#but i feel it was so overshadowed by the nonsensical fighting

[asllthellpoetsllsay]

watched wakanda forever the other day,,,, and like,,,,, tf you mean that the bad guys were indigenous ppl ????? like they really pit black ppl against indigenous and im like ???? why. when the start of the movie made it clear who the mfs were (white ppl), that they were the source of the problem why did it end up with an unnecessary fight between indigenous ppl and black ppl like it made no fucking sense. they couldve had it all, they couldve destroyed all of them and instead what did we get? unnecessary suffering and deaths. like,, hmnito que wea po obviously the problem was white ppl and they didnt even get a slap or something que rabia

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Overblot Universe (3) | Yandere Twisted Wonderland

Part 1 • 2 •4• 5

You could feel the urge to sleep pulling at your eyes

Faint voices sounding muddled had you fighting a little 

As you found your eyes drooping once again you could feel something wrap around your arms

Naturally you pull away, reminding you of those inky tentacles that held you captive a short while ago

You pause when you hear the sound of vines snapping

These weren’t tentacles

But vines 

Feeling the circumference of the vine you searched for thorns

Finding that they felt shaved and dulled

The detail brought a strange sense of comfort 

The kind you had when you were with your dear horned friend 

You follow their pull realizing the vines had come from an oval source of light

Blocking your eyes, you could finally make out where the light was coming from

The comforting green light shed through giant leaves that were covering the sun

It looked like you were back in Night Raven’s Botanical garden

Though it looked incredibly over grown 

“(Y/n) there you are! Where’d you go? My tummy’s going to kill me!”

The pitchy voice had you perking up, your eyes watering as you recognized the little fur ball running to you

“Grim!”

“Wah! What is the meaning of this Hench human!”

You couldn’t help the tears that dripped into his grey fur

“I missed you so much!”

“Heh?! Why would you miss me? You been sleepin’ in here the whole time.”

“Have I?”

Just then you realized the encounters with the overblot versions of the dorm leaders were incredibly fuzzy 

Like bad dreams

Giving Grim one last squeeze before releasing him you inhaled knowing that was all it was

Just bad dreams

“Grim, I thought you were hungry enough to wake them up quickly?”

“I was! But suddenly they just grabbed me and started to talking nonsense!”

The vice dorm leader shook his head before smiling at you and holding his hand out to you

“Glad to see you’re awake enough to make your appointment!”

“What do you mean Jamil?”

He smiled pulling you up and into his side 

Holding you incredibly close as he walked into the overgrown expanse of the vegetation

Jamil looked heavenly under the shaded natural light

He looked so happy

Something in you told you not to ask about Kalim

Before you could question him more he pulls back a particularly large leaf to reveal something lovely

A picnic with a number of dishes that made your mouth water and sitting wistfully beside them was none other than–

“Tsunotaro!?”

“Child of Man, I’m glad that you’re here to join us!”

Grim ran past you to get to the food you let Jamil intertwine his fingers with yours as he led you to the blanket

In no time at all you were eating and chatting 

The ghosts of inky hands and tentacles leaving your mind every now and then as you spoke more and more with your friends

Sometimes the thought of how weird this pair up was but you had to pay attention Malleus was spoon feeding something to you

And even when the food was all gone and Grim was napping on your stomach 

All that existed of the nightmare before was the faint memory of ink which was constantly overshadowed by Jamil and Malleus 

“That’s what I’m saying: these clouds look like a bat!”

“I disagree. A Briar Valley bat is much larger than a fruit bat…and their tails are much larger.”

“But they’re still classified as a bat right?”

“Technically.”

“See? (Y/n), please help him understand.”

It’s nice….to relax like this 

“Hey uh how long have I been sleeping?”

“Not long I am sure. You left shortly after our breakfast together and Grim claimed you went on your own after that.”

“Really? That’s not how I remember it…”

“Oh Really? What do you remember?”

That fuzzy feeling was there again 

you can feel your head ache while you tried to make the image in your head clearer

But alas it never did

“Nothing. Anyway let’s just go back to our special day!”

“Yes, let’s. You both have promised to indulge in our mini-gargoyle-making session.”

As promised all three of you separated a large block of clay that you weren’t aware that they brought

Beginining to shape mini gargoyles with it 

It was hard using the utensils Malleus seems to have bought

But they were great

It was all going great

Until you heard Jamil whimper

Looking up you hadn’t expected what you were seeing

Watching as Jamil’s figure faded like an image on a screen

Phasing in an out the clay falling from his fingers as it continued

“Jamil! Are you okay what’s wrong?”

“Do not tell me…” 

Looking over at Tsunotarou, his face was twisted and his eyes were glaring at the flickering Jamil 

But it didn’t seem that he was directing that hatred at him but someone else

“Jamil if I release you can you stop him?”

“Him?”

“I-I’m not sure I can’t feel the others–ack!”

Jamil belted out another round of coughing 

“Jamil, Malleus what is going on!?”

Malleus’ glare was now directed at you 

Taking his real name leaving your lips as an insult in and of itself

“(Y/n), I think it’s best you go back to sleep.”

The second the word left his mouth you felt a weight on all your muscles

Pulling at your eyelids and even your consciousness

But you fought back 

Backing away from the fae who was now worriedly reaching out for you

Instead you ended up closer to Jamil trying to grab onto his flickering form

“(Y—-Y—/n-n-n-)! P-lease!”

His form continued to flicker out of existence allowing you to see the familiar image of the Overblotted Jamil

“Viper make them sleep. I will come to your aid next. I just need you to make them sleep!”

The word had the same pull but you were getting used to it

Pushing through you watched the phasing Overblotted Jamil’s eyes light up as he tried to say something

Before he could he screamed out finally dissipating into nothingness

His disappearance revealed something more to you 

The green paradise you’d been in began to melt away churning and piling into mounds of ink 

Ink that you found yourself sinking into

“(Y/n)!!!”

Malleus’ layered voice was screeching and the world was shaking

But that wasn’t stopping your quick descent and sooner than you could react your vision was engulfed in blackness

The feeling of your heart being pulled out of something deep was what met you when you found you could open your eyes once again

“There you should be free of that creatures curse. Now my King we’ve much to catch up on.”

Part 4?

[basilpaste]

i had a whole big idea for this, but im afraid im not terribly good at comics! or drawing fast!!! but its isas birthday!!! happy birthday!!

(the gifts are under the cut! written out!)

"Thank you! But, oh Change, you really didn't have to get little ol' me anything, ehe!"

"Nonsense, Isabeau." Odile huffs fondly. "You're part of our little team, after all. Did you think we'd forget?"

Maybe a little? You don't even entirely remember telling them about your birthday! From the look on Mira's face, though, you must have told her. It seems like she orchestrated the whole thing.

She claps her hands together cheerfully, "So! Who wants to go first!"

Bonnie waves their hands wildly, hopping up and down. "Oh!! Oh me! I want to give Za my gift!!!"

Heh! It doesn't seem like anyone's willing to fight them on it. After a moment of silence, they cheer, rushing off to heft up a small gift bag. They hurtle back towards you and present the bag dramatically.

You gingerly take the bag from them and pull it open. Inside is a-

"WAUGH?" You yelp, dropping it!

The bag falls on its side, sending the contents tumbling out. A spider?! A spider!

A... spider-shaped pin cushion.

Oh.

Bonnie lets out a long hard laugh, pointing at you, "Hahah!!! You thought it was a real spider!! Spiders don't get that big, dummy!"

"You'd be surprised," Sif speaks up, batting their lashes oh-so innocently.

You shiver. Bonnie also shivers.

"Thank you Bonbon for the pin cushion." You say, grabbing it off the ground.

... Stabbing a spider-shaped thing might feel kinda nice, actually. It was obviously a prank gift, but you'll still get plenty of use out of it!

Bonnie grins at you brightly.

Odile steps up next, bowing her head to you. She passes you a neatly wrapped box. You carefully remove the paper (its pretty!) and unfold the box.

Oh! A book!

Colour Me Curious: A History Of Colour Theory.

"Back in Dormont's House," she glances back at Sif when she says the word Dormont, you pretend you don't see, "you mentioned having an interest in colour theory. A librarian a few towns back recommended this to me. I figured you might enjoy it."

You nod rapidly. Oh!! You're surprised you haven't looked into it yet! You're not sure how you forgot! Especially considering the weird shade - colour - you all have seen! With your eyes!

"Thank you, m'dame!!" You say, trying to be mindful of your volume.

She smiles, "Of course. I'd like to hear what you take from it."

"Of course!!"

"Okay! Okay, um... me next!" Mira pulls two boxes from her dress pocket (?????) and holds them anxiously, "I shouldn't have gotten two! I don't want to overshadow anyone else! But! I think you'd like these both! So! So. I got them both! Happy birthday, Isabeau!!"

You scoop them from her arms, "I don't think anyone is worried about you overshadowing them, Mira!"

The rest of your friends hum in agreement.

"Okay."

A beat.

"Start with the smaller one!"

The smaller one turns out to be a light novel of some sort. Oh! She's talked about this one before!! How she thought you'd like it because it's super cute! You thank her and place it softly on top of Odile's gift before turning your attention to the larger box.

This is...

"Oh?" You squeak, feeling a little choked up.

"Oh?" Mira echoes, "Oh no! Do you- do you not like it?"

You grab the gift from its box, running your hand along the grain. Oh no! You might cry! Oh Change!

"Mira!! Mira this is so expensive? This is so much?" You feel unworthy to even hold it.

This is like... three meters of silk?? It's dyed such a rich lightless shade? That's unbelievably expensive!! It's beautiful and so well made that you're not sure what to do with yourself. Oh crab.

"It wasn't so bad, really!!" She yelps, worry clouding her expression.

You very softly (very, very carefully) tuck the silk back into its gift box. Then you throw yourself at Mira, sweeping her up into a tight hug. She cries out, clinging to you. And then bursts into a fit of giggles.

"Thank you thank you thank you???"

"Waaa!!" She laughs, "I'm glad you like it!!!"

"I know I know lightless isn't really your shade but you HAVE to let me make you a bow with this, Mira!!"

"Ah!! If you want to!!"

"I Do!!"

"Okay!"

You pull away from the hug, glancing back at the silk. You feel your chest swell with joy!! Oh Change!! This is so much stuff! And you're still not done!

Sif looks... a little bit nervous. They shift the box they're holding in their hands and shuffle up to you. After a moment of hesitation, he holds it out.

"... Happy birthday, Isa."

You take the box with care. It's small, but heavier than you're expecting. There's a bow on top that Bonbon snatches after you take it off. All of these gifts have been a surprise! But you're really not sure what Sif got you!

You open the box.

A piece of lightless fabric sits under the lid. It's embroidered! Not perfect or flawless, but done with care. Darkless spots are scattered on its surface and in big capital letters, it reads "You're A Star!"

Oh!! You get this joke, now! It used to only make sense to Sif but you know now!! Your chest feels light. You laugh.

"There's more." They say quietly.

You nod, gingerly removing the embroidery and setting it to the side. It reveals... a wood carving!! You pull the carving from the box, turning it over in your hands. This is you!!! It's a carving of you!!

How did you not notice him working on it??

"Sif!!" You gasp, "Sif it's perfect!!!"

"O-Oh?"

"This is beautiful!!! You made this? And the patch??"

He looks away, hiding his face in his cloak, "Um... yeah."

