#is the brawl tag even alive???

[galaxias-scabbard]

I don’t think I’ve really seen anyone talk too much about Subspace Emissary in Brawl much in reference to King Dedede and his role in the whole thing + the scenes that were cut from the final project since they happened prior to the start of the story.

While Subspace isn’t canon (arguably) it is still on a project by Sakurai so that means he was still the one with the say on his characters. It can also be a bit confusing since I know that I only now realized some of this once I started digging deeper despite playing brawl for over 200h when I was younger.

In Subspace Emissary it’s assumed King Dedede is a villain as in his first appearance he does turn Luigi into a statue and then steals Ness and Zelda/Peach from Wario. But it comes to light he became aware of Tabuu’s plan to turn everyone to statues, defected, and thus created the 3 badges that ultimately revived Ness, Luigi, and Kirby who swallowed the one from Peach/Zelda.

So we gather a few things from this.

1. Another credit to his smarts/how he’s good at engineering/inventing because presumably he was the one to be able to figure out how to make the timer badges to revive the fighters after a given time and they did in fact revive the fighters after everyone was seemingly wiped out. He was working alone so it’s not really likely anyone else made them for him or would make them in his likeness.

2. He hesitates but ultimately gave the third badge to the princess rather than himself showing that he’s not always selfish and that he put faith in the other fighters to wake him up after they were revived and realized he was the one to revive them. It shows how he’s grown as a character over the years to put others first and that he isn’t still the selfish King he once was in the early days.

3. Overall just how Dedede is often time presumed to be a villain when he isn’t and his intentions are misunderstood when he tries to do good (also see Kirby’s Adventure and Squeak Squad for him trying to do the right thing and things not going the right way). But he does play a role in saving the day as much as even Kirby. Had he not made those badges everyone would have been done for.

We also get more inclination of his good allegiance as Luigi and Ness both stand up for Dedede against Wario, showing they both have some respect for him in saving him and even the cowardly Luigi (I love him but he is scared of his own shadow) make it clear if Wario starts something with Dedede he starts it with all of them. Also the way he reacts to reuniting with Kirby it’s hard to see how people can say Dedede hates the little guy.

Now to go touch on the cut scene involving him and Meta Knight.

It’s set prior to the events of subspace the player experiences and was cut from the final product. In this King Dedede is part of the reason why the Halberd is under Subspace Army control as at the same time the ship was under attack Dedede sought out Meta Knight. The wiki says this was unintentional so presumably he wasn’t working for the Subspace Army any longer and my theory is that he was actually seeking out Meta Knight because who better to hand a Timer Badge to than someone who you know can kick ass. (although Meta’s wiki says Dedede attacked him so maybe Dedede knew Meta wouldn’t trust him and was like “he’ll thank me later” and went in with intent to defeat Meta and keep him as a trophy instead of a cordial hand off.) Meta Knight having his ship being attacked at the moment likely assumed Dedede was a part of it wether attacked or not probably got in a spat with him which meant he didn’t hear Dedede out, and since he was occupied there instead of defending his ship the Halberd ultimately fell. The two fled separate directions and Dedede had to hatch a new plan and realized time was running out if they now claimed the Halberd which is how he ended up with Luigi and Ness. (King Dedede is about to sign adoption papers for that kid btw)

But just the idea that Dedede purposely sought out Meta Knight to give him a Badge to ensure his safety because he knew Meta Knight was someone who could have his back (and the fact Meta Knight likely threw it in his face a bit given the situation) is just an interesting dynamic.

Also seeing as Dedede made 3 badges and there are only 3 fighters from his universe it’s possible he would have sought out Kirby as well given the time. Again, he does know that both Meta Knight and Kirby can be relied on in a fight so it would make sense they would be the two people he’d want to have with him.

Long story short: Dedede saved the day, doesn’t get the credit he deserves, was likely perceived as a bad guy as usual and that his change of heart was only a late game thing when it wasn’t, and he cares for others which many people gloss over.

[lilac-5ky]

The one where he refuses to shower (Toji xFem!Reader)

A/N: Decided to launch a series of domestic drabbles for Toji and his wife to practice writing smaller fics and fleshing out my headcanons. All parts can be read separately and in random order.

tags: Toji's naked, but it's fluff.

Series Masterlist

“Nononono, mister.” You quickly hog all four corners of the bed like a starfish stretching its limbs. “You’re not getting in bed in these clothes.”

Toji’s knee is balanced on the edge of the covers, his cream-colored pants looking muddier and bloodier than ever. His green eyes are remarkably harsh while he watches you dog-ear the page of your book and toss it on the nightstand, bracing yourself for the grand face-off between you; the man who makes a living out of dirty business and the woman who cleans after his dirty laundry free of charge.

“Why not?” He has the audacity to ask as if the Bigfoot-sized footprints leading to your bedroom’s door were left by a stranger.

“Because you stink.” Your voice sounds cartoonish as you exaggerate the smell by pinching your nose bridge between two fingers. “Go change or shower—even better.”

Seeing that glint of sheer stubbornness flaring in your eyes, Toji knows you won’t give up. He knows that, and he still finds a way to defy you as he sheds his clothes off and hurries in the opposite direction of the bathroom.

“Go away, Stinky-man!” You whine along with the bedsprings, finding yourself trapped underneath this smug boulder of a man. You flap your hands against his biceps to push him off, but it’s pointless. Toji has you right where he wants you, the scent of his 3-day absence rubbing on every cell of your body.

“Y’are the one who told me to get naked.” He argues, nuzzling his face into the dip of your neck. The light stubble on his chin prickles your skin while he peppers you with kisses that feel more like deep inhales.

“Told you to change and—ugh—shower!” Your legs arch only to fall back onto the bedsheets, unable to make a difference in your brawl.

“Can’t do either without getting naked first, dumbass.”

To your annoyance, he has a point there, and the smell, as bad as you claim it was, is mostly reassuring to you, who worries whether he’ll make it back alive every time the door closes.

You flail a bit longer for the sake of keeping up appearances, your smacks lacking the malice of your words, until Toji rolls off your body and pulls you onto his chest. This is much better. At least you can now breathe without feeling like your lungs are going to collapse inside your ribs.

“You also stink now.” He grins victoriously.

Your husband squeezes you tight in his arms, his body wide enough to use as a second bed. You are the one who nuzzles to him this time, comfortably fitting your head below his chin. His grip relaxes. You can leave whenever you want, but you don’t. You don’t want to.

“You’re the worst.” Your voice reflects your pout.

His fingers comb through your hair. “Must have done something good to be with the best.”

“Now undress.”

[s-creations]

Comes in Waves - First Meetings

Entries for the 2024 RadioStatic Week.

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel Rating: Teen and Up Audience Relationship: Alastor/Vox Additional Tags: Cursing, Angst, Fluff and Angst, I'll try and write a good mix of both happy and sad, They're both idiots when it comes to love.

No one properly ‘greeted’ you in Hell. 

Which made sense. This place was filled with mortals turned demons who were the worst that Earth had to offer. They only cared about themselves when they were alive and were now trapped in a place that made it clear that weakness got you killed. Still, maybe some humanity could have been saved. In at least one person. 

Too bad for him, he found a group of sinners who didn’t care that he was new. 

“You drew a bad lot of luck,” the ring leader laughed out, “Not only a sinner, but a sinner with a TV for a head? God must’ve really hated you.”

His attempt to argue, to put up a fight, was quickly diminished when a strike hit the side of his new head. The large, cumbersome head already makes it hard to balance. But the unforeseen blow made him collapse onto the ground. Both from losing his stability and from the pain he was in. His vision filled with static as he attempted to face his attackers once more. 

He leaned against the wall as he was closed in on. Unable to get back up between the new pain and the cold sickness seeping into him. 

Was he going to die, again? So soon after arriving to this place? Wasn’t that a little unfair? 

Well…it was Hell. 

Before the leader’s hit could land, all froze in disbelief as a black…tentacle (What?) suddenly burst through his chest. Yellow eyes widening in shock before any form of life is drained from them. Said tentacle apparently wasn’t done as it lifted the unmoving form up and threw it.

He watched with some small satisfaction as the body arched high into the air before landing on the ground with a satisfying ‘splat’. 

Said tentacle retreated back to the new addition, who was standing at the entrance of the alleyway. He was unable to make out any details, just that their eyes were red dials. And that they were clearly upset.

“Oh fuck,” another sinner spat out fearfully, “Oh fuck!”

“I’m a little hurt by this.” The new arrival spoke slowly, calmly, with a strange radio filter being applied to it. As they stepped into the alleyway, those remaining pressed themselves against the wall he was currently leaning on. Trying to put as much distance between them and the new arrival. 

Some even tried to climb the wall. He could hear furious scratches as claws dug into the stone wall. 

“I’ve been practically begging to have another brawl with you lot. Giving you enough dates and times for us to all play again. Yet you decide to pick on a newly arrived sinner? I know we’re in Hell, b̳̿͟͞u̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞ t̳̿͟͞h̳̿͟͞a̳̿͟͞t̳̿͟͞’s̳̿͟͞ a̳̿͟͞ l̳̿͟͞o̳̿͟͞w̳̿͟͞ b̳̿͟͞l̳̿͟͞o̳̿͟͞w̳̿͟͞.”

He feels that he should be terrified. Terrified by the fact that he’d just seen someone easily kabobbed and tossed aside like nothing. Terrified that those around him who were mere seconds ago beating him up were now begging for their lives, to be let go. Terrified as the form stalking closer began to grow. Began to stretch and tower over them, with wide antlers on their head and mouth glowing an unnatural green, showing off a wide smile of sharp, yellow teeth. 

Yet he felt…amazed, in awe, and the figure before him. Because, somehow, he knew he wasn’t in danger. And that he could take this moment in for what it was, to enjoy it. 

In a blink of an eye, the rest of the gang that had harmed him were torn to shreds. The building walls painted with blood spatters and limbs littered the ground. Still, his attention remind on the sinner who’d saved him. 

Their form had shrunk back down, allowing him to get a better look at the other’s appearance. Dressed in red and black, a tattered but still styled overcoat, carrying a staff with a microphone atop of it, a monocle placed before one of the deep red eyes, hair turning into deer like ears with small antlers resting between them. 

His savior was a little easy on the eyes.

He couldn’t help but flinch as a hand was brought out for him to take. Eyes flickering between said hand and the rest of the demon attached to it.

“Come now, I don’t bite. Well, I do, but not on first encounters.” The other demon said, their smile never dropping. 

He took it cautiously and was helped back up. Wavering slightly as he tried to get back onto his feet. 

“Whoa there! A little unstable are we? Hmm, but not just from being new… That’s a rather grizzly dent right there.” 

“H-H-Hit m-me.” Was the helpful reply. 

“Ah, so you can talk! Good to know! The wound’s not too deep, you should heal up in no time. Let’s get out of this area, shall we? I’ve had my fun and I’m growing a little bored. Come along.” 

He really didn’t have that much of a choice seeing as he needed to be guided out of that area, his vision still a little blurred. So he followed, being led around the numerous body parts. Attention going as best it could to the unmoving form of the previous leader. 

“Would you believe that he had the audacity to try and challenge me?” the other said, “Me? Of all people. Well, I’m nothing if not gentlemanly, a good sport if you will. Gave him plenty of opportunity, but he never took the bite. And then I find him beating you down? The nerve.” 

“U-Um, y-y-yeah…” What was happening? 

The sinner frowned softly, “That…voice is getting rather annoying. Can you fix that?”

“I-I mean, I-I’m no-ot s-sur-re?” 

“Hmm, must be from that hit… How annoying. I’d best be off. I would advise to not find yourself stuck in that situation again. Remember, only the strong survive here!” The sinner laughed as if he’d just told a joke, already walking away from him. 

Desperately, he called out, “W-Wai-it!”

The sinner paused in their steps and faced him once more, “Yes?”

“...W-What’s y-you-ur name?”

“How rude of me! I murder in front of you yet don’t even share my name,” providing a low bow, they answered with, “You may call me Alaster, the Radio Demon. And it would be in your best interest to remember it.”

“A-Ala-astor…”

“And what of you?”

“M-Me?”

“What’s your name?”

He…couldn’t remember. He had a name, when he was on Earth, he was sure of it. But arriving in Hell, the mix of emotions and information beating him down, he seemed to have…forgotten. He provided a small shrug to the other. 

While the smile didn’t disappear, it did drop as Alastor’s eyes furrowed. “You don’t remember? Not even the name you had when you were alive?”

He shakes his head. 

“Well, that certainly won’t do… Maybe base it around the visual box that you now have for a head? That would be interesting?” 

“V-Visual b-b-box? Yo-ou mean the T-TV?”

“TV?”

“T-T-Telev-vision.”

“Hmmm, oh yes, the noisy picture box people have been ranting and raving about recently. Personally, I find them a bit annoying. Why leave it up to a machine to tell you what you should be seeing when you can picture it in your mind? Ah, but that’s for me to fester over. Coming back to you… I would like to help you before I depart. I hate leaving unfinished business.”

He frowned softly. What had Alastor called it at first? A visual box? He supposed that wasn’t too far off from what it is. Even had a nice ring to it. If he maybe…combined them? 

“V-Vox.”

“What was that good sir?” Alastor leaned forward on his staff, ears perking up. 

He felt a little heated with on intently he was being stared at and stated again, “Vox.”

 “Vox? Vox… Hmmm, I’ve heard worse. But, if you like it, who am I to argue?” With a twirl of the cane, Alastor turned his back to the new named Vox once more. “I hate to name and dash but I do have other priorities to attend to. Murder to take part in and what not. I would recommend finding your way to Cannibal Town. You can’t miss it, just take a right on the first street and you’ll be within spitting distance. Tell them that Alastor sent you and that you need to see Rosie, she’ll fix you right up. But tell them quickly so you don’t get too many bites.” 

“And remember what I said, only the strong survive!” 

With that, Alastor took off. Not looking back to see if Vox had moved, collapsed, or was even being attacked again. The other sinner had disappeared before Vox started to move. His mind swam as he focused on remaining upright and keeping hold of Alastor’s words. 

Only the strong survive.

He took that to heart. 

Vox learned quickly what it meant to be down in Hell. What highs and lows it offered. Finding his first leg up was in realizing that, while this form was cumbersome, it was invaluable. Because he knew and understood things far clearer than ever before. 

Electronics were simple, they bent to his whim with just the flick of his wrist. He could just think of something and it would suddenly be in his hands. He could defend himself not only with the weapons he created but with the electricity that surged through him. He was stronger, far stronger than he thought he could be. And that was just the first few years of being in Hell.

As time went on, Vox grew in strength and territory. He brought Hell into the next wave of technological advancements. He built a name for himself by providing services that no one had been able to offer before. There was even the surprise that he could make contracts, own people’s souls and lives to have them work for him, and that added to his ever growing power. He became an Overlord.

All the while, as his empire grew, so did his interest in Alastor. The Radio Demon. The sinner who appeared out of nowhere one day. Who seemed to, overnight, climb the ranks to an Overlord while others disappeared. Far faster than anyone before him and currently anyone after. One who held few contracts and worked in the shadows. Everyone seemed to know better than to cross his path, lest they wanted an early death. 

