#prolly because it's one of the chapters I was looking forward to writing the most

[pcrushinnerd]

For some reason tags arent showing up for the most recent chapter of a story and it's bugging the shit out of me

EDIT: Apparently no posts are showing up in the tags I use for them, so that's fun.

[ackermanshoe]

"Mikasa?!"

"get your shit together"

"we are the only ones who can stop Eren"

Well smart ppl, this is the first time in the entirety of attack on titan Levi "snapped" towards Mikasa. The look on his eyes it's so full concern, did he know what was happening to her? Did he realise it was her headache or did he think it was Eren doing something?

Maybe he snapped bc he was absolutely tired of Erens shit and mikasa's hesitation towards him. Maybe he was so worried that he couldn't get his words to come out? "Get your shit together" is such a Levi think to say if he said "are you okay?" It would be so out of character.

I know I don't need to explain this as we are all aware that Levi's way with Mikasa is like none other, right? Eg when he snapped at historia for not being able to give a straight answer to the biggest decision of her life - more: he often snaps at hanji despite them being friends for years etc.

It also makes me wonder how Levi is so in touch with reality, he's right next to her, could it be that his presence helped Mikasa come back to hers and finally decide to end Eren?

"a theory isn't a fantasy, it's a coherent set of ideas intend to explain something.." and this is me theorising so stay with me. The Ackerman's who had their inhumane power activated are Levi Mikasa and Kenny. Kenny met his tragic end with Yuri, Levi met his tragic end with Erwin and now it is clearly Mikasa's turn. Ik it wasn't obvious but when Kenny Ackerman lost his liege he was completely alone then eventually he had died off. Isn't it funny how the only two Ackerman's to have had years side by side were Mikasa and Levi? It's just my belief that Erwin's death would have caused more harm on Levi if he hadn't had Mikasa by his side and Mikasa would have been more lost in her delusion or dreams without Levi's consent attempt to bring her back to reality. Eg female titan arc.

Even after killing Zeke Levi never found true happiness, was it really the purpose of his life? Definitely not. It almost feels like there's a loose end to tie, possibly with another Ackerman. This is where my theory ( or more questions ) about the shine in his eyes comes in which I will explain later.

I have always seen Mikasa as a doer, who is not indecisive and always goes for the kill. Levi knows that too. This one moment where got her headache and she hesitated to move forward it was a conflict that clearly irretated Levi.

But man if it were anyone else with all their love and care for Mikasa they would have snapped at her ages ago. The patience this man has for Mikasa is unmatched.

Furthermore

"got it"

"Mikasa"

He said this to himself, TO HIMSELF I repeat not to Mikasa or anyone. What does this tell me? It tells me he trusts Mikasa to make the right decision. He knows it's time and he knows that she won't hesitate this time. Remember the gleam in his eyes when Mikasa asked him to help her kill Eren?

It's a gleam of trust and recognition.

To me this is the purest form of support Levi has given not only to Mikasa but anyone at all. It kinda makes me feel soft if I'm being honest but I can't explain that with facts.

Might I mention how how Levi said mikasa's name more in this one chapter than he has said in the entire manga?

( if someone know why he never calls Mikasa by her name please let me know I'm so hung up on that and still wondering what could be the meaning behind it )

It can be said the same with Mikasa calling Levi "captain" several times in the last chapter and possibly this one.

It may be a personal view of mine but the I think there's a lot of significance in calling ones name. But in rivamika's relationship the lack there of name calling makes it much more interesting to theorise. I have always been someone who would hesitate to say my crush's name because I feel like it would be awkward and make the conversation much more intimate. Yeah it's just a theory but most people would avoid using their crushes name because it makes them nervous and the fact their crush exist near them much more realistic. ( Input scene from there first caridge scene where Levi called Mikasa by her name to tell her to protect Eren with all her skills and Mikasa had a drop sweat on her, she was caught off guard by his voice calling her name )

If I was to assume this is what happened with Levi not mentioning mikasa's name ( all that often ) then it kinda makes sense. And now that we have Levi finally calling out her name in the middle of a life or death battle it makes me wonder if he is finally breaking out of a invisible shell and confronting his feelings (?)

Note: "feelings" can be interpreted as romantic AND non romantic. I don't mean to say that I think he is in love with her that's realistically thinking.

Idk how to word this properly but it's like he is becoming more aware of mikasa's importance in his life and vice versa (?)

Ones name is the biggest connection they have with their individuality and the fact that Levi calls her name several times in this particular chapter makes me think it's somehow connected to Mikasa letting go off Eren and choosing herself + Levi and whoever is left to save. I believe Levi already knew this since the moment the gleam came into his eyes, like I mentioned many many many times Levi knows things about Mikasa before she does. For Levi it's like looking into a mirror that goes backwards in time.

If I'm going to talk more about the gleam in Levi's eyes I might as well put it all down on the table and you can view it however you want.

Remember this

"is it from hope or despair that this strength comes from?"

Well the gleam to me represents hope, not only for the survival of them two by killing Eren, but for Mikasa herself, finding herself MIGHT just be the gleam of hope Levi's strength came from. Individuality. This is more like forshadowing the future than the present.

It also reminds me of S1 when Levi's eyes gleamed when Eren expressed his hatred towards the titans. The look of obsession, to kill the titans and now mikasa's determination to kill Eren ( her obsession).

If I'm being a delulu then yes I do think he is in love with her and nothing less 🤩 and this look^^ above is so sexy can they just idk send me the wedding invitation already I'm 🕯️😔🕯️ tired of waiting.

Anyways I'm going to end this here I feel like I write so much and if anyone asked me what this was all about in real life I would prolly run away rather than speaking. Thank you guys for being here and supporting me and everyone else! I hope the last chapter is at least 100 pages long because we need it 😭🕯️😭.

Edit: I apologize for making this so long I was going to post it like tomorrow but I think it will makes sense if I do it now rather than later.

Also regarding the snapping bit I honestly think it's just because the way he speaks it comes out as harsh which is natural for his character we already know he cares so much about her, he was panicking guys.

[pishufics]

study date(s)

"Bertholdt knows that he needs to start trying. It’s junior year, and he’d rather not stay stuck in the same class next year as a senior. If he fails the next test, he’s in some shit. So, he's going to ask you for help."

pairing - bertholdt hoover x reader

tags - high school au, fluff, humor, texting

warnings - none

author’s note -  this was just a one shot but i kept writing lol it kind of switches between you and bertholdt, but i don't directly say his thoughts, it's kind of like 2nd person omniscient if that's even a thing LOL

lmk how the texting reads, i'll change it if it's weird

reblogs and comments are appreciated ! mwah

ao3 

chapter 1 - two days

reinah: I swear if you don’t just ASK her

Do you want to be held back?

bertoto: relax okay i’ll do it :(

r: Okay, okay

Lmk how it goes

b: i never said i was asking today

Bertholdt sighs and locks his phone once he sees Reiner start to type a reply.

Bertholdt is struggling with English, which surprises him. He’s a good student in every other class, but the moment Mr. Ackermann starts talking, he finds himself dozing off, missing the lecture. Recently, though, he’s awake in class, but still not paying attention. All his focus is on you, who sat in the middle of the classroom while he sat in the back, due to his height (he didn’t really mind, though; better chance of not getting caught asleep).

One day, due to some miraculous occurrence, the short, stern teacher actually had the boy’s attention, but not for long.

“Does anyone have number three?” Mr. Ackermann asked. Bertholdt definitely didn’t. He hoped someone would raise their hand so the teacher wouldn’t resort to calling a random name.

To his relief, you did.

“I think what the author was trying to convey was…”

Bertholdt didn’t really get what you were saying, but he admired your intelligence. You knew the material and could explain it in detail, while he couldn’t even recall the book's name in question.

He started to admire more of your traits - he gazed as you would lightly, but briskly, tap your foot in frustration when you didn’t know an answer and smile at the way your face relaxed when you finally got it. Seeing your motivation in class kickstarted his.

Bertholdt knows that he needs to start trying. It’s junior year, and he’d rather not stay stuck in the same class next year as a senior. If he fails the next test, he’s in some shit.

So, he's going to ask you for help.

...Tomorrow.

-

“Girl, I don’t have any more fucking gum. I drove up to Costco, bought the value sized pack, and you somehow managed to chew all of it.” You say exasperatedly, shutting your locker.

Sasha pouts. “Are you sureeee? There’s prolly half a stick left in your front pocket…”

You swat her hand away. “There’s. Nothing. Left. I promise.” She continues to stare at your bag.

“Fuckin-” You mutter, reaching into your bag and pulling out a snack-size bag of Cheezits. They’re one of your favorite snacks, but you know you can’t win when it comes to Sasha and food. You reluctantly hand the bag to her.

“Thanks, y/n!” She smiles and tears open the bag.

“Yknow, you can be annoying as shit, Sasha.”

She winks at you and eats her stolen prize. You turn to leave and head to 3rd period. English.

Hm. You’re usually greeted by your other best friend around now-

“Yeoooo!!” Oh, there he is. Connie daps you up before wrapping his arm around your shoulders. “What’s good?”

“I don’t really wanna go to 3rd," you answer. "Sasha stole my Cheezits."

“Does anyone really wanna go to any class? And that's your fault, you know you can't bring food without Sasha's fatass taking it,” Connie replies, and Sasha punches his shoulder.

“Okay, I know...have you started studying for the test?”

He blankly stares at you. Guess not. You have the same teacher, but different periods, so you can’t keep an eye on him.

“Nevermind. I’ll see y’all later.” You throw up a peace sign and head in the opposite direction.

It’s not like you’re bad at English, but you just don’t like school in general. You go to class to get your participation grade, then go home.

