#fuckers keep dodging and killing my dragons

[rising-blood-moon]

Shout out to Flight Rising for actually making me hate catfish. I don't know it could even happen considering I love catfish irl but I'm starting to feel viscious hatred anytime I see the catfish things pop up.

[archetypal-archivist]

My Beloved, Penis

Fuck it. I was infected by Penis SMP by @demonboyhalo reblogging a bunch of it and the lack of consistent lore bugged me, so I somehow banged out 2000+ words of fanfic about the Penis SMP and how it got started. Lots of internet humor and classic MInecraft shenanigans in this one folks. *slaps roof* This baby can fit so much crack treated seriously, lol. This is also up on my AO3, Zazibine, if you would prefer to read it there.

_-_-_-_

It was never supposed to get so big. It was just an SMP with a couple friends of his he had met from the Hypixel discord server, where he had logged on simply to trash talk the absolute asshole who had dared to kill him last minute in bedwars, only to stumble upon said asshole- going under the name shittyfartbaby69 of all things- complaining to his girlfriend(?) Milfboss in the voice chat. Thirty minutes later of awkward hellos and the manliest of bitching at each other (with Milf chiming in every once in a while to roast them both), and PenisUnavailable had perhaps his first Minecraft friend in, like, forever.

Then Admiral_Anus had entered chat, bitching about his competitor in ABBA Mining and his bullshit bad luck and the whole process repeated. By the end of the day, Penis had three new friends, a private discord server for the four of them, and a promise to meet up with them in Hypixel next Sunday for the ultimate round of bedwars.

The game went spectacularly. Somehow, Admiral had some of the best bridging skills any of them had ever seen, and between Milfboss' terrifying Scottish screaming and pvp and Shitty with his clutch TNT skills, the three of them almost made up for Penis' awful depth perception. They still lost around forty percent of their games, but that was certainly better than Penis' own abysmal record, not helped with his habit of walking off the edge at inconvenient times.

And it was... fun. Usually bedwars was just him playing in his bedroom alone for an hour before he rage-quit and went back to survival for a bit before he died to fall damage and rage quit that too. But shittyfartbaby69 would crack dirty jokes that he'd never even heard of before, and Milfboss would roast him for looking it up on reddit and Shitty would cuss her out as he tried to prove that no, he was being original- all while Admiral would comment of them as if they were a sideshow display. Then Admiral_Anus would turn around and knock an enemy player off their island with some clever pvp and they would all hoot and holler and swear for a while before going back to their conversation, joking about forgetting the topic and starting up a running gag about something new.

And their accents, mmm. PenisUnavailable would never say it, but he really was as American as white Wonder bread and Milfboss' Scottish brogue, Admiral's smooth British snark, and Shitty's shrieking in Australian, well. Ear candy, you know? Even if he teased them mercilessly for pronouncing shit wrong, like "buhguhr". Ppffttt, it still cracked him up how Milfboss had threatened to murder him after the dictionary app on his phone had proved him right that it was actually "Bur-gur", even if Admiral kept insisting it was pronounced "bruh-girl".

Four hours and twenty-eight wins later, they had agreed to meet up the next day to play again, preferably at an hour that wasn't two am for Shitty again. (It was two am for Shitty again, although that was because they played for six that time.) Eventually, it just became a regular thing, them playing bedwars and competing at ABBA Caving- the one game Penis was unnaturally good at, much to Admiral's annoyance- to the point where they ran out of funny jokes about their competitors and the game itself and started talking personal anecdotes.

Milfboss owned a motorcycle. Admiral, entirely independently, also owned a motorcycle, as that was the only vehicle of reasonable speed and style that could actually handle the London traffic. Shitty couldn't drive at all, something about never passing his driving test. Admiral ate cheese at breakfast. Shitty liked to burn his garbage in a metal oil drum in his backyard. Milfboss posted herself singing covers of shit over on Youtube. And it wasn't just real life stuff either- their minecraft skills were also on the table for them all to collectively roast.

Admiral had never seen a single Minecraft Championship. Milfboss thought a flat cobblestone roof was entirely acceptable. Shitty's favorite block was the flint and steel. (That's not a block, sixty-niner. Shut up, is too. OoOh, real clever, 'shut up'! Uh, how about no? How about I fuckin' make you, ever think 'a that? No nono nonono, I'm on two hearts! I'm on two hearts, stop!) It made him curious, honestly. He wanted to see Milf's builds for himself, get revenge on Shitty, see if Admiral really could beat the Ender Dragon with a knockback stick like he said he could.

So he made a minecraft server. And they all joined it. (And stuck PenisUnavailable with the bill, suckaaahhh~!)

Predictably, it all went to Hell in a hand basket pretty quick.

See, it's one thing to play with nutters like his friends in a structured set up like Hypixel games, it's quite another to try and keep a semblance of order in an open world survival server like the Penis SMP. The first five minutes had been him trying to explain the rules and teleporting everyone back to spawn over and over as they tried to "escape the cops," ie, him. The next five minutes was Shitty scream-laughing "scatter!" and other John Mulany references down the mic as everyone ran off to start their houses. Penis, as he was still "god" at that moment, used admin commands to find the closest flower field biome to settle into, hoping for some- ha- peace and quiet.

Shitty, inevitably, ended up trying to settle in the fucking Nether. Like a mad lad, you know, as you do when you are apparently obsessed with all things lava. Milfboss ended up making an oak plank box of a "tree house" in a dark oak forest, while Admiral_Anus picked a nearby swamp for his starter base. Outside of that, they just kinda vibed in discord as they tried to fend off the mobs and get enough resources to try and build up houses that were a bit more than cobblestone towers and wood boxes- er, mostly. Milf kinda just fucked off to go mining, found a skeleton spawner by chance, and made a set of iron gear to stand in the dungeon room with to just chill and kill mobs for a while. She ended up with something like 45 levels and burned her only diamond on an enchanting table so she could buff the Hell out of her iron weapons and armor.

Penis, rather typically, he though to himself, put together a basic sheep farm and started work on a cute little cobblestone cave base. He managed to get a whole twenty by twenty block room done and fully furnished before he noticed the chat full of Shitty's death messages and went to go investigate. After nearly dying in lava twice, he managed to find Shitty's pile of items floating on a basalt pillar about a hundred blocks out from his... base?

It was a soccer ball. Shitty's base was a perfect fucking spherical soccer ball made up of quartz blocks and basalt. Just. What. The Fuck??? Then out popped shittyfartbaby69 and it was PenisUnavailable's turn to misjudge a jump and plummet right into lava. Fifteen minutes and much shrieking later about losing his diamond pick, and it turns out that Shitty didn't really care about his lost items, as he really only had four gold picks, a stack of dark oak, two furnaces, a bucket, and thirteen cooked mutton to his name. Not even a bed, the fucker. He just ran back to his portal from spawn every time he just burned to death, taking the chance to gather resources on the way back each time.

And no, he wasn't following a tutorial for his "football" base. Jerk. (Although Penis did have to admire his determination...)

The day ended on Milfboss, Shitty, and Penis reconvening back at spawn to try and hunt down Admiral_Anus, who they found later having built a thirty block tall castle of all things. Out of cobble stone and the windows weren't quite even, but still, it was pretty impressive. And of course, when presented with a castle, what can what do but siege it? So they lay siege to the castle and Milfboss curb-stomped Admiral in pvp and laid claim to the throne, crowning herself queen before summarily throwing the rest of them out. It was a good day.

And the day after was a good day. They played dodge ball crossed with hide and seek in forest around Penis' house with arrows supplied by Milfboss. And the day after that, too, where they had a building competition using nothing but cobble stone, specifically to spite Milfboss, who had kicked all of their asses the day before. In fact, three wonderful weeks passed of doing normal Minecraft shit and being friends passed by, and every bit of it was great fun.

And then came the fucking role play.

PenisUnavailable would have liked to preface that with he only participated under duress, but really, Milfboss had been queen for too long and nobody wanted to risk TNT cannoning any of Shitty's nice builds, so. Well, the castle was better than his drafty cave, alright? It was cold and wet and didn't have a proper door because aesthetic (and because it usually took him several tries to work an iron pressure plate door), so there were far too many mobs wandering in at night and spawn camping him. He and Shitty had almost the same number of deaths and Shitty lived in the fucking Nether.

So yeah. Castle time, baby! Daddy needs a new home! And Admiral obviously wasn't happy living out of Milf's awful tree house hot box where they all did drugs together on day fifteen and it still smelled of burnt wheat seeds, aka "weed." It was only obvious that they teamed up to try and take back the castle.

The battle itself didn't exactly go great, but it wasn't exactly horrible either. A lot of shouting shit at each other for fifteen minutes, the majority of which he wouldn't remember until it was too late- something about server unity?- only to find out that it wasn't two on one girl boss, it was two on a girl boss and her "baked out of his mind" henchman, also known as Shitty in a squirrel furry skin.

The ears man. Those stupid (cute) ears.

And then they were running for their lives because Milf had somehow gotten her hands on a flame bow with infinity enchants.

It all culminated in a dramatic stand-off in front of Shitty's Nether Soccer ball, Milf on one side, diamond axe in hand, not a bit of armor on because of an unfortunate run in with lava, Penis and Admiral on the other, picks in hand, threatening to tear down shittyfartbaby69's base. Shitty wasn't online just then to comment, but they could all hear him click-clacking away on his keyboard so he obviously hadn't gone to sleep just yet like he said he had. At an impasse, and unable to justify letting her teammate's home be used as collateral, Milfboss stood down and gave up her "crown," an enchanted golden Prot IV helmet she had gotten off a skeleton from her spawner.

Then the great betrayal, the beginning of the end. Shitty came back online. 96-Cam joined the game, not that they noticed in the chaos. Admiral-Anus cackled wildly and PMed Milfboss the message that Shitty had sent him, giving Team Gay Sex permission to tear down his base in the name of winning the war if it came down to it- making Milf's sacrifice worthless in the end. Penis gave another dramatic speech, circling around Shitty, who was acting weirdly apologetic to Milf about betraying her and still wearing that fucking squirrel furry skin.

"You see Milf, there's one thing more powerful than a girl boss, and when it comes down to wars between kingdoms, there's something you need to remember!" Penis got out his golden ax, helpfully labeled 'Piss Off'.  "And that's a dilf with something to lose!" An enderpearl in his off hand and he teleported behind Milf, catching on fire from the lava but still landing the last hit needed to finish her off. She puffed into a cloud of EXP, swearing up a storm, and then Admiral and Penis turned their gaze to the cheering Shitty.

"AAAAAYYY, LET'S GO DADDY!" the squirrel man screeched, wild laughter shorting out the discord voice chat, making him go quiet in patches when the volume overloaded the client. Behind him, Admiral quietly started building a chair out of birch fence posts and slabs.

"Not so fast, shit-ty-fart-baaaaa-byyyyy~, this isn't quite over yet!" Penis fucking chirped, barely holding back his laughter. "You're still a fucking traitor and we can't have you backstabbing us too. Get in the chair for Daddy, okay baby?"

Admiral finished the chair just in time for Shitty to turn around and see the completed monstrosity, shrieking dying off immediately. "Oh screw you, that's just mean. The Hell man? That's not a chair, that's illegal. If you want an electric chair or some shit, just ask. That's just sad." Mentally shrugging, Admiral lit up his work with a flint and steel while Penis pillared up above where Shitty was building an electric chair out of iron bars and trap doors. Admiral nudged Shitty into the chair, Penis dumped a bucket of lava over the edge of the pillar so it flowed over him, and Shitty started giving a soliloquy about how betrayal and how his love for his "Daddy" still "burned strong".

Like his dick. Apparently.

By the time the lava finally hit the floor and burned Shitty to death, Penis was crying with laughter, shrieking down the mike and banging on the desk hard enough to make him forget that his was still on the mouse, making him mine the block under him with the bucket and sending him hurtling to his fiery death too.

It was a good day... almost.

Because, as it turned out, shittyfartbaby69 was actually a tiktokker of some renown and his cam account had record everything. And he had uploaded the bit to tiktok, as you do, where it went viral, where it wasn't supposed to. And Milfboss, who had recently been uploading covers of herself singing old classic Minecraft songs, had attracted the Minecraft fandom kids to her twitter, where she had gone to post her rage about the events of her dethroning and Shitty's execution.

Penis SMP had gotten on. Fucking. Trending. And now everyone was demanding the full clip, their names, their Twitch streamer handles, their characters' backstories.

The masses wanted lore.

Penis watched in disbelief, head in his hands and mouth agape as sugar crash played over a clip of him killing Milf on loop.

They were making memes.

...Oh god. They were screwed.

[heyheydidjaknow]

Three cheers to publishing on time. Can I get a what what? Anyways, here’s the next chapter. The previous chapter is at the bottom of this chapter. Go figure.

Chapter 3

“Okay, I think I got it.” It is possible you are going stir crazy. You would not be surprised if you were, but you have more pressing matters that, ridiculously, involve the timeline of fucking Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012. You had not just stood the headassery of season four and five, but conquered it, tamed it, if you will. You do not remember the last time you ate. “So the only way I’m going to survive this series is if I somehow, through some sort of spiritual bullshit, get to become at least somewhat adept at ninjitsu.” You sigh. “But the only reason he trained her is because of her psychic bullshit.”

You stumble towards the kitchen to eat for the first time in days. “Actually, you know what? Fuck that.” You open the refrigerator, salivating at the food. “I’m just gonna buy a fucking gun. Dodge bullets, bitch.” You pull out a large slab of meat, tossing it on the counter. “If they aren’t going to actually incapacitate people, I will.”

A sudden thought stops you in your tracks. “Wait, so, what timeline am I on?” You feel your heart drop. “Because if we’re doing the whole thing…” You shake your head. “You know what? Prepare for the best and accept—that’s backwards.”

You put the meat back. Something about the existential dread kills your appetite. You crawl back into bed, close your eyes. ‘How long have I been in here?’ The time had admittedly swirled in on itself, your brain completely fried from all the contemplating death. ‘At least long enough to be in the no-man’s-land where I’m not hungry.’

You freeze up at the sound of knocking on your window.

Your eyes slowly pan over to the covered glass. You rise to your feet.

You shake your head, trying to remember to think rationally. ‘This place is very high off the ground for a stalker.’ Despite yourself, you quickly go to the kitchen, grabbing the largest frying pan you can find and slowly approaching the window.

‘There isn’t even a proper ledge out there. You’re being paranoid.’ Slowly, you reach for the curtain, yanking it open.

You scream at the sight of the hanging figure, only realizing you recognized said figure after a couple seconds. Thoroughly embarrassed— ‘Yeah, I could never be a ninja.’—you slide the window open, face red. “What do you want, Raphael?”

He wears a shit eating grin. “What, scared?”

“Of a shadowy figure in my window? Yes.” You sit back down on the bed, voice cold. “You gonna just hang out there or what?”

He climbs inside. “Alright, so here’s the situation.” He sits on the windowsill; you feel the secondhand vertigo. “Donnie—first of all, where have you been?”

“Binging the most traumatic part of your lives so far on my phone so you and your brothers don’t get killed by swole Shredder.”

His face went pale. “Shredder?”

You blink, a factor you had admittedly completely forgotten becoming apparent. “You don’t know he intends to come to the city,” you remember. “That’s—”

“He what?”

You sigh. “He is the least of your concerns at this particular moment. What about Donatello?”

“No, back up.” His smile was completely gone. “When is he getting here?”

You shrug. “I dunno.”

“You don’t know?”

You put your hands up at his obvious rage. “Dude, it is honestly not that big of a deal right now. He doesn’t even get close to killing your dad until the end of season two.”

You are decidedly not helping matters. “He gets close to—”

“Are you gonna repeat everything I say or are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m gonna—what?” Raph is quite clearly not taking this news well.

You try to calm him down. “Take a deep breath, alright? It might not get to that point, but you have to tell me what’s going on first.”

He growls in frustration but follows your instructions. “Mikey found out that he can apparently talk to people online, and he found this site where he can talk to—”

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” You pick up your phone, typing away. “You can’t, under any circumstance, let him go talk to Bradford.”

“Well, I know it would be bad--”

“You misunderstand.” You get up, starting to grab your things. “Bradford is working for the Shredder.”

This seems to be news. “He’s what?”

“Working for Shredder.”

“But he’s—how?”

“You have bigger concerns than the how, currently.” You read the page you had pulled up again. “How long ago did he find this guy?”

“Yesterday, I think.”

“Then… hold on.” You read the summary of the episode in question more thoroughly. “Okay, so we aren’t totally fucked, but we gotta make sure he doesn’t see him again.”

“Wait, hold on.” He walks after you as you try to find your jacket. “Why? How could Shredder—”

“If he goes, he’s gonna talk to him about general shit, right?” You slip it on. “At some point, in return for learning his secret bullshit, he’s gonna want info on you and your dad.”

“Then the Shredder will know where we are!” The horror in his eyes is apparent.

“Exactly.” You pull on your shoes. “That, and you’ll have to confront foot soldiers, which isn’t good for anyone.”

“Wait, is Mikey gonna be alright?”

“I mean, he gets kidnapped, but—”

“We’re going. Right now.”

“Awesome.” You were already one foot out the door. “Close the window on your way out.”

You rush down to the first floor of the building, nodding acknowledgement to the door man as you look up and down the street. ‘He has a dojo or something, right?’ You try googling his dojo, only to find that, not only is it a chain, but that they are all incredibly spread out. ‘It’s at times like these,’ you contemplate, running towards the closest one, ‘that I wish I could drive.’

It takes you about 10 minutes of running to get to the place, only for it to be closed. You feel tempted to throw your phone.

‘Wait, when does it—hold on.’ You already hate timelines. You sit down on the curb, pulling your phone out again to find some clips. ‘So, Chris and Mikey meet up some time after patrol, order pizza, and then it’s sunrise.’ You look up at the slowly lightening sky. ‘Okay, so that means they’re currently ordering, right? Because it was clearly dark in that last scene.’ You put your head in your hand. ‘I mean, it is, right? Because those are just wall separator things, not windows, since the sky was very clearly green in that next scene.’ You get to your feet. ‘So I just need to find that billboard with that specific graffiti and main message and we’re good to go, right?’ You groan. ‘But there have to be a thousand billboards in fucking NYC.’

You stop, smiling slightly at the graffiti. ‘Is that not a purple dragon?’ You grin, going back to running. ‘I just need to get to Chinatown, right? Is that their territory?’ You swallow, turning a street corner. ‘I guess we’ll find out.’

