#kieran's energy is sending me

[azertyrobaz]

“Who’s running this interview?”

Source

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Had an angsty thought, what if while Kieran was visiting unconscious reader in the hospital, he fall asleep and had a nightmare in which the reader didn't survive. Thankfully he is woken up by the reader messing with his hair.

Oof yeah </3 I imagine he did

Anyways this is just an excuse to turn those headcanons into an actual fic so enjoy-

..............

The light reflecting off of Terapagos' gleaming stellar form was almost blinding. A jewel resembling its smaller form rested atop its head, while it hovered slightly above a platform that resembled a dome--with a ring icons displaying every type revolved around it.

Kieran could only stand there, shocked and awestruck at the true might of this "hidden treasure" he helped unveil.

It was beautiful.

Brilliant.

Powerful.

Too powerful, in fact, as it suddenly experienced an immense energy overload, its cries becoming loud crystalline trills as energy exploded from its body. The sheer force was enough to cause the ceiling to start crumbling, and the ground beneath everyone's feet to shake violently.

In its rage, the Legendary send out a huge beam of light, careening towards the closest thing it deemed a threat to its safety in that moment:

Kieran.

Time seemed to slow down as he froze, unable to move or send out a Pokémon in time to intercept the blast. He never expected this to happen..he didn't know terastalizing it would do this.

All he could do was stare in horror at the light as it-

"MOVE!!!"

Out of nowhere, he was roughly shoved out of its path, tumbling to the ground with a pained grunt. He was bewildered, and looked to see who could have possibly done that for him...

It was you.

You took the full brunt of the blast, consumed instantly by a blinding light that forced him, Carmine, and Briar to shield their eyes.

When they were finally able to look again, what they discovered left them all absolutely horrified:

Your whole body was terastalized, chunks of crystals covering your legs and keeping you rooted into the ground. You couldn't move, speak, or access any pokeballs.

The only thing you could do was look at Kieran, who remained on the ground with ragged, labored breaths. His eyes were wide with shock, the weight of his actions now sinking in.

This was all his fault.

He did this to you.

He never wanted this.

He only wanted to be like you...

"[Y/n]...no.." He attempted to crawl over to you, desperate to do something...anything to fix this. Any anger he previously felt for you had evaporated.

He could still save you.

But then Carmine ran over and grabbed ahold of his arms, dragging him away from you. "We have to move back!! Terapagos isn't done yet!!" She shouted.

"NO!! NO!! LET GO OF ME!! I HAVE TO HELP THEM!!!" He kicked and screamed, tears rolling down his face as he was forced to watch you get attacked by Terapagos yet again.

This time, it was the energy of a Zen Headbutt that succeeded in striking you...

And shattering you completely.

Only then did he go silent for a few moments, before his voice broke.

"N-No...please no....[y/n]!!"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"N-No...please no..."

Back in reality, Kieran wasn't anywhere near the underdepths of Area Zero. He was in fact at the hospital back in Unova, where you were being monitored during your comatose state.

While visiting you, he ended up falling asleep at your bedside, and was currently having nothing more than a horrible nightmare of what could have happened down there..

You did push him out of the way of Terapagos' attack.

You did absorb the energy.

But it didn't put you in a terastalized tomb, nor did you get shattered by any Zen Headbutt.

By sheer luck (that somehow is always on your side no matter the situation), you survived and fought off Terapagos long enough to finally get its powers under control, capturing it.

All while lifting Kieran's spirits and pleading for his help, with your noble act being the ultimate proof that you forgave him even after everything he did. That pushed him to come to his senses, and he decided to stand with you, instead of against you.

However, none of that came without a price...as the moment you successfully caught Terapagos, you collapsed and haven't woken up since.

It's already been about a week since that adventure, and the doctors were left puzzled by the extremely high levels of tera energy stored in your body while monitoring your condition. They didn't know what to make of it, but they did deem you a hazard to Pokémon, as some of theirs began terastalizing on their own just from being in the same room as you.

As a result, only humans were allowed to visit you without pokeballs attached to their person.

Kieran visited you every day.

Even now, he still didn't understand why you did that for him.

Why did you save his life...when all he did was talk about how much he hated and envied you? He even used his only master ball on Terapagos the moment it looked at you, and only because he couldn't bear going through that same pain he felt with Ogerpon again.

The pain of not being chosen.

Then again..he never gave either Legendary much of a choice, either.

Why was he like this?

Why did he let himself get this bad?

Why did he hurt the one person who never expressed any hatred or resentment for him?

He didn't know...but he fears that now he'll never get the chance to say sorry. He's said it a few times, yet isn't sure if you're able to hear him.

You probably thought he still hated you.

If you didn't pull through and died believing that...he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

That thought alone made him lose even more sleep.

Yet somehow, despite all of his anxiety, exhaustion found Kieran rather quickly today. His arms came to rest of the bed while he nestled his head into them, closing his eyes as he let the monotonous beeping of the monitors lull him to sleep. He even decided to let his hair back down since he felt a migraine coming on.

While sleeping did stave off the headache...it didn't keep him from having that nightmare and mumbling incoherently.

It felt so real. Like you and him never left the underdepths.

Like you actually di-

"Ki..?"

Feeling a hand gently tousling his hair, Kieran's eyes snapped open and he sat up with a start, gasping loudly. His bangs swept in front of his face, but he shakily pushed them back as he slowly realized he was back in reality.

Then he saw your eyes gazing directly at him, and he began to think...

There's no way you would've woken up this soon.

No.

He was still dreaming.

His mind was just preying on his worst fear (your death, indirectly caused by him) and his greatest wish (you waking up), blending the two together.

Even so, he wasn't sure and pinched his hand. "Wake up..wake up....oww.." He winced, only to blink as another hand overlapped his.

"Hey...stop that." You spoke again, causing him to stare down at you and finally see your tiny, exhausted smile. He was totally shocked.

Holy shit. You were actually awake and talking to him????

He didn't know what to do, but soon enough one of the doctors swung by--alongside several assistants who quickly ushered him out of the room so they could properly check on your health and tera energy readings.

Miraculously, they've dropped down to zero, meaning Pokémon could safely be around you.

It was all just a matter of waiting it out, and it worked.

Kieran was utterly speechless as he waited out in the chair for about an hour or so, but when your doctor came out to assure him you'll make a full recovery...he beelined back to your room.

Despite still being hooked up to the IVs, you looked a lot better, sitting up and gazing at him with a smile upon seeing him enter.

He teared up as you beckoned for him to come back over to your bedside, and he sat down in the chair again, sniffling. "Hey..how are you feeling?"

"Better than I thought, actually..like I took a long nap." You chuckled softly. "They're gonna keep me here for a few more days."

"I-I'm just glad you're awake..and that you woke me up, too." He nodded. "Just had this..really dumb nightmare, and....I-I....."

Suddenly it was hitting him all at once, and his smile dropped. He bowed his head to hide the streams that were now slipping down both cheeks. His jacket had slid entirely off his shoulders, crumpled into a heap in his lap, but he took his arms out and just hiccupped softly, wiping at his tears.

"Kieran?" You frowned slightly, shifting closer to put a hand on his knee. "Was it..about what happened down there?"

"........."

"I imagine it was bad.."

"I-It was worse. I thought...y-you were gone." He buried his face into his hands, unable to keep himself from breaking down. It was too much. "I'm just.....I-I'm so, so sorry, [y/n]. This was all my fault! This wouldn't have happened if....i-if I wasn't so stupid and-!"

"Shh, it's okay." You gently pulled him into your arms, and he began sobbing into your shirt, clinging to you tightly. "You're not stupid. It's not your fault that Terapagos got out of hand...you didn't tell it to shoot beams at me."

"B-But..But if I hadn't terastalized it--" He was barely able to speak, let alone breathe. "--you wouldn't...b-buh...be here! How is this not my fault?!"

"Kieran, you couldn't have known what it was gonna do. None of us knew. Plus...Ms. Briar told you to do that. So I blame her a hundred percent."

"...wh-why?"

"Hm?"

"Why won't you blame me? Y-You should hate me after all I did....after all the things I said to you. I...I put you here.."

For a moment you were quiet, and you sighed softly. "Tell me something..does it look like I still hate you?" You gently pushed him back a little, allowing him to sit up and look at you.

His face was a mess of snot and tears, bangs sticking to his skin, yet he did his best to study your expression through blurred vision. But all he could manage was a shrug, lips trembling as he tried to keep them closed, afraid he'll start bawling if he spoke again.

Arceus, he felt so pathetic right now.

He swore he was done being that crybaby kid from Kitakami. He should be comforting you instead.

But he couldn't help it.

"I don't hate you. And I never did." Pulling him back into a hug, you felt him return it this time. You just rubbed his back soothingly and rested your chin on his bare shoulder. "But I know you had your reasons for hating me. And...I wanna say I'm sorry, too. For lying, for betraying your trust..for making you think you're weak. I never should have undermined you."

"I-I forgive you, [y/n]. Just...don't ever do something like that again. I don't wanna lose you---uwaaahaaaa!!!"

"I promise, that's the last time." Tears brimmed your eyes as you held him close, glad that he was finally able to reconcile and make things right.

Both of you wish that it didn't take a near-death experience at the bottom of Area Zero and a week-long coma to make that happen...

But you don't regret what you did.

You'd endure another Tera Blast if it meant keeping him safe.

[sirianasims]

Chapter 43.4

The skies are darkening as I walk home from the food stall, carrying what is – despite the time – technically my breakfast. Hot steam is wafting up from the flimsy plastic bags in my hand, warming my cold fingers.

I’m still not used to San Myshuno’s seasons, but Samara told me that it’s unusually cold for being this late in Spring. In a way, it feels like the city has decided to match my mood, as if the dark and dreary weather is being sympathetic to how I feel.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and a robotic voice jarringly interrupts a sad love ballad to flatly announce that dad is calling. I sigh and tap my headphones, he’ll just call again later if I don’t pick up now.

“Hey, honey!”

My father’s voice is warm and comforting like a blanket, and I can hear faint birdsong and the rustling of the trees in the backyard. I briefly wish I could just move back home and be a kid again and leave all the worries to my parents.

“Hi, dad. How are you guys? House still standing?”

“We’re good, Kieran and Liam are busy worrying about prom so it’s been unusually quiet. Oh, and speaking of standing, Grayson can stand by himself now. He can even take a few steps as long as he’s holding on to something.”

He sounds so proud, almost as if he was the one learning to walk.

“Aww, he’s getting so big! Next thing you know, you’ll all be chasing him around the house every time they visit.”

“I’ll make sure to have your mother send you some pictures of him when I get back inside. She’s busy in the kitchen, Griffin and Daria are coming over for dinner. But how are you? We barely hear from you these days.”

“Oh, you know, I’m really busy with work and hanging out with people and such. I’ve just been out shopping for dinner, and then I’m seeing a friend later.”

I hear him hesitate, like he can tell that I’m lying.

“Alright. That sounds good. We’ve been a little worried about you. And especially today…”

“I know, it was really rough in the beginning, but I swear I’m doing fine, I-”

My voice breaks and I stop in the middle of the sidewalk and take a deep breath to get it under control.

