#but I have to pick my practice-battles with the limited time in my day and it's gonna take me so long to improve

[idkyetxoxo]

Aemond Targaryen - The Art of Persuasion

Summary - A determined woman uses her strategic charm to win the favour of the powerful Prince Regent. She navigates a delicate dance of influence and intimacy, aiming to transform their fraught relationship into a potent alliance while exploring the limits of their mutual desire.

Pairing - Aemond Targaryen x reader

Warnings - Sexual content (smut!)

Word count - 2119

Masterlist for Aemond • House of the Dragon General Masterlist.

Aemond Targaryen, now ruling as Prince Regent and Protector of the Realm due to his brothers grievous battle injuries, commands respect across the kingdom. Yet, he remains unmarried, a notable void in his life. 

As fate would have it, he needs a bride, and I am conveniently available.

I sat drumming my fingers against my teacup, the warm liquid causing the china to burn my fingertips. Lost in thought, I pondered the many ways I could persuade Aemond to marry me.

As the daughter of Jasper Wylde, spending time in the castle was not unusual for me; I practically grew up around Aegon, Aemond, and Helaena. My familiarity with the royal siblings was a double-edged sword.

Unlike Aegon and Helaena, Aemond never particularly liked me. His demeanour was often egotistical and unbearable, a trait that only intensified after he claimed Vhagar. Our interactions became increasingly strained as we grew older, creating a chasm between us.

Despite this, I couldn't ignore the opportunity before me. Marrying Aemond would secure my position and grant me unique influence within the realm. The prospect was too significant to overlook, and I needed to find a way to bridge the gap that had grown between us.

Aemond's cold demeanour and prideful nature presented a challenge, but I was determined. I would need to appeal to his sense of duty and ambition, perhaps even find common ground in our shared history.

I placed my teacup down, stood up, and smoothed my dress. My eyes flicked to where Aemond sat, a scroll in hand, surrounded by councilmen who seemed to be walking on eggshells around him. His intense focus and commanding presence filled the room a reminder of the power he wielded.

Loosening the bracelet on my wrist, I walked toward him with confidence. Just as I reached him, I bumped his chair, stumbling slightly to let the delicate jewellery fall. 

The councilmen glanced at me, their expressions a mix of curiosity and annoyance, but I paid them no mind.

I bent down, maintaining eye contact with Aemond. My cleavage was in clear view as I picked up the bracelet. 

"Apologies, your grace," I whispered, clasping the metal in my hand.

He looked into my eyes, then at my chest, his gaze lingering too long before he nodded, a grunt of dismissal escaping his lips. I straightened up and walked away without looking back.

This encounter, though brief, was a step forward. I had caught his attention, and now I needed to maintain it. Each moment with Aemond would be an opportunity to shift his perception of me, to transform from a mere childhood acquaintance into a potential partner worthy of standing by his side.

As I navigated the castle, I contemplated the next steps. I would need to weave a delicate balance of allure and respect, challenge and support. 

Aemond's pride and sense of duty could be the keys to unlocking his heart, and I was ready to use every tool at my disposal to secure a future where we ruled together.

Days passed, and I inserted my presence into Aemond's life like a bee to nectar. Everywhere he went, I was there, sometimes in the background, sometimes in the foreground, reestablishing my place in his world.

I knew his routines, his preferences, and his triggers. I made sure to be there, subtly influencing his thoughts and actions, drawing him closer to me.

At the moment, I sat in my chambers, a hot steaming bath drawn by the handmaidens. Suds of soap covered a few inches of my body, and the flowery scent of lavender filled the room. I sat with my eyes closed, head tilted back, legs outstretched, and arms resting on the lip of the bath.

My chamber doors swung open, and I masked the smile forming on my face. I cracked open my eyes, staring at Aemond across from me. His face was contorted with confusion.

"A servant told me you wished to speak with me," he said hesitantly.

I sighed, feigning frustration. "I had wanted to speak later, not this instance," I said, making it seem like the servant had erred in conveying their message.

He hesitated, raising an eyebrow. "I have much more important matters to attend to than answering to your every beck and call," he said, taking a step forward. 

His pride was evident, but I could see a crack forming in his facade.

I sat up slightly in the water, my movements teasing and slow, placing both my arms on one side of the tub, water droplets dripping onto the stone floor. 

"You're right. I apologize, your grace," I said, standing up slowly. 

His one good eye widened slightly, his intense gaze roaming over my body, a look of lust and hunger masking his face. He was giving in, slowly but surely.

I exited the bathtub deliberately, the water droplets pooling on the floor around me. I walked towards my thin robe, donning it and tying the belt tightly against my body. 

The wet fabric clung to me like a second skin. I shook out my hair a little, taking a step towards him.

"I suppose now that I'm dressed, we can talk," I said. He blinked slowly, his stoic composure fading ever so slightly.

"What is it you wish to speak about?" he whispered as I took another step towards him, our bodies now only a couple of feet apart.

Aemond's pride was slowly crumbling, and I knew I had to strike the right balance to win his favour. My heart raced with the thrill of the challenge, and I was more determined than ever to make him see me as his equal, his partner, and his future queen.

"I've been observing the court," I began, my voice steady and confident. 

"I noticed there's a growing discontent among some of the lords about the way certain territories are being managed, especially in the Riverlands. Their dissatisfaction could lead to unrest if not addressed properly."

Aemond's eye narrowed, his interest piqued. "And what do you suggest?"

"The lords need to feel heard and valued. We should send envoys to engage with them directly, listen to their grievances and offer tangible solutions. It's not just about imposing royal decrees, it's about showing that we care for the well-being of all our subjects."

He nodded slowly, clearly impressed by my insight. "That's a sound strategy."

I took a step closer, the scent of lavender still clinging to me. "Someone on your council needs to have their ear to the ground, someone who understands the subtle intricacies of court politics and the needs of the realm. Someone like me."

Aemond's gaze intensified, his admiration for my knowledge and strategic mind apparent. "You believe you can fulfil that role?"

"I know I can. I've grown up in this castle, observing and learning. I understand the dynamics at play and the motivations of the lords and ladies. I can be your ally, your advisor, and much more. Having someone like me by your side would not only strengthen your rule but also ensure a more stable and prosperous realm."

He studied me for a long moment, his pride and pragmatism warring within him. 

Finally, he spoke, his voice softer, almost reluctant. "You make a compelling case. Perhaps I have underestimated you."

I smiled, the triumph tempered with genuine warmth. "I am here to serve, your grace."

With those words, I took a final step towards him, our chests practically touching now. I looked up at him, grabbing his hand and guiding it to the belt of my robe. Slowly, I made him untie it, shaking the material off. 

He glanced down, following the droplets of water still running down my body. I maintained eye contact, watching for any signs of resignation before undoing his belt and slowly removing his clothes.

His breathing grew heavier, his body betraying the stoic facade he tried to maintain. I grasped his arm once more, walking backwards until the back of my legs hit my bed. 

"Perhaps, your grace could use a moment of pleasure, a brief respite" I whispered, guiding him onto the bed and straddling him, my hips rocking back and forth against his crotch.

"Perhaps," he said, sounding almost bored, but his body said otherwise. 

His hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer, his lips finally breaking into a smirk that spoke of both desire and amusement.

I leaned in, my lips brushing against his ear. "You carry a heavy burden. Let me share it with you. Let me be the one who stands by your side, in both the council chamber and in moments like this."

He let out a low chuckle, his grip tightening. "You are quite persuasive," he murmured, his voice thick with restrained passion.

"I aim to please," I replied, my voice equally hushed. "And I can offer so much more than just pleasure. I can offer loyalty, intelligence, and an unwavering commitment."

Aemond's eyes flickered with something more profound than mere lust. It was a mixture of intrigue, respect, and a reluctant recognition of my potential. 

"Show me, then," he said, his voice a challenge.

I accepted that challenge with a smile, leaning in to kiss him, a kiss that was both a promise and a declaration. Our lips met, and the connection between us deepened, the boundaries of power and passion blurring.

My lips trailed down his neck, each kiss deliberate, my wet hair tickling his skin as I made my way down his body. His breathing grew heavier with each touch, his composure slipping. 

When I reached his hardened cock, I swiped my tongue across the tip before licking down his length slowly, savouring the taste of him.

He grabbed a fistful of my hair, halting my movements. "Don't tease," he commanded, his voice rough with desire.

I smiled up at him, nodding. "As you wish, your grace."

I positioned myself on top of him, taking him in one smooth, deliberate motion. Aemond's groan of satisfaction was immediate, his hands gripping my waist tightly as I began to move. 

The sensation was intoxicating, I rode him with a precise rhythm, every movement deliberate and controlled.

My hips moved in a steady, practised motion, angling myself just right to maximize the pleasure. I could feel his body reacting to each shift, each twist, and I adjusted my movements to keep him on edge. 

The intensity of his groans and the way his hands gripped my hips told me I was hitting every mark perfectly.

"You're doing well," he murmured, his voice laced with approval. 

His hands roamed my body, caressing my curves, and exploring every inch of me. I leaned forward, my breasts brushing against his chest, my breath mingling with his.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice trembling with both effort and delight. "I'm going to be everything you need, everything you want."

Aemond's gaze was fixed on me, his eyes dark with lust and admiration. "You might just be," he admitted, his tone softening.

I quickened my pace, our bodies moving together in a perfect dance of desire. My movements were fluid and confident, each thrust and grind calculated to drive him wild. I felt every pulse, every tremor of pleasure as I adjusted my angle, finding new ways to make our connection even more intense.

The room was filled with the sounds of our passion, his groans, my soft sighs, the rhythmic slap of skin against skin. We were both nearing the edge, and I felt the mounting tension in every fibre of my being. With each shift in rhythm, I pushed us closer to that precipice of climax.

As our movements became more urgent, Aemond's grip on my hips tightened. "You feel amazing," he gasped, his voice breaking with the strain of his mounting pleasure

I adjusted my angle slightly, aiming to increase the intensity. "Let go," I urged softly, my voice a seductive murmur against his ear. "Feel everything."

Aemond's eyes fluttered shut, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.

I continued to ride him with a relentless rhythm, pushing both of us to the brink. With a final, perfect thrust, Aemond's body tensed beneath me, his release spilling over in a series of deep, shuddering groans. 

"Yes, yes," he moaned, the intensity of his climax overwhelming.

His pleasure triggered my own, a wave of euphoria crashing over me as I reached my peak. I gasped, my body trembling with the force of my orgasm. I cried out, the sound mingling with my breathless cries.

We both rode the wave of our climaxes together, our bodies entwined in a final, ecstatic embrace. As the intensity faded, I collapsed onto him, my breathing heavy and satisfied.

Aemond's arms wrapped around me, pulling me close. His voice was hushed but filled with a mixture of admiration and wonder. 

"You've truly proven yourself," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "In every way."

A/n -  turns out being persuasive can be quite the workout, who knew diplomacy had so many... physical benefits

[aggressive-almond-cookie]

hhhhhh I just got 10 splats in a game and that’s definitely a personal record but 3/4 of them were from ultra stamp and I don’t know how to feel about this. I have such a love/hate/??? relationship with this special. I feel like I can only barely control it and can rarely hit specific targets with it so I’ve learned not to rely on it for anything other than inking and being a huge distraction but every so often it just mows down the whole enemy team. apparently sometimes twice.