The buildings tower around you as you wander the streets, the quiet desolation ringing in your ears with the force of a gong. The pounding of your feet against the pavement does little to stifle the silence. The gang in question may not be a challenge or concern for vigilantes, but to you? You are barely a flower now, bright and beautiful and oh so easy to crush. But you cannot and will not stand still for long. The walls of the alleys you run crush your sides and the darkness strangles you, but despite the beating of your heart begging you to stop, you cannot. How can you?

You can stop what comes next. That is what fuels you. Never mind the fact you must stumble to a halt to vomit into the nearest dumpster who knows how many times, the taste of acid staining your tongue. You can rewrite history.

But you cannot.

You walk around for approximately too long before correctly citing that this is, in fact, futile. You start to panic.

You turn back around. ‘He goes back to talk to his brothers, right?’ You feel your body start to shake. You keep your phone to your ear, pretending to talk to someone as you run around like a headless chicken so as to not get bothered, hopefully. ‘Then I still have a chance to catch him before he leaves, right? At least he won’t get kidnapped.’ You look around quickly, slipping into an alleyway and prying off a manhole cover, climbing into the sewer. You pull the cover back into place and start running along them, the smell nauseating in the darkness suffocating. ‘Please tell me I remember where this stupid lair is.’

You laugh in relief when you see the abandoned subway, sprinting down the tunnel. ‘I can catch him,’ you promise yourself. ‘I can catch him before—’

You slam into someone. They grab your wrist before you fall. “Yo, are you alright?”

“Mikey!” You feel your whole body relax, but the relief is quickly squashed. ‘Thank fuck.’ You grab his shoulders. “You can’t see Bradford again.”

“Wait, what?” He groaned. “Did Raph set you up to this?”

“What? No!” As the adrenaline and panic start to wear off, you feel your body begin to falter at the excessive strenuous physical activity, panic, no food or water for two days and sleep deprivation. You dig your fingernails into your palms to try to keep yourself grounded. “He just said that you were friends with him or something and I went looking for you!”

“Look,” he sighed, letting go of you and not noticing the obvious slur in your voice, “I get it, alright? Not all of us can have a super awesome friend like Chris—”

“He’s working for Shredder, dipshit.” You feel the ground spinning as your skull rips itself apart. “Coolness be gone, that bitchass Dogpound fucker.” You have no idea what you are saying. ‘Huh,’ you muse, struggling to stay on your feet. ‘Usually, it takes longer than this to shut down.’

“Shredder?” You cannot feel things, so you have no idea what his actual reaction is. “He’s here?”

“Yep.” And with that, you collapse.

--

Suffice it to say, when you wake up, you feel like absolute shit, with a pounding headache, extreme fatigue, and an obvious desire to not move from the bed in which you lay.

Thinking hurts. You decide against it for the time being.

You hear typing, soft muttering, the scratching of pencil against paper. You do not want to open your eyes; whatever you are laying under is warm. You try flexing your fingers. You can, but it is barely worthy of being called a twitch. You feel sick and gross and sticky and like you are eating yourself from the inside out, but you are also very aware that moving will not help matters. Besides, what small part of you is not covered is absolutely freezing.

You let out a soft groan from a particularly egregious pound from your head. You hear the typing stop.

“Y/N?” Donatello’s voice is incredibly soft. “Are you alright?”

You do not answer. Your throat feels like it is filled with sand.

“Oh, right.” You feel the mattress shift under you. “You—right.” He clears his throat. “You, uh, probably want to know what happened, right?”

You find yourself in between sleep and consciousness. You do not exactly understand what he’s saying, but his voice is pleasant to listen to.

“Mikey carried you back,” he explains. “He said you started talking about Chris Bradford working for The Shredder and collapsed.” A pause. “Leo thought it would be a good idea to go take him down since he already spilled the beans.”

‘You aren’t helping.’ “Everyone got out alright.” He is writing something. “We don’t know how much Shredder knows or how he found us; Master Splinters said that the war has just begun or something to that effect.” He pauses again. His voice is almost hesitant now. “If you spoke, I’d ask how…how this ends, who wins the day.” He chuckles dryly. “Now that I say it out loud, I guess it’s pretty clear that you wouldn’t tell me, would you? Rightfully so, I guess; I don’t know exactly how that sort of information might change things. Still,” he sighs, “it is so… so frustrating, having information just out of reach, especially for someone like me. But you—… you probably know that too, don’t you?”

It is not as if you can refute what he says.

He clears his throat. “A-anyways,” he rambled, voice tight with awkwardness, “sorry for ranting. This would be totally embarrassing if you weren’t so clearly incapable of coherent thought.” You hear the shuffling of paper. “As far as your health is concerned,” he continues, “without being able to take a blood test for obvious reasons, I can only conclude based on a totally-not-creepy physical exam that you’re just incredibly malnourished and exhausted. I don’t really have anything to actually prescribe you, but ya know… eat. Drink, too; just perform basic bodily functions.”

He looks down at you from his seat at the foot of his bed, your eyes having fluttered shut again. “I…” he took a breath, starting again. “Remember what you said the other day? About me being able to kill you with my bare hands?” He looks back over at the line of code he is working on, ignoring the minute shaking in his hands. “I remember… do I kill someone?” He swallows, eyes focusing on the letters in front of him. “I can’t really imagine it, why I’d want to.” He covers his face with his hands. “I know I’m a ninja, but it’s just—” He feels his voice start to rise. His eyes focus on your sleeping face; he calms back down for your sake. His words are slow and deliberate. “I always thought that we were doing all this for a fight we’d never have, that we would never have to do something like that, because… well, I don’t remember why, but I just—…” His voice dies in his throat.

‘Staring at her like this is creepy.’ He stands up, gathering his things. ‘You can’t get yourself worked up over something like this. You just met her, and your hesitance is not anyone’s problem but yourself.’ “Just…” Despite himself, he mumbles out a soft plea. “Please, don’t let me do something stupid.” He does not know who he’s talking to

He slips out of the room.

You would not remember this happened.

He would.

Table Of Contents

Chapter 2

Chapter 4

[divagonzo]

Treat you like a Chicken

From this post here, I got a wild hair and felt a ficlet ready to run with it.

It’s been a while since I've published anything but since I’ve been deep in writer’s block for months, I won’t complain.

Set in the Vows Universe (and thus Molly is still in therapy for her long-neglected PTSD) and rated PG-13 / 15 / T for language, dark themes, and references to character deaths. Ace Safe. Caveat Emptor.

Still waiting on my blasted Demarcation line

A long gong rung in the kitchen, breaking her rhythm while peeling potatoes and parsnips for the meal this evening. The ham was in the cooling cabinet and so were the pudding that Arthur asked for earlier. She couldn't resist him, even after thirty years of marriage.

"It must be those gnomes again, trying to get through the boundary wards in the orchard." She put on her housecoat over her apron and dress, having thrown it on out of habit. She checked the pocket of her apron, feeling the comforting wood under her fingertips and the magic through the wand bristle the nerves in her hand. 

Ever since the war ended, Bill checked the property monthly to make sure the charms were still working effectively. Anyone trying to cross them who didn’t have Weasley blood in them would, well, let’s say that they would need to get to St. Mungo’s straightaway if they wished to not turn into a gnome within twenty four hours.

It hadn't been too long, only a few months really, since her ordeal with Rabastan Lestrange and surviving everything that followed that trying time. Andromeda was a huge help and so was Audrey. She never realized how much she carried on her heart and soul for so long and how much impact it had on all the kids. She thanked her stars that everyone understood all too well and accepted what she was going through.

Molly toddled to the door, wand in hand, ready to send the gnomes that lived near the orchard outside of the family boundary lines since Arthur was getting up in years and she didn't want her parsnips to get eaten before they were ready for harvest. The dropped apples were fine but not the parsnips.

She stepped outside, letting the kitchen door close and walked around the back of the house, ready to do battle with gnomes when her eyes fell upon two black robed figured, their wands pointed downward, and looking right at her.

A wordless spell flew from her wand instantly, flowing fast as thought. She'd not lost her nerve, not in the years since the war ended or her recovery from her ordeal. Instantly, one was immobilized, falling to the ground, his arms and legs frozen in the moment. Owein apparated a few feet away, trying to dodge the furious amount of spells flying his way. Every time he tried to plant his feet to cast a spell at the dumpy witch she’d buzz one right past his ears that he didn’t want to find out what it did. But he couldn't leave his friend Charlie behind, not if he hoped to pick up the bounty that was on Potter's head.

They said she was a housewife, damn it, not a dragon clad in human skin.

He apparated again, landing on the other side of an Oak tree, hiding behind the enormous trunk and hoping he could get a shot off. He’d stun her, wake Charlie up, and then they’d apparate back to Leyton, in London, to send the ransom Patronus.

Everyone they’d gone after for the bloody bounty was kicking their arse. How the bloody fuck did these people manage everything they’d done, not being the Muggle fuckers they are.

He looked down and saw three gnomes crawling up his robes, biting him wherever they could get a purchase. He screamed, feeling the sodding bastard bite down on a rather tender bit before getting hit in the face with a metal bowl. He tripped backward over a root, falling arse first into a huge pile of dragon dung, used to nourish the soil of the garden.

He rolled over, trying to keep from gagging from the stench filling his nostrils and as he opened his eyes, he saw the furious face of Molly Weasley standing over his body, dousing him with hundreds of pounds of parsnip and potato peels, some reeking of having been in a compost pile for probably months now. He froze, seeing her wand casually pointed at his nose. 

He gulped.

She frowned and lowered her voice and a cedar wand pointed at his nose. "Who sent you after me?" her voice was as cold as a Scottish Loch in the middle of the deepest winter. "Tell me now."

"If I tell, they will kill me."

"They aren't here right now, are they? Tell me now."

"I can't tell," he whimpered. “I took an Unbreakable Vow.”

Her voice grew soft, so soft he strained to hear her. "You do know that self-defense is a legitimate reason to use the killing curse. And by your appearance, you're the ones who went after Andromeda, Teddy, and Luna. Now tell me who, otherwise you will cease to exist," Molly bent over his face, her features screwing up like he Mum used to do, "and they will never, ever find your remains."

“I can’t.”

She smiled and he felt his spine seize up. “You can’t be more than, what, 17? You’re probably too young to remember,” her voice dropped to a whisper.  “Mummy probably scared you to stay into bed by telling you that Bellatrix Lestrange would come kidnap you if you got out of bed, yes, or that You know Who would take you away if you didn’t finish dinner?”

He nodded, barely.

“I killed Bellatrix in a dual, by myself. Now tell me.”

He uttered a name and felt... nothing happen. Those bastards. They tricked him into thinking he'd taken an Unbreakable Vow. Everything he’d done was because of what he thought was a bloody Unbreakable Vow.

He watched her point her wand back at his heart. "When you wake, you will be in custody at the Ministry. You told the truth and don’t deserve to share my Fred’s face." She motioned with her left hand and he saw the white marble stone bench a couple of feet from his head. He turned back to see a lone tear falling down her cheek. “I’d suggest never returning here again. I won’t be so kind next time.”

A red beam shot out of her wand, stunning him unconscious.

He woke sometime later, feeling like someone had dropped a hippogriff on his head, while sharing a cell with Charlie and facing down a rather irate Auror Ron Weasley and a bemused Auror Harry Potter.

“Glad to see you back Charlie, Owein.” Potter pushed the glasses back up his nose. 

“I see you tried to go after Mum.” Ron’s smile was frightening. He saw where he got the smile from. “You’re lucky she didn’t treat you like the chickens we have for Sunday dinner.”

[olympusnerd]

Medea

I recently reread the story of Medea and I don’t know why but she really resonated with me. I know she doesn’t count as a Greek hero, what with all the murdering she does, but you have to admit, Medea has a way of captivating people as made evident by the fact that centuries after her death we still know her name. 

My husband bought me a new computer with Adobe Illustrator and while I haven’t used art software in over fifteen years, I gave it a go and I’m not too disappointed with my first try :D

So here is the unofficial cliffnote of Medea’s long and (in some instances savage) story: 

For back story, Medea is the daughter of King Aeëtes, the ruler of Colchis (an ancient city located around present day Georgia) who coveted the Golden Fleece (literally golden sheep wool). Jason and the Argonauts were tasked to find the fleece for King Pelias of Iolcus (Jason’s asshole uncle who made him go get it in order to inherit the throne that was rightfully his). 

So when Jason arrived to Colchis, he was given three tasks to conquer in order to win the golden fleece: tiling the land with two fire breathing bulls, plant seeds that would grow Spartanoids (inhumanly malicious soldiers spawned from Ares son who would fight to the death), and defeat the Spartanoids. He would then have to retrieve the fleece from a tree in the Grove of Ares that was guarded by a dragon. 

Distraught over these seemingly impossible tasks, Jason prayed to the goddess Hera for help. She in turn sent word to Aphrodite who used Eros to shoot Medea, the king’s beautiful daughter and devoted worshiper (and sometimes also the daughter) of Hekate (Titaness goddess of witchcraft), so that she would fall helplessly in love with Jason and help him with his tasks. 

You read that right, little cherub boy came and turned Medea into a lovesick puppy for the doofus Jason so that he could win the Golden Fleece because even the gods knew Medea was a badass. 

She helped him with every one of his tasks, but once her father realized it, they had to get out of dodge. Medea used her powers to make the dragon (yes a MOTHER FUCKING DRAGON) fall asleep so Jason could get the fleece from a tree it hung on. (Some depictions have Medea soothing the dragon while Jason gets the fleece, some have her soothing it then having to help Jason get the damn thing out of the tree cause women have to do everything themselves. Honestly how she didn’t see he was useless at this point is beyond me)

They go on their merry way when Medea sees her father Aeëtes’ ship sailing after them. Jason can tell the ship was going to catch the Argos and was preparing to battle when Medea said there was no way they could win hand to hand with her father, so she did what any good lover would do: she sacrificed her prepubescent brother, chopped him into tiny bits, and dropped him into the ocean at intervals for her father to stop and pick up ( :,) I did mention she’s not a hero, right?)

So she has Jason sail up a river away from Colchis, long story short, they get to  King Pelias of Iolcus with the Golden Fleece. He acts like he doesn’t even know they had a deal and, spoiler alert, apparently straight up murdered Jason’s parents and little brother (though some sources say he just told Jason’s father that he died and his father actually killed them all in grief but this makes for much better story telling, just assume Pelias is that big of a dick cause he is). So Medea, who has basically been brought to a whole new country just to chase dick, says don’t worry, I’ll get you some revenge and proceeded to go straight fucking Savage. 

Medea befriends Pelias’s daughters and one day mentions “Oh, it sucks your dad is so old, he’ll probably die soon. My father is older than yours but looks our age.” The girls beg to know how this could be, and Medea, sharp, lovely, conniving as she was, showed the girls a spell. She took an old ram, slit it’s throat, chopped it up, then threw it in a giant pot with herbs. She chanted, waived her arms and boom, baby goat popped out of the pot. 

The daughters excitedly go find Pelias, chop him into pieces and perform the ritual, only to find that their dad (surprise) was dead dead. 

I’m talking Dead AF. 

Pelias’s son tells his sisters they were fooled and Jason and Medea are chased out of Iolcus and landed in Corinth. They lived there for years, had three (sometimes two in different references) sons and lived happily ever after. 

Except they didn’t because remember, this is Greek Mythology and gods are involved so no one can be happy XD

Turns out Jason gets the hots for the daughter of the king of Corinth and they are set to get married. 

Yes, after all this shit Medea has done for Jason (cheated at her father’s orders, murdered her brother, abandoned her home, saved Jason and his Argonauts from certain death at least three times, reaped vengeance on his uncle, bared him children) and this mother fucker up and says, “Naw, you see, you’re just a tool by the gods for me to get what I needed to get in order to be a king. So I’m gonna merry ole faceless Corinth princess and now our sons will be kings, isn’t that rad?” 

“Super rad,” Medea would have hissed behind a fake smile. 

It was in fact not rad, as Medea then takes it upon herself to send poison laced garments to the happy bride-to-be and she died an especially excruciating death (as well as her dad cause he tried to save her, told y’all, my girl be ruthless). 

So in a final fuck you to Jason, Medea then murders their children (which I admit, puts a big pin in all the badassery she does, but in the play Medea by  Euripides she struggles with this because she says she loves her children and it will hurt her to kill them, but ultimately decides she is more angry at Jason and that she has to do it because if she doesn’t, someone down the line will. 

“I know indeed what evil I intend to do, but stronger than all my afterthoughts is my fury, fury that brings upon mortals the greatest evils.”

Like, shit, okay, I get it. You’re pissed. Do as you please. 

Again, Medea isn’t a hero, but I find it hard to completely condemn her actions. She gives her all to Jason, only to have him choose someone else who can give him the throne he always wanted while telling her that it was at a god’s behest that she help him. In some ways, I imagine that being used like that is what probably hurt the most. But it’s cool, she ends up ending the play by riding in a golden chariot pulled by MOTHER FUCKING DRAGONS that her grandfather Helios sent for her and her dead kids, so I mean? She also ends up becoming the queen of Athens, but shit goes wrong there, too, but that’s a whole other thing that makes her like the original shitty step mom (save for all of Zeus’s illegitimate kids Hera keeps trying to kill). 

And Jason is crushed to death when a piece of wood falls off his ship, so good riddance. 

It’s interesting that this story is originally Jason and the Argonauts, a tale that’s supposed to illustrate the bravery and resilience of our ‘hero’ Jason, but really as Euripedes makes evident, it is Medea who the most resilient and in the end, of all the characters, though she may not have an explicitly happy ending, she isn’t punished by the gods for any of her actions while Jason literally dies by the ship he sailed on these ‘heroic’ escapades. 

About the artwork: It took me three days and a lot of cussing, I mean YouTube videos, to get this where I liked it. I feel like it uploaded a little blurry but overall I’m content :)

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 021 [Dragonlings]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,464

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〈“We’ll win, we’re sure. We will endure. And though our goal is far, We’ll be the ones to touch the sun. The triumph will be ours!” Jeff Williams & Casey Lee Willaims, “The Triumph”〉

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“Shit!” I stumbled backward, barely dodging the metal club that nearly slammed into my skull. Bakugo was a few feet in front of me, surrounded by enemies. He was doing just fine, but the sheer amount of orcs around us made crowd control impossible and because of my low level, the enemies auto-targeted me. He was doing his best to keep aggro, but there were just far too many enemies. We were in a stone hallway, about the width of two cars and the length of a river. The hallway was underground, beneath a stone castle.