For how terrifying everyone made Alastor to be, Vox…felt differently. 

At first, it was fascination. Why was it that he was spared a death when it seemed that Alastor had no issues with killing off lesser beings? Surely with how he’s been discussed, the Radio Demon’s interest should be in killing, maiming. Not saving new arrivals that are less than the blood stains on his shoes. So why spare Vox? Was Alastor maybe not as heartless as others said? 

Fascination turned to adoration. A small spark of something would hit Vox’s heart whenever he heard the other demon’s name. He, rather shamefully, kept record of every movement that could be saved. Articles about the Radio Demon’s actions and kills, what new territories he’d toppled or even just small points such as where he was most frequently seen when not killing. He listened every Thursday, 7pm sharp, to listen to Alastor’s radio show. Even going so far as to buy an old fashioned radio to listen in properly. 

It wasn’t love…but it was the closest that Vox could land on for what this feeling was. 

They’d never crossed paths after that first meeting. Vox was pretty sure that Alaster had no clue who he was. That he’d just become another face in the sea of sinners that the Radio Demon had no interest in. But there was a small part that Vox clings onto that, maybe, he had made an impact in some way? 

He just can’t help but focus on the fact that he’d been spared. That had to have meant something…right? 

Right?

Vox came across Alastor’s path once more, years later. 

It was on the more quiet side of Hell. Mainly an area that had been practically demolished due to turf wars and no one had bothered to clean it up. Vox was there to survey. He needed a new tower constructed and the city was limited on space as is. The area wasn’t too bad. Messy, sure, but he’d honestly dealt with worse.

He’d been so focused on visualizing the setup that he was unaware of footsteps drawing closer. Only pulled from his thoughts when a familiar voice called out.

“Rather depressing place to find one as bright as you.”

Vox did everything he could to not jump. He didn’t want to offer the satisfaction that he’d not noticed the other. But he didn’t hide the smile as he faced Alastor, said demon walking until he was right next to the Media Overlord. 

“I don’t make it a habit,” Vox replied smoothly, “Just doing some surveying. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of claiming this place?”

Alastor laughed, a familiar track mimicking his sounds. “Oh heavens, no! This place is just quiet. A nice area to collect my thoughts, nothing more. I’m to assume, though, that it won’t be quiet for too long. If you’re here, that means you’re looking to expand.”

“Hey, everyone in Hell should have a convenient way to purchase my products,” Vox said with a smirk, “I’d rather they spend money on me instead on bus fare.” 

“Ha, how charming how your mind works.” Alastor finally looked away from the piles of rubble to Vox, who felt his insides burn from the words and attention. “You’re looking much better than the last time we crossed paths. Although your head is different…slimmer? Goodness, I didn’t think you could alter your appearance that severely.” 

“Neither did I. But trial and error is a great thing.” 

“So it is…”

“...Wait, so you remember me.” Vox added weakly as if just realizing what Alastor had said. 

“Of course I do! Not a name one could easily forget. As well as you’re the only demon I semi-know that has a mechanical box for a head. You are unique Vox.”

“I- thank you.”

“Think nothing of it.”

They fell silent, staring out across the destroyed plain, the noises of the city providing some distraction as they stood there. 

Vox, gathering his nerves, broke the silence. “I’ve been actually hoping to see you again. Since I don’t really see you at the Overlord meetings.”

“Hmmm, I should be going to those, shouldn’t I? Nevermind, what is it that you want to discuss?”

Heart beating furiously, Vox shifted to stand in more of Alastor’s vision. The Radio Demon raising a brow.

“Given the fact that we own and oversee two major forms of entertainment, video and radio, I thought it would be best to…to partner up.”

The brow raised further. “Partner…up?”

“Yes, now, look, I know Overlords don’t really team up or anything like that. Nothing permanent anyway. But I think for us, it makes sense! You have the know how with all of Hell and people already know your name far and wide. I would help command the other side. So many sinners watch TV now, it’s insane! I’m more than capable of doing some heavy lifting. We would…just compliment each other, you know? We’d be an awesome powerhouse!”

“Hmmm…”

“Yeah! So…what do you say?” Vox held out a hand, beaming at Alastor, “Partners?”

As time ticked on, Vox’s optimism faltered. His hand eventually lowers as he waits for Alastor to say something. Anything. Even if it was just to tell him no and move on. But the tight smile that was affixed to his face seemed strained, painful, unwanted. 

Eventually, Alastor reached out with his staff to fully push Vox’s hand down to his side. 

“...No?” Vox weakly voiced.

“I’m sure in your mind, it makes sense,” Alastor finally voiced, “Nothing you said was wrong. But…this is not something that would benefit either of us.”

“I- that’s not true.” Vox frowned. 

“Really? What would I gain from this?”

“I mean…power- more power.”

“I’m quite content with where I am now. I have enough power to keep any enemies at bay and if I wanted to rise in the ranks, I easily could. There’s nothing you can offer that I would need.” 

Vox felt a stab to his heart. “I…you must want something?”

“No, there isn’t. And furthermore, what would you get out of this deal? You’ve already made a name. You have a business that’s thriving and money pouring in to where I don’t see your account drying up any time soon. I can’t give you anything that you wouldn't be able to find on your own. So, I will ask, what would you get out of this?”

You.

“I…I don’t know.” Vox swallowed weakly, trying to push the pain down. 

“I understand the appeal. But this is not something that would work. For either of us. Maybe another Overlord would be better for you, to suit your needs. But that Overlord isn’t me and it will never be me. I…would let this go, Vox. For your own good.”

“You’re…not even going to consider it? Just a little bit?” Vox asked weakly, stepping forward. Only to freeze as Alastor stepped away. 

“I have, and I’ve reached my conclusion, which is no. You’re doing well for yourself Vox. Don’t let this dissuade you.”

Voice caught in his throat, Vox could only watch as Alastor gave him a short nod, turn, and started making his way back to the city. The Radio Demon was only a few feet away when Vox called out one final word.

“Why!”

Alastor paused at that, turning back to face Vox. The Media Overlord hit with a nostalgia note from that one movement. “I’ve explained to you-”

“Why did you save me?” Vox called back, “I was…nothing and you saved me, spared me, told me where I could get help. Why…would you do that? Why me?”

Alastor shrugged, “Why not you?”

“Why not now then?”

“...Because you don’t need me now.” 

Vox was unsure how long he remained in that desolate area, but night had fallen when he finally started to walk back to his main tower. Sadness, the bitter taste, was slowly replaced with anger, sour and curdling in his stomach. He didn’t care how the lights popped out as he passed them. Lesser demons made a clear path for him as he made his way. 

He only let out a cry of absolute anger when he was safely locked away in his own office. The walls and floor left with electrical burns from the aftermath.

“Fine…” Vox muttered as the office lights slowly came back on, “Fine, you want to play it that way? So be it. I’ll…I’ll show you that you need me.” 

Smirking, he made his way to the large computer. Clawing at his desk as he waited for it to power on. 

“I’ll become a stronger Overlord. I’ll make you regret that you said no to me…”

[itsjustafia]

If Ever I Was Running, It Was Towards You

Summary: Dick and Kory get a chance to talk when they find themselves back at Elko's.

Word Count: 4.9k

A/N: Felt like writing some dickkory angst + fluff. Takes place post 4x06. Also this is canon divergent. The Titans don't get blipped away after the fight in the temple...and Jinx lives (but that's not important).

Tags: @escapism-through-imagination @ambelle @meetmeunderthestarrynight @ambeauty @d-grayson58

This has been the longest day of his life. Prior to today, he would have said it was the day his parents died. The three minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive to the scene felt like hours had passed by alone. And everything else that happened after that felt like time was just standing still, prolonging the hurt he felt in his heart. Despite all of that, today is still the longest day of Dick’s life.

What started out as a small field trip to the asylum quickly turned into a brawl with zombies, Conner getting cursed, Gar risking his life by transforming into a virus, Rachel getting her powers back, and Kory being upset with him. To top it all off, the blood ritual was successful and now Sebastian is ready to bring on the end of the world.

But they all escaped the temple alive, thankfully. With Rachel’s powers back, she was able to heal Jinx and save her life. And Conner was only knocked out by a light spell as opposed to a curse this time. The both of them are currently recuperating in the med may. Dick uses that small positive as fuel to keep going. Because even with everything that’s already happened today, their true fight is only really beginning right now. And losing isn’t an option.

As Dick makes his way to the conference room he texts the rest of the team, telling them to meet him there. They need a plan and fast. There’s no telling what Mother Mayhem has in store next and he really doesn’t want to find out. But even with this threatening force looming over the world, his mind still drifts to Kory and the conversation (or disagreement) they had earlier.

He can still picture the disappointed look on her face right before she walked away from him. His chest feels tight just thinking about it. Hurting Kory’s feelings was never, and will never be, his intention. If he had known she was going to bring up the vision of the little girl he would’ve handled the situation with more tact. But alas, he ended up with his foot in his mouth instead. When things get better and they can all finally catch their breath, making things right with Kory will be his first priority.

Right now, though, Dick has a planet to save. When he enters the conference room, he can see that his family looks exactly how he feels – exhausted and a little defeated. Rachel and Gar are quietly sitting in a corner together, trying to get a bit of rest. While Tim and Bernard are at the opposite end of the room looking at something on an iPad. Everyone is accounted for except for Kory. The lack of her presence instantly fills Dick with worry. He knows they aren’t really on speaking terms right now but she wouldn’t ignore his text and skip a briefing. Especially with the situation they’re in. And he also doesn’t remember Kory having any injuries from their fight in the temple that she’d need to take care of first. So, where could she be?

“Any of you seen Kory?” Dick asks, looking at his teammates.

“We thought she was with you,” Gar answers.

Clearly, they don’t know why that’d be unlikely right now.

“No. Last time I saw her was when we got back. I sent the text in the group chat, so she should’ve gotten it like the rest of you.”

“I’ll check the cams to see if she’s on her way,” Bernard offers.

“You could always call her. Maybe she just didn’t get it,” Rachel suggests.

That option did cross his mind already. He’d like to make the call. It’s just that if he did, there’s a high probability of Kory ignoring it which wouldn’t solve their current dilemma.

“Can you do it?”

Rachel observes him then. And Dick can tell that she’s using her newly restored empath powers to try and read him. “Hey, did something happen?”

He’s spared an awkward explanation when Tim speaks up. “Hey, Rach? Did Kory park her car in the garage when you guys got back earlier?”

“Yea, she parked right next to the Porsche,” Rachel responds.

“Well, it’s gone.”

Dick’s legs immediately start moving, and he makes his way over to where Tim and Bernard are looking at the cams in about 4 brisk strides. Looking at the screen he confirms that Kory’s Oldsmobile is in fact missing from its parking spot.

“Her phone went straight to voicemail when I called. She turned it off,” Gar adds.

The hairs on the back of Dick’s neck instantly shoot up, and the headache that’s been assaulting his skull for the past hour only gets more intense. Where could she have gone? Why did she leave in the first place? Dick knows all too well about going off alone and taking matters into his own hands. It has never yielded good results. He hopes this isn’t what that is. He knows Kory’s been worried about this prophecy with the number of times she’s brought it up to him. And he knows he’s been difficult about listening. It’s just that he’s scared of what it all means. What he’ll lose if it comes true…

Dick pushes his spiraling train of thought to the back of his mind and pulls out his phone. He runs Kory’s license plate number into one of Bruce’s tracking software he has installed. Not even 10 seconds later and he’s found her.

“Looks like she’s heading midtown,” Dick announces, his voice laced with confusion.

Rachel quickly stands up from her seat then. “I think I know where she’s going.”

“Where?” Gar asks, standing up too.

“Elko’s.”

“Why would she go back there?” Dick asks.

“Before we were attacked by Mother Mayhem, Kory spoke to her mentor. A woman from Tamaran named Zadira. She wanted Kory to kill Sebastian. But Kory refused, obviously. She’s probably going back there to talk to her again.”

“So, is Kory safe with this woman? Should we be worried?” Because that’s all that matters to him.

“Well…yes and no…she did try to kill me but--” And that’s all Dick needs to hear before he’s bolting towards the door.

“Dick wait! What about us?” Tim asks.

"You’re staying here.”

"But if this woman’s dangerous, you’ll need backup, right?”

Dick understands how badly Tim wants to be a part of the action, to feel useful. But this simply isn’t the time.

“Dick will be fine on his own. Zadira is annoying as hell, but I don’t think she’s really an enemy. Especially if Kory is trusting her,” Rachel interjects. She can sense that Dick needs this time alone.

“We’ll hold down the fort while you’re gone,” Gar adds, an assuring smile on his face.

Dick nods to the both of them, a silent thank you for understanding. He directs his attention back to Tim. “I won’t be long. Once Kory and I are back we’ll figure things out. Get some rest in the meantime.”

And then he’s out the door.

*☆*☆*

As she drives down the empty streets of Metropolis, she can’t help but glance up at the moon at every stop sign and stop light. The crimson sphere reminding her of how she messed up. How she missed her opportunity to stop all of this. Now guilt and fear gnaw at her conscience as she heads to the only place she can think of to get help.

Kory wonders how everything went so wrong so fast. Just a few days ago she was expressing how free she felt. How the burden she’d been carrying her entire life was finally lifted and she was looking forward to finally experiencing life her own way. But now she’s right back where she started. Bounded by destiny. All she wanted was a chance at freedom. Was that really too much to ask?

Even though she still feels hurt from their prior interaction, Kory wishes Dick were sitting beside her right now. Ever since Gotham, they’d become really good at confiding in and leaning on each other during these uncertain times. If he were here, he’d probably tell her that everything would be okay and they’d get through this. And she’d probably try to lighten the mood with a witty remark. The both of them feeling calmer afterwards. She yearns for that feeling at this moment.

But after what happened earlier, a part of her questions if they’ve actually made any progress when it comes to communicating at all. Sure, they could confide in each other when it came to their feelings about smaller issues. But what about the heavy, emotional stuff? Dick withheld such a huge secret from her. Something that pertains to the both of them and their futures. He said he didn’t know why he didn’t tell her, yet she could barely keep up with the ever-changing emotions on his face before he settled on that answer. He was once again holding back and she hated it.

Kory pushes all thoughts of the matter to the backburner when she turns into the parking lot at Elko’s. It’s closed this time around. All signs of life gone and everything dark, save for the establishment’s large illuminated logo.

She decides to use the back entrance for a more discreet break in. Thankfully, there’s only one security camera that’s facing the alley way rather than the door directly. And with the large hood of her cloak, she’ll be unidentifiable. When she reaches the door, she channels her blue energy to the fingertips of her right hand and places it on the security alarm. It deactivates immediately and she quietly makes her way to her destination.

The jukebox remains in its usual spot, only this time it’s turned off. Kory ignites her finger tips a second time, forming a pseudo flashlight to locate the plug. Once plugged back in, the box shines its usual array of colors. She says a quick small prayer to X’hal and then punches in her birth year, hoping that the one person she came to see will actually be here.

