#it’s not voiced in the show but it’s obvious that having a sword pulled outta ya actually hurts

[scramratz]

Oh poor anthy

[onepiece-writting-forest]

Hello my dear friend! I really loved your headcanons with Killer and Hawkins walking in on their crush, and i wanted to ask if we can have a part 2, where this time it's their crush who are walking in ~ SFW or NSFW i let you choose 🤗 (im pretty you were surprised by my request 👀👀)

[Part 1!] [Headcanon of Killer and Hawkins walking ino n their crush changing]

[Totally did not expect this ask...no... 👀 So Since I already like the setup, I will recycle that one. Especially the forest part with Killer, and i continued with Hawkins part. And I  made it SFW since it’s two characters and I didn’t want it to be too long ;°;  My apologies. Hope you enjoy!]

Your captain had given you the task to go collect something edible. May it be mushrooms, berries or any other obscure plant which wouldn’t poison the pirates. You were the ships medic, and you had the knowledge for it. Especially after you prepared yourself before your crew anchored at this nature-dominated island. You have found some fitting literature for this specific island which had given you the information on what to eat, and what to stay away from. 

While you walked in the humid atmosphere, you got thirsty at some point and followed the sound of the river. Your steps were light and quiet as usual. When you arrived, you felt a too familiar presents close by, and tensed up. You looked around, only to spot a wild blond mane. Staying hidden behind a tree trunk you watched him. He was closing the buttons on his jeans. His shirt, his mask and his weapons were laying in the grass. It seemed like he took a quick bath, his hair seemed damp from the water. Understandable considering how many days you’ve been on this island now. All the walking through mud and bushes didn’t do well on the crew hygiene. His bare back was turned to you, and you kept watching him from the distance. He didn’t move, just stood there. You noticed how his back muscles tensed up. His behavior was off.

Within seconds, Killer had one of his scythe in his hand, turned around and threw it into your direction. The speed the blade was spinning at you made your heart stop. Without even thinking you pulled your sword out, enough for the blade to keep the tip in the sword sheath, and blocked his scythe. It crashed against your blade, and made you stumble backwards for a bit. “You should know better to not stalk people when they’re changing.” Without his mask and his shirt, he walked over to you, his voice somewhat amusing. You needed a second to catch your breath, before you pushed your sword back in. Sneaking up on Killer wasn’t smart. “Throwing your  scythe wasn’t necessary.” You said with a sigh and stroke your hair back,  before you faced him. Seeing him without his mask wasn’t new to you. He was quite comfortable around you, and you were well aware of that. Yet, the way the sun hit against him and contoured his edges wasn’t something you were used to. He caught you starring, again.

Killer snipped in front of your face, trying to get you back to reality. You blinked a few times in irritation, before you pulled your eyes away from his torso and faced him.“I knew it was you. Wanted to test you.” He grinned slightly, and picked up his scythe to put it back into it’s sheath. He knew your skills, you wouldn’t be a member of this crew if you wouldn’t be strong. “Hope you enjoyed it.”  He tilted his head, self-confidence beaming from him. He knew how you felt for him, that’s what made him so cocky. Situations like this weren’t rare, the two of you flirted a lot when the others were not around. Throwing suggestive comments at each other whenever you could. You knew it was mutual, yet still hidden. “Of course, thanks for the show.” You said and grinned up to him. He clicked his tongue and bowed down to you, capturing your chin between his fingers. The way his broad form hovered over you made goosebumps spread over you skin. You didn’t back down, and leaned into his touch, a grin still hovering on your lips. “It’s not for free...” His voice was deep and raspy, almost a whisper.

This cat-and-mouse game was going on for a while now, and there were many opportunities you could have taken. Like this one. No one was around, no one would hear you two. However, you didn’t want this to be some friendship with benefits. You’ve seen this with many women on man-dominated crews. It seemed enjoyable, but you wanted something more. Your crush had developed into a love interest, and you were not a toy Killer would play with however he wanted.

Before he could react, you had your dagger pulled, pressed against his throat. It was in no way threatening, Killer was aware of that. It was rather playful, just like him throwing the his scythe. A smirk formed on his lips and he raised an eyebrow. You pressed the blade slightly against his skin, just to let him feel the cold blade. “Ask me out, and I will repay you.” Killers shoulders shook from the chuckle he held back. He loved that on you. You played along with all those dirty jokes and suggestive looks, however weren’t easy to get. A women with dignity and self-confidence. Just his taste.

“Alright.” He pulled away, and walked back to were his shirt and mask was. You put your dagger back and watched him gather his stuff with a smirk. “If we survive this shithole island, I will take you out. Deal?”

“Deal.”

You were really thankful that you were allowed to use his bathtub. It calmed your mind and relaxed your body more than ever. Not only taking a bath, but generally the atmosphere in his bathroom was so cozy. He had a good sense for decorating the room, and those essential oils for the water were amazing. He knew how to relax, that was clear. 

The last time he allowed it to you, without you asking. It was an offer you gladly took. This time, you wanted to ask him for a second allowance. The relationship between you and your captain seemed pretty down to earth from an outta perspective, yet you two get along really well. So well, that he indeed allowed you a second time. The crew had noticed that you sometimes got a different treatment from the captain, and they didn’t begrudged it. They actually liked seeing you two together and only waited for the moment when it would finally happen. Your personalities fitted perfectly for each other, which you had noticed as well. But for now, you thanked your captain for being able to use the bathtub again. You agreed on the evening, since the crew had business to take care of the whole day. 

That business ended in a bloodbath, a glory victory for you crew. Some small injuries but nothing to be worried about. Your clothes were soaked in blood which slowly beg an to dry and smell of iron. Dirt and blood from your enemies covered your hands and some drops even landed on your face. You felt disgusting and the only thing you wanted was that promised bath. A quick visit to your own room to grab your stuff, before you headed to the captains cabin. You knocked, yet no one answered. Thinking Hawkins wasn’t there, you opened up the room and peaked inside. It was empty. You closed the door behind you and were about to step into the bathroom, when you spotted that the door was open. You froze in place when you saw your captain sitting on the edge of the bathtub. He had his shirt removed, and tried to scrub the blood stains away. A red splash of it was on his face and on his torso. He looked like he came freshly from combat, which he actually did.

He didn’t look up, yet spoke to you which made you flinch just a bit. It felt like he didn’t notice you, yet he was well aware that you were in his room. He didn’t forgot the promise he made. “My apologies, I will leave in a minute.” You nodded and stepped into the room, to place your fresh clothes in your hand on a stool close by. He was still scrubbing his shirt, but at some point gave it up. He tried to remove the fresh blood as good as possible, so the later washing would do the rest. Looking up, he faced you, and watched how you placed your neatly folded clothes aside. His eyes then darted to the bathtub. He’d love to take a bath right now, he felt as dirty as you did. You caught him looking, aware of what he was thinking. A silent sigh left your lips as you sat next to him on the edge of the bathtub. “Hawkins...I think the thing between us is pretty obvious now isn't it?” He looked at you for a moment and nodded. He thought the same. “I guessed you would want to speak about it today. It was time anyway. Waiting longer wouldn’t do any good.”

There was a short silence between you two, both trying to think of words to say. The right words. You mind was circling over so many thoughts and questions you had, you couldn't decided which one was the right one. “...Should we?” You finally broke the silence and looked at the blonde one. This questions was probably one he could answer better than you. Not only with him reading cards, but also him having a good gut feeling for decisions. That was the reason he was the captain after all. He knew when the risk was worth it, and when not.  Hawkins looked into his lap and tilted his head. He was thinking about it. He had thought about it for a long time actually. And the answer was yes every time, the chance of a successful relationship with you only grew by time. However, he didn’t want to answer with a simple yes.

Actually, he didn’t answer you at all, and simply stood up. He turned around to close the plughole of the bathtub, before he turned on the water. You watched him curiously, knowing you captain would give you an answer eventually, which didn’t have to be verbal.  He took a few of the essential oils, looked at them and tried to decide which one to pick. A floral one got chosen. He let a few drops fall into the water and put the glass bottle back into the basket. The candles in the room got lit, and the bullseye covered with the curtains. When he closed the door of the bathroom and stayed with you, you knew you got your answer. It was a clear ‘yes’. A small smile formed on your lips and your heart raced liked wild. Even more when he began to strip down completely and sat into the tub. He looked at you, nodding into the water. You of course understood his silent demand, and removed your blood soaked clothes. Hawkins held a hand out for you and helped you get into the tub. You  made yourself comfortable between his legs with your back resting against his chest.

His arms wrapped around your form, and he leaned his head back, closing his eyes. “Well, since it’s official, how about we share my room as well. How does that sound?”

[risingsouls]

Recruited: Chapter 18

[Hey, this one actually has a little more meat to it! Anyway, here’s some emotional shit for you. I was actually going to make this go through the fight with Ginyu at the ship, but since Nabs likely won’t be super involved in that, it didn’t quite feel like the natural place to end the chapter the more I wrote. 

Bonus note: while I was editing, “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain came on Spot.ify while she was *SPOILERS* doing some killing and it was honestly hilarious. 

ANYWAY, as usual, you can find the rest here!]

Nabooru

Nabooru regained consciousness slumped against the same wall Vegeta blasted her into, the back of her head pounding from the impact. She shoved another soldier's corpse from her lap and regained her feet, senses immediately reaching out for first Vegeta's familiar ki. She located the prince's energy. In motion and rapidly zipping across the planet. Frieza's overwhelming ki remained near the ship along with what remained of his forces. Zarbon's was nowhere to be found.

She sensed the approach of the five menacing power levels before she located Frieza awaiting the arrival of the Ginyu Force outside the ship. He did little more than comment that he was surprised she survived Vegeta's attack, confirming that Zarbon had not been so lucky. The pods crashed into the planet's surface not far from them, interrupting any chance for further conversation. Fortunate for her, perhaps; though she survived, she failed to stop Vegeta. A success for her but a failure in Frieza's eyes that could have earned her the most brutal of punishments.

The five members of one of the Cold Empire's most prestigious forces could not have been more diverse. Or odd with their penchant for flair and over the top poses which they showed off in way of introduction and greeting. She recognized the captain from his image on the screen during his meeting with Frieza. The tallest member of the team--Burter--resembled a blue, bipedal snake. Recoome had Nappa's tall, muscular build but kept his untidy crop of ginger hair unlike the bald Saiyan. The smallest member of the team, Guldo, was short and squatty with an extra pair of eyes. Jeice stood as tall as Vegeta, perhaps, and sported long, snow white hair. He delivered the case holding the requested scouters to Frieza. Though unneeded, she took the scouter offered to her and fit it to her face.

She suspected impatience and secondhand embarrassment urged Frieza to send the team off with orders to retrieve the dragonballs and bring Vegeta back to him alive. The tyrant filled their wait time--short, too short--with idle conversation about what he planned to do first with his immortality, and she nodded along while monitoring the meeting across planet at his request. She reported that the Ginyu Force found Vegeta, and that the scouter picked up two other readings with him. Likely the same pair they encountered at the last village they conquered. Within minutes, Ginyu parted from the rest of the group and headed back in their direction. Alone. Vegeta wouldn't go with him willingly, that was obvious. But her stomach churned with the possibilities of why Ginyu would leave Vegeta with his team instead of remaining to force him to comply.

When he arrived, he confirmed her most dire suspicion: all seven dragonballs drifted from him to rest at Frieza's feet. The emperor's glee was palpable and she was surprised he found even the split second it took to end Ginyu's "Dance of Joy" prematurely. Her mind raced with courses of action. Grab a dragonball and throw it. Break it. Try to run Frieza through with a ki sword or decapitate him before he could make his wish and deal with Ginyu's retaliation after. Think up some distraction from the ludicrous request of asking Ginyu to finish his dance to destroying the ship. Escape.

Frieza raised his voice and demanded immortality to the heavens and she found herself inert and unable to act on any of it. Several agonizing seconds passed by with none in the vicinity daring to make a sound. Watching. Waiting. And in Nabooru's case, trying to keep from vomiting on the orange spheres. Ginyu finally broke the silence, voicing what they all were thinking: had it worked? Was Frieza immortal and, therefore, unstoppable as the undisputed ruler of the universe? It was all she could do not to suggest he allow her to help him test it, but Frieza decided on his own it hadn't and deigned to personally track down whatever remained of the Namekians to request instructions on how to activate the balls, leaving her alone with Captain Ginyu and the rest of the soldiers.