I grunted when the metal club collided with my sword, making me slide backward.

With every enemy that Bakugo destroyed, my experienced jumped and my level increased, but I’m still a long way off from being a hundred and these bastards are still red for me. My boots slid against the stone floor, kicking up dust. I could smell the foul breath of the ogre as it breathed through its mouth, thick saliva dripping from its pointed teeth. He pushed again and my arms gave out. I quickly fell to my knees, avoiding the club as it slammed into the wall above my head, sending chunks of stone flying.

“Goddamn it! Get the fuck outta my way, losers!!” Bakugo roared angrily, slicing and dicing his way through the crowd.

My experience kept going up, refilling my stamina and raising my max health. It became easier to dodge and parry, but I still couldn’t kill the damn thing. I guess I just have to keep chipping away at its health until it finally dies.

I huffed, dodging another swing of the club as it slammed against the ground where I had been standing. I moved my foot backward and heard a loud hissing coming from behind me, followed by a sharp pain in my ankle. “Fuck!” My leg gave out underneath me and I fell onto my ass, noticing a black snake scurrying away. A small screen popped up in the corner of my vision: ‘You have been poisoned!’

As if my numb leg wasn’t enough of a clue, thanks game!

The orc grunted, its long arms swaying back and forth as it shambled toward me. I scooted back, wincing in pain. Shit, my health is draining pretty fast from the poison. “Uhh, Bakuhoe, I could use a hand, bro!”

“Shut up, I’m fucking trying! Die!!”

The orc raised the club and I squeezed my eyes shut. Aw, shit, this is gonna hurt like a mother fucker.

A whoosh of wind rushed past me, followed by the sound of metal clashing. I peeked my eyes open to see… Red?! He was kneeling in front of me, two daggers crossed as they held the club between them. He wore a tan vest similar to Bakugo’s, with matching tan pants. A red and black scarf was wrapped around his neck, with a matching one around his hips. Two black rings pierced the outer shell of both ears.

“It’s not very manly to attack someone so many levels beneath you!” He grinned, pushing the orc backward before slashing at him with both daggers. The ogre roared in pain before exploding into pixels and vanishing. He glanced over his shoulder at me. “You okay, Winchester?”

“Poison,” I groaned, feeling the snake’s venom slowly creeping through my veins.

“Ah, crap! Hang on!” He panicked, opening up his inventory and pulling out a purple liquid in a glass bottle that was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. He kneeled beside me, pulling the cork from the bottle. “Quick, drink this!”

I took the bottle, the smell of elderberries invading my nostrils. With a gulp, I quickly downed the contents, nearly gagging at how thick the consistency was. Shit tastes like fucking grapefruit that’s been sitting in the desert for six decades. Fuck. It worked, though. The feeling started to return my leg and my health slowly started to regenerate.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

He gave me a bright smile. “Happy to help!”

“Oi, shitty hair! Make yourself useful!”

“Leave it to us, okay?” He winked before standing up and rushing at the group that surrounded Bakugo. Seeing the two of them fighting back to back is honestly majestic as fuck. They’re perfectly in sync, even without even verbalization. Within just a few minutes, the horde had been defeated.

Bakugo stomped over, scowling down at me. “How the fuck are you still so damn low?!”

“Because it takes time to go from level one to eighty, you impatient twat!”

“The fuck did you just call me?!”

“You should get your ears checked, grandpa!” I scoffed, pulling myself to my feet. “‘Just stay behind me and you’ll be fine’, my fucking ass! Jeez,”

“You shouldn’t be so damn weak!”

“I just started this fucking game!”

“And?!”

Red sweatdropped, putting himself between the two of us. “Come on, guys, calm down!”

Bakugo humphed, turning around and stalking down the hall while muttering under his breath.

I ruffled my hair in frustration, picking up my sword off the ground. He’s like an annoying ass younger brother that you wanna stab but also love at the same time. I followed down the hall, making sure to keep plenty of distance between us.

Red walked at my side. “So, you just started, huh?”

I glanced at him. Does he ever not grin? “Yeah, couple hours ago.”

“And you’re already level forty-nine, that’s awesome!”

“Not really. Bakuhoe has done all the work. I’ve just kinda… been here.”

“Bakuhoe,” He covered his mouth, shoulders shaking with laughter. “The two of you seem really close!”

My brow furrowed at the comment. “Not particularly. We just kinda… tolerate one another cause we got no one else.”

His grin morphed into a smile, his hand finding my shoulder. “I consider both of you to be friends, so don’t hesitate to come to me, okay?”

I stared at him for a moment. “What’s your name?”

He sweatdropped. “You don’t know my name, Winchester, how cruel~!”

I shrugged. “Red it is,”

“No, wait! Eijirou Kirishima!”

“Look alive, losers!” Bakugo screamed from the end of the hall, his vermillion eyes glaring through the low light of the dungeon. “We’re about to enter the boss room! Don’t fucking die or I’ll kill you!”

“There’s no PVP in this game, though.” Kirishima tilted his head, a dumb look on his face.

Oh boy…

“I meant in real life, shitty hair!” He scoffed, pulling up the game menu. A screen popped up in front of Kirishima before I got the notification that ‘RedRiotx’ had joined the party. Bakugo pulled the chain hanging above the door and the hallway started to shake, dust falling from the ceiling. The metal door creaked and groaned as it slowly slid up, leading into a large throne room. Four pillars stood on opposite sides of the room, strange symbols and pictures carved into the stone. The ceiling towered above us and I got the distinct impression it was like that to accommodate the size of the boss.

Speaking of which, this room is eerily quiet…

The metal door in which we entered through slammed shut, the metal slamming against the floor. Kirishima lifted his head, nose twitching as he sniffed the air. His eyes grew wide, “Bakugo, move!”

A howl filled the room, rivaling Present Mic when he uses his quirk. The entire room shook from the soundwaves and I covered my ears, gritting my teeth. No, this sound doesn’t rival him, it’s worse!

Bakugo jumped back just as something large fell from the ceiling, landing in the center of the room.

Holy. Fucking. Tacopool. That is, by far, the ugliest motherfucker I have ever fucking seen in my life. His feet were the hooves of a horse, connecting to hairy legs bent at an odd angle. His beer belly jiggled at the slightest of movements, covered in coarse hair the color of salt and pepper. His arms were thick and full of muscle, leading to huge hands with three thick fingers. Ripped leathery wings sprouted from his back, the spikes dripping with green goo that sizzled when it hit the ground. His head was a mixture of a minotaur and a pig, with gnarled teeth that shot up toward his snout. Red, beady eyes were watching Bakugo hungrily.

“Ugh, I remember this guy.” Kirishima stuck out his tongue, face screwed up as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. “He’s a real pain in the ass to beat, even as a group! Maybe we should -”

“Shut the fuck up! He’s not stronger than me!”

“Bakugo, wait!”

But it was too late. The blonde charged at the boss with his cutlass raised. With a grunt, the boss swatted at him like he was a mere fly, sending him skidding back across the room. This continued on with Bakugo unable to get close enough to strike.

“Hey Winchester, do you trust me?”

I glanced at Kirishima. His red eyes were trained on the two, his expression dead serious. “Not really, no.”

He nearly fell to the ground, turning his body to face me. “W-Well, at least you’re honest…”

“You got a plan or somethin’?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “But I have to form a contract with someone in order to use it.”

“I’m sorry, the fuck?”

Bakugo was thrown against a pillar, his health taking a significant hit.

“There’s no time to explain! Please just trust me, Winchester!” His eyes bore into my own as a screen popped up beside me: ‘Dragonling RedRiotx has requested to form a contract with you!’

I glanced at Bakugo, who was breathing heavily but not relenting in his assault. Fuck it, what’s the worst that could happen? I pressed accept and Kirishima took both of my hands in his, eyes closed as his body started to glow a bright red. The light expanded to cover my own and my stamina drained rapidly.

His body started to grow, morphing and changing as he increased in size until a red dragon took his place, large body barely able to move in the room. He flexed his wings as best as he could in the tight space, his loud roar shaking the room and paralyzing the boss for ten seconds.

“You’re a fucking Dragonling?!” Bakugo yelled in disbelief, striking at the frozen boss.

What the fuck is a Dragonling? I didn’t see that race on the character creation screen… is it one of those pay to win races?

Kirishima tilted his head back, filling his lungs with air before exhaling a burst of fire that flew straight at the boss, taking a large chunk of health from it as it flew across the room from the force. He huffed, black smoke coming from his nostrils. “That barely did any damage!” His voice was deeper and came out as more of a growl than anything.

What is he talking about? He just took like three inches off his health bar. I squinted across the room, glancing above the boss’ head so the health bar would come into view. A second later, the numbers popped up over it. “T-Ten million health?!”

“He’s a raid boss, one of the toughest in the game.” Kirishima turned his huge body to the side, his tail whipping over my head and slamming into the boss as he rushed toward him. The boss went sliding backward. “He was designed to be taken out by a group of at least twenty level one hundred players!”

My eye twitched as I stared at Bakugo. That fucking idiot sure knows how to aim big, don’t he… Damn, this sucks ass. I can’t do shit to help out here and even if I tried, I’d just get in their way. With a sigh, I pulled up my skill tree to get rid of that annoying notification in the top right of my vision. Damn, that’s a lot of points to spend. Wait… what’s this?

‘Warriors Shout: Release a loud battle cry, inspiring your party members and buffing them for five minutes. This ability can only be used once every fifteen minutes.’

Well, that could be fucking useful. With all of the points I had accumulated, I was easily able to max out the skill with points left over. Now to confirm it… okay! I spread my feet shoulder-width apart, lifting my arms a bit and clenching my fists like Goku does when he’s about to fuck some shit up. I sucked in a deep breath, activating the power as I exhaled. My voice came booming from my mouth, sending red shockwaves toward both Kirishima and Bakugo. Their bodies flashed red as their stats jumped up.

Bakugo grinned wickedly, dodging one of the wings as he sliced at the boss’ shoulder. “Why the fuck didn’t you do that sooner, tiger?!”

“‘Cause I didn’t know I fucking could, obviously,” I muttered under my breath.

The boss’ health was steadily decreasing now and it was getting more desperate in its attacks. It spread its wings wide and jumped into the air, disappearing from sight. I heard a crackling behind me and I glanced over my shoulder, jumping out the way just as a large green ball whizzed past me. There were dozens of them moving about the room and Kirishima’s large body made it impossible for him to dodge them. I saw his health bar appear every time he took a hit, but his health barely moved. Fuck, he has hella high defense and health.

“Brace yourselves!” Kirishima growled. “He’s coming!”

The balls disappeared and the boss reappeared, folding his wings around his body as he fell through the air like a ten-ton truck. The impact against the ground sent a shock wave of air through the room, throwing me back against the door. Everything started to flash red as I coughed, clutching my shoulder. I glanced at my stats, a bead of sweat rolling down my cheek.

One. Fucking. HP.

Bitch, how am I alive right now? All of the durability on my armor is gone, too. That’s probably the only thing that saved me. Sheesh.

I coughed up blood, breathing heavy as I leaned back against the metal door. This is so damn annoying! Why did I let that blonde idiot talk me into this?

The boss zoned in on me, snorting and stomping his foot like a bull before rushing at my with incredible speed. I willed my body to move, but it was no longer in my control.

“Winchester!”

“Dodge, you dumbass!”

Farewell, cruel world. I closed my eyes and awaited my fate, thinking about the glory that belongs only to the taco.

“Slice!”

A flash of green.

A huge burst of wind.

A cloud of smoke.

What the fuck just happened?

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[seawatersavior]

Lorne was once the price of a wealthy and prosperous nation. He was loved by his people and his ambitions pushed him to seek excellence. However, his peace would not last. When Lorne was to rise to power, a coup was executed. His family he had begun to put together was split apart, and in a failed attempt to kill him, Lorne escaped with near fatal injuries. His body was mangled, torn and disfigured. Most could barely recognize him as a dragon, only as a walking corpse. His rage and despair kept him alive, the desire for revenge pumping his once still heart. The pain in his bones keeping him moving forward. He began to discard parts of himself that did not work, until he was barely able to move along the ground, truly a gruesome sight as this mass of wrathful flesh and bone heaved along in the cover of night.

Tales soon began to spread of a beast that would consume the flesh of anything that crossed its path, taking the bone and turning it into a new part of its body. Lorne had become a monster, and he was ready to destroy.

But there was nothing left.

When he returned as a monster to destroy his stolen palace, he found nothing, just burned and demolished framework. His nation had fallen, and there was no one left to hate. How long had he wandered? How long had he seethed for a nation that existed no more?

With no one to face his wrath, he decided the ruins were the only home a monster could reside in. As the years passed he would scare away strangers, plunderers and historians. He wanted nothing to take these ashes from him. Over time, he grew tired of his miserable appearance, and slowly, became the shape of a "fae". What he was, who he was, was no more. He continued to protect in his new form, revealing his ghastly prowess when people would underestimate him. The bounty on his head was growing. He had become a fabled monster, and many young drakes made challenges of coming to face him, striving to be the hero that would lop off the beasts head.

On a particularly stormy night, Lorne awoke, one of his bone beasts had been taken out. This was unusual, most people would run at the sight of his discarded sentient pieces. Shrinking down to a smaller size, he crept out in the direction of the intruders. From his perch high above he watched as a group of people explored his ruins. A young man with blue hair, sword in hand, lead the group while a young girl with a bow protected the rear. In between the two were a small batch of rough looking individuals, clearly slightly shaken, but still moving forward.

"Fuckin’ shit!" grumbled the biggest one, "What sort of monstrosities live here?! Ya'll two better be as good as you say, I plan to leave here alive."

The blue haired boy up front smiled, "If you don't want to die, then contribute? We agreed to help you, but whether you live or die is up to you, you already paid us." "Ain't that what I paid you to do?!" yelled the big guy, "Y'all fuckers tryna pull something? Tryna take any of the goods here for yourselves?!"

The young girl scowled and spit at his feet, "Just die already if you're so scared."

The snappers face flushed red with anger, "Watch it little lady!" he screamed, "If I don't think I need ya ill kill you right here." He reached out to grab her but found his wrist in the young mans grip, A sharp pain crept up his arm and the hand tightened further and further. With a smile he coyly told him, "You would be dead now if not for us, I suggest you value your life some." The mans face drained of color and he tried to free his wrist to no avail, as he tugged violently he was suddenly released and fell to the ground with a thud.

The boy turned and continued to walk forward and urged the rest of the group along. As the rest of the group moved on the boy faltered for a moment. He looked around as if searching for something, and then moved on. He couldn't have noticed him. . .right?

Lorne continued to follow them, and watched as they continued to take down his creatures, the young ones that is, the other hooligans did little but get in the way. Lorne sighed, he was enjoying the show, but they were getting a little too close to the only buildings that had items of value left behind, he would have to act soon. With a wave of his hand all the beasts left the less important posts and began to gather around the location of the party.

The hoodlums were immediately frightened, the other two were capable, skillfully defending themselves and taking the beasts down one by one. He had heard them say they were hired guards and yet, they weren't protecting the others at all now! The gang was cursing and swearing as they were taking hits from the beasts. "Blanco!" the boy yelled, "Now!" The girl nodded and pulled out a bottle from her waist throwing it into the air and shattering it with an arrow. A clear liquid sprayed out and coated the area around it. Lorne immediately slid to hide behind a wall, he knew that smell. As soon as he ducked and covered his ears he heard the rumbling boom of an explosion. Lucky for him, the walls were sturdy, and minimal rubble fell his way, he was also currently tiny and could seek cover easily. Creeping back over the edge he saw the boy and girl standing to the side of the flames, shielding their eyes while analyzing their work. "Two birds with one stone!" the boy exclaimed happily, "Lets move on." They turned to keep exploring, but in a different direction than the one they had been leading the group.

Lorne was stunned, they had been a party hadn't they? He took the chance to kill not only his enemy but the competition? The two ran off, seemingly in a hurry now. The direction they were heading in was strange, the only notable building that way was the abandoned gardens? Lorne looked at the blazing fire now spreading through his ruins, there wasn't much left here, but he couldn't help but pity the fools who thought there were hidden riches. Lorne knew that nothing remained, just ghosts of the people he once knew. He jumped down and followed his remaining guests.

Sure enough, they had headed to the gardens. From a hole in the roof he watched them pick and poke at the wild greenery. They were clearly looking for something. Eventually with a small "a ha!" the young man began to harvest some colorful grasses. These were plants his mother had planted, and while he hadn't taken care of them, he didn't like watching others take them. Slinking back, he moved around to the door and casually walked over, hiding his presence from the two. Leaning over he whispered, "I always loved the color of these grasses, dark as night yet so shiny." The two immediately stopped cutting and jumped, turning their weapons in his direction. Suddenly the room began to turn dark, looking up the sky could no longer be seen through the glass, there was a complex latticework of bone enveloping the building, trapping them all inside. The sclera of Lorne's vessel turned black as wisps of deep purple clung to his skin and reached out into the air around him. He can't remember when this became a part of him, but it was handy.

Shocked the blue haired lad put his arms up, "Stop wait wait wait! I don't want to fight, hey uh, can we talk real quick?" Lorne was puzzled, the boy had looked so serious but all of a sudden, his guard came falling down?

"Speak."

The boy nodded and held out the grasses he had picked. "This is the answer to my curse, and it can be the answer to yours."

"Curse?" he laughed, "I'm undead, a monster created by my own hatred, I have no curse other than my own memories." He looked at the walls of the garden, decorated by the faded tapestries depicting his mother, "Nothing at all but these nightmares."

The boy shifted on his feet, and made a face of discontent. The young girl nudged him and whispered, "Your mask." He looked uncertain, but he nodded and removed the broken mask that covered the right side of his face. Upon removing it, it revealed long slender black lines falling down his cheeks, from a distance you would think that they were black tears, but they wrapped down his neck as well, this was only evident as the boy removed his scarf. Looking him in the eye the boys voice was steady, "I am shade touched, and while you may not have known it, you are as well."

Looking down at his own hands, black swirls masking his skin he looked up, "I've been like this for so long, I don't fear this power. Tell me, why do you wish to rid yourself of it."

