#And if I did they'd be slightly modified.

[captain-astors]

Burn it!

[rhiaarrow]

Honestly I think Bad and the Late Night Trio is my favorite dynamic that's come out of the QSMP.

And I'm not just talking about qBad, Dapper, Pomme and Richas I'm also talking about ccBad, Dappmin, Pommin and Ricardão.

It's just the little things they do, because they're just so used to each other by now and the adms have become such good friends because of the amount of time they spend together on and off the server.

There's just so many examples that stick in my head because they're just so sweet when you realize that none of this people knew each other this time last year.

Like the time when Richas just showed up in front of Bad randomly one day after the reset (the day that Dapper set up the magnet mining machine) and just went;

"Dapper told me through the magic of discord to come see the cool stuff you've been doing, what am I here to see tio?"

Or when Bad and Dapper were out investigating and Dapper puts down a sign saying;

"Richas won't stop telepathically asking if he can come visit."

To which Bad just offhandedly replies

"If he can Dragon Magic his way here then sure, but I am not walking all the way home already."

And sure enough, a few minutes later we hear Richas' horn sound out as he appears out of the blue, having finally been given permission by Dappmin to join their exploration

Not to mention the amount of times we've arrived and been told by Bad; "So heres what [Richas or Pomme or Dapper or any combination of those 3] and I did off stream. "

Or "No Richas I'm not leaving I'm just sending the Ghosties off."

Or when Bad was attempting to figure out how to bribe Richas into keeping his armour on in Lucky Ducks by figuring out what he loved the most before going

"If you don't put your armour on I'll take away fofoca time."

And then explained to the chat that 'fofoca time' is what Richas calls it when he and Bad hang out after stream and that got Richas to put his armour on immediately.

Or even today when Bad threatened to end stream in order to make Richas use a heart container.

Not to mention the night Pommin and Ricardão spent with ccBad training him in battleship before that day in Purgatory 2 or the night they spent modifying the egg signs together.

My favorite example of how close they are even outside of their characters will still forever be the night when Bad, Richas and Pomme were collecting ice together to cover the favela ocean and Ricardão and Pommin were very obviously sat in a vc together while the mined.

They spent a while teaching Bad and the other how to pronounce certain sounds in their native languages.

Then Richarlyson asked Bad about a sound he struggled with in English so Bad taught Ricardão how to make the 'th' sound in the English language correctly while Pommin judged the noise they were making because Bad obviously couldn't hear.

Then later Bad asks Pomme where Richas went since he wasn't visible on the map and she just stands there before telling him that she knows the location and taking him to the exact coordinates.

And they do that a couple times until Bad finally decides to sneak up on Richas and scares Ricardão so bad that he stops moving completely in game for a solid minute and Pommin is just keyboard smashing on signs because she's laughing too hard at how loudly they screamed.

And then Ricardão had to go afk for a couple minutes later on because someone had come to check on them since they'd screamed so loud so early in the morning and they had to tell them that they were, in fact, fine.

Sure right now the way they interact with each other definitely slightly breaks Bad's rp of not knowing each other, especially with Richas.

But at the end of the day when they hang out together it's not just qBad and Richarlyson, it's also Ricardão & ccBad who have spent a frankly ridiculous amount of hours playing together in the less than a year they've known each other (not counting the time Ricardão admitted to being a fan of BBH for).

In fact Ricardão confirmed to Foolish today that since the reset they're the player with the second highest playtime, after Bad, but only by a little bit, and I just think that's very fitting.

Long story short, I LOVE the late night trio and Bad's dynamic because they're just such a chaotic mess who are all willing to do anything and everything that one of them wants to do, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.

It's soooooooo hard to believe they've not even known each other for a year yet because they just all click so fucking well that it's insane.

People from 4 different nationalities, 3 of them playing speechless eggs, and they've become so close thanks to this server. I just think it's beautiful :')

(It is also 3am so I may just be rambling nonsense, so if this makes no sense forgive me xD)

[glow-worms-are-believers]

Between Hawke and Buzzard (dp x dc)

"So why do you need me again?" Connor asked Damian as they stood on the rooftops overlooking the darkened street.

Damian tsked and did not elaborate, and Connor had to resist the urge to push him off the roof.

Look, Connor would be the first person to tell you that the bonds forged through fighting each other in a death tournament to determine who would be sacrificed to a demon were unbreakable. But being woken up at 3 am to then be asked to do some kind of reconnaissance mission he was told next to nothing about was getting awfully close all the same.

"Here," Damian said, tearing Connor from his thoughts.

Immediately, the archer nocked an arrow, keeping it facing the ground.

"Put that away," Damian hissed and Connor wanted to hiss back in annoyance. How was he supposed to know what Damian wanted, he didn't even know what they were doing!

Then, he stilled as he caught sight of a red-clad figure sneaking around the side of the building they'd been stalking for at least twenty minutes.

Connor flexed, but Damian held out a hand discreetly. The figure looked around before turning towards the building, and with a few running steps, managed to scale up the brick wall all the way to the small window a few meters off the ground, and disappeared inside.

Damian waited a few breath before grappling over to the building and landing softly on the roof. Connor followed with a sigh. Carefully, Damian lowered himself to the window and after a quick check to insure the coast was clear, he slipped inside, and Connor followed suit.

They found themselves in a darkened passageway, bordered by metallic handrail, that bordered the four walls, leaving the middle part open, with a full view of the wide space left in the middle. From up there, they caught sight of the suspicious person again. In the slightly better lightning, Connor could determine the figure was probably a woman, but most importantly he could see she had unclipped what Connor now recognized as a modified huge gun of some kind and was now holding it in front of her.

Silently, Connor nocked an arrow once again, and this time, Damian didn't stop him.

There was a sound like something falling and the red-clad figure swivelled towards the sound, raising their gun. Connor tensed in anticipation and then-

"Dan-" the red-clad figure started just as Damian yelled, "put the gun down!"

The woman whipped around and threw herself to the side, Connor's arrow whizzing just past her shoulder. She was still in the air as Connor's went back to his quiver. He nocked another arrow, but unfortunately, the woman had fall-hidden behind one of the crates, and Connor couldn't get a good line of sight. Damian had jumped down, his sword drawn, ready to take the fight to her when-

"Time out!" yelled some random-looking civilian who had just popped up with his arms raised. All three of the fighters froze. "Time out, people!"

"Danny, get down!" Connor heard the woman hiss.

"I think we're all on the same side here," the newly-dubbed-Danny continued, as if this was completely normal, "so why don't we put our weapons down and just talk it out."

"Move," Damian grunted, his sword still raised.

The kid ignored Damian, and turned towards the red-clad vigilante. "Now, Red Huntress, what are you doing here?"

There was sigh from behind the crates and Connor could really relate, but there was barely any time before she answered the guy. "I was following Phantom, I got a tipoff he would be here."

Danny nodded sagely "Thank you for telling us." He turned towards Damian. "Now, who are you and why are you here?"

Damian just glared at the kid, who just looked back steadily, patiently awaiting an answer. After a few seconds, Connor lowered his bow with a sigh.

"This is Robin, he was following Red over there," Connor said as the kid nodded again. "And I'm following him."

"Great!" the kid chirped.

Red slowly rose from behind her crate-cover to address Damian directly.

"This doesn't make sense," she said. "I didn't know I was going to be here until an hour ago, how did you follow me?"

The civilian turned expecting eyes on Damian, and Connor couldn't help but follow suit. Damian straightened under the attention before he seemed to decide to share.

"I also got a tipoff."

"Wow, what a coincidence," the kid said brightly. His tone reminded Connor of a camp councillor he had met as Green Arrow, bright and peppy. "Maybe it was even from the same person!"

Damian tilted his head as his eyes narrowed on Red. "Was yours written on a green sticky note?"

The kid's smile went stiff.

"A green sticky what now?"

[firstdivisiongirl]

Could I request for Haitani brothers headcanons?

But like them...with a female reader who wants both and is determined to get them both (totally not me)

How they'd react to the cheesy and slightly cringe pick up lines (for example "history and you are diff, bc history is my past and you're my future")

I'm sorry and thankful... I hope for you to get enough relax and have fun while writing and in general 🙇🏻‍♀️

Hello! I am never relaxed lol. I am always stressed. It's just me. But I did have fun writing his. I hope with this what you were looking for

Fem Reader Trying to Flirt with Ran and Rindou Headcanons

Ran Haitani

He loves when you flirt

He finds it cute

When you started flirting with his brother, he thought it was a joke.

He is the better brother after all.

But seeing how his brother reacted, he started to like you trying to date both of them

When you tell him pickup lines, he loves it.

His favorite is “I tried to send you something pretty in the mail, but the mailman told me to get out.”

