#blaming ally for making me draw this

[sabh0]

Posting those quick badly cropped sketches here too bc i actually like how silly they look like

[lastoneout]

*grabbing young queer people by the shoulders* listen to me. radical feminism is inherently transphobic. you cannot rehabilitate it or reclaim it or make it trans inclusive, I don't care what the people on twitter who claim to be authorities on queerness say. the foundation of radical feminism is nothing but bio and gender essentialism and biphobia and aphobia and anti-kink rhetoric and intersexism and yes, misogyny. it does not offer a future, not for bi people, aroace people, sex workers, not for kinksters, or intersex people, cis women, or trans people regardless of gender and you should care about those people. it will never result in queer liberation because it is an ideology of exclusion and hatred. you gain nothing by buying into the idea that half the population is evil by birth or by transition. you gain nothing by acting like women are perpetual victims who can't think for themselves and are tainted by their association with men. being a man or being attracted to them is not a sin. if we truly want to stand a chance of dismantling the patriarchy we actually NEED men on our side especially marginalized men. they are our allies.

the problem with terfs is not just transphobia, it never was, the radical feminism is also so unbelievably harmful. you cannot save it and it will not save you, stop drawing lines between queer people and join hands with them instead. remove people who are actually harmful, not innocent people who happen to have the wrong sexuality or gender or job. we get there together or we don't get there at all. we need each other now more than ever. do not listen to those who seek to divide us even if they are queer. we all deserve so much better than the hell radical feminism pretends is a liberated future.

I do not blame anyone who fell prey to this rhetoric, I know it feels good to have a common enemy and lash out at those you think are siding with them however they do it, but men, especially marginalized men, are not your enemies. and it's never too late to realize that and change for the better.

[mcuamerica]

The Shadowsinger: Twenty-One

Warnings: 18+. Minors DNI. Canon-level violence (blood, gore, fighting, killing, death), mentions of SA, ACOTAR series spoilers. If I forgot anything, please let me know!

Pairing: Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary: You continue to compete in the Blood Rite.

Disclaimer: I do not own SJM’s characters or plot lines, only the ones I create for the purpose of this story. This is a work of fiction. I do not give permission to repost my work on any other platform or medium. Please be respectful.

My graphics are my own. If you wish to use them, please give credit!

Series Masterlist

Sixteen - Seventeen - Eighteen - Nineteen - Twenty

“What are you doing here?” You asked him. “You should’ve completed the Rite years ago…”

“I just qualified for it this winter… (Y/N), we all thought you were dead.” He said and stepped closer to you, making you take a step back. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just saved your life.” He said. 

“I was doing just fine by myself.” You replied, grabbing your spear from the ground. “I don’t need help.” 

“I’m not here to help you. I just think it might be easier to have an ally out here than not.” He said. 

“And you don’t have a little band of brothers here?” You asked. 

“All my friends have completed the Rite already.” He said and let out a breath. “We should keep moving.” He said. 

You looked at him and held back a scowl as you started to walk. “Took you a while to qualify for this, hmm?” You asked and looked at him. 

“I have a mate,” he said. “And I’ve been focused on caring for her since her father clipped her wings when she was young.” 

You glanced at him. If he thought he was going to get any sympathy from you... “I don’t speak to our father anymore, either.” He said. “When our brothers didn’t find you, he got more brutal… and I decided I had enough.” 

“Good for you,” you ground out. “I’m glad you had the choice of leaving and being able to live a normal life.” You said. 

“How did you end up here?” He asked. 

“I’m not telling you anything about myself.” You said. “And if you don’t be quiet you’re going to draw attention to us and get us both killed.” You said and continued walking. 

“I just want to make Oristian.” He said, keeping pace with you. He was 10 when you left Valorworth. Had he always been this annoying? 

“I just want to survive.” You muttered and looked forward, taking a deep breath. “Just stay quiet and stay out of my way. You hunt your own food and water.” You said. “And if I catch even a whiff that you’re going to turn on me, you won’t make it to the mountain.” You said. 

“You’re taking the north way? It’s harder.” He said. 

You closed your eyes. “I know.” You said through gritted teeth. 

“If we-“

“There is no we,” you said and spun on him. That rage that was buried deep down was bubbling to the surface now. “It’s just you. And me. We are not friends. We are not family. If you insist on sticking by me, keep your mouth shut and don’t get me killed.” You said. 

He faltered his steps, frowning at your words. “Okay.” He said. 

You turned back around and continued to walk, saying those three words again in your mind to calm yourself back down.

Survive. Mountain. Mate. 

Being pissed wouldn’t get you anywhere but buried in the ground. 

Day 4-5

The fourth day went by quickly. You and Varyn ran into two separate groups that you took out easily. Varyn seemed to know one of them, but didn’t seem too upset when you killed them. You ripped your cloak more and found some flowers to clean your arm wound with water. It was wrapped as tight as possible to keep the elements out. It had stopped bleeding once water hit it. 

Varyn still wouldn’t shut up. When you were alone he would tell you about the war camp, about his mate, Wessian, and about your elder brothers. As if you wanted to know anything about his life. The life that you fled from because of your father. You didn’t blame Varyn for it, he was 10 and could barely fly properly. But that didn’t change the fact that your father raised him. Even if Varyn left the second he could. 

You were half a day's walk from Ramiel when you got into bigger trouble.

That group of 5 males was back again. You knew you would regret leaving them alive. They surrounded you again. This time, you had even less sleep, less food, and less strength than you did before. But you had Varyn. From the previous day and a half, you knew he could fight.

It didn’t go very well for you. But it went worse for them. The main brunette had left a nasty gash in your right calf. Your lip was busted open and your left eye almost swollen shut from where one of his friends hit your head with a bludgeon. And you were pretty sure another one of them twisted your left wrist even worse than it was before. Varyn was in slightly better shape, his legs were fine but you could tell his ribs were definitely not okay. 

You found a stream, filled your canteen and cleaned your wounds. You just hoped that the water was clean enough not to cause infection. 

This time you were glad that you killed them. 

Day 6

You made it to Ramiel. Your leg was killing you, but you made it to the mountain. Your second priority was finished. You would be titled Oristian with Varyn. But once he saw it, he wanted to keep going. You knew you couldn’t make the climb, but being alone with your leg’s condition worsening wouldn’t be a good choice either. So you chose to follow him. 

You told him about your new family. About Cassian, Mor, Amren, Feyre, Rhys… and Azriel. You left out the part of him being your mate. If you focused on it too long, you could swear you could feel the tug. Buried deep deep down from the spells that suppress magic. You knew he could feel it too, if it even snapped for him when it did for you. 

You told him that you were a Shadowsinger and a spy for Amarantha, and Rhys took you to his home after you found Sirona, Igna, and Oran dead. You told him how you found a place in the Night Court. And it was your home. 

You just had to last one more day, two more nights, and you could go back to your home. To your mate. 

You found a cave on the mountain, probably half way up, trusting Varyn enough at this stage to actually sleep. It was a mistake. 

Day 7

It was the last day. If you survived till dawn, you would be back home. With Azriel. But when you awoke in the morning, there was something sharp poking the side of your neck. 

“We can’t let a female win, can we?” You heard someone say. It was familiar, but you couldn’t place the voice. You opened your eyes, going to struggle but you found yourself restrained. A terrible feeling washed over you as you saw your brother laying on the ground, gasping as he held his stomach. He was bleeding out. A lot. He wouldn’t make it till dawn. He wouldn’t even make it till noon. Not unless you could bind it. And you were pretty sure your leg was infected by the way it felt when the Illyrian restraining you pulled you to your feet. Your head spun, and you figured you had a fever as well from the flush you felt on your cheeks and the chill that ran through your body despite the lack of wind. 

“Maybe we’ll clip your wings. Tear them right off of you. And then fuck you until your dead. Or close to it.” You recognized the male. It was Nearsen. He was the one who you fought the day before the qualifying course. “And then, we’ll show your wings to that pretty boy and the Lord Commander. See how they force females upon us then.” He said. 

You couldn’t even struggle against the grip of the male holding you. Did they drug you with something? Your head felt a lot heavier than it should for a fever. “You won’t touch me.” You managed to get out, wincing when Nearsen grabbed your top and pulled it towards him, causing it to rip in the process. Luckily, you still had your second layer beneath so he couldn’t see anything. That was when he took a rock and tore threw the rest of your top, exposing the top half of your body. 

“Might want to mind your tongue, princess. It won’t make it easier for you if you fight.” He said. 

You glanced over to your brother as he slowly bled to death. The only thing in his eyes was horror. Something new snapped inside of you. You couldn’t let another one of your family members die. Not if you were alive and conscious. Even if you denounced the Vash name long ago. You wouldn’t let him die. Not like this. And you sure as hell wouldn't let another male harm you without fighting.

You took a deep breath, groaning when Nearsen pushed in on the festering wound on your leg. You took your chance while his head was down, kneeing him in the groin. You quickly moved your neck before they could jab the small wooden stake in it. You hit a pressure point below their arm, seeing the stake drop. You caught it, immediately bringing it up to stab the male behind you in the neck. You recognized him too. But you didn’t dare think too much about it as you stood up straight, ignoring the pain in your leg. You held the small wooden stake, now dripping with blood.

Nearsen and two other males closed in on you. Both were injured, and one could barely walk straight from the broken leg he had. You went for him next, dodging Nearsen and knocking the injured one out. You did the same to the other male, easily finding that pressure point. Whatever weakness that you woke up to was gone. Anger and determination pulsed through your veins. 

Nearsen sneered, going to lunge at you but you simply hit his pressure point, watching as he fell down. You should kill them while they were down. You learned the cost once before. But you were concerned about your brother. You threw your cloak off, running over to him.

“How bad is it?” You asked as you poured the little water you had left on the wound before tying off his injury as tight as you could. 

“I’m not bleeding from my mouth yet.” He coughed and you shook your head. 

He told you what happened as you helped him up, both of you limping out of the cave into the late morning. How they jumped him and stabbed him before he even saw what was coming. They covered his mouth so he couldn’t warn you too. 

You glanced back, cursing yourself for not killing the three males laying in the cave. But you were closer to the top than you thought, still about halfway up the mountain. You were on the easier route of the mountain as well, not the hardest part. You could make it by dawn if you didn’t stop. And if you were correct, the monolith on top of Ramiel would heal your wounds. 

So you helped Varyn up, closer and closer to the peak. You had to let go of him, climbing the rocks instead of walking at certain points. Night had fallen, and you could barely see. But as soon as dawn hit, you would be free. You could see the moon setting, getting closer to the peak as it did. 

You were doing well until you heard the three males chasing you. You slipped, your hand scraping against the rock. “Go faster.” You yelled to Varyn, who was ahead of you. You bit down on your tongue as you climbed, each wound you had yelled at you to stop. But you had to get up there. You made it to a pass where you didn’t have to climb. Varyn helped you up the best he could and then you both sprinting up the mountain. The moon was almost set. Dawn was nearing. The sun just about to peak over the horizon. You could see the top of Ramiel. You let Varyn climb before you, starting after him. 

He waited for you at the top. He wouldn’t touch it without you. You gritted your teeth, pulling yourself up. Your leg was basically dead weight. If you made it back alive, you weren’t sure your leg would survive. 

You almost made it to the top. Almost touched that stone as you felt a spear lodge in the top of your left wing. So close to the tendon you could’ve sworn it tore right through it. You let go of the rock you were holding on to, feeling your body give way to your injuries. Your wings fought against the bindings as they tried to free themselves. Tried to keep you from falling. But you were. Tumbling down the mountain. More and more wounds littering your body. Until you landed on the pass where you sprinted. Your arm broke. Every breath hurt. You faintly heard Varyn yell. Your wings twitched at the broken bones, the wooden spear that was lodged in it had pierced all the way through. You were sure the tendon snapped. And just as you saw the sun peek out from the ground, you succumbed to the darkness.

A/N: My note from what I was writing this reads: "heheehehhe cliff hangeerrr (almost literally)…." Stay tuned for Monday!

Comments/Request Here

Series Masterlist

Join the taglist here

Tagging (thank you to everyone who is keeping up with this story! Let me know your thoughts so far!)