The boy replaced his mask and stood tall, "If I am to be me, to be someone people can turn to, I cannot let my shade consume me. Its power may be vast, but there is no control to it. We shade-touched are seen as monsters to be killed, I cannot be respected as a leader if people see me as a monster," taking a small breath he hesitated, "Even if I am one."

"Monster or not, this is the power I need to live, to have some peace." He spoke while moving forwards, a bone hilted blade emerging from his palm, "I will not have anyone disturb my peace!"

The boy brought up his sword to parry, being as he was containing his shade given might he was slowly pushed back against a wall by the momentum of their clashing blades. The girl with him strangely enough wasn't making any moves, just watching. She had picked up the grasses the boy had dropped, and was wrapping them up carefully.

"Enough!" he yelled, extending a palm towards her. Bones fell from the lattice above, flying in her direction. She adeptly dodged and knocked them back with the side of her bow. Taking the chance the boy swung with all his might, pushing Lorne back a few steps, in his palm he cast a water spell aiming it at his head. Lorne blocked it with magic of his own, jumping back for some distance to play it safe. Turbulent rings of water surrounded the boy, but there was something off about them, they weren't completely water that was for sure.

"I don't want to fight!" the boy exclaimed, "You have the right to stay as you are, I wont deny that. But if you attack us I will not hesitate to kill you."

Manifesting a new blade in his other hand Lorne readied his stance, "I'd like to see you try"

Seeing that Lorne had become more aggressive, the young lady finally made her move. She put the grasses aside and pulled out her bow. Lorne had been outnumbered before, he could handle them, but they certainly had him on his toes. For every swing of a blade he dodged he found himself deflecting arrows, jumping over spells of water or ice. The gardens were taking substantial damage, and it pained Lorne to trample it so. They had to move, the space was cramped and the lack of mobility was inhibiting his ability. With a wave of his hand the entire bone lattice came crashing down, Dust and bone obscured their eye sight and Lorne what little wind magic he was still good at to clear himself a path.

As soon as he jumped out from the rubble he forced back by a barrage of ice arrows. The girl had assumed her dragon form, a monochromatic Skydancer with massive black wings. She used her wings to blow away the dust and rubble from around the boy who was surrounded by a shield of ice. "Thanks for the save Blanco!" The boy hollered, voice barely audible against the wind. She nodded and quickly reverted back to her bipedal state. She was obviously powerful enough in that form, but fighting a small target like Lorne's bipedal form is hard when you're full size.

He huffed, the land around him was covered with ice, they other two had the advantage in that regard, but Lorne was not one to despair and give up. He breathed in deep, the chill in the air harsh on his lungs, but a pain her could handle. As he let out the held in breath, wisps of the "shade" as the boy called it began go reach out, grasping at any magic in the air they would catch. They branched out on his skin, covering and covering until his skin was the color of night. It was time to get serious.

Bounding forward the shadowy essence reached outwards, attempting to catch the quick moving boy. By using all of his might, he was able to effortlessly deflect the icy arrows of the girl named Blanco, No matter how much magic they threw at him, Lorne was able to counter with his own. He was in his own playing field, and the boy refused to remove his mask. The girl was clearly getting frustrated with him, and he could hear them bickering among themselves. That was fine, if the boy didn't use all his powers he could take them down sooner. But the boy gave in. Throwing his mask to the girl he quickly made some distance between themselves. The marks on the boys body excitedly began to spread. The whites of his right eye turned dark and he grimaced upon the sensation. It was time for the true battle to commence.

The blasts of water magic were stronger now, Blanco aided in providing distractions to throw Lorne off balance. However Lorne refused to falter, he would not loose! He could control his shade, but the boy clearly could only harness its raw power, using it in a tasteless manner. It was no wonder the boy held it back, it was trying to consume him! This was perfect! As they clashed spells and swords he could feel the boys heart falter. He wanted to win but Lorne was superior in skill, how could he compare!

Lorne's satisfaction came too soon. He hadn't noticed the absence of ice magic coming at him. A strange sensation began to rise through his body, in the corner of his eye he saw her, a girl with hands glowing a blazing cyan, and then it struck. His entire body went numb as the lightning flowed through him, the numbness was followed by excruciating pain as a sword pierced through his core bringing him back to his senses. The force of the sword as it had come at him pushed him against a wall where he slid down leaving behind a mark of dark shaded blood. He looked down at the sword, it was wrapped in the grasses from his mothers garden, and still dripping a purple fluid similar in color to the grass. He watched as the two girls ran up to the lad and replaced his mask before they took off, not even sparing him a backwards glance.

Lorne lay there in the heat of the sun. For some reason he could not move, he assumed it was due to the sword still in his chest. He was no longer bleeding however, so that was good. But how was he going to defend himself if someone came? Ah the heat was getting to his head. He almost never came out in the day, and the sun was bearing down hard. Worse still the water and ice that was left behind from the spells was causing the area to be uncomfortably muggy as it evaporated.

It had been 2 days since he was left impaled here. He had taken to sleeping in order to try and channel his energy, but the sword in his chest seemed to inhibit his abilities. His head however, still had the smallest bit of movement. He relaxed a bit and looked down the path to his left. The heat made his vision hazy as the waves bounced on the stone pathways. He squinted as he tried to focus his vision, was there someone there? He closed his eyes to freshen them up and opened them up again, sure enough the hazy figure was getting closer. Great, just great, with only 2 days to channel his energy he hadn't gotten the chance to see if he could wait the spell out, and now he was gonna die. The neighboring city must've decided to take the chance to dispatch him when they didn't see any guards.

As the figure got closer Lorne realized just how disoriented he was, he couldn't make out a single detail. Eventually the figure stood next to him, but he still couldn't see their face, only the glare of the sun. He closed his eyes and waiting for it, for pain or a monologue, either is just as bad. However all he felt was a sudden relief from the heat of the sun, and a bottle being held to hips pouring a fluid into his mouth. His eyes snapped open at the sensation, but he couldn't move, only stare at the individual as his vision began to clear. A set of clear blue eyes looked down on him, the young boys eyebrows were furrowed in concern as he continued to pour the solution into Lorne. Above him the lightning girl from before stood with a umbrella over them. She looked tired, like she hadn't slept for days, but a soft smile still rested on her lips when she noticed he was coming to.

"Mister can you hear me?" asked the young boy. He had set his bottle aside and was staring at him worriedly.

"Unfortunately"

The boy looked surprised at this answer, but didn't dwell on it. "What should I call you?"

"Nothing, no one, nobody or as the people call me, The Ruiner."

The boy frowned, "I know you must have a real name. You were a regular dragon once weren't you? Before you became one with the shade?" This made Lorne frown, when did he stop being a dragon? Just because he was now a monster didn't mean he wasn't a. . .oh that doesn't make sense.

He was at this boys mercy, and whatever he made him drink seemed to heal him, but who knows what the boy could do to him? So he obliged. "I was once known as Lorne", a strange feeling welled up in him as he blurted out "but that me is no more."

The boy smiled, "That's a nice name, Lorne." He shifted on his feet and then decided to take a seat by his side. "Lorne, do you want to live?"

"I'm not sure." He had seen so much, lost almost everything, but he didn't want to let go either.

"I have sealed you here Lorne. This blade was coated with a combination of my blood and an elixir Roma made to contain the shade from spreading. If you choose to die, I can order the spell to deliver you death or." He put his hand around the hilt of the blade. "You can come with me."

"Eh? Why would I do that?"

The boy smiled. "Admittedly, i'm not great at using and controlling my shade, however, you have become one with it, and you've become so strong due to it. If it weren't for this blade you may have killed us that night." He picked up Lorne's hand and held it in his own. "Please Lorne, join me and help me learn to use my shade, I don't want to lose to it, I wan't to prove us shaded can be good people!"

"And you want me, a monster who has killed everyone who got in my way, who not over 2 moons ago attempted to kill you and considered eating you, you want me to mentor you?"

"Correct."

"And what do I gain from this? I would be free if you killed me, I could finally let go."

"You don't have to die to let go of the past!" His face was flushed with a anger, "You can move forward! This self pity that you feel, the sorrows of your past, your crimes, they don't define your future! Everyone has killed! But few think of the insect beneath their feet, no one cries for the prey they consume!" His hand between his was squeezed strongly, "And when you are left behind, time does not wait for you to catch up, and we keep moving forward."

The young girl had stooped over and was patting the young mans head. She smiled at Lorne and spoke, her voice soft but confident, "Won't you join us Master Lorne? Isn't it hard being alone here? With all these cruel reminders?" She motioned to their surroundings, "Everything that was beautiful once fades, new growth covers old growth, and the world moves on. Wouldn't you like to be free?" Tears had begun to run down her cheeks, like she was reaffirming herself and not him. How pitiful.

He tilted his head and looked at his surroundings. In the light of day he could really see how destroyed his city was. Debris was everywhere and nature had begun to reclaim the city long ago. In his memories he could still see the once lavish homes, lively streets and happy people. But there was none of that now. Just his bloodied form lying in the dust.

He looked up into those blue eyes staring intently at him. "What are you waiting for? This hurts pull the sword out already kid, you shouldn't keep your teacher waiting."

[nerd-breached-containment]

Peasant vs. King’s Court - LPS100 plays Cuphead: Log #13

After countless deaths and shenanigans, from a carnation distracting me with his handsome look, a genie‘s puppet turning the fight into a living hell, a gorgon who kept gazing me with her poked out eyes and letting the eels take liberties on me, to a fucking dragon whose innocent look hide his relenteless power to turn a what it seems to be easy fight into a seemingly neverending living nightmare of hell, taking days just to end him.

It’s no secret that I didn’t had that much high hopes that I would get to Inkwell Hell with only two bosses who surpassed the 45 death mark and another two who surpassed the 80 death mark, one of which got all the way up to 129 deaths and kicks in my ass. But I’m now at Inkwell Hell, got all the coins, all the Charms, all the Weapons, and I’m ready to take on King Dice and his Court, and then, the bitch himself, the Devil.

But no one knew, not even myself, that King Dice himself would bring up a fight all because of damned bet.

I will be honest: I forgot all about King Dice’s Court. I couldn’t remember any names aside from Phear Lap and not even their look and what did they do I could remember - I was about to walk in pool of blindness.

In the roulette, there’s in total of 9 mini-bosses, each with their own gimmick, assholeness and a safe space after 3 bosses, all ready to kick my ass or send me in a hellish spiral of death.

I’m going to stand up and say that the dice is timed. If you time your parry to get the number you want, you can get it, but if the edge is oh-so a little to the right, you will get whatever is on the right side, vice-versa when it’s turning to the opposite way. This would’ve been fine if it wasn’t for the fact that some of the bosses are...fucking christ, I tried my utter best to avoid it either because I would get annhilated by them or they would wreck me to oblivion.

Even when I had a stratgy or when the board had an excellent HP Up placement, I would often fail to get the number and either be forced to retry or deal with the fucker, hope to god that I survive the damn bastard.

And sometimes, King Dice would feel pity for me and add an HP Up on a piace of shit that I wish to avoid, how cute of you, King Dice.

Now, who were the bitches? Let’s go one by one, each will have a range from 1-5 on how much I avoided them and how much I hate them and why

Tipsy Troop:

Avoidance: 3

Hatred: 3

Why?:

As much as I rarely got them, I would avoid them at best. They supposedly get easier as you go through the fight but I didn’t noticed that big of a difficulty difference.

The bottles that sprayed wine in a horizontal and vertical manner would often get me everytime, specially the vertical one because I for some reason, couldn’t hear that big of a sound cue for it, and I rely a lot on sound cues when it comes to a focus-demanding battle.

I died a couple of times and I ended up in trying to avoid them at best.

Chips Bettigan:

Avoidance: 4

Hatred: 5

Why?:

Fuck this piece of shit, oh my god. I don’t what I kept doing, I don’t know if I had the wrong weapon or something, it would ALWAYS take forever just to end this fucker.

Sometimes, I would jump too high when it required a medium jump, sometimes, I wouldn’t notice the fucking lower chips and get fucked, sometimes, I would duck but I would be right below him. Yes, I could fucking dash but that would make it worse. I would often dash into him or not have enough space to avoid the rest.

And his.fucking.voice... jesus fucking christ. I swear to god, he sounds like a cowboy who’s storing nuts for the winter in his cheeks but needs to keep cowboying.

Mr. Wheezy:

Avoidance: 1

Hatred: 0

Why?:

He was relatively easy to understand how to avoid his projectiles, I would always get a 3 just to fight it, and at some point, I would often get a no hit run with him due to being so accostumed on how to dodge his projectiles.

Pip and Dot:

Avoidance: 3

Hatred: 1

Why?:

I would only fight them on occasions, though I wouldn’t rely on them that much. Would often miss the parry or get hit by it or touch the spikes, specially when I was close to finish them.

Though, because I always had the full super bar whenever I reached them, they would end quickly.

Hopus Pocus:

Avoidance: 4

Hatred: 5

Why?:

Ah yes, Hopus Pocus, the bitch that I kept getting so many fucking times that King Dice often added an HP Up because he felt pitty for me. How cute of him. I died and got annihilated so many fucking times because of him, specially on the parry section.

My biggest weakness is parrying, even after understanding how it works, I still had problems with it. When it was from below, I only failed a couple times, but when it’s from above? Fuck that shit, fam, I would always get hit and rarely get it.

And even when I used the super on him, I would often finish him after either getting hit once... or with my HP drained.

At the least, I could see what I was doing. The next one on the other hand...

Phear Lap:

Avoidance: 5

Hatred: 5

Why?:

Phear Lap is the definition of “Why too much shit on the foreground can distract you”.

I’ve had my share of deaths and hits where the foreground would completely cover me or a projectile, resulting me in getting hit by something I didn’t see. But Phear Lap takes it to a whole new level, the foreground includes big, large, black trees that cover up a lot of the screen, so a lot of times, I would lose sight of myself and either get hit by the present or by the fucking ghosts.

Yes, ghosts, on the section where the horses are racing, it took me a fucking while to realize that there’s this ghost rider who will come up and spring himself to the air if you’re on top of him, which can take you off guard when you’re too focus on the present and on where you are.

I avoided him at all fucking costs and when I didn’t, I would either get annihilated, get hit or in a miraculous turn, go through without a single hit.

Pirouletta:

Avoidance: 0

Hatred: 0

Why?:

The most easiest boss in the whole board. Dashing through her while shooting with the Rounbabout was the equivalent of constantly avoiding a bull’s horns without any problem. I would also dash through the projectiles after the wait for the projectiles to come closer to me so that I had space to dash and avoid them.

Mangosteen:

Avoidance: 2

Hatred: 2

Why?:

He’s not really that hard, it’s just his little minions that kept interviewing the damn battle kept either hitting me or I would get killed by them. Other than that, he’s fairly easy as fuck, just bash him with Spread and dash to the correct spacing the moment you hear his weird sound.

Mr. Chimes:

Avoidance: 4

Hatred: 4

Why?:

Fuck this piece of shit as well. At the least, my times of playing match the cards helped me out with the cards in the game but christ, fuck this bitch. Whenever a wrong match was gotten, he would often times move to the opposite way, often hitting me unexpectedly and take me off guard. He would often corner me badly during the shooting section and this bitch had to go on its way to mark his fucking name on “biggest bitches I had to deal with in Cuphead” by softlocking during a great run.

I knew I would get one eventually after countless of should-have-been-a-softlock moments but did it had to be at the worse time?

I must’ve triggered a good match the moment he stopped twitching over a bad match resulting in him beign stuck in a corner and not attack at all. He would react to the wrong matches but never move or attack. I had to kill myself in it by touching him because I had no supers to kill him and neither my weapons could reach him.

The pressure of trying to destroy him while there’s a 100% chance I might get cornered was so big, I would often try to avoid him...

... And hit something even worse.

Local piece of shit Start Over Tile can suck my fucking ass.

I went on my way to count how many times I would hit this piece of shit and everyone, I want you to know... I hit this shit 6 fucking times. About 2 of them were in a row.

And it wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t for the fact that I had to walk on eggshells because there was that fucking chance I would get to fight another bitch. And, what wouldn’t be the definition of hell and spelling eggshells without hell without constantly fucking encountering either Tipsy Troop, Hopus Pocus and the three pieces of shit themselves, Chips Bettigan, Phear Lap and Mr.Chimes.

A big special shoutout to Phear Lap because he can suck my fucking ass as well.

But when I get Fin, it was time to fight the bitch itself: King Dice.

My parry is still shit and it’s very visible in this boss, I would constantly fail to parry the cards, specially when there was a 3-card distance away from each other. Then there was my parry timing, I already said this before but I’m gonna say it again:

The pressure makes me timing go wonky. I could be thinking that I’m timing my parry when I’m not and I’m just falling into death. So, about 90% of the times, I kept getting hit by the cards because I wasn’t parrying right. And yes, I could’ve used the cheat of hiding behind his hands but I ain’t going to cheat, I want to play this game fair and clear, without any cheats.

It took me forever to understand a few bits:

You seemingly can’t parry the same card twice, which I always thought I could, resulting in a lot of hits and deaths;

Instead of waiting for the cards to comes, go straight for the parry the moment you see one. Apparently, getting a running start helps control the parry, to me at the least;

Though on the second point, I would often forget how to time-parry because throughout the whole level, they would force me to rapid-parry due to the damn dice. If I want that 3, I had to rapid-parry that bitch or else, I would be fucked.

I will be honest here, the hard part wasn’t King Dice, it was the Court. Retrying the level basically means go through the roulette again, with a high chance of starting over and forcebly make me walk on eggshells, and then fight the King. So, my desperation started getting high not because of the King, but because the Court kept killing me so much, more than the King, that all I wanted at that exact moment was to end the damn battle and leave.

And I did got close a few times, in one of the tries, I used the Super... to the wrong way and it would’ve killed him had I aimed it at him.

In 24th Ass Kicks, I was that close to beat him:

And again in 39th Ass Kick:

But, to a surprinsing event, I was able to parry some cards in a row to survive and finally beat him with...

39 Ass Kicks and a A-.

To put this into prespective:

Dr.Khal’s Robot has 43 Ass Kicks;

Cagney Carnation has 45 Ass Kicks;

Djimmi the Great has 49 Ass Kicks;

Cala Maria has 89 Ass Kicks;

And the bitch himself:

Grim Matchstick has 129 Ass Kicks.

