#i hate the leaf village and its leaders | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

svfttachi · 2 years

Text

Changes [ pt. 2 ] | Uchiha Itachi

SYNOPSIS: ( Part 1 here ) It's been a couple of days since you had arrived in the Hidden Leaf Village, but now you were dreading on leaving despite how much hatred spreads around the village. You knew deep down that this village, and its Hokage, were better suited for you than your own village.

PAIRING: Sixth Hokage Uchiha Itachi x Fem!Reader

WARNING(S): Mentions of Hate/Judgement

TYPE: Fluff

WORD COUNT: 2148

NOTES: I don't know how I keep writing so many words for these, but because it's Itachi I did a part two to the previous post I made. I hope you all enjoy this one, and I will bring the remaining two requests soon! Please request if you would like me to write something specific, I am open to doing so!

CURRENTLY, you were walking around the Hidden Leaf Village in the hopes that you could get enough people to take part in your documentary, specifically detailing their points of view and thoughts regarding the main topic of the documentary being the Sixth Hokage, Uchiha Itachi. As you jotted down the many interviews you conducted, you constantly saw the negativity behind the new change for the villagers, and it made you boil with anger. It wasn’t your place, particularly, to judge these people for their views, but it bothered you that they had all this intense amount of hatred toward someone who was only trying to keep the village safe.

Taking a break from finishing up your assignment, you decided to head over to Ichiraku Ramen to get some lunch, and when you passed the curtained entrance, you found a certain bright haired boy drooling over a smoking hot bowl of food. You chuckled lightly as you walked up to the counter and sat down, ordering yourself a bowl of piping hot ramen of your own.

“Oh, Y/N! How is your assignment coming along?” Naruto asked as he noticed your presence sitting beside him. “It’s coming along… certainly. I—I’m just shocked at the amount of hate this village has for their new leader. You’d think that someone who is sworn to protect the village would be more likable,” you replied.

“The littlest problem a person creates makes a big change in the village’s mindset, and there is really no way for them to see it any differently. Like me, I had the Nine-Tails sealed into my body as a baby, and ever since that night, people have looked at me differently until recently. Everybody is just a little judgemental here,” Naruto explained, breaking open his chopsticks. You watched the boy next to you begin to indulge in his meal, making you sigh.

In the little amount of time you spent in the Hidden Leaf Village, you never found one reason to dislike Naruto. He was a bubbling piece of sunshine walking along the ground as if nothing and no one could bring him down. To think he even got hatred thrown at him, especially at a young age, made you shake your head at the villagers’ way of living.

“I don’t like that one bit,” you muttered. “All we can do now is just live with it, you know?” Naruto added, looking over at you.

With a nod, you agreed with the younger boy’s statement and looked up when the chef handed you a steaming bowl of ramen. You thanked him and opened up your chopsticks to start your meal. Immediately, your eyes widened at the colorful taste exploding in your mouth, and you looked down at the bowl to Naruto who was smiling with a mouthful of food and rapidly nodding his head. Needless to say, you two ended up ordering more than one bowl.

— — —

Dark gray clouds rolled across the starry night sky, hovering below the full moon on complete display. Within the darkened room in headquarters, Itachi finished the last piece of paperwork from today’s stack and set it aside with the rest of them. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands over his exhausted, droopy face. Itachi was too tired to recognize the office door opening followed by footsteps.

“I knew you were a night owl, but sitting in the dark is something new.”

Itachi moved his hands off of his face and looked up at his younger brother who had turned on the light and walked up to his desk. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he, too, had exhaustion written all over his face.

“What are you still doing here?” Itachi asked. A hint of concern hit his tone of voice, something he never got rid of whenever he thought about his brother even when he wasn’t particularly back in the village. “Waiting for you to finish so we can get some dinner together,” Sasuke muttered under his breath.

Itachi smiled half heartedly and chuckled a little as he got up from his chair. He took off his Hokage cloak and hooked it over his chair, motioning to the doorway for Sasuke. Sasuke nodded and began to leave the office, looking over his shoulder to make sure Itachi followed as well.

The brothers exited the headquarters building and roamed the village, trying to find someplace that was still open at these hours. The clock must have been ticking near midnight when the two decided to call it a day, so the possibility of finding a shop open at this time was close to impossible.

“We can go to Ichiraku,” Sasuke suggested, looking at his older brother, “Naruto is probably keeping the chef awake with his endless requests for more food.”

Itachi looked around the area the two were walking in, and his eyes landed on a particular bridge near the water, capturing the sight of you leaning against the railing and staring up at the night sky.

“Go find out if he is still open, and I’ll catch up to you,” Itachi commented. Sasuke furrowed his brows at his older brother, yet when he saw where the man was headed to, or to whom he was headed to, a sly smirk played on his lips, prompting him to go with what Itachi said to do.

Creaking followed the light footsteps of the older Uchiha, grabbing your full attention. At first, you thought it was some stranger trying to threaten you, but the sight of his familiar and caring face made you lighten up.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here,” you whispered, looking back up at the bright moon floating in the air. Itachi slowly walked up to you and stood next to you, resting his arms, crisscrossed, over the railing and leaning closer. He took a quick look at the water below the two of you before looking up to spot the same moon you were staring at. “The paperwork was a little too much today. I just got a chance to leave the office,” Itachi replied, “Are you almost done with your assignment?”

“Unfortunately, I am a little ways away from finishing, and at the same time, I really do not want to leave. Despite everything I have heard about you throughout the course of me staying here, it’s more livelier here than it is back at home. Plus, I feel like I actually have a social life here compared to my village. To be honest, I’ve been trying to finish my studies as quickly as I can, so that I can finally move out and be on my own. There’s nothing left for me at home,” you replied, “I guess that’s why I’m out so late tonight because I can’t find it in me to leave.”

Itachi glanced at you as you lowered your head to now focus on fidgeting at the wooden railing you were leaning on. At the same time, Itachi was getting used to having you here as much as you were getting accustomed to the Hidden Leaf Village. It made his mood go down a little to see you wanting to stay here rather than leaving in the morning.

Swiftly, your hand was captured by Itachi’s soft hand, and his fingers intertwined with yours, forcing your eyes to focus on that instead. Your eyes traveled up his arm until they met his endearing face inches away from your own. Slowly, you let yourself inch closer to his face until your noses brushed against one another and you could feel the other’s breath against each other’s skin. Itachi let his eyes close before capturing your lips with his own in a soft and gentle kiss. You reciprocated the action, and soon, his free hand came to cling onto your waist, bringing you impossibly closer to himself. Your own hand went behind his head, twisting your fingers with his long, silky, raven locks of hair.

After a couple of seconds, the two of you separated, but your faces were still in close proximity to each other. A soft smile embedded itself on Itachi’s lips, and his forehead rested against your own, bringing his charcoal eyes to a close. Giggles emerged from your mouth, and your hands went to wrap around his neck whilst his arms rested around your waist.

The two of you stayed in that position for way too long as a deep voice began to resonate in the quiet air a few feet away from you. Itachi only pulled away enough to spot Sasuke standing far away, leaning against the railing with his arms crossed and a prominent smirk on his face.

“Turns out, Ichiraku is closed at the moment because Naruto ate most of their inventory throughout the course of the day, so whenever you’re finished up here, Itachi, I’ll be waiting for food back home,” Sasuke spoke, lightly teasing his older brother. You couldn’t help but start to laugh at the look on Itachi’s face when he spotted Sasuke. You could tell the boy had walked off when Itachi’s Sharingan came into possession of his eyes, but they quickly dissipated when he looked back down at you. “I’ll see you in the morning, then? Before you leave?” he asked, hoping for a good answer.

“I’ll be waiting at the gates for you.”

— — —

As promised, you were standing at the open gates of the Hidden Leaf Village, constantly staring out at the prominent, wooden buildings inside. Kotetsu and Izumo were standing beside you, arguing about who knows what at this point, as they waited for you to leave to close the gates behind you. You had been standing here for a good fifteen minutes, waiting for the man you shared an intimate moment with at night. If you didn’t leave soon, you wouldn’t make it back to your village before dusk.

Another couple of minutes passed, and you let out a sigh of defeat, turning to face Kotetsu and Izumo. You tilted your head to the side and furrowed your brows in confusion as to what happened to see Kotetsu holding Izumo in a chokehold and spinning in circles.

“Hey! I’m ready to leave, so close the gates, you two!” you exclaimed, walking up to the pair. Kotetsu immediately let go of Izumo, forcing him to fall face first into the sandy dirt. He looked at you with a confused expression of his own before asking, “Aren’t you waiting for the Hokage?”

“I guess he got too busy, and I can’t blame him. He is the Hokage after all,” you replied, earning a defeated nod from Kotetsu. Izumo got up from the ground and punched his partner in the arm, harshly, going to dust himself off.

Kotetsu and Izumo were about to head to the gates when they stopped and stared at you with widened eyes and arms at their sides. The two bowed a full ninety degrees, bringing more confusion to you.

“You two can stop bowing. Can you give Y/N and I space, please?”

“Of course, Hokage sir!”

You widened your eyes and turned around, finding Itachi standing there with a full bouquet of flowers and in a normal, casual attire. His hair was tied back, as usual, but there were still strands falling to frame his face perfectly. You looked from the flowers and to his eyes, still in shock at the big gesture he was performing.

“What? You were going to leave without saying goodbye first?” Itachi teased with a small smirk on his face. A blush erupted on your face, and you accepted the flowers, shyly, wondering where all of your confidence from day one went.

“If you want, I can accompany you on your travels—”

“No! I’m a strong woman, and I am capable of handling myself. But, it was nice of you to ask. Thank you for the flowers, Hokage sir,” you blurted out, hugging the bouquet to your chest. “Itachi. Call me Itachi,” Itachi corrected you, but that do your blushing any justice, “I’ll be waiting for you to come back after you finish your studies.”

“I—Itachi, why wait for me? I’m sure your Hokage duties will keep you busy all the time,” you mentioned. Itachi immediately took your hand in his and pressed a gentle kiss to your knuckles, smiling generously at you. “You coming here was the best thing that has ever happened to me, far more than becoming the Hokage. I wish to cherish that for as long as I live, if you would let me,” Itachi said, stepping closer to you.

Generously, he pressed a kiss to your forehead and rested his own forehead against yours afterward, keeping your fingers intertwined with his. A shy giggle escaped your mouth, and you comfortably rested your head against his chest.

“Then I’ll be sure to come back soon.”

NARUTO MASTERLIST

WRITING MASTERLIST

NAVIGATION

53 notes · View notes

azikarue · 2 years

Text

MayBlade 2022 : Day 5 : Rival

Lee, mentions of Ray | FFN Rating: K | FFN Link ❖ Lee had been comparing himself to Ray for as long as he could remember.

It wasn’t without precedent. Ray was the golden child of the village and his best friend. It was rare to see one without the other and Ray stayed the night at Lee’s house more often than not. The only problem with spending so much time together was that it was bound to invite comparison.

Unfortunately for Lee, no one could compare to Ray. Over time the comments shifted from well-meaning words about how alike they were, to the few key differences that made Ray everybody’s favorite.

“Ray is so helpful – Lee, you could take a leaf out of his book.”

“Ray wins! Better luck next time, Lee.”

“If only Lee would think before he speaks like Ray does.”

“Keep your cool, Lee – Ray wouldn’t act this way!”

On and on it went, until Lee wasn’t sure whether he loved Ray or hated his guts.

For his part, Ray was totally oblivious, which only made things worse. It was hard to be mad at him when he talked Lee out of every one of his self-deprecating episodes. Episodes that were brought on by comparing himself to Ray, because the more he heard it, the more he realized that everybody was right: he’d never measure up to him.

“That’s not true, Lee!”

“It is, though!” He blinked back tears, knowing that Ray would’ve controlled his emotions better. “My own family thinks you’re better than me. You should hear them talk. Even my grandfather…” He trailed off and turned his back to Ray.

“Lee…” There was genuine concern in his voice, then a hand on Lee’s shoulder; he was more thoughtful than Lee by a mile. “Family can be complicated. Some people are harder on the ones they love the most. Your grandfather cares so much for you – I think he just wants you to be the best version of yourself that you can.”

He sniffled in spite of his best efforts.

“You think so?”

Ray jostled his shoulder playfully, earning himself an unsure smile.

“I know so.”

A month later, Ray was handed Driger and the legacy of Lee’s family along with it.

Lee was crushed. And he could see in Ray’s shocked face that he finally understood what Lee had been trying to tell him for years. Only it was too late now for it to make any difference.

The worst part was that his grandfather was right. Ray was worthier than he was. He was a better leader, he was stronger, smarter, more patient. Lee admired all those things. He wanted to embody more of the traits that made Ray an outstanding person. No matter how hard he tried, he always fell short.

The gracious loser was a role that Ray had never needed to perfect. So Lee took a deep breath, swallowed his pride, and congratulated his friend on his achievement. One thing he could do better by default. And Ray really did deserve it.

Maybe if he was on Ray’s level, he would have known what the strange look in his eyes that day meant. Instead, he found out when Ray’s room was empty the next morning, a note explaining everything and nothing left for his friends to find.

Lee let himself get angry then. What more could Ray possibly want? He already had everything Lee had spent his whole life vying for, right there at his fingertips. How dare he throw it away! What pleasure could he possibly get from one-upping Lee from the time they were children and then absconding with his birthright?

With Ray gone, the village looked to Lee to lead its team. Everything that should have been his suddenly was, but only because Ray was gone. Second best. Ray’s were big shoes to fill, and Lee did so in the darkness of his shadow. Even after he’d deserted the village, Ray was Lee’s benchmark. No one said it out loud anymore, but he could see it in the vague disappointment on their faces at his every move.

The first time he launched his beyblade with Galeon inside, the lion feasted on his anger, consuming it and growing more powerful. Lee could feel rage and understanding pulsing between himself and his bitbeast, forging a new, unbreakable bond. He knew then that Driger would never have been a good fit.

He and Galeon were both used to being second best. Neither of them were consenting to that anymore.

The longer Ray was gone, the more confident in his own skills Lee became, and the less he was compared to his former brother. Together with his bitbeast and the friends who didn’t leave, he tore through the Chinese qualifiers and earned the right to represent his country in the World Championships.

He hoped Ray was watching him become what he could have been and that he regretted leaving. He hoped Ray didn’t want to come back, so Lee could be the hero for once. He hoped that he didn’t let anyone down and could handle all the weight on his shoulders; being a failure was easier to bear when it was due to Ray’s excellence and not his own shortcomings.

When he thought of seeing Ray again, Lee worried that it would be hard to stay mad at him. He was wrong. It was easy.

Ray had a team by his side, his childhood friends too easily replaced. Ray, who had been his best friend for most of his life, had ruined all that history with one selfish choice. His letter had mentioned “earning the honor bestowed upon” him, not spitting in the face of those who had done the giving. If that was who he really was, Lee was glad to see him gone.

They were going to be facing the Bladebreakers in the Championship. Lee was going to take back Driger. Not because he wanted it, but because Ray didn’t deserve to be the carrier of a legacy that he’d walked away from. And when he did, the village would see – his grandfather would see – that Lee had been the better of the two all along.

#mayblade 2022 #beyblade #It's 2022 and I still believe Lee's feelings are valid #azikarue #azikarue394 #azrfic

13 notes · View notes

madaras-housewife · 4 years

Text

A bridge between love and duty

This took me a long ass time to write and holy I’m glad I’m finally done with it. I enjoyed writing it and I also hated it, but I’ve sure learnt a lot from it. Nonetheless, I’m infinitely happy about giving Hashi the love he deserves.

This one shot is a part of a server collab organised by the lovely @bakubabes-hatake.

pairing: Hashirama Senju x female reader

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

prompt: Hanahaki disease

length: 5.7k words

tw: none

Red camellia: “You are a flame in my heart”

The muffled sound was the first thing she heard in the darkness of her slumber. As her consciousness steadily gathered, she took a deep breath and realised what it was. Her heavy eyelids peeled open, but they quickly closed back. A warm bed; a mask covering her mouth and nose.

The woman groaned and rose up to sit straight. Her chest was slightly aching, but it was not as bad as usual. A gentle beam of sunshine tried to peek through the blinders. How long had she been out? It was then that she started reminiscing about the failure of her life with a resigned sigh. But what stirred in her heart was not fear, nor anger. A strange melodious tune of relief coursed through her body. It was over.

Nevertheless, her thought process was interrupted by the door creaking open.

A woman in a white coat walked in and looked her up and down with hawk-like eyes. She seemed better than the state she was in at her arrival. The medic formally introduced herself and asked the patient the routine questions, before using her medical ninjutsu on her.

_____ did not mean to ask who brought her to the hospital, but she felt the need to inquire about other matters.

“How long have I been asleep?”

The nurse did not spare her another look. “For about 5 hours. Hashirama-sama wasn’t here for too long after leaving you in our care.”.

“Ah, I see.”. A nearly awkward silence ensued between the two, but the medical worker seemed to have read her mind.

“He was here until you became stable.”. Those words visibly relieved the patient, to which she reprimanded, “Your condition is grave, you know. You should have gone to the doctor a long time ago. Chance is that you will have permanent scars.”

_____’s shoulder stiffened, but those words seemed to go through her. Despite the accuracy of her statement, she did not want to feel scolded by a stranger, albeit a medical professional.

The woman in white pursed her lips. “Hashirama-sama should be back soon. I will send word that you have awakened. Until then, you should get some more rest.”

With a nod, the nurse was dismissed and _____ was left alone in her room. She could now relish in the mess that she made, recollecting her mistakes from the very beginning.

Following the end of the Warring States era, the shinobi world found that the easiest way to forge peace between the clans was through arranged marriages. So for _____, being chosen as a bride for the Senju clan was an opportunity for her own brethren to gain respect and recognition in the newly founded Konohagakure.

A few moons after the official inauguration of the Leaf, the clan elders deemed it urgent to hold an internal conference. Most of the distinguished families showed up, so it was deemed necessary for her to be there, too. In their characteristically tedious manner, they spoke of traditions that needed to be upheld, as well as something related to their reputation and prestige, a subject that no one was particularly interested in.

However, the discussion slowly built towards the matter of Hashirama’s marital status and how he was to marry a kunoichi from a different clan as soon as possible, as the elders thought it sensible for the leader of the village to have successors.

A stale atmosphere of monotony clung to the room, except for the chair where _____ sat. She tried imitating the mannerism and facial expressions of the other members to no avail. The tension surrounding her became almost palpable, but the scowl lingering on Hashirama’s face gave her hope of him denying the proposition.

“I will consider it.”

Regardless of all her years of training, she couldn’t control the furious wriggling of her digits on the table, something which did not go unnoticed by the participants. Their impassive, yet judgemental eyes burnt countless little dents through her with enough ease to make her feel like nothing more than a decaying puppet which had long outlived its usefulness. The shame was suffocating, unbearable, virulent and yet the only thing her decrepit body could perceive was the subtle stifling of her chest.

Hashirama shot her a curious glare before his attention returned to the elders, who seemed to be more full of crap than they usually were. She retracted her hands under the table with a servile frown.

She was grateful that her husband, Hitoshi, wasn’t there.