[totaly-obsessed]

Chaos and dressing rooms

Alessia Russo x reader fic

-> Chaotic reader doesn't know how to do her hair, Alessia helps her out

➳ Masterlist

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

The Arsenal dressing room was always a vibe, even if it was just for practice sessions. Usually, Leah Williamson would be blasting music, but with her being out with a torn ACL, Katie and Steph took over, making for a wild mix.

This would be your second season at the club and even with the new additions, you were one of the younger ones, forever in awe watching the likes of Kim Little and Beth Mead play. But you fit in well, making fast friends with Lotte and Laura who always laughed at your half jokes-half stupidity. In the beginning, Katie tried to recruit you for her pranks, but in the end, it was Jen who would take on the role of your ‘mentor’ for getting around and meeting people.

Now in your second season, four new girls were joining the team – Laia, Amanda, Cloe, and of course Alessia. Meeting them was easy enough, especially the English striker, as you had played her last season – but the other girls were nice as well. You not having competed in the World Cup, as you hadn’t managed the jump up to the senior Lionesses just yet, made it easier to meet Laia, who was joking with you as well as she could with her limited English.

Your dressing room cubby was situated between Steph and Beth who constantly were teasing you for taking forever to get ready – always the last one out on the pitch. Nobody thought anything of it, the girls just thought that you liked to take your time, or that you weren’t organized well enough, and while that was true, the real reason was you struggled to do your hair.

Every single day it was a battle – buns were insecure and fell out easily, tight pony-tails gave you a headache and the swishing hairs annoyed you to no end. Not being able to braid your own hair was incredibly annoying.

It's not like you didn’t try.

You did.

Every single practice session and game, at home before going out, and just when you were bored – nothing worked. After a while your arms started to hurt and tears threatened to fall due to frustration. That’s why you were the last one out, giving your hair just one last attempt before giving up and throwing it in a nice and easy low bun.

And today was no different. It was the third training session since the girls got back from the World Cup, and the new players joined them. Everyone was hyping themselves and each other up before they left the room.

“Has anyone seen my Jersey?”

Jen rolled her eyes, “In the bathroom.” With quick steps you retrieved your jersey, no clue how it got there.

On the way back you tripped over Laia’s shoes – the Spaniard barely catching your arms and keeping you from hitting the ground.

“Where are my shorts?”

“In my bag, you left them yesterday, I washed them.” Katie threw them to you, your forgetfulness and clumsiness highly amusing her.

---------------------------------------------------

Slowly everyone left but you. When you didn’t see anybody you tried again, desperately trying to braid your hair in front of the quite high mirror.

“Why isn’t this shit working?” With a loud clattering, your brush fell to the floor.

“God damn it! Why can’t I do this? Why am I so stupid?” Alessia, who was still in the bathroom listened with a little smirk on her face until she heard your voice wavering. You were always so fun to be around, so hearing you this frustrated with yourself and being so mean to yourself was new and terrifying for the striker.

“Fuck this.” You had given up, resulting in a low bun. Alessia heard you throw your brush into some corner, frustration getting the better of you.

Not wanting you to be embarrassed, she waited until she was sure you were gone before entering the changing room. The brush she picked up was littered with cute little stickers, and covered in hair - obviously yours.

The tall blonde could just imagine you roughly brushing your hair in anger, feeling sorry for your scalp.

Carefully she put it down in your cubby, and before she left Alessia collected your things that were all over the room and folded them neatly for you.

The rest of the team and training staff were already standing in a circle when Alessia joined them.

“Looks like we have a new late-commer!” Jonas was laughing at the striker, not mad at all. When Alessia's eyes met yours, she could see the realization dawn upon you – She had been there when you were so harsh to your mirror image.

During the whole training session, you were much quieter than usual, embarrassed that you had been caught – by Alessia at that. Alessia who was new, and who you admired so much.

Katie, your traings-buddy tried to get information, on why you were so strange, but you deflected, making her talk about Lauryn’s game instead. While the Irish woman obviously knew what you were doing, she was more than happy to talk about her little sister to someone genuinely interested – even if it was just to distract you.

Alessia tried to get close to you, but somehow you were always gone before she got there. At the end of training, you just packed your bag, not even changing, and stormed out the door.

You took notice of your thing being neatly folded on your cubby and you briefly glanced at the tall blonde who was already looking at you.

“She was weird today, right?” Kim, who liked to title herself as your big sister asked into the silence that you left behind.

“Yeah. Yeah, she was.”

---------------------------------------------------

The next day your chaos started all over again, and the older girls were relieved that you seemed to be back to normal again. Alessia was surprised that you even talked to her, she thought you were mad at her when you really just needed to get over your embarrassment.

After everyone else left, it was just the two of you left.

“I’m sorry that you had to witness that. Yesterday, I mean.” The striker knew what you meant and sat down next to you, one of her big hands stroking your back, trying to get you comfortable.

“Don’t worry about it.” It was silent for another second, your cheeks felt like they were on fire from blushing so hard.

“You’re not stupid.” Her hand stilled and she gently grabbed your chin, turning your face to her. Your brain just blanked, and she saw, “You were really mean to yourself yesterday – You are not stupid.”

Upon your attempt to turn your flushed face away from her, she held it more firmly. “Do you understand amore?”

A weak nod earned you a raised eyebrow. “I’m not stupid…” The blonde smirked satisfied and turned your face to press a kiss to your cheek.

“Come now, I’ll braid your hair. No need to make your scalp bleed anymore.” With gentle hands she pulled you in front of the mirror, braiding your hair with quick fingers before squeezing your shoulders when she was done.

Katie and Beth wiggled their eyebrows at the two of you when they saw Alessia enter the pitch with you at her side – your face so flushed no one could miss it.

And from that day on, Alessia did your hair in the dressing room. But it wasn’t kept a secret for long, so with her help, you managed to get ready on time. Alessia, your own little assistant, who would never complain about your jitteriness, clumsiness, or forgetfulness. An angel sent from heaven – or hell when you looked at Manchester United.

[awesomecitys-blog]

Two of the reasons that World Trigger is one of my favorite anime’s are that the fights are tactical and the main character has some of the best character growth ever. These things go hand in hand, but I’ll start with the fights.

Outside of enemies from other worlds, all the characters have access to the same weapons, defense options, and optional assist abilities. There are three different class types: attackers, snipers, and shooters/gunners (the main difference is that gunners have firearms that fire the different ammo types and shooters just use their hands). They are limited only by their Trion amount, the energy that lets do just about everything in the series, and their own personal choices. Most of the characters are in teams of 3-4 people, with an additional person who is basically ‘the guy in the chair’(practically all the people who are in this role are female, but I digress).

This allows for some very creative fights when combined with the different stages(where the time of day and the weather can be altered). You’re a team of more long and mid range fighters vs two teams of close range fighters (the mock battles have 3-4 teams fighting each other, with any and all team ups being temporary. The lowest ranked team gets to pick the stage and any other elements)? Pick a stage with wide open spaces. More close range than far? Your opponents will have a hard time fighting you in narrow alleyways and indoor spaces.

These variables make the fights so good because you get to see how each team uses what they have to make the best of their surroundings and get the upper hand on their opponents. Which brings me to the main character.

Osamu Mikumo is an underdog in just about every sense of the word. But that’s what makes him so special. Osamu has very little Trion, which lowers his attacking abilities by a significant margin when compared to his contemporaries. As such, his main advantage is that he has to strategize more than others to be a better team player for his team, and it’s that ability that makes some people wary of him and others get taken out because they underestimated him. Osamu is a perfect example of ‘It’s not what you have, but how you use it that matters.’ He uses his power in ways that others wouldn’t think of or do think of but don’t do because they don’t need to do that. He and Luffy are similar in that they both believe that it doesn’t matter what they can’t do, because what they can do, they better than anyone believes they can.

[rhodesrider]

A Purple Christmas

Mafia!Judgement Day x Little!Fem!Y/N

Warnings: Some flashbacks, some cussing, age regression, mention of weapons, mentions of harassment, mentions of violence/gun violence

Minors! DNI! 18+!

~

Feeling the cool air in her room and soon the light shining on her face, Y/N smiled as she had a long night getting stuff together for her sweethearts while they were at work handling business. The presents one by one still in her room. She wanted to make something practical, that they would wear all the time so she took the time to make bracelets. For each one of them has a special charm. She opened her eyes slow and she yawned some hearing holiday music downstairs. Getting up slow stretching, going to do her usual face routine and putting on slippers peeking out the doorway trying to look downstairs. JD walked by the hallways and smirked seeing her some, motioning her to come down as he was carrying gifts as well. She nodded and went back to grab the bag full of boxes. She walked down carefully and squealed soon getting scooped up by Finn. “Merry Christmas little munchkin!” He growled and play tickled her holding her tight so she doesn’t fall. That got everyone attention and gave a smile to the whole group seeing her smile in the morning. “There’s my little princess!” Rhea squealed some as she loved the holidays the most and had her big gift ready between her legs. Finn put her down in her favorite chair in the living room and kissed her on the forehead one last time before going to his pile ready for her. “Ok so, Dom and Damian are fixing breakfast, and I know you’re hungry but we made a wheel so you can do something before we eat.” JD gave her the wheel kissing her forehead as well before sitting back down. “Is papa making pancakes?” Y/N ask as she examining the wheel. “Your favorite pancakes and fruit bowl. They also made some bacon and eggs.” JD answered as he fixed the three gifts he got Y/N on his side of the L-Couch. “Yummy! But ok I’ll pick now! I wanna exchange my gifts as well!” She smiled happy as she spun the wheel.

The first name was Dominic, “Dom Dom! Come on in here. JD tag in with him.” Rhea instructed and both nodded trading places. Dom smiled and went to Y/N kissing her all over and giving her three small boxes and one giant one. “Open them in any order babydoll.” He watched closely as Y/N started to open them, the first was a pandora bracelet, blank canvas, her last one was broke from a raid that happened to their house earlier in the year and two of her charms were stolen. Dominik protected her while the others handled the men that intruded and held her close in her room calming her down so she wouldn’t have a panic attack. After that he wanted to check but she didn’t want him to leave so he stayed and comforted her the whole time. Y/N shed a tear and he smiled placing it on her wrist for her. She smiled at the small engravement and kissed his nose. “Thank you Dom.” Y/N loved it. The other two were boxes with 3 charms in it each for the bracelet, he slowly restored it back for her and added more. And the big gift was next. “I hope you love it ,it was literally the last one.” He smiled. She opened it smiling seeing it was a giant gengar, a limited edition one that was a pale purple. “You got me a shiny gengar!” She squealed as it was one of Y/Ns Pokemon on her team. She helped Dom get into Pokemon and they always play the newest game the DLCs and battle each other. Y/N held the stuffie close to her and kissed Dom on the cheeks making him blush. Little did he know that Finn already spun the wheel and shoved him to the side excited. “Hey!” He was ready for a fight with Finn and his cheeky smile but Rhea put an end to that giving a look to both. “Stop the rough housing and gift her.” Rhea hissed. She giggled and tossed Dom his gift she made him, “Don’t open it yet ok?” He nodded smiling at the semi wrapped well gift.