I was rooting for King Dice to at the least get to a 80-90 Ass Kick mark, but no, he has less than a Isle 1 boss.

The Devil is our only chance to beat a Debtor’s record. Can The Devil himself prove that he is the hell spawn of hell itself and beat Grim’s record? Or will Grim keep his record for eternity?

Only one way to find out: It is time to fight The Devil.

[trickstersantana]

[Para] Bastard

Who: Santana, Hunter @classicallyclarington​ Daisy and Iscariot Location:  Undique Stadium Time: 03 October 2018 like the mean girls day Summary: Santana and Hunter fucking train to beat all of you in the tournament get ready fuckers. Also they talk about being each others Socius Pactum and the collars and shit Triggers/Notes: Violence,

Santana sended Hunter a text while preparing herself "Undique. Now." They had to talk about so many things. But more important, they had to train. She booked a room and waited creating some illusions of a more fancy place than the gym, the interior of a mansion.  Some cute butterflies, some cool fire, whatever to kill time.

As soon as Hunter had moved to text Santana, there was already a message there. He groaned and clapped his hands over his eyes before just getting into his clothes and hurrying off to the Stadium. So this was his life now. Jesus Christ. He did a double take as he entered the room, looking around at the mansion interior. He'd been in a lot of mansions, he had to wonder if he'd known that place before he looked over to her. "So."

Santana claps for effect to dispel the illusion, like it was one of those lamps who reacted to sound. "So." She said. "Alright, so, we are one of those social pacts shit." She says. "You know I'm one of the strongest person here. You got lucky." She says, taking her SP necklace and waving it around. "Now, Clarence, tell me, what reasons do I have to make the efford to keep you save and fight for you?"

Hunter's hands went to his hips as he stared Santana down. She wasn't wrong. He did get lucky on the basis of pure raw power. And personality wise, the two of them together weren't exactly a force to be reckoned with. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, nodding. So they were getting right into this. "I have an awful amount of money. If you were to save and fight for me, that would certainly work out in your interest. But I should ask you the same question."

Santana smiled and nodded. She liked money. "Well well, in general, if you being alive makes my life better, I'll keep you alive. If it makes it worse, you can summon me that I would just help your enemy. But money sounds alrigth. For now." She summoned Daisy, the fluffy cow to her side. "You want me alive so I keep you alive, simple as that. If I found an enemy stronger than me, I highly doubt you can beat them either. But I can call you on the phone, you get me out of there, and I live to save your ass in danger one day more. Or..." She says preparing some blue fire illusions in her hand to show him she wants to train now. "Do you really can figth? Show me if you are able, Clarence.”

Very well, then. Hunter hummed, almost smirking, and his eyes settled into a squint as he noticed the blue flames in her palm. He summoned Iscariot to his side, and she was exasperated for several moments, but adjusted into the situation quickly enough, lunging forward. He stood back as his magic circle twirled around his wrist, before mumbling an incantation to surround Santana in a swirling, spitting wall of flame.

@Hunter: 1d6= (2) = 2

@Santana:1d7+2 = (2)+2 = 4

Santana dodges the fire and makes an illusion of the fire Hunter used to appear as it's burning him. It doesn't matter it doesn't burn if the blinding light of the flames are in his face, not letting him see. "Daisy, Charge!" She commanded her familiar to run against Hunterr, and illusioned several weapons around her. A battle bovine as fast as a bull and double the adorable. "We have to choose a word to summon each other too, jerk!"

@Santana:  2d7= (2+6) = 8

@Hunter:  1d5 + 1= (5)+1 = 6

Hunter had to get used to the illusions. They were unsettling to say the least. But he wasn't going to let that stop him now. As little as he liked to admit it, he had something to prove. As he heard Daisy charging his way, he stayed for a moment, positioning himself, and then dove out of the way. "Carrie, go!" He called, and she let out a blindingly loud screech, like a hiss, to shock Daisy, hellfire swirling around her.

Santana could see like Daisy didn't charge as fast for the defense of the cat. "Santanaaaaa" the cow called, and only Santana and the cat could hear it. "It is so small." The cow still tackle Hunter, and her illusion was still on. "By they way, asshole, just a warning. You are going to the sit in against the magic racist collars. You can go walking, or I summon your ass there, but you are going to be there." She says preparing her next attack. "Daisy, do one of those...things horses do! You know kick him!" She says while making the illusion of spiky things in, you know, the lower part of the cows leg. Santana doesn't care about those terms.

@Santana:  1d7+3 = (4)+3 = 7

@Hunter:  1d12= (2) = 2

Hunter stared the cow down. He summoned a lasso of fire, twirling it around the air before tossing it to land around Daisy's neck. However, he got easily distracted by reminders about the situation with the collars and missed, only grazing Daisy's side. The kick hit him right on target, and man was that not a fun one, "Jesus Christ, I'll be there, dickbag."

@Santana :  1d7+2= (2)+2 = 4

Santana tells Daisy to come back. "Alright, you did your thing, emergency food" She complains fearing she actually called the damn animal by her name before. By its name, I mean. She smiled her bitchy smile hearing the news, and keeping the fire illusion up. "I hope you bring a nice banner, douchebag."

@Hunter:  1d12= (10) = 10

Hunter rolls his eyes as Daisy retreats, jumping up to his feet and summoning a towering wave of fire to rush in behind Santana and crash over her. He imagined it would have taken her by surprise had it not been for the distinct, the deafening sounds of a surging ocean. "I'd rather focus my energy on getting Kitty to call the whole thing off, knave."

@Santana: 1d7+2 = (7)+2 = 9

Santana sees her illusion get broken and feels herself get a little burned. "Auch auch." She complained. Well, he wasn't THAT weak as she though. He did some little damage. She complains while sending an illusion of spears coming from the ground. "Why didn't you do that before they approved the law, inept?"

@Hunter :  1d14 = (14) = 14

Hunter watched the spears rising from the ground and moved around the floor carefully before pulling up bunches of inflamed "spears" - really just flames made to look like the same shape as the illusion Santana had conjured - in his fists and launching them at her head, "I tried, dumbass. She was obviously unhappy with me, I'm trying new angles."

@Santana :  1d7+2 = (4)+2 = 6

Santana didn't fucking expect the fire spears. Fuck, they hurt. "Damn you! Were you holding back before?" She asks, confused at the sudden change on Hunter's attacks. She barely escaped the spears, but that has as much strenght as an attack from way stronger people. "Oh, what did you tried, copycat?"

@Hunter :  2d14 = (11+14) = 25

Hunter chuckled as he finally felt like he was getting some momentum in the arena. When she asked if he was holding back before, he knew the answer was pretty much yes, but he couldn't exactly say it was because his fear of her as a duel partner was what was fueling that. So he just held on to the power. It was nice. He ducked down as Santana became distracted with the effectiveness of the attack and pressed his palms to the ground, letting the power of his draconic lineage surge through him before he sent a massive fiery projectile in the shape of a dragon's head, fierce and spitting, roaring fire. It was magnificent, if he did say so himself. "I tried being nice, and now I'm gonna try to be big brother. Sometimes bloodlines don't react until they get yelled at by the people they're supposed to impress, empress."

Santana felts once again, that small moment of 'Oh shit, you understimted your oponent again and it comes to beat you in the ass, when will you learn.' She tries to run away from the huge fire dragon, but it's useless. It hit her full force. "Joder! Fuck!! Hunter what the hell!" She says still burning and all hurting. She locked her gaze with him. She has to do her special move too. She wasn't going down without a fight. Hunter would see the true dragon, he would feel his own fire coming back to him, turned into a real black dragon, and his presence would feel as real as any.

@Santana :  1d20+2 = (12)+2 = 14

Hunter didn’t feel the fear he imagined he would’ve normally as he saw his own dragon charging back at him. The empowerment was working well, but it didn’t stop him from getting knocked back on his ass halfway across the room. He groaned in pain from the attack, “Jesus Christ, you - bastard” he chuckled painfully, rolling over on his side.

Santana turns the whole scenary into a cave full of gold, treasure, and a river of lava. A place fitting for a dragon. Hunter can hear the sound of coins clashing to each other, can smell the metal, the smoke, the fire. He can feel the heat. Every detail is in place. She liked to show off her power. "Uhm, I like bastard, should that be how we call each other?" She asks, and makes Hunter see another Santana appearing next to him, pushing him to the lava.

@Santana :  1d7+2 = (6)+2 = 8

Hunter looked around at the cave scene, in awe. He wasn’t sure if now was the right time to say exactly, but Santana’s powers really were incredible. He gazed around wearily as he came face to face with the crackling heat of the river of lava. “Uh, yeah - bastard’s good, I like th - woah!” He gasped as he went in, defeated.

Santana stopped her own perfect illusion and giggledsnored. "He he." She offered her hand to help him get up. "Then I think we have a deal, Clarence"

Hunter groaned in relief as the illusion dissolved. He took her hand and got on his feet, shaking her hand once, “Good, then.”

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #283

"Doc vs Polybius Redux”

[TLOT] I think so yes. Wait, who's watching Cn?

[Deer] - Notch at the moment, I think he's still a bit miffed at Firebird for throwing him off trees

[TLOT] Huffs - He was supposed to learn to fly. Not just fall.

[Deer] - Yeah well...

[Pinwheel] Closes her eyes and curls up into a feathery ball-

[TLOT] Someone is sleepy...

[Deer] - Should be safe for a little bit

[TLOT] Opens the trunk by the shower and takes out a towel. He gently drapes it over Pinwheel like a blanket. - Can we sneak away for a bit?

[Deer] - I think so, once she's asleep she's pretty out of it

[TLOT] Come on then. We'll go see Markus. It's farther away from the jam session anyway-

[Deer] - Yes, please

[TLOT] Lead on then.

[Deer] Opens the door and the sounds outside get louder.  She leads TLOT around the far side of the village-

[TLOT] Is mending his shirt as he walks-

[Deer] Lie's place quickly comes into view- It's weird seeing her place this quiet...

[Notch] Is standing at the fence quietly feeding the chickens with the chain chomp bouncing around his feet like a puppy.

[TLOT] Watches him curiously. - I wonder where Flux is?

[Deer] Concentrates for a moment- In their house feeding CN

[TLOT] Ah- Casts around mentally- He's in the back....

[Deer] - Let's go, the sooner Doc and Lie know about this, the better

[TLOT] Leads the way -

[Notch] Spots him approaching - Oh hey guys. What's up?

[Deer] - We need you to send a message to Doc

[Notch] Oh, you just need my phone? Here - He takes it out and offers it to Deerheart.

[Deer] - Um...  I'm not sure how to use this...

[Notch] Oh, I'll dial it for you- he pokes it a few times and there's the tinny sound of ringing as he holds it out to her- Just put it next to your ear

[Deer] Carefully puts it up next to her ear-

-There's a click and Doc's voice on the other end-

[Doc] Markus?

[Deer] - Love, hello

[Doc] OH! - Hir voice is sweet with want and affection- Deerheart... To what do I owe this pleasure?

[Deer] - Bit of a problem actually, CP is on the verge of an energy surge...  And we don't know where his sword is

[Doc] There's a long silence. - Fuck. Where is he?

[Deer] - Somewhere out there with you guys...

[Doc] So probably the manor.... that'll be fun. Good Gods...

[Deer] - What makes you think that?

[Doc] Someplace to rest between killing sprees? Besides. I think Slender could probably hold him down if need be.

[Deer] Good point, otherwise he'd probably be with Lie...

[Doc] Isn't there some way to find his sword?

[Deer] - We asked Silver, he said we could try to call it with another pokemon, but it could just want to be alone

[Doc] Is it mean that I'm kinda glad he's not on the server at the moment?

[Deer] - I don't know

[Doc] I guess I can check in and see if I can find him. If he's not there.... one of the Slenders might be needed to mind wipe any survivors of the resulting rampage. I mean assuming he isn't headed to me to kick my ass and fuck Lie senseless.

[Deer] - Be careful

[Doc] I will. I love you. -mwah-

[Deer] - I love you too, and Yaunfen misses you

[Doc] I miss them too. Wish me luck-

[Deer] - Good luck

[Doc] Hangs up the phone with a tremulous sigh- I have to go out for a bit Lie...

[Lie] - What for?

[Doc] It's related to Cp and you probably don't want to know.

[Lie] - What did he do now?

[Doc] He ditched his sword or it flittered off for a bit and now he's on the verge of another energy spike.

[Lie] - Let me know if you absolutely need me, alright?

[Doc] I will. - Xe goes to the tv and starts working on a portal, trying to get close to the manor-

[CP] Just happens to be passing through the living room when he hears the tv crackle, he wonders if Strangled's coming in-

[Doc] Swallows nervously and climbs out of the tv, hir boots making little noise on the carpet-

[CP] - The fuck are you doing here!?

[Doc] Jumps - Um.. looking for you actually.

[CP] Growls- Why?

[Doc] Because Deerheart told me you were verging on an energy surge and stormed off the server?

[CP] - None of your business!

[Doc] I'm actually glad to find you. I half expected you not to be here and off on a killing spree about now.

[CP] - Scowls- Blame fucking Polybius for that, fucker drained some of the energy

[Doc] Who? - Hir face goes a bit white- The game....

[CP] - Now fuck off will ya?

[Doc] So that was a creepypasta I electrocuted?!

[CP] - Yes

[Doc] Yeah... I think I will be going-

[Polybius] Crackling sound from the doorway- Hellllo....

[Doc] Eep.

[CP] - Oh for fucks sake

[Polybius] Fancy seeing you again...

[Doc] I was just leaving-

[Polybius] Scoots past Cp to loom over Doc- Not up for round two?

[CP] - Fuck off oldie

[Polybius] You're not the boss of me.

[Doc] You're the one that attacked me anyway!

[CP] - Could this day get any worse?

[Polybius] Takes an almost playful swipe at Doc to keep them away from the tv-

[Doc] Dodges out of the way and hops over the sofa.

[CP] - Doc just go use my computer

[Doc] Thank you! - Goes dashing down the hallway-

[Polybius] Makes a wicked face and chases after them-

[CP] Moves to trip them-

[Polybius] Is tripped but claws Cp with one of his floating hands as he falls-

[Doc] Grabs the torch to avoid falling on a patch of blood in the hallway.

[CP] Lunges for an attack- Slender happens to enter the room and grabs CP before his strike can land

[Polybius] Is on the floor and looks at Cp- You asshole.

[Doc] Wrenches Cp's door open but looks back before going in.

[CP] - Put me down Slender, I wanna rip his wiring out

[Slender] - No, go to your room and calm down

[Polybius] Slips away and peeks down the hall-

[Doc] Sees him and darts into the room as the creepypasta takes off towards them-

[CP] Sulks and heads for his room-

[Doc] Is trying to get to the computer but Polybius is blocking hir-

[Polybius] Is laughing cruelly at them as they are chased around the room-

[CP] Slams the door open- OI!  You know we're not allowed in each others rooms without permission!

[Polybius] Catches Doc's coattail-

[Doc] Panics and shapeshifts, hir dragon shape filling most of the room and smashing the creepypasta against the bathroom door-

[CP] - DOC!

[Doc] Just kind of sags, having hit hir head on the ceiling-

[Polybius] Lots of swearing-

[Slender] There's a crackle of static- Polybius!  Out!

[Polybius] I can't get out you idiot! I'm mashed between this imbecile and the door!

[Slender] Makes an annoyed sound-

[CP] - Doc!  Smaller!

[Doc] shakes hir head to clear it a bit and shifts again, basically falling onto Cp's bed from where hir dragon's head was.

[Polybius] Is suddenly on the floor and still dazed a bit-

[CP] Makes an opening and starts dragging Doc towards it- Just fucking get out, where are you going?

[Doc] Back to the bunker... That's where... Lie and Sammn are...

[CP] Perks at the mention of his mates name-

[Doc] But anywhere is good... I can find my way back..

[CP] Makes sure the opening goes to the bunker and shoves Doc through-

[Doc] Stumbles and falls into a patch of Lie's healing flowers thankfully-

[Lie] - Doc!- The opening closes behind Doc

[Doc] Holds hir finger up- Found him...

[Lie] - How bad is the damage?

[Doc] None, but I'm confused as to why.

[Lie] - What?  Maybe Sammn isn't the only one we need to keep an eye on...

[Doc] Looks up- Did he not...? I thought he'd come in behind me for sure...

[Lie] - No, it closed as soon as you were through...

[Doc] Well he seemed stable enough. Even stood up for me so I didn't get my ass kicked.

[Lie] - I think I'll go check on him later, once you seem recovered

[Doc] You may not want to, he's at the manor.

[Lie] Stiffens a bit and rubs her arm-

[Doc] Can't you just call for him? I mean, if you're not still furious with him.

[Lie] - I don't we can handle him and Sammn at the same time if he's having an energy surge

[Doc] Perhaps not. And Slender is used to creepypastas with strange powers going berzerk....

[Lie] - Good point, for now though, I think we should focus on Sammn

[Doc] You're probably right....

[yuki-d-raizel-blog]

Hero

Chapter 27/??

Relationship: Todoroki Shouto x Reader (Your/Name), (Full/Name)

Summit: It all begin at the Sports Festival when Shouto’s other half met Endevour by mistake. The student never thought to see his partner fight against his father just to show him that he is wrong. It started from that instant, Shouto’s new path started exactly from that moment thanks to his friends and his beloved one.

---

<<Hey, what happened?>> you ask checking if there are dead injuries, <<Calm down little boy, I’m here.>>

<<W-we were going in a safer zone, b-but t-those things attacked us a-and…>> he can’t even speak properly, for the fear, <<F-four men h-helped us b-but… I-I can’t, please come back, the others are going to die!>>>

“Those things… Noumu?! The police lost them?!” you grab the phone to see the location of your friends, <<Ran, I will go back, you must do what I’m going to tell, ok?>> your eyes fly on the screen to see something different, <<First, call Hakkai and tell him this position, I’ll buy some time. It’s a blind alley so make it as fast as possible, I used my powers already, I don’t know for how much time I can fight against those creepy creatures. Second, follow Endevour and take everyone to a safe zone.>>

<<Wait, you can’t fight them alone!>> screams the child seeing you run away direct to a wide road, <<Belial!>>

<<Stay close to the others! I’ll be back soon!>> the girl smiles disappearing once she turned to the right.