After a moment, she lowers her hood and turns to see Zadira sitting at the bar, pouring some sugar into her cup of coffee. Kory takes a deep breath readying herself for what she expects to be a long, and somewhat annoying, conversation.

“Zadira.”

“Koriand’r.”

“I’m going to assume you know what’s happened, so if we could skip to the part where you tell me how to fix this, it’d be much appreciated.”

“Is this how they apologize here on Earth?”

Yep, this was going to be annoying. But if she has to suck up for a little while to get what she wants then so be it. Luckily, having grown up as a royal and dealing with the politics of it all, she was used to playing this game.

Kory slowly approaches her mentor, a bit of reluctance in every step. Once she’s standing right in front of her, she places her right hand over her heart and bows her head.

“I apologize, Zadira. You were right about Sebastian and I was wrong to call you a liar. Please forgive me,” she offers in the sincerest voice.

Zadira sips her coffee and dramatically takes a moment to savor its warmth and taste; and it takes everything in Kory not to sigh and roll her eyes. Her mentor finally turns and stands, mimicking Kory’s stance.

“Apology accepted.”

“Thank you. Now, I really do need your help. My powers… how can I get strong enough to--”

“At this moment, I cannot help you.”

Kory stands up straight, her perfectly arched brows furrowing. “What? Why?”

“Your heart is troubled,” Zadira states matter-of-factly, also returning to a neutral stance.

“Well, the guy that I was trying to protect gave into his dark side thanks to his evil mother, and now the end of the world is pretty much imminent. So, yea, I’m not in the best mood,” Kory says, her patience already starting to wear.

“No, it’s not that. It’s something else. Or, rather, someone else.”

Kory’s face remains stern, avoiding giving Zadira any confirmation to her words. She had done enough meddling in Kory’s love life for one day, and engaging in another conversation about it was definitely out of the question.

“Remember your training, Koriand’r. Entering into battle with a clouded mind guarantees defeat,” Zadira continues.

“Are you going to help me or not?”

“I will… once you’ve resolved your issue.”

“I don’t have an issue!” Kory exclaims, her nice-guy act finally crumbling.

“Koriand’r, you cannot lie to me. I know you too well.”

“Look even if I had something to resolve, which I don’t, that’s not possible right now so--”

“Are you sure?”

Zadira turns her attention to the jukebox at the back of the room. Kory gives her mentor a quizzical look. But suddenly, a bright light shines from behind her and she looks back to see her “issue” manifested before her.

“Dick?” she asks incredulously.

“Kory. Are you ok?”

For a second, Kory wonders if she's dreaming. But then she quickly remembers the day she’s had so far; which has included encountering zombies, being ambushed by a literal witch, and seeing her daughter who has yet to be born. So, Dick’s presence here now really isn’t astonishing.

“How did you find me?”

“Well, Rachel said you might be here. And GPS confirmed that. Then some numbers on that jukebox started glowing, I pressed them and now I’m here,” Dick explains as he looks around, taking in the space.

She makes a mental note to have a talk with Rachel about the importance of confidentiality after this is all over with.

“Well, you can go. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Kory, we’re a team. Of course this concerns me. Plus, you almost got killed the last time you were here. So, whatever this is. Whatever you came here for, please let me help you.”

“The song said this was my fight. And I let Sebastian get away so I have to fix it.”

She knows she made the right decision not to kill Sebastian, and she’d make it again if given the chance. But she still couldn’t keep him safe. They were all counting on her and she failed. That’s what was eating her up.

“Kory, that wasn’t your fault.”

“I don’t expect you to understand, Dick. After all, prophecies aren’t your thing.”

Kory turns her attention back to Zadira, ignoring the slightly hurt look on Dick’s face.

“Look we don’t have a lot of time. The ritual is complete and we don’t know what that woman’s next move is. So please, tell me how I can stop the end of the world,” she pleads.

Her mentor simply places her hands behind her back. Which, through the decades of knowing and training with her, Kory knows to mean she’s not budging.

Kory lets out a frustrated sigh. Her tolerance level has finally reached zero.

“I’m so tired of people withholding things from me. I’m done! When you’re ready to stop this game of yours, let me know. Until then I’ll be in the kitchen.”

With that, she storms off leaving Dick and Zadira in the dining area together. Silence fills the room and Dick merely scratches the back of his neck, trying to figure out what to make of his current situation.

“A stubborn one, isn’t she? Likely one of the reasons you fancy her?”

Dick quickly looks up at her, taken aback by her words. He opens his mouth to respond but the Tamaranean interjects before he can.

“I will be back when you’ve made your peace,” Zadira says.

She swipes her hand in a circular motion, disappearing in a cloud of fire. And then he’s alone. He can hear Kory slamming cupboard doors, and moving dishes and cutlery around in the kitchen.

Dick drags his hand over his face, once again feeling the stress of the day. But he is grateful for a chance to fix things with Kory, one he otherwise wouldn’t have gotten so soon if they weren’t here now. Coincidentally, on the drive to the diner, he thought about some things he’d like to say to her when he had a moment to apologize. He takes a deep breath before he begins, hoping he says the right thing this time.

“Look, Kory I’m sorry about how I've been acting today. And for what I said about visions and destiny. I know how much that stuff means to you and how strongly you believe in them. So, I’m sorry for making you feel like what you believe in doesn’t matter. Because it does. Especially to me.”

The commotion coming from the kitchen lessens. She’s listening. So, he presses on.

“And I’m also sorry for not telling you about my own vision. It was a lot to take in at the time, along with the other stuff I saw in the pit. Plus, we were still trying to defeat Crane and save Gotham. The timing just wasn’t right…”

This time, Dick is met with complete silence. He’s about to call out for Kory but she emerges from the kitchen seconds later, a bowl of ice cream in hand. Leaning against the doorway, she takes a moment to look at him. And he watches her as she searches his eyes. He hopes that she sees sincerity in them, because he meant every word he said.

“If the time was right, would you have told me?” There’s no hostility in Kory’s voice. Just genuine curiosity. Despite being upset, she still wants to understand him. Something she’s always trying to do. He appreciates that about her. But he already knows the answer he has for her isn’t the right one.

“I know this is probably not what you want to hear…but, I don’t know. I’d like to think that I would have… but I really don’t know.”

There’s a flash of sadness on Kory’s face, but it quickly turns to mild irritation.

“You can just say it, you know.”

“Say what?” Dick asks, confused at her statement.

“That it didn’t mean anything to you. The vision, I mean. I’m a big girl, Dick. I can handle the truth.”

Dick instantly feels like the biggest idiot. He was already feeling that way, but even more so now that everything in his mind is clicking. This was never just about not telling Kory about his vision. Rather, what not telling her actually meant.

“Kory, that’s not what I’m saying--”

“You’re not really saying anything, Dick! You’ve been telling me that what I believe in matters to you. That it’s important. But what do you believe?”

He swallows hard and once again runs a hand over his face. She’s asking him to be vulnerable right now. To let her in. And Dick wants nothing more than to do that for her. But for some reason he’s second-guessing himself. He knows Kory won’t judge him. She never has. So why is this so hard for him?

Dick is startled out of his thoughts when Kory brushes past him. Her bowl of ice cream now partially melted and abandoned on the counter. He watches as she makes her way to the jukebox and starts pressing one of the buttons.

“What are you doing?”

Kory looks back him briefly. “Heading back to Star Labs. I’m wasting time here.”

He can’t help feel like a dagger’s been lodged in his heart. Is this him losing her before he even had her?

Dick remembers watching Bruce and Selina fall in love. And he also recalls their fallout. How Bruce never fully let her into his world. It hurt Selina deeply. The day she left Wayne Manor for good, Dick saw how heartbroken she looked, but also how confident she was in the decision to move on with her life. The one that got away.

And now as he looks at Kory, this moment feels all too similar. He’s already learned that being like his adoptive father has led him to dark places he never wants to go again. He is the son of John Grayson. A man whom Dick remembers in their short time together as thoughtful, caring and open. That’s who he wants to be too. Especially for Kory.

“Do you remember when we first met?”

Kory immediately stops fussing with the jukebox. Dick is thankful that he’s got her attention again. But she remains silent.

“It was in front of a jukebox similar to that one. I told you I needed to talk to you and you told me to take a number,” he says, a hint of laughter in his voice as he recalls the moment.

Kory can’t stop the corners of her lips from turning upward. That day feels so long ago to her, and yet like it just happened yesterday. They’ve both been through so much since then.

“That was the day my life changed,” Dick continues.

Kory finally turns around, her planned exit forgotten.

“Until that day, I thought I’d spend the rest of my life alone. And I was okay with that. Welcomed it, even. But then I met you and you made me realize that no one manages alone...Look, I wish I could say that destiny or some other force brought us together that day. Wish I could believe in the concept as wholeheartedly as you do. But the truth is I can’t. Because if I choose to believe in destiny in that instance, then I have to believe it in others.”

Kory’s head tilts to the side as she folds her arms over chest. She takes a step towards him.

“Dick, I’m not following…”

“My parents, Garth, Jericho, Donna…Kory, if destiny is real then that means I was meant to lose them all. I was meant to experience that grief and heartache to end up where I am today. I can’t accept that. And I like where I am, don’t get me wrong. Being with you and the kids, helping people. I wouldn’t change that for anything. It’s just…I don’t know…I just think our choices are what really brought us together.”

Kory is quiet again. Dick watches her and he can see the gears turning in her mind. She’s going over his words and trying to make sense of them. He knows he’s not great at expressing himself, but he hopes she can at least understand where he’s coming from.

After some silence that feels like eternity, Kory finally looks up at him and speaks.

“I get it,” she says.

“You do?” Dick asks, somewhat shocked.

“Yes. The pain you’ve experienced, you didn’t deserve that. Especially at such a young age. And it does make sense why you’d shy away from the idea of destiny because of it. So, yea, I get it…But Dick, that still doesn’t answer everything. And I know it must feel like I’m pestering you. I’m sorry for that. But I just need to know for my own peace of mind…The little girl. We both saw her. That has to mean something, right?”

And this is it. His final chance to make things right. Dick knows his answer here will determine how his relationship with Kory moves forward.

He takes a moment to think about the situation they’re in. Not the one pertaining to just the two of them, but the entire earth. He has no idea how it’ll all end. No one does, not even Rachel. But if the world fell to darkness tonight, he’d want Kory to know how he feels. How much he cares for her. Loves her. She deserves to know.

Dick walks towards Kory until they’re standing mere inches apart, and links her left hand with his right one.

“That little girl…she saved my life. When she showed up and handed me that balloon, I instantly knew that I had to keep fighting and make it out of that pit. I had to live. But seeing her didn’t make me realize I wanted a future with you--”

He hates the pained expression that emerges on Kory’s face. Even with only their hands linked, he sees and feels her entire body tense at his words and she starts to pull away. Dick quickly moves both his hands so that they’re grasping her elbows, grounding her in place.

“Let me finish. Please?” he pleads softly.

She initially hesitates, but then relents. Dick takes another deep breath before continuing.

“She didn’t make me realize I wanted a future with you because I already knew I did. Kory, I’ve loved you for a long time now. Way before my vision. And part of me has tried to push those feelings away and forget them. Partially because I don’t think I deserve you and also because I’m scared of messing what we already have up. But like I said before, you taught me that everybody in life needs someone. And for me that someone is you. I may not believe in destiny, but I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for you. And I can’t lie, that scares me. Because I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. But not having you in my life, not being with you…that’s even scarier. I want to be with you in all the ways that I’ve been dreaming of.”

Kory doesn’t realize she’s crying until she feels Dick’s left hand on her cheek wiping her tears away. She can’t remember the last time she was at a loss for words, but she’s definitely speechless right now. She opens and closes her mouth multiple times but she simply can’t find the words to respond to Dick’s declaration.

All she can manage is launching herself into his arms, wrapping her own arounds his neck tightly. He stumbles back a bit but quickly braces himself, reciprocating the hug with just as much intensity. Their two bodies fitting together like pieces of a puzzle.

Kory’s been waiting for this moment for so long. For the both of them to finally let their guards down and trust each other with their hearts. She knew that for a while they weren’t ready. That they both needed time to grow and deal with their messy pasts. But they’ve overcome that now. Things aren’t perfect, but they’ve both reached a place where they’re ready to offer and accept love. And it feels so good to finally be here.

After a minute or two, Kory finally pulls away far enough so she can look at Dick. She lowers her hands to his chest, fresh tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

“I love you too. All of you. Even the parts that drive me crazy. And you do deserve me,” she says pointing at his chest. “We both deserve each other and a future filled with happiness. I know that most people dream of having my former life. Being a royal, living in a castle, and being waited on hand and foot. But all I’ve ever dreamed of is being free. And that’s what I feel when I’m with you. Freedom.”

It’s Dick’s turn to get misty eyed. Kory’s words providing him with a joy he’s never felt before.

He reaches up to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear; and gently glides his hand towards her cheek, caressing it. This is another moment in Dick’s life where time feels like it’s standing still. But for a good reason this time. The both of them gaze into each other's eyes, as if trying to convey all the love and adoration they have each other.

But Dick gives in first. He leans forward, closing the gap between them. Her lips are soft and sweet, hints of vanilla from her frozen dessert remaining. Warmth fills his chest as they draw each other closer, tightly pressing their bodies together. And they remain like that, trading tender kisses until they start to feel light-headed.

After they pull a part, they linger in the peaceful atmosphere as Kory lays her head on Dick’s shoulder. And he proceeds to gently rub circles into her back. That calmness she had been yearning for earlier filling her soul in abundance now.

“Didn’t think I’d be experiencing all of this today in a metaphysical diner,” Dick jokes.

Kory giggles into the crook of his neck. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I needed to get that all off my chest. I wanted you to know.”

“Me too.”

Not long after, their bubble of tranquility bursts when a familiar cloud of fire reappears. Kory turns her head to see Zadira with a triumphant smile on her face. If she wasn’t so happy, she’d be annoyed at her presence. But truly, nothing can ruin this moment for her.

“Issue resolved?” Zadira asks, clearly already knowing the answer.

Kory looks back at Dick again, giving him one of her bright signature smiles. He reciprocates with a soft grin. And all she wants to do is kiss him again. But alas, she knows it’s time to face this unprecedented reality. Even so, she’s more confident than ever because she has him by her side. And they’ll figure it out together.

“Issue resolved,” she answers.

“Then we have a world to save.”

[01solarsmiles]

[ 4 ] beach brawl

synopsis: mortal mark faces fae intrigue. despite his obliviousness, his presence stirs admiration and hostility among fae classmates. when tensions escalate, he becomes a focal point, revealing underlying power struggles.

genre: magic, faerie!au, mark is mortal, a slap

wordcount: 1.8k

tags: @kiri-ah

Beginning your day just as the sun was setting was normal. That’s what mortals forget sometimes. Well, Mark did. Despite having lived here for three years and succumbing to your customs he somehow still managed to forget some of the most basic details. 

More recently he had taken a liking to you and you weren’t sure why. You hadn’t spoken to him in a nicer manner than the rest or treated him more special than when the others weren’t around but somehow he still wormed his way into your everyday life.

