#nothing that represents him or his fighting style i just like the idea of them all

[stargazer-dreamer]

the most magical place on mars

character: spike spiegel

reader: gender neutral

summary: he told you he would take you wherever you wanted for your date. he forgot to mention that he hated theme parks

notes: pokemon with a bit of a disney filter. copyright friendly, of course

✩ he never liked theme parks. he supposed, when he was younger, amusement parks were more his thing—fast rides to get his adrenaline pumping—but theme parks never sparked any interest in him

✩ especially this one. based around a popular video game series he had absolutely no interest in, cute and cool monsters alike filled the scenery as the two of you walked through the front gates

✩ no, he didn’t care for theme parks. but the way your eyes lit up as you pointed out a sign that said “route 1” (whatever that meant) warmed his chest, so he didn’t mind how much the tickets had cost—he was on a date with you. seeing you happy made him happy

✩ immediately, you wanted to buy the iconic chupika ears. putting them on, you tried to get him to wear a pair but he was able to get out of it by pointing out a nearby popcorn stand

✩ pockmon world was known for its seasonal rotating popcorn buckets—but you wanted the standard one. it was circular shaped and represented the in-game device used to trap monsters in (“catch, spike, catch. you don’t trap them, you catch them.” “i don’t see a difference here”)

✩ armed with a cheap refillable snack, he followed behind you as you dashed off to the next thing

✩ costumed characters occasionally passed by, and he had to take pictures of you with your favorites. he had to wonder, with the more spectacular holograms floating about, why the park would subject its employees to sweat in the suits rather than focusing on creating more advanced AIs, but that was none of his business

✩ not when he focused the lens on you standing next to a brown fox-thing. your smile was infectious

✩ he couldn’t help it. he was having a good time

✩ the two of you waited in lines, rode some rides, and looked at the attractions

✩ before he knew it, it was lunch time

✩ miraculously, there was a table open in one of the sit down restaurants. spike scanned the menu and let out a sigh of relief. walking around the park, it seemed like all the food stalls were heavily pockmon themed. pock puffs? plowsoke tails? food tins? none of the names explained exactly what kind of food they were and he had gotten a bit frustrated (you had even munched on something that looked distinctly like kibble?)

✩ sandwiches, curry, he knew what those were. actual food, finally. you explained that all the dishes were in the recent game, but he didn’t really care. he ordered a pasta

✩ it wasn’t very flavorful. you had taken several pictures of it, though

✩ after lunch, you wanted to look around the gift shops to kill time before the parade started

✩ the floats, and the music, and the confetti sure was a sight, even spike had to admit that. apparently, it featured just about every monster in the game. he was not aware there was so many of them

✩ “have to catch them all,” or whatever. he got it now

✩ something that he was embarrassed to admit—he was starting to favor a specific monster after seeing it in the parade

✩ you dragged him to a shop that sold all of them in plushie form and pressured him to tell you which one it was so you could buy it for him

✩ it took a good ten minutes, but he caved, and with a shaking finger he pointed at the tiny kappa-looking one

✩ your first reaction was to laugh, which did not help with his embarrassment

✩ “your favorite pockmon is tadlo?”

✩ “…it looks funny. look at its face”

✩ regardless, the two of you left the shop with a plushie each. he looked at his. it had six stubby legs. he thought it only had four

✩ the two of you spent the entire day at the park. at the top of the capsule-shaped ferris wheel, the fireworks started

✩ when you turned to him to point one out, he kissed you. softly against your lips, he told you he loved you

✩ he wasn’t a fan of theme parks or pockmon, but spending time with you was something he would never pass up

[milkncookiesmoonsrambles]

Hazbin Hotel, and a list of criticisms

Hi! You can call me M, and I recently watched Hazbin Hotel. I used to be a fan of vivziepop, but I'm not anymore, after learning that she's transphobic and having Helluva Boss leave a bad taste in my mouth. Here is all of the strange areas I noticed, free of anything I've seen already. This is only hidden under a keep reading because I think this'll be a long post and I don't wanna waste space.

The show is way too fast-paced for its own good. The show was on episode 6 of 8 and STILL introducing new characters. I swear the show doesn't know how to pace itself.

Why have Adam be the main representative of heaven? I know that Eve was technically the first person to sin, but Adam sinned as well, and I highly doubt he'd be put into such a position of power after dying.

Why have Lucifer's character design be the way it is? If he's so old and a fallen angel, why not have that represented anywhere? God he looks like a middle schooler but with a horrendous colour palette.

Despite being named after the hotel, it barely serves more than a backdrop. There are no new guests other than Pentious, and there's no reason to have it around at the point of episode 8

Episode 8, after the fight with the angels. They fix the hotel, and say they'll get new guests. The main cast still has no idea how to redeem sinners other than what Adam said in court in episode 6. Why continue on this idea without even knowing if redemption is a possibility? Charlie hates the idea of instilling false hope into people, yet she still advertises the hotel as a way out, without any knowledge of how to leave.

There's barely any interesting representation in a supposedly queer show. When Angel Dust is on-screen, he's essentially the promiscuous gay guy stereotype. When Vaggie and Charlie act like a couple, it feels wrong. Alastor is supposedly aroace, but the only mention is a barely-characterized cannibal he supposedly goes way back with calling him an "ace in the hole", which means next to nothing.

Alastor isn't scary. Not one bit. He's said to be scary, but nobody in the main cast is afraid of him. Sure, Charlie is higher in power than him, and she doesn't seem afraid, but there is NOTHING showing that anyone is even slightly bothered by his threats, other than Husk, and he's revealed to be OWNED by him. Angel Dust even flirts with him in episode one. EPISODE ONE. The only slightly scary line from him is "This face was meant for radio", and even then it's undermined by how it's treated.

Pentious means nothing to the show, and I'm fairly certain means nothing to the cast. His only characterization is that he's a coward, and he's an inventor. Then he's fridged. Not even kidding. He dies to get a big reaction out of another character.

Charlie is strange. Despite being a princess of hell, she acts like she's never seen bloodshed before. She acts like a naive child until she starts swearing, and even then it sounds wrong with her characterization.

We never learn, in-show, how anyone died. We're assumed to know almost everyone.

New characters are introduced constantly, and most of them are treated like we already know them. It's like Spiderman: No Way Home, where they show off new characters, but the story acts like we're supposed to point at them like "OH, IT'S THE GUY FROM THE THING!".

Genuinely had this thought out loud, "If your character is named Cherri Bomb, why have her as a normal sinner?" Like, I know it could be a nickname. I don't care. It makes no sense to have her just be someone normal. She's like, the only character shown to use explosives. Why not have her use it as a main power.

Why is the art style inconsistent with noses? Charlie, Vaggie, Alastor, and Mimzy have noses, as well as others, I'm not sure, but others don't.

On the topic of designs, there's so much clutter, and they all use basically the same colour of red, except for Angel Dust, who I suppose is Vivzie's special little boy. They're all so sharp and uninteresting, there's barely any variation.

Mimzy's introduction is a nothing burger, and is barely anything more than an opportunity to make Alastor look more powerful. She adds nothing to the story, and does nothing other than attract supposedly dangerous people to the Hotel.

I've said it before, but so many storylines are rushed. The episode about heaven could easily have been, like, an entire season's worth of content. It could have been slower, introducing us to the general feel of heaven before slowly showing the cracks, like how nobody really knows how they got here, or how angels don't know much about Hell or the exterminations.

How do the exterminators not know that they can get hurt or that they can die? And if they don't, how come Lute knew that she could remove Vaggie's wings and harm her?

Vaggie says that she didn't know angels could be hurt before finding out about the dead angel. The writing must've been so out of wack, because SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE AN EXTERMINATOR. An exterminator that was WOUNDED in order to not come back. What in the nine circles of hell.

So much is assumed that the viewer already knows. I used to be a fan of Helluva Boss, so I know probably a lot more than the casual viewer, but if I were to go in blind to this show, I would know absolutely nothing.

This show feels more like Vivienne's character showcase than a story set in Hell. Barely anyone associated with common Christian theology knowledge is part of the story, and even then it's written so incorrectly.

I'll admit, I am slightly biased, as I've read through the vivziepop critical tags, but there's so many small holes in the story.

[lazymonth]

Part 1 Winter-spider’s suits!

The idea is from @hollowsart about if spider-sona having a game for them self. And now she have a different suits to wear and a special ability or boost in some suits!

small descriptions :

Default : nothing are good then the classic one. Win still remember the time when Vulture showing up with this amazing suit. Well, of course only her stupid mind can’t make like web shooters and web-wigs right?

Western : silly cowboy suit that Win have a little reference when she’s fought with Shocker. She’s always surprised him when showing up in this suit, maybe he like this style. Who knows? ( this suit unlocks the special rope, when you throw it at the enemy it will automatically tie it and you can swing them around )

Chinese : in the name of Asia people of course Win went to Chinatown sometimes both fight with inner demon and just relax. This little fancy suit is a little gift from people in here. Kinda heart warming ( boost speed and physical attack )

Back home : even it’s have a thai community in LA but not much in NYC so Win trying her best to being a little soft power of thai people in this city. And there come of this suit, represent the thai cultural mixing a little bit with modern booths

Renaissance : Win is a artistic and for some reason she feel like her grandpa, The Vulture is too. While she's walking around the house Win sneak into Adrian's room and accidentally found a big renaissance art on the wall, it's kinda unexpected a bit if completed with other stuff in the room like punk rock looking poster and.. skull? But at least she know her grandpa have a beautiful art picture in his room

Homemade : the beginning of hero life is this suit. Even she doesn't have a web shooter or any gadget but hey, this is a good start!.. i think?

Believer, Follower, Forever ( Mysterio suit ) : even she's the person who put Quentin Beck into jail but he's one of her most favourite person too, both her co-worker and a good friend. Surprise to Beck, one day before Villains con event his enemy coming to ask him to make a suit for her but— Mysterio can't reject his fan club so.. here is it! ( Have a special ability to dash by turning herself into a green smoke and the enemy can't making any damage while she's dashing. She's also turn into smoke when using web-wigs mode )

[nogoawaytism]

I feel like one of the peak aspects of the early RWBY fandom was the excitement for some of the the more minor characters. It seemed that everyone enjoyed looking for emblems and speculating where they would appear in the future. Except. Rooster Teeth makes a bunch of characters they do nothing with, and instead make new ones for every little role they need to fill instead of utilizing preexisting ones. And it's frustrating, because some of them have legitimately good designs. But instead, we just get new characters chugged out like the second Thursday of every month. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think large casts are acceptable as long as you can write every character to be distinct. The Danganronpa and BNHA franchises manage to do this, and they're wildly successful. However, as I said earlier, RWBY does NOTHING with them. A lot of blind fans will be like "Oh why does that bother you? Their only purpose was to fill this infinitesimal role!" Which... isn't an excuse for character bloat? It's like every time a new character is introduced only to be tossed in the trash can later creates this annoying itch in my brain. It took YEARS for us to get something from half of team SSSN (a team which, by the way, was one of the first ones Monty designed, and seemed important to him), and of course Scarlet and Sage are one-dimensional and dickish. Some of them even have more visual appeal than the current designs of the main characters. Hello? Team ABRN? Team FNKI? Even BRNZ? Ciel? It's incredible that we've been loosing memorable designs all across the board in favor of these bland bleak color schemes with so little visual appeal. It feels like it's representative of the creators of said show no longer caring. Not only would utilizing pre-established characters from the Beacon or tournament era add visual diversity, it would add diversity in fighting styles too. It would be so cool to see more international fighting styles represented, as we've gotten a lot in the European and East Asian realms. It would also even be great to see a mix of simple weapons and cool transforming ones. Ironwood is one of the best fighters in-show and his weapons are just a pair of pistols. I personally enjoy the idea of showing both sides of the coin where characters have a more simplistic fighting style, but are good enough to the point where it's still interesting to see, as well as those cool transforming weapons that RWBY originally had as a selling point. Utilizing characters would also provide opportunities for cool merch, and we know Rooster Teeth likes making money. Nah, let's just stick with bi-colored tye-die hoodies and screenshot T-shirts.

[silversweetpea]

Show and Tell

Word Count: 1326

Pairing:  Matt Murdock x Reader

Summary:  You show matt your new tattoo and there are some unexpected side effects.

Warnings: literally nothing I just craved fluff lmao

Author’s Note:  This is probably one of the more self indulgent fics i’ve ever written because the idea of getting tattoos for people is something I actually do? I currently have four that are just straight up tattoos of handwriting and doodles from people I love with plans to get 3 more in that style. 

❀✿❀✿ ❀✿❀✿ ❀✿❀✿ ❀✿❀✿ ❀✿❀✿ ❀✿❀✿

It had never been a secret in your relationship with Matt that you loved tattoos. You'd been dotted with designs longer than you'd known the lawyer and you had never shied away from the conversation that came about from each one. One of the first things that you had done when you started dating was guide his fingers around the shapes of different tattoos and explain the stories that they represented, or told him what the handwriting was referencing. Recently, you had wondered if he knew your scrapbook better than you with the way that he so mindlessly traced shapes as you lay together. 

All of which was why his slightly gob smacked expression was nothing short of endearing.

"You got a tattoo for me?" His voice is quiet in the apartment, disbelieving as if Matt expected you to break into laughter at any moment. There's a small part of you that feels bad for keeping it as a surprise but you knew that if you told the people in your life you were getting tattoos before you did they often tried to pitch in their opinions. You still shudder thinking of the argument you had gotten into with your best friend about wanting her actual handwriting and not some calligraphy font when she started trying to perfect the loops of her perpetually crooked cursive J. You hadn't wanted to fight with him, or to listen to Matt tell you that it was a bad idea. You had just wanted to memorialize this chapter of your life with him.

"Yeah, of course I did. I love you," You never tired of saying it, you weren't sure you ever could when you could see the way that his face changed. Matt wasn't the most chatty of partners, often reserved until given a reason not to be but you didn't mind. Not when you could read the micro expressions of his face like an open book. There was something about the way that he would breathe in, deep and slow, like he was smelling for rain, and his tilted grin would make his features look so much softer. He looked like all the horrible things you knew knocked at the door of his mind had been turned away for a moment, or maybe that was just you projecting how he made you feel when he said it back.

"What did you get?" Matt asked and you watched the way his fingers twitched in his lap. You didn't laugh, afraid to discourage his interest when all you really wanted was to memorize the way he leaned in towards you but didn't touch. Not when you hadn't invited him to. 

"Oh, you know, something tasteful." You teased. "A nice watercolor of your ass surrounded by quotes off of practice bar exams."

"(Y/n)," Matt laughed, shattering any attempt at sounding annoyed with you. 

"Here, give me your hand," He does and you pause just long enough to give it a gentle of squeeze before guiding it to your forearm. Yur heart beats fast in your chest, a thousand hummingbirds desperate to get out as you think about his reaction. You don't regret the design. Your ink is for you, but you can't deny how vulnerable you feel in these moments just before you explain them.

"Is it a flower?" You can't stop grinning as he speaks, low and contemplative as you finish guiding him over the first flower and move to the next. It had taken ages for your artist to get the right shade of red to stick to the delicate petals and you were in no hurry to move him along the finished piece. 

"It's several technically, but they're all the same flower. I got three of them because it's been three years," Part of you wants to leave it at the flowers and keep the quote beneath it to yourself. You won't, you can't trust that Foggy or Karen won't ask about it and then you'll have to explain that you were worried it was too sentimental even for you, but watching him try to decode what flower it is made it hard. 

"Well it's not a sunflower," You do laugh this time, but you don't feel bad because you're not the only one. 

"It's a red spider lily," The words are slow and your mouth feels dry as you try to organize your thoughts. "It's also known as the Devils crown on occasion and also simultaneously a flower of the heavens. I thought it was fitting for you."

There's a careful stillness for just a moment in his form, fingers frozen on your arm as you push forwards with your explanation. 

'It's not the only reason I got it though, just a fun little coincidence. I mostly got it because it's used to mark a time to celebration in some cultures, some Buddhist records even claim that they fall from the sky like snow." You're sure that he's following you now, even as he's silent. Matt was good about letting you ramble when you were nervous to calm yourself down. You can't bring yourself to look anywhere but him when you speak, too afraid to miss something in his expression and equally as afraid of not being heard in all your sentimental glory. 

"I would have thought you would go for mistletoe," he says after a minute, voice not quite hesitant but something just to the left of it. You can still picture him now, barely bundled up against the cold weather, snow falling to land in his hair and melting on his hands. You must have sounded like a wreck, caught on a bad night, but he just sat there with you and listened while you watched them light the Rockefeller tree. 

"I like the complicated ones, what can I say?" The smile returns and he does that deep breath again. You can't read his mind but sometimes you wish you could just to make sure he picked up on everything you weren't saying. That you liked him not in spite of his multitudes but because of them, that you weren't going anywhere just because things got hard or dangerous, that for all his self hatred and anger you can only look at him and see someone bursting at the seam with virtues. your boyfriend says nothing though, lost in his own thoughts as you continue with your presentation.

"This part isn't going to be nearly as interesting for you, sorry, but I still want you to know it's here." Matt's brow furrows, lips opened ever so slightly as you guide him back and forth across the same patch of skin. "When we first met you gave me your business card. It's not really your handwriting but I didn't know how to get that from you without raising suspicions so I just had them tattoo the braille instead. It's probably better that way though, more you."

"You put my name underneath a flower called 'Devil's Crown'?" 

"No, I put 'if you need help' underneath a flower of the heavens. You may not think much of yourself Matt, but I do. I always have." The color comes back slowly and then all at once, from sheet white to a beautiful shade of pink. You bring the hand not guiding him along the words to interlock your fingers with his. 

The brunette in front of you has been so quiet for so long that the anxiety has started to creep back in. The only thing that kept you from beginning to loose yourself within it is that his fingers are still tracing the flowers and words on your arm, your hand warm in his.

"What are you thinking?" You ask finally, despite the fear of what he might say. Matt opens his mouth instantly, for once not thinking about the words coming out of his mouth. 

"I think when this is is over I want to get married."

[dapper-shipping-forever]

Snippet for the shared injuries au ! It was gonna be more pure fluff but I realized their injuries would hold implications lmao

Please enjoy reading ! Reblogs always appreciated 🌸

---

It is simply a well known fact of the universe by now. Soulmates are those who share the deepest connections, destined to meet and realize their unwavering love; and, those soulmates can recognize each other by the wounds they share. It's guessed that soulmates sharing their wounds represents their loyalty, the conviction to stand with their partner and share themselves. Everyone knows this.

Gill couldn't remember this fact, it had to be explained to her in full then. Of course, it was the best explanation anyone had for why a girl with no memories had scars covering almost her whole body as she had. 

Essentially the only spot without a dozen scars on Gill was her left arm, which had just a couple underneath the boundary of one circling her bicep; she was told that kind of soulmate scarring likely meant they'd had that arm severed, same with the ones on both her legs as well. Whoever her soulmate is, she was told, must flirt with trouble itself daily.

She couldn't remember any of the scars she awoke with; had no idea how many are from her soulmate or how either of them received them as she remembered almost nothing. It barely took any time for her to get more scars though, cuts and bruises would appear on her most every day whether she hurt herself or not. Most people felt bad for her; to have such an accident prone soulmate that left her with only scars, but Gill never thought of it that way. With each new injury, she would only gently touch it after it had been tended to and think of caressing her soulmate's wounds, and when she presses a kiss to her injuries she imagined kissing a kiss to their injuries.

She did her best to stay uninjured. Though, training with her master, who proved to be quite the brutal instructor, had her constantly apologizing mentally to her future partner. It was mostly only bruises she received during training, though occasionally a cut would strike her too. As a bounty hunter and in general, since she's tiny her fighting style mainly centered around the single idea of not getting hit. She stayed back and focused on distanced fighting, since while she was strong she could be overpowered by someone substantially larger than she is. Though, she did get injured more often, it thankfully wasn't the most frequent occurrence however. Save a few fights, mostly just scrapes and bruises if she got into actual close quarters fights. Either way, she apologized to her mysterious accident prone future partner each time.

