#it keeps going black at random intervals

[dayz-ina-daze]

My computer might be fucked. Entirely.

Awesome.

[theemporium]

can i pls request a mai tai 💛 28. feeling for each other in the dark with luke!!

thank you for requesting!🫶🏽

28. feeling for each other in the dark

.

The news had been warning people about the storm but you never expected it to be this bad.

The rain had been heavy all day, torrential and relentless and unforgiving. Even the five second dash from the front of your apartment complex to your car had left you soaked all morning, only to later repeat the whole situation when you left work. It felt more of a nuisance at first, but nothing you had never experienced before. 

And then the wind started picking up. And the clouds were getting darker. And by the time Luke made his way to your apartment after a late afternoon practice, thunder was already starting to shake your apartment in random intervals. 

You assured yourself that everything would be okay, that having Luke in the apartment with you would be a comforting distraction from the worsening weather outside. 

And for a while, it worked. 

You were sprawled on the couch, watching some random movie the two of you had put on when you had forced yourself to get up, muttering to Luke about getting a drink and maybe a blanket whilst you were up before you left the room. 

Less than a few seconds after you got up, another clap of thunder sounded through the apartment before everything went black. 

“Fuck,” you heard Luke yell from the other room. “Babe, you good?” 

“Yeah,” you called back, your voice shaking a little despite yourself. “Is the power completely out?” 

“Yeah, think so,” Luke called back before you heard some shuffling. “Stay where you are.”

Your brows furrowed together. “What?”

But Luke didn’t reply. Instead, you heard him muttering a soft ‘ow’ before the sound of his soft footsteps padding towards the kitchen made it clear what he was doing. Your lips twitched upwards as you heard him call out your name again, the sound of him getting closer until you felt his fingers skim across your arm. 

In seconds, his hand squeezed your arm before dragging you closer and pulling against his chest. 

“Hey,” you murmured, feeling his lips press against the top of your head. 

“Hey,” he murmured back, his hands soothing up and down your back. “You good?” 

“Yeah, it just caught me by surprise,” you admitted, wrapping your arms around his waist. You should probably get some candles out or find the charged power bank your father told you to keep on hand in moments like this. But instead, you found yourself speaking to your boyfriend again. “Luke?”

“Yeah?” 

“Why did you walk through the dark instead of using your phone torch?” 

There was a small pause before—

“Fuck, I could have, couldn’t I?” 

You snorted, shaking your head. “It’s fine, if someone asks, I’ll tell them you were saving your battery.”

“Yeah, let’s go with that,” Luke murmured but you could feel his smile against the top of your head as he hugged you closer.

.

[denaliwrites]

It's Been a Long, Long Time

Alec Hardy x GN!Reader

Summary: The two of you danced around your feelings like two tango dancers... who don't know how to tango.

Soundtrack: It's Been a Long, Long Time by Harry James

Requests: Open!

Warnings: Abundant dumbassery.

You'd known Alec Hardy since he first moved to Broadchurch.

He'd stepped into the cafe where you worked on his very first day with the Broadchurch police and ordered a plain black coffee and a croissant. A bit basic, you'd thought at first, but then you'd reminded yourself that not everyone needed sugar bombs and heavy breakfasts to get going in the morning.

Given he was little more than a (rather grumpy) twig, you'd come to the conclusion that he'd probably die of a heart attack if he consumed anything more than his plain black coffee and croissant.

He came in nearly every day after that, and nearly every day it was the same order. Sometimes he picked up an extra drink for his partner, or he ordered a fruit pastry instead of his usual croissant. One time, he'd ordered tea instead of coffee. But for the most part, for the better part of a year, it was the same thing, over and over.

The first few visits, he'd refused to talk to you beyond what was strictly required -- he gave you his order and a thank you, and then he was gone. Over the months, though, he opened up more and more. He'd never needed to tell you his job -- that was easy enough to guess once the Danny Latimer case reached the public. But other details, like that he had a daughter, or that he was a cat person, or that his favorite color was green -- those came after months of only receiving "my usual, please."

Even with him opening up, though, he was hard to get to know, and even harder to fall in love with... yet you managed both. Unfortunately, Alec was an idiot.

Your boss, Alec's partner Ellie, pretty much anyone who saw the two of you interact could see that you were crushing rather hard on the detective. Anyone and everyone, except the man himself.

At first, it drove you up the wall how blind he was to your affections -- you weren't exactly making any effort to keep it concealed, and in fact thought you made it rather obvious -- too obvious, maybe, if all of Broadchurch excluding the idiot in question could tell.

But then it slowly became a game to you -- how clear could you be yet still be misunderstood? Every day you played chicken with yourself -- would today be the day? The answer was always no, even when you gave him a heart-shaped cookie on Valentine's. You'd even said "on me." Hell, before that you'd even given him a peck on the cheek under mistletoe sometime around Christmas.

You were pretty sure any chance you had at romance with him was doomed.

At least, until the Farthing Wood Club Incident.

You hadn't exactly meant to witness a crime. It just sort of happened. You were cleaning up after an event you'd catered when someone broke into the event hall and started tearing through the place.

Quietly, carefully, you ducked into a supply closet and dialed the only person you could think to call -- Alec. Of course. You heard him pick up but didn't dare answer him, even as he got louder and more annoyed, to the point where you had to mute him.

He hung up, and panic flooded your system. Desperately, you called him again, only to put him back on mute when he picked up.

You were relieved when he didn't hang up.

Any thoughts you may have had about why were lost as footsteps approached the closet. They got so close that you could hear the man breathing and, instinctively, you stopped. Several moments passed before he moved on, and it took every ounce of self-control you had to keep yourself from gasping for breath.

He passed by again a few minutes later, then again a few minutes after that.

This repeated a number of times, to the point that you were starting to get dizzy from keeping your breath held in so many random intervals.

"Oi! Anyone in here?" you heard Alec's voice call from somewhere in the building, just as the man who'd broken in passed the closet. You heard Alec call your name, and it filled you with dread as you realized that now the intruder probably knew someone else was here.

You could almost hear the man's head turn towards the closet, but before he could open the door and find you, Alec's footsteps echoed closer -- and the intruder's footsteps made the sound of a hasty retreat.

You didn't allow yourself to breathe until the voice of Alec calling your name got close -- practically right outside the door. Then, with no hesitance or shame, you threw yourself out of the closet and into Alec's arms.

Without thinking, and with nothing in your veins but pure, unfiltered adrenaline, you pulled him into a relieved kiss.

He was pretty predictably shocked at first, especially as mid-kiss your body started shaking with sobs, but rather than push you away or even break the kiss, he simply... held you. Let you ride out the emotions in the way you seemed to need.

Finally, you pulled away, wiping at your tears and panting as everything came crashing down. "G-God, I'm so -- I'm so sorry," you whimpered, looking anywhere but at him. "I don't know why I did that. I just..."

"Hey," he started, pulling your attention back to him. He looked so... calm, so reassuring. "Everyone deals with situations like this differently. Believe it or not, that's not even the strangest thing someone's done t'me in a moment of high stress."

You managed to chuckle a little, but it came out somewhat hollow. "Really? You're gonna try to tell me someone's done worse than kiss you unexpectedly?"

"It wasn't entirely unexpected."

You blanched. "What do you mean?"

"Well, like I said, I've gotten weirder reactions."

Oh. That was... a lot less anxiety-inducing than you were expecting.

"Yeah, well. This wasn't really the way I pictured our first kiss going," you admitted with a sigh.

"Oh? You were picturing us havin' a first kiss?"

Fuck.

And the way he sounded so pleasantly surprised, it threw you off but filled you immediately with delight.

"Well, yeah, I've only been crushing on you since the day we met."

"Oh, why didn't you say somethin'?" he asked.

That brought out a barking laugh. "Alec, I've been dropping hints for months. Some of them were... I dunno, nuclear level obvious."

"Oh... well," he said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Y'ken, sometimes ye just gotta say it outright for us to get it."

"Yeah, I learned that early on. I guess I just hoped I was wrong or something, maybe."

"It does explain a few things," he said thoughtfully.

You thought it explained most things involving the relationship between you two, but you wondered what he was thinking of in particular. "Oh yeah?"

"Well, there was that mistletoe just before Christmas... and again on New Year... and the heart cookie..."

Leave it to Alec to miss all but the most obvious of clues. Of course.

"Oh, Alec," you sighed. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Dunno. Grab dinner, maybe? After I file a report for this, of course."

[multifan2022]

Fearless 3

PART 1 PART 2 PART 4

Four pushes a set of double doors open, and we walk into the place he called "the Pit."

"Oh," you hear Christina whisper nervously. "I get it."

"Pit" is the best word for it. It is an underground cavern so huge you can't see the other end of it from the doors at the bottom. Uneven rock walls rise several stories. Built into the stone walls are places for food, clothing, supplies, leisure activities. Narrow paths and steps carved from rock connect them. There are no barriers to keep people from falling over the side.

A slant of orange light stretches across one of the rock walls. Forming the roof of the Pit are panes of glass and, above them, a building that lets in sunlight. It looked like just another city building when passed on the train. One of the reasons only the people here and the higher ups knew where the entrance was. 

Blue lanterns dangle at random intervals above the stone paths, they grow brighter as the sunlight dies. People are everywhere, all dressed in black, all shouting and talking, expressive, gesturing. A group of children run down a narrow path with no railing and you can see the sweat rolling down Tris's face as she tries to not yell at them to be careful or stop. 

You know it's shocking, as an Amity transfer you understood the shock but she had to keep quiet. You were praying she would stay quiet. "If you follow me," says Four, "I'll show you the chasm."

He waves us forward as we approach the railing,  you hear the roar of water, fast-moving water, crashing against rocks. Sighing happily as Four shakes his head, the most dangerous place in the area is your favorite. 

You watch everyone look over the side. The floor drops off at a sharp angle, and several stories below that is a river. Gushing water strikes the wall beneath you and sprays upward. To the left, the water is calmer, but to the right, it is white, battling with rock.

"The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!" Four shouts. "A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and it will happen again. You've been warned."

"This is incredible," says Christina, as we all move away from the railing "Incredible is the word," you hear Tris whisper. You cant help but listen to their conversations, feeling the need to know everything about this girl who you are supposed to 'save'.

Four leads the group of initiates across the Pit toward a gaping hole in the wall. The room beyond is well-lit enough that you can see where we're going: a dining hall full of people and clattering silverware. When we walk in, the Dauntless inside stand. They applaud. They stamp their feet. They shout. 

A smile fills your face as you watch the transfers, the shock slowly falls off their faces and smiles replace them. You all move towards an empty table, Four and you sitting across from each other. With Tris on one of his sides, Christina next to her. A quick scan of the rooms tells you that Tori is still at the shop. 

You quickly pile food on your plate, more than you will eat but you know the tank across from you will finish it. You watch as Tris grabs a burger following your lead, but pinches the meat between her fingers, unsure what to make of it.

Four looks up at you before grabbing the ketchup and setting it in front of her. "It's beef," he says. "Put this on it." "You've never had a hamburger before?" asks Christina, her eyes wide. Taking an unladylike bite you roll your eyes as Tris looks down at her lap "Stiffs eat plain food."

Christina's eyebrows pull together, "Why?" She asks as Tris looks up, smearing the sauce on her burger while answering. "Extravagance is considered self-indulgent and unnecessary." Tris answers in a monotone voice. You look up at Four remembering how many times he said the same thing to you. 