She wanted to find amusement in Ginyu forcing the remaining soldiers to bury the dragonballs--the location of which she took keen note of-- and the following try out session the captain forced them to endure to fill the unexpected opening at Guldo's swift defeat (which she only reasoned her way out of with the excuse that Freiza likely wouldn't be pleased if he tried to recruit his last general without his permission), one they both witnessed via their scouters. Her continued monitoring of the battle between Vegeta, the two strangers, and the three remaining members of the Ginyu Force kept her from enjoying the show as Guldo would be the only success for Vegeta: within minutes, his and the strangers' ki signatures hovered dangerously close to zero. Lips parted to relay the information to Ginyu, who was berating the lackluster posing skills he witnessed, only to stop short when another power level appeared. A significant one. With all the members of the Ginyu Force accounted for and Frieza on the other side of the planet, she could only guess that some powerful Namekian warrior had just now decided to jump into the fray. But doubt circulated such a theory: with how proud and courageous the rest had been, why would this one wait so long?

One, two power levels lowered. The third raced back in their direction. All those of the remaining Ginyu Force members. The downed ki signatures were then reduced to nothing, but she was pulled from her confusion, the ever-raging battle between hope and anxiety especially with a new contender she could not identify as friend or foe placed on hold, by a panicked, battered Jeice rejoining them.

"Captain!" The warrior sounded as though he might burst into tears at any moment. "Captain, you've got to come quick! This guy, this Saiyan, just showed up outta nowhere and trounced Recoome and Burter like they were nothing!"

Another Saiyan? Jeice would know Nappa by name, likely, and this power level far exceeded what Nappa could have managed in the short amount of time since she lost track of him. The only other Saiyan she knew of was Raditz's brother. Had he come to Namek? Did that mean the other two who saved the Namekian child were in fact Earthlings? Why would they come all this way?

"A Saiyan? You don't mean Vegeta? He's no match for Recoome or Burter, and the rest of the Saiyans are dead." Ginyu waved a hand, allowing those he hadn't sent into orbit over a sloppy turn or weak arm extension. "At ease, men."

Jeice shook his head. "No, Recoome dealt with Vegeta like he was nothing. But this other guy showed up before we could finish the job with the kid, baldy, and Vegeta and took Recoome out with one blow!"

"What?! That's impossible! No Saiyan could stand up to Recoome and Burter! Let alone so swiftly!" When Jeice failed to rescind his report as a joke, Ginyu growled. "Well, we can't just let him get away with such an egregious affront to the esteemed Ginyu Force!"

He turned to Nabooru. "Keep guard of the balls, and if Lord Frieza returns before I do, tell him the captain went to take care of business."

"What else would I do?" Her question went unanswered and likely unheard as the pair shot off into the sky, back toward the battlefield Jeice left behind.

Her gaze drifted from the relieved soldiers to the tamped down dirt covering all seven dragonballs. With no more idea of how to work them than Frieza, digging them up and making a wish herself wouldn't do her any good. She once more considered the idea of hiding one to continue to hinder at least Frieza once he returned. At this point, destroying them entirely felt like the best move. The endeavor had been exhausting and more trouble than they were worth for Frieza in her opinion. Who could possibly threaten him? No one held a candle to his power and he knew that. Unless he truly worried about Vegeta gaining immortality himself, the continued quest for immortality in the face of each upset only proved how deep his paranoia went. If any other endeavor had proven this troublesome, Frieza likely would have abandoned it, either as a lost cause or place some other retinue of soldiers on completing it. The fact that he stuck around this long meant he feared losing everything no matter how powerful he was.<

Laughter caught her attention. One of the soldiers entertained the others with a series of lewd poses he suggested they show Ginyu when he returned. No matter her decision, she didn't dare risk an opportunity for witnesses to relay her betrayal to Frieza and bring him back to the ship before she could make her move to hinder his wish.

She grasped her scouter and removed it, fingers curling around the device to crush it. The crunch of plastic and static turned the men's attention to her. One folded his arms and clicked his tongue. "Why'd you do that? We just got these scouters and you go and break yours? Do you like being blind or something?"

Orange-yellow energy swirled in each of her palms, further heightening the soldiers' confusion, glances exchanged between each of them. "Has this boring planet made you lose--"

Nabooru extended her arms and fired a wave of ki, overwhelming the squadron for a clean kill. Save for the one that had enough foresight to spring into the air to avoid the blast, arms crossed and shielding his face from the flash of light and debris.

"You really have lost your damn mind!" Panic struck her as his hand twitched upward toward his face, his scouter. Nabooru cursed under her breath and shot upward. She grasped his wrist halfway to the device in a crushing vice grip. The soldier yelped in agony in lieu of protest when her free hand tore his scouter away and destroyed it. She pressed her hand to the middle of his armor, power coursing through her body once more to center in the palm of her hand.

"Please, I beg you. I won't tell Fr--"

She didn't wait for him to finish his warbling. The blast swallowed him as it had his comrades, leaving no more trace of him behind than dust carried off by the planet's pleasant breeze.

"So, you did survive my blast. I thought I sensed your pathetic power level, but it’s difficult to say among the rest of the mediocrity here..."

Her body went rigid and she whirled around, senses and gaze locking onto the unexpected presence. Vegeta stared up at her from the ground, hands on his hips and a wicked smirk on his face. His armor and battle suit had taken further damage in his bout with Recoome, but outside of stray blood and dirt staining his flesh, he seemed to shrug off the shame of being so thoroughly trounced as Jeice suggested.

Nabooru drifted back to the ground but maintained her wits and guard. Vegeta remained a potential adversary to her despite their shared goal. "I was hoping for a little peace and quiet," she answered, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "And then you showed up."

"Too bad for you," he responded gruffly but not without humor. "Where are the dragonballs?"

Nabooru nodded toward their location. "Over there. Buried." He glanced in the direction she indicated, and she added, "Frieza tried to make his wish but they didn't work. He sought out the last few Namekians to find out how to make his wish."

A growl rumbled from the prince. "Figures. Kakarot and his cronies were right, then." He stalked toward the ship and indicated she follow with an impatient wave of his hand and a glare shot over his shoulder. "Let's go. Consider yourself my prisoner now because you won't be leaving my sight. Got that? Try anything stupid and I will kill you."

Nabooru pursed her lips, nose scrunched in distaste, but followed him back aboard the ship. "You want to track down a collar leash to make sure I don't go anywhere, too?"

"Don't tempt me." 

They trekked through the ship's hall, dodging debris and stepping over corpses of the unlucky retinue Frieza brought with him. They ducked into the crew locker room and storage area, one of the few places on the ship that seemed to have escaped the havoc wreaked upon it since arriving on Namek. Nabooru followed Vegeta's order to lock it behind them, a seemingly unnecessary precaution when everyone outside of Freiza and the Ginyu Force had perished, and from what she could sense, were still engaged in their own affairs.

"Where's your scouter?"

Nabooru turned from the pin pad near the door to face him. "I destroyed it. Before you showed up, I had planned to dig up the dragonballs and hide at least one to keep Frieza from getting his wish. I didn't want the communicator to pick anything up."

"Hmpt…" He pulled the damaged armor over his head, tearing his gloves off with his teeth and kicking off his boots. "That makes you useless in keeping a watch out for Frieza. You could have been in the middle of that little scheme of yours and gotten caught."

"Don't insult me. I'm not an idiot." Nabooru flipped her ponytail and crossed the room to her storage locker. She pulled off her glove and rested her palm against the scanner. With her own battle suit tattered from Vegeta's attack, she decided the current lull was as good a time as any to swap it out for the spare set she brought with her. "I taught myself how to sense energy. I heard you and Nappa talking about how the Earthlings could do it without a scouter, so I decided to figure it out. I wanted any edge here I could get."

Vegeta didn't reply and instead headed toward the back of the room for the showers, peeling off his battle suit as he went. He switched the water on and stepped in. "Good. Keep watch then."

She rolled her eyes and mock saluted him, yanking the tie from her hair and removing first her armor then her battle suit. She was halfway through pulling the fresh top back on when she slowed. "Vegeta, where's your tail?"

He glowered icily from behind the glass door, and she imagined the usual lash of his tail that would accompany a killer glare like that one. "The Earthlings cut it off."

"Oh…" Nabooru slid her armor back over her head and seated herself on one of the benches. She lifted her leg and pulled her burnt red stockings over her feet and up her legs. "You mentioned Kakarot earlier. That was the name of Raditz's brother, wasn't it? He's here? That other power level that showed up a bit later to your fight with Recoome?"

Vegeta grunted, seemingly more focused on scrubbing his face than listening to her. Still, she continued, keen on taking advantage of what would likely be her one chance to shed light on all the confusion surrounding the last few months and fill in the gaps in her knowledge. "So those other two that were here...they're Earthlings, then? Why would they come here though?"

"The same reason you and I are here: the dragonballs." He finished scrubbing the dirt, blood, and grime from his body and kicked the door open. Dripping wet, he stalked to the general storage cabinets, leaving puddles in his wake. "If they listen to Kakarot, they'll be heading this way with their radar and hopefully whatever password they need to summon the dragon."

She almost asked why they wanted them, but assumed Vegeta wouldn't have cared enough to ask. "You don't seem worried about that." She slipped her feet into her boots and replaced her gloves. "Are you going to let them summon this dragon and then steal the wish from under them?"

"Precisely. So long as Ginyu keeps Kakarot busy, it will be no problem."

Nabooru hummed, intrigued by the order in which he named the two men currently engaged in battle from what she could detect. "What Jeice said is true then. Ginyu didn't want to believe a Saiyan defeated Recoome and Burter. Kakarot must be an impressive warrior, then, to first cause you guys and then the Ginyu Force so much trouble."

"Tch, whatever." Nabooru glanced back at the Saiyan, slight amusement dancing in her golden eyes as he angrily jerked a new battle suit of a dark gray hue on. "I'm stronger now, too, so if Kakarot decides to be a problem, I'll kill him."

She hummed, aware that his claims of gaining more power were in fact true after the beating he took from Recoome. Another boost in his strength to further increase the ever growing gap in their power. Annoyed as she was by it, she had one last question she needed answered before either of them could be distracted again. She chewed her lower lip, twisting the hair tie between her gloved fingers.

"What happened to Nappa? Did Kakarot kill him?"

He snorted. "No. He should have, though."

Though his words should have relieved her, for it suggested the chance he still lived, dread twisted her stomach into knots. "Where is he, then? All intel I received suggested he never left Earth."

"That's because he didn't." Vegeta finished pulling his gloves on. "I killed Nappa."

Nabooru was on her feet before she could stop herself, her anguish transforming to rage at the confession. "You what?!" Leather creaked as her hands balled into fists, and Vegeta's continued unbothered demeanor only heightened her anger. "Vegeta, how could you?! Nappa was nothing but loyal to you! Basically raised you! Not to mention one of the very last--"

"Don't patronize me, woman."  He turned to face her fully, dark eyes voids of nothingness. He spoke with the authority of a parent chiding a child that couldn’t know better: “I don’t have to explain anything to you, but killing Nappa was a mercy. As a warrior, one he would have preferred to than being unable to continue to fight. Then or potentially ever again. He was useless to me and himself.”

Her emotional response far outweighed reason, any understanding she found in his words based in her personal and cultural understanding of herself as a warrior or what she had gleaned of the Saiyans. “That’s a leever dung excuse and you know it! You could have easily gotten him back to his pod and sent to the nearest base! You just…” Alarm bells rang in her ears but rage silenced the warnings to stop while she was ahead. Before she said something she didn’t mean and knew was far more complicated than a black and white right or wrong. “You wanted to kill him! You wanted to because you’re a monster! You’re a monster just like Frieza who--”

Her back slammed into the far wall before she saw the attack coming, before her senses caught the quick uptick of his energy as a warning. Vegeta yanked her down to his level by her armor, and his other hand clutched her neck with just enough force to restrict her breathing and bruise.

Rage once more burned in his onyx eyes, a sight somehow less concerning to her than the emptiness she witnessed there not moments before. She met it with her usual defiance, stubborn scowl fighting to keep the natural pain and panic from her features that came with being forced into such a vulnerable, compromised position.