There might be another reason you tolerate 3rd period, though, and it isn’t the professor. (He is pretty fine, but he's an adult, so you don’t let your thoughts escalate).

-

Mr. Ackermann didn’t like assigning things online, so most of the work in this class was on paper, contrasting your other classes where everything was digital. Kind of annoying, but you’ve learned to deal with it.

You mainly use mechanical pencils because you hate the way wooden ones write, but one day, to your slight dismay, you forgot them at home. Just your luck.

There’s a container of pencils and a sharpener in the back of the classroom, so you stand up to go retrieve one and notice a tall boy asleep in a desk not too far back from yours.

Bertholdt Hoover.

You knew him, of course. You find it a little rude to not know your classmates' names; you’ve dealt with numerous “who?”s in previous years and don’t want to put anyone through that, so you make sure to pay attention during introductions.

You chuckle at sight. The class has barely even started, and the guy is already dozing. In an awkward position, at that. One of his long legs is across the other, cramped underneath the desk. His head was laying on his right arm with his left against his hair. You thought to wake him up, but he looked so peaceful, you couldn't bring yourself to do it, plus, it's not your business. Mr Ackermann somehow didn't notice either, so Bertholdt always had a good rest in 3rd period English.

Every time you walked into class, you checked to see what weird position he would be sleeping in. You found yourself looking forward to it- he looked kinda cute when he was sleeping- but he stopped one day. You were a little disappointed, but glad to know that he was starting to pay attention in class. You still glanced at him as you walked in- he's a pretty attractive guy. No harm in just looking...

-

You shrug your backpack off and sit at your desk, stretching your legs out a bit. The walk from your locker to this classroom was kind of far. You reach into your bag, get your mechanical pencil out, and wait for Mr Ackermann to pass out the first assignment.

Just then, you hear someone walk up to your desk, and you glance over.

‘Oh, it’s Bertholdt. I don’t think we’ve ever spoken.’ You feel your face heat up, wondering what he wanted from you.

“Hey, y/n…” He nervously starts.

“Hey. Need something?”

“Yeah, actually...about the upcoming test.”

You hum in curiosity. “What about it?”

He clears his throat. “I’m lowkey failing this class, and if I mess up this test, I’ll have to retake this class next year. Do you think you could, uh…”

Bertholdt inhales in an attempt to calm himself down. It doesn’t really work.

“Could you help me study?” Phew. He managed to get it out pretty well and made a mental note to give himself a pat on the back later. But he hasn’t fully succeeded yet; you still need to agree.

You weren't opposed to the idea. You kind of figured he would be struggling in class a bit since he used to sleep all the time. It’s alright with you, and you wouldn’t mind a potential new friend. Sasha and Connie were exhausting at times.

“Yeah, sure. When?” You pause. “Actually, just text me.” You hold out your hand, asking for his phone.

Bertholdt was practically shaking in his sneakers as he reached into his pocket and handed you his unlocked phone with the contacts app open. You actually agreed! And you were giving him your number! Reiner was going to be so proud, he smiled to himself.

As you type in your info, you appreciate the cleanliness of his phone. That shows you that he’s at least hygienic.

“Aight. Here you go,” you return his device. “See you later.” You smile.

Bertholdt can’t believe this is happening.

Mr Ackermann’s voice interrupts his thoughts. “Oi, Hoover. Sit down.”

Startled, he jumps back a bit at the sudden acknowledgement. He was focused on you and tuned everything else out.

“Sorry, sir.” Bertholdt gives you a quick grin and turns to go back to his desk. Once he sits, he looks down at the new contact:

y/n :)

xxx-xxx-xxxx

Bertholdt can’t help but smile. Just seeing your name and number on his screen made him giddy, and he thought that the smiley face you added was adorable.

His thoughts are interrupted yet again, but not by the teacher. He looks down at his phone, which just buzzed.

| Messages

reinah

Did you do it yet bruh

Good timing. Bertholdt taps on the notification and goes to type a reply, but decides to send him a screenshot of your contact…with your number scribbled out. Reiner was a flirt, and he didn’t want to risk anything.

r: YOOOOOOOOOO HOLY SHIT U ACTUALLY DID IT

Bertholdt rolls his eyes and puts his phone in his backpack. He was going to pay attention- for real - today. He didn't want to seem too clueless when you tutored him.

“Can anyone tell me what rhetorical strategy is being used here?” Mr. Ackermann asked.

Bertholdt certainly could not. But that was changing soon, with your help.

--

“Okaay, we got Ms. Tutor over here now,” Sasha smiles in between bites of a burger.

“Do you even know how to, like, teach, though?” Connie gives you a skeptical look.

“It prolly isn’t too hard. All I gotta do is help him study. If he needs help understanding a concept, I’ll just explain it,” you defend yourself. “We still have two weeks. Ion mind making flashcards or something.”

“You’re getting into it, huh?” Sasha laughs.

Your face heats in embarrassment. “Girl, you know it isn’t like that.”

“And why not? You’re always bitching about how lonely you are. High school isn’t gonna last forever…” she replies.

“I have no recollection of saying anything like that.” You glare. But she isn’t exactly wrong. You’d like to experience the “high school romance” you’ve heard so much about, and Bertholdt is pretty cute. It’s not like dating is a significant concern, though.

“I’m always here as an option, y/n,” Connie winks as he takes a sip of his soda.

“Hell nah.”

Across the cafeteria, Bertholdt is trying to eat a sandwich, but Reiner won’t leave him alone. He was right about Reiner being proud, but Bertholdt almost forgot how persistent the jock could get.

“I didn’t think you had the balls, dude. I was ready to see English 3 on your schedule again next year,” He grins, arm around his taller friend's shoulders.

“...Can I eat?” Bertholdt sighs and shrugs his friend away.

“Have you texted her yet? What day are you gonna hang out with her? You gonna bring her anything? Flowers or somethin’? Girls like that kinda stuff.”

Bertholdt didn’t really think that was true.

“First off, no, not yet. I need to see when I can actually go. Second, no, I am not bringing her anything. I didn’t say it was a date. She’s going to help me study.”

“Fine, man. At least try to seem more interesting, yknow, so she can like...be interested in you.”

“Are you saying I’m boring? Ouch,” He jokingly pouts and rolls his eyes at Reiner’s double usage of ‘interesting.’

“You said it, not me.”

“Okay, I don’t wanna hear that from you...if it came from Annie, then I’d believe it.” Bertholdt looks in the blonde’s direction. She took a bite from her burger, looked up from her phone, and shrugged.

“Damn, for real?” Bertholdt sinks. He didn’t think he was that dull. He did lots of interesting stuff, like…

Like…

Bertholdt sighs in defeat.

“It’s fine. Maybe y/n likes boring,” Bertholdt huffs, taking another bite from his sandwich.

“Yeah, okay, keep telling yourself that and see where it gets you…” Reiner mumbles.

“Come again?”

“Nothing, man…”

School's been over for an hour or two. You’re aimlessly scrolling through your phone when you feel a buzz, and glance towards the top of the screen.

| Messages

xxx-xxx-xxxx

hey

it’s bertholdt 😁

where should we meet up?

Your heart starts to beat a little faster. ‘Relax, girl… don't act like he's asking you out or something,’ you tell yourself.

y/n: hey!

how abt the library?

+  what day/ time works for you?

You add his number to your contacts as you wait for his response.

bertholdt :^)

is saturday at 3 okay?

y/n: yep

do you need a ride or anything?

b: no, but thank you

see you then ☺️

y/n: alrighty :)

You smile at his use of emojis, send what he requested, then swipe down on your screen to check the day (what? It's normal to forget sometimes.) Wednesday. Two days.

You feel like it would be awkward to study with Bertholdt considering you aren’t really friends, so you decide to text him a little more so it isn't too bad when the day arrives.

----

“See? That wasn’t so hard!” Reiner exclaims. “You could’ve tried to talk to her more, but it went good!”

“I think it would’ve been weird if I did say anything else. Best to leave it at that…” Bertholdt exclaims, trying to calm himself down. He had two days.

He wonders what he should do now. Study so he could impress you? Do something to make himself seem more interesting? What would he even do...?

Bertholdt taps back onto the conversation to reread it for the 6th time. Was there anything he could’ve said different? Should he try asking you someth-

Oh, wait-? You’re typing?

“Oh shit- Dude, she’s saying something else. What do I do?” He begins to panic. Did you suddenly decide he wasn’t worth your time? Were you cancelling?

y/n: sooo

how’s your day been?

Whaaaaaatttt?? You actually...care to ask?

Bertholdt stared at his phone in surprise.

“What’d she say? Cmon! Don’t just look, dude!”

“She...asked how my day’s been-”

“-You gotta reply now! You were on the chat when she said it, so she knows you’ve read it!” Reiner urges.

Shit. He doesn't have enough time to think of a good reply.

good, but better since i’m texting you 😉|

The hell? No, that’s weird. And too soon. He tries again...

pretty good, thanks!

kinda stressing over the test, haha

how’s your day going?

There we go. He twiddles his thumbs as he waits for your reply.

y/n :)

oh, dw, it’ll be fine !

my day was okay

sasha took my last bag of cheez its :(

b: ah, i'm sorry abt that :(

+ yeah, you're right

have you as my tutor :)

“Nice job man! That was...kinda flirty? You’ll get there!” Reiner ruffles his hair in encouragement, and Bertholdt shoos him away. He stares at his phone in anticipation. Was that too much?

----

i have you as my tutor :)

You lean your head on your pillow and feel your face heat up at the compliment ( was that a compliment?)

