#it's fine. it'll be good for me. probably

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to The Light's Chapter 464

Brief summary: The seeds have germinated. Everyone is worried about Cale. Molan talk gets delayed. Cale meets Mol.

==========

Everyone was worried about Cale's condition, but he reassured them that this would get better in time. Of course, everyone was still worried about him, including the kids and CH.

Raon: Human, can't you eat? Cale: ...*turns away from the apple pie? Raon: 😟 Ron: Young master, shall I prepare some lemon tea? Cale: Yes. Tea will be better. The average 10-year olds: *plotting how to get stronger so that they could beat up Cale's enemies who did that to him*

Cale turned down the apple pie a second time, shocking Raon. And when the kids gathered in a corner of the room, Cale was like, 'At least they're not crying'... No, Cale. They were too worried to even cry, okay? 😭

Cale: We're going to the city. CH: What?! Cale: This condition is not due to contamination. It will get better with time. Um, how do I explain this? It's a side effect of using too much power. CH: That can't be, that's impossible. How can you be fine when you've been contaminated by chaos. Cale: (Why are his eyes like that? It reminds me of when he vowed revenge when he first came to the Henituse territory after the Harris villagers died. Why is this gentle guy suddenly going back to that time?) Cale: Are you okay? CH: *frowns* Cale: (Why is he acting like that?) Cale: The contaminated area is not fine. It hurts. So I have to purify it. But most of the symptoms you're seeing now aren't related to contamination. It'll go away with time. CH: …

Cale... Can't you tell that CH is really worried about you? Why are you dense in situations like this?

Choi Han stared at Ron silently. Ron running with Cale on his back. Cale probably couldn't see Ron's face. But Choi Han was close by, so he could see clearly in the darkness. A face was filled with desperation and urgency.

CH recalling how worried Ron was when they were running away. 😭😭😭

“Young master, please rest for now.” Ron laid Cale back down on the bed with a kind smile on his face. “Hmm.” Ron smiled at Cale, who was snoring. “You've always been a troublemaker, both when you were young and now.” He laughed softly. “Of course, the current young master causes even more trouble, making this old servant worry.” “!” Cale's eyes widened. 'The current young master.' As soon as Ron said those words, Cale was speechless and felt frustrated. He was also surprised. 'As expected-' He knows? No, how much does this vicious old man know? “Hoho.” Ron smiled kindly, or rather, like an assassin. Cale unconsciously curled up inside the blanket. Ron couldn't help but smile as he looked at Cale's trembling pupils. “Get better first.” Since Beacrox hadn't returned yet, he went to get lemon tea himself and said, “Our young master really is a handful.” Cale cowered unnecessarily and watched Ron's expression. After all, he wasn't in a normal state to say anything right now.

Ron knows!!! The Molan talk... got delayed for the nth time because Cale needed to rest! 🥲

Last chapter, we found out that some demons had a seed in them that could germinate and spread chaos. Well, one appeared already in a city, so DK invited Cale over to that city and meet him at the same time.

So when Cale appeared to meet Mol first, he was in a wheelchair and roughly breathing. Anyone could tell that he wasn't in a good condition, so...

Cale: *suffering from indigestion* Mol: Are you... dying? Cale: What are you talking about?

Ending Remarks I never expected to see Cale in a wheelchair. Next chapter would be Cale's meeting with DK. But would Cale be alright given his condition?

[luvbugwriting]

Hidden in the Rainfall

Starring: Photographer!Reader and Racer!Rafe

Warnings: Swearing, descriptions of child abuse, mentions of blood (minor)

Two. Three. Four.

You felt it immediately—the change, the shift in the air when he locked eyes on you. The weight of his gaze surely could've suffocated someone.

Goosebumps crawled their way up your body and down your spine. Not from fear, no. You weren't afraid of him. You weren't afraid of anyone or anything; especially not a little boy living off daddy's money.