Finn proudly took gengar and put him to the side of her and gave her two gifts and one big one. “Sure that was sweet and all pipsqueak but mine is gonna take the cake.” Damien overheard him rolling his eyes and in the process saying in his language “Se va a llevar el pastel solo porque ayudé.” (It’s gonna take the cake only because I helped.) JD smirked some knowing what he said and Finn rolled his eyes. “Why is papa Damien so mean to me?” Finn pouted and it made Y/N pout hugging him. “Ok lass go at it.” She giggled and she started to tear the gifts open. One box contained a beautiful necklace, with Finn’s initials. “Awwww finny…” she smiled and Finn helped her put it on. She opened the next and it was vinyls that she wanted for her collection, limited edition. The last one was an envelope, she looked at it and she teared the top opening it and seeing it was tickets to her favorite artist. She squealed to the top of her lungs and she jumps up and down soon gripping on to Finn hugging him koala style. She’s been wanting to go to the concert for a while but due to how everything is set up she couldn’t go by herself. But Finn took the time to talk to Rhea and she subsided her overprotective ways for her this once, but there was a twist. He had to go with her. “I thought you did like my music teddy bear…” she pouted looking up. He sigh swallowing his pride and shrugged. “Eh I’ll live. It’s only one night and you’ve been wanting to go so bad.” He kissed her and hugged her close. The last gift she opened was another large stuffed animal, the pokemon mudkip. “You said it reminded you of me so why not?” He laughed some. She hugged it close and kissed his cheek giving him his gift. “Don’t open it just yet.” She stopped him before he opened it like a kid on Christmas. He nodded fast and Damien finally finished up breakfast.

After that they started up the wheel again, and Rhea was next. She smiled and she placed her gifts in front of Y/N sitting in front of her watching her rip them open. One small one and one big one. She started with the little one. A necklace, a small locket with her and Rhea in a photo. “Mama I love it.” She smiled and Rhea helped her put it on layering it so it doesn’t overlaps Finn’s. “Now this is very special babygirl, this was passed down in my family. And mama loves you so much that she’s giving it to you. You mean the world to mama, to finny, to Papa and Dom Dom and JJ. You mean everything to us. So I want you to have this ok?”Y/N teared up and Rhea kissed her tears away giggling. “No crying baby. We love you.” Y/N sniffles hugging her again. And the big gift was a giant mimikyu, she was grateful for all the stuffed animals but she’s scared she won’t have any more space in her bed. Next was Damien, he smiled and got his three gifts. “Ok flower, I can’t top tears or squeals I honestly just want that beautiful smile I love seeing.” She nodded and she started to unopen gifts. Damien was always the calm note in Y/Ns time being with them. She would have night terrors and she would need comfort and Damien was always there to calm her and hum to her. One night as they were having a meeting and drinks, and Y/N doesn’t do people well. She walked down the steps to get some water from the kitchen, running into one of the security guards for the other gang that was visiting for a meeting. She was in a big shirt and slippers, saying excuse me to the guard. But he was blocking her way, taunting her some. “You must be the goths pet.” He smirked and looked at her up and down. She was getting uncomfortable, “p-please move…” she said low and the man smirked getting to her level. “I could eat you alive talking to me like that pet.” She was shaking some whimpering and she ran the other way quick upstairs. The man wanted to follow her but was stopped by the last person he wanted to see. “Where are you going?” Damien hissed and looking down at the shorter man, “No where man-“ “I wouldn’t lie. Try again.” The guard was silent and Damien sighed. He walked away and went upstairs slow hearing some crying upstairs.

Damien was growing angry hearing her cry, he hated tears falling from her beautiful face. He knocked on the door and soon hear nothing. “Mamas can I come in?” He heard a broken yes and walked in seeing her hiding under her blanket. “Princess…are you ok?” Damien asked low. He slowly uncovered her from under the blanket and saw that her eyes were puffy, and her knife in her hand. “Baby, why do you have that? Were you protecting yourself?” She nodded fast putting the knife on the other side and getting in his arms crying. Damien was so hurt and that put rage in his heart, someone wanting to touch what’s theirs. He rocked her to calm her down, “I just wanted some water, I’m sorry papa I shouldn’t have left my room…he scared me…” she said in the middle of sobbing. He rocked her more and hummed in her ear holding her close. “No one is ever gonna hurt you angel. Not while we are around.” That was a promise. And the man that bothered Y/N, well Damien put Y/N to sleep and dragged that man outside doing some unspeakable things. His anger is something not to be tampered with. Or what he loves.

Y/N opened beautiful gifts from Damien, handwoven jewelry and rings with beautiful gems inside. “I’m scared to even wear these…” she muttered. It was so beautiful that she feels if she wears them they will crumble to dust. “You don’t have to wear them now baby but I’m so glad you love them.” He smiled and kissed her forehead and nose making her giggle. She put on the woven bracelet and smiled at the beautiful colors. While they discussed some in the living room happy that she’s admiring the gifts there’s still one more person. JD. He was honest nervous about giving his gifts. He’s been with the crew for a while but not as long as they stuck together, and they all been sticking together as a family. Sometimes JD feels like he intrudes into a lot even though he works with them. “JJ?” The sweetest voice took him out of his thoughts and he looked up seeing Y/N over him as he was sat down. “You wanna open mine with everyone first?” She asked feeling he was a bit nervous on his first Christmas. He saw the box in her hand and nodded. They all started to open their gifts and they all saw a homemade bracelet. “I know it’s not much I just didn’t wanna let you guys be without this year…” she rubbed her hands together slightly nervous from their expressions. “Babygirl it’s beautiful..” Finn smiled putting it on seeing it was a black and followed by his favorite color. The same patterns with everyone else and special charms that symbolized them. JD saw his charm seeing it was a small angel. “You are one of my protectors no matter how long I’ve known I thank you everyday for loving me, accepting me and being here for me JJ..” he sniffled some letting a tear fall. “Thank you dollface.” He kissed her cheek hugging her. Dominik has an angel and a mood checker charm, symbolizing him watching her and communicating her moods and tempers, when she wants to be little and hide away, he’s her protecter and keep her moods in check so she can survive. Rhea has the angel and a figure of them hugging holding a heart. Symbolism of her being her first love, Rhea was her first everything and will always be her mama. Damien had the extra charm of an angel and a lion, royalty and a proud papa like most lions are. And Finn a charm of an angel and a jokester icon, always making her laugh and playing with her to keep her little and making her happy right to left. JD gave his gifts next, an Apple Watch with a cute band in the next box and new AirPods. “Thank you JJ!” She said excited to set it up and get it working on her phone. Rhea was proud of JD, and so happy that Y/N had a great Christmas.

“So baby who had the best gifts?”Dominik asked while they were all watching some Christmas movies. “I loved all of them silly! I can’t choose.” She smiled as she sat in Damien’s lap playing with his necklace. “It was me.” Finn muttered. Dom rolled his eyes. Rhea threw a small object at Finn giving him a look. “I’m glad you had a wonderful Christmas babygirl.” The warmest smile was still on JDs face looking at the bracelet grateful of his gift. “The best Christmas.” He mumbled kissing the charm.

Merry Christmas~

[honeycreammilkshake]

there will be cake.

i finally finished my first fic, and it's greenflame! it takes place between possession and skybound. i spent a few days on it and i'm still not satisfied... it still feels a bit ooc and amateur to me, but please let me know what you think. here it is...

Sitting down for dinner with the other ninja, Kai had no intention of talking about anything serious, let alone marriage, and especially not how he should go about proposing to Lloyd. But picking at his bowl of chili, he looked around to his friends, watching them talk about their day with animated expressions and exaggerated hand gestures, observing Cole and Jay arguing about every detail of their training so they could trade insults while blushing whenever anyone (mostly Zane) pointed out just how closely they'd have to be watching each other to know such minor things about their routines. And when Kai glanced over to his sister she was already glancing his way with an exasperated smirk at Cole and Jay's antics.

The only absent one was Lloyd. The Green Ninja was training late, as usual, pushing himself to his limits. The perfectionism was at first a little annoying for Kai, who tended to take any show of exertion as a competition against him, but overtime he'd learned to accommodate his boyfriend, who was typically late to dinner or outings with the rest of them. The pressure Lloyd must have felt, every single day, to not only lead the rest of them but to also make his pretty much godly ancestors proud of him had been grinding on him even more as of late, and Kai didn't want to add to their young leader's troubles. Still though… after their last battle, almost losing Lloyd to possession had made him keenly aware of how fragile the normalcy of all their lives were.

At any time, they could find themselves under attack once more. Ninajo had a reputation for attracting the most dark-hearted, vengeant, and power-hungry of villains, and Kai had to wonder if there was some kind of sign posted out for all the tyrants coming to seize this particular place. Something massive and neon was advertising how siegable and conquerable this entire land was somewhere, he was sure.

But as a ninja, bound and entangled with all the rest of his team (a fate he would never want reversed or changed in any way), he knew he would lay down his life for any one of his friends if it ever came down to it. And, naturally, he knew in his heart that no matter how much he teased or gave Lloyd trouble, he would stand behind that completely unhinged god-in-training no matter what. Wherever Lloyd led him, he would follow. And it was because of this that he knew he had to make their relationship even more official, even more sacred, so that when villains like Morro or Chen or the rest came knocking again, Kai would know there was still a chance at a normal life, even a small part of it, in their own lives. That he could say that Lloyd was his in more way than one and come back home to that small piece of stability.

Now, watching his friends continue to taunt and push each other, a warm feeling suddenly overtook Kai, not unlike the sensation he got whenever he drank a nice cup of Wu's tea. He felt it blossom inside of him, a hot and protective surge that came whenever he thought of the others, especially Lloyd. He knew he could trust them completely, he could ask anything of them and they wouldn't treat him any differently for it.

So it was without any filter that he found himself asking, "Guys, if I were to hypothetically propose to someone… someone who's very uhm… career-driven and practically all-powerful, how would I go about asking them to do something absolutely ordinary like marriage?"

A small silence briefly overtook the table as the others, except for Cole who was still digging into his plate without interest in anything else, glanced around towards each other. Nya, on Kai's left side, was completely still all of a sudden and opposite him Zane and Jay exchanged looks.

Just as the stillness was starting to become unnerving, Zane, always practical, broke in, "Logically the best way would be to—"

"Oh my gosh, you guys," Jay all but shrieked. "Kai and Lloyd are going to get married!"

"Wait what????" Kai burst out, feeling his cheeks start to heat up. "I didn't say anything about—"

"Oh please," Jay scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You're the fire ninja, Kai, so whatever you're trying to cover up, you still burn holes right through it." He was picking at his bowl of chili delicately, like most of its contents offended him, and by the way he had complained about every other dish Cole had prepared for them, you would think it was genuine. But Kai knew the Blue Ninja would sneak lots of extra helpings of Cole's meals whenever he thought they weren't looking. And seeing as how most of Cole's food was… to put it plainly… bad, Kai knew it was because Jay was simply (and not so secretly) completely crazy for the Earth Master.

"You guys thought it was such a secret, but we could all tell what you were up to," Jay continued, matter of fact, then smirked. "The walls here are really thin, you know."

Kai groaned and buried his face in hands. "Okay," he sighed out. "So what if it is Lloyd?"

"I knew it!" Zane exclaimed from Cole's side, face lighting up. When the others looked to him, he explained, "Pixal told me they have a 95% compatibility rate. Lloyd's sensitivity and high emotional intelligence counterbalances Kai's hotheadedness and temper—"

"Yeah yeah we get it," Kai huffed, feeling called out.

"My vitals monitors indicate that your heart-rate speeds up whenever Lloyd appears," Zane added helpfully. "My data also suggests that Lloyd's libido increases whenever he watches you training."

Beside him, Nya made a choking sound. "Oh my god," she gasped, wiping away dribbles of water from her lips. "Please never say libido again, Zane."