@cherry-cin @cleverzonkwombatsludge @nickishadow139 @mybestfriendmademe @atomolvnar @complete-randomness-blog @lilah-asteria @tele86 @mariahoedt @6v6babycheese @secretsthathauntus @krowiathemythologynerd @fightmedraco @he6rtshaker @kayla-rose15 @aelincaddel

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@herondale-lightworm

[frostedfaves]

I Know Best

Masterlist

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Summary: You decide to misbehave at the same time Wanda's home is threatened and she's pissed about it. (rewrite of WandaVision, episode 5)

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, mean mommy Wanda (but soft later), dom/sub dynamics, smut: punishment by overstimulation (and crying as a result), wanda uses her powers for evil 🤭, fingering

A/N: so not following the decades thing entirely because Wanda looks the same as she did in present day but she does change into her Scarlet Witch fit when she feels threatened 👀 anyway enjoy!

-

It wasn’t often that you went against Wanda’s rules.

You very well knew the consequences of doing so, and truthfully you’d gotten so used to her loving guidance and control of things that you wouldn’t dare go back. That control extended to how and when you touched yourself, which happened to be the very rule you’re breaking now.

You were watching a movie on Netflix that wasn’t in English, but you weren’t paying much attention to the subtitles anyway when the two women appeared on screen, hands all over each other. It reminded you of many passion filled nights with your love, and it was that reminder that caused your mind (and hands) to wander.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

The voice comes from behind the couch where you currently have your fingers tucked in your underwear beneath a blanket. Without giving you a chance to answer, the blanket is lifted and your hand is ripped away from your body entirely with your wrist in Wanda’s unrelenting grip.

“I left you alone for an hour. If you need something, you ask me,” she practically growls in your ear, chuckling when she notices you’re shaking. “Oh darling, don’t get scared now. You know better and I know best.”

Before she can say anything else, you both hear what sounds like a plane coming in from outside, which instantly makes her stand up fully and rush to the door. She warns you to stay inside and magically locks the door behind herself as she exits. You rush to the peephole just in time to catch her taking down a drone, grabbing it from the ground and flying off toward the edge of town.

“Is this yours?” Wanda challenged as she tossed the drone toward Hayward, nearly taking him down in the process.

“The missile was just a precaution. You can hardly blame us, Wanda.”

“Oh I think I can,” she replies, a crimson color building in the center of her eyes. “This will be your only warning. Stay out of my home. You don’t bother me, and I don’t bother you.”

“I wish it could be that simple. You’ve taken an entire town hostage.”

Wanda decides to humor the agents by going back and forth with them despite being pissed beyond belief that she was interrupted, even allowing Monica to talk about being an ally before turning them all against each other and making her escape. Despite making her way back into town, her protective attire doesn’t change back to the comfy cleaning clothes she left in. It sticks to her like the anger from any kind of intrusion to her new home and your sudden disobedience all in the same minute.

“Wanda, what was that?” you immediately question when she opens the door, standing up and immediately feeling the urge to sit down again when you make eye contact. “Mommy?”

Wanda doesn’t answer you as she approaches but instead starts ripping your clothing from your body, waiting until you’re fully exposed to push you back down onto the couch. She forces your legs open as wide as they can go, not even smiling this time when she notices your shaking underneath her.

“You want to cum so bad that you couldn’t wait to ask? Fine. Let’s make you cum, slut.”

She delivers a loud slap to your exposed pussy that draws an embarrassed whimper from you, even more so when you realize just how turned on this encounter has made you despite everything. You know she’s well aware of this when she suddenly plunges two fingers inside of you quite easily, but you don’t expect the red mist surrounding her hand and the strong vibration that follows.

“What’s the matter?” Wanda questions with false sympathy as she watches you toss your head back against the couch. “Can’t take Mommy’s fingers suddenly?”

“I can t-take it,” you mumble between gasps and moans.

“Say that again?” 

“I said–ah!” 

You cry out again as she firmly places her free hand over your clit, more red mist and vibration now surrounding the entire area. You’re bucking your hips and clenching muscles, having barely enough time to even ask to cum this time before you reach your peak. You expect her to stop then, but she keeps everything going without letting up even as you try to squirm away from her.

“No, don’t fucking fight it now. You wanted this.”

She uses her elbows to force your legs back open as they threaten to box her in, and it seems that she only strengthens the vibration each time your body jerks away until you finally give up and take it all.

“Mommy please,” you beg however many orgasms later, coughing hard suddenly while tears continuously stream from the corner of your eyes and down past your ears.

“Had enough?” Wanda questions unnecessarily while subtly lowering the strength of the vibration, taking a bit of pity on you despite the way she enjoys your clenching walls around her fingers.

“Mm.”

“Use your words!” she threatens while bringing the vibration up and you let out a surprised squeak.

“Yes, Mommy! I’ve had enough!”

“Good girl.” 

The vibration declines steadily as the red mist fades, but the aftershocks are very much present even as Wanda calmly pulls out of you. Her fingers slide into your mouth and you clean them with as little effort as possible, not even flinching when she pulls you further onto the damp spot underneath you on the couch.

“What will you do next time you want to touch?”

“Ask Mommy,” you reply drowsily, feeling pleased when she places a hand on either side of your jaw and kisses your forehead. “Thank you, Mommy.”

“You’re welcome, angel. Come on, you know what we have to do.”

Wanda rises to her feet first and attempts to bring you up with her, although it takes much more effort than either of you expected. Soft laughter is passed between you until you finally complete the task, and she leads you over to the downstairs bathroom before carefully lowering you onto the toilet. When you open your eyes again, she’s in front of you with a cup of water, gently coaxing you to drink.

Once you’re cleaned up, tucked into bed with your favorite sleep show playing quietly and passed out, Wanda makes her way back to the living room. She cleans up the couch and straightens a few more things before locking up her home and heading over to her closest neighbor.

“Hello again, Agnes,” Wanda greets her glassy-eyed companion with a knowing smile. “I’m going to need your help with something.”

[hannahbarberra162]

hOrnithology for Beginners, Epilogue

on Ao3

All the other chapters

Marco come pick me up I have science to do.

