuckles.  “Are you sure you want to travel with us?”

“Well…” he draws it out just long enough to make everyone laugh.  When it dies down, his back is to them and he’s setting up his sleeping bag without a word.

The next morning sees another day of travel.  The infernal kaukarikis keep trailing the group, a hostile presence ever at their back.  Janus sidles up to the android.

“What’s your mission, anyway?”  He asks.

“We’re rescuing a kidnapped scientist,” they reply.  The large Lashunta nods.

“How very heroic!”

“What’s yours?”  The android’s eyes look through him.

“Cataloging species and their populations, but I’m more than happy to help rescue a fellow scientist!  It’s hard out here, we’ve got to look out for each other,” says Janus. 

“You’re welcome to stick with us as long as you like,” says the Vesk.

“Yes,” says the android.  “We could use the firepower.”

The day after that they encounter a creature called a ksarik.  A grey-ish-green four-legged creature with a tail and tentacles that twitch back and forth like a cat.  Everyone’s guns are raised when that thing tops the hill.  It disappears into the foliage, leaving only tension behind.

It appears again and again throughout the day, sometimes behind, sometimes to one side or the other.  Sometimes it moves impossible fast.

“Are there now two?” asks the android.

“Maybe so,” says the small Lashunta.  “They hunt in packs.”

On the fourth sighting, it doesn't run away again.  Instead it walks up to them, examining them, quivering with interest.  Probing.  It gurgles.  Janus is taking notes with great interest.

“Domash,” asks the android.  “Can you speak to this thing?”

The small Lashunta, Domash, squints for a moment.

“Yes, actually, it’s a type of fungus.  Don’t know how I forgot that!”  They laugh at theirself, stepping forward just a bit.

“Why here?  What want?  Me friend.”

“Want... Host...”

It launches a projectile a hundred feet across the field straight at the android.

A scream, a metallic screeching, and the android staggers.  A thorn is protruding from their shoulder, the panel cracked.  

The human takes aim and fires, the rest of the group following suit.  All but the large Lashunta.  They look around the field.  There!  Another creature, coming up on their flank.  Thorns fly from it as well, sinking into the Lashunta’s leg.  Then they flee.

“What the fuck?  Where are they going?” asks the human.  Domash looks at them, alarmed. 

“Their shots hit.  They think that all they have to do now is wait us out.  The spores…”  They look at their companion ripping the thorns out of their leg.

“We have to keep moving.”

Several times throughout the day, the creatures return to check on them, to fire more thorns.  No matter how many times they get shot, they flee only to return without a trace of damage.  The android tries to give chase, but they evolved within this jungle.  It’s impossible.

Janus tends to the large Lashunta’s wounds that night at camp.  It’s unclear if he’s helped, but they seem in higher spirits the next morning.

Another day, another several hours of being followed by kaukarikis, hunted by ksariks, and by the end of it Sargorssk and Janus have both been infected as well.  The other human lowers their gun after the fleeing creature and eyes Janus’ wounded arm.