"I love them!" You grin so wide it hurts your face, "I love you! All of you!! This is all so... ah!! I need to start thinking about gifts for your birthdays, now!!"

"How about we finish celebrating yours first?" M'dame hums.

You feel light as a feather. You love your friends - your family - more than you can say.

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

If you’re interested Dark Donna x Reader where the voices in Donna’s head convinces her Readers going to leave, so Donna purposely gets Reader pregnant but when Ready finds out she’s pregnant she thinks Donna’s gonna get mad so she try’s to hide it. You can choose the rest just fluffy ending pls

Yesss!!! Thank you for your request!!! I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes!!! :))))

The voices

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem! Reader

Warnings: G!P Donna, smut, Minors DNI, dark themes, dark Donna, Donna's POV

Word count: 6,870

Summary: You're going to leave, they tell me you're going to leave...

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I'm waiting yours!!! I love you all!!! :))

I walked quickly, almost running. Normally when I return home after a meeting, I take my time to enjoy the solitude, that landscape I consider mine, my property.

I asked myself questions about the birds that perched on the dry and sad branches. I looked at the fog across the bridge. Not that day, that day I had to run, I had to return home.

The routine would continue as always, it would continue as always if she had not appeared in my life.

(Y/N), an annoying villager who dared to appear in my life, changed it completely. She was a young, beautiful girl, really beautiful, who dared to meet me, to get into my mind and never leave.

It was like a horrible temptation, like an unbearable addiction. Once I tried it, I couldn't live without it. Smiling, happy, calm... It was the complete opposite of what I was. Maybe that “opposites attract” nonsense was true. I never believed in love, I never even bothered to look for it. Damn addiction, I could no longer live without love, without loving her.

She didn't hesitate, I offered her to live with me, to be by my side, and she accepted, probably without thinking too much about it. I should scare you, make you afraid, but I didn't, not even my face, not even my body, were reasons for you to stop loving me.

You were mine, only mine.

That thought always overshadowed all my doubts, the voices that told me that it was just a mirage, a screen that superimposed itself on reality. No, no, (Y/N) was mine, leave me alone.

But, even though I tried to do everything possible not to let the doubt overwhelm me, for a couple of weeks those voices had become louder in my head, repeating the same thing over and over, over and over...

(Y/N) doesn't love you, Donna, (Y/N) won't stay with you, she’s going to leave, she’s going to abandon you. She will leave you alone.

I tried to silence those voices in every way possible, I really did. I kissed you, I made love to you, I hugged you... None of that served to silence those damned voices. At first it seemed absurd to me, but little by little, that thought became much more real.

(Y/N) is going to leave, she will abandon you…

Over and over again, that same cursed mantra, the dark voice that made me lose my mind. My pace quickened, to the point where I was having trouble breathing. The elevator was going up too slow, I had to get home. I had to check that you weren't gone.

“(Y/N)...” I said agitated, slowly entering the house, looking for your figure wandering through the hallways, looking for your shadow impregnated on the walls.

There was nothing, just silence, just those voices that told me the same thing over and over again.

You see? She's gone, she's abandoned you

“Stai zitto...” I murmured to myself. It couldn't be true. I wanted to believe it couldn't be true. I took off my veil and looked for you on one side, on the other.

I didn't find you and the fury inside me was fighting to come out, I could feel the heat rising through my body, I could feel how my fist was clenching the black fabric tightly, wanting to tear it.

“(Y/N), where are you?” I said with a slightly louder voice. Angie helped me look for you, Angie always helped me.

No, she didn't find you either. I wanted my voice to sound authoritative, stern, for you to respond to my call, but you didn't, and I didn't sound that way either. It was almost pathetic, it almost seemed like I was begging you.

I couldn't beg for you. You were mine, you belonged to me. You couldn't leave. You weren't going to leave.

“(Y/N),” I growled, this time with that desired tone. Anger burned my skin and my eye searched for you tirelessly. I would have been able to raise my entire army of dolls to find you, you know I would, (Y/N).

But the silence only made the voices stronger, more forceful. They sounded in my ears, in my head, they sighed on my skin, they gave me goosebumps. They told me the truth.

“(Y/N)!” I screamed through my teeth, making the walls reflect my anger. My steps became firm and my brow furrowed as I walked through the house. The voices only fell silent at that moment, at the moment when I screamed, when I demanded for you to appear. “(Y/N)! You better not be gone!”

She's gone, Donna, she has to pay, you have to grab some scissors and...

“No!” I shouted to drown out the suggestion that sounded terrible to me, at least in case I was making a mistake, which was increasingly further from the truth.

“Come here, (Y/N)! You'll regret it if you don't show up!” I continued shouting, kicking a chair hard. Sorry, I figured it was you.

“Hey, hey, hey... Donna, what's wrong with you? What are those screams about?” A voice that was not in my head made me stay stuck to the floor.

Your figure, your perfect body appeared in front of me. Two years, three, seven could pass. Your body would always make all the evil inside me to hide, afraid of your beauty.

“(Y/N)” I murmured, smiling involuntarily. Once again my demons managed to deceive me. You weren't gone.

But she will leave, Donna, she will leave... She will leave you alone.

“Honey...” You whispered, approaching me with a worried look. I lowered mine, embarrassed. “Honey, what's wrong?” You asked in a soft voice, with that tempting voice, typical of any demon.

“You were not here. I arrived and you weren't there,” I said sincerely, with reproach activated in my voice, with my eye dark because of the scare you had given me. Don't do it again, ever.

“Well, I was taking a shower,” you explained, leaning in to kiss me, to captivate me with your lips. I kissed you back, but I pulled away right away. Your eyes were still worried, just like my soul. “My love, you are shaking, are you having a crisis?”

“No, I'm fine,” I said, removing the hand that had risen to my cheek. I was never going to admit how worried I was. You couldn't leave, you were mine, and you would be forever.

You sighed, shaking your head, insisting on making me fall into your addictive caresses.

“What has the poor chair done to you?” You asked amused, luckily letting my hand go and picking up the furniture from the floor. Your look said it, you were scared, or worried, or both.

“I’ve tripped,” I lied, with that dry tone that pretended I didn't care enough about you to be on the verge of begging for you to come back. I would never beg for you, you were mine.

She's not, she'll leave.

I shuddered at that horrible voice, at that constant torment of a wounded mind. You noticed it, studying me again with your beautiful look, with that look that could make me melt.

“Has something happened at the meeting?” You asked, confused by my tremors.

“No, everything has gone as usual,” I said, breathing calmly, following the movements your hands made, those movements with which you thought you controlled me when I lost my mind. I don't know why, but they worked.

“Okay, Donna, that's it, breathe with me...” You whispered calmly, making me fall into your trap again, grabbing my hands, removing my fingers that were almost digging into my flesh. “You feel better now?”

I nodded when the voices stopped due to your caresses, your soft and innocent kisses. They were the worst of drugs for me, your tender and relaxing lips. I didn't want you to leave, please don't abandon me.

“Great,” you said with a casual smile, when my body stopped shaking and my face gave you a smile. “Anyway, what do you want for dinner? It's my turn.”

“No, I... I’m going to prepare dinner, okay?” I said relaxed, wanting to compensate you for my absurd doubts. You bit your lip and jumped into my arms, letting me hug you. Gods, how I love your hugs.

“I was hoping you'd say that,” you whispered amusedly in my ear, making me laugh too, making my cheeks take on a slightly rosy tone.

You gave me a quick kiss on the lips and turned away from me, plopping down on a couch under my watchful gaze. Whatever you did, (Y/N), was worthy of admiration.

I went down to the kitchen with the relief of being right, of being superior to those horrible voices. No, you weren't going to abandon me. You loved me, almost as much as I loved you.

While cooking, I hummed an old song. My world at that moment was perfect. Until two years ago, I had never cooked for anyone. Nothing made me happier than seeing how you enjoyed the things I prepared for you. Nothing made me happier than seeing your smile.

Donna…

A voice hummed in my head, wanting to get my attention. I did my best to ignore it, singing louder. I couldn't stop hearing it, it was in my head. I pressed my temples with my fingers, so that little pain would relieve and silence those demons. It was not as easy as before, it was no longer as easy as before.

Have you left her alone upstairs? How stupid you are…

I shook my head, adding more ingredients to the pot. I wanted to prepare something delicious for you, I wanted to, at least you would stay for my food. What a stupid thing.

“No... No... Not now...” I murmured nervously, diverting my attention from the fire and gripping a knife tightly.

Yes, now, Donna. You are reckless. She can escape, cut the power of the elevator and leave you locked here. How pathetic that would be, just like you are...

Ignoring my mind again, I let the handle of that knife go, before my disturbed conscience suggested the things I could do to you with it.

Luckily, I was able to dinner in peace. When I came up with the food, you had already prepared the table, a romantic dinner, or so you said. Those kinds of things are what calm the screams of my sick mind. Only you could calm me down.

The love I felt for you was so strong that I was able to forget my fears, behave like that person you said you loved. Your smile, your funny look and your informal comments made me feel part of you, always part of you. You weren't going to leave me, you were mine.

When it was time to sleep, my body claimed yours, I claimed you. I wanted to make you mine again and again, celebrate the victory of your love against the voices in my head. Everything could have been so perfect, (Y/N), but it wasn't, you didn't want it to be.

“Donna, I'm a bit... Tired...” You said, removing my hands from your waist, making my mouth stop kissing the addictive skin of your neck.

I looked at you confused and continued with the kisses despite your complaints. I had to make you mine, you had to be mine.

“Donna, stop, stop it,” you said with a stern voice, pushing me gently, preventing me from getting close again by placing your hands on my chest. Your eyes were sad now. They did not shine with the same desire as other times.

“Why?” I asked with a pleading tone, grabbing your waist, pulling you, to which you shook your head. “Please, I want to make love to you…”

It was a damn formal request, (Y/N), why the hell did you have to turn it down?

You see? She doesn't even want you to fuck her...

“I'm sorry Donna, but I already told you. I'm especially tired today,” you said, moving away from me and getting into bed. I protested with a growl.

I don't remember what I did, what expression my face had, but I remember your strange, scared eyes. That fearful look, those bright eyes made me tremble.

Did my look tell you that I was going to take what I wanted by force? Did you really think that way about me? What a problem, (Y/N), you only made me want to do it.

“Hey, I promise you tomorrow we will do whatever you want, okay?” You said, reaching out your arm to pull my wrist. “Come on, come to bed.”

“I don't want to,” I said with a tone that I now think was too childish. I didn't want to be with you, sleep with you, you had hurt me. I felt hurt. Something told me it was for no reason. “I'm going to the workshop.”

“At this time of the night? Come on, Donna, you can't spend all day with the dolls, you'll end up becoming...”  You said, protesting in a funny way, ignoring the seriousness of my words, of my intentions.

“Crazy?” I finished the sentence for you and you let yourself fall on the mattress, closing your eyes.

“I didn't mean that,” you corrected.

Too late, Donna, she's given himself away, she thinks you're a crazy psychopath. And…You are.

“Good night, (Y/N),” I said, leaving the room before those voices could shout any more. To be honest, I didn't want to make love to you that much, it was more of a feeling of power, of possession.

Not finding you when I got home had opened a crack in what was left of my sanity. Only my dolls, my eternal friends, could help me think clearly, to become that woman you loved again.