It was apprehension. Apprehension because you knew that you were the odd one out, even after you'd tried so hard to belong.

So you adjusted, instead of letting the apprehension you felt show. You straightened, set your shoulder back, tucked your hair behind your ears. And when you stood, you couldn't help but glance at the watch on his wrist again. It was golden and ancient. Like something that had belonged to his father and his father before that and so on and so forth. Something cheesy.

That watch could've bought at least half a year's worth of food. You could buy a new camera with that, even if you were still holding on to hope that maybe you would find yours. That watch was probably worth more than everything you owned.

They didn't even recognize how blessed they'd been in this life. Maybe Linda did, and maybe that was why she was so obviously clinging to her youth like she was. But Rafe Cameron... he could have easily been born into a family like yours. He could have easily had to learn and adapt to life the way you'd learnt.

You were so out of place here. You knew that. They knew that. They just hadn't done anything about it yet and you couldn't help but wonder when they were going too. He was too close now. Not crowding you but staring you down with intrigue and annoyance in his eyes and just like that, you were the scared little girl you'd been so many years ago.

Suddenly you were eleven and chewing on your lip and staring up up up at your mother as she gripped your face far too tightly and dotted concealer to the purple blooming on your cheek.

"Stop squirming," She had snapped, her nails digging digging digging into your skin. "These need to be covered up, you hear me? I'm not going to teach you again, and if these aren't covered up then something bad will happen to your dad and me. Do you want that, kid? Do you want us to get hurt?" You shook your head. "Good. Then hold still and maybe it'll hurt less."

You tried to listen. You really did. You were just so scared and the lights were so bright and she was so angry and Dad was really angry too and when she slapped you, you didn't see it coming. You cried and cried and cried and she yelled and yelled and yelled, and when you went to school the next day, your teachers were none the wiser.

"Dear? Oh, poor thing, she's been rather pale all morning," Linda said, her voice hazy and slurred. You blinked, flinching as she patted your cheek. Rafe's eyes narrowed at the movement, his lips pulled tight.

"I'm fine." You managed, standing as Linda did. You pushed down the waves of nausea crashing through your system and pushed your nails into your skin so deep, blood must have drawn.

He didn't offer a hand. He seemed so relaxed—hands in his pockets, shoulder set back, easy smile overtaking his previous expression. He almost looked approachable, nothing like the asshole from last night. "You're the photographer I'm working with?"

As his demeanor changed, you almost felt relief. This is a game that you could play. Linda was playing a bizarre game of chess that you were sorely unprepared for, but this? A game of shape shifting? Of chameleon? You could play that game. And you'd win too.

So you let your tongue fall from the roof of your mouth, let your shoulders fall back in a way that said you weren't worried, let an easy, practiced smile fall onto your lips as well. And when you stuck out a hand, you banished whatever memories your brain was attempting to flood your system with and eased into the persona you'd so carefully crafted.

And when you nodded and told him your name, you shaped your voice into something akin to honey. Men loved that voice—Tony certainly did. Sure at first glance something as small as a change of tone might not change anything, but when you put it all together? You've already won and they don't even know.

He glanced at your hand and, for a second, you wondered if he would take it. He didn't seem to buy your curated performance and you hated yourself for that. You must have done something wrong. That little moment of panic earlier has to be the problem.

But he did take it. You shook your hands in greeting, his grip firm and commanding, like he'd done this so many times before. His gaze wasn't annoyed and intrigued any longer. No, now it was calculated. Analytical. Controlled.

"Rafe Cameron." He said, his voice as sweet as yours had been and you almost smiled.

"The Greaser." You challenged, baiting him.

"The journalist." He responded immediately.

You both started at each other then, reading each other, analyzing each other. You recognized the pattern his eyes took when he scanned you. It was the same pattern you had used the first time you saw him, and the second time too. It was cold and efficient. And maybe a little curious. He glanced between you and Linda, his brows furrowed slightly.