“Oh, no, not our long-time field medic pal…”  they deadpan.  Janus glares in return.

  ~~~

“Y’all know where you’re going, right?”  Janus asks on the fifth day of travel.

The android stops in their tracks.

“What gives?”

A body is laying on the ground ahead.  Janus looks for signs of movement.

“It’s one of the cultists,” the android explains.  “One of the kidnappers.”  The human already has a gun raised.  

The android steps closer, and the cultist sees them and screams.

“Devourer, stop this pain!  I am ready for you!"  They pull out a gun but their arm cannot lift it to shoot.  Zin moves closer to the bulky Lashunta cultist, examining their wounds.  The human joins them, restraining the person.  It hardly seems necessary.

“They will not last much longer.”

“When did this happen?”  Domash approaches to question them.  They can only mumble, barely coherent.

“Time is… what?  I…”

“Should we, I don’t know, help them?”  Janus gestures vaguely.  The human is patting them down for any more weapons.  

“Or,” they pull out an incendiary grenade out of the person’s bag.  “We could kill ‘em.”

The android gently lifts the cultist’s head to place on their lap.  They speak calmly.

“You heard the man, tell us what you know or we’ll kill you.”

“I’m as good as dead already.”  The hostage’s eyes dart around, landing on Domash.  

“Wait, are you a healer?  Can you help me?!  Please!  I’ll tell you anything!”  They gasp.

Domash kneels, beginning to cast a spell of healing over them as the android begins a line of questioning.  The human backs up and mutters to Janus.

“We should just feed ‘em the grenade before those spores bust out.  This is a waste of time, bet.”

Janus briefly appreciates that Pat isn’t listening to this.

An hour later, the android leaves the cultist’s side.

“Here’s what we know.  She is from the Cult of the Devourer.  There’s no reliable information about the cult on the database.  Her leader is a man named Tommen.  The scientist was with them, but the group left her behind when she was infected by the ksariks.  There are a dozen more members guarding the scientist.”

“Are we gonna heal her just to have to lug around a prisoner?”  The human asks.

“We don’t have to take her with us,” says Sargorssk.

“Then why is Domash wasting its magic- hey!”  The human grunts as the android grabs them.

“They’re back.  There are more now.”

~~~

Pistols and laser fire explode over the clearing.  Janus ducks behind the large Lashunta, patting them on the back.  

“Go get ‘em, champ!”

“Hey, yeah,” they don’t dare take their eyes off the targets.  “That’s inspiring and all, but maybe you could actually do something?”

“Ah, yes.”  Janus pulls out his pistol and fires two shots, each one missing wide.  The Lashunta blinks.

“Never mind.”

The fight ends when Sargorssk throws a grenade at a ksarik, causing the last hostile fungus to erupt and douse everyone nearby with spongy viscera.  The large Lashunta scrubs their face and throws a piece on the ground, stomping it into the dirt.  Domash helps the android knock a panel back into place and the rest of them stand there panting, covered in goo.