“How dare you,” he seethed. Fingers tightened on her airway, and she bit back a pained squeak. “How dare you compare me to him. I should kill you right now. You’ve given me the information I need, and I’ve more than humored your shit long enough. You’re a weakling, and you’ve more than outlived your usefulness to me.”

She grabbed his wrist, this time unable to hold back her gasp for air or avoid fighting back through the instinctual need to live. Her mind clouded from the lack of oxygen and her lungs burned. Then, the tightness around her neck subsided. She sucked in a heaving breath and just barely managed stretched her arms outward in time to catch herself and keep her face from slamming into the tile floor. She rubbed her neck and refilled her lungs.

“Pathetic…”

Her fingers curled into her palms. Pathetic. A weakling. A whore and a traitor. She could almost feel the blade of ki in her hand, visualized it piercing through his armor, his chest, out his back. His blood dripping from the wound as she forcefully reminded him how powerful she was. What it meant to cross a Gerudo warrior, even one that had a higher tendency toward mercy than many others, scorned and pushed too far. But she knew she couldn’t take him. She knew he was right that he far outmatched her, would stop her attack before it started. And though she wanted to fight him anyway, to engage him in what would likely be a final, infuriated assault, she remembered what was at stake. Home. Her people and seeing them again. Returning to the life she dreamed of night after night and so desperately wanted back. The one ripped from her to serve and do the horrific bidding of a tyrant. Even if the chances of dying far outweighed those of actually making it home with two people ready to off her, if their odds of defeating Frieza depended on everything working out perfectly in their favor without a single hiccup, proving herself to a man who would never see her worth again, who had written her off as the worst sort the moment Frieza promoted her, felt insignificant.

Jaw tight, she pushed herself back up to her feet and refused to meet his gaze. The tension within the enclosed room threatened to suffocate her faster than his hand at her throat, but she refused to break it. To speak to him. She had nothing to say between her anger and grief. No matter how her mind whispered she should swallow her pride and apologize to some degree for comparing him to Frieza, she refused to entertain the idea. Her conscience would cease to matter when she was murdered or finally, finally, made it back to her home.

Any inner turmoil she battled was forgotten when a pair of ki signatures approaching and landing outside of the ship alerted her and, if his glance toward the side meant anything, Vegeta. “Finally.” He strode to the door and opened it. “Let’s go. Keep your mouth shut and stay close to me. Once the dragon is summoned, we’ll ambush them. Got it?”

He didn’t wait for her reply and disappeared into the hall again, the tap of his boots on the tile quickened with his revived urgency. Nabooru bent to retrieve the dropped hair band and pushed her hair back into her usual high ponytail, twisting the elastic around her thick, crimson locks. With the fleeting consideration to steal the wish for herself, use it to teleport her back to her homeworld, she followed Vegeta out of the ship. Though she had little faith the prince would keep his word to her when this was all over, she would keep hers. Her desire to do it for him and the justice he deserved waned, but freeing herself from Freiza meant freeing her people from him. Thus, no matter how tempting, sabotage was out of the question.

She would continue to aid Vegeta for now. Until he made his wish and killed Frieza. Until she could escape Namek and return home.

[sonicringbond]

Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey - Scene 53

For everyone reading this it’s only been about four days since the last update, but it’s been like two weeks for me between writing and editing XD Suffice to say, life was kind of weighing me down. But here we are. Claymore has appeared and everyone is together. Seemingly to Ix’s expectations. What does that mean? Read on and find out in...

     -Sonic, Rosy, what’s going on. Guys!-

     “Hmhmhmhmhm,” the laughter of Saber the Red filled the room that Sonic and Rosy had caught up to Ix in and distracted them from Tails’ voice across their wrist device radios.

     “No!” Rosy shouted in surprise as Saber had appeared but a moment sooner, and after Claymore had strode into the chamber. What made Rosy scream however was that Saber had taken one of his namesake weapons from his shoulder pylons and jammed it straight up into Claymore’s midsection.

     “Ho!” Claymore shouted as he looked down at the far nimbler suit of armor. “You would show yourself now, traitor!”

     “Come now Claymore, I had hoped you would be more of a challenge than the autogolems you have roaming these halls.”

     “Curious,” Ix remarked as he looked back at the scene behind him. “How long did I slumber for the Sword Knights to turn on each other. Truly, the state of this world is wrong.”

     Twirling his staff for but a moment above his head, Ix slammed it into the ground, the crystal Rose at its head shining a bright purple. In response the ground cracked and splintered, a torrent of Rings bursting forth in response.

     “Ho! “Claymore shouted as he fell to a knee. “You would risk your own destruction as well foul mage. I had believed you would face me in battle at the heart of Tower Point.”

     “There is little need,” Ix remarked as Fukurokov and Fang stared at him in horror. “I can eliminate two knights at one time and simply choose a new vessel to continue my pursuit.

     “Then…? Ho! It was a trap!”

     “Sneaky,” Saber commented and withdrew his sword as he stepped back from Claymore. “I did not come to be buried this day however.”

     “Neither did I!” Fang shouted before turning pleading eyes onto Rosy. “You hafta get me outta this Rosy!”

     “You think I’ll let you get away?” Doctor Fukurokov leveled Fang’s own gun at the treasure hunter’s head to emphasize his threat. “And what trickery is this! You promised me a return to glory!”

     Turning the pop gun from Fang, Doctor Fukurokov took aim at Ix, and quickly paled as the stone golems rose around them. It was the opportunity Fang needed however and he fell back and lashed out with his tail. “Gah!”

     “Sorry, but I’m not hanging around here any longer,” Fang laughed as he knocked his gun free of Doctor Fukurokov’s grasp. Catching it as he braced himself on his tail, he shook the firearm a moment before springing up into the air and shouted at Rosy. “This time, I’m ready Rosy!”

     “What!” Doctor Fukurokov’ shouted as he saw a Ring Gate appear in Fang’s path disappearing with the jerboa-wolf hybrid in an instant. “Who~?”

     “Was that really a good idea, kid?” Sonic asked looking at Rosy who looked quite pleased with herself. At least until Sonic asked.

     “Soni~c,” she whined and puffed up her cheeks. “Fang is my friend and I had to help him, and now that he isn’t in danger, I can try to talk Ix down.”

     “It’s too late for that, Lady Medium,” Claymore scoffed as a dark purple mist began to swirl around his left arm. “The foul mage has already taken his leave. You fell for his bait and now he likely has another vessel en route to the heart of Tower Point.”

     “To think you failed so badly Claymore. Your sleep has made you rusty,” Saber mocked the far larger autogolem knight.

     “And you have lost all honor, Saber! Ho!”

     With his trademark shout, Claymore became a well of gravity and everything in the room became stuck in his pull. Ix’s stone body along with his golems were pulled apart, the debris pulled into Claymore’s body. A body which healed and grew with the consumption.

     “What is this!” Doctor Fukurokov shouted helplessly before being pulled off his feet and right into a Ring Gate that appeared before him and vanished.

     “You would save your obvious enemy, Ring Mage, Sonic the Hedgehog?”

     “You’re getting closer,” Sonic shook a finger at Claymore. “Just drop the mage bit and we’ll be good. Well, after I clean up your mess, stop Ix, and yeah, make sure no one gets more hurt than you already have today.”

     “Hmhmhmhmhm, it’s too late for that,” Saber laughed and took to the air and out into the cavernous main hall beyond the small room everyone had gathered in. Form his new vantage point, he could see everything collapsing around him and an army of golems rising past the golden twinkle of collected Rings. “Pir’Oth has already begun to collapse the whole of Tower Point. Soon, Yoluku will wake again! Hmhmhmhmhm!”

     “Yeah, not happening! Let’s go Amy!”

     Grabbing Rosy’s wrist, Sonic took off so fast she barely got her feet under her. When she did, Sonic noticed the drag immediately as she still had a long way to go to catch up to him in the use of his speed. Not wanting to waste time, Sonic scooped her up into his arms, and just in time to avoid collapsing debris.

     “Phooey!” Rosy complained, puffing up her cheeks even as she nestled into Sonic’s embrace and blushed happily. There was conflict in that joy though as the situation had gotten dire. “Why did it have to happen like that?”

     “Doesn’t matter,” Sonic dismissed the past. “But if we don’t do–”

     -Guys! Please tell me you’re okay. The data is going crazy and the whole city is starting to collapse!-

     “Tails!” Rosy shouted before remembering she had to activate the radio on her wrist.

     “Tails! I was right! It was Ix, and now he’s collapsing the whole city. I don’t know what to do, but Sonic and me are heading towards Ix now! And hopefully, we stop him. But you need to get out of here! It’s not safe, and–!”

     -What is that!-

     “What is what?” Sonic asked as the whole of the catacombs began to tremble and shake as though the entire landmass was being torn apart.

     The answer did not take long to be discovered.

     As Saber flew out of the growing sinkhole Tower Point was becoming, he was joined by the Tornado under remote control from a desperate to not lose it Zooey. Following them, not in pursuit but rather growth, Claymore emerged.

     He had grown massive beyond compare, the collapsing city feeding his gravity well. Whether or not the people of the city were spared as he grew was a mystery, but his artificial frame could easily harbor them all as it grew.

     “Are we going to be able to get away from that?” Draw asked looking at the absurd sight of the impossibly huge autogolem and the storm of purple clouds that swirled around him.

     “I couldn’t rightly say, lad,” Gill confided from where he joined Draw on the Deck of the Skyskipper. “It’s likely that knight will consume us all.”

     “I thought I was going to be safe here!” Fang surprised Gill and Draw as he came out onto the deck. “What is that fox girl doing!”

    Running to the deck and leaving the other’s confused, the sight of the Avocado Green joining the Skyskipper had no meaning to Fang. Neither did Mighty as he ran by him to demand an explanation, even as Zooey worked to open a Ring Gate large enough for both airships. Mighty did not follow Fang or return to the bridge as he watched the cloud of darkness around Claymore’s left arm become a giant maw of light filled darkness. With that looming maw the knight took a massive bite out of the city with.

     “SO~NI~C!” Rosy cried out at the top of her lungs as everything collapsed around her and Sonic within the gigantic maw.

     “Just get ready!” Sonic yelled as he tossed Rosy into the air in front of him.

     “Wah~!”

     “Just don’t enjoy this too much!”

     Leaping up after Rosy, he grabbed her hand and spun her about into him as he curled into a tight ball forcing her to do the same. Together they formed one giant rolling hedgehog ball and plowed through practically everything in front of them with growing speed. Until finally, they broke apart and Rosy flopped onto her back with swirling eyes and red face.

     “I said don’t get too excited,” Sonic sighed as he looked back at Rosy behind him. “That was simply the Rolling Combo Tails and I came up with. You didn’t do bad for your first go at it though.”

     Unsteadily stumbling to her feet, Rosy smiled as Sonic flashed her a thumbs up. But the expression did not last for long. Sonic had donned a dead serious look and turned his attention forward to the heart of the clockwork sphere they had arrived in. Following his gaze, Rosy gasped.

     “Ix!”

     She could not find the words to continue however as there were two of him. A wooden one, and one like the autogolem knights. A clockwork skeleton with a suit of armor built onto it, and of course his signature flowing purple robes.

     “So, you really had laid a trap for us,” Sonic gritted his teeth as he looked at the swirling gyroscopic device around the autogolem Ix, and how it and the gears within the clockwork sphere had nearly come to a halt.

     “One I had not expected you to survive,” Ix acknowledged his plan. “Yet, you do not seem to be the hero foretold of by the medium. My plans remain unchallenged. You two are far, far, too late, and there is nothing the fool Sword Knights can do to stop me. I am but one step closer to returning at last to the side of my old friend.”

     “We’ll see about that!”

     “KYAA~!!!!!”

     “Amy!”

     Sonic stopped mid-preparation to leap forward as Rosy suddenly screamed. Turning back, he saw the red light of a Red Star Ring pouring from her left eye, her face trapped in a moment of true fear. “AMY~!”

     ~Those were the last words I remember hearing Sonic say while I could see him. Everything after that is almost pure darkness. I can’t really remember anything. But I know I saw the Gear Star Ring in my eye crumble some more, letting the gear be fully connected along three points of the star. I just wish I hadn’t seen that in Sonic’s beautiful green eyes. He looked so desperate as he reached for me, but then I was just gone. But I heard it. At least for a moment. It was my voice. I was talking but it wasn’t me. It wasn’t me, and I’ve never been so scared.~

    “I am most afraid not, Dirt Dweller. ‘My’ Medium is gone.”      