Would he think of her any less than he already did? His attempts at hiding it were half-hearted at best. The contempt he held towards her was the second thing that haunted her the most. Yes, the eyes never lie.

It would have been inconsiderate of her to blame Hitoshi for his indifference. Not only had he accepted it, but he also allowed her the undeserved decency of not addressing the farcical, yet frequent, circumstance of forced wedlock. Maybe that, too, was a form of consideration and love for her, but the notion was baseless, a conjecture, which, unfortunately, could not make her heart sway in his direction, regardless of its verity.

Once the clan meeting was over, _____ was the first one to leave her seat. She did not have the strength to even look them in the eye, so instead, she turned on her heels and flung the door open.

“What’s wrong, ______?”, Hashirama asked. He wanted to reach out to touch her shoulder, but stopped himself mid-way. The somber aura clinging to her made him. Taking a closer look, he could almost feel the scent of illness, one he had been familiar with his entire life.

In all fairness, he had his suspicions. Being the head of his clan, he was privy to certain information and, judging by the manner in which Hitoshi spoke of his marriage, he was sure that it had something to do with that.

When she turned around, he made out her sickly pale complexion, which was poorly coated in make-up. She was spent.

She found herself twisting the ring on her hand. It was ordinary for diplomats to lie for the sake of appearances, but to her, deceit had become the strongest weapon. Whatever sense of self she had left, she wished to use to the best of her ability.

“Everything is alright, Hashirama-sama. I just happen to be a bit overworked.”, she affirmed, “Nothing that a good night’s rest can’t fix.”. Even a small grin found its way on her dry lips.

When he was nothing but honest, all she could offer him was emotional chicanery, bland lies and formal words. After all, it was the thing she was best at, wasn’t it? She tried focusing on something, anything else that would diverge her mind from guilt, but she couldn’t look away. Instead, she stared right back at him with a stilted glare.

Her assertiveness almost persuaded him, if it hadn’t been for the folded hands on her lap; fingers squeezed together, trembling, wincing, as if it was the last day on that wretched world.

“You don’t seem well. Would you like me to take a look? I’m sure I could help.”

“I said, I’m fine. There’s nothing to be worried about.”. Her words came out harsher than she intended, but bold enough to startle him. And as such, her duplicity endured, once again. Every word seemed to embed a metal needle under her skin, until her entire body itched violently. The sensation was so familiar to her, she realised her medication had run out. “Now, I must go back to my husband.”, turning around, she silently apologized for the dismissal.

That was the last time. The sting of tears overtook her unexpectedly. She squeezed her eyes shut and bore a growing lump in her throat in the way she taught herself. It wouldn’t be long now.

Hashirama frowned and debated letting her go. It was clear that she did not want to open up to him. And why would she? She had no reason to impart her private grievances, no matter how much he would have liked to think otherwise.

Still, fate seemed to have other plans. She felt its brute force as she clutched her stomach in pain, and, unwillingly, she let it all out. The mask had slipped off. Crimson petals leaked from her mouth and he was by her side, placing a gentle hand on the small of her back, in less than a moment’s notice. He immediately activated his medical ninjutsu, but the coughing wouldn’t stop. It went on and on, until her hands were stained, until her own tears mixed in with the fruit of her disease, until she realised her failure. In her hazy, broken state, she couldn’t make out why she was crying, when, almost effortlessly, she purged her own chest the same way earlier that day. Was it the product of her illness or that of her sorrow?

The answer wouldn’t amount to anything.

When her ailment finally decided to give her a temporary reprieve, she stood straight, quickly wiping off the tears and the stains of blood on her loose dress, but it was too late. The mask had already shattered.

She hadn’t even noticed that his hand was gleaming green on her back. As relief coursed through her body, scant breaths became regular. Her shoulders slumped when the warmth of his body enveloped her. Hashirama’s powerful chakra aroused tingles on her skin, making her reminisce that night they first met. A tint of pink brightened her complexion and she allowed herself to relish in the moment, without paying attention to him.

Hashirama was speechless and did not know what to make of the situation. Allowing her to ease up, he inspected her up close: the dried tears, the rosy cheeks and the darkened puffiness under her eyes. But then, he suddenly remembered it, too. That night, which he unsuccessfully tried to forget, was always following him, nearly haunting him.

***

The two met at her wedding reception. She hadn't been formally introduced to him at the time, so she approached him. Hashirama humbly presented himself, speaking with such frank familiarity that it made her feel awkward, at first. Given how the disingenuous and monotone courtesies of the ceremony bore her, she subconsciously lingered closely to him.

Being physically close allowed her to feel his chakra prickling her body like a warm touch. It awakened a stream of goosebumps on her skin and _____ guessed that he was forced to keep it at bay due to its intensity. One couldn’t live in the Warring States period without hearing stories of Senju Hashirama’s legendary might on the battlefield.

Throughout the night, they held each other's company whenever they could. The conversations flowed naturally as the time went by and at one point, both of them were so inebriated they couldn’t even tell what they were talking about anymore. Hardly anything was distinguishable besides the loud giggles and hiccups and the aroma of heat that surrounded them.

Their eyes intertwined in a silent dance, again and again. His were almond shaped, she remarked, a mellifluous whiskey brown that never failed to mirror his gentleness. When contemplating her questions, he turned his head away, squeezed his eyes shut and knitted his thin brows together with a finger cocked under his chin. That was when she could ogle innocently at his features. The man’s tan skin was visibly flushed and yet, flawless. The shinobi world was not a merciful one, considering how most warriors had noticeable marks on their bodies, worn with pride. They symbolized endurance and experience in warfare, like an insignia gained through hardship and struggle. In contrast to that, Hashirama’s face bore no scars, no blemishes, no wrinkles that weighed on it and, despite barely knowing him, _____ could safely tell that the head of the Senju clan was not a man of appearances. He was undefeated in battle, after all, to the extent that not even his responsibilities seemed to burden him.

Whenever a gust of wind pervaded the backyard, the woman couldn’t help but admire his hair; a soft raven mane that cascaded on his broad shoulders and his back. Shinobi were rarely interested in looks, so they often kept their hair short or tied, even more so when it could be a hindrance in battle. But, once again, Hashirama distinguished himself. His hair reached mid-back and seemed to flow freely in the wind, like him. He was not bound by the grudges that had been passed down to him and he was not afraid to challenge the world’s beliefs, that much she realised. No, he was a man of his own, unlike everyone else at the wedding reception, unlike her. _____ acknowledged that she herself was confined to the laws and traditions of the shinobi world; it became apparent upon meeting the head of the Senju clan. He truly was an eccentric, but a charming one at that.

He was so alluring, she compulsively moved closer to him, until their shoulders brushed against each other, as he mindlessly accepted it. Her touch was so brief it could have been called a mistake, if it wasn't for the girlish bat of her eyelashes and for the delicate, faint chuckles which suggested otherwise. When their eyes made contact again, the atmosphere shifted into something else. Neither of them said a word, but she was almost sure that time had gone still. Her breath hitched when Hashirama subconsciously trailed his eyes over her body with a gaze so intense, she felt her knees melting. They eagerly took in the modest cut of her dress, with the moonlight highlighting her collarbone. In that moment, he was certain that her body had been sculpted by the gods. The jewelries seemed to adorn it and he wanted nothing more than to see it all, right there, where the sensual beam of light accentuated her beauty just barely enough for him to realise what it was that he yearned for.

The man took a step closer and unwillingly heard the sound of her gulping down, but she didn’t budge. Instead, her feet stubbornly planted themselves into the ground as the crackling sparks in her eyes turned into a fire so incessant and heated, he felt it on his flushed skin, all the way to the tip of his fingers and toes. He knew then that she yearned too.

And so, the next moment had her eager lips pressed against his own, as a tingle of impatience ran down her spine. He returned the passion tenfold as his arms draped around her frame and pulled her in. An intense, almost violent hunger coursed through his veins, their tongues intertwining as he claimed her mouth. By the time she realised how weakened her legs had become, he was already supporting her, pushing her body against his own.

A surging tide of warmth pulsated in her chest as all thought ceased, intoxicated by the taste of his lips and the alcoholic breath invading her nose. She tugged on his hair so addictively that he groaned in her mouth, the vibrations descending to her stomach, where tension started coiling up. The way their teeth clashed and their bodies drowned together sent wild tremors to her nerves, kindling in her emotions she had never known she was capable of feeling. His earthy scent aroused her to no end and, as if time had stopped right there, both Hashirama and _____ forgot to breathe, forgot that there was anyone else in the world but them, forgot about the fact that anyone could walk by and witness how they melted into each other, needing to become one.

With a last lick of her lips, he slowly pulled away, drunk on her and the sake she consumed earlier that night. Their ragged breaths almost deafened the crowd in their vicinity, all of whom were unaware of what had just transpired. Even so, it slightly pulled Hashirama out of their bubble of passion. He blinked once, twice, and then his eyelids started fluttering in disbelief.

His eyes unwillingly darted over to the Senju clan badge on her shoulder, which made him completely stop in his tracks. Almost instantly, and, yet, reluctantly, Hashirama put physical distance between him and the flustered bride, his gaze not daring to meet her hypnotised eyes. At first, she was confused, but it hit her as well. What the hell was she doing? The brunet bowed his head with a short whisper of an apology, followed by a formal statement of good wishes, before she was left all alone.

The rest of the evening had been just as awkward. Out of respect for her and her new husband, he decided to stay, with the condition of completely avoiding her. Hashirama even found solace in the nearest bottle of sake, which he wished would also quell his thoughts about her. _____ followed in his example and allowed herself to succumb to a few more drinks, before she could not even remember the rest of the night.

***

At any rate, it didn’t take much for Hashirama to put two and two together. The reception, her illness and her suddenly relaxed state. He needed no more than a direct confirmation from her.

“What is this?”

She expected that question. Nonetheless, the ever present sting of shame, whose face she knew too well, did not seem to crawl under her skin. Instead, she felt something she had only experienced once before, upon the consummation of her marriage to Hitoshi. She welcomed it.

“I love you, Hashirama.”

The man’s face turned bright red. He seemed to have lost all sense of dignity when his lips parted and his eyes widened. She placed a shaky hand on his shoulder and gave it a warm squeeze.

Following that night, they frequently engaged in short conversations at clan meetings. As per Hashirama’s typical attitude, he tried to mend their inhibitions, wishing that it would be as easy as it was back then, but his eyes always hid behind a wall of hesitance, and, although it could not stop her from craving, it made her realise that it would probably never come down. At that moment, however, something was different.

An amused chuckle echoed through the hallway. “The last time I’ve seen you this flustered was when I kissed you. Perhaps I should have brought a bottle of sake. That face of yours could definitely use a cup or two.”

The strain in her voice made him snap back to reality. He took a step back, figuring out her vain tactic. Would he judge her? Perhaps not outwardly.

“How long have you been hiding this for? How much longer until…?”

“I thought they would go away, these feelings of mine. He knows, too, but we don’t talk about it. ”, she chose to look at her feet as she spoke those words. Even for a second, she wanted to avoid the burning, pressuring sensation on her back. _____ subconsciously fiddled with her fingers, almost as if she was trying to scratch away at the humiliation like a piece of paper.

She had a place to call home. Shouldn’t she have been happy? She had the firm earth under her feet, the pride of her clan on her back, a name to carry, shouldn’t she have been happy? She had a dutiful husband, shouldn’t she have been happy? And the warm food in front of her nose, the calm rains and sunshine blessing her, the smiles and laughter of children, so then how? How was she still not happy when she had peace?

It was not enough.

His own eyes drifted to her hands. Playing with her own fingers was a tick he had grown to learn about her. Hashirama would watch her peculiar habit during their meetings. After having seen it so many times, he understood its meaning and knew how frequent it was. What merit was there in a life without happiness?

He frowned and wondered if there was anything he could do. But just as quickly as that thought came, a wave of emotions crashed into Hashirama’s consciousness. It was his fault that she was in this state. The man’s expression then deepened, but she quickly sensed and rebutted his contrition:

“This is my cross to bear, Hashirama. It’s the only thing I can do for my clan, the only way I can honor their name. So, please… I can handle this myself.” she said half-heartedly. And there it was, that dull pain in her chest, again. Was that what she really wanted?

Despite her comforting words, his lips slightly curled downwards. The brunet saw it as nothing more than cordial rejection, so he judged it to be the perfect opportunity to draw her in. Reaching out his hands, he grabbed her smaller ones, squeezing them reassuringly, with a gentleness he didn’t think he was capable of.

His gesture was unexpected, but not rejected. She squeezed back, barely. The hesitance in her grip only fueled his fire.

“This village… This place we have built is supposed to put an end to meaningless pain, ______. My entire life I have seen only suffering and loss and I want… no, will to put an end to it. I promise I will find a way to make things work out, if you choose to abandon your marriage. ”. The determination in his eyes was almost intimidating. He himself sincerely despised the prospect of an arranged, albeit necessary, marriage.

Those tender, reassuring words made her heart skip a beat with a fondness so profound she could revel in for the rest of her life, but as much as she wanted to believe his commitment, the woman deemed it to be nothing more than wishful thinking.

Perhaps, that was why she found herself thinking about him time and again. And for months on end, she was unable to make anything of it. Even though she knew that her wedlock was but a small compromise for the greater good, ______ felt less and less complacency as time went on. The fulfillment of her noble duty no longer comforted her at night, when she felt frigid and abandoned. Instead, she found warmth coiling in her gut whenever Hashirama crossed her mind. To her, he was a paradox; a way to escape her own condition when she could no longer bear it and, yet, its cause. It became difficult to endure, the more complicated her disease became. She could almost feel the numerous camellias blooming in her chest, a sickening sensation that her rudimentary medication could barely alleviate anymore.

This is my punishment, she confessed to herself time and time again. When the leaflets coiled up in her trachea and choked her, the woman could almost feel an intangible force wrapping its hand around her throat. Regurgitating the putrid and picturesque corollary to her emotional infidelity, ______ found herself imagining what could have been if she hadn’t been chosen as a marital pawn, but instead of offering her some type of temporary, albeit imaginary, release, it only made her clench her fists and her weakened shoulders shudder. And by the time her guts were briefly drained of bloody flowers, all that was left was a disgusting portrait of feebleness, lamentation and illness, a symbol of her true self; not a kunoichi, not a member of the Senju clan and certainly not a wife. At times of bitter realisation, such as those ones, she thought to herself that maybe, blaming him would be easier; that maybe, putting it all on him would ease her guilt a little and even diminish her feelings for him, but Hashirama didn’t deserve that. He did not deserve to be the target of her selfishness.

“I would lose status in front of both of our clans, I would be rejected by my own clansmen, abandoned by my husband. And for what...? Stop speaking of such a pipe dream. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Hashirama. ”, the weight of her words sent a pang of conscience in her chest, where she felt it squeeze her lungs in a punitive manner. She could not tell whether her dubiety or her Hanahaki were taking their course on her body.

No matter how hard she tried to deny it, she wanted it; a way out. She felt guilty even for thinking about it. She did not deserve any more than she already had, anything better than she was cursed with, that seemingly worthless duty of hers, like a puppet on a loose string.

Her vision gradually darkening, she didn’t notice the man’s bottom lip jutting out. Instead, his sunken eyes made her realise that her harsh words definitely struck a nerve. She tried taking a deep breath, which would have resounded with regret, but all that came out was a short gasp before her chest tightened. With balled fists, she tried her best to ignore it by pressing on and apologizing, before being delayed.

“Don’t speak that way, I know-”, the plea was interrupted by the woman’s head unnaturally bowing forward, her body trying to follow. It was so abnormal that it made him instinctively grab her shoulders. She was shaking, he noticed.

The room began to spin as consciousness gracefully slipped from her grasp. She allowed the darkness to embrace her as her frail body suddenly limped, but was caught before it could touch the ground. Hashirama’s arm pushed her closer to his chest while his other hand gently pressed itself against her dry, ashen cheek. Those eyelids dropped heavily and unhesitatingly. It was as if she had already given up.

He kneeled and activated his glowing chakra to quickly inspect her state. Eyes wide and heart nearly bursting out of his ribcage, Hashirama knew he couldn’t waste any time. The thought of it being too late for her crossed his mind and it made him run faster than he thought he was able to. Please make it in time...!

Later that day, Hashirama found himself sitting on the highest point in Konohagakure. The freshly carved stone face of himself still felt unfamiliar, yet he found a strange sense of tranquility and peace in that spot. He could gaze at the entire settlement and it was there that he indulged in the sweet gift of solidarity. Even a man such as Hashirama enjoyed it sometimes. It helped him clear his mind and contemplate, when his office became too crowded and uncomfortable to fulfill that purpose.

Every now and then, he could even feel his friend’s presence next to him, one which he dearly missed. He was painfully aware that he could not stop Madara from leaving. Hashirama could not prevent, nor mend, his mistrust with the village. Madara renounced his place as a shinobi of Konoha with a sinister promise of his return. But it would not be a peaceful one, Hashirama knew. He needed to be prepared to protect the people the way he knew best.

Protect, huh? his mind drifted off to ______. He reminded himself of her arranged marriage and her honorable sacrifice. The flowers gushing out of her throat, right in front of him, and the way she desperately clung to him for air, for a reprieve. He would not forget the way her ailing body caved into him and how loose her clothes were that day. Never quite understanding why they almost limped on her body, he was aghast when he felt her bones poking through her skin.

Now that he considered it, she looked a little different every time he saw her at their conferences. The woman’s garments heavily contrasted the proud wear of the Senju. Instead of vibrant and estimable, her clothes were prosaic, almost dusty. Even so, the clan crest always decorated her figure, displaying her high status. It almost served as a ridicule, for she became nothing more than a meaningless symbol of welfare. Something festered in him each time he saw her and yet, he didn’t realise how she was slowly withering away. A memory of her in her wedding gown flashed before his eyes; the way her eyes twinkled and her hair danced in the wind; those plump, enticing lips of hers. She was exquisite. How could he not notice it?

The aftermath of the events that took place at her wedding reception never quite left the atmosphere. It went unmentioned. It would not have done neither of them any good to bring it up. What would they even say? Would they confess to their sins? Lament over the moment of their forbidden passion?

If it was exoneration that she sought, she wouldn’t solicit it from the one she ferociously kissed, but from her family, her clan and her husband.

She was always in the back of his mind, on the good days and the worse ones. Though humiliated about it, the memory of their passionate moment made his cheeks flush. He touched her that night ー a married woman ー and despite the circumstances, he did not regret it.

The man understood her responsibility, her drive to do what is best for her village and its citizens. Is that all there really is to life? Liability? Duty?, the Senju pondered.

Hashirama was a person who could not tolerate the prospect of peopleー human beingsー being used as pawns. It made him stiff with anger. After all, his childhood revolved around his utility on the battlefield. To the Senju clan leadersー his own father, nonethelessー, the 4 siblings, as well as many others, were nothing more than numbers; peons, to be used for mindless warfare that had lost its meaning long before they were born and before their father’s fathers own births.

Who would he be if he abandoned someone when they needed him, again?

