#except... for Ruby Spears

[forestlingincorporated]

love your Protoverse stuff

it would be cool to see more random robot masters interacting with their counterparts similarly to your ElecMan comic

Personally I'd love to see a GeminiMan one since Gemineye by the Megas is one of my favourite songs right now

Anyways, keep up the great work

I'm not sure the Geminis have noticed anything is amiss....

And then there's Ruby Spears.

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[hereissomething]

just finished watching all of the 90s Ruby Spears Mega Man show with the wife and im so sad there isnt more. i love these doofy robots, esp Gutsman and Cutman who are totally married and Protoman and Dr. Wily bc Scott McNiel is hilarious

[storiesoflilies]

gladiator!toji was never rattled by anything.

the sky could fall and crumble into ash and dust. towns and cities could be swept away by the wrath of the sea, and he would not bat an eye. the gods themselves could descend from the heavens above, demand his obeisance and loyalty, and still, he would not break or bow before them.

the only thing that mattered to him was his love, the woman who meant more to him than his own life.

he���d bled for her and killed in her name, breathed for her, and would die for her. everything that carved him into who he was belonged to her, to love her and only her.

however, gladiator!tengen was testing his limits.

the cocky, overly flashy gladiator was his ally now, fighting alongside him in the arena. whether they liked it or not, they were bound to each other by sand and blood. any poor souls set against them died screaming in a puddle of their own sweat and piss.

a midnight spear and two thundering blades.

the two favorite gladiators of rome.

tengen was wildly fearless, spitting in the face of death and mocking the harbringer for being too slow to catch him. he favored the attention above all else – the glory of battle – and didn’t seem to care for anything else at all.

except for what belonged to toji, it seemed.

toji knew tengen watched him, maroon eyes following his sweeping gaze over the raucous crowd and settle on his love. his innocent, precious, naive love who believed it was pure coincidence that tengen would always seem to wave in her direction, sending a grin and a careless wink her way.

tengen was with him now, leaning against the bars of his cell, his forearms flexing as he smirked at toji. “my hearing is excellent, you know?”

toji was in no mood for tengen’s quips. he was still coming down from the high of chasing his love and her pleasure. “and?” he grunted disinterestedly.

the gladiator’s white hair glistened in the moonlight that shone through the narrow slit in the stone, and tengen grinned. “so, i can hear every little noise she makes with you.”

a crack of a whip; toji’s fingers twitched dangerously.

“ah, she’s sounds so pretty. i’m jealous of you, fushiguro. you somehow get to sneak away and indulge yourself every night.”

thunder roared in toji’s ears, and he shot straight up to his feet his bed, his muscles itching for a fight.

“oh, don’t worry,” tengen continued, an irritating lilt in his voice. “i take pleasure in listening to you both, so i won’t tell a soul.”

toji’s eyes blazed with a green wildfire. “i’m going to kill you in your sleep.”

tengen laughed, a great, thunderous thing that seemed to shake the very stone of the colosseum. the gladiator was absolutely unperturbed by toji’s threat, as if it were no more than a speck of sand beneath his boots.

“ah, come now! you should be nicer to me,” he chided sarcastically. “especially now that i know your little secret.”

toji deadpanned, a knot of stone in stomach. “what do you want?”

tengen’s eyes flashed with restless rubies and something toji had somehow failed to notice until now. it was something he saw reflected in his love’s eyes every night when she cried his name. something he was made for, that tengen seemed to be made of too.

“it would be easier to keep your secret if it was mine too.”

©storiesoflilies 2024, all rights reserved. please do not plagiarize, translate, or repost any of my work on other sites! i only post on ao3 and tumblr.

[sterben-17]

Knightshade Family Preview

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Discovery

The small village of Meadowbrook sat nestled between rolling hills and dense forests, far from the bustling energy of Vale. For the past six weeks, teams JNPR and RWBY had called this place home, tasked with clearing the surrounding areas of Grimm and helping fortify the village's defenses. It was a two-month assignment—Professor Ozpin's way of giving his students real field experience after the excitement of the Vytal Festival tournament.

Jaune Arc adjusted his armor as he set out for his evening patrol. The late summer sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the dirt path leading into the western woods.

"You sure you don't want company?" Pyrrha asked, checking the alignment of her spear and shield as she prepared for her own patrol to the north.

"I've got this," Jaune assured her with a confidence that would have been unthinkable six months ago. "Besides, I've memorized this route by now."

Pyrrha smiled. "Just be back before dark. The Ursai have been more active at night lately."

Jaune nodded and set off, following the familiar path into the trees. His patrol route formed a wide arc around the western perimeter of the village, designed to intersect with Ruby's southern patrol and Weiss's eastern route. Ren and Nora would relieve them after nightfall, along with Blake and Yang.

The assignment had been good for him. Away from the pressures of Beacon Academy, without the constant reminder of his fraudulent admission, Jaune had flourished as a leader. Coordinating patrols, working with the village council, and even leading several successful Grimm-clearing operations had built his confidence in ways that sparring sessions never could.

The western forest was peaceful this evening. Birds chirped overhead, and the occasional rabbit darted across his path. As Jaune approached the halfway point of his patrol—a small stream that burbled over smooth stones—he checked his scroll. Still an hour of daylight left.

He was about to continue when he heard a sound that seemed out of place in the forest—a faint cry, almost like a kitten. Jaune drew Crocea Mors, extending his shield as he moved cautiously toward the sound.

The crying grew louder as he approached a dense thicket near the base of a large oak tree. Pushing aside the tangled branches, Jaune discovered a small bundle wrapped in a white blanket.

"What in the world..." he murmured, kneeling down.

Inside the blanket was a baby—a faunus baby with tiny black cat ears poking through wisps of dark hair that had hints of blue when the light caught it just right. The infant, who looked to be only a few months old, was whimpering softly, hands curled into little fists.

Jaune quickly sheathed his sword and picked up the bundle, looking around for any sign of the baby's parents. There was nothing except a small cloth bag containing a few diapers, an empty bottle, and a handwritten note:

"Please take care of my daughter. She won't be safe with me anymore. The White Fang would find her and use her for their cause. Thank you to any person who will take care of her."

Jaune read the note twice, his mind racing. Who would abandon their child in Grimm-infested woods? The mention of the White Fang suggested the parent was probably a faunus themself, perhaps someone trying to leave the organization.

The baby began to cry more insistently, her small face scrunching up.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jaune said softly, adjusting his hold to better support the infant's head. "I've got you now. You're safe."

To his surprise, the baby's cries quieted at the sound of his voice. Tiny eyes, a brilliant amber color, blinked up at him curiously.

Jaune checked his scroll again. The sun would be setting soon, and with darkness came greater Grimm activity. He needed to get the baby back to the village, but what then? The remote settlement barely had resources for its own people, let alone an orphaned infant.

He could contact Ozpin, but the comms were unreliable this far from the CCT network. It would be at least three days before the next supply airship arrived from Vale.

For now, he needed to focus on getting the baby safely to the village. Jaune secured her against his chest, one arm supporting her while the other kept Crocea Mors ready. He moved as quickly as caution would allow, eyes scanning constantly for any sign of Grimm.

The village came into view just as the first stars appeared in the darkening sky. Jaune sighed with relief, quickening his pace as he approached the gates.

"Jaune!" Ruby's voice called out as she jogged over from her patrol route. "You're cutting it close. Pyrrha was just about to—" She stopped abruptly, silver eyes widening at the bundle in his arms. "Is that a baby?"

"Yeah," Jaune nodded, adjusting the blanket to reveal the sleeping face and small cat ears. "I found her abandoned in the woods. Someone left a note saying the White Fang might be after her."

"Oh my gosh," Ruby whispered, peering at the infant with a mixture of concern and awe. "She's so tiny! And those ears are so cute! But why would someone leave her out there? The Grimm could have—"

"I know," Jaune cut her off, not wanting to consider what might have happened if he hadn't found the baby when he did. "Let's get inside. I need to figure out what to do next."

As they entered the village, Weiss approached from her patrol route, looking as pristine as ever despite the dusty surroundings.

"There you are. You're supposed to check in when you complete your—" Her lecture died on her lips as she noticed what Jaune was carrying. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Jaune found a baby in the forest!" Ruby exclaimed, still bouncing with excitement. "She's a cat faunus and someone abandoned her and—"

"Slow down, Ruby," Weiss interrupted, her expression shifting from shock to concern. She moved closer, examining the sleeping infant. "She appears unharmed, but she should be checked by a medical professional. The village has a healer, correct?"

"Mrs. Woodleaf," Jaune confirmed. "But I'm not sure what to do after that. The note mentioned the White Fang might be looking for her."

"Let's get her to the healer first," Weiss decided, ever practical. "Then we can discuss our options."

Word spread quickly through the small village. By the time they reached the cottage of Mrs. Woodleaf, the elderly healer, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren had joined them, all wearing various expressions of surprise and concern.

"Oh my, what have we here?" Mrs. Woodleaf said, ushering them inside her herb-scented home. The old woman, whose gnarled hands belied their gentleness, carefully took the baby from Jaune's arms.

"A cat faunus girl, abandoned in the forest," Jaune explained, feeling strangely reluctant to let the baby go. "According to the note, her parents can't keep her because of White Fang threats."

"Poor little thing," the healer murmured as she laid the baby on a clean blanket. "Let's see how you're doing, shall we?"

As Mrs. Woodleaf examined the infant, the door to the cottage opened again. Blake and Yang entered, having been summoned by Weiss's message.

Blake's eyes immediately fixed on the baby, her bow twitching slightly in a way that suggested her hidden cat ears were alert with interest.

"Is it true?" she asked, moving forward to get a better look. "Someone abandoned a faunus baby in the forest?"

Jaune nodded, handing her the note. Blake read it, her expression darkening at the mention of the White Fang.

"This complicates things," she said quietly.