It’s not like you’re dumb, so he’s not wrong to think that. Your lips curl into a smile as you reread the message. But how do you reply? Should you compliment him back? You don’t really know.

if you’re saying i’m smart, thank you :))

hoping that wasn't sarcasm lol

You wait a minute, and he doesn’t reply, so you decide to ask another question.

is there anything specific you wanna focus on?

You cringe at the double texting, but hope that it doesn't make him think you're weird. You swipe away from the conversation and scroll on various apps as you wait.

b: ofc it wasn’t sarcasm, you're really smart, y/n!

i'm mainly struggling with rhetorical strategies and logical fallacies, but i could

use a general review too

if that's okay with you

You bury your almost overheating face into your pillow. Why is something like that getting you flustered, you wonder. You sit up, take a deep breath, and focus on the second part of his message. You're pretty good with what he needs work on, and a general review should be easy to put together.

y/n :) okay, we can focus on the first 2 on saturday

we can review the unit on other days

see you at school:)

At this point, you really don’t know how this conversation could go any further, so you ended it. Bertholdt returns your goodbye.

You exhale and sit up in your bed. Hopefully tutoring him won’t be too awkward now that you’ve spoken to him a bit, and there's still tomorrow at school to speak to him. You find yourself excited for the study date tutoring session, since you could get your homework done too.

"Two days," you smile.

[sunflowersteves]

Hi! Can I please request a pt2 to my last request? Bucky, Steve, & Sam(while trying to get away from people after Bucky) were keeping Y/n safe, & when they get taken into custody, they take Y/n too.& she’s scared but Bucky tries to calm her down + when they lock him up, Sam & Steve are there for Y/n (defend her),& when Buck gets brainwashed he still doesn’t dare hurt Y/n, pushing her hair behind her ear, saying I love you, before running. Steve brings her w/ him to where Bucky is (the warehouse)

Bucky Barnes x civilian!short!fem!reader

author’s note || I’ve been writing on my series and haven’t been able to work on this one but here it is! It’s longer than I intended but I hope you enjoy it @kpopgirlbtssvt !! Also bucky not hurting y/n even after being brainwashed? A CONCEPT! Thank you for sending in this request! 

warnings || angst!, fluff, tony is kinda the bad guy rip, swearing prolly

chapter one // m.list

Steve and Bucky were still glaring at each other as the four of you got into the car as parked outside of Bucky’s apartment. You and Sam just looked at each other with a knowing look as the two started bickering. “My God, my brain is going to explode.” You agreed with Sam until your breath hitched as a large group of people with huge guns started to surround the car. 

They tell the four of you to get out slowly with your hands up. Bucky and Steve yell at you to do what they say. You get out as slow as possible raising your hands above your head. “She’s just a citizen!” Bucky yells as the SWAT team continues to point their guns at you. The rest of them quickly get out of the car after you with their hands up. 

Despite Sam and Steve being on the same side as these men, they clearly didn’t give a shit about who they hurt or kill. Orders are orders. Tears prick your eyes as Bucky continues to yell at the men, telling them that you’re innocent and to stop pointing guns at you but they don’t listen. Bucky runs in front of you blocking anyone that tries to hurt you. “It’s okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He says softly, locking eyes with yours. 

“Oh fuck it.” “Wait, Bucky-” Steve stares wide-eyed as Bucky swings his fist at one of the men with guns, immediately knocking the man out. Guns start firing at him but Sam and Steve block a lot of the bullets. One of the men tries to attack you and you squeeze your eyes shut in preparation but Steve quickly blocks it, shoving the guy ten feet back. You thank him and he nods, continuing to fight off the SWAT team. 

The three of them are knocked down with special tasers and Bucky is shoved to the ground and handcuffed. You yell at them to stop, running towards them but one of the men push you down to the ground. Bucky growls and almost gets up to kill the guy but he stands down. During this time you really wished you could do something to help. Even though you were highly tech-savvy, physical shit wasn’t your thing. You despised it if you were being honest, sweating was your nightmare. You just wished Bucky had taught you some moves just in case but there wasn’t enough time before your happiness bubble was popped. 

Alexander Pierce yells at the men to stop tasering Captain America and looks at Steve dead in the eye, anger taking over. “Why did you shoot my men? What’s up with you Roger’s? You’ll be in trouble for this.” Steve smirks at Pierce, noticing the surprise features that take over him. “I’ve been chewed out before.” Sam checks to see if you’re injured and once you’re clear he tells a handcuffed Bucky that you’re okay. His shoulders relax and he lets out the breath he was holding as tears roll down your face.

“It’s going to be okay, baby.” You shake your head as Steve and Sam look at the two of you sympathetically. Bucky repeats his words over and over when they take him away. Sam holds you back as you yell Bucky’s name. Steve and Sam were overly kind, taking you personally to Steve had felt pretty bad about judging you at first because he doesn’t think he’s ever seen so much love in Bucky’s eyes. No one besides Steve himself or his mother. So Steve vowed to himself that he would protect you as Bucky does, even if it gets him killed. He owes Buck that much.

When the three of you got back to the tower, a pretty big fight broke out. “Who is she?” Steve explained and all Tony did was scoff. “And how do we know she’s not his partner in crime?” Sam put his foot down by slamming his fist on the desk. “She’s just a citizen, Stark. She hasn’t done anything wrong.” Tony and Sam were arguing back and forth as Steve locked his eyes with yours. You gave him a sad smile but his head quickly snapped towards Tony. “Maybe she’s with hydra! How do we know she isn’t the one that planted the bomb.” 

Steve growled. “She’s not with Hydra you egotistical ass.” Steve stomped out of the room with you following behind. You were shaking and stumbling around a bit. You definitely didn’t want to stay in that room any longer and you 100% missed the guilt look on Tony’s face at how scared you looked. 

--

They had locked Bucky up in this weird prison. You had never seen it before but it looked high tech. He sat in the chair, completely strapped to it, and a glass box surrounding him. A man that said he was Bucky’s therapist had come in and started to inspect him. You just stood on the other side of the glass while Bucky just stared at you with the most loving look you had seen. “I’ll be okay, doll.” You smiled and put your hand on the glass. “You better be, Buck.” He smiled brightly in your direction.

Once the door was closed, the man looked at you and kept getting closer. You looked at him strangely while Bucky was squirming in his prison cell, trying to get out. What the fuck is happening? You thought. The man stopped right in front of you with a knife in his hand and rope. “If you don’t want to get hurt, you’ll let me tie you up.” You turn to look at Bucky and all he does is nod. You let the strange man tie you up. 

He walked over in front of Bucky and smirked before turning his attention to the words in the book. “желание, ржавый.” Bucky closed his eyes. He should’ve known this was coming. Considering he didn’t plant the bomb, he should’ve known something was up. He never wanted you to see him like this but it’s too late now. You tried to loosen the rope but all it did was make you hiss as it rubbed against your skin. Bucky just shook his head, indicating that it was no use. 

Bucky looked at the man with tears in his eyes. “Stop. Please.” The man jumps when the sound of banging can be heard behind the door so he speeds up the process. 

“семнадцать, рассвет, печь.” You yelled and cried. You knew those words. Bucky had told you about the trigger words used against him one night after a nightmare. 

“God, please stop.” Tears left your eyes as did his. “y/n, I’m so sorry.” 

“девять, доброкачественный, Возвращение на Родину, один, грузовой вагон.” The man wickedly smiled as Bucky’s eyes appeared only to be dull and lifeless. The sounds of your screams and cries filled the room. You wished again that you had superhuman strength or anything to save him. You felt so helpless that you screamed in agony. “Ready, Soldat?”

Bucky’s face turned blank as more banging was sounded on the door that made you jump. He looked at the man in front of him, waiting for orders. “готов подчиниться.” [ready to comply.]

By the time Steve was able to burst through the door, Zemo had already given Bucky his mission. And as Steve screamed your name, Bucky started to charge right towards you. Steve was desperately trying to get towards you but Zemo was keeping him occupied. Bucky stopped in front of you and lifted his hand. You yelled as his fist came down but blinked as you never felt any pain. You look down to see Bucky had chopped off the rope tied around you with his bare hands. 

He crouches in front of you and puts some hair that covers your face behind your ear. Your lips curled into a smile and he whispered. “I love you.” Steve was able to throw Zemo out of the loop but it was too late. Bucky ran towards the window and shattered it, running off in the distance.

Steve tried to follow him but didn’t succeed, Bucky had already escaped. Steve looked at you and his heart broke at the sight. You could only stare forward, not really noticing him picking you up. You just whimpered in his arms.

-- 

It had been a couple of months, no one had contacted you besides Steve, keeping you updated on what was going on with the Sokovia Accords. You hadn’t seen Bucky since that say. You had no idea where he was, if he was safe or if he was dead. You tried really hard to not think the ladder but the whole world was against him. 

You knew he didn’t do it. Not only was he with you at the time but there was just no way the kindest person you had ever laid eyes on was the culprit. When you talked to Steve on the phone he seemed glad to hear that. Steve wanted to pick you up and take you somewhere safer than his apartment in Brooklyn. You agreed that it wasn’t the safest place.

The drive to wherever you were going was long and drawn out. Luckily, Steve was able to bond more with you since your initial meet wasn’t pretty. You both told endless stories of Bucky and you laughed at the charmer he was in the ‘40s. You both arrive about five hours later to an old abandoned warehouse. You get out of the car and Steve directs you inside.

You drop your bags as you stare in front of you. Everyone stops to stare. Sam, Clint, Wanda, and Scott all stare back at you. Sam’s smile turns into a bright and dazzling one as Bucky walks out of the bathroom and stops dead in his tracks.