Then when he finds out you want to be with his brother too, he is fine with it.

They are a package deal anyways

He wouldn’t get mad that you 

When he see you use pick up lines on Rin and how he reacts, he laughs.

He’d convince his brother that it’s all good

Rindou Haitani

He gets all flustered when you flirt.

He never gets to be the center of someone’s attention.

Especially because his brother is more popular with the ladies

So when you come up to him and say, “did it hurt when you fell from heaven” he froze and blushed like crazy

He tries to flirt back sometimes

But fails

But you think it’s cute

He gets a little upset when he finds out you flirt with his brother too

He wants a girl to just like him for once.

After talking to his brother, he realizes that it’s better that she has a crush on him too.  Rather than another person.

He realizes he’s right.

So he let’s it happen

Please do not copy, modify, translate or repost my writing on other platforms. Comments, reblogs and likes are highly appreciated!

[thatmarvelobsessedteen]

Not planned...at all

Cassian x reader

Azriel x OC!reader'scousin

Short Summary: Two girls, cousins, somehow find themselves inside a slightly modified version of their favorite book saga ACOTAR. What will happen to them, things have changed and not just their situation but themselves...are those pointy ears they now have?

Long Summary: Leonor and Roxanne had only planned their usual afternoon, reading fanfics on the floor of Nell's room and chatting about their favorite love interests. Doing weird hairstyles and screaming the lyrics to various Nickelback songs was on the schedule but nighttime they both learn a very valuable lesson. Don't go looking too deep into the internet!

Roxy and Nell both pay the price when finding themselves in the middle of...nowhere? That is until they walk through the snow for a bit and notice that they are now direct spectators of the very scene they'd been about to read!

Chapter 1

Growing up and moving out had never stopped two good cousins from acting like kids and sharing a flat for their studies certainly wasn't gonna stop Roxanne or Leonor from having sleepovers in each other's room.

Tonight was Nell's turn. The plan was simple! Celebrate the ending of second term globals with weird ass skincare products they'd never even touched before, blast music low enough for no neighbors to come complaining, and mix up sweets and energy drinks while devouring sour candy and Takis.

Nothing new or out of the ordinary, most time these sleepovers didn't involve as much food but today was special. Roxanne had gotten second place in a large judo tournament that took place in their city, the black long haired girl was almost vibrating with excitement at the news so of course her older cousin and roommate had taken it upon herself to make tonight specially fun.

"We could've got drinks?!"

Nell was snapped out of her intense focus by Roxy's words, it's true Roxanne's 18 and she's 19 going on 20 in less than two months. Feeling up to a teasing mood Nell pulled unnecessary hard on Roxanne's pitch black long straight hair with a smirk as she continued the intricate hairstyle she'd been working on for the past hour, this was their second attempt at perfecting.

"What's up with the comment? Are you feeling alcoholic young lady?! Meh didn't feel like buying that, energy drinks are more of a rush and it did feel kind of depressing to think of us both having a pijama party just to drink wine like old widowed wives."

Roxanne didn't really react to hair pulling, I mean the woman could put down a fully grown man without any weapons it was to be expected that she didn't feel bothered by Nell's petty hair pulling. She did hum in agreement with Leonor when hearing her reasoning and chugged another drink at her glass.

"How much left? Not that you're pulling too harshly but my neck feels sore in this position"

"Give me five more minutes, I like your hair, this type of stuff can't really be done on my hair! Or at least I can't manage on myself unless I spend a full hour untangling this bird nest"

Nell complained referring to her thick brown curls that were struggling to pull out under their containment from the hair claw she had on.

It wouldn't usually click to people, that she and Roxy were actually cousins at least not until they saw them interact with one another.

Roxanne was the absolute definition of a black cat type of girl, with her straight black hair and resting bitch face no one would expect to see her running into Leonor's arms for a hug to celebrate her victory. She loved dressing in black and wouldn't think twice before pulverizing someone's ego if she deemed it necessary. Standing on 1'64 meters she could somehow still manage to look down on anyone twice her size with her icy blue eyes.

Leonor on the other hand was usually all smiles and apologies, almost like a reflex at this point.

[nerdythebard]

#60: Susano'o-no-Mikoto, God of the Summer Storms

Welcome back, Gods and Goddesses!

This anonymous request brings us face to face with the mighty Susano'o, Japanese God of Storms and Sea. Susano'o, wild and impetuous, became a wandering hero after his banishment from the divine realms and created several kinds of plants and crops (and many, many descendants) while on his travels across Japan. Let's see what this short-tempered troublemaker can bring to your game.

Next Time: Reluctantly, I have to accept this one... Because I am Nerdy the Bard of the D&D Library... and I am burdened with Glorious Purpose.

Now then, let's see what do we need to focus on:

A MIGHTY STORM: Heh heh... old SMITE jokes are great. Anyway, yes, we need to have some connection to the raging storms, hurricanes, and the seas. Their destructive power shall serve us.

An even mightier Sword: While we embody the raging power of a storm, we are also a skilled and peerless warrior god. We are, in fact, the bone of our sword (love you, Grailfinders!) and it is the extension of ourselves.

Gotta Go Fast: Mobility will be important for us, as the God of Storms and a wandering warrior. We need to be able to position ourselves to face any danger.

---

Normally, I'd use my usual trick and make a god we're building an Aasimar (as I did with his sister, Amaterasu -> see HERE). This time, however, I want to play around a little, so let's make Susano'o an Air Genasi. Going by the guidelines from Mordenkeinen's Monsters of the Multiverse, we get a +2 and a +1 to two abilities of our choice (Dexterity and Strength respectively), our movement speed is just slightly better at 35 feet per round, we get 60 feet of Darkvision, we are able to hold our breath indefinitely if not incapacitated (effectively gaining resistance to gaseous attacks and ability to remain underwater forever) and are resistant to lightning damage. Thanks to the Mingle with the Wind feature, we also gain the Shocking Grasp cantrip and some other spells in the future.

What better for a banished god than a redemption as a Folk Hero. We gain proficiency in Animal Handling (poor horses) and Survival, as well as one type of artisan's tools and land vehicles. We also gain the Rustic Hospitality feature; the pathetic mortals kind common folk may offer us their kindness on occasion and provide with shelter, food, or perhaps the latest gossip. They may also shield us from danger, although it's unlikely they'd risk their lives for a stranger right away. Although...

ABILITY SCORES

We will start with Dexterity on this one. We strike fast, we strike often. As a being of heavens, we also boast a divine Constitution. Finally, we need to strike with the power of the storm, so we're also investing in Strength.

Charisma will be next, we have enough to intimidate the weak and trick a giant demon snake. Intelligence will be on the lower end, and we're dumping Wisdom - we are definitely not thinking about the consequences of our actions.

CLASS

This one had a few options, but I decided that the best balance between Susano'o's divine abilities and his swordsmanship would be to make him a Fighter start-to-finish. Fighters get a d10 as their Hit Dice, [10 + Constitution modifier] initial Hit Points, proficiencies with light armour, medium armour, heavy armour, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons. We can see Susano'o wear some armguards in the art, but since we cannot get just those in the game, we're going to start him without any armour. And we will give him a longsword that you can reflavour visually as a katana. Our saving throws are Strength and Constitution, and we get to choose two class skills from the list (Athletics and Intimidation).

Level 1: We begin by choosing our Fighting Style. For this, we shall take the Dueling style, which lets us add a +2 to our damage roll when we wield a weapon in one hand and nothing in the others. We also get Second Wind, which we can use as a bonus action once per short or long rest in order to heal [1d10 + our Fighter level] Hit Points.

Level 2: Thanks to Action Surge, we can now take one additional Action during our turn in combat. We can do so once per short or long rest.

Level 3: We choose our subclass, our Martial Archetype. Susano'o is a warrior first and foremost, but due to his divine heritage he also displays some supernatural abilities; therefore, we shall make him an Eldritch Knight.

From now on, we get access to Spellcasting. Intelligence is our casting ability, and we know cantrips and regular spells. We start with two cantrips (Gust and Sword Burst) and threee 1st-level spells, two of which must be either from the Abjuration or Evocation school of magic; we'll take Mage Armour, Thunderwave, and Disguise Self). From our Air Genasi race, we also get Feather Fall.

We also make our sword truly mighty by developing Weapon Bond. From now on, we cannot be disarmed unless we're incapacitated or allow so. Additionally, as a bonus action, we can summon our sword to our side from whenever it is as long as it is on the same plane of existence as us. We can Bond two weapons at once (giving us now a full set of samurai swords).

Level 4: We get our first Ability Score Improvement where we upgrade our Strength by both points. We also get another spell (Fog Cloud).