Scene 53 · CLEARED Party Crashing, to be continued

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And isn’t that a doozy to end it on? XD Don’t worry, the next scene is out on Saturday (or already if you’re reading this after the publication date). As for who has possessed Rosy. Well, I’ve finally introduced my AU’s villain and I hope you enjoy this initial tease into their character. Next scene is the end of Season 1 and huge changes will be coming after that starting April. Please enjoy and I hope you’ll continue to follow me on The Journey!

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Special Thanks to Cutegirlmayra Story by @JoshTarwater/SonicFanJ Inspiring Song – Insatiable (From “Final Fantasy XIV”) - Vocaloid Version – Azina, Masayoshi Soken – Insatiable (From “Final Fantasy XIV”)

Fair Use Disclaimer

Sonic the Hedgehog and all affiliated characters and logos are the express property and Copyright© of SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS used without permission under Title 17 U.S.C Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976 in which allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. “Fair use” is use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be considered copyright infringement. The Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey alternate universe (AU) consumer written work of fiction is a non-profit transformative work primarily for personal use and can and will be taken down without warning or prior notice at the request of the copyright holder(s) should it not be recognized under “fair use”.

*Sonic Ring Bond logo created by DEE Art – twitter.com/daryliscute.

Sonic Ring Bond AU and Sonic Ring Bond: The Journey are the creation of Joshua David Tarwater/ynymbus/sonicfanj/@Joshtarwater and is to be, including all contents herein considered for all legal purposes the property of the Sonic the Hedgehog intellectual property (IP) and copyright owners, SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS. All story contributors via prompt, suggestion, written scene, art, and all and every other contribution acknowledge that all contributed material is forfeit for legal purposes to SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS upon official request from SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS.

[kazosa]

I Drove All Night

Summary: Dean and the reader knew each other and they had been close. Dean’s life scared the reader and she bailed to her unending regret. She never told him how she really felt.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Word count: 1800

Song inspiration: “I Drove All Night” by Roy Orbison

Warnings: possible language, smut, talk of death

A/N: big thanks to @coffee-obsessed-writer she knows what she did ;)

Tagging: @coffee-obsessed-writer   @spnhollis   @his-paradox

     Dean punched the gas and Baby’s engine roared with power as he sped down a dark and lonesome highway. The cool fall air whipped around his face and neck, like a slap, keeping him awake. He’d missed the call from (Y/N). He was at a bar without Sam, the prude, looking to let off some steam… somehow. He found a decent looking waitress and was about to leave with her when he saw he had a voicemail from (Y/N).

Dean… it’s me… somethings happened… I… I can’t deal with this shit alone… would you please come? You know where to find me.

     He didn’t even think twice and told the waitress, “Maybe another time” and left her sputtering on the sidewalk as he jogged to his car. He texted Sam a quick message and took off. When he tried to call (Y/N) back, her phone went straight to voicemail. He wasn’t in a panic, but his mind did run through every possibility of why she could have called. Whatever it was, it was him she called and he wasn’t going to let her down.

     Where the headlights didn’t reach, the moonlight and stars lit the way. The pavement stretched out in front of him like a shiny ribbon, leading all the way to (Y/N).

     After the way they’d left things, it surprised him that she called, but he was glad she did. There were too many things left unsaid between them and he was going to take his chance.

     The sky was turning from black to gray and when he pulled into her driveway, the first purples and pinks were beginning to show. He parked his car and got out. At her door, he hoped she kept her key in the same place. His fingers barely fit behind the light, but the key fell into his hand.

     His heart thumped with excitement as he put the key in the slot and turned. The tumblers seemed to pop like a firecracker in the stillness of the morning. As quietly as he could he slipped inside and locked the door behind him. He laid the key on the kitchen counter and made his way to her bedroom. When he reached her closed door, he wondered if she still slept with a blade…

     Carefully, he opened the door, remembering to lift as he did so. It creaked still, but only a little. He slipped inside her still dark room. She had blackout curtains that he’d always appreciated. 

     (Y/N) was there and his breath caught for a second. Her hair was spread out behind her on the pillow. The sheets were a twisted mess around her. She hadn’t slept well and he knew her well enough to know something was wrong.

     He sat down on the bed to take off his boots hoping he wouldn’t catch a blade between his shoulders. (Y/N) didn’t stir as he unbuttoned his flannel and took it off.

     Your sleep had been fitful at best. No matter what you did, you just couldn’t get comfortable. In the middle of the night, you gave up and had a few drinks. Half a dozen times, you picked up the phone to call Dean. Somewhere around 2 a.m., you pressed ‘send’ and let it connect. Of course, it went to voicemail and you left him a rambling message you wished you could have deleted.

     Finishing your last drink, you went back to bed and hoped sleep would find you with the help of your alcoholic drinks. You tossed and turned for a while longer, wondering if Dean would get your message. Would he show up if he did?

     The last time you saw Dean, he was standing at the metal door to the bunker as you drove away. You tried to understand his life. Tried to accept that he would show up at your house at odd times to get cleaned up, patched up, ask for help. Most of the time, you were on pins and needles wondering what horrible thing would happen next. It was too much and you’d cut ties. 

     When you called him, even the sound of his voice in his voicemail message stirred up old feelings. You’d never really gotten a chance to have a real relationship with Dean. You weren’t even sure if he had any kind of feelings for you. If he had… you broke it off before anything could start. It was a decision you’d come to regret countless times. You missed your friend. You missed Dean.

     You didn’t know when you fell asleep, you just woke to the feel of a familiar presence on your bed. You slowly reached for the knife between the mattress and box spring. When you realized the person was humming “Roll Me Away” you relaxed, knowing it was Dean.

     “You gonna stab me with that sword you keep?” he asked softly.

     His voice was the only sound in the room, other than your fan. “It’s a Bowie knife, not a sword.”

     “Trust me, looks like a sword when it’s pointed at your face,” he tossed his flannel on top of his boots. 

     You could almost cry. “You came.”

     He turned half way to look at you. “You asked me?”

     “I just wasn’t… “ he began to lie down with you. “What are you doing?” 

     “Getting some shuteye, what’s it look like?”

     Dean stretched one arm out and patted his chest with the other.

     “Bring it in,” he said. “You barely slept and I haven’t at all. We’ll deal with ‘it’ after some sleep.”

     “You don’t even know what it is,” you still couldn’t believe he was there. “And why didn’t you sleep?”

     He looked at you like the answer was obvious. “’Cause I drove all night to get to you. Will the thing you needed keep til later?”

     When you nodded, he patted his chest again.

     “C’mon, sweetheart, don’t leave me hanging,” he said.

     You took the comfort of his body and laid with your head on his shoulder. His arm went around you as you both got comfortable. Lying there with him felt good and right. Some of the tension you’d been holding melted away as he held you. He belonged there. 

     “Shoulda done this a long time ago,” Dean sounded sleepy. “Shoulda done a lot of things.”

     He cared about you, that fact had never been in question. He’d asked you not to go. His life had scared you and you thought you were doing the right thing by leaving his life, and him, behind.

     “I shouldn’t have run. You never hid anything from me…”

     “It was a lot to ask…” he held you tighter. “If after what you called me here for is done, and you want me to go, I will. No hard feelings.”

     You rolled onto your elbow and turned to look at him. His body was warm and firm under you. He would go if you wanted him to, but his eyes were pleading with you to let him stay.

     “Leaving you… was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. If we do this, we go all in. No more dancing around how we really feel about each other,” you said, “no matter what. Can you deal with me and all my bullshit?”

     “I’ll take your bullshit any day,” he said.

     Wanting to kiss him, you didn’t fight the urge. The kiss was soft and gentle at first. You were done being timid and Dean responded in turn. He rolled you onto your back, pulling your knee to his hip. The weight of his body felt good. His hand slid down from your knee to cup your ass. Everything about Dean felt good. You slipped your hands under his shirt and up his back. He pulled the t-shirt off completely, barely leaving contact with you.

     His hand moved to your waist and the hem of your shirt. His fingers brushed at your sensitive skin making you elicit a small gasp.

     “Is this okay?” his voice thick with emotion.

     You wiggled and yanked at your shirt, desperate to be rid of it. Dean worked at his belt. When he saw you nearly naked, he left his belt to come back to you. His hands went to your ribs and up to cup your breasts. His large hands gently kneaded your soft flesh, fingers playing at your nipples.

     His mouth worked down your neck, marking you and making you gasp as he sucked hard and nipped at your nipple. Your body responded with intense arousal. You needed to see him… all of him and reached for his jeans.

     Knowing what you wanted, he stood to remove his remaining clothes and you slipped off your only garment. You only had a moment to appreciate the view before he moved between your legs.

     A few hours later, you woke to your unwanted alarm. You didn’t want to get out of bed. Not only did you not want to face the events of the day, you’d also woken up in Dean’s strong, comforting arms. You would give anything to just stay there with him. Finally, you’d acted on your feelings for each other. Dean was awake, but he only moved his arm to keep you close.

     “Gram died,” your voice sounded small, even to your own ears. 

     She called him to help her deal with losing her grandma. She called him. No way he was going to let her down.

     “I wasn’t expecting a funeral,” he kept his voice even.

     “You think I forgot? I’m sure you have one of your FBI suits in the trunk.”

     “I do,” he kissed her bare shoulder. “I… just… was she not…”

     She shook her head, “Not for years….”

     He’d missed a lot and hadn’t stayed in touch. Reluctantly, he let her go so they could get cleaned up and wake up. 

     (Y/N) struggled through the service, but he stayed close just in case. By the end of the day, she was barely holding on; her nerves raw.

     He whispered to her. “Let’s get outta here?”

     Most of the people had gone and they turned to get some mints from one of the side tables. 

     “Out of this building sounds good,” she popped a mint. “Out of this state sounds better.”

     “How does Kansas grab ya?” he asked.

     “I know a couple brothers from there. Think they would let me stay with them?”

     “They’d be crazy not to. I bet the older one has a thing for you.”

     “That seems lucky for me.”

     Two hours later, you were in the car with Dean and the very few items you couldn’t live without. The only thing holding you there had been Gram… You looked over at Dean. Catching the movement, he turned to you and smiled. You knew what you were getting into and accepted the consequences. Life was too short to not spend it with people you cared about.

[nodesiretogrowup]

I LOVED THIS EPISODE! It was nice to have a kid-focused episode. The past few have focused a lot on the adults, so it was nice to see the kids in the spotlight again. It was SO COOL to see the kids playing off each other. We NEED more of it next season. Lena is my daughter, so I was happy to see her back, though I’d rather she not have to suffer.

Spoilers and more detailed thoughts below:

YAY NERF GUNS! Also, it was super sweet of the boys to reassure Lena that they know she’s a good guy now. 

LOVED all the different jammies on display. I usually rock something similar to Lena and Violet. Dewey in the footie pajamas gives me LIFE. And Huey with his hat. I’m surprised he didn’t say something along the lines of “Warm head, warm dreams.”

Super cute that Lena set this all up. My baby wants friends.

“Self defense weapons, all manner of booby trap.” I feel like Violet would have suggested having those no matter what. I love my slightly feral nerd daughter.

Beakley for BEST bodyguard.

“Nothing weird is gonna happen at this slumber party.” Webby, babe, you’re just ASKING for trouble.

Lena’s little song and cake! MY HEART! I think Huey may have drawn some inspiration from that cake, lol

“Time loses all meaning in the infinite night of the shadow realm.” HELP THIS CHILD! And again, I think Donald would be the perfect parent for her.

“You are a wordsmith!” Webby LOVES her shadow gf.

THE FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS! AND THEY MATCHED EACH KID! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS GIRL!

Of course Louie is suspicious. He was wary of his mom AND just spent the last episode getting betrayed by Goldie.

“You literally sound like that now.” Huey, you need to learn how to read a room.

“That’s just my voice, I can’t help it!” I feel ya there. And a nice bit of foreshadowing

“I’ve found it’s clearer to convey no emotion whatsoever.” Also not a good way to talk to people.

Aw, Lena. Like Webby said, you don’t have to prove yourself. That seems to be a running theme this season. Dewey wants to prove himself to his mom, Louie wants to prove himself to anyone, and Della wants to prove that she is a good mom and fits into this family.