Despite the embarrassment at having his secret relationship exposed so quickly, Kai couldn't help the way that information stroked his ego. All the time that little brat had been claiming to watch so closely to point out errors in Kai's form (as he always did) he was secretly checking Kai out shamelessly. It made him flush with more than a little contentment, but he got a hold of himself quickly, and managed to grit out, "Okay guys, that's enough."

"Where would they even get married though?" Jay pushed on, ignoring Kai entirely.

"Somewhere big enough for all of us," Zane pointed out. "I can compile a list of popular wedding locations and analyze them for suitability."

"No no," Jay dismissed, whipping his spoon around passionately so that a bit of chili hit Kai in the face. He wiped it off with a grimace as Jay continued to lecture Zane. "It should be somewhere perfect for the both of them..." Jay bit down on the handle of his spoon and then grinned widely at Kai. "I know just the place—my parent's junkyard!"

Kai blinked, caught off-guard. "Jay, I'm not marrying Lloyd in a junkyard—"

Across the table, Cole's face finally unfused from his plate long enough for him to shout, "Will there be cake? I'll definitely come if there's cake!"

"Always thinking with your stomach, right Cole?" Jay snarked. But the Earth Master chose to ignore him, much to Jay's disappointment.

As the others continued to conspire Lloyd and Kai's wedding, loudly describing each lavish detail — "Lloyd should wear all red so Kai can wear all green... and there should be dragons!!!" Jay contributed while Zane added, "Kai should put Lloyd in his lap and ride in on one to the ceremony" and Cole piped in, "And there should be triple stacked cake afterwards!" — Kai's ears picked up shuffled movement in the hallway. He sat up straight. Wu and Misako were out getting "vital" supplies like flavored tea and herbal medicines — old people errands — and they weren't expecting anyone else to come calling. It could only be Lloyd.

Getting that sensation he got whenever he was about to be cornered, he felt himself start to panic. "Guys, if you don't shut up now, I swear I'll send every single one of you to the Cursed Realm," Kai hissed out. "I don't even care if we're on the same team — you will all be banished for your crimes. This conversation is over."

But, of course, cause everything and everyone hated Kai, this was the exact conversation Lloyd chose just that moment to walk in on.

With a short glance around to the other ninja, he came into the room and a crushing silence followed as they all tracked him with their eyes. He walked casually, carrying a bowl laden with an excessive amount of Cole's chili (which wasn't that bad but it also wasn't that good either, so Kai felt Lloyd had filled it to the brim subconsciously) and settled down in his usual spot to the right of Kai, slowly lifting his spoon to his lips…. Lips that were twisted up in an unmistakable smirk, the one Kai knew and adored so well, that he loved to bite on — but right now, seeing the way it melted away the usual prim and proper princely beauty of Lloyd's face into the wild rawness of the conceded brat he really was, all Kai could think was Lloyd knows…. He's been listening in on the whole thing!

"What's all this about cake?" Lloyd asked, oh so innocently, as if he didn't know already, and Kai kind of wanted to manhandle him right then and there for being such an unyielding brat.

But before Kai could say or do anything to grab at any sort of control over the conversation, Jay leaned in closer to Lloyd, conspiratorially settling his chin into his cupped hand like he was about to tell the world's greatest secret. With a hauntingly straight face he said, "Only that Kai can't keep his eyes off yours."

… And then everything kind of blew up in Kai's face.

Nya and Zane burst out laughing and Cole let out a bellowing huff before slapping Jay across the back so hard the Blue Ninja's face almost landed in his uneaten bowl of chili (Kai wished with his whole heart that it really had). Jay glared briefly at Cole but then the Master of Earth said, "I guess that's why they call you the Master of Shocks! That was a good one, Jay."

Pure pride swelled the Master of Shocks' chest, making him look just like a puffed up little blue jay — which he technically was… though Kai could barely register the humor of it as sticky hot embarrassment exploded inside of him.

"Oh wow you guys," Nya finally managed to gasp as she held her sides, like she could fall apart from the delicious humiliation of it all. She wiped at her eyes, choking out, "Look at Lloyd's cheeks — they look like cherries!"

Lloyd's mouth was pressed together tightly, and his cheeks were definitely a deep scarlet that Kai took some satisfaction in seeing, but he knew his own cheeks were probably just as red and burning twice as hot.

And of course Jay would point that out. "Guys, check out Kai's face — he's burning up!"

"Oh the irony," Nya giggled.

"Red ninja indeed!" Zane chimed in with a grin that practically spilled off his face. And in that moment, Kai had never been more certain in his life that he was surrounded by traitors. Enemies.

Kai ground his teeth together and finally managed to squeeze out some sort of response. "You're all banished."

The other ninja, minus a cherry-colored Lloyd, started laughing again as Kai sat there, gripping the edge of the table and plotting revenge. Only Cole made any kind of move towards redemption, leaning closer to both Lloyd and Kai to say, "You know we're just teasing you two… We're really happy to see you making things more official. And just so you know, I would love to be there for you, even if there no's cake for me."

"You do know the whole point is so that Kai gets to keep the cake just for himself, don't you?" Jay smirked.

Before Kai could set fire to either himself or Jay, Cole turned to the Blue Ninja and smiled. "Don't worry, sparky, I'll make sure to claim a cake for myself too," he said, and proceeded to reach over so he could grope Jay's ass as the smaller ninja let out a high-pitched squeak.

"Who's the Master of Shock now?" Zane grinned as Jay started choking.

Nya pursed her lips and said, "Really? Right in front of my chili?"

Kai moaned and buried his face in his hands as the entire table descended into chaos. But it died out quickly as Lloyd stood up, his face unreadable, that silken smirk of his erased from his lips. As Kai peeked up at him, he couldn't help but feel… reverent. Lloyd was strong, and fierce, and brave. And more than that… he was the magnet that kept them gravitating to him, to their destiny. Their fates were inexplicably tied to his for the rest of their lives. They all shared a bond deeper than mere friends: they were each other's counterparts and focal points and homes.

And nobody was more at home with Lloyd than Kai.

"Kai," Lloyd began, and Kai felt the air rush out him as soon as Lloyd turned those ember-bright eyes right on his face. "Do… do you really want to marry me?"

Kai's heart was pounding far too fast. It felt like the adrenaline spark right before a battle. "Of course," he managed.

The other ninja were finally fully silent, their eyes wide and watchful. Feeling bold, Kai pushed away from the table and stood right in front of his boyfriend. Then he sank to his knees, his eyes never leaving Lloyd's, and swallowed. "You know that all of us are bound to you, and all of us would protect you with our lives, just as you would do for us. But the bond I share with you runs even deeper. I promised you that I would protect you, and that I would follow where you lead me, that you could always rely on me, so I would like to ask you now… Will you let me follow you forever? Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon, will you marry me?"

In all that time, Lloyd and Kai didn't look away from each other. The others remained blissfully quiet, but there was a current of anticipation coursing through the room.

It felt like an age before Lloyd cleared his throat and said, "Of course I will.... Someone has to keep my cake away from Cole, after all."

Kai groaned but found himself grinning anyways. "You're insufferable," he told Lloyd and pushed up from the floor.

"That only means you're even more perfect a match," Nya pointed out from Kai's side, but she hugged her brother tightly, patting him on the back. They both knew how much this meant to him...

Lloyd and Kai returned to their places at the table and tried to resume eating normally, but they kept glancing over to each other until Jay scoffed and said, "You two, honestly, go get a room."

"Quiet, sparky, you'll get yours soon," Cole winked and Jay started to protest.

"If you think I have any interest at all in a dusty piece of rock like you—"

"Yeah yeah," Cole waved him off. "Keep pretending, bluey."

Lloyd laughed and reached over to offer his hand for Kai to hold. Kai took it gently, and didn't miss the way everyone stared at their joined hands, their fingers twining together.

"No matter what comes in the future, we'll face it together," Lloyd promised Kai, and they felt each other's pulses jump at his words.

Kai nodded, soaking up the way the light hit the pale gold of Lloyd's hair, making it look just like a glowing halo. This boy would be the death of him, he just knew it. He couldn't help the smile spreading across his face. He raised a spoonful of chili towards Zane, Cole, and Jay and gave his best unhinged grin. "The future looks bright for you and me both, but right now I say we take these three down for being so obnoxious," he suggested and Lloyd grinned too, wild and full of fire, just like Kai.

"What?" Zane sputtered. "I didn't do anything!"

"Wait!" Jay cried out. "But we helped you propose to him, Kai!"

Lloyd snorted while Kai rolled his eyes. "Sure you did," the Master of Fire said, then launched the first spoonful at Jay's surprised face.

"Food fight!!!" Nya cried, pounding her fist on the table before she upended her entire plate on Kai's head.

Kai gasped, shaking sticky shrimp out of his hair. Reaching up, he felt the clingy, pasty sauce of the dish matting his once-immaculate spikes, and he shrieked, "GET HER, LLOYD!"

With a roar, the table fell into chaos again. As the ninja threw handfuls of food at each other — except for Cole who sat there lamenting the waste of it all — Lloyd and Kai looked at each other and smiled. Everything that they had ever done, all that they had ever faced and clawed their way through, had been worth it for moments just like this. With a laugh, Kai leaned in and kissed Lloyd in front of everyone, not even caring to keep anything concealed anymore.

He didn't even care when Nya shouted, "Gross!" and splashed the rest of her water on them. With a smirk, he pulled Lloyd closer and set a palm to the boy's back to dry out his clothes.

"You know," Zane said afterwards, as everyone settled down. "Someone has to clean all this up before Master Wu returns."

"Not me!" Jay was the first shout.

"We will," Lloyd said calmly, volunteering an unwilling Kai before he could protest. "We started this after all."

"They had it coming," Kai argued but stopped when Lloyd cast him a sharp look.

"You said you'd follow wherever I lead," Lloyd reminded Kai, then smirked his signature smirk when Kai let out yet another groan.

"Alright then," Kai sighed. "Lead me to the dishes."

"Get used to this," Jay said smugly. "This is going to be married life for you from now on."

Cole stood up from his seat and brought the rest of his plate down, shrimp-first, on Jay's head. "And this is going to be married life with me," he promised the Master of Lightning and walked away smiling.

"Welcome to the family," Nya said to Lloyd before standing up from the table.

"Can't be crazier than my family," Lloyd called after her, then turned to Lloyd. "Well, let's get cleaning."

Kai sighed melodramatically but didn't complain. He had promised to follow Lloyd wherever he lead him, even if it was just to another mess to clean up. So he smiled as he knelt down to pick up pieces of dinner from the floor with Lloyd. He wouldn't have traded it for anything else.

[paralyze-fic]

Paralyze.

Chapter 86

I gently bite the end of my pencil, careful not to break it or dent it too much while brainstorming ideas.

Izuku's Air Force works by basically "punching" the air, creating strong drafts and even wind bullets of sorts, something he had said was training with All Might the day of the Festival Cultural. I stared at my palm and closed my hand in a fist a few times, visualising using my quirk.

Fingers glowing light blue, storing the energy, and I made a flicker motion... It could work, theoretically.

There was also Katsuki's AP Shot, though thinking about it better, I really doubted I could adapt it to my quirk, although it was a good use of the whistle, repeated short bursts of energy.

A frown furrowed my brows as I realised I was just ripping off my friends' attacks and I wasn't being very original. Well... My quirk does depend a lot more on other people than it depends on me. "Damn it..." A deep sigh left my lips as I slouched on the couch, and I glanced down at myself.

Despite not doing much yesterday I got more injured than I would've hoped... Do I deserve to be an intern with Endeavour after all...? I mean, he called for me and personally asked me, so there was some potential in me and my quirk that he was able to see, something I've never really done in my life.