Level 5: At this level we get Extra Attack. From now on, during a single Attack action we can strike twice. We also get our final Air Genasi spell: Levitate.

Level 6: Time for another ASI. Let's raise our Strength and Wisdom by one.

Level 7: At this level we get another subclass feature. With War Magic, if we cast a cantrip as our Action, we can make one weapon attack as a Bonus Action. We also unlock 2nd-level spell here; we can grab Magic Weapon to recover some of our lost divinity.

Level 8: Time for another ASI. Let's raise both Strength and Dexterity for that nice 18 on both, and pick up another 2nd-level spell: Warding Wind.

Level 9: We gain the Indomitable feat. We are now able to re-roll one failed saving throw. We must, however, use the new result even if it's worse than the original one.

Level 10: Halfway through the build and we're getting another subclass feature. With Eldritch Strike we can now place a cut on our enemy that makes them vulnerable to magic; when we hit a creature with our melee weapon, it has disadvantage on the saving throw of the next spell we cast before the end of our next turn. With that, we can now pick a new 2nd-level spell: Shatter, which will force a Consitution saving throw.

We also get another cantrip; let's take True Strike that will synthesize nicely with our War Magic subclass feature.

Level 11: Here, we get an upgrade to our Extra Attack. From now on, whenever we Attack we can make a total of three strikes per turn (six if we decide to take Action Surge). We also get another spell, See Invisibiliy, to always find our enemies.

Level 12: Another ASI. This time, we shall cap our Dexterity into 20, which will increase our AC and Initiative bonus to make sure we get the first strike before anyone else.

Level 13: Our Indomitable can now be used twice per long rest. Additionally, we finally unlock 3rd-level spells. Let's grab Call Lightning to become the Thunder Bringer (yes, EPIC the Musical released a new Saga and it is awesome!)

Level 14: Time for another ASI. Let's cap our Strength to 20 for that divine striking power. But what's power without more mobility, so for our next 3rd-level spell, let's grab Thunder Step.

Level 15: For our final subclass feature, we shall get Arcane Charge. After using our Action Surge, we can now teleport to an unoccupied space within 30 feet of us. With that, and our last choice, we can now cover quite a lot of distance whether in combat or outside of it.

Level 16: With the next ASI, we will actually bump up our Constitution and Charisma by one point each. We also get another spell. Here, let's pick Pulse Wave and flavour it as a sheer wind pressure coming from our sword slashes.

Level 17: We get a few upgrades to our fighting mechanics. We can now use Indomitable three times per long rest, and we can use Action Surge twice per short or long rest.

Level 18: For our final subclass feature, we get Improved War Magic; this lets us make a weapon attack as a Bonus Action if we use our Action to cast a spell.

Level 19: For the final ASI of the build, we will round off our Constitution and Charisma to nice even numbers. Here is where we unlock 4th-level spells, however we will keep to the previous level in order to grab Lightning Bolt.

Level 20: As our capstone we are Fighter 20, which gives us improved Extra Attack. During a single Attack, we can now unleash up to four strikes. For our final spell, let's grab Tidal Wave to create the ultimate storm.

---

And that's Susano'o-no-Mikoto, the wild god of storms. Let's see what we came up with:

First and foremost, we're a combat beast. Plenty of attacks, both physical and magical, maximum score for both Strength and Dexterity, solid Speed; we're clearly a frontline fighter. Mobility and Crowd Control is our strongest tactic here.

Our unarmoured AC is 15 (18 with Mage Armour), we have a +5 to our Initiative, and the average of 211 Hit Points.

Unfortunately, though a solid build, we cannot do a lot outside of combat. We don't have a lot of skill proficiency and out mental ability scores are pretty weak; we need to procure some sort of item that will help us not being mind controlled. My personal recommendation: the Mindguard Crown from Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk.

---

And that's it. As promised, we're back my dears. As penitance, I shall work on the next build right away, so keep watch!

-Nerdy out!

[pizzatrocious]

Finally, he had everything he needed. Names, locations, and a pocket full of surprise tools to help him later. All that was left now... more crayons! While not magical in their own right, he needed something, anything, to draw doors with, and what was more appropriate than the very same crayons his child-friendly restaurants handed out? Better grab some spares though, there's nothin' worse than trying to draw with a broken crayon!

Pulling open a nearby drawer, he was pleased to see several small boxes of the simple four-color selections sitting atop a series of coloring books and activity pages. Some of those pages and books were so old that they'd likely make a collector drool, funny how that works!

Quick to pocket the little wax wonders, he stared down at the activity page that sat underneath the boxes of crayons. The simple maze that was made to be solvable by the average young child, the black-and-white art of Pizza Boy, the peaceful little cottage at the other end of the maze, and the words that sat at the top of the page...

'Pizza Boy is lost! Can you help Pizza Boy find his way back home?'

. . . Could he?

He silently stared at the page. Silently stared through it, the corners of his mouth drooping ever-so-slightly as that lovely little pizza-shaped boy stared back at him with an infectiously-radiant optimism. Each passing second, he expected that optimism to turn to judgement and resentment, yet that smile remained as bright as ever. The complacency and dopamine addiction that stared back at him in the mirror nowadays, where did it come from? What happened to erode that bright spirit?

Perhaps it was the endless cutthroat pursuit of growth. Perhaps the desire to spite all who stood in his way. Perhaps the countless passing years watering the apathy that the cruelty of others planted within him. Pizza was his passion, pizza was his mission! A wondrous meal easily modified to suit all diets and walks of life, something that humanity could always rely on! From the rich to the poor, from the young to the old, it was a thing of wonder that most of the world could agree on!

Now, it was... Cold machinery. A company. An industry. Something to constantly advertise, capitalize, and monopolize. Culinary experiments not done out of a passion to revolutionize, but to simply catch the eyes of paying consumers. Declining quality that leaked from the cracks so slowly that the consumers boiled in it like a frog unaware of the rising temperature. A soulless machine that chewed up and spit out miserable teens and young adults that'd given up on all ambition in life. Constant board meetings with tone-deaf old men that see pizza as nothing but cheap slop to throw into the trough.

He thought back to the earlier moments of that wretched TV show. The genuine heart behind Peppino's passion for cooking that stood resolute even in the face of death. The way that even on the brink of madness, it pulled him back and comforted him like a warm blanket.

"I usually ate whatever-a was given to me without fuss. I began to appreciate how many different ways you could prepare the same dish, though." "I liked cooking for myself. It passed the time, and as I said, you immediately gain something from it. Even when I burned something, I just..." "...Moved on and tried to do better."

It was that very unbreakable spirit that constantly dragged Pizzahead back to the Italian. One might see that sweaty little man, see the anxiety and fear in his eyes, hear the hollow apathy in his voice, and, well... not associate that with an unbreakable spirit. Yet, what drove Peppino to defend his pizzeria with the fervor of a mother grizzly? Potentially losing one's livelihood would cause anyone to fight like a cornered animal, but Peppino... the man fought an entire ARMY'S-WORTH of foes, tore through the Tower like a hot knife through butter, and fought tooth and nail with an immortal foe, beating Pizzahead into submission!

Perhaps in his own weird way, Pizzahead was deeply envious of that spirit.

The Tower, the experiments, the antagonizing of all those who he saw as a threat to his brand... when was the last time he'd actually made a pizza with his own two hands? Had it been months? Years? Decades? What was that feeling like anymore, to create for the sake of giving someone a full belly and a happy smile? To play with the amounts and types of each ingredient like paint on a canvas? Had it truly all atrophied into this soulless husk that haunted him in every quiet moment?

. . .

He gently lifted the page that stared back at him, folding it a few times. He tucked it into the conveniently-placed pocket on his shirt (Which was always there, you just can't see it. Trust me.), silently musing on how one simple sheet of paper could feel so heavy.

Perhaps a sabbatical was in order. But for now... he still had work to do.

[just-barrow]

day 20 of @almost-a-class-act's War Is Helloween prompts!

SAS: Rogue Heroes - Mike Sadler

Character A, the doomsday prepper, gets their "I told you so" moment when the neighbours start eating each other.

He was woken up by a strange noise.

Sitting up in bed and yawning, he tried to focus on what he'd just heard.

There it was again. Scratching and rattling coming from his front door.

Someone was trying to break into his house.

Mike silently slipped out of bed and grabbed the gun that was hidden behind the headboard. His bedroom faced the front of his house, so he carefully peeked through the blinds to see what was going on. 

The sight was unusual, to say the least.

Two neighbors that he thought he recognized from down the road were trying to push their way through his front door, but they didn't quite seem to know what they were doing. Mike relaxed slightly. It was probably some misunderstanding. Maybe they'd had too much to drink last night.