Linda stood between you too, looking slightly awkward. You had to force yourself not to laugh at that. "You two know each other, then?"

"No." You both answered at the same time, eyes falling back on each other. Your brows furrowed too.

She nodded, looking between you too. "Right. Well," She clasped her hands together. "As I've already explained to the photographer, you are the racer she'll be following around most. The fans just can't get enough of you, Rafe. Must be your good looks, hm?" She joked, attempting a smile.

You fought a scoff. He didn't even look at Linda. He just continued to stare you down. You stared right back.

Linda looked between the two of you, and cleared her throat once more. "Alright," She began, "You two are going to be spending a lot of time together. So, dear, you have your first assignment."

Your head swiveled, even though you wished you'd continued your facade of cool indifference. You saw a ghost of a smile grace Rafe's lips from the corner of your eye. "Yes?"

She reached into her bag, taking out a large yellow legal pad and flipping through various pages of notes. She stopped and read through them quickly. "60-90 second b-roll clips are needed every day for daily digest on the social media of his sponsors as well as grid and podium shots, all edited and due by two AM for press loops."

"Midnight?" You questioned, knowing you'd be forced to scrape off hours of sleep to meet that deadline. Not that you slept much in the first place. You hadn't slept well since your parents snatched you up from your bed and tossed you in the back of their beat up truck and moved to another little town in the middle of nowhere.

Linda nodded, patronizingly. "Mhm. Two AM. Fans want round the clock content. You can keep up, can't you?"

Rafe smirked at that and you sent a glare his way. "Yes. Mrs. Greene, I assure you, I am more than capable."

She rolled her eyes and continued. "Your little photographer here, Rafe," She gestured to you. You clenched your jaw. "She'll be following you around for all of these in order to get the candid shots the fans love. She'll also sometimes need to make 15-30 second reels and TikToks for the fans."

You nodding, already knowing this. Rafe didn't seem phased, and you tried not to gain any satisfaction from the fact that he was still staring. "The assignment, Mrs. Greene." You urged quietly.

"I'm getting there, dear, just hush for a moment, hm?" She glared up at you, lips pulled too-tight across her face. You wanted to hit her, but you settled for knowing that her husband didn't love her. And maybe that was evil and maybe that made you a bad person for relishing in knowledge you weren't supposed to know, but she deserved it. She's a bitch and you hate calling a woman such a demeaning term, so you really meant it when you called her one. She's a raging bitch who hides behind her makeup like it's armor.

She reminded you of your mother.

"Rafe has been training six hours a day, six days a week, to be prepared for this racing season, and, for your first assignment, you will be flying to Buri Ram in Thailand for the season opener race. I need you to make a short, daily digest clip as well as a 30-60 second reel of the flight and the training before the race."

You nodded slowing, thinking it over. "I'm flying out of Norfolk, then?"

"Yes, and I assume you have a camera ready to go?"

You paused, chewing your lip. Your camera was stolen and you hated yourself for that so much. But, you smiled and nodded like it was. Like you had everything under control. "Yes. Yes, I have my camera ready to go. When do we leave for Buri Ram?"

Linda looked down at her legal pad, then to Rafe, and then to you. "Tomorrow."

Rafe wasn't surprised, you could tell. But you were. You didn't know it was that soon. Fuck, you hated yourself for that. Your fingernails dug further into your palm, and blood seeped its way into your mouth.

How the hell were you supposed to scrounge up enough money for a camera by tomorrow?

taglist: @rafessbaby

[evecolourshock]

Fic :)

The door to Tron's hideout slams open - impressive, given it's automatic provided someone has authorization. Tron stiffens, slips his disc into his hand, slinks low to make himself less visible-

"TRON, WHAT THE FRAG!"

Tron takkes a deep breath, deactivating his combat subroutines. It's only Able. "Hello Able, nice to see you too. I'm doing fine, thanks for asking, no more derezzed than usual." He answers dryly, smooth as a lightwall and twice as sarcastic.