She hadn't considered the strange man she decided to help as potentially being her soulmate when she'd stepped in for his sake; she'd only wanted to lend a hand and getting to hear that soft voice introduce the man as Vash happened to be an unforseen benefit. The cuts she received in the first fight they fought together she merely believed to be her own. Deciding to travel together was the best benefit of the day.

She fell in love before realizing he was her soulmate. She'd felt a twisting sense of anxiety when she felt herself falling, feeling as if she was betraying a person she hadn't met. But when she saw Vash get a cut and felt the same injury ooze fresh blood herself, she knew that there was nothing to apologize for. Vash is her soulmate. Elation and joy filled her, to know someone that wonderful is her soulmate. 

That joy stayed, but before she could tell him what she realized she remembered a conversation they'd had. Something she hadn't thought of.

"I'm pretty sure I have no soulmate." Vash had confessed. "And if I'm being truthful, part of me is relieved. I have too much to run from, I doubt I could be capable of treating a soulmate like they deserve to be; I'm not fit for love."

She felt that wasn't exactly true, but it told her something. Vash would feel more harm than excitement knowing they were soulmates, knowing each time he allowed himself to be injured it hurt her too. She couldn't tell him, just not then. Eventually, when he was more secure in himself and felt less tortured by whatever glimmered dark behind his gaze, she would tell him.

She hid her feelings and her scars. She always managed to dodge Vash helping clean any injuries, kept biting back on the ragged pain of gashes he wore to not reveal she felt it like him. She hid her emotions deftly, or perhaps he also just hadn't wanted to notice.

Her friends discovered the bond. Meryl roomed with her too often to not. Roberto was too eagle eyed to not notice. Wolfwood saw her flinch when Vash ran from shots. They pushed her to reveal this, but kept quiet at her asking.

Vash and Gill ran from an outlaw they'd managed to provoke in the crumbling town. Seperate for the time being, Gill found herself cornered. Out of ammo and no extras on her, she fought with her fists and spun kicks at her attacker, her signature long chain attached to her guns giving her help. Her opponent was certainly adept with the knife he brandished, skillfully dodging and slashing towards her.

He spun, pivoting on his foot as he prepared to lunge forward and attack her. Her back to the wall, she steadied her hands, ready to try disarming him. 

Then it became unnecessary; a blur of a red coat and sunshine hair bodied her attacker, grabbing hold of the wrist of the hand holding the weapon. Vash growled, wrestling with the attacker while they attempted to regain control of their knife. Vash is strong, she knew that though she couldn't help but worry.

"Vash ! Watch out !" She yelled out.

Vash grunted, the attacker slippery and not letting Vash get them in any sort of hold. "Run away !" He barked, attention of his battle. "I can handle this guy !"

"What? I can't do that !" She started to charge forward; if she helped Vash pin them it'd be safer that way ! She faltered at a stinging cut across the back of her hand, blood welling and slipping out in its wake. She wasn't cut, Vash was. 

She thought to hide her hand, but as she winced her eyes locked on his. He'd spun at the exact opportune second to see her. She knew from his face; he saw the cut appear from seemingly nothing, right when his hand was sliced. The attacker struggled in his grasp, bur for a second Vash looked like he couldn't tell he was fighting anybody. He just stared, eyes big and dare she call it horrified beneath their surface, as sound faded and he realized what that meant for them. The connection they share.

The attacker knocked into Vash, and he regained his sense to redouble his efforts in the fight. "Hurry and run ! Get away, now !" He yelled again.

She froze. "Vash, I'm." What? Sorry? 

Gill had pride in her skills. She knew she wasn't weak, but today she would say she's a coward. The shock of knowing Vash had figured everything out had her rooted in place. But when he commanded her to run, she couldn't help herself and thought only to hide herself, running away instead of helping him.

She raced around empty streets, sand flying in her wake. She only stumbled to a stop minutes later, falling in a heap behind a broken, small wall. Her eyes stung from the sand. Except, it wasn't sand in her eyes but fat, rolling tears. They fell to ground, soaking into the sand beneath her. How foolish of her.

She pulled her knees towards her, hugging them. Her hand continued to bleed and the cut became irritated from the sand in it, but she wasn't caring. He knew now. He knew they are soulmates. He probably also realized now that she already knew and hadn't told him. He'd probably call her a liar. She wasn't sure he'd want anything to do with a soulmate who kept that stuff hidden; she couldn't picture anyone wanting something like that.

Her tears slid off of her cheeks. She clutched the wrist of her injured hand, too tight. Maybe she should've told him the second she had realized their bond. But she just hadn't been able to; everytime she'd tried her throat felt like it had closed. She was a coward, now and then. She'd feared his rebuff, the sad look he'd give as he told her soulmate or no that he couldn't love her. She hadn't wanted him to leave her again.

She sat and cried amidst those circling thoughts for minutes upon stretched minutes. She hadn't heard the calls of her name at first as she was simply too distracted. She only heard it when it was spoken right beside her.

"Ah, Gill?" She looked, and Vash stood there. He towered above her where she was sitting, one hand on the wall and shielding her from the hot sun light. His expression was wide eyed and he looked a little breathless. He must have been running around, trying to find her it appeared. She curled tighter on herself; she felt bad enough and now she'd worried him more by making him guess where she'd hid. Vash slowly slid into a crouch next to her. He eyed her bleeding hand; he reached his own out towards it, and she could see he'd quickly wrapped a small piece of cloth around his cut before coming to look. "Does your hand hurt that bad?" He asked her, voice quiet like he worried it might shatter fragile glass.

She shook her head timidly. He's referring to her tears. "It's not my hand." She mumbled. After a pause, she also said. "You know exactly how much this cut hurts."

Vash flinched, just slightly. His gaze flicked to his hand, then right back to her's. He brought himself closer and, without her objecting, he gingerly grabbed her hurt hand. Holding it with his right, his prosthetic hand caressed her's with the same care; a light sliding of the back of his fingers, the metal warm and smooth. He wiped away some of the blood; the injury wasn't deep, though it stung a decent amount. He stared at her hand, thoughts stewing behind his gaze. Finally, he spoke again. "I'm not upset."

She looked from her knees back to his face. Though, currently his eyes were just on her hand. "You aren't?"

Vash shook his head. "Not at all." He chuckled, a little melancholy. "Definitely not at you." A sigh followed. "I can kind of guess why you'd hide that."

She hummed, just glad he's not pissed. "That's good." Her shoulders fall in relief.

Vash sits back, thumping quietly on the wall. "Yeah, I mean I wouldn't want me as a soulmate. Can't imagine how much I've hurt you without realizing; it makes total sense you'd not acknowledge the bond."

She pauses. Then, his meaning fully registers and she's surging forward. Now, Gill grabs his hands. "No, Vash; that's not why ! I wasn't trying not to acknowledge it !"

He's taken back by her insistence. "What, you weren't? Then, why?" He seems genuinely confused if he was wrong.

"It's, well, I was just scared. Not of you ! I was afraid that you wouldn't like me being your soulmate. You let yourself be reckless because you thought you had no soulmate to hurt, and though I hated you being harmed, I also knew realizing you have one would simply make you feel bad for letting them get hurt. You always seemed seconds away from getting crushed under the weight you shoulder, I never wanted to add anything to it." She bites her lip, the points of her teeth denting the plush surface, eyes on the dirt. Quickly, she lifts her head, eyes ablaze with a resolution. "I was just scared of you trying to pull away ! But it never had anything to do with not appreciating you. Vash, I love being your soulmate !" It's the first time she's acknowledged it actually out loud. For years, their soulmate bond has been a secret, chained and locked and set aside; but now, the fact is free and it's amazing. She can finally actually say it.

Vash's face is pink with a blush. He looks like he has to restart his senses before he finds something to say. "I've hurt you." He is nearly pleading for her to turn back, a final chance to push him back.

"I've hurt you too." She smiles, her decision made years ago. "We should take care of each other; you can wrap my injuries and I can wrap your's too. I know what being with you means, and it's not much different than what we are already. Vash, you can run as much as you need to; you wouldn't have a soulmate without the stamina to match." She squeezes his hands, right. She'd been terrified of Vash leaving her after discovering they're each other's true soulmate. But he knew now, which just meant she couldn't let him. She wouldn't let him leave just to try to protect her. She needs him to see it, her feelings for the one and the only gunman Vash the Stampede.

Vash's shoulders jump. His lip wobbles, almost unnoticed before he bites onto it. "You're unbelievable." He shudders; emotions well inside his eyes, more raw and crushingly vulnerable than he usually allows from himself. His own hands tighten in her's, trembling as they squeeze. He pulls Gill into a tight hug, hands grasping at her back like she's his shelter inside a howling sandstorm. "Thank you." For accepting him, for choosing him, there's countless meanings she reads.

She presses herself to him, hands gripping him with enough strength to keep herself there amidst the fiercest storms. Her nose buries into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent. He smells of love.

They pull back after a couple minutes just enough to gaze at each other. "The feeling's mutual, darling." She sniffles.

They stand simultaneously, hands on each other's forearms. Tenderly, Vash uses a sleeve to wipe the dried tears off her cheeks. 

Vash's hand drifts to the base of her neck. His grip is warm. He holds her like she's more vital than water, and his eyes almost made her look away from the adoration they directed her way. "And to be straight; if anyone could be my soulmate, I'm glad that it's you, Gill."

Vash leads her back to their room. His hand pressing into her back, warmth seeping between her shoulders.

—

Vash was abuzz as he guided them back to their room. He explained as they went he'd left their attacker unconscious though it wouldn't be too long before they woke and came after them and it'd be probably be best to get out as soon as Meryl, Roberto, and Wolfwood returned. They'd taken the car for a bit a while ago but would be driving here by now.

He kept looking towards Gill, sneaking glances again and again while walking. He felt a bit light headed, but it wasn't bad. He'd thought for nearly two hundred years that he no longer had a soulmate. As a child, he knew he had one. Rather, he'd realized he'd had one then.

The long, precise scars fit in smoothly with the dozens of scars he'd acquired; but those weren't wounds he'd gotten. They'd appeared on him frequently, the wounds often deep and prodding. His back had cuts that would be reopened, and his arms would be bandaged periodically. His soulmate was injured like she was some sort of experiment, and it'd made him seethe when he connected that.

Those scars now cover his body. It'd been decades since he'd gotten anything linked to that soulmate. He'd assumed that he simply no longer had a soulmate; hed feel upset about that sometimes, but convinced himself to be glad no one is forced to stick by him. But now, it seems he'd gotten a new soulmate. It's happened, some people get multiple, and decades later he's been shown the greatest kindness he could picture. Someone granted him a best friend and his soulmate.

His stomach twisted. Worry knawed at his mind despite her reassurance, worry he'd ruin the person he cares about if she stays just because they're both soulmates. But he trusts her and knows deep within that no one but her could match his stride; he can believe they were made to be together as a duo.

The thought allowed some tension to leave him. To cowardly to look at her but craving something he couldn't place now, he blindly grabbed for her hand while they walked. His prosthetic fingers interlocked with her's and he felt her jump. He was about to wrench his hand back, preparing his profuse apologies, when she gripped back too. Her slender fingers squeezing the metal of his prosthetic. At that second he wanted to punch himself for not walking on her other side; because the feeling he gets from his metal limb is minimal and he wanted more than most anything then to feel the full warmth of her touching him. Later, he reminds himself as he squeezes her gentle hand, he can hold her with his other hand more later as well.

They make it to their room; a dirty, mostly empty place with their bags in the corner. They'd only come her briefly and there weren't any hotels around here which meant just light breaking and entering to a building that's been unoccupied a while. It worked decently.

Vash finally turned to Gill now. "How about you sit for a little bit? I can grab the alcohol and bandages."

"Sure, Vash." She quickly looks away after glancing into his eyes, her face pink. Has she always looked this cute? He's seen her most days for years, but he'd never allowed himself to dwell long on her looks. It would've made not falling in love much trickier then.

He stops, mid grabbing the stuff. Did he love her? He could feel the truth to it the second he asked. Fuck, he loves her. Obviously she's his soulmate and that typically translates into romance, but he hadn't thought about it. They aren't dating yet, he's fairly sure. But that yet makes him shiver. He wants her; wants her in every way she is kind enough to allow him to have her. Wants to protect her from anything that might hurt her. Wants to make her smile. Wants to devote himself entirely to her. He loves her. He loves her, he knows it.

Vash clumsily gets the stuff, turning back around to look at Gill on the bed. His throat bobs. He takes shaky steps towards her, willing his legs not to be jello as he views her anew. "Got it. Now, let's wrap your hand." He gives a nervous smile, gesturing with the bottle and wrapping he holds in each hand.

She smiles back, and he thinks it matches his own. "Only if you let me do yours after."

He laughs; of course she'd be prioritizing him. "Yeah, you can wrap mine." 

He kneels before her, deft fingers taking care of her tenderly. And when he's satisfied he gives the injury a kiss, soft and lingering just a couple seconds. When it's her turn, she treats him with the same care, gentle fingers and soothing touches like how he held her hand. He can barely believe he hadn't seen her feelings before or his own. He trembles at the sweet touch of her lips on the bandages.

He turns his hand, holding his rough palm to her soft cheek. How was he able to deny being in love from the first time he laid eyes on her, when locking eyes with her is like tumbling head first into a ravine he had no chance of climbing out of again. He never wanted to try. He wanted to fall and fall and fall deeper into her embrace.

"How's your hand?" He asks, half just to hear her respond.

"It's better." She says, her head nestling onto his palm. He thinks nothing has felt better in his hands before her. She brings her own to hold the back of his. The wrapping she wears shifting quietly when it rubs with his. 

He realizes he's yet to see her without her jacket or concealing stockings. Years of being friends, and not to say he's any sort of scoundrel constantly thinking about it, but he's never seen her with any fewer layers than she wears now, he's almost sure.

She'd bandaged many of his wounds before; she's seen nearly all his own scars. But now, he realizes that she's never shown herself to be wounded to him. He's never bandaged a cut if her's, none before her hand. He realizes that it was to ensure he wouldn't see that her scarring mirrored his. For every wound she helped him bandage and for every one he tried to hide, she had to have been clamping back on her own. He felt crashing waves of anger at himself; he should've noticed she was hurt.

Her clothing had changed slightly not long after she'd met him. It became more concealing, allowing her to hide scars and new blood stains. And convinced as he was that he was without a partner, he hadn't questioned it a bit.

He swallowed thickly. Before he could chicken out of asking, he voiced his thoughts. "Can I see the scars?" He asks her.

She pauses, and he sees some panic in her gaze, but it's quickly blinked off. "Are you sure?" She asks, and he knows that she already knows he is absolutely.

When he confirms it, she slowly goes to her boots. He backs off a bit as she takes them both off her feet, then her holsters and then the stockings, and with each inch of her legs she reveals he sees scars carving them. She removes her jacket after, and more jagged scarring reveals themself. She curls her shoulders in a. It looks like she feels naked with those shed layers and he feels bad already and has an urge to just tell her she can cover herself amidst hurried sorries. The scars he sees hold his tongue though; because he knows them each.

He sucks in a sharp gasp, his eyes roaming her. He knows gasping would probably make her feel self and knowing his own confidence issues surrounding his scars he shouldnt do something to shame her. The sound is involuntary, drawn out by the pain of seeing what hes done to the most lovely woman he knows. The only unfamiliar scars are on her left arm and legs, recent wounds that can't appear on the prosthetics. There's a decent amount, and as he stares he realizes many look like self defense wounds. These were definitely gathered after getting prosthetics on.

"You've been guarding with your left arm." He says. He does similar, using his prosthetics to minimize damage to himself. He's noticed her tendency for this, but hadn't dwelled on it 'til now.

She looks away. It seems her words clog inside of her throat. "I realized that if I made sure I got hurt there then you wouldn't be hurt also." She knows saying that is going to further his pain. He hates she felt she needed to work that in to her fighting technique just to avoid him getting hurt. Meanwhile he'd been pretty reckless with his own fighting and allowing himself to get harmed.

His eyes settle on her other arm where he does see familiar wounds. They litter her. He's glad the wounds soulmates share only go a certain depths; many of his more severe wounds wouldn't be damning to herself. He knows they hurt, however; she bled for him an unknowable amount of times, again and again.

He lingered on each injury, following their shapes wherever they travel. His hand grasps her arm in a careful hold. He glides to her bicep, holding her with reverence like he can erase each painful injury just with a caress.

His lips thinned; he can't take his gaze off her. He knows these, can pinpoint when each was made. And he freezes. Because he does know when all of these were made. His eyes bounce between injuries. Wounds he got decades ago.

A wound a soulmate gets won't appear on their soulmate if they aren't born when it happened. He'd been running around this planet for a century and a half nearly before she supposedly was born. His body freezes, an unfamiliar sensation in the desert. She shouldn't have more than half these scars. Not the ones he'd gotten from decades of running, not the ones from before his limbs were taken from him, not the ones from when he was a kid.

He focuses on the neat scars on her arm. Some of the few scars not from him. Scars he's stared at thousands and thousands and thousands of times. Scars from a century and a half ago. Scars from what he'd thought was a soulmate he would never be able to meet. These scars are scars she should not have.

Some can have multiple soulmate's. But if that soulmate had been around decades before her birth, then she definitely wouldn't have gotten their wounds. But that meant a single option that left him utterly frozen. Those are her injuries. She somehow got these herself.

But how? Vash had been silent a while. "Uh, can I ask you something?" His voice is hoarse.

She notices the way he's tensed and it has made her fidget more than she had been. Gill plays with her own clothes whenever she's keeping her fingers occupied. Those fingers with little faded scratches from both of them twist her jacket. She stands abruptly, laughing anxiously. She's too filled with anxious energy to sit. 

She side steps around him, now playing with her skirt. He turns and stands as she does, facing her in the suddenly tiny bedroom. "Yeah, what?" She looks small gazing upwards at him.

"Are you sure you're human?" He rushes the question and knows it sounds strange. But he can't explain any other way she could have those injuries; he probably wouldnt go to that option if he wasnt inhuman either. He flexes his own scared fingers.

She stops, and she looks at him. "What does that mean, why wouldn't I be a human?"

He bites his cheeks, finding the correct way to say something insane. "It's just that, I got a decent amount of those decades ago. And those other scars were ones I got with the soulmate bond as a kid. But, you shouldn't have them if you're only about twenty."

Her brows come together. She looks confused, unsettled, and he wouldn't be mad if she thought he had gone off his rocker. "Vash that's, what would I be?"

He isn't sure. He's not aware of many humanoid species out there. The only other option is one that he hadn't considered he'd meet another of. Something he thought there were only two of including himself. "Um, I know it's weird, but well, it's possible." Hes stumbling on each word.

She puts her hands out, head shaking as she denies him. "No, I know that I'm human. Obviously that's the case. I am. I'm human." As she rambles, he sees her breathing a little heavier, her eyes taking on something far off and away. She's not truly looking at anything he can see anymore.

He feels something, some energy around them both, coming from her. He realizes why it seems familiar just as she shudders. "Gill, you aren't human." His eyes widen.

She trembles and her eyes hold that distant expression. Rolling waves of confusion come off of her, they resonate with the distinctly inhuman part of him. Plants have a distinct ability to communicate between each other without words. "I'm not." She whispers. She gasps, tripping forward and barely catching herself.

His hands reach for her but stop before grabbing her. Glowing lines, beautifully blue, curl along her body in geometric patterns. The patterns of a plant. But those lights flicker and the panic and confusion coming from her almost causes him to stumble backwards. 

"Hey hey ! It's alright ! Hey, come on and look at me." He tries reaching her, but she looks terrified. Her eyes darting around, seeing stuff he can't. He's not sure what she's experiencing but realizing she isn't human has definitely triggered something in her memories.

She steps away from him, hands twisting into her hair. "I can't. What is this, where, when, what am I? Not, no, no I'm a plant. Of course. I, did I just forget? The garden. No, not our garden. Our garden?" Nothing she says exactly makes sense.

With each word she looks more confused. Her panic continues growing as the markings flicker wildly. And Vash's panic increases too. He can barely stand the resonating feeling. He can sense her deteriorating, and the intense worry that unless he does something her spiral is simply going to drag her further in makes him shiver.