You pick up your feet and run as fast as you could and jump into his arms. He immediately catches you and spins you around. “Long time no see, doll.” You laugh and slap his chest. “Don’t you ever leave me like that, understand? Next time I’m killing you myself.” Everyone laughs and Bucky gives you a long and awaited kiss. “Yes, ma’am.”

[puttingfingerstokeys]

heart and fire

I had to fuck with italics on this thing ‘cause holy shit are they important. 

Thermodynamic equilibrium (subscorp), uh, post-aftermath on the fucked up timeline. I want nice things so I’m going to give Kuai Liang nice things....... sort of! Gay ninja ahead (and prolly behind, too, lbr they’re ninja)

For @sxvethelastdance, my Heart

Bonus “chapter” here.

Broken Timeline

It has been two months, my Fire, since I returned to Netherrealm to recover your body. We sought to reclaim the fallen from both our clans, with limited success. Your younger counterpart showed me the place where D’vorah stole you from me. I swear vengeance upon her, should she ever have the misfortune of crossing my path.

Frost was among those we were able to locate and she is recovering at Arctika, though she will not speak to anyone. She threatened to throw herself into the Sea of Blood upon discovery, but that fate was not worthy of a Lin Kuei—even a traitor. I should have written sooner, but my duties have taken me from the pen and solitude.

You will be pleased to know that Takeda Takahashi has resigned his post with Special Forces to assume interim leadership of the Shirai-Ryu. The boy is well-trained and wise; he does not fill your boots, but he is humble and willing to learn. No member of the Shirai-Ryu can best him. You have taught him well.

He has married Jacqueline Briggs—it was a quiet ceremony soon after we returned from the assault on Kronika’s keep—and they are now expecting a child. . Takeda came to me recently and asked if I thought it appropriate to call the boy Hanzo, assuming it is a boy. I think it is only right that someone carries your name. I will always carry it in my heart, but it will be good to hear aloud.

I miss you.

“Takeda, thank you for meeting me.” The two ninja stood outside the Fire Gardens, just beyond the gate, Kuai Liang looking in, but making no move to enter.

“It’s always a pleasure, Grandmaster Sub-Zero,” said the younger man, putting a flat, open hand over his fist and bowing. “What brings you here?” He glanced up and down at the Lin Kuei Grandmaster and, noting the envelope in one hand, he gestured toward it, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“This—you’ve seen through me—is for… if you might place it at Grandmaster Hasashi’s resting place, I would be—”

“I will not,” came the quick reply. It wasn’t sharp, but it was firm. “You will.”

“But I am—”

“Welcome in the Fire Gardens, Grandmaster, as are your students; it is a step Grandmaster Hasashi would have taken and I… I am only interim instructor, but I will honor his legacy, no matter what.” He saluted the Lin Kuei once more, this time bowing deeply and gesturing toward the entrance. “I’ll show you where he’s… where we’ve got a marker.”

There was, of course, no body to bury, but that would have been the way of the Shirai-Ryu anyway. It was to Sub-Zero’s shame that he had brought them no corpse, and his own eternal agony that he did not at least have one last chance to… I never told him, not really, not properly. Leaves fell all around them, red and gold, perpetually in motion, making the place resemble its name. It is cold without you.

“It’s in a quiet corner,” Takeda said, trying to fill the pregnant silence between them. His fellow Shirai-Ryu were all around, if unseen. None of them raised a hand or weapon to Grandmaster Kuai Liang, however. They, for the most part, were in favor of uniting once more with their ancestral brethren. Those who were not, kept it to themselves and would rather not have begun a spat with Sub-Zero. “Near a koi pond… I think you’ll like it.”

Sub-Zero made no move to answer as the path twisted once more to the left and opened to a beautiful grotto. There was, indeed, a pond, but Takeda had neglected to mention the green foliage, bright red and orange flowers, and the waterfall, babbling over several layers of stones before emptying into the pond. The fish swam this way and that, utterly unaware of the world around them. Kuai Liang envied them.

To one side was a pillar, an obelisk that looked like it was made of volcanic glass. Atop it was a small brazier and in that, a flame danced this way and that, an ethereal quality to its rhythm. There was an inscription upon the pillar itself, but Sub-Zero’s gaze was lost in the flame almost immediately, arresting every bit of his attention.

“Yeah, I get that too when I come here… Liu Kang—err… Lord Liu Kang lit that sucker and… well, it’s god fire, so it’s not goin’ out.” Takeda was receding from the grotto. “I’ll just… leave you two, yeah?” He did not wait for an answer before melting into the fire-colored foliage of the Gardens.

Kuai Liang clutched the envelope, hard, wrinkling it in his effort to bite back tears and swallow down the choking lump that was rising in his throat. His heart twisted and ached as he dropped to one knee before the pillar. The inscription was simple: Grandmaster Hanzo Hasashi, eternal flame of the Shirai-Ryu; you will never be forgotten. There was so much more about him that Kuai Liang wanted to add, but there was not enough obsidian in the world for that.

He settled himself presently, then, closing his eyes and focusing inward, clearing his mind, breathing softly, deeply. Reaching out, he laid one hand upon the small obelisk, feeling where each word was carved, imagining he could also feel heat coming from it. That was silly, of course, but it comforted him. He stayed that way for a while, before opening his eyes once more and standing, still holding the envelope.

The grandmaster’s sharp gaze fell upon that fire and slowly, reverently, he lifted the envelope and letter to it. The fire licked up and around it, consuming the paper with little effort until there was nothing but ash. It wasn’t the words themselves, but the sentiment behind them which counted for the ears of the dead.

He left silently and with dignity, letting not a single, chilly tear fall until he returned to Arctika and his private quarters.

My fire. It has been one year since my last letter. Forgive my waiting so long. It was difficult to find time and then, to begin. The snow here seems deeper than it ever has and harder to move through; it no longer feels a part of me and I am cold. But you need not suffer the chill with me.

Hanzo Briggs-Takahashi is a robust boy even at one year old. There seems to be some debate over his education, but for now, he lives happily with his mother and father among the Shirai-Ryu. They have determined this to be the best course of action until everything has settled to an acceptable level of disorder.

I neglected to mention in my last letter that Liu Kang has, with the aid of Lord Raiden, ascended to divinity. He is a worthy young man and I feel confident in his abilities to guide the shifting of the sands of time. I wish you had been there to see him lead the armies of Outworld and Earthrealm against Kronika. But maybe those memories are with you now that your past self has been sent back to his proper time.

I will never stop missing you, but writing eases the pain a little.

 The letters continued, as frequently as he could manage, for years. It felt like centuries. His favorite time to write was when despair was upon him, because writing to his lost love reminded him that he was not simply living for himself, but for Hanzo’s dream and memory. He did not remember all the words he had written, and no one else would ever read them, but they were not for anyone else, so it did not matter.

You will be pleased, my Fire, to know that the Takahashi family has expanded once more, by one. Their daughter, Sonya, was born yesterday morning, healthy and squalling like a storm. I think her name is appropriate. Johnny and Cassie Cage will be arriving at the Fire Gardens later this week, I am told, to greet the child and spend some time with Jacqueline and Takeda. I will deliver this letter then.

I cannot believe it has been four years since I last laid eyes and lips upon you. I miss your taste, your warmth. My heart aches daily for you, but the ache eases when I write and remember you as you were, vibrant and powerful, the light of my life, and the warmth. Worry not. The warmth has not utterly deserted me. I see in Takeda’s boy much of your spirit, and I visit the Fire Gardens often, with Takeda’s gracious permission.

We are moving forward, slowly, with the integration training. Twice per year, we stay at the other’s residence, with all our students, working together. Frost is still a tough case, but I think her loss to Takeda recently might have tempered her cold fire. Defeat does not settle well upon the shoulders of any Lin Kuei, but taking it with grace is a learned art. She has not learned this; I must educate her.

I love you with all my heart and soul.

 This one, he did indeed deliver when he visited the Fire Gardens to see the new baby. Sonya was even prettier than her brother had been and he was delighted to hold her in his great, chilly arms. Dark eyes stared up at him with a depth of understanding he could not have predicted from an infant. Gripping his finger with one tiny hand, she squealed with delight and flailed her limbs as he looked on with aching fondness.

“Isn’t she perfect?” Takeda asked Sub-Zero as he handed the little creature back to her mother. Jacqui was glowing and Kuai Liang was not clear if he meant the child or the mother. Instead, he nodded. He did not stay long, but it was refreshing to his soul to see the people of this ruined timeline picking themselves back up and making the best of their situation.

My Fire, you will scarcely believe the strangeness which has happened here at Arctika. Our hot springs have begun to run far too hot to bathe in, or even to touch! The minerals are beginning to build up on the walls in the grotto and I must send students out, daily, to address this. They are hard at work, “building character”, Frost included. She seems to set about the task with the most vigor, as if the buildup offends her. Perhaps it does. Arctika, this place she fought so hard to be in, has recently been invaded by your Shirai-Ryu and they too have set about the task—of cleaning the grotto, not offending Frost; she does that well enough on her own.

I would like, more than anything, to once more share tea and to bathe with you. That intimacy is long gone from my flesh and I often crave it—not as you did, of course. I find myself almost blushing at the thought. Almost. I miss your eyes, so dark and intense, it was always as if you were looking into me, boring in deep and searching… for what, I cannot guess, but I wish you would do it again.

Yours forever, Grandmaster Hasashi, forever and a day and then forever again.

Even a skilled kryomancer stood no chance against the heat of the springs, and so it, too, became a training ground for the combined forces of the Lin Kuei and Shirai-Ryu. Takeda and Grandmaster Kuai Liang often went out to the springs to breathe in the healing steam and to speak. They talked of much—of history and the future—and deepened their understanding of each other.