I hope you enjoyed the ending! I almost included some smut but it didn't feel right with the pacing of the story.

~~~

Nine More Months Later

Marco POV

Marco watched you survey the deck of the Moby Dick, trying to determine if you were suitably impressed. You were hard to read but the tiny lift in your eyebrows signaled to him your approval. His Phoenix had been driving him absolutely crazy over the past week, wanting to prepare his room and get the ship to pristine condition to ensure you liked it. He’d felt compelled to primp and preen in front of the mirror, the Phoenix wanted to look its best for the returning Ornithologist. Despite trying to keep himself even keel, Marco had snapped at his siblings all week. They taunted him relentlessly, which he deserved. But the Phoenix was riding him hard, wanting everything to be perfect for it’s mate…er, date.

You were coming on board with Etta and they were bringing you across the Grand Line to an uninhabited island. Since their time on your island, Etta had become interested in etymology, specifically related to beetles. She’d maintained a correspondence with Ace, and had let him know the two of you wouldn’t be at your island for a while. Ace told Marco, and the two of them asked Pops if they could ferry the two of you where you needed to go. Pops had agreed easily with a twinkle in his eye. You had a great reputation with the crew already and Marco knew there was a betting pool on whether you’d shoot him again, with most betting that you did. 

Marco was hoping for the best, but realistically he didn’t know if anything physical would happen between the two of you. After he’d taken you flying, you’d looked up at him with a wistful gaze and angled your face towards his own. But at the last moment you’d frowned and thrust your hand between the two of you for a handshake. He’d taken it with grace but the Phoenix was sad. He’d tried to calm the bird within him, but it had its heart set on you. The conference had further endeared you to the Phoenix, it felt that you’d found an audience to adore it.  

After the conference, Marco had given you a snail in case the World Government or Marines gave you trouble due to your paper about him. That way you’d be able to call him for help if you were targeted as an  ally to the Whitebeard Pirates. They hadn’t, but you’d called him a few times to ask follow up questions about specific facets of the Phoenix you were curious about. That had turned into periodic calls and frequent letters between the two of you. You wrote mostly about birds you’d seen and sent some drawings as well. You started including little bits of personal information as well as the months went on. His brothers always knew when he got a new letter - he was snappish and almost hostile until he read the newest piece of news you’d sent him. He saved all your letters in his office, hidden at the bottom of his desk drawer. Marco knew it was silly, but he didn’t want anyone else to see the letters or drawings you’d sent. He could probably recite them all by heart from how many times he’d read them.

So when he finally saw you aboard the ship, he’d had to stop himself from bursting into a deluge of flames. The man knew he had to keep his cool, things weren’t as easy as the Phoenix thought they were. You took stock of the ship, putting your things down for a few moments. Marco noted your blow gun was still strapped to your thigh, he didn’t blame you. Etta had run ahead to Ace, the Logia user swinging her in a circle with loud kisses. He set her down and was whispering into her ear, making her giggle. They scurried off, presumably to Ace’s cabin, as soon as politely possible. You rolled your eyes at the pair, crossing your arms over your chest. Alright, show time.

Your POV

Being on the Moby Dick was more fun than you’d like to admit. The ship was huge, you’d never been on anything remotely as big before. You walked up to Whitebeard, introduced yourself and thanked him for taking you to your research outpost. 

“My pleasure, child,” said the World’s Strongest Man. “Was it you who poisoned my son?” 

“Depends which one,” you replied, shrugging. “I only poisoned Marco, Ace poisoned himself.” You weren’t cowed by his presence or ashamed of your actions, and you saw no reason to pretend to be. 

“GURAHAHAHAHA, a woman with spirit, I can see why my son likes you. Enjoy your time aboard the ship child.”

“Thank you, sir.” You blushed and moseyed off, knowing you’d been dismissed. You took out your binoculars, sea birds were something you had interest in but rarely got to see. You were hoping to see a New World Albatross to check it off your list. You’d become somewhat of a celebrity in the birding world, if such a thing existed. Your paper on the Phoenix, which had included 10 pages of diagrams and figures, was an overnight success in the scientific community. The information had made its way to the World Government, but they weren’t very interested in your calculations of the density of Marco’s bones. You knew there were some grumblings that you had slept with Marco to get the information, but you didn’t care. Let people think what they wanted, even if it wasn’t true. You were on your way with Etta to an island that had beetles only found on the small, sandy location. Since there were unique beetles, there were also unique birds, and you were hoping for an extended study on new colonies that had developed there. 

It wasn’t an easy choice to be friends with Etta again. After the pirates had left you didn’t talk to her for almost a month. You were so upset by her betrayal, you promised yourself you wouldn’t ever speak to her again. She tried to come by a few times but you didn’t open the door to her. Eventually, you did decide to reach out, just because you wanted some closure. It was an emotional conversation between the two of you, with both of you crying by the end of it. You listened to her and understood why she did what she did, but the reasons didn’t make it hurt less. The conversation ended on okay terms, but you weren’t sure the friendship would be rekindled. 

Etta had ended up becoming very interested in beetles after meeting Ace. She spent months learning and researching and had pursued higher studies. She sought you out every so often for clarification and it had slowly brought you back together. It took a lot of work between the two of you to get to where you could spend time together. Things weren’t the same as they were before, but they were mending and you had enough respect for her scientific enthusiasm to spend time on an island together. With the time you’d be spending as scientists together, you were feeling hopeful that the two of you might be friends again.

Your research was how the two of you ended up on the Moby Dick. You’d wanted to pay for passage on a merchant vessel to your scientific venture, but Etta had asked Ace in one of her letters. Ace said they were heading the same way, it wouldn’t be out of their way to pick you up and drop you off. If you were going to be traveling with pirates, you might as well travel with the strongest of them all. You’d have no trouble with shifty merchants or other pirates along the way, that was for sure. So you’d accepted and found yourself on Whitebeard’s ship, once again with Marco The Phoenix.

“So, how has business been going yoi?” Marco asked. Even after your article had been published, you continued to write letters back and forth with Marco. At first it was purely business, sending him the article and thanking him for coming to your lecture. But it had turned into a friendship of sorts, like pen pals. Ok, it was more than friendship. As the months went on and you exchanged more letters, you became more attached to the bird. Your day brightened immensely when you got one of his letters and you read them over and over again. You’d shared personal details and drawings with Marco in your correspondence as he shared more of himself. You’d told him how you hadn’t gone back to the restaurant, instead starting your own business of drawing caricatures of tourists. You made quite a bit of money, more than you’d ever made waitressing. Your pictures were often insulting but people loved them and bought them as souvenirs. You were known for making portraits of people looking like birds - either ones they selected or ones you thought they looked like.

“Really well, actually. I was finally able to buy a better dehydrator, which I’ve been wanting for a long time.” You still loved pineapple and had dehydrated crates worth for your trip into the wilderness. You hoped Marco didn’t dig into it before you got to your destination.

“Good, good.” Marco seemed to be having some hesitation, like he was holding himself back. You didn’t remember Marco being awkward, he had always been smooth before. Well, whatever. There were literally a thousand other people on board to entertain yourself with, even if they were pirates. Maybe you’d find that really good looking guy from the first time you’d met.

“Where can I drop my stuff?” you said, tapping your pack with your toe.

“Oh, you can put it in my room for now,” Marco replied, picking it up for you. 

“A little presumptuous, don’t you think?” You weren’t exactly sure what you and Marco would be up to tonight, but you didn’t want to assume anything. A tiny part of you hoped something did, but you also liked giving Marco shit. You’d be on the ship for a few weeks, the island wasn’t close to where you were located. There would be plenty of time for things to develop between you and Marco, if they did at all.

“How rude! Dart him again!” cheered a man you recognized from the restaurant. He still had that pompadour, that was his normal look? You rolled your eyes.

“Eh, not right now. But if you want to see someone poisoned, you can try it out,” you replied. He paled and you laughed. Marco led you to the stairs, taking you down to put your things in his room. You peeked in while he set them down on an overstuffed chair. You weren’t sure what you were expecting, but it was neat and orderly, with a few mementos from his travels. His desk was a little less organized, with papers scattered all over the surface. And in the back corner, a framed picture you remembered vividly. Busting in, you grabbed it off his desk.

“I can’t believe you kept this!” you said, looking over the drawing. It was the sketch you’d made of him as a bird - before you’d known he was the Phoenix. The figure you’d drawn was much smaller and cuter than his actual bird form, but you stood by it still. Marco plucked it from you, almost like he was embarrassed. 

“I like it yoi,” was all he said, putting it back on his desk. He adjusted it so it sat just so on his desk, like things had to be in a certain order. “Let’s go back on deck, I’m sure the party will be getting started soon.”

“Party?”

~

And indeed, there was a party in your honor. Well, you couldn’t be sure it was in your honor, it seemed like these pirates needed little reason to party. Still, it was the largest party you’d ever been invited to. You hung around Marco, and later Etta and Ace once they resurfaced from whatever they were doing. You were chit chatting with the crew members, surprising yourself for being so casual with pirates. They had been asking you about your business venture outside of your scientific curiosities.

“But why insulting drawings?” asked the World’s Prettiest Man Izou, still dressed in Wano inspired clothing. Now why couldn’t he have been the Phoenix? You would have forgiven him much sooner. 

“People pay more for insulting caricatures,” you said, shrugging. “People seem to like it when I rip on them, I don’t know why.” You’d brought sketching supplies naturally, but didn’t want to waste them on stupid drawings of pirates. “I can draw some for you guys if you have pencils.” 

~

“GURAHAHAHAHA, an excellent likeness!” You’d given the Captain a drawing of himself with a crescent beard that echoed the way his mustache looked. He was White beard, but you didn’t want to draw anything too insulting. It would be no fun if you were stomped to death before you’d even made it to your destination. You’d been drawing the pirates all evening, to their intense amusement. You’d drawn Haruta as a Tontatta, Namur as a mermaid, Kingdew as a bumblebee, and Fossa smiling, among others. They loved seeing the finished product and multiple beers had been ejected through noses after you’d shown the final results. 

“Draw more! Just one more!” cheered Thatch. He’d been especially taken with the drawings after you’d drawn one of him as a loaf of bread. 

“No, no. I’m done for now with you lot,” you said, handing the clipboard back to Thatch. The crowd booed you.

“Enough yoi. She said she’s done,” Marco said, in a tone that held no room for arguing. He was radiating little wisps of fire, like he was ready to defend your honor. The crowd was still booing but was dispersing. Marco had been hanging out near you all night, almost like he was nervous to leave you alone. He was good company though, and you enjoyed talking with him in person rather than over the mail. “Would you like me to show you to the guest room?” Marco asked. You were tired of being at the party, but not that tired. You didn’t like playing games, you just did what you thought felt right. Besides, you weren’t stupid, you knew the Moby Dick hadn’t been going in the direction of a random unnamed scientific outpost. 

You hummed in response. “I’m not tired just yet, I’d rather complete some research. There’s one component I’m still missing,” you said cryptically. 

Marco raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What component yoi?”

“The effects of endorphin release upon the Phoenix,” you deadpanned. You thought you heard the start of a bird song but Marco cleared his throat instead. He leaned against the railing of the deck on one forearm, bringing his face closer to yours.

Marco laughed lightly. “Oh? And will your findings be published?” Marco asked, leaning over and caging you against the railing with his body.

“No, this is more for personal education,” you replied with a smirk, tilting your head towards his.

“Well, we must satisfy your curiosity yoi. What kind of endorphin release did you have in mind? Meditation? Exercise? Eating spicy food?” 

“Something like that,” you replied. You grabbed the front of his open shirt and pulled his face to yours, kissing him deeply. Marco kissed you back, leaning you back against the railing of the deck. You distantly heard cheers from the crew, but couldn’t be bothered to care. Besides, you didn’t have enough darts to shoot them all. 

Marco POV

If the skinny dipping didn’t do it, and the poison didn’t do it, this would certainly be Marco’s end. Marco the man was fine with kissing on the deck in front of the crew, they all did it from time to time. The Phoenix, however, was ready for heads to roll. It didn’t want any potential rivals seeing your romance, it wanted your mate DATE safely within Marco’s room before anything happened. Marco had already been riding a thin line all night. He knew he had no business telling you what to do and who to interact with, but there was no calming the Phoenix. It wanted you all to itself, away from all his siblings. The whole night his hand was itching to throw you over his shoulder and take you below deck. He’d nearly done it when Thatch had made you laugh at some stupid joke, but had held himself back at the last moment. Now he wasn’t sure he could. The whoops coming from the deck had his eye twitching. 

“Would you like to continue this experiment elsewhere?” Marco whispered into your ear. You shivered at the feeling of his stubble on your cheek.

“In your nest?” you whispered back mischievously. Marco nipped your ear as a reply. This time, he did throw you over his shoulder, causing you to laugh. He stalked off towards the stairs, causing even more whooping from his brothers. Marco knew they’d tease him at a later time, but he wasn’t thinking about that. At that moment, all he cared about was hearing your laughter, feeling you in his arms, and knowing that he’d have a few weeks to spend with you on the Moby. And he could always come visit you at your outpost, one of the benefits of having wings. Phoenix and man were united, excited for the future with their favorite birdwatcher. 

[butterflydm]

cr3 102 (more thoughts)

adding a follower of asmodeus to the party at this time is just such a fascinating choice! was that entirely a sam choice or did matt make any suggestions about it, I wonder. Because it just seems a way to really crystalize to the party why the primes might have been willing to ally with the betrayers (and yet they also saw why it's maybe not a great idea in the long run, because of the betraying).

but it really pulls focus to asmodeus, and that definitely informed the vibe of delaunda fight for me, because while the party didn't see the downfall prologue, we did. we know that it was unbelievable pain and trauma that formed asmodeus into what he is (unbelievable amounts of pain and trauma shaping people has been a reoccurring theme of the campaign as a whole so far). Trauma is also what shaped ludinus! And it's what ludinus uses to draw people into his arguments (bor'dor was very much there because of trauma, iirc, and that's clearly a huge motivator for dorian as well).

seeing the prologue was a big part of what made it so understandable that the prime gods kept giving the betrayers second chances -- both sides of the argument, primes vs betrayers, believe that they're on the correct side of the argument, but they also both remember when they were on the same side together, when they were family. For the primes, that comes out as regret and guilt; for the betrayers, that comes out as resentment and a frustrated possessiveness over the primes.

ludinus's arguments were trash but effective on people who are emotionally vulnerable (like dorian) - honestly perfect for the type of cult leader that he's been positioned as, imo. His arguments are only effective when you are already in a headspace where you want to latch onto his same kind of reasoning -- "all of my trauma is the gods' fault and if we just got rid of the gods then mortals would all go skipping through the fields of paradise together". Arguing that everything beautiful in the world is due to mortals, etc.

So, mild storytime: I was raised religious, am currently atheist, and I absolutely went through a hard anti-theist stage for several years, where I basically put all the evils of the world on religion. And it took time for me to see that authoritarianism and other harmful ideologies can happen in atheist spaces too, because I personally had been damaged by the religion that I grew up in and I couldn't see past that until I had healed, at least to a certain extent. So I understand ludinus's headspace somewhat. It's nice to think that you can blame all the bad things in the world on one big thing, and that if you could just get rid of that one thing, everything would be better. But it's not true. Human nature will still be human nature.

And I feel like the majority of Bells Hells have shown that they understand that. Downfall did shift some of them in one direction or the other, but at the base, most of them do understand that getting rid of the gods doesn't actually fix anything in the long run.

What Ludinus also keeps doing (and what he gets his cult to do) is generalize -- it's not "these specific gods have done evil and I hate them"; he shifts it so that the blame lands on all gods. The Spider Queen killed Dorian's brother, but Dorian is willing to parse that as "the gods" killed his brother. We saw in downfall that the gods had a variety of opinions over Aeor and the original plan was that they just wanted to investigate and then destroy the weapon that could kill them (some of them believed that it would come to destroying the city but it was a matter of disagreement among the group).

The Everlight and the Dawnfather in particular were attempting to find ways to save the city as long as they possibly could. "The gods" are not a monolith of beings who all think and do the same things. They are individuals who (rather famously) disagree with each other sometimes.

It is also interesting to me that Ludinus accused the Exandrian gods of feeding on their followers when I can't actually think of any examples of this happening in the text? But what is hungry? What does want to feed? Predathos. Is Ludinus projecting his god's flaws onto the prime and betrayer gods?