Christina smirks "No wonder you left." You sigh, rolling your eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure it was just because of the food." The corner of Four's mouth twitches as he tries to not smile at your attitude. Tris looks at you thankfully, before slowly eating her food. 

Only a few more bites in Christina is talking again, testing the little patience you have. "So Y/n, where are you from?" Before you can answer you feel Fours leg brush against yours, when you look up you can see what hes trying to say. 'You don't have to answer them.'

You smile and turn to look at the recruits who are all staring at you. "Amity" you say smoothly picking up whatever drink it is Four poured you. You try not to laugh when all of their jaws hit the table. Stuttering over their words as they try to comprehend how you came from the gentle loving community. Four speaks putting all their questions to bed before they can start.

"Theres a reason shes here. Unless you want to experience it first hand I wouldn't ask." 

The doors to the cafeteria open, and a hush falls over the room. Without looking you know who it is, you can tell by the way the recruits act. By the way Fours entire body tenses, his eyes falling from your face to the table. You know what the newbies see in the man standing in the doorway. 

"Who's that?" hisses Christina, staring across the room at his as he marches his way over. "His name is Eric," says Four. "He's a Dauntless leader." She gasps turning back towards us "Seriously? But he's so young."  Four gives her a grave look as if asking if shes stupid before waving over to you "Age doesn't matter here."

You feel him sit down next too you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder before leaning over to whisper in your ear. "Ive been looking for you." It sends chills down your spine, he is the only person you truly hate besides your brother. You take every chance to fight him that comes your way, even if its just verbally. 

"Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" he asks, nodding to the recruits. Four says, "This is Tris and Christina." You point your fork down at Peter "Thats Peter, we haven't been properly introduced to the other yet." 

"Ooh, a Stiff," says Eric, smirking at Tris. His smile pulls at the piercings in his lips, making the holes they occupy wider.  "We'll see how long you last." You see Tris wince but turn her eyes towards you and you roll your eyes and shake your head a little. Trying to tell her to ignore him. 

He taps his fingers against the table. His knuckles are scabbed over, right where they would split if he punched something too hard. Which he did, two days before you had gotten into an argument in the control room over how much involvement he would have in training. Like a teenage boy he punched one of the walls. 

"What have you been doing lately, Four?" he asks, his arm still around you even though you had pushed it off twice. Fours eyes land on it glaring before looking at Eric "Nothing really." 

"Max tells me he keeps trying to meet with you, and you don't show up," Eric says. "He requested that I find out what's going on with you." Four looks at Eric for a few seconds before shrugging and saying, "Tell him that I am satisfied with the position I currently hold."

"So he wants to give you a job." The rings in Eric's eyebrows catch the light as they lift. You smile down at your plate, knowing exactly which job Max wants to give him. He knows Four is a threat to his job, he also knows he wont take it until forced too. "So it would seem," Four says looking back at you trying to read how uncomfortable you are. You scrunch your nose at him  and chuckle a little at his protectiveness. 

"And you aren't interested." Eric says finally moving his arm from your body and leaning across the table a little. You see Tris lean away from him, Christina's eyes still locked on him 'God please dont develop a crush' You think. 

"I haven't been interested for two years." Four answers

"Well," says Eric. "Let's hope he gets the point, then." He claps Four on the shoulder, a little too hard, and gets up. When he walks away, when hes far enough away you groan and dramatically throw your head back. Thanking whoever was watching that he finally left, but also cursing them that he came over in the first place. 

"Are you three...friends?" Tris asks quietly, its like shes afraid to speak you dont know if your grateful for that or not. "We were in the same initiate class," Four says. "He transferred from Erudite." You finish sliding your plate with mashed potatoes and a half portion of green beans left towards him. 

"Were you a transfer too?" Tris says a little louder this time, causing the others to look back our way. You know he wont answer, and can almost see his walls slamming up.  "I thought I would only have trouble with the Candor asking too many questions," he says coldly. "Now I've got Stiffs, too?"

"It must be because you're so approachable," She say flatly. "You know. Like a bed of nails."

He stares at her, but she doesn't look away. Looking him in the eye is a challenge. Its yet another moment that shows her divergence. Another moment that shows how hard this is all going to be for you. "Four" You say lowly breaking his attention away from her, he looks back at you and nods when you flick your head to the side. Dismissing him without undermining his authority. 

But just before he walks away he says "Careful, Tris" in a tone that conveys he isn't done with whatever that was that was happening. Your eyes stay on him as he makes his way over to another table, the one with Zeke and Shauna. Both who wave at you before putting there attention on him. 

As you're watching him you're listening to Christina "I have a theory.. and that is... That you have a death wish." The two girls laugh and continue their conversation, but to you it isn't a joke. She doesn't understand the danger shes not only putting herself in, but all of you in. You don't even want to think about what would happen if they found out about her. 

Because if they found out about her, it wouldn't be a far leap to you. And if they found out about you, they would find out about everyone.. Anyone who was even slightly divergent would be in danger all because of one stupid girl. 

Anger rose in you quicker than you could get a handle on it. You stood briskly from the table grabbing both your and Fours plates and cups. Walking stiffly from the table, your breathing was getting heavier. You knew you needed to get out of the room, either to the gym or the parlor.

 You didn't meet Zeke, Shauna or Fours eyes as you practically storm from the room. The last thing you heard before the doors slammed behind you was Christina.

"Was it something I said?" 

~~

You knew you only had an hour before you had to meet the group back down in the dorms. So instead of going to the gym where you would spend hours, or the parlor where Tori would ask too many questions, you went to your room. You didn't lock your door, knowing that one of your three best friends would be following. 

Most likely Shauna, and about five minutes later as you were changing into leggings from your jeans she walked in. Zeke was the only one of them who ever knocked. Shauna said it was because she had all the same lady parts, Four said it was because he had seen it all. Which wasn't the point, but whatever. 

"Ok Girl.. What was that? Did Four piss you off? Want me to sick Zekey on him?" She said quickly after shutting the door and throwing herself across your bed. You sigh, moving towards the bathroom to brush your hair up into a pony tail. You had to be careful on how you answered, you always did. It was yet another thing that was exhausting about your life here. 

"Those girls were just driving me nuts, after the stress of being in the city today I was just done." You say rubbing your eyes before leaning your hands on the counter. 'Arent you tired of lying to all your friends? ' That voice called doubt.. or depression asks silently in your head. 

Shauna is one of the easier ones to fool, Zeke a little harder but Four could read you like a child's book. You were grateful she was the one who came up, it allowed some of the weight to fall off your shoulders. Pulling your shirt off you stood adjusting your sports bra, then splashing cool water on your neck. 

"Want to hang out after you put the kiddies to bed?" She asks looking your way, even if she cant read you she can see the tension in your shoulders. 

You shake your head "Im gonna go for a run before I go to sleep, try to work out some of this energy. Gotta be on point tomorrow, I want to be the one to break that Peter fucker."

~

~

~

@coolestgirlhere

[rae-writes]

Hot

nsfw; gn!reader, monster fucking!! || 0.4k || I've just binged watched Kn8, loved it, so...tada:

Kafka tended to keep his wild and out of pocket thoughts to himself— both because he didn’t want you to think he was weird and because he was kind of embarrassed at the nasty things his brain supplied him at random intervals. 

His Kaiju form didn’t have genitalia, but…

He can’t resist the urge one day as he eats you out, body thrumming with desire and the need for more of your taste. 

So without even thinking, he transforms his jaw area until it’s all sharp teeth and tongue: and he uses the wickedly long muscle to reach even deeper as he shoves it inside your hole. 

The unexpectedness has you crying out and jerking, eyes snapping open to watch. The sight was…fucking hot, watching your partly transformed boyfriend eagerly please you like he’d never tasted anything better in his life. 

A sharp tug at his hair has him moaning out, eyes tingeing blue at your senseless babbles of praise; telling him how good he was, how good he was making you feel, how hot it was.

His dirty thoughts didn’t end at just using his mouth, though. After seeing you so receptive and willing to his transformation in the bedroom, they kept swirling more and more out of control. 

It had him eventually dragging you off after a completed mission, away from the eyes and ears of any of your friends and comrades. 

He’s fully transformed before you can even ask what was going on, large form dumping itself onto the ground and desperately dragging you with. 

Everything blurs together for a moment before you find yourself essentially making out with his Kaiju form— tongue lapping and tangling with his longer one— while you grind against his armored thigh. 

His outer layer was strong enough that you could feel it flush through your suit, and maybe it was the risk of it all that made your stomach clench, or the fact that this was the hottest thing you’ve possibly ever done. 

You couldn’t explain it— Kafka himself was such a fine piece of work and you had no shame in drooling over him any time of the day, and it just carried over into his other appearance as well. 

It’s something that has him rolling his eyes into the back of his skull nearly, even in this form. Liquid heat spreads all over him, sharp coils of confidence and infatuation licking at him, because fuck—

There’s his drop dead gorgeous partner, dry humping his monstrous frame, all because of an intrusive thought of his. 

The second you cum over him, his dark bluish-black armor is flaking and chipping away as he sheds his Kaiju layer, needing so desperately to really fuck you.

And while he can’t fuck you in his Kaiju form, maybe he could transform just his legs to pound at you like he was still in that form... 

[heliosthegriffin]

Mastery

A young man walks down a dirt road. A tall trees gives shade to him as he walk in the dimming light of the afternoon. He breathes heavily, sweat pouring from his brow, his back completely drenched by sweat, his steps remain steady as he keeps going forward down the road with seemingly no end.

Off in the distance, at almost random intervals, all the sound in the forest would die for a minutes on end, bringing terrible silence in the otherwise lively forest. It was a sound like the fiercest wind ramming and breaking against stone, following by a loud crashing sound.

It was towards this sound that would emerge that the young man was walking towards, the first time he heard it, it nearly sent him running, now when he heard it, his ears would twitch toward the sound, and he would unconsciously correctly his path.

Hours passed, and he entered a part of the forest where the path ended, and where that dreadful silence didn't go away. Other than the trees and brush, there was no life here that, at least none that he could hear or see.

The sound became more intense here when it occurred, and he could feel it when it happened, it was like a someone had used his chest like a drum. The sound echoing inside him for a endless instant. Fear exploded inside him every time the sound echoed, as every step forward he took feeling like a mistake, as the urge to walk back became a ever growing companion to him.

Finally, though, he made it. Into a completely barren clearing facing a scarred mountainside. He looked down at the dry-brown ground, it was so worn and abused to have a sandy composition and feel. It was level and flat in some places, while having mounds and being pushed together in other places, it was chaotic.

In the center of the clearing facing the mountainside, a man stood shirtless with long shabby blonde hair that covered his back. He was barefoot, wearing only a pair of moth-eaten trousers, and holding a old, worn sword in his right hand.

It was like looking at a statue, how still the man was, or maybe, a corpse that had died standing up. He stared at the man wondering if he was who he thought he was, or if he had died long ago, that this man in front of him had died standing up sometime today?

Wind-kicked up, as the man moved like lightning, bright, instantaneous, and mysterious to behold. As one moment his sword was at his side, then, his whole stance had changed, going for relaxed to battle ready with no frames in between. His arm holding his sword was out like he was stabbing at the mountain, and a deafening booming sound hit him at what felt like point-black.