"Pushing my limits is the only way to improve, right?" Reaching for my notebook and pencil, I wrote down another idea I came up with.

Iida's Recipro. Of course, I don't have an engine on my calves, but adapting my costume to get those- oh! Like that old man, maybe? Like Gran Torino's boots?

Again, everything was theories, I was almost sure only Izuku's Air Force was gonna work out. And I had to continue practice that shield- fuck, it's too much.

I groaned and messed with my hair, closing my notebook with the pencil inside it and placing it on the coffee table, deciding to lie down on the couch as I felt the slightest headache come back. "Gotta rest and take it easy for today," I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, using the murmur of the TV as a lullaby to put me to sleep.

///////

I took a deep breath as I began regaining consciousness and a yawn left me as I began sitting up on the couch. I rubbed my eyes and looked around.

I was very much still alone in the dorm, not a single sound that didn't come from the TV could be heard, however, the day had definitely gone by, as the sky had changed from the morning sunlight, it was more like afternoon, so I reached for my phone to check the time.

2 pm marked the clock. There was still some time left of class but they were almost done for the day.

I caught sight of my notebook so I picked it up again and opened it on the page I left. "Energy shield..." I mumbled to myself as I read my handwriting. I had used that shield during... The Shie Hassaikai, and I've not been able to recreate it ever since, or not to the point it turns transparent and has that patterned texture, like Eijiro's quirk, it just glows faintly and it goes out.

Made me wonder if there was another thing I had to do to be able to recreate it- I was about to get shot with a quirk-erasing bullet so maybe-

Wait... Bullet?

Chisaki made those bullets with Eri's quirk, awful reason and motivations, but as a villain, that's all he needed. Made me wonder if there was a way I could... Create paralyzing bullets or darts? It could give me an advantage in battle, especially in large groups and at long range.

...but I would probably have to discuss that with Aizawa and Nezu, I doubted it was ethical to create bullets with the quirk component in my blood.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Writing down my small ideas, I ended up getting distracted and drawing doodles of my classmates on the edges of the page and above their names.

I stopped once I finished drawing a very angry Katsuki screaming at an unphased Shouto and panicking Izuku, you know, the usual every day at U.A. and I chuckled at my doodle. I reached for the remote and I started changing the channels, trying to find anything to watch while waiting for everyone to come back.

Ended up leaving an anime about a dude with a little saw demon called Pochita and, while the opening played -pretty catchy- I stood up and headed to the kitchen, wanting to grab something to drink. I opened the fridge and grabbed some (water/coke/juice) along with a glass from the cabinet and poured it, leaving the bottle in the fridge and going back to the couch.

I watched the chapter, apparently the very first, and while it entertained me enough to get me distracted, I wasn't sure I liked it as much as I thought I would. Kind of a shame, seemed cool at first glance.

The chapter ended after 20 minutes, and another anime was announced to start soon, however, I stood up and went to rinse my glass before leaving it out to dry.

Reading the time on the microwave, I realized class would be coming back soon enough.

And they did. Right as I sat back down on the couch, the double doors opened and the sound of everyone's voices echoed off the wide space. I patiently waited until they rounded the corner and saw me sitting there, which took them about five seconds.

"Oh, (M/n) is back!" Kaminari was the first one to lock eyes with me, and his voice caught the attention of the entire class

"(M/n)-kun!" Izuku exclaimed as he walked up to me, followed by the whole class and I smiled at them.

"Hello everyone," exclamations of happiness followed, mentioning how glad they were that I was back at the dorm and mostly unharmed.

And of course, I noticed how silent Katsuki was, staring at me with a serious look in his eyes, he almost looked unbothered by the situation but I knew better than that, so I smiled at him, only at him.

He scoffed and stepped closer to me, "Why didn't you change out of this thing? It's burnt," he muttered while holding the burnt sleeve of my jacket, barely attached, hanging on by a couple of threads, he looked at it with anger and disgust, as if he knew who burned it. And well, I didn't doubt it, there was a brief scene of Dabi right as he fled the scene on the news.

"I guess I was just a little tired, Katsuki," was all I said, which wasn't a lie, but I also didn't feel like taking it off, mostly cause this was my favourite jacket to wear.

"You were all over the news, (L/n)-san," I looked at Yaomomo as she spoke, a hand resting against her mouth, a slightly worried expression on her face, brows slightly pulled together.

"Why were you even there, (L/n)-kun?" Iida asked in his typical class president voice, making sharp motions with his hands, and I chuckled, hearing a few more wonder the same thing.

I guess not everyone knew why I was there, after all. I took a deep breath and relaxed against the couch, "Endeavour wanted to meet up with me, it was just bad timing, Iida-kun, and they needed my help so... I helped," I responded with a shrug at the end, and he seemed to relax from his overly uptight persona.

At this point, Katsuki had made himself comfortable by my side, and as the class had grown used to how close the explosive blond and I had gotten, no one mentioned anything about it.

"What did my old man want, (M/n)?" Shouto asked, making me turn slightly to look behind me, the rest of the class was slowly getting comfortable too and finding places to sit as they listened to me talk, despite still wearing their uniforms.

"He wanted me to be an intern at his agency," I noticed everyone's eyes open wide, a unison 'huh?!' resonating in the room, even Shouto seemed surprised.

"And?! Did you say yes? He's the number one hero, (M/n)!" Kaminari was the first one to speak, earning a slap on the back of his head, courtesy of Katsuki who had Pikachu sitting on the other side of him. I looked at the electric boy, trying to hold back a chuckle at the way he pouted at Katsuki.

"I told him I wanted to think about it, but after yesterday... I think I will, Pikachu," Kaminari smiled at me, but before anyone else could get a word out to me, Iida spoke.

"Well everyone, let's go change out of our uniforms and let's allow (L/n)-kun to rest!" He mostly received grunts of affirmation but also one of annoyance.

I slowly reached my hand out to caress Katsuki's and his scowl almost fully vanished.

Everyone began making their way to their rooms and I was left alone in the common room as I waited for them to come back down.

In the meantime, I reached for my notebook and began revising my ideas, definitely hoping no one would get pissed at me for using them as inspiration for new attacks, and drawing a quick doodle of Katsuki's grenade gauntlets.

"What are you doing, (M/n)-kun?" Izuku was the first one in the common area with me, sitting by my side as he took a quick peek at my notebook and I simply handed it over to him.

He grabbed it and began reading through, his eyes widening slightly every few words, "I've been thinking about the advice Endeavour gave me yesterday, so I was trying to come up with ideas for new moves, of course, they're only theories for now."

"They sound interesting, (M/n)-kun, you used common factors you have with your classmates and tried to apply them to your quirk," okay, that was an interesting way of explaining my thought process, which I wasn't even sure I had to be honest.

I scratched the back of my neck and chuckled nervously, "Well, explained like that, it sounds like I'm just copying you guys' moves," and my words made the greenette male start panicking instead.

"No, no! That's not what I meant-! All of my moves are- used to- most of them are All Might's moves so-!" Even though I knew I shouldn't, I activated my quirk and stopped Izuku's vocal chords, otherwise he would never stop. He reached his hand up to his throat, his mouth opening and closing but nothing, then he simply stared at me.

"I was just messing with you Izuku, don't panic." He nodded his head repeatedly and I stopped using my quirk, "Would you mind helping me with training tomorrow?"

"Why do you need to train with Deku? I'm here," Izuku flinched at the sound of Katsuki's voice behind us and I tilted my head back, smirking at the blond who was frowning down at us.

"Why don't you join us then? I'm sure you'll enjoy blasting Izuku's face for a few hours, Katsuki," now he smirked while staring at me, and I could hear Izuku's scared panicking.

"Why would you suggest that, (M/n)-kun?!"

///////

The dorm was lively while dinner was being cooked, I was forced to sit and watch by Katsuki, so I was spending my time with the rest of the Bakusquad.

"How was school today? Anything fun happened?" Mina chuckled and nodded, smiling brightly.

"We had a rescue simulation with the Big Three today, they were the villains!" My eyebrows raised slightly at the information about what they did at school, "Hado-senpai is really pretty up close!" I held back a laugh at that, but I had to agree, Hado-senpai was really pretty, no wonder she won the beauty contest.

"Yeah, it was a great training, until..." Eijiro trailed on and Sero pointed at Katsuki, whose back was facing us as he was busy cooking with Sato and Yaomomo.

"Explody McBoomBoom got too into character and almost blew Amajiki-senpai into tiny pieces," I sweatdropped at Sero's words, and the rest of the squad nodded, disappointed expressions on their faces.

I could just imagine how scared Amajiki-senpai must've been, seeing Katsuki so angry and up close. "Everyone had an afro for the next hour or so after that explosion too," Jiro mumbled and I chuckled.

"Seems like you guys had a way more entertaining day than I did."

[makingspiritualityreal]

The Planetary Dynamic of Existing Within Society

Some of the older social customs practiced by our ancestors that we have since forgotten in modern tradition give a much better example of functioning of the planets. Through my education I have had the luck to observe these dynamics enough to understand, and now explain the reflection of the functioning of the planets. Mind you, this description of the Planets differs from the traditional Nakshatra cycle, it’s simply my observation translated from my reflections in my second native language. I give these reflections a semi temporal dimension but truly many of the skills mentioned are learned simultaneously and not only in childhood but throughout life, especially if the given planet is afflicted and its results end up being delayed or distorted.

Coming into this world, we first encounter the sensorium, the Moon. The toddler, the infant, our primal connection and responsiveness to the world, nature and people around us. First playing with colors, toys, fairy tales, images, bedtime stories. That is why the Moon is also such a powerful planet when dealing with the masses, or human psychology because it has the power to tap into the basic instinctual nature of mankind, and generate a collective wave of approval based on these eternal instincts.

The moment we gain basic awareness with the Moon, we move on to Mars. The moment we step off our Mother’s lap, we do it for a reason, we do it because we have a goal, and we need to be ready to defend our basic survival in this world when we encounter opposition on our path. This is not yet the time to interact with society at a larger scale, but more so the primal development of our first responses of self defense and self assertion. This is when the child starts saying “No” and enters into first altercations in the local sandpit. Facing the external world unprotected for the first time is always a battle, and so our children always come back with many cuts and bruises in their formative years. The first dharmic planet of the idea of our sense of identity is a difficult one to handle, a lonely battle, as we have nothing but our own soul to support us in our internal ideas.

Then, as the first shock of our collision with the world away from parental safety passes, our Mercury activates. We pick up our pen and struggle to write over and over again until we succeed. We learn our lessons and memorise our numbers. We try and make mistakes and make progress doing so.

These three planets make up the basics of early years of our lives, as we use them as our toolset. The breakthrough moment for a young person, especially a young woman, traditionally was the moment of “entering into society”. That moment is when through our Venus we activate Rahu. It is the day when our elders and caregivers have decided that after years of trial and error and polishing our skills (Venusian fiery process of shedding crudeness), we have acquired enough refinement to enter the external world in full bloom, not just in our limited circle.

Coincidentally, it was also a signal that a Young New addition to society was eligible for a marriage union, and soon expected to be socially joined within that union, an act also ruled by Venus. Venus trains and waits in shadows and secrecy (Saturn, our elders protecting us) to use its fiery passion to polish its skills, being fully aware that the Gaze of Society, the eyes of people will be there to comment on us and judge us (Rahu) the moment we step out of hiding. Saturn protects us from Rahu by assuring that we’re held back from peoples gaze long enough until we acquire enough objective merit to not be easily swayed by any potential external judgment. It is the difference between being judged based on an unimportant passing fad, or being ridiculed because of actual deficiency of skill, both of which Rahu is capable of. Saturn gives us the power to hide and refine the parts of ourselves that still feel unpolished, protecting our skill, reputation and potential marriage union (Venus).