"Good to know. I reiterate, what the frag were you thinking." Able hisses, angry enough to trail sparks.

"About..?" Tron raises an eyebrow, perplexed.

"About? About?" Able laughs, sharp and bitter. "First you drag one of my betas into your crusade, and then I find out you electrocuted him?"

Tron winces. "This is about Beck." He not quite asks, wanting to be sure.

"Yes, it's about Beck." Able snarls, hurt. "I should make sure he never sees you again, would keep him far safer than you ever-"

"Don't!" Tron snaps, voice tinged with fear and desperation before he can lock those away. "Able, please!"

Able freezes. Tron doesn't beg lightly, didn't let one single plea or scream past his lips when Dyson and Clu were tearing him apart... but he's begging now. "So you do care." Able's eyes are searching. Tron firms his jaw, falling back on old patterns and doing his best to hide the yes.

Able reads it anyway. Probably in Tron's own eyes. "Then why?" The old Mechanic sits on a chair Tron rezzes in for him.

"Beck- he was already fighting, when I found him." Tron starts quietly, not looking at his oldest friend on this Grid. "The statue... that wasn't me. He did that, on his own. I- I thought he was Cyrus, when I found out what happened."

Able nods. That failure of Tron's he knows all too well.

"I can't fight. You know why. So I resorted to something that would take him down but not derez him. I didn't know. Not until he was already out cold." Tron takes a shaky breath, sips his abandoned glass of energy. "Couldn't leave him out there. So I brought him here. Tried to dissuade him, scare him into stopping." One corner of his lip curves without his permission. "He fought me instead. I couldn't- if you'd seen the look in his eyes, you'd know. Nothing I could have said or done short of derezzing him would have stopped him. Even after I showed him who I was."

"Beck..." Able shakes his head softly. "Stubborn beta. He'll get himself derezzed one cycle."

"That's why I'm training him. So he won't. Or at least so it'll be hard for those who try." Tron knows it's a cold comfort. As he can well attest, even the strongest can fall. "I want him safe too, believe me. This shouldn't be his fight." It should be Tron's, he's designed for it. That's why Clu made sure he couldn't. "But he made it his, and won't give it up. So I'm trying to teach him how to survive."

"You're sending him on missions."

"Do you honestly think I can contain that beta without something combusting. Probably my base." Tron raises an eyebrow, tries his best to show Able he's joking. "I try to give him low-stakes ones. So he doesn't get bored, but isn't in lethal danger. Trouble finds him even then."

"And the second time?"

"While you were... indisposed-" Tron treads delicately around that painful, uncertain time when he was uncertain Able would re-rezz in the wake of Cyrus' attack, his friend little more than a disc laid in a bed of Bostrum's finest blue crystals. "-Dyson came to Argon. I... did not react well."

"Ah." Able winces this time. "And Beck tried to stop you, I take it."

"He succeeded." Tron admits. "But... I do not remember what I did between leaving this base and him stopping me. I... could very well have hurt him then, but... I don't know for sure."

"Well." Able sighs, the last of his fury finally dissipating. "At least you're trying to do right by him."

"That I am." Tron agrees. "Though not... always succeeding."

Able laughs. "That's the nature of caring for betas. But Tron?" His eyes grow steely. "Don't let there be a third time."

"There won't be." Tron promises.

((Until he dives to intercept a disc heading for Beck's unguarded back, screaming for his beta to run, he keeps his promise. Nobody will tell him what happened to Beck after that, once he wrenches himself free of the Sea, hundreds of cycles later.))