“It’s in my hair.”  Janus mutters.  Somewhere behind them, the cultist groans.

~~~

Cleaning themselves up a few minutes later, Domash slaps Janus on the back and smiles.

“Well, you lived this long, maybe it’s time we made formal introductions?”

“Oh, thank goodness.”  Janus leans toward it.  “I waited so long I thought I’d missed my chance.  I’m Patton Nufunder.  You can call me Pat-iyo.” 

“Like the furniture?”

“Never heard that one before.”  Janus quips.

“I’m just teasing.  Domash-eyin.  Pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Sargorssk-iye Vint.”  The Vesk walks up to him showing far too many teeth.  

“I am called Zin-eya,” says the android.  Right behind her the large Lashunta waves.

“I’m Veritae-ya Vyon!”

There’s a silence, followed by everyone looking over to their human companion.  The one that’s been with them all along.  They sense the eyes on them and stop polishing their weapon to look up.

“Don’t refer to me.”

“Okay, then.”

“Just do me a favor, eh?”  The human asks him.  “Don’t die.  Fair?”

“Fair.”  Janus nods.  Sargorssk pulls him aside.

“The point is, Pat, we’re gonna be in danger for a while.  Not sure you want to stay with us.”

Janus mentally pokes the sleeping Patton in their mind.  He doesn’t stir.  To be honest, I’m not sure either, but right now this body is sick, probably got a couple infections, and traveling alone like this is somehow still more deadly than sticking with you lot.

“Don’t worry about me, Sarg.  I‘ll be fine.”  Janus shrugs him off.

“Well, then, welcome aboard!  Maybe you’ll actually get to see our ship at some point.”

A scratchy signal coming out of Zin’s head interrupts them.  She’s playing a live message from someone.

“I’ve made it across t-- ravine.  What --- ---- -- with these monkeys?  There’s dead monkeys all ova’ the place.  Why are they tryna kill me?”

“They started it,” she replies in a neutral tone.

Last Chapter Next Chapter

[secret-engima]

Nox keeps giving the media meltdowns. How's that, y'know, working out for him? And what's the general reaction around the Citadel crew to the media circus? Also, how do people feel when they realize exactly how /powerful/ Nox is?

Hmmm for the most part, Nox is ... ambivalent to how many times he sends the media into a tizzy. He’s got memories of 2k worth of royalty and scandals, he remembers the invention of media networks and sometimes dreams of the invention of the flipping printing press. There is literally nothing they can say about him that he doesn’t already have memories of somehow. Honestly, it’s .... alternately tiring and hilarious to him. He kinda wishes people would take a chill pill, but on the other hand, since Regis would never force him to deal with the media circus unless Nox willingly agreed to it, he doesn’t particularly care. At least until he wants to- you know- leave the Citadel and go literally anywhere in Insomnia and Then It Becomes A Problem (Nox misses the days he was just a nobody with earrings and baggy clothes. So much). Though, since he knows that nothing he can do or not do will calm them down, he does occasionally indulge in intentionally poking them with a proverbial stick.

By Citadel crew I’m uncertain to if you mean Regis and Co + Chocobros or the long-suffering Citadel press corps, so I will just do both-

-Regis feels So Very Sorry for his eldest. He knows he couldn’t keep Nox a secret forever, but he honestly had ... hoped it wouldn’t get this bad. He’s afraid for a while that the media things will depress Nox or make him afraid to leave the Citadel/angry at being Regis’s son, but Nox just rolls his eyes at everything and ignores the media hounds with catlike ease (by which I mean he spaces out into the distance with a neutral expression and occasionally does the human version of pushing things off other things to distract them).

-Clarus knew this was coming. He knew it was going to get so much worse when Axis’s existence came out (it did). He ... would feel bad about this but this is just- royal/celebrity life. This is a slightly more hysterical version of normal. Honestly it’s the noble society he’s more worried about (he realizes quickly that his fears are unfounded, for a kid who’s been unknown for years he can verbally tear nobles to shreds with the best of them. Clearly a talent inherited from the Izunia side of his heritage).

-Cor hates the media. Always has, always will. No time for it. Not after all the stuff they threw out about him becoming a Crownsguard and then alter their role in cementing his hated Immortal title. Is fully waiting and ready for Nox to get mad enough at the media to condone Cor going out and doing Something Stupid And Maybe Bloody about it. Unfortunately, Nox never does, so Cor has to just sit and seethe and occasionally laugh evilly over Nox’s latest trolling behavior.