Today was no different.

Although years had passed since you had first met the boy, he remained in your realm, mostly alive. You had never wanted to push your luck with him and had always kept your distance where possible but over time he simply thrived in your company. As you did in his but you wouldn't be caught alive saying that anytime soon.

Today was a beach day. You were taking a break from learning about stars and particularly poisonous plants and their remedies and instead, you were supposed to be spending the day learning about the Selkies. It was, to say the least, a laid back lesson where your lecturer had used this as an excuse to have a day off for themselves too.

Some of the boys had taken a liking to Mark and had taken him under their wing, which was odd behaviour for them, but one in particular seemed more genuine than the rest. Yuta, a Selkie who got on unusually well with Octopus when in his natural habitat if it were not for school and other important meetings being above land, had taken a liking to him. Often, you found that Yuta would be the one bringing Mark little things here and there, making him stand out from the rest of the group who just went along with it for a laugh here and there.

It was no different on this fateful day.

Mark had always been targeted by the others, poking and prodding and being glamoured unwillingly (although, who is glamoured willingly?) but you secretly prided yourself on the fact that you never joined in on these mean tricks the other fae pulled. You always found their behaviour disgusting but if you ever dared speak those words aloud you might just have yourself locked up in the Tower of Forgetting,  a dark and dingy place that no one knew how long the current residents had been there for and they certainly didnt know themselves.

Besides that, you try to focus on the more important things going on throughout each and every day as you work yourself closer to the throne as your mother works herself closer to the edge, however, no one would even bother to think that she might “fall victim to flowerbed”, as your fellow fae called one’s death, anytime in the near future.

Today, like most of your waking moments, you were at the waterside, studying. Your teacher had taken to studying in the dusk of the evening wanting you to enjoy the particularly fragrant air as the sun set before jumping into the astrophysics of the universe. Mark, as usual, sat closer to the back, a soft floof of hair bent towards his writing paper as he fiddled with a lamp a blacksmith had gifted him. You assumed there was some kind of trick to it – as fae never gave anything away for free – but nothing ever came of it and it worked just fine for the boy and never faltered or distracted any of the fae during class so there was no room to complain.

Yuta, a pink haired selkie, had taken a liking to the boy, infatuated with Mark’s round ears and unwebbed feet. It was oddly overbearing but you never said anything, doing your best to keep your distance as you had found it rather irritating trying to talk to the boy.

Chaeryoung was sat next to you this dusk, doodling away in the margin of her leaf-bound textbooks, taking little to no attention in of what was going on around her.

“Mark,” Yuta says in a loud sing-song voice, drawing shapes with his finger on Mark’s paper, “has anyone ever told you that you have such lovely ears? They’re so… perfect. Even with their imperfections.” His mouth rested against Mark’s nape when he spoke this, sending chills down your spine just from observing, let alone Mark’s.

The rest of the group was busy talking amongst themselves but quietened down to tune in to the conversation without actually stopping their own conversations. It was an awful trait fae had that you despised as you never felt alone in your conversations.

Mark lifts his head, cheeks flushed from either embarrassment from the attention being dragged his way or from the strange compliment of sorts, and meekly says, “Yes. Usually, it’s you who likes to point out my lack of pointed ears.”

Yuta grins, happy to have had an effect on him, “Well, I do think that it is a rather remarkable feature of yours – what with being human and all…”

At this point on of the other boys, Jaehyun with dark hair and a muscular build glares over at Yuta, “You’re bringing too much attention to that of what holds no importance,” he pauses for a second, the disgust clear on his face and his lips upturning more with every passing millisecond, “...to the lesson.”

Silence falls over the once chittering class and the surrounding nature seemed to have disappeared by the spoken words from Jaehyun.

This was by far not the most threatening thing one of the folk had said to the human boy but it wasn’t the nicest either.

You weren’t one to pay close attention to who was nicest to the humans but you were sure as hell not going to forget those who were the nastiest.

At the prime human equivalent of thirteen, you had found that you held a particular disgust for those who were nasty without reason. So you stayed alert while the class played on.

Taffy, the poor soul stuck with trying to teach you coughed to gain your attention and went back into reading the stars. Today, She was also taking into account the moon and why it controlled the waves the way it did in Rivermond, hence the beach day (even though it was held at dusk).

Some human forty minutes later into the lesson, Mark raised his hand to answer a question that Taffy had posed. He got it right, and looked pleased with himself when Taffy told him as much, cute, you thought.

Yuta thought so too, deciding to spew, “Oh Mark, you’re so smart! Sometimes I wish I could obtain useless information about the human realm the same way you do with our realm.”

Jaehyun scoffs, “Honestly, Yuta?”

Chaeyoung looks up from beside you. Heads were turned towards the back, staring at Mark as Yuta made himself comfortable laying on his front next to him. Jaehyun had risen from his spot, somewhat distraught and annoyed to confront Yuta about it too.

“You’re always commenting on ridiculous things, alright?”

Although you couldn’t tell who this first comment was directed at, you could see clearly that he was mad and you weren’t sure what for. It didn’t seem the appropriate grounds to get this upset. Your eyes widened as Jaehyun kicked his curled boot into Mark’s soft flesh, effectively toppling him over into Yuta too.

“You’re nothing but a poor, human, orphan and everyone in this class knows it, including the Queen’s daughter as much as she pretends to be an insubordinate fool,” he begins, angering you.

“Excuse me?”

That one didn’t even come from you. That one came from Chaeyoung. She had always stuck up for you, much like she had stuck up for Mark when he had first joined but you also knew that she was a foul gossiper too when it came to it. Over time you would come to learn that she would reel it in a lot more but she was still at the forefront of everything secretive this side of the river.

Her lilac dusted hair was swung over her shoulder and her carefully crafted two-piece gown was tugged on by you as you tried to stop her from saying too much when she too rose from her crossed legs position.

“Don’t you dare use your bastard mouth to talk dirty about anyone this side of the river!”

Yuta gasped.

Jaehyun slowly turned red in the face but Chaeyoung still held her ground.

He grips her by the scruff of her neck and lashes out at her. Pushing her across the sand, she tumbles until she is somewhere close to Mark and Yuta, although they too are scrambling to their feet at this point.

Without hesitation, angrily you stand and slap Jaehyun across the cheek. “Never,” a quick finger wag in his face, “ever touch a female like that again or you’re going to regret the last not-human breath you ever took.”

His eyes are wild, “Oh yeah? And what are you going to do, tell on me to Mummy?”

“You bet your sorry arse I will,” you’re glaring now, fingers trembling with anger, “and you better watch yourself before I tell her to have you and your rotten-mouthed mother banished to the other side of the river come dawn!”

Jaehyun wouldn’t have been bothered by this comment, had his mother not been trialled months prior for starting whispers about the Queen and her human tendencies. It was against the common law of Rivermond to talk about the Queen in any respect other than the highest possible.

Naturally, this comment made him shut up but the two of you remained nose-to-nose, breathing heavily and completely forgetting your surroundings.

Mark remained on the sand, trying to push himself away from the scene unfolding before him but it had proved difficult when Taffy’s invisible classroom shield gave off a thud when he backed into it too fast.

Heads turned towards him and he stood, a deer in headlights. Taffy let go of the classroom shield momentarily and let him escape, sending Chaeryound after him, knowing she had always taken a liking to him. A good student always remains on your mind; fortunately, Mark was one of her best and she couldn’t bear seeing him in fear. So Taffy let him go for a moment, prepared to blame her poor hold on the shield to the shock of the argument brewing in front of her but everyone knew she was better than that. You knew she prided herself on a stronghold of her class. She let him go because she felt sorry for him.

a/n: hi! sorry for being so long gone! how was it? feel free to drop me hints or suggestions or what you thought; it motivates me more :)

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[thegrandlinesimp]

Heya Line! 💗 Congratulations on 100 followers, I am very proud of you for reaching this milestone! 🤗 I've been in a very fluffy, lovey dovey mood lately so may I request D, K, and W from the fluff alphabet for our most beloved mochi husband, Katakuri? This wonderful deserves the world and more, it is my life mission to spread the love for Katakuri as much as possible 😉 Thank you so much! Don't feel pressured to write this either, it is up to you if you want to take this request 💕

I

AM

ALIVE!!!!!!

*Eye of the Tiger chorus plays*

I’m back to writing, my final assignment is coming along well, all I have left to do is the annotations for all the resources I found (the finding took the most time so I’m glad I took time off writing to focus on that). Finish the wireframe (draft layout of a webpage) and do the report. I know it sounds like a lot but trust me, it isn’t.

AND WE’RE KICKING IT OFF WITH A KATA REQUEST!!!

MY SWEET MOCHI HUSBAND!!!

Wanna stay up to date? Come sign my taglist form!

Tagging:   @lautluk

Katakuri Fluff Alphabet: D, K, W

(Look at him, he's so cool! 😍)

Dreams (How do they picture their future with their s/o?)

His ideal future with his s/o is surprisingly very white piquet fence-esque, cozy house in the woods, at least half a dozen children running around (he doesn’t mind if they’re biologically his or not) and a dog and a cat that like to lounge in the sun together.

But he’s all too aware this can’t become a reality if he wants to continue to protect his large family.

His more realistic future is quite calculated, thinking beyond if his mother was to pass away from old age, he knows either Perospero or himself will take her place as head of the Big Mama pirates. If a brawl were to occur for the spot, he knows he’d come out on top, same if it came down to a family vote thanks to his popularity. With this path thought out, he pictures himself on a throne as the new King of Totto Land, his s/o either on his lap or by his side. As for kids, he sees himself having a sizeable brood of children, no more than fourteen and a bare minimum of three, most of which are adopted (think like Doflamingo taking in stray kids but for less nefarious reasons and more to just give them a home).

Kiss (Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?)

Kata? A kisser?

Nope, not till he met his s/o.

First step here is for him to first reveal his face to them, once they show him they don’t see anything wrong it’ll still be quite some time before he’s ready to kiss them. Mostly because he’s scared his teeth will hurt them.

For his first kiss (and quite a few after) he won’t initiate, and after the first couple of times he’s gonna be checking their lips to see if he hurt them or not. Slow and steady is the way to go with Katakuri, honestly, I think he’d be sleep with his partner before trying a full on make out with them. However, as he gains experience, so too will his confidence grow and he’ll be less hesitant to initiate, just give him time.

Though if his s/o individually kisses each of his four fangs he will get chocked up, no matter how hot and heavy things have gotten.

Wild Card (A random Fluff Headcanon.)

This man lives for cuddles, has no idea what being touch starved meant till his s/o cuddled up to him one night. He now requires them to get to sleep and is restless if he ever has to go away on a mission for his mother.

Also, please for the love of god if his partner is bigger than or a similar size to him let him be the little spoon every now and then. Man hasn’t been held since he was an infant and it makes him feel so warm and happy inside, he feels like crying! In fact, even if they are smaller than him, they should just drape themselves over his shoulder as he lies on his side.

Just hold him please, it makes him so happy.

[evilelena]

I'm so weird, I fill out three-year-old Cobra Kai surveys on tumblr.

Karate Kid/Cobra Kai survey

---

It’s the year 2021 and you’re obsessed with The Karate Kid. How are you feeling?

Well, it's now the year 2024 and...fine? I was never really "obsessed" with the Miyagi universe until October 2022 when I started going through all the episodes for my so-called "fan fixion". it's not really fanfic; intentionally bad recaps with fictionalized elements are just something my sister and I used to do ages ago for the lulz. We actually did them for Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Shield. The Cobra Kai ones are done by me; but my sister remains my one consistent reader. She's also the one who challenged me to incorporate the phrases "practice dumby" (yes, spelled that way), "Why is this happening to me?!", and "Ouch, ouch, oh, ouch!" (a line from one of my old childhood stories) into all of my recaps -- or whatever you want to call them. (In case anybody ever looks at those and thinks wtf?.) Despite not being "obsessed" until a year and a half ago, I still really liked CK and re-watched many episodes even before October 2022!

Did you grow up with TKK or are you new to the series?

Kind of both? I was born...uh, long enough ago that I was alive when TKK was released, although I don't remember its release because I was a very young child. I did see parts of all three first movies here and there over the years growing up -- and I watched that masterpiece The Next Karate Kid in the late 90's or early 00's while going on a Walton Goggins movie binge -- but I never appreciated them until my ex-on-good-terms recommended Cobra Kai. (I'm pretty new to the "fandom" but have been watching CK since May 2018.)

We gotta do the basics. Favorite character:

Johnny, for sure. Second favorite is Terry Silver.

Favorite ship:

Johnny and Daniel when they're bickering and squabbling like an old married couple.

Underrated character:

Stiven. Too bad he left, or he and Hawk could've become pals. I like how Stiven bravely tried to start a fight with Tory during the LaRusso house brawl, and she punched him away like she was batting away a pesky fly.

Underrated ship (don’t say therapy, lol):

Johnny and Ali? I (gasp) prefer them to Johnny and Carmen.

Wax On, Wax Off or Sweep the Leg?

Sweep the leg!

Which of Daniel’s dumb little outfits is your favorite?

Any where he incorporates the color blue. Bonus points if it includes his special blue-and-white karate headband.

Character from the films you most want to return, who’s not Terry Silver:

Charlie -- that minion of Ned, or whatever the main bully's name was in TNKK. (Charlie, played by Walton Goggins, was Ned's Rickenberger.)

Scene that lives in your head rent-free:

Oh, there are so many. Way too many to name in a three-year-old survey.

Will Anthony LaRusso ever be relevant?

Technically, he was one of the most relevant characters in 5x10. Without him, Kenny Payne might still be Terry Silver's prize pupil. (And Silver might not have been arrested. Stupid Anthony!)

You live in The Valley and are forced to join the karate gang war. Which dojo do you join?

Eagle Fang, but I'm not leaping from one building to another. (Sensei Lawrence is more than welcome to call me pathetic, though.)

What’s your training montage song?

"Gonna Fly Now"?

It’s the crossover event of the century! Which TV show are you combining with Cobra Kai for an hour-long Saturday night special?

Beverly Hills, 9010. Mel Silver can be Terry's cousin.

Tagging:

Nobody, because this is three years old.

[greenflamedwriter]

okay I watched a thousand Autumns and really want a PIDW AU of it- I want Shen Yuan who transmigrated into the OG outline of PIDW and its drastically different! With his system telling him what to do he has to apply for a venue- a huge stadium that is hosting a huge event!

Cultivators from all over the world are competing for the Cang Qiong Peak Lord SWORDS!

Yes after Luo Binghe destroyed Cang Qiong and its weilders, he collected the swords and after so many years he mellowed out and held a contest everyone is in a rush to be able to win the competition and be the new wielder of the Xuan Shu sword or Xiu Ya sword and many others.

Only Qi Qingqi, Mu Qingfan and Shang Qinghua were safe as the only remaining survivors so their swords were not part of the contest

which-what!? Shang Qinghua is alive???

Shen Yuan was confused but he was a simple waiter hosting the guests who were obviously enjoying the show and making bets and some even became a bit too handsy with Shen Yuan who smiled.