“He would have wanted you to take his place,” Sub-Zero said, “once you’d proven yourself, of course.”

Takeda’s eyes flew wide. “Never in a million years, Grandmaster; are you kidding me?” His cheeks were flushed with exhilaration at the weight of the compliment he’d just been paid by the Lin Kuei’s leader. “I don’t… I’m not ready for that.”

“And that is why you are. A good Grandmaster knows his limitations.” Kuai Liang did not look at Takeda, an envelope clutched in his hand.

“Will you be joining us on the journey back to the Fire Gardens tomorrow, Grandmaster?”

“I will, with your permission, Takeda,” replied Sub-Zero, contemplating the boiling water. Of course, Takeda would not refuse, so the question was more of a formality than anything else. There were certain parts of tradition to which Takeda had noticed the Lin Kuei Grandmaster held strictly, and others he had thrown utterly out the window. The first one was, of course, his adoration of Grandmaster Hasashi, which Takeda had long ago suspected was more than academic friendship or alliance. It was a suspicion he would, naturally, never pursue.

The two men stood, side by side, arms folded, considering everything they had done in the past five years, all the progress they had made. The Shirai-Ryu were really and truly restored, standing upon the shoulders of Scorpion’s hard work. The Lin Kuei were even recovering and their number had increased, though they were still a shell of what they had been. Only a few of the cyber assassins had been recoverable at the Sea of Blood and of those, even fewer had retained their sanity after they had been reset—such was their grief at the injustice they had wrought on Frost’s behalf.

Kuai Liang was not sure she would ever show appropriate remorse, but he decided she was not a lost cause. He would keep working on her, like a glacier carves a lake. The movement was slow but inexorable. Eventually, she would see and she would learn. Even one so stubborn as she could be taught, he was certain. His resolve would not be broken by one such as Frost.

“…does it seem hotter, Grandmaster?” Takeda’s voice was muffled, suddenly, by the amount of steam suddenly filling the air of the grotto. Sub-Zero’s eyes narrowed as he peered through the haze, as if doing so could discern the source of the disturbance.

“It is,” he confirmed, “but… why?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Takeda growled, reaching out toward Sub-Zero. “Go,” he grunted, “grab some of your students—the cyber Lin Kuei should be able to see through this fog!”

Sub-Zero could not deny the logic of this, but he disliked leaving Takeda. There was an ill-omened heaviness in the air all of a sudden he was not entirely sure was the steam or the mineral smells which came with it. There was a loud, violent hiss and a jet of water, then, from the center of the springs and both men would have been pelted with stinging droplets had it not been for Kuai Liang’s hastily built ice wall and the quick thinking to tug Takeda behind it.

Neither kombatant was expecting something wickedly sharp and hot to pierce the center of the wall directly between their heads. The heat of it caused the rest of the structure to begin cracking and both men dived to either side to avoid its collapse. The familiar, discordant song of a retracting chain rang out in the steamy half-gloom, the light of torches now obscured and throwing strange shadows, diffused through the steam.

Quan-Chi.

Both minds settled upon this conclusion simultaneously, though without having spoken it. Takeda jumped to his feat and readied himself. Whatever Neatherrealm incursion this was, it would be met with extreme prejudice. Neither knew precisely where Quan-Chi might have fallen in the scheme of things. He had met his end by Scorpion’s hand, but that did not mean some shift in the mythical sands of time had not restored him—utterly by accident, of course, but it was a mistake which would require swift correction.

Of course, as far as they knew, only Hanzo Hasashi had ever mastered the chain and spear to that extent, so Quan-Chi himself could not possibly have been on the other end of it. Kuai Liang’s mind was racing. Was that why he had not found his lover’s body? Could Quan-Chi have been accidentally restored and had begun his machinations, once more, to hold the throne of Netherrealm for his infernal (decapitated) master?

The very idea of a wraith bearing his Fire’s face settled deep in the pit of Kuai Liang’s guts, twisting into a dragon of rage, ripping at his insides and gripping his heart violently. He was as close to burning with rage as a Lin Kuei could be.

“Takeda,” he snarled, “go. I will deal with this abomination.”

For once, Takeda Takahashi did not argue. He did not resolve to stay gone, however. He raced toward the grotto’s exit, intent on making his way swiftly down the side of the mountain to the Arctika complex and alerting every ninja in its walls that they were under attack. Takeda had almost reached the divide between grotto and open mountain face when the horrific echo of clear words rang out seemingly from everywhere.

“GET OVER HERE!” The chain sang through the air and Takeda whirled, moving to block or to face his demise. Only Sub-Zero’s swift motion stopped it hitting home as the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei caught the barb in an icy grip and crushed it, shaking the remains free from his hand as if it were a mere inconvenience.

“Go,” he repeated and stalked toward the springs. All around him, steam turned to ice and fell to the ground like heavy sleet. As his rage built, the temperature dropped and soon there was an aura of cold surrounding him, combatting the steam. Diamond tears fell from eyes which had hardened to flinty slits as he stepped past the edge of the springs, into—no, onto—the water, which was freezing solid under each step.

“Why don’t you get over here for a change,” snarled Sub-Zero, “and show me that face you’re wearing—the face you have not earned, Revenant!”

“Revenant?” The voice was a raspy bark. Following the word was laughter. Sub-Zero concentrated on solidifying the water particles around him to create a solid barrier that would be just a little more difficult for his assailant to pierce. He had not forgotten that, in later years, Scorpion had begun to carry—and proficiently use—two spear chains. The latter would come soon enough.

“You are a puppet of Quan-Chi, unworthy of the body you inhabit. Come, face me, and see the truth of your fallibility!” Kuai Liang drew himself up and stood tall, continuing. “Yours is the fire of hell, not of his heart, a thing so great you could not begin to comprehend it, much less mimic—but again, I invite you to come and allow me to demonstrate. It will be a pleasure.”

Sub-Zero had anticipated the spear.

He had not counted on Hellport, which Scorpion used with impunity.

Suddenly, the heat behind him was unbearable and there was a piercing agony ripping into his senses, starting at his shoulder, between the joint and the scapula. He could feel it digging deep, feel the lukewarm sensation of his own blood flowing down his back. He had to act.

Kuai Liang whirled on the revenant, ice axe at the ready. He would cleave the beast’s head from its shoulders, no matter how twisted the visage was. Red eyes would meet his a moment, before falling from broad, strong shoulders Sub-Zero knew all to well.

Except that they were not.

They eyes were white. With the turn, Scorpion’s hand and arm had been yanked—refusing to let go, oh, that old tenacity was strong—around Kuai Liang’s back and had, in that motion, drawn his body closer until they were flush, touching, pressed together. Sub-Zero’s arm was falling, axe in hand and, though he would have stopped it, Scorpion’s grip upon his wrist halted the descent entirely.

The fingers upon Sub-Zero’s wrist were burning, as with a fever, and they eyes he met were ablaze with madness and fury. The brow knitted together at the bridge of the man’s nose was familiar, however, the grimace on his blood-soaked, lacerated face not unknown to Kuai Liang, either. Inches apart, this could have been a lover’s embrace, but for the spearhead embedded in his shoulder and the fiery grip locked upon his arm.

Vaporizing with a hiss, Kuai Liang’s faithful ice axe bowed out of the fight and he was left with no weapon—no external weapon, anyway. He leveraged his height advantage against Scorpion and drove him back twisting his arm to reverse the grip and grab him instead, forcing him yet closer. The ice under their feet was slick and filling the frozen dome with steam. Sub-Zero began to feel lightheaded.

He would have to end this quickly, or Scorpion would gut him and the water of the hot springs would run red with the Grandmaster’s blood. That he was not facing a revenant was secondary in his mind to survival. He knew all of Scorpion’s movements, every trick and feint. Unfortunately, Scorpion also knew his, intimately. If they broke apart, the brawl might draw itself out and in this heat, Sub-Zero was already feeling sluggish.

Wrapping both arms tightly around Scorpion’s body, then, forcing the arm he had trapped up behind the shorter mans’ back, he began to squeeze, dropping his temperature with as much rapidity as he could muster. His mind was racing, thoughts flowing as if down the choppy, white waters of a sub-arctic stream just after thaw and just as insubstantial, uncatchable. He had to stop the man’s movement.

Scorpion fought hard against the grip, snapping at Sub-Zero with his teeth. He would have landed a successful headbutt were it not for their difference in height and Kuai Liang tucking his head into the crook of Scorpion’s neck. Scorpion tensed, ceasing his thrashing for the briefest of interludes as Sub-Zero’s chilly, gentle lips pressed downward on scorched flesh. Rather than the bite the enraged wraith had been expecting, he only felt the sensual, gentle touch of the man’s mouth.

“I know what you are,” whispered Kuai Liang against his lover’s flesh, gripping him tight and slowing the descent of the temperature. Scorpion’s thrashing had all but ceased as he was literally cooled down from his agitated state. Beneath them, the water which had been upon the ice solidified as Scorpion finally went limp, succumbing to the cold. 

“A wraith once more.” The whisper was barely audible. Only Sub-Zero could hear these words, spoken so softly. He was bent over Scorpion, who had gone nearly boneless in his embrace, barely clinging to consciousness, but doing so with such tenacity it might have, under other circumstances, been frightening. 

“No,” said Sub-Zero, standing, straightening, and lifting Scorpion bodily into his arms. The naked wraith leaned against his chest, closing those unsettling, white eyes as the temperature began to stabilize and Kuai Liang stepped gracefully off the ice and onto solid ground. Steam rose once more from the Lin Kuei hot springs, but they did not boil. “You are my Fire, and you have come back to me.”