He was just about to turn away from the window when one of them looked up, startled by a bird.

This was bad. 

The woman looked haggard and filthy, eyes lying deep in their sockets and, most startlingly, sporting a large wound where her neck met her shoulder. As if someone had tried to take a bite out of it. She was covered in dried blood.

Mike crouched down and scanned the rest of the street as best he could without being seen. It was early, so it was still quiet, but he thought he saw an unsettling commotion further down the road at the bus stop.

Then he heard a door slam.

It was his neighbor from across the street. The poor man was probably just heading to work.

The scratching at his own front door stopped, replaced by a strange grunting sound as his neighbors lumbered across his front yard towards the man now unlocking his car, completely unaware of what was heading his way.

Mike put down his handgun and retrieved a rifle from underneath the bed. Unfortunately he was too late to save his neighbor, evident from the screams now coming from across the road, but he could at least try to minimize the damage. As quietly as he could, he opened his bedroom window and took aim. 

He shot all of them, both the barely alive and the undead, clean through the head.

It wouldn't be long before more undead started roaming the streets. The group at the bus stop was quite large; who knows how many people they had infected already.

Mike had known this day would come. 

He immediately sprang into action. First slipping into the practical set of clothes he always had ready on the chair by the bed, he then walked over to his wardrobe and retrieved the large backpack hidden behind his coats. It contained all the essentials. He hoisted it onto his back before grabbing his handgun and rifle. Then he silently descended the stairs, making sure to grab as many of the knives he had hidden throughout his house and strapping them to his body. Finally, he took several sets of keys off their hooks and opened his back door.

It was still quiet out here. He quickly checked the perimeter before entering his garage, taking one last glance at the outside world as it was right now; the sun slowly rising in the cloudless blue sky, birds hopping around without a care on his lawn and in the flowerbeds. Faintly, he could hear the undead snarling, closing in. He locked the door. 

His everyday car was still out front, but parked in here was the large modified jeep he had been working on for years. If he did end up having to leave, it would safely take him far away from here. He ran a hand down the side of it, grateful for his foresight. 

With another set of keys he opened the hatch in the floor behind the jeep. A staircase emerged, leading far down into the ground. As he descended a few steps and closed the hatch, lights started coming on. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he took out yet more keys and unlocked the thick steel door that would keep him safe for the time being. 

Until he ran out of food and water, that is. 

He had been preparing for years, so Mike was certain he could hold out for quite a while. After that, he would just have to see.

As he looked at the walls, lined with shelves stocked with everything he needed to survive, he smiled sadly. Everyone had always told him his doomsday prepping was utter nonsense. A waste of time and money. He wished he could see their faces now. He wished he had been more insistent. 

"You wouldn't listen."

"I tried to tell you all," he muttered to himself as he settled in, making sure he had his weapons within reach and a knife strapped to his body at all times.

He tried the radio. Static. 

[incoherentsobbing]

Dandelions

Intentions... With "Dandelions" by Ruth B.

Ft. Ruggie Bucchi and my OC, Kyōki Kaitekina

Where Ruggie want's to take the one he's fallen in love with someplace special, despite his weak knees

"So...?" they played with the rings on their fingers nervously, he had requested them to meet him alone and they had to make Jack watch him since he was the only other one available on such short notice, but the feline-like monster managed to slip away and join them anyway

"Y-You'll see" he wound up stammering, trying to keep his heartrate steady but the way they just existed less than 6 feet from him made him lightheaded 

They had slapped on a beautiful pair of lace-trimmed shorts and an o-ring crop top they originally wore a hoodie on top but had to leave it with Grim so he wouldn't be so anxious (which was then later left with Jack as he escaped, the poor wolf), and a nice pair of grey combat boots to finish it off, their goddess braids black but shining in the light, the blue-green highlights being accentuated 

And let's not forget their scent, Seven, they gave off such a mesmerizing scent he could sit there and bask in it forever 

They quirked their brow when he flushed red again out of nowhere, slightly concerned, but didn't say a word

Eventually, after about another five minutes of seemingly random turns, the two reached a wide open field of dandelions. 

They took on the view of white, green, and yellow, and carefully picked a few up, starting up flower crowns 

"Galleta" They looked up at his nervously standing self with a smile "come here, this one's for you"

"F-F-F...????" He couldn't say anything, just stared at the ground near their feet

"Of course!" They laughed, gently grabbing his hand and dragging him down to sit, placing the flower crown on his head with a proud grin on their face "I've never made a flower crown before, so I'm really happy to get to try it! Though I've never even seen anyone make one either... I think it turned out well?"

He felt the lopsided but sturdy crown of bright yellow dandelions resting on his head, carefully avoiding his ears even though it looked like it was close to falling apart 

"Yeah..." He blushed red, though he found himself shifting slightly closer despite his whole nervous system telling him to run away or they'd devour him

But, hey, what's so bad in being devoured by someone this hot?

After a few more flower crowns, they made some more for Ruggie and Grim, saving a few strong looking ones for Ortho to keep marked and placed a little point on them so they'd remember to pick

"Y'know, this reminds me of that song" Grim commented, and Ruggie couldn't help the nasty feeling of jealousy that fizzled up inside of him each time he saw Grim in their laps or resting in their chest 

How does it feel to be living my dream, damned Raccoon? Tch... he'd always think, biting his lip

"Oh yeah!" They smiled, quickly fishing out their modified phone and scrolling through some audio files 

Not long after, a few high piano keys were struck, and his ears perked up, listening to it intently

But he could not prepare his heart for the next things to happen

They started to sing. It was very deep, coming from the gut, but easily took a higher pitch when they wanted

"Maybe it's the way you say my name" They began, picking up another few dandelions "Maybe it's the way you play your game"

Game...? He stared at their calloused hands and how with every twist, they improved on the flower jewelry they were making Who are they talking about?

"But it's so good, I've never known anybody like you"  even though their words were still a whisper, he heard every one, and grew increasingly nervous at who they could possible be directing this song at "But it's so good, I've never dreamed of nobody like you"

Grim purred happily and rubbed his head against their chest, one he would give almost anything to lay on comfortably while they pet him like they did Grim

"And I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime" his breath hitched, mind running millions of miles a second when he heard the L word leave their lips, and the whimsical but attractive look they gave him from under their undeniably hot lashes "And I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine"

They smiled, placing their completed and tremendously improved flower crown and necklace around him, leaning back on the ground slightly as they looked at the white tufts around them 

" 'Cause I'm in a field of dandelions, Wishing on every one that you'll be mine, mine" they nodded to the beat, their lower and deeper vocals mixing well with the singers higher and airy tones "And I see forever in your eyes, I feel okay when I see you smile, smile"

I... Are they talking... about me? He gaped, hands trembling as he watched them pick one up and blow it in the air after a subtle pause 

"Wishing on dandelions all of the time, Praying to God that one day you'll be mine" they all watched as the seeds followed the path of the breeze and Grim hopped off, chasing after them "Wishing on dandelions all of the time, all of the time..."

They stood up, doing a little dance as they swayed, reminiscent of the tall grass and flowers, giggling to themselves as they turned to Ruggie, directing their lines to him

"I think that you are the one for me, 'Cause it gets so hard to breathe" they twirled, feet light but prominent as they moved "When you're looking at me, I've never felt so alive and free~ When you're looking at me, I've never felt so happy"

He stared, wide but loving eyes as they laughed at one of their missteps, holding their hand out to him as the song played lowly in the background

their next words made him feel like he was floating, in a blissful dream

"Ruggie...And I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime Dance with me...And I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine " They smiled cheekily, patiently waiting for a reaction from him

and it was as if the universe was pushing this all to happen, as the music suddenly became louder, and a whole flurry of dandelion seeds exploded from behind him, the breeze pushing them towards their outstretched hand

He'd be a fool to reject.

And on they went for that evening, slow dancing as Grim messed around with the flowers and insects 

It was then that he made up his mind fully; He was utterly in-love with them and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with them

[ticket-for-four]

Ticket for Four - Chapter 4: ◐ 200 Years Away From Home

Summary: Now stuck in Sinnoh of the past, Dawn and Lucas anticipate the challenge that awaits them in the morning. A trial deciding their fate with the Galaxy Team seems reasonable to be anxious about, among other factors of their situation.

Read on AO3 here.

Dawn stepped through the entryway after her brother. She slid the shoji door shut behind her then leaned back against the bamboo frame, letting out a strained breath she'd only just realized she'd been holding. Arceus, this was a lot to process. A whooooole lot. At the very least, they had an entire night to think about... everything.