"Sorry sir, I am a man." And dodged before realising the other was stunned he even ran away, not because of his gender.

Of course the Xiu Ya sword was last and of course the opponent was Luo Binghe- as IF he'll let any nobody earn that sword.

And wait a second- Shen Qingqiu!?

It wasn't him but the man looked like him, a copycat? He heard Luo Binghe laughed as he pointed his sword at the imposter.

"Ming fan, who knew you had such a fascination with Shizun!" Others laughed, and Ming Fans face burned with humiliation.

He revealed his sword and snapped "How dare you still call him shizun, you dog!"

Luo Binghes mirth faded.

Ming fan is alive!? And he looks handsome? Wasn't he supposed to have a tragically plain face-

Shen Yuan kept getting distracted getting scolded from both the system AND his boss! He scowled and continued working then paused to see some suspicious people run towards the back.

Where the swords where stored.

Shen Yuan almost followed then shook his head, nope not his problem if he ignored it

[Warning! User Shen Yuan needs to investiagate and STOP the thiefs from taking the Xiu ya sword!"]

Goddamit!

Shen Yuan approached and was suddenly dragged into a fight, it erupted into a brawl and Shen Yuan fought and realised he knew how to fight- it was strange as his character wasn't important so how comes he was fighting like a martial artist hah!?

And yet one man grabbed a sword and Shen Yuan panicked his hands outreaching and grabbing a ex-peak lords sword to defend himself but everyone stopped at the scream of pain and agony as the thief tried to drop the sword but he collapsed in a pool of his own blood as the Xuan Shu sword destroyed his spirit.

It distracted them from what happened to Shen Yuan his sword vibrated and Shen Yuan was terrified whimpering in fear for the sword to kill him, but it only glowed then disapeared- Shen Yuan absorbed the sword into his body without realising.

The others started fighting and their fight dragged out into the open and he was pushed into the arena as he fought mid flight as they all landed he continued to defend himself not realising that the audiance watched these rat tag groups fight one man and let his moves blocks and defense were in sync with Ming fan.

The audience had no idea who to look at and found that this new upstart was stealing the show!

Until Luo Binghe became in involved as he blocked an attack on one thief his back pressed against Shen Yuans "Thanks-" He spoke and covered Luo Binghe as he continued to fight- then Ming fan was against him!

"What the hell are you doing!?" Ming fan yelled his own hands outreached to grab Shen Yuan.

"A-apologises my lords! This one will take care of them in just a moment sorry to disrupt your fight!" Shen Yuan began to leap into the air and of course the only remaining thieves followed and was able to disarm them and waited for security.

Shen Yuan sighed wiping sweat of his brow and saw how his manager began to apologise to both Luo Binghe and Ming fan and gestured to Shen Yuan up in the stands.

Shen Yuan sighed, time to job hunt...again.

[Mission success! Shen Yuan is awared 100 B points!] Shen Yuan wanted to cry.

[A/n]

So begines the rat race, Shen Yuan has the Xiu Ya sword [Like Shen Qiao with the solarity] So now Shen Yuan has a target on his back in danger all the time and Luo Binghe, intrigued keeps popping up and threatening/flirting with him and demanding that Shen Yuan becomes his disciple-

He's also suspicious as Shen Yuans fighting style is EXACTLY like Qing Jing Peaks fighting- even better than Ming fan, he may look like Shizun but Shen Yuan is more like him. He even used a fan but it was more to hide his repressed smiles than the glowering scowls.

Of course I want this to be OG bingge and have him be really freakin cruel to Shen Yuan and hurt him psychologicaly.

[Extra]

Also a scene where the Xiu Ya sword bursts out to save Shen Yuan [aybe LBH pushes the scenario to make Shen Yuan fight and expose him as his 'shizun'] BUT what they don't expect is that a jade like spirit bursts forth weilding the sword and the spirit that is wispy and flowing like a bamboo leaf is Shen QINGQIU

He's protecting Shen Yuan and embodies the sword as the new spirit.

[littleperilstories]

The Prince of Thieves: Overdue for Trouble After Midnight

Question: Should I start a tag list for this story, and if yes, do you wish to be on it?

You can also read on Ao3! || Mood Boards

Warnings: grief, angst, mention of death (hanging/execution), uhhh some light systemic misogyny?

Previous | Masterpost | Next

Word count: 2330 || Approx reading time: 9 mins

Overdue for Trouble After Midnight

Teaser: My stomach lurched as I crossed the sticky tavern floor. It was always disgusting in this place, positively rancid on a good day, but the splintered wood and shattered glass swept to the corners of the room caught my eye. The jagged shards snagged on what the man had said about a big goddamn fight. Was all this from the day before?

Colette

“Talk to him.”

Geoff’s bushy eyebrows jump upwards, and his mouth tightens, the only visible hint that I’ve managed to piss him off with that three-word command. “You think I haven’t tried?”

Of course I know he’s tried. We both have. But our alpha wolf has shut down completely.

Well, that’s not strictly true. To an outsider, he looks the same as he ever did.  Jamie rises early, checks up on the current jobs we’re running, finds out what the pickpockets have brought in. He barely says a word to anyone if it’s not related to IA. He only eats enough to keep himself alive.

Even worse, since Will vanished, Wolf too has been disappearing for hours at a time, and though he’s always been partial to a solitary walk in the fresh air, now he never tells us where he’s going or how long he’ll be gone. It’s a surprise and a relief every time he comes back.

Tonight, when he thinks Geoffrey and I are asleep, he rises again and slips out the door.

I don’t know what he thinks he’s going to find in the empty, dark-veiled streets. Will is gone.

It fell to me to tell him what happened. The day after Fox didn’t come back, I slipped into the tavern where the meeting supposedly occurred. All pubs have their regulars, I figured; someone must have seen what went down.

“Constabulary busted in,” one drunkard told me. His hair fell in front of his face—greasy salt-and-pepper hunks. “Bunch’a’vem. Whole fuckin’ crew, batons out, them snakes. Big goddamn fight. Saw ’em bring a body out, too. After.”

He reeked of beer, his breath hot and sour and far too close for comfort. It took a great deal of self-control not to shove his leering face away from mine. I vaguely wondered if he could tell my boy’s clothing was a disguise to get me through the tavern door, or if he just liked what he saw in front of him. More pressing, however, was what he’d said.

But he was drunk. Too drunk. Not reliable. “You’re sure?”

His nod was fervent, but wobbly, and I left him swaying on his stool in search of someone more sober who could tell me what had happened to Will.

My stomach lurched as I crossed the sticky tavern floor. It was always disgusting in this place, positively rancid on a good day, but the splintered wood and shattered glass swept to the corners of the room caught my eye. The jagged shards snagged on what the man had said about a big goddamn fight. Was all this from the day before?

I caught some mournful, pudgy-faced lad before he got too deep in his cups. “There was a brawl here yesterday. Were you here? Did you see?”

He nodded, narrowing his eyes at me as if I were part of the constabulary, come snooping around again. “Why you asking?”

“Because I want to know what happened,” I snapped. “Will you tell me or not?”

My voice cracked and rose in pitch, bringing me dangerously close to breaking my disguise—not good, because girls aren’t allowed in taverns unless they’re selling beer or pleasure. His eyes narrowed even more, and I had to force myself to take a steadying breath. What am I doing? I need to keep calm. Losing my grip on my emotions wouldn’t do anyone any favours. Not me, not Jamie, not Will.

I swallowed and fixed him with a hard stare. The way Wolf or Hare would glare at him. “Talk.”

I could see the man working through the options in his mind: give me the truth, brush me aside, or be a real asshole about it and alert the barman that some annoying woman had infiltrated their sacred fucking territory. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he sighed. “The constables arrested some kid. He tried to run, and they fought. Window got broken. And someone bit it, but I dunno who.”

He nodded toward the back room, and through the doorway, I could see the jagged broken glass of the aforementioned window. They’d done a shit job of cleaning up. Darkness stained the wall next to the shattered pane, rusty brown and ominous.

Fuck.

“Who?” I could barely bring myself to breathe out the question. “Do you know who it was?”

“I just told you—”

“The one they arrested!” You stupid ass. “I don’t care who died.”

He huffed out a sigh. “Like I said, some kid. He put up a fight, but they took him away. Think they were waiting. Some sorta sting.” He nudged me away with his elbow and turned to his ale. “I don’t know anything else about your fucking boyfriend. Now get lost. Before someone lets the owners know you snuck in here.”

I did as he said, but only after I’d taken a few more breaths to stop myself from whipping out my knife and driving it through his hand. Partly for the dumb fucking assumption about me and Will—the very thought made me gag. But mostly because he dared to order me out of his sight like a father shooing away a toddler.

I consoled myself by taking what coins he had in his pocket. Stupid man didn’t notice.

Outside the tavern, I sucked in the fresh air, glad to have a break from the smoke-and-sour-ale stench that all taverns boast. What were my choices now? Head to the jailhouse, find out if Will was inside? Maybe I’d even catch a glimpse of his idiotic face. But that would be risky. Too risky. If I got caught, and the constables spotted my tattoo, they’d throw me right in there with him. Then Jamie and Geoff wouldn’t know what had happened to either of us.

I decided to return to the city safe house, awash in dread, to tell Jamie what I’d learned. My heart thundered in my chest when I brought him the news; I was terrified, terrified, he’d lose control of his emotions, begin to wail and lament. I didn’t want to see my alpha cry.

He just nodded. Wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Thanks, Spider.” As if I was coming back with intel on anyone else’s arrest. As if it wasn’t his little brother—our Fox—our Will—they’d dragged away in chains.

“Try again,” I tell Geoff now. He doesn’t like it when I use this tone with him. He calls it my ‘mother’ voice. Actually, I modelled it after my old schoolmistress, but I don’t think the correction would mean much to him. Whatever we call it, that voice pisses him off every time.

“Spider! What the fuck do you want me to say?” He throws his hands in the air. “He’s said as much to me as he has to you.”

“Don’t wave your hands in my face.” I shove his arms back down. “He’s more likely to open up to you than me. You know it as well as I do.”

Our voices are getting louder, and it’s the middle of the night, much too late to be bellowing at each other, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not like we’re going to wake Jamie up with our arguing. He’s not fucking here.

Geoff glares at me. “He won’t say a damn thing.”

I rub my temples, feeling a headache brewing there. James has never lost his head over anything since I’ve known him. But Will is the only family he has left, the person he cares about the most. Losing his brother might be what does him in.

The problem is, if he goes down, we all go down.

It’s an awful thing to think, I know, and the guilt of harbouring this selfish thought brings a burning to my eyes. I can’t fucking stand the thought of that little mop-headed idiot in prison. But if that’s what happened—which is what all my sources are saying—then we’re in trouble. Big trouble.

And the Jamie who’s fucking around, disappearing for hours on end, sneaking out every day on some foolish search for a brother he knows he won’t find, hardly saying a word to his inner circle is not the alpha who will get us out of trouble if it comes knocking at our door.

To hell with it. “We need a plan!” I’m shouting at Geoff now, something he usually fucking hates—far more than he hates the schoolmistress voice—but tonight he stands still and takes it. A shudder wracks his body, ever so slightly, and distantly, I know I should calm down. Not that Geoffrey would ever dare lay a finger on me. I’d break his goddamn arm. But he might go punch something—or someone—else. “If the constables have W—If they have Fox, they’re going to interrogate him, and if he spills, they’re going to come straight here—”

“For Christ’s sake, d’you want the whole fucking street to hear? Fox won’t need to tell them anything. Just keep yelling like that—”

He’s right. He’s fucking right. I press a hand against my mouth. Gritty wetness—trapped between my fingertips and cheek—tears.

Goddamnit. I’ve never cried in front of Geoff. Or anyone in IA.

“You two can stop shouting,” a voice says from behind us, and we both whirl. Jamie’s back, unhurt, unbloodied, all in one piece. A sigh of relief rushes out of me. “It’s just me.”

“Where the hell were you?” I’m dragging him close before I’ve even thought it through—giving him a hug before Geoff can steal the moment first. “You fucking idiot.”

Jamie accepts the embrace stiffly, or perhaps the distant look in his eyes means he’s barely even noticed I’ve got my arms around him. The cold of the autumn midnight still clings to his coat, his skin. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Where’d you go?” Geoff will disappear in a moment, find a blanket, put a pot of water over our meagre fire. But for a breath, he is motionless, his dark eyes brimming with concern, fixed upon Jamie as he waits for an answer.

“I went for a walk. I needed… I needed to think. Alone.”

Classic James. He’s the alpha wolf until he decides to be the omega. When it’s best for him.

“Spider’s right.” Jamie slinks out of my hold to untie his boots. Even when his head’s somewhere else, when the entire world is burning around us, he remembers the little things. He knows I’ll kill him if he tracks mud over the floor. “We should make a move. Hit another safe house. Maybe even find a new one.”

His words fall like stones, plummeting to the floor. I swallow. There's something you’re not saying, Alpha. “What did you find out?”

“They…” His eyes are wide, and when he stands, sans shoes, there’s a tremor in his limbs. “There’s going to be a hanging this week. Public. Signs went up today.”

For a moment, silence.

I shake my head. “It’s not him, Alpha. It can’t be. They don’t hang thieves.”

“We don’t know what happened.” His voice is low and steady. It doesn’t match the terror in his eyes. “But you said it yourself. There was a fight. Someone died. What if Will…”

What if it was Will who landed the killing blow, and he’s going to hang for murder?

“He wouldn’t,” I say, but all of us know what Will can be like. Impulsive, thoughtless, wild.

“It doesn’t matter.” Jamie shoves past me. “They could pin it on him, anyway. And if it’s not him, we’re still fucked. You said it yourself. They’ll get it out of him one way or another.” He squeezes his eyes closed. “Won’t they?”

I shake my head even though he won’t see, but I can’t speak.

“One of our runners was caught,” he says quietly. “That’s the other news.”

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Maybe the noose is for them.” Geoff’s voice is almost always quiet. Now it’s tinged with grief as well. And something else—fear.

First Will. Now some runner.

That noose in the execution square? It’s for us. And it’s tightening around our necks.

I’m leaning against the wall in the hallway when Geoff stalks towards Jamie’s closed door. The space is narrow, and he has to squeeze past me, grunting an absent, insincere, “Sorry,” as he does. I could move. I don’t. My limbs feel heavy, my heart like stone.

There’s going to be a hanging this week.

Please, I think. Don’t let it be Will. The thought of his stupid little freckled face glaring out at a sea of judging eyes right before a trapdoor drops beneath his feet makes me want to empty my stomach.

Thieves we may be, and Fox might be a reckless, sarcastic little shit. But he doesn’t deserve that. None of us do.

It’s hard, so hard, to bring myself to move. In the end, it’s what I hear from Jamie’s room that draws me away from the wall.

“It should have been me.”

My heart breaks.

Stealing through the hall, following in Geoff’s footsteps, I peek through the doorway, and what I see shatters me into pieces.