Yang peered over Blake's shoulder. "Cute kid, though. Those ears are adorable."

Mrs. Woodleaf finished her examination with a satisfied nod. "She's healthy and well-nourished. I'd say she's about three months old. Whoever left her must have done so recently—she's not dehydrated or overly hungry."

"What do we do now?" Pyrrha asked, looking around at her friends. "The next airship doesn't come for three days, and even then..."

"We can't just hand her over to the authorities in Vale," Blake stated firmly. "Faunus orphans often face... difficulties in the system."

The room fell silent as they all considered the implications. Jaune looked at the baby, now awake and blinking curiously at the faces surrounding her. Those amber eyes seemed to find Jaune's, and tiny hands reached up toward him.

Without thinking, Jaune moved forward and picked the baby up again, cradling her gently. She made a soft mewling sound, one small hand wrapping around his finger with surprising strength.

"I'll take care of her," Jaune said suddenly, surprising even himself. "At least until we can find a better solution."

"Jaune, do you know anything about caring for babies?" Pyrrha asked gently.

"Actually, I do," he replied with unexpected confidence. "I'm the only boy in a family with seven sisters. The youngest three are a lot younger than me, and I helped raise them when they were babies. I know the basics—feeding, changing, burping, the whole routine."

The others looked at him with newfound respect.

"That's... actually impressive," Weiss admitted.

"She needs a name," Ruby pointed out. "We can't just keep calling her 'the baby.'"

Jaune looked down at the infant in his arms. She was quieter now, her eyes reflecting the soft lamplight of the cottage. Something about how he'd found her, alone under the moonlight in the forest, made a name come to mind immediately.

"Cynthia," he said softly. "It means 'moon goddess.' That seems fitting for how I found her."

"Cynthia," Blake repeated, stepping closer. "It's a beautiful name."

Mrs. Woodleaf chuckled, the sound warm and knowing. "It takes a village, as they say. I'll provide what supplies I can, though you'll need more than I have here."

"We can request baby supplies on the next airship," Ren suggested. "Until then, we'll improvise."

"I can help with the specifics of caring for a faunus child," Blake offered, her eyes not leaving Cynthia. "Cat faunus have keen senses even as infants. She'll be sensitive to loud noises and certain scents."

"Then it's settled," Jaune said. "For now, at least, Cynthia stays with us."

As the others discussed logistics, Blake moved beside Jaune, her voice pitched so only he could hear.

"The White Fang wouldn't be interested in a random faunus baby," she murmured. "If what this note says is true, her parents might be former members trying to escape the organization. That would make her a target."

Jaune nodded, the weight of responsibility settling more firmly on his shoulders. "All the more reason to protect her."

Blake studied his face for a moment, then looked back at Cynthia. "I'll help you," she said simply. "I know what it's like to be a faunus child with nowhere to belong."

In that moment, as the evening light faded and their friends continued planning around them, something unspoken passed between Jaune and Blake—a shared purpose, perhaps, or the beginning of an unexpected alliance.

Whatever lay ahead, Jaune knew one thing for certain: his life had just changed in ways he couldn't begin to imagine.

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 17: (PIPER XVI) - SAVING THE WORLD ON HAPPY THE DRAGON

Hazel had to adjust all of her blankets as she went back to her spot and wriggled around to get one comfy around her lap in just the right spot to prop the book against and then still took the time to make sure her picture wasn’t going to get accidentally kicked around in any of her fidgeting. By the time she actually began to start, she was worried someone was going to snap at her for taking so long and so she stuttered on the first few words.

“LEO?” SHE YELLED.

“Gods forbid it be anybody else up there,” Jason sighed.

“Freaking Clarisse comes in guns blazing saying, ‘hey, look what I found,” Percy nodded. “Then Leo comes in on Festus and they have an epic dragon fight about who goes on the quest.”

“How many dragons do you think we have running around here?” Annabeth asked in concern. 

The really concerning part was that she didn’t flat out tell him how ridiculous that was.

“I don’t know, like, three at any given time,” Percy shrugged with a smirk at Jason.

“That was just mean,” Jason sighed.

“And let us please get back to one vacating the premises,” Nico reminded in exasperation, waving Hazel on. She was smiling though and just enjoying their light conversation, it made her moment of stress before seem silly now.

Sure enough, there he was, sitting atop a giant bronze death machine and grinning like a lunatic.

“We really should be grateful he didn’t come in with a whole fireworks display,” Thalia sighed.

“Ah, you know me well. Next time my dear, when I’ve had a little more time to prep,” Leo gave her an exaggerated wink, and she laughed. It was a nice feeling instead of the death glare he’d been expecting. He decided not to push his luck further by moving to sit next to her even if he kind of still wanted to. Just because there was no chance she’d step on him with those boots in a fun way didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy her laugh.

 Even before he landed, the camp alarm went up. A conch horn blew. All the satyrs started screaming, “Don’t kill me!” Half the camp ran outside in a mixture of pajamas and armor.

“Yep, must be Friday,” Will sighed.

“Hear that Leo? Will said you gotta do something even bigger this time around to make a lasting impression,” Jason smirked.

Will spluttered something about betrayal while Leo laughed, causing the others to join in.

 The dragon set down right in the middle of the green, and Leo yelled, “It’s cool! Don’t shoot!”

Hesitantly, the archers lowered their bows. The warriors backed away, keeping their spears and swords ready. They made a loose wide ring around the metal monster. Other demigods hid behind their cabin doors or peeped out the windows. Nobody seemed anxious to get close.

Piper couldn’t blame them. The dragon was huge. It glistened in the morning sun like a living penny sculpture —different shades of copper and bronze—a sixty-foot-long serpent with steel talons and drill-bit teeth and glowing ruby eyes. It had bat-shaped wings twice its length that unfurled like metallic sails, making a sound like coins cascading out of a slot machine every time they flapped.

“It’s beautiful,” Piper muttered. The other demigods stared at her like she was insane.

“Well none of them have culture like my bestie!” Leo smirked.

“All artists are under appreciated during their time,” Hazel nodded.

The dragon reared its head and shot a column of fire into the sky. 

“Show off,” Leo chuckled.

“Just like his rider,” Annabeth agreed.

Campers scrambled away and hefted their weapons, but Leo slid calmly off the dragon’s back. He held up his hands like he was surrendering, except he still had that crazy grin on his face.

“Every single person scream at once it’s a trap on three,” Percy smirked. He even held up three fingers.

“I’m not hiding grenades up my sleeve!” Leo huffed.

Percy put down a finger.

Annabeth reached over and put down his hand. Hazel was relieved.

“People of Earth, I come in peace!” he shouted.

Will laughed particularly hard at that one, and Leo grinned at him stockpiling alien references in his head for future use.

“If you say take me to your leader, I’m worried how sleep deprived you are,” Annabeth snorted.

“She speaks from experience,” Percy assured.

 He looked like he’d been rolling around in the campfire. His army coat and his face were smeared with soot. His hands were grease stained, and he wore a new tool belt around his waist. His eyes were bloodshot. His curly hair was so oily it stuck up in porcupine quills, and he smelled strangely of Tabasco sauce. 

But he looked absolutely delighted. “Festus is just saying hello!”

“If that’s how he says hello, I’m terrified how he says piss off,” Percy chuckled.

“That thing is dangerous!” an Ares girl shouted, brandishing her spear. “Kill it now!”

“Stand down!” someone ordered.

To Piper’s surprise, it was Jason. He pushed through the crowd,

None of them were particularly surprised at his sudden authoritative position he so easily dawned. Exchanging someone with Percy probably wouldn’t work so well if he was just one of the kids around his camp who just sat in the back of the place all day and was never invited to the council meetings.

Thalia actually wondered for the first time if Jupiter had more kids running around that camp he was in charge of, if perhaps Jason had some half-sister tearing up the coast somewhere looking for him.

flanked by Annabeth and that girl from the Hephaestus cabin, Nyssa.

Jason gazed up at the dragon and shook his head in amazement. “Leo, what have you done?”

“The greatest thing ever!” Leo insisted.

“Would you like to take over?” Hazel asked politely, he was so jazzed about his dragon showing up in all his glory he was actually paying full attention to the book for once, little flickers of flames appearing on his ears like someone was toggling his on switch. 

“No, no,” he insisted, smoke trailing from burnt hair on his arms. “You go on.”

She did so with a faint frown, somehow the guy nearly combusting into flames didn’t make it as easy as she’d have thought to keep him separate from Sammy in her mind, but repeating his name over and over was helping anyways.

“Found a ride!” Leo beamed. “You said I could go on the quest if I got you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!”

“You never did specify what kind of ride it had to be,” Leo agreed, but there was an anxious look as he eyed Jason like he thought the guy would spontaneously take back his quest pass.

“And I couldn’t have asked for better,” Jason grinned. “What’s better than air support with fire power and a bite force?”

Leo grinned right back and finally sort of regretted being in this timeline where he didn’t actually get to ride off and save the world on Festus with this guy. Ah well, if Annabeth’s doom and gloom attitude was anything to go by, he still might get a chance next time.

“It—has wings,” Nyssa stammered. Her jaw looked like it might drop off her face.

“Yeah!” Leo said. “I found them and reattached them.”

“But it never had wings. Where did you find them?”

Leo hesitated, and Piper could tell he was hiding something.

“In … the woods,” he said.

“Remember when we were making fun of our poor lying skills on our first quest? Yeah, can we bring back those while pushing someone else on stage,” Percy grinned.

“The fact that that's not even a wild and crazy statement,” Will sighed. “If you said you found them next to the cursed dancing shoes in the pile of plushies some god tossed in here without us noticing, I wouldn’t even blink.”

“The ancient secret bunker being the crazy part is just par for the course in camp where we’re apparently going to be uncovering five layers below ground tracks at this point too,” Annabeth said. Next time someone told her this place was built on cursed land over an elephant graveyard, she was pretty sure she’d just roll with it.