“That makes you super-extra-good, right?” “Math checks out.” You two share one (1) brain cell and that’s adorable.

Webby has no table manners and that is valid.

“LET’S EAT PURE SUGAR!” That is just a bad idea in general, much less for Huey.

What happened to Huey? Why was his mouth all grey?

“You know who my best friend is?” “Me.” “Sleep.” A.) Mood, B.) Dewey’s face is PRICELESS! You can’t win them all.

Sleeping Beakley is TERRIFYING.

“It might be sleepy-time.” Webby, you are TOO PRECIOUS!

Anyone getting some Nightmare on Elm Street vibes? Specifically the third one? I guess that was what they were going for, what with the title and all.

Concerned girlfriend is concerned.

MY POOR BABY! HASN’T SHE SUFFERED ENOUGH?!

“Do you need, *whispers* you-know-what paper?” Not sure if Beakley told her toilet isn’t something you should go around saying or if Webby doesn’t want to embarrass anyone. Either way, cute!

Lena pulls of Dewey’s do well.

One of the most precious moments ever! And a reminded that they are still pretty young.

WEBBY IS SUCH A GOOD FRIEND/GIRLFRIEND! *happy tears*

LOVED the shot of Lena with the stars reflected in her eyes.

Heck, the animation for all the dreams is AMAZING! I love how you can INSTANTLY TELL whose dream we’re in.

I’m glad they figured out that they were in a shared dream early. Gives us more time for wacky dream shenanigans!

Webby/hamburgers is otp

I like that they used the “you can’t read in dreams” thing. Nice touch. It looks like at least Launchpad, Scrooge, and Donald had a corresponding emoji.

“Why are you dialing a banana?” DREAM LOGIC!

SWORD HORSE!

Webby CANONLY kins Scrooge!

EXTREMELY EXTREME OBSTACLE COURSE

Louie putting a stop to unicorn shenanigans before they begin.

Those directions. Better than Penny’s at least.

Violet is blunt and to the point. She’s probably a Virgo.

LIVING for all the cartoony sound effects!

POOR LENA! AND YAY SUPPORTIVE WEBBY! Also, love Louie in the background being confused as fuck.

That cute little smile! I WOULD DIE FOR LENA!

I don’t think the whole “don’t wake a sleepwalker” thing is actually valid in real life, but here it’s probably a goodish idea. Magic is weird and unpredictable.

“LET’S FLY, BECAUSE WE CAAAAAAN!” I like the way you think. I love that Louie’s wings have dollar signs. And Lena’s bat wings are DOPE.

“I HATE WALKING!” Louie is MOOD.

Huey and Dewey crashing, lol

That unicorn got DEEP. And I now crackship him and Manny.

Lena walked into Snow White.

“I probably grew horrible bat wings for non-evil reasons.” It’s because you are a baby goth.

“I ATE A BUG!” Dewey, you are a special boy and that’s valid.

“Ew, Webby, why is there a school in your dream?” Again, Louie is MOOD.

Ugh, I wish I could make out what the sign in front of the school says. I see EXCELLENCE though.

Dewey CONFIRMED HSM fan. And I’m getting some Saved By The Bell vibes. He’s binged ALL the high school classics. This is probably how Mabel dreamed high school would look like before the crushing slap of reality hit her.

His hair and jacket. Too cute, expect for his hair being alive. That was freaky. I fear for him when he learns what high school is actually like.

His song. Dewey is in for HEARTBREAK. LIVE YOUR DREAM WHILE YOU CAN!

I know most people are going with Dewey is bi after the whole romantic interest thing, but I feel like he might be aro/ace. Dewey is threatened by choosing a romantic partner. I’ve kind of always seen him as ace though, so it might just be me. Or it could be him trying to figure out his sexuality, which is cool. I love that the crew threw that in. The boy is not straight in any way though.

I love that Dewey’s singing rivals are Beagle Boys.

“Who knows what that’s about?” “I have some theories.” SYMBOLISM!

Dewey Dude is upsetting even BEFORE it turned into Magica.

The balance between comedy and STRAIGHT UP HORROR was handled well.

Lena has watched Wizard of Oz.

“You ruined my big dance!” Priorities, Dewey. Louie looks relieved though.

Dewey’s hair looked super cute when it was wet.

Why did he and Lena taste the water? Is there some sort of significance there?

“I just failed a class called Dew-ology.” “Well I’m the class Dew-torian.” That’s stretching it, Dewey.

“I gotta get outta here.” Haha, Dewey’s dream is Huey’s nightmare.

Louie-field. I WANT PLUSHIES. Also, Louie confirmed furry?

“This is your dream? To be even lazier?” Don’t be a hater, Huey! Louie’s got the right idea.

Wonder if Beakley taking care of Louie-field means anything.

Seriously, Huey is SUCH a hater! He wants out of Dewey’s dream and he mocks Louie’s.

“HOW ARE YOU SLEEP-SLEEPING?” Don’t hate cause you ain’t. Also, I have napped in a dream once so....

Louie’s sleep face is MAJESTIC. HE’S BEAUTY, HE’S GRACE.

“I just am.” Louie is so wise.

Wolf Lena is BEST

Violet, there is a better way to talk about people’s psychological issues.

Why would you choose the litter box?

“WHY, HUEY, WHY?!” No arguments here.

I’m the eldest sibling like Huey and I’m the shortest of the three of us, so I get you, Huey. But there are better, cooler, less upsetting ways to manifest that dream. Like switching bodies with a tall person.

His legs make rubber band noises when he moves.

“Don’t listen to him! Follow your lame dreams.” What a supportive brother.

Huey’s dream is Dewey’s nightmare. Nice.

I too use my feet to do things, like opening doors or getting stuff off the floor. But opening jars of FOOD?! UNSANITARY AND YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER.

Someone is a Spinel fanboy.

Or is he Slender-Huey?

“And it’s my dream to be in a montage.” While it is pretty dope, why does Dewey get two dreams?! Greedy little bastard. Are we sure he’s not the evil triplet, lol.

HERE’S HOW PHOOEY CAN WIN! Liked that they implied he’s the evil one. He’s a yellow, less 90s Dippy Fresh.

JUST SAY NO TO PHOOEY! His name means the f-word.

MORE DRAGON BALL Z!

NERD ALERT! 

Huey has found a kindred soul.

I like that Violet even has Quackfaster as a librarian.

“It’s almost 6am!” Your old man is showing. Sidenote-I tend to wake up around 6. I’m old.

“Go get some jobs!” Scrooge, do you know about child labor laws?

This is the second episode of this set that Scrooge comes off as a bit of a prick.

POOR LENA! At least all the kids care about her. The poor girl needs some friends.

“She’s gonna be cold without her sweater!” His heart’s in the right place.

I love that all the kids jump in after Webby immediately. NEVER LEAVE A MAN BEHIND.

Louie just spinning in the background.

“I think this is more nightmare.” Thank you, Captain Obvious.

I want that castle as a playset.

Good lord this scene was hard to watch. It reminded me a lot of Raven in Ever After High (and Teen Titans Raven too). She’s so afraid of being predestined to become evil that it’s consuming her to the point that she can’t see anything else and feels stuck. Some of this really hit close to home for me because I deal with depression and anxiety and when a big episode hits it’s hard to find my way out. Luckily, just like Lena, I have a good support system.

 Magica gaslighting Lena was really upsetting to see.

Lena becoming Magica then a literal monster? LET MY DAUGHTER HAVE PEACE!

“Ugh, why does everything I say sound sarcastic?” Callback

Was that a hint at a Gargoyles reboot? I JOKE TO EASE THE PAIN!

#youtriedDewey

Dewey’s spinny eyes, lol

Webby is most competent fighter

Poor Louie. The past two episode have not been kind to him physically.

Lena will ALWAYS be there for Webby.

POOR LENA!

HURRAY FOR SUPPORTIVE FRIENDS!

FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC, BITCH!

“It’s fine, FINE!” Just wait for puberty, Huey. It will be slightly less disturbing.

I TOTALLY CALLED THAT THIS WAS A PLOT FOR MAGICA TO GET HER POWERS BACK! YAY FOR BEING RIGHT!

Magica is meth aunt.

“I don’t need you. You need me!” THAT’S MY GIRL!

FERAL

I bet Magica is gonna lie about still having powers so she can get close enough to Lena to regain her powers and stab everyone in the back. Whether or not she succeeds... 

Boyd and Lena should start a club. The “I thought/felt like I was a real, flesh and blood being, had an existential crises over it, and am trying to deal with my evil relative” club. Huey’s the moderator, he’s working on his consoling badge.

[a-forlorn-soul]

Prompt #24: An Unwavering Stand

Timeline: Approx 4 years ago

“Loki! The ashkin are gathering again!” shouted one of his expedition members, terror clear in his voice.

A sigh escaped the Ala Mhigan as he rested a hand on the hilt of his rapier. “Make sure the barricades are shored up and all those who can carry a weapon are ready,” he shouted out to the others gathered in the chamber, “Those who are unable to fight prepare the torches. We must hold them back as long as we can so everyone outside can clear the way for us.”

A flurry of movement started to take place in the tiny chamber. It had been several bells now since a cave in had cut them off from the rest of the expedition outside of the room. A cave in that had driven ashkin that had infected the ruins up to their position. Ever since then it had been a slow battle of survival against an undead horde and the ever growing attrition. Already they had lost four of their fellow archaeologists to the ashkin, and he wasn’t wanting to lose anyone else from the ones still alive.

The tension in the chamber as everyone took their positions was thick enough that one could cut it with a blade. This gave the undertone of the mood a decidedly fearful note, which was unsurprising considering the horrors that were lurking in the shadows. They could hear the movement in the dark, bones scraping on stones as the things slowly made their way to the huddled group. He had to get them through this, and yet the idea of lasting against too many more waves was beginning to look beyond impossible.

“Loki!” came a panicked cry

“I see them,” he shout back with aether gathering into his crystal, “Hold them for a moment!”

“We’ll try!”

Two of his team stood up with shields prepared to hold back the ashkin from breaking through the barricades, all while hacking at them with swords. While it wasn’t enough to put a permanent end to the wave it did buy him time. His lips moved quickly with an incantation causing the crystal floating near him to give off a dark purple glow. The further along he got in the spell the greater the glow became until flames wreathed around the blade of his rapier to indicate the crescendo of the spell. Brighter and hotter the flames grew until his eyes narrowed upon his completion of the chant.

“Get down!” he shouted before shifting his feet.

Both of the defenders dropped to their knees as Loki made several jabbing motions with his rapier. Each time he did so it formed a small ball of flames, which held steady until he cut down across the back of them in a single sweep of his blade. When he did so a volley of fire launched forth upon the oncoming horde to incinerate all those that had entered their field of vision. If nothing else this would provide the group a momentary reprieve so that their expedition lead could ready the next trick he had up his sleeve.

A rallying cry rose from the group only for it to be cut short by a shout. “Don’t get too ahead of yourselves! They’re still comin’,” Loki told them at the top of his lungs.

“Aye sir!” came an almost thunderous response. Every time he showed off like that it emboldened them, something that they desperately needed.

“Sir! The workers are breaking through!”

Twisting around to look at the cave in he could see the rubble starting to slide away to let in a flood of light from the other side. They were almost saved, they just needed a bit more time. Yet that hope was short lived as the entire chamber suddenly shook. Beyond the barricades they could hear something massive moving about in the shadows. While there was no way to tell exactly what it was, it was quite obvious that it was far worse than anything else that had been thrown at them as of yet.

“All of ya prepare to run! I’m gonna buy ya just enough time to get outta here,” he told them, causing worried looks to be cast about.

“Don’t sir, we can hold them here,” one of the shield bearers told him.

Shaking his head Loki positioned himself right at the edge of the barricades. “Nah, we wouldn’t stand a chance. I ain’t gonna let y’all end here, so get goin’. Don’t worry, I’ll come out just fine even if I have to find another exit,” he assured the man.

Pushing them away from where he was Loki held his rapier in front of him while allowing aether to pool into his free hand. It was reckless and was likely going to get himself killed, but it was the only option at this point. A smirk now tugged at his lips as he considered exactly what he was doing. He’d never really needed to this prior, but knew it was going to work without a doubt. For those looking on merely saw a tether connect the Ala Mhigan to the whatever was looking for the shadows before he tugged on it to go flying at it.