Geoffrey is silent—what can he say? There are no words to ease Jamie’s pain—but he has his arms wrapped around our alpha, and there’s a sheen to his eyes that is not usually there. That little shudder wracks his body again when he meets my gaze.

Jamie doesn’t notice me slipping through the door. He’s buried his face in Geoff’s shoulder; his entire body is wracked with sobs. The rough floor snags on my skirt and stockings as I kneel next to them and reach over to lay my hand on his arm. But I know he doesn’t feel it. He is lost, far beyond my reach.

Geoff embraces him even tighter as Jamie speaks again, voice broken and thick with tears. “It should have been me.”

Previous | Masterpost | Next

[Banner ID: A narrow, rectangular banner featuring a barred archway. The bars and the stone walls evoke the feeling of a dungeon or prison. There are burning candles on either side of the archway. The title of the story, The Prince of Thieves, appears in white text in the centre of the image. The author's username, abbreviated to LPS from littleperilstories, appears in the bottom right corner in partially transparent text. End ID.]

[ficrecslist]

Fic Rec Sunday #3

This week's collection includes Boku no Hero Academia, Batman, Young Justice, Marvel and Naruto fics. Please make sure to look through each fanfic's respective tags before reading.

Batman

Into the Brighter Night by shoalsea (162k, G)

When an unknown enemy threatens Robin, Gotham's vigilantes come together to keep him safe.

Unfortunately, they're protecting the wrong Robin.

Or: Tim Drake plans his own rescue. Things get complicated.

something just broke by BeatriceEagle (10k, M) cw: referenced sexual assault

With teams run by a small handful of big names, recruitment based almost entirely on who you know, and unchecked interteam dating, the superhero community is practically designed to encourage interpersonal abuse. When a former sidekick comes forward to say that she was abused by her mentor, the entire community has to reckon with the part they may have played—and with the abuses that may still be going unnoticed.

(A story of systems, told through chats, texts, and transcripts.)

hand in unlovable hand (a chokehold) by britishparty (54k, M)

Tim Drake is eleven years old when he’s grabbed off the streets of Bristol while he’s on his way home. It will be okay, he tells himself: they’ll call his parents, and they’ll pay the ransom, and he’ll get to go home.

There are pictures of Batman and Robin on the camera he was carrying. A lot of pictures.

They don’t call his parents. They call Black Mask.

-

or: the one where Black Mask kidnaps Tim and tries to groom him into a ruthless heir, and Tim tries to figure out how to destroy him from the inside out.

General warnings tagged, anything not covered by those is in end-of-chapter notes to avoid spoilers.

Deadfall by vellaphoria (125k, WIP, M)

Bruce’s death fractured Gotham's vigilantes, even as it brought some of them together. Despite Dick’s progress with Jason and Damian, Tim is still in the wind, somewhere overseas getting involved with who knows what in a desperate attempt to prove Bruce is alive. An attempt that goes horribly, catastrophically wrong, destroying most of the League of Assassins’ global infrastructure and taking Tim with it.

But something feels off. Dick knows Tim’s apparent death can’t be as simple as a botched mission.

When Ra’s al Ghul gets involved, it never is.

yours for the weekend by fanfictiongreenirises (19k, T) cw: referenced sexual assault

"Been meaning to ask," Jason said. "You and Kory… are you guys still… y’know. Going strong?”

Dick almost choked on his mouthful right then and there. No, he wanted to tell him. We broke up months after you died.

But a million memories swept through his head. Jason being utterly starstruck by Kory the first time he had met her, the million and one questions Jason had to ask Kory, taking photos of the two of them as Kory gave Jay a piggyback ride… the way that Jason, at one point, had rather memorably said, man, you guys are so perfect together. If you ever break up, that’ll be it, I’ll just stop believing in true love.

“Yeah, no, we’re going good,” Dick said, lying through his teeth. “Long distance, y’know?”

Charmed, I'm Sure by M00n_Slippers (29k, WIP, T)

Jason thought he was done with magic when he left the All-Caste, but it turns out magic wasn't done with him. Walking into a back-alley dive, the Red Hood expects stale beer and an old fashioned bar brawl to lift his spirits, not a shortcut to The Oblivion Bar.

But a bar is a bar, beer is beer and a fight is a fight, whether it's in the Bowery or in a pocket dimension to the left of reality.

Young Justice

Reflexive Carphology by Briarwitched (24k)

Lex is not a sentimental man. Despite whatever his stupid sister thinks, his motives for kidnapping Superboy are purely practical: if Kon-El isn't growing on the Light's schedule, he will be useless to their long term plans-- and the Light doesn't tolerate things that aren't useful. Just a quick snatch and grab, one hastily improvised mind control device, and a few tests in the lab should be all that's required to get this all sorted out so Lex can go back to reclaiming his UN Secretary General position. The entire operation is far too essential to have anything to do with feelings.

It's simple. Practical. There's no way this could go wrong, in any way, ever.

Shut up, Lena.

Filial Pedantics by Briarwitched (61k, T)

After failing to swallow kryptonite in an attempt to beat his terminal illness to the punchline, Conner is confronted by the least super of his two genetic donors as he wanders the desert states solo. Meanwhile, Lex is suffering from both a relapse of kryptonite cancer and the delusion that he's Conner's father-- a condition that leads him to insist that he take over Conner's end of life care while he attempts to cure him himself.

It's not exactly like Conner had better plans. Now they can both be dying assholes... together.

Yay.

one day this will all be yours by suzukiblu (32k, T)

“You know, I used to think if I had different parents my life would be different,” Artemis says neutrally as she lines up a shot, and Superboy looks away from the punching bag, a little surprised to hear her speak.

Boku no Hero Academia

song on a policeman's radio by ohwickedsoul (6k, M)

TOKYO, JAPAN: The outside of the courthouse is packed with protestors, onlookers, and community safety officers who are attempting to keep the peace before what is shaping out to be the trial of the century. Former pro-hero Ground Zero, real name Bakugo Katsuki, is currently facing charges of 1st degree murder, aggravated assault, assault on officers, and several other charges. Among the hundreds who have turned out to the courthouse to view the public trial are many members of Yuuei Academy’s infamous class 1A, including several former professors. Back in the early years of the decade, the class, taught by retired pro-hero Eraserhead, was subject to many attacks by the so-called League of Villains…

Silhouette by Frostglitch (43k, WIP, G)

Midoriya Izuku remembers a life that is not his own.

Yoichi Shigaraki: The Sociopathic Hero by Gfan97 (3k, G)

"When he was eight, Yoichi started to suspect he wasn’t a good person."

Basically, what if All for One wasn't the only sociopath in the family. What if Yoichi was also a sociopath, but unlike his brother wanted to be good?

imprint by wonhaebunny (4k, T)

Katsuki handles Eri with far more ease than an only child has any business possessing. Shouta observes.

Or: Bakugou Katsuki may not have grown up with any younger siblings, but he did grow up with a Deku. It amounts to about the same.

A Walk Remembered by SimplyKaren (10k, G)

Since Jakku, Izuku's been feeling... off. Nothing he could put his finger on, but things reach a tipping point one day while he's in Heroics class. Things go downhill rapidly from there, and none of the doctors can figure out what's wrong.

Meanwhile, in Tartarus, All for One is feeling antsy as he watches from afar with Search. Izuku's symptoms are hauntingly familiar and not in a good way...

Bakugou Bewitched by Feltcutemightdeletelater (155k)

On a random day when Bakugou was a child, a helpful woman gave him a gift that would change his life forever.

“Little Katsuki,” the woman chided, leaning in close. “Behave.”

Marvel

Pound the Table by An_October_Daye (152k, WIP, M)

[A 90's Era X-Men Self-Insert]

"There is an old adage among lawyers that says: If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts. If you have the law on your side, pound the law. If you have neither the facts nor the law, pound the table." – Martin A. Davis, Jr.

Mutant law is an emergent field, more or less the wild west of the legal profession, and on a good day, you're lucky if the law and facts aren't all dead-set against you. And when your list of recurring clients includes the Wielder of Cerebro and the Master of Magnetism?

Well... suffice to say, there is plenty of pounding the table to be done.

Naruto

Waiting on a Wire by mirrorless (15k, T)

Shisui, both of the young shinobi's wide dark eyes still thankfully residing in their proper places, stares at him in shocked-silent awe, as though Kagami's sudden appearance is the divinely bestowed answer to fervent prayer.

The weight of that gaze is far too heavy for comfort.

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead by Xarybde (4k, T)

Dying is easy. Sasuke knows this better than anyone else.

[notasapleasure]

Robin Hood S03E11 (2009)

Another staple of BBC afternoon TV that I barely watched. I doubt I saw this episode and if I did I definitely forgot it.

In which we await Isabella and her goons :) She is the Big Bad, and Joplin's character has no name so I suspect this appearance is brief and backgroundy and one for the completists but I needed some silly medieval nonsense after all the drama of Doctors.

In the meantime there's some powerful homoeroticism going on - Guy and Robin are teaming up to fight said Isabella, but first they have to have a brawl in the woodlitter about how Robin's dad seduced Guy's mum and how they both loved the same woman who Guy killed. My my, that's a lot of history for three seasons!

Ah, this is like....the third from last episode ever so I guess it's going to continue to be 1000% Extra.

Oh hello love!

Ok, he has no name, most of his lines are "Yes Sheriff" and he's largely there so Isabella has someone to monologue off, but otoh 🥵🥵🥵

Oh yes, there's also a soft wee Northern accent, it's rather lovely.

That is a LOOK. For my fellow Lymond fans reading this, yes he is too tall to be Jerott, but also yes, I still have a type. 🥴💀

And he has a little mission on his own now! Probably doomed tbh, given the no-name, one-episode, single-handedly being sent after the heroes kind of deal.

Thinking of @donnaimmaculata​'s tag for the show when Guy gets thrown in a jail cell and....all the inmates just fall on him, grabbing at him. The Guy of Gisborne fetish show indeed. And his brother Archer gets in on the action with some handcuffs and involuntary stripping!

Oop, arriving slightly too late to catch Robin at the Sheriff's table!

Also the Sheriff apparently has a memory like a sieve, but whatever. Look at this:

Pic spam incoming, he is a mere goon but GOD he’s my type of goon

Baby is having a dreadful day at work: one sheriff wants him to take two of these three idiots alive, but another sheriff has a vendetta against the third and just wants to have a good old fashioned hanging so he’d rather kill the lot. Nameless goons don’t get to argue with sheriffs :(

They do get really fricking sweet red-lined swishy cloaks though

Even goons are amazed when one brother betrays another!

Aww, like a very big cat bringing not-quite-dead shrews home to his boss.

Sorry buddy! Sheriff of York overrules your boss.

Cue chaotic failed execution scene and heartwarming reconciliation between Guy and Little John.

Sorry I only noticed the screenshots still had the control bar on when I’d closed the window and going back and getting new screenshots right now feels like excessive self-indulgence. Trust me when I say: big sword.

But he’s never going to get out of this, not with such excellent Villain Sword Handling Technique:

As you’d expect for the villain’s henchman in The Robin Hood Show :’)

Rating:

Dead? Decidedly. The show even showed Isabella being mad about it!

Evil? Now, far be it from me to apply modern concepts of morality to medieval society, life was often cheap and he lived by the sword. He didn’t kill the old man, he tried to bring the outlaws in alive, and the one he was going to kill was a nob. I don’t think he did anything wrong tbh.

Affects the plot? Oh my no.

4/5 my judgement is clouded by studded pleather, chainmail and big sword.

[thedogofwar]

intro. ╲ 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬.

NAME: Garrett James Russell

AGE: 45

BIRTHDAY: 08.22.1977

TIME IN TONOPAH VALLEY: 1 Year

OCCUPATION: Gun-for-Hire, Boxer

GANG AFFILIATION: None

NEIGHBORHOOD: Webster Village

FACECLAIM: Jon Bernthal

BASICS

GENDER/PRONOUNS: Cis Male | He/Him

SEXUALITY: Bicurious

ETHNICITY: White

HAIR COLOR: Dark Brown

EYE COLOR: Brown

HEIGHT: 5'11

HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, New York

RESIDENCE: Webster Village

EDUCATION: High School

LANGUAGES: English, conversational Arabic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Divorced

CHILDREN: Just one he's never met 

STATS

PERSONALITY TYPE: ENTJ

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral

POSITIVE TRAITS: Adaptable, Discerning, Self-Disclipined, Decisive, Resourceful, Confident, Reliable

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Short-Tempered, Stubborn, Critical, Vengeful, Aggressive, Violent

MENTAL HEALTH: Anger, PTSD, Acute Insomnia

HEADCANONS

Garrett's first love is boxing and he was about to go pro prior to enlistment. Now worn down both physically and mentally, Garrett primarily uses boxing as a way to blow off steam and keep fit.

He has a 2-year old blue pit named Boomer who he found abandoned along the side of a highway whose ribs were showing, looking like he hadn't eaten for weeks. He rescued him and immediately adopted him, the pair inseparable since.

He can be abrasive/brash at times, but despite his gruff exterior his heart's in the right place...usually.

He's incredibly disciplined. He keeps his place neat and tidy, wakes up at 5am religiously, and works out daily. All leftover from his time in the Marines.

He legally carries and hits up the range regularly. He also has a larger arsenal of weapons he trains with regularly.

Drives a black F150 pickup truck.

Clothing style is rugged. Think combat boots and bomber jackets. Sweats & hoodies when he's working out or opting for something comfier.

He does have several scars and bullet wounds from combat. Fun fact, his nose has been broken 17 times.

WANTED CONNECTIONS FAMILIAL

EX-WIFE: If Garrett’s ex-wife makes a re-appearance in his life, it’s because his kid is looking for him. Given they married young when Garrett was around 23/24 there's a good chance his ex doesn't even know he's still alive. The relationship would be hot/cold. Suggested FC Angela Sarafyan (or any other FC 40+). Suggested age 40+.

HIS DAD: Though it’s more than likely this old fuck is dead in a ditch somewhere, Garrett has yet to find anything confirming this; note if this connection is filled, it will be very toxic given their history. Suggested FC would be Robert De Niro.

PLATONIC

VETS: Anyone whose character is a Veteran and either served alongside Garrett or he's met at the VA.

COACHES: Can be current or past trainers that Garrett has worked with.

FIGHTERS: Anyone Garrett's met during his time boxing. Fighters he's fought in the ring, fighters he's trained alongside, or fighters he's competing against.

RIDE OR DIE: Garrett's go-to, his closest friend & confidant. Bonus points if they served together.

ALLIES

THE UNLIKELY SIDEKICK: This person was in the wrong place, wrong time during a job that Garrett begrudgingly let tag along. This individual might've proved useful in ways Garrett hadn't predicted, such as helping him stake out his target, or being his getaway driver etc.

THE ACTUAL SIDEKICK: More than likely an individual Garrett served with who he trusts with his life to have his back. He will occasionally reach out to them for more support on a job.

THE NURSE: Given the amount of brawls and violent altercations Garrett's been in, having someone with extensive medical knowledge to treat superficial non-life-threatening wounds is a no-brainer. Could also lean romantic.