 “Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire.”

“Mostly?” Nyssa asked.

The dragon’s head twitched. It tilted to one side and a stream of black liquid—maybe oil, hopefully just oil—poured out of its ear, all over Leo.

“Just a few kinks to work out,” Leo said.

“Sounds like a perfectly reasonable response to prove he won’t set things on fire anymore,” Nico agreed half-heartedly.

“Unless the dragon’s using it to soak him before using Leo as a running match,” Will muttered. He didn’t really have that much faith in Leo’s ability, he hadn’t been in camp for even forty-eight hours yet!

“But how did you survive … ?” Nyssa was still staring at the creature in awe. “I mean, the fire breath …”

“I’m quick,” Leo said. “And lucky. Now, am I on this quest, or what?”

Jason scratched his head. “You named him Festus?

“I do love that’s what you got out of this entire exchange,” Leo’s smile kept widening until it might split his face in half. “I’ve never owned a pet before, what is your metric for names?”

Jason shrugged. “Can’t say I have either,” he reminded, tapping his temple. “I guess it’s not the worst? Better than naming him Fluffy, or Spot?”

“Leo wouldn’t even get the excuse of being the first to name his pet that like my dad is,” Nico sniffed.

 You know that in Latin, ‘festus’ means ‘happy’? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?”

“Well when you put it like that it sounds ridiculous,” Percy chuckled.

“And how would you say it, pray tell Percy!” Jason groaned.

“I don’t know Latin to even guess,” Percy shrugged. His smile seemed reluctant all of a sudden, he still remembered Alex’s spontaneous decision to name this very dragon Reid. He kind of wanted to mention it to Leo, but after all the work and love he’d obviously put into this guy, it felt rude to mention someone else had just come up with one on the spot too.

Maybe if he could mention it later without his voice cracking Leo would consider making that Festus’s middle name.

The dragon twitched and shuddered and flapped his wings.

“That’s a yes, bro!” Leo said. “Now, um, I’d really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the —um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous.”

Jason frowned. “But we haven’t planned anything yet. We can’t just—”

“Go,” Annabeth said. She was the only one who didn’t look nervous at all. Her expression was sad and wistful, like this reminded her of better times. 

“Nearly getting eaten by that thing and you putting me in jail half the night, yeah, great times,” Percy sounded just as wistful as he remembered playing tic tac toe with Beckendorf the rest of the night in that cell.

“Jason, you’ve only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting.

“I thought ancient proverbs with Annabeth weren’t until after lunch,” Thalia smirked.

“Pop quiz, Jason’s the only one who would appreciate those anyways,” Annabeth chuckled.

 This is certainly a good omen. Go!”

Jason nodded. Then he smiled at Piper. “You ready, partner?”

Piper looked at the bronze dragon wings shining against the sky, and those talons that could’ve shredded her to pieces. “You bet,” she said.

Flying on the dragon was the most amazing experience ever, Piper thought.

Up high, the air was freezing cold; but the dragon’s metal hide generated so much heat, it was like they were flying in a protective bubble. Talk about seat warmers! And the grooves in the dragon’s back were designed like high-tech saddles, so they weren’t uncomfortable at all. Leo showed them how to hook their feet in the chinks of the armor, like in stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses cleverly concealed under the exterior plating.

“Oh yeah, cause that was the highest concern around here. OSHA violation, dragon’s without seatbelts!” Percy laughed at the little voice of his mom in the back of his ear swearing she wouldn’t start the car until he buckled up.

“Please remain seated while the dragon is in motion,” Leo grinned in a pretty good automated voice. “The Leo and Festus Express is not liable for any loss of limbs, bowls, or other major organs.”

“Maybe save yourself some time and just etch that into one of his flaps going forward,” Will offered.

 They sat single file: Leo in front, then Piper, then Jason, and Piper was very aware of Jason right behind her. She wished he would hold on to her, maybe wrap his arms around her waist; but sadly, he didn’t.

Hazel read right over that like she hadn’t heard Jason awkwardly clear his throat. 

Leo used the reins to steer the dragon into the sky like he’d been doing it all his life. 

Annabeth’s mind boggled with questions on how he communicated with Festus on every detail of this. On a pegasi, they steered purely with their legs. She knew mortals used reigns for horses, but it seemed more like an unneeded training wheel to her, so the combination of that on something bigger was making her mind grapple. She couldn’t wait to focus on something fun again, pulling Leo aside and getting all the details of this later when the world wasn’t about to end. Again.

The metal wings worked perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island was just a hazy line behind them. They shot over Connecticut and climbed into the gray winter clouds.

Leo grinned back at them. “Cool, right?”

“What if we get spotted?” Piper asked.

“The Mist,” Jason said. “It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they’ll probably mistake us for a small plane or something.”

Piper glanced over her shoulder. “You sure about that?”

“No,” he admitted. Then Piper saw he was clutching a photo in his hand—a picture of a girl with dark hair.

She gave Jason a quizzical look, but he blushed and put the photo in his pocket. “We’re making good time. Probably get there by tonight.”

Piper wondered who the girl in the picture was, but she didn’t want to ask; and if Jason didn’t volunteer the information, that wasn’t a good sign. Had he remembered something about his life before? Was that a photo of his real girlfriend?

At least Thalia laughed into the awkward silence, while Jason had been hearing the mutterings of that since his sister had arrived and hung out with him. It was almost a fair assumption when you didn’t know otherwise.

Stop it, she thought. You’ll just torture yourself. She asked a safer question. “Where are we heading?”

“To find the god of the North Wind,” Jason said. “And chase some storm spirits.”

Jason couldn’t help but laugh at how Hazel said that as if it were some extravagant idea she could barely wrap her mind around while in another life he probably ate Wind gods for breakfast or something as comfortable as he’d been using them against a giant.

Then he saw Hazel squirming around to get up and hand the book off and he blinked in surprise at how short that one was. Well, at least it wasn’t just him getting that kind of treatment. He reflected back that quite a few of Percy’s had also been only a few pages a few times, and he might work up a flow chart later to study the different lengths and why.

It took all of Leo’s limited self control to patiently wait for Nico to get up and take the book from his sister so this could move on. The pattern meant he’d be getting a whole chapter about being on the back of Festus, he’d be getting data before he even had his first flight test! He wondered vaguely how much his brain would rebel if he tried to read and keep at his drawings at the same time. Judging from past experience, he might end up reading off his formula for Festus’s waste box in Spanish and drawing out the look on Piper’s face when she realized he hadn’t gotten around to installing parachutes yet. 

Only one way to find out!

[stalkerofthegods]

Athena Pallas/Minerva Deep dive

To the wisest of the wise, to the goddess that tells us the wisdom, may we all cheer for her, like how men and women and all equal in war would cheer after victory.

Herbs • Olive tree, Tiger lilies, geranium, oak, cypress, Hellebore (Christmas and Lenten rose), and citrus tree, walnuts, pears

Animals• owl, snake, rooster, griffins, horses (she taught men how to tame horses), female lambs, doves (as a symbol of victory), rams, eagles, tigers, leopards, and other cats (could not find why but many were in agreement.)

Zodiac • She was mostly celebrated in June/July so I would say, Gemini, Cancer, and Leo.

Colors • gold, orange, yellow, emerald green, and royal blue

Crystal• bronze, metal, gold, silver, Azurite, Iolite, ruby, star sapphire, turquoise, lapis lazuli, ivory, Amazonite, Iolite, Bloodstone, Clear Quarterrtz, onyx.

Symbols• owls, olive trees, snakes, the Gorgoneion, golden shield, and helmet, serpents 

Jewelry you can wear in their honor• you can veil in their honor

Diety of • knowledge, knowledge in war, crafting, inspiration, strategy 

Patron of• Military, justice, skills, close combat, good counsel, prudent restrain and practical insight, weaving, and spinning, crocheting, the defense of towns, heroic endeavor, and protection agriculture, she is known in the arts as well with Hephaestus, protectress of the phratries and houses, authority of the law, the order in the courts and the assembly of the people, mathematics, strength, asexuality, librarians, peace, judges, protests, metalwork, birds (called the goddess of the birds), teachers

Offerings• She was sacrificed bulls, rams cows, all female except a lamb, it must be a male lamb, Locrian maidens or children are said to have been sacrificed to her every year as an atonement for the crime committed by the Locrian Ajax upon Cassandra (do not do, just here for historic offerings.), Olives, Bread, Grains, Olive oil, Cakes, Olive tree branches, Owl figurines or imagery, Silver jewelry, Honey, Milk, Books, Strategy games, Quality chess boards, Snake figurines or imagery, Fountain pens, Handmade objects, Clay items ( ex- plates, bowls, vases), Yellow and/or white candles, Yoghurt, Daggers, Swords (including small decorative versions), Devotional poems, Studying, Learning something new, Using what you learn as a way of growing and developing as a person, Standing up for yourself, Improving yourself, Owl pellets, Owl decoys for gardens,Work out clothes/gear, Fidget toys for when you’re working, Brain imagery, Spider imagery, Crafts you have made, Certificates/degrees/awards for achievements, Favorite books/books on mythos or Greece, Knitting/crocheting/crafting materials, Needles, Your glasses, Coffee/tea, Nice pens/pencils, Journals/notebooks, Voting stickers/cards, Spears/swords/daggers/helmets, Protest signs, pears, walnuts, Garlic bread, Start a small side business.