With all of them now huddled near the shifting rubble, waiting for an opening to be made they could only listen. A horrifying roar echoed through the chamber followed the what sounded like countless strikes of metal against stone. After several times of hearing those strikes they began to witness a glowing purple light in the shape of the crystal Loki used. By the time the crew on the other side had moved enough to start pulling people through this glow had grown to the point they could just make out a massive hulking creature that appeared to have stone slabs for hands.

“Sir! We’re all out! Get out of there now!” shouted the final remaining expedition member once the others were through.

No answer came echoing back as their expedition lead was still most likely locked in combat with whatever was down there. The remaining glow was enough to tell that he was still alive, but the man refused to move until he saw Loki or rather that was his intent. He soon found himself unable to wait for the light glowing from Loki’s crystal became blinding only to be followed by an explosion of an impossible magnitude. It caused the entirety of the ruins to threaten a collapse as flames shot up the corridor towards the chamber.

The last survivor dove through the whole made just in time to have flames burst through behind him. Once they died down everyone on that side looked on at the opening with that same fear building up. Everything was quiet where there had been sounds of pitched battle, for indeed little would be able to survive something like that. For what seemed like an eternity everyone remained silent in the hope of some kind of sign that Loki was still alive.

“Oi! Did ya really have to waste so much time diggin’ out such a big arse hole?” came a familiar questioning quip from the scorched chamber, “I could fit a whole damned chocobo through this.”

[himbowelsh]

Prompt for Philly crew: Some fuckboy (or girl) messed with Julian's heart. Jules is miserable. Whole gang us ready to bite. They plan series of revenges for that person. They make Julian do it all with them for closure. He ends up having the best time.

AN: look, i’ve been cheated on before, and it hurts like hell. i’m just gonna say i don’t condone what happens in this story, and revenge isn’t the answer… but damn if it’s not satisfying.

Babe is pretty sure Julian is dead.Okay, that could be an exaggeration. Maybe. He’s not willing to say anything for sure, especially since the last time he was convinced someone had died ended with him breaking the bathroom door down only to find Bill and Fran in the shower, decidedly alive and not happy to be interrupted. The only one who almost died that day was Babe, and he learned a valuable lesson about not jumping to conclusions.

He doesn’t think he’s overreacting now, though. In fact, he’s sure he isn’t. The loud screams echoing from Julian’s room just minutes ago were very hard to mistake, and he’s not sure the silence that’s followed bodes any better.It had sounded like Julian was being mauled by an ape. A very hungry, very aggressive ape who hasn’t been let out of his cage in years and just saw Julian steal his last banana. Then, just as abruptly as it pierced the house, the noise died. Babe isn’t  sure whether this is a good thing or a terrible thing.Julian’s not a quiet person. When he’s quiet, he’s usually up to something; and when he’s dead silent like this, it means something is wrong.Babe lingers outside the door, not sure what his plan of attack should be. Should he knock on the door? Should he call out to him? Should he try to scale the building and climb in through the window?He doesn’t have to make the choice. Quick as a hurricane, something barrels past him, almost knocking him off his feet.“Julian!” hollers Bill, pounding his fists against the door. “Frannie told me what happened, now open up!”“What?” Babe demands, pushing himself away from the wall he was just shoved into. “What the hell happened?”Bill just gives him a Look, one of those Looks that suggest he should really keep his voice down before someone (most likely Bill) is forced to punch him. Babe scowls and slinks forward, crossing his arms as he nods his head towards the doorway. Whatever happened, he deserves to know – Julian is his best friend too.“It was Melissa,” is all Bill says. Babe feels his heart sink.“Oh no.”“Oh yeah. Turns out that guy she’s been going out with ain’t her cousin after all.”Babe curses, slamming his fist in his palm. He owes Spina fifteen dollars now, and that bastard always makes sure to collect. “Damn, okay. So that’s why he’s holed up in here.”Bill hammers his fist against he door again, and Babe joins him a second later: “Jules. Come on, kid, open up for us!”A few minutes pass, full of beseeching – and more than a few veiled threats – to open up. They don’t work, not that Babe really expected them to. When Julian commits to something, he’s stubborn as a slab of concrete. Nothing’s getting him out of that room short of picking him up and dragging him out.Bill heaves a sigh. “Alright,” he mutters. “That’s how we’re gonna fuckin’ do this.” Babe watches in bemusement as Bill makes his way back to the stairwell. He hammers on the wall three times before shouting down, “Frannie! Get the ladder!”“You – wait, wait, wait –” Babe has seen Bill go up ladders before. Watching a guy with one leg scale a building was one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. He’s not going to stop him, but he has to strongly advise against it. “Bill, do you really think that’s a good –”“I’m not doing it.” Bill rolls his eyes, looking like he’d like to take a swipe at him again. Babe wisely keeps his distance. “What the hell do we keep Spina around for?”Just then they hear a resounding crash from the backyard, followed by a short scream of pain. Babe and Bill exchange wide-eyed glances in the silence that follows.“Well,” Babe says after a moment, “I hope it’s not to be actually useful.”Bill spits out a curse and starts down the stairs. Babe almost thinks that’s the end of it before Bill’s head reappears over the top of the railing. His eyes gleam in a sadistic sort of delight. “Heffron, get your sneakers on.”Babe mutters something dark under his breath and aims a kick at Julian’s door, just for good measure.

Babe winds up having to climb through Julian’s window. This isn’t a surprise to anyone, since they’ve done it before. He’s just relieved that the ladder doesn’t collapse out from under him and send him to the grass in an echo of Spina’s earlier misfortune. He’s sure he’d look a lot more pathetic with a broken leg than he does the ladder under threat of Bill’s fierce glare.By the time they get Julian’s bedroom door unlocked and everyone has piled into Julian’s room, it’s obvious that they all mean business. Fran has her game face on; Spina is carrying around a small notebook, brainstorming revenge in its margins; and Bill won’t stop prodding Julian for more information.He’s… not having much luck.Curled up tightly in his cocoon, the steady rise and fall of the blanket lump is the only sign that Julian is still alive. He won’t poke his head out to face any of them; he definitely isn’t participating.(And look, Babe knows how important it can be to give people space after something awful happens. That’s a principle that applies to most people – just not to Julian. When Julian is upset, he cuts himself off, clamming up and refusing to let anyone close. He needs people to be pushy when it comes to making him feel better, because he won’t seek them out on his own – and he also can’t snap himself out of his own funk.)“I think what we’ve gotta do is obvious,” Fran declares (after Bill’s latest effort to revive Julian is met with resounding failure). The gleam in her eyes tells Babe all he needs to know.“We need to get back at her,” he agrees. “How?”“Publicize it,” Spina suggests, waving his pen like a sword. “Publicly humiliate her.”Fran shakes her head. “That ain’t gonna work.”“Well, what then?”A smirk twists up her red lips; her gaze locks on the lump of blankets that at some point in time used to be Julian. Babe knows how Frannie’s brain works, and he knows that smile can herald nothing good.“I was thinking a little field trip. Get Jules outta the house. Cheer him up a bit.”“Nothing like some physical activity to whip you back into shape again.” Bill claps Julian on the back, who lets out a long groan. Sympathetic as Babe is, he can’t hold back a snicker, and gets a kick to the stomach for his effort.“Oww! Dammit, Jules!”Frannie and Bill ignore him, to Babe’s great surprise. “That settles it,” Fran declares, nodding her head. “I know exactly where we’ve got to go. Julian, put on some pants. We’re going out!”Julian lets out an incoherent murmur and burrows deeper into the blankets. Somehow, Babe restrains an exasperated sign.Getting Julian out of his room is going to be an even bigger challenge than getting himself in.

“This seems immature,” Spina mutters. Bill promptly shoves a carton of eggs in his lap, a wordless demand to shut up and act as arsenal. They’re all in this together; no one backs out now. If they’re getting arrested, they’re going down together.

Fran is driving; Bill is arguing with Siri while trying to navigate the way to Melissa’s house. Babe is in the back with Spina, Julian sandwiched between the both of them. Babe’s job is to act as Julian control – keep him awake, keep him alive, and keep him from running at the first opportunity.

It’s obvious that Julian would rather be anywhere but here (preferably, locked up in his room with Netflix and six pints of cherry chocolate chip). Having been dragged out by his friends, he’s going grudgingly. The sweatshirt he wears seems to drown him, and his hood conceals most of his face. He looks like a very disgruntled grim reaper. It’s pathetic.

Babe elbows Julian in the ribs, hoping to get him to perk up or show some sign of life. Julian just grunts, curling in on himself more. His message is clear – he doesn’t want to be bothered.

Babe sighs and crosses his arms, turning his attention out the window. He watches the pretty suburban homes speed by, one after the other, and winces at being caught in such a fancy neighborhood. The sooner they can get this over with, the better.

“We’re here,” Bill finally announces, and they pull to a stop in front of a familiar large house.

They’re anything but subtle. They pile everyone out of the car, square up in front of the gleaming convertible, and place the egg in Julian’s palm like it’s a medal. Let he who was wronged throw the first stone, Babe thinks, and wonders if he learned that in Sunday School. He’s pretty sure he got it wrong. The nuns would slap him if they could.

“Normal people drink,” Julian mutters. “Can’t we just do that?”

“That’s breaking the law more than this is, jalbait,” Bill retorts, and claps Julian on the back. When someone else is providing the alcohol Bill never has a problem with letting his younger friends drink. It’s only when he’s got a point to prove that it suddenly becomes immoral.

Babe reaches out and squeezes Julian’s shoulder. His friend tenses up; then, after a few seconds, gives a great exhale.

“She said her cousin bought her this car,” he mutters, and hurls the egg.

A round of cheers goes up from the assembled group as egg splatters against the shiny paint job. Julian reaches for another egg, and Babe swears he catches a flash of a grin from Julian just before he turns away.

Their last revenge had been mature, illegal, and damn satisfying. This is just business.

“Are we on a date?” Spina asks, crinkling his nose. Babe shrugs. He reaches a hand over to his left, only to be rebuffed when Julian swats him away. Babe knows the kid is grieving, but letting him hog the popcorn seems like a bit much.

“You haven’t stopped eating since she broke up with you,” he hisses, leaning close to be heard over the roar of the film’s coming attractions. “You weigh less than all the stuff you’ve ate this week!”

“I’m eating away my pain,” Julian mutters, and shoves another handful of popcorn in his mouth. The resulting crunch is loud enough to make Spina wince.

Two rows in front of them, Bill and Fran are already at work. They’re doing what they do best, being public nuisances. Just one row ahead of them, it’s clear that they’re doing their job well. The couple in front of them keep squirming in their seats, casting dirty looks over their shoulders. Bill and Fran are too busy to notice.

Babe never fails to be horrified, as well as a little fascinated, by how Bill and Fran can make it look like they’re chewing each other’s faces off. Kissing shouldn’t be like that. Kissing shouldn’t make onlookers fear for their lives. And yet…

He can’t take it anymore. He twists around Julian just enough to grab a handful of popcorn, and hurls it forward. It doesn’t just bounce off Bill and Fran; some of it gets caught in the hair of the people sitting in front of them.

“What the hell?” Bill booms. Babe rolls his eyes and reaches for some more popcorn.

“Detach your faces and watch the movie, assholes!”

“Are you seriously sayin’ that to me?”

“Yeah, I am,” Babe replies, and hurls another handful of popcorn. Simultaneously, his elbows dig into Spina and Julian’s sides. It’s all the nudge his friends need to spur them into action.

“Cut it out,” Spina chimes in, tossing a handful of gummy bears at them. Julian doesn’t say a word; but when he throws his popcorn, it’s obvious he’s not aiming for Bill and Fran.

Melissa lets out a yelp as a piece of popcorn hits her right between the eyes. Her infamous cousin tries to shelter her, but there’s no point. Behind them, Bill and Fran are incensed.

“Okay, assholes, you wanna go? Really?” Fran demands, and the two of them spring to their feet – dumping the contents of their laps into the row in front of them.

A fountain of coke and popcorn rains down upon the happy couple’s heads. Melissa lets out a shriek. Her cousin dives straight for the floor. The theater erupts into chaos.