Not knowing what he's doing, he surges towards her. He grabs her face, cupping it with both of his hands, and presses their foreheads together. The first instinct he gathers is what he has done to many plants who are in trouble. Though where he'd usually ask for the connection, he forces this. The incredible weight of her confusion buckles his own knees, but he stays firm and presses onward. "Forgive me. I promise to help you. You're safe." His hands have threaded with her's, held aloft beside them.

Her breathing becomes even. Slowly, her markings fade. On a sigh quiet as a whisper, she slumps to the ground and he quickly has to move and catch her. Holding her, soundly unconscious now, he pushes the hair out of her face as he checks on her. Asleep, but uninjured. He can't feel any confusion from her now. Vash sighs, now allowing himself to catch his breath. He hugs her, tight, restraining himself only to avoid bruising her.

He's going to keep his word. He told her she's safe, and as shaky as his body is, knowing she's a plant can't change his feelings for her. His own confusion swirls in his mind, but determination chases after. He's going to figure this out with her, whatever made her forget and fall apart as she had he's going to stop. He won't let her stay confused. As her soulmate, he owes it to her. He can sort his questions later, right now, he just wants to hold her forever.

[feminurge]

gods this might require a longer explanation but i do want to say this: i do not necessarily see the bhaalspawns as siblings. there are two reasons for that: first being my headcanons concerning orin (that i play @violenthunt) and second being my interpretation of the bhaal cult and bhaal himself. more will be said under the read more.

however, i am absolutely willing to tweak my canon depending on your interpretation (if you also play a durge) because i don't want to make anyone uncomfortable!

ORIN.

this is the wrong blog for this but it does make sense to include it here. the whole idea of bhaalspawns as siblings is reinforced by orin's tendency to call them slaughterkin, bloodkin and other fun nicknames. orin doing that makes sense in terms of them being a changeling. she does not truly have a race or a community to default back to. all they have is the cult + the bhaalspawns that somehow share that divine part with her. i like the idea of changelings not having a true form, their features being mostly faded and lacking details. so truly all orin has that resemble a family... are the bhaalists and more specifically the bhaalspawns, who share that part of divinity and that desire for bloodshed. it does fit with orin's desperate desire to be valued by bhaal, to be seen. she has no face, no origin (she killed her own mother, only because she wanted to murder her on order of her incestuous father), all she has is bhaal, and those he chose. those, like her, that he deemed valuable.

and that's without taking into account orin's actual parents. orin's birth is proof that bhaalspawns are not literally children of bhaal, and are instead children who received bhaal's attention through some act or situation. because while sarevok isn't above incest, it would make no sense for orin to call bhaal father when. logistically speaking he is her grandfather. that participates in my idea that bhaalspawns aren't fathered they are selected.

BHAAL & HIS CULT.

bhaalspawns aren't as much made as they are claimed. we all know volo's propensity to lie but i do like his explanation of it, being "it is said the children of bhaal are claimed throughout their sleep, ever-disturbed by visions of a life of bloodshed and terror." i completely reject the idea that bhaal took a living form and went around to fuck, zeus-style. if anything, it completely goes against what he represents as a god. bhaal is death, and violence, and annihilation. he is quite literally the act of making nothing, of taking what is to destroy it, of inflicting pain and drawing blood. i like the idea of him choosing random children either for political reasons or simply because he foresaw a future that he wanted to erase or feed, depending on what made sense for his own plans. that makes it all the more terrifying : you do not know how the god of murder chooses his children, only that he does, and that once he has set his plan in motion, there is so little you can do to escape it.

also that would make the durge 'unspecial', in some ways, for the durge is made directly from the body of bhaal. it wasn't born. and while there are a thousand ways to interpret it, i do prefer the idea of bhaalspawns being children inflicted with dreams and visions from such a young age it seems they were born evil, rather than children fathered by a god who somehow manage to escape their own nature. the part of bhaal that is in them is simply these visions, these urges. it is godly it is terrifying but it is also something you can fight against and escape (if you are strong enough) because it is only nurture. the durge can't escape it just as easily because they were made for a specific reason, and it takes heroic levels of strength to escape your fate. (the fun fact about ishtar is that she rarely gets to escape fate, for she has none. she is a witness. even in bg3 : amnesia makes her a witness to a fate that was set in motions days, weeks, months before. all she can do is play the game and hope the dice lands. she knows there is no game. she knows the gods are laughing at their little hopes and dreams.)

philosophically speaking i don't like the idea that evil could be something you're born with, rather than something taught. especially in a roleplaying (dnd-rp i mean) setting. and especially in comparison with dhufeainnewedd's character : while there are universes where she is somewhat good. & there are others where she is somewhat evil. (it all depends on who helped her and who raised her and who wronged her) .... in every verse she is "born" evil, she is born cursed, she is meant to be the thing that destroys the universe. sometimes she gets to fight it, something she does not. the point is that she is "special" because her nature is so, so explicit in what she is meant to be. and that is the tragic aspect of her character. she is special because no matter what she does, she cannot escape what she is. even when she does not want it to be who she is.

in bg3, that is also what makes her special as the durge. she was made from bhaal himself. she was Born to be evil and terrible and the cataclysm that would destroy it all. while all seemed confident she could fight it, because bhaalspawns usually can (nurture, not nature. they are plagued with visions but they can fight through), istar did not get that chance. because she is made from rotten wood. because every step she has taken has been imbued with bhaal's rancid breath. because the moment she had the opportunity to fight it, bhaal called her home.

[lowkeyclueless5137]

There’s a kung fu panda AU with the shroud bros as stars? SIGN ME UP! WHERE IS IT! >:D

On a discord server, buried with the rest of the Au iceberg that I have.

Kung-fu panda was like... One of my favorite childhood movie series. Like I never got to see the 2nd movie, but I saw the first and on TV there was the legends of awesomeness show, which was, luckily, after school. When I tell you me and my siblings LOVED that shit... Like we were hooked on it.

Unfortunately, the only merch I do have is a Po plush that was part of a campaign at the mall shop. It's chonky and a good pillow tbh

A bit of a fair warning: it is LONG af.

Now y'all know where we are going, so I believe I need no introduction on this:

We have a pretty comune setting to the og movie. Except that in here, in the village, the restaurant is owned by Mrs Ashengrotto, a widow, with her son, Azul as the sole heir and one hard-working lad. He was engaged to Idia, as an arrangement in between them, arrangement which both families were more than excited about. (I mean... One is a great cook with a successful restaurant and one is a blacksmith who can fix anything he comes across)

The Shrouds on the other hand, were blacksmiths. Idia was one mad lad, always up to try and invent something. Meanwhile, his little brother, Ortho, was more of a happy-go-lucky kid, just like the other kids, absolutely thrilled over the furious 5 and their epic adventures in protecting their lands. It didn't help that excitement when the temple they would train was right on the top of the mountain, under which their village was located.

In here, what made the furious 5 so great was the power to turn into different animals. Each one had a corresponding animal, whom represented their fighting style as well.

Idia didn't seem that hyped with all that bazzazz, but he did creak a smile when his little brother would excitedly speak about the new stories he heard from the other kids.

And as such, when the big ceremony of choosing a legendary warrior, everyone is excited and going to see the demonstrations of the furious 5.

Idia, of course, is late to the whole thing because he is helping his fiancé with the food. They didn't have to be late at all since Mrs Ashengrotto was counting on them.

But there were A. LOT. OF. STAIRS.

And we all know these 2's track record. :'3

So Idia comes up with a plan to use fireworks. Azul tells him that it's a horrible idea. Like sure, they have to be fast, but not actually blow up.

And ya know what? It does turns out to be a bad idea. Who would've guessed?!

The thing ends up with both Azul and Idia not only being fucking late to the introduction and the whole demonstrations, but they end up literally toppling down in the middle of the arena, right when the great old master Maleficia was choosing the next legendary warrior.

Of course, Idia opens his eyes to see a finger pointed straight at his nose and people just gasping. It was thought this was a mistake, Azul and Idia both were dying with embarrassment, but Maleficia insists that this was the legendary warrior. That Idia, this noodle arms mf who never touched grass in ages, was the chosen one.

Of course, this starts a whole controversy. Especially since Idia himself wanted nothing to do with this.

As such, Idia gets dragged to the temple, where he gets confronted by master Lilia, who was absolutely disappointed that out of the finest 5 warriors he could train, this stick guy that couldn't even defeat a mosquito, was chosen. There had to be an error. And Idia wholeheartedly agreed that it was an error. That he could never be a great warrior. He was just a blacksmith's son who wants to invent a few things and live cozily in his village without much care. Just a quiet cozy life, please and thank you. :'3

Of course, the furious 5(who now all were annoyed) discussed in between them. Kalim brings out that maybe Idia could bring something new, something they would need or haven't thought about. Leona is salty af, since out of the 5, he and Malleus were the best with 0 doubts. In between these 2 it was the true competition. Riddle brings it up how they maybe should've trained harder, but Vil interjects and says that there is no way, no matter how hard they tried. Malefica saw something on that lazyass guy and decided that he would be a warrior.

Their goal is to convince Idia to get his ass to train. Maybe then they would see what Maleficia saw in him.

Back to Idia, man just wanted to leave. Just say that it was a mistake and let him leave like this. But Maleficia was 100% set onto her choice, much to everyone's cargain.

So they put Idia to trial. It was the training room and Idia had to pass from one side to another. For at least an example, Kalim was demonstrating, since he was the most acrobatic from all of them.

Imagine Idia just losing his soul when he sees what stunts Kalim pulls. And he makes it look just so effortlessly that Idia is racking his brain to find out how much stamina does this guy even have.

Of course, Idia, like any sane mf who had no ounce of training, doesn't want to go.

Leona yeets him in there anyway.

And it's just the biggest flop of the year. Everyone looking was just absolutely dying on the inside as Idia was trying really hard to not actually die in there. Man bearly makes it through by sheer desperation.

To try and make him feel better, Vil introduces him to the training dummy, which is mostly a thing little kids could defeat too.

Idia fails at that as well.

Still, Lilia was absolutely racking his brain to see how he could help this case. It was very important that Idia would either train to be a good warrior or prove that he is so BAD, Maleficia will choose someone else by default. One of the 2 had to be fulfilled in the end.

Of course, Lilia tried everything. Absolutely everything. Nothing worked. Idia was simply not wanting to learn. He wanted only home and at this point he was actively trying to survive, not Excell at anything. Just leave the guy alone please. :'3

Malleus does express his worry, that mayhaps his grandma was too old. She was ready to pass away anytime now. Maybe the age got to her. Malleus really didn't want to lose or disrespect his grandma, but he had to face the reality at one point. Lilia gives him a point, but he retorts that Maleficia never let anything such as old age from keeping her mind calm and ordered. Malleus should leave his worries aside and try to accept the new. They all really try to.

Of course, one night, Idia is absolutely done and over with the bland ass food the rest were eating. Like he was used to Azul's great ass cooking, so naturally, Idia knew a few of the easy to do recipes. Some that won't take long to do.

Malleus catches whim of the smell and is absolutely sure that it wasn't by any means Lilia in that kitchen. Curious, he finds Idia there, with a bowl of something he did.

Of course, being one shamels and hungry Boi, Malleus reaches out to the said food, to just take a bite, but Idia slaps it away, saying that he did it for himself and himself only. He misses his home and is denied of going back until this fuckery is solved, at least let him have this.

Malleus, being still hungry, still wants some. He insists that he skipped lunch, much like Idia did, so he wants something to eat too. Idia tho, keeps to his compass that Malleus shall get none of the food made by him.

At this, Malleus gets petty too, saying that he could take it by force if he wanted, but right now he's playing nice. Idia takes it as a fucking challenge, so he takes some bowls and plays a game of guess the cup with Malleus. Of course, hi first 2 guesses out of the 3 were wrong. So Idia leaves the kitchen as Malleus is ready to enjoy his prize.

But under the 3rd bowl it was nothing.

See, Idia pulled a trick, by having a 4th bowl hidden underneath, swapping those and leaving with the 4th bowl while Malleus was way too distracted with the guessing game.

Of course, Malleus was fucking salty about this. Also so embarrassed that he didn't utter any word when Riddle, who was passing by, asked him why he was refusing to eat from a bowl something that clearly was meant for bowl. :'3

The next day, Malleus demands to know where Idia hid the food. The response was, of course, in his stomach. He was absolutely teasing Malleus about it in front of the other furious 5, just to add salt to the wound. The others were absolutely finding this hilarious since 'how come the great Malleus Draconia is defeated by noodle arms?!'. Malleus defends by saying that he was outsmarted, not in a fight, but in a mind game. The others think that it's bullshit, but Malleus insists that Idia shouldn't be ever let to try and defend his food via mind games.

Today tho, it's also the day Sebek, a worker at the temple, announces that they would have dumplings for dinner. Idia recognises them as the dumplings Azul's mom makes and immediately demands to have at least one.

Good news, for the group, as a treat, there were given 7 dumplings. Bad news, they were 6 and all wanted an extra dumpling. Either for the sake of a reward or, in Idia's case, for the sake of that homey feeling.

Of course, Idia grabs the last dumpling first, so the others, who also wanted, are challenged to the same game that put Malleus to the wall of shame. Malleus is absolutely pumped up, wanting to clean up his name after the shameful defeat.

So Idia takes this time 5 bowls, saying that there can be only 1 winner, so each will choose one individual bowl. He shuffles them and everyone is watching those things like hawks. Idia finishes the shuffling and presents to the 5 the bowls.

Leona tho, decides to check for any tricks, so he rounds the table. He finds out Idia was staying on one leg, with the other holding a bowl that hid something. He points it out, thinking he wins the dumpling.

But it was the extra bowl, the one Idia ate from. He holded it off the table to have a clean game.

Still not happy with it, the group decide to put Idia in the middle of the table as they drag towards them the bowls. They were all around the table, so they would see if Idia tries anything funny.

So they start in order. First is Vil, who isn't a winner. Then Riddle, Leona and Kalim are also met with nothing. Malleus seems excited, since finally he would win. So the others have all the eyes on him.

Nothing under his bowl as well.

Being absolutely dumbfounded and enraged, all 5 look at Idia, only to realise that Idia himself was eating the 6th dumpling without a care in the world. He does notice the stares and asks if they only now caught onto the gig, since Ortho always knew about it.

Before he leaves, Idia adds that his little brother is currently 6.

Even a 6 years old could figure this out and not 5 highly trained warriors. Oh the shame. The absolute shame was unbearable.

Lilia does pass by and asks if by chance, they have an extra dumpling, which, of course, has everyone groaning and collectively saying that no. Idia was already gone to his assigned room by then, so of course, the 5 were trying to figure out how the trick was performed. They saw Idia placing the dumpling under a bowl and they saw the bowls shuffling on the table. They caught only an empty bowl as a 'trick', but still! What kind of witchcraft was this even?!

Lilia finds it curious. He saw only the Aftermath and knew that Idia did something to fool everyone and get that extra dumpling. But what? Maybe that was the spark from the potential Maleficia saw.

Later, Kalim is the one on washing duty, so he was a bit late to go to bed. That's also when he spots Idia outside. Curious, Kalim follows him, trying to find out what Idia is up to. He expected the firehead to be beat from all the training.

Surprisingly, Kalim finds it hard to keep pace with Idia, who was headed to the roof of the temple.

That's also when Kalim sees Idia poofing into a bird made out the same blue flames as his hair, gently flapping it's wings and gliding off from the mountain, straight to the village.

Kalim, of course, follows as a small monkey, realising that Idia was actually going to his home.

He was visiting his family, mostly to check on them.

Of course, Kalim's cover is blown up when he is noticed by Ortho, much to Idia's horror. Idia was absolutely scared since Kalim caught him in the act. Of course, Kalim was a very kind and happy guy, not once badmouthing Idia, but saying that it is a bit difficult to adapt.

Idia also sneaks in to see Azul, Kalim also meeting Azul. Still being salty about the dumpling incident, Kalim brings up that woe to Azul, who was the one who actually made those when Sebek bought them from his errands around. Azul just reassures that it's one of the silly tricks Idia does. Don't think it too much as the answer is very simple. This actually makes Kalim more embarrassed since they overthought everything and still found nothing.

But, after that, Idia and Kalim go back, Idia begging to not say a thing. He kept visiting at night from time to time, mostly because he couldn't handle all this strangeness and how everything felt so hostile.

Kalim tho, asks if Idia could always turn into a bird. Idia responds that he could always do it. It wasn't very hard for him, but it was something only his close ones knew about. He asks Kalim to tell no one about it. Anyway he wasn't any warrior material and he would be out as quick as possible.

Kalim wanted to say something else, but only tells Idia that maybe he should try to put as much effort in his training as he does in his tricks. Idia just says that they are childish tricks. He doesn't put effort in them, unlike in the trainings where he does put a lot effort. That's why he doesn't like it. He tries and tries but gets no results.

So Kalim starts to think. How come Idia was so fast and agile, but also a total flop at training? What was the secret?

Well, meanwhile, Mrs Maleficia passes away, while giving advice to her grandson. So Malleus was very down about this.

So of course, everyone was a bit down. To at least cheer up, Kalim turns to Idia and asks to figure out that bowl trick. Idia, of course doesn't really want to reveal his trick, since it was his only advantage against the others. Then again, Idia had the fear that Kalim might blackmail him.

So he just shows the same trick a few times, Kalim still not being able to figure it out. Idia was getting impatient and Kalim was still without any idea of the execution.

That's when Riddle catches them in the act. He asks what are they trying to do, so Idia shows to Riddle the trick as well. They still can't figure it out and as such Idia wants to give up, since it was obvious.

Disappointed they didn't figure it out, the 2 go to sleep and think about it.

Malleus tho, who happened to pass by, asks how Idia manages to mask the sound of the chopsticks. Idia was on dishwashing duty, so he does catch up that Malleus figured out his gig, so he points to the ceiling cracks due to the wood planks. It's all about the aim. And Idia proves it by throwing the chopstick in the ceiling, getting straight in a crack and making only a small creak. Malleus says that it is impressive and gets the other chopstick to stick it next to Idia's.

The 2 bond a bit over sticking chopsticks to the ceiling. :'3

But, after the death of Maleficia, we get the news of Crewel, a past protige of Lilia's that turned to the evil side. As he was trained and praised, thinking he would be the legendary warrior, but instead he wasn't chosen.

Of course, the furious 5 demand to go and challenge Crewel, but Lilia insists that it is too dangerous. But what they could do? Idia was still being absolutely useless, having no progress in training.

Even so, the 5 decide to still go and at least try.

So left with Idia, Lilia doesn't know what to do with him. Nothing really worked. Idia wasn't making any progress at all.

And Lilia, rightfully, felt absolutely at his lowest. Idia also didn't want to do this, not being reassured the slightest by his poor skills in this.

So he consults with Silver. Now Silver had one leg missing, so the best he could do was to tend to the gardens. Lilia does ask Silver, as Silver was his previous protige.

And Silver says that Maleficia didn't see any legendary warrior spark in him either, but Lilia still managed to find a way to train him. Even after he got his leg ripped off by Crewel and Sebek was blinded in his right eye and his right hand was missing too, Lilia didn't try to give up on neither of them. Silver gave up on his training, as he knew Lilia had to focus on the 5 protiges. And Sebek's goal was only to guard the temple and the warriors that are training in here. Lilia wanted them to be legendary warriors, he got so innovative in trying to prove this that one actually thought there was a chance.

But that chance wasn't there. And now, Idia is given to him as the chosen legendary warrior. Silver saw Idia and he knows that there is that talent. Lilia just has to do what he did to him and Sebek's training: seeing through their eyes. Trying to understand how they think and what they truly want.

Lilia ends up praising Silver, mostly because of how calm and composed he was in times where people like Lilia were losing their mind.

So Lilia tries to see how Idia does. How he thinks and reacts to things. He only found out that Idia loves the food made by Azul and that he is knowledgeable in different tricks, mostly used to confuse the others and get him an extra piece at dinner.

So Lilia sets up a little thing. He tells Idia that Sebek got some of those sweet desserts from the village restaurant and he doesn't know where they are hid. He also plays it as being just Sebek not wanting to share since usually the others always haul the food.