“Oh, honey. Listen, sometimes relationships don’t work out, no matter how much you love each other. I can see where Paul was coming from, and your mother and I have been worried that you’d feel pressured into something you weren’t ready for. So I want you to know that we’re really impressed that you’re staying true to yourself. It can be… very hard to do the right thing when you love someone, I know that. So I’m proud of you.”

“I just miss him so much, dad.”

“I know. But maybe you don’t really miss Paul. Maybe you just miss a version of him in your head that he failed to live up to. If Paul Romeo was really so perfect, he wouldn’t have made my daughter so sad.”

My father reminds me to take care of myself and I promise to call more often before I end the call and pick up the pace slightly just as the rain starts falling.

I manage to make it home before getting too wet, but it’s still a relief to step inside the warm apartment.

My laptop sits on the dining table, and I eye it warily as if the deluge of messages could somehow escape containment and drown me.

I unpack my food and try to ignore the state of my kitchen. I don’t have the energy to deal with it right now, so I just kick off my shoes and take my food to the couch as usual.

I text Marten and eat a few bites while I wait. He replies almost instantly and within minutes, he’s online. It’s becoming my favourite part of the day.

We play for a few hours, and I almost forget to be sad. Marten never mentions Paul, he just talks about normal things like what the other guys in his fraternity are up to, his studies, new games he’d like to play. Easy topics. He’s also good at carrying the conversation when I’m quiet, like tonight.

Marten probably doesn’t even know what day it is today, and somehow that makes it easier.

Eventually, though, he has to leave. He tends to go to bed early, even on weekends, and I promise him to get some sleep too. My barely touched food has congealed into a solid cube in the box and I leave it on the table and try to decide how to spend the rest of the night. As if I don’t already know.

Finally, I give in.

I open my laptop, ignoring the notifications about the thousands of unread messages. I thought the sudden influx of hate-mail was bad when my relationship with Paul was discovered, but it has been nothing compared to after the news of the breakup.

I know I shouldn’t, know I’m just picking at the wounds, but my fingers move on their own, out of habit, and pure muscle memory is making them type Paul’s name into the search bar. All the links are already purple, of course, there is nothing new here, but I still click the first one. It takes me to his Social Bunny profile. Paul was never that active on social media, and his latest post is several weeks old.

I know it by heart.

“In response to the recent speculation, I want to clarify that Julia and I parted ways a while back. She’s an incredibly gifted and wonderful person, and I truly wish the best for her.”

The best.

“But you were the best,” I whisper.

I feel like crying, but it seems like I’ve finally run out of tears, emptied the reservoirs over the last couple of months, and now all that’s left inside of me is dust.

I go back and click the second link, then the third, cycling through the old articles and interviews as if I’m expecting to find something I haven’t seen a hundred times.

Samara and Miranda are probably having drinks at The Rooftop right now. Samara texted me an hour ago, asking me if I was sure I didn’t want to go out with them instead of stalking my ex for once. I replied with another lame excuse. I’ve been avoiding people for so long that it feels like I’ve forgotten how to function in society, like some sort of feral raccoon who only knows how to hide and eat trash.

I’ve gone through all the links. I refresh the search page. Nothing has changed, obviously, but I refresh it again and again, feeling like I’m desperately knocking on his door and trying to be let in. Then I start over at the first link.

“In response to the recent speculation, I want to clarify that Julia and I parted ways a while back. She’s an incredibly gifted and wonderful person, and I truly wish the best for her.”

Samara is right, I can’t keep doing this. It’s crazy. There’s only one thing to do. I move my cursor over the red button and take a deep breath. Then I block his profile before I can change my mind.

As his picture vanishes, the entire screen blurs. It would seem that I still have some tears left.

beginning / previous / next

[voidrulerora]

Introductory Post: Please read!

•✧❅─────✧❅✦❅✧─────❅✧•

キ ˖𓂃Welcome to my blogキ ˖𓂃

＞。☆)My name is Ora/Rose/Noe, I am 18 years of age and my birthday is on February 10th.

𝜗𝜚 ⋆｡They/Them, Nonbinary

⋆ ︵Aroace who can somehow write awesome romance apparently.

.°`,◦◦ My asks are open for ANYTHING, on all accounts! Just know that I do get very nervous sending asks out myself, so ask games may die with me unless I know you're okay with being bothered.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. ₊ ° . ☆

Personal Details:

--𖥔 I'm an INFJ, Enneagram 1 (i cant remember my wing :)-- 𖥔

This is my personal page! Meaning I'll be posting things about literally anything ever here. I may eventually fill this blog with some of my personal lore, so stay tuned! If you're interested in a more fandom specific page of mine, I'll link a few as they are made;

Stardew Valley Centric Blog: I write headcanons frequently for this media!

Dobson Ask Blog: self explanatory ask blog for the forgotten jojaman himself.

My discord is 0ra_

I also have an NSFW blog! Please ask for permission to see this one, as I'd like to verify whoever has access to it is of age.

➽───────────────❥

-.+ I have Autism and BPD, please be patient with me at times. My body is also held together by super glue (I have diabetes and hEDS LMAOOO), so at points I do not have the energy to interact as I usually would.

It's hard for me to start convos, but I love talking to people! Hit me up anytime!

Thank you for reading/visiting my page!

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Mutuals!

(If we are mutuals and you are not listed feel free to DM me and I will add you. I forget people's tags/get nervous tagging some people and need confirmation they want tagged. </3.) (i still view mutuals not listed as friends, i just get super anxious over pinging at points kAHAHA)

‎ ‎ ۫ ‎ ‎ † ˖ 𓋫 ₊Mari, They/Them (@yukiusagii) - Creature whom I have known for over 7 years. I cherish them so so so much. Very silly.

₊ ｡⋆❆ Anti, Any/All (@raetreaderarts) - One of the largest simps I know of. Nobody will ever truly surpass this beast. It's a shame I haven't gotten them to simp for Morris yet

˖ 𓈒 𖣂 𓈒 Kieran, He/Him (@kierrnyan) - That token ginger friend absolutely everyone has but nobody can actually tell what they're thinking.

ིྀ ⋆ ₊ Atlas, Any/All (@jellywoaa) - The silliest!

◦◦,°.✽✦ Cooper, She/They (@smelling-toony) - She is beauty, she is grace. She's probably lost in space (she isn't active on tumblr anymore). Friend of over 7 years I cherish her to bits. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: Bo/Morris, He/It/Joja (@jojasimp) - Literally extravagant individual who shares my love for Morris (which is honestly A tier), I always like hearing its feedback on my HC posts and like the convos we share when we speak ^^

⠀︶♡︶︶

[doubleddenden]

Enough time has passed that I think I can do an accurate full scale review for Indigo Disk.

My initial first impressions review of 6/10 was spot on, even with the post game mechanics and additional story.

More under the cut, beware of major spoilers

Story

What's here is fine, but flawed. It is way too short, even with the extra doodads, and not enough time and energy went into it.

Since this is a continuation of Teal Mask, I was expecting to run into some of Kieran's former bullies or to meet a certain Pokémon on his team, or at least see more instances of him being a jerk to other students, but besides a couple of instances there's not really a lot going on here to build him up.

Same with Carmine. You battle her once and that's it. I was hoping to have some kind of introspection with her, maybe she's a victim of a Mean Girls scenario and that's why she became a tad bitchy, but at best she's just worried about her brother and along for the ride.

Terapagos is supposed to be the star of the DLC- literally named The Treasure of Area Zero, but he barely had screen time besides 1 very amazing boss battle. I fear this is another anime Zygarde situation.

Briar basically did nothing besides be a little reckless. Literally if she were removed from the plot, nothing of value would have been lost. She's essentially just a red herring they through out thinking they were clever for tricking us into thinking she was the big bad or at least a bit more important, but in actuality she was just a let down all around. I can't help but feel like they had something bigger planned but scrapped it.

Not to mention the loose ends still left behind regarding Area Zero and the book. Yes I did that extra scene, and honestly it just confuses me further, so I assume we have to wait until the "epilog" is released.

Still, a half assed "paradoxes are from other timelines" was the only answer we got about how Paradox Pokémon got to Area Zero before the time machine. Not the professor or someone else bootstrap looping by sending Pokémon to the past to purposely plant seeds to ensure they come to AZ, just a very tissue paper strength answer.

We still get nothing about the mysterious symbols, the strange metals, the crystal tree, nothing is really answered and it's probably just the result of a room of writers at Game Freak patting themselves on the back and saying "we like mystery :) we did good!" Well, sorry, no you didn't.

This gives me Lost vibes and The Promised Nederland vibes. The Promised Nederland vibes in the sense they built this amazing potential in the base game- season 1 of you will- filled with mystery and intrigue, but then tried to either ignore or half ass things in Season 2- The dlc. Lost comes into play because I honestly think they had no intention of truly explaining anything and had no real clear cut end game in mind except to get people hooked. Like I'm nor asking for a Legends Paldea where we explore the depths with Heath- okay I do want that but I'm not asking right now- I would have been very, very satisfied if there were at least more journals and entries or pages that explained things. As it is now, though, it just won't happen.

And maybe I'm wrong and the epilog will fix everything and give us the answers I seek, but I sincerely doubt it.

At least what's here is passable enough. I like the BBE4 and Drayton is a loveable piece of shit. I still hate that Lacey confirms Clay fucked though. No Elesa is not her mom, that's fake info.

I miss Carmine and Kieran and hate that they're just gone as of now.

BBQ quests

Tedious. Tedious and monotonous. I don't want to play multi-player and I don't have friends with Nintendo Online and DLC to play with, nor the bandwidth. Why am I being punished for that? The quests are fine but you have to do them for several fucking hours to get anything worth it out of the deal.

Coaches

I like the idea and love all the different interactions here and there. The rematch teams are updated, too, but unfortunately remain single battles, so they're pretty easy in comparison to the rest of Indigo Disk. I did have trouble with some after changing out my party for weaker pokemon, but it was never a critical danger moment except for Hassel.

I will say, I love the implications of some of the dialog. Tulip and the school nurse are just very lesbians for Dendra, Saguro and Kofu radiate General Armstrong and Sig handshake energy, and Geeta is trying to recruit everything with a pulse to join the Elite 4.

It's this level of heart I wish they bothered to put into the base DLC.

What I hate is that it costs so much to rotate them around to get gold borders. It's necessary to do something special apparently- but btw the last 3 slots are story locked until the Epilog drops. Yaya future content, boo withholding content.

Oh and they fixed Geeta's team. Her new ace is actually terrifying.

New Pokémon

Fantastic all around. Archaludon is fun af to use, Hydrapplin fixes what I dislike about Dipplin, the paradoxes are all neat, Terapagos's Stellar form is beautiful and powerful as hell, great all around.

Music

I think we're in Sonic territory where the quality of games goes down but the music just keeps getting better and better. No flaws, love the Unova love! It even fixes Ed Sheeran's Celestial imo- a song kinda shoved in that has nothing to do with Pokémon except maybe to trigger content flags on YouTube.

The remix by Toby Fox actually has elements of music from Scarlet and Violet, it's chill overall, and the lyrics actually sort of kinda have context now? Rinse and Repeat makes it sound relevant to the cycles of bullying and the paradox plots as a whole, and Kieran's spiral actually fits it. Overall a vast improvement.