I mean, as far as I can tell, the gods don't actually need followers to be powerful -- the Everlight got all the same bonuses as the rest of them in the end fight of downfall, despite the vast majority of her followers having been killed by Asmodeus in an earlier betrayal. The strength that followers give them appears to be more about them empowering their followers with their own strength to fight on their behalf. They feed their followers rather than the reverse. Or at least that's what appears to be happening.

And the gods were willing to empower mortals who didn't worship them back during cr1 in order to fend off vecna. Ioun didn't demand that Scanlan become a worshipper of hers, iirc. She gave him her blessing because she judged him worthy of it on his own merits, not because he was willing to praise and follow her.

[waspsarebetterthanbeesanyways]

Only the Dead 7

part 1

previous

next

Damian stiffens, eyeing Phantom warily. ‘Prince?’

Phantom gets a foot underneath himself and pushes himself upright, and then into the air. “Fright Knight,” he says.

“My prince,” says the ghost possessing Red Robin. “We feared you’d passed on! It’s been months without word, and even our best trackers were unable to locate you!”

Phantom wraps both arms around his chest. Fright Knight watches the movement closely, frowning at the green blood spreading through Phantom’s jumpsuit. “Mm,” hums Phantom. “The hunters got me.”

“They did to you as what they did to the subsapients they’d captured,” Fright Knight says. It’s not a question, and Phantom stays silent. “I see.” His hands tighten around the grip of his sword. “That is an act of war. King Pariah will doubtlessly order me to slay them all, and I must admit it is a relief to know they have brought it on themselves.”

“Do not,” Phantom hisses. “I am not in accord with Pariah Dark. The people of this city are innocent. I am more to blame than them.”

“No!” Fright Knight barks. “You are a child, not even old enough to assume the throne! No matter your responsibilities, you are not to blame for the actions of evildoers!”

“Yet how many child ghosts has Pariah Dark created today?” Phantom asks.

Fright Knight looks away. “My prince, I have no desire to fight you. But you know my duty. I am enthralled. I cannot disobey King Pariah’s orders.” Fright Knight looks to Jason, hogtied, squirming and helpless. “He is my quarry. Leave now, my prince. I will not tell King Pariah I saw you here today.”

Phantom steps between the bats and Fright Knight. His eyes glow a vivid blue, and a rapier of ice forms in his hand. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Then stop me!” Fright Knight lunges.

Phantom parries with a grunt. He glances at Damian from the corner of his eye. “Take Red Hood and go! I’ll hold him off!”

Though his hands are slick with blood and the pain makes tears prick in his eyes, Damian draws his blade. He didn’t become Robin to let an unknown fight his battles for him, and he didn’t become Robin to leave Drake, his brother, for dead. Next to him, Cass raises her fists, batarang in hand. Together, they leap into the fray.

Still sword locked with Phantom, Fright Knight ducks beneath Damian’s swipe. With his free hand, he reaches out to catch Black Bat’s fist, but she deftly twirls around him to land a strong punch to his shoulder, knocking him backwards. He is only barely able to dodge Phantom’s follow up stab.

Fright Knight rapidly slashes at Black Bat. “Don’t let his sword cut you!” Phantom cries. She ducks an overhead swing and nimbly jumps over a low feint.

Damian slinks behind Fright Knight and thrusts an elbow towards his spine. Fright Knight staggers forwards. Black Bat jabs at his throat, and though Tim’s body gasps and wheezes, the Fright Knight is undeterred. He twists inhumanly and strikes Damian in the cheek with a hard backhand.

Phantom leaps in with quick, graceful stabs. The Fright Knight parries them, seemingly without effot. Phantom switches to a wide slash, which the Fright Knight blocks with a forearm, but it was a feint, and Phantom backflips smoothly, coming up with the point of his blade aimed at Red Robin’s throat. Damian’s breath catches, for an instant convinced he is about to see his brother die, but the Fright Knight easily knocks his thrust aside.

“You’ve gotten rusty, my prince,” the Fright Knight says, lashing out with a kick to Phantom’s gut. Phantom goes flying, but he twists in midair to land on his feet.

“I’m a bit out of practice,” Phantom pants.

“Nonetheless, it seems you’ve surrounded yourself with capable allies,” the Fright Knight says. Cass leaps out of the shadows, throwing a batarang. The Fright Knight knocks it away with his sword, but it seems like he’s too slow to block her follow up punch. Before it connects, however, a second, heavily armored arm emerges from within Red Robin’s arm to grab her wrist. Cass’ eyes widen. “Unfortunately, they are no match for me.” He twists her wrist harshly, and Cass screams as it audibly snaps. The Fright Knight then throws her into the slide hard enough to make it collapse. She doesn’t get back up.

Enraged, Damian lunges at the Fright Knight. He easily blocks Damian’s strike with his sword, and then with a twist of his wrist he sends Damian’s blade flying out of his blood slicked hands. With his free hand, he grabs Damian by the throat, and hoists him into the air with strength greather than Red Robin’s body should be capable of. Damian grabs the Fright Knight’s wrist and kicks at Red Robin’s body, but the Fright Knight doesn’t even seem to feel it. Desperately, Damian tries and fails to inhale.

Fright Knight brings his blade up to Damian’s throat. “I apologize, but I must do this.”

“You don’t!” Phantom cries. “He isn’t your target!”

Fright Knight casts a long look at Phantom, then unceremoniously drops Damian. Damian gasps. “You are correct,” he says, turning towards where Jason lays. “It seems I’ve gotten carried away-- ah--“

At the Fright Knight’s stutter, Damian looks at Jason. Cass is there, and Jason is slung over the shoulder of her broken wrist. She pulls out her grapple with her uninjured hand. “Retreat,” she says, and grapples up to the nearest roof. She swiftly disappears into the shadows.

Fright Knight takes a step to follow, but Phantom intercepts him. “Go!” he shouts at Damian. “I’ll catch up!”

Damian grits his teeth. Retreating rankles like nothing else, but Damian is injured and tired, and even if he were at his best the Fright Knight would be a difficult opponent.

“Don’t kill Red Robin,” Damian tells Phantom.

“Of course! What do you take me for?!”

Damian retrieves his blade, turns, and runs.

_____

@coruscateselene @somecrappyclone @quirky-gardener @undead-essence @gin2212 @the-archer-goddess @learning-to-fly-on-my-own @krzys2000 @thegreawizards @luckykittens198 @violently-lovely @wackyattack @0j-9 @darkhinauniverse @just-for-dpxdc @jotaroslooseeyebrowhair @fisticuffsatapplebees @ saltyladynightmare @all-mights-asscheeks @icedbluesoul

[cloverskentwells]

ficlet: inspired by this scene from the show never have i ever

when the rule change is announced, shortly after the hunt for katniss draws a dead end and the two cannons in quick succession of each other combined with the fact that marvel never met up with them announce the very probable fact that he's dead, cato and clove are left facing one another, shocked into stillness by the news. their weapons lie discarded at their sides, gathering dirt and whatever else is lying under the arena's soil to add little dark specks among the blood. the resounding silence echoes around them in a stark contrast from claudius templesmith's booming voice that had swept the arena just seconds before.

clove recovers first - out of the two of them, she'd always considered herself the faster one - and shrinks back into a persona she's comfortable with, her default shell of biting sarcasm and scathing sharp wit wrapping around her comfortably like a blanket to a newborn. "so it looks like we're the only two left," she mutters slowly, more to herself than for cato's benefit. "and we're in the finals, apparently." cato grunts in confirmation.

"it's awesome that you made it this far," he says slowly, and she can visibly see him regaining his wits in real time, the transformation obvious in the unsubtle changes of his facial expressions - unlike her, he had no practice in carefully controlling and mastering what he allowed his face to reveal. clove observes his recovery and takes note of his surprise, which is followed by slow acceptance, and then followed by the dawning of a reality she'd accepted several seconds before him.

naturally, his irritating habit of finding every opportunity to provoke her returns with his recovered senses. it doesn't take long for him to become his typically insufferable self. gathering his weapons and approaching her with the cocky smirk she'd come to associate him with, cato continues his jab. "we'll see how it goes, clover." his large hand settles companionably on her shoulder in a friendly gesture clove decides not to punish. she also doesn't bother to protest at the term of endearment - better cato, anyways, who says it with some modicum of grudging respect and admiration, then marvel (an ally she did not at all "dearly miss") who liked to relentlessly tease her and imply that there was something going on between her and her district partner that existed under the surface of their mutual antagonism and vicious barbed-wire threats.

clove watches him walk away, probably back towards their campsite (because of course he just assumes she'll blindly follow along like he's still the leader of a pack that's mostly dead - or close to it, in peeta's case), incredulously. "what the fuck do you mean by - cato, i'm telling you 'how it'll go' right now!" in a rare moment of weakness that she isn't proud of, she hastily stumbles after him so they can walk side by side as she gets the last word. normally, clove prides herself in not putting that much effort to win a verbal battle against someone, always ready with a cutting remark, but this time he's gotten the better of her.

cato's amused chuckles only agitate her further. "it'll go bad for you! and good for me! because i'm the better tribute and we both know it, you blonde oaf!"

he comes to a stop beside her to laugh, almost hysterically. and clove can't blame him, she can only blame herself for her lame attempt to sass him.

but because she was never one for self awareness, she blames everything but her own behavior. so many factors were responsible. the stupid rule change that meant they were inextricably tied to one another, cato for making it difficult for her to contemplate a reality without his hubris and deep chuckles and strength complementing her own as they fought side by side. cato for being her only tie to home and weakening her so badly she'd begun to consider him a friend. a friend, of all things, when he was supposed to be just some competitive asshole with an ego she could easily check with a well aimed blade at a lethal area.

because he felt the need to worsen her current feeling of indignity, cato smiles down at her - fondly, with crinkling and affectionate eyes as if he has grown to enjoy her presence. like an insane person. "fine, but we can go home together now, you know."

"stop that. we're still enemies. it doesnt change anything, and you know it." she feels the need to regain distance, and fast. hide whatever is the reason for this weird sense of gratitude that claudius templesmith's announcement had drawn out of clove.

"yeah, no shit, i can't stand you," he agrees, although clove doubts his sincerity based on the impish smile he's not working too hard to cover. cato watches her glaring back at him with his arms crossed in an obvious attempt to flex, leaning casually against a tree like he's some unreasonably handsome capitol model endorsing a weird makeup product, as always too confident and assured in his sense of righteousness.

it's a fight she has no chance of winning. with a huff, clove opts to ignore him, resuming the trek to their campsite and keeping him at her back where she doesn't have to deal with visual evidence of his presence.

he laughs lightly behind her, obviously amused by her failure to one-up him. her lips twitch upwards responsively in an exasperated smile that she forcibly suppresses.

[thoughtssvt]

guys can we agree that gojo is at least the EPIC: the musical's depiction of odysseus?

even if it's just to make it hurt 🥹

satoru, a man who was raised to be a warrior at such a young age. someone who had to make hard decisions for everyone and when he made a small decision for himself it had major repercussions that caused a snowball of misery for the masses.

"i'm just a man whose trying to go home even after all the years away from what i've known. im just a man who's fighting for his life, deep down i would trade the world to save my son and wife"

(song: just a man)

"i see a song of past romance, i see the sacrifice of man, i see portrayals of betrayal and a brother's final stand. i see you on the brink of death, i see you draw your final breath, i see a man who gets to make it home alive, but it's no longer you"

(song : no longer you)

i wonder how many sleepless nights gojo had blaming himself for everyone's suffering because just once he wanted to do something for himself. when did he come to the realization-- the acceptance that his life wasn't his to live? that he was born to be used in every way possible, in life and death. he'd tried his best to build a group of like-minded allies but at the end of the day the only thing that could be his were the sweets he bought on the way home.

"how has suffering become so endless? how has everything been turned against us? how am i to reunite with my estranged? to i need to change? i'm surrounded by the souls of those i've lost. i'm the only one whose line i haven't crossed. what if the greatest threat we'll find across the sea is me?

what if i'm the monster? what if i'm in the wrong? what if i'm the problem that's been hiding all along?

what if i'm the one who killed you every time i caved to guilt?

. . .

if i became the monster and threw that guilt away would that make us stronger?

. . .

i lost my best friend, i lost my mentor, my mom, 500 men gone this can't go on.

. . .

i'll become the monster"

(song: monster)

all songs and lyrics referenced/quoted were created by and belong to jorge rivera-herrans

[pussinbootsandbountyhunter]

At All Costs - Collaboration, Part One

While I'm waiting my two friends to finish their homework for my 'At All Costs' Collaboration Challenge in Instagram, I'm just gonna post one of my friends' breathtaking artwork which I couldn't believe this would be the best one so far for both Disney and Dreamworks

(I got the inspiration after realizing your challenge comes to an end. I also watched some videos how some movies like Wish, Kung Fu Panda 4 and etc. could be better and are not worth and how animated studios are only for money now. Which honestly made me disheartened. It's true that those movie are not masterpieces and I agree with critisism of missed opportunities, but now these later days feels like venting out frustration. And it makes a little sad as despite their mediocrity I find them enjoyable (there is always something to enjoy) and I do like characters. Also same for Mickey who is now in free domain. And the song fits perfectly as I want them to protect and show my love. I do believe these movies are just pilots that needs to explore, with time and right ideas for storytelling. Puss in Boots, ROTTMNT, Elemental, even Disney Pinnochio went through something similiar and now there are very loved and accepted. Only thing I want is give these movies and characters a chance to grow and explore as well.

I draw this because I love these characters and I wanted to show my love and protection. Those movies might not be masterpieces, but I still find them enjoyable and I love these characters.

There is also cameo of Jiminy Cricket, Tinker Bell,Poppy and Branch, Oswald, Mickey and of course Nick and Judy(upcoming sequel), plus Rapunzel and Mirabel as allies (blame Hazbin Hotel on that one as Charlie reminds me of Raps and Vaggie is voiced by Mirabel's voice actress

- Disneyfriend)

[iguessthisisanewobsession]

It Takes a Mob pt.6

Previous

First

“I still don’t get why Bill gets the kid. He didn’t even want him if the first place!”

Bill sighed he absentmindedly put a hand across the giggling mound on his front.

“Yeah yeah, you forget you’re a crackhead without an’ addiction. Can’t hide shit on you.”

Locking the door behind them, Bill checked that Danny could still breathe under the jacket Marv shoved over them.

Bill, quite frankly, felt like a child messing around in his father’s closet again.

The jacket was big on Marv, so Bill looked was drowning in the thing.

“You act like you aren’t happy that I’m the one doing the heavy lifting.”

Marv let out a guffaw from behind him,

“Heavy lifting? Bill, he’s a baby, weighs less than a handful of grapes.”

“Yeah, well how about we switch, and you say that after afterwards? I have a newfound respect for women.”

Danny poked his head out and seemed very entertained by the commute.

Happily babbling away an swiveling to and fro'.

‘Good instincts,’

Bill mused,

‘Keep them up kid. Watchful eyes, saves your guys and all that.’

The three thugs were walking together in a rough diagonal line with Bill in the center. It was casual enough not to draw attention but if needed they could have the kid covered. Maybe they were being a bit paranoid, but that pays in crime ally. The rest of the walk for what it was worth, was thankfully quiet.

Well, as quiet as Gotham could be. A couple of meagering drunks and some of the nosy ladies of the night withstanding.

A couple light jokes with the ladies and a look from the others got to the guys and they got were they needed to be without any fanfare.

No, problems only arose when they got to work.

It started at the door.

Danny was gently tucked away as they walked to the door.

“Hey fellas, I know we have no official dress code ‘round here but you’re pushing it with that dress.”

“Stan, if I wanted your opinion on my clothes I’d’ve asked ahead of time. Just check us in.”

Stan leaned against the door before dramatically lifting his clipboard.

“Alright, your names?”

“What?”

“What? Need a name to sign you in. Would hate to have all those hours to go unaccounted for.”

Oh, Bill hates Stan, pompous because got a job through daddy dearest. He would blame his upbringing, but Bill knew the Brat’s father. Gabe did his best with that one, just unfortunate that his kid took after his Ex-wife more often than not.

Any normal given night, this would be the moment that someone would have to descale the situation. Bill felt the urge to grab his knife in the back of his mind.

But this was no ordinary night. He was carrying something a lot squishier and more precious than his bruised ego at the moment.

“Bill.”

Was spat through gritted teeth. Stan clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Don’t see a Bill here.”

“Man, just let Bill in, you know him! He’s been working here for two years!”

“Well, I’m just doing my job Marv, you don’t have to be so feisty.”

Bill released out a deep breath be for uttering,

“William. Overbeck. Junior.”

“Ahh! Yup! There you are Junior! Making’ your old man proud, right?”

“Listen here you tweaky little fuck- “

“Stanley? you better not be messing with Bill out there! If you need to learn a thing or two from a senior than I can gladly-“

“No madam! Right this way.”

Bill always had a soft spot for Ken’s Me-mah. He made sure to step aside as Ken ran too her voice.

“Me-maw!!”

“Hi sugar, you’ve been keeping’ out of trouble now?”

Ken was grinning like a mad man as held the elderly lady.

“Only the stuff I’m not given permission to do!”

“That’s my boy.”

“What are you doing in our neck of the woods this evening?”

Marv asked as she walked over to the others.

“Oh, you know how it is in the kitchen, all the hard things to carry I just thought I was best I didn’t bother trying. We got enough flour and rice to feed all of crime alley that needs to be unloaded. Bill, Marv, do you mind helping a weak old woman?”

“Hardly weak, Me-mah. Everybody knows you have just as much sway as a general around here.”

“And don’t you forget it sonny! Now you two, come! We got work to do for tomorrow and the night is young.”

Bill shifted awkwardly on his feet,

“Well, you see- “

“Don’t you start with me William! I still know your daddy’s number! Now get!”