She glanced down at the bundle of clothes in her arms. Well, her clothes, the ones she slipped on this morning before setting out on their hike. Now, they'd been replaced with a well-padded uniform with a logo that struck her with an uncomfortable familiarity, much like the name of the organization it belonged to. They were just a spare set for their trial and to help them stand out a little less, as stated by the woman who painfully reminded Dawn of a face she'd hoped to never see again, though it was still a somewhat kind offering. Emphasis on somewhat, Cyllene's stern demeanor hardly lessened the impact of the harsh reality she laid out for the two of them. Work and succeed, or be expelled from the village. If not for Lucas knowingly tugging at his sister's wrist and flashing that look in his eyes that screamed "don't argue," she'd have sworn up and down the dirt-lined streets about how absurd and unfair such an ultimatum was.

And it was absolutely absurd and unfair. Well fine, she and her brother could easily prove themselves capable of catching pokemon; they've already nearly filled one pokedex, why not another? Even if they're made to go looking for hoards of Munchlax or Feebas, the two of them would prove their skills and their right to stay in the village with flying colors.  Dawn turned her wrist over to peek at the modified watch's face. The screen came alight, displaying the same message it had since they'd first landed on the beach. "Seek out all Pokemon." She sighed again; completing a new pokedex seemed to be a lot less optional than it had been before.

A soft thud across the room pulled Dawn away from her musings. Lucas kneeled beside the irori hearth, his back turned from the entryway with a weary slouch. Dawn neglected placing her shoes beside Lucas's neatly placed ones and instead dropped her ball of clothes near his folded ones set on the wood flooring. Even as she sat behind him, leaning into his back and draping her arms around his shoulders, he remained worryingly still. His breathing was slow and shallow, it would have seemed nonexistent if Dawn couldn't feel his muscles shifting under her. She tilted her head, just enough to nudge his cheek warmly. "Y'know, if you're gonna take a nap, there's a futon over there, dummy."

He stayed silent a few moments longer. His hands clenched at his pant legs shakily, then relaxed slightly as he murmured just enough for Dawn to hear him, "Don't think I'll be sleeping much tonight." Though she felt the same sentiment, Dawn's frown clearly objected to the wavering in his tone. Before she could let out any words of comfort, Lucas's voice picked up with a crestfallen tone, "We shouldn't be here; we should be back home. Everyone's probably wondering where we've gone. I shouldn't have gone looking for Arceus, or at least I shouldn't have asked you to come with me. If we fail this trial or what Arceus wants us to do, we're probably never getting back home. This is all my fault."

Even expecting such needless repentance did nothing to dull the sting. Why should he blame himself for the whims of a god? For his own curiosity, if anything, she should take responsibility for pushing him over the fence of indecisiveness he'd teetered on. It was agonizing, seeing her dear brother go back and forth with himself on pursing a legend for the sake of their research and sense of adventure. Of course Dawn was more than happy to nudge him in the direction he wanted, as always. But at this moment, the cracking of his quiet voice and how small he felt shivering in her arms... If she hadn't pushed for this, then maybe... Agh, no, it's just a waste, scrambling over blame and responsibility in a situation like this. This wasn't the time to mope, it was the time to get their motivation back.

"Hey hey," Dawn huffed, tapping her knuckles against his shoulders. "It's not your fault; I'd have come with you whether you wanted me to or not! We're stuck for right now, yeah, but with each other. Don't go forgetting that!" She paused, feeling his tense body slacken, if only by the tiniest bit. Her voice softened as he did, she gave him a gentle squeeze, "We'll figure this out together, and get back home. Okay?"

Another pause came, stretching over a minute or two. Lucas breathed in. Out. Then nodded. "... Right." Dawn watched a hand raise to rub at his face. If she'd seen a wet mark on his fingers when the hand settled back on his leg, she'd said nothing of it. Confidence creeped its way back into him, and his trembling ceased, "Sinnoh's top Coordinator and Champ, if we try together, we'll do it for sure." Dawn couldn't possibly restrain the pride in her yip, "That's right! That's the attitude I wanna see! So no more mopping!"

Playful laughs and doting cut away any sniffles that may have lingered. Once their rowdy partners decided on playing a game of tag with the teens, any gloom hanging over the little house was chased with them. After such a long day between all of them the group tired quickly, content and nerves at ease. Dawn was glad her brother's prediction had proven wrong; with much of his worries washed away, Lucas practically knocked out once his head hit the futon pillow. Dawn delighted at the sight of him hugging Ara into his arms like a Teddiursa, and laying down with Juniper nestled by her head, she slept just as soundly.

---

"Well, now I just feel silly getting stressed over this..."

Embarrassment was plain across Lucas's grimace as the two exited headquarters, making their way down the dirt road. Though Dawn wouldn't outright disagree with his sentiment, she attempted to soften the blow with an upbeat attitude, "Weeell, it's better that we got an easy trial instead of something impossible, right?" Just three pokemon to capture? And fairly common species at that. It took nearly every ounce of Dawn's willpower not to ask Cyllene if that was really all they had to do. Willpower, and the knowing elbow to her side that came before the words even got a chance to form on her lips. Between the two of them, they'd practically filled Professor Rowan's lab with flocks of Starly at the start of their journey (he did appreciate the expended effort, though he assured them they wouldn't need to capture so many specimens in the future). Despite the warnings of aggressive wild Pokemon, the two skilled trainers couldn't help but be somewhat confident in capturing a handful as a test of their potential as surveyors.

"Still," Lucas said, his posture becoming more alert, "We should be careful; it'll be at least another eighty years before they start building any Pokecenters, if I've got the year right. It'd be a problem if any of us get hurt." "Right, that's another thing to get used to..."

The two soon approached the towering gates leading out to the wilds, but stopped short at the sight of a man in what seemed to be a brightly colored uniform conversing with the town guard. It seemed their arrival was timed perfectly, as their chat was wrapping up and the man turned to the newcomers. "Ah, excuse me," he offered quite the pleasant smile, with a hint of surprise brightening his eyes. "Oh, you're those potential Galaxy Team recruits, aren't you? The ones who fell from the sky, Akari and Rei?"

Lucas was quick to respond to the questions, in contrast to his sister, who had taken a moment to consider the man's query. Right, Lucas was the one who'd given those fake names when they were first asked by Professor Laventon. After a moment alone, he'd thought using their real names might cause some... historical discrepancy, were they really sent back to the distant past as Arceus said. Dawn merely shrugged, not seeing much of an issue with something so minor-seeming as names. Though she did tease her dearest brother with his choice of titles, she was more than familiar with the names of his favorite characters from one of his beloved historical drama shows.

"I'm Volo of the Ginko Guild," the man gave an affable introduction, "The go-to choice for any of your mercantile needs here in Hisui! I've heard a bit of talk about you two around the village, so I was a bit curious." "Ah, yeah, makes sense, not everyday people come raining down outta the sky I guess," it was small, but there was an awkward twinge to Dawn's chuckle. It actually felt slightly off-putting being treated in such a friendly manner, given the range of skittish and suspicious looks most everyone else had greeted them with so far. Still, this treatment was absolutely preferred. "Oh! You both have Pokemon as well, " Volo nodded to their adorned belts, "Occupational hazard, but I can't help but be interested in investigating novelties; would either of you care to have a battle with me before you head off to your trial?"

The shift in Lucas's demeanor was instant, with fire ablaze in his eyes, directed firmly at his challenger. "Yes! Absolutely!", there was no hiding his excitement with that volume as he already clutched on to his cyndaquil's ball. "Great, great! "Good to get your blood pumping before you go," Volo said to his calmer twin, "Up for a battle as well, miss?" She gave a loose wave of the hand, "Hm? Oh, that's okay, I'll sit this one out watch from the sidelines. Next time though!" The merchant seemed satisfied enough with that answer, turning back to his restless opponent. With the twist of his cap and a sly smirk, he readied a pokeball from his travel pack, "Now then, shall we, Mr. Rei?"

The match hadn't been the most bombastic Dawn had witnessed her brother partake in, given the greenhorn battlers participating, but she remained entertained by it nonetheless. Afterall, battle was where Sinnoh's reigning Champion could truly let loose. Belting out tactics for his partner to execute came as naturally to him as Dawn's grace and choreography in her directed performances. Timid tendencies were tossed out the window, and what followed was a gust of vigor and confidence in his every action. Dawn spectated the fledgling battle fondly, softening at the sight of the first proper smile on Lucas's face since their ordeal began. The sight of Volo's partner brought back some nagging worries, ones she'd been doing her best to push down since the prior night. The presence of her Togekiss, along with their other trusted companions, was sorely lacking upon their arrival to Hisui. It seemed Arceus really did want them to be challenged, though at least knowledge of their friends' well-being would have been appreciated—something to put the teens' separation anxiety more at ease. Well, for the moment, it was best to hope everyone was well and safe, waiting for their eventual return to the right time.