-Noctis doesn’t even know about the media storm for   y e a r s. He’s the bby Crown Prince, you really think anyone is gonna let this kid watch the news channels and the gossip talk shows? No sir. Not on Ignis’s watch. Noctis DOES hear about it at school though, with students bugging him about it and even TEACHERS side-eyeing him like they expect something Dramatic to happen. Noctis eventually gets sick of it and punches another student in the face probably. Ignis is scandalized, Regis tries to gently explain that no, Noctis cannot throw someone in dungeon because they said nasty things about Nox and no he is not explaining what those nasty things mean.

-Ignis is ashamed to look back and realize that he once bought into about 80% of the media meltdown over Nox. Now that he knows Nox better, he knows that none of it is remotely true and the world is not going to turn Game of Thrones on him. Now he’s ... very insulted on Nox’s behalf, but understands that it is not his place to intervene (though he does give patented Frosty Looks at any reporters that come sniffing around the Citadel forever after).

-Gladio does not watch conventional TV. He watches action blockbusters that have explosions, documentaries on wildlife/camping/hunting/sword-making and Iris’s favorite show about magical girls and talking, rainbow colored Chocobo companions when she makes the puppy eyes at him. That’s it. Is ... nominally aware of news and social media having fits over Nox but Does Not Care so long as they don’t bother Nox and nobody actually tries anything against Noctis’s big brother.

-Citadel press corps kinda hates Nox’s guts. On one hand, he is a Model Prince because he doesn’t go out and get drunk, doesn’t have wild parties, doesn’t have any actual scandals that they need to cover up or spin positively. On the other ... refuses to do press conferences. Refuses to do interviews. Refuses to do anything to help them mitigate the media meltdowns that his mere existence causes (and the events of the Music Drabble I have yet to write, OH BOY do they hate him for that). Just- hides in the Citadel and only makes appearances when it’s a mandatory ball/gala/thing or when he’s accidentally unleashing another media Meltdown. Agrees to one (1) private interview when he’s 18 and even then it’s ONLY if he can talk to some random, unknown rookie who runs a gossip column. They, by turns, want to strangle him and praise his existence, but at least he isn’t as bad as Regis and Clarus were in their day.

-It- would take a long time for people to really know how powerful Nox is. Like- out in the wilds of Lucis proper? There ARE people who know he’s way stronger than he lets on (the Hunter Corps and their families that he’s saved a bunch of times, plus everybody in Hammerhead who politely pretended Cid wasn’t housing the Nif Chancellor and his LC nephew for two years). The Hunter Corps, out of everyone, have the best idea of just what Nox is capable of, because they’ve ... put together a few things over the years. Like how Nox usually crops up in the area a day or so before a Niflheim base gets shredded/blown up/otherwise Wrecked™ for seemingly no reason. But his Real Power? That ... I’m honestly not sure how that would come out.

-But hypothetically, sure, let’s say something happened that made Nox go Full Fury on some poor hapless Nif soul (or army, probably an army). I’m gonna picture ... a Incident with a Kingsglaive held area. Nox is out there for like an official inspection or something, one of the Very Few media things he ever agrees to, when there’s a full on attack. While the poor Media People who are live streaming this freak out and the glaive get ready for a slaughter, Nox just- real calmly orders the glaive to Stay In the Base and keep an eye on the media people. Calmly walks out the base gate without so much as a by your leave and starts limp-striding his way toward the Impending Invasion of Death, Axis right at his side, just as calm (Axis knows what’s coming after all). Some glaives try to follow him because Obviously only to smack face first into - a Wall. A genuine magic Wall like the one encircling Insomnia.

-The entire Lucian nation plus whatever non-Lucian channels manage to pick this up get a livestream view of Nox raising a mini Wall around the base to keep everyone safe, then casually strolling out toward the Invasion force and just-

-Decimating it.

-About halfway between the invasion force and the base, Nox stops and raises a hand to the sky, a sword appears in his grip, and everyone present can feel magical pressure suddenly build-build-build until the air turns blue (the Wall keeps everyone inside safe from the intensity of the pressure except Axis, who doesn’t need it, he is Nox’s Shield and Nox will never hurt him). The Nifs release their war Behemoths on the field, gunships are coming in for the kill, and then-

-His sword sweeps down and the world shakes under the force of the pure energy wave that rises from his blade, sweeping across the distance between him and the enemy and either breaking, scattering, or straight up disintegrating anything in its path. An imperial dreadnought splits in half and then breaks into dozens upon dozens of pieces, the war-beasts caught in the path of the wave are just- gone. So are the MT units and gunships.