Devotional• Read a book, become a librarian as a summer job, or simply check out or return a book, join a book club, host a book club, learn Battle strategies, learn Wars and how they were won, learn What led to wars being lost, read The Art of War by Sun Tzu, learn about Politics,  Democracy in Ancient Greece, learn about Armor and weapons, Catch and release spiders in your home, do Pottery, learn about Cross stitching and knitting, Tutor someone/get tutoring for areas you need help in, Watch TED talks/listen to educational podcasts, Plan out your day/keep a planner, Thinking before taking action, controlling our anger,  Learn new vocab words, Make your notes pretty, Learn study techniques, Take appropriate study breaks, Do projects for Her, Challenge yourself, Learn grounding techniques, Do your homework, Give up things that are unhealthy for your brain (ex-  smoking cannabis, drinking.), work out, Learn basic first aid, take CPR classes, Take care of your body, Go to protests/advocate

Ephithets• will post later, postponed due to motivational issues, will come soon. 

Equivalents (alike but not the same)• neith (Egyptian), thrud (Norse), Minerva (roman), Athena (Greek) 

Alter• I would not put her alter near Heaphestus, be tried to violate her in a myth, I would not put her alter near Aphrodite because they are known to not get along in myths, but things could have changed. She does work well with heroes, so if you worship Hercules or Perseus I would put her alter near them, I would not put her near Arachne and keep her alter away from spider areas, etc. Keep her altar clean and orderly. She does not like the giant Pallas, he tried to ruin her chastity.

Signs they are reaching out• Encounters with owls, olive trees, or feelings of wisdom and inspiration, seeing owls in the day, going to the library more often, staying after school. 

Vows/omans• to stay a virgin forever, and to change her name 

Number• 6 or 7 and 5 (I couldn't find a website that could agree.)

Morals• Morally lawful

Personality• Strong, endearing, respected, smart, confident, practical, clever, a master of disguises, and a great warrior. Brings Harvard teachers to shame. 

Home• Mount Olympus 

Mortal or immortal • Immortal 

Fact• Some say she invented the flute, she invented the plow, and the rake, borrows tools from Zeus to do war saves people when fate counts on it, she repels Ares, some say Athena’s full name is Pallas Athena, but they say she added the name Pallas to hers after she accidentally mortally injured her friend Pallas during a practice session in her youth.  Athena was seen naked bathing, she felt bad for the man, she covered his eyes and made him blind, making him an oracle.

Curses• blindness, more spiders, spilling tea, dyslexia getting harder, losing ur glasses, no one knowing who you're dressed as during Halloween, getting into fights, unjust detentions, no one showing up to class, getting fired as a teacher or librarian (unjustly), dropping books and learning stuff all of the sudden, forgetting materials that you learned on your test, your quizzes and tests get lost.

Blessings• remembering test materials, witty replies in arguments, detentions all of the sudden going away, getting into your dream college, getting into a book club, finding ur books, getting a librarian or teacher or tutor job.

Roots• Greek, near the river Triton born after or in the Titanomachy era.

Friends• Pallas (her friend growing up)

Parentage• Some say Poseidon then she went to Zeus after a dispute and became his daughter, and some say metis and Zeus, some say Hepeastus.

Siblings• Artemis, Aphrodite, the Muses, the Graces, Ares, Apollo, Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Minos, Perseus, and Porus.

Children• She does not have any romantic lovers, but she has adopted children, who are, Erikhthonios/Erichthonius.

Pet• one white and three dark horse and an owl, (she shares a chariot with Artemis) 

Appearance in astral or gen•  a stately woman armed with a shield and spear, and wearing a long robe, crested helm, and the famed aigis with the the Gorgon Medusa on a shield

Festivals • The cleansing Festival/Plynteria and Kallynteria Festival, the threshing festival/Skira Festival, the festival of Minerva/Minor Quinquatrus, The panatheanaea/Athena Festival, The Vintage festivalOschophoria Festival, the artisans Festival/Chalkeia Festival.

Day • she does not have any day of the week, the 23 of each month, and the first day. 

Sacred places• The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens is dedicated to her, and Athens.

Status• Wisdom goddess, One of the major theoi and goddesses in Greek mythology 

What angers her • If you stop worshiping her, I would clean up and part respectfully and know she understands, she does not like the sudden removal of an alter and the trashing of one.

The music she likes• classical and lo-fi study music.

Planet• Pallas Athene (minor planet) and the Asteroids 93 Minerva and 2 Pallas

Her Tarot cards• queen of swords, queen of wands, justice card, balance card

Remind me of• the saying “hitting the books” and someone actually throwing books, twilight from My Little Pony, Dead Trees (books)

Scents/Inscene • Patchouli, dragon’s blood, musk, indigo, orange blossom, cinnamon, and cedarwood

My opinion • She's cool.

Prayers• 

Prayer To Athena by Liz “Morning Dove” La Posta

Oh, wise Athena with your spear and shield, protect me and my family from injustice and harm. Council me with your wisdom so that I may make the best decisions. Grant me success in my endeavors, but keep me humble so that I might not become condescending to others. I thank you for the many times you have guided me on my Path. Share with me your mysteries and I will do my best to follow. Athena my Goddess, I pray this in your sacred name, and I vow to always be your faithful dedicant.

Prayer to Athena for Wisdom

Clear-eyed Athena, unrivaled in wisdom, daughter of Zeus and Metis whose craft and wit excelled among the mighty Titans: Athena, I pray to you. Wise in all things you are, goddess; your cunning and guile are well known. In time of war you have no equal in tactics or in strategy; many armies have you guided to victory. In time of peace your blessings fall on those whose work is of the mind–friend of the philosopher, the scientist, the student. Advisor of kings, patron of clever heroes and bold-hearted adventurers, defender of the thinker, mistress of reason and understanding, goddess to whom a strong arm and a sharp sword are nothing without the sense to wield them well and the insight to know when words are worth more than weapons. Athena, grant me a sound mind and steady temper, bless me with good judgment, show me the long view.

Links/websites/sources •seleniangnosis https://www.theoi.com/Cult/AthenaTitles.htmlhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Athena-Greek-mythology https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenahttps://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/athena.html https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Athena.html

https://www.worldhistory.org/athena/#google_vignettehttps://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/athena/https://olympioi.com/greek-gods/athenahttps://ilfiorello.com/athena-the-importance-of-the-name/https://www.theoi.com/Cult/AthenaTitles.htmlhttp://www.goddess-athena.org/Encyclopedia/Rituals/Festivals/index.htm ATHENA'S BIRTH ON THE NIGHT OF THE DARK MOON - JSTOR 881 Athene - Wikipedia Athena | Olympian Goddess of Wisdom | Born from Zeus SkullGoddess Gift https://www.crystalvaults.com/goddess-athena/#:~:text=Crystals%20such%20as%20Azurite%2C%20Iolite,Athena%20can%20bring%20to%20you.Athena: Greek Goddess Of Wisdom And Craftsmanshiphttps://www.museandmoonstone.com/blogs/blog/crystals-goddess-athenaThoughtCohttps://www.thoughtco.com › what...What Are the Symbols of the Greek Goddess Athena?numeralgame.64g.ruhttp://www.numeralgame.64g.ru › ...Numerology and ancient Greek myths. Pythagorean numerological number 5. Goddess Gifthttps://goddessgift.com › goddessesAthena: Greek Goddess Of Wisdom And Craftsmanship Number Seven Facts, Symbolism & Meaning - Study.com Holy And Unholy Numbers - Street Directory Athena: Greek Goddess Of Wisdom And Craftsmanshipseleniangnosis travelingthief Titanomachy Definition, Myth & Impact - Study.com Athena Siblings - 1379 Words | Internet Public Library - IPL.org Athena Justice, Mythology Tarot Enamel Pin - LitJoy Crate Inner Goddess Tarothttps://innergoddesstarot.com › go...Goddesses in Tarot: Athenahttps://www.hellenion.org/athena/prayer-to-athena/https://www.tumblr.com/tarotbee

I use resources, I do not own the info, and most deep dives have UPG (that I use in my work.) And I only take some information from sources. I am 14, this is my hobby, I am learning but I spent many hours and days on this, and I am always open to criticism. I have been doing worship for 5 years. Please know you can use the info, I do not sue, but I will take action if this work is used without permission and not put as a resource if used in any work. without permisson and not put as a resource if used in any work, for the public.

[louiesselfshipramblings]

Secret Level mini-review!!! Because!!!

Not gonna go over EVERY episodes, just the ones I wanted to see.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen's Cradle—This was a good start! It was short, maybe a lil TOO short, but it was a nice lil glimpse into the classic fantasy world with fun characters both in design and personality. Hope we see more of them somewhere! Weird a non-video game got in but eh I don't mind.

Unreal Tournament: Xan—This episode led me down a rabbit hole of finding out the Unreal Engine was based on an old game made by pre-Fortnite Epic Games, and it's apparently delisted everywhere? Sucks, but cool it got an episode! I love robot uprisings.

Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear—I know nothing about Warhammer except everything kinda sucks and the giant church mechs. This was a fun episode! There's a simple pleasure in watching a group of guys effortlessly tear through mooks. I suppose I'd get more if I specifically played the Space Marine games, but hey as is I liked it.

PAC-MAN: Circle—Dares to ask the question, what if "Pac" and "Man" were two separate guys? But for real though...I actually liked this one? It's horror, but not over the top, gorey but not for the sake of it. Does it use next to none of the Pac-Man iconography? Yeah. But it kinda works as its own, messed up sorta thing. I wonder if that Shadow Labyrinth game came first, or if the short did. Also, the robot is named Puck! Cause Pac-Man's original name in Japan was Puck-Man but in American they could scratch at the P and make it...ya know...Scott Pilgrim reference.

The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep—I kept forgetting The Outer Worlds had an episode here...or that the game existed at all. Which is a shame! Sure, I heard mixed things about it, but nice to see Obsidian still making original stuff! Plus that sequel, could be better! For this episode...it was fine. A solid example of tragedy. The ending puzzled me, but in a good way. Coulda felt more connected to the vibes of the game, but def has that humor style in place!