Lilia immediately finds Idia doing a perfect split in between 2 cabinets, looking above them and trying to find those desserts. Of course, when being caught in the act, he immediately drops down and crashes on the floor.

Lilia slowly comes to the realisation that Idia's problem was not his skill, but the fact that people were looking. He was always awkward, unless he performed a trick he knows so well he is aware he can't possibly mess it up.

So he tries a new way to train Idia. Train him without being actually there. Of course, it sounded outrageous, but Lilia had a plan.

He blindfolds Idia. So he tells him to do tasks alone in the room until he comes back.

Thing was, Lilia never left the room. He was there all the time, watching how Idia performed. Unlike before, his approach was far more calculated, far more calm and clean.

Slowly, Lilia tries to 'catch' Idia in more opportune positions, where he cannot fall off that easy. He wants to have Idia slowly lose that sudden 'drop everything and overthink' reflex, by giving the illusion that he isn't there, that he's just giving him a task and lets him do whatever to just get the result wanted.

Meanwhile, the 5 return. Unfortunately, the first one who finds them was Azul, who deems that all 5 are in no condition to even continue and try to climb all those stairs. He takes them in for at least a bit until they get a bit more energy and treat their wounds. Vil was absolutely frozen, Kalim had his head bashed on rock and as such it was all wounded and he was dizzy. Leona and Riddle both got strangled by bridge strings and Malleus was almost killed. It was a miracle they were alive by what Azul concludes.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a miracle, it was a warning from Crewel to Lilia and everyone.

So Azul writes a letter and takes Ortho to send it to the temple as fast as possible. Riddle and Kalim are the fastest ones who recover and they are asked to take Vil along Leona to the temple. Malleus still could bearly walk and as such, he needed a bit more time to either recover or for Azul to decide to finally carry his ass to the temple too.

For Idia, the training was going well when Ortho arrives. Surprisingly, Idia himself seems not fazed, even adapting to the situation when he rushes to Ortho to see why he was here. Lilia also comes when Ortho says that Azul gave him an urgent letter to deliver, regarding the furious 5.

That's when Lilia allows Idia to get the blindfold off so he could read the letter. It is revealed that Azul penned the report from the 5 and added how 4 of them are coming to the temple since they are recovering faster than Malleus.

Of course, Lilia gets worried when the others come in and he has to unfreeze Vil. They said the same things as in the letter, that Crewel was coming.

So finally deeming that Idia was ready and with the situation at hand, Lilia is giving to him the legendary scroll that holds the said secret only the legendary warrior shall know.

Idia says that it's literally empty. Literally that whole scene with the scroll but it's Idia and Lilia instead.

So with this, there is the problem of what to do? They had little time and their priority was the innocents first and foremost.

So Lilia gives the order to evacuate the village. He would stay behind to keep Crewel from trying to track them. The others try to convince Lilia to at least have the 5 to help, but Lilia says that they are were wounded beyond any possibility of fighting at the moment.

So the order is given and everyone is leaving the village.

Ortho asks why they are leaving, Idia saying that it's something they cannot stop, something that threatens their lives and the risk was too big to be ignored. Idia tries to reassure that it's alright and that they would all be safe and happy in the end.

But of course, Ortho was bummed about it. When asked about why, he says that Idia never backed down. When there was a challenge for him, Idia would try and try whether it was a success or not. And many times it turned out to be a failure, but Idia still didn't give up. That was the thing that made Idia... Well Idia... So to see his big brother running away, it was a bit disappointing. No.... Scrap that... Very disappointing. Ortho says that it is like Idia completely forgot what was inside of him.

Idia tho, has a realisation moment. So he drops everything and tells Azul that he has to go back, because he finally figured it out. Azul, already having himself busy with the wounded Malleus, couldn't stop Idia at all before he ran off back to the temple.

Ortho tho, notices that Idia forgot something: the scroll. So he asks Malleus if he knows what it was. Malleus responds that it's the thing Crewel is after, the scroll that could only be read by the legendary warrior. He guesses Idia already read it or at least was given to keep safe by Lilia, even so, it was a very important object. Azul gets a bit worried, since if Crewel is after this, then surely he won't stay too much at the temple.

At the temple tho, Crewel arrives and challenges Lilia for the scroll in question. Of course they fight, but their fight gets put off when it's realised that the scroll wasn't anymore in the temple.

And Idia arrives! He was absolutely beat from all that running, but ya know, gotta commit to it. Crewel inquires to know who this noodle arms is, to which Idia declares that he is the one who hid the scroll away from Crewel. He states that it was too late, as Crewel will never find it.

Of course... This results in Idia getting yeeted off the mountain. Thankfully, he turns into his usual bird self to avoid getting smashed into a roof.

Cue very epic fight. Crewel wanted to know where the scroll was, but Idia was not telling a soul. If he tries to end him, he'd never find out, so it was a condition to also keep Idia alive.

Except that all goes to vain when Idia realises that Ortho returned, with the scroll he forgot. Idia intended to hide it on his person, but now everything was blown up. Crewel, of course, sees the younger brother and is absolutely ready to tear everything into shreds just to get that damn scroll.

But that also seems to hit some buttons for Idia, as this time he immediately puts the man down and takes Ortho to put some distance in between them. Of course, Idia is worried sick for his brother and takes the scroll from him, telling Ortho to hide. He couldn't run back, since Crewel would most likely follow and try to use him as a pawn, which would lead to the other villagers. As such, Ortho is told to hide until Idia tells him it's safe to come out.

So now Idia has the scroll with him, initiating another epic fight.

Of course Crewel finally gets an upper hand, putting Idia to the ground. Except that, to the horror of Ortho, who was watching from his hiding spot, Idia admits defeat and turns into ashes, which are blown away by the wind. Of course, being absolutely devastated, Ortho gets out of his hiding spot, crying that his brother was killed. Crewel, of course, pays little mind as he opens the scroll.

But is meant with an empty shiny paper.

That's when Idia, fully alive and with no scratch, puts his hand on Crewel's shoulder, telling him that it took him a while to figure it out as well, but it wasn't about an invincible technique or some sort of hidden magical power. It was absolutely nothing, because one didn't need anything but themselves and their will to become a legendary warrior. Well... Whatever that legendary meant, was up to everyone's interpretation in Idia's vision.

But for him, at least, legendary meant that he gets to make his brother proud of him.

So finally, Idia uses on Crewel the same technique of freezing one's body. Initially, Crewel attempted to do it on Idia, but he was way too slippery. Didn't mean he didn't get to see the technique up close, enough so he could attempt to copy it.

In the end, Idia is worrying over his little brother, while Ortho laughs it off and tells Idia that he was amazing and that this is why he was chosen in the first place. Ortho never doubted his brother in the first place. But if Idia still has a few doubts still, Ortho would spell it out for him.

He was very proud of his big brother. Weather he was a legendary warrior or not.

Idia does ask of Ortho to keep, like usual, the fact that he could turn already into an animal a secret, bit they are interrupted by Kalim, who apparently rushed here to retrieve the 2 when he was told Idia ran off and Ortho after him.

Kalim tho, still tells Idia that maybe he should show it to the others, but Idia insists that no one shall know for now. Even so, Kalim is asked to go with Ortho and tell the others about the defeat of Crewel while he goes to the temple to check on Lilia.

When everyone returns with cheers and everything, Idia is found napping next to Lilia.

And that would be the prologue :3

[thecomfortable]

A while ago I posted an AU of teenage mutant ninja turtles. It's been a while and the idea has gone through MANY changes.

Let's blast through it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Half-Shell

Basic Story

In the beginning Splinter, Hamato Yoshi, and Shredder, Oroku Saki, were like brothers (similar to 2012). The difference is that Splinter was framed for the death of the previous Clan leader and had to flee from Japan to New York, where he worked as a self-defense teacher.

One day, whilst out buying pet turtles for his self-defense class, he stumbled across an ongoing confrontation in the underground subway. Going against his better judgement Hamato tried to deescalate the situation only to be hit by a glowing canister. It broke on impact and he, and the little turtles, mutated.

They were trained to be ninjas like their father. However, as most of them end up saying: Splinter was more of a Ninja Master than an actual father-figure.

Leonardo was trained to be the leader, Splinter's favourite student. This unfortunately meant he was isolated from his brothers on the basis of 'being a leader, not a brother.' Due to this, Leo has a hard time connecting with his brothers. He's trying his best, but it'll take a while. LORE CHANGE: In a rebellious act, Leo tries to understand and support each of his brothers because he is awesome and I said so.

Raphael was trained to be the Tank, but no matter how hard he tried, Splinter always compared him to not only Leo, but Shredder. His anger and brutal fighting style reminded Splinter of his former friend and instead of showing Raph the right path, he treated him as if he could never change.

Mike was trained to be the Scout, the fastest member on the team. Unfortunately this ball of energy has a terrible attention span which was something Splinter never had to deal with. In the end, he was babied like nothing else, represented as "slow" and "stupid" by his own father, but that was never said directly to his face of course.

Donnie was trained to be the tactician, the planner, the smart guy. So why did he get the boot from Splinter? Why he was neurodivergent of course. He was incapable of seeing sarcasm, he was overly blunt and couldn't understand why certain things made his siblings upset. His brothers never blamed him for it, but Splinter did and just like Raph, he was ostracised.

15 years after they were first mutated, a 45 year old scientist named April O'Neil ran into these mutant turtles while trying to capture some runaway Mousers. She worked as an assistant for the famous "Baxter Stockman" (as she was depicted in the very first issue of tmnt). Instead of being shocked by their appearance, she offered to help them find answers surrounding how they came to be.

When they returned to the sewers they realised something was wrong. Their home was wrecked completely and Splinter was long gone. Shredder had followed April into the sewers after some tip off's from multiple sources and had taken out Splinter while the turtles were gone. Now they need to stop Shredder from doing anymore harm to the city and find out more about this mutagen while they're at it.

This is where I will leave it for now.

A few small details

Leonardo (he/him)

Main Facts:

Nicknames: Leo, Blue (Karai), Chief, Boss, Fearless (Rare)

Strengths: Agility and Flexibility.

Species: Soft shell turtle

Role: Leader

Age: 15

Nationality: American

Ethnicity (Human DNA): Japanese

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Second shortest member

Oldest member

Double-jointed in multiple places

A history buff. He knows everything there is to know about the Roman Empire and will go on for hours about it

Likes dogs, likes hugging Casey's whenever they visit

Has bad insomnia

Legitmately watches animes for the plot

Enjoys Mike's company, makes him feel happy but also guilty, feeling as though he doesn't deserve this treatment

Opens up to Raph, both through arguments and casual conversation.

Argues with Donnie a lot over tactics and plans although he gives up after a while (tho they are very close for some reason)

Cannot watch historically inaccurate movies, he will get very frustrated

Literature buff and he has read ALL of War and Peace. No I'm not joking.

Spent ages learning about electrical engineering so Donnie had someone to talk to

Can sing

Listens to Depeche Mode and The Cure

Good at defusing tense situations

Mike (he/they)

Main facts:

Nicknames: Mike, Mickey D (Donnie), Mikey (Renette)

Strengths: Speed and Aim.

Species: Spotted turtle

Role: Scout

Age: 15

Nationality: American

Ethnicity (Human DNA): Japanese

Sexuality: Pansexual

Shortest member

Youngest member

Has ADHD

Really good at drawing

Sees Leo as an idol

Isn't actually dumb, has got an average intelligence but a short attention span

Knows more first aid and health science than even Donnie

Has yellow spots all over his body and shell (species physical traits)

Can speak German for some reason

Gets along well with everyone

Makes the most sex jokes out of all his brothers

Scared of bears because of a nature documentary he watched when he was four

Read 'Dipper goes to Tacobell' by accident

Good at dancing

Donatello (he/him)

Main facts:

Nicknames: Don, Donnie, The Don (Rare), D, Nerd (Raph, Casey)

Strengths: Defence and Tactics.

Species: Tortoise

Role: Tactician, Defence

Age: 15

Nationality: American

Ethnicity (Human DNA): Japanese

Sexuality: Homosexual

Second tallest member

Second youngest member

Enjoys watching April work

On the Autism spectrum (not too severe, but enough to make an impact on his demeanour).

Doesn't like being touched

Doesn't laugh much, sounds like a kettle when he does

Likes French language, can't speak it

Says he likes clever humour but still laughs at dick jokes

Uses scientific terminology

Has a fear of seeing his own blood, makes him feel sick

Gets along well with Raph and Mike

Tends to argue a lot with Leo (tho they are very close for some reason)

Finds it hard to adapt to scenarios that differ from his initial plans

Rarely opens up to anyone

Read the encyclopaedia for fun on multiple occasions

Terrible at gauging other people's emotions

Ends up liking Casey but knows nothing will happen

Can completely ruin someone's social life in a matter of seconds.

Is most likely to take a life for the sake of a mission

Raphael (he/they)

Main facts:

Nicknames: Raph, Red, Tank (Rare), Scar (Casey)

Strengths: Offence and Brute force.

Species: Snapping turtle

Role: Tank, Main offence

Age: 15

Nationality: American

Ethnicity (Human DNA): Japanese

Sexuality: Pansexual, Asexual

Tallest member

Second oldest member

Likes romcoms

Has a scar on the right side of his face. He burnt himself while messing around with the oven.

Has a fear of fire

Gets along well with all his brothers

Opens up to Leo more than with the others, usually through an arguement

Skilled in the art of passive aggressive insults

Can cook

Has a very prominent beak that can break bones if he bites down

Will grow to be a lot taller than everyone else (around the same height as spike)

Was the first member to kill someone

Likes Mona but won't admit it

Had a bad romantic experience with a human girl (who betrayed him the minute she found he was a mutant) and now dislikes humans.

Is surprisingly more understanding than his brothers

Likes Madonna

April O'Neil (she/her)

Main facts:

Nicknames: Neil, Red, Ginger

Strengths: Tactics, Analysis, First Aid

Role: Science guy, place to crash at, back-up

Age: 45

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: Scottish, Danish

Sexuality: Aroace

Her ancestry is Scottish and Danish but everyone calls her ginger

Straightens her hair for work and when she doesn't she ends up looking like Merida from Brave.

She is essentially the turtle's big sister

She's Casey's neighbour and acts as his stand in parental figure while his parents are over in England

She has very good aim with guns and other long range weapons, but is absolutely shit at physical combat.

Plays online multiplayer games, her tag is "sexlord420"

Her best friends are Irma and Edward

Can speak French and Spanish

Nearly got married before meeting the turtles, things ended up going really badly for both parties and they went their separate ways.

She has difficulty forming romantic connections. She realised she had become aromantic from her past relationship shortly after it had ended.

Likes Gin and Tonic

Scared of the ocean

Is in a Nerd group with Irma, Edward, Dr Rockwell and Baxter.

Went to Oxford with the same nerd group.

Is a major in Biology.

Casey Jones (he/him)

Main facts:

Nicknames: Case, CJ, Jock (Donnie), Jones

Strengths: Offence, agility and Brute Force

Role: 2nd - more violent - Tank, Back-up

Age: 16

Nationality: Mexican

Ethnicity: Hispanic, African American

Sexuality: Bisexual

He goes to juvenile detention on a regular basis

Can speak French and Spanish

He's the dumb friend who still doesn't know his times tables

He has stubble and gets away with sneaking into bars

Doesn't have a licence but still drives

Plays Hockey

Dresses like terminator

Parents left him to pay for everything and barely check in to see how he's doing

Is actually really good at math

Scared of heights

Like Donnie, he has and will take a life for the sake of a mission

Karai Osaki (she/they)

Main facts:

Nicknames: Spice (Leo)

Strengths: Stealth, Offence

Role: Spy (turtles), Main Tank (Shredder), 3rd Tank (turtles)

Age: 16

Nationality: Japanese

Ethnicity: Japanese

Sexuality: Unsure

She was forced to take on the role of Shredder's son, even though she was biologically born a girl

They hate him for that

Gets embarrassed when she's complemented on her appearance.

About as intimidating as their father

Knows multiple sign languages

She doesn't talk when in front of other clans

Can easily beat the shit out of the turtles

Got one hell of a death stare

Enjoys classical music

Has never played videogames before

Scared of their father

Will only let Leo refer to her as a woman

Other facts

The turtles can speak fluent Japanese

Shredder is completely apathetic to everything and everyone, he's basically a sociopath who never went to therapy

Shinigami is Shredder's 2nd in command

Bebop and Rocksteady aren't dumb, just oblivious

Rocksteady is German

Baxter Stockman is Sri Lankan and was an engineering student

Stockman is not so much evil, more obsessed with mutagen and what he can do with it

He redeems himself eventually, after April convinces him to give it up.

Irma and Edward are married and April was the maid of honour.

Irma was an art major, Edward was a chemistry major and Dr Rockwell was a Psychological major.

Irma is also Casey's Art teacher and is probably the only teacher he likes.

Both April and Edward work for Baxter

Leo has a rivalry with Alopex (They are besties your honour)

Both Mike and Raph have gamed with their favourite online friend "sexlord420"

They freaked out when April told them she was "sexlord420"

Karai and Leo end up together. It only works because Karai had been so heavily damaged by Shinigami and Shredder that Leo's caring personality is a loving, saving grace that helps her overlook the fact that they are completely different species

The turtles have accepted the fact that they can't beat Shredder, hence Leo saying the phrase "we don't care about winning, all we care about is protecting this city"

The turtles swear and make sex jokes because they're hormonal teenage boys

Donnie forced his brothers to watch Rupauls Drag Race and now they reference almost daily.

Leo and Mike like singing Vocaloid songs though only Mike will admit it.

The turtles aren't common box turtles like in the other shows, since Splinter went to a back alley petshop he ended up getting completely different types

Concept art and stuff

[hellokittysasuke]

all the mystery and terms that are just dropped around and youre waiting for some reveal or something... until half of it is never expalined and half is just dumped in exposition episodes by the scientist Ritsuko.

the first impact is literally never explained in the main series or end of eva, i stumbled upon it on the internet.

kaworu, a fan favourite character that youve been lead to believe has a very deep and impactful relationship with shinji... literally only appears for 20 min before he dies.

tge scene where his toji gets roped into being a pilot and gets stuck in a berserk eva is one of those occasions where you actually feel dread for the characters. when shinjis eva is literally ripping the other eva apart and crushing the entry plug in half with his friend inside and all he can do is watch...and thats when he thinks its just a human inside. thrn he finds out it was toji, his friend.. its genuinely horrifying, its shocking.

and then he somehow survives. it kind of ruins the impact

though in defense rei surviving wasnt really impractical because she did die..they just got a third clone to replace her and made it look like she survived.

and the last two episodes...a beast of their own. i liked the abstract animation and the various techniques used to represent the mental state of the characters. but they explain jackshit.

after kaji dies you really have no idea whats going on with the plot anymore. they show you shinjis mind but you dont know whats happening with the characters outside. and it ends like that, shinji accepts his existence and everybody congratulates him and its very wholesome but youre clueless as to what actually happened to the characters.

then it turns out youll have to watch end of evangelion for that, which again is superbly animated, the visuals are intense and haunting, the aesthetics are on point but nothings really explained.

i could really only get through the whole thing because i the overarching themes, the soundtrack, i.e. the creative choices, the artistic liberty resonated with my taste. its kind of impossible to get through it otherwise.

but you have to say certain parts are very well made. like asukas deterioration arc. very superbly put together for maximum horror.

the starting episodes are very structurally similar. repetitive. an angel attacks about quarterway through, they fight, fail, devise a plan, fight, win etc. with one or two variations thrown in. the angel possessed an eva, is capable of hacking into the magi, it sucked shinji in, it can split apart etc. even the animation sequence felt identical, alarms would blare, a repeated voice announcing an angel sighting, code blue, megaphones blaring for citizens to go into lockdown, an animation sequence of gates inside nerv locking down with red alarms as a background. ritsuko orders maya to analyze something, misato asks where shinji asuka and rei are etc. i liked that though. it was very...simple. combined with the 90s art style and the slice of life parts it gave it a certain charm.

evangelion is not very strong on plot. its not very clear and well planned out, and budgets and censorship and deviation from the manga make it kind of incomprehensible. as a whole its not very coherent, more to do with aesthetics and cool soundtracks and what looks the best just thrown in.

it endeavours to deconstruct the human psyche and the mecha and religous symbolism is just a way to get there. the daddy issues, the dead mothers and the psychological repression and denial can get a tad repetitive. and yeah...the characters never really mature. But personally their immaturity is what i like about them, i dont find them that irritating or unbearable and instead seem like relaistic tennagers with Issues tm.

this is just for the anime series though, which is very different from the manga. the anime is the original and more well known though, so much that fans only mention it and the rebuild movies in discussions. im reading the manga and i like it so far, its also supposed to flesh out characters like rei a bit more.

no lies this is actually a pretty good analysis. even if he hated eva all his points are valid and he did his research. anyways ill make a post about the parts i liked soon

[oneshotnewbie]

Can we please get a second part of Rabbit holes? I can't wait any longerr 😮‍💨😔🥲

A/N: I think you mean third part? Actually, as I said, I wanted to upload the next part on Sunday/Monday, but since many are asking for it, I've finished writing it for you. Have fun! :)

TRIGGER WARNING, MENTIONS OF: - Violence, represented and addressed. - Blood, represented and addressed. - Wounds, represented and addressed. Read at your own risk.