A dust storm kicked up all around the clearing, and it became clear why here was so devoid of life, as the wind hit the young man threatening to knocked him over, if not, carry him away outright. If not for the small tendrils of light extending from his feet and into the ground. Even, then it was a near-thing.

Minutes passed before the localized storm abated, and the young man rose up coughing, eyes watering from the experience. Heart racing, as that echoing sound felt like it was going to explode out of his chest to escape him.

Rising up on tired limbs, he waved his hand through the dusty air, and beheld the mountain-side with awe. His eyes-widening, seeing it clearly, it was a sculpture, a rough-one, but one carved for hundreds of feet across, and tens of feet deep into the stone sides of the mountain. It was four sculptures, two young men, and two young women, laughing.

Then he froze, as through the dusty cloud, he could see two glowing blue eyes looking at him. Those eyes held weight and power like anything he had seen before, Huntsmen and Huntress, Battle Droids and Grimm, none of them held a weight like this, like it was piercing through him and anchoring him.

The eyes looked at him calmly, the blonde man had not emotions towards him, and yet his gaze still managed to put him place. It was otherworldly, as the young man fully realized the gap between them.

There wasn't even a blur as the man moved, as he simple was, his hand was at his side, then it was at shoulder height like he was greeting him, and the a gale of air, knocked away all the dust left int he air. He wasn't just smooth, he wasn't fluid, he was something else, it like, instead of going through a motion, he could start a motion A, and then go to motion Z, without appearing to go through the motions between.

"Oh, didn't see you there," The man called out to him, almost, embarrassed? "I didn't think I'd get company out here."

The young man didn't have a response, still pinned in place.

"I don't really have a place for you to sit down, but uh, feel free to sit where you please." The man had looked away, it seemed like it had been a while since talked to anyone.

The man started whistling off key. As if waiting for him to carry on the conversation, but also not so subtle nudging head towards the mountainside meaningfully.

Still, the young man struggled to saying anything with the weight of the man's presence upon him. The man, though was getting twitchy the longer he was in the conversation, looking as though he was about to run away, if this dragged on any further.

"I-, I'm just gonna go, you -" The man began.

"Please, teach me, Master Arc!" The young man interrupted.

The man looked surprised, his brow furrowing in confusion. He pointed at himself. "Me? A master, since when?"

The young mans eyes looked over towards the mountainside, the back at the shirtless man, which was equal-parts scared and muscled. "I'd say, awhile."

"Ugh, Master Arc sounds way too formal and important for me, just call me, Jaune, ok?" Then he looked at the sculpture that was carved by his sword strikes into the mountain. "Oh, that? That's just a hobby, to relive the good ol' days, but that doesn't make me a master, though. I'm just a middle-aged man in the woods." Jaune said, his body-language becoming more relaxed.

The young man looked at him in disbelief. "A-are you serious? I mean, I think this goes beyond a hobby, it's a little rough," Jaune staggered a bit at the criticism, but then nodded in agreement. "But, that's not something you could do and call yourself an amateur!"

Jaune looked away, embarrassed. "Yeah, that's true. But, I'm not calling myself amateur. I think, I'm pretty good, but that's no reason to go calling myself a Master, I mean that's not really a title you can give yourself anyway, so If I called myself one, it'd be a pretentious and make me look like I'm hopped up on my own ego."

"But, your name is respected and feared around the world!" Jaune looked proud for a moment, then immediately sad, once he realized he was feared. "In the current era, if goes without saying that you're the best swordsman on Remnant!"

Jaune smile crookedly. "Yeah, but that sound a little too exaggerated."

The Young man looked at the mountain side. "No, not at all."

"Uh lets move away from that," Jaune said, waving his arms to attract his attention from his hobby-project. Then he sighed. "Let's cut to the chase, what do you want from me?"

"I want you to teach me." The young man bowed to him.

"Sorry, but I don't think I'm qualified."

The young man raised a eyebrow.

"Ok, I'm kinda of alright, but," Jaune sighed a bit, as though rolling around a thought in his mind. "Why do you want to learn from me in particular?"

"Because, you're the strongest master swordsman."

"Ok, but what does that mean? What does Mastery mean, to you?"

The young man opened his mouth, but struggled to answer the question. After a minute, he gave up and just went with his gut answer. "That you've become the best at it? That you've achieved a state of being with the sword that no one else can achieve, and hit the final state of being as a swordsman?"

Jaune shook his head. "Wrong. There's no such thing as the best, at least here. What I've achieved, anyone can with the right amount of work, and there is no final state."

"Then, what is mastery? What does it mean to be a master?"

"Master, I guess, doesn't really exist, it's a title people are given when they're not only good at their subject of experience, but also can teach others. But, the way people call a person a master after a level of experience, is kinda of wrong. When, they call someone a master swordsman, they just mean a really good swordsman that's hit higher level than them. But, mastery isn't a level, it's a state of being, of seeking out your flaws and improving upon them. It's not being stronger and better, its about moving forward past your failures and learning from them, seeking self-improvement and understanding. If all you are is just good at something without improving, then it's not mastery, it's just complacency."

The young man stared at him. "So, what you're saying is, you're a Master?"

Jaune twitched in place, then slowing walked away.

"Wait! Will you teach me though?!"

"No." Jaune said after a moment.

The young man looked struck for a moment, then sighed.

"But, I won't make you leave either, if you can learn something from watching me, then you can try."

The young man smiled. "May I ask a question?"

Jaune shrugged. "I'm not charging, so why not?"

"How do you channel your aura to make your aura slashes invisible, such a power is near-invincible! And, how do you make them so strong?"

Jaune looked at him confused. "Aura?" Then he lifted his arm, flexing as a gust of wind emanated from him, his arm showing a inhuman level of tone and muscularity. "I'm just using my body." He swung his sword, that sound returning. "Those are basically just me making some breeze."

The young man froze, then realized the whole time he could not feel any aura being used by the man. Then slowly feel backward, unconiously, as the absurdity of his master, coupled with a several hard days journey finally catching up to him.

Jaune smiled awkwardly. "It isn't that unusually is it?" He looked far away. "Huh, this happened last time I out too, didn't it?" He hummed a bit. "It'd be a bit too destructive if I used my aura for anything other healing." He smiled. "I still got a ways to go, control-wise, before I can call myself a good at aura, though."

[breannasfluff]

Standing Tall

Whump Rating: 3/5 TW: Injury, electrocution

Collaboration with @ikaishere! Art link here!

Sky isn’t one for complaining about the eras they visit. History shapes the land and the heroes take claim far too often. Wild’s world especially draws a lot of ire from the group. It’s too big, there are not enough towns, the weather is unpredictable—the list of complaints is never-ending. Sky stays quiet because it’s not Wild’s fault.

Right now, Sky is considering every foul-mouthed curse Legend has ever spat. He and Hyrule are cut off from the others; fighting and the terrain driving them apart. A storm rolled in—too fast to be normal. Maybe there’s a wizzrobe summoning it.

Or, maybe the chosen hero has the worst luck.

Whatever the reason, the sky is black and grey; swollen clouds bursting with rain. It spits and bites as it falls. The wind switches directions continuously, throwing water in his eyes.

Oh, and there’s lightning striking the ground and enemies at random intervals. He’d be more thankful for the thinning of the ranks if it didn’t keep landing uncomfortably close to the two heroes.

“Duck!” Hyrule’s shout has him dropping on instinct, just before a sword slices over his head. The monster he’s engaging pauses for a fraction of a second. Sky uses the opening to swipe Fi through the monster’s legs, bringing it down. Then he slams the sword through its chest. In seconds, it vanishes in black mist.

Lightning slams nearby. The flash whites out his vision and the crack of thunder comes a split second later.

Sky waves his sword, mostly blind as he blinks and tries to get his eyes to refocus. A monster behind him lands a dull blow across his shoulders. He grunts, spinning Fi on instinct and jabbing it directly backward. Another monster down.

Yet no matter how many they cut down, more and more reinforcements are coming. Not every monster has black blood, but there’s enough to be a worry. Are the others okay?

Sky spins and slashes, then slips on the wet grass. He recovers but has to block the next blow awkwardly.

Hyrule shouts—in anger? In pain? Then he’s next to Sky, knocking aside the monster and pulling Sky to his feet. “I’m going to call for thunder!”

“What?” The hero spins, Fi glowing bright, to keep an eye on the incoming hoard. “There’s already a storm!”

“No, Thunder! My spell! It will take down a lot of these guys at once.”

“Doesn’t that take a lot of magic?”

“Yeah.”

“What if we need healing?”

Sky can’t see the eye roll, but he can imagine it. “Look, do you have any bright ideas on how we are getting out of here?”

He doesn’t, but he’d rather not admit it out loud, either. “What do you need?”

“Just a few seconds to concentrate. Cover me?”

“Always.” The Master Sword spins, leaving a blurring trail of light in its wake. Sky stays close to Hyrule, darting around him to cut off approaching monsters. The traveler’s hands gleam with magic and even under this sullen sky, the white-gold of lightning glows bright.

Hyrule starts to pull his hands apart, ready to direct the spell outward.

That’s when things start going wrong.

One of the monsters has a bow and, unnoticed by Sky, is aiming at Hyrule. It’s let loose before he can shout a warning. The arrow is thick and heavy; not the shoddy twigs most of the bokoblins use. It sinks through Hyrule’s shoulder—how deep, Sky doesn’t know.

Hyrule doesn’t scream. In his era, screaming is how you die. Instead, there’s a pained grunt ripped from his lips. One hand goes to clutch his shoulder on instinct. The lighting spell, formed yet directionless, separates with a pop.

“Shit!”

It’s the only warning Sky gets to drop to the ground, trying to make himself lower than the monsters. The spell wobbles with little direction. Then it glows brighter and starts humming. He covers his neck with his hands and braces for the explosion,

It never comes. The hum of the spell turns into a whine, then peters out. With a loud snap, not unlike the thunder, the magic collapses in on itself and vanishes. There is no lightning to save them now.

Sky throws himself at the monsters, but it’s a lost cause and they both know it. Lightning was their ticket to getting out of this mess and rejoining the group. Sure, they could wait for the others to come find them, but they’d only find dead bodies if they didn’t escape this fight.

“We need to get the arrow out!”

“I know that! I can’t heal around it. And most of my magic went to that spell.”

Jump a swipe, dart in closer. Twist Fi and bring her slicing edge through. The academy trains them in swordplay and his adventure fills in the gaps that remain.

Quieter, Hyrule says, “I’m bleeding.”

“I know you are!” It’s a little obvious with the arrow in his shoulder.

“You don’t understand!” Hyrule is rapidly tipping into panic. “It’s my blood! Monsters are drawn to it in my era!”

“This isn’t yours!”

“But some of the monsters are!”

Sky almost freezes, then continues fighting as he lets this fact sink in. There’s no time for questions. If Hyrule says this will be a problem, Sky believes him. “We need a way to wipe out all of these monsters in one go.”

“I can help fight if you cut off the arrow.”

The chosen hero risks a glance at Hyrule. He’s wavering where he stands, knees nearly buckling. His face is drawn and water drips off his lashes. In between words, he’s sucking air through his teeth and hissing it back out. He has to be in an incredible amount of pain, but there’s nothing to be done.

Sky continues fighting and protecting Hyrule. There’s a flash of light and on instinct, Sky covers his eyes. It doesn’t save his ears from the assault of thunder, but at least he’s not blinking away spots.