It would be an insult to his people and his loved ones to let someone walk away, again. Even when so many people looked up to him, he felt ashamed. He could not even remember all his mistakes, all his sins, all the deaths he was responsible for. So Hashirama decided that he would not fail another time. He was aware of the repercussions he would face not only from both clans, but possibly from _____, too. Except, it could never sting as badly as the grim image of death knocking at her door as she squandered whatever was left of her life for a scrap of dignity and pride.

Her reminiscing was perturbed, once again, by the sound of the wooden door being flung open.But this time, she readily turned her eyes to the other side of the room, where they met his.

“How are you feeling?”

“Certainly better than before. I’m sorry for… you know, fainting on you.”, a small, ashamed chuckle was let out, which he imitated. However, his eyes softened to such a degree that she felt her entire face suffuse with red in front of them.

He strode towards her bed, where he sat and took a moment to study her. “That’s good news. I’m relieved.”

One of her hands snuck over the blanket and lightly squeezed Hashirama’s. She was hoping that the peaceful silence would last longer. Muttering a few words of appreciation, she wished nothing more than for things to stay that way.

His eyes were fixated on her hand, but he did not return the gesture. “I don’t think you should thank me yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“After I left you here, I had a… conversation with your husband and the elders.”. His tone was almost meek, but there were no hints of regret coating it. “It’s over.”

The small gasp that followed did not surprise him in the slightest. Despite the sound being distorted by her mask, it bore just as much distress as he had anticipated. He had mentally prepared himself for every possibility.

Her mind raced aimlessly. Although her hand did not move, her eyes turned away, deciding to focus on the weather outside, behind the open window. In the aftermath of her failure, she realised that there was no other way for it to end, but with shunning and disgrace. Although she would never admit it, she knew it from the moment she chose to kiss him.

Nevertheless, the world kept spinning, the sun kept shining, and, for the first time in a while, she felt its warmth and comfort, a blessing she had denied herself for so long. It was really over. Her dessicated lips curled into a smile.

“I knew I should have asked you first, but I-”

“Thank you, Hashirama. It’s alright now.”

The moment their orbs connected to each other, she felt the hot tears welling up, reflecting a thousand emotions and he silently listened to them, accepting them. It was then that his marred hand reached back to hers and gently intertwined his fingers with her own. Hopefully, the fidgeting would stop. But they knew it would not be as simple as that.

_____ brought her fingers up to her face, removing the somewhat bothersome mask. She bent forward towards Hashirama and placed a tender peck on his cheek. Even the burden on her chest seemed to slowly dissipate.

Hashirama’s hair smelled earthy, she remarked, the same as back then. Inhaling his scent, she relished when his free hand slightly pulled her closer and he rubbed her back.

Her crime weighed heavy. She was aware she would be cast out for leaving her husband, for failing her clan, for owning herself.

What was done was done. The new-found sense of freedom made her heart play a tranquil, bittersweet tune, an unfaltering rhythm that finally set her eyes on the horizon, one which she would definitely chase this time, no matter what came next.

Maybe, if she let go of what she was, she would become more like him. Bolder, more unprejudiced, more independent.

If one’s brave, they listen to the heart. If one’s a coward, they obey their head. But for cowards, there is no paradise.

#hashirama senju #hashirama x reader #naruto #naruto imagines #hashirama #one shot #tobirama senju #madara uchiha #konoha founders #founders era #i just love hashirama #hashirama simp

115 notes · View notes

goatpaste · 4 years

Note

What do the first element holders look like in your au?

aH took me a hot minute to get around to this but i did it >:3

the first element wielders of equestria (technically before the founding of equestria) they were known as the elements of harmony, they first elements of harmony. but also some refer to the as ‘The First gifts’

i changed a little bit of some of their lore story

Princess Bluebelle, one of The First’s alicorn creations. Bluebelle is a kind being who had great patience and cared for all who patroned her house. She learned not just Unicorn magic but excelled in learning the biology of pegasus and earth pony magic and how to harness and further their growth as a society from helping the weather and nature and plant growth.

Bluebelle was close with The First, often receiving visits from her.

She also was the closest thing to a friend Equnity had (as Equnity didn’t like to make friends).

Bluebelle was gifted Philomena by The First, the phoenix stayed by her side until the end and now lives on as Celestia’s companion. the bird that has lived since the beginning of time.

After The First no longer was around Bluebelle led the elements and took on being pseudo leader of the alicorns, often training and helping them figure out what to do with their powers and how to help out disputes within their house’s.

Bluebelle became teachers for many ponies over the centuries. She personally trained Starswirl the bearded and Gusty the great.

She also helped guide and train Celestia and Luna alongside Starswirl. Starswirl was their main teacher but Bluebelle would step in to help from another alicorns perspective. The sisters adored Bluebelle.

Her Elemental artifact is her wand, the first gift that was given to her by patreons that wasn’t money or food.

Butterscotch, the element of kindness.

A pegasus who grew up in the clouds of a typical pegasus tribe who acted much to that of a military. Everyone was ready to fight and looked down on the land dwellers. Buttercotch was sweet to the bone and hated fighting and openly despised the way they let their society had become.

Butterscotch was banished from the clouds, the other Pegasus claiming her to be too weak and that her soft spot for the land ponies would be her downfall.

Joining the other ponies on the ground she met Minty, a pegasus born on the ground. The two traveled together from then on.

Butterscotch and her companion would appear in neutral towns and spreed their word of friendship and ideals that the three races could and should work together for the better of the future. Butterscotch would make treats for the foals, play music and be the general life of the party.

Later on Butterscotch would return to the pegasus tribes, or meet with pegasus leaders on neutral ground and try many time to push for pegasus to integrate with ground pony society and vice versa. that staying in the clouds only held them back.

to simply put it, this was always met with a solid ‘not going to happen’. this put Butterscotch and Commander Hurricane at odds with one another a lot, causing many fights between the two.

however private Pansy who worked under Hurricane couldn’t agree more with what Butterscotch said, her words growing Pansy’s animosity toward Hurricane. Pansy gave Butterscoth her scarf as a token of appreciation, for all the inspiration she brought her. That scarf became Butterscotch’s famous elemental artifact.

Minty, one of very few pegasus born on the ground. Nearly all pegasus at this point in time had solely stuck to the sky, only coming down to diplomatic meetings, scouting territory, and fighting.

One of Minty’s parents was a pegasus who left the tribe of pegasus, unhappy with how their society had become. fell in love with an earth pony and the two had their only daughter Minty.

At a young age she met Clover the Clever, at the time was just Clover the unicorn that Minty met. Clover, a unicorn daughter of an important unicorn diplomat, traveling with her parent for important meetings in a town far away. Minty had simply wandered too far off collecting clovers and looking for a four leafed one.

the two met and became friends for the short time they would know each other, gifting Minty her artifact of a pressed clover. It isnt long until their parents find them and get into a fight. the event left them both children traumatized as they had to face the reality of the world they lived in and the danger minty face when she stepped outside of her village.

minty grew into a scholarly teen, she still goofed off but she adored reading and writing and learning. she formed a knack for making speeches. She often would sneak off to taverns and inn that were marked as neutral zones to give long speeches or read her poetry, often time ruffling others feathers with the things she said. this came with the stress of her parents worried that bold words might have a pony turn to violence and harm her.

none the less she braves on, leaving home when she is old enough, setting up wherever she can on her soap box and talking her heart out until she is run out. Later meeting Butterscotch and working together, then meeting The First who is touched by their want to connect and bring ponies together.

Minty is named the element of laughter, and was able to reunite with Clover the Clever who now trained under starswirl the bearded.

Blossom, a mute earth pony who came from a large family who owned many acres of land full of lush greenery. fields of plants, trees of fruit and ect. Blossom lost one of her parents when she was a small baby and the other when she was older.

She tends to all the lands by herself everyday. only making it because of her generosity. she allowed any pony to come to her land, they could eat what they needed, stay and rest as long as they wanted, all for free so long as they didn’t start fights. this led to many ponies showing up and staying in the safety of her lands and to help pay her back many ponies would saddle up and tend to the fields along side her.

Blossom felt she was never without family as she almost always had ponies by her side, eating dinner with her and helping her out. She was happy and everyone adored her, often referring to her as ‘aunt blossom’ or even nicknames calling her mom.

Not to mention that she didn’t put up with anyone shit, if anyone started fights on her land she sure as hell was the one to finish them and they would know not to come back on her land. and ponies lovED it, they loved knowing this older mare was able to totally kick ass.

Blossom met Cotton Candy when the filly was a young child, loving and chipper as any child could possibly be. Blossom adored her and acted as like a big sister/aunt/mother to cotton candy.

Blossom became the element of Generosity, the locket her parents left her as her artifact.

Cotton Candy, itty bitty pony. sweet and cute as can be.

not much is known of her unlike the other. she is the youngest element wielder in the history of the elements. She was orphaned under unknown reasons (some speculate she may have been born an earth pony while having non earth pony parents, something very rare but possible)

She met The First very young, like a 7 year old wandering around on a trail down the country road. The First took the young pony with her, knowing just what to do with her. Bringing her to Blossom’s orchard, a safe haven for ponies with land to run through, food to eat and a roof over her head.

Blossom and Cotton Candy took to each other immediately, like to to their sides Cotton Candy stayed with Blossom for years and despite her side beginning expresses being grateful that it brought her to Blossom.

Cotton Candy has some eating problems and the only time you will find her not within a 10 foot radius of Blossom is if she found some nice flowers to snack on.

Cotton Candy became the element of Loyalty and was the first pony to officially write down information about the elements of harmony, even watched the first transfer of its power from them the original wielders to a new generation. all of this done at the end of her life.

Snuzzle, a GIANt beautiful pony.

Sweet, kind, and polite. everyone she grew up around loved her. she had a very typical up bringing as an earth pony, helping out how she could as she was born blind. she worked to develop the first form of braille in equestria as a way for her to make and have notes for her within her own community.

She didn’t consider herself someone who disliked the pegasus and unicorns but didn’t quite seem to grow up with an opinion on their separation of the fighting that happened. she was the type to say ‘its just how the world is’. Not changing or understanding the impact of the things happening in the land around her, until The First arrived. She traveled with two pegasus, Minty and Butterscotch who showed great kindness to the earth ponies who only acted boorish and impolite to the pegasi. listening to what they had to say and seeing how her own family and friend treated them was a wake up call.

Snuzzle chose to leave her village behind and travel with The First, she wanted to learn all she could by the wise Alicorns side.

She spent years at her side learning so many, traveling far and wide and meeting so many ponies. she became a better person and loved the friends she made through her long years.

Snuzzel was there when Equnity corrupted and became darkness, she was one of the few who noticed something was wrong with the foal. Poking around and finding out that Equnity was unhappy and messing in dark messy magic. Snuzzel was at the site when Equnity changed, and she was there when The First made the decision to make herself the elements, trusting that she could bring the ponies together and make a better world.

Snuzzle misses The First and struggled to find her place in the world once again.

she made her home the now abandoned house of seasons. she built her home and family here which would later be the mark of where ponyville layed.

snuzzel would be visited by her friends and fellow element wielders and even by the young sisters of celestia and luna who would later make their first castle here.

#long post #mlp #mlp headcanons #mlp g1 #bluebelle #blue belle #butterscotch #minty #blossom #cotton candy #snuzzle #idk how many spelling errors are in here rn #this is so long and i need sucha big nap #i meant to pass out hours ago #Anonymous

280 notes · View notes

randomized-ice · 4 years

Text

ROOT Reformed

Okay so you know how Yamato, Sai, and Shin were in ROOT? Well, what if Yamato had seen the two children, one so sick he was throwing up blood and the other so antisocial he kept getting bullied because of how he talked, and adopted them? The Dad!Yamato, and Child!Shin and Sai headcanons that nobody asked for coming right up :)

When Yamato first met Shin and Sai, Sai was hiding behind Shin because he accidentally insulted someone and got punched. Shin was trying to comfort the small boy and protect him.

Yamato then decided to adopt them both, he scared away the bullies and helped Sai cover his black eye, which looked worse than it was since Sai’s skin is so pale and markable.

When Yamato learned that Danzo was sending the two small children on B-Rank missions as PAWNS and they just barely survive all their missions, he personally whooped Danzo’s ass

Yamato was put in charge of Shin and Sai and the two children warmed up to him quickly

Yamato chasing Shin around the room trying to get him to eat vegetables

Yamato having to force veggies down two screeching kids throats

Shin and Sai doing target practice and Yamato tallying up the scores

Yamato training Sai and Shin on their jutsu

Yamato helping Shin reach his full potential with his ice powers

Yamato finding out how to make pieces of paper so Sai could draw all he wants

They have a huge garden in their backyard that they take care of.

Yamato growing different types of plants with his wood style jutsu and Shin and Sai reading books on how to take care of them

On Christmas, Yamato sneaked Shin and Sai out of Root so they could go to an actual party

Yamato introducing Shin and Sai to Kakashi

When Shin and Naruto first met, it was chaos at first sight

Sai following Yamato like a lost puppy and holding on to his pant leg until Yamato picks him up and put him on his shoulders

Yamato, Sai, and Shin cuddling by the fire like the smol beans they are

When Shin got really sick from his unnamed diease, they immediately went to see Tsunade, even though it took a week to track down the gambling lady

Tsunade getting full access to Root’s medical supplies so she can make sure Shin is okay

Shin surviving and being cured of his illness, NOT DYING BECAUSE HELL NO YAMATO WASN’T ABOUT TO HAVE HIS CHILD DIE, NOT TODAY SATAN

Sai and Shin keeping their memories and growing up with an actual parental influence

Yamato chasing a cackling child with a huge butchers knife around the house, both of them are yelling

Sai being the sassiest little shit in the world and everybody thinks he doesn’t know what he’s doing but Yamato’s just like “You sneaky lil’ shit-”

When Sai got to join Team Seven with Yamato, they brought Shin along as an ANBU “for the mission” when really, they didn’t want to leave him behind and come back to find the house destroyed

Yamato trying desperately to find where the hell Shin is getting all this cup ramen from and Sai is just not telling Yamato because he’s a lil’ shit

Shin third-wheeling with Kiba on all of Ino and Sai’s dates (Kiba third-wheels on everbody’s dates, its a fact)

KIBA x SHIN, KIBA x SHIN, KIBA x SHIN (I’m sorry I just need my dog boy-o to love somebody okay??)

Shin just randomly came home one day holding Kiba’s hand and Yamato immediately adopted him

IRUKA AND KAKASHI SHOW UP AND BAM (Yes, this is KakaYamaIru. Shhh-)

Naruto and Kiba calling each other “Brother” bc their father-figures are dating

Sai and Ino being quieter about their relationship than Shin and Kiba but they’re literally so damn cute oh my lord

Shin and Kiba going on dates that are mostly composed of running around the woods and chasing rabbits but they love it anyway

Yamato being a Proud Dad™

When Danzo died and the family got their curse marks removed and became real Leaf Village citizens they were overjoyed

Suddenly, the Leaf Village had about 100 more extremely talented teenage shinobi at their service

Yamato re-opening Root but this time, making it into a friendly place where everybody is supportive of one another

Sai and Shin helping people understand that they’re not alone anymore and it’s okay to have friends and be original because you’re one purpose in life is not to be a pawn for the Leaf Village anymore

Sai getting to decorate the ceilings of the Hatake Mansion with whatever designs he likes, making it not only beautiful but deadly

The Hatake Mansion having designs of tigers, birds, flowers, and symbols all over the roof

Murals of the person in their rooms (Naruto has a silly fox one, Kiba has a dog one, Kakashi has a lightning one, Yamato has a garden one, and so on.)

Yamato adopting Shino bc we need our bug boy to be noticed (COUGH COUGH NARUTO)

Shin running around the house, chasing a bee that stole his homework

Shin becoming a super energetic gym teacher at the Academy

Sai becoming an elite jounin and having a custom, crop-top uniform

Yamato becoming the nicest leader of an ANBU division there’s ever been

Shino and Sai being weird shitposting edgelords together

Sai and Ino baking cookies together only to find that Shin, Kiba, and Naruto ate them all

Iruka managing the chaotic household while being constantly cuddled by Kakashi and Yamato

Iruka teaching Sai about friendship and smiling

They have a huge ass garden

Yamato helping Ino and Sai at the Yamaka flower shop

When Sasuke returned, he was immediately adopted

The Hatake Household of Chaos

Sasuke, Shino, and Sai being weird shitposting edgelords

Anko as the weird aunt who came around only to fuck shit up and leave

Gai as a weird uncle and Lee as their favorite (and only) cousin

Kakashi making breakfast and dinner for about nine hungry people

Yamato making all the kids little lunches

When Orochimaru came back to the village, Shin and Sai both made sure that he was five feet away from Yamato at all times

They only began to trust Orochimaru when Sasuke told them that Orochimaru was his sensei/father-figure and the supporting father figure he never had

Orochimaru apologizing to Yamato for testing on him

Orochimaru becoming a father figure to Yamato and Sasuke

GRANDPA OROCHIMARU

Orochimaru and Shino talking about bugs and snakes

Shin, Naruto, and Kiba chasing a yelling Orochimaru around the house with a bunch of marigolds and ammonia (snakes hate those)

Iruka trying to make peace with the marigold and ammonia welding children and a terrified Orochimaru

Tsunade coming over to see her favorite little brat (Kakashi)

GRANDMA TSUNADE

Tsunade secretly supplying the children with marigolds and ammonia to get back at her old friend (Petty revenge is a bitch)

Orochimaru tricking Sai into calling Tsunade old

Tsunade never sending Jiraiya on that mission alone, she sent Kakashi with him and they managed to win the fight. Barely, they were in a coma for a few weeks, but they sure as hell won.

TSUNADE AND SAKURA BEING ABLE TO HEAL ITACHI AND THEN ITACHI WAS ADOPTED

HATAKE HOUSEHOLD OF PURE AND UNRESTRAINED CHAOS

91 notes · View notes

aerugonian · 4 years

Note

what are some of your fav kakashi centric fics?? ive never been too into naruto but kakashi??? i love him

You’re in luck because the only Naruto fics I read are Kakashi-centric, lmao. Here are some of my favorites (strap in because this is gonna be long – and I hope you like time travel, because there’s a lot of that here.) Fics are listed in no particular order.

Just the Usual Habits by Applepie (G / gen / 3.9k words / completed / no warnings)

Sakumo has no idea where all of these habits of Kakashi's are coming from. In which five-year-old Kakashi forgets the existence of his left eye, loses his ability to lie believably, and is a little too knowledgeable about the Birds and Bees. Still, no matter what oddities went on in Kakashi's head, one thing is certain – the boy will always love his father, through thick and thin.

Nukenin by WhisperingDarkness (T / gen / 17k words / completed / no warnings)

In the sealed scroll he finds a Bingo Book – his own page marking him as an S-class nukenin with flee-on-sight orders.

“Ok. That is definitely different.”

In his head he blames Naruto – even if his number one unpredictable student had been nowhere near him on this mission. When things go this stupidly impossibly wrong it must somehow be the future Hokage’s fault.

Once More with Feeling by Chicken_Train_And_Laser_Beam (M / gen / 137k words / wip / violence)

After an unexpected turn on a mission with Team Seven, Kakashi Hatake wakes up in the past, trapped in the body of his thirteen-year-old self. Despite being torn away from his own, familiar world, Kakashi resolves to change the future to better the lives of those he loves. Yet, fate is not so easily mastered, and he's not the only one playing the game.