~~~~~~~~

Bill and Marv stepped into the old kitchen single file. The smell of spices and heat of the oven filled the air.

Bringing out a large cutting board Me-mah gestured to Bill with a knife.

“So, before we begin, do you boys want to tell me what you dragged into my kitchen?”

‘Shit,’

The men shared a glance, and Bill raised a hand to try to come up with something plausible.

“Don’t you think about lying or running, we all know I’ll eventually find out. The only question is am I finding out by you or by word of mouth. Now off with the coat Bill, unless you’re finally eating right.”

Bill put down his finger.

Danny let out a sneeze.

Letting out a sigh Bill reached for the zipper on his front and gingerly pulled it down before handing it to Marv.

“Oh.”

Me-mah gasped,

“That’s not a puppy.”

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

Hoodlums: @reinluna,@confused-moose-child,@mimilikey,@emeraudesfateandfandoms, @dolfay, @boredomfarie @aconitewolfsbane , @withoutcontxt , @onyxlightdragon , @satanicrutialspecialist , @phoenixdemonqueen , @vixen-uchiha , @skulld3mort-1fan , @bytheoldwillowtree , @illusionwolfwriter24r8 , @thewondersoflebanon , @vipower001 , @autumnwulf , @alice-hazelwood , @fisticuffsatapplebees , @f4nd0m-fun , @markus209, @dolfay, @basilf1res , @jotaroslooseeyebrowhair , @skirter01 , @bun-fish , @ascetic-orange , @thegatorsgoose , @sunflowershine03 , @ladythugs , @firegirl108 , @glitchedchaos , @rangerhorsetug , @mimilikey, @booberrylizard ,, @lehana37 , @dragongoblet , @flamey-comet , @mandyne-1001 , @starscreamlover , @moonfirearc , @bae-graphomaniac , @mewzaque , @wolfeyedwitch , @demon-cat-goes-woof , @undead-essence , @jaguarthecat , @scythegal ,, @boo-ghosties ,

[darksaiyangoku]

RWBY Versus XV: Jaune and Yang Comfort Scene

In the gym, Jaune, still covered in bruises, was punching away on the punching bag. His strikes were visceral and intense. Sweat sprayed from his face and he grit his teeth.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"AAAAAAAAAGH!!!" Jaune screamed out. On the last punch, he dented the bag. The sound echoed in the room and he collapsed to the floor.

"With hands like that, you might give me a run for my money," Yang chuckled. Jaune gave her a weak smile.

"Y-Yang," he gasped, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to check up on you, dork," she walked over to him and offered her hand, helping him to his feet. "What was that just now? You went feral on Noctis over a training session,"

"I..." Jaune began, "I was told to treat it like a real fight."

"You took it way too far, Jaune," she informed him, "almost like you were angry at him," she reached out and touched his bruised cheek, making him wince. "Oh, sorry," before she could draw her hand away, Jaune clasped it.

"No, i-it's okay," he said, bringing to his cheek, "I was angry. But not at Noct or Ozpin. I'm angry at myself, Yang," tears fell from his eyes, "I couldn't protect Pyrrha. She died because I was too late and too weak. It's all my fault," Yang's heart ached as she saw Jaune crying. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around him in a warm, reassuring hug.

"This isn't your fault," she whispered to him, "If anyone is to blame, it's Cinder. She's the one who caused the Fall of Vale, she's the one who allied with Niflheim and the White Fang and she's the one who killed Pyrrha. Not you, her." Jaune returned the hug and buried his face in her shoulder. "We will stop her, Jaune and I'll be there with you,"

"Thank you, Yang," Jaune said quietly.

Yang pulled away and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Ow," Jaune winced.

"Oh, sorry," she giggled, "Forgot you were still bruised."

[letters-adressed-to-the-fire]

part 2 of the albatross essay i couldn't stop myself from writing

In the first part, I talked about the narrative of the song, how taylor takes us through different perspectives to finally give the albatross its own voice. But in case you didn't notice, i carefully left out my own personal interpretation of the song. Why? I wanted to dive into that with this second part. This song is very personal to me in more than one way, but there's one specific idea I want to approach right now.

Obviously, like with every Taylor song, there are a million and one ways to interpret this version of the story of the albatross. If you think about it with Taylor in mind, it is clear that she and the albatross are one, and she's drawing inspiration from her own experiences in the public eye. More than once, she was blamed for things she claimed she didn’t do (the edited call with K*nye West) or for things a man would’ve never been condemned for (dating a lot). And every single time, she wasn't allowed to react, and her word was immediately disregarded.

The moral of the fable is pretty clear once you understand the lyrics: people are perceived as guilty or responsible for negative situations without taking into account their own experience or intention because it’s what’s easier. But my own very personal interpretation of the song is a little broader. Without even realizing it, I immediately gave the albatross a feminine presence, I mean of course it had to do with Taylor being the performer, but after a few listens I began to grasp why this perspective resonated so strongly.

Women are still being judged way harder in too many aspects of life. Like I’m being so serious when I tell you that less than a week ago some guy was shamelessly slut-shaming a girl while justifying himself for doing the exact same thing (without noticing the hypocrisy I might add). I mean, some people are at least aware of the internalized misogyny behind this kind of mentality, but there are still far too many who remain oblivious. And this just gets worse when one constantly endures public scrutiny.

This type of behavior can be traced back to historical figures such as Cleopatra, who has been the subject of much criticism and stigmatization throughout history for her relationship with Roman leaders such as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Although Julius Caesar and Mark Antony also had extramarital affairs and allied themselves with Cleopatra for political reasons, it is Cleopatra who has been portrayed as a manipulative seductress and a threat to Roman power, meanwhile the men were largely seen as statesmen and military leaders, and their relationships with Cleopatra were not portrayed with the same negativity or criticism.  

So yeah, the albatross IS about Taylor, but it's also about you and me. It's about Taylor's own experience in the public eye, but it's also about that time you realized society was never gonna be fair when it came to women. It's about being the prey when you're being labeled as the archer*. It's the perfect metaphor for how women are often held to different standards compared to men, both historically and in contemporary society, and how we've been finding ways to retrieve our narrative even when no one wanted to believe us.

*thank you to one of my bestest friends in the world (cath!!) for making me realize the connection between the archer and the albatross, i literally haven't been able to think about anything else since*

[princess-of-the-corner]

Also, sorry last ask XD But remember that alt 3 ending I sent you?

I realized I vastly over complicated so here's the easier version:

Party Crasher: There is still the seemingly jokey subplot of Chloe wanting to 'ambush' Kagami over her being a hero. That suddenly becomes serious when the 'episode' ends on Chloe luring her into a meeting with Adrien's phone and very grimly says they need to talk.

Ensuing episodes: We don't see the conversation, but there's always 'a' scene that shows they are still having private exchanges of some sort.

Ladybug: Lila's plan is very changed up.

First she lured Marinette to an isolated stairwell and when Marinette shows up, she genuinely flings herself down and suffers a genuine injury. Her cry of pain draws a teacher & she accuses Marinette who denies it but is sent to the principle while Lila's taken to the nurse.

Damocles kind of does his job, finding it sus a student who dropped put for six months is making wild accusations & he still can't contact her mother. Sadly, this was part of the plan. A 'distraught' Lila bursts in & says she has proof Marinette has it out for her & limps out.

The students ae still in the locker rom when they all arrive & Lila reveals a video on her phone of Marinette breaking into her locker & stealing a necklace. She claims she wanted to talk to Marinette about it in private when Marinette instead attacked her!

The necklace is indeed in Marinette's locker.

Some find this deeply out of character, others start arguing in favor of Lila because 'evidence doesn't lie'. Alya is clearly torn, Nino is stressed, Chloe is oddly speculative & Adrien is looking for an AKumatized object on Lila. As Damocles starts shouting -Boom!

In bursts Kagami who changes the tone of things by accusing Lila of trying to Akumatize her in the past, and of setting Marinette up to perhaps create an Akuma that forces the truth out of people.

Even insinuating that Lila might be Chameleon and that being how she framed Marinette for theft. Also that Ladybug told her to be on the look out for her after Miracular.

This has Lila suspecting Chloe whos is recording the event.

Butterfly swarm happens & Lila fucking dips when it doesn't work out. (This could predate Kagami's arrival) & Damocles sort of handwaves the issue seeing as Lila is gone. Adrien's missing too.

Main points after this are:

Alya is fretting over Marinette & as Kagami explains her theories she begins to suspect Marinette's true identity.

Chloe noticed Adrien sneaking off to pursue Lila & realizes he ight be Chat & calls him explaining some of her & Kagami's theories are rooted in fears of what Hawk Moth is doing to 'them'. Also that Mari & Lila may be victims of it too. Nino verhears this side of the conversation.