ENEMIES

BAD BLOOD: People he's gotten in bar fights with, people he might owe a debt to, someone with a vendetta, etc.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: They were on Garrett's hit list or they were an accomplice to his target. He spared them and let them live, but now, they owe him one.

SEVERED TIES: Someone Garrett once considered a friend that betrayed him or perhaps set him up and ratted him out to law enforcement the moment things went south. Garrett swore if he ever saw them again he'd get even.

ROMANTIC

FOOL'S GOLD: Garrett might've used this person to get closer to a target, and pretended to be someone he isn't in order to do so. They dated for a short stint, possibly even slept together, but the moment Garrett got what he wanted out of them, he'd gone ghost.

SHIPS IN THE NIGHT: The relationship that neither of them were ready for, that ended abruptly, as quickly as it had began, with the promise to remain friends. Now that some time has passed, they've reconnected, and the hint of a spark is still there.

BITTER PILL: Anyone Garrett might've wronged or used, that still has a bone to pick with him. They may or may not be attempting to sabotage any current relationship he's in, or just make him miserable in general.

THE HOOKUPS: These are the casual flings and the one night stands, no strings attached.

[leighsartworks216]

The Viper (Part 11)

Jaskier x gn!reader

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Twelve

This fic is also on my ao3 if you'd prefer to read it there

Warnings: training with a sharp blade (no injuries), poorly written cockey(?) accent, mention of alcohol (for alchemy; not consumed), Witcher-universe info dump bc it's a hyperfixation and I couldn't resist lol

Word Count: 1585

Masterlist

Tag List Form

“Come at me.”

Your eyes gleamed with a burning fire, excitement and determination dancing behind the slits of your pupils. You stood with your legs slightly apart, knees bent just so. Despite wearing no armor, you stood wide open, arms to either side and hands empty.

Jaskier, who wielded one of your blades, was understandably hesitant to just stab right at you.

“Are you sure?” He dropped his own stance slightly. “I mean, I’m holding a very sharp and dangerous knife and you,” his eyes studied your clothes, lingering for a second on the bit of skin peeking out behind your black undershirt, “you’re… exposed.”

You scoffed. “You’re too afraid of hurting someone. Which, I suppose, is to be expected. But you can’t be.” You gestured for him to strike again. “Imagine I’m a bandit.”

“And what, exactly, would you be stealing?”

“I’m not going to stand around and play make-believe.”

“Oh, come on! I can’t imagine you as a bandit when you’ve got snake eyes and enough muscle to strangle a goat just by looking at it!”

“Ugh, fine.” You glanced over Jaskier for barely a second. Even while training he insisted on wearing one of his colorful doublets. “I’m going to steal your fancy clothes, for one thing. They’re probably worth a few crowns. And then I’m going to knab your lute and break it on a-”

He lunged forward, knife moving toward your heart. And then, he found himself empty-handed, stuck on the business end of your weapon. Even through his surprise, he looked affronted.

“You threatened to break my lute just to- to disarm me?!”

You huffed. “You insisted on playing pretend.” The knife flipped in your hand, handle facing him once more. “Now, do it again, slowly.”

“Why are you showing me how to disarm, anyway?” He pouted as he grabbed the blade back from you. “Shouldn’t you be teaching me how to, ya know, stab?”

“I’d rather you not kill anybody.” You adjusted his stance slightly, making sure he was safe and sturdy; ready to fight. “No offense, but the most action you will likely see as a bard is a bar brawl. And the best way to get out of those alive is-”

“To disarm a bunch of drunks from their tankards?” he teased.

“No.” You returned back to your spot in front of him. “It’s to find a corner so nobody can get you from behind, and avoid any actual fighting.”

His face scrunched in confusion. “Then why…?”

You sighed. “Because if you do get in a bar fight, it’s likely some of them will have weapons of some caliber and knowing how to gain the upper hand by taking their weapons is a good idea.” You got into your stance again, gesturing once more for him to attack you. “Now, again, but slower.”

-

People stared and whispered to each other as you guided Bayard through the town, searching for a stable. Jaskier seemed mostly unbothered by the… less than welcoming folk. He was rather busy trying to explain the on and off romance he had with the Countess de Stael.

Tretogor wasn’t really much to look at. A muddy, downtrodden town built on agriculture and animal husbandry. Wooden, rickety buildings lined the road. Uneven, split-rail fences blocked in yards that contained drying clothes and barking dogs. From the steps of one house, a voice called out.

“Oi! Witcher!”

You stopped sharpish, Jaskier almost bumping into you. The older, scraggly man faltered under your piercing stare. Still, he stepped forward to meet you in the middle of the road.

“‘Ave a request ta make of ye.” He glanced to the bard.

“What is it?” you urged.

“Ah, we been ‘avin’ some attacks ‘round ‘ere. First it were te cattle. But now some folk’ve gone missin’. Me an’ some ‘unters found a nest up te hill.” He pointed past one of the small buildings that populated the town. “Is in some ol’ ruins, by te graveyard.”

You turned from the hill back to the man. He flinched at the cold yellow. “What’d it look like?”

The man scratched his hand, looking away. “I don’ know, I neva seen it. But,” he perked back up again, pointing down the way, “Oskar might’ve. ‘Is son was taken by te beast.”

“How much?”

“Ah, ‘course.” He pulled out a small purse, but it was light. “I ‘ave 50 now, b-but I can get te boys ta pitch in.”

You nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

The man lit up, hands clasping in prayer as he nearly fell to knees in relief. “Bless ye, Witcher!”

You simply nodded and continued walking, only glancing over your shoulder to make sure Jaskier was following.

His eyes followed the man for a bit further down the road. “What do you think it is?”

You sighed. Your entire body eased slightly, relaxed. Jaskier only saw you so tense and terse with the Reavers back on the mountain. He killed the rest of his thoughts of the mountain before they could fruit into self-loathing and disdain.

“It’s hard to say right now.” You looked toward the graveyard. “If its nest is in the ruins, it could be nocturnal, but that doesn’t narrow it down very far.”

You led Bayard into the stable by the tavern, removing his tack with ease and brushing down his side as you left. But, instead of going inside, you passed Jaskier your saddlebags and some coin.

“Ask for a room. I’ll go find Oskar.”

He nodded, fumbling with the bags to drape them over his shoulder as he’d seen you and Geralt do before. It didn’t look nearly as natural or cool, but it made you grin ever so slightly, so it was worth it.

-

“What is a cockatrice, exactly?”

You rummaged through your saddlebags, pulling out ingredients - plant seeds and flowers, a container with a fatty white substance, a bottle of alcohol, and another bottle that seemed to glow. As you began mixing different ingredients in bottles and grinding some in your mortar, you answered anything the bard was curious about.

“Well, it’s said to be the result of the egg of a rooster that was incubated by a toad.” Jaskier’s face morphed into a confused grimace. “They’re hard to find, and fighting one is tricky.”

“How come?”

“They usually try bludgeoning you with their wings and tail, and they’re ridiculously fast. So getting close enough to one to attack it without being beat up is,” you sighed, “interesting.”

His fingers rubbed together subconsciously, itching to write down all the info you were supplying him with. “What are you making?” He lifted the small container of fat and sniffed it, before scowling and immediately setting it back down. You huffed a laugh at his reaction.

“Draconid oil and Golden Oriole.” You hummed, shaking up a potion. “I should probably make some Blizzard, too, if I have the stuff for it.”

“Blizzard… That’s the one that makes everything feel slow, right?”

“You’re catching on.” He allowed himself a proud little smile.

“What do the others do?”

You dropped the finished bottle onto the bed. Jaskier picked it up and began turning it over and over to watch the ingredients inside float around. “What you’re holding now is the oil. Witchers apply specialized oils to their weapons to help take down monsters faster.” You scoffed, “Though I knew a fair few who absolutely refused to use them. They said it made the fights too easy, the idiots.

“Golden Oriole,” you poured some alcohol carefully into your tiny potion bottle, “is a sort of buffer. Cockatrices are poisonous, and using this will help so I’m not as easily affected by it.”

His eyes glanced from the potion in his hands to the bottles lined up at your hip. He nodded toward them. “How many can you take at a time?”

You hummed, thinking, as you mixed ground up flowers with a splash of the glowing bottle’s contents. “That’s a bit complicated.” Your eyes met his as you shook up all the ingredients. “Witcher potions are toxic to humans, but we’re not immune to that toxicity. If it builds up to a point we can’t stand it, the effects can be… unpleasant.”

His eyes looked over all the potions again. “How many will you be taking?”

Conjuring a small Igni flame in your hand, you began heating up the Golden Oriole so the contents would mix better. “Not enough to worry about, I assure you.”

He wasn’t very comforted by the dismissive answer, but he let his shoulders relax and didn’t press further. You would know best, anyway. You were a Witcher, after all. He was just a bard that tagged along.

You slipped the oil and Golden Oriole into the holder at your hip. You quickly checked your blades, running a thumb just along the edge to test they were sharp enough. After a moment’s pause, you took the sheath containing your steel dagger and handed it to Jaskier. “Try not to get into any fights while I’m gone, Dandelion.”

He smiled, a flicker of playful mischief in his eye. “No promises.”

Your lips held a grin as you tucked away everything back into your saddlebags and donned your cloak.

“Be careful.”

You caught his eye again, a hint of mischief sparkling within. “No promises,” you mimicked.

You turned and disappeared through the door into the night. He watched you through the window, following your cloaked figure as you walked off toward the hill.

---

Tag List:

@kmuir1

@writeawaythepain

@sleepyqueerenergy

@lex-caspartine

[tribow]

The Previous Generation Hakurei Miko

Who was she? What was it like for the previous generation without spell card rules? What happened to her?

All questions that never get answered in the canon, but around 2010 a MUGEN character was created to answer exactly that.

This shrine maiden was no slouch like Reimu. She represents just how powerful a Hakurei Miko can be. Her approach to combat is much different as well. Reimu uses several tools like her purification rod, yin yang orbs, and needles. The previous miko uses almost exclusively hand-to-hand combat. The abilities of a hakurei shrine maiden would be done with her fists. (like barrier techniques, purification, and sealing techniques).

I am unsure of the lore the original creator made for this character, heck, I don't even know who the creator is. (Pre-to?) Regardless, this character popped off.

This fan character becomes the most popular fanon character in the whole fandom (probably). She shows up in several different works as she was the perfect gateway to exploring a Gensokyo without spellcard rules. Plus, she could have easily been involved with several other characters as well like Yukari, Mokou, Yuuka, Aya, and any other youkai who have been around for a while. With many different creators handling her though she would get interpreted in slightly different ways.

In terms of her personality though, it was fairly consistent. She was nearly the opposite from Reimu. Very energetic and active in her duty. Despite looking intimidating, she was very sociable with humans, but her relationship with youkai was pretty different. Most feared her. Being within hearing distance from the previous miko was dangerous. The fact that no one knew her name punctuated her intimidation.

She wasn't some ruthless sadistic type though. The miko was bright and kind, only stern when upset. However, she can very easily go overboard, which is part of the reason why she scared people and youkai alike.

Weirdly enough, she's shown to have a close relationship with Rinnousuke. His past with the previous miko is a strange one. He would (sometimes unwillingly) frequently assist the miko at her "request" (he gets dragged into it). Around this time though, Rinnousuke is a swordsman trying to start a shop.

Yeah you heard me. Swordsman.

While you were enjoying your life in the human village, my mans was studying the blade. He and the miko were a tag team duo where he was the brains and she was the brawn. The previous miko was a punch first think later kind of character that Rinnousuke would need to hold back every now and then.

I make their relationship sound a little one-sided, but she was one of the very few people who treated him equally to other humans. Without her, he doesn't have anyone else to turn to. Even if she's a handful, it's a handful he wanted to hold close to him.

Okay so, that's a lot already, but this character gets around. She deals with the most powerful youkai known in touhou, she butts heads with Keine sometimes, she's covered in battle scars, and there's a whole lot more. To keep this post from being a whole book I'm gonna focus on one more topic.

Where is she now?

Reimu is the current shrine maiden, so what happened to the previous miko? Well there's two ways this goes. She's either dead or alive and operating in the shadows. In the case of being alive, there's an important doujin basically defined how the previous miko gets portrayed.

Warugaki's "Shrine Maiden's Brawl" doujin is a gag manga where the previous miko suddenly returns and ends up violently reprimanding Reimu for not properly doing her duty. (I'm grossly simplifying the end of this doujin. Don't worry, Reimu actually deserves it. Give it a read it's funny).

This pretty much introduced the idea of her still being around, but is a very powerful and stern mom who gives tough love to her daughter. She didn't lose her kindness or anything, but Warugaki's work clearly inspired a lot of the depictions of her from that point on.

And now to address the elephant in the room...

What about Osana Reimu? The previous miko is there as well, but is definitely not how I described.

I'm pretty sure they are two separate characters, but they play the same role, so no real relation. The miko in Osana Reimu may have some inspiration from the MUGEN character, but there's so many differences I am going to mark them down as separate characters unless I see some evidence otherwise.

Whew! That's a big post, but I wanted to talk about as much as I could about this character as she is pretty cool, but I doubt there are many appearences of her nowadays. I couldn't fit something like this into fanon year posts, so here we are.

I'd love to see this character show up more though.

[wrestlezon]

Forbidden Door 2023 PPV: I am now Reviewer Zon

Brought to you by: having thought about & chitchatted about the matches and wanting to collect my thoughts in one place

Overall: I was satiated by the ppv purchase, which is the minimum one can hope for, BUT! I also frequently went "wow! This is incredible!" while watching which exceeded my expectations. I skipped out on Forbidden Door last year because I have only a passing familiarity with njpw, and i didn't end up having regrets about that later. I'm glad I got it this year however, because the matches were good and I think the alternate-universe me who skipped on FB2023 is missing out.

more match by match rambling within:

i missed out on zero hour cuz I was busy u_u

mjf vs tanahashi

it was okay. Nothing stuck out as good or bad. Entirely average, no real takeaway. I also didn't have a takeaway from the swerve vs tanahashi match yesterday either, which is like uhh whoa? because I think swerve is cool and there's usually some sort of cool thing he does with someone in a match. like at least one memorable moment. But I also was kind of busy on Saturday so I could've just missed something. Maybe I'm just not familiar with tanahashi (because: I'm not) and just don't know what's cool about him? I certainly didn't stumble upon any such knowledge in this ppv match or the collision match. (shrug emoji)

I did like his look, and mjf's too, though! black and cyan looked good on mjf :)c

I noticed mjf's antics very transparently in this match, which I didn't mind too much because I usually like his antics. I don't know if it's accurate, but I'm going to pretend that his handshake kick spot is a callback to his indie-mjf days and that that ties in to his whole "njpw is an indie e_e" thing. I'm imagining more depth to this match, to enjoy it more?

Match: Eh

Fun: Okay.

punk vs satoshi kojima

im a huge punk fan and i was really excited for his slowburn descent into heeldom. then he got injured twice in a row and brawl out happened for reals. That was sad. But that was then and this is now, and now I am just very excited to 1) see him back and 2) doing heelish things. I think it is cool for him to get boos. Maybe he'll do a heel thing about it.