--- Once home, Olivia tried miserably to take her mind off you and relax after work. But the dull and oppressive feeling in her stomach didn't let up.

Unnoticed, she was mulling over a glass of wine about the various silliest and most unrealistic situations you were about to be stuck in her head and there were never fully five minute periods, that she didn't checked if that one grey tick had changed or switched into two blue ones.

The blurred, flickering imagine in front of her eyes, which lit up her dark apartment with bright colors, only serves as a supposed distraction - what was happening in the black box that was called the television; she hadn't the faintest idea.

Sleep slowly caught up with her and even though she tried to resist it, her eyelids grew heavier before she lost the fight and jetted into the land of dreams.

---

The smack that brought you back to reality was hard but not unexpected, paired with the icy taste of a split lip. Groaning in pain and licking your once dry lips, you opened your eyelids with difficulty and looked through the small gap in your vision that had formed.

The sun had already loaded into your apartment through the closed curtains and let some rays of sunshine wander over the chaos. The shattered pieces of glass that had spread all over the surface glittered; a larger one laying direct opposite you, leaning on the wooden leg of a still functional table. Quite exhausted, you tried to focus your view in the scratched and bloody glass, allowing you to look at your battered figure.

All the memories of the events before you escaped to New York, resurfaced and there was nothing you do but relive them.

The red liqueur on your hands reminded you of the first time he laid hands on you; ending with you spitting up blood. That swollen and brusing eye of the first time he dared to hurt you where everyone could see and the bloody lip of that night you failed to get food on the table on time, resulting in a plate crashing into the wall behind you and the splinters reaching your lip.

"You are the devil." you spat out, your raspy voice breaking the agonizing silence that had spread across the living room while your throat felt like an invisible wire was being tightened around it.

You had learned during the years in his power to be quiet and to reveal as little about yourself as possible. There was always the danger of breaking through a strain of thought from him and earning another bruise for it. However, you couldn´t contain yourself, the sentence falling out of your mouth with no premonition.

Without looking, you felt his sadistic smile on you and you were overcome with nausea. If you had to choose, you´d rather be at the mercy of a serial rapist than the brutality of your ex-husband, who, despite the glaring anger in his aura, looked unashamedly attractive to you.

Just like the day you fell for him.

His beard, bathed in the light, was perfectly trimmed and the slightly glowing hair was perfectly styled back. His shapely hands showed no signs of those of a hard working man and the red plaid shirt, combined with a black leather jacket, fitted tight to his muscular frame and suited his build.

His voice, however, sounded like that of a bloodthirsty killer. Cold, hard and unrelenting.

"You know, Y/n. I´ve always liked the feisty part of you." you heard him speak from your bedroom, his answer clarifying the smile you felt on you. Your heart pounded against your chest as slow but brisk steps came towards you and the sac under your right eye began to tremble in unison with the beat in your chest; like the skin of a drum being beaten at irregular intervals.

You hadn´t thought it was possible that your negative feelings towards him were even more risible, but you should be taught a better one. Your ex-husbands aggression was as palpable as the rumbling of a volcano about to erupt. Shortly thereafter, the edge of his hand hit the pit of your stomach and you fell forward in pain; your breathing rattling as you tried to get the air that simultaneously escaped from your lung back in.

At that moment, you had so many tears built up in your eyes, that you could no longer see anything on the glass-covered floor, kneeling on all fours. Only the well-known emotional chord of pain, fear and desperation, fed by anger remained.

The pain after the slag had dug into your abdomen like an axe, and was playing there with great force on your intestines. You tried desperately to get up again, but a single kick in your side made you fall back on your back.

Tears welled up in your eyes again, mixing with the clotted blood on your cheeks. Blinking, you´d like to keep your eyes closed for quite a while, but the fear of never opening them again was worse than the weariness and weakness that swept over you in waves.

Henry knelt in front of you and cocked his head to the side, placing a hand under your chin to divert your gaze from him. A few times you managed to pull yourself out of his grasp, but as his last attempt to pinch your chin between his fingers grew stronger and his fingernails dug into your broken skin, you groaned and looked deep into his once beautiful eyes.

"Your eyes, they still have that little light flickering in them. I believe some call it hope.." he snorted and his face drew dangerously close to yours. "Don´t worry though, I will drown that out as soon as I can."

[kenmaskitten10]

Dilf Deku Headcanons

Midoriya Izuku x GN!Reader

warnings: swearing, NSFW themes (nothing graphic just briefly mentioned),brief mention of bullying/scars, idk this is pretty tame nothing is really described... if u don't like dilfs then don't read this :)

a/n: okay! this is my first time writing/publishing anything on Tumblr so please go easy on me haha... I've had ridiculous Deku brain rot lately and I decided I had to jot a few thoughts down. I'm playing with the idea of turning this into a writing blog, but I am undecided! If anyone wants to thirst for one Izuku Midoriya please come talk to me please anyway without further ado here are some Dilf!Deku hcs.... I'm playing around with doing a NSFW version after this so if you would like to see that let me know!

w/c: 1,498

Okay everyone today I want to talk about Dilf!Izuku

This may be controversial but I personally believe that he has the most Dilf potential out of any of the class 1A boys and no I will not be taking criticism at this time

Sorry but even when he’s younger he has Dilf energy - he’s caring, considerate, takes your feelings into account like a dad he just wants to take care of his baby

oh fuck this man no no no

And listen, here me out on this one….. he has more dilf potential than Bakugo and allow me to tell you why

We can all agree that Bakugo has been confident his entire life, so of course he’s going to be confident when he’s older?? duh

But IZUKU is a different story altogether, he’s never felt confident in his life

His whole childhood he was looked down on for being quirkless, and bullied by someone he thought was his friend kachaan

THEN he got a quirk but oh every time he uses it it breaks all his fucking bones and leaves him with all these scars, and he appreciates them because of what they represent but also he’s young when he gets them, he’s already prone to insecurity and when he’s younger ESPECIALLY i think they just remind him of previous failures

He only started to gain a little bit of confidence in his UA days, but it takes time to rebuild yourself after you’ve been torn down for so long, so I honestly imagine he doesn’t even feel an inkling of confidence until his third year or later and even then, it’s new, it’s unfamiliar, he doesn’t totally know how to act

Because yes, by his third year, he’s starting to realize, oh wow okay, I have an incredible quirk and all these new abilities that I can control better, and wow people are paying attention for good reasons , because he’s tall and attractive, probably cuts his hair undercut Izuku supremacy and he’s made some solid friends who help boost his confidence too

But despite all this, deep down he still feels like that quirkless little kid who has to work three times as hard as anyone else and still doesn’t get the recognition he deserves

But OH BOY

DILF IZUKU??? This man is dripping with confidence

he’s older now. he’s overcome a lot. he’s gone to therapy, and worked his way through the pro hero ranks until he earned his number one spot fair and square, that’s something no one can take away from him

He’s loaded now (see below because I go on a whole tangent), he has nice tasteful style that can only come with age and experience

He knows he’s hot now, because its simply no longer something that can be denied, anyone with eyes can see how attractive he is

If he catches you staring at him, he doesn’t shy away. His cheeks might tint slightly, but he stares right back with the biggest smirk on his face. “See something you like, angel?”

Probably finds reasons to show off slightly but he’s Dilf!Izuku so it’s subtle, it’s meant just for you and god does it drive you crazy

The way he’ll reach for and grab at things when he’s around you because he knows you like his hands (he wants to hold your bags and please let him he just wants to feel needed)

They way he stands behind you while you cook, or work, or read…. He sees you sitting or standing so peacefully and he’ll come up behind you to check out what it is you’re doing. He’ll lean down slowly, quietly, stopping when his breath is on your neck and your nose is filled with his scent, and take a quick peek at whatever it is you’re working on. It takes you a moment to turn around, your heart starting to beat faster in your chest due to his looming presence behind you (I DON’T KNOW WHY THIS IS HOT TO ME IT JUST IS OKAY). When you finally turn to face him, his face breaks into a small smile of victory as his strong hand catches your jaw in a gentle grip and he places an achingly soft kiss to your lips before saying “You look so cute when you’re concentrating,”. As you’re about to go in for another, he lets you go and stands up again, his eyes twinkling. “No no, you’re working so hard baby, don’t let me distract you,” WHEN ALL HE WANTED WAS TO DISTRACT YOU and he succeeded and now you’re all hot and bothered, with no hope of resuming what you were doing

Dilf Deku is a tease I know he is but it’s okay he’ll make it up to you later ;)

He’s got shorter, slightly more cropped hair with grey mixed in with the green, his face more lean and angular… not to mention years of pro hero work have toned his body into an absolute work of art I’m gonna pass out just thinking about it

Freckles splashed across his skin like hundreds of little constellations, accented by scars and marks from old wounds (which he’s come to appreciate - they show how hard he’s worked, how much he’s sacrificed to get to where he is now) he’s muscular but I don’t think he’s quite as big as All Might (his fighting style is a lot different so of course he would build muscle in different places) so this means LEGS LEGS LEGS

LEG MUSCLES FOR DAYS

THICK FUCKING THIGHS oh my god

And holy shit his back muscles too WHEW sometimes in the morning when he gets up before you, you watch him sit on the edge of the bed and flex his shoulders and arms to stretch out in the hazy morning light and Jesus Christ

Dilf Deku is older now, he’s spent his entire life working himself too hard and he missed out on a lot of the fun, impulsive, chaotic things young people do, so I think he wants to let loose a little in his older age, have some fun for once

And what’s more perfect than sweet, youthful, tantalizing little you to indulge in ?

He’s so doting, just wants to make you feel special and cared for

And on that note, if you will indulge me for a moment

he’s fucking RICH like

He’s the number one pro hero, he has brand deals on brand deals on brand deals

And I don’t mean to slander All Might and Endeavor, but in terms of a hot, fuckable number one pro hero, Deku has them beat by a landslide so I imagine he has a wider range of brand deals too, because he can sell the sex appeal angle

I mean can you imagine him in interviews? Interacting with fans? Confident yes, but still soft spoken and kind, almost gentle but anyone can tell he’s completely in control, of himself, of the interview, of the audience, this man has the entire country world wrapped around his little finger

All this to say he’s DRIPPING WITH MONEY

he’s like the guy that overtips an OBSCENE amount like if the waiter is really nice he’ll tip like $300 dollars and won’t even blink (I know they don’t tip at restaurants in Japan but this is more for vibes yk)

sugar daddy deku isn’t a stretch it’s a REALITY

Y’all can be officially together or not, either way Deku loves to spoil his precious little y/n

All you have to do is smile sweetly and ask, and he’s absolute putty in your hands

Complies with even the most egregious of your demands, because hey, he has the money to spare, and how could he say no when you look so cute asking so politely?

GOOD TASTE too like he has a lot of money but he knows how to spend it 😏

Additionally he’s, ya know, him, so he’s insanely charitable and donates to charities, go fund me, personal Venmo accounts of fans that need it

if a fan has like a go fund me for some reason that catches his eye, he’s going to donate and he’s going to donate a lot (A LOT)

he doesn’t even do it for the press, he does it bc he’s a good person but my GOD the press eats it up and so do the fans

These hc’s are so self indulgent but all this to say

Dilf!Deku gets what he wants when he wants it and no one is standing in his way

So when he decides it’s you he wants? Well then it’s you he’s going to get!

[eirikaanemo]

Venti falls in love with an Inazuman rebel. The rebel has no vision, but what they do have is a belief that everyone has an inherent right to live freely. How does Venti know about this rebel in the first place? I honestly have no idea...

Visionless Visionary

Venti x GN!Reader

1.8k Words

Warning: Minor character death mentioned, prayer (if that bothers you)

Disclaimer: I knew next to nothing about Baal when I wrote this, so it may not be an accurate representation of her character.

Inazuma is a mess. That is just a fact now. Baal has suddenly become violent and a danger to her people. So many had done nothing but hold a vision she had bestowed upon them in the first place. And because of that, she struck your cousin down. You can still remember the thump of his lifeless body hitting the ground and the steady tap, tap, tap of Baal’s shoes as she walked away.

She seemed completely unaffected by her actions. You were anything but. The scene played over and over in your nightmares for weeks, and continues to haunt you. So when the rebellion reached out to you for support you were happy to assist. You found out he had just joined their ranks and that’s why he had been targeted.

However, you don’t have a vision so there’s only so much you can do. Of course they always welcome financial support and you gave it to the best of your ability. But you knew there had to be more you could do. So you spoke to some people and it was agreed that you would go to Mondstadt and position Barbatos for his support for your cause.

He hadn’t been seen in centuries, but he was the god of freedom, right? If anyone could help them, it would be him. So with the rebellion’s blessing you took your savings and made the long journey to Mondstadt.

Finding lodging was fairly easy. The people of Mondstadt were more than willing to help you. Especially once they found out what you were there to do. ‘Such a great and admirable cause,’ they said. ‘May Barbatos bless you!’ And all you could do was hope he did.

You prayed every morning and every night for help for your people. The heavens seemed quiet, but you didn’t let that dissuade you. Surely your sheer persistence would make a difference, you reasoned. And so you kept on.

One night, rather early on, you ran into a bard not long after your evening prayer. He had been not too far from the statue and you were captivated by the beauty of the song he played. It was ancient Inazuman and for just a moment you were able to forget and be caught up in the memories of better days.

When the song ended you were disappointed and tried not to pout. Judging from the laugh the bard let out when he saw you, it must have still shown on your face. “Did you like the song?” He asks. “I know I didn’t play for long. Would you like to hear another?”

“I would love to,” you admit. He smiles and simply starts on another song, this one also of Inazuma origin. From there he transitions into a more Mondstadtian style, singing The Ballad of Freedom. You know it well, as it’s a favorite of many of the rebels. As the last note fades he turns back to you.

“What brings you here, I wonder. Has it to do with your country being torn asunder?” He inquires.

“Yes,” you reply. “I’ve come to ask Lord Barbatos for his assistance in our cause. We fight for freedom from Baal, who has become nothing but a tyrant. As for me personally, well, she killed my cousin right in front of me. Her only reasons being the vision she bestowed upon him herself not many years ago and his belief that what she was doing was wrong. No one should have to suffer that.”

“Indeed, it seems you have a need. Your cause is just and swords you thrust. But the archons don’t just help everyone, so prove to him you’re worthy of some.”

“But how do I do that?” You question the cryptic bard.

“You’ll see in time, dear friend of mine!” He winks and you find your face warming. “Though I have a question if you don’t mind. Is the assistance you’re seeking a vision like mine?” He taps the glowing turquoise vision sitting on his belt by his hip.

“No,” you shake your head. “After what happened to my cousin, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable with a vision. For me they’ve been nothing but trouble.” He nods in understanding.

“I see how that would be. I must take my leave for now, we’ll see each other later anyhow.” And he’s off into the night.

He’s right that this is far from the last time you see him. And he’s right that you start noticing the tests that Barbatos has set before you. More and more people seek your help in one thing or another, especially since the one they call “honorary knight” left to Liyue. There’s much to do, but you’re happy to help them.

Eventually you stop helping them because it’s a test and start helping them because you want to; because it’s the right thing to do. You help Lisa organize the library. You help Barbara clean the cathedral. You help Amber keep watch. You help Venti with his performances from time to time. You stand in for Diluc’s barkeep while he recovers from an illness.

Days and days have passed and your relationship with Venti grows and grows. You notice more and more things about him that you rather like. His laugh. His eyes. His hands. His music. His sense of humor. His optimism.

Really, everything about him is amazing. You try to deny it at first. But you know deep down that you’re falling in love. And you’re seeing some hints that he might be too. Lots of them, because he’s started flirting with you almost constantly.

However, as your relationship grows, your hope dwindles. It’s been weeks! You’ve helped so many people and have prayed so many times. And yet you have not received an answer. Not even an acknowledgement that he has heard.

When you express your concern and discouragement to Venti, he is very concerned. “I’m just not sure how much longer I can stay,” you explain. “While I would hate to return empty handed, I can’t stay here forever.”

“Try just one more time, for me?” he asked you, looking a little guilty despite not having reason to be. It’s not like he was keeping Barbatos from speaking with you. As if he could sense your hesitance he sweetened the deal. “If you do, I’ll give you a kiss!” He wiggled his eyebrows at you and flashed you a mischievous smile and you felt a warm blush bloom on your face.

“Alright,” you grumble good-naturedly. “I’ll try one more time.” His resulting cheer and more cheery smile were nearly enough to have made you do it by themselves.

That night you approached his statue, feeling unreasonably nervous compared to the nights before. “Lord Barbatos,” you prayed. “I seek thy assistance for my people’s cause. We seek the freedom thou dost represent. Someday may we all be free to live our lives reasonably, but as we please. This is my vision, my hope. Please, if it be thy will, let thy winds be not still. Guide us to better days, for this is what I pray.”

You stay there for a long moment, waiting. Then, the wind picks up and you hear a voice from it. It seems vaguely familiar but you can’t quite figure out why.

“Your diligence and passion for your cause has secured my blessing,” the winds whispered. “My winds will be at your back and support your cause. However, if you accept a vision despite your fears, you will be able to do far more. The wind will whisper secrets to your ears. All plans spoken will be carried to your ears.

“You need not fight with it. Trust in me, that I will not strike you down for accepting this gift. In your time here in my home I have found you to be a friend to us so I will be a friend to you.”

You feel tears come to your eyes. “I accept,” you whisper. This will be incredibly valuable.There’s no way you could turn it down. And this is the kind of god you can trust and accept a vision from. He is as kind, generous, and benevolent as his people.

After a moment of silence, the winds calm and a gleaming turquoise vision lies before you, dangling from a necklace like a pendant. It’s smaller than some others you’ve seen and is hidden easily when you slide it over your head and under your shirt. That will be invaluable when you return to Inazuma. It would be most suspicious for you to return with one after everything that’s happened.

You take another moment to catch your breath and wipe the tears from your eyes. Then you take a particularly deep breath to steady yourself and make your way back to Venti. “How did it go?” He asks, and you smile in response.

“It went very well,” you said, pulling the pendant out to show him your new vision. “Now we match! Now… I believe I was promised a kiss?”

The smile on his face at your teasing words could have lit up a room, if you were in one. He took your hands in his and tugged you closer gently before leaning in and pressing his lips to yours. It was a pleasant kiss, chaste but lingering and sweet.

He giggled at the face you made when he pulled away. You joined it, adding your laughter to his. Between the blessing and his kiss you felt like you were on top of the world. Then you remembered something that brought you down from your high.

“Venti, you know this means I have to leave now, right?” You inquire.

His face fell to a serious and thoughtful expression before it softened and he sent you a small smile. “Yeah, I know. You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” you respond softly. “I love you too.”

He nods. “Then I’ll wait for you. So don’t take too long, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll do what I can,” you reply.

Your parting is sad, but hopeful as he waves you goodbye until you’re so far away that he can’t see you. He sings nearly nothing but sappy love songs for the next week. He misses you, but knows you’ll be back. His winds won’t let anything happen to you after all.