“I have this scary feeling all over my spine… That dream is rising inside my mind…” <<Hi, I am Shouto.>> the students kneels in front of the child to ask him something, <<Can you tell me who was the enemy, exactly?>>

<<E-eh?>> the boy seems still shocked, <<Um… Two tall and strong creatures with their brains exposed… and two men… One of them… he’s a monster…>>

<<Four enemies… (Y/N)-chan used a big amount of her strongest flames already…>> Midoriya’s whisper send a strong shock through his spine and Todoroki realizes, “She’s gonna lose!” Deku and Shouto sprint at the same time, running as fast as possible to catch their friend up before it’s too late.

“Don’t disappear on me, (Y/N)!”

 ---

<<Shuu, no! He isn’t your brother!>> scream Lenka, being the witness of a crude reality. His friend is defeated and risks his life because of those enemies…

They recognized the creatures that (Y/N) talked about, but they don’t know the person that is standing with a long red ruby lance. He didn’t do anything, the Noumu were too strong, the group didn’t have the time to use (Y/N)’s powers, they were too busy on the defense. Now they are badly hurt and don’t know if the child they saved, reached (Y/N) to ask help. Joel is half crushed under a collapsed building and can’t move anymore, Shuu stays immobile on the cold road, bleeding too much and too fast, Tenka is hurt on his shoulder unable to move his arm, while Tenka barely can move his leg.

<<I’m sorry, our leader told us to bring despair, so let’s get started.>> the man who defeated Shuu, slaps his fingers and smiles evil, <<Kill them, Noumu.>>

The group gives up. (Y/N) was right, they have the same strength as All Might, there’s no way that they can win against those monsters. Now that they finally can use the power of the beasts, they choose to not do it, knowing that it would kill them sooner. They feel bad for the kid, that child would feel so guilty for their deaths, but he has no faults. And (Y/N)… She’ll take this so badly, that they can image of what she could do…

Tenka and Lenka fall on the ground waiting their turn, Joel just lays his forehead on the cement while the Noumu is marching towards Shuu. It’s over. Lenka is brave enough to see how Shuu dies, and his attention is caught by a light on the roof of a building.

Generating a blue-white glowing rod of energy, the savior throws it at the intended target. It multiplies into a hundred more rods, which rain down on the Noumu and pin it against the road, completely immobilizing it. Looking better at them, those pillars are made by ice, so that means…

<<Oi, that isn’t (Y/N)’s…?>> says Tenka with a low voice, he opened his eyes when he heard a bunch of dull sounds, and he found a Noumu impaled on the street with huge icy rods, <<Hard to dodge in a small area, the ice goes quickly through the target, freezing their muscles and nerves, and it reaches the hard surface, blending with it… completely block the enemy… Yeah, it’s->>

<<Soaring Net of the Heavens.>> whispers Joel surprised.

(Y/N) appears in front of the last Noumu, points at it with her index finger and generates a concentrated bolt of lightning that pierced the creature and breaks the road, almost melting it. As soon the beast falls, she traps it inside a freezing coffin and quickly, she touches the ground and erects a huge wall of ice, dividing the group from the enemy.

<<Shuu…>> her voice is so worried while she blocks the hemorrhage in his chest, <<I’m here, don’t worry.>>

<<…(Y/N)…>> he opens his eyes and smiles, <<T-thank… you…>> when the wound is closed and the pain goes away, the tall man sits up and looks around to understand what happened.

The man with the lance whistles surprised, “That was a weak Dragon Strike Heaven.” thinks hitting lightly his shoulder with the lance, while he is looking the girl praying, “Oh? She’s gonna use Gluttony’s strength? Then, I was right. The third coming of Kafka is here.”

You take a street lamp, freeze it and break it to use as a lever. You put it between the ruins and create a lay of ice to protect Joel from the weight of the building. Through her ripped clothes, red and flaming signs appear and run all over her figure and she starts to push down to move off the ruins from her friend.

When Shouto and Midoriya reach the battlefield, their friend is facing two Noumu and a smiling man. The two students can’t go in the street to help her thought, they are blocked in the alley from a huge wall of ice, stuck between the buildings.

<<Who are those people?>> says Izuku, <<Everyone is beaten up badly, we need to climb over this->>

The same man of Todoroki’s dream stands between the two monsters. He’s about to intervene but Joel’s voice stops him.

<<Watch out Belial, that criminal has an illusion quirk. He can change his appeal basing on our feelings.>> he says and Lenka adds, <<He assumed Yamato’s semblances and defeated Shuu playing with his emotions.>>

<<I am your lovely hero, Yamato.>> the man walks towards the girl smiling, <<You will never hurt me, right?>>

<<I give you three seconds to surrender.>> you say with a disgusted face, <<I’m not as weak as Shuu.>>

<<What are you saying? You don’t remember me?>> the woman discovers that even the voice is the same, but this doesn’t mean that she falls on the trap easily, <<It’s true, I left you guys for years, but I’m here again.>>

<<You can’t fool me…>> Belial breaks his arm with her reinforced kick, <<I’m strict with myself and know better than anyone that this person is not with us anymore.>> crushed on the ground, the man loses his power.

<<H-how…? You would kill someone you love?! Are you crazy?!>> he shouts holding his broken arm.

<<I already did. That’s why I feel this sin on my heart more than anyone.>> the girl raises her leg to finish the criminal with an axe kick, but...

<<(Y/N), behind you!!>> screams Shouto scared, he assisted at something unbelievable. The wall of ice that kept the Noumu and the man with the lance away from the group, was broken by an invisible force and the monsters charged at the same time.

“My ice was broken..? Who done that?!” the girl is keeping the creatures away from her friends, and managed to defeat one of them using Wrath. “I’m using Astraroth too much but I can’t fight equally with these bastards if I choose another beast… They move too quickly for Sloth, they have too energy and I can’t steal it... I hope some pros will notices the mess that I’m gonna do...”

“I need to save her! That dream is becoming the reality!” Todoroki is thinking as hard as possible to find a way to climb over the wall of ice. It’s not easy as he thought, if someone tries to climb, the ice increases, making the wall taller and taller, “She created this because she knew that someone would run after her… My fire can’t melt this, Midoriya can’t jump over either… What I need to do? Think faster Shouto!”

The time pass and the girl is showing the first signs of fatigue, there is clearly something that is weakening her, but what? She is struggling against that Noumu, she is paying more attention to herself than the enemy. Why?

<<Don’t go near them, you creepy fucker!>> she stops the beast holding it in place, <<Fuck…>> whispers her, breathing fast, her feet are sliding on the street breaking the concrete, “It’s gonna win!” the symbols on her body shine more and the student can move the Noumu backwards, “I’m killing myself like this, but it’s the only method I have to fight this shit!” she breaks the contact and tries to hit the creature with a kick, but it’s not as she thought.

<<(Y/N)!!>> the beast grabbed her leg and throwed her inside a building, breaking a lot of things, <<Run away! You used too much your powers!>> screams Joel, <<It’s too dangerous for you to fight again!>>

<<Not even in your dreams….>> the woman moves the huge ruins and stands up wiping away the blood from her forehead, <<If a hero run away, who’s gonna fight?>>

“If she is risking her life… Then!” <<They won’t take the hope we hold onto…>> Shuu softly sings and stands up awaking his beast, surrounding himself with blue flaming chains.

<<Dressed in a noble darkness….>> Tenka mirrors him and he grabs his ōdachi, which blade is covered with strong electric shocks, while Ba’al protects him.

<<A new star calls out to heaven….>> it’s Lenka’s turn, he stands up and cracks his silver long whip, and stands ready.  

<<We’ll make a miracle together…>> Joel is protected by a blizzard and the cold wind forge his two long and sharp claws of ice, and he walks nearer his friends.

<<The legend of the seven stars will begin…>> (Y/N) stops in front of everyone and surrounds herself with purple flames while the symbols on her legs and arms start to shine stronger. Everyone hangs backwards a bit and kicks the ground ready to defeat the last Noumu.

“They are singing, Yamato-san’s song…?” thinks Izuku hypnotized. He’s sure that they’re fighting, but for him is…. A dance. They are all smiling, moving their weapons so gracefully, he doesn’t even see the damages they are doing to the creature, <<Wow… This is when the beasts share their power with a mate… Amazing…>> he whispers, scared that Shouto could yell at him, he knows that is not the right moment to think about the seven beasts, they need to find a way to climb over and help (Y/N).

<<Impossible…>> says the criminal, <<They stopped Noumu’s regeneration skills?!>>

The monster is losing limb after limb and it can’t run away either, a fire circle is keeping him in place. It is an easy prey.

<<Let these burning emotions become flames and illuminate the darkness. Hundreds of blooming flowers seethe in our blaze and shine on our dreams.>> the team starts the last assault without mercy, <<That day we sweeped you away to heaven, do you remember it?>> when the monster falls on the street immobile, the group surrounds him and starts to walk in circle following the rhythm inside their heads, <<Sparks fly as the night burns… Shall we keep it hot? This eternal inferno!>> they all smile and jump back, when flames burn the Noumu alive.

“Why they are all smiling? I can’t get it.” thinks Shouto staring at the tired squad. “I need to climb over, I’m terrified by the man with the lance… He has a scary aura all around himself… I don’t like him at all!”

<<W-who is that woman…?!>> the criminal can’t believe what he just saw.

The team fall on their knees panting exhausted, using the beasts when the body isn’t in good conditions, is too risky. They survived thanks to a miracle, indeed.

<<Your name is (Y/N), right?>> for the first time, the man with the lance moves his feet from his position, <<I was looking for you… And now I found you.>>

<<I don’t know who the hell are you, but…>> the girl rips her costume since it was all ruined and it kept getting in her way, <<You don’t seem to want to surrender, so I must fight you too.>>

“Oh lord!” <<Todoroki-kun, I am so sorry….>> says Izuku blushing and looking away.

<<If you stare too much, I’m gonna freeze you alive Midoriya.>> “I understand that she did that because the costume was getting in her way, but (Y/N) for the love of god… You can’t show your body like that!”

“What a fearless fighter…” <<Here little girl, take this.>> the lance villain takes his jacket and offers it to you.

<<We’re facing the third coming of Kafka and you’re worried about her breasts?!>> shouts the criminal.

<<No, if I make an offering maybe she’ll spare me.>> comments the other smiling, when he sees symbols go on the rest of her body, covering her torso, and face, he says with a grin on his face, <<Don’t you think you should stop using Gluttony? You know what price you must pay for that beast.>>

“How he knows about it? Who is this man?” <<If you don’t like him, I can change.>> the girl uses her ice skills to attack, “Thousand Year Ice Prison.”

Suddenly, many ice pillars encircle her and her enemies. Belial turns her hand 90 degrees counter-clockwise, prompting the pillars to move towards the two criminals, enveloping them.

<<What? Why the pillars of the prison don’t crush them?>> comments Izuku studying everything carefully, he sees a strange fear appearing on (Y/N)’s face.

<<You asked why I was more worried for her breasts than the girl herself…>> the voice of the man comes out the icy cage, <<Because I am the owner of the Verg Avesta.>> a crimson light cuts the pillars in half and breaks the prison, showering the man with the ruby lance with crystals, <<And it’s impolite to stare at a girl’s body.>>

---Continue...

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 21.5, 22, 22.5, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, Last Chapter

[carvers-hawke]

Cullavellan Week - Day 3

Fandom: Dragon Age Pairing: Devanna Lavellan/ Cullen Rutherford AO3 Link: Here! Notes: Pshew, made it with a few minutes to spare. Uh. I’m really bad at writing action scenes and this was heavily inspired by the fight choreography of Wonder Woman. Also Dev is a Reaver, but like, not your average Reaver someone come talk to me about how she got her abilities because i love it so she gets very, very into fighting. 

And by the nature of day four’s prompt I won’t be participating since this is the first time I’ve a) wrote anything with Dev in it and b) wrote for Cullavellan. Anyways, today’s prompt is

It’s no secret that the Inquisitor and Commander are experts in combat! Show them in action out in the field!

They usually weren’t on the field together. As Commander of the Inquisition’s forces, Cullen had a mostly administrative position. As much as he would be down in the training fields, running the soldiers through drills, sparring, encouraging his troops to learn how to use their damn shields, he didn’t often leave Skyhold.

It was uncommon for him to take the field of combat, but not unheard of.

He had accompanied the group to Sahrina, to lend his sword and shield to the Inquisition in breaking the Red Templars’ hold on the quarry, to disrupt Samson’s easy supply of lyrium. It had been deeply satisfying, even if it did mean subjecting himself to the sickly sweet call of the tainted lyrium. And it called, leaving a deep throbbing pain between his temples, and a strong tremor to his hands. He hated it, but it was a suffering he would endure.

But then they’d met a handful of behemoths, and one had gotten in a good, lucky hit through Cassandra’s guard, and their Seeker had been rushed back to the nearest camp for healing. Broken limbs, cracked ribs, and a punctured lung, the healers were working round the clock to get her into stable condition. But the Inquisition couldn’t rest, and Michel de Chevin meant to confront the demon Imshael, one of the Forbidden Ones.

As if it was a matter of taking down a shade, or an abomination, and he remembered the devastation in Darktown when Hawke had faced down the creature Xebenkeck. The thought of the Inquisition facing down a demon of that caliber, without someone trained to nullify magic, to strike against these creatures, was unacceptable. And with Cassandra’s condition that left him.

Cullen hadn’t taken lyrium in over a year, that was true, but he had been a Knight Commander, and he could still throw a holy smite that would knock even the Grand Enchanter on her ass.

He might have wished, however, that the demon Imshael hadn’t taken up residence at the very top of Suledin Keep, filled with more Red Templars, and giants.

“Oh. Oh this is going to be fun.” A small mercy, that Devanna was at his side, body vibrating with excitement as they surveyed the doors of the Keep.

Kalros regarded her Hand, an indulgent smile on her face even as she fisted her hands on her hips. “Would you like to do the honors, then?”

“And it’s not even my nameday.” Devanna said it with such enthusiasm, swaggering up to the door.

She was a violent creature, this woman he loved, with the blood of dragons in her veins, and it was made all the more apparent by the way she led the charge into the Keep. A haze of bright, glowing red as she clawed deep furrows into the door, weakening it before kicking it down in a shower of splinters that left the few guards just inside looking on in astonishment.

“Hello lovies~” She sang, drawing her blade with a soft hiss. “Who’s ready to die?”

And the battle was joined.

It had been some time since Cullen had really fought. Not since the attack on Haven, and even then his duties had been more in organizing a suitable defense and getting as many people out as he could—not enough though, never enough. Still, any fears that he might be rusty, given his current companions, faded as he waded head first to join Devanna. The others stayed back, Varric taking the high ground to better aim with his crossbow as Dorian cast barriers and threw fire spells back and forth. They were content to let their warriors do the bulk of the work, well, all of them save Kalros, who used no staff, and wreathed herself in magic and using it to construct weapons of her very own, occasionally assisted by the chakri in her hands.

They fell into a sort of synergy, the reaver and himself, his defensive tactics well matched with her own reckless abandon. He knew that was the point, of course, the harder they hit her, the more she hurt, the stronger she became. And yet, he couldn’t help but cringe at every hard earned injury, couldn’t help but work to stay at her side.

“Archers!” He lunged forward, shield raising up in front of her, just in time to block a bolt that would have pinned her in the shoulder.

The elf stuttered slightly at the restraint on her shoulder, pupils widening from their slits in surprise and realization.

Realization that blossomed into a wide grin as she leaned in quick as a flash to place a blood smeared kiss to his cheek. “Thank you lover.”

And just like that she was ducking out of the protection of his shield, swinging that massive sword of hers and laughing at the spray of blood and death in her wake. Cullen noticed, with no small amount of unease, that the deeper they went into the fortress, the more potent the animus that clung to her. It manifested in a blood red mist, swirling and infecting any enemies that came within fifteen meters of her. Her attacks hit harder, and ideally it wasn’t a bad thing—it made putting down the Red Templars easier—but he could see her slipping.

The laughing gradually became less, replaced with wordless growls and snarls, her kills becoming messier. The danger of the dragon blood that ran through her veins; it was a source of power, but indulging too much could lead to madness as Cassandra hadn’t hesitated to point out.

He worried, a quick glance over at the Inquisitor showed a tightness of expression that indicated worry as well, but at least they were getting close to the end.

“Is that a bloody—“

“Kaffas, watch the swing!”

“Maker’s breath!” The giant staggered out of its cage with a swipe of its arms, a pulse of that sickening call running through Cullen as he focused on the clusters of red crystal sprouting from its skin.

And then he was dodging out of the way as it threw a chunk of stone at them, rolling away even as the crash left his ears ringing. He recovered in time to see Kalros reach out, frost blooming up her fingers even as thick ice shot up around the giant’s feet, holding it in place. Devanna was already dashing in to press the advantage it created, weaving between the giant’s fists to harry at its legs. Drawn in by her orbit, Cullen moved as well, creating as much of a distraction as he could even as he used his shield to deflect the blows thrown his way.

The fight might have lasted a few minutes of a few days, everything became a whirl of dodging and slashing, barriers shimmering over his skin as magic and crossbow bolts peppered the rough skin of the giant. They were wearing it down though, little by little, and Cullen hoped that it ended soon because he could feel the burn of exhaustion in his arms, shield hand starting to go a little numb.

Cullen couldn’t help but think at this point that maybe Cassandra had been lucky, even with the injuries she’d sustained.

There was a loud roar, and the sound of something hard colliding with something metal, causing Cullen’s heart to stop in his chest, his throat squeezed tight in a vice as he saw Devanna go sailing through the air. There was an indentation in the wall that she’d struck, sliding down with a smear of blood.

“Dev!” He wasn’t sure who yelled it first, Kalros or himself—possibly both—but Cullen instinctively jerked in her direction.

The kossith woman had positioned herself behind the giant, her face cast in a soft violet glow as she looped her lightning whip around its throat. It was by some design, some treatment like that which allowed a Tempest to sheathe themselves in the elements, that prevented her from getting electrocuted as she twisted the whip around her leg, catching it under her boot to pull the giant back. And it was a testament to her strength, both physical and arcane, that allowed her to restrain the beast even as she tried to choke the life from it.

A soft hiss of pain from behind him, an impatient noise, a growled fucker as Devanna climbed to her feet. Her sword was a few feet away, wedged into the frozen earth from where it’d been dropped, and instead of going to recover it she pulled out her long, aurum hunting knife.

She staggered a few steps, head swinging from side to side in her disorientation and she couldn’t mean to rejoin the battle.