-Ever seen the upgraded armiger attacks from the Royal Version of FFXV? Yeah, picture those, but cranked up to eleven. Or just picture those and then imagine being an ordinary civilian seeing that for the first time. Ghostly blades whirling around Nox’s form, defending him from bullets and debris only to lash out as literal waves of energy or a death laser.

-Needless to say, Nox destroys that invading force single-handedly in a display not unlike the legends of Ragnarok or Armageddon, all while holding a Wall around the base. He then calmly turns, walks back to the base, asks if everyone is okay, and upon getting the all clear-

-Collapses. Straight up flops over into Axis’s arms while on national live television because someone forgot to eat anything today and spent most of the previous night fretting over nightmares or something (the rest of the world assumes he pushed himself way too far with that display, but really he could have done more if he hadn't already been tired/hungry and Axis knows it).

-For once, the media meltdown isn’t punctuated by frenzy but by a very, very fragile, frightened silence.

-It’s been ... a long time since a Lucis Caelum has Truly unleashed their power on the field and Nox is no ordinary LC.

-Clips of Nox’s stunt circulate for months, are analyzed by historians and doctors and talk show hosts for precedents and health risk and just sheer What levels. Social media ranges from cheering Nox on to snidely wondering why LCs aren’t doing that more often to a huge outpouring of concern for the prince who just fought off a literal army and then collapsed like he’d been decked in the head. The Hunter Corp all pool their resources together to get this idiot kid a care package, Cid probably comes over from Hammerhead to yell at him while Cindy bear hugs and cries all over his clothes.

-In Niflheim ... a lot of people are reevaluating their stance on the war. Because if that is what just one Lucis Caelum can do, then what’s going to happen when there are two of-age princes who are not chained down by the Wall?

-A lot of nobles in Lucis are also reevaluating their stances on the illegitimate prince, because UMMMMMM that’s the kind of thing that only happens in blockbuster dramas, and Nox did it in real life. More than that, he knew he could do it, as evidenced by how calm he was when he gave the order for everyone to stay.

-Lots of internet conspiracy/theory people try to figure out just how powerful Nox is and if he’s an anomaly in the bloodline because seriously can all LCs do that????

-A lot of people, for a lot of different reasons, are very, very scared of Nox now. Either because they still believe that GoT is inbound and that just put the kibosh on a lot of their rebellion daydreams or because Nox is already a wild card and now he’s proven that he’s a supremely dangerous wildcard.

-So basically, still a meltdown, but this one much, much quieter and more reverent.

-Assuming I ever do something like this in Nox versa canon, because I’m not sure I will.

[fsketchart]

A Second Chance - Chapter 3

I'm so sorry for the wait but here's a summary of the sections.

[Advertisement Voice]

WELCOME! Over here to the left we have a heartfelt battle between Evillustrator and a group of rebels. Will Marc's feelings for Nathaniel get in the way, or will he get the job done?

On the right here, we have the latest new Batman vs Superman argument that just came in. It's a limited addition and includes a bonus Wonder Women add on to the set.

Now, we just recently added a new product onto the shelves, including a misunderstanding, panic, and an argument that is an partner set to the previous.

Let's see if first impressions really do stick.

Au Created by @ozmav​

NOTES : 

Thank you so much for the lovely feedback, I truly do appreciate all of the love and support this fic has gotten so far, it absolutely blows my mind that I've gotten so much feedback from this. This chapter in particular is almost 3000 words, sorry if it's a bit long. It was definitely longer than I was intending it to be, but I think it turned out for the best. Also, apologies if there are any errors in here. I'll be going back in later to double check and proofread it. If you catch any errors grammatically, feel free to let me know!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Please...Nathaniel don’t do this.  I know you have to be in there!” Marc cried, hands trembling as his knees felt numb.

“That’s Evillustrator to you.  What we had was nice Marc, but if you truly cared you would want me to be happy.  I finally feel at peace, I can draw to my hearts content and every piece become a reality.  If you truly cared, you wouldn’t be trying to stop me right now,” Evillustrator said.

“I know you, Nathaniel, better than I know myself.  I know that you’ll regret what you’ve done, please come with us and give me your pen.  Then, after ladybug gets here, the damage you’ve caused can be reversed, and we can go back to-”