The rest of the episode is much the same, save Ladybug & Chat conferring on Lila at the end, theorizing she's allied with Hawk Moth. Cut to Lila having a panic attack in her apartment:

"It was meant to be done, it was meant to be over, its not my fault, he can't blame me for this, its not my fault!" Cue a voice 'like' hers whispering "Oh yes, its never our fault" in her ears & Lila's face being distorted but only in the mirror.

She screams & the episode ends.

Heart Hunter:

This episode is very similar at first glance but has some notable changes.

1: We see more of Hawk Moth's side of the plan.

A disguised Lila acting as the Agreste representative at the anniversary party. She expresses doubt that Chloe will break given she suspects her involvement in Kagami.

Gabriel dismisses her, not thinking highly enough of Chloe for that & saying she can be disposed of if she continues to disrespect him as an implied threat to both girls.

He, Mayura & his Senitmonster are already active in the city. Having been using all their staged battles at the hotel to narrow down a broad area they think the Guardian will be.

Finally, Lila is the one to sabotage the Bee Signal.

2: Marinette is a bit less iffy here

Marinette initially picks the Bee Miraculous, reflecting on what Kagami told her about the girls mutual discussions. But decides against it remebering Heart unter eats love.

She picks Kagami instead but while it does interrupt the date, is more so she can have a "No baggage" confrontation with Kagami about it to decide if she should back off forever.

Kagami is fine with this pretext right up until she hears its Chloe's parents Akumatized & says it is likely a trap to get to her. They both realize there'd need to be more to it & realize Fu is in danger.

3: Climax/Cliffhanger

Marinette sends Kagami to rescue Chloe, starts racing to Fu & calls Chat who reveals Heart Hunter seemingly just De-Akumatized. & we start flashing through scenes as the plan starts coming together.

We see Alya & Nino were in the same park as Fu comparing notes interrupted by the battle and them watching the battle & trying to get word out via the Ladyblog.

We see Fu beginning to fade as his stamina gives out as Ladybug & Chat race desperately to his location while Kagami can see the Le Grand Paris Hotel.

We see Lila fiddling with the Fox Miraculous and finally end on Hawk Moth with the Miracle Box, standing before Chloe as Queen Bee as an Akuma approaches her.

End episode.

Finale - The Miraculous Monster!

We open with seeing a quick flashback covering how we got here then see Hawk Moth & Chloe's confrontation. Its like canon, though HK has to rely more on subterfuge & subtle jabs with no Ryuko seen.

Chloe, without the Ryuko scene & aware Hawk Moth is trying to fuck with her, while very stressed & a little unstable does more than keep her head, & so while it looks like she's playing into things, she's not.

Chloe either A, manages to get the Bee Miraculous & while snagging back the box fails to land a venom and instead gets hit with HK's sword. Or B, he realizes she doesn't have the supreme hatred and despair he wanted and loses his shit and attacks her, intent on ending her now.

Either way Ryuko appears and wind dragons Hawk Moth into the Sein before racing back to keep Chloe alive. Who is crouched & injured over the box, then scooped up & carried off.

We cut to Chat & Ladybug dealing with the Sentimonsters, Mayura, & Fu's body nearly giving out from the strain, its bad, especially when they realize Mayura has another Miraculous with Alya & Nino present.

Kagami's arrival with an injured Chloe sends Chat feral & Mayura into kill defensive mode

We see Lila trying to escape the situation and trying to get the Miraculous to work cutting to an enraged Hawk Moth. He has come too far, sacraficed too much to lose it all here.

With a furious roar he activates his back up plan and Lila collapsed on the street, body pulsing violently with violet Akuma light as shadows draw out from her skin and bleed into the Miraculous.

Trixx emerges and seeing how bad things are tells Lila how to transform.

A swirl of passionate orange and puerile purple suffuse the Miraculous and Lila's form is obscured in darkness as she begins to scream and roar as her body shifts and twists into a new state.

If you've seen Dungeon Meshi, Falin's Chimera is a good example.

The legs & of a vicious chameleon, the torso of a fox, with a human upper body hanging from the head. As large at least as a bus, the Kyubi-Chimera-Lila begins its rampage.

Hallucinations flood the minds of Paris's citizens, illusions spring to life from nightmares spreading havoc. The twisted creatures howls in abandon as it tears across the city in a maddened dash.

An approaching Hawk Moth thinks he's won, only for his efforts to commune with and control the creature to turn illusions of Emilie and all his victims on him. Leaving him to fight them off with blade alone as the beast comes bearing down upon him.

As this was happening, the heroes have managed to mostly Miracle Cure Chloe's wound but having been delivered by a Miraculous weapon its not perfect, still she insists she can fight.

As Mayura cries out to her master and flees on the great moth, Fu collapses, too exhausted and worn to even stand as he surrenders Wayss to Nino and Alya has to find a replacement Miraculous, while the others recharge.

Then they see the chaos spreading and Fu realizes what's happened, a Miraculous has been truly Akumatized.

At first they think it can be handled, Queen Wasp was.

But both Pollin & Chloe on a subconcious level resisted Queen Wasp, capping her powers. Lila is in a maddened, primal defensive state, Trixx only wants to kill Hawk Moth while the Akuma wishes to simply spread its power everhwere.

So as strong as Gabriel was in the movie but utterly unhinged.

What happens next is up in the air, but Nathalie's identity is revealed and with it Hawk Moth's Adrien nearly shuts down and Hawk Moth realizes it is his son. Freaking out, he flees the battle with Nathalie in denial, only to find his manor empty, Nathalie dying and himself farther from his goal.

Save that he still has some pilfered Miraculous, and the tablet.

The battle meanwhile is a nightmare, destructive, epic, terrifying. Even at the end when Miracle Cure is released, not all the mental anguish is undone, nore are necessarily all the horrors unleashed banished.

Worse still, Lila & Trixx have one of several fates:

Separate but dormant, Lila is in a coma, Trixx cannot awaken.

Stuck fused together but still primal & needing to be locked up until they can be cured.

Or, escaping but regaining their minds, or a mind that has its own agenda if the Akuma is a dominant influence.

A combination there-of.

The heroes do, after recovering investigate Gabriel but they find the basement empty and all signs of his presence gone. Meaning at least two more Miraculous are missing, the tablet is gone & Hawk Moth remains at large. Though only the heroes know his identity.

Fu sticks around, only because he's needed to finish translating & resolve the Lila situation. & if she is in a coma maybe not even then. Regardless, his fighting days are over, meaning Nino is Carapace full time.

Also all the identities are now known between the current main group as they look towards an uncertain future.

OH FANTASTIC

[kiragecko]

What if the reason Tim seems to like Jason is that Jason acknowledges Tim was better at Robin then Jason? Being the second best Robin matters to his pride.

Okay, I have to work through a few things before I respond directly.

-

So, everything related to canon resurrected Jason is a problem. Including how canon Tim interacts with him.

There are very few signs that preboot Tim likes or respects Jason after his resurrection. Which is WEIRD. Especially HOW Tim disrespects Jason.

Like, Tim doesn't get the rest of the Titans to watch, walk back to someone, and kick them in the crotch. That ... isn't his form of petty? He doesn't LIKE having an audience! And one of his most unique Robin traits is the respect he shows unstable villains and allies! Like, the way he shut down Jason's 'tenderize the teen gangs' plan is ... wrong. He would be MUCH more likely to seem to go along with it and then slip handcuffs on Jason once he relaxes. Or turn him into a temporary ally against Ulysses.

Tim is consistently out-of-character when dealing with resurrected Jason, and I haven't figured out a Watsonian explanation that works for me. Until I do, I'm forced to rewrite most of canon - the events happened, but MY Tim responded differently.

-

Canon Jason's reactions to Tim make a bit more sense. Jason seems to like and respect Tim. He tries to work with him. He left Titan's Tower impressed and wishing he'd had the same supports. (Though his understanding of what supports each of them had is baffling enough that I suspect some amount of amnesia.) I'm not sure he ever says he thinks Tim is a BETTER Robin, but I can see that being possible.

-

So, your supposition is possible for canon Jason. It seems very unlikely for canon Tim, but canon Tim's actions are even more unlikely, so that doesn't mean much. Our final problem comes with squaring this idea with my FANON Tim.

My fanon Tim draws as much from canon as it can, while still being consistent. And it draws MOST heavily on Tim's early arcs. In those early arcs, Tim was attempting to build Robin out of what he imagined Jason and Dick would want. He dreamed about them, hallucinated them, asked the Case for advice. Jason seemed incredibly important to him, on a similar scale to Dick.

That steadily disappears over the years, and becomes really hard to integrate with later Tim. (The authours' victim-blaming anti-Jason agendas are at fault, but that doesn't work as an in-world explanation.) But I'm keeping it anyways, even if it makes everything harder!

See, everything I've seen from Tim in other contexts suggests that Jason's behaviour wouldn't actually have any bearing on whether or not Tim likes him. Tim is perfectly comfortable idolizing someone who neglects or takes advantage of him. That's kind of central to his character - he's the Robin who sees Bruce's flaws and follows him anyways. Who saw an out-of-control 30-something and decided to parent him. Who rants about his parents' neglect without ever considering he might not owe them everything.

Jason earned Tim's loyalty when he was 13, and Tim doesn't stop being loyal, as far as I can tell.

Jason and Tim should be like Harvey Dent and Bruce. Tim doesn't TRUST him, but he desperately wants to help him.

Not necessarily like the fandom tends to write: "Oh, I'll stop being Robin and do anything possible to get you back into the family because I'm valueless!"

More like deescalation in a hostage situation. More like how Tim talks Poison Ivy down. Vulnerability only as a weapon. Always ready to knock him out and disarm him if he gets the chance.

-

There's also some issues with insecurity. My weak spots are similar but not identical to Tim's. There are areas where he's self-confident that I don't quite get. His pride about being Robin is one area of ambiguity. I think he's been written mostly consistently, but my own issues are getting in the way.

So I'm not entirely sure exactly which ways JASON validating Tim as Robin would be important. I know it would be! But there are some ways where Tim wouldn't believe other people, some where he is entirely reliant on other people ... just, his mixture of self-confident and insecurity is fractal and complex.

-

In conclusion, I think it would make Tim feel REALLY good to think that Jason thought Tim was a better Robin. I don't think it would have much affect on his opinions about Jason, though. Those got locked in the first time Tim saw Jason rescue someone, and Tim couldn't change them if he wanted.

Also, canon preboot Tim DIDN'T seem to like Jason, and I want to ignore that but it's hard.

(Also also, how I write about Tim and Jason sometimes contradicts what I think canon says AND my personal fanon. It's COMPLICATED!)

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 51: An Ancient Ally

''Oh yeah! Act tough, jump on, and become like the wind! Go past the trajectory of the vast sky!''

– Mikakunin Hikousen (Unindentified Airship) by Digimon Adventure: (2020)

xXxXxXx

Big the Cat had a rather simple outlook on life. He liked to fish and he liked to spend time with his friend Froggy. That was all. However, that didn't mean that he wouldn't help people in need. That also included a small pink orb of light that was floating around him, asking him to help her finding ''The Last Guardian'', whom Big knew as Knuckles.

''I'm not completely sure where he is… but I know where his home is,'' Big said, with Froggy, who was sitting on the top of his head, croaking in acknowledgement. ''If you go straight this way, you will find it.''

''Thank you!'' Tikal responded. Suddenly, Froggy reacted to something and leapt off, surprising both Big and Tikal as he left.

''Froggy, wait up!'' Big followed the frog, leaving Tikal behind. Tikal sighed, realizing that she was on her own. She couldn't blame Big for leaving, as the purple cat was clearly worried about his friend leaving so suddenly, especially in a moment of crisis like this. She then went into the direction Big had shown her, hoping that she would be able to find Knuckles. She could sense Chaos presence, and as much as she wanted to go to him to save him, she knew that she needed proper help.

xXx

Lily, Knuckles and Team Chaotix were in Eas, following the signal that would lead them to the Chaos Emerald. Fortunately, it seemed to be close by, with the group racing towards it, Charmy being ahead of everyone. They had entered a residential area, with Lily and Knuckles recognizing it.

''Oh, please don't tell me this is going where I think it goes,'' Lily groaned in disbelief. Charmy flew up, placing his hand over his forehead.

''Hey, I can see your house from here!'' he told Lily and Knuckles. The two exchanged a look, with Knuckles giving her a serious gaze.