Reversal of Roles by Ranowa Hikura (T / gen / 112,510 words / completed / violence)

Obito didn't push Kakashi out of the way during the Battle at Kannabi Bridge. This one change eventually leads to Godaime Naruto being sent back in time with the leader of the Akatsuki- Kakashi. They arrive at the day of Naruto's Academy graduation, and Naruto must work with the man he hates the most to stop war from happening. Time travel, AU, Kakanaru friendship.

Branches by Mockingone (T / gen / 55k words / completed / no warnings)

Kakashi falls off a tree and lands in a different world. Literally. Now he's in a dimension where nothing makes sense—but he's used to that. Kakashi plans to wreak as much havoc as he can and find his way home... if he can.

What You Knead by AgentMalkere (G / gen / 38k words / wip / no warnings)

It started, as most things did in Kakashi’s life, with a mission gone wrong.

(In which Kakashi accidentally acquires an emotionally healthy coping technique.)

Ear to the Wall by Vodkassassin (NR / gen / 84k words / wip / chose not to warn)

The Minato-sensei beams at him, and replies, “Kakashi! I’m glad you’re awake,” and, yup, that’s Minato-sensei’s voice.

Kakashi falls back down against the bed, closing his eyes. It’s too short of a way down, and he clenches hands that are too tiny and feeble and not his in dog-print sheets he hasn’t owned for decades.

Wolves of Fire Country by Midnite_Republic (T / Kakashi/Izuna / 51k words / wip / chose not to warn)

Wave changed a lot about Team 7, but not enough to make them entirely functional. Also someone should have really reminded Kakashi to pay attention to that tiny part of his genius brain that recognises random patterns, before he called a rest stop on the way home on top of an old, decayed Uzushio travel seal with an over-chakra-charged Uzumaki.

And he thought the month of the Wave mission was long, now he's stuck with the team, in a place he never expected to have anything to do with, with no way back.

Maybe he should have paid more attention to history, or stayed in the academy long enough to have history classes.

Why we build the wall by Dissenter (NR / gen / 49k words / wip / mcd & violence)

A Kiri nin gets trapped in a cave with a Konoha nin near Kannabi bridge. Some things are inevitable.

Or the AU where Kakashi is born in Kiri but still somehow ends up as team seven's teacher.

Outrunning Karma by Anjelle (T / gen / 52k words / wip / no warnings)

Kakashi was forty-two and the world ended in a sea of smoke and ash. Kakashi was forty-two and there stood a man in the carnage, untouched and unfazed as the village burned around him.

Kakashi is nineteen and the world ends tomorrow, and he will do everything he can to make it right. Even if it means making friends of his enemies. Even if it means erasing everything.

Even if it means staring into the face of all that he hates and smiling.

Kakashi is nineteen and Naruto is five and there is still time. Instead of counting his losses, he'll make the most of it.

komorebi by tomorrowsrain (T / Kakashi/Obito / 80k words / wip / no warnings)

In which Kakashi and Obito survive the Kyuubi attack, get exiled from Konoha, learn how to survive, and still manage to become legends along the way.

(The bratty genin are unexpected, though.)

The Hidden Prodigy by Applepie (T / gen / 106k words / wip / chose not to warn)

Somehow sent back into the past, Kakashi is given a second chance to relive his childhood. He is determined to make the most of everyday and to fix the horrors of the future, but sometimes simple determination is not enough to save everyone.

Change Fills My Time by 100demons (M / gen / 73k words / completed / mcd & violence)

Thirty year old Kakashi was supposed to have been killed by Pein during the Invasion. Instead, he wakes up in the body of his twenty year old self.

(It gets a lot more complicated.)

Nidaime Otokage by DuskBeforeDawn (M / gen / 30k words / wip / violence)

No one knew him.

His father was still alive.

His Sharingan acted like it had always been his.

Kakashi was twenty-two years in the past of a different world.

a heap of details, uncatalogued, illogical by 100demons (T / gen / 8k words / completed / no warnings)

Oh,” she says, white hands clenched into tight fists. “I’m-- I was your student. Haruno Sakura.”

Kakashi tilts his head, gray eye analyzing her carefully for tells. He finds nothing. “I’ve never seen you before in my life,” he says flatly.

(Kakashi wakes up fourteen years old.)

Lost on the road of life by RavenShira (M / gen / 80k words / wip / violence)

Kakashi had everything well in hand. He had stepped down from his reign as Rokudaime Hokage, his porn collection was as well worn as should be and his free time was spend with either Gai's challenges or helping out on various tasks while trying to make it seem like he wasn't there to help out. Annoying the hell out of everyone that crosses his path was as easy as breathing – easier now that he didn't have to be polite and diplomatic about it anymore.

So what if he agreed to a teeny-tiny favour of his once student and now successor? Not even Naruto could mess up just scribbling down a fuinjutsu for Kakashi to check over before he got back to his own, very busy life.

… Right?

Or: The one where Kakashi travels back in time, thinks he can fix stuff but clearly gets in over his head.

What’s the Worst That Can Happen? by Applepie (T / gen / 90k words / wip / no warnings)

Life was going quite well, if you asked Naruto Uzumaki. So why did he have to listen to Kakashi of all people? Now, they've time traveled to the past, smack dab in Minato's era, when the soon-to-be Hokage was sporting a team seven of his own. Let history run its course? Never! Kakashi-centric.

Wanted by Anjelle (T / gen / 17k words / wip / no warnings)

Kakashi is your run-of-the-mill hand for hire, except that he's not. Boasting a spotless record with the skills and name to back it up, he's one of the most highly sought after mercenaries in the Land of Fire. He has just one rule:

No Leaf missions.

Unfortunately, his latest client, Tobi, is looking for just that. And there's no doubt in Tobi's mind that Kakashi will accept.

It's only a matter of time.

(and a bonus crossover section!!)

Silver-Haired Stranger by TheSimplestWriter (T / gen / 34k words / wip / violence / ATLA)

Kakashi dies protecting his village fighting against Pein... Except he actually didn't and is now in the middle of a desert. Great. [Kakashi swaps one war for another, but he only wants to get back home. Things happen along the way.]

Copy That, Copycat by Nakashira (G / gen / 19k words / wip / violence / BNHA)

Kakashi Hatake dies the Copycat-nin and is reborn with a copycat quirk.

Everything becomes a disaster, and Monoma is tired.

Wonderboy by Tsume_Yuki (T / gen / 19k words / wip / chose not to warn / BNHA)

Who knew some dimensions had actual child labour laws?

In which Kakashi is reborn, the Hero Commission doesn’t put all their eggs in one Hawks shaped basket and Shouta isn't getting paid enough to deal with this shit.

Otherwise known as Kakashi in 1A.

CCG Public Enemy No 1 by euphoric image (T / gen / 19k words / wip / no warnings / Tokyo Ghoul)

Kakashi had a single red-and-black eye for more than half his life. Now, he has two.

Victory Series by ewfte (T / gen / 96k words / wip / violence / BNHA)

A fact about Todoroki Shouto: that is not his name.

#hatake kakashi #fic rec list #naruto #i only read naruto because of kakashi #if this list doesn't tell you that he's my fav lmao #aeru.post #asks #this is LONG #and there were a lot that i didn't include too #sorry it took a while to get this out #crossover section at the end for people who enjoy those!!!! i know i do

82 notes · View notes

coolgirlontheweb · 3 years

Text

sasuke uchiha (Naruto) - INTJ

when typing, a lot of people forget that the individual functions work in tandem with each other in a single type - they don’t exist in a vacuum, but instead have relationships that sometimes compliment each other, and sometimes oppose each other, like sasuke and his Ni-Fi. sasuke is the single most distinguished and potent example of an unhealthy INTJ - the things this poor guy went through all for the sake of the “shinobi world” is enough for the healthiest INTJ to only ever use Fi-Se; which is the exact problem we have with Sasuke. he isn’t an ISFP, but because of his use of Fi, overwhelming Fi loop and Se grip, a lot of people think he is.

sasuke’s dominant Ni and auxiliary Te in early naruto:

sasuke is practically the poster kid for dominant Ni and auxiliary Te in early naruto. his immature dominant Ni at 12 years old was over-serious, perfectionistic, and was quite unrealistic in his beliefs and expectations. his auxiliary Te, however, walked the line between healthy and immature. sasuke strived for a well rounded goal, he was tenacious and disciplined in his training and in realising his goals. with a great work ethic, he learnt systematically from mistakes in every fight he found himself in, which made him highly efficient. his great work ethic teetered over into immature territory by having an excessive and perfectionistic pursuit of results. just think of his attitude towards the notion of naruto surpassing him and the amount of training he resorted to in an effort to make sure that this never happens, and to achieve his goal. his overindulgence in auxiliary Te also made him stiff and humourless, and seemingly addicted to training which thwarted any healthy Se expression he might have had, which carries on throughout his entire character arc. sasuke was always devoted entirely to whatever goal he had for the future, and present sensory experiences were completely overlooked by him; there is no way that Se could be his auxiliary function when he has practically zero healthy expression of it. if sasuke was indeed using Fi-Se as his dominant/auxiliary, he wouldn’t be as stand-offish or combative as he is toward naruto in the beginning. his dominant Fi would make him noticeably more attached to the uchiha massacre which would make him more outwardly emotional, and his auxiliary Se would let him live in the present moment and thus, not be as objective or calculating as his Te allows him to be - sasuke would be less meticulous in his training, and less high-strung about things and people in general.

development of Se grip and Fi loop in late naruto:

his goal (his entire reason for living, in his words) however, doesn’t come easy to him. towards the end of the original naruto, sasuke steadily becomes more and more distressed, with his sensory experiences plummeting from pleasant and stable with Team 7, to insecure and agonising (which ends up fostering his Se grip and Fi loop), his past is exposed which is sure to make him uncharacteristically vulnerable - the reappearance of itachi, orochimaru and his damning curse mark, and naruto’s steady and quick growth all amalgamate into one glaring symbol of his own mental and physical decline. something important to note that this is all to himself, no one actually believes everything he thinks about himself, that he was weak on the night of the uchiha’s massacre or that he will never have enough strength to defeat itachi, what’s significant to his state of mind at that point in the narrative is that he believes this, which is because of his Ni’s natural tendency to speculate on potential implications, and his Fi at work contemplating in times of stress for him. the top comment made by AsuraPsych said something I think should've put the ISFP/INTJ debate to rest already: “Fi is a stress point for sasuke, not a point of natural strength”.

because dominant Ni operates closest to the unconscious mind, Ni doms have an unhealthy tendency to overindulge in introspectivity, which leads sasuke to overthink and over-criticise himself. this is very indicative of the unhealthy relationship with his Ni-Fi - both of these functions participate in making him critical of his own actions as well as his own emotions. functions operate in opposition with each other; they push and pull against each-other which creates internal conflict. i don’t think anyone can disregard sasuke’s internal conflict with Ni-Fi: his Ni is geared toward his future plans to defeat itachi, and notes its potential implications (like naruto getting so strong that he can’t get defeat him to unlock the mangekyo sharingan, which is where all of his hostility toward naruto comes from - watch the hospital fight and you literally can see the insecurity on his face), and his Fi is geared toward thinking about his traumatic past and is stuck making sense of the night of his clan’s demise, which literally comes to fruition at the end of naruto shippuden when he explains he could never move forward in spite of the past holding him back; that's practically word for word the description of his Ni-Fi conflict.

sasuke responds terribly to the sensory experiences of the outside world (Se) and his own internal rumination (Fi), which makes him develop into an extremely unhealthy INTJ, this time with an Se grip and Fi loop in full swing. it’s almost too apt that itachi’s infinite tsukuyomi is what sends him hurtling into an Se grip, and later Fi loop. the tsukuyomi that itachi puts him in is a repeat of the night of the massacre, where he is forced to live through the worst experience he has ever had. the sasuke that returns to consciousness is no longer the sasuke we once knew, but a deeply cut, volatile shell of his former self. this is the first time the expression of his Fi changes this dramatically, the second is after finding out the truth about itachi. by the 107th episode, sasuke’s Se grip is violently evident: he feels easily thwarted, provoked and distrubed. we see this in his refusal to listen to kakashi’s advice, where instead lashes out at him with harsh words - this is also a very clear expression of Fi loop, where someone’s own conception of morals and beliefs will blind them to any opposing opinion, nuance or context. sasuke’s previous use of Fi solely for personal rumination goes out the window, and is replaced by an unhealthy expression which shoots down any good advice as being too hard or too complicated. additionally, when naruto and sakura visit him in the hospital, he physically lashes out at sakura, who was only cutting him apples, and did nothing to provoke him. sasuke’s Fi loop also causes him to have irrational fears about compromising himself or his integrity, and is easily frustrated about challenges (the primary one here being naruto’s growth) which makes him take things way too personally. naruto was trying to receive acknowledgement from sasuke, but he took this as a show of hostile competition. coupled with his Se grip, it makes him uncharacteristically impatient and explosive, and the combination of the two causes him to challenge naruto to the fight on top of the hospital in an effort to try and salvage some sense of self and security.

sasuke finally succumbs to his overbearingly dominant Ni, unhealthy use of Fi, and Se grip, which makes him finally leave the leaf village. one of the defining features of dominant Ni is its ability to use idealistic impressions and symbolic imagery to set a direction. Ni as a function takes the abstract in and forms ideas on it. in children, this tends to manifest as being overly imaginative and insightful. paired with his piercing auxiliary Te, sasuke’s decision to leave the village is based on the relationship of his Ni-Fi, and his Se grip gives him the push to leave with the sound ninja 4. sasuke’s Ni uses idealistic impressions and symbolic imagery, such as naruto making a larger hole in the water tank using rasengan than him, to come up with judgements about the future. he rightfully determines that if he keeps on going as he is, naruto will surpass him in the near future, and he uses this to determine that he won’t be able to beat itachi this way. from all of this, he ascertains that if he wants to get power, he must also venture into evil and hatred. the use of symbolic imagery in his thought processes is clear as well - sasuke sees itachi as the symbol of all hatred in the world, and sees orochimaru as the symbol of evil. his tertiary Fi kicks in strong as well, to support his decision to leave as well by evoking the memories of his clan’s demise.

i think people are mistaking him for an Fi dom in his childhood because of how introspective he is, but Ni is easily misunderstood as being very impersonal, which it is not. applied to oneself, a dominant Ni becomes a powerful tool of self-assessment, which is exactly how sasuke uses it at age 12. a lot of his thought process isn’t recognised, and i think that this much more pronounced in the anime - because sasuke doesn’t have an internal monologue outside of battle strategy like naruto does, the viewer is left to gage what he is thinking a lot of the time, which is why people may find it hard to recognise his dominant Ni.

stable expression of Ni-Te under orochimaru’s guidance and as leader of hebi/taka:

under orochimaru’s guidance sasuke devotes himself to training, which allows his Ni-Te to shut down his Se (orochimaru’s hideout isn’t really a place that stimulates his Se), therefore it’s easy for him to completely disregard any sensory inclinations he has: he spends his time training and meditating - which no doubt strengthens his use of Ni-Fi. his Ni and Fi work in tandem making him committed to his goal. he begins to develop his Fi here - he follows a strict code of “no killing innocents” to be actively against what itachi did, and declares his hatred for orochimaru for the same reason he hates itachi before he kills him. whilst his expression of Fi helps him uphold his morals, this doesn’t mean it is his dominant function. i’m beginning to think that people are deliberately ignoring how much Ni-Te that sasuke actually uses. from the beginning of his introduction to us we learn he has an “ambition”, that he doesn’t care to call a “dream”, because he knows he is going to bring it to fruition one day, which he does, through his Ni making him resort to meticulous internal planning and excessive, austere training. sasuke’s dominant Ni gives him an unequivocal understanding of what his goal is and the easiest route he can take to make it happen.

INTJs use Ni-Te to see the consequences of the application of new ideas, and live to see systems translated into real substance. we see this in the formation of hebi - sasuke uses Te to be an assertive leader who is very terse and dominating in organising the group to reach his goal in the most efficient way possible. he says that over the 2 years he was with orochimaru, he paid attention to different shinobi and selected suigetsu, karin and jugo based on how he could use their individual abilities to get to his goal. there is no instant whatsoever where sasuke isn’t taking charge of the situation as the leader of hebi, or isn’t using his Ni-Te to gage the next move he should make, and how he should combat problems that he is presented with. dominant Ni is fundamentally focused inwards, on the internal world of thoughts, ideas, and concepts, as opposed to dominant Fi, which is fundamentally focused on personal ideals, morals, and emotional understanding of oneself. the only time that sasuke prioritises Fi over Ni is when he is trying to come to terms with the uchiha massacre and the truth about itachi. a weak argument to support sasuke having a dominant Fi is that all of his actions are driven by his feelings, however this isn’t true. his trauma and emotion, as well as the seed of hatred that itachi planted and sowed in him is what drives him. his feelings act as a mere catalyst to reach his end goal, but every action he takes, and his natural thought processes are certainly driven by Ni. sasuke is far too stunted and close-minded in his outward expression of feelings or authenticity for him to be an Fi dom - they don’t come naturally to him at all, but act as a hindrance to his mental stability - which only gets worse after he finds out about itachi.

instances of Ni-Te in sasuke’s battle strategy:

this isn’t part of the analysis, but i wanted to add that sasuke’s Ni-Te is also observable in his fight style, which i thought was interesting to pick up on. his Ni foresees his opponents moves: he consistently used lightning style throughout his fight against itachi to heat up the atmosphere so that by the time he is out of chakra, he knows he still has kirin left as a final move. sasuke’s Ni-Te is also merciless in clearing ramifications so that he can reach his goal; he literally asks karin to stand still whilst he sacrifices her by piercing through her heart to kill danzo using chidori spear. his Te systematically learns from mistakes, which makes him highly efficient in battle. in his final battle against naruto (part 1) he recalls that two chidori is his limit so resorts to another method of defeating naruto; in his final fight against naruto (part 2) he knows that using shadow clones are naruto’s preferred way to fight so he stops him making the hand sign around 4 different times before he can complete the jutsu.

#mbti!#naruto #sasuke uchiha #intj #Ni-Te

5 notes · View notes

beautifulterriblequeen · 4 years

Note

I’m really intrigued by Rayla’s moonshadow assassin peers. I especially am interested in Andromeda because I think she is the only other girl in the group? Do you have any headcanons in how these teen/young adult assassins interacted? Do you think Rayla isolated herself from them because she was always iffy about taking a life? Also TDP finally colored their map and I know you live maps, find any new cool stuff? I especially love how there’s a frozen sea north and a spinning sea south, imagine the powerful Magic’s that channeled to make them.

Okay, so I jumped straight to the map, did 80% of it, and wandered away for a few weeks. I apologize, anon. Let’s get this going again:

I’ve got a few headcanons on the Moonshadow assassins! It seems likely that they hang out mostly with each other, when they hang out, to reinforce their teambuilding and to give them some socialization, since assassins tend to keep others at arm’s length. So I kinda figure they tend to roam as a pack on their evenings out in the village, if they’re not married to a non-assassin like Runaan is.