This blast lands even closer than the others; the hair on Sky’s arms rises despite the rain. The monsters finally back off, wary of the blasts. They don’t leave, but it gives the two breathing room for the moment. Well, breathing for him. Hyrule seems worse off.

“We need to get that arrow out before this fight continues.”

“We need to stop the bleeding, you mean.” Hyrule sets his jaw. “I can heal the wound around the shaft for now—”

“Absolutely not. We’d hurt you trying to pull it out later.”

Green eyes meet his, heavy with knowledge “I don’t think we have a choice.”

“We always have a choice.” Never mind that none of the heroes got a choice about joining this quest. Or any of the previous, for that matter. Sure, they could have refused, but the hero’s spirit is a strong pull to deny.

Sky glances around, then kneels at Hyrule’s side. “We don’t have long. The monsters are wary but they are already forming up.”

“How bad is it?”

He glances at the shaft, then leans Hyrule forward to check his back. “It went through. I’ll have to cut it and pull the two pieces out.”

The traveler gives in to a flavorful assortment of curses, then nods and digs in his pouch for a stray piece of leather to bite down on. “Make it fast. Some of them smell my blood, I can tell.”

Sky does his best to shut out the battlefield and shut out his brother. This is just another puzzle, another task. Remove an arrow without causing further damage. Battlefield medicine isn’t his forte, but he’ll do his best.

First up is cutting the arrow. “I’m going to have to use some force to split it,” he apologizes. Then he sends a silent apology to Fi because this isn’t the correct use of the Goddess' sword. Holding the fletching steady, Sky holds up the sword. Something crackles over his skin, biting as it goes.

He gives it little thought, bringing the sword down as close to Hyrule’s chest as he can. It slices through the arrow neatly, but it pulls a muffled scream from the traveler as it tugs on his shoulder.

“Sorry! Sorry! It’s a clean cut so it shouldn’t cause further damage. Let me pull it out. Are you ready to heal?”

Hyrule nods, although his eyes are watering with pain. Sky goes around to his back and braces one hand on his shoulder and the other around the arrow shaft. A darting glance at the monsters—they are definitely coming back—and Sky yanks. The wood slides free, slick with blood.

The traveler moans, but his hand glows faintly with magic. He stops sooner than expected. The holes are barely scabbed over, stopping the bleeding.

“Are you okay?”

Spitting out the leather, Hyrule tries for a flat look. Mostly, it looks panicked. “I’m out of magic. I had just enough to stop the bleeding, but the damage is done. Those monsters won’t stop seeking my blood until I or they are dead.”

He’s not going to be a help in a fight, then. He’s trembling, likely from shock and pain. Fresh blood still coats one side of his tunic from the wound. A few inches further and Sky might be standing over a dead body.

He can’t let that happen. Stepping in front of Hyrule, he holds the sword ready and glares at the approaching monsters. “You want him? You’ll have to have to go through me.”

The monsters take the challenge literally. No matter how fast Sky spins his sword, weapons keep sneaking through his guard. The layers of clothing are weighed down by water and soon cut by sword slices. One monster swings harder and a sword slices into his side.

The burning sensation has him grunting. He risks a glance down—bleeding, but not too badly. When he looks back up, the monsters swell around him. Hisses and howls add to the din of the wind and thunder.

One of the monsters raises its head and sniffs the air. “God killer!” it hisses.

Sky’s blood runs cold. Do they know about Demise? Well, if they want Hyrule’s blood, maybe it’s not a far stretch for them to go after him as well. He can use this to his advantage, though.

Glancing back at Hyrule—he’s holding a sword, but he’s fallen to the wet dirt. The combination of multiple magic spells, a long battle, and an ill-healed wound are adding up fast. Still, when a bokoblin rushes him, he pushes himself up and slashes at it. Hyrule is a hero and as long as he can breathe, he’ll fight.

Sky can’t let it come to that. He needs to be a distraction and draw them away. If they can smell his blood…it’s a terrible plan. It’s the only one he has.

Stealing himself, Sky thrusts his fingers against the wound at his side. By the three, that hurts. His body is doing its best to pump blood out of the slice as quickly as possible. He only needs to press to cover his hand in blood. Then he raises it in the air and waves it. The wind works with him for once, shifting to blow toward the monsters.

All attention focuses on him.

“I did kill your god! He was a blight on this world! By the Goddess’ name, I will not let that stand!” Sky charges for the top of the hill, digging his boots into the wet grass and mud. He only has seconds.

Behind him, the monsters roar and charge, converging up the side of the hill.

Sky raises the sword and calls for a skyward strike. It might not be the same as Hyrule’s lightning, but it should still thin the enemies. A tingle, then a buzzing prickles over his hand. The enemies rush closer.

“Sky! Don’t do it!” Hyrule shouts, one arm lifted to reach for him, despite collapsing on the hill. “The lightning!”

The air crackles and heats. He has only an instant to realize the danger. Sky is in Wild’s world, where lightning is attracted to metal. He’s standing at a high point, sword raised like a lightning rod.

The skyward sword strike charges at the same moment the lightning hits. The air explodes.

White light blinds the area and Sky can’t tell if his eyes are opened or closed. There’s a high-pitched sound and his throat hurts—is he screaming? Lightning claws its way down his arm and through his body. Muscles stiffen and lock. There’s a sense of weightlessness, and then something hard slams into his back.

Sky lays still. He can’t see anything outside of white light. His body burns. The previous lightning scars itch unbearably, but he can’t move his hand to scratch at it. His ears ring. Something is shaking him, but he can’t see or hear who.

Wild’s lightning bolts have a nasty habit of exploding with they strike; he must have been thrown. He’s probably got some new burns or lightning feathers, too. Great, Zelda is never going to let him hear the end of this.

Electricity continues to bleed out of his limbs and they twitch and tremble. A hand pats his face and although he can’t see, it feels like Hyrule.

“Sky! Sky!”

Ah, the ringing is dying slightly.

“Sky! Can you hear me?”

He manages a broken groan, which is as close as he can get.

“Just stay still, I think the others will be here soon. I don’t…I don’t have any more magic.”

“Monsters,” he manages. He can’t see. He certainly can’t stand and fight to protect Hyrule.

“The blast got them. They’re dead, Sky. You saved us.”

Well. At least he did one thing right. The rumble of thunder is fading and, at first, it seems like a product of his wavering hearing. But the rain spitting on his face is lessening as well.

“The storm is stopping. I think the others must have won. I hope.”

Sky hums and focuses on lying still. Hyrule still clutches his hand and he gives it a faint squeeze.

“How are you doing?”

The traveler’s voice breaks when he answers. “You’re asking me? You got electrocuted! Those monsters; they wanted to kill you! Why would you do that?”

Blindly, he reaches up until his palm meets Hyrule’s cheek. It’s wet; either from rain or tears. “Because you are worth saving, hero.”

Hyrule cries and Sky lets his hand fall. The muscles still jump and shake. Everything burns and itches. There’s a throb deep in his bones that says there’s more damage than on the surface. He still can’t see.

None of it matters, though, because Hyrule is safe. Sky will do whatever it takes to keep his fellow heroes safe. After cursing them to this never-ending cycle, it’s the least he can do.

“I see the others,” the traveler says, squeezing his hand. “Just hold on and we’ll get you fixed up.”

“You, too. Don’t think I forgot about your shoulder.”

A wet laugh. “Don’t tell Wild, but his weather sucks.”

That pulls a smile from Sky and he focuses on the feel of the sun warming his skin. The clouds must be dissipating. “After today? I agree.”

[whump-about-it]

Sponge bath/ Infection/ “Lets get you cleaned up”

@whumpril day 22

CW: infections, passing out, mild hallucinations, fever. 

The room seemed to be wavering around Whumpee. The floor kept shifting and tilting at odd angles, and the walls didn’t appear to be shifting with it. Instead they kept elongating and shrinking at random intervals. Whumpee couldn’t look at anything straight on or else the constant movement of the room was going to make them nauseous. When they tried to take a step they stumbled on the moving floor and had to grab onto the chair next to them to keep their knees from buckling. 

Their mouth was dry, and their ears were beginning to ring. Whumpee tried to grip the chair harder to ground themselves. Get a control on their body and the shaking room. They knew they should know what was going on, but their brain was moving so sluggishly they couldn’t think of what had happened. 

“Whumpee?” A voice broke through the ringing in Whumpee’s ears, and they could feel someone putting a hand on their shoulder. Whumpee turned towards the voice, and the hand, and managed to focus on Caretaker’s concerned face for a split second before it began to twist and contort like they were a painting someone was smudging over. 

It was all to much for Whumpee’s brain, and their world quickly faded to grey, and then to black. 

“Catch me” they slurred as their body went boneless. The last thing they remembered before they totally blacked out was Caretaker swearing as they tried to pull Whumpee into their arms before they hit the floor. 

The next thing Whumpee remembered, they were coming to propped up in someone’s bed. Their head was screaming, and their skin itched and ached. They felt like a clay pot cracking and preparing to fall apart in desert heat. Even so, Whumpee could feel something wet and freezing being pressed to their neck, just below their ear. The feeling disappeared but quickly came back an inch or so away. The sudden cold on their hot and aching skin made Whumpee wince even as their brain told them to stay still. 

“It’s just me” Caretaker murmured from somewhere very close to Whumpee. They continued to dab Whumpee’s neck with what they could now distinguish as a sponge for a minute until Whumpee managed enough control over themselves to crack their eyes open. 

They were in Caretaker’s room. The lights were out and the curtains were drawn only allowing dim sunlight to filter through. The room was spinning, but it at least was staying proportional now. And Caretaker’s face, mere inches from their own, was only contorting in the usual ways. 

Caretaker leaned away when they saw Whumpee’s eyes open and dipped the sponge in a bowl of water sitting on the bedside table. They rang it out and began to dab at the other side of Whumpee’s neck making them wince again. Caretaker’s face was a mixture of concern and displeasure and Whumpee tried not to stare at them and they continued to wipe the sweat off of their face and neck. 

“Is this your shirt?” They asked in a raspy voice after a moment. They had just noticed they weren’t in the same clothing they had been in when they passed out. 

“You sweat through your own” Caretaker told Whumpee in way of a response. “The cut on your arm has a nasty infection.” 

Whumpee glanced guiltily down at their left forearm. It was splayed out next to them on a seperate pillow. Caretaker had removed the bandage, but there was a warm compress over the deep cut Whumpee had been trying to hide. 

Right. That’s what had happened. They hadn’t told Caretaker about the injury. They didn’t want them to worry. The infection hadn’t been that bad the last time they had changed the bandage. They had cleaned out the puss and made sure to dry the wound before putting on a new bandage. Had they applied the antiseptic? They couldn’t remember. 

“Are you going to give me a lecture?” They rasped, glancing back at Caretaker, who surprisingly gave them a half smile. 

“Eventually” They said fondly “When your fever breaks. I want to make sure you  remember it.” 

Whumpee nodded and instantly regret the movement. They squeezed their eyes shut against the room that was beginning to spin again. Caretaker continued to brush the sponge down Whumpee’s arm while they stroked Whumpee’s sweaty head with their other hand, gently encouraging them to take deep breathes until Whumpee didn’t think they were going to pass out again. 