With a well timed Quick Attack, Togepi made a hasty retreat, concluding the battle. Volo chuckled merrily, cutting the distance between the two to shake the victor's hand, "My my, I'm glad to have met with some capable battlers! It's not often I get to battle, given how few people here have pokemon of their own."Lucas absolutely beamed, "That was fun! Hope we get to battle again sometime!" Volo went digging around in his pack once more, producing a generous handful of bottles. He kindly offered the concoctions to both children, keeping one for himself—or rather, for his partner. "A present for your victory, one should be sufficient to bring your friend up to snuff for your trial! I wish you the best of luck, my sky-fallen friends," Volo winked as he took off toward the gates, "and I hope to see two new Galaxy Team customers when we meet again. Farewell for now!"

Smooth pitch, Dawn had to admit, the guy certainly knew how to play up the charisma to snag some patrons. Though content to have been an onlooker, she was certainly looking forward to getting a turn against him next time. Once Ara was well and healed, Lucas motioned over to the wilds awaiting them, "Ready, sis?" With a sure nod and a strong step forward, the two faced the challenges that lay before them.

[ragtimeunder]

Could I suggest "Remote Thoughts" or "Diode Dwelling" as theme names for Tenna? I don't know if they'd work, but I'd still like to ask nonetheless.

I did see your reblog with those. I think they're clever, and accurately convey Tenna's sort of reserved, stuck-in-their-own-thoughts personality.

Though, im not sure what exactly it is, but they just don't quite click with me.

I definitely like your angle though, I'm probably gonna see if I can modify it a bit to make just ever-so-slightly closer to perfect.

[coffee-without-anesthetics]

I NEED THAT GINGER EMOTIONALLY DEVASTATED

---

this post devolved so putting what was going to be in the tags in text proper:

im taking a typography course rn and just noticed something; did you know/do you see that the Y is slightly indented with the L? like the left arm of the Y slightly indents into the negative upper right space of the L so that the leg of the L and the stem of the Y meet rather than be weirdly far from one another, giving LY

THERE'S THAT SAME KERNING MOD BETWEEN T AND A in both possible orders too that's fascinating (TAT), and also the kerning between EV is slightly smaller than between VA. i thought they'd mod the kerning between VA to slightly fuse V's left arm with A's right one but eh you know, im not the one who designed it

also the space between OX is slightly smaller so that the X hugs the O that's adorable denk ik, and the space between AS is strangely small? idk what that's about

okay after looking around i found that's it's a (i assume) commissioned custom version of Favorit, so non-serif grotesque but the book+regular italic version looks like an oblique because some letters are modified or they'd look awkward hhhhuh,,, i thought they'd be slanted but the more you learn

for those who dont know there's typically 3 types (that i learned) of italic variation of a font: italique, oblique, and slanted. italique is when, of course, you incline the letters, but you also completely overhaul some letters. the perfect example is times new roman, whose regular "a" and italique "a" look completely different

then we got oblique versions. same thing with inclination, but this time no letters are overhauled, only slightly modified. here's an example with quicksand regular

no letter has been changed completely, but notice the space between the f and the o has been changed so that the ascender (the little curved part above f's bar) is over the o. had it been unmodified, those two letters would've remained quite far appart

the third one is called slanted, which is what all three technically are, but here im referencing to "fake italics", aka letters are only inclined without modification and accounting for kerning or aesthetic. nowadays there's not many of those around, because they were originally used by old-time computers to save memory space by automating

wow ok so this turned into an impromptu crash course, the more you know i guess

[thatmarvelobsessedteen]

Not planned...not at all

Cassian x reader

Azriel x OC! reader's cousin

Short Summary: Two girls, cousins, somehow find themselves inside a slightly modified version of their favorite book saga ACOTAR. What will happen to them, things have changed and not just their situation but themselves...are those pointy ears they now have?

Chapter 3

"F-fuck!"

Jumping up Nell cussed loudly, they'd been home just seconds ago and now... What even was this place?!

"Yes duck, indeed."

Of course Roxy had to correct her for swearing when she herself would sometimes talk like a sailor.

Hiking herself up on the rock Roxanne was already on the both hissed cleaning off the snow from their socks.

Everything around them was mountain and snow along with the occasional forest. And, although that usually would've been calming and weight lifting for both girls who'd grown up hiking with their parents, it was nerve-wracking and unsettling to find yourself in it unprepared.

Big sweaters, fuzzy socks and leggings were not what one would usually wear when hiking.

"Where are we?"

Nell gave Roxanne a look before pettily answering.

"We're in my room still, can't you see it?!"

Sarcasm dripped from her words as she unraveled a part of her braids to cover her ears since they felt uncharacteristically cold.

"Any ideas on what even happened? You clicked on the link I could only hear white noise and static, next thing I know my head feels like it's bursting and my eyes burn so I close them. Only to come back to my senses for this...and although it's beautiful and magnificent the closest we were to this type of landscape was hours in a plane or days in a car so it's safe to say something just happened"

Roxanne gave Leonor a quick once over, curled up on the rock next to her, her mouth opened about to say something but nothing really came out and instead she reached for Nell's ear who only stared confused at her cousin.

"Maybe we did do the plane hours and got drugged? Are you okay?!"

"Your ears Nell, they're pointy! Like real pointy and long, not normal rounded shape. Are mine like that too?!"

Confused Leonor reached to feel her ears, confused when the shape didn't correspond to what she was used to. Looking back to see Roxy pull back her hair from her now also weird long pointy ears.

"Woah...um I did not buy us anything hallucinogenic just so you know! Okay, okay let's just breathe. Weird ears shouldn't be a problem right? Freezing to death is, so let's get moving."

Instinctively going into older cousin mode Leonor was already looking around for somewhere warm to go, she'd freak out later.

Who was she kidding her hands were already shaking as she took of walking in hopes of getting them somewhere better. Roxanne was the one actually keeping things cool, all she'd been doing was feel up her new ears with the biggest smile that promised nothing but chaos.

There really was nothing around them other than incredibly large pine trees snow and mountains, the vast plain was slightly dizzying especially when they had no way out.

The possibility of any of this not being real had quickly been ruled out by the fact that not only were they together but their damp cold socks from the snow felt incredibly real.

[ophelia-jones]

Daryl saw the Walkers before he saw Etta. They were just a peripheral impression, barely worth wasting brain energy on. Passing walkers while on the motorcycle was like what it had once been to see a deer in a field while driving past on the highway. You'd probably notice but there would be no interaction and no second thoughts about it once they were out of sight. But something in the back of his head told him to look closer - look again.

Etta was halfway up a maple tree, but there were three walkers at the base of the tree, clawing, grabbing at her. Before he could bring the motorcycle to a full stop, he saw her strike one in the temple with her foot and saw the creature's head explode like a ripe melon. But there were two more on her and who knew how many had been drawn by the sound of his engine.

He ditched the bike as he tried to take the turn too fast and it skidded across the pavement. He hit the ground running toward Etta, a knife in each hand by the time he got to her, making quick work of the walkers that still had her trapped. He saw there were two more she had dispatched before he had even noticed her there. She was just out of reach in the tree, clinging to it like a koala bear.

"Hi," Daryl said, waving once as he looked up at her. He'd rarely been so happy to see anyone. Etta laughed out loud at the sight of him; or maybe at his awkward greeting, remembering how It had been all she could think to say after they'd slept together the first time. He remembered, at least. That old awkwardness that always overcame him when it came to emotions was whispering in his ear, trying to make him shut up or shut down.

"Hi," she replied, laughing like a lunatic at the surreal absurdity of the moment.

"You gonna come down? Cause I don't know the words to Romeo and Juliet or whatever princess in the tower shit." Daryl squinted up at Etta and she had to close her eyes for a moment and catch her breath before clambering down the tree. As she did, Daryl could see that she had what he recognized to be arborist's spurs on her legs; a rig one would strap onto each shin and foot which could be used to help gain purchase when climbing a tree. They were used in conjunction with a rope and carabiner usually - or had been designed to.

"You coulda just bullshitted it, I wouldn't have known the difference," she told Daryl as she descended the tree. He could see she had modified the spurs for her purposes of climbing a tree by hand and foot with no time for rigging a rope. In each hand, she held a rock climber's hammer fitted with a leather strap to keep it attached to her wrist even if her fingers had lost their grip.

"I'll remember that," Daryl murmured as he looked her over to see if she was bitten. It looked like the only blood on her was from the walkers.

"You look good," he told her and Etta nearly doubled over with laughter at the supreme awkwardness of the moment.