I think that could be part of the reason that Rayla might not have hung out with the others as much, too: Runaan wanted to be either training or at home with Ethari, so Rayla probably spent a lot of time doing those things just because he did them. And when Runaan was doing more serious training or missions, that’s when Rayla had her free time to run around the forest and make adoraburr friends.

Runaan could’ve probably insisted that she do something more assassiny with her free time. Shadow an assassin, do more studying, practice certain prescribed skills on her own. But he didn’t. He let her play. Soft assassin is soft!

Listen, anon, I have a fun headcanon for you about Andromeda--and by fun, I mean it’s really angsty half a second after you start thinking about it. Ready?

What if: Andromeda is Runaan’s half-sister. If they’re both Lujanne’s children by different assassin dads who kept dying in battle, but a Moon mage needs an assassin leader partner to defend Xadia with, and Lujanne knew her son Runaan wasn’t old enough to lead yet, so she burned through three or more husbands protecting him until Runaan was well trained enough to lead the assassins himself and had fallen in love with a mage who adored him and would be his partner in her place.

Andromeda looks a fair bit like Lujanne, too:

Along with Runaan, they all have long hair, side tails bound in silver cuffs, and some form of braids. Andromeda’s hair is sectioned in front similarly to Runaan’s. Her accent sounds more British than Scottish, though she only has the one line: My eyes for truth. And Lujanne and Andromeda are the only two Moonshadow elves we’ve met who have medium blue horns, while Runaan’s are dark blue. Almost everyone else’s horns have purple or pink as their base color.

But then, see, Andromeda went on Runaan’s mission, and she died. Her spirit was the most aggressive in TTM, usually closest to Rayla with her sword out, as if she hated Rayla the most. If she had a vested family interest in Runaan’s mission succeeding, and then it went pear-shaped because of Rayla, that would make sense.

No matter if she’s related to Runaan or not, she’s wearing horn cuffs, so she was in a dedicated relationship of some kind, and that’s so sad. Someone’s missing her the way Ethari’s missing Runaan. :’((((

Anyway, it’s just a headcanon, but since you asked, there ya go.

Okay, on to my thoughts on the map, of which I have a normal and healthy amount:

The Map Border:

Everyone doodles in the borders. I love to see what they put there.

Starting in the upper left and going counter-clockwise, the five human crowns are cool

Cornucopia swirls center left look like an homage to Cabbage Man from ATLA

Bait is staring at Evenere. his home? Or maybe he just wants to eat the dragonfly on its logo

Human defender has a beard. Hairagorn. He's very heavily armored but has no helmet. Long hair is braided to rest on front of shoulder, like the blond elf in the painting at the Moon Nexus. Old timey hairstyle?

He’s defending Katolis Castle specifically. I wonder if the little white building is kinda random or if it’s supposed to represent the Banther Lodge. Nah, I have a better guess: that’s where Viren grew up

The crack in the map looks meta. It's been repaired somewhat. Makes me wonder if it's an in-world map, whose, who ripped it, and who fixed it. Sir Phineas Kurst seems like the kind of guy to almost shred his really cool map

The star behind Zym's egg has seven points

The two ships on the southern waters are western and eastern respectively. Tidebound elves from Singapore? Jack Sparrow would be proud

There is land just south of the Dragontail, wonder what’s there?

The leaves around the human figure are small and numerous while the Moonshadow elf has fewer but bigger leaves

The elf is standing in the way of one of the six leaves growing out of the rune rose and that leaf's curly tip seems to have been replaced with a curl of the elf's very long hair

The human pose is more offense and the elf pose is more defense. But the elf has two swords, and one has some wicked hooks in it.

Elf has 4 fingers instead of 3 so whether it’s in-universe or meta, they were drawn by a human :DDD

The elf's braid winds around their horn and I think that's clever

High collar shirt under protective layer, bracers and elbow gloves, bare biceps, complex shoulder getup, ornate hair that's butt long and partly braided, two long slightly curving swords... horn cuffs too. This is a Moonshadow assassin in the same gear Runaan's got, poised to defend the Xadian half of the map as the human is poised to defend his side

The rune rose isn't a compass. It has a two sided pointer and six primal runes. Just decorative I guess. ;)

More lettuces on right center.

Maybe a portaling caterpillar on the center knot? Little bug pal, I see you

“The Five Human Kingdoms” lettered in red, “Xadia” in blue. Giving me Stratego flashbacks. Even the flowers on their banners are color coded

Banners in the corners are similar but Xadia has more fluttery tips

Thunder drawn all attacky top center, does he have anything to do with the Frozen Sea being frozen?

Compass rose under Thunder’s wing

Dick island near the compass. Well, Duren is the breadbasket of the human lands. A most excellent cartography joke! 10/10 would chortle wholesomely again

The Human Kingdoms:

Neolandia

Capital Eboreus seems to be a lake city below a mountain and I'm here for all the Lake Town refs.

It's also the eye of the elephant shape

Not a lot of trees, mostly grasses or desert. Only borders Duren across a couple rivers/estuaries/sea channels

Heart shaped island next to elephant trunk

Land generally broken into several sections by sea/rivers

If it’s rivers, they seem to generate from the capital’s lake and flow in several directions. And they say there’s no magic left in the western lands! ;)

But if there was exactly one source of freshwater in a desert land, it makes sense that you’d find a way, magical or mechanical, to spread that lifegiving water in as many directions as possible so your people can thrive so kudos to Neolandia’s ancestors/Tidebound elves/whoever managed that, it’s brilliant

I can and will make up explanations for anything on a map. I adore worldbuilding

Del Bar

Two named locations. Since Del Bar’s national symbol is a serpent, I guess Serpentongue is the capital.

Hinterpeak is a sweet name. Looks like Helm's Deep with that retaining wall. What’s it for? Are there dwarves in this land? Is it an Earthblood stronghold? Maybe it’s like the Mines of Moria, and the Earthbloods were chased out and/or killed inside and now it’s full of nasty orcses but someone left a MacGuffin down there so *nudges hero* Off you pop.

Nice forests around the southern mountain range but northern DB is more arid or grassy lands like Neolandia.

Considering that crops grow well in Duren, which is farther north, I assume there is a massive meteorological gyre over the human lands, with a southern wind blowing down over the western realms and keeping them icy until the mountains of Hinterpeak block and divert them, protecting Evenere. The winds don't blow eastward without warming right up-- and causing thunderstorms in Katolis how about that-- because there is a warmer side to the gyre over Katolis and Duren, blowing tropical warmth and moisture north and providing rain for trees and crops alike. Most years, anyway.

How does the weather fail in Duren for seven years in a row, anyway? That seems like a Thunder issue. Unless it’s a Sunforge issue, which I’ll get to below.

Ahem.

Borders Neolandia, Duren, and Katolis across rivers, but most border is coastline.

Serpentongue probably got its name from the two river heads around it

Cluster of dead little cracks spawns a single river. Looks like someone cracked the tub and it drained away. I wonder how much of this landscape has been affected by the Mage Wars. Big watery basins have flooded and other spots seem dead. The lands may or may not actually touch depending on how deep some of these waterways are

Evenere

Looks like someone punched holes in the land with a giant pencil to make it a separate island. Broken outline with scattered islands

That Pawprint Isles has only four toes

Moon-shaped island is very crescenty indeed

Are these isles home to refugees or outcasts from Xadia? Listen, I want pirates and that sea looks pretty Caribbean to me

No capital city, hmmm what's that about? Is it underground, does it move? Maybe Fareeda’s capital is on the back of a world turtle and she’s constantly on tour around the island?

That arm of land ending in a peace sign, please can we get surfers

The hills emanating from that claw shaped headland look like something is sleeping under the island, hello yes I am here for giant immortal creatures please

Katolis

its capital is also called Katolis, the only human realm to use the same name twice

Weeping Bay could be a ref to the tears the humans shed after they reached the west. Or the Moonshadow elves as they left their forest for the east. Or both. Both, in this case, is bad but balanced

Boomerang island next to the Dragontail

The river the Dragaang rode on was going uphill

The watery slash in the land between Katolis and Del Bar is awfully straight. So is the one between Del Bar and Neolandia. I call magical warfare.

Katolis has a bunch of mountains in the east, part of an old natural border before the lava one appeared

Mt Kalik is probably volcanic. It's a standalone mountain and it's really tall. Rex Ignius maybe? Oh, probably not, I think I see him peeking on the other side of the map

The trees of Duren and Katolis are different then the western lands. Softer green, deciduous. And the land itself is yellower, warmer in tone

Forests centered on Mt Kalik

The Moon Nexus looks like an eye on a dragon head near the Dragontail, and Evenere looks like a severed wing (Yes I am still wondering where Luna Tenebris went, why do you ask)

Weeping Bay looks like the most natural body of water in the western lands

Three red little trees scattered around the Katolis map. Fruit trees? How very Moonshadow.

Duren

The only land border among all the human kingdoms is between Duren and Katolis. Maybe it used to be further south along the river?

Capital is Berylgarten, set on a lake. Beryl is a stone that’s usually green, blue, or yellow in color, very gardeny

Second smallest realm but the breadbasket of the human lands. Has several little forests and great tilled fields

Being a farmer in Duren is probably as awesome as being an assassin in the Moonshadow Forest; you do what you do for all your friendly kingdoms

Northernmost land is cold and craggy, named Skall's Hook along the sea

Third ship in the Frozen Sea is icebound and crushed. Looks western, indicating no possible passage

Lots of colored trees and shrubs as if fruitbearing, I keep comparing Duren to the Yakima Valley in Washington State

Where the lava reaches the Frozen Sea, it melts the ice next to Duren's mountains

Northern Xadia:

Lux Aurea

Most of the center lands of this map has warm tones for its ground. Maybe that’s because of the long reach of the warmth and light of Lux Aurea’s Sun Nexus, and only the lands that are just too far from it are truly cold and icy. It would explain why Duren is a breadbasket realm so far north--it’s just across the border from Lux Aurea.

If there’s anything to that, then I suddenly worry for the fate of all the human lands now that the Sunforge has gone dark. It’s early summer now in Xadia, and crops in Duren will be ripening soon... Unless the sun’s magic was helping them grow. This coming winter could be rough. Next winter, people will die. Unless they can purify the Sunforge again.

Also, I have to wonder if Duren’s seven years of famine had anything to do with Sunforge shenanigans. They’d have happened at Khessa’s command, and we know she despises humans. If she was responsible for all the struggles that humans had to go through without enough food for seven years, and then their desperate attempt to fix the problem by invading Xadia for a Magma Titan’s heart which extended and exacerbated the war, I can see why Aaravos might feel Queen Khessa deserved to die

The city’s shaped kinda like an Egyptian pectoral necklace on this map, and that’s super pretty and not at all ominous

Also that’s a lot of gold for a whole city and I wonder how they got it all

The Shiverglades and the Shards

These areas are north of Lux Aurea and seem cold but not very icy, even though the Frozen Sea is right there. More thoughtful glances at the Sunforge over this one. Is it warming the land, or not warming the sea? Both?

Shiverglades is a play on Everglades, so this is a cold swamp, which sounds super fun I’m sure. Permafrost, tundra maybe?

The Shards seem to be rock islands with ice mountains. Glaciers are cool.

I wonder if something broke those islands off on purpose. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy worldbuilding? Yeah, well, I like world-wrecking, too.

Storm Spire

Has a good view on everything that happens for miles, including Lux Aurea, the Midnight Desert, the Shiverglades, the Black Tundra, the Uncharted Forest, and Drakewood.

Defensible position, no other tall mountains nearby

Also able to alert others to danger, especially since Avizandum could teleport like lightning

The Midnight Desert

It’s pretty big! And it looks like it’s littered with ruins of columns and dead palm trees. Like something else used to be in that great space and then something Very Bad happened to it. Maybe there was one great city where all the elves could mix together, and then it got utterly obliterated and the elves all fled to their respective safe places around Xadia. A city of black stone, back when Aaravos wore a crown? Now pulverized to dust and surrounded by not one, not two, but three primal nexuses? Hmmm...

All the wisps could be heat from the sand, or spooky spirit hints, or just an ominous sign of danger from the snakes below, but the overall effect is that the land is unhealthy if not cursed

The oasis is marked, and it must contain a spring since it runs a river out to join the river that passes through the Moonshadow Forest

Also the actual oasis kinda resembles a blue lizard which is adorable and probably also terrifying

Moonshadow Forest

The Silvergrove is the only village marked in the forest, so in keeping with the other lands and general map legend rules, it’s likely the capital/central village for the Moonshadow elves

The village is marked by four round-roofed homes between two tall leafy trees that shelter and hide them. It’s a hybrid balance between the blocky manmade castles of the human lands and the actual forest around them, showing a blending with nature that even the Sunfire city of Lux Aurea did not embrace, with all its golden buildings

It’s a good-sized forest, and it kinda stretches thin to the east but there it tentatively connects to the Drakewood Forest

Moonstone Path to the west just chilling in the lava like a blank alignment chart. Moonstone Path is Chaotic Hot.

Southern Xadia:

Ruins of Elarion

Elarion is a city, and it’s been lost to the humans for a thousand years

The building outlines are squared-off towers like the more modern castles in the west, suggesting that humans in Xadia built for strength and defense as soon as they could. They felt vulnerable and created protections in their architecture. The three elven cities we see also play to their strengths, but those strengths include magic. Elarion’s humans had to find a different strength, and they went with craftsmanship and ingenuity

It seems to be the only human city from before the border was drawn

“Ruins” doesn’t necessarily mean no one lives there at all, but it’s been emptied of humans and no one else has maintained it since

It had a great position on a vast lake, with sheltering hills and easy sea access

Sea of the Castout

This inland sea has five inlets and outlets. It’s hard to be sure which is which with some of them, with the way the water is drawn on this map. But I’m kinda liking the idea that all the water swirlies are places where Tidebound magic has been placed over the millennia, so the water can do whatever it needs to do depending on circumstances. That goes for the human lands, too. Katolis backward river, you’re off the hook.

With a name like "Castout,” I wonder if it was some kind of universal toilet to flush away things you didn’t want--including humans--who might wash up near Elarion and start to build there. Yeesh.

The rivers that flow into this sea pass through or near the Moonshadow Forest, the Midnight Desert, the Storm Spire, Drakewood, and the Uncharted Forest. That’s a lot of drainage.

It’s pretty far from the Tidebound Archipelago, so maybe its name is referencing Tidebound elves who have left their home colony

Was this always a sea, or did something that Xadia wanted to forget get flooded and hidden in the depths?

The land around it seems open and hospitable. It could be a good place to build/rebuild in a time of peace.

The Far Reaches

Open grassland with low hills

Two of the hills look like giant boot prints

Several colorful trees which I hope are fruit trees

Bounded by two rivers from the Sea of the Castout

Looks homey tbh, great spot to retire to get away from everything if there were a war that really shook you up

Ocean Point

There’s a Star rune here, and it could mean many things

The closest other marked location is Elarion

If this was where Aaravos lived of his own free will, I can see why he’d take a shine to the humans. They were his neighbors.

If he is imprisoned here, it’s literally the furthest point in Xadia from the other elven realms, with the Moonshadow Forest being the closest one and Umber Tor not too much further but in a totally different direction. If they were trying to isolate him physically with a portable mirror to watch over him, that’s a good spot for it

Possible location that the cube is leading Callum toward? Portal to the Star Touch home plane? Aaravos’s seaside B&B? Trap street?

Eastern Xadia:

Drakewood

Umber Tor looks to be the tallest mountain in all of Xadia, save possibly for the Storm Spire. It’s more traditionally mountainy, with a nice snowcap. Since it’s labeled, I’m guessing it’s the Earth Nexus, under which an Earth Archdragon sleeps

Also there’s a giant yellowish-brown dragon chilling next to the Tor. Yeah, he seems nice. Rex Igneous, I presume?

Or maybe not, since the neighboring forest is called Drakewood. Maybe this woods is just where a bunch of Earth dragons hang out? Ezran and Pyrrah flew off and returned with a crew of Sun dragons from somewhere, so dragons must have communities too

The mountains that edge the sea are shaped roughly like a stone dragon in flight

Drakewood seems to be the forest closest to Umber Tor, with both deciduous and evergreen trees, though there’s a huge swath of wooded land here, to the north and to the southwest. I wonder what the locals consider the border where the Drakewood becomes the Uncharted Forest and why. The way the evergreens are drawn almost looks like a border, a sort of kingswood set aside for a specific use. Rex Igneous’s best toothpicks?

Uncharted Forest

Okay this is a properly magical name, very mysterious. But uncharted by whom? People with charts? This might be a Sir Phineas Kurst name, which is outsidery, and it makes me wonder if the locals/neighbors have their own name for it, which the human explorer never learned, a la “Thunder” for Avizandum

Maybe “Uncharted Forest” just means no one ever turned those trees into charts though, old growth ftw

If no one lives here, will someone move here? If someone lives here, who are they? Earthblood elves? Moonshadow elves? Humans? This mystery, it calls to me

the trees are mostly deciduous and fill basically all of this whole section of land, up against the mountains and the rivers, so it seems very fertile land indeed

Earthblood elves could live here, but there is no city marked. Maybe because we haven’t gotten that far in the show, or maybe that’s the wrong sort of descriptor for how the Earthbloods live and organize. Maybe the whole forest is their city, like Pando, the interconnected quaking aspen clone forest

The northernmost part of this forest lies right between the Storm Spire and the Tidebound Archipelago, so it might get a regular flyover route for migration or messages

Yes, this forest is the most interesting place in Xadia to me, I desperately want to learn more about it

Black Tundra

Yeah this place isn’t ominous

Similar to the Shiverglades, but where that has shrubbery, the Black Tundra has single dead trees and creepy curving spikes. Scorched? Poisoned? De-magicked?

The water north of this area isn’t frozen, and with a lake to the south and a river and a moderate mountain range, the whole area looks like it would otherwise be decently habitable, but instead it’s cold and black

Is climate change a thing here, or will we get a nice horrible disaster instead?

Tidebound Archipelago

These islands have dotted lines around them, like they’re submerged at high tide, or maybe made of shifting sand that literally moves around like sand dunes across a desert, or perhaps they’re exactly at sea level with half their civilization in the air and half underwater or in cool bubbles, or maybe the islands actually float

Maybe the Tidebound elves even sank them on purpose for defensive purposes

The archipelago is about even latitudinally with the Storm Spire Lux Aurea, Berylgarten, and Eboreus so they probably get pretty nice weather

There’s no ice in sight here in any direction along Xadia’s east coast, so presumably the prevailing current is a warm one

do they have bridges connecting the islands? Ferries, animals who give them a lift across?

the islands have quite a bit of space on them. I wonder if there’s a big population, maybe a shifting population? Do Tidebound elves migrate up and down the coast like gray whales and return to the islands for certain holidays or social events?