Where do the other Dharmic planets fit into this equation?

Jupiter is the stage we reach after our Venus and Rahu status is secured. We are officially married, and so we begin to enjoy the growth of our family, our own family happiness, and by becoming parents, we ourselves step into the role of a guardian in turn, creating a whole new cycle for the next generation. While we are not that concerned about our physical skill anymore, since we have long gained certainty in it, we are concerned about extending the goodness and merit of what we have learned in the world, for as long as we are alive and able to nourish it. We protect and we are protected.

Sun is the kingdom we acquire as a result of our teachings. It’s how far our light has spread as the result of accumulation of all our deeds from other planets. It’s how far our soul individuality has spread into our tiny human life.

Ketu comes later in life, as we realize how much effort we spent on refining the physical plane to mimic the beauty of our soul (Rahu). Only then we can truly appreciate and sense the incomprehensible, the vast infinity mixed with scientific perfection of creation, and judge how authentic we have been in our actions and creations so far relative to our Souls flame. Ketu is also our redefined comfort zone, something we may have been clinging to earlier in life, that we now finally manage to access in perfected conditions, after many trials and tribulations. Thus, the transition from habit to authenticity.

Saturn comes at the end as we become elders. We know our time of public glory has passed, and we make space for the new generation, fostering, sheltering and disciplining younger minds with the benefit of our enormous wisdom, letting them shine. We become concerned with our legacy and about what comes after our time on this planet is over, securing our physical attachments one last time, through matters of physical and social inheritance.

In this process, we can see two camps of planets with two distinct attitudes towards the link between body and soul.

The Moon is neutral and adaptable and malleable like a new-born. It doesn’t have an affiliation as it is a blank page and sways with every influence pressed upon it.

Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Rahu are material planets, and thus are all friendly to each other. In their original intent and purest state these planets have a goal of physically manifesting the grandeur of the soul on Earth through material creations, as each of the planets takes a distinct role in this process. Saturn is the ultimate material controller. Venus is the ultimate material teacher. Rahu is the ultimate material enjoyer. Mercury is the ultimate material student.

Sun, Jupiter, Mars and Ketu are spiritual planets, also being friendly to each other. Their goal is to keep our physical selves in check, so that we don’t forget the higher aspect of being, drowning in material creation. They reconnect us with our souls essence, through physical trials if necessary. Ketu is the ultimate spiritual controller. Jupiter is the ultimate spiritual teacher. Sun is the ultimate spiritual enjoyer. Mars is the ultimate spiritual student.

Neither of these groups is better or worse. They both have an integral role, as described in examples above. Without the physical planets, we would neglect our health and hygiene and cultivation of any physical aspects of the body. Without the spiritual planets, we would lose inspiration and forget that flesh is supposed to be soul poured into matter.

[eversnark]

Unexpected side effect of Phone Brain is that I literally don't know how to entertain myself.

I consider myself one of the first "Ipad kids" as in "having been given unlimited access to mobile devices at all hours of the day from a young age," but that wasn't till I was already 10 or so. I really worry for the kids who've been raised on tablets practically since birth.

I've always prided myself on being a self entertaining introvert who could spend hours alone just fine, but now that I'm consciously trying to limit my social media use I'm coming to face the fact that my free time filler is just Screen.

Listening to music, drawing, reading, writing etc just doesn't scratch the Itch anymore. It feels like my brain is walking on brambles until I cave and get that hit from picking up my phone or opening my laptop. I've unlearned the most basic human pastimes.

My few hobbies require equipment that I don't have access to at the moment (my instrument, my car, a gym membership.) And getting myself to do those things is usually a mental battle anyways, so the vast majority of my day is scrolling.

[elendiliel]

A Very Civil War

This idea has been buzzing around my head for a while, but seeing this post catapulted it up the priority list. (Yes, I know that's a mixed metaphor, but I don't know how to unmix it.)

---

Ratchet knew something was different about his Energon ration the moment he picked it up, and it took him less than another moment to figure out what it was. While the colour and consistency of his fuel were unchanged, its weight had slightly but significantly increased, and the liquid level had perceptibly risen, since he dispensed it. Someone had topped it up while his back was turned, and it wasn’t hard to guess who that person was. Only two other people had access to the Energon storage logs and would therefore know about his ration situation, and Optimus would never do anything so underhanded – not to one of his own team, anyway. That just left…

Sure enough, when he looked down at the occupant of the seat beside him, he met the steady, unwavering, utterly unrepentant gaze of his new second. Despite the discomfort he knew prolonged eye contact caused her, Glitch maintained it even while taking a sip of her own fuel, daring him to say something. (Instead of depleting the team’s limited Energon supply, the visitor from another universe was making do with Earth fossil fuels, which she could apparently process just fine in moderation. Ratchet had asked her once how she could drink the stuff; she had made a face and replied, “Reluctantly, and carefully. In excess, motor oil is an intoxicant for us, and there isn’t exactly much of me.” There certainly wasn’t; she was barely twice the height of an average human and slender with it, which had necessitated several modifications to their base’s furniture and the construction of a new medical berth that she could reach without standing on anything.)

He couldn’t resist that stare for long; could anybody? But he didn’t have to put up with her tampering with his fuel. “I don’t need this much.”

“Yes, you do. I know you don’t go out in the field much, which I still don’t understand but that’s an argument for another day, but you use your processor, your tools and your hands all the time, not to mention wrangling some pretty sizeable patients. All of that needs Energon. Which is why I’ve logged increased fuel intake as an official prescription for you.” Of course she had.

“I can overrule that,” he pointed out. He was the senior medic.

“Try it and I’ll set Prime and Raf on you. Maybe Magnus as well.” That was a battle Ratchet knew he’d lose. He could, after much practice, cope with Optimus’ gentle persuasion and occasional guilt-trips on their own and for good reasons, but when combined with Rafael’s pure, open compassion and concern and Ultra Magnus weaponising every relevant rule and procedure in the book, they would be irresistible. Better try another angle of attack. “All right, maybe a slight increment would be acceptable, but I certainly don’t need a full ration.”

“That isn’t a full ration,” Glitch countered. “You’ve been starving yourself for decades, so your system wouldn’t cope with that sudden increase. I planned to add a bit more each time, as much as was safe, hoping you wouldn’t notice. One gamble that didn’t come off, clearly.” She smiled up at him, and he knew he’d lost the battle. “We need you running at a hundred percent. For your own sake, not just because you’re our senior doc-‘bot.”

Well, he wasn’t going to surrender without a fight, and she’d given him an opening. “I am the senior medic of this team, which means I know we don’t have enough Energon for everyone. Not for any long period of time, and certainly not at our usual rate of injuries.”

“Then one of us has got our sums wrong,” she fired back. “Or we’re using different data. Factoring in my presence,” there wasn’t a hint of arrogance in that phrase; it was simply a statement of fact, “and assuming the current trends in Energon acquisition continue, there’s more than enough of a margin to let you stop short-changing yourself. I don’t run on your Energon, but I can protect our teammates in the field,” as she had both a shield mod and medical tools that could be re-deployed as secondary shields, “and patch up the injuries I can’t prevent right then and there. All things being equal, that cuts down fuel consumption past the point where you definitely don’t have to starve yourself. Skies above, I see why you and Prime are Amicae. You’re as bad as he is sometimes.” She didn’t mean to be insulting, Ratchet knew, and his oldest friend did have a tendency to put himself – and only himself – in harm’s way too often for comfort.

But if that wasn’t the racer calling the turbofox fast… “I suppose that is a hazard of our profession.” He looked meaningfully at the scar on Glitch’s upper chestplate, which he knew to be a memento of a Decepticon ambush in which she had protected her partner almost at the cost of her own spark.

“True,” she conceded. “How d’you think I know how to spot someone on starvation rations? Or how to do this?” She indicated Ratchet’s still-untouched Energon. “Holdover from boot camp. Our drill sergeant sometimes docked someone’s rations when he wanted to get creative with punishments.” Ratchet winced slightly. Such behaviour would not be acceptable under Optimus’ authority. “I thought I didn’t need as much as the others, so I’d just top theirs up with mine when they weren’t looking. Even when that wasn’t the case, the standard ration was plenty for a two-wheeler but not quite enough for a construction model like Bulk, so I’d give him a little extra when I could.” The corners of her speech synthesiser twitched up in a brief smile. “Heh, no wonder he was the only one who clocked what I was doing. Anyways, I didn’t realise how much of an effect that was having until after our three worst troublemakers had left. Suddenly I wasn’t nearly so snappish and started doing better on every type of exercise. Not much better, I’ll admit, probably because I was still staying up late reading.” She gave Ratchet an uncomfortably thoughtful look as she took another sip of oil. “Speaking of, once you’ve finished that, I strongly recommend you get some proper rest as well. Or there might be more than extra Energon in your next ration.”

Ratchet primed his voicebox and synth to say, “You wouldn’t,” but he knew she would. She was just as stubborn as him or Optimus, a very direct problem-solver, and quite possibly missing one or two blocks of ethical code. And he also knew Optimus was worried enough about him to back her up – as Magnus also would. Besides, it would be pleasant to power down properly for a while, trusting her to hold the fort, and to take the edge off the symptoms of Energon deprivation he had been resolutely ignoring for so long. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t go back to a reduced intake when her back was turned. Conceding defeat and ending their very civil war (for the time being), he finally picked up the doctored fuel and began to drink. As a broad grin spread across her face, he found he didn’t mind losing that battle. (Much.)

[aeoki]

Blackjack - Santa Will Not Come: Chapter 6

Location: Yumenosaki Student Council Room Characters: Shinobu & Souma Season: Autumn

TL Note:

Hiragana is one of the three scripts used in the Japanese language and is primarily used for writing Japanese words. Generally, foreign words (such as “Merry Christmas” or “Christmas”) are written in another script (katakana).  Japanese calligraphy is also primarily used to write kanji (another script) or Chinese characters, hence when writing words not aligning with their respective script, it can feel odd and jarring. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< A few days later. Yumenosaki Academy – Student Council Room. >

Shinobu: Excuse me ~de gozaru!

Is Isara-dono or Fushimi-dono here? There’s something I’d like to ask the third-years…

Hmm?

Souma: Oh, Sengoku.

What is with the fuss? Has something happened? There should not be any issues now that Isara-dono is the student council president, but if this was last year, Hasumi-dono would have scolded them severely for the loud entrance.

Shinobu: Uuu, I’m sorry! I’m supposed to be a ninja but I have a track record for not being stealthy at all…!

Souma: I do not particularly mind. Different places have different customs – it is fitting for the times.

In any case, Sengoku, I would like you to take a look at this. What do you think of it?

Shinobu: Huh? Oh, Kanzaki-dono… were you doing calligraphy? I can smell ink – it’s nice ~de gozaru ♪

Souma: Indeed, I was. My skills have yet to reach perfection but I decided to write something wholeheartedly.

What do you think? It felt strange writing an English word with calligraphy so I wrote it in hiragana[⁎] ♪

Shinobu: Why would you do such an odd thing…?

Souma: Well, we will be participating in “sutaa fesu” individually, correct?

The outfit given to each participant is mostly exactly the same apart from some minor details.