The group of troublemakers take flight before the dust can settle. They flee the movie, the building, and are all the way down the street before any of the hapless theatre workers know what’s happened. The sound of Julian’s laughter bubbling out along with the pulse of their feet against the pavement is an even sweeter sound than Melissa’s infuriated shrieks.

“Do you feel better now?” Babe asks Julian later that night. Clustered around a stack of pizza boxes, two cartons of beer between them, the group is busy reveling in a good day’s work. Even Julian has broken out of his shell just for the occasion. It’s the first time in a week he’s eaten with them, or been out of his room for long, and everyone is glad to have him back.

“Yeah,” Julian admits, chuckling slightly. “I guess I do.”

“We’re all immature,” Ralph observes, taking a sip of his beer. “And kind of bad people.”

That’s a statement they can all toast to.

When Bill ruffles his hair and a new light appears in Julian’s eyes, however, Babe can’t help wondering if they’re really so bad after all. Revenge isn’t nice, to be sure, but it’s definitely sweet. If one thing can be said for Babe and his friends, it’s that they’ll go to bat for each other; if someone hurts one of them, they hurt all of them.

Julian’s back in one piece, and Babe couldn’t be happier about it.

[kbtbb-soryu]

Revenge [Mamoru Kishi] ~ Chapter 4

“Phew. Glad it ain’t non-smoking here.” As soon as we were back in my room, Kishi lit up a cigarette.

“What a load of crap. Love, my ass… I can’t believe he was stupid enough to buy all that,” I said.

“Good for you, eh?”

“Don’t act like I’m the only one with something to take care of here. I can’t believe you came all the way out here without a plan.” That boyfriend crap was something he thought of off the top of his head. That much was obvious.

“I didn’t care, as long as I got inside this joint… I don’t wanna waste any more time.”

“In other words you’re an idiot. Just make sure they don’t find out you’re a detective. My life’s on the line here, too.”

“I know I know. I’ll help ya out with your revenge. And if shit hits the fan, I’ll get you outta here somehow. But in exchange you gotta act like you’re my girlfriend. Got it?”

“Deal.” I held out my hand and he shook it like we were making a business deal. Then Kishi started undressing. “Oi, you’re not the only one in the room here. Show some decency.” And with that I got into bed and turned my back to him.

“Welp, no sense in worrying anymore.” I heard him yawn and lie down on the floor.

 I tossed and turned in bed, my mind racing. There was a creaking sound.

“…Can’t sleep?”

I looked beside me and saw Kishi sitting on the edge of the bed. I slowly sat up.

“Yeah…”

“What’s wrong? You look anxious,” he commented.

“What do you care? I have my own beef with this place, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be happy-go-lucky about being locked up here.”

He suddenly put his hand on top of my head. “Will you still be anxious with me by your side?” His tone of voice was gentle and it surprised me.

“I don’t know,” I replied. Kishi patted my head as if he was soothing a child.

“How about I count sheep for ya?”

I sighed. “Whatever.” Kishi lay down on the edge of the bed and propped himself up on one elbow. I followed his example and lay back down as well, turning my back to him once again. “Y’know, my brother used to do this for me when I was little and couldn’t sleep.”

“He must be worried for ya. Where did you tell him you were going?”

I paused before answering. “He passed away a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that…” He rested his hand on my head again. “Now calm down and close your eyes. I’ll stay right here until you fall asleep.” The feeling of his palm on the back of my head was warm and strangely comforting; it reminded me so much of my brother I thought I might cry. I didn’t respond to him and after a while I heard him starting to count sheep. As he did, he started to gently stroke my hair. “Everything’s gonna be alright. Go to sleep now…” His deep, calm voice resounded in my ear. My tension slowly started to unravel and my eyelids grew heavy.

“Yeah…” I managed to choke out before finally falling asleep for real.

 The next morning, I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and bright sunlight shining in through the gap in the curtains. My body felt warm. I realized Kishi’s face was right next to mine and his arm hung loosely around my waist. I reeled back. I guess he fell asleep while he was counting sheep for me last night. No wonder I felt so warm. I pushed his arm off me and got out of bed. About an hour later I was dressed and ready for whatever I had to do today, and he still wasn’t awake.

“Kishi, wake up.” I shook him. “Kishi! Wake up!!”

“Geez. What’s with all the racket first thing in the morning?” He rubbed his eyes sleepily.

“Get up, dammit.”

“Relax, kid. It’s first thing in the morning.”

“Exactly. You have an investigation to do. So hurry up and get to it.” I impatiently pulled the blankets off of him. For god’s sake, I don’t have all year!

 Since life at the AID was strictly regimented and scheduled, it was pretty busy. Several days have already passed since we came to the compound. I’ve been keeping up our front and going to class while Kishi snooped around.

“I’d like to begin today’s lecture… But before I do… Sister Jamie? Where is Brother Kishi?” the stupid lecturer grilled me yet again.

“Sleeping,” I answered curtly, my cheek resting on my fist.

“Again? He didn’t participate yesterday or the day before that, either…”

“Uh-huh.”

“Maintaining good health is part of our training. And it’s especially important for newcomers to come to lectures every single day.”

“So? What are you telling me for? I’m his girlfriend, not his babysitter,” I answered rudely, giving the lecturer a sharp glare. Seemingly intimidated, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Now. This Saturday is very special for us. All the apostles shall take part in a lecture called “Discovery of Love”. We don’t know who will serve as the guest of honour yet. So make sure all of you are prepared when the day comes.” Hearing this, the whole lecture hall buzzed with excitement.

“Hey, what’s that?” I whispered to the girl sitting next to me.

“It’s the day that you’re born again! One person out of all the apostles will be chosen to be born again,” she told me.

“What, like an initiation or something?”

“You two! No chatting during lecture!” the teacher scolded us before the girl could answer me and the actual lecture started.

 Later that day. It was time for gym, and surprisingly Kishi made an appearance.

“Ohh, it’s fencing today!” he said.

“You had to do that during police training, right?”

“How’d you know that?”

“It’s obvious.” While we were just standing around, a young girl smacked her bamboo sword against Kishi and he fell right onto his butt. I sighed.

“What are you doing?” I asked with exasperation.

“Shaddup. I believe in conserving energy, y’know. Not wastin’ it.”

“Then how about you take some of that conserved energy and do your damn job?” I held out my hand and pulled him to his feet. He slipped his arm around my shoulder.

“Listen, kid. You can relax. I’m doin’ exactly what I came here to do,” he whispered to me so no one could hear.

“Then why are you here? Quit wasting time,” I whispered back.

“Sister Jamie, Brother Kishi. Is there a problem?” the teacher asked suspiciously.

“Owww, I think I sprained my ankle! I gotta go,” Kishi said.

“Please make sure to come back once you’ve gotten it looked at,” the teacher said, exasperated.

“Right, right. Sure thing.” He used the fencing sword as a makeshift cane and started “limping” exaggeratedly towards the building.

 “That’s strange… Brother Kishi still isn’t back yet. I wonder where he went. Will you go look for him, Sister Jamie?”

It’s been a while since Kishi pretended to be injured when I was asked to search for him. Yeah, right. This teacher just gave me a get out of jail free card. Like hell I’m going back there today. I decided to return to my room. As soon as I did, I heard a noise towards the corner of the room. I noticed the clothes he had been wearing tossed onto the floor.

“…Hm? Jamie…?” Just then the bathroom door opened. Apparently he had been taking a shower. He emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist, his body dripping wet. I couldn’t stop myself from staring him up and down. He was so muscular. “…What’re you lookin’ at? Ooooh, I get it. You interested in me, kid? C’mon, I’ll give ya a better look.” He stepped closer to me, bringing me back to reality. I sighed in exasperation and pinched the bridge of my nose. His wet body was right in front of me. In any other situation something like this might turn me on, but not now. I was slowly starting to reach my limit.

“What the hell are you doing? I thought I told to stop wasting time.”

“Patience is a virtue, kid. These things take time.”

I sighed again, feeling hopeless. “I know. It’s just… Being forced to go through every day, knowing these people took everything from me and not being able to do a damn thing about it… It’s torture.”

“I know.” Kishi’s face was dead serious as he stared at me. It was like he was looking right into my soul. “We want the same thing. Just gimme a bit more time.”

“Yeah, whatever. Just put on some clothes.” I flopped down on the bed and turned my back to him like I usually do. How long must I wait? Every day I spend here is more painful than the last. I want it to end. I want them to end. Just as Kishi put on his clothes, I heard a muffled vibrating sound. What was that? A cell phone? It wasn’t mine.

“…Hello, Kuroshima?” Kishi started talking on the phone. “Sorry, but I didn’t see the files. Yeah. Yeah. Ah, that’s right. Can you spell that for me?” I turned around and saw him dotting something down on a piece of paper as he had what seemed to be a serious conversation. “…Got it. Thanks. No, I’m fine. I made it this far, I’m not pullin’ back now. Lemme know if you find anything else out about Aida.”

“Kuroshima came to the hotel that one time, didn’t he?” I sat upright with crossed legs.

“You got a good memory.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” And with that I lay back down and turned my back to him again.

  To be continued…

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[dariussheeno-blog]

V

"The strongest stuff you have"

The bartender left to go get what Jack requested. He was in a bar, drinking his life away. Years have passed since he put down his gi. A beard now occupied whatever space was left on his chin. A gun rest in a holster strapped to Jack's shoulder. He looked like any other inhabitant of the Aku City underground.

The bartender came back with a good pint of rum. Jack chugged it down, put the cup down, gently, and demanded more. The bartender complied.

Jack looked around, and just saw other people. There was no sign of Mad Jack anywhere. Ever since he slowly declined to alcoholism, he hasn't seen Mad Jack. Maybe the alcohol? Or Mad Jack just didn't want to speak with him? Either way, Jack didn't care. He simply kept drinking rum.

After being satisfied, he went to his home at the shelter. Even after years, it was still in the same state of disrepair. Jack looked around his room. He lived with a crazy old man, who at this point was trying to claw his way through the cement wall. He laid down on the floor, and after a while, dozed off.

"You...you have failed."

Jack opened his eyes, completely taken aback by the new voice. This wasn't Mad Jack. This was something else entirely. The voice sounded familiar, yet much, much older than he. It had a certain bass to it that rang through Jack's ears. Jack looked around, and saw nothing but the old man, snoring away while his fingers bled. Nothing out of the ordinary, Jack thought to himself. He shrugged it off, and went back to sleep.

"You have failed your purpose, and now it is time for you to pay."

Jack opened his eyes, and he wasn't in his room anymore. A green mist clouded his vision, and fear began boiling up within him. Something was coming.

A figure appeared. It was simply a silhouette, yet Jack felt as if he was familiar. A samurai warrior riding on a horse appeared before Jack, donning a helmet of antlers, glowing eyes, and a black flag with nothing Jack could see. Jack felt nothing more than fear.

The being dismounted the horse, and simply floated over to Jack. Jack tried to back away, but he felt nothing. He had no physical body, and he was forced to confront this demon face to face. Jack tried to put the bravest face he could, but Jack knew it was a charade. It was obvious that the being could see the fear welling up inside Jack.

"You will go to Shi No Iwa. There, you will find me."

It began turning around, but Jack had something to say.

"H-how do I know where to look?" He stammered out.

The being turned its head slightly and replied, "You will know" before turning back and disappearing into the mist with the horse. The mist swirled around Jack, enveloping him in its presence. When the mist cleared, Jack was back in his room. Nothing had happened.

Jack looked over to see some medical workers having a smoke while the old man lay dead on the floor. He knew he couldn't stay. Jack took whatever was left of his belongings and left.

Pureisuto wasn't a bad name by any means. It meant priestess, and while Meredith didn't know what that meant just yet, she didn't give up on her training. Eleanora taught Meredith how to defend herself. But, over the years, Tatsu trained Pureisuto into becoming a living weapon. With years of intensive training, Pureisuto could sense a squirrel from a few feet away, and kill it without making as so much as a sound. Tatsu was proud of her creation, yet she fought the feeling to show her off. If she were discovered, her plans could go awry, and that was something she didn't have time for.

"Pureisuto. Rise."

Meredith stood up. She was meditating,

"Yes, milady."

"Go back to your mother. She is worried. Make sure you do not confirm her fears." Tatsu commanded.