“I’m sorry” Whumpee rasped when they opened their eyes again “I should have told you about the cut.” 

“I told you, I’m saving the lecture for later.” Caretaker said. “For now lets get you cleaned up, and then I’m tracking down some antibiotics.”  

“Okay” Whumpee mumbled. They shut their eyes again and held as still as they could as Caretaker finished wiping them down with cool water and began to dress their wound, properly this time. 

[spittingbloodandscreaming]

Hiya!! Your writing is so good!!

any way you can write some Alex Kralie x gn reader fluff?? Maybe reader like comforting him during a paranoid breakdown or something

AHHH I'm sorry you waited so long :(( I'm taking forever to get to requests!! I promise I'm not forgetting about any of you!! I really hope you enjoy <3

It's Enough (Alex Kralie x Reader fluff[I think])

Alex gets this way a lot now.

He hasn't been this bad in a while, though. Normally, he just needs a nap or some time to breathe in a fully lit room. You're fully prepared for all of that, it makes sense enough, but you aren't exactly sure what to do when he has to lock all the doors and windows, all the while insisting that something is gonna get him. And insisting you need better blinds. 

This time, Alex locked himself in the bathroom. You know because you can hear the crying and murmuring from the bedroom, all at random intervals.

Alex is in there, sitting on the bath mat and leaning against the wall. He swears he can feel the walls closing in on him, the kind of thing where you’re not sure if the world is about to go black. He tries excruciatingly hard to focus on something, but the second he looks at an object in the room, it blurs into nothing. He tries the bath mat—nothing. He can feel tears stinging his cheeks. He looks up at the mirror, from an angle he can’t see himself in it. The light from the ceiling reflects into nothing. He closes his eyes and buries his head in his arms. His knees are to his chest. He can’t breathe. He just hears buzzing. He’s dying. Alex is so sure he’s dying.

You knock on the door. You’re kneeling on the carpet now, resting your head against the plywood. You try your hardest to listen for any signs of life, and ultimately end up with exactly what you had before—breathing. At least that means he’s alive, if nothing else. You really worry when Alex gets like this. You know he’s not exactly the most stable, especially not recently. You move from kneeling to sitting with your back against the door and knees up to your chest. You just want to know Alex is okay.

You knock again. “Alex, is everything okay in there?” You speak softly, trying to emphasize that you really just want to talk to him. “I think you should open the door. You’ve been in there for a few hours.” You’re pleading with him now. After a few moments you hear him sigh, and a gentle shuffle. Alex opens up the door, causing you to fall very ungracefully on your back infront of him. He looks down at you, face red and defeated. He’s not wearing his glasses, and you wonder briefly where they are as Alex offers you his hand to help you up. It’s a bit of an awkward angle for that sort of thing, but you take it anyway, twisting around on your way up so that you face him once you’re standing. You hug him tight, pressing his arms to his sides, making it so he can’t really hugh you back, but that’s okay. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?” You let go of him, moving your hands to his shoulders. As relived as you are, you’re still worried about him.

Alex sighs. “I don’t know, I don’t think I need anything.” He moves your hands away and walks past you to sit on the bed. He puts his head in his hands and breathes slowly. He’s trying really hard to not keep crying. He’s focusing really hard on his breathing, but focusing on one thing doesn’t make the rest go away. He’s shaking. You sit down next to him on the edge of the bed, and when there’s no protest, you put your arm around him.

“I really love you Alex, and I’m not sure what’s going on, but I want you to know that, okay?” You lean into him, trying to hold his hand. He's limp for a moment before he realizes this is a gesture he should reciprocate. He holds your hand back, and then puts his other hand over both of yours. Alex is still looking down—his eyes fixed on a spot of carpet. He's crying, you think. You can't hear him, but you're sure you can see tears rolling down his face. 

“I love you too.” Alex is so quiet. He's so small. He looks so empty but so full. You hug him, taking the hand that isn't holding his and putting it in his hair. He's so pretty, he's so kind, you wish he was happy. You wish there was anything you could do to help him. You aren't sure there is, and that hurts worse than seeing him this way—knowing you can't help. You can be here, though, that's something. It means the most, doesn't it? Just being with someone. You hope it does. You hope it means as much to Alex as it does to you.

To Alex, it means the world.

[voidsentprinces]

Void, your AU doesn't sound so bad.

List of things that are happening in Voidsent AU:

Voidsent Prince exist imagine the Archfiends able to just summon the swarms of Voidsent they call on but all across Eorzea like Lightwardens do. The only saving grace is most of the Princes are cognitive and have control over these mass swarms. But if one were inclined to do so, they could overwhelm an area in a bell. While five of these Princes are said to been hunt down by the Void Hunter's Guild. Wrath and Sloth have been missing. No one has spotted or met them but they are speculated to exist since the others introduced themselves as Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and Pride.

There is a fog over the northern sector of the Central Shroud. No one who goes into it, no matter if its a skilled adverturer, explore, or a Garlean Legion ever come out. If they do, they are catatonic or incoherent. It is impossible to reach the Haukke Manor or cross over to the Fallgourd Float area from here. Even the gate's watchmen have to be changed out every 2 - 4 days or they have a psychological breakdown. At the same time this fog mysterious descended, the Padjal and Gridania loss all communication with the Elementals.

The Sahagin are at war with one of the Voidsent Princes, Envy. Who has been going on one-man raids against the Breeding Grounds. Slaughtering entire clutches of the Tribes out of spite. Limsa Lominsa can't really send a parlay in to aid the tribes without drawing the ire of the Prince. And the Leviathan and Titan summonings from Kobolds in reaction, have become increasingly more and more desperate. Threatening to wipe La Noscea off the map from earthquakes and tidal waves.

Ishgard has "fallen" for 20 years after a cult known as the Sanguine Court, rose up and over threw the Holy See. Only a few of its Noble Houses escaped to Gridania in the process. It would be bearable if the Sanguine Court sent out hostile forces to attack Gridania or Idyllshire or any of the surrounding area. But after the initial take over, its just been dead silence. Nothing comes out of Ishgard, nothing goes into Ishgard. Garlemald sent a few legions to go test its defenses and a few spies to information gather. None ever came out.

Recently a skirmish in Eastern Shroud near Baelsar's Wall turned into a route. The Knights of Ishgard Exiled and the Twin Adders were pushed out of the region as Garlemald pushed its way fully into the Shroud proper. They razed the Slyphlands after Gridania and her allies were forced into a retreat.

Gridania is completely isolated. During the Battle of Carteneau it revealed a being they aided in stopping most of the damage of Dalamud's Fall with the aid of Louisoix. But in revealing such a being who also survived, where Louisoix perished, it alienated Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa from dealing with Gridania. Forcing them to face Garlemald, the mysterious fog, and the occupation of Ishgard by the exile's foes on its own.

All of this is troublesome. But worse of all, at random intervals for seemingly no reason. Something has occasionally taken over bodies of people. Male, Female, Beast Tribe, Soldier. Garlemald, the East, Thavnair, Sharlayan, La Noscea, etc. It doesn't seem to matter. From time to time, it just...occurs. The person's eyes with be covered in black as they bleed black out of their orifices. They will go into a fit for a short period. Before, whatever it is, takes over motor controls. It will either grow extremely hostile trying to kill everything around it or it will drop dead soon after. The few who survive a run in with it say the person possess will just keep asking the same question over and over: "Where is my, son?"

[archive245]

no thoughts empty head only the horsemens as a boyband

- will def gives drummer, said drums are prob white and red covered in random stickers

- michael def bassist and main vocals, guitar is def red

- kai keyboardist and vocals, keeps both keyboard and mic clean and minimalist, his in ears prob have a cross on them or something

- damon is like electric guitar, black definitely black, like a glossy black tho

- damons the type to have messy black eyeliner and a leather jacket yk the bad boy

- kais signature piece of jewelry are rings, wills is chains and necklaces

- very chase atlantic and arctic monkeys vibes

- kai never or barely uses social media, has like 20 posts at max and only posts band activities

- WILL ON THE OTHER HAND SPAMS POSTS LIKE HIS LIFR DEPENDS ON IT, funny picture of damon and michael? posted. rehearsal? posted. dinner at a local diner? posted? sexy selfie? posted. this man probably has like over 1000 posts

random scenario: fan throws bra on stage

michael: picks it up and while smirking say something suggestive

kai: doesnt say anything just see its smirks moves on

damon: like michael says something dirty and hangs the bra on his guitar

will: puts the bra on and does the rest of the performance with it on

- they all write and produce, but its a spectrum how quickly they brainstorm

- michael takes a average week to think of an idea for a beat and lyrics, damon and will randomly gets random creative brusts, kai consistently gets ideas but at random intervals

- designated spots on tour busses

- will is stage presence even tho hes near the back bc yk drums he has the ability to get the crowds attention, winks, flirts, blows kisses, the whole package

- damon tends to wonder the stage never ending on the same place he started when the songs over, walking closer to the crowd to flirt with them or walking back to flirt with the others ( will specifically)

- OR he tends to be very cold and intimidating not very flirty or interactive with every one, yet has a very strong aura that just catches ur attention

- kai pours his whole soul into singing, and even tho hes a sub vocals he tends have the most lines

- hes very tame when it comes to interacting with the crowd, like yes he will wink at them or flirt with them, but he isnt on the verge of making out with one of the fans like damon or will are. but eye contact

- michael is the one who throws water on the fans, the “are you ready??” and “lets go”. the fan hyper yk the one who makes the concert more fun

another random scenario: getting mobbed by paparazzi

michael: pissed and it shows on his face

kai: tries his best to be polite but about to smash the cameras

damon: decks them in the face (causes the group lots of criticism)

will: ditches the group and runs in the other direction

- it was was will idea to start the band, kai was coerced bc he was the only one who knew how to play an instrument (piano) at the time. and damon and michael joined to piss off their dads

- during interviews will has no media training and says random stuff, kai tries to damage control it like “haha no hes joking”

- michael survives off monster, on or off tour. kai prefers coffee, will red bull and damon water :D but he smokes a shit ton of cigarettes so it cancels out

- damon blatenly post spoilers on his socials, kai acc does this as well but not as obvious

- they have a tradition to have comebacks (I DONT KNOW THE NORMAL TERM FOR THIS I ONLY KNOW THE KPOP TERM I AM SORRY) on october 30

- lets be honest they all hook up with fans

[shuckinbeanz]

So based on my hero, can you write a oneshot featuring All Might and a gn reader practicing hypnosis and gags please? In the fic, All Might wants to practice a new kink and the reader suggests that they use hypnosis on him to have a love for gags. All Might accepts and after hearing a trigger word, he gets the drive to gag his mouth while being horny. What do you think?

warnings/notes: omg this is perfect im sorry this took so long NSFW, multiple orgasms, discreet use of toys in public(specifically mouth gag), hypnosis, praise kink, anal m receiving, reader wears a toy could be a custom cocksleeve or dildo(some of us don't have a dick).

MINORS 👏 DNI! 👏 AGE 👏 IN 👏 BIO 👏 OR 👏 DNI! 👏 Head on over to @candybowbeansies please for my SFW pieces, or be blocked if you interact here! 😇

Tags: @dynamightsdaydream

The power of suggestion during hypnosis was formidable. Toshinori wanted to try a new kink and when he approached you about hypnosis, you suggested a few things of your own.

You were excited to finally break out a few new toys you had stashed away-little fantasies of yours. 