Mega Man: Start—It was alright. Rock and Dr. Light had good VAs. Bomb Man had a cool design. Nice lil easter eggs like the "Dr. W" emblem or the DLN serial numbers, and Rock defeating Bomb Man with an ice power was clever. But MAN...this coulda been so much better if it was longer! It's only like, five minutes! I suppose its good they gave each short a variable time so they had space to tell their story, but I would have loved to see more of this world! The other Robot Masters, Roll, WILY, for god's sake! But that MM2 Wily Castle theme for the credits...oh MAN that's good! Please, make another Mega Man short for season two! Or an animated series in THIS style! Mega Man needs more good animated adaptations after Fully Charged and Ruby-Spears.

Spelunky: Tally—Very cool to see an indie game here, and for one of the OGs! Even if this one takes after the sequel...but still! This one was fun, especially since it seemed to really embrace the idea of being a video game. I'm not super familiar on the Spelunky lore, but the interpretation of the randomly generated caves and the curse that revives them were neat tidbits, and the overall message was very nice! One of the shorter ones, around the same length of the Mega Man and Pac-Man ones, but it's to its benefit. Any longer and it woulda felt dragged out. Honestly, the best way to adapt a rougelike imo.

Concord: Tale of the Implacable—Okay, ya gotta understand I HAD to see this one after Sony's blunder! And, to be honest...this may be the best one between all I've seen??? Like, genuinely!! It's one of the longer ones at around fifteen minutes, and is paced pretty well. Idk if any of these characters show back up in the game, but they were all pretty good for the brief time I saw them? The framing of this being a retold story passed as legend, with an ambiguous fate for the crew was neat and I liked the ending??? I was joking about this episode being so good it might redeem the game, but...well I wouldn't go that far, but damn, this might be my favorite behind the Mega Man and Pac-Man ones??

Playtime: Fulfillment—The last episode, and the only one not based on a specific game, instead being based on PlayStation as a whole. This was a nice closer, tbh! The ending left me a touch confused on what exactly happened, but it was a fun ride, all things considered! Seeing the Helldivers run around and shout about democracy, one of the Colossi from Shadow of the Colossus, Kratos smashing down, and SACKBOY!! I honestly just wish there was more of it! (Or that God of War got its own dedicated episode but that's besides the point). Kinda hope they do this "company" based episode as a season closer for season two, maybe for SEGA or Capcom! That'd be fun!

Overall, a pretty good series! I'd say it's worth my while, plus most of the episodes are under twenty minutes if that, so you could binge it reasonably in a day. Looking forward to that second season. Some sequels would be cool (mainly for Mega Man), but if it has to be only new games...mmmm. God of War, for sure. Mass Effect. Destiny? Donkey Kong, but that's a pipe dream. Nintendo never does cool stuff like that.

[multi-fandomocs]

My original character for Steven universe: Jade Crystelle AKA The Crystal Hero.

Species: Human-gem cyborg.

Pronouns: she/they

Age: 13(2011,when she met the C.G. and got her powers), 15(Season 1), 16(Season 2-5), 18(The Movie), 18-19(Future).

Occupation: Government supported superhero(Seasons 1-3), independent superhero(Season 4 - Future)

Girlfriends: Peridot and Lapis

Friends: Pearl(Bestie), Amethyst, Steven, Connie, Lion, Lars, Sadie.

Family: Garnet- Ruby and Sappire(Adoptive moms)

Gems she doesn't trust: The Diamonds(most of all White) and Jasper.

Power origin: Some years back Jade was at the beach chilling with Garnet, they noticed something fast ly hurtling towards them. It was a Homeworld war ship. Garnet was about to be hit by it, so jade moved her taking the crash. The explosion caused shards of home world tech to fuse with Jade at the atomic level. The result Jade becoming a gem human cyborg.

Biology: 85% gem tech and 15% human(still requires food, sleep, etc)

Description: 6'3 1/2 female, emerald green eyes, green frame prescription glasses, light brown skin, slender build, green cybernetic forearms and legs, cyber eyes, green short sleeve shirt, black leather jacket with a green crystal fist decal on the back, black jeans, long black socks, slip on shoes.

Powers: Super Strength, Super Speed, Superhuman Durability, Super Hearing, flight, Crystal Constructs, Energy Manipulation, Shatter beam(a beam of light that can alter or destroy a targets atomic structure), Can control any object at the atomic level(except organic beings due to the complexity of organic bodies.), Can alter and reshape her own atomic structure(Shape-shifting, 360° waist turn, launchable limbs, etc)

Jade cannot comprehend and therefore cannot alter space itself.(gotta draw the line somewhere.)

Jades Cyber Fusions: Cybernetic Fusions Jade can do with the other Crystal gems(except steven due to his organic body)

Garade- Green cyber forearms and lower legs, Superhero suit body(Garnets colors), Superhero cape, jades hero knowledge and garnets leadership, crystal knuckled gloves, 8'5 in height, 5 eyes covered by a pair of green star shaped shades.

Pearlystelle- level-headed wild card, Blue baseball outfit, black leather jacket, crystal baseball bat. 8'1 in height

Amecryst- short robotic body, 4 rocket arms, can morph her body into any rocket powered weapon. 5'9 in height

Jade + Peridot = General Emerald- 4 Arms(2 normal and 2 cybernetic), Large Commanding Body(7'3 1/2), Long Cape, Crystal Metal duel pointed spear, Shield, and War Hammer.

Jade + Lapis = Metanami(Metal + Tsunami)- 4 eyes and 4 arms, wavey dress with a metal chest plate, hydro mechanical weapons(Deployable arm blades, Rockets, etc), 8'2 in height.

[lenreli]

Day 27 - “No way”

[AO3] 1389 Hob/2022 Dream because @windsweptinred’s post. Part 2: 2022 Hob/1389 Dream. Part 3: 2022 Dreamling.

-

Hob becomes aware of ― everything, the sounds, the people talking, clear windows and even more noise outside, grating, a table underneath his hands― and across from him, the stranger, hair short and wild, blue eyes wide. And a bare throat, no more ruby, and the last thing Hob was aware of before this, was a crude spear in his heart, taking it out and watching the wound heal. Now suddenly, he’s here, in the clothes he wore when he met the stranger.

“What’s going on?” Hob asks, the sounds loud and almost overwhelming, except for when he stares at the stranger, dressed differently, but still undoubtedly that stranger, in the daylight. “Stranger,” he mumbles, reaching out to touch a pale cheekbone, and he’s fascinated as the stranger gulps, red blooming underneath his hand. “This must be a dream,” he settles on, in the end, blocking out everything except the stranger, pulling him over to his side. 

“It is not,” the stranger says with a scoff, blush spreading down to his throat as the stranger sits on his lap, hands resting on his shoulders, an iron grip keeping him seated, and Hob feels himself get hard at it. “I am―only doing this so you will not cause trouble,” the stranger says, blush deepening as his hands go under a black shirt, feeling only smooth skin, and a wriggle against his cock, blue eyes fluttering around wherever they are in embarrassment. 

“I’m perfectly capable of causing trouble right here, stranger,” he says with a grin, one of his hands going into very tight pants, well, trying to. Ripping off whatever things keeps it closed, and he inhales sharply at the feel of a wet cunt, and the stranger’s ears are red now as he presses into the stranger’s clit, who shivers, head falling onto his shoulder. No way, he thinks in amazement, wondering how the stranger could get even more perfect as a finger goes into the stranger’s pussy. 

The stranger lets out a loud moan, hiding his face even more in his throat, “Hob,” he says pathetically, the nickname striking something in him, like he’s heard it before.

“Have we done this before, stranger?” He asks, who lets out a keen as he puts another finger in, feeling slick wetness, hearing it as the stranger wriggles.

“Something like that,” he says quietly, whimpering into his ear.

“Was I good?” He asks, breathless as the stranger curls on top of him, as he puts in another finger, and the stranger’s moans go even higher as he presses and crooks his fingers, mouth watering at the wetness he can feel, and the stranger nods against his beard. “Well, good,” he sighs into black hair, cock throbbing hard against the stranger’s squirming body, but being the giving lover he is, he works on making the stranger come first, which happens when he crooks his fingers and bites into the pale throat in front of him, and the stranger orgasms with a shudder, beard scratching across the other’s throat as the stranger sobs.

[maelisdrafts]

Our Secret Garden - Prologue

An Oberyn Martell x f!oc fiction

Synopsis:

This is the tale of two souls as different as fire and ice, snow and sand—two opposites who seem destined never to coexist. How could they ever find harmony? The odds are stacked against them, their differences insurmountable. Yet, every so often, Fate steps in with a twist, transforming the impossible into reality. After all, even the harshest deserts have, on rare occasions, been graced by snow. And sometimes, against all logic, opposites don’t just attract—they create something extraordinary.

Masterlist

Oberyn I - 279 AC

Oberyn always thrived in big crowds. He loved the loudness and the attention that came with it. However, tonight, he couldn’t find it in himself to enjoy the party. He should have been happy; after all, it was his dear sister’s wedding to a prince—a match only little girls dared to dream of. But that was exactly the problem. Elia was now married to Prince Rhaegar, the Mad King’s son. And now, his sister was to live in King’s Landing, surrounded by danger, while he and his brother remained in Dorne, the sea separating them.

Oberyn was worried, and he couldn’t do anything about it. In the middle of the room, Elia was dancing in the arms of her husband, a wide smile decorating her face. She was glowing. The marriage was sealed, the vows had been said, and yet Oberyn couldn’t help but feel as though he had failed his little sister—the one he had sworn to protect many moons ago.

With his head lost in thoughts, Oberyn moved towards the gardens. He needed to get away from the overwhelming sounds he usually enjoyed so much. Once outside, the loudness faded, and finally, he could breathe. He looked around him.

“How disappointing,” he thought. These royal gardens were nothing compared to the Water Gardens waiting for him in Dorne. How he wished he could go back in time, back to when Elia and he would spend endless hours watching the night sky and admiring the stars.