"I haven't bathed in nearly three months, and yet I believe you meant that," she told him, her cheeks hurting from smiling so hard. She hadn't done that in three months, either.

"Me neither," Daryl quipped, starting Etta to giggle again. He blushed slightly and looked around for any signs of more danger.

"I noticed," she teased as her laughter subsided, but her joke held no cruelty, no hint of criticism. It was just something to say, something rude to deflect any disturbing emotions which might be trying to get out. She had never been good at showing emotion. Hell, she wasn't even good at feeling emotion. Being alone with her thoughts was the hardest thing she'd had to do these past months. Other than surviving, there hadn't been much to do except think.

"Come back to Alexandria with me," Daryl said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Daryl, I…"

"Naw, I ain't taking no, just come on. Get on the bike." Daryl started toward the motorcycle and picked it up, swinging one massive leg over it and starting the engine which had stalled out after being dropped. Etta smiled at him, following slowly.

"Well, I have been sad I never got to ride on her. Any chance I can drive?" she asked cheekily.

"Just get on back and hold on," Daryl told her as if tired of her, but it was delivered with such good humor she could not mistake it for anything other than friendly banter. So Etta did as he said, straddling the bike behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his back. She wanted to capture this moment and put it in a jar like a firefly. Something to look at when she couldn't find the light anywhere else.

The others were eating and sitting quietly, taking in the surprise of finding an entire village of people living together peacefully. Sharing work and supplies, reaching out to others rather than simply doing for themselves. It was like a dream, and those under 13 had no memory of living like this at all. They'd been too young when the outbreak happened and had been through too much at a young age.

"Etta! You came back!" Olivia declared happily, little Vida rushing to hug her as well.

"Yeah, I decided maybe a shower and a good night's sleep might be worth a few hours lost getting back," she told them, picking both girls up and swinging them back and forth as she hugged them. In most ways, these kids had it harder than she had at their age. But they knew only a gentle kind of love from the women who had raised them; something Etta had never known as a child. And she would do everything she could to keep it that way.

"Good idea," Shondra told her, coming to hug Etta and collect Vida who would not let her favorite auntie go. She'd been gone for weeks and weeks, then showed up to help take them on this adventure to a strange new place. Vida was afraid if she let go, Etta would go missing again.

"I'll see you again soon," Etta assured the kids as she started walking deeper into town, away from where the refugees were resting.

"You know why they're here," Etta commented as Daryl fell into step beside her. He nodded silently.

"You must have so many questions," she said softly. The empathy in her voice caught Daryl off guard, he had expected her to be either apologetic or defensive. Instead, she was concerned about him. This was not a common occurrence in his life.

"Yeah, I heard they - you - are trying to save him. I don't understand why, and I don't want to," he told her honestly.

"Yeah, I don't entirely," she informed him with a nod. "I won't try to explain if you don't want me to. But if there is anything I CAN say? Anything you DO want to know? I'll tell you the truth. I've already lost everything I tried to keep by not just owning up to what I knew once I heard your side. I can't make it any worse than I already did." she told Daryl gently, watching him from the corner of her eye. She was overwhelmed by his presence; she had honestly expected to never be this close to him again.

"Do you love him?" he asked after a moment of contemplation.

"No. No, it was never love. At least not beyond the bond of simply coexisting peacefully as human beings. If you mean did I have sex with him, then, yes. A few times over three months or so. It was not emotional, it was a diversion. It was years of not being touched tenderly. But it wasn't about love." She told him, and when she saw the emotions rage inside of him, she did grow defensive despite having promised herself she could simply state the facts.

"You may be a rock, Daryl, who can go years without needing to be touched - but I needed it and my opportunities were limited. It was a man twenty years older than myself whose past was suspicious or a teenage boy, eleven years younger than me whom I considered to be my brother," she told him with an edge of bitterness in her tone. Daryl hung his head slightly as he considered her words.

"I'm not a rock," he muttered. "I'm scared. I lost too many people, and it doesn't hurt less no matter how many times I have been through it. It's not that I don't feel anything - I feel too damned much."

Etta's heart ached at his words, his honesty. He had trusted her in a way he seldom trusted anyone, and she had violated that.

"I was selfish. I should have been thinking about you but all I could think about was holding on to you. I didn't want it to be over, I wasn't ready to lose you. I just kept thinking if we could make it a little bit longer. One more day, one more kiss! I should have been thinking about how that was making it worse for you. The longer I lied to you, the more it would hurt when you found out."

"It's hard to trust you, now," he told her. She nodded, looking away so he wouldn't see her blink away the tears she was fighting. They walked in silence for a while before Etta turned to him and said,

"I have no idea where I'm going, by the way. I'm just walking around aimlessly. But you're following me, so there's that."

Daryl looked down at her, his silver-blue eyes narrowed, a slight smile on his lips.

"There's something wrong with you," he replied, shaking his head with amusement.

"and yet YOU'RE the one following ME." she nudged his shoulder with her own. He smiled a little more broadly. He had missed this.

"You hungry?" he asked, turning the corner toward the little house he had taken as his own after Rick and Michonne had become a couple. Before that, they had all been staying in the big house which was now the Grimes family home.

"Well, I've been living on moss and squirrel turds for a couple of months so, yeah, I could eat," she replied and Daryl laughed.

"Something wrong with you," he muttered again, but as they fell into a step toward his house, he reached over and clasped her hand lightly with his own.

Having this time to think - and having so many people he respected insist on telling him they thought he had been wrong to assume Etta had been out to hurt him from the beginning - had been good for him. When his emotions were high, it was always anger that took control.

Now? All he wanted to do was hold her, tell her he had missed her - and that he loved her. He was sorry, too, for the way he had left her that day. But emotions like that just got caught in Daryl's throat. So all he could think to do was hold her hand.

When Verity heard the key turn in the door she assumed it was Dwight or one of the other Saviors, though it was at an unusual time. She was half asleep on the sofa, her mind miles away as she dozed in the late afternoon sun like a cat. There were so few luxuries left in life, but there were a few which had existed since time began and which could not be taken away. This was Verity's.

"Well shit, I wanted to see if you were holding up, but you look like you're doing pretty fucking good without me. Guess it shouldn't fucking surprise me," Negan said, standing at the end of the sofa and looking straight down at her.

Verity snapped out of her doze, sitting up in such a rush that it made her vision fade for a minute.

"Hey, you," she greeted him sleepily. She didn't want to be happy to see him. It wasn't healthy, she knew, to love someone so much. She had already ruined Haven and risked the well-being of other people who had counted on her. But she knew she wouldn't have the strength to change it if she went back, she wouldn't trade the time she'd had with him.

Those big brown eyes with the threads of gold and green running through them could be so cold - but once you had them aimed at you with warmth in them? Well, she certainly had never been the same. Negan snorted derisively and shook his head at her familiar greeting. He was still angry, but that wasn't a surprise.

"I don't know what I fucking expected. You might be the coldest bitch I've ever known, and that is saying a fucking lot!" he told her, catching his tongue between his teeth as if he had more he wanted to say but couldn't quite put into words.

"I was a cop, you forget that? Of course, I'm a cold bitch. You have to be if you want to get shit done," she replied, tossing his philosophy back at him.

"Cold to the fuckers trying to help you?" he asked harshly.

"Do you not see the irony of you standing there asking me that?" she replied quietly, unwilling to rise to his challenge for a fight. "I did what I did to try and save you. It is the only chance I had of keeping you alive. Those people need to hear from Stanley, Olivia, and the others about how you have looked after them. They need to see that you are a human being, too, and not just the monster that killed their friends without provocation, in a brutal display, while making them watch."

"Without… Without provocation? Verity they fucking massacred an entire outpost full of men who'd sworn to help fucking protect the people of Sanctuary. In their fucking SLEEP, most of them, and they kidnapped one of their god-damned babies!" Negan argued.

"After you killed how many others? I know about Hilltop. I know about the kingdom and oceanside. How many other people did you kill to get the attention you wanted? There will always be a price, Negan, and life will come to collect eventually." she shook her head sadly.

"What about you? You've told me about people you've killed that you didn't have to fucking kill, people you regret killing. Hell, you and Etta killing Clyde and Small Paul to sneak the others out - those fucking men were trying to fucking protect the very god-damned mother fuckers who murdered them!" Negan was pacing now, agitated. He knew, somewhere, that he was clutching at straws to justify his behavior.

"They were trying to keep your favor because they were afraid of being on their own again or failing you, either of which could mean death. And if they hadn't been willing to kill Etta, she wouldn't have shot them. She had told me to be prepared for the fact that she was only going to kill if it was in self-defense or defense of the other women. I would've probably done away with more of them than she did. Someone I love taught me that the ends justify the means."