Difficulty

Guys, it is refreshingly difficult. It's like a dip into Colosseum again with the strategies the BBE4 uses. Drayton actually beat me TWICE. I NEVER lose. The rest were easier, but still required a bit more thinking than "press A to win."

The only downside is that it is sort of a snowball effect. Initially it might be difficult to overcome, but you will gain levels very quickly, which of course diminishes challenge. I'm not joking when I say that the team I went in with, roughly late 60s to 70 by the time I caught them all, are now ALL level 100, which is the quickest I've ever gotten a completely fresh team to it.

Customization

I said it before but it's just lacking. The new uniforms look better than most of the others, come in more varieties, and I'll be honest? Feel less fetishy in the l*li and sh*ta direction. I'm still not completely satisfied but I can make it work. New hair still sucks but I do like the new Star glasses and uniform.

I'm just going to say it though, this was definitely a way to cut corners on customization and they should just let us dress how we want again. Too much limitation makes me look like everyone else playing the game. It was dumb but excusable this time, but it won't fly again in the future. Just saying.

Graphics and performance

Let's do it like this:

The good: graphics in some areas, when loaded in, genuinely look up to date and beautiful to look at. The tropical area, savanna, and under depths are very beautiful locations, the classrooms look extremely polished, lots of gorgeous visuals all around, and even older Pokémon have some updated visuals.

I'll also say the Terrarium is just better visually than Kitakami and Paldea.

The bad: performance still sucks ass and Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Game Freak should all be fucking ashamed for charging $95 for what is essentially a stuttering mess that struggles not to shit itself at times. Like the GAUL to leave in map flickering in the first cutscene meant to show you how beautiful and vast the Terarium is is astounding. Give back your Award for Excellence until you actually deserve it, you're no longer an indie company and it's time you behaved like it, Game Freak. Absolute shame on you. You've had over a year to fix this and still haven't.

World's richest franchise, people.

Overall

There's plenty to salvage here that makes it fun and engaging, but the same issues have yet to be fixed and the story just refuses to tie up some loose ends that NEEDED to be explored. It's also just CRIMINALLY short, and I actually took my time. What we got is okay but it's not the same quality of story we got for Arven or Team Star, and honestly I feel like it would have been better to save these characters for another game. They padded it out with tedious quests that just get annoying after a while and feel like a punishment, especially for single players.

While I love the idea of old style event Pokémon coming back, I hate that we have to wait to experience something that- heads up- is ALREADY IN THE GAME. That's just stupid imo and would have really helped keep things going.

So yeah, just barely passing at 6/10. Depending on the epilog, that may go between a 4 or 7.

[thatbrightblueshine]

it's 3am and i woke up with the urge to write a maguire prompt ? out of all players. so me.

this is so good somehow. hands. he must feel so jealous of jude for all his success, maybe he doesn't. maybe he's just proud. maybe he wishes he could be seeing the world through jude's eyes just for a day so he'd remember what it feels like to be appreciated as a player, not abused. to be back in form and hear people praise him. for it to be 2018 again, scoring goals with the national team, the criticism from fans being mostly just banter and not straight up abuse.

the lads at england camp would not exclude him ever, always making sure that he feels at home and he belongs. with kieran and john not being around this time, kyle mostly hanging with other players and pickford being on his phone with the pregnant missus all the time, harry couldn't find the connection he usually would, which, on top of everything else, resulted in his heart feeling even heavier, training coming onto him tougher. he needed the challenge but still felt out of place.

but there was a young player with a bright future ahead he'd basically watch grow up and evolve into the immense talent he is now - jude bellingham. jude was beautiful, too. admired by hundreds of thousands. he'd sometimes stalk his socials, jealousy creeping up him, his beautiful face sending the wrong signals to his brain. locking himself in bathroom of his house letting his hand do the rest. he craves jude's lips on his body, his eyes admiring his physique, telling him how good he looks and how his body is shaped by gods. was that selfish? was HE selfish? he'd often feel like he wasn't worth of admiration, not for his abilities nor his personality, nor his body. people close to him telling him otherwise, but he cannot always block out the negativity. trying not to let it consume him, but it's hard. now back at camp, seeing jude face to face made him a little nervous but he was good at hiding that. jude was not around during the june camp and he had kieran and john around to distract himself. now jude was back and john and kieran weren't - evidently he'd have a lot more wanks in the bathrooms and his own room. his sheets were covered in come by now, he felt disgusting and filthy but whenever he saw jude the urge, the heat was there. not that he would ever approach him in that way, not let his thoughts get the best of him, making an even bigger fool of himself. he felt pathetic. eventually he'd manage to mask enough to be playful around jude when training, not letting anyone know how he felt about the boy. how much he admired him both physically as well as his strength and willpower. his drive. his energy. sometimes he'd come having just jude's achievements in mind, not even his face, his hands or abs.

real madrid. one of the biggest clubs. harry was getting old - manchester united. he's not appreciated at his own club any longer, his team mates backing him, the gaffer not so much. he wants to stay and prove himself, conflicts and hardship shaping his day. west ham? perhaps. but it would never be real madrid, he'd never score hattricks. not that this was his position or job, but he wishes he could've been what jude was right now. knowing he'll never be that no matter what. at night he cried sometimes, thinking all his england mates knew, making him feel even more ashamed and useless. getting frequent england callups still boosted his confidence just enough not to give up on his career entirely, withdrawing from all the abuse and criticism. but giving up would feel just as bad and would ultimately just be viewed as defeat by the media.

jude. bellingham. oh how he wishes he was him - or with him.

[milliemuus]

You can take some inspiration from O.R.Ash otherwise known as 'The Fusion Man', he's known to make really good and cohesive fusions. One of the videos in 'The Ink Tank', he discusses the 4 styles of drawing fusions. The last one he talks about is the 'Foster Style'. This style of fusion is basically taking components of characters and blending them together to make it seem that it can be a fusion, but also a separate character by themselves. Steven Universe characters are a good example. So instead of making a Kieran/Dokutaro hybrid, you can try to make a character that has traits and characteristics and powers and abilities of both Kieran and Dokutaro. The trick is to make sure that it could still be a fusion between Kieran and Dokutaro, but still keeping it as it's own character.

While this would work, I was mainly talking abt how in PV, PV!Kieran progressively gets worse and worse and worse to the point he becomes a freak of nature in Area Zero, powered by the Terastal Energy and other sinister elements! Maybe in the future I could totally do that, though! Send me the link to his stuff!!!

I don't want PV!Kieran to just be his main ref and that be that! That would be too bland! I alsp dunno if I want him to turtlenap Terapagos since Terapagos isn't found in Area Zero in PV! (It is actually an element, but I won't spoil that!)

Thank you for the idea once again!!!

[snowy-bones]

Okay! (I'm sorry to your followers who are playing the DLC, I'm spoiling it all)

Part one; The Teal Mask

You go to this new place Kitakami, meet Carmine (she's rude) and her little brother Kieran (he's a sweetheart and shy)

You learn about the 'Loyal Three' who laid down their lives to protect the village from this evil ogre.

You keep defeating Kieran in battle because Nintendo likes to bully the shy guys.

You meet the ogre, an adorable pokemon named Ogerpon, she (100% female) is precious and hides her face with a few masks, including the Teal Mask

You learn that Ogerpon is not a bad pokemon, the loyal three killed her human friend, stole three of her four masks (she had the Teal Mask while she was wherever she was) and fled to the village. She flew into a rage and chased them down, killing them

Meanwhile Carmine's becoming friendlier and after you are forced (by Nintendo and Carmine) to lie to Kieran about meeting Ogerpon whom he likes very much, he starts becoming more antgonistic towards you, ends up punching this monument to the 'Loyal Three' which somehow caused said three to come to life, get hold of the three masks once again (they had been held in Kitakami Hall) and generally make nuisances of themselves (towards you, Carmine and Ogerpon, Kieran just kinda goes somewhere for a while)

Long story short, you send them packing, get the masks back, Ogerpon wants to travel with you and Kieran doesn't like that so he challenges you and loses (and starts going a bit off the deep end)

Part Two: The Indigo Disk (this just came out on the 13th)

A post game DLC (The Teal Mask is like the Isle of Armor for SwSh, you can either play it at the beginning or end of the main game and the levels will adjust accordingly) that takes you to Blueberry Academy, where Carmine and Kieran are studying.

Kieran's become the academy champion and is obsessed with beating you, still loses after you take on the BB League E4 but whatever

The main meat of the DLC is returning to Area Zero to find the hidden treasure

Which turns out to be another adorable pokemon, this one named Terapagos, which was in a sealed crystal state. Kieran frees him (I think this one is 50/50, but mine's male) and he reforms, sees you and starts walking towards you.

And the boy immediately master balls the poor thing because he was infuriated that he chose you over him (honestly, I think he just saw you first and was like 'You freed me!') and then challenges you again with Terapagos, loses again and his (Terapagos) energy starts going haywire.

Kieran tries to return him, but he breaks the Master Ball (you had him for five minutes, Kieran, how did you eff up this badly) and you have to battle him and catch him.

Energy stops, Kieran starts his redemption arc and we all live happily ever after.

Until the Epilogue, a free 3rd part of the DLC, comes out in January, this time bringing back the og Area Zero Crew (Arven, Penny, Nemona) and revealing a mysterious pokemon in Kitakami.

So yeah, fun!

OH MY GOD!! I seriously need to see this now excuse meeeee! hhhhh ALSO I AM SO SORRY FOR SPOILERS GUYS IF YOU ARE PLAYING!!

[colorsofmyseason]

WIP word guessing game: smile, scream, sun, hand

Okay, that's a lot XD so here it goes...