''If your mother doesn't hand us the Chaos Emerald over, we will fight her for it,'' he said. Lily had to stifle a chuckle, having to agree that Knuckles was right.

''I don't think that will be necessary,'' Espio said, pointing at a Super Badnik, E-106 Eta and the Egg Keepers that followed him. It appeared that Eta had also detected the presence of the Chaos Emerald, going straight for it. However, the Badnik suddenly turned around when Espio threw a kunai, hitting one of the nearby Egg Keepers and drawing Eta's attention. Vector stepped out, cracking his knuckles.

''We won't let you get that Chaos Emerald! Chaotix, go!'' Vector exclaimed, with him, Espio and Charmy rushing towards the Badniks. Knuckles too went after them, while Lily left the battle, instead using the distraction to get to the Chaos Emerald. Fortunately for her, the Egg Keepers were too busy fighting Knuckles, Vector, Espio and Charmy, and the Chaos Emerald wasn't too far from their current location. In fact, it was in the small woods close to her house, and to her relief, she found it stuck on a tree. She climbed up, relieved to find the purple Chaos Emerald and grabbed it.

''Gotcha! Now to- agh!'' Lily almost fell out of the tree when Eta suddenly appeared and ripped the Chaos Emerald out of her hands. She held onto a thick branch for her life, while Eta scanned the Chaos Emerald to make sure it was the real one, only to get slammed into the tree, the purple Chaos Emerald flying out of his hand. As it turned out, Knuckles broke off from the fight and tailed Eta, attacking him on sight.

''Are you okay?'' he asked when Lily got off the tree. He got a nod in response, and the two turned to Eta, who attempted to get to the Chaos Emerald. Knuckles punched Eta again, trying to keep him away from the Chaos Emerald, while Lily picked it up. Knuckles narrowed his eyes, glaring at Eta. ''Yeah, this one is tougher than the other Badniks.''

''How about using Chaos Surge?'' Lily suggested. ''We destroy the Badnik, he won't get the Chaos Emerald.''

Knuckles nodded, reaching his gloved hand out for Lily. ''Chaos Surge!''

As Eta charged once again at them, claws formed into a closed fist, he was met with a punch from a Chaos Surge-charged Knuckles. Surprisingly, Eta had managed to withstand it, having been upgraded by Dr. Eggman for combat against Team Neos. However, what Eta did not expect was to get punched by Lily square in the face. The moment Chaos Surge was used, they became an unit. Knuckles delivered another energy-charged punch, pushing the Badnik back, and then delivered an upercut, sending Eta flying against a tree. The robot fell over, seemingly defeated.

''That was close,'' Lily said. ''We should go back to the Chaotix.''

Knuckles nodded, but before either of them could even leave, they were surprised by a pink orb of light appearing before them. Knuckles rose an eyebrow as it started to float around him. ''What is that?''

''My name is Tikal. I'm so glad that I had found you, Guardian,'' Tikal told him, with Knuckles giving her a confused look.

''I don't know you…'' Knuckles replied, glancing at Lily for some kind of advice. He felt like he should know what's going on, but at the moment, his mind was blank.

''That is fine. We have never met before, but I know who you are, and I need your help, Guardian,'' Tikal responded, with Knuckles's eyes narrowing.

''What do I have to do?'' he asked.

''The Master Emerald had been shattered, and you're the only one who can find the shards and put it back together. If you do that, you'll be able to seal Chaos back into the Master Emerald,'' Tikal replied.

''That tracks, but wouldn't it be also possible to calm Chaos down without sealing him back into the Master Emerald?'' Lily asked.

''Unfortunately, not this time. Chaos is being controlled by that platypus scientist, so the only option we have is to seal him back into the Master Emerald,'' Tikal replied. Both Knuckles and Lily gave her a stunned look.

''Platypus scientist?!''

''Knuckles, Lily, are you-'' Knuckles and Lily turned to Vector, who had managed to arrive, followed closely by Espio and Charmy. They had destroyed the Egg Keepers and were about to join the battle with Eta, only see them talking to a red orb. Vector scratched his head. ''Uh, what's going on?''

''Starline was the one who unleashed Chaos upon Neos City by shattering the Master Emerald,'' Knuckles explained. ''Lily and I will try to find the shards. You should go to Souto and find the other Chaos Emerald. Here, take this.''

Knuckles took off his AR Visor, giving it to Vector. Lily tossed the Chaos Emerald to Espio. ''I don't know how long it'll take to find the shards, so it would be best if you guys bring the Chaos Emerald to Lucas and Sonic.''

''You can count on us,'' Vector said, placing Knuckles' AR Visor around his neck.

''How do you even plan on finding the Master Emerald shards?'' Charmy asked.

''I will be their guide,'' Tikal said, drawing the attention of the Chaotix, who gave her a confused look.

''Who are you?'' Espio asked.

''My name is Tikal the Echidna, the daughter of Pachacamac, the last chieftain of the Knuckles Clan, which resided in Mystic Ruins 3000 years ago. My father and my tribe had attempted to steal the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald from their guardian, Chaos. In retaliation, Chaos ended up going on a destructive rampage, so I sealed him and myself into the Master Emerald.'' Tikal formally introduced herself.

''You don't look much like an echidna,'' Charmy pointed out.

''Charmy!'' Vector scolded him, but Tikal flew around them.

''This is just a form I took after being released from the Master Emerald,'' she explained, turning to Knuckles. ''We need to hurry up.''

''Right.'' Knuckles nodded, him and Lily following Tikal, while Vector turned to Espio and Charmy.

''Okay, you heard 'em boys. We have a mission to complete,'' he said, only to see Charmy and Espio's eyes widening in surprise. He turned around, only to see Eta suddenly getting up, realizing that the E-100 Series robot still wasn't done with them.

xXx

''What is a Chaos Emerald doing here?'' Rika asked. She, Wave, Arven, Storm and Chase were staring at the green gem Jet was holding in his hand. They had left their airship hovering over Infinity Forest, with Wave being alerted by a sudden energy surge and they decided to investigate, finding the Chaos Emerald.

''Wait, that's a Chaos Emerald? What is it doing here? Are those things even supposed to exist in this reality?'' Wave asked, with the rest of the Babylon Rogues exchanging puzzled looks. Jet shrugged.

''I don't care. If it's a real Chaos Emerald, then it's valuable and we can sell it off to someone.''

''The only person I imagine that would be interested in buying the Chaos Emerald is Eggman,'' Chase said. Admittedly, he knew that Team Neos would also want the Chaos Emerald, but he wasn't going to tell them anything on principle.

''He's only getting it if he pays a nice sum for it. Else, we walk and find a different buyer,'' Jet said, quite satisfied with his little scheme.

However, before the Babylon Rogues could even return to their airship, they were startled by a flash of cyan light, with Shadow, Rouge and Touka stepping out of it. They immediately spotted the green Chaos Emerald in Jet's hand.

''I will say this only one time,'' Shadow said, stepping towards them and extending his hand. ''Give us the Chaos Emerald, and you'll walk free.''

The Babylon Rogues exchanged glances, Chase, Rika and Arven being a bit more nervous than Jet, Wave and Storm were. They knew that Shadow was really dangerous. Of course, Jet didn't care.

''Ha, if you want the Chaos Emerald, you'll have to race me for it first!'' Jet said, quite excited about the idea of showing off.

''Jet!'' Wave shouted indignantly, knowing that if he lost, they'd lose the Chaos Emerald.

''You go, Boss!'' Storm, on the other hand, completely ignored everyone's reaction and gave a thumbs up. Shadow was slightly taken aback by Jet's challenge, but before he could respond, Touka rose her voice.

''If you want a hoverboard race, I'm all for it!'' she said excitedly, her eyes gleaming. Shadow rolled his eyes as he heard this response. He knew Touka well enough to be aware that she wouldn't refuse a hoverboard race, even in such a situation. Surprisingly, Rouge stepped out, walking over to the Babylon Rogues.

''Is that Chaos Emerald really that unimportant to you that you would wager it in a race?'' she asked, stepping in front of Jet.

''As if! I never lose, so I'm not afraid take the risk,'' Jet bragged, with Rouge grabbing his hands, an elated expression on her face.

''Ah, I recognize you! You're that famous racer, Jet the Hawk! I'm so glad to meet you, I'm a big fan of yours! Could I get your autograph?'' Rouge asked, much to Shadow and Touka's confusion.

''Of course you can!'' Jet replied, grinning proudly and turning back to Wave, Storm, Chase, Rika and Arven. ''See, I'm famous enough to have my own fans asking for my autographs! Does anyone have a pen?''

Chase, Rika and Arven remained puzzled by what was going on, Storm was clapping, while Wave just facepalmed in exasperation.

''Don't worry, that's not necessary,'' Rouge suddenly said, letting go off Jet's hands and walking back to Shadow and Touka. ''As a matter of fact, I don't need your autograph when I have this.''

Rouge placed a hand on her hip, lifting the other hand and showing the green Chaos Emerald. Jet immediately looked down at his own hands, realizing that he was holding a rock. It appeared that Rouge had swapped the gem for the rock while sweet-talking him, leaving Jet slack-jawed. Rouge, who was quite amused by this reaction, giggled.

''You can't beat a world-class treasure hunter,'' she said. Jet gritted his teeth, furious that she tricked him so easily, and turned to his team.

''Get the Chaos Emerald!'' he shouted, pointing at Team Dark. As for Team Dark, Rouge flew up, exchanging glances with Shadow and Touka, who just nodded in agreement and quickly left the clearing. While they could fight, they were more interested in getting back to Neos City rather than dealing with the Babylon Rogues. They had more important stuff to worry about.

xXx

Speaking of Team Dark, Omega had a great time taking down Egg Keeper after Egg Keeper, being hot on E-101 Beta's trail. He fired a missile warning, which exploded right in front of Beta, who turned around to face Omega.

''Analyzing – E-123 Omega. You are the traitor among our ranks,'' Beta said, pointing his twin cannons at Omega.

''I have surpassed all of you!'' Omega responded, firing several shots at Beta. Beta used the jet booster to dodge Omega's attack, firing back with his own. Omega managed to retaliate, destroying the missiles in the air and causing fireworks, but when he tried to lock-on on Beta, he realized that the Badnik was much faster than he had thought. Obviously, this Badnik was created for agility, while Omega had both defense and power. So, how would one deal with such issue.

Omega dodged another barrage of missiles, as Beta had stopped to fire at him, and Omega launched a missile of his own, hitting Beta's legs and destroying them. Beta fell over, his arm cannons flailing as he tried to get up. He was met by Omega, who pointed his own arm cannon at Beta. ''I will be your end.''

He fired at Beta, completely destroying the head and deactivating the Badnik, and then looked around. ''One down, seven more to go.''

Having made a decision, he activated his jet booster and went towards Kita, having detected another E-100 Series Badnik there.

xXx

Amy got up, lifting her Piko Piko Hammer. Frankly, she didn't expect that Rough and Tumble would be able to use the grey Chaos Emerald in such way, but maybe it was because she hit the Chaos Emerald directly that it reacted that way. Unfortunately for her, a white aura formed around the skunk brothers, powering them up.

''Hah, now this is much better!'' Tumble said, feeling the energy of the Chaos Emerald coursing through his body.

''With this gem, we'll be able to beat up Pinky easily!'' Rough added, keeping a tight grip on the Chaos Emerald. Amy narrowed her eyes, taking note of Cream and Cheese giving her a worried look. She turned to Minami, who just nodded confidently.

''Cream, Cheese, take cover. Minami and I will take care of these two,'' Amy said, extending her hand to Minami, pink energy already crackling between the two.

''Chaos Surge!''

Amy's light green eyes changed to pink, and her Piko Piko Hammer was also charged up with pink energy. However, the bigger surprise was Minami also gaining a hammer made out of pure pink energy, her own eye colour matching Amy's. Rough and Tumble were caught off guard, despite their initial confidence.

''What's going on?'' Tumble asked.

''No clue, but they won't beat us so long as we have the Chaos Emerald,'' Rough replied, smirking.