When you return to Inazuma you find that all the rebels with anemo visions had their power boosted, the ships sailed swifter with the wind behind them, and the information the wind brought you gave you many victories. The struggle was still difficult, but the help you had obtained made a serious difference and soon enough you were headed back to Mondstadt.

You are headed home. After all, home is where the heart is.

tag list: @clouds-rambles

[high-lady-of-earth]

Court of Nightmares

Azriel x Reader Oneshot

Summary: You and Azriel must go down to the Court of Nightmares. Afterwards, you find out that Az is a little insecure about his scars. This incorporates a prompt I received from @spaghettinoode1234

Hope you enjoy:)

You were the newest addition to the inner circle. You were a high fae, formerly a human, who had been Made during the war with Hybern.

You had a tenuous relationship with society after being alone for years in Hybern, so your residence had become the House of the Wind, which you actually enjoyed, unlike the others. Nesta had been glad to let you live with her and Cassian.

It was once again time for the Solstice and with it came presents. You had to buy presents for Feyre, Rhys, Elain, Mor, Armen, and Azriel. Nesta and Cassian were away on a mission. But with the solstice, came another, darker thing. The visit to the Court of Nightmares.

You were a sort of jammer when it came to magic. Your powers functioned to block the magic of others. With tensions rising in the Hewn City, Rhys wanted you and Azriel to pay Kier the annual visit.

Mor had informed you that Azriel wanted to go tonight, so you had to get your shopping out of the way today because solstice was tomorrow. Clad in a pair of loose pants and a long sleeved mesh top, you bundled up in a fur coat and winnowed to the Palace of Threads and Jewels.

Surveying the vendors, you looked for gifts for your friends. Rhys provided you with more money than you needed, so cost wasn’t an issue. You already had a rough idea of what you wanted to get for everyone. For Feyre and Rhysand, you wanted to find something for Nyx.

For Elain, you had seen a cart that sold rare flowers from the continent. They were roses, but enhanced with magic to sparkle in the daylight. Elain was working hard in the garden’s of Feyre and Rhys’ new house, and you knew they would look perfect on a trellis next to a fountain.

Mor was the easiest to shop for. You described an outfit to a tailor you wanted made and you were waiting for it to be finished. The ensemble consisted of a blouse, cropped to where the ribs ended, covered in thousands of glass beads. The skirt was the prettiest pink color with a slit up the side and an embroidered border made of glass beads at the top and bottom. Perhaps the most striking was the shawl, which drew on Eastern styles and was covered in the most beautiful embroidery and rhinestones. You had truly outdone yourself.

Armen was even easier. You had walked into Velaris’ most expensive jewelry store and had immediately found a something for Amren. It was a delicate necklace with a large stone in the middle. It was a red stone that changed color with the light, shifting between pink, red, and orange hues. You asked the lady what the stone was and learned that legend said it was a single scale from a dragon, given to the jeweler’s ancestor many thousands of years ago. The jeweler had decided to part with it suddenly after the war.

The last gift was for Azriel. You had absolutely no idea what to get him. He had saved your life, and you were head over heels for him, but it seemed as though there was a deep sadness to him. Mor had told Azriel that she preferred females, but he didn’t take it too well. He was still healing and you didn’t want to push him. Thus, you had no idea what was considered an appropriate gift.

You walked through the carts aimlessly, when suddenly an idea came to your mind. From experience, you knew that Azriel’s hands got ice cold. He couldn’t put on gloves because of his siphons. You would have someone make leather gloves lined with fur with an opening for his siphons. You asked a tailor to make the gloves and then started wandering again, looking for baby items.

You came across a cart selling baby jewelry and immediately found what you wanted to give Feyre and Rhys. It was a circlet, made of diamonds and onyx that represented the night court. It was beautiful and expertly crafted. The woman selling it told you it was one of a kind. She had not made any others to sell. You paid the woman in gold coins and gathered the rest of your presents. Then, you winnowed back to the House of Wind.

When you winnowed into the living room, you were startled by Azriel’s presence. He was sitting in chair, shrouded by darkness, looking at your intently. He held a box in his hands, which you knew contained the clothes you would have to wear.

“Time to go already?” You asked him.

“Indeed it is, Y/n.” He murmured. You loved the way Azriel’s voice was deep and smooth when he talked to you, making it almost sensual.

Azriel got up from the chair and banished his shadows to the edge of the room. You could now see his lean form without the darkness of the shadows. Azriel wore his Illyrian fighting leathers as well as his siphons. However, he had decided to forgo some of his armor, displaying enticing planes of his skin on his abdomen and back. You imagined how the muscles in his back would ripple as he walked.

Azriel approached you and gave you the box. He told you that he had brought Cerridwen and Nuala to help you get ready and that he would be waiting here, in the living room. You nodded and walked to your bedroom. Inside, were Cerridwen and Nuala with a steaming bath. They helped you strip off your clothes and then scrubbed your skin raw, rubbing in scented oils.

Once they had dried you off, they brought out your outfit. It was a midnight blue gauzy dress that was more conservative than Feyre’s Court of Nightmares outfit. You had to admit, the dress didn’t look bad at all. It had a plunging neckline that went down to the waist and two slits up the side of the dress that went up to your hips, but the opaque midnight fabric was overlaid with a translucent tulle blue fabric. Your legs were covered. Cerridwen put the dress on you and then Nuala sat you down to do your hair.

She blew it out, straightening it to get rid of the frizz, then she curled the edges. In the front, she grabbed some hair on each side and braided a thin strand, which she clipped in the back using a silver hair clip inlaid with midnight blue gems. Then, Nuala grabbed loose stones and threaded them into your hair.

Next, Cerridwen and Nuala worked on your makeup. They stayed simple, doing a smokey eye, eyeliner, and mascara for your eyes and a mauve berry lip gloss for your lips. They finished by dusting a silver shimmery powder over your cheeks. Cerridwen handed you a pair of silver strappy heels, which you put on and walked back to the living room.

Azriel looked up at you and your eyes met. For a split second, you thought you saw heat in his eyes, but it went away and you thought you might have imagined it.

“I’m giving you your solstice gift early, Y/n.” Azriel said, bringing out another large velvet box. He opened it to reveal several pieces of midnight blue jewelry, all the same color of his siphons.

“They’re all so beautiful.” You whispered to Azriel, looking up at him. He moved around to the back of you and helped you put on the necklace.

“They are nothing compared to you.” Azriel said. Your heart skipped a beat. You didn’t know what to say, so you didn’t respond. You put on the dangling earrings and bracelets and ring.

“I’m ready to go.” You told Azriel. He stood behind you and put an arm around your waist, getting ready to fly you there.

“You remember the drill, right? You sit on my lap and tell me what people are thinking. Block their magic if you think they are a threat.”

“Yup. The whole Daemati drill.”

Azriel’s arm tightened around your waist and the two of you suddenly traveled through the fabric of space and time itself. The world whooshed around you and you closed your eyes so you wouldn’t get dizzy. Then, almost as suddenly as you disappeared, the throne room of the Hewn City materialized around you.

Azriel had winnowed the two of you onto the single throne on the dais, Feyre’s throne absent since it was only Azriel presiding over the court today. Rhysand had even give Azriel permission to sit on the throne. You had been positioned on top of Azriel’s strong thighs, the thin fabric of your dress allowing you to feel his heat even through his thick Illyrian leathers.

Kier stood in front of the throne, along with about fifty other people. The room was dark, only a few strategically-placed fae lights provided light. This, however, suited Azriel because his shadows could run rampant.

“Welcome to the Hewn City, General.” Kier said in a pleasant tone that undoubtedly was laced with venom underneath. Nobody here wanted to bow to the beautiful male she perched on top of. They disregarded the Illyrian heritage that made him so powerful. So awe-inspiring.

Azriel gave Kier a bored look as if to say get on with it. Kier flicked his glance to you and paused. Azriel’s arm moved around your waist and stopped so that his fingers grazed your hip.

“Who, if I may ask, is this?” Kier asked. You swallowed some fear. Mor’s father had taken an interest in you — not a good sign. You stilled and became stiff against Azriel. His other hand snaked around to rest on top of your thigh. A mark of ownership clear to Kier and the rest of the court.

“She isn’t anyone special. Just a new one to grace my arm today.” Azriel said with cold steel in his voice. You knew Azriel’s words were lies for the court, but it still stung to be called a nobody. The others looked like they believed Azriel, but Kier didn’t. He silently noted how Azriel’s hand had moved to your thigh, almost like a warning.

You knew that Kier wasn’t fooled by your pathetic act and could tell something else was going on here. You cursed inside your head — you desperately needed to do something. You used your power to push a little at the dark sleek walls of Azriel’s mental defenses. He noted your presence and let you in.

“Kier isn’t buying the act.” You said inside his head. “We need to be more convincing.”

You pulled out of Azriel’s mind as his hand, the one on your waist, moved to the neckline of your gown. He began to toy with it, the only indication that he had understood your words.

You could feel Azriel’s callused fingers through the flimsy fabric of your dress. His hand moved over your right breast, and you sucked in a breath as his fingers grazed over your chest.

“You’re doing great, Y/n.” Azriel whispered in your ear. The hand on your thigh inched closer and closer to your core, and you felt yourself flush with embarrassment. You were frozen in place, watching Kier, who’s expression slackened as he undoubtedly scented your very real arousal, and along with it, banished any doubts about you being a threat.

Inwardly, you were mortified, but you didn’t let it show. Azriel’s fingers finally reached your inner thigh, where they played with the fabric of your dress.

“So, Kier, how goes the operations down here?” Azriel asked in his deadly voice. You didn’t hear Kier’s response because Azriel’s hand had suddenly began to rub circles through your dress. You couldn’t concentrate on anything and you felt Azriel stiffen behind you.

You went back into Azriel’s mind. “Everyone is good. Nobody’s plotting anything.” You said. Azriel gave a slight nod.

“Kier, you may go. I’m done with you for today.” Azriel said, dismissing him from the throne room. The hall bustled with activity as other members of the Hewn City moved around. You felt Azriel’s lips on your ear before he began to speak, his fingers once again teasing you through your dress.

“Y/n, I can barely concentrate on everyone’s words. Your scent is overpowering and it’s getting difficult to fight my own instincts. I should fly you back to the House of Wind.” He stated in a husky voice.

“You don’t have to do that. I’ll stay with you. Don’t fight it, Azriel.” You said.

“I won’t be able to control myself, Y/n.” He replied. The butterflies in your stomach fluttered as Azriel said that. You already had your answer though. In response to him, you moved one of your hands on top of Azriel’s, the one playing with the neckline of your dress. You closed your fingers over his hand and gently moved it to your heart, which was beating furiously in your chest.

You felt the world darken around you as shadows enclosed yours and Azriel’s bodies. The world spun for a few seconds, but it mercifully stopped as you arrived in the House of Wind. Azriel’s winnowing sometimes made you dizzy.

You were so close to Azriel that your chests were almost touching. Your gaze moved from his eyes to his lips and you could palpably feel the room go warmer. Instinctively, you knew that Azriel’s own eyes had moved down to your lips too. It would be so easy to lean forward an inch and press your mouth against his.

You closed your eyes as the tension between you two simmered and waited for the searing kiss Azriel would place on your lips. But you were left with a gust of brisk, cool air instead. You opened your eyes, but only to see that Azriel had turned away from you and started waking. You felt the anger rise up in you as you took a step after him and grabbed his shoulder.

“You do not get to pull that stunt down there and then ignore me, Azriel.” You huffed. He didn’t even turn around.

“Was it true? Am I just some eye candy that you brought along? Do you not even care about how that made me feel?” You questioned. You saw Azriel bristle, and a part of you was satisfied that he responded.

“Of course you mean something to me, Y/n. That’s why we can’t.” He whispered.

You stepped in front of Azriel and placed your hands on your hips.

“I don’t see how refraining from kissing me shows that you care about me.” You pointed out. Azriel looked away from you, towards the floor.

“I-I’m not a good guy, Y/n. You deserve someone who’s better than I am. Someone who is just a perfect and beautiful as you are.” He said. In the corner of your eyes, you saw Azriel tuck his hands into his pockets.

You quickly reached your hands into his pockets and curled your fingers around his hand. Then, you brought out his hands.

“You know that being perfect doesn’t matter to me. Your scars are beautiful, Azriel. If you don’t believe me about that, then at least believe that they give you character.” You replied.

Azriel looked unsure, so you brought his hands to you face and gently set your lips on his palms, tracing the scar tissue with kisses.

“I think you’re handsome and beautiful and perfect— scars and all.” You whispered.

[groovypalacewobblereagle]

Dany antis:

We have to understand that Mirri was devastated over her town and the abuse she suffered. To empathize. She’s a “hero” therefore, for killing a BABY.

We do NOT have to understand that Daenerys was devastated over the loss of her husband and child. She does not deserve empathy despite her losses. She’s “evil” for killing a grown woman who killed a baby.

We have to understand the culture of wealthy grown educated men who have subjected human beings to slavery for hundreds of years.

Oh, but they weren’t alive for hundreds of years! We can’t hold that against them!

But we also can’t deny them the benefit of the excuse that they’ve done this for hundreds of years.

We do NOT have to understand the culture of a teenage girl who is a Khaleesi of the Dothraki, who kills the wine seller for trying to kill her and her baby.

Because she killed him painfully. We don’t care that Varys suggested killing her with the tears of Lys, and remember that the victim dies an agonizing death. We don’t think about the morals of a painful death when the intended victim is Daenerys.

The same applies to when she crucified the slavers. We’re going to insist she did it indiscriminately, even though we know she didn’t kill a single woman who would have had less power, or child who would be entirely innocent, nor did she kill random civilians, they were all nobles. All slavers. But there are innocent slavers! Innocent slavers are definitely a thing.

The people who make laws that are not up to modern standards, like Daenerys, are evil.

But the people who follow those laws, like Ned beheading a man for running away from the dead, or Jon who beheaded a man for refusing to follow an order, or Robb who threatened to hang a man if he didn’t join the war against the Lannisters, aren’t.

Daenerys may have warned the slavers she would show no mercy if they didn’t free the slaves and pay them reparations, but she should have given them a trial even though they own the system.

It’s true they were all slavers, but if she was punishing them for being slavers, she should have killed all of them. The fact she didn’t kill all of them shows it wasn’t about justice, so she’s evil.

But she was also wrong for wanting to kill all of them, and Jorah talked her out of it. The fact he had to talk her out of it shows she’s evil.

And then when Daario tried to talk her into slaughtering them Red Wedding style, and she refused, that’s also proof she’s evil because Daario represents her evil nature.

We can empathize with the slavers! Because we might have done the same thing! We all like to think we’d stand against slavery, but if it’s our culture we might not. And we might stand by while our friends torture 163 children to death to spite an abolitionist.

We say we empathize with the slaves, too, but it’s more we sympathize with them. We understand that they are victims. We don’t see ourselves in their place. We don’t empathize with the anger the parents of those children felt. They follow Dany blindly. They don’t understand choice. That’s why they follow her.

What we CANNOT empathize with (because we know we would NEVER) is a teenage girl who walked along a road lined with the corpses of children who were tortured to death to spite her. We know a GOOD ruler would be stalwart in the face of such horror and hold a trial. Because even though the slavers own all the systems in existence in that city, there’s no way a trial could have caused the death of lesser evil instead of greater. Trials are foolproof!

She should have killed them all or tried to have every one of them examined by witnesses who are profoundly biased. We cannot empathize with that.

Dany’s attachment to the Dothraki shows her savagery. The Dothraki are rapists and slavers and she lusted after her husband when he made that speech and so it doesn’t matter how she tried to fight rapists later. They are all terrible. The Khals are monsters and she loved one, so that shows she’s a monster.

Also, she’s evil for killing the Khals.

She was wrong for sacking Astapor and Yunkai but not staying to rule them. She made it worse because poverty is as bad as slavery and the freed slaves are not able to build their own society, and she should have known that. She was wrong for not staying and ruling them.

She was also wrong for staying in Meereen and ruling it because that makes her a colonizer.

She agrees to allow adults to sell themselves into temporary slavery, and that’s wrong, because voluntary indentured servitude is as bad as generational chattel slavery-except when it’s in Westeros! The rulers in Westeros are rightful, but Daenerys was trying to enslave them by having them bend the knee! She was using the privilege of her father’s name, and it’s different when the Starks do it.

Dragons are evil. They serve no good purpose and she’s evil because she has dragons.

Also, Jon should have a dragon.

When Arya met the Lannister soldiers, and Ed Sheeran, that was to show how she realized that they are not all bad. This shows that sometimes enemies are good. This will show that we should empathize with enemies. That Dany is bad because she doesn’t even though she agrees to help the Starks, whose father supported the man who murdered her brother, and was not disturbed by the murder of her niece and nephew. Who would have killed a baby, had he known Jon was her nephew. Who would have killed her.

This does not apply to Daenerys and her armies, of course. The North was one hundred percent right to treat her with hostility.

Daenerys considered killing Tyrion when she met him! This shows that she is willing to kill people just because they are related to enemies! She’s evil!

Even though she named Tyrion her Hand. Even though she agreed to aid the North with no strings attached once she saw the army of the dead. Even though she accepted Varys into her service when he’d tried to have her murdered. Varys being part of the plan to sell a teenage girl into sexual slavery was not evil because she turned that to her advantage.

Dany was wrong for even considering killing Tyrion despite the fact that she didn’t and ultimately named him her Hand.

She was wrong for killing the Tarlys even though they were oathbreakers who killed their own friends and attacked their liege’s home. Even though the punishment for oath breaking is death. Even though they refused to bend the knee in exchange for keeping their lives, lands and titles, which is standard procedure in Westeros. Even though they refused the Wall, where Tarly sent his eldest son.

She didn’t kill them for oathbreaking or murdering her allies. She killed them for not bending the knee! Even though she only attacked them after they did that, and she did not harm Jon when he refused to bend the knee, she allowed him to mine her dragonglass, and offered to provide men and resources to help.

Sam was not wrong for hating Daenerys for killing his father, even though he was an oathbreaker, an abuser, and threatened to kill Sam. Even though he said that nothing would give him more pleasure than telling Sam’s mother that her son died. Even though Sam knew of Dany’s great deeds from Aemon. It’s understandable that he would still mourn his father. Even if his father was a monster, we have to empathize with his anger.

YET Daenerys is dead wrong for calling out Jaime for murdering her father. Her father was a monster! How dare she feel anything about his murder! She had no right to object to Jaime’s presence at Winterfell, even though he tried to kill her on the battlefield and said straight out said he wasn’t sorry for all he’d done and would do it again to protect his family.

She was wrong for restoring the family name of the man who killed her brother and cheered the brutal murders of her niece and nephew. Because she only legitimized Gendry for personal gain, even though he could have done the opposite of joining her, and tried to take the throne himself.

She is wrong if she is good to the family of her enemies because she is self serving, and she is wrong if she’s not good to them because it’s not their fault.

The Starks are not wrong for judging Daenerys by her father’s actions even though she came to help save them. Sansa is not wrong for wanting to evict children from their homes because their families were traitors.

When the Starks are suspicious of the family members of those who’ve harmed them, it’s fair. They are being smart.

When Daenerys is suspicious of the family members of those who’ve harmed her, it’s proof of her being paranoid like her father.

When Sansa told Jon that the free folk should join their fight against Ramsay, that they owed it to him because he’d saved their lives, that was smart!

When she told Arya “you should be on your knees, thanking me,” she had every right to assert her accomplishments.

YET, Daenerys was very entitled to want the North to fight Cersei with her in exchange for her helping them defeat the army of the dead, even though Cersei was their enemy too, and she sent them a letter saying “come bend the knee or face the fate of all traitors.”

It was not wrong of Jon to tell the North he bent the knee to save them, even though she said she’d help before he bent the knee.

It’s Dany’s fault the Night King got a dragon even though the wight hunt was Tyrion’s idea and Daenerys did not like it. Even though Jon told her, “I don’t need your permission. I am a king.”

Dany held Jon prisoner even though he had to stay to mine the dragonglass and he stated that he did not need her permission to leave. That’s what being a prisoner means, right?