Smile

“S-sure,” Leandro mumbles, opening the door wider so Ben could get in. He is aware that it's normal behavior for couples, but his ex never did that, so he never expects such a thing, much less from a fake boyfriend. All the same, he feels grateful for the English center-back, which may have compelled him to say, “Do you want something to drink before we leave? I still need to pack up my stuff, but I guess we have some time for tea.” Ben’s smile is blindingly charming. “I’d love to.” (Leo x Ben, fake dating au, supernatural au)

Martin Odegaard. The captain and star midfielder of the team. Nice, a little shy, with a smile brighter than a thousand suns. Pretty too. And while Leandro definitely isn't the type to quickly fall for someone, especially after everything that has happened in his life, he knows he won't mind having someone like Martin beside him. (Martin x Leo, supernatural au)

With a deep sigh, Matt finally pulls Fairfield's reins, causing the horse to whine. "Alright then," the goalie says in a resigned tone. "But I will make you ride her one day, just you wait." "I know," Rob replies, a smile on his face. "I'm looking forward to that." (Rob x Matt, supernatural au)

He himself has no idea why he does that. Maybe he subconsciously wants to warm Leandro up, or maybe he feels lonely and wants to be with the older man, despite his current resting state. Either way, Martin feels really comfortable there, and soon he drifts off to sleep. Perhaps the coffin isn't that creepy after all… And that's the sight that greets Kieran a few hours later, a vampire and a cat snuggling together inside Leandro's coffin, identical soft smiles on their sleeping faces. (Kieran x Martin x Leo, supernatural au)

Hearing Sun’s cry of pain and feeling his power returning to him after Void’s own death, Moon broke out of his prison and rushed to aid his brother. Unfortunately it’s a bit too late, for Sun had succumbed to his injuries, but not before he saw Moon returning, as safe as sound as one could possibly be after being locked in the darkness for goodness knows how long. He died smiling, telling the younger he loved him with his last breath. (Aaron & Bernd, supernatural au)

His childhood’s nothing but a fuzzy mess in his mind. Whether it’s because he has naturally bad memory or his brain’s so badly damaged by his conditioning, he has no idea. But every time he tries to recall his past, he can’t remember one single kind word, one gentle touch, or even one sweet smile, nothing but screams and yells and spanking and whipping, the last of which still left a few marks on him. And those remained until he grew up and started making his way in the world. (Pablo Mari x Bernd, supernatural au. Pablo had an unrequited love towards Bernd in this one)

He wanted to tell Gabi how glad he was to have the Brazilian joining Arsenal, how they could be a great team and so forth. But Bukayo suspected that many people would’ve told him that already, besides Gabi wouldn’t understand most of his words properly anyway. So he just settled with a wide, warm smile, the biggest he’d ever given to anyone as they shook hands. And as Gabi responded with a shy, tentative, yet genuine smile, Bukayo thought he’d never seen something so cute in his life. (Sakanelli, supernatural au)

Scream

The screams died down at once as if someone just flipped a switch. Pablo stood up straight in front of his superior, tall and obedient, his face showed no signs of any agony that was torturing him earlier. In fact, it’s now completely blank, as if any conscience and feeling he’d ever possessed had been wiped out, leaving an emotionless, mindless puppet at his place. “Ready to comply, sir,” Pablo said. (Pablo Mari, supernatural au. I had a whole lore planned for him don't judge me)

He had yet to state the rule when a burst of light energy suddenly came out of nowhere, knocking him down and sending him crashing to a nearby pillar. Pablo screamed as the light claimed his vision and his Chain of Judgement disintegrated in his hands. He desperately tried to cage himself in chains to protect himself, but the energy’s so massive he could feel the cage shattering around him, exposing him all over, blind and wounded. (Pablo Mari x Bernd, supernatural au. I nearly forget how much I loved him back then)

One swing and it was enough to leave Gabi screaming in pain as he lost the grip from the metal bars. He fell on all fours. Even more pain. The impact ran through the long wound on his arm, a fair few inches of flesh exposed to open air. One more scream, and Gabi forced the blood to clot on his wounds. It didn’t stop the pain but at least he wouldn't bleed to death. (Sakanelli, supernatural au. This part isn't my own writing actually, I give credits to @coffeebreakcreations for this one)

Sun

If Leandro tenses up for one-nth second at that remark, he hopes no one notices. They’re walking to the pitch together, Ben’s arm thrown carelessly around Leandro’s shoulder while the latter’s adjusting the restriction bracelet on his wrist (with a special amulet on it to prevent him from getting burned by the sun) and trying his best to act casual.  (Leo x Ben, fake dating au, supernatural au)

He looked at Gabi, face bright and fresh under the afternoon sun despite the sweat gathering on his forehead, an innocent look inside his dark eyes. The two of them had bonded over those long days of “injuries” and rehabs, and Pablo couldn’t deny that he’d grown a platonic affection over his younger teammate. Gabi also confided a lot to him, telling him every single one of his concerns, be it about football, London, or a not-so-small crush towards a certain teammate, but it couldn’t be said that Pablo had done the same towards him. Partly because he felt that he’s older and therefore couldn’t burden Gabi with his problems, also because Gabi’s too young and pure to know about what Pablo did in his spare time. (Pablo & Gabi, supernatural au)

So he just sucks it up (pun intended), does all his feeding at home or any empty room he can find in the training ground, wears his restriction bracelet with a special amulet on it to prevent him from getting burned to death under the sun, and he thinks he's done a pretty good job passing off as a human that he's not even sure how many of his teammates even knows that he's not. (Kieran x Martin x Leo, supernatural au)

“I drink blood and avoid excessive sun exposure. Oh, and I can probably lift a small car in one go. Aside from that, I’m not that much different from normal humans, Manu. I thought you knew that.” (Neuller, supernatural au)

Hand

He froze for a second and ended up taking a wild shot, and the ball, instead of reaching Gabi, rocketed high to the sky before landed on the other end of the pitch, almost hitting an unplaying Mesut. As his teammates groaned and voiced their displeasure about their “bad luck”, he just stood there, his face inside his palms, cursing himself for losing his concentration there. A gloved hand touched his shoulder, and he turned around to find Gabi. “You okay??” the young Brazilian asked in Portuguese, voice and expression full of concern. (Pablo & Gabi, supernatural au)

"Matty, we absolutely cannot use your pegasus to go to training," Rob sighs. "This is forbidden here and you know that." Matt scowls as he caresses the mane of the said pegasus – aptly named Fairfield – while the creature whinnies and sniffs Matt's hand. "This is much faster and easier than catching an Uber, you know. And this is 100% free." (Rob x Matt, supernatural au)

But the blow never comes. As Leandro slowly unscrews his eyes, he sees that Ben has placed himself between Leandro and Neal. His posture rigid and defensive, his hand grabbing Neal’s raised arm, while their other teammates gather around, seemingly ready to hold any of them back in case a fight breaks out. (Leo x Ben, fake dating au, supernatural au)

Leandro is lying there, perfectly still and silent. His eyes are closed, his lips pale, his hands folded neatly on his chest. And as Martin rather fearfully sticks out a paw to touch his hand, he shudders at the coldness of the skin, the complete lack of any signs of life underneath it. (Kieran x Martin x Leo, supernatural au)

The TV remote Theo is holding in his hand instantly slips and hits the floor. Cursing internally, he ducks to pick it up, not bothering to look around for the source of that voice. Of course it has to awaken, whenever he's thinking about Lucas and his enviable achievements. Of course it has to appear whenever Theo feels like he's at the lowest point in his life. (Lucas & Theo Hernandez, supernatural au)

The Spanish midfielder mutters something under his breath that might be some curse words in Catalan but at that time Bernd can't care less about that. Nevertheless, Busquets finally lifts his hand and starts walking around Bernd, muttering spells under his breath. He takes quite a time doing that. When he finally stops and drops his hand, a sigh escaping his lips, he says, "Well, there is good news and bad news." (Steno, supernatural au, bodyswap au)

He wanted to tell Gabi how glad he was to have the Brazilian joining Arsenal, how they could be a great team and so forth. But Bukayo suspected that many people would’ve told him that already, besides Gabi wouldn’t understand most of his words properly anyway. So he just settled with a wide, warm smile, the biggest he’d ever given to anyone as they shook hands. (Sakanelli, supernatural au)

Gabi was sitting on his bed with knees brought to his face. He was still pale, but at least not chalk-white, and though he’s wearing a hospital gown that covered most of his body, the scars littering his hands and lower legs from the bullets he received back then were still painfully visible, and Bukayo couldn’t help wincing at that. He couldn’t imagine how Gabi had been able to pull that act off, and despite his ability to repel the bullets, it must’ve still hurt like hell, but then again Gabi had been in a perfect trance when it happened. (Sakanelli, supernatural au)

Sooo yeah I guess that's all? There might be many more still but I have no energy to rummage through my whole computer lol. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for asking :)

fanfiction wip guessing game - ask away!

[ratscabies]

ok hiiiiiiii hey howdy!!!!! i am so glad u are asking ppl to send u asks bc it gives me the opportunity to ask someone else my favorite question in the whole wide world. WHICH IS: if u were tasked with pulling off an art heist, which 7 people would u pick, what would everyone's role be, what are u stealing, and do u think u would be successful?? (for the sake of the hypothetical, traveling/distance and budget do not need to factor in)

me - PLANNER, good at being obsessive about little details, creates a map of the location, figures out logistics

petra @majortomwaits - SNEAKER-AROUNDER, she has very good sneaky raccoon vibes (affectionate)

kieran @benfoldsenjoyer - THE DISTRACTION, chaotic gemini energy, very good at creating diversions

juniper @head1968 - THE GETAWAY DRIVER, she's my only friend who drives lmfaooooo

um I don't have enough friends to pick seven people I'M SORRY

we would try to steal this statue of medusa bc I want it:

we would absolutely definitely 100% without a doubt fail

[izayoichan]

Arlene: Sit, there is a chair there, I guess you will tell me the rest now?

He nodded as he sat down, she wheeled herself over and took his hands. Even that felt different now than it normally did. 

John: Well, Kieran really had only one choice, which was to remove me from my job. And what he should do, is to send me to what some would call Nirvana. Which is just energy, no more life cycles, no more life. Arlene: Oh… John: But he meant since what I did meant that they were gone, that he could bend it enough to put me back in the “pool” Arlene: Grandpa told me about that one.. But he didn’t? Or you would have been in line to get reborn? John: Yes. He decided to let me choose, I could go in the pool, or I could come back to you, but as a mortal. He also told me what I am.. Which makes making me mortal hard. Arlene: What you are? John: Like your grandpa was a merman before his death, I was a phoenix. Apparently, I messed up my rebirth somehow. - he chuckled- And yes, phoenix’s have their own rebirth, so reapers don’t normally need to help. Arlene: But… your mortal now? John: Yes, and when I pass, a reaper will take me home, and from what I understood, I would be reborn again where “I belong”. As a Phoenix, and with no way to return here. It slowly dawned on Arlene what he was saying, and she lowered her head, only to feel a hand on her cheek that made her look at him again. 

John: I chose a mortal life with you, cause it was just better than never seeing you again. And if you still want me, then I intend to make the best of it. -he moved forwards in his chair, putting his forehead against hers- I chose one lifetime with you. Arlene: …. -she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, a lifetime seemed short compared to forever, but it was an eternity compared to nothing. - A lifetime sounds good.

She couldn’t help it as she started to cry though, and she felt herself lifted from her chair onto his lap, and safe arms were put around her. 

John: I hope you don’t mind me being around more, helping out here at the shelter and so on? I’m sure I can learn to clean kennels? Arlene: Might have to have Lucas train you. -she smiled, pulling back again.- But it sounds good to me. John: Good. - he smiled, putting her back into her wheelchair. - Your grandfather said it was close up time, you might as well start training me in what to do. 

He had a lot of time to think over the options, and this had been the one he had asked for, knowing very well it wasn’t sure Kieran would be able to, luckily he had been able to, giving him some time here with her but not at a small cost. His daughter would have to take on his tasks for a while, and Chris would also have to do more work, all for him to have one lifetime with Arlene. Minutes later he found himself shown around, and explained how to help close up, at the end of the teaching session they met up with Chris and Hayle, all ready to head home to tell the rest of them the news.

Beginning - Previous - Next

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

hi hi hello im back with my ‘raidon beef bs!! can i get kieran and mc having some sort of argumentative confrontation when mc first comes to blueberry that almost gets physical before the mc’s alpha koraidon very angrily gets kieran to back off? -🧃

"[Y/n]..."