I started to sew, I couldn't do it. The fabric was slipping from my hands. Then I wanted to paint, but my body was shaking so much and it was impossible. Not even in the safety of my workshop was I safe, not anymore.

She’s leaving at night and you know what you're going to do? Nothing, because you never do anything, you are stupid, a nutcase, a...

“Basta!” I screamed, dropping the brush and burying my head in the table, grabbing it with my hands, pulling my hair in frustration. “Basta, per favore… Angie!”

At least the voices fell silent. At least they left me alone. Oh, Angie, if you knew how much good you are to me... You really manage to calm me down, and not (Y/N)...

“I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming,” the doll sang, that part of my consciousness that I myself created thanks to Mother Miranda's gift. I couldn't have endured my life without her.

“Angie... I can't take it anymore...” I sobbed, letting my hair go but starting to cry. Tears ran down my cheeks relentlessly. The only thing I was thinking about at that moment was that you wouldn't listen to me. I didn't want your false compassion.

“The voices again?” the puppet asked, patting my back. She didn't even have to ask, she already knew, Angie always knew everything about me, my thoughts...

“They don't stop, Angie, they don't stop telling horrible things to me...” I explained among sobs, raising my head. Angie was listening to me, sitting at the table.

“What horrible things?” She asked with false curiosity. I composed myself. I didn't want to say them, they would come back, I'm sure they would come back.

“They tell me... They tell me that (Y/N), that she...”  I stuttered, involuntarily looking at the door, in case you showed up because of the scandal.

“They tell you that she will leave?” Angie finished the sentence for me, saving me the pain of repeating it. I nodded, embarrassed. “Bah, don't pay attention, she won't leave.”

“How can you be so sure?” I asked, annoyed by that simple answer.

“Well, I'm not but... It's what I think, what you think,” she explained, making comical gestures with her hands. “You must relax, Donna, otherwise you already know that the voices will never go away.”

“How do you want me to relax?” I asked, this time breathing harder. There were many things to break in that room, and the temptation was there. “Just, just the fact of thinking that she would abandon me...”

“Well, well, enough complaining,” Angie said, blatantly interrupting me. Thinking of Angie as a doll was much more reassuring than thinking that my own conscience had silenced me. “This way you won't be able to solve anything.”

I crossed my arms, regretting having called my doll. She was never particularly helpful, but at least, she was there.

“So how could I solve it? It's getting worse...” I murmured in a lower tone, looking around me. Neither the voices nor you appeared, luckily.

“Okay, okay, stop, my dear Donna,” the doll said, putting her arms in a calm position. “You can't complain if… If you haven't done anything about it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Come on, please, I know you know...” The puppet muttered, giving me a nasty elbow. Sometimes she took too many liberties. “If you are afraid that she will leave, the solution is simple, force her to stay.”

I was horrified by that proposal. There were many desires, the desire to be evil to you, to lock you in my room, to tie you to my bed. But that feeling of being truly loved, of a real feeling... It was much better. I never thought that way again, never, I promise, (Y/N).

“You know I can't do that... She loves me,” I protested with a grimace of absolute disgust.

“And you love her, right?” Angie responded boldly. I nodded almost immediately.

“I don't want to hurt her,” I said sincerely. I enjoyed seeing suffering in other people, but not in you, not in you, my love.

“Mm okay, that rules out my other two ideas,” the doll murmured in a comical, thoughtful way.

“If you're not going to help me, Angie, you better...” I said, tired of her shameless way of being, of the way I gave her, of my own conscience.

“Wait, wait, wait!” She screeched irritatingly, hurting my ears. “I got it, I got it, I got it, I got it.”

“Speak once and for all,” I demanded, trembling to know what her horrible proposal would be.

“If you want (Y/N) to stay with you forever, and you don't want to hurt her... You should get her pregnant,” she said triumphantly, as if it were the best idea in the world.

It didn't horrify me the way it should, it sounded too good, even at first. But no, I still had my doubts.

“Pregnant?” I asked, blinking in confusion, feeling a chill running through my body. “How is that supposed to make her stay?”

“Just think about it, Donna,” Angie whispered, approaching me, pretending to tell me a secret. “If (Y/N) is having your child, she won't be able to leave.”

“Of course she will. And then I will lose (Y/N) and my child at the same time,” I contradicted, thinking about it more coldly.

“No, wrong,” she said amused, putting a finger on my nose, making me growl with rage. “What is a villager like her going to do with a baby to take care of? She doesn't have a family and you already know how badly single mothers are viewed in the village... Not to mention Miranda, who would surely have her eyes on...”

“Okay, okay, I don't understand anything, Angie,” I said, overwhelmed by all that information and worried about how good it sounded in my head.

“Come on, it's very simple. (Y/N) will have no choice but to stay here with you so her baby, your baby, can have a happy life. Besides, you always wanted a baby, right?”

“Well, I... It's, it's true but... But (Y/N) doesn't want to, or so I think,” I said, running my hand over the back of my sweaty neck.

“What does that matter? She's yours, Donna, don't forget it,” the doll snapped, with a more aggressive tone. I couldn't say for sure if it really was Angie.

“I don't know... I... Even if it’s a good idea, it's not possible. (Y/N) always wants me to put… You know…”

“Oh, of course, you're talking about that humiliating rubber band that forces you to put on your…”

“Yes, you don't need to say it,” I interrupted, blushing with embarrassment.

“It's humiliating, don't you think? It's like you disgust her...” She murmured sinisterly, which made my breathing even more complicated.

“She says it's for protection,” I said, thinking about her words.

Yes, it was really humiliating not being able to feel my skin against yours, but I had never thought about it. Maybe you were cheating on me, (Y/N). Maybe you didn't love me as much as you said you did.

“Yeah, of course, lie, lie, lie. She does it because she's afraid of having a baby with you and having to stay, don't you see?”

“Maybe...” I said thoughtfully, stopping paying attention to Angie, and listen to my conscience.

A baby... It sounded hasty, crazy. But the more I thought about it, the better results appeared in my mind. Yes, maybe Angie was right, maybe that part of me was right.

Having a baby is not harm, it is a sign of love, of the love I felt for you. Just imagine, (Y/N), a precious baby to take care of. Thinking about it only made those horrible voices duller. Maybe that would be the solution.

I got into bed, with the pregnancy issue on my mind. You were asleep, breathing in that way of yours, which said how alien to the world you were, that you hadn't even worried about me. It didn't matter, that was going to change soon.

“I love you, (Y/N),” I whispered in your ear, passing my arm over your body, bringing you closer to me. You moaned. I couldn't see your face, but I could swear you were smiling.

Yes, I love you, I loved you, I will always love you. I will always do anything so you know, I would do anything for you to be by my side. I didn't care about the consequences. You were mine, and you always would be.

What are you waiting for? Do what you have to do, tie that bitch to your bed and to your life...

The voices returned days later. I even thought I forgot about that idea for a moment. I could only see love in your face, in your smile, I could see only you. But your absence, even if it was justified, made my body tremble again.

I got up from the couch, leaving aside the book I was pretending to read, listening to every voice, every desperate scream that tortured me. They were right, you would abandon me if I didn't act, if I didn't make you mine in a way you couldn't even imagine.

“Hello, bellisima,” you said smiling, cutting some tomatoes in the kitchen. “Look, I hope you don't mind if I try to imitate your special sauce.”

My corners turned up as I walked towards you. Seeing you only inflamed my desires, it only made me feel pleasure.

“I don't care,” I said whispering, standing behind you and enjoying your beauty. Nothing else was needed for my body to start reacting, I knew it well.

“It's probably a failure, but hey, I want to try,” you murmured, joking and looking at me briefly with a smile. I couldn't, I didn't want to wait any longer.

My hand reached out to yours, pushing away that knife, that possibility of defending yourself. You didn't seem upset, or scared, much less when I brushed the hair from your neck and started kissing it, wrapping my hands around your waist.

“Wow... Someone is in a very good mood...” You murmured in a sensual voice, rubbing your body with my already noticeable erection, which made me moan with impatience.

I didn't respond. I just smiled while you couldn't see me, while you couldn't do anything but melt with my caresses.

“Okay, okay, Donna...” You sighed after a while of kissing and caressing my body, turning around to kiss me on the lips. “Come on, let's go to the bedroom.”

“No, here,” I said, grabbing your wrist, making you almost trip. You looked at me strangely, but that mischievous smile was still on your face.

“Well... It's okay,” you said, not very sure. “But let me go first to take a…”

“No,” I said abruptly, perhaps too sharply. You looked at me surprised and crossed your arms. I couldn't help but think of Angie's words.

It's humiliating, it's like you disgust her...

“No, you say?” You asked mockingly, putting your hands on your hips.

“I don't want you to make me put on that thing,” I protested, with a hiss that could have been terrifying.

“Well… I guess nothing will happen for doing once, right?” You said to my surprise. I was ready to force you. Hurting you, forcing you, is the last thing I wanted, tesoro...

I nodded, returning to your mouth, kissing you passionately. I didn't want to run, but my body forced me, I was eager to enter you, and so was I.

“Donna, calm down, there's no rush,” you laughed when my arms lifted you up, sitting on the counter, not wanting to move away from your mouth, from your addictive kisses. “You are definitely in a very good mood…”

“(Y/N), I want you... I need you... I need to make you mine...” I whispered in your ear, playing with my dress. My shaft pressed against my clothes, it wanted to come out, and I allowed it, at the same time you looked at me with bright eyes. You wanted it, right? Yes, yes, you wanted it.

“What are you waiting for? Come on, come here...” You whispered, pulling my clothes, making my body crash against yours.

I still can't explain the pleasure I felt when my erection rubbed your wet entrance. That stupid rubber thing would never get in my way again. I didn't think too much about it, you were fine, ready for me. Your body always so calm, adapting to me so slowly. That touch, making my way through your walls, stretching them, noticing how I slid, how you moaned with pleasure when I did it, still clouded my senses.

The goal was still in my mind, but nothing stopped me from enjoying it properly, as I always did when I made love to you.

“Gods, Donna... You're perfect...” You moaned, holding on to my body so as not to lose stability. I smiled, responding to your compliment with a kiss, intensifying my thrusts, moaning with pleasure as I felt your body hugging mine.

“I love you (Y/N),” I said quietly, continuing to move my hips against yours, separating your legs so I could enjoy the view in front of me even more. You laughed, controlling your release so it wouldn't be so soon. How cute, I wasn't going to control myself at all.

“Me too,” you said, moaning more and more, until you hugged me in an unimaginable way, squeezing my erection inside your body. It was the first time I felt it that much. My addiction to you only got worse. “Ugh,” you laughed, relaxing your body. “Donna... On second thought... Do it outside, okay?”

Stupid nutcase, cum now or you'll lose her...

The voices returned with your unpleasant request, they tormented me again, but they failed to distract me.

“No,” I gasped, thrusting into you harder. You opened your eyes, scared.

“Donna... Please...”

“No!” I screamed, holding your hips, digging my nails into your skin so you wouldn't dare to separate from me. Finally I released myself, feeling how the heat that came out of my body settled on yours, possessing you. You were mine, even more mine. My seed was inside you, you couldn't leave, not anymore.

“What's wrong with you? Haven't you heard me?” You asked. Not with resentment, you didn't seem upset, rather, disappointed. “Donna, why did you do it?”