One of them, an unseemly black face mask with an attachment modification inside it; out of the options you had, you figured the ball would be the best first time. All made of top tier durable material, it would be perfect for a little game secret to the public.

Somewhat adventurous, you had a set of couples’ vibes that you could set to activate at random intervals for both you and him, along with a custom toy that fit you just right that you'd fuck him with later.

The game? There were errands that had to be done after having been piled up for some time; it'd take a few hours, at least. 

Discreet public play was agreed upon between you and him; a splash of adventurous, kinky color on the otherwise blank surface of the mundane.

The couple's vibes would bring that erotic edge, building up tensions between the two of you; a double edged sword, so to speak.

It was a fun competition of sorts. Who'd crumble before the return home? You were feeling competitive; the thought of what you were going to do to him later in the privacy of the bedroom keeping you from going weak in the knees too many times to count. 

You were dead-set on winning with endurance, engaging in conversations with people you knew, trying to keep each one as long as possible.

He picked up on what you were trying to do-thus, a war of attrition began. The man you were head over heels for was a cheeky bastard, so playful discreet touches and short texts just to tease the hell out of you weren't above him.

And you sure as hell weren't above it, either. Especially if it meant you could earn those deep, handsome chuckles of his.

By the time you both arrived home, you were so overwhelmed you didn't know if you wanted him to fold you over the table or if you wanted to fuck his brains out.

You and him couldn't keep your hands off each other once the cue was given, and when you saw him put himself on the bed so prettily after saying that phrase, you decided on the latter.

“Hmmgh mh.”

Even though you've long since short circuited, it doesn't take much brain power to know he told you to fuck him.

You were a tease. As you prepped his ass to take what you'd prepared for him, you'd tease him relentlessly. It was a surefire way to make him teeter on that fine edge. 

He was undeniably pro, as contrary to what some people think, he had endurance for days, while with age and the repercussions of his job inevitably decreased his stamina. He could go quite a few rounds with breaks in between. 

And each one, you'd pound his sweet spots, bringing him to orgasm after orgasm while filthy praise fell from your lips and you couldn't help but relish in his gagged moans. 

So handsome. So pretty. So strong. Gorgeous. 

Pretty tight ass, just for you. Throbbing, aching manhood leaking so desperately. 

Lost in the haze of dizzying lust, you fuck him senseless, only allowing him time to breathe with your ass-drunk pace.

After the final round and catering to his every need, you and him bask in the afterglow with warm cuddles. 

As the sun rose the next morning and you both had showered and returned to the comfort of the bed, you expertly noticed what he'd tried to hide, coming out of the bathroom; telltale signs of soreness.

“Toshi, was I too rough?” you ask, a worried frown gracing your lips. A soft, handsome chuckle escapes him. “Too good.” he says, smiling his handsome smile as he approaches, leaning over you. Before you could speak again, he's littering your face with sweet kisses. 

“I should return the favor.” his voice drops, sexy. Any worry you have fades completely as you smile coyly. “Really? How?” you return, your smile making his grow as he leans to whisper in your ear. “Like this…” he rumbles, his large hand traveling down your tummy, his fingertips barely touching your skin, leaving a trail of hot pleasant tingles.

Soft laughter escapes you as you pull him close, cut off by an eager deep kiss, happy to indulge with the man you loved.

[noneuclideanwhimsy]

Hey!! This is really random coming from me since I usually yap to u abt catcf, but im rlly curious to know what the other fandom I keep seeing u post about is, something involving a G-man?? Idk what it is but it looks rlly cool :3 could u maybe explain it to me? Feel free to yap as much as u want.

Thank you for asking, I love rambling about my interests and this particular fandom is my special interest so I really love rambling about it :]

Anyway. Half-Life is a video game series released by Valve Software, the first game came out in 1998 and was about an experiment going horribly wrong at a research facility called Black Mesa. On May 16th 200-, 27-year-old theoretical physicist Gordon Freeman (this is our player character btw) did what his higher-ups told him to do and shoved a suspicious crystal under a beam. This resulted in the Resonance Cascade, the inciting incident of pretty much everything that happened since in the series, in which a bunch of portals to a borderworld (basically a universe that can serve as a bridge between other universes) called Xen opened and aliens started coming out of them and wreaking havoc on Black Mesa. Then things got worse somehow with the military showed up, but not to save the BM staff but to shoot everybody on-sight to cover up the incident. Gordon grabbed a crowbar and started fighting his way through all of the aliens and soldiers, eventually making his way to Xen and killing a creature called the Nihilanth, who was keeping the portals open and invading Earth with an enslaved species called the Vortigaunts because it wanted to get away from the Combine (we’ll get into what the Combine are and why they’re so scary in a bit). Then Gordon gets saved by the G-Man.

Since you asked about the G-Man specifically (and since he’s my biggest comfort character and I love him to death), I’ll explain what we know about him. He looks like a mostly ordinary human authority figure, just a tall man in a blue suit, if a little uncanny and with glowing eyes. The term ‘G-Man’ is old-fashioned slang for a government agent and is what the fandom calls him (I sometimes say G' for short) because it’s his name in the game files (it's not his in-universe name, he doesn’t have one to our knowledge). However, he’s strongly implied to be a far greater force than any human government just assuming a form humans can comprehend. He’s widely considered to be the greatest mystery in gaming; nobody knows exactly who he is, what he is or what his motivations are, the only things we know about him is that he more or less controls time and space and ensures the story of the games happens as intended with minor nudges in the timeline and by ‘hiring’ important people. Nominally, he answers to a group of even more nebulous ‘Employers’, but his goals don’t always align with theirs and he occasionally deviates from their orders.

Anyway, the G-Man says that him and his Employers are impressed with Gordon’s work liberating the borderworld and preventing further invasion of Earth, so he offers Gordon a job under him. Gordon accepts, and the G-Man puts him in stasis outside of time and space for about 20 years.

In this interval, a whole lot of things happen on Earth, mostly to do with the fact that this is when the Combine choose to come a-knocking, attracted by all of the interdimensional disturbance caused by the Resonance Cascade. The Combine are a nightmarish parasitic collection of alien species that cannot innovate on their own and therefore seek to invade and assimilate as many worlds as possible in order to steal their existing innovation. The Seven Hour War happens, and that name kinda speaks for itself. It ends when Wallace Breen, the former administrator of Black Mesa, strikes a desperate bargain with the Combine in exchange for humanity’s surrender, and so they keep humanity alive and establish an oppressive, dystopian regime on Earth with Breen as its puppet leader as they slowly drain Earth of its resources, turn humans into brainwashed soldiers and try to replicate the teleportation technology that caused the Resonance Cascade.

However, as it often is with humans, not all hope is lost: a handful of other Black Mesa survivors including scientist Eli Vance and his daughter Alyx Vance start a Resistance against the Combine, which includes teaming up with the now liberated Vortigaunts, who now live on Earth and are even more oppressed under the Combine than the humans are (poor guys can’t catch a break).

Half-Life 2 was released in 2004 and is about Gordon Freeman being returned to the post-Combine Earth after his stasis and teaming up with Alyx and the rest of the Resistance. A lot of humans see Gordon as a saviour figure come to liberate humanity for a second time after he already saved them from one alien invasion, which also paints quite the target on his back for the Combine. Quite a few things happen in this game: a Resistance member named Judith Mossman who wants to protect Eli and Alyx is manipulated by Breen into betraying Gordon’s location to the Combine but Gordon gets away and they get Eli instead and ship him off to torture prison, which Judith did not agree to. Alyx and Gordon then storm the torture prison to rescue Eli where they find Judith and figure out that she‘s been working with Breen and Alyx obviously doesn’t take that very well. They find Eli and go to escape with the Combine’s half-finished, clunky replica of a Black Mesa teleporter, but Judith panics and sends herself and Eli to Breen’s headquarters in the Combine Citadel instead. Alyx and Gordon reroute the teleporter back to a Resistance laboratory and make their escape, but the teleporter, being a half-finished, clunky mess, proceeds to explode and bring down the whole torture prison.

This explosion also messed up the teleportation process and Gordon and Alyx only made it back a full week later, when they find that the blowing up of the torture prison has sparked a full-blown uprising from the humans, who now have solid proof that the Combine aren’t untouchable. Gordon and Alyx join the fight, wanting to storm the Citadel and rescue Eli for real this time. They fight their way there but ultimately get captured, coming face to face with Breen himself, who tries to get them all to surrender. Judith then decides she’s had enough of Breen’s nonsense and backstabs him, setting Gordon, Alyx and Eli free. Breen attempts to make an escape using a Combine portal, but Combine teleportation devices aren’t exactly known for their stability, so Gordon destroys it before Breen gets there and Breen falls to his death in the elevator. Before the whole Citadel can explode and take the whole surrounding city with it, the G-Man freezes time and appears once again to save Gordon (and possibly also Alyx), putting him in stasis once more.

This is where things get a little messy, because instead of using another full game to wrap up this story, Valve decides to release the sequels via smaller expansions called ‘Episodes’; at least three were planned, but only two ever came out.

Not a whole lot happens in HL2 Episode 1, the most notable thing is that the Vortigaunts all team up and use their powers to pull Gordon (and possibly also Alyx) back out of stasis, which the G-Man isn’t pleased about but does let them go. The rest of the episode is everybody trying to get the sparkles out of the city before the Citadel blows up, which they successfully do.

HL2 Episode 2 is where the plot picks back up. The Resistance find out that the Combine are trying to use the leftover energy from the Citadel explosion to send a call for reinforcements to their home universe, something they can prevent if they launch a rocket into space from a Resistance base called White Forest, so that’s Gordon and Alyx’s next destination. They do have to stop for a bit when Alyx gets stabbed through the back by a Combine-made creature called a Hunter and almost dies, but Gordon helps some local Vortigaunts save her life, with the minor caveat that Gordon’s and Alyx’s fates and souls are now forever intertwined. The G-Man also appears here, telling Gordon that Alyx was originally meant to die at Black Mesa but he defied his Employers to save her life. Then he tells the still unconscious Alyx to tell her father to ‘prepare for unforeseen consequences’ and, as usual, mysteriously disappears.

Alyx wakes up and they make it to White Forest, where they receive a message from Judith informing them that she’s also been busy since she left the Citadel. She somehow managed to uncover the Borealis, a research ship that went missing many years ago from Aperture Science (Black Mesa’s rival research facility, they’re very unhinged and have their own games, the Portal series) and is thought to have incredible technology on-board. Most of the Resistance is enthusiastic about finding the Borealis and using its technology against the Combine. However, Eli, upon receiving the G-Man’s message through Alyx, reveals to Gordon that he’s heard these words before and that he’s certain they mean another Resonance-Cascade-level disaster is inevitable if they use the Borealis and decides they should destroy it instead. Then there’s a big battle with Combine forces as the Resistance try to launch the rocket. They’re successful, and the Combine fail to call for reinforcements. Then Gordon, Eli and Alyx go to board a helicopter to the Arctic where the Borealis is located, but before they can do that, they’re interrupted by a pair of Combine Advisors bursting through the wall. Advisors are creatures with powerful psychic capabilities, unlike anything the Resistance has faced before, and while they eventually retreat and Gordon and Alyx survive, Eli is killed in this struggle.