The two skunk brothers charged at Amy and Minami, who swung their hammers, blocking both of the skunk brother's punches. White and pink energy clashed, crackling around both of them, but it was much more even. Both sides backed off when they realized that they weren't making a move, but Rough and Tumble charged once again. Their move being quite straightforward, Amy and Minami leapt to their respective sides and the two skunk brothers leaving cracks in the asphalt, their punch being way stronger than expected. The two girls then brought down the hammers, unleashing a blast of pink energy towards the skunk brothers, resulting in a direct hit. Rough held up the Chaos Emerald in an attempt to defend himself, but it was useless. While they looked quite scuffed, they were still able to fight, with Tumble going after Minami, while Rough went after Amy.

Amy swung her hammer, blocking Rough's punch once again, gritting her teeth as she tried to push him back. She knew that if she relied to much on Minami's BioEnergy, they would run out off the Chaos Surge and be back on square one, and with Rough and Tumble still having the Chaos Emerald, they'd be done for.

As for Minami, she took a different approach. After blocking one of Tumble's kicks, she opted to dodge another, being surprisingly swift on her feet. ''Hey, Tumble, don't you think that it's a bit unfair that Rough is the one holding the Chaos Emerald? That way, he gets more power from it than you.''

''W-What?'' Tumble stopped, turning his attention to Rough, who was drawing quite a lot of energy from the Chaos Emerald to defend himself against Amy and then fight back.

''Yeah! He gets most of it and you get the scraps. Honestly, I think that it should be the other way around, since you're the stronger one between you two… Or, am I wrong?'' Minami asked, with Tumble getting pissed off, not even noticing the smirk that crept up on Minami's expression.

''Hey, I also want to get juiced up!'' Tumble yelled, marching towards Rough, who turned around in surprise.

''What are ya talkin' about?'' Rough asked, confused by Tumble's sudden change in demeanor.

''Give me that Chaos Emerald! I want to hold it!'' Tumble demanded.

''Dude, you already got your share!'' Rough protested, only for Tumble trying to grab the Chaos Emerald and the two ending up struggling over it.

''I'm the bigger of us! I deserve more!'' Tumble shouted.

''And I'm the one who found it! Finders keepers, bro!'' Rough replied, not wanting to let go of it. Both of them were suddenly surprised when a blue blur flew past them, knocking the Chaos Emerald out of their hands, only to get caught mid-air by Cream, who was flying via her ears.

''Oh, com'n!'' Tumble grumbled. Meanwhile, Cream held up the Chaos Emerald for Amy and Minami to see, having asked Cheese to distract the skunk brothers so they could get to it.

''I got it! I got it!'' Cream flew towards Amy and Minami, only to suddenly get hit by a blast of energy.

''Cream!'' Minami and Amy cried out in horror as Cream fell, with Minami rushing towards her and catching her. Amy turned towards the attacked, only to find herself staring down an E-100 Series Badnik.

This opponent was a humanoid robot colored in mainly red and white. He possessed no neck, his head and torso coming together in an almost ellipsoid shape. His torso was red with a wide and white vertical stripe down the middle and possessed a head light with a hexagonal gray frame on the right side. He also had gray mufflers surrounding the pelvis area and had the number ''102'' painted in white on the right of his large vertical stripe and the left side of his rear. His head meanwhile was small and platform-like with a yellow shade and green cylindrical eyes. He also had a hexagon-shaped disk hovering behind his neck, and a laser targeting scope on the right side of his head. His shoulders were black vertical cylinders. Attached to each of them were his arms, which were long and designed with two joints; his left arm held a black-gray blaster while his right arm had a tri-digited hand with two points of articulation on each digit. Also, his right upper arm was red with yellow-orange cuffs, while the parts between his upper arms and forearms were gray. He also possessed two long and inverted legs with five points of articulation and large, black feet with two sharp toes and roller wheels on the heels. The upper sections of his legs in particular were red while the rest of them were gray, except from his calves, which were thick and red with gray and yellow-orange cuffs.

''E-102 Gamma,'' Minami muttered, still holding the injured Cream in her arms. If things weren't already bad, they were about to get worse, with Egg Keepers swarming the street. They were surrounded.

xXx

Warren and Tails were in trouble. Not only were they surrounded by Egg Keepers, but E-103 Delta was trying to shoot Tails out of the sky. The robot was quite keen on eliminating Tails, who had reached for his orange backpack and rummaged through it.

''Warren, catch!'' Tails tossed a laser gun to Warren before focusing back on Delta. The laser gun looked more like a toy, but Warren knew that it was strong enough to take down the Egg Keepers. Meanwhile, Tails took out his boomerang and threw it at Delta, hitting the robot straight in the head. Delta stumbled back, attempting to recover from the hit and fired back at Tails. Tails dodged it, his ears flicking when he heard a beeping noise coming from the Miles Electric.

''That has to be the Chaos Emerald,'' he muttered under his breath, only to nearly get hit by Delta. Tails flew behind a building, out of Delta's range, and checked the Miles Electric. The Chaos Emerald was quite close and Tails was certain that he would be able to spot it, but the issue was that he was worried about leading Delta towards it. They needed to take out Delta and the Egg Keepers first, and Tails knew exactly how they'd do it.

He peeked out of his hiding spot, only to realize that Delta was gone from the overpass. Warren was still busy holding the Egg Keepers back, and fortunately for them, most people evacuated Erekiteru due to the attack. If they used Chaos Surge now, they would be able to take down all the Badniks without any issues. Tails quickly flew towards Warren, throwing his boomerang at the closest Badnik and knocking it back.

''Warren, we'll have to use Chaos Surge,'' Tails told him. Warren nodded, well aware that they needed to deal with this issue as soon as possible. Tails flew towards him, extending his hand.

''Chaos Surge!''

Tails' light blue eyes and Warren's green eyes turned amber as they absorbed the orb of energy, with yellow and amber energy sparking around them, like electricity. As the Egg Keepers surrounded them, they were suddenly met by a wave of energy that spread like an EMP, deactivating the Egg Keepers in an instant.

''Where is Delta?'' Warren asked, him and Tails looking around for the Badnik. To their dismay, the Badnik took advantage of the chaos and quickly moved towards where he detected the Chaos Emerald. As it turned out, the yellow Chaos Emerald was inside a gacha machine, which Delta destroyed and took the gem out.

''No!'' Tails took out a couple of round devices and threw them at Delta. It were the same devices he used against Shiro, enhancing his EMP power and surrounding Delta. To his surprise, Delta actually managed to resist it, forcing Tails to drain more of Warren's BioEnergy to make the EMP wave stronger. However, before Delta got deactivated, he opened part of his body, stashing the yellow Chaos Emerald inside it, then fell over.

Both he and Warren ran over to Delta, making sure that the Badnik was down, and started searching for the yellow Chaos Emerald. Tails lifted his head in alarm. ''The Chaos Emerald is gone!''

''How's that possible?'' Warren asked. Tails narrowed his eyes, taking out the Miles Electric, connecting it to Delta's system, giving him a layout of the Badnik.

''There is some residual Chaos Energy inside it,'' he said, with Warren taking a look at it.

''Wait… Don't tell me that Delta somehow induced Chaos Control,'' he said, with Tails giving him a wide-eyed look. He then pointed at a particular part of the robot. ''That's where the residual Chaos Energy is the strongest, and the Chaos Emerald is gone. It has to be Chaos Control. Try searching for it on the city map.''

Tails switched to the map, discovering that there was no Chaos Emerald anymore in Erekiteru, but now there were two Chaos Emeralds at Sentoraru. Tails frowned. ''That has to be Dr. Eggman's doing. He upgraded the E-100 Series.''

xXx

''Boss, E-101 Beta and E-104 Delta have been defeated,'' Orbot said, glancing at Eggman, who was staring at the screen, taking note of the lost signals. His eyes were narrowed, and he appeared to be in deep thought, analyzing the situation and planning his next move.

''What about the Chaos Emeralds?'' he asked.

''The one in Erekiteru had been successfully teleported to Sentoraru,'' Cubot replied. Eggman smirked.

''Excellent. I just hope that Starline knows what to do with it. I gave him all the pieces to succeed, but the question is whether he'll be able to pull it off,'' he said.

''What should we do about the destroyed E-100 Series robots?'' Orbot asked.

''Let the Egg Keepers bring them back to the Egg Base. I know ARMS is not operating anymore, but I don't need anyone else to figure out how to replicate my own robots,'' Eggman replied. He knew that it was a bit unusual for him to recover Badniks that were useless to him, but this was a different playfield and he needed to adapt. Maybe he would find use for them, maybe he wouldn't, but for now, he was going to observe the situation and wait for the right moment to strike. Considering what he knew about Starline, there was a high chance that the platypus would screw up and that's when he would have to step in.

''We have news from E-105 Zeta in Souto and E-107 Theta in Infinity Forest. Both are close to the Chaos Emeralds,'' Orbot added.

''Is that so? At this rate, Chaos will reach his final form soon than expected…'' Eggman muttered in interest.

xXx

''The Chaos Emerald has to be somewhere close,'' Lucas muttered, following the signal on his AR Visor. Sonic was already ahead of him, scouting the nearby streets for the Chaos Emerald at supersonic speed, but he returned empty-handed. As precise as Tails and Warren's tracking system was, Neos City had many places where a Chaos Emerald could be hidden, causing them to completely overlook it.

''It's not here,'' Sonic suddenly appeared before Lucas, pointing at a section of the area. Lucas just nodded in response, and Sonic was about to speed off to search another section, when they suddenly saw Ferra and Metal Sonic passing by. Both exchanged glances and immediately followed the two Enforcers, figuring the two would lead them to the Chaos Emerald and hopefully stop them from taking it. However, as they entered another street, they briefly lost them.

''Where are they?'' Lucas asked. Famous last words, as both managed to turn around just in time to see Metal Sonic firing an energy blast at them. Both leapt to the side, dodging it, with Ferra and Metal Sonic hovering over the two.

''Did you really think that we didn't notice you?'' Ferra asked in a sarcastic tone. Sonic shrugged.

''Weeeeeell, we kinda hoped that you wouldn't… Okay, that was a dumb assumption,'' he admitted. Suddenly, Metal Sonic charged at him, with Sonic leaping back, avoiding the sharp claws and performing a spin attack into Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic caught his attack, but Sonic uncurled, attempting to kick him back. Metal Sonic managed to grab him by the leg, throwing him away, but Sonic curled back into a ball and dropped right on top of Metal Sonic.

While Sonic kept fighting Metal Sonic, Lucas turned to Ferra, knowing that he needed to keep her away from Metal Sonic and from using Chaos Surge. ''Hey, where is the Chaos Emerald?''

''What? I thought you'd know where it is,'' Ferra replied, much to Lucas' surprise. That wasn't a response he had expected.

''Wait, so if none of us knows where the Chaos Emerald is…'' Sonic stepped back, avoiding a swipe from Metal Sonic, ''…where is it then? It has to be somewhere in Sentoraru.''

Metal Sonic paused, tilting his head as he realized that, as much as he wanted to fight Sonic, they all had a point. He and Ferra had to find the Chaos Emerald and get it to Chaos. However, now that they had run into their competition, this was going to turn into a race to find it. Frankly, it wasn't a bad trade-off. Metal Sonic then spin-dashed into Sonic, sending him flying straight into Lucas, with both hitting a nearby building, Lucas crying out in pain.

''Lucas, are you okay?'' Sonic asked, looking alarmed as he glanced at his partner. Lucas reached for his shoulder, rubbing it.

''I don't think anything's broken, but there will be bruises,'' Lucas replied. Before he or Sonic could make a move, he and Sonic got a message from Warren and Tails.

'''We lost the Chaos Emerald. The E-100 Series can teleport them','' Sonic read aloud, with Ferra smirking and Metal Sonic giving them a look of superiority. Both Lucas and Sonic just shot them a glare.

xXx

''Looks like things are proceeding according to plan,'' Dr. Starline smirked when a yellow Chaos Emerald suddenly appeared in his hands. Admittedly, he was surprised to see the gem appear virtually out of nowhere, but had soon realized that the EggMobile was modified to respond to the E-100 Series, which tracked his position. He turned to Chaos, who was awaiting his orders. ''Here! Absorb the negative energy of the Chaos Emerald!''

Starline threw the Chaos Emerald at Chaos, who did as he was told, increasing in size and mass, and he gained a line of bones that traveled down his right arm into his hand, with the yellow Chaos Emerald being embedded inside it. Starline smirked.

''One down, six more to go.''

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