Do you ever think Able found out that Tron electrocuted Beck like twice I wanna know how that conversation went down

[direwombat]

they say "write what you know" and brother. apparently i'm gonna be unpacking some shit in a reader-insert fic of all things

[torchickentacos]

quickly learning that the only thing scarier than 'what if they don't hire me' is 'what if they do hire me'

[telesodalite]

Been thinking about idw1's outliers lately, and how sort of wild the whole concept is from a worldbuilding standpoint, and it struck me that most confirmed outlier abilities tend to be really useful, or flashy, or powerfully dangerous, and few to none tend to be like, really boring, or totally impractical, or even entirely useless? Which, doesn't really make sense when considering the fact that outlier abilities are seemingly random.

Surely not everyone who's born an outlier gets something useful?

And I don't mean like, "good" useful, but any sort of useful, even if that means you can kill people with your voice, or give a power boost by exploding yourself, those are still "useful".

But surely there had to be some with abilities that were totally impractical, or nonbeneficial, or at the very least just insignificant or purely aesthetic and pointless?

[spotaus]

Hey i am back with a thought.

I know we already mentioned like. The future future plans concerning kids in the New Age storyline.

I was thinking. Who would carry/get the kid in the couples? (Yes this implies mpreg. If this aint your thing no worries you can just ignore everything else :3 )

As you mentioned before. Nightmare and error would most likely adopt.

Between dream and blue i think blue would end up carrying the kid. Dream would feel too locked up and locked down if he had to take it easy. Also. Let this man pamper Blue. He deserves that.

Ccino and Killer. Ccino wouldnt want kids for a LONG time and even just the idea would be slow going. But killer has his soul situation (is that also a situation in this story?) And he is a knight being out and about. Ccino is safely at home and would be the safer option. But they would need a long time before ccino would feel comfortable with the idea.

Horror and Crop. Crop. Hands down. Horror with his work and Crop has help on the farm. But i doubt thwy would get a kid because they have along distance relationship.

Cross and Lust it depends on who wants it more. I can see both being the one who does it mostly because i can see pros and cons for both sides.

Reaper, Geno and Dust. Only one option. Reaper. Dust doesnt have a healthy enough soul and that with his spell around it? No way he can carry a kid. Geno meanwhile only has a soulshard so he isnt healthy enough to carry a kid either. Leaving only Reaper as an option.

Okay that was it. :D

Haha! Omg I keep forgetting this is smth I can think about! Usually it's not my scene so it might not cone up much in-stiry but it IS how I picture the cast having kids in this one, so!!! We're diving in!!

Like u said, those boys are adopting hehe-

With Dream and Blue it's a bit hard, because I think that Dream would be really really worried about Blue the entire time. Like, terrified his magic would accidentally trigger the whole Twin thing. But, ultimately, yeah, probably Blue! Dream *would* get too restless, and Blue rlly does deserve to be pampered hehe- (I just think Blue would have to really really talk Dream into it. Dream does NOT want to be like his mother anymore.)

Killer and Ccino... let's go with a yes on Killer's soul situation, so Ccino would be their only option. But, like you said, it would be ages before they even thought about discussing the idea, let alone actually having a kid.

Ohhh yeah. I see Horror and Crop as the ones least likely to have kids (as u said, long Distance relationship, but also they just have to much on their plates? They're practical guys and focus on their work and existing families first. Plus, someone has to be the cool uncles to their nieces and nephews!) But definitely Crop. Especially because Horror is pretty low on natural magic as-is and even though his soul is healthy, his body might not even be able to form a firm ecto, let alone anything safe to harbor a forming soul. (Unlike Ccino, Horror was born that way, and the injury didn't help lmao-)

Cross and Lust? I think they'd both regularly get baby fever, but neither of then would be ready to settle down for a *while* in that way, so I think they'd push off the question until years later. Then when it comes up, they 'fight' over it. Insisting that they should carry- I think they'd end up choosing Cross though! As much as Lust seems like the more convenient option, as he's not a knight, Cross is just built different and insists that if anything goes wrong he wants to be the one it happens to. Which, ofc, leads to him doing training whilst in the early stages until someone (probably Killer or Dust) notices he's a little off and then Cross admits he's got a soulling. He did not expect to immediately get horrified looks (because they were fighting someone with a lil guy inside them, not because he has a lil guy) or to immediately get ushered out of training and to his room because??? Idiot??? What were you thinking??? Cross is the worst at staying off his duties, but his brother's have him covered, thank god-