He started walking away from the castle, stopping in front of a fountain. Atop it stood a dragon, an eternal reminder of the ruling family that had just taken the most important part of him away. After glaring at the statue for gods know how long, he finally tore his gaze away and began walking deeper into the garden, farther from the celebrations.

As he looked around carelessly, his eyes stopped on the bushes at the far end of the gardens. As he inspected it a bit closer, he noticed an opening breaking the perfect symmetry of the vegetation. Oberyn glanced back at the party. It likely wouldn’t end until the early hours of the morning, and it was barely past midnight. He figured he had time for a small excursion. Besides, he was too intrigued to walk away.

Was it curiosity driving him, or perhaps the wine? He knew he had indulged in one too many glasses, clouding his better judgment. But he didn't care. He needed that distraction.

Hesitantly, the newly titled prince approached the opening. Once he stood next to it, he noted that the top of the gap reached just a bit higher than his thighs. He looked down at his attire: a yellow robe, the color of his house, similar to the ones he wore back home, except for the intricate golden details sewn to form little suns stabbed by spears—the symbols of House Martell. On his belt, instead of a simple loop, there was the head of a viper with rubies for eyes. His clothes must have taken an incredible amount of time to craft, yet despite his respect for the robe’s makers, he felt no guilt as he lowered himself to the ground. Curiosity had won.

But was it really curiosity fueling his actions, or was it his need to escape his reality, to keep his mind occupied with something—anything—else? He didn’t know, and truthfully, it didn’t matter.

As he crossed the threshold, his eyes widened at the scene unfolding before him. Bathed in moonlight, at the heart of a small clearing, stood a gazebo crafted delicately from the finest metal. Vegetation had taken over, with the reddest flowers he had ever seen climbing over its roof. In the background, at the bottom of the cliff that marked the garden’s edge, the relentless sea crashed against the shore, creating an ethereal rhythm.

As Oberyn drew closer to the intricate structure, he noticed a statue standing between the gazebo and the abyss. Intrigued, he walked toward it. The statue depicted a woman, carved so realistically it seemed as if she might move at any moment.

A soft breeze began, likely stirred by the waves, guided by the moon.

Oberyn stopped breathing.

The woman, whom he had thought carved from the most exquisite marble, came to life. It started with her hair, gently swayed by the wind, then her arms, which moved to wrap around her body to shield herself from the chill.

Oberyn, as if in a trance, took a step forward—and accidentally made his presence known as his foot snapped a twig beneath it.

Startled by the sound, the woman turned to face him. The young prince froze.

Their eyes met, and he couldn’t help but think that the lady before him, with her startled, doe-like gaze, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her skin was pearly white, perfectly complemented by her dress, which seemed to glow under the moonlight. Her hair was the darkest shade of black, deeper than a night devoid of stars and moon. And her lips… gods, her lips. The red flowers adorning the gazebo paled in comparison.

Her chestnut eyes were locked on his, and all he could do was pray they would never look away. Why were the gods granting him this sight? He couldn’t comprehend it. This, surely, must be the heavens so many longed for.

As he marvelled at her beauty, he heard the most enchanting sound—a voice more divine than the intricate melodies played at the party.

“Who are you?” she asked, her words carried on the breeze.

“Oberyn Martell,” he answered after a pause, stumbling over his words under the weight of her gaze. “Who are you?” he asked in return, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

The breeze carried his question to her, and once more, she spoke:

“Eira Stark.”

[forestlingincorporated]

Shout out to Discord chat for this masterpiece. Ruby Spears AU where Wily succeeds at reprograming Rock and Roll in episode 1. Except, at that time, they were both really just house cleaning bots with none of their upgrades, so they basically just hang out at the base, being Proto's siblings, and making snarky remarks.

This is the best timeline for Proto. This is the worst timeline for Wily.

Rush becomes Megaman. It's very cursed.

[herald-divine-hell]

Work in Progress

Where is the Herald?

Such questions flitted through the ragged corpse that remained of Haven. Where is the Herald? Had anyone seen her flee? Maker’s breath, where are we? No matter where Leliana turned, the questions rose, stalking, chained in fear. As they delved further and further into the mountains, through narrow passes where men and women both struggled side-ways behind one after the other, across stony slopes splintered and treacherous with ice, so glossy and black it seemed to swallow the night’s shade, the questions stirred, burning through one and all like the string of red flames scurrying along upon carried torches. Yet other questions remained, uttered by none but thought by all.

Where will we go? And worse of all, is Andraste’s Chosen dead? 

Leliana had recalled Haven as they fled through the hidden path, so obscured that not even Leliana would have been able to take notice, burning like a ruby in the frozen heart of the Frostbacks, drenching the rocky shadow-cloaked sides of the mountains in blood. Dark smoky banners unfurled from the crimson-golden spears of the flames, smoldering in the blackening graves of wooden homes and taverns and palisades. Those sweeping banners swallowed starlight and moonlight, and at the edge of the precipice in which Leliana stood, all but darkness seemed to sweep in, though the moon was high and silver-gleaming. An insatiable darkness, swallowing even the angry red flames striking at the mote of life that had been Haven. For a moment, not even Leliana knew what to do, except to watch, helpless. 

Helpless. The word was a knife that pierced clean through chainmail and woolen tunic, deep into flesh and spirit. Once before she had been helpless, at the mercy of a false love’s cruelty. She swore herself, when she saw the blood ebbing like lazy rivulets from Marjolaine’s body, that she would never be helpless again. 

And yet, no arrow could take down that beast, no raven could claw through the heavens and come spiraling down, wings pierced at its side, black beak aiming at the scaly corpse of that breathing archdemon. No. The veteran of the Fifth Blight could do nothing, just as she could do nothing for Justinia on the day the sky was torn asunder. 

And yet we abandoned her. All of them—Cassandra, Solas, Sera, the ones who fought at her side to bring down the white snowy hammer of the mountains upon those dark armies—had left her there, at her orders no less, if Cassandra was truthful. 

And when is she ever not? A little voice questioned, mockingly amused. And with that whisper filling her mind, Leliana could not help but grimace. Yes. Cassandra wouldn’t lie. And Lady Trevelyan would be that mule-headed to face this Elder One alone. Blessed by Andraste or blessed by idiocy or blessed with arrogance, Leliana was not quite sure. Easily, it could have been all three, knowing that woman. 

And yet you left her there. Left her to die, too.

[snakeoil2]

“Now, I think that, seeing as you’ve been running about the world, you might be able to talk to Krimmic. Make him understand that running off isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Kallum said, turning a focused look onto Yoku. It wasn’t a glare, but it was a loaded expression. Yoku had never been good at reading people.

Eventually the two managed to reach the hall where the trio may have gone down. It was quite easy to follow the path of destruction. They stumbled upon the three harassing the kitchen. 

For a moment, the three were surprised to be chased down by a stranger. They tried to run again, but Yoku nabbed Krimmic before he could join the others. Lifting him up, Yoku studied the young kobold. He looked about five years old. Not yet full grown, he still had another year or so before he could be considered matured. His scales seemed to be a muddy red hue, except for his underbelly, which was a dirty white. Krimmic’s large ears dwarfed his miniscule horns. A thick brown fabric tufted by white fur was draped over his body. 

Two facets stood out to Yoku though. On his back was a long spear, for a kobold. It might have been a little short for most humanoids though. Oddly, a portion of the spear was made out of… bone rather than steel. The Dragon Fang Lance. It was a mark of pride for the tribe, but due to its size and weight, few kobolds ever used it. Other than that was a band wrapped about Krimmic’s wrist. A brass band studded with rubies and sapphires. It marked one as a leader amongst the kobolds. Kallum had himself one such band. But the one on Krimmic was different. It took Yoku a minute to recognize the magic in it. He didn’t have a clue what it did, but it was there.

Krimmic crossed his arms in defiance. He was a big, dangerous warrior of the clan, ferocious and strong. Alas, he stood barely up to Yoku’s shins on his own, so Krimmic’s authority was somewhat undermined.

“You’re Krimmic?” Yoku asked. Sure, the band pretty much confirmed it, but it was good to double check. “Yeah, so what?” Krimmic replied. “I think we need to talk,” Yoku said, easing himself to the floor. Krimmic was still about three feet off the floor, Yoku didn’t trust him not to dash. “So, you’re interested in running off? How come?” Krimmic scoffed. “Shouldn’t you know? You already ran off looking for glory and whatever.”

Oh. “Kallum, can you and the others get out?” “Yoku? What is it?” “I need to talk to Krimmic alone.” “… very well.” Kallum ushered out the kitchen staff. While he could press the issue, he’d had no luck swaying Krimmic. If Yoku had a way to do that, to connect with the lad in a way he couldn’t, it’d be worth it. Krimmic glared up at Yoku. This might be a tough sell.

“So, interested in adventuring?” Yoku said. “What are you after?” Krimmic’s face softened a bit at that. “Well, I want treasure! I want myself a massive hoard!”

“Oddly, adventuring isn’t the best way to get treasure. You think, oh, I can just run wherever I want, plundering who knows what, but then you get told about all the fees various guilds insist upon, and also food, lodging, and all the equipment you need to just get through every place. You need to get really lucky to get a job that pays well enough to cover it’s own cost. That’s assuming it doesn’t kill you outright,” Yoku explained.

Krimmic’s face had long since eclipsed listening and traveled to incomprehension. It was apparent that he had considered the logistics of this about as much as Yoku had.