Daenerys went mad because her family was fraught with incest. This does not imply that Jon will go mad, because his mother was not a Targaryen (even though his mother’s parents were related). Generations of inbreeding unequivocally mean madness, but the ramifications of those generations are undone if one guy at the end of the line produces a child with a woman whose parents were also related. That’s how genetics work, right?

Daenerys is a colonizer. Even though she didn’t have any goal other than destroying the slave trade in Essos. She only did that for selfish reasons even though Yunkai trains bed slaves and neither Meereen nor Yunkai added to her military might. Even though she never forced her religion or language on them. Even though she renounced power over the cities when she left, so that the people could choose their own leaders.

The Starks were never colonizers! Even though the earliest Starks were First Men, who committed genocide against the Children of the Forest. The First Men called themselves the First Men, they did not acknowledge the humanity of the Children. Therefore, the Children were not human.

The First Men destroyed the Children. The Starks built a Wall to separate the dead from the living, but left thousands of living and Children of the Forest at the other side of it. The Starks destroyed the other families, established power over the area, established their religion and language as the official religion and language. The Starks became the Kings of Winter by bringing to heel, and sometimes extinguishing, other families. That’s fine because the Starks are good. That’s not colonizing! The Starks were always good! They killed the warg king and his sons and beasts and then married his daughters. That’s not rape, that’s marriage!

The Targaryens who adapted the Westerosi religion and language and did not in any way repress other religions or languages, were the oppressors.

Dany hardly did anything in the Long Night. Her armies and dragons did not thin out the dead army, making it possible for Arya to kill the Night King. Two dragons can only do so much against an army of 100k. Even though Dany’s army also was over 100K.

YET, she burned MILLIONS in KL (even though the population of KL is under a million and even though I just said she could not have possibly taken out much of the dead army.)

When Daenerys didn’t weep and wring her hands over her abusive brother’s death that was evidence of her turning “mad.” Even though he abused her, sold her, and pressed a sword to her belly and threatened to cut her baby out of her body.

When Sansa smiled as Ramsay screamed, being torn apart by dogs, that was not a sign of anything bad. He abused her!

When Daenerys crucified the slavers even though a trial would have yielded nothing, because they had owned the entire system, that was a sign of her being a villain.

But Varys wasn’t wrong for trying to poison her before she did anything wrong because he sensed what she would do! Instinct > Trials. Unless the “instinct” is Daenerys’. Then it’s paranoia, even when the people she suspects of plotting against her are plotting against her.

When Arya killed two men, baked them into a pie, fed them to their father, slit his throat, smiled faintly as he died, cut off his face, then killed every one of his bannermen, with no knowledge of whether those men had been there at the Red Wedding, or whether they’d spoken against it, that was not a sign of her being a villain. Because if it’s a Stark, we understand complicity.

Besides, Arya is not a ruler. Only rulers do harm. Not explorers! Explorers who believe “I’ll never know her, she’s not one of us”, have never done anything bad in all history. Happy Columbus Day, btw.

[chosonore]

part two | yearning

yearning [noun. a strong feeling of wishing for something, especially something that you cannot have or get easily]

pairing: kamo noritoshi/f!reader

summary: your relationship with noritoshi was like a game of cat and mouse; no matter how hard you tried to escape from him, he would always find his way back to you.

wordcount: 8.2k

content/warnings: friends to enemies to lovers, language, somewhat suggestive, noritoshi is kind of a dick but i promise it gets better so please don’t lose faith in him, we’re somewhat following the timeline of the anime/manga so spoilers ahead!! but what follows afterwards is purely pulled out of my ass lol, lowercase intended [UNEDITED]

a/n: hello, here i am again with a super long chapter ( ˙꒳​˙ ) it is so incredibly messy and i’m so sorry if it gets confusing for you; this just really shows how sporadic my writing process is, i have some guidelines that i follow but sometimes venture off my path when i suddenly get a new idea. nevertheless, i hope you can somewhat enjoy this chapter. feedback or just your thoughts are much appreciated! for those that are waiting for the ~steamy~ content, it is coming next chapter hehe. as always, stay safe everyone (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

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"noritoshi, could you just stay quiet today? i'm really not in the mood," you sighed as you entered the training grounds. the exhaustion from the mission the day before was clinging onto your bones, heavy and admonishingly. the normally exciting sparring lessons seemed dreadful, knowing that all students were to practice today. to practice the balance within the team, utahime had claimed the week prior as she was reprimanding your lack of discipline when it came to noritoshi. stubbornness ran in the family; you refused to back down when someone was hurting your pride. said stubbornness came back to bite you - instead of taking a break to fully recover, you claimed that you would be fine with the help of your reverse curse techniques.

as the days came and went, the yearly tournament slowly approached. after the devastating defeat last year, everyone was on edge and determined to beat tokyo tech. well, that excluded todo, he was just looking for stronger opponents it seemed. noritoshi, on other hand, appeared to be more agitated than usual - if he wasn't barking orders at the other students, he would criticize their fighting styles. you knew he wanted to win the tournament at all costs, to prove himself worthy of the position as the kamo clan head. but he was too rigid about it, rarely accepting help and haughty when questioned. you've been avoiding him as best as you could and of all days, today had to be one where you could not. opponents would be swapped every ten minutes so everyone could practice with another student - facing noritoshi for ten minutes was easy. so you thought. 

"can't promise anything, princess," noritoshi retorted smugly and pat your head like he usually did when he was trying to get a reaction out of you. life always found a way to prove you wrong. for some reason, noritoshi had made it his goal to get under your skin as much as possible on this particular day and it worked. it was childish to engage in this banter but you couldn’t help it. the feeling of not being taken serious by noritoshi had always bothered you. it almost seemed like he wasn’t considering you equal to him, always looking down on you. being stressed wasn’t good, your mother had always reminded you, so it was best to remain calm and collected.

stay calm and collected, calm and collected, you repeated in your head. gritting your teeth, you slapped his hand away and jogged away from him towards todo. at least he'd leave you alone while you were near todo - probably to avoid todo getting mad at him and not wanting to hear about takada-chan again. he was the ultimate and fool-proof shield. the taller male was walking at a leisurely pace in front of you, leading the group as per usual. you caught up to him, slowing down so it didn't look like you just jogged all the way here. away from the menace that was noritoshi. todo glanced at you suspiciously before subtly turning around. a guilty groan left your lips. of course he knew, he always knew. as the unlikely friendship was blossoming between the two of you, you rapidly realized that todo was far more perceptive than he would ever let on. even though he took lighthearted jabs at you, he didn't care enough to intervene; it was a mutual understanding. in a way, you appreciated that he treated you like everyone else, not once had he tried to approach you about your deteriorating relationship with noritoshi.

upon seeing the unlikely pair, miwa speed up as well to join them. even though todo scared her to no end, your presence eased her nerves a little. after all, you weren’t scared to put him back in his place when he was being dramatic. she nudged you gently in greeting, nervously clasping her sword in front of her. "do you think we'll win this year's competition? we've been training a lot, so i hope i can show off some of my skills."

"never say never? even if we lose, it's a good experience to learn from," you replied wryly. while the students of the kyoto tech were strong and coordinated well with each other, noritoshi and you could easily destroy the balance. he didn't know when to stop, persistently pushing your boundaries and you fell for his tricks every time. as long as you could work out a strategy that involved working alone or with a partner that was not him, you'd be fine. your safest bet was to work with miwa since you were both sword users and have practiced together extensively. if noritoshi and you exhibited enough chaos to tear the world apart, miwa and you represented the perfect balance when fighting.

"you're our secret weapon though!" miwa exclaimed excitedly, elbowing you gently. "no one knows you can heal, so we'll use that to our advantage."

"uh…"

"what? don't tell me you-"

"i've asked yuta about advice before," you interrupted her, scratching your head sheepishly. "he's one of the very few people who can use reverse cursed techniques, so i asked him to give me some pointers and how to use it more to my advantage."

when yuta participated in the competition the year before, you were absolutely mesmerized by his level of skills and how he had supposedly mastered them in such a short amount of time. of course you hadn't told anyone that you were talking to him - everyone was still salty about the defeat and would, undoubtedly, have crucified you on sight. truthfully, you didn't understand why everyone was so hellbent about hating the students of your sister school. weren't you all colleagues in a sense? yuta was nice and respectful towards you, always trying his best to explain you how to implement his tips. along the way, you might have developed a tiny, fleeting crush on him but never acted on it. it was only a crush after all and you didn’t feel certain about it not being a mere distraction from your feelings for noritoshi. perhaps it was the way he made you feel, the way he treated you like noritoshi used to before. you couldn't even deny it, you missed your old 'toshi. when you looked at him now, it hurt you, seeing all the traces of gentleness having left him.

"really? you never told me! what is he like? he looked like he was really nice but there were moments where i was really scared of him. well maybe not him but rather… that curse."

"uh, yuta is actually not that scary. he's really helpful and always there for you when you need advice. i think i've improved a lot since we've started talking." you made a mental note to thank yuta again if you got to see each other anytime soon. apparently, gojo had sent him on a mission overseas a few months back and ever since, your exchanged messages grew to be rather sporadic. still, you appreciated that he made an effort to text you every now and then to let you know how he was doing and in turn, also asked about your wellbeing.

"fraternizing with the enemy, i see," noritoshi's voice rang out beside you, dangerously close to your ear. it made you jump in surprise, not having sensed him earlier - your hand automatically shot out to hit him, only for him to catch it in time. you shot him an annoyed glare. beside you, miwa and todo glanced at each other, silently agreeing to ignore the squarreling pair.

"i don't see how that's any of your business."

"it is if it jeopardizes our chance at winning," noritoshi narrowed eyes at you in suspicion. of course he didn't trust you, you were nothing but a mild inconvenience to him. you didn't owe him an explanation, not today and not in the future. any friendship or friendliness between you was long gone. refusing to look into his eyes, you attempted to tug your hand away from him but instead accomplished the exact opposite as noritosh tightened his grip. "what did you tell him?"

"he only helped me with training, that's all! it doesn't concern you anyways so-"

noritoshi was irritated, you could tell. the anger was rolling off him in waves, intimidating even you. why was he so annoyed by the fact that you asked yuta for advice? it wasn't even farfetched - the only other alternatives were gojo and ieiri, both of which you hadn't mustered up the courage to ask yet. wasn't it in everyone's best interest for you to become a great healer? noritoshi would know best - he was the driving force behind your ambition, the sole reason why you worked to the brink of exhaustion just to show him that you didn’t need his help, that you were worthy of a higher rank.

"i don't want you to hang out with the tokyo tech kids, especially not with him."

"wait, what?" you gaped at him in disbelief. "is this just because you have personal beef with some of them? leave me out of this, i just want to improve and you don't get to tell me what to do." with that you shoved the taller male, stomping past the other students towards utahime who was looking at you in disapproval. you missed the upset frown on noritoshi's face as he followed you, wanting to reach out but stopping midway. it wasn't the right time or place to let you know why he didn't want you around them, not yet. seeing you hang out and being relaxed with everyone else but him hurt him, oh how it hurt him. he wanted you close to him, only see him, talk about him excitedly and with stars in your eyes like you did when you talked about yuta. and yet, he couldn't let you know. the only way to keep you orbiting around him was to play these silly games, rile you up and drawing a reaction out of you. it was the only way to make you pay attention to him. and so he did.

calm and collected, my ass, you thought two hours later. of course todo and noritoshi had completely eviscerated the rest of the students with no mercy, leaving everyone in a sour mood. whatever strategy your team would have for the tournament was probably thrown out the window, the two of them would take care of it anyways. not that they would stand a chance against yuta.

“yuta isn’t here?” the disappointment in your voice was palpable. you did look forward to meeting yuta again, thinking that he might have come home from his overseas trip for the tournament. but you supposed getting to know the other students wasn’t too bad, you were interested in the first years and their skills. they certainly looked more approachable than your classmates. miwa told you how todo and mai had met two of them a few weeks prior and promptly started a senseless fight that was then stopped by the second years. it landed them in the water as utahime gave them a lecture - while she didn't tolerate the childish behaviour, everyone else seemed to turn a blind eye to it. noritoshi had scoffed in disapproval upon hearing the news, uttering something about not wanting to associate with dimwits like them. 

"nope, he's still overseas. it doesn't matter anyways, we'll still beat you without him," maki replied with a confident grin, arms crossed as she took in the kyoto tech group of students. regardless, you broke out in a sprint and jumped, engulfing her in a warm hug. while you two didn't talk as much as yuta and you did, you were still friends. she was a source of inspiration to you, a master of all kinds of weapons whom you deeply admired. maki gave you some awkward pats before pulling away to introduce you to the first years - megumi, yuji and nobara. the younger students were wary of you, most likely because of their encounter with todo and mai. you couldn't hold it against them, their intensity and stubbornness was something you had to deal with daily after all. you silently cursed the two brash students before taking a deep breath and extending your hand to the ones in front of you.

“hi, i’m y/n, nice to meet you,” you introduced yourself with a friendly smile, visibly relieved when they shook your hand and introduced themselves. especially nobara seemed to be eager to get to know you, fussing over your uniform and inquiring about your skills. you were glad they welcomed you, not wanting to cause any more trouble than would undoubtedly arise for the duration of the tournament. while megumi seemed to be cautious and more reserved around you, yuuji and nobara already treated you like their friend. subconsciously, you envied them for the wholesome friendship dynamic as it reminded you of what you used to have with noritoshi. the fleeting thoughts left as soon as they made an appearance in your head, disappearing when nobara grasped your hand and pulled you towards the buildings to show you around. unbothered by the reactions of your fellow kyoto tech classmates, you followed her - their energy was stifling and the tournament didn't start until later in the day anyways. it was useless to stay with your group and practice, you'd only overexert yourself.

“y/n.” noritoshi called after you sternly, glaring at you when you turned to look at him - ever since stepping foot into the estate, he was moody and more serious than usual.  it was probably him being tense about the tournament, the spirit to win deeply ingrained in his bones. none of the other students seemed to be bothered by the presence of the tokyo tech students, so why should he? ignoring him, you continued your journey until you felt a force harshly pulling you back by the fabric of your hoodie. intuitively, you could tell it was noritoshi. 

"noritoshi, let me go," you snapped at him irritated, struggling to free yourself from his grasp.

"we have things to discuss, did you forget that?"

"i don't want to," like a petulant child, you gave him an angry look as you stood your ground. tension filled the space between you, tethering on the edge of anger. why was a normal conversation never possible with him? and why did he treat you like a child? you let up when megumi appeared to your side, shooting noritoshi a warning glance as he attempted to remove his hand from yours. even though he didn't know what your relationship was like, he stepped in regardless - you were impressed by him. even if noritoshi remained calm, he was a menace to deal with afterwards.

"she said no, didn't you hear-"

"get your hands off of her." noritoshi growled at megumi, the sudden influx of cursed energy that was surrounding him made all students in close proximity freeze. you couldn't hide you shock either, he had never been this threatening towards someone else. he might push boundaries to the extreme, knowing that he could away with it due to his bloodline and family name but he had never outright threatened anyone that didn't do his bidding. with those words he pulled you towards him, wrapping his arm around your waist protectively. paralyzed, you blankly stared at him. his cursed energy was suffocating you, never had you experienced this amount of pressure. not only that, the unusual closeness set your heart ablaze, burning down the walls that you'd carefully constructed around it.

"you're being ridiculous," megumi challenged the older male, unbothered by the strong pressure. he didn't understand why noritoshi was making a big deal out of this. surely he didn't consider megumi a threat? noritoshi's hold on you strengthened and with panic you realized the blood-red markings appearing on his face, he was being serious, oh god he was going to rip megumi apart-

"hey hey, stop it you two," panda's voice snapped you out of your trance and seemingly noritoshi's as well as he wacked his arm. "you just got here and you're already stirring up trouble, are you not ashamed?"

noritoshi simply scoffed and let you go, his cursed energy dissipating with the movement. the rest of the students were as stunned as you were, no one daring to make another move until the tension evaporated. todo was the only one who looked rather annoyed, smacking the back of noritoshi’s head as he started to tell him off - noritoshi, however, kept walking past him towards the dorms that they were staying at for the week. it was almost like there was steam coming off his head as a result of holding his anger in. nobara gaped at you in surprise, pointing at you accusingly. “i didn’t know that was your boyfriend!”

you spluttered in horror, quickly reaching out to her to try and cover her mouth so she wouldn’t say anything incriminating. “n- no you got it wrong! we’re not together, not at all! i hate noritoshi,” you floundered, hastily trying to set the record straight. nobara didn’t look like she believed you, pushing your hands away while giggling. she wiggled her eyebrows at you, whispering at you about how lucky you were to snag such a handsome guy although she thought that he really didn’t have to overreact like that because megumi was harmless. covering your face in embarrassment, you turned away from her and caught a glimpse of an amused todo winking at you.

“i’m serious, nobara!" whatever whining you did, the two of them didn’t let up, making you wonder what you ever did wrong to deserve this scrutiny. as your last resort you grabbed nobara's hand, dragging her along towards a secluded area in the estate. being the subject of the earlier conflict was already troubling enough, you didn't want the other students to get the wrong idea by her wild speculations. nobara was still giggling when you arrived, pinching your arm playfully.

“c’mon, it’s impossible that there is not something between you! did you see the look on his face? i don’t think he would have cared had it been any other person,” she gushed excitedly, her face lighting up in glee. with no doubt, nobara enjoyed poking her nose in other people's business, seemingly having a knack for sniffing out the hidden. a dejected sigh left your lip. a younger you would have jumped in happiness after finally receiving noritoshi's attention but the present you knew better. there wasn't more to it, you told yourself and yet, a tiny sliver of doubt made its way into your mind. could he really have been so bothered by another male being so close to you? todo didn't count, obviously.

"no, there's nothing to it, i promise. we don't have the best relationship anymore and mostly fight. i mean yeah his reaction was really uncharacteristic but…"

"anymore?"

"noritoshi and me grew up together and were childhood friends. i- i didn't agree with his antics as we grew up and we drifted apart after that and now… hate each other? he’s just unbearable and we don’t get along. everyone at kyoto tech knows that so they’re mostly ignoring our fights. and it’s childish, i know, i know..." 

“are you sure? like super duper sure? because it didn’t look like it to me,” nobara contemplatively rubbed her chin. the wheels were turning in her head, something didn’t quite add up. even at first glance, whatever you said made her feel doubtful.

“trust me, i wish it was different too. i mean i used to like him a lot and it makes me sad and i wish we could at least be civil around each other. but he just makes me so angry,” your ramblings stopped nobara’s thinking - so that’s what it was. normally, nobara really didn’t care about other people’s business but this was too juicy to pass up. how far could she push it to make you realize?

why was the layout of all these buildings so confusing? and why were there so many buildings to begin with? you’ve been wandering around for at least five minutes now and you still couldn’t figure out where the hell yuji’s and megumi’s rooms were supposed to be. they didn’t even have any signs around. at this point, it didn’t matter if it took longer than anticipated - the others could wait. nobara had insisted on having a small get together the night before, to get to know each other and play some card games. you couldn’t refuse, it’s been a while since you just hung out with friends without any quarreling. there was no harm in getting to know you future colleagues, even though your classmates were treating them like criminals. so instead of going herself and much to your dismay, nobara had sent you to fetch the other two students, claiming that you would be fine if you just stuck to the measly sketch she’d made for you. most of the rooms you’ve already knocked at remained empty so you couldn’t be far from their rooms, you concluded.

stopping in front of the last remaining door of the corridor, you took a deep breath. this had to be one of their rooms. slowly, you raised your hand to knock at the door when it was suddenly yanked open, startling you in the process and making you drop the piece of paper you were holding. what you weren’t expecting was coming face to face with noritoshi who looked at you as equally confused. he was the last person you wanted to see today, not wanting to confront him about his actions earlier. you couldn’t wrap your head around it; why had he overreacted in such a way? it wasn’t like you were in danger or in need of protection. for a brief moment, you thought that there was a sliver of strange possessiveness. you couldn’t quite place the emotions in his eyes, it made you shudder.