Looking to Kieran, your eyebrows furrowed at the hateful gaze he was sending you, teeth gnashed together.

You could tell he wanted to desperately say something to you--for having the nerve to show up at his school after what you did to him back in his homeland.

He was shocked that you came to BB Academy at all, before he saw this as his chance to show you how much he's changed and how strong he became. He even permitted you to challenge the Elite Four directly, growing impatient as he was ready finally crush you in-battle.

You, on the other hand, were a bit irritated at this new "persona" of his.

As far as you're concerned, he didn't need to do all of this. He didn't need to be petty and cruel to innocent league club members who don't live up to his standards. He didn't need to dismiss his sister so rudely and act like she once did.

Of course, you feel bad about what happened in Kitakami. Maybe you could've told him about Ogerpon much sooner and let him have a few wins...but this was too much.

Now he was being a straight-up bully. And you utterly despise those types of people.

"You better not go losing to anyone until our battle." Kieran huffed.

"Pssh, like I'd ever lose.." You lightly scoffed, deciding to match his energy.

Although when you looked back at him, you could see a forced grin forming on his face, spreading from ear-to-ear.

It could easily rival a Gengar's.

"Good. I'm not a little kid anymore. And you'll know it when I show you how the best of the best battle." He vowed, turning on his heel and preparing to walk away.

"Kiki!" Carmine gasped in outrage. "You shouldn't talk to [y/n] like that."

You were about to tell her not to intervene, as you didn't wanna see the siblings' relationship fall into further disarray because of this, but what Kieran said next broke the straw on the Numel's back for you.

"Shut it, sis-"

"Look, you can be mad at me all you want. But don't you dare take it out on everybody else."

His scowl deepened as he stared dead straight at you. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. "You stepped closer to him in challenge, fed up with his attitude. "And you're right. You're not a little kid anymore....you're a spoiled little brat who's mad that he didn't get what he wanted. When are you really gonna grow up and stop this charade, huh?"

For a moment he looked genuinely shocked that you're talking to him this way, but then his eyes darkened. "Don't. This isn't some charade. You made me like this-"

"Oh don't give me that. I didn't tell you to act like a bully. You did that to yourself. I was only trying to enjoy a nice trip away from Paldea until you decided to put me up on a pedestal." The words kept spilling out, and you didn't care that he was fuming more and more by the second. "Then you accuse me of ruining your life??"

"Stop it.."

"I get it, you wanna be like me. You wanna do what I can. But at least I don't go around throwing tantrums every time I lose-"

"SHUT UP!! JUST SHUT UP!!" Kieran suddenly turned around, hands grabbing the front of your uniform as he yanked you in close. His eyes were full of rage. "I'm through with being like you...I'm gonna be BETTER THAN YOU IN EVERY WAY!!! AND MAYBE YOU'LL KNOW HOW I FELT!!"

Although his screams initially startled you, and began attracting a small crowd, you tried your best not to show any fear.

But even so, this new side to him was terrifying to witness.

Maybe you pushed his buttons a little too much.

"Get your hands off me, Kieran." You warned firmly, gently grasping his wrists. "This isn't the time or place."

"In case it wasn't obvious, the battle court's right behind us. So it's the perfect place." He snarled. "And since you're so damn confident, maybe we'll just skip the Elite Four and get to the part where I kick--!!"

Before he could finish, one of the pokeballs attached to your belt popped open on its own, and from it emerged...

Koraidon.

Not the one who was your traveling companion who loved sandwiches, but the other member of its species: the alpha, the paradise protection protocol's defender--and now a very pissed off lizard who was able to jump out of its pokeball without your assistance.

Carmine, Drayton, and the other students gasped as it assumed its Apex build and scowled down at the boy, growling.

Suddenly Kieran didn't feel so high and mighty anymore, as he let you go and took a step away. An uncomfortable feeling of smallness and helplessness overtook him upon staring up at the Winged King's hostile gaze, a hand reaching for his Dragonite's pokeball on reflex.

You were stunned this Koraidon came to your defense quicker than the other. It must've somehow sensed the bullying behavior radiating from your rival.

'I guess it takes one to know one..'

The standoff continued for a few more moments...

Before Kieran surrendered.

"Fine. You made your point. The time for our real battle will come." His gaze went to Koraidon, his expression now cold and devoid of emotion. "Don't think you can always jump out to defend [y/n] like this. You'll see who's stronger."

It only snarled in response, while you remained beside it and frowned. "Kieran-"

"Looking forward to seeing you climb the ranks." Was all he said to you before he finally left you alone, the tension in the air still heavy as ever.

"Giiaa.."

"Thanks, buddy." You sighed, smiling a little as you stroked Koraidon's feathers. It relaxed its haunches, putting all four feet back on the ground so you could pet its snout. "Seems you've turned over a new leaf after all."

"Grraah!"

"Yeah..I can only hope he does, too.."

[scarlight-fortnite]

Claim The Throne

As Bahamut and Icarus had the plan ready as Kieran agreed to help them as Luke, Kieran and Sylvie wants to stop The Ageless as well. Kieran then when up stairs to see if Ageless is there as lucky would have it.

Ageless is there but, Luke is holding him off for Kieran to fire at Ageless as he can’t hold Ageless much longer.

Kieran aims and fires at The Ageless but, he was quick as he push Luke away and has his weapon out to fire back. Luke then calls to his brother to slide the Ex-caliber to him as he draws Ageless to him.

Once he got Ageless attention as he charge at him. “After all I’ve done?! Is this how you both repay me?!” Ageless boom at them both.

“You mean after what you used in the sky to make a portal but, to bring someone else to destroy our home?!” Luke reply’s back as he then notice that in his hands on the Ex-caliber that turn to green. “What the? Am I doing this?” He said to himself as a split second when Ageless is about to use the shockwave hammer but, at the last second. Luke fired on the ground which then Ageless has miss but, sends Luke flying from the hammer. As the sword energy then blows the ground as the king fells to where his throne room is. He then lands on his feet and checks around. That is when someone is sitting on his throne.

“Who dares?! Wait. Your the one that I was looking for? State your name?!” Ageless ask.

“Looks like this is our first meeting but, your not him. However I’ll she’ll best you. I know what your doing but, I know that I’ll have to lead them to have the people on this island to prepare for what’s coming.” Icarus said to Ageless. “Oh yeah. The name is Icarus. Son of Bahamut.” He adds.

“I know of what I did. If you beat me? So be it, Icarus. If you wish to lead the people of Asteria. I accept your challenge.” Ageless then ready his hammer as Icarus has his version of Ageless sword. They both charge as Icarus blocks and is able to get the upper hand. Though Ageless isn’t holding back. He then swings his hammer which breaks the wall.

The two kept up with the fight as Icarus runs at him and took the chance to disarm him and had him at his mercy. “I yield. You have bested me.” Ageless says as Icarus holds out a hand for him. He takes it and got up. “Now I see it. Though I hope you don’t make the same mistake as I did.” He adds.

“I won’t. I’ll protect the kingdom and the people. Though right now. I think Tiamat influences has been broken and I want you to be by my side.” Icarus said as he and Ageless both shake hands of sign of agreement.

As a few months when by. Icarus along with his gf/wife/queen Dusty to help and have been doing their best to lead Asteria. Icarus then meets with Thunder as they team up to bring peace. He had sent to look for Luke. Though no sign of him but, they sent searching. Kieran and Sylvie won’t give up on to finding Luke.

“I know we’ll find him. I promise you that.” Sylvie said as she smile slightly.

“Thanks. I hope so too.” Kieran said as he looks up at the moon and the two hold hands as they be ready for what’s to come.

[cowboisadness]

Found You {Arthur Morgan x F!reader}

Summery: She was there for Arthur through everything, being more than good friends but less than partners. They support eachother through the good and bad times, it’s not love tho, no, it’s not love at all.

Rating: M. Basically porn with plot. More plot than i planned i really got carried away with this. SMUT IS HERE! 18+ ONLY!!

—–

Chapter 4 - Together

The next few days were nothing short of torture. Arthur never spoke another word to me, huffing whenever I would say something to him or just walking away from me completely. Everyone else in camp soon noticed something serious had happened between us. Their comforting words and questions on what happened went unanswered and dismissed. I hoped time would help, that I would get a chance to explain myself and apologise for my foolishness and downright stupidity. But as the days passed, the frayed ends of the rope had no chance of being reconnected, no matter how hard I tried and how hard I cried. So I flung myself into as many jobs as I could get. As a distraction.

Robbing homesteads. Stagecoaches that turned into shootouts more often than not. Gambling with fellers that were too drunk to notice me stealing their wears from right under their noses and gone before they realised anything was amiss. Fighting in hidden alleyways with meagre men that thought they could take on a woman with nothing to lose. Just to feel something, another kind of pain that would lessen with time.

It wasn’t until I was sat at the edge of the camp, cleaning my revolver while looking out over the overlook, stars raining bright above. Bottle of whiskey by my side that Hosea came over and sat beside me. Silent at first. Taking in the view.

“You going to explain whats going on?”

“Nothings going on, Hosea.” I shrugged, running the oiled cloth over the same spot mindlessly. “Arthur won’t tell me. I though out of the two of you, you would.” he kept his eyes ahead, not bothering to look at me. I sighed, my shoulders dropping in defeat. I might as well tell him, not like he would be able to change my mind.

“I’m an idiot. I spoke to Mary. Told her to leave Arthur alone and to stop contacting him.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know anymore...Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“You love him.” I could see his grin out of the corner of my eye, albeit a sad on.

“Not you too, Hosea.”

“You two were very close. Closer than you think I realise. I’m not a dumb old man you know”

I didnt reply to that. No point to, my mind was made up now. Instead, I holstered my gun and stood, picking up the bottle as I did. Turning to Hosea to finally look at him.

“I’m leaving, Hosea. Only for a few weeks or a few months. I don’t know.”

“You really think leaving will help?” “Maybe. It might help him if I’m not here. I’ll send money and write to you and Dutch. I’ve already packed.” After a few more words and questions on my plans when I’m out there on my own, we hugged and I said my goodbyes to him, Dutch and a few others. Promising the girls I will see them again, even though I was doubtful. I willed no tears to spill when I gathered my things, leaving my tent bare and hollow. Mounting my horse I left camp without looking back, letting the wind guide me in whatever direction it wanted me to go.