This is probably the hub of the Tidebound elves’ culture, but the sea surrounds the whole land and infiltrates it with many rivers and lakes. The Spinning Sea and the Frozen Sea are pretty firm Do Not Enter signposts, but a determined Tidebound could get around either one if they wanted to

What I’m not seeing here is a city. Either it’s not been marked yet, or that’s not a thing that Tidebound elves have in their culture. If they don’t have a city, they’re possibly migratory in family groups, or maybe they stick to small villages like the Moonshadows do, but with even less central leadership

#asks #map of xadia #i love maps okay #xadia #andromeda #rayla #runaan #lujanne #moonshadow elves #moonshadow assassins #tdp angst #angst #through the moon spoilers

27 notes · View notes

seanbeansimp59 · 4 years

Text

Watchdog of the North (Part One)

Hey all! This is my first fic to post here, and I’m really excited to see what you think! Feel free to leave any comments or criticisms you’d like--I’m always happy to listen! I will be posting part two once I’m done writing it (which should be by next weekend at the very most) so stay tuned.

I’ve had this concept floating in my head for a while and I figured I’d write it down for once in my life. It’s the story of a shapeshifter who lives in the woods outside of Winterfell and protects the surrounding countryside. In all honesty, I have yet to watch Game of Thrones, so if some of my knowledge is incorrect, not only is it excusable, it is to be expected. Please go easy on me.

Winter in Northern Westeros was brutal, it always had been. The bitter cold settled deep into brittle bones and encased the lungs of any soul brave enough to step outdoors. Everything was coated in a brilliant white, blinding in the sunlight and gloom alike. Outside was unbearable, indoors wasn’t much better, but the forest? The forest was a death wish, save for one.

The Shifter.

Unlike the villagers, the Shifter lived in the forest. For years it wandered alone, estranged, more of a bedtime story than a living being. Children were told tales of a massive wolf that roamed between the trees, standing over two metres tall at the shoulder with huge yellow eyes and sharp white fangs. This wolf, according to legend, was not actually a wolf at all, rather a man who had been twisted by fate into a ravenous monster. “He still walks among the trees,” parents would warn their wide-eyed charges, waving their hands like wolf paws. “And if you wander off alone in the woods, he’ll snatch you up and scarf you down!” Of course, the story was an effective method of keeping children safely indoors, especially during the brutal winter months, so very few believed the tale of the Shifter in the forest. For years, it remained a legend and the people remained unworried, safe within the walls of Winterfell.

But the Shifter was real, very real indeed. And unbeknownst to the citizens of Winterfell, it did much more than devour children and slink unnoticed through the snowy drifts. It protected. When troubles came from the south, the Shifter slayed the attackers before they reached the village. When a pack of direwolves began to devour the livestock, the Shifter killed their alpha and drove the rest from the region. Time and time again, though the villagers knew it not, the Shifter continued to keep them safe from danger with neither thanks nor acknowledgment to keep it sated. It knew one thing and one thing alone—to protect.

Years passed. New leaders came and went, changing Winterfell for better and for worse. The Shifter never left, never stopped protecting. It stayed among the trees, always watching for any new danger yet never exposing itself, for even in its human form, it was intimidating. It stood at two metres tall with a wild mane of charcoal black hair, its skin viciously scarred from the battles it fought for Winterfell. Memory of the Shifter had all but vanished, and for the moment, it intended to keep things that way. Yes, it would protect, but it would do so from the shadows. That was how it had always been. At the moment, the land resided under the care of the very capable Lord Eddard Stark. He and his wife, Catelyn, had four children whom the citizens loved very dearly—Robb, Sansa, Arya, and Bran, with Catelyn heavily pregnant with a fifth child. Life went on rather the same in Winterfell, full of its comings and goings, sparing no thought for the being lurking in the woods.

One particularly sunny afternoon, the children of the Lord of Winterfell decided to take an outing to the clearing near the village. It wasn’t far from the outskirts of Winterfell, and although the children were all rather young, they were extremely capable of surviving in the cold, as their father had taught them such skills at a young age. Once they’d said goodbye to their father and hugged their smiling mother, they scampered off, bundled up in furs and cloaks, giggling and chattering as the cold air nipped at their reddened noses and cheeks. Into the woods they raced, scooping up handfuls of the freshly fallen powder and making little spheres to sling at each other. Robb, a rambunctious lad of eleven, began pelting his younger siblings with snowballs, causing them to stumble and stagger about, spitting snowflakes to the ground and flailing blindly in irritation. The littlest ones, Bran and Arya who were four and five respectively, decided to join forces with Sansa, their older sister, and collectively they launched an attack that left Robb completely overpowered. His mood soured rapidly as he found himself being mercilessly barraged with snowballs, and he began to lash back in annoyance. Aiming blindly, he flung a snowball directly into Arya’s face, stinging her eyes viciously and making her fall on her backside into a rather large snow drift. Quite suddenly she burst into tears, swiping furiously at her face to get the snow away.

“Oh Arya, come off it,” Robb scoffed lightly. “It’s just a bit of snow, it’ll melt in a moment.”

“That hurt, Robb,” she cried in reply, rubbing her eyes miserably.

Sansa, ever the negotiator, put her hands on her hips and turned to him. “Robb, you ought to apologize. That was awfully mean of you.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” he protested. “I’m not going to apologize for Arya being a big baby!”

There was silence for a second. Then Arya’s lower lip quivered, and she turned swiftly on her heel, storming from the clearing in a huff.

“Arya-” Sansa began, but Robb held his hand up.

“Don’t follow her. She’ll be over it in a minute or two.”

Sansa nodded. After all, Robb was probably right. Arya’s little outbursts didn’t typically last more than a half hour, so she’d be back in a few minutes and they could go back to playing. With that, she began to help her brothers build a snowman, almost completely forgetting about Arya’s anger.

As they resumed their play, a very disgruntled Arya marched through the woods, not going to any particular place or in any particular direction. Rage throbbed in her ears and made her head hurt and she found herself muttering aloud to the silent snow. “Why has Robb got to be so horrible? That really did hurt, and he had no right to bash me in the face like that! It was only a silly game. I hate him.”

The longer she walked, the angrier she became, and the angrier she became, the less she paid attention to where she was going. Lost in her own head, she crashed deeper and deeper into the forest, stomping furiously through the trees, smacking their branches in irritation. After a while, she heaved a deep breath and finally looked up to find herself in a very unfamiliar clearing. Leafless trees stretched menacingly into the sky, their spindly branches scraping in the breeze. All around her, the snow stretched into the distance, the now-setting sun making it glitter and shift with the dying rays. She had no idea how long it had been, but it was getting darker by the minute and she realized just how cold she’d become. A bitter wind began to whip through the trees, biting her cheeks and piercing through her clothes. Shivering, she pulled the furry cloak closer around her and turned back in the direction she’d come. Her angry path through the snow left a clear trail to follow back to the clearing, so with any luck, she’d be back very soon.

Luck, as it seemed, was not on her side.

The trail wound back and forth through the towering trees, seemingly erratic and mindless. Time wore on and Arya found herself becoming desperate and increasingly irritated with herself. The wandering trail was taking too long—the sun was already kissing the edge of the horizon and there was still no sign of the familiar buildings of Winterfell. Even though she was very young, she knew that once the sun went past the horizon, her chances of making it through the bitter winter night were very, very low. She began move faster, hurrying as best she could along the trampled snow. Tears pricked her eyes and she swiped them away in anger, stumbling through the bone-white drifts. Much to her dismay, the increased effort did nothing but exhaust her, and she could only watch in terror as the wind slowly ate away at her previous footsteps. Behind her, the sun dipped lower still and shadows fell long across the land. All alone in the woods, surrounded by nothing but cold unfeeling snow, Arya Stark began to sob.

Back in Winterfell, the village was in an uproar. Eddard and Catelyn had watched three of their four children come racing back into the village square, Sansa and Bran sobbing uncontrollably while Robb’s face was as white as the snow in his hair. In a tiny, halting voice, he explained that Arya had run off into the woods and she hadn’t come back. His body shook like a leaf in a gale, and he couldn’t meet his father’s horrified gaze. Robb knew it was his own fault, that if he had just apologized to Arya none of this would have happened, and he was deeply ashamed.

“We tried to find her,” Sansa wailed, running into Catelyn’s arms. “We tried, Mummy, honest we did!”

“I believe you, dear,” Catelyn murmured, stroking Sansa’s hair. “I believe you. It’s going to be alright.”

Ned was already rushing past the little throng, heading to the stable as quickly as his legs would carry him. He called for the guards in a rough voice, moving to where his horse was tied. He vaguely heard Jory, the captain of his guard, reassuring him, though the words were far away and blurry. Ned’s foot was in the stirrup, his hand gripping the reigns as he swung onto the horse’s back. One thought pushed to the front of everything, one brutally awful reminder that stilled the very blood in his veins. We have to find her before the sun sets, or else….

His mind wouldn’t let him finish.

He dug his heels into the horse’s side, thundering out into the village alongside his guard, sword gleaming at his side, torch burning brightly in the dying light of the sun. His face was grim, his jaw set like stone. “Hold on, little one,” he growled. “I’m coming.”

The sun set like it did every day, unaware of the chaos left in its wake. The moon took its place, though it were nothing more than a silver sliver hanging amidst the sparkling stars. Beneath the pale light, something moved, something massive. The Shifter was awake, prowling about in the powdery snow as it had done every night for the past eighty years. Nothing much moved in the woods these days, it thought to itself as it padded along between the trees. Everything was peaceful and still, save for the occasional travelling wolf pack, and danger hadn’t reared its ugly head for almost five years. Yes, the Shifter mused, nothing much had happened. Everything was good. Everything was quiet.

No sooner had the thought crossed the Shifter’s mind than a sharp shriek split the frigid air like a knife.

The Shifter’s head snapped up, its yellow eyes scanning the snow before it. What was that? it wondered. It was so out of place in the serenity of the snow that for a moment, the Shifter thought it was simply hearing things. Then, again, that same cry rose into the sky, this time more intense and terrified. It sounded like a child. Without another thought, the Shifter broke into a sprint through the trees toward where the shriek had originated.

It wasn’t long before the Shifter found the source of the voice, and when it did, its blood ran cold at the sight. A little girl, no older than five or six years old, was cornered against a huge boulder by a pack of snarling wolves. Her grey eyes were wide with fright, tear tracks running down her reddened cheeks. The largest wolf took a step towards her, saliva dripping from its sharp fangs as it sized up the little girl. She whimpered in fear and cowered away, shielding herself from its gaze.

The Shifter had seen enough.

In a single bound, it threw itself between the wolf and the little girl, spreading its massive paws wide as it faced the leader of the pack. For a moment, nothing happened. The wolf seemed a bit nervous, having never seen something so huge, but the girl whimpered again, and its mind was made up. It gave a sharp snarling bark and lunged at the Shifter, red jaws gaping.

The Shifter met it halfway.

With a visceral tearing sound, the Shifter’s fangs ripped into the wolf’s throat. Red splashed hot against the cold snow and the wolf lay still. Silence covered the clearing for just a second as the wolves hesitated, but the lull was broken as another charged. The Shifter whirled and snapped at the neck. It missed but recovered quickly, grappling with another assailant that attacked its turned back. Another wolf leapt. And another. The Shifter’s teeth ripped into flesh and fur and bone. Howls and yips turned the sky into a symphony. Pain bloomed through the Shifter as fangs sank first into its shoulder, then its belly. Fiery agony pulsed in its veins. It bit down hard and heard a squeal. A wolf fell motionless to the snow and didn’t move again. Scarlet touched the ivory, salty iron tingled in the crisp air. The Shifter’s eyes were blazing, its jaws clamping on exposed fur, and another wolf didn’t stand. Where once were five, only two now stood, tails tucked and ears flat. The Shifter staggered, swayed a bit, but braced itself once more, baring bloodstained teeth at the survivors. Without hesitation, they turned and ran, disappearing into the trees.

The Shifter heaved a broken sigh, its body aching as blood dripped from its wounds onto the snow. Amidst the pain it remembered the frightened girl and turned to where she lay, shivering and shaking. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow, her lips and nose already a shade of blue. The Shifter had seen many lives lost to the brutal cold, and the little girl was already nearing the point of no return. She needed to be warmed, and fast.

Wincing in pain, the Shifter dropped to the ground next to the girl, curling its massive, furry body around her like a living blanket. It pressed its muzzle against her brown hair, breathing gusts of hot air against the trembling form. Within its warmth, the child stirred, and the Shifter sighed in relief. She would be fine, given enough time. However, she would need better care than the Shifter’s rudimentary medicines could provide, and the Shifter knew that she must be returned to Winterfell as soon as possible. At least, assuming she was from Winterfell. Moving a bit, the Shifter scanned her little body, trying to find any indication of where this girl resided. A flash of bronze around her neck caught its eye, and it used its muzzle to coax the little chain from within the folds of her cloak.

The Shifter’s heart skipped a beat—proudly engraved on the pendant’s face was the Stark Crest.

Suddenly anxious, the Shifter’s eyes focused on the little girl. Could she be one of Lord Stark’s children? Was it possible? If his child were missing, Winterfell would be in chaos and gods only knew what frightened villagers would do in such times. A father who had lost his child was more dangerous than any beast, and a father in a position of power whose child had gone missing? The Shifter swallowed thickly. This was much more urgent than it had anticipated. It knew it needed to get the girl back to Winterfell as quickly as possible, likely before the sun rose.

Staggering to its feet, the Shifter looked down at the trembling girl. It could hardly carry her into the village in its jaws in the form of a massive wolf, not with the entire village on edge as it was. No, this journey would require something different, something just a bit less frightening. For the first time in months, the Shifter would have to shift, assuming a human form to deliver this girl to her anxious family. However, it couldn’t keep her warm as a human, not without some form of fur or clothing. Shifting to such a body left it naked, and skin wasn’t near as insulating as fur. The Shifter had clothes, true enough, as well as some pelts and furs, but it would have to take the girl back to its den to retrieve them. Would she make it that far? For that matter, would the Shifter make it that far? Its wounds certainly weren’t minor, and it was bleeding rather badly—could it carry the little girl all the way its den and then through the streets of Winterfell? It honestly wasn’t certain.

But as it debated, the little girl stirred, whimpering a bit as she curled closer in on herself. “Daddy…” The sleepy whisper left her mouth, dreamlike and frightened in her half-conscious state. The Shifter’s heart ached, feeling a rush of warmth and determination flood its tired body. It had protected her this far, it wasn’t about to leave her here to freeze. Stooping down to her stiffly, it opened its jaws and took her clothes between its teeth, lifting her like a mother wolf would lift her pup. Then, letting out a lightly pained growl, it turned and began to plod through the woods, the girl swaying slightly beneath its head as it walked deeper into the forest. The Shifter would protect, as it had always done, no matter the cost.

Back in Winterfell, the house in the center of the village was as silent as a graveyard. Catelyn sat with her children in the great hall, pacing anxiously back and forth in front of the blazing hearth. Robb was gazing blankly at the wall, his mind wandering aimlessly from worst case scenario to worst case scenario. Sansa sat on the floor, holding a trembling Bran in her lap, playing with his curls as he whimpered softly. Night had fallen long ago, and Ned had not yet returned. The cold was seeping through the floorboards as it always did, and with each passing minute the dread sank deeper into their bones.

It’s too cold. The thought gnawed at Catelyn’s mind like frostbite. Worry ate away at her soul, nibbling at her heart and making its home among her insides where it lay, writhing and twisting wickedly. It's too cold for her to be…. She shook her head viciously. No. Such thinking was pointless and only served to further distress her. It would do no good to have such doomsday thoughts, not with her children already being consumed by the same anxiety that plagued her every breath. She was their mother, and as their mother she was to be a stronghold. Not torn asunder by the realization of just how cold it was and just how small Arya was and just how dreadfully unlikely it was that Arya was still…. Alive.

Just then, heavy footsteps sounded through the echoing halls. Catelyn’s head snapped up to see a familiar form moving into the room, shrugging away the snow-speckled furs as he walked. She tried to push aside the realization that his shoulders were slumped in defeat and that each step seemed to drain him more than words could convey, but it was painfully evident. His eyes, so grey and bleary, met hers for just a moment before darting back to the floor. Her Ned had returned empty-handed, and Catelyn felt herself sway.

“Cat….” His voice faltered and he trailed off into silence.

“Daddy,” Bran whispered. “Where’s Arya?”

Catelyn saw his body shake, watched the labored breaths leave his heaving chest. He wet his lips to speak, but no sound left his mouth. The room stayed still as death.

“Children, you need to go to bed,” Catelyn found herself saying, though her voice was far away and foggy. “It is late, and we are all very tired.” Moving slowly, she helped Sansa and Bran to their feet, ruffling their hair. “Go on, dears. We’ll see you in the morning.”

The children, knowing better than to argue with their mother, gathered themselves as best they could and made their way to their rooms. All of them felt a growing sense of gloom and anxiety, but none of them could bring themselves to say so. For now, they could only wait.

Once the children had left, Catelyn turned to Ned, who had fallen into the armchair, his head in his hands as he gazed blankly into the fireplace. “We searched everywhere, Cat,” he mumbled. “We lost her trail on the other side of the old riverbed.” His voice broke and his shoulders began to shake as silent sobs racked his body.

Catelyn moved to his side, placing a slender hand on his arm, kneeling by him, and resting her head against him. She was dreaming, she knew it. She would wake up in a moment, wrapped in his arms and see little Arya running wildly through the great halls, brown hair flying and grey eyes sparkling with laughter. It was all some dreadful nightmare, she told herself. Just a horrible nightmare. But deep down, she knew it was no dream, that somewhere in the woods her little girl was freezing and alone, lips turning blue, fingers turning black, body going still, and heart beating slower and slower until….

A choked sob left her lips despite her best efforts. She tasted blood where she’d bitten her cheek to keep it in, but now the tears were flowing, and she couldn’t stop their onslaught. Ned’s form shifted as he rose to his feet and his arms slowly came up to wrap around her, warm and strong and familiar, only this time he could offer little in lieu of comfort. They stood before the fire, clinging to each other for dear life.

“I tried, Cat,” Ned wept. “I swear I tried.”

“I know,” came her reply, muffled by his shoulder. “I know.”

But trying wasn’t enough and they both knew as much. Ned had tried his best, yet Arya was still lost in the cold. Nothing they could do would save her now; all they could do was wait. And wait they did, wrapped in each other by the roaring fire, praying silently to whatever would listen, a plea from their bleeding hearts rising to the skies like the smoke from the hearth—please bring her home.

The forest was still and silent, snow sparkling cruelly in the soft light of the moon. Crunch, crunch, crunch, broke the trance-like hush as a form made its way slowly through the trees, limping lightly with each step. The Shifter walked upright for once, though it was unused to being on two legs rather than four. Primitive bandages were wrapped around its torso underneath a simple tunic, its breeches were ill-fitting and loose, and its feet were clad in a pair of boots that had been stolen long ago. Despite this, it was kept quite toasty by the layers of furs wrapped around its body, and the little figured clutched against its chest shared in that warmth. Her breathing was even and her body no longer frigid. Rather than passed out with exhaustion, she now was fast asleep in the Shifter’s arms, mumbling slightly as she squirmed. Even though every step brought a fresh wave of pain over the Shifter’s tired form, it knew that this little girl was worth it. The Shifter was first and foremost a protector, and this girl was no different.