“Amusing,” grunted Hanzo Hasashi weakly, reaching up to swat the side of Kuai Liang’s bearded face, “that you thought death would free you of me, my Heart.”

Upon the warm water, an envelope floated, forgotten, soaking, ink running.  

[jimlingss]

Thank you, everyone, for your words of encouragement. In this short amount of time, I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed with messages of support. I want to reassure you all that I’m by no means as hurt as some of you think, or at least not after so much kindness. I’ve always encouraged all kinds of feedback!! From compliments to constructive criticism. And I’m (supposedly) an Adult™, so I can definitely take someone’s opinion.

Regardless, thank you to everyone who reached out to me. I want to respond to each and everyone of you under this post so I don’t flood other people’s dashes.

Anonymous said: about the anon who said your fics lack emotion, hmm i wouldn't quite agree tbh, i remember reading tears of a villian and deadass crying, it hurt me so much!! also, in "fall in hatred" their feeling are so well portrayed and i could understand why they acted a certain way! to conlclude, there is always some space for constructive criticism but your stories, are to me, something very attentively built and created, it's apparent that you completely enjoy writing, I can feel your enthusiasm!!

--to that anon; pls don't get this wrong way but it's just the way I see it and I've read quite a lot till now

nah deadass crying isn’t good enough anymore, anon. You have to be keening and violently sobbing until you’re brought into the ER for my fics to be considered to have emotion. lol I’m only kidding, thank you for the message.

peachiest-hun said: To that anon who said your work lacked emotions, I beg to differ! I have read Jungle Park so many times I know at exactly which chapter when the heavy angst starts happening and I read those parts when I just want to have a good cry (I still cry every. single. time)! Also Head Over Heels to Hell, The Colour of Our Voices, Love So Shallow (because I so relate with OC), and many more have given me the FEELS (happy and sad ones). 1/2

So what I'm trying to say is that Jimlingss is doing a great job in her craft. She does deliver emotions in her work and the reason I love it so much is that it's SUBTLE and not completely in your face. Sometimes emotions that are subtle and they hit you slowly, but powerfully it hurts even more for me. On another note, I'm loving Sugar and Coffee. In times of darkness which are often these days, I have something to look forward to every week to keep me motivated. So thank you Jimlinggs! 2./2

Istg Jungle Park is one of the most unexpectedly beloved fics on my blog but I love it hahaha I can’t believe you’ve read it to the point of knowing what chapter is what though. that’s an honour. There’s definitely stories of mine that are less subtle than others, but I’m glad that you enjoy the latter of them too :’) Thank you.

Anonymous said: This is my first time ever leaving a message on someone’s tumblr, but I just felt that I HAD to after reading that anon’s comment about your stories lacking emotion. I wholly disagree (in the nicest way possible, not throwing any shade at anyone). I’ve read all of your fics (for the past two years) and I look forward to when you release new material (the highlight of my Mondays right now after I come home from working at a clinic). Your stories have really lifted my mood during this pandemics an

Anonymous said: Sorry for that long tangent. Don’t even know if I made sense. You don’t have to respond to any of this, but you deserve to hear some positive words as well.

Oh my god. Did I just take your tumblr-message virginity? asdfghjkl I’m kidding. but thank you for reaching out to me. I can’t believe you’ve been around for such a long time and that I’m a part of your Monday routine :’) 

Anonymous said: OK that ask about "constructive criticism" was def imo RUDE. You don't just anonymously go into someone's asks and bluntly tell an author that their fics "lack emotion". That is not the way to encourage someone to improve and continue to work hard. That's just flat out mean. That person clearly doesn't care about your feelings or the fact that you write and share your stories for FREE for us to enjoy. I love your stories and appreciate what you've shared with us. Thank you for your hard work ❤️

I like to give the benefit of the doubt to anons and anyone sending me a message online in general. God knows there were times I meant well but it was received wrongly. But anyway, my mind was more boggled than I was hurt, that’s one thing for sure.

joonie-mono said: + it was called love so shallow which genuinely made me see myself in a character, but my point was that your writing has a specific feel to it, it's made me laugh and cry (His Name personally killed me :] ) and that's my opinion. You and your writing are amazing and I'm sorry but that anon was just so wrong.

oof bringing out the evidence. be my attorney please.

Anonymous said: As someone who has read your entire masterlist (and going through it again) i will have to wholeheartedly disagree with that anon. The way you portray SO many emotions in your fics is *chefs kiss* and I honestly thought that the ones that “lack emotion” were meant to be that way, with an open ending, the idea that their love just started, soo.... yeah, I’ll have to disagree.

There are definitely stories of mine that are a bit looser on romance. Such as Kitchen Romance, The President’s Son, The Heiress’ Son, Arcadia, etc. But I have a loooot of fics that are quite emphasized in either despair/sadness or cute fluff.

ladyartemesia said: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I am here to disrespectfully disagree with anon who probably doesn’t write effing ANYTHING and has no idea what it takes to produce the content you do. I have followed for months and I’m still not through your masterlist BECAUSE reading your stories is a bloomin EMOTIONAL EVENT. When I read Brass and Strings, I LOST A WHOLE DAY. Like I was so into it, my DAY was gone. Anon is prolly salty there isn’t more smut I guess. That’s whatever for them. (Part 1)

It’s subtle, deep, meaningful, and incredible and you’re one of my favorite authors. I can’t FOR A SECOND let that comment go cause it’s RIDICULOUS. You’re literally so gifted. You don’t need to change a thing. Every artist, no matter their medium, should continue to improve. So in that sense I wish you all the growth in the world as you work towards the perfection of your craft. BUT SERIOUSLY you’re an incredible writer. That anon is loony. I’m so sorry you had to even read those crazy words.

As I answer these messages, it’s starting to feel like I’m the third party mediator of a dispute and all y’all are just HAMMERING it to this anon, LOL. I’m not sure if the anon is necessarily requesting for more smut but if they are, they might be happy this Friday (*COUGH spoiler for those actually reading my responses)

Anyway, you’re too kind. thank you. I am definitely not as hurt as I was earlier.

((and tbh you’re hilarious, you’re actually making me laugh irl))

krystle1990 said: Woah!! Ok first that Anon is absolutely crazy. I literally stalk your page for new work being put out! I probably blow up your notifications daily. I've never been disappointed in any of your work. You always give a heads up if it will take time for the characters to realize their feelings which I absolutely love. It always leaves me ready for the next part and I am glued to my phone with every update. You're amazing and I can't wait to see how you grow with your work. 💜😘

ASDFGHJKL PLEASEEE if it’s someone who’s worried about blowing up notifications, it’s me. To those who have notifications on I sincerely can’t fathom how often I blow up people’s phones. I digress, I always give out warnings to keep people patient since I know slow burn can be excruciating haha thank you for the message.

kigurumu said: Also just want to add that saying you have good intentions or "don't mean to be mean" does not cancel out whatever offensive thing you just said. IT WILL STILL RUDE. Not saying all negative feedback is bad. Criticism can be hard to take no matter how it's phrased, but telling a writer to be more like another writer is like telling them their style isn't good enough which is NOT helpful. Your writing is your own. If the anon wants to read fics that are like gukyi's, they can read gukyi's fics 🙄

Also I've been waiting until Sugar and Coffee is done so I can binge it all at once but avoiding spoilers from all the asks is so hard haha! I keep seeing all these good things about it and I'm SO tempted to just read it now but I've already waited this long so I don't wanna give up kfnrjrofvjskdh guess I'll reread your other fics in the meantime

The message was fine on its own but I think dragging in another writer at the end was definitely not ok. When will comparing writers end. But regardless, gukyi and I are cool with one another - i mean we wrote 100k together so it’s gonna have to take a reverse Zuko arc for us to be on bad terms lol

Anyway, oooh you’re one of those bingers. Can’t say I blame you cause I love binging myself, so it’s understandable for readers to wait till the series is over. and since you were so kind in following up your original message with two more and expressing so much appreciation for me :’), I’ll let you know that the finale of Sugar and Coffee will be posted by July 20th! by then, the entire series will be completed. 

Anonymous said: Tbh i think that neither you nor that anon is wrong. Some people like it more romanticised and cheesy, some people dont. I believe that your stories are more on the realistic side of life. People (whom your characters represent) cant always be cheesy and passionate for love, there are other things in life! Maybe you're just the type who's too realistic for any hopeless romantic things like i am and it's fine. Not all writers can write dramatic romance

Tbh, I agree. It’s a matter of opinion and there’s no one wrong in the fight of opinions. As I’ve said many times on my blog, the cringe factor varies between person to person. What someone might think is fluffy is absolutely cringey to another. What someone might think is a good amount of fluff is not enough for someone else. I’ve written a lot. And I’ve made sure to add lots of variations between the amount of romance in my stories. Indeed, some are definitely more subtle and “realistic” while others are completely cheesy and makes me gag from the amount of sugar in it lol I just think the anon should take a look at more of my stories before coming up with such a conclusive opinion.

Anonymous said: I’ve been reading your fics for over a year now and religiously follow updates every week. Why? Because they make me feel something whether it be joy from fluff or grief from angst. I’ll remember a story of yours months after I first read it and return to it just to feel those emotions again. I understand that emotional responses are usually subjective but I think that anon needs to read your works again, because they sure are missing out.

I replied to that anon that they should check out more of my fics and then come back to tell me if they haven’t changed their minds, so I don’t know if they’re missing out or not lol

I don’t expect my stories to elicit emotional responses or fanatic feedback for everyone. God knows there’s been other people’s writing styles that just didn’t resonate with me no matter how hard I tried to read their stories. But all I ask is that people try. It’s fine if you give up halfway but at least try reading. That’s fair to ask, right?