Yumenosaki has limited the “kurisumasu” songs we’re allowed to perform on stage to around twenty.

Shinobu: Yes, it seems so ~de gozaru. The documents with the rules listed on them are given to the individual once their application is accepted.

But we’ll really be taking part in it individually instead of in our units, huh.

In my case, I’m not allowed to perform any “RYUUSEITAI” songs.

It appears solo songs are fine, though. The things they don’t recommend us doing are all stated in the documents ~de gozaru.

Like how they say it’s meaningful for everyone to pick the same song.

Souma: I do not understand their intentions for that part. They do not allow us to participate in a unit, but they want to increase a sense of solidarity by having everyone sing the same song? It seems rather contradictory.

Shinobu: Hmm. I think Anzu-dono must have a deeper reason for doing so.

This is just my guess but we’ll be battling with one another at “SS”, right? Maybe she wants us to come together as a unit there. Or maybe not.

Besides, it’s not often that we all get to perform the same song, so I’m looking forward to it quite a lot. I have a feeling I’ll be able to use the muscles that I don’t usually get to use~♪

Souma: Hmm… I generally perform traditional Japanese songs, so I am worried whether or not I can fit into the “kurisumasu” atmosphere, since it is based on foreign, Western culture.

Shinobu: They’ve specified which songs we can use but it seems we’re free to rearrange them however we like ~de gozaru. I’ve heard “UNDEAD” will be performing in a rock’n’roll arrangement.

Souma: Right, I remember Adonis-dono mentioning that. I observed their practice session for a short while, but I was impressed to see how much a song could change based on how it is arranged.

Shinobu: You should make good use of your unique traits and perform your Christmas song in a traditional Japanese way ~de gozaru.

Souma: What is a traditional Japanese “kurisumasu”? Hmm, I understand what you are trying to say – I also thought I would have no choice but to take on this challenge in that way.

We cannot change the song but we’re free to perform it as we like. I shall search for a “kurisumasu” that is fitting for myself.

Shinobu: And the conclusion you reached was to write “Merry Christmas” in ink on Japanese calligraphy paper?

Souma: Indeed… Was that not appropriate? I thought this was the perfect idea.

I shall sing in a splendid “AKATSUKI” manner while kneeling and writing. Then, I shall look up and say, “meri kurisumasu ♪” to everyone with a smile on my face. What do you think?

Shinobu: Well… it’s not a common thing to do, so I’d say ordinary people would find it difficult to understand.

Souma: Is that so…? I did my best to come up with that idea.

Shinobu: Well, it’s difficult to say what will be well-received in this era, so it’s possible that it might go super duper well ~de gozaru.

Souma: Go super duper well, hm? I see, so I should be confident.

Hehe. I usually follow Hasumi-dono and Kiryuu-dono’s ideas so it is quite enjoyable to come up with the “pafomansu” from scratch ♪

And should it fail, the blame will only land to me. It is not so pressuring.

Shinobu: Yeah~ I’ve been running into some trouble with my unit, so it’s great that I’ll be able to have a breather during “Star Fest”, since that’s individual participation only ~de gozaru.

I’m happy I won’t have to walk on eggshells… Uuu~ It was so much fun being “RYUUSEITAI” with everyone last year. How did things end up like this?

Souma: Hehe. Worry as much as you would like – I wonder if it would be imprudent of me to say that I am, in fact, envious.

“AKATSUKI” is always stable, for better or worse. It is rare for us to lose our footing so it pains me that I cannot provide any words of advice.

Shinobu: Hmm, just the thought itself makes me happy ~de gozaru… I think we have to solve it ourselves this time instead of waiting for someone to save us.

Souma: Let me know if there is anything I can ever do for you, Sengoku. I am not a member of the Student Council, but I think of the underclassmen as my younger brothers – you included.

Shinobu: Yaay ♪ I’m a ninja but I now have a samurai brother ~de gozaru!

Souma: There, there – Please feel free to rely on your older brother as much as you like~♪

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[wevelocityteampresents-blog]

Inspection Completion

While I was out on Sunday, I kept myself busy with Pokémon Violet.

I wanted to focus on my classes at the academy. But due to the limited amount of screenshots I can take now, I decided to inspect the last few Pokémon Gyms.

My first stop was Alfornada City.

I guess it was a good thing she picked me to inspect these Gyms in her place.

I’m not THAT beautiful.

Why does this seem oddly connected to my life?

After I was finished with all of that, I moved on to the Montenevera Town Gym.

No one except me. (And a few other people...) These “Master” recipes are nice. But I know a few recipes that can provide even better powers.

Who’s she calling a rookie? I’ll bring out my best Pokémon just for this match.

A queen on her stage...

At least she knew what she said was wrong.

Before I scaled the mountain, I went to Area Zero to finish Miraidon’s training.

His Defense was only boosted by a small amount. But it should be good enough for him to stand a chance in battle!

Before I left Area Zero, I found these research papers that managed to catch my attention considering recent events.

Even though the name is blanked out, and the number of characters in it doesn’t match up with its actual name, it’s pretty clear the Pokémon Turo was referring to is supposed to be Terapagos.

A shell made of interlocking hexagonal plates, what seemingly appears to be the properties of all known Pokémon types. Terapagos meets the professor’s description perfectly.

While there is the possibility Terapagos is the main source of Terastallization energy, I’m more intrigued by how early it was mentioned in these games. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding a Pokémon like this, and it was never officially unveiled to the public until a few months after the Scarlet and Violet versions were released as part of an upcoming update. Even though its data isn’t in the games yet, I imagine that if Terapagos were hiding in the files as this series’ super secret Pokémon (in a similar vein to Mew or the mythical Pokémon from the XY series), then it would’ve probably added more value to it. Give it a signature attack and ability that could make it a powerhouse on the battlefield, and you’ve got a highly memorable Pokémon!

In all honesty, I’m surprised Terapagos ISN’T a mythical Pokémon. It would’ve added so much to the lore and could’ve had the same impact as Mew or Jirachi. But considering the troubled development of these newer entries, I guess that wasn’t possible... But it’s still a fun thing to think about!

Alright, back to the blog post.

After I was finished with Miraidon, I went to the Glaseado Gym to fight Grusha.

Glad he got back into boarding.

And he’s also gotten more nicer towards people. A perfect growth in character!

A thunderstorm came later on that day...

For this final part of the inspection, I thought I could have a little fun with it by taking on Grusha with only one Pokémon: Miraidon.

With Miraidon’s stats and abilities, he just might be able to win it. (I’m using this as practice for him.)

You can watch the match in the Paldea Web Stadium.

I think that’s already been established years ago.

You’ve still got your personality. Besides, it’s not like you can stop being a Trainer or choose to focus on one sport for the rest of your life.

And that takes care of that. That tournament is as good as mine! Now I just have to head back to the academy. (...If nothing else gets in my way, that is...)

Of course, I had to reward my Pokémon with some food.

For this dish, I tried using as many spicy ingredients as possible.

And I’ll add a dash of this Spicy Herba Mystica to complete the recipe.

It’s not much. But it’s still a good start when it comes to sandwich recipes!

That should do it for now. Next time, I’ll take on the Academy Ace Tournament and win some more ribbons for my Pokémon.

[that1fangirrl]

Angel-Chapter 1

Training class started how it normally did. Coach Corsi was rambling on about some new technique. Today being, ‘how to drop from any surface and immediately be ready for a battle’. Most students would venture off into pairs, practicing said technique. Unfortunately for students like Jenevieve, whose powers were deemed “useless” in a fight, they were signing their lives away to a new career builder that Dr.Moira thinks will help make mutants seem more “humane to the public eye”. “So, what are you thinking about trying this year Jeni? I heard there’s some openings at that new Morgue down in Manhattan. That's science-y enough for you, right?” Jubilee, one of Jenevieve’s closest friends, asks while opening her bento box and offering up a carrot. “I mean it is, but who wants to spend their entire summer staring into the sweet eyes of death all day? Besides, Charles says I've passed my limit in the science field. Something about wanting me to “branch out and see what else tickles my fancy”. It’s stupid.” She quietly rolls her eyes. “What does that even mean “branching out”? I try new things! He makes me sound like some loser ass turtle.” “You do have a tendency of hiding inside yourself Jeni. You can’t exactly be mad at him for that. It’s his job to look after us as mutants y'know~GASP~ Maybe you could work with me and Ororo at this cute little cafe in Hell’s Kitchen. It’s called “Silk Joy Cafe.” I’ve heard some pretty good reviews and it sounds like a bunch of fun?! Plus, You’ll be with people you know down there.” Jenevieve almost felt bad at how big Jubilee’s eyes had gotten. She wasn’t into the whole “touching people’s food and listening to their depressing lives as they swallowed down their oat milk soy bean lattes with an extra shot of bee pollen”. Having powers that give you a birds eye view into people and random objects’ lives can do that to ya. Although, living an hour away from New Salem and her parents did sound like an absolute dream. Jenevieve propped up her elbow. “ It sounds great, Jubes! Not the bakery part, but maybe I can find a place to intern down there. We can get a nice place close by and I’ll even get free snacks and coffee from you guys. It’s perfect!” Jenevieve gets up and starts making her way to Dr. Moira’s office. “Hey Doc- Oh Hi Professor X! I didn’t know you guys would be in here together.” “Actually Jenevieve, we were just talking about you. You still haven’t picked a place to intern at yet. I was starting to worry. But according to Jubilee, It seems you girls are thinking of traveling to Hell's Kitchen. That sounds quite fun!” Charles starts. “Um, yeah. She was saying there’s a bakery down there that she and Ororo are gonna work at. Do you by any chance know if there’s any available jobs in the area?” “Of course he was listening to our conversation” She says to herself knowing Charles can’t read her mind.  “Actually, I was one step ahead of you. There’s a couple of Law Firms down there and I think that would be a perfect place for you.” Jenevieve looks on timidly. “Law… Firms? That doesn’t exactly sound like something I’d be into sir. Um with all do respect, of course. And wouldn’t I have to interact with mean asshole liars all day? That definitely doesn’t sound like somewhere I’d fit in nor want to be.” “I understand your concerns, but I think this would actually be a perfect opportunity for you, dear. A way of getting out of your comfortable little molecular shell that you cage off into. Maybe it’s time you try something new. Most of them aren't that bad anyway. We’ll find you a nice one like always.” Moira butts in trying to make her feel more comfortable. “Well… I guess I could give it a try. I can’t promise that I’ll love it, but it is something different I guess.” “Then it’s settled! We’ll email you all the information you’ll need and I’ll get you girls a nice place in Manhattan. How does that sound, Jenevieve ?” Charles claps his hands together. “ It sounds great. Uh, thanks… again.” She breathlessly laughs, walking out feeling as defeated as ever.

Author's Note: sooo, I wrote this back in like August, so if there are any mistakes, sorry. The formatting might be weird too cause I write everything in google docs first, but it should be fine. Feedback is always encouraged. Just don't be rude, y'know. Enjoy<3

[illithilit]

what flavor is your soul?

BLURG IS.... ROSEMARY.

ah, the old soul, nice to meet again. the time of ages is etched into your bones, you see clearly. you've watched the heartache in this realm and sworn to solve it. but kindness without limits is self destruction. oh little leaf, strong and wise, you seek to bring peace with your presence. I'd be wrong to say you fail at this effort, but you mustn't set yourself on fire to keep others warm. you wish to please everyone, to protect them all. but if you shield the saplings from the sunlight they will never grow, and you one day will wither. protect yourself too. you know there are no happy heroes, so don't be one. be a friend. your loved ones will not forsake you for not being perseus slaying all their demons. you have your own monsters, why not meet them first before you conquer anyone else's nightmares. oh true-hearted paladin you are brave, and you are good enough. you know that right? be true to yourself, one cannot do anything saintly if they did not tend to their own wounds first.