I came out of you overwhelmed by pleasure, with my legs trembling with excitement. I didn't say anything to you. I just looked at you with a cold face, while I put my clothes back. You shook your head, in disbelief at what had happened.

“You're mine. Try not to forget it,” I whispered before disappearing from the kitchen. I had enjoyed it, yes, it was likely that my plan would work, but different voices appeared in my head, some pleading, sad, disappointed voices.

What have you done, Donna? How could you do something like that? You've let (Y/N) down… She loved you, Donna, you've let her down.

Regretting my mistake, for thinking that something like that would work, I isolated myself again in my workshop. You stopped coming to see me. You didn't speak to me for days. You were angry, upset, but you were still here.

She’s going to leave at any moment...

My anxiety, my madness got worse. I smashed dolls, kicked chairs, went crazy, deranged. My soul cried out for forgiveness, I needed your forgiveness. I wouldn't do it again, I promise. After almost two months of ignorance on your part, of cold looks and false smiles, accompanied by kisses that no longer said the same thing as before, I decided to leave my pride, beg for you not to leave, for you to forgive me.

One night, I left the workshop with that idea, the idea of ​​humiliating myself  in front you. The voices were not right. The voices were to blame for making the idea of ​​abandoning me more present in my head.

A light in the hallway caught my attention, along with a sob coming from the bathroom. It could only be you.

“Black gods… No… What am I going to do now? If I tell her... I... Oh, Gods, how would she react?” That's all I could hear before opening the door and discovering a horrible scene.

You were kneeling, crying, you had something in your hand, but I didn't notice. I could only see your tears spoiling your beauty, tears that I had caused.

“Why are you crying?” I asked crouching down next to you. You looked at me scared, hiding that strange object so I wouldn't see it.

Her passport to her freedom, you were always stupid, Donna...

“No, it's nothing,” you said, wiping your tears and putting the object in a pocket, out of my reach.

“Nothing? It doesn't seem like nothing,” I said, studying your crying. I was sure it was something bad, sure. “You've been sick for a while, (Y/N)...”

“Yes, well, I guess it's the weather,” you said, brushing it off, flashing one of those horrible, fake smiles.

At least I could do what I had gone to do. Maybe then you would stop crying. I can't stand to see you cry.

“Forgive me, (Y/N)” I whispered, reaching out my hand towards yours. You didn't move, you accepted my affection. That was a good sign. “I was so stupid…”

“What? Oh, no, no, Donna. That happened a long time ago. I've already forgotten,” you said, bringing your hand to my cheek. You were shaking.

“So, what's wrong?” I asked, nervous. I knew you were lying, I knew it. “I hate seeing you sad.”

You only sobbed harder, throwing yourself into my arms in a strange, desperate hug.

“Just, just hold me, okay? Please...” You asked with a voice that was brittle and distorted by crying. I obeyed, I didn't care about humiliating myself. You were mine and the responsibility was mine. “I love you. You know that, right?”

I nodded, letting myself be carried away by the heat of your embrace, by the horrible humidity of your tears on my skin.

That act of consolation, which went no further, was the last intimate contact I had with you. The more time passed, the more distant you became. You didn't come close to me, you didn't kiss me. You didn't hug me at night. What I thought was fixed only got messed up even more.

“It's good?” I asked, one night while we were having dinner. At least you were still talking to me, for now.

She’s going to leave, Donna…

You nodded with a genuine smile, which made me calm down.

“You know you it is,” you said amused, finishing your plate. “I'm sorry you had to cook.”

“I'm happy to do it, (Y/N)” I responded with a whisper.

“You're lovely when you want, huh?”

I smiled at the compliment and, wanting to be nice, I poured some wine into your glass, to which you denied while wiping yourself with a napkin.

“Mm, no, no thanks,” you said hastily, making me look at you confused. You always liked to drink some wine at night. You haven't done it in a while, and that bothered me.

I'm sure she thinks you poisoned her, anyway, how can she not think so? You're a dangerous psycho, Donna, you scared her, now she's scared of you...

“Why not? You liked wine,” I said, surprised, leaving the bottle aside, questioning you with my gaze.

“Yes, I like it but... I don't feel very well,” you said in a false tone, pretending to be dizzy, like you had in the last three months.

“Come on, drink, it will be good to you,” I insisted, wanting to silence those horrible voices that told you were afraid of me, were you afraid of me?

“No, really, I don't want wine,” you whispered in a more serious tone, with bright eyes.

“Drink,” I ordered, with anger again in my words. It was a test of trust, just that, (Y/N), why was it so difficult for you?

“I said I don’t want wine,” your voice darkened and your attitude scared me. I didn't want to lose you, don't you understand?

“Drink once and for all. I have this wine for you, and only for you, what does it cost you to value it?” I repeated, making you stand up with a grunt and with a surprising gesture, spill the glass on my head.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't. The wine ran down my face, staining my dress and leaving my dignity at its lowest level. I should have been able to defend myself, to demand explanations from you, but I wasn't.

She should die for that...

“There's your fucking wine, Donna,” You hissed angrily, putting the glass back on the table with a dull thud. “I'm going to bed.”

Before you disappeared from my sight, I reacted, getting up and running after you, grabbing your arm, squeezing it tightly.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Hey? Do you think you can humiliate me and get away with it?” I hissed, shaking you hard.

“Let me go of, Donna, you're hurting me,” you complained, hissing in pain. I freed you a bit. I didn't want to hurt you, I never did, (Y/N).

“You're the one who's hurting me, (Y/N)...”  I growled, determined to clear up my fears, to free myself from the demons. Maybe then, they would disappear. “You've been ignoring me for months, attacking me with false smiles... You don't come close to me... You barely talk to me, you avoid me... You don't let me make love to you, you don't even let me see you naked, and you expect me to let you go? No, I'm not going to let you go... You are mine...”

“Shut up,” you protested, slipping away from my arm. “You don't understand anything, Donna… And it's better to keep it that way.”

“Better for who, for you?” I asked ironically. “Come on, be brave and say it, say that you don't love me, that you're going to leave...”

“What? What are you talking about?” You asked, pretending not to know anything, as always.

“You know perfectly well what I'm talking about,” I hissed threateningly, pinning you against a wall. That time you were really scared, I could tell, you covered your body with your hands. “You think I don't know what that means, right? You pretend to be sick so you can be alone, and then you can think about how you are going to escape, right?”

You laughed ironically. That pissed me off, (Y/N), a lot.

“So you think? Wow, I thought you trusted me…” You mocked, pushing me away. It wouldn't be that easy for you. “You know what? I'm starting to think that maybe I should go.”

“You can’t leave!” I screamed furiously, chasing you again, only managing to pull the fabric of your dress, inevitably tearing it.

“Wait, no,” you said, desperately trying to cover yourself. “Gods…”

The house fell silent as I played with the fabric in my hands. It was useless for you to hide, I was watching you. Your body looked the same, but it wasn't. Your belly wasn't that bulging, I know. You weren't like that, you had changed, and there was a good reason for it.

“I didn't want you to know, I didn't want you to find out this way,” you sobbed, kneeling on the floor and caressing your belly with your hands, that belly that contained... My child, our child.

“(Y/N), I... Are you...?” I asked, stunned, surprised and with so many emotions that I was unable to process them all.

“Yes, Donna, I'm three months pregnant,” you acknowledged in a broken, agonized tone. You were really sad, I hated seeing you sad.

I bent down to comfort you, but I didn't know what to say. All that time of scorn and lies had a meaning, a wonderful one.

What if it's not yours?

The voice reached my head, but quickly disappeared. The joy was much stronger than my demons.

“It is,” I said to myself, which made you look at me confused. But there was something, something that I did want you to answer me. “Why haven't you told me?”

You got up with my help. Your horrible sobs still bounced off the walls, but your breathing was calmer.

“I don't know Donna, I... I was really afraid that... Lately you were so... weird that... I didn't know how you were going to react... I was afraid.”

“You were afraid of me,” I stated, hugging you while you nodded, your body still shaking.

“Yes, I... No, I don't know Donna... lately you were so gloomy, so dark...” You stammered into my shoulder, filling yourself with that aroma of wine that stained my clothes.

“I haven't been honest with you, (Y/N)” I said, pulling you, wiping away your tears. “This is my fault, I... I thought you would leave, that you would leave me, that you would abandon me... I, the... The voices in my head kept tormenting me and I thought that if... If we had a child...”

You looked at me and nodded. There was no fear, or anger in your eyes, that baffled me.

“It doesn't matter what it was like,” you said, putting a finger on my lips to shut me up. “Just, just tell me that you want it, Donna, that you love this baby as much as you love me…”

I smiled strangely, not really knowing how to interpret that reaction. I forced the voices to speak to me, but they didn't. The hand you placed on your belly made any fear disappear.

“I would never abandon you, Donna... You are the love of my life,” you whispered, letting me caress your swollen belly, letting the positive emotions overcome the negative ones. My baby, our baby. It was a dream.

“Could you forgive me?” I whispered, getting closer, resting my forehead against yours, closing my eye to feel more, to feel our child, your skin next to mine, to feel that I could have a family again.

“Only if you promise me one thing,” you said, moving away, letting me look at you. I nodded, nervous, free of those horrible voices. “Promise me you will never listen to those voices again… Promise you will take care of me, of the the baby… Please, promise me you will take care of us… And yourself…”

“Of course,” I said enthusiastically, truly smiling for the first time in months. I only felt love, happiness, the desire to be a family, a real one. “I will always take care of you, I promise... I love you... I love you so much...”  I said, hugging you, kissing you messily, giving an apotheotic end to that horrible time, to those doubts, to those voices... It's over.

She will always be with you, you will be a family, you will be happy...

“Me too, Donna,” you told me, moving away from my kisses while you laughed, “But... Promise me something else.”

I nodded again, unable to hold back the tears.

“For the Black Gods’ sake, take a shower, you stink of wine...”

[screamingatanemptyroom]

The Healer pt 3

The story continues! Hope you guys like it!

Part 1 and 2 linked here.

Enjoy!

_____________________________

The Hero’s party stood with their backs to us, arguing loudly. They obviously didn’t hear Stephanie’s call, and kept their focus on the man in front of them.

“How dare you go back on our deal?!” Jack the Hero snapped, his face twisted with rage. “You have always been our chief supplier!”

Rita the Holy Archer spoke up, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder as she did so. “Yeah, you never turned us down before!”

The massive and imposing form of Garrett the Giant loomed over the group as he stood by with his arms crossed, nodding in agreement. The fourth and final member, Rebecca the Sorceress, leaned against the Hero, her eyes filled with tears as if everyone in the room had personally wronged her.

Seeing the group together again was… rough, to say the least. I had once considered three of them, Jack, Rita and Garrett,  my closest friends. We had played the game together before the Downfall, spending late nights going on raids and completing quests. They had been the brightest part of a life that had been greatly overshadowed by my parents’ expectations and disapproval. I had valued their friendship, so much so that I was willing to break myself over and over again just to stay by their side. I had lied to myself, that I was just as much a part of the team as they were. That I was valued, even if they didn’t always say so. That I was lucky to have them, given that I had chosen the class I did. I hated myself for my weakness, but refused to leave, too dependent on them to try to break off on my own.   

Until Jack finally betrayed me enough to wake me up to the truth:

They had never been my friends.  

As for Rebecca… my gaze settled on the pitifully crying girl. She was crying when I met her, too.