For a very, very long time, this exact cliffhanger was the end. HL2 Episode 2 came out in 2007 (which is also the year I was born, funnily enough). Half-Life 2 Episode 3 still does not exist, and neither does Half-Life 3, to the point where it’s a meme in the pc gaming community that Valve can only count to 2.

What does exist is Half-Life Alyx, a VR-only game with Alyx as the protagonist that released in 2020 and technically takes place between the first two games but also does a lot of cool wacky timeline things that would take a separate post to explain because this one is already getting absurdly long. Another thing I didn’t mention is the HL1 expansions, which are a handful of shorter campaigns released between 1999 and 2001 that tell the stories of other characters who survived Black Mesa and are also questionably canon due to being made by Gearbox Software, who got a few Valve canon things wrong. There is so much more to talk about here but, again. This post is very long and I would understand if you didn’t even read this far. If you did, thank you very much!!! I love my silly anti-nihilist video games about the indomitable human spirit standing in the face of forces beyond its comprehension, and it brought me great joy to get to yap about them for 14 paragraphs straight. Thank you again for sending this ask ^^

[bruisedcollar]

Take me out on a nice date, then back to your place after drinks. I’m all giggly and my stomach is warm and I can’t keep my hands off of you as we go to your bedroom. I let you tie my wrists together, then one of my ankles to a bed post, stuck in a buzz of the alcohol. I’m so wet, soaked through my lacy panties to the sheets underneath, just waiting for you to touch me, but you don’t. You’re methodical, carefully tying the ropes so I can pull myself free.

Only then do you start to touch me, grazing up my leg and thighs and stomach with your finger tips, too light for my liking as I try to lean into your touch. As I do, your hand comes down hard on my thighs, leaving a handprint behind.

“Stay still.” You tell me, voice stern but warm. “Stay still for me baby.”

Engulfed in a subspace, I nod, making a little whimper in agreement as I let you tease my skin. You pull my panties down, letting them hang off of my tied leg. It’s so cold and my insides are so hot, begging for any part of you to be in me right now, to just use me and abuse my body and treat me like your little sex toy for the night.

I try my best not to move as you keep tracing over my skin, over my thighs and my pussy, but never touching too long or hard. It’s too much, the alcohol is getting to me and I’m impatient, desperate for that rough fast fuck that I’ve been thinking about for weeks. I wiggle against the ropes, and your hand flies again, coming down onto my cunt. I scream, and you take the moment to shove something in my mouth to gag me.

“Looks like we might need a lesson in patience.” You mutter, crawling off the bed. I watch as you go to your nightstand, pulling out a few things. “Good toys wait until their masters are ready for them. This isn’t about pleasing you.”

You’re back on the bed again, tying a blindfold behind my head, and my vision goes black. All I can hear is the pop of a cap and your sweet voice, “Shouldn’t take long, a couple of hours like this and you’ll want whatever I give you, whenever.”

You press something against my hole, and I moan as it moves inside of me. Then the plug, it goes in too. It’s too big, my insides feel pressed together.

The room is quiet for just a second before I feel the buzzing inside of me, rupturing into white pleasure as I feel the vibrations. My senses are so limited, I can only focus on the buzzing, changing at random intervals, going from constant thumping to up and down to inconstant speeds. You love playing with me like this.

The bed shifts under me as you crawl in beside me, you pull me against you, your arm over my shoulder as you pull at my nipples. The tv clicks on as you settle in, god it’ll be a long night.

[thunderblessedhero]

———

[Attached: A live video feed. Or… snippets of one? The footage will fizzle out at random intervals, but during the stream’s rolling you manage to catch a few key moments.

In the first scene, you see August, carefully navigating their way down a dark corridor. Sheets of frost crawl up the sides of the cave walls around them, and you can see the young trainer shivering rather violently the further they press on, rubbing the sides of their arms to keep warm…

“Have… to keep moving…” They mutter to themself, voice wavering, right before the screen goes black.

•

A few minutes pass before the feed returns. Gizmo is pointing the camera over August’s shoulder, who now appears to be standing in the middle of a giant, frozen cavern. Spikes and pillars of ice are scattered throughout the room around them, and you notice their breaths coming out in white puffs. But the most eye-catching thing are the pair of imposing figures standing before them…

There’s an elderly man, with lank, pale green hair that sticks up in an unusual way, and a red lens over his right eye. He wears a long black cloak with a large collar concealing the bottom half of his face, the flowing fabric decorated with strange eye-like patterns. In his right hand, he wields a cane, with the logo of Team Plasma displayed on it.

Behind him stands… a Pokémon? A dragon type, you immediately assume. Its size and anatomy bring to mind the two legendary dragons of Unova, but whatever this creature is, it certainly isn’t either of them. Jagged armor of ice coat its scaly gray hide, and its two pale yellow eyes shine ominously like torchlight through the darkness. You can hear the beast’s rumbling inhales and exhales, flakes of snow dispersing from its nostrils whenever it breathes out.

The man, who you immediately jump to assume is its trainer, smirks towards August. He takes a relaxed step forward, cane clicking against the ground as his eyes to be analyzing the person before him.

“So, you decided to follow me after all?” he muses, raising a brow. “Well, allow me to formally welcome you to the Giant Chasm, young trainer- or should I say ex-trainer?”

August visibly tenses at that, but doesn’t say a thing as the man continues to monologue. “This sacred place is where Kyurem once fell to after the separation of the Original Dragon- and where its power resonates strongest. Here, it will easily be able to turn your precious Unova into a frozen wasteland!”

With a tap of his cane to the stone ground, the dragon- Kyurem, he called it- bellows in response, its shrill roar causing the cave floor to tremble violently below August’s feet. They gasp as they stumble a little, but hold their ground and balance themselves before shooting the cloaked man a steely glare.

“Why are you doing this, Ghetsis?” They cry out furiously. “You want Unova all to yourself, you want everyone to bend to your will- but why? Why go to such drastic lengths? This won’t give you the power to fix anything!”

Ghetsis simply scoffs at the child’s attempt at a retort, waving his hand dismissively. “Young one, you don’t seem to understand- the power part is all I care about. You think I still hold the ideals of the old Team Plasma; separating humans and Pokémon for the sake of a better world? I thought you would’ve understood by now that it was all just a ruse to sway the people over to my side,” His expression hardens, as he firmly slams the bottom of his cane back down. “Pokémon mean nothing to me, people mean nothing to me- if corrupting their hearts and using their sense of morality against them won’t work, then I will simply make them bow to me using brute force!”

August just growls under their breath, feeling their composure slipping as they reach for a Pokéball from their belt. Seeing this, the corners of Ghetsis’ mouth curl into a twisted grin.

“I have a memory that continues to haunt me,” he goes on calmly, ignoring August’s threatening stance. “Just one.”

He strolls over to the other side of Kyurem, tapping his finger pensively against the top of his cane as he casts a melancholy gaze towards the cave wall, brows furrowing as he appears to reminisce upon something. “That unpleasant look in your eyes reminds me of it,” he acknowledges August with an irritated side glare. “Burning with as much fiery conviction as that little nuisance from two years ago.”

“But,” his voice switches to a mockingly pleasant tone, as he turns and spreads his arms out to the sides. “All that aside, allow me to bestow upon a gift, to show my respect for making it this far. You’ve proved to be quite the thorn in Team Plasma’s side- even besting the Shadow Triad and Colress.”

His expression then morphs into a cold, unforgiving scowl. “I shall freeze you solid right here and now, so you may watch my glorious ascent! And then, you will suffer a fate far worse than the one I orchestrated for that pathetic excuse of a hero!”

With a snap of his fingers, he barks the command. “Kyurem! Glaciate!”

Before August can have a chance to react, the dragon obeys, inhaling in a sharp breath and standing to its full height. A pale white glow emits from its armor of frost, as what can only be described as a blizzard begins to swirl around the room in a ring of frigid winds. Slowly, levitating spears of ice begin to take shape, whirring around rapidly and circling in on August from all sides, preventing them from running. Once they reach full size, the blades begin to withdraw back, thrumming with Kyurem’s raw power as they prepare to land the finishing blow…

In a heartbeat, the icy spears spring forwards and hone in on August- and all they can do is crouch to the ground, throw their arms up over their head, and pray for a miracle.

“FUSION BOLT!”

You barely register the familiar voice that cries out from somewhere offscreen, before Kyurem’s attack is abruptly intercepted by a crackling, electric blue light. Gizmo gets knocked back by the blast, and yet again, the footage cuts to static.

•

The feed returns after a bit of a longer period of silence this time. The camera wobbles as Gizmo weakly lifts itself back up, but as it rises from the ground and steadies you can see something past the grains of dust covering the camera.

August was knocked onto their back, but seems relatively unharmed. In front of them… there’s a familiar figure. Green hair swaying behind him, you watch as N stands before his friend’s attacker. At his side… is none other than his old companion, the legendary dragon of ideals- Zekrom.

The awe-inspiring sight of the divine creature in the flesh is almost enough to distract you from the sound of N’s voice ringing out through the cavern. “I understand now why Zekrom had been acting strange, vanishing for a whole month,” he states. “She knew Kyurem was suffering- at your hands, no less.”

“Suffering?” Ghetsis chuckles condescendingly, completely unfazed. “For the freak who’s supposed to understand the hearts of Pokémon, you’ve clearly had a misread on Kyurem’s.” He gestures dramatically to the frozen beast at his side. “I have given Kyurem purpose! Forgotten for centuries, left to rot beneath the ice by its other halves- if anything, you should be thanking me! Now it shall have the honor of assisting me in paving a way to a glorious new world!”

Zekrom snarls at that, to which Kyurem retorts with an indignant snuff. From the way the dragons glare at each other, you can see a long festering bitterness behind each of their eyes, telling an unspoken tale of history between them. You can only imagine what it is…

N looks between the two dragons, biting his lip as he turns to face the man before him once more. “So you’ve twisted its heart and its pain to make it do your own bidding…” he growls. “…Just as you did with me. And countless others. Here I had hoped you had changed, but unfortunately I can’t say I’m very surprised.”

He sucks in a deep breath, before stepping forward. “I will not allow selfish humans to make Pokémon suffer,” he declares. “Unova- it isn’t perfect, but I like it here. It’s the place that taught me to live as a human…” His hand slides up to grip the black and white stone hanging from his necklace, as he casts a momentary glance back at August. “…and made me notice the harmony of people and Pokémon living alongside one another. And I will do everything in my power to protect that harmony- especially from the likes of you.”

Ghetsis falls silent, watching N with this unreadable frown plastered upon his face. But then, it cracks into a grin, before a dark chuckle escapes Ghetsis as he claps his hands together.

“Good, good,” he says. “That was a moving expression of your determination! It seems the education I provided you in order to make you king wasn’t a complete waste!”

“But I still haven’t forgotten that even after everything I had done for you, all the kindness I extended you-” Ghetsis glowers, slamming his staff again. “Took you in, raised you, cared for you, taught you everything you know- you still had the gall to selfishly turn on Team Plasma and thwart my plans! I was supposed to use your abilities to rule Unova!”

Then, he closes his eyes, relaxes himself, and straightens up. “But, I will forgive you for all of that as well- for you have bestowed upon me the final piece needed in order to carry out my mission-”

“Zekrom, which you were kind enough to bring me,” he gestures to the giant black dragon at N’s side. “Is the key to unlocking Kyurem’s true potential! You’ve saved me quite the trouble. I was originally counting on the arrival of her counterpart, but the goddess of Ideals will work just as well.”