In front of the Shifter, the wooden walls of the buildings of Winterfell rose into the sky. The streets were dark and quiet. Not a single soul seemed to be awake, and for once, the Shifter was thankful. Moving through a sleeping village would be much easier than navigating one that was awake and vigilant. Perhaps it could simply drop the little girl off on the doorstep of the great hall and leave before anyone saw it.

The Shifter took a deep breath and began to move through the darkened streets, taking care to step lightly on the firmly packed snow. It was almost too quiet, almost too sleepy. A child of the Lord of Winterfell was missing, and the people slept like logs? The Shifter was starting to feel anxious, unsettled in spite of itself. It was nearing morning, and it needed to hurry, but every step placed it deeper in the heart of the place it had avoided for nearly a century. Closer and closer it moved to the center of the village, seeing the rafters of the great hall peering between the rooftops. Nearly there, it reassured itself. Just a little further and she’ll be safe. It was dimly aware of the pain throbbing in its body and the little scarlet drops that followed its path, but it had come too far to turn back now. The girl was worth every step.

Finally, it came to a halt outside the gate that led to the house of Lord Stark. Timidly, though such a word seemed unfitting for such a massive being, the Shifter stepped into the yard, glancing around to scan for danger. To its surprise, there were no guards at the outposts, no soldiers patrolling the walls. Everything was deathly quiet. Everything was deathly still.

Crunch… crunch… crunch…. The Shifter cursed its heavy feet. The door was still a good hundred meters away, and the Shifter felt its heartbeat speeding up. Body aching, it took another step, and another, inching across the snowy yard to the doorstep where it could leave the girl. Just a little more, it thought, more a prayer than anything. Just a little—

The doors burst open with a bang. Standing in the doorway, eyes blazing in the cold, stood Lord Eddard Stark, his sword drawn and gleaming. “Guards!” he roared, striding quickly towards the Shifter. “At the ready!”

All around the Shifter, men rushed to their posts. Arrows were fitted to bowstrings and swords were drawn with a singing of steel. In less than a minute, the Shifter was cornered in the middle of the yard, staring down a furious Ned, whose blade was fixed at its neck with an alarming ferocity.

“Who are you?” The words were less of a question and more of a command. His voice was hoarse and grating, worn away by hours of tears. Frozen in fear, the Shifter stayed silent, gripping the little girl tightly beneath the furs.

“Who are you?” he barked, more forcefully now. The sword trembled in his grip, pressing into the Shifter’s throat and drawing a drop of crimson from the pale flesh. “What are you doing here?”

Behind him, Lady Catelyn rushed down the steps, hair flying as she rushed towards him. “Ned,” she cried. “What is going on?”

“Stop,” he commanded, turning his head ever so slightly to face her. “Stay where you are.”

She obeyed him instantly, hearing the seriousness in his voice and taking in the scene before her. Confusion and fear made her head spin, and she found herself shaking.

Ned turned back to the Shifter, his voice trembling with rage. “I will ask you once more. Who are you?”

The Shifter didn’t reply directly, only met his gaze with soft yellow eyes. Wincing in pain, it slowly knelt, feeling the point of Ned’s blade digging deeper into its neck. Ned was frozen, watching as this fur-clad figure got to its knees in the snow before him. The bowstrings creaked as the archers aimed, but Ned held his hand aloft and the guard lowered their bows. Slowly, ever so slowly, the Shifter bent to the ground with a hiss of pain, opening its arms and letting something slide to the snow. Swaddled tightly in furs and scraps of cloth, the bundle wriggled a bit and made a soft noise. The Shifter didn’t move, keeping its eyes on Ned as he watched the form in curious dread.

“Daddy?” The tiniest whimper rose from the shape.

For just a moment, no one moved.

“Arya?” Ned’s voice wobbled.

A hand emerged from the furs and Arya’s brown hair peeked through the pelts. Sleepily, she rubbed her eyes and muttered, “Oh there you are, Daddy. I was having the strangest dream.”

Ned let out a cry and dove to the snow, grabbing his daughter in his arms and drawing her to his chest, kissing her hair and her face and weeping in relief. “Arya, oh my Arya,” he sobbed between kisses. “You’re safe now, darling. Daddy’s got you.”

Catelyn was at his side in an instant, dropping to the snow next to him and wrapping her arms around the both of them. Tears ran silver down her cheeks, and she gathered Arya to her once Ned let go, kissing the top of her head and stroking her tangled hair. “Arya,” she murmured over and over between her sobs. “Arya, you’re safe!”

Behind them, the children burst from between the doors, running pell-mell down the stairs to where their parents cradled Arya between them.

“Arya!” Bran whooped, crashing into his father as he raced through the snow. “Sansa, it’s Arya!”

Sansa was there in another second, laughing as she grabbed Arya in a hug. “Oh Arya, don’t run off like that again!” she chided, pinching her cheek lightly.

Robb trailed behind a bit, standing sheepishly next to Ned as though waiting for permission to touch the sister he’d accidentally endangered. Catelyn noticed him shifting from foot to foot and stood, taking his hand, and leading him to Arya who sat between Bran and Sansa. Unable to look at Arya, Robb simply stared at the ground, muttering something about being happy to see her and thankful she was okay.

Arya stood up on shaky legs and moved until she stood in front of him. “Robb,” she said in a very no-nonsense voice, making him look up in surprise. “It’s alright. I forgive you for hitting me in the face with a snowball. Don’t be angry with yourself, it wasn’t your fault.” And with those words, she patted him softly on the hand and turned back to her father.

“Robb, what do you have to say to her?” Catelyn questioned lightly.

There was a moment of silence before Robb burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, Arya,” he cried. “Thank you so much for coming back alive!”

Ned roared in laughter and gathered the two of them in his arms, tousling their hair and grinning from ear to ear. “Ah, if only grown adults could forgive as easily as the two of you, I’d have a lot less work to do.” He let go of them and kissed Arya on the forehead again. “We’d better get you inside, little one.”

“Ned.” Catelyn’s voice was low and sharp.

“What is it?” he asked, turning to face her, instantly recognizing why she’d gotten his attention.

The Shifter hadn’t moved from where it lay slumped in the snow. Its breathing was rapid and shallow, its closed eyelids trembling slightly. Underneath its form, a pool of red was blooming slowly across the stark white, and the acrid tang stung the cold air.

Arya was the first to move, breaking away from her father’s arms and rushing to the Shifter’s side. “Arya,” Ned barked, but she ignored him, dropping to her knees next to the huge form. Her hand reached out, small and white against the blackness of the furs ‘round its body and began to pet the matted black locks on its head. The Shifter started, opening its yellow eyes to see the grey eyes of the little girl looking intently at its wounded body.

“You’re the wolf,” she stated. There was no question, no uncertainty, just a gentle accusation.

The Shifter nodded slowly, wincing in pain.

“You saved my life.”

Again, not a question, so again, the Shifter nodded.

“Now you’re the one who’s hurt.” Arya ran a hand over the Shifter’s forehead, and it chuckled lightly, a sound like thunder boiling in a black storm cloud. “We must help you.”

That caused the Shifter to stop. Help? No one had ever helped the Shifter before, only run in fear from its presence. Breathing deeply, it gathered a voice that had gone unused for almost fifty years and spoke in a rasping growl that made the hairs on Ned’s neck stand straight up.

“There is no need, little one.” It’s voice was deep and rumbling like an earthquake, yet gentle when it spoke to Arya. There was no malice, no anger, only a sort of tender adoration.

Arya’s voice replied, high-pitched and sharp against the mellow nature of the Shifter’s voice. “There is too need,” she retorted. “You’re bleeding out in the middle of the courtyard.”

The Shifter laughed again and made as if to sit up, before letting out a short gasp and falling back. Arya put her little hand on the Shifter’s shoulder and held it down as best she could. “See?” The tone was very reproachful, and she stroked the Shifter’s hair as she continued. “You’re in no position to be going anywhere. That means we have to heal you, right Daddy?”

Ned Stark stood behind her, completely torn. On the one hand, Arya seemed to believe that this massive creature of a man had saved her life and it had, after all, brought Arya to Ned safe and sound. On the other hand, this man was larger than any man Ned had ever seen, standing two meters tall with the muscle structure of a bear. Should it decide to turn on them for any reason at all, Ned was uncertain of how much good he could do. In addition, the beast hadn’t introduced itself and they knew nothing about it save for the fact that it’d stumbled wounded into Winterfell with Arya in its arms. It was a tricky situation and Ned wasn’t entirely certain what to do.

“Well, Arya….” He trailed off, much to his disappointment. He couldn’t find the words to say what he wanted to say, and it seemed wrong to say I have no idea who this is so I’m not comfortable with it, or him, staying in my house, but it was what he would say if it weren’t for politeness’ sake. Instead Ned was staring down this man, this thing, that seemed more animal than human, knowing it, or he, had saved his daughter and was bleeding out in the snow, but Ned felt so uncertain of whether or not it was safe.

Catelyn saw her husband’s internal battle and shook her head, stepping past him to kneel next to Arya. “How badly are you hurt?” she asked the Shifter, extending her hand to sit next to Arya’s upon its mane of snake-like hair. “May I see?”

The Shifter hesitated, then nodded slowly, still anxious as whether or not to trust them. Catelyn’s hands moved slowly to the furs covering its massive body and peeled them back, making a wet sound when they separated. The Shifter growled in its throat, head falling back against the snow, chest heaving violently. Its eyes sparkled wildly with pain, fingernails digging into the calloused flesh on its palms and leaving little crescent moons of blood. Layer by layer, Catelyn’s skilled hands removed its wrappings until at last, the Shifter lay exposed before them, panting, eyes glazed and lips parted, feeling pained, afraid, and vulnerable. Moving to the bottom of the garment, Catelyn gently pulled it up to see the damage that had been done—puncture marks dotted the pale skin, oozing viscous red blood onto the snow. There was a moment of silence as Catelyn took in the scene before her. The blood, the wound, and perhaps most confusing of all, the fact that the body on the ground was undeniably…female.

“The wolves got her, Mummy,” Arya explained. “There were five of them and they were huge, but she jumped in front of them and killed all but two.”

“She?” Ned’s voice was full of shock.

“Yes,” Catelyn replied evenly. “She.”

Ned looked back and forth between his wife, his little girl, and the massive thing, or rather woman strewn on the snow before them, the blood spreading quickly. For a second, he said nothing, then “Can you stand?”

It, she, seemed uncertain. Her eyes were still full of fear, like an animal caught in a trap, but she shrugged her good shoulder and made a move to get up. A sharp hiss left her mouth, but she gritted her teeth and continued to rise as best she could with a body so broken.

“Ned, help her,” Catelyn said, and Ned moved swiftly to the Shifter’s side, wrapping her good arm over his shoulder. “Now, let’s get her inside.”

Slowly they made their way across the yard, up the steps, and through the doors. Arya stayed fixed at her mother’s side and the other children trailed a few steps behind, whispering to each other fervently. Despite the pain and exhaustion evident on the Shifter’s face, they finally made it to one of the guest rooms in the great hall and Ned guided her slowly to the bed.

She hesitated. “I’ll ruin it.”

“I care not,” Ned replied. “Please, lie down. I’ll have my healers tend to your wounds.”

Unwilling to disobey the Lord of Winterfell, she nodded and lied down, making a little pained noise in the back of her throat as she came to rest among the blankets. No sooner had her head hit the pillows than a huge wave of unconsciousness washed over her and bore her into a deep, dreamless sleep. Ned stepped back, watching as her form went limp almost instantly.

“Will she be okay, Daddy?” Arya asked from behind him.

“Yes, little one, I believe she’ll be just fine.” He pulled Arya to his side and ran a hand through her hair. “In fact, I think you could use some similar treatment. Why don’t we get you to bed?”

Too tired to argue the fact that she was not tired in the slightest, a common argument despite the level of exhaustion, Arya simply nodded and leaned her head against Ned’s hip. He chuckled and stooped to pick her up, sighing deeply as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in the crook of his shoulder.

“Daddy?” her little voice whispered next to his ear.

“Yes, little one?”

“I love you.”

Tears filled his eyes, and he took a deep breath. “I love you too, Arya.”

With that, he turned and walked from the room, leaving the Shifter to the skilled hands of his healers. He knew she would be safe given enough time, and unbeknownst to his family, he planned on keeping her in their home until she healed completely. He had no idea who she was or where she came from, but she had saved his Arya and that was enough for him. He had his Arya back, and that was enough. Stroking her hair, he made his way slowly to her bedroom where he gently deposited her on the cushions and furs. She give a little sigh of contentment and curled up almost instantly, snuggling deeper into her bed with a smile. “Good night, little one,” he murmured as he backed from the room. “Thank the gods you’re safe.”

And the Lord of Winterfell shut the door, pressed his back to the wall, and began to weep once more.

14 notes · View notes

william-nylander · 4 years

Note

having a very rough day, do you have anymore top willy moments to gift us?

i am so sorry u are having a rough day pebble. i decided to go a bit rogue with this, in that it is instead a Top Willy Interviews On the Leafs Youtube Page listicle. i hope it makes ur day a teeny bit better.

idk if you’ve ever been to toronto BUT this look is very like. like this willy lives in the junction and hates the “noise” of the downtown and has waited 2 hours in line for bangbang ice cream in august. he likes to smoke weed in trinity bellwoods. he goes to poetry readings on bar roof tops and says shit about how everything north of dupont is “north york”. hes been known to sit at the piano in the common room at university college (uoft) and play scales. he can and has fucked ur boyfriend.

this willyum is your coworker at canadas wonderland one summer. he does not know what hes doing. he is either like :| or like :D depending on the moment. his nose gets sunburnt at the beginning of the summer but only ever in a charming way!!! u never see it peel. he works the stuffed animal stands and cannot understand why his has a line and none of the others do (hint: its bc every1 has a crush on him!!!!). before the park opens he wanders around with one of those velcro monkeys around his neck. he likes the mindbuster the best bc thats MY favourite ride and this is my listicle.

also i miss willys gigantic front teeth gap. he used to have little tombstone teeth. what has he done to them.

hey i love kyle dubas with my whole heart and all but there was something to be said about how when lou made them all be clean shaven and hair short it meant that willys hair was always kinda like a dragon ball z character and also his skin was all fleshy and elastic like a babys arm

speaking of kyle dubas i found this choice shot of willy blinking while kyles prattling on about nothing and like has anything ever been more My Aesthetic

god. has any1 ever been more iconic. this willy lives just north of bloor on dufferin and will tell anyone that the ossington strip is the “most underrated part of the city” (& hes right!!!!). they know his name at sugo. he takes all his out of town friends there and he gets tattoos at ink + water (thats at lansdowne right? now ive confused myself). he goes to the value village there and owns 29 pairs of sunglasses. he has his bed on the floor. he listens to a lot of better oblivion community centre. he long boards. he goes to bulk stores for groceries. he wants to start brewing his own kombucha. actually u know the more i typed this willy might just be me whoops.

this man is my next door neighbour for the summer in cottage country. he has a fishing boat but he doesnt fish because fish suck. i invite him over for bbq and telling stories around the campfire. we drink shitty beer. he is not interesting but he is hot. maybe we make out on the dock. willy looks weirdly good in green.

whenever someone has bracelets on their wrist my mind goes str8 to SUMMER CAMP. willyum is a camp counsellor at a camp maybe on like idk lake erie or some shit. he is a cabin leader and he loves his little sprouts/campers. frederik gauthier is the HEAD LIFEGUARD and willy thinks hes so funny and weird and sweet and cute and he doesnt realize!!! until the end of camp!!! that he has a big crush on freddie goat!!!! its the last night of camp and theres a big campfire and a camp dance and willy asks goat to sneak away with him. they go down to the beach and sit on the picnic table under the lifeguard tent and willy kisses goat and its very romantic.

okay 1) love a man in a puffy coat & 2) there is something about “my father will hear about this” draco malfoy looking like He Was a Diplomats Son mp3 willy that just really gets my goat. he went to a boarding school in the swiss alps and fucked ur girlfriend. he has a closet for his shoes. he dated a member of the swedish royal family for a summer but broke up with him bc he was too clingy.

speaking of that bitch…..here he is again. this is after his tour after high school. he rented out an apartment in lisbon and would smoke cigarettes with beautiful people on the balcony. he spends a month in the south of france turning golden on the rocky beaches and buying dinner every night from the market on his way back to the hotel. this willy takes molly at a gay club in dresden and wakes up in an architect students bed and then he goes to the park to sweat off a hangover and pretend to read nietzsche

this willy is absolutely the rapscallion son of the president. whats that movie with mandy moore (maybe???? oh no wait i just googled it its katie holmes) - that movie with katie holmes where the first daughter like falls in love or whatever?? this is willy. OOH IVE GOT IT. okay so this willy is absolutely a zoey barlett type from the west wing who is very cute and everyone loves him even though he is a spoiled brat sometimes/all the time. ENTER the assistant to the president - zach hyman - in a charlie young role. they fall in love over a pot of chilli. its the most beautiful thing u have ever s33n.

okay so like willy is the new Legal Assistant at the office. kyle is a Partner in Law or whatever tf they’re called. willy and he are Working Late One Night and u know what that means…..they go to rol san bc its open until like 6am and they eat the FUCK out of some dumplings and then kyle drives willy back to his apartment (maybe in this one he lives in a shitty place at yonge & college???? like classic “roommate in the living room” toronto living??) and they KISS in the CAR and its ROMANTIC.

this willyumm is your date for thanksgiving dinner. he comes extremely bundled. my parents live north of toronto so i imagine this willy driving us north for the weekend. his scarf is very evan from skam and its sexi. he does not like the folk playlist that you have put on but its FALL and the TREES and OCTOBER MEANS HOZIER and hes like UGH FINE WHATEVER and is a bit grumpy but then u pass thru the holland marsh and he’s like “hm smells like onions” and its all fine again. his laugh confuses your extended family and he sucks at scrabble and is a pouty bitch about it but its a GOOD TIME.

god THIS WILLYAM is ur older brothers BEST FRIEND and he comes over to play video games ?? i guess ?? i never had a brother but i YEARNED to crush on a brothers best friend. he is very handsome like a lion. maybe you write some weird diary shit about it. every time he comes over ur SO WEIRD and he KNOWS ABOUT UR CRUSH and hes VERY NICE ABOUT IT.

also would a willy listicle be complete without me marvelling over his long straight nose??????????? look how straight it is!!!!!!

this will ham is in ur intro to gender studies class on friday mornings in sid smith. hes in one of ur projects and hes got no fucking clue whats going on. hes on the varsity blues hockey team and he thought that he clicked on “intro to geography”. despite the fact that he has no idea whats happening ever hes enthusiastic about listening. one time u go for coffee at mallo across from where honest eds used to be and he asks u what the male gaze is.

okay. i hope u enjoyed this. it took me awhile and i enjoyed every second of it. to conclude, here is several screen shots from my favourite willy interview:

u ever see a man more beautiful

lil elastic face weirdo

#ask #william nylander #toronto maple leafs #This Is My Magnum Opus #Anonymous

64 notes · View notes

the-rawr-ster · 4 years

Text

I made 2 Naruto OCs

Kaiya Uzumaki

clans: Hyuga, Uzumaki

nature styles: wind, earth and lightning. (dust storms, tornadoes, and other natural disasters)

Kekkei Genkai: Byakugan

other: lowkey has a crush on Yamato, high chakra levels, father is from the branch house of the Hyuga clan,

She was apart of a black ops team

she has a scar across her face where her eyes are (we’ll get to that later)

Her mother is an Uzumaki and is from the Sunagakure Village and her father is a Hyuga from the leaf village. Her parents met during the second great shinobi war. She inherited the lavender eyes and Byakugan from him and her red hair from her mother. Her parents met during the second great shinobi war. At this time it was unheard of and forbidden to marry outside of the Hyuga clan. So, “naturally”, Her parents knew they could not be in the leaf, as it was not safe. After the war, her parents ran to the sand village, living a relatively quiet life. Nobody ever asked questions about her father. Five years after Kaiya was born, the third great shinobi war began. Her mother was sent to the front lines to command ninjas, and your father stayed, never having actually been a ninja in the hidden sand village. The village was infiltrated, a hyuga clan member along with the group, found and slaughtered her father. Kaiya hid in the cabinet until her mother had arrived. Growing up, she came to resent her eyes, believing they were a curse given to her by the Gods. She became a ninja, intent on eventually finding the person that murdered her father, not to seek revenge, but to forgive him. Kaiya rose through the ranks, eventually becoming an anbu black ops agent at the age of 17. When Gaara had lost control at the chunin exams, Kaiya was asked to teach Gaara to control his power, soom becoming the new leader to his team. Kaiya didn’t have many friends, being the ninja that always wore their headband over their eyes, didn’t really keep very many people around. When it came time of the fourth great shinobi war, Kaiya almost refused to participate, she felt violence was unnecessary and wanted no part, but of course, she was a ninja, and could not abandon her duty and comrades. While on a mission preparing for the war, she got a message that her mother fell terribly ill, but she was too far to make it back in time before her mother passed.