______________________

“Healer! Help! I have an injured person here!” At Jack’s frantic cry, I forced myself awake and ran out of my house, surprised to see him carrying a young, beautiful woman. Her face was unnaturally pale, her red hair matted with blood, stuck to her forehead. Her clothing was scorched in several areas, making her seem even more pitiful. I paused for a moment, feeling a brief discomfort at the sight of Jack holding her with a tenderness in his eyes I had never seen before.

We were not a couple. He had hinted his interest several times, but we had agreed to wait until the world was more stable before discussing it deeply. I wasn’t sure of my own feelings, having always considered him a good friend, but I knew that in the midst of a life or death battle was probably not the best time to give a real answer. Jack hadn’t been happy with my response, but said he understood. He hadn’t brought it up again, but the sight of his distress for the woman in his arms made me wonder if I had his answer.

Either way, it was no time to work out my feelings on the matter. I pushed away the flash of unease at the two’s closeness and stepped forward to look at the young woman. She flinched away from my gaze, her teary eyes looking up at Jack.

“Don’t bother your friend! I just need a potion and I’ll be fine.”

Jack smiled at her. “Nonsense, you fainted just a minute ago. The Healer may be useless in a fight, but she can do targeted therapy for whatever injuries you have.”

I winced at the word “useless”, a term I was all too used to from my childhood.

“Wait!” Rather than being comforted, this seemed to distress the young man more. She struggled slightly, seeming unable to free herself from Jack’s hold. “I don’t…”

I lost patience, and reached out my hand, putting it on her forehead.

“Scan.”

**The Healer has activated Scan -20MP. Target is not in your party and some information is withheld.

Rebecca the Sorceress

Class –Magic User

Title – Sorceress, Magic Student, Dependent, Poison Master.

Level 56

HP 209/250

MP 280/300

STR ***

DEX ***

INT ***

WIS ***

CHAR ***

Current status: Charm applied + 50 Charisma – 1 hour remaining.

Healing status – mild abrasions to forehead, right elbow, and anterior thigh-  10 sq centimeters total surface area.  First degree burns – dorsum of foot, and right wrist – 5 square centimeters total surface area. Mild poison toxicity – side effects include pallor, diaphoresis and generalized weakness. – 10 minutes remaining. **

I frowned as I read through the information. Jack quickly began asking questions.

“How bad is it, Healer? Will she be all right? You can fix it, right?”

“Some scrapes and mild burns, no worse than a sunburn, just needs her wounds dressed and some ointment for pain and to prevent infection. How did she get poisoned?”

“Poisoned?” He brought her into my house and set her down on my bed. “She wasn’t poisoned, she was protecting a family from bandits.”

I shrugged, getting out supplies and carefully cleaning and dressing her injuries. “The scan says she was poisoned, probably about an hour ago judging by the remaining cooldown. Nothing bad, just something that would make her pale, sweaty and weak.”

Rebecca began crying loudly as I finished bandaging her. Before I could react, Jack pushed me out of the way, leaning over to check on her. I slammed by back into the dresser, groaning with pain as it struck.

“Did she hurt you?!” He asked Rebecca, frowning as he looked over her bandages. 

She blinked back tears, regaining control of herself. “I’m sorry, I was just so worried… The way she said it… it sounds like she’s accusing me of taking poison on purpose!”

I gingerly stood up, rubbing my back where it hit the dresser. “I didn’t mean to imply…”

“Shut up, Healer!” He laid a hand on Rebecca’s head. “Just ignore her. She’s just a burden our team carries around because we happened to know her before the Downfall.”

I closed my eyes at his words, trying to ignore both the physical and emotional pain.

______________________

“Why can’t you help us?!” Rebecca was sobbing, blinking her tear-filled eyes and staring at the man in front of their group. “Don’t you know we’re humanity’s only hope?”

“They’re our only hope?”Alton leaned in, whispering “We’re so doomed.”

Stephanie and I chuckled quietly in response.

The owner of the shop, Winter, stood silently in front of the Hero’s party. He was tall, although still shorter than Garrett the Giant. Somehow his demeanor made him seem to tower over the entire group. His white hair was cropped short, at odds with his younger appearing face, placing him in his late twenties. His eyes were a bright pale blue, his handsome feature marred only by a large scar tracing across his face, only barely missing his right eye. His face was expressionless, almost bored, unchanged by Rebecca’s tears.

“You seem to be having a bit of a misunderstanding.” Winter finally spoke up, his voice quiet and cold. “I never had a deal with YOU.”

“LIAR!” Jack screamed. “You’ve always…”

“I’ve had a deal with your healer.” He raised an eyebrow. “And she’s not with you anymore. So I have no reason to deal with you.”

“The Healer?” Rita laughed, her sharp features and gaze filled with a mocking light. “That useless baggage? Why would you care if she’s with us or not?”

“…” Winter stared at her silently, and seemingly pressured, Rita stepped back, hiding behind Garrett. “Foolish.”

“We’re foolish?” Jack asked, shaken but still angry. “You’re the one who is turning down the opportunity of a lifetime. Just because of some bit…”

SMACK!

Winter backhanded the Hero, sending him down to the floor with a calm expression.

“Close your foul mouth, or I’ll close it for you.”  He raised an eyebrow. “Any questions?”

Stephanie raised her hand. “Where do I sign up to be part of his fan club?” Alton raised his hand as well, nodding.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You never change., Winter”

At my words, Winter turned towards me, his cold blank expression melting into a bright smile.

“Natalie! You’re here!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Everyone in the room turned to stare at me. I shrunk back slightly. Alton spoke up first, frowning. “Natalie?”

I sighed. “My real name, or more accurately, my name before the Downfall. I don’t like using it anymore.” I don’t like the person who wore that name, nor the people who bestowed it upon me. “Healer is a much more accurate title.”

Alton smiled and shrugged. “Whatever makes you happy, Miss Healer.”

Winter’s smile faded a bit, and he walked forward, stepping on the Hero as he did so, ignoring his grunt of pain.

“Are you okay? I just heard about the price on your head. Did they hurt you?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. You know that they couldn’t hurt me if they tried.”

“Anyone can get hurt if they get caught off guard, Nat.” He put a hand on my shoulder, staring into my eyes. “You should have left a long time ago. They didn’t deserve your loyalty.”

“Well, she’s got a new team now!” Alton stepped in excitedly.

“Yeah! We’re much better than those creeps!” Stephanie joined in. The two gave each other and me a thumbs up.

Winter stared at them for a while, before sighing. “I told you that you didn’t have to fight with anyone. Yet you still race towards danger at the side of these… people. What has humanity ever done for you?”

I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a soft sigh. “Not everyone is as terrible as you think.”

“That’s rich, considering what state you were in when we first met.” The disappointment in his eyes was clear. I flinched, trying not to think of the circumstances of our first meeting.

“That’s not…”

“STOP IGNORING ME!” Rebecca cried out, fire blazing at her fingertips as she glared at all of us. As we quieted down, she focused her gaze on Winter. “Why are you so obsessed with her? She’s a useless healer! We are the HERO’S PARTY!”

Winter stepped closer, and she shrank into Jack’s side, trying to get away, but froze when Winter’s gaze met hers. “You know nothing, poison witch. A Healer is a noble profession, only meant for the strongest of heart and mind. “

“Y-you…”

“Now get out of my store.” He pointed at the exit, and after a moment of silence, the hero’s party shuffled out. Jack paused at the doorway, looking at me with a serious expression. “My offer is still open. We will attack the forty second gate in 3 days. With or without you.”

And with that, he was gone, and all was quiet.

“What idiots.” Alton sat down on a nearby chair, frustrated. “They’re going to put all of humanity at risk.”

“No more than they deserve.” At Winter’s harsh tone, everyone turned to him again.

“You don’t like humans?” Alton asked.

“Any reason why I should?”

He pointed at me. “Miss Healer is a human.”

“The exception, not the rule.”

I shook my head at his solemn reply. “We came here for supplies. Can you help us?”

“Of course.” He agreed immediately, pulling out a large bag from behind the counter and handing it straight to me. “On the house.”

“You know I’ll never agree to that.” I dropped some custom potions and gold on the table. “You have to stay in business.”

Winter shook his head, but I insisted. “Take it or I go somewhere else for supplies.”

“…Fine.” After a long hesitation, he finally reached out and took the items, carefully arranging them on the shelf on the back wall.

“…” Stephanie and Alton stared silently at the exchange between us.

“I smell drama!” Stephanie whispered loudly.

Alton nodded silently, frowning.

“Speaking of which, PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!” Stephanie stepped forward, dropping the pelts onto the counter. “BEHOLD! I HAVE COMPLETED MY QUEST!”

Winter looked over the wolf furs, nodding silently. “This is what I asked for.” His tone was unimpressed. Stephanie grinned, not intimidated.

“So you’ll pay me this time?”

“This time?” I turned to her. “How many times has he scammed you with fake quests?”

“They aren’t fake!” She defended, clutching the bag of gold he handed her. “He just has high standards.”

“Did you count your payment?”

“… I was about to.” She opened the sac of gold and muttered to herself, before staring accusingly at Winter. “It’s only half!”

“Because you didn’t get the pelts.” He inclined his head towards me. “I know Nat’s work when I see it.”

“I helped, though! I lured them all the way to her!”

“And I bet she asked for half.”

“How did you know?!” She paused. “I was going to give it to her.”

I sighed. “Just pay her the whole amount. Your deal was for the pelts, it doesn’t matter how she got them. If I want the cash, I’ll get it from her.”

“…”

“Besides, she’s my teammate…”

Stephanie jumped in. “AND BEST FRIEND!”

“…In a way it’s paying me.”

“…” He sat a second bag of gold down, which Stephanie snatched up and counted with glee. Winter ignored her, looking at me.

“You’re really doing this again? Trusting humans?”

I shook my head. “I don’t trust anyone.”

“You trust too much… you just pretend like you don’t to comfort yourself.” He thought things over. “Where are you going next?”

Alton joined in. “We’re going to go hunting in the fortieth level forest. Try to get a feel for our fighting style.”

“What about your fourth party member? Your team is incomplete.”

“Maybe we’re just picky?” Alton offered.

Winter stared at us. Stephanie broke first. “Everyone’s too scared to work with Alton, and they think Healer is a burden.”

“…”

“We don’t though! We think she’s awesome.”

Winter finally smiled at that. “Alright then.” He began packing a bag. “I’ll join your team.”

“AWESOME!”

“Is that even possible?”

“You’ll what?!”

Stephanie, Alton and I spoke up at the same time. Winter continued to pack, undisturbed by our shouts.

“You need a fourth teammate, and Nat needs someone to watch her back. It’s a win-win. ”

Alton stared at him. “Why do you think she needs your help?”

Winter didn’t flinch. “She needs it. Needed it since the beginning.”

After studying him a long moment, the dark wizard turned towards me. “It’s your call. I trust your judgement with this.”

I rubbed my forehead, feeling tired. “Why don’t we do a trial before making anything official? Go fight together. See how it goes from there.”

“… You don’t trust me?” Winter asked quietly.

“You’d have to be their teammates as well, fighting to protect humanity. I don’t see why you are volunteering. You’ve never cared before.” Was my equally quiet answer.

After a long moment of consideration, he nodded in agreement. “…Fine. A test mission first.”