But the elf righted herself, forcefully regaining her equilibrium and switching her grip on her knife.

“Cullen.” She snapped, her normally husky voice rough and deep, like shards of glass being scraped over stone. “Shield. Now.”

Panic gripped him, followed by confusion, as she made her way towards him, speed increasing. He remembered the last time he’d heard her say that, in the training grounds of Skyhold, a training session she’d insisted he watch because she wanted to show him something. He remembered the way Blackwall had taken a knee, shield braced to launch her.

And that was what she wanted him to do, to give her a step up to get to the giant’s vulnerable spots.

Bloody hell but was she always this reckless? Was this the sort of thing she did, on their excursions out into the field? How was she still alive?

His braced himself anyway, sword dropping and balance shifting as he gripped the shield tight with both arms. Her booted foot planted hard against the shield, but the weight of a fully armored warrior was nothing he wasn’t used to, and Cullen followed the change easily, rolling with it and pushing.

Some of her hair had fallen loose from its updo, strands of red flowing behind her as she flew through the air, teeth bared and a loud, inhuman snarl ripping from her throat. The knife plunged into the giant’s chest, a hand hold by the collarbone as she reached forward with her free hand, summoning the power in her blood and ripping into the creature with a spectral dragon’s claw.

It reached in, phasing through skin and bone and muscle directly through the sternum, and Cullen was forcefully reminded of Hawke’s companion, Fenris. Except, the way the blood hovered, the way he could visibly see the giant’s life force seep into Devanna, cuts and bruises healing before his very eyes, was in no way the same.

No, watching that sent a shudder of unease down his spine, and it was oh so dangerously close to blood magic. Except she was no mage, and her abilities had been forced on her, it was only fair that she use them to stay alive.

Finally the giant fell, first to its knees, and then backwards, Kalros letting the magic of the whip fade as she nimbly jumped out of the way. His first instinct was to check on Devanna, his feet taking him to his lover’s side, but as soon as he got close he felt… he felt the prod of something sharp, painful, buffeting at him. Foreign, a sort of ache that reached down into his soul and held it tight in a clawed grip.

“Cullen wait.” Kalros reached over, pulling him back. “It’s not safe.”

And that’s when he realized—the animus hadn’t faded, if anything the giant’s death had only fueled it farther. She had trouble coming down, letting go of the blood lust and calming the fire that burned within her, especially after particularly large battles. She needed help, she’d explained, someone who could bring her back to herself.

“She doesn’t recognize you.” The kossith continued, taking a step forward.

He didn’t hesitate, pulling himself out of Kalros’ grip and moving closer. “Devanna.”

The aura pushed back at the intrusion, sensing an enemy, and she tilted her head ever so slightly to regard him. Like she had when they’d first met, holding herself apart and unsure. But there was no recognition in those yellow eyes, pupils narrowed into thin slits. She treated him like a threat, an unknown, and while that cut deep into him Cullen reminded himself that this wasn’t her.

“Devanna.” He repeated, voice firm, as he continued his approach. “Love, the fight is over.”

It wasn’t completely over, he knew that Imshael still resided in the heart of the fortress, but if they challenged the demon like this, they would be at a disadvantage. More than that, he hated the way she quivered, body barely held in check despite the violence that held her coiled tight like a spring ready to snap. This was a part of her, he knew, but it wasn’t always healthy.

“Dev.” Her hand shot out like a blur, fisting in his mantle and effectively bringing him to a halt. “Love.”

It was a delicate situation. Devanna, he knew, could easily injure him if she so chose. Especially in this state, where her strength had increased tenfold. If he moved wrong, gave even the slightest indication that he was a threat, she would strike and at this distance not even the Inquisitor could stop her.

But he wasn’t afraid. If this day had shown him how powerfully aggressive his lover was, there were so many instances that he could call to mind of her gentleness. She loved him; though she didn’t say it he had felt it in so many small, potent ways and he trusted her.

So Cullen held himself perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe as she watched him like a cat watching a mouse. He didn’t fight when she pulled him in close, lifting his chin in a show of surrender when she pressed her nose into his neck, inhaling deeply.

“Cull…” She murmured, the tension bleeding out of her frame as she moved in closer. “Shit that was…”

“I’ve got you. You’re good.” He assured her just as quietly, pulling her into a quick, rough embrace. “You didn’t lose yourself.”

“You could have gotten yourself killed.” Devanna pulled back, a frown on her face as she looked up at him. “You should have let Kal—“

“Maybe.” He agreed, cutting her off by carefully dragging his fingers down her cheek. “I didn’t though. We’ll discuss our mutual recklessness once we take the Keep.”

Her pupils dilated at that, just a fraction, picking up easily on the intent behind the words. There were many ways to cure battle lust, he knew, and there were many ways to calm his warrior.

“Right.” Devanna cleared her throat, head ducking as a flush covered his cheeks. “Well. Let’s go kill a demon, shall we?”

[shitboy96]

dark souls I bosses ranked by difficulty by my gay ass

easiest to hardest:

Gwyn lord of cinder - the most anticlimactic final boss ever lmao i took solaire with me and killed him first attempt pretty fast

Chaos witch quelaag - super straightforward i killed her in my first attempt, just like keep moving and dodge the lava lol

bed of chaos - again this penultimate boss was super anticlimactic just because of how differently it worked compared to the others. like im all for problem solving but the disintegrating floor and massive swipes just made this feel cheap. died like 3 times i guess

Pinwheel - idk why he was even a boss like he has like 200 hp, the only difficulty is getting past all the damn wheel skeletons to get to him

asylum demon - i think i found it difficult before i knew what difficult meant lol, probably took like 3 attempts

Taurus demon - again super straightforward with the drop attack method, but he did get a few kills off on me before i managed it

Four Kings - really easy to be honest, when i remembered to equip the abysswalker ring before dropping off the staircase aslgjjdklgjrd 2 attempts

Seath the Scaleless - very simple fight, the challenge is getting to him through that FUCKING crystal cave. which i hated with a passion. 2 attempts (the clam monsters could follow you in on the first go and fucked me up)

Centipede demon - a pretty lame and easy fight, he just kinda jumped up and down a lot, i didn’t see a lot of the eponymous centipedes and just jabbed at his legs til he croaked. 2 attempts i think

moonlight butterfly - eeehh a little difficult as i played a melee character and its ranged attacks pack a punch and are pretty hard to avoid, took me a couple attempts

Gaping dragon - gotta say this was my favourite boss just based on the design like if you don’t know what it looks like google it it’s fucking GROSS or better yet watch its introductory cutscene. having said that he’s pretty easy to kill as he tends to ignore you and charge across the room. he does have a nasty habit of jumping in the air and landing on you for a lot of damage however. like 5 attempts probably but entertaining

Gravelord Nito - this guys was actually really easy, the challenge was getting to him past all his minions, surviving the drop into his room, and dealing with his respawning skeletons when you get there. but the fight itself was simple. like 3 attempts

Demon Firesage - much like his lil bro the stray demon, he was a pain in the arse but didn’t take too long. the mini taurus demon in front of him was a nuisance though. like 4 attempts.

Stray demon - the upgraded asylum demon and less fiery version of the aforementioned demon firesage, this guy was a bit of a pain because of the huge range of his magic attacks. once i learned to stay well behind him it wasn’t too bad. the unavoidable fall damage is annoying though. like 5-10 attempts

iron golem - this fight was a pain in my ass mostly because of the knockback on his attacks and the tiny platform. maybe half a dozen attempts

Ceaseless discharge - this fight was dumb imo just because his attacks were all but impossible to avoid and the mechanic of him being an automatic kill if you retreat to the entrance just made it cheap. like 8 attempts before i looked it up

Sif the great grey wolf - besides her title being a mouthful, her sword attacks were a pain in my ass. 5-10 attempts maybe but a challenge

crossbreed priscilla - an invisible boss. an invisible FUCKIGN boss. with a respawning heavy knight in front of her. half a dozen attempts

capra demon - what the FUCK was with this boss arena. like that shit was smaller than harry potter’s bedroom under the stairs

bell gargoyles - multiple bosses in one fight are HARD. these took me a good while to deal with, and i couldn’t do it without a summon. not sure how many attempts but it was a lot

Ornstein and Smough - from the enemies guarding these bosses to the fact that i have to fight two fuckers at the same time, these assholes can fuck right off. i didn’t beat them for like 5 days and probably 20+ attempts

apologies i forgot to go do the DLC before i finished the game and it put me back on NG+, i will return to do it at some point in the future

[up-sideand-down]

Blurry Letters on the Bottom Line

I don’t know where this came from, but it’s here. Hope you like it. 

Start at the beginning with AO3 / FF.net

Read the new chapter AO3 / FF.net

Please be advised that Basecom communications will be halted between the hours of 0900 and 1100 Midgar Central Time on Thursday July 17th. You are advised to leave a message if your usual check-in falls at this time. Direct all emergency calls to Commander Rhapsodos. 

“A two hour V.R. training session?” A SOLDIER second asked. 

“That’s gotta be fuckin’ brutal.” The third on the other line said with a wince, “Think it’s the mission ready test?” 

“Nah, he’s only just hit the enhancements. That’s why he missed two weeks a while ago. Usually they wait about six months. Probably just a strength test. See where he lies y’know?”

“I hope the little guy makes it okay.”

“Strife will be fine. Want me to ask him when he calls?” There was a long pause.

“Kinda.”

“FUCK ME!” Cloud screeched, and dodged another blade. They were moving so fast he could hardly get an attack in. Which was the point. 

Cloud had some very not nice words for Angeal and Sephiroth if he got out of this. 

When. When he got out of this. It was so easy to forget this was all simulation. It was kinda fun at first. The first 30 minutes was basic stuff, letting him get used to how V.R. worked and having his normal swords back. After that it was pure hell. It just never stopped. Fangs, Thunderbirds, the halfway point was a baby fucking Malboro. And now...Tonberries. Three of the fuckers. Cloud wasn’t sure he’d be up to forgiving them. There wasn’t any mission parameters yet, just get there. He dreaded to think what they had dreamed up for up there. 

He wouldn’t be surprised if there was a full sized Nibel dragon at this point. 

Cloud decided just standing and defending in the middle of these assholes wasn’t getting him out, so he leaped up and out. He gave out a war cry on his way down. 

Angeal let out one sadistic chuckle after Cloud yelled at the tonberries, but that was it. Both he and Sephiroth were taking notes. 

“He’s sloppy,” Angeal said, “but...so far it’s working.”

“He hasn’t been given much time to develop his own fighting style,” Sephiroth said, “or at least I haven’t. Given the mix of what he’s learned I imagine it will always appear sloppy.”

“Appear?” Angeal asked. 

“He’s only been hit once. He wore himself out with the tonberries, as expected, but otherwise he’s gotten through very well,” Sephiroth said, “he’s using what we’ve taught more effectively than I hoped. Perhaps I should raise my expectations of him.” 

“Hmm...” Angeal noted as he watched Cloud’s perfectly executed jump strike, “you may have a point there.” Sephiroth looked up at his pause. 

“Do you want to turn it up?” Angeal asked with a wicked smirk. 

“We have tortured him a lot,” Sephiroth said. 

“Do you think he can’t take it?” Angeal asked. Sephiroth thought a long time. 

“Just a little bit,” he agreed. 

Zack was a little weirded out when Gen asked if he wanted to hang out while Cloud was in the V.R. Room. He said yes, but was a little wary. Gen tended to be...kind of hot and cold around him. Like he didn’t know how to act when they were alone. 

Zack couldn’t keep the nervous tap out of his feet, he jumped when he felt Genesis pat his shoulder. 

“He’ll be fine,” Genesis said, “Angeal promised he wouldn’t kill him. Seph wouldn’t let him anyway.”

“I know,” Zack said, “I just can’t help it.” 

A long pause stretched between them. Genesis sat up a little more, making his coat creak a little. 

“How is it going...between the two of you?” He asked. Zack gave him a look. 

“Between me and Angeal?” Zack asked. Genesis laughed.

“Between you and Cloud.” Genesis corrected. Zack coughed. 

“Oh...it’s going...well I think.”

“You think?” Genesis asked. 

“Well...Cloud’s always been kinda quiet and shy,” Zack said, “he’s got a lot of pride too and that made it tough when he first started. Not a good combo for meeting friends. We’ve been going slow. I don’t mind it...I just...we’re good. I should have just left it there.”

“You have to push him?” Genesis guessed. 

“Sometimes,” Zack said, “I don’t want to push too far. He’s my friend still, I’m not gonna lose that. It’s just...you know my nickname for him?”

“Chocobo Head?”

“No,” Zack corrected, “Spike.”

“You have twelve nicknames for him. I had to be sure,” Genesis said, but his grin said he didn’t mind. 

“It’s correct it more ways than one,” Zack explained, “He’s...he’s got a lot of defenses around them. I’m just taking them one at a time...but like I said I don’t mind. He can be...he is very sweet.”

“Is he a good kisser?” Genesis asked. 

“Yes,” Zack said. 

“Good,” Genesis replied, “not that it’s any of my business...but if you think he’s a good kisser then it’s going fine.” Zack debated if asking would get him burned or not, then decided he could dodge it. 

“Is Angeal a good kisser?” Zack asked. 

“The best,” Genesis replied, “Sephiroth needs just a little work though.” Genesis had never seen Zack turn so red before.

Head northeast towards the village. Get rid of the main threat to it and return to the crossroads to end the simulation. 

The directions were clear, but Cloud was wary. Angeal’s voice had nearly interrupted the program. It made him suspicious. Well...more suspicious than he was already. He didn’t like this. He had a feeling something had changed. 

He took three steps in, past the main town hall of what looked like a knockoff Kalm and then stopped. 

“You are fucking shitting me,” Cloud deadpanned. 

“I was saving this for the second time he tried it,” Angeal explained, “Last mission I had to take care of one of Scarlet’s machines after it malfunctioned. This is like replica of it.”

“I will blame you for this one,” Sephiroth said. Cloud cocked his head at the mechanical monster until it attacked him. He dodged nicely, but seemed at a loss at how to attack. Angeal chuckled at his handiwork. 

“Think he can handle it?” Angeal asked. Sephiroth was quiet for a moment.

“I think he’s studying it,” Sephiroth said. Angeal watched more closely. 

“He already knows he probably can’t just tear it apart,” Sephiroth said, “He could...but he’s tired, and instinct tells him he can’t. He’s looking for an easier way.”

Cloud did a small roll towards the side of the robot and sliced up as he stood. Angeal smiled at it. 

“He’s going for the fuel lines,” he said, “cutting off power.”

“Very smart,” Sephiroth agreed, “It’s twice his size, but he focuses on the weaknesses. 

Cloud cut one more before the bot landed a hit. It was hard enough to make Cloud hit the side of the wall of the V.R. Room simulation be damned. Cloud dropped one of his swords

“Okay,” Angeal said, “that’s enough.”

“Wait.” Angeal looked over at Sephiroth. Sephiroth was watching Cloud intently. Angeal followed his gaze. 

Cloud stood up, an eery look in his eye. 

“I think it’s a limit break,” Sephiroth said. Cloud leapt up once, bringing his remaining sword down as hard as he could. 

The blow tore off most of the robot’s left side...and shattered the blade. The robot toppled over, and Angeal ended the program there. 

They came down to fetch him from the room as quickly as they could. Cloud had removed the headset and was looking at his broken sword in a bit of a daze. 

“I thought I had to get to the crossroads,” Cloud said. 

“To be honest, you weren’t supposed to beat it,” Angeal said.

“Sorry about your sword,” Cloud said to Sephiroth. 

“It is your sword,” Sephiroth corrected him, “and we can get you another.” Cloud blinked a little blearily. 

“Was that...your first limit break?” Angeal asked. 

“Yeah,” Cloud said. He nearly fell over when Angeal wrapped an arm around him. 

“Cloud that’s amazing!” Angeal said. 

“It is?” Cloud seemed to wake up a little. 

“A limit break is not a small thing,” Sephiroth said, “It is a body’s reaction against irreversible harm...even death. A gift from the planet that not everyone will ever unlock.”

“Oh,” Cloud said, “can I get my headset back now?” Angeal laughed at him. 

“I think you need to sit down for a bit first,” Angeal said. 

Zack wouldn’t stop touching him as Angeal showed him the last few minutes of his session. His hands were on this shoulder, clapping his back, ruffling his hair...holding his hand. 

Cloud liked it...he was glad Zack seemed more interested in the screen though. 

After about five minutes it hit him. He had a fucking limit break. That was...incredible. Cloud kind of felt like a badass watching himself. He’d seen Zack have one once before. It seemed terrifying...but actually having one wasn’t as scary as it seemed. 

“We need to celebrate,” Zack said. 

“You know tradition,” Angeal said, “I set the session, so I buy.” 

“I helped,” Sephiroth pointed out. 

“So cover the tip,” Angeal said. 

“Do I get to come?” Genesis asked, “I’m bored of sitting here waiting for calls that never come.”

“Up to Cloud,” Angeal said. 

“I don’t mind,” Cloud said, squeezing Zack’s hand back as he was dragged forward. 

Cloud balked a little when one of his check-in calls how his training that morning went. Zack took the opportunity to bellow “He had a limit break!” 

Cloud buried his face in his hands.

Cloud really was tired when evening pulled around. It was a hard session. Angeal admitted he went too hard, but that he was very impressed with Cloud. 

“You will be in Second Class very soon,” Angeal said. Cloud was elated...and then had a sad thought. He might not be Basecom for long after that. He shook it off. He always knew this was a temporary placement. He just didn’t think he’d get attached to it. 

Zack hummed as he puttered about and got ready for bed. He had a mission early the next morning and he wanted a good night sleep. He smiled as he heard Cloud humming in the shower. He pulled out the book he had been reading. He loved teen novels still. He’d never get tired of them. 

He was two pages in when he heard a knock. He looked up. 

A damp Cloud was standing in his doorway. 

“Hey,” Cloud said, “I know you’re leaving early tomorrow...but...I was wondering...if you didn’t mind....can I sleep...with you...tonight?” Zack looked at him for a long time. 

“I mean--” Cloud started. 

“Yes,” Zack said. Cloud blinked. Zack moved over and patted the mattress. Cloud came over, blushing a little bit. He crawled under the sheets when Zack pulled them back. 

In a few minutes Zack had a soft, sleeping, cuddly Cloud next to him, with his ever so soft snores he was used to hearing through a wall. Zack ran his fingers through blonde locks with a stupid smile on his face. 