TAGGED BY: @mindfoster TAGGING: @rizzsave ; @aliarssmile ; @infernaliscor ; @spiderwarden ; & anyone else who'd like to, say I tagged you c:

[ below the cut: Graz, Ori, Mourndax, Sayak, Yzare ]

GRAZILAXX IS.... LAVENDER.

oh moon child, restless sleeper, tell me what it's like to dream? you float along the margins of reality, picking up the pieces of fallen memories to sculpt into your own realm. you are searching, but your tongue is quiet, quiet, quiet. open your mouth and sing my dear, silence only does you good for so long. and here you planted roots in the darkness, where not even the moon can reach your leaves. there is such a thing as being too practical, for you sail your ship on perpetually calm waters, and never have you spotted land. your mind has wings, uncage them! allow yourself to dream, you are not too far gone. there is no such thing! trust in yourself dear.

ORIANNA IS.... HONEY.

"sugared mel e lingua serpentis." sugared honey from a serpent's tongue. oh dearest, look how you gleam. how the sunlight dances off your shoulders, how the heavens shine across your wingtips. but you are hollow, hollow, hollow. even the taste of nectar can choke a man. sometimes the sweetest flowers hide the sharpest poison. you lie to yourself, the worst lie of all. you needn't be so obsessed with perfect. the greatest beauty lies in our faults. do you think the moon apologizes for their mara? no, their craters add to their glow. my dear, breathe. you are not an island, breathe, before the honey drowns you. you wish to be lovely, you long to be loved. but did aphrodite trade her powers for perfection? she did not. you can be beautiful, and also whole. be whole above anything else dear. a heart of diamonds is worth nothing if inchor oozes from it. inward. look within and question how well do you know yourself? little petal are you trying to be a god? why? can a god bloom from sullen soil? no. you are whole as you are.

MOURNDAX IS.... SALT.

ah little kraken, bold are you. restless sailor, dauntless fighter, lower your sword, let me see your shield. ah, of course, they are but the same object. oh wave-tossed ruffian, lend me some of your mettle would you? you have been struck by the sharpest of spears yet you still stand here proudly. but off your guard, elsewhere of the battlefield, you will find your spirit can parch others. your words are but weapons crafted from your soul. little lion, sheathe your claws, or the ones you love the most will suffer. you do not have to be strong all the time love, there's nothing wrong with being soft. vulnerability is not weakness, and if it were, what's wrong with that? strength is not always your greatest tool, your heart is good. put down excalibur, and use your words. you'll find they will carry you much farther. not everything in life is a battle.

SAYAK IS..... MINT.

oh spry little dryad, spinning sprite, you drift through life as light as lion down. you are the chimes of churchbells and the laughter of faeries. gossamer and spidersilk shine from your ribs. life is fleeting, you more than anyone should know that. something we love today may never see tomorrow's sun. you pride yourself on skipping through moments, soft and merry. but you do not let your soul be tethered. is it for freedom or fear, sweetheart, that you do not let yourself be tamed? you are as fresh as and wild as bluebirds in snow, you smile at your problems before dashing away. hoping they will never catch up to you. but even nike can't run forever. you have been hurt before. but that is life. you wish to never feel that way again, but regretfully I must tell you that is nothing short of impossible. life is but part sorrow part sun, you cannot have teacups until they are burned by the kiln. oh I see the scars child, they shimmer down your chest, I see the pain in your eyes. but I also see the stardust. keep smiling, but allow tears also. you do not have to be solely wonder, fear, you are allowed to be bitter. so bite, and scream, and laugh, and love. that is what makes life worth living.

YZARE IS..... CINNAMON.

oh child of spice you are bound to the core of the earth. can you feel the heartbeat of nature pulsing through your veins. you are the mouthful of autumn that scorched through your throat, you are the pepper of life that wakes up the weary. the foolish and shaking will attempt to dilute you with sickening sugar, do not let them. your spark is what keeps us alive my dear. keep burning, little star. you see the beauty and the light, but oh you have been fed poison and refuse to drop it onto other's tongues. be wild. I know what your heart is chanting. run. run. run. run dear, find your story. do not trade your spirit for safety. you are a child of the earth, forever seeking, forever dancing.

[carnalapples]

helllllloooooooo ad i have some questions about your wips!!! will you please ramble a little about (cut down at the garden’s gate) and (remember me to one who lives there) 👀 if there are snippets to share i will eat them up 👯‍♀️

Hiiiii Rowan thank you so much!! I’ll take any excuse (and somehow you picked the two I’ve had the most brainrot about lately, haha!) I'll put this under a 'read more' because it's long...

cut down at the garden’s gate

Hawke spares Anders and runs away with a Bethany who was sent to the Circle; years later they end up passing through Starkhaven because with a burned-down Circle and no templars, it's looking like a solid option

Sebastian had so much potential for part of the base game, like he got sent to the Chantry for being too slutty…. Hawke is sugar daddy to a literal prince, there's so much there 

But mainly, I love how he's so driven by revenge when you wouldn't expect it, and it raises a lot of questions I love: how much of his devotion to the Chantry comes from real faith and how much is wanting a family or wanting a purpose? How much is hiding from his past? I love the conflicting beliefs he holds and how leaving the Chantry would let him see all its flaws but he gets thrown into ruling instead

I also love the idea of Fenris coming with him to Starkhaven but that's an idea for another day...

Lots of threads here, including but not limited to: the Hawke sibling relationship, whether Hawke and Sebastian could ever commit fully to each other in Kirkwall, how Starkhaven is a new beginning and the dynamics have shifted, their shared grief over losing family... and also a political marriage

Hawke comes by for the morning service every time she wants his company on a mission: when she can't take mages, when she has to get in the thick of the fight, anytime she craves another archer at her back. She has a keen trust in anyone who can view a battle from a distance and size up the opponents by her terms. Sometimes it feels like she brings him just to see if he’ll bite when she makes a decision, to see his reaction. It has become lovelier to indulge her impulses than to practice patience.   She sits in the third row on the right, her hair swooping into her eyes and one foot tapping against the floor, her knee bouncing up and down out of rhythm with the Chant. Like an equal exchange, after, she comes to him with her request, her eyes tinged with pink from the perfumed air. I’m allergic, she says when he asks why she does not attend more often, her red mouth set in a lovely smirk.  She is messy and imperfect, and he sees Andraste in her face and in her lies. It is no surprise that when he closes his eyes, he sees Hawke, perched on his knee when he takes the throne, panting into his ear while he undoes her slowly; Hawke under him in the bed of the lord’s chamber, that secret which lies behind the tall door deep in her family estate; Hawke, rocking against his mouth as he kneels between her legs, all these profane thoughts wind through his head as he lies in his narrow cot in the chantry basement.

remember me to one who lives there

I think this is one of the first things I started writing for DA and I really want to come back to it one day!

I’m obsessed with impossible tasks and folklore lol, especially ones that involve hidden identities/second chances—so I took the title from "Scarborough Fair" and all those strange and impossible tasks the singer asks for!

I really deviated from my "canon" for this one; the main idea is that Ashna drank from the Well of Sorrows and the Divine reinstated the Circles, so she's made a series of bargains for her freedom and left room for one person to undo them and find her

I also just love all the ambiguity around the Well and how it might compel someone to make all these strange decisions; that idea of its constant whispering is so haunting

Cullen takes an “extended leave” from the Inquisition to find her, but also to understand the choices he must make for the world he wants

The woman is quiet as she thinks, and eventually, she offers him a place in the kitchen, on a makeshift bedroll laid out on the thatched floor. He lies against the firm ground, wondering about the look in the woman’s eyes, the way she stuttered for once when choosing a room for him. As if she was unused to company, and she is set out of the way in the outskirts of this village, and maybe she hasn’t had a visitor in too long. And then he gets back to remembering, or trying to. He remembers being happy, remembers mornings spent in bed with his wife, his wife, in his arms. Remembers nights of travel and low conversations and nightmares, of anything but sleep. There was always a lightness that he is beginning to forget. If he were better—in general, really, but better at accepting what he cannot change—it might have been enough to have loved and been loved once, no matter the ending. Cullen used to consider himself properly sacrificial and duty-bound. Only recently did he allow himself to grow greedy, and now, the memory of her will never be enough. He married her; they were going to have children, perhaps, at least a dog, and gather wrinkles and aches and a full lifetime of memories. He wants it all still; sometimes, he feels he is nothing but wanting. “You’re hurting me, Cullen,” she said absently. Half-mad with panic, he dropped her hand like it burned.  “We will figure this out,” she said calmly. He didn’t understand it, but he should have. She’d always had the same reaction to bad news—thinking two steps ahead, a foot out the door at even the slightest tug of the thread, gone by the time the rest began to unravel. Two mornings later, he woke in an empty bed.

Thanks again bestie!!! 👯‍♀️ 💕

[calicos-critters]

stillness, canvas, day, arms, and favorite for my bitch wife mellita

hiiiiiiii thank u for the question :0

stillness: How does your OC act while still? Are they fidgety? Do they have any common gestures or tics? Does their clothing affect how they hold themselves while at rest?

She's usually frowning when she's standing still, but will pick dirt out from under her nails if she's bored. Usually not very fidgety in general.

canvas: Does your OC have any scars, piercings, tattoos, or other markings? Do they display or cover them up at all?

Many, MANY scars, both from her blood magic and from post-Circle fights she's gotten in. She has a very notable burn scar across one shoulder and part of her breast which she is a bit self conscious about and prefers to hide, but the rest she usually keeps on display unless she thinks it would be a problem (eg. at Halamshiral). She doesn't have any tattoos but I imagine that eventually she would get one renouncing circle life in some manner.

day: What does your OC wear on a normal day? Why do they default to those clothes? Do they wear similar things, or do they change it up?

She defaults to short sleeved tunics and pants if she's not going into battle generally and keeps her color palette limited to oranges, reds and browns. She likes to wear similar things most of the time, partially because she'd gotten used to the Circle robes removing the choice and now purposefully chooses an outfit which wouldn't be acceptable there. Most of her clothing choice is practical though, based around ease of access to her own blood for magic and colors which are easier for blood to go unnoticed.

arms: Does your OC have any weapons? What weapons do they carry, and how do they wear them when they're not fighting?

Ohhh yes, Mellita keeps weapons on her. Usually she's carrying around a huge staff with a metal bladed end (similar to DA2 staves) and always has at least one or two smaller blades for purely practical reasons (blood magic). She likes keeping her staff strapped to her back using a leather holder which has snaps to keep it from going too far off her back; her blades vary location-wise depending on how many she's carrying at the time but she always has at least one on her belt.

favorite: Does your OC have a favorite article of clothing or accessory? What is it? What's the meaning behind it? Do they wear it all the time or do they wear it sparingly to keep it safe?

I don't think she has a lot of super sentimental accessories or clothes, unfortunately. She probably has more of them after reuniting with her brother, Matthias, and after the beginning of her romance with Lark. I imagine in my Nydha canon she'd keep a bracelet he'd created for her with tributes to Elgar'nan on it. She does probably still have the first piece of clothing she bought outside of the Circle and has kept it, though she only wears it for pajamas.