“Wait!” Stephanie chimed in. “Can NPCs even join human parties? Aren’t they the ones who give quests?”

Winter placed his packed bag on his back, grabbing a bow and some arrows. “My kind are not a part of the Rules. We follow them, just like you do.”

“So you’re like us?” Alton asked, curious.

“No.” His tone was flat. “I am nothing like you humans. But I can join your party.”

“Great! Let’s go on an adventure!” Stephanie ran towards the door, and shaking my head, I followed her.

“Should be interesting.”

____________________________

The fortieth-floor forest was filled with death. Black twisted trees, grey, dried out grass. Shadows from nothing, movements that didn’t make sense. I stood in place, feeling the constant overwhelming sensation of being watched.

Alton smiled, seeming right at home. “Alright guys, this place is chocked full of undead, perfect for a good fight. We just need to get a sense for how everyone else works, and how to help each other.”

“Sounds good!” Stephanie pulled out her enormous sword and grinned. “I’ll tank!”

“Great. I’ll provide crowd control and protection through magic.” He turned towards Winter, who seemed relaxed despite the evil forest around him. “What about you?”

Winter held up his bow. “I’ll pick off monsters from the back.”

“Great. That just leaves Miss Healer…” He turned towards me. “How would you like to fight?”

His question caught me by surprise. When I fought with the Hero’s party, I had often supported them secretly, standing afar, silently using my healing magic to add further injuries to my teammate’s attacks. It was difficult, making myself appear useless while protecting and attacking at the same time.

But now… I was able to openly and honestly take part with the team.

I smiled. “I want to be in the front.”

Stephanie cheered. “Besties tanks!”

“Sounds like we have a plan.” Alton grinned, looking every inch the evil wizard. “Let’s go.”

It didn’t take long before we ran into a large group of undead. Zombies, skeletons, shadowy creatures with claws and spikes, crawled out between the trees, their eyes glowing red with hunger.

“Kill!” A gravelly voice came out of the large skeleton, staring at me. I walked forward calmly, no weapons in my hands.

Undead didn’t have blood. Didn’t have beating hearts. They needed no oxygen, absorbing their energy from the living. Which limited my options. I would have to go for attacks that caused physical damage.

Stephanie ran forward with a loud cry, swinging her large sword and decapitating the first zombie in her field of vision. Alton chanted, his spells separating the zombies out in smaller groups, hindering their movement and slowing their attacks. I could hear the buzzing of arrows as Winter calmly shot down enemy after enemy.

It was my turn.

I held a scalpel in my hand, the cool metal somewhat comforting against my skin. A group of ten zombies shuffled towards me, trying to shake off the bonds of Alton’s magic.

Wordless incantation was still in cooldown. I would have to speak out loud to activate my spells. I stepped closer to the group

“Amputation.”

**The Healer has cast Amputation x 10. – 1000 MP. **

My magic reached out to each of the zombies, chopping off each of their right legs at the mid-thigh, slicing cleanly through rotting muscle and bone. The zombies groaned in confusion, falling to the ground. I watched them carefully, recognizing they were still dangerous despite their helpless appearance.

This is when Jack or the others would rush in to claim the kill… and then complain about the automatic XP share since my magic contributed to the fight. But now that I don’t have them… what now?

Amputation was a spell that could only be applied to limbs. Small and large incision could cut their throats, but not enough to decapitate them which was what was needed.

A brief feeling of hopelessness rose up within me. The despair that had filled my days as I fought in this strange world beside others who had ridiculed me and belittled me. I chose a worthless class, one that struggles to put down wounded zombies…  

One of the zombies flipped onto its stomach, beginning to pull itself towards me, teeth bared. Simultaneously, a spell and an arrow hit its remaining leg, pinning it into place. Stephanie was still fighting her group of zombies, but seeing me hesitate shouted out: “Go get ‘em!”

They’re encouraging me. The stark contrast of this fight from my past team made me smile. I wanted to live up to the support of this strange new team. I thought of a plan, and I reached out my hand, focusing.

“Craniotomy.”

**The Healer has cast Craniotomy x 10. – 5,000 MP.**

The skulls cracked open, revealing rotting brains. I kept an eye on my numbers, even with my unusually large mana pool, I couldn’t keep spending so recklessly. I chose a smaller spell.

“Cauterization.”

**The Healer has cast Cauterization x 10. – 100MP.**

The tissue shriveled under the heat of the spell and the zombies grew completely still. As I stared down at the carnage, Stephanie killed her last zombie, prompting the end of the battle.

** Stephanie the Lovely Barbarian is credited with 8 zombie monster kills, awarded 600XP and +8 fame. Alton the Great Evil Wizard is credited for the assist and is awarded 200XP and +2 fame. You receive 8XP as a party member.

The Healer is credited with 10 zombie monster kills, awarded 800XP and +10 fame. Alton the Great Evil Wizard, and Winter the Shopkeeper are credited for the assist and awarded 100 XP and +1 fame each. **

“AWESOME!” Stephanie ran over and hugged me, ignoring my grimace as I realized how badly she smelled after close combat with rotting corpses. “We’re the best team ever! Did you see how fast we took out high level zombies?”

“Strong work everyone!” Alton seemed pleased, “A few more fights, and I think we could get a good rhythm going.”

“Here.” Winter held out a mana recovery potion to me. “Those were high level healer spells you cast today. You probably need this.”

After a brief hesitation I took it. “You recognize Healer spells?”

“Of course.” He spoke sincerely, adding. “It’s the greatest achievement one can have, to take such a path. I’m happy to help you.”

“…Thanks.” I drank the potion.

The Healer has used Potion of Mana Recovery, +800MP. 2 remaining in Inventory.

Stephanie stood in front of me, clasping her hands together with a pleading expression. “So… can we keep him? You said we could consider it after a trial!”

Alton and I exchanged glances. I still felt uneasy about having an “NPC” on our team. For all the time I had known Winter, I still did not understand his true motivations. Why was he in this world with us? Why join our team? And the real question that haunted me:

Why did he help me a year ago when he had no incentive to do so?

But the truth was, he was our best option.

I nodded to Alton, who immediately offered his hand to Winter.

“Welcome to the team.”

**Winter the Shopkeeper has accepted your invitation to join your party! He will have access to shared inventory, and his stats will become visible upon medical scan.**

The usual joining party message popped up, along with something unexpected:

** NOTICE - Due to status of new party member, special restrictions will apply to any stat or data sharing.**

Special restrictions? I shook my head. Not helping with my paranoia about trusting him on our team.

Stephanie cheered as I shook his hand after Alton. Finally, once things had calmed down, we all sat down to regroup.

“What next?” Stephanie asked, grabbing jerky from her pack.

I thought over her question. “The Hero’s party is going to attack the gate in 3 days. We should plan to be there.”

“Oh joy, them again.” Stephanie bit angrily into the jerky, as if hurting the people who annoyed her. "I can hardly contain my excitement."

“Fighting monsters, AND making sure the Hero’s party won’t stab us in the back at the same time?” Alton grinned. “Sounds like a party to me!"

I sighed, and grabbed my own food from my bag.

We had 3 days to get ready.

[happypotato48]

Century of Love EP 3-4 Unhinged Tangent Thoughts

Ok ok ok we're going fast baby! need to catch up so i can start doing this weekly.

Kanom krok! if any of ya'll ever coming to Thailand you better get this dessert. imo it's the best Thai street food. i'm not fond with the ones that has corn in them, but for real the green onions ones are heavenly.

Best advice in bl ever grandma. yeah fuck them hoes whose only judged you for your past mistakes and social status.

Tit-bit about thai nickname trend. people who only has two kids usually named their two kids to rhyme and/or in similar theme. for an example Nammon (holy water) Namhom (scented water.)

This is a BL alright :)

the three (generations) stooges. god i loved this family so much.

This is the sexiest scene in all of the recent Thai BLs. fight me, this man brush work got me more work up than butt naked sex scenes. anyways i'm calling dibs on this man he's my future husband and non of you bitches can have him!

Yeah as much it is ashamed for me to admit this but i can only count to ten in mandarin.

Gramp you already had sex dreams about this boy. also the heaven don't give no shit about two men getting married. it's the dinosaurs that you have to be worry about.

The OG Y girl Nu Wa striked agian.

One bad choice and your life is ruined. i related to that.

One class solidarity flashback and this man is ready down to clown, respect.

I know this scene is suppose to be funny but like i'm trash so... berate me more Daddy!

Dashing! so since the marriage equality bill passed i've been start thinking about my own hopefully one day will happen wedding. and yeahhhh i'm a basic bitch i probably going to wear black but after seeing this maybe red is not a bad choice. still need to find a man first tho.

What did i said! our girl Nu Wa is the OG!

Another bad choice to be make, that's life i guess.

And now to EP 4!

I wish i have the audacity of this boy. it's very inspiring to be this shameless.

Ok i love this homophobic grandpa. idk why but i don't feel bothered by a homophobic lead in this show contrast to other older Thai BLs.

Noooo you hurts my baby old man! although bloody noise Tao is kinda turn me on.

Food!!!

I don't care i support this boy very bad choice in saving his grandma. this baby and his grandma deserved the world.

My heart! ahhhhhhh!!!!

*incoherent noise* Gay love is indeed magical.

I will kill you motherfucker. classist pig.

+1 Point for show up for the wedding - 1 point for not beliving your friends outlandish BL nonsense.

Hell yeah, this shit alway bothered me in vempire show.

Danm this boy is jacked! i support (as long as they're not straving themselves) twink death for all BL actors.

This show is bonker lol i loved it.

Hi uncle Suchat.

Yesss finally some good god danm Thai BL. these two EPs is so good, i loved the silly bickering between our leads but also how the emotional stuff are very much not overshadowed by all of the sillyness. i'm very much invested in Wee's quest to save his grandma and the genuine budding romance that started to bubbly up cause of the mutual cares and empathy that the leads has for each other. i'm having a great time with this show and i can't wait for this week EPs.

[bestanimatedmovie]

Revenge of the Underrated

32. Belladonna of Sadness vs The Swan Princess

Vote in the other polls!

Propaganda:

Belladonna of Sadness

Fascinating animation

The Swan Princess

The Swan Princess is my favorite movie of all time. It is truly beautiful from the backgrounds, to the animation itself, the score, oh I could go on and on. The soundtrack is just filled with bops and amazing songs. If your familiar "What else is there/How to offend women in fige syllables or less" thats this movie. Odette is just the best Princess; She gorgeous but of course theres more to her. Shes so resilient and upfront about her feelings the whole movie. Shes so effortlessly caring and modesty down to earth. Odettes singing voice is Liz Callaways the same as Kiaras from TLK 2. Derek is voiced by the one and only Howard McGillin. Rothbart is an amazing and classicly fun villain. His his fight with Derek at the end as the Great Animal is so well done. Oh and the writing! Its so funny. Also not to mention that its a great trilogy(we don't talk about the CGI sequels). I feel like The Swan Princess is always overshadowed because it isn't Disney or Don Bluth. But The Swan Princess is an amazing wonderful movie and deserves to be acknowledged. Is it perfect? No. But it means the world to me.

I've seen a million times! It's funny, it's magical, it comes fro the ballet Swan Lake. Both the princess and the prince save eachother, and it's an actual love story no love at first sight nonsense

v enchanting to me as a kid!!