Friends: Kenji, Yamato, Kakashi (Maybe), Gaara, Lady chiyo (deceased, friend of mother’s)

Personality: Kaiya is actually really sweet, and funny. She never believed violence should be an answer to everything, avoiding it as much as she could. She does come off as intimidating because of her covering her eyes. She’s a rule follower, and hates when her students go off doing what they were told not to do.

Its a bit messed up but whateves

Kenji Adhuraya

Clan: Adhuraya

Nature types: Fire, Earth, lightening

Kekkei Genkai: Oil release

other: can do transportation jutsu, faster than Minato, Naruto calls him bushiest brow from the sand village, can create a shield and armor made of fire

Heterochromatic (one red, one white, I know it’s different in the picture) , and freckles

previously anbu black ops for the sand

Kenji’s dad does not like Kaiya (or her father) because Papa Hyuga is not from the Sand village (roughly).

Both his parents were sand village shinobi, his father being one of the elder’s. Growing up, Kenji was bullied for having two different colored eye, so he wore an eyepatch (Also because he thought eyepatches were cool, and he looked up to Kaiya). He inherited his heterochromatic eyes from his great grandfather, a great shinobi warrior that commanded 100s of sand ninja during the 2nd and 3rd great shinobi war, Kaiya’s mother being one of them. His older brother died at the age of 15 in the second great shinobi war so he never really knew him. He was the one that got Kaiya help when her father was murdered. He also helped her train when they became ninjas, falling under the same team once they graduated, Kenji being the stronger shinobi. When Kaiya tried to take out her eyes Kenji had come to realize that his eyes were not a bad thing, so he stopped wearing an eyepatch, and embraced his heterochromatic eyes. He understood Kaiya a lot, but did not understand why she never wanted to avenge her father, but after meeting Sasuke for the first time during the war, he finally realizes why. Spoiler alert, Kenji risks his life to save Kaiya during the war and dies (boop, sorry not sorry)

Friends: Literally everyone

Personality: Complains sometimes (actually a lot but don’t tell him that), likes to tell jokes to lighten the mood, likes to read the same novels as Kakashi, energetic (like an older version, and more mature version of Naruto, if that’s what you wanna call him)

But yeah there you go, if you want more OCs drop some ideas below

7 notes · View notes

notapaladin · 4 years

Text

catching fallen feathers

At Jiang Yanli's behest, Nie Huaisang goes to Mo Village to check up on Mo Xuanyu a year after the man's expulsion from Lanling Jin.

He'd expected, at most, to secure a pawn. He leaves with a partner-in-crime (and everything shines just that little bit brighter).

(also on AO3!)

Mo Village isn’t much to write home about. Nie Huaisang wonders if he’d think differently if he was approaching through the front gates (as, undoubtedly, Jiang Yanli had intended when she’d said it’s been a year since Mo Xuanyu was sent home, A-Sang, can you…?) but he doubts it. He remembers Mo Xuanyu’s eyes at each mention of his family, remembers his raw terror of even potentially displeasing Jin Guangyao that hadn’t all been due to his half-brother’s reactions. He thinks the broken-down shack he’s approaching, armed only with medical supplies (A-Li’s idea) and easily-kept food (his cousin Nie Huang’s idea—I can’t imagine they’re feeding him well, Sect Leader, I’ve seen him eat, she’d said--) is a better representation of the family’s heart.

He stands just outside the window, and calls, “Mo Xuanyu?”

Silence. It stretches on for long enough that he begins to think seriously of breaking in, before a rough, sullen voice cracks out, “What do you want?”

Good. He’s alive. Clearly not well—the Mo Xuanyu he’d met a few brief times in Jin robes had been clumsy and easily rattled but an endless font of sunlight given the least kindness—but alive and in condition to speak. He would do. Huaisang pitches his voice lower. “Will you come out? I mean you no harm.”

“...That’s what people say when they do.”

Huaisang winces. Once, he’d come across a group of more senior disciples mocking Xuanyu, plying him with questions and laughing at his enthusiasm when he’d gone on to explain things he’d just learned. It had taken him a long time to realize he wasn’t surrounded by friends. He’s clearly learned it now. Clearing his throat, Huaisang risks further speech. “It’s Sect Leader Nie.”

Mo Xuanyu comes out, and Huaisang tastes bile in the back of his throat.

The boy—a young man really, he supposes, though it’s still strange to think of anyone seven years his junior as approaching adulthood when some days he still feels like a teenager himself—looks terrible. His once-fine hair coils in disarray down his back, unwashed and unbrushed, and his robes are ragged, patched, and too short for him. The cosmetics he’d worn even when the other Jin disciples hurled abuse at him have been applied with a rough hand, making him look even younger and more exhausted than he is. There’s a bruise high on his cheekbone, and his arms bear cuts and bruises of their own. Some of them look self-inflicted.

And he’s staring at Huaisang in unvarnished shock, gray eyes wide. “...It is you.”

Huaisang risks a smile. He hasn’t felt like this since approaching an injured hawk, trying to soothe it enough to heal without being savaged in the process. At least they’ve met. Sure, it was only once or twice, but hopefully Mo Xuanyu will trust him enough to listen—

He staggers back with a wholly undignified yelp when Mo Xuanyu launches himself into his arms. Birdlike and fragile the young man may be (Huaisang can feel his ribs, his collarbones, the rabbit-quick beat of his heart), but Mo Xuanyu is some inches taller than him and actually bothered to train with a sword in the past few years (badly), so it’s not so much a hug as a collision. Sounding half-strangled to his own ears, he chokes out, “Mo-gongzi?!”

Mo Xuanyu all but leaps backwards, falling on his ass in the dirt. He looks terrified, and Huaisang is about to reassure him that he’s fine, just startled, the dust will brush off—and then he starts sobbing. “I’m sorry—Sect Leader, I’m so sorry! I know—you don’t want me to touch you, it’s just that you were nice to me and—”

“It’s alright!” Instinctively Huaisang drops to his knees beside him; part of him wants to put a hand on Xuanyu’s shoulder, a comforting gesture he’s given and received thousands of times, but he’s afraid of causing a further scene. No one can know he’s here; he’s fortunate beyond measure that the shack is so far away from the rest of the compound. He keeps his voice low and soothing, thinking of that injured bird. “It’s alright. I was only surprised. Why don’t we move a little, hm? Sit under that tree just there and have a nice chat. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, I wasn’t sure you’d remember me!”

A wavery attempt at a smile. “You were always kind to me. Not like—the other ones.”

He knows Yanli used to let her unacknowledged bastard half-brother-in-law push her wheeled chair around the gardens. He suspects that probably made the man’s tormentors worse. Brushing off his robes, he rises to his feet. “Come on. I hope you like pork dumplings!”

The shade of the tree is cool, the sun is warm, and it turns out that Mo Xuanyu loves pork dumplings. While he devours them, chasing them down with a flask of tea pressed into his hands, Huaisang takes the time to marshal his thoughts and plan his words. Hesitation will not serve him now; Mo Xuanyu needs firm, clear speech or he’ll fall apart. Finally, when Mo Xuanyu is licking his fingers clean (distracting, if only he didn’t look so much like a starved animal), he speaks. “Can I look at your arms? They look painful.”

Xuanyu freezes. Huaisang thinks he’ll refuse for a moment before his arms are offered, a stiff, jerky motion oozing discomfort. “Here.”

Huaisang is no doctor, but you don’t grow up a member of Qinghe Nie without being able to do basic first aid. He sends a thankful prayer to the heavens that none of the cuts are visibly infected and sets about bandaging them, carefully avoiding the bruises shaped like angry fingers. Mo Xuanyu shakes under his touch, eyes fixed and glazed. It makes something like anger coil through his throat, but he keeps his voice light. Calm. “Does it hurt?”

A mute shake of his head.

He doesn’t want to know. He doesn’t want to know, but he can see Jiang Yanli’s face in his mind, hear her words in his ears. “Did your family do this?”

Mo Xuanyu chokes, tears his hands from Huaisang’s grasp, and buries his face in them. “They—it’s because I’m wrong, they say. A cutsleeve, not right in the head, I shouldn’t be around decent people.”

They locked me away because they think I’m mad.

“When my mother was still—when she was—but she died, because of me, because I’m useless—“

Oh, Huaisang has heard that before. Useless. Pathetic. Weak. You’ll never be a proper cultivator. A-Li gets sympathy—her lack of cultivation is due to her weak heart, beyond her control—but he knows there are those who hate her, too, for daring to have married into the Jin family with barely enough of a golden core to light a talisman. There is no sympathy for those whose use lies outside of their proper place. (He remembers Wei Ying.)

Mo Xuanyu is raking his nails down his face, leaving red welts behind, and Huaisang knows he should speak now. “You’re not useless. Didn’t you get a lot done at Koi Tower?”

“I did, I did, but—” For a moment he convulses, clutching his head. “My brother—Jin Gu—”

My brother. They killed him and they want me to be happy about it. He remembers a choked-off sob into a gold-laced handkerchief, remembers leaning awkwardly over the arm of Yanli’s chair in his own mourning robes to hug her. He remembers Mingjue.

But here and now, Mo Xuanyu looks like he’s shattering at the mere mention of Jin Guangyao, and Huaisang has to deal with it. Calm. Soothing. Frightened bird. He reaches out, carefully putting a hand on Mo Xuanyu’s shoulder to steady him. “Breathe. You don’t…you don’t have to tell me.”

Mo Xuanyu shakes his head; when he rubs his eyes, his makeup smears even more. His voice has the disgusting liquid quality of someone with a nosebleed oozing back down their throat. “Nobody else listens! They don’t listen to me. They think I’m crazy, a lunatic, but—but I’m not, I swear! We studied the works of the Yiling Patriarch, we learned so much, I was—I thought I was doing good…”

There it is. Confirmation of what he suspected, confirmation that his trek out to this disgusting shack in this forsaken town wasn’t for naught. He can use Mo Xuanyu; the young man would probably even thank him. Perhaps his plan could—

He remembers tired eyes, shaking hands. Mo Xuanyu was…strange, but he was—is—my brother-in-law. A-sang, please, if you can…

He remembers the coldness of all that gold, the rot at its core.

And yet, somehow, he hadn’t expected this. He wakes his own qi and prods at the energy coiled around Mo Xuanyu’s core experimentally—yes, that is definitely a curse. The way the man stutters and gasps when he tries to elaborate on his work (still trying to explain, to prove his worth even as he sobs and clutches his temples) gives Huaisang an idea. “Mo-gongzi.”

Mo Xuanyu blinks tearily at him through his fingers and the fall of his hair. “…Sect Leader Nie…?”

He turns his head, studying the veins in a fallen leaf. It’s still a bright green, browning and crumbling only at the edges. “You and—your brother studied the works of the Yiling Patriarch. I imagine you would have done so at his home, yes?”

Nod.

“You must have seen all sorts of rituals.”

Nod. “I—” A swallow. “I copied them all. I memorized them all.”

“Were there…” Now it’s his turn to hesitate, something twisting uncomfortably in his guts. “Ways to bring back the dead? Not fierce corpses, but...”

Another nod, and Mo Xuanyu’s eyes gleam with bitter determination. It’s a look he’s seen in his own mirror. “So many. The Yiling Patriarch—he was a genius, there were so many old spells collected there. Even—the ones that sacrifice the caster, to summon—to summon evil spirits in his own body.”

He could use that. Mo Xuanyu looks halfway there already; in this village, with this family, Huaisang thinks all he’d have to do to have the man summoning the Yiling Patriarch for mass slaughter would be to hand him the knife. But...but. Well.

It feels wrong. He has to force the words out around a sudden lump in his throat. “Wei-xiong can’t be an evil spirit.”

Mo Xuanyu looks baffled. “But…he’s the Yiling Patriarch—wait, you call him Wei-xiong?!” He’s going to have to remember that wide-eyed look of astonishment; it’s adorable.

Gusu floats in his mind’s eye. “We were schoolmates, once. He was—he was kind. He hated injustice and underhandedness.” He would hate me now. “I don’t think the Self-Sacrifice Ritual would even work, and then you’d throw away your life for nothing and Young Madame Jin would be sad.”

“…You know Young Madame Jin?”

For the first time in their conversation, Xuanyu looks happy. It makes him feel even worse, to remember how he’d barely spared a thought for such considerations when planning this visit; things like friendship weren’t allowed to matter in the face of his plans. “…She sent me to find you. To see…to see how you were doing.”

“Well.” There’s a cracked little laugh. “You’ve seen me. Thank you for the food and the bandages, Sect Leader Nie.”

A dismissal. He looks past him, to the shed. “…No. Come with me to Qinghe.”

That’s startled him; his eyes go wide, his lower lip trembles. “I—what—”

Huaisang rises, offering a hand. “Young Madame Jin would have my head if I left you here. And I think we would work much better together in a proper library, don’t you?”

Mo Xuanyu stays where he is, blinking up at him with an expression of such complete confusion it’s honestly heartmelting. “…You want…to work with me...?”

His brother’s screaming, bloodstained face is imprinted onto his eyelids whenever he blinks. He looks down at Mo Xuanyu—ragged, undernourished, filthy—and thinks he hears the creak of a wheeled chair in a sunlit room, sees the flight of unreachable birds. More sins piled at the foot of Jin Guangyao’s throne. “I do.”

“Why?!”

It’s anguished, and he has to squeeze his eyes shut and shove all emotion down, down, past the raging spiral of fury and grief that threatens to drown him when he thinks of it, to say without screaming, “…Your brother killed mine.”

Mo Xuanyu swallows hard. “He told me—I’m crazy. He said—he said nobody would ever believe me.”

It clearly wasn’t a surprise. He knows. Huaisang wonders how he knows, wonders if Jin Guangyao brags, wonders if another one of his brother’s body parts is hidden—no. He has to stay focused. He can break down in private later, once he’s gotten Mo Xuanyu fully on his side. “Do you hate him?”

Fists clench as the young man grits out, “Yes.”

“Do you want him dead?”

Huaisang swears the shadows under their tree get deeper. “Yes—yes, please, I want them all dead!”

It’s too loud, a shriek, and he jolts at the noise and casts a frantic look around. Seeing that nobody’s running towards them—they must be used to screams, he realizes—he hastens to quiet Mo Xuanyu down anyway. “Shh, shh. Quiet, remember?”

“…Okay.” Xuanyu takes a few deep breaths, closing his eyes. When Huaisang risks patting his head, he can feel the tension drain out of him. Xuanyu’s voice is much softer when he murmurs, “I’ll help you with—anything you want.”

It takes a few moments to identify the feeling coursing through him as relief, and a few moments after that for him to lift his hand from Mo Xuanyu’s head and remember he’s supposed to be the calm, soothing, at-least-slightly-dignified sect leader instead of a jellied pile of relieved tension. I have a demonic cultivator. I—no, we have allies to turn to. We can do this. We can bring Wei Wuxian back, kill Jin Guangyao, and avenge my brother. “So you’ll come home with me? To Qinghe?”

Mo Xuanyu’s smile is tremulous and radiant. “I would be honored.”

It is, he thinks, the beginning of something good.

NOTES: JIANG YANLI LIVES BECAUSE I SAID SO. unfortunately, because jgs and jgy are dicks, they use her disabling injury/insistence that wwx is innocent as an excuse to lock her up in a tower with very few visitors. nhs is one of them and they bond over a desire for Murder.

ok so idk if/when i'll ever continue this so CLIFF NOTES for this whole au setting:

--sangyu/wangxian/possibly chengqing endgame!! --several years of experiments, dancing around non-murder-related feelings, and at least one explosion follow mxy being settled into the unclean realm with a LAB and STUFF (nhs spoils him bc mxy's smile is a thing of beauty & maybe...he's soft...) --mxy is still enthusiastic about using the self-sacrifice ritual “i can help both of you!!” “consider: if you do this and wei-xiong finds out i let you, he will kill me” “but–” “AND I’LL BE SAD” “…okay" --nhs supplementing his war fan with a dizi/talisman --the rituals they eventually invent bring wwx back in a body that resembles both his old one and mxy, but since it takes like a year to set up/mxy still wants his family dead from backlash if he fails, he has to move "back home" and it's. bad. for a while. --(wwx: why would you think i'd kill your family for you. mxy: because sect leader nie says you hate injustice? wwx: WE HAVE A DEMON ARM TO DEAL WITH) --(mxy/nhs were not expecting nmj's arm to be quite THAT murderous. it's more docile with nhs around) --the yi city arc goes better bc a) a-qing/songxiao all live and b) mxy and xue yang have a showdown as only ex-coworkers who hate each other can. mxy is a very good demonic cultivator by now --the plot also speeds up a lot bc mxy and nhs TELL PEOPLE THINGS (mostly mxy lbr) --jyl is busted out and eventually strangles jgy with zidian. there is much rejoicing --nhs at some point discovers that the jins seem to be throwing money somewhere odd and finds they've been keeping wen qing alive to do experiments for them. lotus pier is a good, safe place for her to recuperate, right? right --once he gets over the shock of the yiling patriarch having a son, mxy and lsz are fast friends --("what do i do if i have a crush on a boy" "...which boy" "..............jin......ling.........." "YOU HAVE TERRIBLE TASTE" "HE'S YOUR NEPHEW." "THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING THAT.")

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #nie huaisang #mo xuanyu #sangyu #jiang yanli #mdzs au #paladin writes stuff

55 notes · View notes