“Go back to what?  When you and your class gets to be happy while I sit in silence in my class?  While I get harassed and bullied, constantly put in your shadow while you’re basking in attention?  The spotlight will soak you up.  Every creation I make is made with so much passion and time, yet nothing ever competes with yours.  Every word I say means nothing in comparison to people like Marinette!  Lila and Hawkmoth have helped me realize this, and you will pay for what you’ve done,” Evillustrator yelled, grabbing his pen and quickly drawing roughly on his board.

His sketching was rushed and rough, as he quickly drew harsh lines, forming many, many stick figures.  Each stick figure slowly stood up , and soon there was an army, each one immediately charging.

Max quickly slammed his laptop shut and moved it aside on the ground, abandoning his bag.  

Aurore on the other hand, immediately started fighting back, her umbrella dueling as both a shield and a sword.  Marc quickly wore off the shock and started grabbing his keys in his hand and began slashing wildly at the stick figures, but to no avail.  Max, however had a different approach.

“Look, at his tablet.  It’s flashing red, it must be running out of battery so he’s drawing messier and faster,” Max said, pointing to Evillustrator.

“Why is that?  He didn’t have that issue before!” Aurore yelled, as she extended her umbrella to block the overhead stick figures, jumping down upon her.

“Hawkmoth must be running out of energy.  If the tablet is shutting down, then I’m guessing he’s too busy to save the stick figures.  We need to make him use all the rest of the battery without saving the stick figure drawing.  If the tablet shuts down, then hopefully the drawings won’t be saved, and they’ll disappear!” Marc yelled, as he attacked the stick figure jumping behind from Max.

Aurore exchanged a look between the two boys before yelling, “Guys!  It’s okay!  I can handle myself over here!”

Evillustrator immediately began to draw more complicated figures.  Gotcha right where I want you!  If I can just get a few more drawings out, they’ll be right where I want them!  Evillustrator schemed.

Aurore however, quickly dodged all their attacks, and began to run wildly while using her umbrella as a shield in front of her, pushing all the other stick figures in front of her out of the way as she charged on through.

Evillustrator began to get more and more frustrated, as he drew more and more.  Eventually, Marc and Max joined in, causing distractions from all over the place.  As time went on, Evillustrator began to get more and more furious, until one point, he was fed up.  He quickly drew out a sword and soon it formed at the feet of one of his stick figures, as it charged for Aurore.  That’ll teach her, no more Mr.Nice GuyTM.  He thought grimly.

Marc, however, was horrified and immediately ran to Aurore.  Marc began to profusely fight the figure but as time went on, his footing got lazier until eventually Marc was knocked on the ground as Aurore was holding off more stick figures.

The stick figure wasted no time in charging forth, extending their sword and raising it above their head.

Nathaniel’s eyes widened as he tried to scream, yet his voice was silenced.  He began trying to erase the stick figures, but lost track of which stick figure was which and who had the sword.

I’m so sorry I failed you, Nathaniel.  Please forgive me.  Marc said, giving up and welcoming death’s embrace.  He closed his eyes and waited.

Yet it never came.

All at once, all of the stick figures began to glitch out and became distorted, and right before the faceless stick figure’s sword came down, a mere inch away from Marc’s eyes, it too froze.  Soon afterwards, each stick figure disappeared, and so did the sword.

Using Evillustrator’s frozen shock to his advantage, Max leaped up and snatched the pen away from him, and Aurore slammed it into two.  Immediately, Evillustrator’s costume dropped as he de-transformed.  Nathaniel stood there, horrified as he took in the site around him, as saw the smashed pen and dead drawing tablet beside him.  He eyes watered as he began to quietly sob, his nose becoming stuffy and his face becoming red.  His shoulders and hands shook as Marc slowly stepped towards him.

“I-I’m so sorry...I’ve d-done horrible horrible things.  I sw-swear I never meant any of it,” he said, as he hiccuped and sniffled.  He then let out a pained sob as Marc immediately embraced him, resting Nathaniel’s head on his shoulder.  Aurore strangled the butterfly in her hands as Max grabbed his previously empty computer case as they shoved it inside.  Aurore and Max began to laugh and cry out of relief as they collapsed in relief on the ground.

“It’s alright, Nathaniel.  I know that wasn’t you just there, and you’re okay now, you’re safe.  I promise you that,” Marc said, brushing away his tears.

“But I let Hawkmoth take advantage of me!  I let him take control!  The things I’ve done are unforgivable-”