"You should write a book: How to Offend Women in Five Syllables or Less"

[breakfastteatime]

What do you want to see in Jedi:Unknown title (jedi 3)? Could be gameplay, story, or anything related to the game.

In absolutely no order whatsoever, my Jedi 3 wishlist!

EVERYBODY LIVES. Do you HEAR ME, Respawn?!?!??! They get to live out their days on Tanalorr!!!!

While I'd love for Kata to not be Force-sensitive (Greez and BD will be outnumbered!), I don't think that'll happen, so I'd love it if they stuck with the theme so far that the Force doesn't belong solely to the Jedi, so Kata can choose her own path... maybe a more sisterly path... Or just a path that doesn't necessarily adhere to the Jedi way. Cal is so haunted by the Jedi's past (he spends most of Survivor exploring the Order's ruins after all), that I wonder if he'd even want to teach Kata how to be a Jedi of old.

Speaking of Kata, I really want her relationship with Cal to be more of a struggle. Regardless of her whole 'It changed Papa' line, she is still living with the man who murdered her father and the woman who helped him do it. I'm not interested in happy families because that's too easy.

There's a line in Survivor about how dangerous the leftover Raiders are, and we do see them fighting alongside the Brood, sooooo RAIDERS BROOD TEAM UP! And a final showdown with Sorc Tormo because Cal deserves to put an end to his nonsense once and for all.

Cal's ongoing struggle with the darkness. I don't want that to be the main focus of the game, but I want to see him finding his own way through. I know, I know, Cere told him to lead 'her' through the darkness, but how about he just takes five to check in on his own wellbeing?!

More psychometry too, especially now we know Cal can turn people's memories against them. Oh, and he can walk through someone's dreams because of his psychometry. I love how Survivor hinges on it at multiple points.

Logically, there has to be some kind of existential threat to Tanalorr or the Hidden Path in the next game... but not the kind that results in Cal sacrificing himself. Please, just ONCE, can we get a happy ending?!? Cal dying would make the other two games feel so pointless and empty.

No connections to anything Disney+ related because none of it is very good. YEAH, I SAID IT. Also, if you had Obi-Wan Kenobi showing up, he's really gonna overshadow Cal in his own damn game. Vader gets away with it because he's used really sparingly, but you start busting out Kenobis or Solos, we're gonna have a problem (or I am anyway).

A flashback in which Cere and Cal share a hug. I can't believe Survivor denied us T_T

Cal reaching a master's level of power in combat. They did such a good job developing his abilities in Survivor, so I'm sure they'll smash it in the next game too. What I'm saying is perfect bolt reflection with EVERY lightsaber, not just the double-bladed.

THE ZEFFO RETURN!!!! Okay, no, maybe not...

Greez gets to start his Pyloon's franchise.

No, seriously, Nightsister Kata is more interesting to me than Jedi Kata, so maybe Merrin gets to play the mentor (not happening, I know... SIGH)

Please please please don't let Cal's default clothing be more traditional. I don't like him in robes because they seem so at odd with his lifestyle and how athletic he is.

The son of the son of Oggdo Boggdo.

There's probably more but that's about everything I can think about right now. Thanks for the Ask!

[grahamcarmen]

i kinda wished gray was angry at carmen instead of relieved just for yknow angst and stuff like at the jail when he was like "how did u know i was here" and shes like "all in good time gray" i wish he was like "its graham. whos gray?" cuz lol yea idk if this makes sense i suck at typing

Alright i might go off on a tangent so like feel free to clarify if its too far off base from intent

But i am personally actually ok with the angst on Gray’s side being saved for later, there are so many angsty moments already stuffed in there

->the fight being draining and difficult and ultimately a failure to keep them off him

->the parallel to gray disappearing from sight because of the cleaners

-> gray still getting pain pang and helping carmen where he can

->carmen desperately trying as many keys as she can when the robot finally comes

->carmen screaming for gray after he screamed for her

Like…phew thats alot happening and i think that it would get lost in the fray

Side note:

-> him taking the info that ACME finds carmen shady and she decided to work with him and actually wondering who gray is especially because she came to find him…hmm fun

-> gray watching all those civilian gets mistaken as spy movies and going ahhhh.ha.

BUT on the sentiment of gray being angry and not just relieved.

He does start to say it’s graham before he’s interrupted. And he has always been exasperatedly trying to put it aside to try and just be with her in the moment

Like…askjdnfdaksjf look at this face

Relief is not the only emotion here

And it does come to its breakpoint

because well  [the point is she’s lying to him.- bugs life voice]

And what a breakpoint it is because Carmen is not allowed to pretend that the person in front of her doesn’t have a thing to say about who she was protecting* 

So its not angst denied but angst delayed if that makes sense and the himalaya caper puts it into more focus than the jail could

Like  “alas why did he not simply look into her yearny eyes and make a decent life choice for once” aside [which is so fun to say]...

but the thing is …it's something that i do think gray gets to be mad about at that moment [not that he isn’t making a terrible life choice on the side but-]

…she lied to him by omission and flat out. And only came to rescue a fake version of him as far as he’s concerned. A fake version it seems she was pretending even further with by calling him gray and not graham.

….

GAH THIS IS WHY I DON’T GET WHY YOU GUYS THINK BLANKET LETTING CARMEN HAVE ZERO REVISIONS ON HOW SHE SEES HIM IS OK

And no just enemy who !had his chance at the cotillion you! doesn’t work as the final verdict either >:0

 [you're making the carmen sad and that has literally never worked plus carmen is just wrong for this on some level]

They’re so messy dude…like there’s so much to unravel and him being firm but straightforward about it is at least picks at this issue good enough for the moment…oof…was a lot like …oogh

But necessary. Gray is a person who actually has a reaction to this ya know [or character i mean- same thing].

His anger tends to be overshadowed by a lot else is all…[T.T multiple mistakes in a row babeyyyyyyyyyy] + his own prioritizing when it comes to his own emotions

And to make matters worse….OMFG THEY STILL LIKE EACH OTHER THEY’RE STILL SO MUCH MORE SAD INSTEAD OF MAD ABOUT IT ALL AND WANT TO BE TOGETHER AND ALL THE LIES BEING UNVEILED JUST MAKES THE TRUTH MUCH MORE NECESSARY AND IMPORTANT OMGGGGGGG GRRAH WHY ARE YOU 2 BEING SQUISHY CRIMES HAVE BEEN COMMITED!

They just need to tone down the nonsense…be even more honest with each other …they be wild out here…ya’ll can do it with time i believe in ye, even if that will mean more tough conversations with each other, i think they like each other enough

But yes. Him mad at it DOES make good angst. ..and tbh not even for just that moment…because …

[cammie-morgan-goode]

On the deleted scenes, Ally said that instead of Cam seeing Mr. mosckowitz working out, Zach is also an option. But she still wrote Mosckowitz on the deleted scene. Can you fulfill my (& I know most of us, ahem) fantasy of it being Zach??? Thanks!!!

There's something weird about having boys go to your all-girls school. For one, it's an all-girls school which means no boys. For two, it's a whole different thing when said boys are trained better than you are.

Cammie hadn't realized that with the arrival of these boys, a ton of drama would ensue. She felt like she was drowning. And for the first time in her life, she was starting to feel like she just wasn't good enough.

There was a time when she was one of the best in her class. There was a time when people would see her train and think "I aspire to be that".

But now she was being overshadowed.

And for being the Chameleon? She didn't like it at all.

"One of a girl's greatest assets are her feet. If you cannot balance on the balls of your feet and anticipate where your opponent's feet are moving, you will not make it away from a fight." Ms. Hancock tells them, making her way along the mats on the ground. "Pay attention to your partner's feet. Pay attention to their movements. Do they lean on their left foot before they move? Do they suck in a breath before they punch? Do they pay more attention to your feet or your hands? Anything can give away your next move, ladies,"

Cammie stared at Bex across from her, watching her best friend smirk. She'd been sparring with Bex since the sixth grade. She knew that Bex favored her left leg. She knew that Bex's weakness were her knees and her hair. (Which could be anyone's weakness, but Bex made it personal!)

And without hesitation, Cammie's arm shot out, aiming for Bex's head. Bex dodged it easily, leaning onto her right hip. She ducked and swung her leg out, aiming for Cammie's left knee. But, Cammie sidestepped, making Bex fall to the mat.

Ms. Hancock called time and Cammie helped Bex up off the mats. The two girls grabbed their water bottles, drinking from them eagerly. They started following each other out, chattering on and on about nonsense. Cammie didn't even turn as the group of boys entered the P&E barn, faces already red from doing runs outside.

Bex was the one who stopped her though, hand flying out in front of Cammie's chest before she even made it off the mats. Cammie almost yelled at her in protest until she followed Bex's gaze.

The group of boys, some with their shirts off, were already shoving and pushing each other. They were loud and energetic, hyped up with excitement for their workout. Cammie had never seen anything like it.

Her gaze snags on a certain boy with dark hair, separated from the rest. His shirt is slowly getting drenched in sweat as he lags behind. Most would think he's slow and a weak link but, Cammie knew better. And she hated that the boy in question was making his way over to her.

Or so she thought.

Zach stopped a few feet behind the girls, lifting his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face. He lifted his arms up above his head, his shirt lifting again. The Blackthorne boy shifted on the balls of his feet. Cammie couldn’t stop the image of Zach’s toned calves from entering her mind.

Cammie could feel her cheeks turning red which had nothing to do with the sweat already on her body. She wasn't staring of course but, she could see Zach out of the corner of her eye.

The boys were split away from each other. Some were down on the ground, doing pushups, their legs out straight and their chests a mere inch from the floor. Others had taken it upon themselves to throw punches at each other. But not Zach.

Zach was working out alone, no partner. No spotter. He preferred it that way.

Cammie tried not to notice Zach in the corner of the barn. She tried to focus on her own training or even moving her feet forward. But that was nearly impossible when the Blackthorne Boy in question was doing pull ups.

Zach's face was scrunched up with concentration as he pulled himself up over the bar. He alternated his legs, bringing them to his stomach and then letting them fall, never breaking stride.

Cammie could see the muscles straining beneath his shirt, see the tightening of the skin on his biceps. She could only imagine the smooth skin of his abs glistening with sweat. She knew he had lost count but, Cammie hadn't. 12... 13... 14...

Cammie hit the mat with a thunderous smack.

Her head hit the floor hard, her body crumbling beneath her. The fall left her gasping for air, chest heaving. And all she could see was Bex's snickering expression above her.

"Distracting, huh, Cammie dear," Bex said in her perfect accent.

Cammie coughed, trying to get air back into her lungs. She glared at Bex. Her eyes wide with anger. Until a tall figure entered her cloudy vision.

"Need a hand, Morgan?" Zach said, his eyes glistening with pride. He held out his hand again, this time in her line of sight.

Cammie cleared her throat and grabbed his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. Cammie couldn't look him in the face. She knew her face was redder than Liz when she fell asleep by the pool in Alabama.

"Do you find me distracting, Gallagher Girl?" Zach asked, smirking so wide. He was practically grinning from ear to ear. And Cammie hated it.

"In your dreams, Zachary." Cammie said quickly, before turning on her heel and nearly running out of the barn.

She didn't think she ever felt heat like that when she was training before.

And she wouldn't mind if she felt it again.