---

Roughly 4 months had passed since leaving. Currently holed up in a now-abandoned cabin in the depths of Grizzlies East by O’Creagh’s run, hiding from the law after robbing the fence in Van Horne. Id wrote letters and sent money to nearby stations as promised. Keeping updated with the gangs coming and goings. The last time I heard from those who would write back, mainly Hosea and Mary-Beth, was when they were held up in a place called Shady Belle. I haven’t heard anything from them since. That was a month ago. I had thought of going there, finding them. But I couldn’t bare having to leave again after realising they had been getting on fine and had left me to my own devices. Coming to the conclusion that I was not returning and that I had abandoned them all. Which was far from the truth. I still cared, which I’m sure was evident from whatever leftover money I had been sending to them. Only, it wasn’t getting picked up from the stations anymore, along with my many letters. I was travelling back to the cabin after an evening hunting for supper and hopeful breakfast. The blanket of trees now behind me, opening up the wondrous starry night, pulling my jacket closed as the cold breeze this time of year began to sting any uncovered skin. I looked around before dismounting, taking my kill of two rabbits stowed on the side of my ever faithful horse and made my way inside. Looking around once more to make sure I hadn’t been followed. Just to be safe. As I began to skin and gut the meat, the warm glow from the lantern lighting my every movement in the otherwise dark cabin, I heard motion outside. Bears and wolves were not uncommon around these parts. I had to shoot my way out of a wolf pack not a week ago, coming away with nothing but a bruise on my hip from being bucked off the horse in her desperate attempt to flee. Nevertheless, I placed down the knife and picked up my rifle propped up against the door. Looking out the window to the right of the door. Seeing nothing and hearing nothing else. I went to the door, preparing my rifle then placing my ear to the door. It was silence for a few moments, then movement again, making its way up the steps. It didn’t sound like an animal. With a hand on the handle and rifle ready to be used, I swung the door open. The rifle now aimed at the unwelcomed guest.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust in the darkness, but it didnt take long to recognise who it was.

“Arthur?” It was barely a whisper. A question of disbelief. I blinked a few times, surely my eyes were playing tricks on me.

After a few breaths, he finally spoke “I’ve found you.” We just stood there, I released a breath I didnt even know I was holding. How did he find me? Why would he? Months of keeping myself away from people the best I could and staying hidden for long periods of time I was beginning to feel content with being a lone wolf. Not thinking that lone wolves are weakened beings after too long. Often driven out when deemed useless or a weakness to the pack, or leaving to find their own family. Not alone forever, wolves would struggle and go insane.

But he, of all people, found me. The only question now is why. And that was the only thing I could say as I lowered the gun.

“Why?”

He told me everything that happened. The downfall, the betrayal, the heartbreak. Those that we lost. Everyone gone in one way or another. Sean, Kieran, Lenny, Hosea, Molly, Miss Grimshaw. Dead. Saint Denis bank, Guarma, Micah working with the Pinkertons. In the end, Micah had turned Dutch against almost everyone, whispering little worms into his ear until they grew and grew to leave no room for anything else.

Dutch turning his back on Him and John. Leaving John to bleed out and leaving Arthur on that mountain. Where he thought would be his final resting place. But once the sun was up, high in the sky, he found the energy to live. To heal. To find me.

And that’s what he did the last few weeks until he heard whispers of someone fitting my description that caused a bit of hell in Van Horn. He knew he was close.

“But...why did you want to find me?” I asked. Both of us sat around the small table below the window, two empty whiskey glasses before us.

He took in a deep breath, his perfect blue eyes meeting my bloodshot and watery ones. “I wanted to the moment I was told you left,” He leaned over, taking my hands in his.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think these last few months. Especially in the last few weeks. What you did before you left, I understand now why.”

“But I hurt you.” letting a sob escape, my body starting to tremble and I’m sure he could feel it in my hands.

“It did hurt. But losing you hurt even more,” He said, nothing more than a whisper, his eyes never leaving mine and his hold on my hands not faltering as he continued. “I remember what you said to me that night years ago. ‘Bout not knowing how much I mean to you. Well - I - I do. Because I feel the same. Always have. it just took me a while to realise it I guess.”

I couldn’t stop the tears. The damn had busted open. Within seconds he was on me, his arms enveloping me, my hands coming to purchase on his shirt. Neither of us wanted to let go, out of fear the other would disappear into the air like dust in the morning rays. We held each other for what felt like an eternity, my tears slowing and the shaking subsiding. I lifted my head from where it was perched on his chest to look at him, our eyes locked once more. No words were spoken but I could see it in the depths of those pools, the forgiveness and longing. And I was sure my eyes mirrored the same. His hand came up to cradle my face and I instinctively leaned into him, my breathing hitching despite the calmness that washed over me. Then I looked into his eyes again, only to be met with a look I had not seen in many years. I opened my mouth to speak but before I could he surged forward, his lips on mine. It was delicate, more fragile than any other kiss we had shared. It wasn’t long until that fragility turned into desperation, my hands at the nape of his neck, his on my waist. My mind was running a million miles a minute, all thoughts of him and this moment. Feeling like we were young lovers again. His hands roamed my sides as I gripped his hair, keeping each other glued to one another. My body began to burn up, feelings I had repressed for months pushing their way to the surface, refusing to be drowned. We broke apart and he pulled me to stand, his lips now on my neck, trailing wet kisses from below my ear to the hollow of my neck, causing me to moan. He looked at me then, desperation and pleading etched upon his face before I kissed him again. Kissing the scar on his chin that was easily visible within the stubble, his jaw, down to his neck and then his chest. Pushing off his jacket and suspenders with it. My fingers returned to the front of his shirt, undoing the buttons slowly as he pushed me back into the direction of the bed. My legs soon coming into contact with the edge. His hands now making a start on my blouse, pulling it from the confines of my pants and lifting it over my head. My hands roaming his chest and snaking down to his abdomen, stroking the hair there, causing him to tense at my touch. He always was a fine man, built from hard work that I couldn't help but adore. His arms wrapping around to my back to undo the corsets lacing, completely surrounding me and all I could smell was him. Horse, rain, sweat and something that was just so undoubtedly him. Undoing his gun belt was muscle memory, hitting the floor with a thud, my corset following, now both bare from the waist up. We couldn’t wait any longer, our lips on each other once again as we worked on unbuttoning our pants. He leaned me down to lay on the bed, my legs hanging over the sides as he wasted no time to pull off the rest of my clothing. Laying there propped up on my elbows I watched as he raked his eyes over every curve, scar and freckle on my body. Kneeling between my legs he drew kisses from my knee up my thigh, getting oh so close to where I wanted him to be. He looked up at me once more, giving a shuddering breath before his mouth landed between my legs, soft but purposeful strokes easily pulling moans from me. He didn’t let up, devouring me like a man starved as he paid close attention to my little bundle of nerves. My body shaking again but for a whole different reason. It had been too long and I knew I wasn’t going to last if he kept going for a minute longer. My hands fisting the bedsheets I tried to speak but it was useless, squirming from the sensations. Lifting my legs to rest on his shoulders feeling him moan against me, the vibration causing bolts of electricity to fire through my whole body and land at my core. I could feel my orgasm rapidly approaching and my hand flew down to card through his hair, holding him there. My body convulsed as I tipped off the edge, my head rolling back as the blinding pleasure washed over me, moaning his name into the air. Arthur was above kissing me within seconds, tasting myself on his tongue and lips. Catching my breath he pushed me further up the bed until my head hit the plush pillows. Removing his pants and then situating himself between my legs. I could feel him pressed up against my thigh, hot and swollen and begging for attention. And oh how my body craved to give him what he needed. His eyes met mine, hooded and filled with lust. Silently asking for permission. I nodded, placing a kiss on his forehead and placing my hands on his shoulders. Electrifying jolts surged through my core as he strokes himself along my slit tenderly. His skin burning to my touch and looking downright drunk. Completely intoxicated. He sinks into me slowly. My body soon getting accustomed to the memory of him as he bottoms out, his hips meeting my thighs. My breath hitches as he bites back a moan. Both of us taking a moment just to bask in the feeling of one another like this again. It all felt the same but so different. He kissed the scar on my collar bone that he only got to see before when it was fresh. We had been through so much over the years we would need to learn about each other again. But one thing remained the same; my body yeard for him. He pulled out before setting a languid pace, lifting one of my legs to wrap around his waist, allowing him to go deeper, his pace quickening and lifting my hips to meet him, Chasing our pleasure. One hand in my hair, tangled up with my locks as his other hand firmly grasped my hip. The look on his face was evidence that he was holding back, needing to completely lose himself in me. And I felt the same. “Arthur...Please.” I purred, not needing to say anymore. His pace quickened with a grunt, one that was a borderline growl. My moans and the sounds of skin on skin filling the air and our ears as he kept hitting that sweet spot. My nails forming crescents on his shoulders. Pulling him down to crush my lips against his, our teeth clicking and tongues dancing together. Pulling back suddenly with swollen lips as the pressure began to build, my whole body trembling more and more as I got higher and higher. Moaning out his name as his rhythm began to falter. Nuzzling into my neck and mumbling ‘oh, fuck,’ in that gravelly but wanton voice. His hand on my hip made its way between my legs, rubbing in quick circles. I couldn’t hold back. That coil within me growing tighter and tighter before snapping. My back arching as the shockwaves rocked through me. Slowing his pace slightly to ride me through it before picking up his pace again, chasing his pleasure with a few more pumps of his hips and he stilled. His hand like a vice on my thigh as he spent himself inside me with a drawn-out moan. It took us a few moments to get our breath back. Pulling himself from me causing me to whimper from the empty feeling and sensitivity. He moved to lay beside me and pulled me to lay with my head on his shoulder. Neither of us willing to clean ourselves up just yet. My skin now acknowledging the cold air around us. The thin sheen of sweat cooling me. Nothing was said for a while as he held me close until he broke the silence to place a kiss to the top of my head then lifting my chin for my face to meet his. “I love you,” he said. My eyes getting blurry from the confession I never thought I would hear. But looking at him I knew it was true. His eyes shone with adoration. I smiled weakly before kissing him once. Looking back into his eyes and with no hesitation, I said out loud what id only heard myself mutter in my dreams. “I love you too."

[mhdiaries]

SDCC 2015 Kieran Valentine Diary

May 1st

When I left Monster High after Draculaura’s Sweet 1,600 birthday party, I was angry, humiliated and stinky from falling into that pit of eternal body odor. I stank so bad, Mom wouldn’t even let me in the house: I had to sleep in the guest room above the garage. Looking back, I can see it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. Even my considerable powers to charm were no match for the power of the stench that surrounded me. My powers slowly weakened as I was deprived of what sustained them: the love I selfishly took from others. I was in a stench-induced imprisonment - rarely leaving the garage - but it allowed me time to do some serious thinking, and I realized I wasn’t being true to myself. Then one day there was a knock at my door, and I opened it to see a little old goblin woman with a cane staring up at me through thick glasses. “I’m Mrs. Goblin, but you can call me “Mrs. Goblin.” I’m a friend of your mother’s.” She said, “you need to get out of that room, and I need some help, so let’s go.” She turned and walked off, and, with nothing left to lose, I followed. It turned out that she ran an unwanted-creature shelter and couldn’t keep up with all the cleaning, feeding and daily upkeep. It also turned out that she had no sense of smell. “Lost it back in ‘72,” she told me. Mrs. G. ran me through the daily routines and gave me the tour. “You can start today,” she said as she handed me a mop and a bucket. It’s hard to believe I agreed, but I didn’t have any other options. The shelter was home to an unusual collection of exotic creatures: gremlins, flying monkeys, lap dragons, miniature manticores, and many others that had been picked up as strays or turned in by monsters who didn’t want them. Even though the work was hard, and not always pleasant, I began to look forward to it. In fact, I usually felt more energized after I finished a day than when I started. I felt my powers returning and every day I got stronger. Eventually, I mentioned it to Mrs. Goblin who snickered, “You emotional vampires never get it - stolen love is just empty calories. I’ll never sustain you for long.” She could tell I still didn’t get it. “Love that’s freely given is the most powerful source of energy in the monster universe. You’ve been coming here every day, taking care of these critters, showing them kindness, and the only thing they have to give you is their love - and believe me, they have a lot to give.” I couldn’t believe what she was telling me. I must have been standing there looking stupid because she said, “Close your mouth before the the flies get in and go clean the flying monkey cage. They’ve been throwing stuff again.” I was in a daze. Why had no one ever explained this to me? Rather than dwelling on it, I was just happy I finally knew. 