And yep, put perfectly! Reaper is so genuinely the only option! It leads to some odd interactions, since Reaper can't exactly stop being King, but he manages shockingly well and has Geno there to help him (and probably later on Dust, since Night isn't about to leave Dust out of that due to work-) And. I like to think these three in particular have multiple kids perhaps, Kane and then another, and it's kinda a running joke that Reaper's the one hauling them around lmao- (Also very convenient! Because Reaper is the one with death magic in his soul, the kids are effectively immune to it! They were made from that stuff basically, so ofc they're fine!)

[unnonexistence]

new year, new WIP post! at the end of 2024 i had 8672 words edited and marked as Done on the Big WIP. now i'm up to 8865

[call-me-copycat]

If you don't have much money and want a yummy filling dinner take it from me and boil some rice - but add a chicken bouillon cube in the water (　´-ω･)👆⌒👉

(it actually turned out a lot better than I thought it would, I was just messing around at first ^⁠_⁠^;)

[other-floret-friend]

Oh yes sweetie you are so ‘independent’!

Don’t worry, you already have 3 notice’s of intent on you, If you are really so ‘independent’ then that shouldn’t be a problem right?~

Heh, uh... wait, three?? Already?? Stars...

...well, I should be alright! I always come out of the other side of things alright somehow or other, so I'm sure I'll be able to find a way of handling all of the... attention... hhh...

But I'm sure I'll be able to just about keep my independance together. I think?...

[littlespoonevan]

the thing about romcoms is just- it's never meant to be 'is it believable?' but instead 'do you believe it?' do you believe these two characters are actually falling in love with each other??? do you believe their chemistry??? do you believe whatever obstacle is thrown in their way is legitimately something that might keep them apart for a time and not something that could be solved with one conversation?? do you believe that they believe they need to fake date for this very specific reason??? do you believe the reason why they're 'enemies' at the start, no matter how silly a misunderstanding it may be??? do you believe the grand romantic gesture fits the characters and is actually how one character would show their love to the other?? like!!!! it's about empathy and authenticity and feeling what the characters feel so strongly that even if it's a trope or a cliché it doesn't matter because you believe it

[mer-se]

So much of anxiety is living in both the past and future and not being present so, I’m trying to make a conscious effort to stay in the present from now on because I literally don’t actually exist anywhere else. so whats that matter - we just have right now. Constant worrying doesn’t actually alter anything. If bad, shitty stressful things are going to happen they will, there’s no control in that. Just have to live. Just have to continue, adapt and do the best you can in the moment you’re actually fucking in and keep going. Gotta go through bad stuff to get to the cool shit. There’s always good stuff coming. Either way you gotta just keep going.

so presently I’m standing in my kitchen and it’s crazy foggy outside. I have the worlds most precious cat at my feet and i’m eating warmed homemade coffee cake.

[torchickentacos]

Genuinely so happy to see that Totodile made it into ZA! I haven't really consolidated my thoughts on the trailer yet (I feel like I still have more questions than answers about what the plot itself even is beyond 'make the city better' tbh?), but Totodile is there and Absol is there and that is genuinely enough to keep me excited

[bmpmp3]

everyone on earth probably has a hypothetical farming sim in their mind's eye that they daydream about on occasion because of the unfortunate situation that despite there being like a thousand farming games released every minute only like 4 of them are any good. and i think this is fun, i think its good to keep the imagination alive. if i made a farming sim i would bring back rival marriages from the old friends of mineral town. i want to steal someones wife.

[shikai-the-storyteller]

Everyone wish me good luck I have a big Very Important interview today

[hunysckle]

i had to do something new for work and it was very nerve-wracking