“You were manipulated, taken advantage of, and used.  But dwelling on it won’t fix it.  What will help fix is taking Hawkmoth and Mayura down, along with the other villains that are coming to Paris.  Please, Nathaniel we need you.  I need you,” Marc spoke softly.  For a moment, there was silence until...

“I’ll join you,” Nathaniel spoke at last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~(⌐■_■)~~~~~~~~~~~~

“-we are living in constant fear, and the heroes have been fighting non-stop since the war began.  Please, we are begging you!.......send help.”

Bruce paused before sighing.  “Was that all of them?” he asked, trying to analyze and break down the information.

“Sure is.  As I said, these claims are getting barbaric.  Anyone can hire an animation studio and editor to make these silly edits, but there hasn’t been any documentation of actual property damage, and look at the Eiffel tower!  It’s being destroyed in every one of these and yet it’s ‘magically’ rebuilt in the next video.  Not to mention, some girl on a teenager’s blog is trying to present herself as a Mary Sue, she’s delusional and stuck in a fantasy to claim that she’s best friends with a superheroes and celebrities.  This has got to be some online joke or trend-”

“But where would these teenagers get the budgets from?  What about the news articles written by adults?” Bruce challenged.

“You can’t seriously think these could be real.  Ladybug and Chat Noir?  Really?  No one’s super powers could reverse the broken arms of people, the ill and the sick, and repair city damage in one fell swoop.  Or better yet, destroy the Eiffel tower with one touch.  It’s CGI, probably funded by those adults too,” Clark countered.

“What about super strength, flight, speed, laser vision?” Bruce argued.

“Supposedly all you have to do to beat these villains is break the options, like a photograph.  So threatening, just terrifying right?” Clark challenged.

“Your weakness if a rock.  A rock.  Is it so far fetched that these could maybe be real?  The Miraculous, Ladybug, Chat Noir, they could easily be real or fake.  We need to do more investigation than this,” Bruce concluded.

“Did someone say the miraculous?” Diana said, freezing in her spot by the doorway.

“Oh wow, looks someone uses the door like a normal person...COUGH COUGH BRUCE COUGH COUGH…”

Diana gave him a stern glare.

“We were just going over video feeds of the current condition of Paris.  Villains like the Joker, Harley Quinn, and Ivy have all been spotted in Paris,” Bruce said, tuning out Clark.

“No, before that you said there was a black cat and ladybug Miraculous?” Diana said, with wide eyes.

“Yes, there were supposedly reports of two...young adults I think?  They were dressed up as vigilantes and were supposedly fighting crime, why do you ask?  Have you heard of them?” Bruce asked.

“Heard of them?  Why my mother grew up telling me stories about her days as the super heroine Ladybug!  Her tales were my bedtime stories for years!” she retold, with a fond look in her eyes.

“Your mother?  That girl looked nothing like Hippolyta, are you sure you’re not mixing it up with something else?” Bruce asked.

“I’m quite sure, after all my mother gave up being Ladybug a long time ago.  The Ladybug Miraculous doesn’t just have a sworn duty to one place, but to the rest of the world.  My mother couldn’t travel to the rest of the world while looking after the amazons, and thus entrusted the miraculous to one of the Guardians,” she spoke.

“Who was is this Guardian?  The Black Cat guy?” Clark questioned.

“Oh heavens no, the Guardians were much much older than that boy is.  These superheroes are powered by an object called the Miraculous, granting each user immense power.  The Guardians are meant to protect these Miraculous, but after the incident at one of the temples...only one of them is still left...but anyways, the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous are extremely powerful, the strongest Miraculous actually,” she explained, while walking over to the video files.

“What do these Miraculous do?” asked Bruce.

“And again, how does that explain the damage to the city?” Clark added.

“Each Miraculous has a different ability; time travel, teleportation, complete destruction, and creation, you name it.  Each Miraculous has a unique ability, that they can only use once.  The Ladybug Miraculous represents luck and has the ability to reverse any Miraculous caused damage.  Buildings, broken bones, illness, you name it.  The only thing the Miraculous of creation and luck can’t reverse is death, for death lies in the hands of the counter partner, the Black Cat,” Wonder Woman said, as she sped up the videos and glimpsed through them.

“The Black Cat represents death and misfortune, and with a simple touch of a hand, entire buildings can collapse and fade to nothing within a second.  If you’re unprotected with a Miraculous suit, the Black Cat’s abilities can kill you in less than a second, and Ladybug won’t be able to reverse that damage.  Each Miraculous, when new, can only use their abilities once in a battle, but as they grow more experienced, can get more abilities or quirks for each battle,” Wonder Woman finished.