Meredith nodded, and ran out to a recently completed fortress, one that reached toward the heavens and was to become the future home of Meredith. Looking inside, she was in awe of the expert handiwork within the halls, the rooms, and everything else. She reached a center room where her mother was standing in front of an empty lot. Eleanora turned around and was surprised to see her own daughter stand before her.

"What do you think of this?" She asked.

"It's fine."

"Is something the matter?"

"No."

"Please tell me what's going on."

"Nothing. I have my own errands to attend to."

Meredith began to leave, but Eleanora took her arm.

"Stop! Ever since we began building this castle, you've been ignoring me more and more. Please, tell me what's going on."

"No."

Meredith turned around to leave. Eleanora began to suspect. Something just didn't add up with that girl. And Eleanora wanted to find out what.

Jack was walking out of the city when he heard a loud, deafening noise. The sound of engine pistons rotating at 11,000 rpm. There was no mistaking this was old technology. But the sound of the explosions just hurt his ears. Each explosion tore at his eardrums. He looked around to see where the sound was coming from, but nothing seemed to be in sight. He seemed stumped, until looking at the horizon, he found the source.

A huge robotic hog was riding on a motorbike. Looking like the average biker, it tore up the road, leaving destruction in its wake. Jack simply stared on, mesmerized by it. He hadn't an idea such a thing existed. The motorbike simply went on until the hog riding it spotted Jack, simply staring. He pulled the motorcycle to a complete stop, yet Jack could still hear the smaller explosions that were energizing the bike, keeping it on. The hog dismounted the motorbike, and with his small little legs, walked over to Jack.

"DO YOU REALIZE YER IN MAH WAY" He shouted out.

Jack simply stared at him blankly.

"HELLO!? EARTH TO MAN HERE?!"

Jack simply tilted his head.

The hog was getting impatient. He reached for his belt and took out a sledgehammer. Jack, unfazed, stared.

"GET! OUTTA! MAH! WAY!" The hog shouted as picked up the sledgehammer and dropped it down on Jack.

It would've taken a hawk to see that Jack had reacted. Grabbing the hammer, he quickly pried it away, and swung it as hard as he could. The sledgehammer went right through the hog, spraying metal and wires across the ground. Whatever was left of the hog, simply fell to the ground.

But this had more of an effect on Jack than the hog. The feeling of adrenaline rushing through his veins was a feeling he had not had in a long time. Jack breathed in, and for the first time in a decade, Jack smiled. Opening his eyes, he finally realized what he had to do. Jack ran down the road and stopped before he turned back, looking at the motorcycle.

He couldn't just leave it...

Unbeknownst to everybody, Aku had begun a mass genocide. One planet. Every Tuesday. Every week. He would call upon every single one of his minions to simply devastate the planet. Nobody could stop him this time, as the Samurai was basically in shambles at this point, and nobody has seen or heard him since his own victory on top of the mountain. He was the golden boy.

The phone began ranging, and Aku picked it up, humming to himself.

"Aku residency, Destroyer of Worlds speaking."

He was in a good mood, and nothing could stop that.

Except what the other line said.

"WHAT! What do you mean, 'You were defeated!?' Are you so pathetic that aliens have defeated the meanest of my henchmen!?"

The other line just kept speaking, which just made Aku angrier.

"Well, get rid of their hope! Samurai Jack is no more, so I want you to go in there with everything you've got! YOU GOT THAT?!"

Smashing the phone down, Aku slouched in his seat. Sure, Samurai Jack was gone, but his influence lives on in a lot of people. And as Aku learned, that was a lot more dangerous than one would realize.

Eleanora sat there, wondering about what was happening to her daughter. Over the years, she had connected so much with her, and now, she began becoming distant, as if having an agenda away from her. She took a shot of whisky, and refilled the cup. She kept on wondering. Was there something wrong with Meredith? Was it herself? Maybe she was going crazy. Maybe it's just her being a defensive mother and-

Eleanora pulled out her sword and pointed it at the shadow.

"Woah! Didn't realize you were on edge."

The shadow revealed itself to be Tatsu. She had made it seem as if Tatsu was only harmless, and Eleanora was overreacting. So, she put down her sword.

"I apologize. I do worry about Meredith."

Tatsu scoffed. "It is nothing to worry yourself with, my dear. Aku is with her. She bears a great power that might switch the balances."

"The samurai is dead," Eleanora replied. "I'm only worried about her well-being now."

"Do not be too sure of that. Unless we can confirm it ourselves, the Samurai should still be considered alive and running."

"Yes. You're right. Do you want me to get you a drink?" Eleanora offered. Tatsu accepted, and Eleanora left to go get another cup. While she did, Tatsu placed a small capsule into the cup that Eleanora drank off of. She smiled as it dissolved into the drink.

As Tatsu left, she could hear Eleanora take another shot. She suspected too much, and now she must go. Tatsu smiled.

Tomorrow shall be an interesting day, she thought.

Author’s Note

So, this is getting pretty heated up, and if you could notice, we’re basically building up the events that lead up to Season 5. Trust me, I know my way, and I’m gonna stick by it. 

[domina-alba]

Domina Alba

Hey Everyone, These are the chapters that were initially posted to Ao3 and FFN so if you’ve already read Domina Alba feel free to skip! If you haven’t read Domina Alba you can find information about the fic Here

XV White Diamond tackled the Lapis pushing her back into the beach with a yell.

“This is your fault” She shouted, A wave of water yanked her back off of the gem tossing her into the air.

“My fault!? If you're not a threat then what business did you have showing up in a Diamond warship!” Lapis rose into the air. Both parties ignoring the shouting below.

White Diamond steadied herself level with the Lapis and blasted away a wave of water with a jet of air, rising and then swooping back down to attack the gem.

“I told the Crystal Gems I was no threat!” She shoved her down back towards the beach, kicking up a pillar of sand which White Diamond used to surround Lapis in a vortex. “Pearl assured them! And because of you-” White diamonds arms were pulled behind her and she thrashed.

“Because of you I nearly lost the only person in this universe I care about!” Domina shouted.

Lapis had pulled herself free from the vortex and a fist was rising above White Diamond.

At The last moment White Diamond broke free, dipping out from under the thousands of gallons above her, up to eclipse the sun then drew her sword diving for Lapis Lazuli.

At that point she was hit across the face with a sheet of metal. Domina fell off course, her sword dissipating as her concentration broke. She landed on the sand, vision already going blurry, and heard a distinctly Peridot voice.

“ARE YOU OK LAPIS?” before everything went black.

It was dark and Domina could feel the side of her face throbbing. She assessed the situation with her eyes closed. She was laying on something soft on her back. And there were people talking nearby.

“She attacked me!” Lapis said

“You dunked her ship outta the sky! Which was totally awesome but still” Amethyst said.

“Also Pink Pearl got poofed, I think she was maybe more upset by that.”Steven pointed out.

“Which is ridiculous, a Pearls reformation time is less than a week on average.” a Peridot’s nasally voice said, Domina assumed it was the same one from earlier

“Wait what?” Amethyst said sounding shocked.

“Well yes, obviou-” The Peridot began only to be cut off by the voice of the Renegade Pearl

“I like to take my time you should know this Amethyst. Regardless thanks to your actions Lapis we are now stuck with her unless we could repair the ship.”

“We’re really going to fix a Diamond ship?” Peridot asked skeptically

“Well she can’t stay here.” Pearl said

“Why not?” Steven sounded kind of surprised

“Steven she’s a diamond.”

“And Blue and Yellow Diamond will eventually notice she’s gone.” Garnet said.

“That will be a problem.” Domina said finally deciding to reveal that she was awake. She sat up and opened her eyes to see that she was inside.

She was sitting on a couch, the Crystal Gems along with Steven, the Lapis and a Peridot were congregated in a different part of the house that looked like some sort of food preparation area. Domina, touched her face gingerly, and gently worked her jaw to pop it back into position.

Pearl’s gem was sitting on a low table next to the couch, wrapped gently in a blanket. Domina let out a relieved breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Then she looked at the gems who were all standing there with varying levels of worry.

“Are you ok Domina?” Steven asked “Peridot hit you pretty hard, Connie said you might have a concussion. Also she said thanks, her parents picked her up so she had to go.” Domina smirked, then winced at the pain.

“I’m fine,” She got to her feet shakily and saw the Peridot duck behind the Lapis who looked like she was getting ready to bolt. “Relax.” She said holding her hands up. “I apologize, I should not have over reacted as I did.” She inclined herself slightly, not quite a bow but enough to show deference.

“Uh, it’s cool, I probably should’ve...” She momentarily glanced at Garnet then away. “not, attacked you immediately.” Domina Shrugged.

“I’ve had worse landings Pearl could te-” Domina glanced at the inert gem and snapped her mouth shut. There was a beat of awkward silence before Domina shook her head and gently rubbed her face again. “How long have I been out?”

“Almost an hour.” Steven said “Connie’s parents came to pick her up, like I said and then  Lars went to go see Sadie and his parents and the Off Colors went with him.”

Domina nodded slowly and looked at the Peridot.

“Since when do era 2 peridots have ferrokinesis?” She asked. The Peridot squeaked and clung to the Lapis Lazuli firmly before nervously stammering her answer.

“I uh it was a recent discovery, I believe the limb enhancers typically outfitted to peridots may block the emergence of the power.”

“Huh. Interesting.” Domina said, she smoothed her clothes slightly. “You must be Peridot 5XG.” Peridot’s eyes were huge behind her visor.

“I uh... yes?”

“Well congratulations, I’ve been wanting to call Yellow Diamond a Clod for the past four thousand years. Now,” She said and looked at the Renegade “what kind of state is the ship in?”

The ship and a majority of the pieces were laying on the beach, blocking off most of the peninsula that jutted out into the ocean.

It was mostly in one piece, though a huge chunk had been taken out of the lower hull and one of the engines was almost completely ruined.

“I don’t know if even Pearl and I are capable of fixing this.” Peridot said flatly. It was just the three off them standing in front of the ship. “This thing is an antique practically”

“We don’t have to.” Pearl said, her gem projected a schematic of the inside of the ship. “theres

A reformation core in this ship.” A small sphere was called out on the projection, it seemed to be located in the same quarter of the ship as White Diamonds personal chamber. “We simply need to attach the broken pieces with a temporary adhesive and activate the core.”

“You're making that up, there's no such thing as a reformation core!” Peridot scoffed.

“No she’s right.” Domina said inspecting the schematic then pulling up her own on her visor screen. “They’re standard on Diamond ships and anything else that the Authority really wants back”

“The hand ship didn’t have one of those.” Peridot said. Pearl and Domina looked at each other for a moment, and then Domina turned her visor towards the other two.

“I’ll activate the core, power will need rerouted through to this section of the ship, otherwise there's no way all of this will be fixed in under a month.”

“I can re route the power.” Pearl said “Peridot, get the rest of the gems to help you, there's some Duct tape in the cupboard under the stairs that should work to hold the pieces together.”

“Fine.” The gem said. Domina headed into the ship, climbing carefully through the wreckage.

“You're going to have to make sure any auxiliary systems are shut down in that part of the ship.” Pearl said. “Though I’m sure, unless you use this ship frequently, a majority of the systems are already shut down.”

“I don’t, I’ll take a walk through though.” Domina said. Pearl nodded and disappeared into the corridors of the ship.

The reformation core was actually relatively easy to find, it was an plumbob floating horizontal about 6 inches above a glowing pedestal. Domina approached it and very gently turned it mid air so that it was vertical. There was nothing for a moment then the plumbob retracted into the pedestal and a white screen took it’s place.

Repairs initiated...

Progress 30%

Flight not Recommended.

Domina nodded and left the room, turning the lights off as she went. Domina walked the remainder of that section of the ship, powering down automatic doors and turning off any errant lights.

Finally she worked her way to White Diamond’s room. The only thing on there were the lights set into star charts on the wall. Domina turned them off then frowned when she saw that the console next to the diamond sized chair was still on. Domina went over and attempted to find an off switch on the side.

When she didn’t find one she took a stuttering flight into the chair. A little bit of fiddling was all it took for her to open the screen for the computer. The interface was ancient, something that she hadn’t seen since she was a child, and even then her memories were only faint.

Domina attempted to shut down the computer only to receive a pop-up.

Message must be played before Shut Down cycle is run

Domina frowned then selected the option to open the message.

Her mother appeared on screen, her face impassive and bigger that Domina’s entire body.

“Hello Child.”