He then raises a hand from his cloak, tapping his chin. “Well, actually, that’s not entirely true- you were a bit of a plan B. I had a feeling you’d come after us after we fired those ice missiles into Opelucid City- and of course, displayed to everyone the demise of that little hero of Truth you hold oh so dearly…”

N grits his teeth, and Ghetsis smiles, knowing he’s struck a nerve. “You will not get away for what you did to them,” the young man seethes. “Your plan- it will never work. It’s an ugly formula.”

Brushing off his threat, Ghetsis simply continues. “Oh, but I assure you, it will!” He switches his cane to his other hand so he can reach for something inside the pocket of his cloak. From it, he pulls out a triangular device- it resembles a syringe, of sorts, with a color pallet resembling Kyurem’s. “With the help of these- the DNA Splicers! Watch and learn!”

He turns to Kyurem, and promptly stabs the device into the beast’s shoulder. Kyurem hisses and recoils in pain- its eyes and the yellow horn jutting out between its ice helmet beginning to thrum with energy.

Cracks dance across the ice trapping its wing-like appendages, before they completely shatter- allowing pink, sharp-ended tendrils to burst forth from the dragons’ body. They loom menacingly in the air above Kyurem for a beat longer, before suddenly lunging themselves at Zekrom like whips.

Realizing they were coming for his partner, N whirls and cries out to the Legendary. “ZEKROM!”

With a shriek of terror, Zekrom launches into the skies, twirling around wildly to narrowly avoid the tendrils as they grab for her. She moves with incredible speed, managing to outlast them for a good while, but the pursuit is cut short sooner than you had hoped- Kyurem is faster, and the tendrils expand out to entangle Zekrom within their grasp. As they tighten their hold on her, she roars helplessly as they begin to pull against her and drag her back to the ground.

The tendrils almost seem to drain her energy like a leech, leaving her no choice but to let herself plummet from the air. In her descent, her body is encased in a blue light- and in seconds, she’s retreated into the form of a round, black stone that soon clatters pitifully to the floor.

N stiffens in shock at the sight of his mighty companion being brought to defeat, just like that. “Z-Zekrom…”

“Kyurem!” Ghetsis shouts another order, pointing his staff in the direction of Zekrom’s slumbering form. “Absorb the Dark Stone, now!”

Stomping forwards, Kyurem extends out its clawed wings and seems to draw the stone towards it with a stream of swirling pink light, like some sort of magnetic pulse. The orb hovers over Kyurem’s head, and the creature almost appears to take in an inhale of relief, like it had been awaiting this moment.

The Dark Stone begins to shrink in size, its power getting vacuumed through the swirls of energy attaching it to Kyurem. The icy beast closes its eyes, as a white crackles of electricity begin to shoot up from the ground around it…

•

The feed flickers out again, but not for as long this time.

When it cuts back in, you can see Kyurem- or… Zekrom…? It looks like Kyurem, but it’s gained many of the electric deity’s traits. The strange and somewhat terrifying amalgamation of the two dragons stands tall and menacingly beside Ghetsis, breathing in and out heavily, puffs of steam swirling out from its nostrils. Veins of blue energy stretch out from its ice-plated shoulders, connecting to several slots along its bulky, unnaturally twisted tail.

N is stunned speechless. He stands there, hand trembling as he beholds the monstrosity his legendary companion had been absorbed into. August hesitantly rises to their feet behind him, eyes bulged with shock.

Amused by their reactions, Ghetsis snickers darkly. “Do you understand now, N?” he says patronizingly. “If you had simply become king, none of this would have had to happen. No one would’ve had to die. Unova would’ve remained beautiful…”

It’s clear that the man’s words have their intended effect- N’s eyes trail to the ground, as he clenches his fist and grits his teeth. You can practically see the gears turning behind his eyes, trying to think of anything he can do, anything he can say back- but nothing comes out.

“And now, I shall rule over with an iron fist,” Ghetsis continues, that ever present twisted grin still on his face as he rises his cane up triumphantly. “-all because you were too weak hearted to rise up into the role I wasted decades preparing you for.”

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

The shout that echoes throughout the chasm causes N to look up, his mouth falling open when he raises his head to see none other than August- standing firmly between him and the merged Kyurem, a Pokéball clutched in hand.

“You don’t get to talk to him like that,” August hisses, and you can’t help but notice something about them has changed… Their voice almost sounded deeper, carrying an ethereal echo to it, exuding power and determination. There was an unnatural, crystal blue glow illuminating their dark brown eyes, swirling in wisps of light like the flow of water.

“Oh?” Ghetsis cocks a brow at them, not very amused by their attempt at intimidation. “So it would seem there’s more to you than just an impudent, nosy child from some nowhere town. Well then…” He clasps his hands together, a challenging smirk appearing on his features. “I was just planning on freezing you two solid where you stood, but now my interest is piqued. If you’re so bold as to continue standing against a force as unstoppable as my Kyurem, then I’ll give you a fighting chance- face down Kyurem, alone!”

N takes in a sharp breath, tensing up in fear, before turning to August and quickly shaking his head. “August, don’t.” he pleaded. “This isn’t your fight-”

“Yes, it is,” August replied firmly, without even looking back at him. They grip the Pokéball in their hand tighter, their stance unwavering as they address Ghetsis once more. “I accept your challenge, Ghetsis.”

Kyurem’s trainer is silent for a moment, eyes calm and calculating as he stares August down, as if he’s trying to read them for any hidden fear beneath their steely gaze. Then, his sinister grin returns, and he takes a step back- making a sweeping gesture with his arm towards the open space that would act as their battlefield. “Very well,” he snickers. “Be my guest. I for one can’t wait to see all that fighting spirit dwindle from your eyes as Kyurem mercilessly crushes each of your pathetic Pokémon!”

August didn’t bother to give a retort back- they just remained silent as they stepped forwards, unshaken in the shadow of their glowering, godly opponent. Out came their first Pokémon- A Samurott, the jagged point on its armored head glistening in the dim light pouring in through the cavern. August threw out the first command- and just like that, the battle began.

“RAZOR SHELL!”

Samurott lunges forward with one of it sword-shaped shells drawn, slashing at Kyurem’s neck. The tip of the blade drags across the dragon’s black and gray scales, but to the Water-type starter’s shock- barely even leave a scratch.

In response, Kyurem simply swatted the otter Pokémon away with its heavy, ice-covered arm, and August grit their teeth as they watched their starter tumble across the ground. Thankfully, Samurott landed on its feet- but not long before Kyurem let loose a blast of raw, draconic energy that it’d have to scramble away to avoid.

This battle with seemingly impossible odds raged on for what felt like well over an hour- with August switching out frequently between Pokémon every two turns or so to try and avoid any knockouts. That strategy wouldn’t be effective forever, though- it only lead to Kyurem getting more annoyed; and more viscous with its retaliations.

One by one, each of August’s team began to succumb to exhaustion. “SHIVER!” They cried out as their Beartic was brought to his knees with a pained grunt, having just endured a brutal Slash attack, before keeling over onto his side in defeat.

Growling under their breath, August recalled him to his Pokéball- clicking it back onto their belt before sending in their trusty Samurott once more. They took a moment to examine Kyurem’s condition- it was growing tired, and even suffering from a burn their Darmanitan had inflicted earlier on in the fight, but it looked capable of holding out a bit longer. Much longer than their Samurott- who looked like he was standing on his last leg, even using one of his swords to support his weight.

The outcome of this match wasn’t likely going to end in August’s favor- that much was certain. Seeing this, N ran forwards, grabbing the teen’s shoulder to try and urge them to back down now while they still could.

“August, it’s not worth it,” he begged. “That thing is too powerful! We have to run- NOW!”

“No!” August almost screamed back, yanking their arm away. To N’s surprise, he was greeted by the sight of tears beginning to pour down from their eyes when they whirled around to face him. “I was useless back in Opelucid City- I’m not letting the same thing happen again now! We might not even get another chance to stop him!”

“Listen to the freak, child,” Ghetsis taunted from across the battlefield. “Victory is already within my grasp! Turn back now, and maybe you’ll live long enough to see me rise to the top!”

Clenching their fist, August turned back to Ghetsis and Kyurem defiantly. Just as they were to about to dish out another order to their Samurott, however, they stopped upon noticing the blue tubes protruding from the legendary dragon’s back start to pulsate with light once more. Rearing its head back, Kyurem let out a bellowing screech as it took a deep inhale of frosty air, slowly building up a giant chunk of glowing ice between its maw. At the same time, sparks began crackling in the back of its throat, imbuing the icicle with electrical energy.

It was- without a doubt- building up to be a devastating strike. One that might just cause the whole room to collapse. Without hesitation, N firmly grabbed August’s arm and yanked them away, ignoring their protests while reaching for the camera and snatching Gizmo out of the air. Everything becomes an unintelligible blur, and all you can hear are footsteps pounding against stone and N’s frantic panting as he makes a run for it.

There’s a rumble, and you catch a flash of red heat whoosh past in all the chaos… Everything begins to shake violently as an explosion goes off in the background, and you hear N and August yelp as they tumble forwards. Gizmo lets out a series of distressed beeps as he rolls across the ground, cracks spreading across his screen. For a moment, your heart drops, thinking they weren’t able to escape the blow…

…But then, Gizmo looks up. N is crumpled on the ground, having thrown himself over August to protect them. With a groan, he manages to sit up, and beholds the figure waiting behind him…

His jaw drops open at the sight of brilliant, flowing white feathers, aglow with wispy, orange flames. The radiant being who’d come to his rescue rises to its full height, craning its long neck back as it lets out an ethereal scream towards the heavens…

You hear N whisper its name under his breath. “Reshiram…”

And on its back, you catch a glimpse of a figure with pink hair.]

———

[rt8815]

But how fun would it be to include Deadpool in your OC fic, and at random intervals in the narration have him turn away from the other characters to address the readers?

You could play with that so much. Oh the directions you could go.

Self-depreciation of the author: "I know the plot's a bit wobbly, but Amanda's new to directing and writing these characters. Be patient with her, okay? Swear to god she's a Branagh, not a Waititi."

or "Yes it's been forever since she last updated this fic. You don't need to keep sending her asks. She's got a fucking day job, Gray Face!"

also: "Sure it's a little vain that Amanda is her OC's FC, but living in her brain means I've seen her life. We should give her this one."

also also: Wade's hands fly to his face. "Oh my god you guys, iiit's happeniiing. This slow burn's about to burst into a bonfire Hozier would nut over." Then come sounds of cloth tearing and furniture slamming around. "Uuuh, wait. You're all over eighteen, right? Y'know what? We're gonna fade to black just in case. She doesn't write smut anyway. Gotta love a convenient literally device."

And he's, like, Loki's biggest in-universe fan, but also a stand-in for us. Whenever someone, let's say...calls Loki a villain: "He's not a villain, he's villain-coded. Jesus Christ, Kevin! Get your head out of your ass and watch the deleted scenes."

"Mutants, Inhumans, and Avengers all in one AU. Everybody lives and gets a happily ever after. And she can bring in any of the A-list characters without having to negotiate copyrights and filming schedules and budgets. Suck her dick, Marvel! Suck. Her. Dick!"

I have a feeling someone's already done this, but if not, I offer anyone the idea.