[sinfully-romione]

Ten Seconds

Rating: M/18/E

Sins: Wrath

Summary: Ron is on a mission and confronts a nightmare.

Warning: Non domestic violence

“On the count of three,” Harry whispered as loudly as he could without warning the occupants in the flat, “I’ll blast the door in and you follow me.”

“I know. I made the bloody plan, Harry.” Harry gave Ron one really dirty look and Ron reciprocated gladly.

“Wanker.”

“Tosser.”

Harry took a last deep breath. His hands were shaking slightly, and so was Ron. The mix of adrenaline and crippling fear, charging into the unknown, always gave them the collywobbles.

“One.”

They trained for this moment, countless times. They were Aurors, and damn fine ones. They signed on the magical line to do this, to capture those who had eluded them at the Battle. They signed on the line to bring about some normalcy to their world. And Ron signed on the line to quiet the screams at night, when he had nightmares of hearing Hermione be tortured or the fact he was never fast enough to save Lavender from a lifetime of pain.

“Two.”

But mostly he signed on the line for the git in front of him. Harry was his best mate and closer to anyone in his life, including Hermione. He loved him like he loved himself, and sometimes even more than he loved himself. The tosser didn’t know when to say quit, never backed down from any assignment, never shirked a duty to protect and never held back from rushing to protect and defend others who needed him. Ron promised one night, while completely pissed on whiskey, that he’d never let Harry rush into a situation again without him at his back. The night at the Ministry so many years ago still gnawed at his soul, where he’d been boggled and then in a moment of barmy stupidity, which he always blamed for getting a spell to the head during that fight, giving him the scars on his arms and almost up his neck. He’d let Harry down by getting hurt. It wasn’t completely his responsibility, but there was entirely enough to go around.

“Three.”

Ron erected the shield charm in front of Harry and Harry performed the spell and the door exploded inward. Harry went in first, avoiding spells blasting towards them. Ron hunkered down and followed, sliding into Harry with a grunt. “The bloody hell!”

Harry stood, behind Ron’s shield, and cast a gust of air, blowing away the smoke from the explosion. He ducked down again, dodging two green cast spells aimed at where he had been standing.  “I saw three MLS teams down and I think I saw our mole, too. There’s some bloke spread-eagle on the back wall and I don’t think his head tilts naturally the way it was. But there’s two others who were casting spells from the other side of the lorry.”

“Was it Avery?”

“I couldn’t tell. Mad blokes firing Unforgiveables my way aren’t how I envision my demise.”

“Yeah, my sister would crucify both of us if I let you kark it on a mission.”

“So that’s why you’re on my arse on every mission.”

Ron nodded while Harry peeked past the stack of boxes and ducked back. Two more red spells buzzed by the boxes they were hiding behind. “We have to get those wizards down otherwise they’ll burn the building down and with us in it.”

Ron pulled the mirror from his pocket, hiding down as far as he could go. “Jones! Jones, answer your damn mirror.”

“Jones here,” the dark face appeared in Ron’s mirror. “Report.”

“All MLS teams are down. Potter and I are pinned into position. Building is on fire. Two wizards at least. Advise.”

The mirror went dark for one second. Jones appeared back in it, her face grim. “Warrants receded. All Aurors are en route to scene. Hit Wizards are dispatched, eta 3 minutes.” Jones put her face up close to the mirror. “Kill or Capture Avery and whomever else is with him. Save those MLS teams at all cost. Authority granted from highest levels.”

“Sorted.” Ron put the mirror in his pocket. “Jones said warrant receded.”

“Damn. I’d hoped to capture the bastard.”

The barrels floated up in the air and Harry sprinted away, with Ron following closely. Ron turned while running and blew up the floating boxes in the air, showering them with burning wood. They slid into another stack of boxes 10 meters away, extinguishing the flames that were on the ends of their robes. “Got any ideas?”

Harry cast a bubblehead charm over both of them while Ron peeked up over the boxes and saw a lorry blocking their view. Two sets of boot clad feet rustled on the other side, towards the liftgate and Ron ducked back down. Ron scrubbed his nose while trying to get the smell of burning plastic out of his nostrils.

“Harry!”

“What!”

“Keep me shielded.”

“Are you mad?”

Ron grinned. “Quite possibly. Blame Hermione for it.”

“What are you going to do?”

Ron pointed his wand at his dragonskin jacket, adding more protection onto the scales.  He looked up and Harry gulped. “Knight to C7.”

Harry blanched in understanding. “Ron, no. I can’t allow it. There’s got to be another way.”

“The building is one fire and we’ve got 25 men down. Our lives are forfeit if they die in this fire. Now get my arse out of here before Hermione finds out I did this.”

“You’re barking!”

“Probably but I owe Hermione and Mr. Brown for this. Lavender too.” Ron smirked. “Save my arse when I pull this off.”

Harry nodded, obviously unhappy about what was going to happen. “If you don’t live through this, I’m going to kill you!”

“I figure you owe me for it.” Ron flashed Harry a grin before turning back to the combatants they were facing. “If I don’t – tell Hermione I love her.”

“I’ll save your arse just so I don’t have to tell her!”

“Fair enough!”

Ron gripped his wand and apparated away.

Ron gripped his wand, focusing on the spot between the other two on the other side of the lorry, and spun. Gah, he hated apparition. Hated it with a passion but it was the only way to achieve the objective.

He landed in a heap, covered in burnt plastic and ash from the fire immolating the building around them.  The bubblehead charm disappeared during the apparition and he fought down the urge to vomit from the stench in the warehouse. Ron wiped his mouth and stopped, seeing a face mere feet in front of him, making the nausea disappear instantly.

Knocked over from Ron’s landing was a swarthy wizard, with grey hair tied back from his face. He was older, much older than he remembered but then the Wizard looked up from the box at his feet and froze. Ron knew this bastard. He owed him a blood debt, for what happened to his family. He owed the fucker for what he did to Hermione. He owed this wankstain for every single sleepless night his mum ever had.

“You, you putrid soul, you worthless parasitic lump of dragon dung!“ Ron stalked forward, forcing the other wizard backwards. "You disgusting stain on humanity! Not even a Dementor would suck your soul out because you sold it for that piss stain Voldemort.” He banished the spell aimed at him with a simple flick of his wand. “I owe you!” Ron roared and threw himself at Antonin Dolohov, using his wand hand balled into a fist to beat Dolohov. He didn’t see the dead man’s switch fall from his left hand, rolling under the scattering of wooden crates.

They fell backwards into more boxes, with Dolohov groaning at hitting his back at an odd angle. The boxes scattered under the melee, with Ron grabbing Dolohov’s hair and bouncing it on the concrete under them. “You killed them,” he yelled bludgeoning Dolohov’s head into the concrete again and again.

Thunk “Fabian!”

Thunk “Gideon!”

Thunk “Hermione!”

Ron threaded his fingers together, into a mace, and beat Dolohov in the face. “You bastard,” he swung and hit Dolohov across the face like a hammer, “you killed them.” He hit him twice more across the nose, spraying blood everywhere. “This is for Mum,” he yelled. He balled up his fists and hit him across the jaw, using both hands to pulverize the older wizard beneath his swinging fists. “This is for Hermione, you cunt,” he screamed, beating him until the Death Eater’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. Blood pounded in Ron’s ears as he beat the wizard with his fists, ignoring the wands by his hands. She had been in the Hospital wing at Hogwarts a fortnight, taking so many grotty potions it made him sick to think about how close to dying she had come – all because of the sadistic bastard he was going to kill with his bare hands.

A red spell flew by his head and he rolled off of the unconscious wizard before him. He threw a spell at Avery, missing him. Ron ducked and saw Avery fire off a spell, probably trying to blow open Harry’s position behind the crates.

“Ron!”

Ron grabbed his wand and pocketed Dolohov’s wand and apparated the five meters to Avery’s position. He had a second left to make it before he was blown to hell.

Ron landed behind Avery, inside the shadow of the lorry. He saw around the liftgate Harry pointing his wand at his position. Ron reached out and grabbed Avery by the collar of his robes.

Harry fired off the pre-determined spell at the second set of tires on the lorry. They blew, as planned, and threw the truck up into the air. The gas burst from tanks under the compartment of the truck, much to Ron’s chagrin. “Must apparate now, Fuck, outside now, outside now,” he thought as he focused on the parking lot outside of the building. Intense heat and pressure scorched his skin as he apparated away, with Avery struggling under his hand as they departed the blast. He lurched while being squeezed to oblivion and bounced hard off of something.

“Let go of me, you fucker,” Avery growled under Ron’s prone body.

“Shut the fuck up or I will beat you unconscious, just like I did with Dolohov.”

“He’s not dead.”

Ron elbowed the older death eater under him, then kneed him in the bollocks.  The sod under him rolled his head and puked. His ankle ached horribly but not enough to stop him from kneeing the wizard underneath him a second time. “Can’t apparated without a wand, not when I beat him half to death,” Ron growled and punched Avery in the jaw. His eyes rolled back up into his head too.

“Ron,” Harry yelled. “Ron!”

Ron turned his head and saw Harry running out of the building. The fire was out and Healers in green robes were running into the building.

“I got them,” Ron said. “I did it.

“Ron,” Harry skidded to a stop a few feet away.

“Harry,” Ron’s eyes rolled up into his head and crashed off of the unconscious wizard.

“Ron!” Harry ran over to push Ron off of the other wizard and saw his elbow lying across his body at a completely unnatural angle. “Healer! I need a healer now!”

[mercenarypark]

tf2 mercs and pets

ive been writing on this since yesterday and now im sick of it so heres a lot of words i made to distract myself from my father #animal abuse #abuse #physical abuse #antisemitism #insects #spiders #dogs #cats #birds #snakes #long post #text heavy

-medic, obviously, has a LOT of experience with birds. his mother had a cockatoo that he was basically raised with, and throughout his childhood he would always try to befriend the wild birds around their home [on the occasion he was allowed outside, that is]. in college/med school, he kept up that same trend, earning a less than stellar reputation as "that weird fucker who tries to climb trees around campus to get a better look at the birds’ nests", alongside his other reputations, "the weird gay jew who doesnt understand personal space" and "probably the cause of at least three "disappearances" throughout the semester since they were last seen harassing him"

-BLU engie gets ein[the canary] after a family member dies, they werent particularly close but the guy didnt have a will or any friends willing to take the bird, and engie was basically the closest living relative available [note: only BLU engie has the canary, not RED engie, and he recieves it a few years after joining the mercs]

-pyro kept the dalmation puppy they take in the comics, and he's a big comfort for them, they'll sometimes spend hours just playing with him or hugging him to calm themselves down from a panic attack; funny thing is, no one's entirely sure what pyro NAMED him, not even the people who can usually understand pyro's mumbles[engie, medic, solly, demo]. all 4 of them seem to hear completely different things so theyve just kind of accepted as a group that the dog has four different names that are all equally valid

-pyro also loves a lot of bugs, BLU py had a pet praying mantis for a while until the administrator made everyone move bases again, this time to a much colder climate- they were worried the mantis wouldn't survive the lower temperatures and released it before they left; theyve also kept tarantulas, ants, and stag beetles before -engie is also really into ant keeping and he and pyro bond over that, engie builds big elaborate setups for their ant colonies

-medic talks to birds, a lot, and seems to hold full conversations with them a lot of the time. not just his pigeon flock, either, but any bird- from sparrows to falcons to parakeets

-demo volunteers at the "kitten orphanage" shown in end of the line- hed work at the regular human orphanage too, but... he has too many bad memories of his own time as an "orphan". the kittens all love him, engie will sometimes come by to find demo sprawled on the floor on his back, three kittens on his chest, one asleep on his neck, one kneading its paws on his cheek, one chewing on his shoe...

-medic doesnt understand dogs. hes not scared of them, not really, he just. doesnt understand how they work. he cant read their body language at ALL and he was rarely around them as a child. he's ok with cats, though he still cant understand their body language that well, and sometimes irritates the shyer or more aggressive ones by being too affectionate- he only blames himself for getting scratched/bit though

-spy says he never had pets growing up, which is probably a lie- he just doesnt want to give anyone any information about his childhood and family life. he's mentioned once or twice that he wouldnt mind getting a pet snake, though, which engie thought was fucking hilarious and fitting

-scout actually didnt have pets growing up- her family spent a lot of time trying to make ends meet, and a tiny, shitty apartment w/ her, her ma, and her 7 siblings wasnt exactly an optimal environment for a pet. she always liked cats, though, and mice, and after she joins the mercs she grows to really love birds, too, because theyre Everywhere at the bases

-[RED] demo got his parrot, joyce, from BLU soldier[only RED demo has the birdman of aberdeen in my hcs]. solly found it in a bush somewhere as a chick, and brought it to demo. demo has no fucking clue how the hell jane managed to find a baby parrot out in the badlands, but he winds up taking her in, getting a lot of help from medic to get adjusted [medic is absolutely delighted and fawns over joyce the whole fucking time he loves her so much]

-demo's really worried for the longest time that he wont be able to take care of joyce properly ["i can barely keep myself together, how'm i supposed to keep you alive?"]  but he grows to really love her and she becomes an emotional support animal for him, on some of his worst days he keeps himself from drinking himself into a blackout by keeping her busy and happy

-she becomes even more important to him after the WAR update events, as a living reminder of his old relationship with jane; it hurts him sometimes to look at her and remember the grin on jane's face when she first handed him that parrot chick, but he loves joyce anyway and nothing's gonna change that

-demo also used to own lizards, he's partial to bearded dragons

-both RED and BLU solly are licensed falconers and wildlife rehabilitators. no one's entirely sure how. but its the reason shes allowed to have her Horde of Raccoons and also her fucking bald eagle [note: BLU solly is the one with the Compatriot, RED solly is the one with LT bites and the other raccoons]

-engie grew up with farm animals, because of course. he's good with horses, pigs, cattle, and sheep, and working dogs. one of the times the mercs had their bases relocated, they wound up in texas so RED engie took everyone out to his family's old farm [he pays to have it taken care of while his dad's... gone and he's w/ the mercs]

-spy flips the fuck out when he realizes just how fucking huge hogs are. then someone[scout] absolutely knocks spy into the mud with the pigs and he gets trampled and everyone laughs. also spy is mildly terrified of horses. spy does not have a good time at dell's farm

-speaking of terrified of horses, demo,

well really he's not terrified, hes just distrustful. it takes a long time for tavish to warm up to engie's horses, with a lot of reassuring from dell that hes not doing something wrong

-medic's pigeons are extremely affectionate and loyal to him, first and foremost. at least one or two accompany him at pretty much all times, except for when they're locked into their aviary at night. they also love heavy, scout, and pyro, and like/tolerate everyone else

-heavy loves birds. his family has a lot of chickens, and hes very partial to them; he also has a parakeet, who his sisters take care of while he's with the mercs. RED heavy is the one that finds the red army robin; he sees an injured little bird in the snow and he brings it to medic

-jane “soldier” doe cannot take care of cats or dogs or other normal pets for the life of her but if you hand her an injured wild porcupine and say "hey, how do i take care of this" she'll know exactly what to do; sometimes both soldiers will just come out onto the battlefield bottlefeeding a squirrel or something, and somehow artfully dodge enemy fire while shooting rockets AND feeding a baby animal. how's that for multitasking

-scout's ma, peg, has a cockatiel that she gets after all her children have left the nest, so to speak. scout teaches it to whistle happy birthday and demonstrates that on peg's birthday and its sweet

-heavy has a very specific [canonical, at least w/ "pokernight at the inventory"] childhood memory of watching a boy kill a sparrow, w/ the implication that the memory haunts him a little bit; seeing the injured robin brought that memory to the surface, and it freaked him out more than he'd like to admit. he was kind of panicking when he asked for medic's help, but trying desperately not to show it

-spy hates dogs. he hates horses. he hates insects. he tolerates cats. but most damning of all, he hates birds. thats a big problem with at least half of the base loving or at least liking birds, and with all the pigeons/doves everywhere

-it takes YEARS before spy stops insulting or scolding medic's pigeons every time he gets the chance, and the main reason he stops is because medic absolutely was NOT having it... still though, spy has his limits. he never hurt any of medic's birds, or anyone else's pets, because he may be a mercenary but he does have some standards. mostly

-this is notable, because, hahahhhhhhh. im gonna eventually make a much longer post about this, but medic has a fair amount of Trauma[tm] from dealing with classic heavy's abusive bullshit; the thing is though, cheavy realized quickly that medic could handle being yelled at or physically punished for his mistakes or his worse quirks... but he had a very vulnerable flock of pigeons with him, that he regarded as family and who meant the world to him

-the scene in the comics where cheavy grabs archimedes tight and throws him to the ground was not an isolated incident, is what im saying. though it /was/ one of the more violent ones, since after a few threats and a few times of cheavy proving he absolutely would follow through on his threats, medic got the hint

-through his time working w/ the classics, medic becomes more secluded and on edge, and more prone to breakdowns and fits; and even more protective of his flock, urging them multiple times to fly away and leave him, to find heavy or scout or SOMEONE and stay with them, that he would come back for them when he could[but they always refused to leave him]... the baboon infant incident was a long time coming and he only held off on detonating it as long as he did through sheer willpower and a healthy fear of retribution

-ANYWAY. projecting aside.

-scout /would/ get a cat from the kitten orphanage but shes worried it would try to kill or eat some of medic's doves, since they basically free roam the base; so instead she goes by with demo sometimes to play with the cats and its Good

-ms pauling is a big dog person, and i mean that both in the "she really loves dogs" way and in the "she loves dogs that are Massive" way; she grew up with newfoundlands and bully breeds and shes still got a big soft spot for them; she has two shelter dogs, one's an 11 y/o pit+rottie, the other is a 7 y/o mutt that has some st bernard in it and who's blind in one eye; she spoils them rotten

-engie is really into fishkeeping and after all this merc business is over, he wants to have big fucking tanks installed in his home; hes also surprisingly passionate about the proper treatment of fish, like, he nearly decked spy once for saying betta fish just needed a fishbowl and not a whole aquarium setup

-medic has stolen at least a couple fancy pigeons from pigeon shows, mostly the ones that have been bred to an unhealthy degree to fit show standards, he spends a lot of time trying to give them the best care he can and maybe undo the effects of years of awful breeding 

-i literally dont care about sniper so he gets no headcanons

im tired