May 3rd

I now know that I did it - stealing love - because I thought that’s want an emotional vampire was supposed to do. But it never felt quite right. I thought if I kept doing it, it would eventually feel right. But it only made me angry and frustrated. Then when Draculaura called me - well, Toralei, really - I thought that if I could get the heart that got away, it would change me and everything would be fine. But I was just a real pain in the fang to everyone and made a fool of myself. So I’ve come to a conclusion: being myself has to be easier than not being myself, right? Back then, I hated the thought of who I really was, and that conflict made me become someone who wasn’t me. It’s time to be true to myself, but it’s scary. 

July 1st

Today was my one-year anniversary at the shelter. As I left the garage, I ran into Mom. She sniffed. “You don’t stink anymore.” It was true - the stench was gone. I gave Mom a hug and told her it must be due to what I’d learned from working for Mrs. Goblin. I thanked Mom for telling her I needed help. Mom looked at me strangely, “What are you going on about? I don’t know a Mrs. Goblin.” What? I ran to the shelter but when I got there it was boarded up and empty. How could this be? I crawled through a broken out window. A thick layer of dust covered everything and it looked like no one had been there in years. Then I noticed a piece of paper on the table where Mrs. G. used to sit and drink her tea. It was a not addressed to me:

V, 

There’s nothing more I can teach you. The rest will come when you put what you’ve learned into practice. Know that you are loved for what, and who you are.

Sincerely, 

“Mrs. Goblin”

P.S. Do the right thing or I’ll come back and make you clean out flying monkey cages again. 

July 2nd

I decided that I would try and “do the right thing” by heading back to MH to try and make up for my mistakes. I thought if I hid in the shadows and helped the couples of MH, you know be a Cupid to what was my destruction of love, I could make a difference and they would see that I was a changed monster. Well, my intentions were good, but things did not go as I had planned. I kinda, no, did, mess things up. Luckily, it all seemed to work out in the end, I guess, just not as I had hoped. I don’t think any of Draculaura and her friends will ever really trust me. And while I hope one day they can see I have changed, I know it will take time, too. I guess I can’t expect them to just forgive me right away. I will say one good thing hopefully came out of it. While attempting to hide in the shadows I bumped into a student I didn’t recognize. He said his name was Spelldon Cauldronello, he had only been at MH a couple weeks as he had been traveling with his older sister. Meeting him totally made me space and forget to send a text that was supposed to help Clawd. He asked if I went to MH and I said I was just visiting, but I would love to go to MH one day if I can. He said he’d keep me up on the groanings on around the halls if I wanted, so I gave him my number. At least the trip wasn’t a total stake. I do wish I could figure out how to make it up to Draculaura and her friends though. I know now that real friends help each other with their problems, not try to solve them for them.

July 7th

I was tempted to stay in my room today and treat myself to a monstrous blue funk, but, instead, I walked aimlessly outside until I found myself sitting on the beach watching the sun go down. That’s when I noticed something unusual partially buried in the sand. I pulled it out and die-scovered it was an ornate lantern caked with seaweed. I brushed it off... and got the shock of my unlife! The lantern began vibrating and glowing, like I had awakened something inside and it was not trying to get out. I dropped it like it was hot and fell back as smoke swirled up and out of this thing. When the smoke cleared away there was a ghoul floating above me. “I am the djinni of the lantern. What is your wish?”

July 10th

The djinni’s name is Whisp and we have something in common: the direction of our unlives changed because of Monster High. We shared our stories and struggles; neither of us has made the beast decisions, but we both want to be better monsters. We talked so much that Whisp had to remind me I had three wishes. I asked her I should wish for and she said, “I cannot tell you what to wish for, nor can I tell you what not to wish for, but I can say be scareful what you wish for.” I laughed and told her that sounded ominous. She didn’t see the humor in her statement. “Wishes are tricky things,” she replied, “They often have a mind of their own and don’t always come true in the way you expected.” I thought for a moment, and wish I could go back to Monster High and fix the things I had broken. Whisp rose into the air, her eyes glowing, and said, “As you wish.” Instantly, I was back at Draculaura’s Sweet 1600 party, only I was dressed like a repairman - tool belt and all. Headless Headmistress Bloodgood stood in front of me with her hands on her hips. “You need to repair the barrier around the pit of eternal body odor before another monster falls into it!” This wasn’t what I meant by “fixing what I had broken,” and there was no way I was getting close to that pit again. That’s when the other students saw me. A very large minotaur pointed his finger at me, “There he is again! Throw him back into the pit!” I wished myself out of MH and back in my room just in time to avoid another dunking. Two wishes down, one to go.

July 12th

Whisp has been very apologetic but she needn’t be. I wished for something so general that it could have been granted in numerous ways. What I really wanted was a chance to do something unselfish for the monsters I hurt - to give and not take. When I started working for Mrs. G., there were times I wished what someone else would do the dirty work so I could just play with the creatures. Now I know I just wished it to be easy. Whenever I was in the middle of something particularly loathsome, Mrs. G. would cackle, “Sometimes work stinks, doesn’t it?” The first few times she said it, I wanted to drop everything and go home. But I stuck it out, and, although I still have a long way to go, I’m a better monster for it. Unlife is a lot of work and I guess some problems aren’t meant to be solved by wishing them so. Speaking of wishes, I need to think of something non-ambiguous for the last one...

August 1st

I summoned Whisp today to grant my final wish. I admit I put it off because I was being selfish. I’ve never had a friend like her, and once my last wish is granted, the lantern will move on and I will probably never see her again. I considered freeing her from the lantern, but I don’t think she wants that: she loves being a djinni, appearing in new places and granting wishes. But I know she gets lonely at times, so this was my wish: “Whisp, I wish we could always be friends.” Whisp rose up, her eyes glowing: “As you wish!” I could see her smiling as she turned to smoke and returned to the lantern, which shot up and disappeared. I thought for a second that my wish wasn’t granted, but then my iCoffin lit up and I noticed a new app icon that looked like a little mirror. I tapped it and there was Whisp! Now, not matter where in the monster universe she is, we can talk to each other! “Yes, Mother, I’m talking to myself down here.”

[purplecatdad]

Rarepair Week “First Kiss”

Part of the RDR Events Rarepair Week!

Prompt: First Kiss

Arthur/Kieran | Teens and Up | Canon-Divergence | CW Shot wounds

Arthur isn’t part of the VDL Gang in this one, he is just some outcast who some day runs into a skittish young man with a bad wound and decides to help him! 

AO3 Link will follow. 

Kieran knew that she shouldn’t have trusted them. He knew that, after all, the van der Linde gang wasn’t all much different from the O’Driscolls. And that they absolutely would kill them the moment they had no need for him anymore. 

He still cursed himself as he was riding Branwen, hard and fast through the shrubs, making his way through Cumberland Forest to the general direction of the Grizzlies, up north where he hoped for safety. He was terrified of the animals there but he hoped that he’d be able to lose the gang there.

“Come on, girl. I know you can do it”, he whispered to Branwen, pressing his legs into her sides to push her forwards even though he knew that she was running for her life as well.

A shot went off that grazed her shoulder, both Kieran and Branwen crying out. He couldn’t lose this horse, not after everything they went through. Another shot and this time Kieran felt blinding pain through his leg. He cried out, felt the blood seeping down through the fabric of his shirt but he grabbed the reins tighter. No matter how much blood he’d lose, he had to get away from Dutch’s boys before they could catch up to them. 

He just passed Fort Wallace when he heard the train whistling, announcing it’s arrival at the nearby station. Luckily, Kieran knew the area since he had camped up here with his former gang before so he pushed Branwen forward towards Baccus station, up the mountains. This was his chance, if he could only get the train between himself and his pursuers he might live to see another day. 

They were galloping up towards the station, the train rushing towards them. Kieran pushed Branwen to keep running forward. He heard how they passed the train tracks, the train dangerously close. He heard Bill curse loudly behind him as the train rushed over the tracks right after Kieran had passed them. He still made Branwen run, still as fast just to get some more distance between them. The train came to a halt, stopping for the few passengers that would leave at the station and Kieran prayed to whoever would hear it that the gang wouldn’t try to get around the train. 

As he passed the Donner Falls, the rushing of the water drowning out any other sound he dared to slow down Branwen, sitting down heavily in the saddle and leaning back. He looked behind himself, scanning the area for any possible threat … but there was none. He sighed gently, slumping down in the saddle and gently scratching Branwen’s neck. “We did it, girl …” he said and gently nudged her forward. Even though he had lost them, he knew that he couldn’t just stay here. He needed a proper camp, some place to rest up, to take care of his wounds.

Branwen was breathing hard, her walk now painstakingly slow but he didn’t have the energy to make her move faster. His vision got blurry, his mind started spinning. He looked over at his leg again, the blood dripping out of the wound. He knew that he should cover it up, but … His vision went black and all he heard was a “You alright there, mister?!” before he lost consciousness. 

--

Kieran woke up to the smell of something cooking on a campfire. It made his stomach growl loudly before he could even open his eyes properly and he heard a low rumble of a man chuckling close to him. 

“Least yer still hungry.” He heard a stranger’s voice as he slowly sat up, blinking as he took in his surroundings. He was surrounded by trees, the early morning sun just rising above the horizon in the distance. A small campfire was lit next to the lean-to tent he was now sitting in, a man crouching next to it as he stirred around in the pot. 

The stranger was impressively large, broad shoulders, some scruff on his face, an old leather hat on top of his head. He looked rough, like a man that was used to living outside but when he looked over at Kieran there was a smile on his face and his eyes seemed kind and friendly. “Name’s Arthur. Found yer bleeding out on your horse, fixed yer up, didn’t want you dying on me. Breakfast’s almost ready.”

Kieran stared at him for a moment, not used to kindness like this. “Where’s my horse?” he blurted out, not interested in making conversation now. “Is she alright?” 

The other man chuckled softly at that and motioned towards a closeby tree, where three horses were standing. An impressively tall, black dappled thoroughbred standing next to an arabian with a brindled coat, unlike anything Kieran had ever seen. And right next to them was his horse. “Branwen!” He called out, got up and ran towards her. Halfway there his vision got dark again and he almost stumbled into her. 

“Woha there”, suddenly the stranger was standing close to him as well, steading him with a hand on his arm, his grip firm but gentle. “You lost a lotta blood, make sure to rest some b’fore you start runnin’ like that.”

Kieran closed his eyes until the world stopped spinning, blushing slightly as he realized how close the handsome stranger actually was to him. He excused himself as he got out of his grip and focused back on Branwen. “She got shot, I-” as he stroked down her neck towards her shoulder he realized that her wound had been tended to. Surprised, he looked up at Arthur who just shrugged gently. 