Not at all. “What do you mean? How do you get jobs?” “You get lucky.” Krimmic was downtrodden upon hearing of the far more realistic life of an adventurer. Yoku didn’t really want to break his dream, even if he had talked to Kallum about getting Krimmic to stay. “Y’know what? Let’s make a deal,” Yoku said. He wasn’t completely sure about this, but he had an idea. “I’m planning on taking over Pakan. When I’ve got a base all set up, I’ll invite you over. You can get some experience for the whole adventure thing. Until then, you gotta stay here. How’s that sound?” Krimmic pondered the offer for a second. It seemed like he would accept, but there was a nagging voice in his head, pushing him to ask a simple question. “Why do you think I should stay?” Yoku heaved out a sigh. He knew someone would ask this question. “When I set out, I wasn’t sure the clan would be safe. I wanted to try and become so ferocious no one would dare threaten you guys. Instead, I abandoned you, right when the Conqueror appeared on our doorstep. I should have been there, instead I left. I don’t want you to go through that too.” “But. But you came back! You saved us!” Krimmic cried. “I still left. I don’t want anyone else to know how it feels to abandon those who depend on you.” Krimmic seemed… surprised?… to hear how Yoku felt. The idea that he’d abandoned the kobolds… Krimmic didn’t think he had. Klyps hadn’t thought so. Keef… Keef hadn’t been a part of the clan when Yoku left two years ago. “Alright,” he heard himself say. Krimmic wrestled with the fear that Yoku had now given him. The fear that without him the clan might be in trouble. “Great!” Yoku smiled again. “Now, do you know any good kobold rangers? I need to track a few people down.” “Well, Klyps is probably the best tracker in the clan,” Krimmic said. “Really? What happened to Krag?” Yoku asked. “Not able to smell a thing since Klyps jammed an onion up his nose.” “Ah.” /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Krimmic stared out the open window. There was a cart out in the yard, right by the gate. It was loaded high with maps of Pakan and some of Keep Rememberance’s best guesses as to where the tribes may be, some food, and one kobold carrying a sizable crossbow, for her. Her horns were more silvery than Krimmic’s, and her scales more brown than his Otherwise, it was quite difficult to tell them apart. They did have the same mother. Klyps had an anxious expression. She wanted a journey just as much as Krimmic did, but traveling all alone was worrying. Sure Yoku was a great warrior with numerous accomplishments under his belt, but the strength of kobolds was numbers and wits. Just two kobolds were not safe. Krimmic looked to his left as a voice rose. Keef was a new addition to the clan, sneaking his way in while they’d gotten themselves liberated from the Conqueror. His scales were far redder than the rest of the clan, and his underbelly far more yellow. His most distinguishing feature though were the pair of goggles over his eyes, followed closely by his bandolier of vials. Keef thought himself an alchemist, to the dismay of all involved parties. Krimmic enjoyed having him around. His many tricks were very useful… if they didn’t blow up in your face. “We could sneak on there. Yoku doesn’t seem too bright,” Keef suggested. But Krimmic was already shaking his head. “Yoku had me promise I wouldn’t go, he’s… he’s worried about the tribe,” Krimmic protested. “He always is.” Krimmic and Keef jumped as Kallum appeared next to them. For an ancient kobold in a wheelchair, he could be horrifically quiet. Was he invisible? Had he just greased his wheels? How did neither of them notice? Kallum turned a sad gaze out the window. Yoku was trundling back inside, grabbing the last few notes before they all took off. “Yoku ain’t none too bright, not at all. But he cares about us, and wants us safe. Whether that means trying to build us a home away from home, or fighting someone who hurt us. I think that if you went with him you’d be safe.” Krimmic and Keef glanced at each other. This kobold was the one immovable force which had stopped them from roaming free. And now… “Sir, are you saying we can-” “I’m saying that someone lost an important notebook, and Yoku’s spending a fair amount of time looking for it. I doubt he’d notice a pair of stowaways under a dozen blankets,” Kallum clarified. He put his hands to his wheels, and rolled off. Krimmic and Keef shared another glance, and shared a mischievous grin. 
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yoku never really talked about his ability to see soul’s strings. It’s not that it was some big secret, it just wasn’t terribly important. It was honestly annoying. He’d look around and see dozens of strings springing into the sky. Different strings meant something, but Yoku never bothered to learn the details, passed learning how to turn off the special eyes. But when three soul strings rose from the cart, and only one person was supposed to be there, he knew something was up. Yoku turned to Kallum, a single questioning eyebrow raised. Kallum returned the look with a coy smile. Yoku got in front of the cart. He picked up the handles, and began to walk down the road. Klyps kept trying to make small talk, obviously intending to run interference for the two stowaways. “Alright, you two can come out,” Yoku said once they’d gotten out of range of the Keep. One kobold head popped out, shortly followed by a second. “How’d you-” “Did Kallum tell you to come?” Yoku’s tone brooked no argument. If the answer was no, he very well may have tossed them all back to the Keep. “He-he did. He believed you’d be able to keep us safe,” Krimmic stammered out. Yoku let out a gruff sigh. “Fine, but you two had better have something to contribute.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sergeant Daniels sat at her desk. She was finishing up her report. Her higher ups had been mentioning having a band of Falkran Mercenaries try and clear out Pakan. If she couldn’t provide tangible proof of progress before then, they might be out of luck. Sure, they all wanted to see an Epanak unburdened by the Conqueror’s presence, but the little progress she had made being wiped away as the success and skill of these mercenaries? Unacceptable. Sergeant Daniels would take this fool, this brute, this villain, Yoku, and forge from him someone who could fend off each and every fragment of the Conqueror’s broken legions. A commotion erupted from the corridors of the barracks. Yoku had returned. Wonderful, maybe they could have a meeting on how they should go about finding the many tribes of… what is that. Daniels watched as a trio of kobolds, not even up to her hips, rocketed past, leaving a trail of robbed soldiers in their wake. Those soldiers, of course, did not stay in their wake for long, lest they be bowled over by a storming Yoku. Daniels had her work cut out for her.

[holly-fixation]

Sprouting

Summary: It started when he was young, soon after Professor Gast left. Sephiroth tried desperately to hide it. But it hurt, and like everything in the lab, nothing hid from Hojo’s gaze.

Please enjoy.

…

Sephiroth had not left his room. He was three minutes late, three minutes Hojo would rectify through more rigorous training. This was completely unnecessary and disrespectful. 

That boy would learn obedience no matter the circumstances. He had two minutes before the scientist broke the door down. 

“Sephiroth,” Hojo spat with two bangs on the metal door, “get out here.”

“I can't!” The boy's response came much faster than it should have if the boy was telling the truth. 

“Sephiroth.”

“I can't! I really can't!”

“Then unlock the door so we can treat this ailment properly.”

“No!” The child rapidly denied. “No no no- I'll be okay! I just need to stay here until I'm okay! I'll work twice as hard tomorrow! Promise!”

“'I promise', you insufferable child,” The scientist corrected. “And my answer is still no. Stop being so annoying.” Then Hojo heard sobbing. Low, attempted, quiet sobbing, but sobbing nonetheless. 

“I don't wanna be bad… I don’t- I really don’t… Just let me be bad today and I'll be really really really good tomorrow…”

“You will be perfect even if I need to rip out all your worthless imperfections myself, boy!” This bang stung his hand, but he felt no pain. “Open. This. Door. Now!” 

“NO!”

These fruitless minutes already irritated the scientist, but this childish temper tantrum filled him with rage. He slipped his key into the lock and opened the door himself.

Every object was thrown or shoved to every section of the room. Books from the fallen shelf were ripped and open faced on the floor. The mattress rested against the far wall, the bed frame dented and splintering. All loose folders and papers littered the ground, but some were stained with drops of blood. Claw marks marred every wall and surface, some even stained red with bleeding fingertips. But the deepest crimson led to the bathroom.

Still no sign of the boy. 

Hojo grabbed the inner door and tried to jerk it open. A metallic clatter responded from the lock. He didn't warn or ask, inserting a separate key. 

The smell of copper hit him like a wall. 

A ruby explosion soiled every surface, heavy drops running down the mirror as rain does a window. Flecks of beige and white freckled every inch, some even dyed pink with time. The toilet, the sink, the mirror, all were subjected to the same fate. Except for the shower. 

The curtain rod fractured in two, its steel speared points without any red. In the resulting bathtub laid the cardinal sullied curtain that trembled over the boy, blocking and protecting him from sight. However, nothing could muffle his petering sobs.

Only one theory ran through Hojo's mind: did this boy harm himself? Did he try to kill himself? This psychotic break could shut down the program completely, and the boy's life would be terminated to confirm no possibility of continuation outside of Shinra's sight. No. Word could not spread, no matter what. This was unacceptable. 

The scientist clutched the tip of the white plastic curtain, but the boy yelped sharply in pain and jerked him off, twisting and writhing and clenching away but not touching the wall.

“Hojo, please! I-I can stop this! I-I just need time!”

“Let me see it.” He would assess the boy's injuries himself.

The boy shook his head vigorously, and only then did Hojo realize something else was wrong. 

The curtain moved from the bottom of the tub near the drain. Two lumps pinning the curtain remained by his head, obviously his hands, and two others remained at the end of the tub, his bare feet. The single position that could justify the boy's orientation was simply laying down, so what was this large mass sticking above the walls of the tub, tenting the curtain to its limits?

“Let me see it so we can get you the care you clearly need. This isn't up for debate, Sephiroth.”

“It still hurts too much! Please!”

Hojo reached for it again, this time with a bit more caution.

The boy screamed, “WAIT!” 

The voracity in the child's voice made the scientist delay for a moment but only with a very good reason. 

“H-here…” Sephiroth hesitantly released his death grip on the fabric and handed a single corner to his caretaker. “Please… please be careful…”

Hojo took the offering and yanked the fabric up, allowing the boy to suffer the least from its removal as Hojo came face to face with a massive gray wing. 

The wing was proportional to Sephiroth's entire body, at least the span that he was tall. Each feather was perfect down, soft and fuzzy and useless for flight even if the boy had two wings. No, he only had one rooted in his right shoulder blade, somehow connected with a ball in socket joint just as a shoulder itself. It was folded but upward, not touching any obstacles or objects in the room. Sephiroth, however, was face down, trembling, as he carved more scratches in the porcelain like a kneading cat, reaching futility for any kind of relief. Both the wing and the boy were covered in blood and bone debris, but the elbow of the wing also held torn skin.