“oh uh, sorry. i was looking for yuji and megumi and this is very obviously not one of their rooms. sorry again. i’ll take my leave,” you awkwardly stammered, taking a step back. noritoshi’s figure was towering over you and in a rare moment, you felt intimidated by him. perhaps it was the dark look in his eyes that told you that he was not thrilled by what you just told him. before you could react, he swiftly grabbed your arm and pulled you inside his room, trapping you against the door.

“w- wait!” you protested weakly, pushing at his chest until his face slowly came into your vision. you couldn’t help but stare at his lips, watching them move as he was talking to you. your ears were ringing, you couldn’t tell what he was saying. the close proximity was suffocating and yet you craved more, not wanting to let him go.

“y/n? did you hear me?” 

“huh?” snapping out of your trance, you looked at him dumbfounded. noritoshi was frowning at you, slightly concerned about your state as you didn’t answer him. just then you finally got a proper look at him. it was a rare sight; noritoshi wearing casual clothes, a simple oversized shirt and shorts, and his hair down without the bindings. feeling nostalgic, your heart clenched. he looked like his old self, the ‘toshi that you loved dearly.

“i said, i don’t want you around them. i don’t- i don’t like seeing you with them,” noritoshi repeated with a strained voice. he placed his hands beside your head, inching closer to you.

“what- noritoshi, you don’t get to tell me who i can hang out with! last time i checked, we’re not even friends anymore so where do you get the idea that you can do this? what’s the big deal ab-” you didn’t get to finish your sentence when he pressed his lips against yours clumsily. you seized up in shock, not returning the kiss as a whirlwind of thoughts entered your mind. holy shit, he was really kissing you. but you hated each other, so why? why, why, why. when you didn’t respond, noritoshi pulled away in panic, spluttering apologies as he moved away from you. your emotional world was in chaos, all the buried and forgotten feelings for him breaking the dams and flooding your senses until the yearning became too much. you were reminded of the conversation you had with your mother years ago - you still wanted him, missed him. you wanted him by your side. desperately, you reached out, fisting the fabric of his shirt as you leaned up to kiss him. noritoshi caught you in his arms, wrapping them around you as he fervently returned the kiss. he was holding you like he was afraid you would dissipate into thin air, frantically pulling you in. his hands were roaming, discovering the expanse of your body.

his touches left you feeling delirious, high on pleasure. a mewl left your lips, pleading him for something, for more. your hands moved higher, feeling his chest and broad shoulders before you wrapped your arms around his neck. his name left your lips in breathy sighs as he peppered kisses down your jaw, pulling the collar of your shirt to the side to gain more access to the expanse of your neck. suddenly, you were hoisted up and pressed against the door as noritoshi held you by your thighs. you struggled to wrap your legs around his waist, to distracted by his relentless ministrations. by the time he's left multiple hickeys on your neck, you were whimpering mess. noritoshi's breath was taken away at the sight of you in his arms, lips swollen from the kisses, the glossy eyes, dishevelled hair and the hickeys that were slowly becoming more visible. he couldn't understand how carelessly you were letting him proceed when you supposedly harboured a strong dislike for him. nevertheless, he enjoyed it and wanted to savour the moment, ingrain it into his memory so he'd never forget why he was treating you like a nuisance.

a loud knock resounded from the door, followed by someone shouting: "noritoshi? has y/n been here?"

out of sheer shock, you shoved noritoshi away from you and nearly fell as you attempted to detangle yourself from him. he caught you in time, signalling you to stay quiet as the person outside was still shuffling around nervously. you slumped against him limply, letting your head rest against his chest. his heart was beating erratically. it made yours fill with pride as you could tell that you had the same effect on him as he did on you. still, the precarious situation suddenly dawned on you - you'd just made out with your sworn enemy and, yes you used to have a crush on him, enjoyed it very much. and by the looks of it, he would have continued if you hadn't pushed him away. the entire ordeal greatly confused you; was noritoshi just playing around with you? it couldn't be, he had initiated it after all. the cold treatment he usually gave you didn't match with his actions just now. you couldn't get close to him, not when he gave you mixed signals. you wanted someone who cherished you and was always sincere so you wouldn't have to second guess their actions.

"huh, i guess noritoshi's already sleeping. we'll have to check somewhere else, i hope she didn't get lost," the person outside mumbled as you stayed silent. the sound of shuffling was heard, then steps away from the room. you stayed put until you were sure they were gone and gently removed yourself from noritoshi's grip, not looking him in the eyes. he didn’t move, letting you go willingly.

“i’m sorry, i don’t know what came over me,” you apologized with a pained voice. “please forget that it ever happened and uhm, please don’t tell anyone.”

noritoshi’s eyes widened at your pleas, moving to stop you from leaving so he could explain himself to you. “y/n, wait, i can ex-”

hastily, you stumbled to open the door, dashing away from him until the building was out of your sight. you poorly hid behind a tree, sinking to your knees as you buried your face in your hands. what the hell. you just made out with your childhood friend turned enemy. your buried feelings were all over the place and your mind just couldn’t stay still. it messed with your outlook as well as your image of noritoshi, distorting and twisting it until you had to rethink your relationship. maybe all this time, you subconsciously hoped that he would return back to his old self and somehow give you an explanation. never having received closure on the end of your friendship, you would even forgive him for the sake of your relationship. were you this shallow? no, you simply harboured a lot of feelings for him. you weren’t able to tell what his thought process was - was he even interested in you? did he see you like that?

“there you are,” you lifted your head to see gojo walking towards you with his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his pants. you almost didn’t recognize him as he simply wore a pair of sunglasses and let his hair down. “the others are looking for you. what are you doing out here? trouble in paradise?”

“n-no! i just needed some time away from everyone to- to catch my breath,” you exclaimed indignantly and perhaps too hastily you realized when gojo smirked at you knowingly. why did everyone assume that there was anything between noritoshi and you? was it that obvious?

“uh huh. that’s not what your neck says,” gojo pointed out while wiggling his eyebrows and offered you a hand to stand up. “he really doesn’t like any competition.”

“fuck,” you cursed quietly, covering the hickeys with one hand while taking gojo’s with your other and pulling yourself up. it was embarrassing enough to meet one of the teachers like this but it was even more embarrassing to know that your teacher had seen the aftermath of your makeout session. 

“i’m not gonna tell anyone, if that’s what you’re concerned about. although it would certainly be funny to tease little noritoshi,” gojo was giggling and you knew he was greatly amused by the entire situation. it almost reminded you of nobara. you groaned in frustration as you trailed behind him towards the girls’ dorms. you needed to hide your neck so no one would question it or grill you until you confessed; the potential embarrassment was mortifying.

your group strategy was already falling apart when todo suddenly disappeared in the depths of the forest, not caring about your teamwork in the slightest. normally, it would frustrate you a lot more if you weren’t already preoccupied with your own troubles. todo would be fine anyways, the remaining group members could work on a strategy on their own. as mechamaru and mai were discussing, you shot a glance at noritoshi. he looked as deadpan as usual, probably not listening to the discussion as he worked better on his own and it was more or less decided that mechamaru and him would be moving on their own while the others would team up. otherwise, you couldn’t tell whether he was bothered by what had transpired between you the night before. on the contrary, he looked calm and composed, probably more focused on his goal than anything else. and for some reason it bothered you.

when you’d returned to nobara’s room last night, gojo had helped you make up an excuse. while dramatically gesturing around, he’d told them that he intercepted her journey towards the boys’ dorms to recruit you for training, claiming that he wanted to teach you more about reverse cursed techniques. although he saved you from scrutiny and embarrassment, you couldn’t help but feel like he might use it as leverage in the future. it was gojo after all, he was unpredictable. absentmindedly, you agreed to whatever plan the others had schemed and grabbed your sword, getting ready to move to your assigned position with miwa. while you had heard of the other students’ skills, you weren’t sure where to place their levels as there was always room for surprises. underestimating opponents was a beginner's mistake. the bell rang out, signaling the start of the tournament; with swift movements, the group members dispersed and slowly moved towards the "enemy".

in the distance, you could already hear loud explosions - it was probably mechamaru happily blasting away his opponents. you gritted your teeth in annoyance, the blasts were too loud for you to make out anyone approaching you. and as you predicted, someone was taking advantage of the noise to stalk up on you. barely being able to block the blow with your sword, you found yourself opposite of maki who was grinning at you. the challenging glint in her eyes told you that she wasn't going to go easy on you but you welcomed it. it was a good opportunity for you to grow and hone your sword wielding skills.

however, it proved to be more difficult to defeat maki than you'd originally anticipated. in mere minutes, maki had already disarmed miwa, leaving her defenseless and you were hanging on a bare thread. your grip on the sword was weakening, laboured breath making your ears ring. it was frustrating, knowing that after all those months of rigorous practice, you still couldn't win a fight. giving up wasn't an option, at the very least you had to give it your all.

"c'mon, you can do better than this!" maki teased you as you ducked away from the swipe of her spear. it missed you by a hair's width and left you scrambling to create more distance between you so you could heal yourself. maki's relentless hits didn't give you any rooms for it - you really had to learn how to constantly apply it to yourself without losing time. from the corner of your eyes, you could see that miwa had picked up the phone. she was probably calling for help, you thought and dished out another hit towards maki which she skillfully dodged. instead, she delivered another blow to your legs, making your knees buckle from the force. you used your sword to support you and took another breath before you tried to lunge at her. in the distance, miwa suddenly collapsed, making you stop mid-move and took another hit from maki that took all the air in your lungs.

"eyes on your opponent, y/n. you know better than to get distracted in a fight, you could've been killed in a real fight," maki reprimanded you as you coughed heavily, gasping for air as you slowly got back up. you were unsteady on your feet, not having enough energy to even heal yourself. conflicted by whether you should face maki again or help miwa, your eyes were flitting between them. maki took advantage of your uncertainty, dealing another blow to you that knocked the sword out of your hand. as your last resort, you kicked at her feet, trying to get her to fall, only to have her pin you to the ground.

"you're going to have to practice a lot more to beat me in the future," she sighed, picking up your sword. panic welled up in your chest - the sword was the only way you could possibly somewhat win this fight but even subconsciously you knew that it was over. reaching out for the sword in desperation, your vision was clouded with tears. it was frustrating, so so frustrating. why couldn't you be as talented as her? or have fast reflexes like noritoshi? why were you ordinary, not being able to make any progress no matter how hard you try?

"i know but i can't give up now!" you defiantly retorted, pushing at her with all might. "i have to win, i just have to show my skills for once and prove myself, i- i-"

even maki softened up at your heart wrenching sobs, easing up on her grip. you both knew it was over. you were probably already eliminated from the tournament, with no other possibility to redeem yourself. she knew that you tried your best and never once underestimated her but something irked her. it was your motivation, your driving force.

"y/n, there's no shame in losing. that's how you grow, make mistakes and learn from them. you tried your best, it's not easy to stand against me for so long."

"i know but there's- i'm still not where i need to be! look at how much progress the others are making in comparison to me! i've been practicing day and night and still, no one is noticing me. i'm just a measly healer and i-"

"y/n." maki cut you off sternly. "is this your motivation? proving yourself to others? you'll not be able to improve if you keep fighting for others. you need to start working on yourself, for yourself. you don't owe anyone anything. but you have to realize that trying to satisfy other people's needs will only make you unhappy and hinder your growth."

"i'm unhappy with my skills! i keep telling myself that it's okay, that i have a rare cursed technique but sometimes i just wish i had a flashy technique or be as strong as you. i don't want to be looked at as if i need protection, i don't want it! i just-" you hiccuped, sniffling again as you wiped your tears with the sleeves of your uniform. "i just want someone to acknowledge me, want him to accept me as an equal…"

"who?" maki's cold look made you freeze in your movements. you didn't mean to let that slip. no one needed to know that the entire time, you were vying for noritoshi's attention. but she was right; there was no point in giving it your all if it wasn't for yourself. it was a silly, childish dream of yours to be equal with him again. he was far out of reach and you couldn't catch up to him.

"n- noritoshi," you admitted in defeat. maki saw right through you, there was no point in lying. she raised her eyebrows at you but didn't question it further. after all, you hadn't told her about the background story. unless nobara had done so, you wouldn't doubt it.

"i'm not gonna ask you why. but this is my advice, do not fight for somebody else. if you relentlessly work on yourself for your own benefit, you'll see progress a lot faster. your technique might not be flashy but it is powerful, remember that. you're a valuable asset to every team," she concluded and pulled you up, awkwardly patting your back as you still sniffled. maki opened her mouth to tell you some comforting words but froze when another extremely loud boom resounded near the entrance of the estate. your eyes widened at the sudden influx of cursed energy - there was no doubt that a high-level curse had just entered the school grounds. you turned to maki to tell her the news but she'd already moved, pointing to miwa.

"take her to a safe place, you can't stay here! in your state, you wouldn't last against such a strong curse," maki yelled at you as she disappeared in the woods. you scrambled frantically, not wanting to be left behind. while you were useless for the tournament, you could at least still be of assistance against a curse. miwa was still laying on the ground, unmoving. you shook her gently, scared that she was seriously hurt. it seemed like she was just sleeping instead; you were relieved. throwing her across your shoulder, you winced in pain but persisted nonetheless. you had to get her away from here, who knows what curses were roaming around. your senses were flooded with the stench of blood and debris, the pressure of cursed energy, the loud rumbles. you couldn't tell where the others were but you hoped they were safe.

a loud thud startled you and you stopped, ready to draw your sword until realization hit you that it was utahime that was inspecting you. determined, you thrusted miwa's limp body towards utahime. 

"miwa will be okay, she's just sleeping! i'm okay too, don't worry, please just take care of her and i'll check on the others!"

"y/n, don't be stupid! you're injured and in no state to help others." utahime attempted to convince you; you shook her off stubbornly, insisting that you were fine.

"what if the others get hurt? i have to help them or at least warn them!" your resolve was firm and unwavering that even utahime couldn't convince you otherwise. slipping out of her grasp, you sprinted towards the source of the cursed energy. from far away you could already see the damage that the curse had caused. multiple buildings were torn apart, trees dislodged and- were those branches rapidly growing out of the ground? you watched in horror as the branches whipped around, following running figures on the rooftop of one of the buildings. upping your speed, you jumped towards the group to aid them. as you neared them, you could make out inumaki, noritoshi, and megumi fighting against the curse, maki trailing close behind. 

they barely stood a chance against the curse, every hit that they dealt, the curse would come out unscathed. "what's the deal with that curse?" you asked, panting as you joined them, coming to a halt behind inumaki. megumi was yelling something but you couldn't hear him as noritoshi turned to you and shoved you out of the way.

"y/n, what are you doing here?" 

"helping you guys? what the fuck does it look like?" you yelled back exasperated. why was he mad at you in such a situation? they needed any helping hand they could get to defeat the curse. while you weren't useful in fights, you could at least provide continuous healing. noritoshi didn't have any time to reply as the curse lashed out again, dodging it by jumping to the side. you stayed close to inumaki, swiftly healing him when he collapsed from the rebound of his cursed speech. you clenched your jaw, not wanting the others to see that you were slowly running out of energy and strength. next thing you know, a body was hurled through the air, landing near you with a thud. your heart filled with dread when your eyes fell onto the figure, recognizing noritoshi.

"y/n, heal them as best as you can and get out of here! take them to the teachers!" maki yelled out and this time you obeyed, too panicked about noritoshi's state. you were thankful that inumaki had enough energy to run after you'd healed him - hauling noritoshi's tall frame around was already difficult enough but even more so when you were exhausted. as you neared the gates, utahime was already running towards you with a concerned look on her face. you were glad that she was nearby, it meant that gojo and the other teachers were close and could defend you.

"what happened?" utahime worried but you couldn't reply. falling to your knees, you gently laid noritoshi on the ground. the injuries looked bad, there was blood everywhere. you had to stop the wound on his head from bleeding but your trembling hands were preventing you from doing so.

"i- i don't know, i just- i think the curse hit him and now he's unconscious and he's losing so much blood and-"

utahime pinched you firmly, snapping you out of your panic. she was already holding a cloth to noritoshi's temple to stop the bleeding. patting your hand, she told you in a gentle voice: "heal him if you still have enough strength but don't overexert yourself. ieiri will be here soon." 

nodding frantically, you placed your trembling hands on his abdomen and let your cursed energy flow. the strength was slowly leaving your body but you had to save him. you had to make sure he was okay, he couldn't die, not like this. regret was bubbling up inside you; what if this was the last time you would ever get to see him?just as you felt his energy responding to yours and saw his hand moving slightly, you couldn't hold yourself upright anymore. the last thing you saw was utahime reaching out to catch you as you collapsed.

you woke up with a startle, gasping for air as you sat up abruptly. sunlight was flooding the room and it felt uncomfortably hot on your skin. you pushed the blanket back but stopped halfway in your movement. your entire body hurt, muscles burning and screaming for more rest. and yet you couldn’t stay still as you remembered the previous events. how long were you out for? was everyone okay? gritting your teeth, you slowly moved out of the room. again, you were faced with the endless maze that was the tokyo tech buildings and stopped in your tracks, not sure which direction to go. you let out a sigh of relief when you spotted yuji in the distance, waving at him to get his attention.

“y/n!” yuji ran towards you, frantically gesturing towards your room. “you’re supposed to be resting! what are you doing here?”

“is everyone okay?” you croaked, now realizing how dry your throat was.

“yeah, ieiri did a good job of healing everyone! some of us are still resting though and so should you.”

“no, i… is noritoshi okay?”

“noritoshi? oh, you mean the guy with the long hair?” yuji nodded, curiously eyeing you as your shoulders dropped, the stress rolling of them. “yeah, he’s still recovering though. ieiri said that his injuries were probably the worst so he’s not allowed to leave the bed.”

“can you take me to him?” you asked with a small voice, doing your best to muster up a puppy face. yuji sighed, scratching his head sheepishly. you could see the conflict in his eyes, that he was thinking about rejecting your request. in the end, he shook his head in defeat and motioned for you to follow him. a small grin found its way onto your lips - yuji was just too nice, he couldn’t say no when people ask him for favours. the walk to noritoshi’s room was silent, neither of you knowing what to say. you knew it was selfish of you not to ask him about his wellbeing more or visit the others but you just had to see for yourself that noritoshi was okay. yuji stopped in front of a door, pointing at it.

“this is his room. he might be sleeping though… my room is down the hall so if you need me to accompany you back to your room, just call me.”

you thanked him quietly and watched as he retreated. taking a deep breath, you knocked at the door and waited for a reply. a few moments passed before noritoshi’s voice rang out, giving you the okay to enter. gingerly, you opened the door and entered the room. noritoshi was sitting on his bed, reading a book as if nothing had happened. you looked at him bewildered. he didn’t look like his injuries fazed him at all. despite the bandages around his head and arms, he remained calm as if nothing hurt. 

“noritoshi,” you breathed out, taking a seat on the chair near the bed. he didn’t spare you a look, keeping his eyes on the book. “i uhm. i’m glad you’re okay! when i saw you in that state, i was so so scared that i could lose you… i did my best to heal you, i know i didn’t do much but-”

“i didn’t need your help,” noritoshi snapped at you, placing the book on his lap. “i would’ve been fine without it.”

you were stunned. why was he so agitated? after you initial shock, you huffed in frustration. “what the hell, you could’ve died! i was trying so hard to keep you alive and you react like this? i know you don’t like me but even this is a low blow for you!”

“it wouldn’t have been a problem if you hadn’t inserted yourself into everything! you’re not helping anyone, just dragging us down; everything could’ve gone well if it wasn’t for you standing in the way,” noritoshi countered as frustrated, this time actually looking at you. you stared back at him in disbelief. you saved his life and he had the nerve to shot you down like this.

“does it really hurt your ego to admit that i was actually helpful? we were friends at some point so why do you insist on being such a dick? and here i was, finally thinking that we were getting somewhere- for fuck’s sake, we kissed and-”

“leave.”

you stopped rambling. the tired tone in his voice, the deadpan look on his face; he was serious. you couldn’t believe him. tears welled up in your eyes as you leaped from the chair and hastily exited the room, slamming the door in anger. 

you never wanted to see him again.

p.s: yes nobara gave you a wrong sketch of the buildings what about it hehe

taglist: @milkteeboba​