"What ends? What could you possibly have intended to get out of this?"

"Your life! I was trying to keep you alive!" she finally snapped, standing and walking toward the kitchenette. She took a long drink of water to cool her dry throat. Negan stood, leaning back slightly and studying her from under heavily lidded eyes. Finally, he clicked his tongue at her, let out a low whistle of disbelief, and marched back out the door without another word.

Verity leaned down against the cupboard with her head in her hands.

His anger was bad, but his distrust was a smothering weight to bear. She hoped and prayed that in the long run, it was worth it.

Etta gratefully accepted the food Daryl offered her - she was almost gaunt from her time making do on her own. Not as much due to incompetence at surviving as to just not trying hard. She had other things on her mind and had simply forgotten to eat frequently. Now, sitting here in his kitchen with Daryl watching her eat, her appetite was raging.

He had a slight smile playing on his lips as he watched her eat fresh vegetables from the garden raw, biting into ripe tomatoes as you might an apple, taking no time for a fork or knife. Green beans eaten like French fries, and applesauce slurped from the jar.

"Better?" he asked when she paused finally, to breathe. Etta covered her mouth with the back of her hand and released an impressive belch from eating too much too quickly. Daryl shook his head slightly but laughed. She was the rawest, purest woman he had ever known. It made him wonder how he had convinced himself her motives had been to hurt him from the first.

He still hated the thought that she had the sort of history with Negan that she did; but if what she had told him was true, she might well have died before he met her if Negan had not been there to help when those fanatics had attacked. Or in the months afterward when there were only four able-bodied women to care for the children and the injured, needing to secure their home once again.

The bastard had taken the lives of good people, but despite Daryl's desire to believe Negan was pure evil - there was evidence sitting in front of him that the monster had done some good as well.

As much as he wanted to think there was such a thing as good and evil, a simple black-and-white version of it - he knew that was not the way the world worked, and at this moment - a moment he hadn't allowed himself to hope for - he found it difficult to maintain his hatred. He was sitting here with the rarest of people - someone he loved and whom he had been certain was lost to him.

He had a second chance.

"Any way I could stretch your hospitality a bit further?" Etta asked once she had finished every scrap of food he had set out for her. She stood and stretched languidly, "I do need a shower!"

Daryl nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, go ahead," he told her. He wanted to say she could have the shower itself, and the house it was in. He respected the fact that she could take care of herself - but he wanted to give her anything in his power. Fuck it, he finally admitted to himself; he was in love with her.

"You wanna wash my back for me?" she called out after disappearing down the hall, and the rush of excitement that flooded him was all-consuming. He'd never wanted anything more.

[luctheletterweaver]

Fight or Flight Symphonia Side - Second Fragment

This second fragment was a slightly modified version of Kat's original writing.

Important note: EN isn't my original language. This is mostly unedited before being published by Kat.

This one appears in Ch 14, when Genis is arrested by the Papal Knights.

Word count: 600

Genis is a half-elf

There went their chance to save Colette. Lloyd’s attempt to repair a Key Crest they found at Sybak’s plaza didn’t work. Their only alternative was going back to Sylvarant, but how? Furthermore, with Zelos there, the Church would find out immediately about their plan.

However, their first encounter and short time with the Chosen of Tethe’alla was enough for Genis to learn a few things, like his selfless kindness to young girls. No matter how much Colette and Presea didn’t react to his quips or flirtations, Zelos always kept an eye out for them. The guy had a good thing or two among all his awful qualities.

Using that, Genis and Lloyd convinced Zelos of keeping quiet and even helping them find information from the academy researchers. His status would be useful for this. What they weren’t counting on was someone else monitoring them besides Zelos.

Papal Knights bursted from the halls and surrounded them. The leader ordered them restrained, except Colette for obvious reasons. While they did that, Genis heard Zelos and the Papal Knight arguing. From what he could gather, the Church of Tethe’alla wasn’t fully united and it was clear the Pope wanted Zelos out of the way. Power hungry human, just like the rest of them. Then the leader told the other knights to get samples. Samples of what?

“Criminals undergo biological tests before they are arrested,” Zelos explained, his voice full of disgust at being manhandled. “It’s because of the caste system here.”

Genis’ heartbeat accelerated. It couldn’t be…

“Some half-elves don’t look any different from humans.”

No, no, no… Genis tried to slip out of the restraint, but the grip of the Papal Knight was too strong for him. He felt the device come close to his skin, Genis deduced it was to get a person’s mana reading. There was nowhere to hide.

"S-sir! We found a match."

Genis lowered his chin in shame. Of course they did. Searching for the mix of human and elven blood would yield a positive match in his veins.

"Genis?" Lloyd asked. His eyes carried concern and worry.

What should he say? Yeah, Lloyd! We've been half-elves all along, didn't we tell you? That would go over well. All he could do was apologize with his eyes.

"This pathetic half-elf has engaged in shameless caste deception. It is punished by death. Take him away."

One of the guards clapped shackles on Genis' wrists. Without struggle, he followed.

"Wait! You can't just—"

“Lloyd,” Zelos stopped him.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd," Genis said before the guards led him out into the street. There's no more hiding it, and this time, he'd pay for his deception with his life.

Now knowing this, however, Genis grew even more worried about Raine. There hadn't been any sign of her anywhere, not that they've been able to search far, but if these humans in Tethe'alla had a way to determine who was half-elf and who was not, it certainly wouldn't be long before they realized what she was, too. Had they already, perhaps, found her? And worse… executed her?

Disconcerting even more, he was all alone now. Not even Raine or Lloyd were with him, and each step felt numbered. The first time they'd crossed the bridge together felt like forever, but this time, it couldn't extend far enough. He knew, at the end of it was Meltokio and the last place he would ever see. His last sight would be humans praising Martel for his death.

Raine… he cried silently as he walked, a Papal knight at either side. What do I do?

[izukuisbaby]

⊹˚.⋆ YOUR BOYFRIEND - KATSUKI BAKUGO

୭ flora's notes : this is dedicated to arya babe @discogojo , see bakugo showed up😎 and I think that's the gif you have on your laptop so yeah have fun simping love♡

m.list | comment and reblog if u enjoyed !

℘. you and bakubabe were childhood besties

℘. so he was used to having you around and was literally OVERPROTECTIVE

℘. first it was in a brotherly way but in high school he started becoming less disgusted by you

℘. yeah because he denied any kind of physical contact towards you

℘. he thought you were ew but that's how he showed affection okay

℘. he refuses to admit to himself that he has a heart so at first he was oblivious to his feelings towards you

℘. but during one of his overthinking-before-bed sessions he was like

℘. "fuck"

℘. BAKUBUBBLE IS IN LOOOOOVE

℘. but shhh that's his secret

℘. he hates showing feelings to your classmates so he tried to be discreet

℘. but he couldn't help but stare from time to time

℘. and smile a little at the way your hair flows with the wind coming from the slightly open window

℘. this bitch loves to pretend he is an emotionless rock

℘. needless to say you had to make the first move otherwise bakurat would never ask you out

℘. you texted him saying you'd like to meet outside and that you had something to tell him

℘. he left you on seen because well he's an ass but he came anyway

℘. you confessed and he was like 😐 the whole time

℘. then his face features softened and he put his hand on your cheek

℘. AND HE KISSED YOU

℘. bakubitch was too embarrassed to tell anyone because of his rEpUtAtIoN

℘. he thought they'd know eventually

℘. which they did literally the next morning

℘. you spilled the tea to Mina and she spoke a little too loud

℘. EVERYONE HEARD

℘. but everyone ships yall

℘. they think you make bakubro a better, calmer person

℘. which warms your heart everytime because you love him so much and want to be a positive influence on him

℘. BUT as said before, he is afraid to show his feelings, even if it's just you, in the beginning of your relationship

℘. so if you want attention you better beg for it OR be very patient

℘. as he gets more and more confortable he'll start asking... in his own way

℘. "Come here dumbass I want to crush you"

℘. which could be translated as "Come cuddle my love I enjoy having you wrapped in my arms<3"

℘. overall bakubabi isn't good with words BUT you can read in his eyes like an open book

℘. and when he stares at you it's such a love-filled gaze that your heart meets every single time

℘. he buys you gifts sometimes too

℘. but he gets shy, he's afraid you might not like it

℘. so he just throws the gift at you and wait for your reaction

℘. and once he's sure it's positive he'll turn around and smile at you

℘. seeing your happy face brings him so much joy

℘. yeah he loves you a lot

© izukuisbaby. comments appreciated ! although do not modify, translate, copy, claim as your own or repost on any app/platform/social media (this applies to all of my content)💓