“I know a thing or two ‘bout horses. Took care of her wound .. but she’ll be alright.”

Kieran stared at him for a moment, then looked at Branwen before he looked back to the pot of stew on the fire. “Why… why would you do all this … for a stranger? What’s in it for you?” He had never met anybody who would just do something out of goodwill for a person they didn’t actually know. 

Arthur shook his head, an amused smile on his lips. “Ain’t nothin’ in for me, ‘s far ‘s I know. But helpin’ folk.. ‘s the righ thing to do ‘s all. Now, let’s get some good into ya.”

So they sat down around the campire together. Arthur served them both some stew, made with rabbit and some wild carrots. Kieran had to hold himself back not to gobble it all down within seconds after being starved out by the van der Linde gang. Arthur seemed to notice how hungry he was because he immediately refilled Kieran’s bowl after he had finished the first one.  

“So, why’d you get shot?” Arthur asked eventually as Kieran was halfway done with his second server. “Pissed off the wrong fellar?” Kieran thought about it for a moment. He knew that mentioning a gang could seem a bit too threatening. He didn’t want to risk Arthur sending him away again if he learned that he had been hunted down by some outlaws … that he used to be a part of. But he also felt bad keeping it from him. What if they actually found him here, O’Driscolls or Dutch’s boys? 

“... It’s a long story. But something like that, yeah. I was … they had tied me up for a while, got away though. Don’t think they followed me, though. I ain’t important enough for that.”

“Shit. Ya wanna talk to the law?”

Kieran looked up at him, shaking his head. “No … no, better not. I ain’t … well …”, he wasn’t even sure if the local law would know his name, he never played a big role in any gang that he was running with. But it was still not a good idea to get the law involved. What would Arthur think of that, though? 

“‘s alright. I ain’t exactly friendly with the law either”, Arthur assured him and set his bowl aside. “Feel free to stick around, I don’t mind a little company.”

Kieran watched him for a moment, wondering if Arthur actually meant what he said or if he was just saying it to be polite. To him, Arthur didn’t seem like the kind of man who just said something to be polite, though. And so he smiled and gave him a little nod. “I’d love to.”

--

And so they spent the next weeks together. Arthur told him about the Arabian he had caught. “Stripey”, as he called the young stallion just for the time being. Apparently there were two brothers down by Rhodes who’d give a good price for a horse like that, even without papers. So Arthur usually caught wild horses, the pretty ones that looked fast and strong. He was good with horses as he had worked on a ranch for a good part of his life and therefore had an easy time taming them. 

Arthur had said that he didn’t like the word “breaking” because it wasn’t what he did. He explained to Kieran that horses wanted to trust and follow anyway, that it was in their nature. That people didn’t have to break their will in order for them to do what they wanted. And Kieran couldn’t agree more. He told Arthur about Branwen and that he never trusted anybody more than his horse. He told him about how he had found her as a young mare, kind and sweet but about to be put down for a simple injury on her leg as she wasn’t able to “make money” like this. Back then Kieran had pleaded with the owner to please let her go, that he would take her for free even if she couldn’t walk properly so the farmer didn’t have to waste a bullet on her. But the man had just laughed at him and sent him away. So Kieran had done what every reasonable horse lover would do - he had stolen Branwen away the next night and vanished with her. 

When Kieran was done with his story Arthur had smiled at him in sympathy. It was something they could bond over - their passion and love for horses. And even if they looked fairly different, they had a lot of things in common. Both of them were never able to settle down anywhere. Chased away, running from the law, not belonging to anybody. But it made them belong together and so Kieran decided to run with him and help him train the horses. 

Arthur was one of the kindest men Kieran had ever met - sure, he didn’t talk much and got a little loud when he drank (which he always did after they sold a horse) but he never insulted him, never made fun of him for being a little jumpy at times. He even took his time to teach Kieran how to read and write after Kieran had admired him for his pretty handwriting one day and admitted that he couldn’t read any of it. 

Kieran caught himself staring at Arthur now and then as well. When he was concentrating on a task, cleaning his hunting rifle or speaking softly to one of the horses. Arthur was a beautiful man with the most amazing voice that Kieran has ever heard and blue eyes with the prettiest speckles of green when the sun hit them just right. Kieran had known that he fancied men but the longer he spent his time with Arthur the more he realized that falling in love with one was even a possibility. He didn’t just admire him for his body, didn’t just desire him … he just enjoyed his company and being with him in the simplest way. He didn’t dare confess anything to him, though. He knew what people did with men like him. And while Arthur was kind and caring, Kieran didn’t know what he thought about “queers”. So Kieran kept quiet and just stuck to his way of admiring him from a distance.  

--

After they had sold Stripey they had made their way up north again because Arthur had heard that there was another Arabian up by Lake Isabella. A white one this time and it really sparked both of their interests. Kieran knew that it meant coming back to Valentine because it was the logical stop before the hike up north but Arthur promised him that he was a good shot and that he’d keep him safe (which made Kieran blush) so they did it. 

Luckily they didn’t meet any of the van der Linde gang on their way through town or up the mountain. It was quite the hike and Kieran wondered if it was really worth the trip but when Arthur told him to join him up in his tent at night to keep each other warm with their body heat he stopped wondering about it and just agreed that yes, it was a fantastic idea to get up into the snow together. 

When they finally found said horse Kieran was in awe. She was a beauty, her fur so white that they both almost hadn’t noticed her in the snow. Arthur called her Snowdrop. She was a piece of work though, wild at heart and not very trusty. Arthur even wondered if she had ever been mistreated by a person before because she was so skittish in the beginning but she didn’t bare any scars that indicated it. 

They chose a different path down the mountain this time as Arthur had some “business” to attend in Strawberry. At first, Kieran was happy about it. He had been around the area before and had always found it rather pretty. But when they had made camp at the foot of Mount Shann everything changed. 

“Oh, ain’t that good ol’ Kieran Duffy!” he heard coming from a line of trees. The sun already vanished so it was hard to see, especially after tending to the fire but Kieran recognized the voice immediately. It was the voice of Carter Jenkins, one of those who had always loved to bully him during his time at the O’Driscolls.  

“Carter!”, Kieran yelled as he jumped up. “J-just leave us be! No need to shoot!”, he said as he saw the weapons in his and his companion’s hands. He wasn’t alone, in fact he was with 3 other people, all of whom Kieran recognized from his time with his former gang. Oh, this wasn’t good. 

“Hmm, you know if you give us all your money and the horses … I might consider it. Though I’m sure Colm would love to see you himself. You know that he prefers to kill the traitors himself.”

Kieran’s eyes widened but before anybody could say anything else, Arthur had pulled out his gun and shot Carter right into his face. All eyes where on him for a second before the other two raised their guns at Arthur and shot. Kieran yelled out his name and tried to get between him and the others but he was too slow to get between them in time.

Arthur went down but so did the other three men. Kieran stared at them in surprise for a split second. Arthur had always told him that he was a good shot and Kieran had believed him. But three people, right through the heart in the matter of only a few seconds? 

The thud of Arthur’s body hitting the ground pulled Kieran out of his thoughts and he crouched down next to Arthur to inspect his wounds. two of them were just minor graze wounds but one had shot right through his shoulder, blood seeping out of the wound and Arthur groaning loudly. 

“Oh shit, oh shit .. Arthur! Stay with me!” Kieran said to him with his voice full of panic and distress. He didn’t know what to do so he just took off his shirt and pressed it down on the wound to stop the bleeding. 

“Ain’t .. goin’ nowhere …”, Arthur moaned softly. “Just … gotta shut the wound …”, he said, slowly opening his eyes and looking up at Kieran. “Can you do that? Just .. some gunpowder and fire .. should do it …” Arthur’s eyes squeezed shut again, most likely from the pain.

“Gunpowder .. yes I ..”, frantically he looked around until he saw Arthur’s revolver in the dirt. He let go of his blood soaked shirt, got to the gun and pulled out one of the bullets. He had seen this way of shutting a wound once before. It wasn’t pretty and he knew that it hurt - but it was quicker than shutting it with a needle and threat. And the things he needed were far more available right now. 

After he had ripped open the shirt around the wound he pried open the bullet with his teeth, poured the gunpowder into the wound and lit it on fire with a small, burning stick from the campfire. He jumped when the gunpowder caught fire, his nose full of the smell of Arthur’s burning flesh he had to gag as Arthur yelled out in pain before going still. 

“Arthur?!” He waited for a response but there was nothing. For a few seconds he feared the worst but then he focused and realized that Arthur’s chest was still rising and falling. He was breathing. Alive. Shock had probably knocked him out, he had seen it before in people he had fought with side by side. He just had to keep him warm and protected during the night and then hopefully he would be awake the next morning. 

So he set to work. He carefully dragged Arthur into the tent and put all the blankets that they had on top of him before he dug out a grave for the dead O’Driscolls. He knew that he didn’t have to but it felt wrong to just leave them lying outside. It was the right thing to do. And while Kieran knew that he wasn’t the greatest of men, he wanted to be honorable.

When he was done with the quick burial he went back into the tent. It had been a rather cool day during this early summer and the floor wasn’t the driest so he worried about Arthur. For a moment he hesitated but then he shut the tent as securely as he could and slipped under the blanket with Arthur. He hoped that Arthur would understand it the next morning - that he only did this to keep his body temperature up, to make sure that he would recover from the shot. 

Kieran clung to Arthur that night, hugging him to make sure that he’d notice any shift or change in the other man. He prayed to whichever god would listen that Arthur would make it. He couldn’t lose him. Couldn’t lose the only human companion he ever trusted or cared about. Arthur had shown him kindness when nobody else would and had protected him from the monsters of his past, in more than just one sense. It wasn’t fair that he was the one lying in a tent with a shot wound. It should’ve been Kieran. But it seemed like yet another cruel joke of fate that it wasn’t him who had gotten hit. Just another good thing that might be taken from him. “You gotta make it…”, Kieran whispered as he got even closer to Arthur, listening to his weak breath and closing his eyes. “You will survive. You have to.”

Eventually he drifted off into a light sleep. Worry and adrenaline had worn him out so much that he was just too exhausted to stay awake, even if he knew that he should’ve. He still slept restless, dreams of the past and a dark future creeping up on him and keeping him worried all night, even in his sleep. He finally found rst in the early morning hours, awake but happy that Arthur was still breathing, still warm next to him. 

Another hour passed and Arthur slowly stirred awake. Kieran sat up right away, looking down at the handsome man. He was beautiful like this. And when Arthur looked up at him, a smile on his face, Kierasn couldn’t help himself. “You’re alive”, he whispered before he bent down and kissed Arthur’s lips. Gentle and careful, but also full of joy to see the other alive. Shocked, he realized what he had done and pulled away, now staring down at Arthur who looked at him in confusion. “I- I’m sorry … I didn’t .. I … uh …”

Arthur’s features softened and he chuckled gently. “Nothin’ to be sorry ‘bout. Was wonderin’ when you’d finally do it”, he said and pulled Kieran down for another kiss.