Satoshi Kojima seems like a cool old wrestleguy with prestigious history that I'm unaware of. I am vaguely aware that he is or used to be in a tag team called tencozy, but that's the extent of my wrestling knowledge. I wouldn't mind seeing more of him.

I liked punk's roh interview reference because I was wondering if he would reference it in the match somehow and then he did. I enjoyed recognizing it. I also enjoyed his goof at the end about being confused about which tunnel to walk into: the good guy tunnel or the bad guy tunnel. It's a good bit, in part because I think a lot of people have already made a solid opinion about whether or not he's a villain. I hope he keeps teasing about being evil or not, I think it's fun and cool because I think it's entertaining when he's a sarcastic dickhead in the ring. tee hee. cm punk!! hee heeeeee

Match: Okay!

Fun: yaaayy it's punk ha ha yayyyyy

orange vs zack saber jr vs shibata vs garcia

match of the night. match of all time. what a good fucking match. all four of these wrestlers were on the same page and had a shared vision. the funniest men alive and the wrestling was great too. naming all the spots would be a lil silly on my part but: everyone taking turns kicking orange's ass, and the whole zsjr vs shibata thing with garcia were two immediate standouts that made me give this match the seal of bigtime approval before it was even close to ending. And then the ending was also good and not bad. Solid match. Gold standard. Definitely on the rubric to judge all other matches by. I loved this match.

the all atlantic championship is the greatest title in wrestling. The highs are quite high, and I don't think I've been disappointed in a match yet.

Match: Incredible. Holy shit

Fun: HELL YES !!!!

sanada vs jungle boy jack perry

what I know about sanada: not a lot. I know he is a conventionally attractive guy and certain people* have publicly talked, at length, about how kissable he looks. he is in a group called just 5 guys, and is their leader, so I'd assume that makes him the most Guy of all time?

what I know about jungle boy jack perry: he has grown out of having his character being a tarzan from the jungle, which is too bad, because without that he's kind of just A Guy, which is a little boring personality-wise. But he's does have a little bit of style and panache when it comes to wrestling and doing acrobatic moves.

Like the mjf tanahashi match, this one didn't do much for me. I dunno if following the incredible 4way match contributed to it lookin kinda mid or whatnot. But I raised my eyebrow higher at the postmatch stuff than I did anything in the actual match. Curious to see what jungle boy jack perry's next moves are, as I thought they would've built this up more before pulling the trigger on him betraying hook. He certainly has the potential to be interesting as an evil guy, and I hope he can grasp it.

*aka chuck "doesn't everyone have a list of guys from New Japan they'd want to kiss?" taylor

Match: Eh

Fun: yawn

the elite + eddie and iishi vs bcc + takeshita and umino

This match was awesome. I'm a big fan of eddie so I really liked all the angles having to do with eddie: him teaming with the young bucks just to get to claudio, his endless beef with claudio, his relationship with jon moxley. I liked how there were a lot of those and all the bits that involved those angles ruled. The extended trading of chops between moxley and eddie was cool and also funny when other people tried to get involved.

additionally, I think the young bucks are alright but they did a lot of moves in this match that made me go "oh shit!!! that was fucking cool!!!" and I can definitely see why people are big fans of the young bucks because of that.

I especially liked the ending because while eddie sabotaged the elite a bit in the match, it was his guy that won it for them in the end. the elite are a little mad, but also concerned, and eddie's brushing them off. it's all very good. I love eddie.

Match: Wow!

Fun: YES!!!

toni storm vs willow nightingale

I needed to collect myself after the previous match, I don't like the antics of the outsiders or toni storm, and I figured they wouldn't let willow have the aew women's championship in addition to the njpw strong(?) championship anyway. All these points contributed to me not focusing on this match, at all. Sorry Willow :(

Match: sorry

Fun: not really...

will ospreay vs kenny omega

what I know about these two is that they're both top-tier proficient wrestlers who are best when they're up against another proficient wrestler they can go full tilt against. And they did indeed go full tilt in this match. It was a long match full of back to back violences. I swear the end was just them exchanging finishers on each other and hanging on by a thread.

The match was very intense and materially good but here's the thing about that: I am a huge fucking weenie and it's actually too stressful for me. Also I yelped with actual irl concern when ospreay dropped kenny right on his head (was that by mistake or... is... that how you're supposed to do that move...?? Ospreay is so aggro by default I can't tell the difference). Mistake or not, the rest of the match was them out to kill each other anyway, so... Yeah.

Also! I dont know enough about either of these two's wrestle-histories to find the fun in the details and references. Only in the presence of learned Kenny Omega Experts did I nod, with only the barest of understanding, at the kamigoye implications. I am familiar with how protected one winged angel is and the connotations, so when I saw ospreay set it up I was like O_O!? NO WAY but the kickout at one was simultaneously a WHOA and a Phew... But it's like, not a fun kind of stress? Maybe it's because I'm also not really a fan of ospreay :/

Double also, and I do think this is personally interesting to consider the distinction here, but the way I go "grr, you nefarious heel!" at someone like punk or cage and the way I go "grr, you nefarious heel!" at don callis is totally different and I cant pin down why. I don't find it fun to hate on Don Callis for whatever reason, I just think he's dastardly! My suspension of disbelief breaks, and instead of enjoying the narrative I am left grumpy. Like come on, how can he get away with returning to the ring after being thrown out! Sure, the ref might have been preoccupied making sure these two competitors were still breathing, but still... grr! Is that not DQ worthy!? It is his job to be hated, and I do hate him, beyond all logic and reason. I also got genuinely peeved when I watched that orange vs pac vs omega match from way back when and him cheating was the reason omega won. Even though it's predetermined or whatever, still, I'm like: augh!!! No!!! I guess it's a testament to his heelish ability to work me through my various layers of detached irony. But it's not fun. Hmph!!! I'm still hung up on him returning after being kicked out!! Ugh!!! Boo!!!!!

(this is probably exactly how people feel about punk too, now that i think about it. lmao. I wonder how that works...)

Match: Holy shit! Intense!! O_O

Fun: No :(

sting, darby, and tetsuya naito vs jericho, sammy, and minoru suzuki

I actually tuned this whole match out because I was recovering from the previous one. Not even a single brain cell left to process this. That being said, I did end up rewatching it the next day.

I do not care for sammy or darby in general, and this match did not change that. I liked tetsuya naito being a goof at sammy in the beginning, if his character is this slow/casual/lazy disrespect I think that's really cool! Minoru Suzuki is just a total badass and I'm so glad he got a "murder grandpa" chant from the crowd lmaooo. Jericho was funny, jumping excitedly for suzuki to tag him in and his sting yell impression bit shortly after. Sting was cool, I hope he didn't get too hurt from the table spot because I thought it was strange he just hobbled away during the jericho-naito pin fall attempt instead of doing something about that.

Match: tis alright

Fun: a little, actually! yeah!

bryan danielson vs kazuchika okada

the big main event. The big serious main event. Because it's going to be so serious, I will point out that the part of intro vid where danielson is on a mountain and looking at the wrestling footage in the sky was really really funny and made me laugh.

The handful of brain cells I had recovered by ignoring the previous match were immediately burned up by the time danielson's entrance finished. I can't believe they got the song. Anyway, I was too burned out from all the wrestling to process this match (I remember a lot of dropkicks, and I didn't expect the finish) so I rewatched it again the next day.

There were indeed a bunch of dropkicks, and they were cool! This is a very wrestle heavy match where a lot of wrestling took place. I usually appreciate shenanigans and there weren't a whole lot of those in here, but that's fine, I still found things to enjoy (like danielson returning a dropkick to okada on the outside of the ring after he got 2x dropkicked?) This match was intense like ospreay vs omega, but unlike that one it was less stressful because it was more grapple-heavy and that's less risky looking to me. Also, I like both danielson and okada. Double also, this match was not as long as ospreay vs omega so it did not wear me out.

I've seen only a handful of recent okada matches and im a fan for when he goes sicko mode and looks like :| and starts overkill kicking people. He kinda had one of those moments in the match I think, which was cool! I also didn't realize how tall he was until he walked danielson back to the middle of the ring.

Danielson loves to sell. He will find any excuse to sell. I think i remember reading something about him thinking it's really funny to trick people and tell lies (and also dramatically sell fake injuries), which checks out because when his foot got stuck in that ramp that one time a whole back he toooootally seized the opportunity to pretend he was greviously injured. Anyway, that's all to say that he also pulled that in this match, which I think would probably come of as kinda weird and maybe off-putting if you were watching it in real time. But with the hindsight superpowers afforded to me by watching the match later I know his arm got injured at some point so I guess he did that seizure bit so he can sell his arm being incapacitated to the crowd? Thinking about it from that angle, I think its pretty cool that danielson and okada were adaptable enough to change the end section of their match to account for it. I will just continue to hope and assume every scary injury I see from danielson in the moment is just him overly selling. <:)

Match: they put the "professional" in "professional wrestling"

Fun: sure!

--

Anyway that's all my words about wrestling! I hope you also enjoyed the ppv, or at least had fun bits you liked from it. It was a lot of wrestling to watch! I wish we got Adam Cole vs Tom Lawlor, but hey, stuff happens. Apparently Cole was running a fever? I hope he gets well soon!

[danwhobrowses]

My Highlights from AEW Revolution 2023

Another PPV has crossed the threshold as AEW Revolution enters the books. I've been adamant in avoiding spoilers for it, which is nervy since I saw it trending on tumblr, but the show had an air about it for sure.

On one hand, many were worried that some results would go to the winner they'd least prefer, and had already braced themselves to criticize it. On the other hand, there was the feeling that this could turn into a warzone, with 4 grudge-level feuds coming to a head.

For now, let's see what I enjoyed out of the show.

Spoilers for the PPV

Zero Hour

Danhausen in the Homer Simpson Moomoo

Mark Briscoe in general really

Mark Sterling announcing Ari and the Varsity Athletes

Clever nearfall to have Jay kick out of the weapons spot

Daddy 'tell me how my nipples feel' Magic, lads, give 2point0 a run at tag titles

Confirmation really on Final Burial, it is a classic buried alive match, minus Paul Bearer in cement of course

Adam Cole's promo was really good too

Main Card

For all the people who say they hate Jericho there's sure a lot who sing his theme song

Starks with the DDP energy ribs tape

'Throw Him Here' sign

Ricky has been selling the ribs really well, even between catches and landing big moves

Rock/Jericho parallels

Andretti flew at Sammy

Well-written finish as well, I do have qualms about Sammy showing up since the JAS was meant to be banned, so that should've been instant DQ, but having Ricky overcome the bat hit, block the Judas Effect and then win is good stuff

Christian Cage kept the fucking turtleneck XD

Immediately brawling, yes, it's a grudge match why would they lock up?

The old security guy happy as larry to let JB walk past him

Ooof the belt whipping, multilayered that given how Cage played the father figure to JB

JB finally hitting the Con-Chair-To, another full circle moment, because the Con-Chair-To to Adam Cole solidified his bond with Christian and led to their run that'd make him a tag champion, now it severs it

This is literally scrappy soap opera wrestling and it is great

Julia has a mask now!

Buddy and Kenny to start!

Malakai and Kenny!

Matt regretting calling out Brody instantly

Brody King doing Brody King things

Buddy's Knee cracking Nick mid-450

Brody's son getting to celebrate with the New Champions

Saraya keeping with the green aesthetic

Hayter always selling a crossbody like she's been wiped out

The match has done really well in blending the overlapping attacks

Hayter winning, granted the match could've finished more impactfully but there was more to tell, the key thing though is that everyone who was worried that Saraya would steal one and were braced to criticize AEW for it were W R O N G

Ruby swerve was good too, I know a lot didn't want it but they set it up, they got the reaction and now they only need 2 more 'outsiders' to get a Women's Blood & Guts; Tay Melo, Serena Deeb, Athena, Mercedes Martinez, there are some options there, pit them against Baker, Hayter, Shida/Riho, Willow and say Emi or Nyla and you've got a fight

Hangman's Entrance, just definitely has the right feel, and the red lighting - unlike a Fiendish guy - matches the feel of Texas Death

Again, Immediate Attack, why fucking wait?

Dude in the crowd who really wanted a selfie and got bonked for it XD

Moxley bringing out the fork, CZW energy

A fucking brick!?

Deadeye on a Barbed Wire Chair

Barbed Wire Back Rake!!!

Curb Stomp on the Brick

The finish was really good; Buckshot then a hangman choke with a chain

I also actually love the uncertain energy of the crowd, because it fits the brutality of the match

A baldfaced lie but at least gotta laugh at the attempt by Schiavone saying 'Revolution has never disappointed, ever', nobody wants to remember the end of the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch (though the match was great)

OC and Danhausen repping the Best Friends gear

Danhausen getting to WRESTLE

But still, the tomfoolery as well

Kurt Angle homage with the straps gesturing then an Angle Slam

Satnam Singh knows his role, I know we don't see him wrestle a lot but he knows what he's doing

The Gunns winning with a Big Rig-variant against Danhausen - the guy who coined 'Ass Boys'

FTR are back, settling any doubts otherwise

MJF getting an orchestral opening, to be honest I was half expecting him to bring them all out then play his music anyway, just for that extra dickhead heel energy

And Max is in SHAPE

Bryan Danielson showing where ZSJ got his whole shtick from

MJF threw water at a kid!

Much like Reigns vs Sami, while I didn't enjoy the pace of it, it's heelery by design from Max to waste time, and he is a poser, he told us all exactly what his reign would be like and how we'd react to it so I can't be mad that this is how it's going

The Powerbomb backbreaker was clean

MJF doing the Shawn Michaels pose after stopping Bryan from skinning the cat

Doing the pinfall rolls like MJF did vs Darby but extra extra

Max using the DQ to get quickfire falls to draw level

Bryan just leans back as MJF tries to slap him XD

MJF with a running tombstone through a table outside the ring

The constant water breaks: it's storytelling, because Bryan never pauses but Max always takes a water break, because it sells how unprepared he was for the Iron Man match

The sound the crowd made by MJF's gushing, we can joke all we like about AEW using blood a lot, but Christian, Mox, Hangman, Dax (accidentally) and Bryan bled on this event and yet we still got a reaction from this blood

The moment 5 minutes remained they cranked to 11

SUPER TOMBSTONE

Schiavone strutting down the ramp with glee knowing that Sudden Death is coming

MJF kicked out of the Buisaku Knee!

Bryan tapping to the LeBell Lock!!!

Overall

Match of the Night: Texas Death Match. A difficult choice, but since the Iron Man took a while to heat up, I went with the Texas Death brutality over it and the Trios match.

Best Performance: MJF. It was a three-way tie between him, Bryan and Hangman right until he kicked out of the Buisaku Knee, but given how the World Champion played the audience multiple times and deserves credit for that.

Best Attire: Brody King, mainly the face paint. Without Jade on the card and me not getting Kenny's reference this wasn't quite a good show for unique attires

Best Spot: Texas Death Finale, I was very close to picking Buddy's Knee Lift but the brutality and perfect finale to the match has to win out.