(Written by: @cammie-morgan-goode)

[starbage]

hi! anon who recently finished HalOPE: YOUR GAME IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL AND THAT MUST BE KNOWN. The colors, the story, the meanings and symbolism all add up to each other really well and you’ve made something very meaningful to me and other people.

also may I ask for a fun fact or two about landlord. I don’t really care what, but I feel like he’s very underrated for a guy that’s a part of the reason why the game events go down

hi, thank you very much :-)

Landlord is interesting to me. He is kind of purposefully nonsensical, almost comical in his malice, but I guess there's just enough there that people have gotten intrigued about him. Have a few crumbs below

-Landlord's design was basically entirely based off of the final boss of kero blaster's Zangyou mode. Fighting a guy in a suit is funny.

-He used to have more arms. I don't know why I got rid of them. You can see it in some of the older concept art of him though. This one is from September 2021

-obviously, Landlord is not his actual name. I've been thinking about it recently and think I have a real name I like for him. We'll see if I do anything with that

-not strictly related to him, but the first draft of chapter 2 was pretty different. A lot darker-- I hadn't yet come up with the stuff about the other angels related to the protagonist. So that chapter used to focus a lot more on the nature of the Complex itself and how people have died there. It's kind of an overshadowed detail, now :p

-Similarly, i wanted to elaborate on the Landlord's relationship with Maturity but never did. I think they came to him in a vision of sorts out of concern for his behavior. Obviously that didn't end well.

[pauls1967moustache]

Something you posted a while back has really stayed with me and i cant stop thinking about it. Its the idea that most people have this idea that Paul can't say no? Like i don't believe it but in the case the small chance that he did say 'no i don't like you like that' to John in India so many people have this idea that he's totally in the wrong for that? that he had to say yes and its so strange to me? and its actually so upsetting tbh and that's me not me being a no.1 Paul fan that twink deserves death more often than not or to be put in his place even now as an old bingo granny, id take the thickener out of his soup if i could but i really think it relates back to a lot of the feminisation/misogynistic attention he gets. Especially that one quote by certified Beatles writer that describes HDYS as something a scorned lover would write to show he would never be rejected again and its like ??? Paul is allowed to say no? hes very much allowed to not want a relationship? he's allowed to reject it and again its a roundabout way of misogyny with the idea when a woman rejects someone oh she'll be sorry because he'll spend the rest of his time saying mean things about her to everyone who will listen, and just how much she's in the wrong for not wanting/liking them like that, how she is such a bad person because she made him sink that low and do something he later 'regrets'. It's just really strange and sad to me cause again i don't think thats what happened but it the reaction that John was allowed to scream and be angry about it, he was allowed to write piece after piece especially 71 John he was allowed to be angry (and he was yeah) but Paul is never really allowed that same treatment? and even now he gets the treatment of ex-wife who really broke his now dead husbands heart and has to spend the rest of his life 'fixing' that. You can even see it a bit with the way they talk about George and Pauls relationship too the way they use constant femanising language in a derogatory way (bossy, irrational, controlling) to show just how much Paul isn't allowed to be angry and upset the same way they are he has to deal with it

i mean i don't think there was any rejection in india to speak of so this is purely hypothetical nonsense to me anyway, but yeah, i do think it's a silly way to look at it.

i think there's an argument to made like: john and paul's relationship had this weird romantic element to it already, and paul saying no is him kind of leading john on but refusing to ackowledge the truth of what they are - which would be frustrating from john's pov, i get that. the thing about that is that it's not something anyone on tumblr.com/dashboard actually knows for a fact, it's just emotional conjecture a bunch of people decided to project on. which is why the whole paul rejection theory irritates me so much. like yeah! he actually can say no, if that is what he felt! he's not required to be in love with john just because we all want him to be! (not to mention, that if there was a situation where he did reject john, i do not think that's the kind of thing he'd do lightly and without guilt, regardless of any added guilt john would make him feel by being mad about it). it's just a very unkind and reductive way to look at the very real love that DID exist between them, romantic or not. they cared about each other so much. it would be a cruel way for john to treat paul, and it's a cruel way to read into paul's treatment of john.

and i think the other side of it is that a lot of paul's sense of anger and his own feelings of rejection during that whole mess gets overshadowed in the john/paul/yoko triangle. paul was quieter about his anger because john already chose to be with yoko and he didn't feel he had a right to fight that. and the fandom cannot talk about it because half the time it's tied up in the very real mysogyny yoko faced as the face of The Thing That Broke Up The Beatles (even if she isn't), so paul's anger just kind of goes unacknowledged here in relation to john's.

[baby-xemnas]

btw i know noone asked me to elaborate on my feelings on G5 but i will anyway because i LOVE luffy

i hate the prophecy shit. i agree fully with the argument that the fight being about FUN and GOOFING OFF is better than just power scale crap (we had plenty of that with katakuri, i didnt even get thru all of it it was so obnoxious)

i love luffy. i love that he's crazy. its amazing. and gear 5 being an ass pull nonsense power up would be fine and i would enjoy animation of him being crazy if it wasnt for the prophecy.

i saw a clip of him just laughing like a crazy person (before the tf. im mad i didnt hide it in my drafts cuz he is so hot) and was like man...love this guy hes off his nut

nika/joyboy part of it all overshadows all the fun i could possibly have

i LOVE when characters are high on their powers and it fits luffy soooo well

im talking abt it cuz im a little sour

its not about hating fun its about hating reincarnations

[cryingoverwho]

i will be so honest with you, you cannot argue with solos/diehard shippers. they're very much stuck in their ways and have a very specific mindset different from an ot7 one. i know it's hard to avoid in a jikook space, since shippers and ot7 who bias jikook come to the same spaces.

i am similar of the belief that these people are delusional and we shouldn't really start fights, but i don't think even jikook accts disengaging will prevent them from spewing nonsense. i truly feel like they will work their way into our space regardless of what they do, they hate us and jikook that much.

i am kinda of the belief, why would tae end up in the jikook show. i know it will cause a stir so big it will overshadow any other conversation about the show when the ep airs and i guess that might be the annoying part. anything jikook that we try to keep to ourselves ends up involving tae anyway, because that's how t@ekookers operate. they have nothing for themselves, so they piggyback off of jikook. it's nice to have the occasional v min kook moment, but anytime they interact, it turns into world war three. id rather no v min kook, then new material for t@ekookers.

but yes, the negativity is mostly at tae's expense, when it's his stans that are the problem. there is debate around whether or not he is baiting stans purposefully in the way he has been attached to jungkook in the past year and only treating him this way. shippers will say that yes, he is the problem, while others criticize his actions, and ot7s have no problem with what he does.

I still stand by what I said but this is the kind of ask i appreciate, thank you for putting this nicely and being normal and trying to explain instead of pointing a gun at me.

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

RWBY Volume 9 Episode 2 thoughts

So this is just truly a first impressions dump of thoughts on the episode but this episode was a roller coaster so I wanted to share.

First off I do want to say, this episode did actually give me a bit of an emotional gut punch when Ruby gave her speech about Penny in the end of the episode. You could feel the pain and sadness and love towards Penny in it and it made me hurt about Penny all over again. 

Unfortunately though....in some ways it is too little too late. We didn’t get this continuing reaction for her first death so having it feels like “finally!” but also “why did it take so long” I did truly like it but its certainly a mixed bag for me. What really fell flat for me is the moment afterwards with the comedic crying of the guards listening to Ruby talk about Penny. It’s supposed to be an emotional moment where Ruby’s words touch the hearts of the guards through her emotions and pain and we’re turning it comedic. 

Like the idea of even the horses crying shows how different this world is but it feels too comedic for what should have been an emotional scene. Overall this is kind of a common issue with the episode, comedy coming in with very poor timing and it hurts the flow of the episodes and the emotions we are supposed to be feeling. 

This happens an annoying number of times through the episode, comedy stripping away from what is genuinely an emotional moment. When Little grabs what we later learn is Penny’s sword and Ruby getting emotional seeing it but then having Yang play tug of war with her arm and so much attention being drawn to the comedy of it, Ruby crying over Penny’s sword and talking about how she felt drawn to it being overshadowed by the same bit from episode one with Ruby being trapped in the loop with the added, Weiss knocks herself out with the rock she threw that came back to hit her nonsense trying to bury what is happening on screen, Yang and Blake are flirting and Weiss is saying “Finally” and making a joke out of it with everyone ignoring how clearly upset and hurt Ruby is. It just keeps happening with comedy that really doesn’t work. 

As a side note....is CRWBY trying to confirm Bmblebe through Weiss? Is it confirmed or just like the Nora situation in volume 7? I am genuinely unsure here lolz. 

Also Little continues to just....sleep and it is becoming very frustrating. Having Ruby talk through things with Little could have been so interesting but instead they sleep through all of these emotional moments and offer none of their thoughts on these things. 

We also are finally seeing Ruby and Weiss at least question their decisions and starting to see they have no clue what they’re doing and really shouldn’t be making these massive and important decisions. This could be a really good arc to explore....too bad I have a feeling Yang and Blake or the narrative will make sure to assure them that they did absolutely nothing wrong and they are perfect and should keep doing what they’ve been doing. Maybe I’ll eat my words and maybe the volume will end with the girls accepting they fucked up big time and Altas falling is partially their fault but letting them learn and grow and keep fighting but I really don’t have much faith that will happen. 

[rainbowolfe]

A thought: Is special Follower dialogue Bishop-Lore hiding in plain sight? I actually think. The Darkwood interactions point to Narinder, and not Leshy. I will not be taking questions.

Lost Companion Quests

"My friend and I were traveling together through Anura and lost each other." "Before you brought me into your Cult my sister and I were separated when travelling through Anchordeep." "My best friend is lost in Silk Cradle, can you go save them?" "My brother and I were traveling together through Darkwood and were separated." As a follow-up to that last one, in the Doctrines, if you agree that all is fair in love and war, then it's revealed that that follower feels overshadowed by their brother and demands to be put in the fight pit with him. And wins.

If I were to take these as one-to-one comparisons...

Heket's not from Anura, Kallamar's not from Anchordeep, and Narinder's not from Darkwood. Those first two track, so I'll assume it tracks for Narinder too. The frogs in Anura seem almost like an invasive species. Just hundreds upon hundreds of frog spawn everywhere, and no other creatures. For a swamp it's very. Dry. And Kallamar is the only sentient squid for miles.

Kallamar had a sister, and Narinder had a brother. Narinder had a brother he had growing resentment for. "Lost" vs "Separated" implies intention. So someone (or something...) separated Kallamar and Narinder from their family members, while it was just bad luck that Heket lost track of her friend. Anura is characterized as being particularly dangerous.

Shamura had a fwiend owo a best fwiend. Probs failed to save them. Dead. Traumatic.

New Follower Recruitment

"Some creatures are here seeking shelter with our Cult, but they are sick!" "Sceptics and heretics have made their way to our Cult, cursing our way of life... but they want to join!" "There are some folks who are starving and have no place to call home, we must let them join our Cult!" "Some elders have been cast from their Cult and now seek a place to enjoy their final years."

The first and third interactions are easy to ascribe to Kallamar and Heket respectively. These two ended up on the Old Faith's (read: Shamura's) doorstep out of desperation. It would make sense if Shamura, the knowledge god, didn't actually believe in any Old Faith nonsense. But they weren't going to NOT become a god. As for the last one... elders wear white. Narinder wears white. Narinder = old man confirmed.