[comicteaparty]

December 21st-December 27th, 2019 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from December 21st, 2019 to December 27th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question:

Without heavy spoilers, describe the worst thing you’ve put one of your characters through?

carcarchu

for a comic i haven't released yet (this happens in literally the first chapter so i don't really consider it a spoiler) the main character in this story has a rough life. she's saddled with enormous debts and gets fired from her job, then when things finally start looking up for her she gets hit by a car and "dies" the whole premise of the story is that people who die and get brought back to life by doctors (dead for just a few seconds) get powers

Cronaj

Hmmm.... I won't say whose, but probably the death of their child, and I've done some awful things to my characters. For some reason, all the pain and suffering in the world does not amount to the loss of one's child. To be fair, I don't usually consider it my fault that these horrible things occur in the story, because I couldn't change it if I wanted to. To do so would feel like a lie. These stories exist in my mind independent of what I want, and I'm simply telling them to the world. But yes... that child is the saddest creature I've written.

eli [a winged tale]

Torn apart, watched their friends die, forced to live forever... you name it, we got it In all seriousness, I also like focusing on the small (but not insignificant things) like not having your love reciprocated and questioning your worth. Sometimes it’s the small things that can collectively be destructive.

Capitania do Azar

In some ways, I think I have already done the worst I possibly could to my characters (war, being unable to help and losing their loved ones in darkness and loneliness). But on the other hand, I do plan to extend the mechanics of mind intrusion to the point of completely mangling up people's psyches, so I guess I'll have to wait and see which one feels worse

FeatherNotes

So far in GJS, we've had a character go through some, well, explosive limb loss There's quite a lot of hard things the chars go through / will go through, but i def see the brutality of the leg loss as something pretty huge for the character!

taterviking

I threw my main character under a semi, off a cliff, and shoved a tree branch into his brain. And then when he woke up I gave him long term memory loss and stole 80% of his memories from before he was 12

Kelsey (Kurio)

Boy am I glad none of us are gods heh

taterviking

I kind of treat writing like the Sims: which one am i torturing and which two did I build specifically to get naked together.

eli [a winged tale]

Omg Tater that’s a perfect analogy (edited)

taterviking

the only difference is that I can follow them to work and they're alllllll the money slave/work horse

Also, Viking is my father's name, you can call me Tater ;P

snuffysam

the worst thing that has happened to one of my characters canonically is something i have not and will not describe in-comic, so i'm not about to describe it here. there are certain... types of trauma... where even if a story depicts things realistically, respectfully, and with properly directed condemnation, fans romanticize the hell out of it. and i want no part of that. so, like, i'm keeping this stuff in the character's backstory, because i want to depict living with and growing past traumatic experiences, but i refuse to actually describe/depict what happened so fans don't get the wrong takeaway. the important thing isn't what happened, it's how she deals with it. as for things that actually happen in the comic - one character does get tortured by a government for information?

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Oh boy. So I am rather known for torturing my characters. I don’t even know what the worst thing is, but ‘dying horribly’ or ‘very dark and tragic backstory involving abuse and/ or terrible loss’ describes 95% of my casts.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Several of my characters get horribly bitten/eaten by hungry spirits. If they aren't already completely wrecked by the attack, the resulting cursed bite leads to quarantine and ostracization. Even little kids get abandoned or sent away. And those who are eventually totally consumed by the curse... basically become half-dead. ...Yeah, I got a lot of 'worse than death' stuff going on

Nutty (Court of Roses)

Won't say who, but i don't think i could do much worse than giving a character the perfect life and then taking it and everyone they've ever loved away from them in one fell swoop, leaving them to wander aimlessly.

Deo101

I've put all of my characters through different things that I think aren't really comparable as far as saying one is "worse" than the other. Though, I think that I'll probably say making one of them essentially live through a genocide is pretty undeniably the worst thing, and also the only one that I've really canonically discussed.

DanitheCarutor

I'm lowkey into character torture porn, so I like putting my OCs through some shit. Apollo probably has the most cushy life of every character I've ever made, the spoiled brat! The worst thing that will happen, in TGtaHR at least, will be related to death and/or near death. Not so much the subject in itself but how it is used, which may or may not be the worst thing from a reader perspective, but from the character's perspective. I mean...? I guess anything relating to death is pretty bad, but I've kind of seen situations where the person would have considered it a luxury, soooo. I don't know where I'm going with this!(edited)

Deo101

sounds like you're going towards "my comic is the meanest thing I've put my characters through"

you big meanie.

DanitheCarutor

Ah! I'm such a bully! Nothing like putting your characters through the worst to make the positive payoff more worth it.

khkddn

is psychological or physical pain more impactful to readers? prolly depends heavily on the context huh

anyway for my comic I think it is a tie between a psychologically hurtful thing and a physically hurtful thing

the psychological one is a little something I like to call The Dress Arc, and the physical one is called Cold Swiss Cheese

Deo101

Incredible

khkddn

what is the point of having painful scenes if one does not give them cool names amirite

Deo101

Absolutely. You know whats up

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I’d say psychological pain is much worse. A broken leg can heal in a month, but trauma stays with you. Of course, the former can cause the latter, but I always find it much more emotional when the character is feeling internally tortured rather than externally.

DanitheCarutor

I'm no expert but from personal experience with my comic, it's kind of depends on the reader? But physical is more universally comprehensible. A lot of the pain depicted in my story so far is psychological, with a little physical, and I've noticed people who have experience and/or are educated with the psychological aspect are more impacted by that than people who have never experienced or learned about it. Or to be more straightforward, people who have never experienced or have no knowledge of mental/emotional abuse have no idea what's going on in the story. Although when I had a scene where my frail, mentally unstable MC got punched in the face, everyone flipped out equally.

Of course this is just relating to abuse, when it comes to other stuff relating to pain I can't really give an opinion. I would say it's similar, since most people generally need to have a certain level of understanding of something to be impacted by its depiction of fiction, but I have no idea. Lol(edited)

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

No, you make a really good point. People generally can’t comprehend a pain they haven’t experienced, so I admit it would make sense to only feel empathy for physical pain if you’ve never known psychological trauma.

DanitheCarutor

Yeah, it's a douchey thing to do since this is subjective (there are people who have experienced trauma who lack the ability to empathize with others who go through something similar and vice versa), but I like to make a game out of figuring out who has and hasn't been in a really bad relationship based on how they respond to my comic irl, and online to an extent. Admittedly I'm hardcore into getting feedback half due to wanting to psychologically evaluate my readerbase.

Kelsey (Kurio)

Wait what?

DanitheCarutor

"What what" what? Don't worry, I don't do anything or judge based on stuff like that since it's so little info, I just like psychology... even if I may not be very good at it.

But yeah, I'm kind of a creep.

DanitheCarutor

Oh yeah, don't be scared to go back to posting in this channel? Thing? I won't be hanging out here, unless someone talks to me directly. I just responded originally because I had a tiny bit of knowledge on the subject asked.

Cronaj

I get that. I'm also kind of creepy. Plus, I kind of feel like webcomics are a bit of a social experience to begin with, which often involves a lot of studying the readers' emotional responses to the story.

keii4ii

Human beings automatically judge each other alllll the time, so part of it is inevitable. I think the most important thing is to acknowledge that you can be a little, very, or even totally wrong. ...The other important thing is, I do think there's a difference between subconsciously judging others and actively looking forward to it? If you are actively looking forward to judging others, that sort of turns your comment section into a social experiment of sorts, and I don't feel comfortable about that. If I knew the creator of a comic I follow was like that, I would be like "uhhhh you do you, but I want no part in that" and never comment.

I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Just.... ideally should be consensual?

I know some people who actually enjoy that kinda stuff, like even if they found out, they'd be like "ohhhhh SMART! :D"... Then there are people who would feel upset if they found out. So yeah, ideally this would be all consensual so people can opt in or out, but I don't know how you can do this while fully informing prospective participants.

DanitheCarutor

It sounds like a lie, but really, I don't judge. I make up fantastical concepts of what kind of person this is based on the little info I get from body language, facial expressions, what they say, and tone of voice but it's all thrown out the window because people are more complicated than that. At the end of the day I'd rather actually get to know the person before I truly judge their character. Also when it comes to normal comments I don't analyze unless the commenter is analyzing, usually the "judging" is when I ask for feedback... like, more than a couple sentences worth to get a good idea of how the story is mentally processed by that person. For example when I was asking for feedback after finishing chapter 4. While I was asking for critique, I also wanted to know how the story affected that person, get a vague idea of what kind of people the story draws in or what kind of people it drives away, etc. And yeah, I kinda go the extra mile with it because that's just how my brain works, it just runs all the time. I assume that person consents to me analyzing them and their experience when they respond to me asking for their opinion, but I dunno. Maybe I'll just... teach myself to not think when it comes to my comic or audience, I don't want to scare people off just because I'm an overly analytical weirdo. <_<'

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

I like when you use the physical pain for psychological pain. like someone is in heavy dangers, and comes out with only a broken leg. the other characters can feel guilty, hurt, etc other feelings. For me, physical pain is not enough, it is the reaction it sparks

DanitheCarutor

Oh uh, also @keii4ii, I can vouch that being analytical doesn't make you smart. My dad is like that and he's a complete moron, also I'm not the brightest bulb in the box either, I'm just a slave to my thoughts. Sorry, just wanted to clear things up to make myself look less bad.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

I can understand that side of analysing. I’m often curious about my readers because I don’t have very many; my comics tend to be quite niche. So I wonder about what sort of demographic I’m attracting. From the people who have commented and shared a bit about themselves, it seems to be a lot of European and American adults in the 20-40 range who have received higher education (med students, professors, people in STEM, etc), which to me is kind of wild because I’m not writing ‘smart’ comics. There’s no real science or anything in my dark and morbid fantasy comics, so I’ve wondered what about them appeals to this demographic. This isn’t counting my new WT audience I’ve gained over the last couple of years, which is a very different demographic from those who follow on my site, but it’s really interesting to think about ‘What kinds of stories appeal to certain groups of people?’.

keii4ii

@DanitheCarutor Oh, I didn't mean to imply it was a bad thing. I apologize if that's how it came across. I meant it as a "thing I want vs thing I don't want." Just because I don't want a thing for myself, doesn't make it a bad thing.