Hojo scanned and scanned, conflicted deep in his chest. On one hand, this was an incredible discovery, Jenova's cells mimicking even creatures he had not seen out of books. On the other, the child before him was deathly pale, the lost blood and unhealed damage actually threatening the boy’s life. The project itself was threatened.

“Get up,” Hojo grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him to his feet, genuinely avoiding any contact with the newborn wing. He grabbed the child by the waist and hoisted the boy over the tub. 

“I can't train today…” The boy begged as he was pulled out of his cell.

“We're going to the exam room.”

“No- wait- Hojo, please don't touch it-”

“I’ll take X-rays first and determine where to go from there. If it’s still uselessly sensitive, an orderly will bring you pain medication.”

“Th-There’s medicine for pain?”

“Only for absolute emergencies, so don’t ask for any.” They entered the room, and Sephiroth climbed up and laid face down on the cot. Hojo’s black eyes analyzed the growth. “A surgical procedure is necessary.”

“What will a procedure do?”

“We'll find connections between the wing and your body. Muscles, tendons, veins, arteries. Possibly gain some answers as to how it appeared. Now stop asking questions and stay perfectly still.”

Sephiroth nodded, looking down. “Yes, sir…”

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Thanks for reading!

[tulipps-maehem]

Odena

(n) a mystical force present in all people

empowers them to affect the world,

and to change their own lives

—

This is the Story of how Aris, the red headed demon, and how she meets the loves of her life. This is the story of how Aris carved her place into the blue sees and brought back her ancestors name to reality.

Chapter 1: Kairos

(n) the perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting rightness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action, words, or movement.

“ZORO” 

Running and more running, frenzied screams and questions of where their dear crew at went 

“ARIS GET DOWN” 

Slam 

 the redhead fell face first into the ground after she was shoved to the ground by her lovers hands to shield her from attack. 

“NO!” 

Crying, more screams and questions of where they've gone. 

One by one everyone began to fade 

Piece by piece the Strawhats were being picked apart.     Hearing luffy scream for the crew to run and escape was terrifying to Aris 

She had been with him since he visited skypia and wanted her on his crew, fitting to bring her peoples name back to the blue seas. 

But now she was watching everything as it began to crumble 

‘run, run, keep running. Your too weak for this’ 

Wypers words rang through her mind clear as a whistle. This was like skypia all over again except no one but the marines would be winning now. 

As the anger coursed her she tore through pacifista after pacifista targeting the backs of their heads since that seemed to be the way to kill them without being harmed to much.    

Now there's exhaustion. 

More running 

Admiral. 

Kizaru apearred next to her but by the time she moved her spear a beam of light had gone through her chest. The sound of blood hitting the grass as she choked wasn't a very pleasant thing. 

But she escaped when he was distracted by a heart pirate. 

Running running and more running- again. 

Spotty vision the winged woman kept up until collapsing into something- or someone rather. 

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

Aris awoke, with her head spinning and tunnel vision. She groaned and clutched her chest rolling to her side as to not injure her already broken wing. There were bandages all over her chest now... someone must’ve saved her, as the last thing she’d remembered was running from Admiral Kizaru who shot her through the back. Her lip trembled and water welled in her already bloodshot eyes as she remembered the events of the fight at Sabaody Archipelago, still praying it wasn’t real.  

The ruby headed girls skin was pale and clammy, she felt as though if she stood and were to fall she would shatter into a million pieces. Where am I? She thought to herself in confusion as she looked around. It seemed as though a dark damp blanket had been placed over her as she looked around the room. She couldn’t see anything, but she could hear muffled voices in the near distance. “Hello? Where am i?” Her voice broke as she spoke, a coughing fit following her words. She was beginning to think that Kizaru must’ve had pierced her lung as she was running from him.  

Her words got swallowed by the deafening silence of the room as she sat there. Alone. Her fingers over the plushy blanket that had been draped over her curling into its warmth as she lie there. Maybe she was safe, maybe she didn’t have to keep running. Maybe she could rest her head for once. Alas, it wasn’t that easy for her. She crawled to the edge of the bed and stood to her feet before crashing back down to the floor, it seemed her ankle was broken too. Fuck, she thought to herself as she was now left broken and defenseless against who knows is out there on the other side Of these walls. She thought to herself more about Sabaody. Sanji.  

Sanji was gone Kuma touched them and she no longer heard the sweetness of his voice. The more she thought about it the more her body began to shake, burning tears began to stream down her face as she curled into a ball on the floor. Reality had set in, everyone she loved was now gone. Sanji, who made her so very happy, who taught her to love herself as much as she loved the world around her, was gone. She bit her lip as a silent sob racked through her body. She pulled herself to sit with her head in her knees and her arms wrapped around herself as she rocked herself back and forth. “Please, i don’t wanna be alone again.” 

Her tears emulated that of hot candles wax rolling down her skin, a pain that burned so deep inside her she didn’t know how to extinguish the flame. Even her mouth throbbed with pain of losing him. Just before Kuma went to attack Aris, Sanji had pushed her away sending her face first into a rock, busting her lip.  

Aris ran a finger over the stitching in her lip, she assumed whoever she was with couldn’t have ill intent towards her is she woke up in a bed, clothed, and stitched back together. They had to have a heart of some kind. Shuffling from outside the door along with hushed whispers had Aris straining to hear the muffled conversation 

“Should we check on her? I thought I heard something” 

“I don’t know Heat! She wasn’t awake 20 minuets ago I doubt she’d be up now.” 

“Hip is right I really don’t think she’d be up..” 

“See heat? Hop agrees!” 

The bantering continued before heavier footsteps were heard approaching followed by the clinkity clank of metal on metal. A different voice spoke, he had a slight southern draw strong and smooth as whiskey and sweet tea. 

“What are the hell are y’all three doin on the opposite side of the ship, you guys are s’posed to be tending to the wounded in the ward.” 

“Sorry Killer” 

The female voices said in unison. The winged woman didn’t even realize what was said next when she heard that name. She only knew one pirate by the name of Killer, and that was the massacre soldier from the Kid Pirates crew. She was surprised she didn’t end up with those heart pirates guys since they seem to be actual doctors. 

Aris hadn’t even realized it but she backed herself into the corner between the bed and nightstand, not caring about the fact it snagged her wings, or the trickle of blood from the stitches she popped running down her side. Her eyes widened as she watched the doorknob turn, the door then creaked open revealing a taller masked man, leaner built with a button down shirt. His hair was long and blonde, twisting and cascading long past his back and ending just below the bend of his knees. His mask was weathered blue and white stripes but even through it she could tell his gaze was kind 

“it’s alright birdie don’t be scared, I’m here to hel- shit, seems you popped a stitch hold on” 

The red headed woman didn’t even notice the tray that the man had in his hand until he set it down on the nightstand before effortlessly lifting her out of her corner and onto the bed. He grabbed a first aid kit from the bottom drawer of the nightstand  

“Some of this might hurt, and I’m gonna need to lift your shirt to see is that ok?” 

Aris nodded, not really caring as she pulled her shirt off completely since her chest was bound in bandages. Killer was taken aback slightly as he didn’t expect the girl he saw rip pacifista after pacifista apart to be so calm waking up in a new place. 

Calloused hands worked around bruised skin, stitching the broken girl back together. She took it well but he wasn't surprised, she was silent but almost eerily so. Killer found himself uncomfortable in the silence for once.  

“What's your name?” 

“Aris, but marines call me the red headed demon” 

“hm, thought so. You a strawhat?” 

“If I am? What is it to you there all dead anyway.” 

She snipped back at him quick and he could feel the angerseeping through her skin. He may have struck a nerve in which he understood but he didn't exactly care, he needed to find out if she was going to be a danger to the crew before anything else. 

“what island you from?” 

“you've never heard of it, to my understanding all that's left of my people's legacy is some fairytale.” 

“try me birdie. What do you mean by fairytale?” 

“Nolan the liar and his city of gold” 

“you telling me you live in the city of gold” 

“Jaya was shot into the sky you dunce. But no, we lived just outside it. Someone took over our land when it first got up there. I'm also not that old so that was generations ago.” 

“Jaya was a military like island right? They never joined with the government  because their leader refused” 

“Yeah that's correct. That was Kalgara, my ancestor.” 

“interesting. also, call me a dunce one more time and see hat happens Brat. I assume you know who I am judging how ya almost shit your pants apon seeing me.” 

“oh I know who you are I just couldnt give two shits if im probably gonna die on this ship anyway.” 

“well that's up to the Captain, but keep that mouth of yours like that he might cut your tongue out, then kill you.” 

The blonde man grabbed her face with his fingers digging into either side of her jaw, squishing her face together as she pouted.    

“your stitches are done. I recommend you shut your trap more often if your gonna be around Captain Kid. Dinner will be done in an hour so clean yourself up and get your ass down there without bein’ to much trouble."   

And with that the masked man walked out of the room as Aris slumped back into the headboard of the bed. 

‘off to a great start, fucking great job. Getting caught by the Kid Pirates the hell was I doing’   

[crusherthedoctor]

Are there any adaptions of video games you DO like, and if so, why?

YMMV on its actual overall quality, especially compared to the more design-accurate show we could have gotten that was rejected in favor of it, but I'll always have a soft spot for Ruby Spears Mega Man. Because with German Dr. Wily, "I can be as good or better than Mega Man", and "ALRIGHT MAGNET DUDE, GIMME FIVE", how could I hate it?

For Sonic, there's of course the OVA, Sonic's occasional assholishness aside. And despite being considerably less one-to-one like the games, I still like AoStH and the movies. Season 1 of Sonic X is also alright, because most of the characters who got butchered later on (*coughEggmancough*) weren't quite as bad here, with any weird moments being the exception rather than the status quo.