“So the reason there is undocumented damage is due to the Ladybug woman?” Bruce finally asked, while side glancing at Clark.

“Precisely, meaning these claims may very well be legitimate.  However, there still isn’t much seen with Gotham’s villains, there are barely any sightings,” Diana added.

“Any lead is still good enough for me,” Bruce said, already getting ready to leave for Paris, and booking an appointment on his phone.  However, he stopped when he looked down to see his phone exploding with phone calls and texts from Alfred.  This of course sent Bruce into a panic, Alfred knew he was going to be out in the suit, and to not call unless there were emergencies.

Quickly, Bruce dialed Alfred back while rushing out the window door.  Immediately, Alfred picked up.

“We are going to have a visitor.  I will be preparing the guest bedroom.  Please arrive immediately, it has to do with the condition of Paris.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~(⌐■_■)~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’ll be right, Marinette.  I must go and prepare your room.  Would you like me to prepare you some tea?” Alfred asked, while grabbing her backpack.  He beckoned to the Miracle Box, but Marinette shook her head.  She shook her head, taking the box and placing it in her lap.

“I’ll be alright, you’ve done so much for me already.  I will never be able to repay you for your kindness,” she responded.  Alfred nodded.  As he was about to leave, he got a phone call from Master Bruce.

“Wait right here, I’ll be back soon.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~(⌐■_■)~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each day was worse than the last.  There were no known leads about the Joker’s whereabouts, and Damian was getting impatient and pent up.  With nowhere else to put his energy, he took Titus out for a run.

Damian knew the Joker was planning something, and it was driving him nuts.  As they strolled around the city, Titus could tell his heart just wasn’t in it and abruptly pulled on his shirt, nearly causing him to fall over.

“What is it, Titus?” Damian asked, before taking notice of the sky.  His father would surely be home by now.  He sighed before changing course, and making his way back home.

When he reached the doorstep, he realized the light was on in the spare bedroom. Strange.  He thought.  Father rarely allows guests over, and always gives them a heads up to be more cautious.

He shrugged as he made his way over to the door.  Suddenly, Titus made a run for it inside and bolted inside towards the living room.

Damian stood up alarmed, ready to attack and dashed around the corner towards the living room.

On the couch, sat a small girl clutching a box.  Her hair was a dreadful mess, and her clothes looked tattered and worn out.  She fidgeting on the couch as she looked around and glanced out the window.

Titus ran over and started barking and trying to grab at and bite the strange box.  He could sense something was strange about the girl, something he wasn’t familiar with and it sent him into a frizzy.  It sent the short girl into a frenzy and she instantly grabbed at the box and made a dash for it.  She leaped over the couch and knocked over the lamp next to it.  She looked panicked but was quickly stopped before she reached the door.

She collided with Damian and fell onto the ground with Titus catching up and barking in her ears as she lie on the ground, shaking in fear.  Her eyes were teary and unfocused, almost lost in the moment.  The Miracle Box shook, and the sounds of jewels and valuables sliding around were heard from inside the box. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had attempted to break into the Wayne Manor to steal its valuables, and Damian was sure it wouldn’t be the last.  Titus’s ears were flattened, his tail between his legs, as his eyes were filled with fear and concern.  Damian’s heart clenched at the sight of Titus looking so scared, before his look hardened into a cold glare at the stranger.

“WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?” Damian demanded, already posed to attack.  When she didn’t respond, he tried to grab the box while Titus was still barking in her ear, fearful of the stranger.

She froze for only a moment before slamming her elbow into his chin and quickly sidestepping him.  Damian charged, startling her enough to drop the box, hearing her call out :

“TIKKI SP-”

Alfred burst into the room stunning the both of them and separated the two immediately.  Damian was about to lunge before Alfred grabbed him from behind and forcefully pulled him off, and then swiftly grabbed the box and placed it into Marinette’s hands.  He grabbed Damian by the shirt and tugged on Titus’s leash, dragging them both outside of the room.

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