Re: demographic analysis, more power to you if you're naturally into it. I'm like 'no..... let me just sit here and make this comic in peace.........' and even that's hard enough!

I do think about that stuff from time to time, but when I do, it's usually because I'm sad and am trying to think of non-worst-case-scenario explanations. So yeah, not something I enjoy pondering.(edited)

DanitheCarutor

@Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios) Same, even though my comic has gotten more readers than I imagined, it's still niche. Honestly don't know the age range, but I've gotten a range from psychology and medical students, or people with PHDs to normal 9to5ers who've been through similar experiences. (People who live with schizophrenia or clinical depression, or who have been in bad toxic relationships.) It's really interesting too because some of the readers who comment are very open about sharing intimate stuff about their lives without me even asking, which I'm not sure is due to the type of comic it is or because they relate to it? Either way I don't mind, it's kinda nice that someone feels comfortable enough to share that kind of info despite me being a total stranger. That's really interesting with your comic, though! Like, it's cool the types of people your work can attract, maybe your comic is smarter than you think. Lol

@keii4ii Yeah, but I don't want to discourage readers from interacting with my comic just because I'm into that stuff. Even though the work itself is far from safe I want people to feel comfortable enough to leave comments or discuss amongst each other.

keii4ii

Yeah, I think that's the dream for pretty much all of us, cultivating a comment section where everyone feels comfortable and welcome to interact

keii4ii

Getting back to the question, I really don't think I could answer, given the theme of my comic: "your pain matters, even if it doesn't affect the fate of the world/ even if it seems insignificant in the grand scheme of things." I don't have it in me to go against that and say to my characters, hey, guess what! Your pain pales in comparison to [this other character]'s!

Cronaj

That's an interesting thought. I mean, I spoke of what I consider the saddest scene, but really, in regards to the characters, they might not see it that way. That scene makes me cry, (and probably the character(s) directly involved), but the other characters have other sorrows weighing on their hearts, and those sorrows are also powerful in their own way.

[petite-neko]

Chapter Characters: Law, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin (Sugar, Corazon) Pairing: (eventual) LawLu Rating: M Warnings: Vampire AU, (Mostly) canon compliant, Angst, Survivor Guilt, Blood, (Kinda) drug use/addiction, dependency, child grooming, child abuse, abusive relationship, major character death, bullying (Other warnings may be added) A/N:  Well. I am taking some liberties here, seeing as Law's novel was recently translated. I did tweak the chapter a bit here and there. (Law meets the trio a bit later on than he does in canon, as he doesn't quite go through the same life xD) Also, I included one part of my own head canon into here, and I didn't wanna change it in accordance to the new canon. I kinda had it already integrated into my fic so :x I'd have to do a few too many minor tweaks.Again: Much thanks to Oturai for bearing through my loopy typing/writing. (I'm doped up on painkillers, and will prolly be for another week. Fucked up my shoulder)

.xxx. > Time/scene skip

.+++. > PoV change

(Wanna buy me a ko-fi? Link in blog description!)

Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6

She was no longer hungry.

She was no longer in a frenzy.

She was no longer driven by instinct.

And yet, Law still found himself avoiding Sugar. Sure, he knew. He knew all of that. He knew it would be fine now. That Sugar wouldn’t attack him. That he had no further reason to maintain a distance.

But, whenever he looked at her, all he could see was a vampire.

The vampires whispered amongst the humans in terror: Ravenous, hungry, heartless, inhumane.

Eyes solely focused on him in hunger, desperation and need. His own confusion, at first, but then that cold, creeping comprehension as her face contorted. As she hissed and growled at him. The way she had lost all control; been driven to her most basic functions. As her teeth began to extend, and the shock. The disbelief. The way that time seemed to slow down. The way Corazon’s voice echoed in his head: “We don’t turn children.” And then that realisation fully sinking in. Just as her teeth might into his flesh. And his own desperation. The adrenaline coursing through him, strengthening him. He couldn’t let her win. Couldn’t let her press forward. His hands - they were the only things keeping her from feeding on him. He could feel her breath on his face - mere inches away. Close. She was too close.

Food. That was all he was to her. A meal to sustain her into the next day. He was not another person. Not a living, breathing being. No. He was food, and she was hungry.

And even then, even as Corazon had separated her from him, she was hanging there, by her ankle, flailing and hissing and trying to escape his grasp to get to her meal.

In those moments, she had lost all humanity. Blinded by her need to feed.

And Law just could not forget that.

It was a harsh wakeup call. It only reminded him of the environment he was in. That Doflamingo, that Corazon, that - probably - many of his crewmates were vampires. That he was human.

He had dismissed that. Dismissed the danger he was actually in. Forgotten just what they were and just what they ate.

They went about it so... civilly. The blood they consumed was integrated into food, into wines and juices. It was never obvious. Disguised to hide their identities. Never did they openly consume directly from a human. Teeth hidden and withdrawn. They acted as, and appeared to be, humans.

Of course, Law knew differently, but that knowledge never truly sank in. Not until... Sugar.

Perhaps some of it, too, did stem from the similarities. Of just why he knew.

For he, too, consumed blood on a regular basis. His very survival was dependant on it. He craved and needed it, just as they did. Except, for different reasons, and for a different kind of blood.

Normally I never let my vassals become... hungry.

Sure, it wasn’t hunger that drove him, but the similarities were almost startling. That he was, all but in name, just like a vampire. That he, too, was being provided for by Doflamingo. Just from a different... source.

And certainly, yes, Law knew that eventually he could escape the confines if he so desired. (Of course, dismissing the fact that his body quite literally would not survive without the support.) But there was that thirst within him. One that could only be satisfied by the blood of a pure-blooded vampire. One that he had tasted once upon a time. Tasted and acted upon.

Law knew exactly what it was, but at the same time, there was nothing he could do about it. He was addicted. Addicted to the strength it gave him. That rush of adrenaline and euphoria. The life it gave him - both literally and metaphorically. And those physical dependencies were only exemplified by just how literally he needed it; by the mental addiction of life. That he knew, all too well, just what would happen to him if he stopped.

Thus, it had driven him, just as it had driven Sugar. It'd driven him to wield a knife and find any means necessary to draw the blood that he needed to survive.

Perhaps, if he had known how benevolent Corazon really was, he would have been a bit more... civil about the situation. But, he hadn’t, and so he wasn’t.

...he wondered just how Corazon could stand him after that. After seeing him in that state. Needy and desperate. Violent. Acting in the only way that he knew how.

But, Corazon had.

Maybe one day he, too, could face Sugar again.

.xxx.

It seemed that they would be docked here for a few more days. A lengthy supply run, because their future would soon be unpredictable. So, Law decided that he would explore some more of the island. He hadn’t really had an opportunity the last time he was out, after all; he’d been too angry at Doflamingo to enjoy it.

And yes - yes - it definitely was a way to avoid Sugar.

“You should be ashamed of yourself!”

As Law wandered about, he could hear some voices off in the distance. Part of him said that he should ignore it. This wasn’t his business and he came out here to relax, not to get involved with the civilians.

Now, there was the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Oh, great, Law thought, somebody’s getting a beating.

He should just ignore it.

“You can’t even follow simple orders, can you?”

“You’re supposed to do as we tell you!”

Law tried to ignore it, but their voices were so loud. They hit too close to home. They were turning his stomach. They were only making him think of his possible fate. All that it would take for Doflamingo to...

He can make me do anything. Anything!

This wasn’t what he came out here for, dammit! He wanted to forget about that. Forget about vampires and blackmail, and the fact that he had no fucking choice in the matter anymore, and that...

But some fucking idiots thought that here and now was a perfect fucking time and place to bully somebody else!

...maybe he should get himself involved. Beat those fuckers up for ruining his day. And then he could get some peace and quiet and-

“You white monster!”

Oh. Oh. Those bastards were definitely getting it now. Not only did they fucking remind him of his current predicaments, but his past ones as well? The past he didn’t want to remember: The hatred. The shunning. The pain. The war.

Law rolled up his sleeves, marching over towards where the sounds were coming from.

The scene he had walked into was not one he would have expected: There were two boys about his age, beating up a... polar bear?

What the fuck?

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please stop...”

...wait a minute, was the bear talking?

“You’re so useless!”

They obviously hadn’t noticed him yet, continuing to kick the bear.

“Yeah,” the other boy pathetically agreed. “A freak, too!”

Pathetic the sight may be, Law still felt his brow twitching in irritation. Talking bear or not, nobody deserved to be treated like that. To be kicked when you were down, to be insulted all the while.

Law stepped forward. “Oh, really?” He said, drawing their attention. “I do think that I would reserve those names for the two of you.” He wore a smug expression on his face. “I mean, who the fuck beats up a polar bear?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know, wait. I’ve changed my mind. Useless and freak certainly are fitting words, but I do believe pathetic is more apt.” And Law continued to grin at them. “Ganging up on a poor little polar cub, using uneven numbers to gain an advantage. What? Too afraid to take him on one-on-one? Are you guys that weak?”

Law knew that he was just goading them on, but that was his intent. And it was working. Their anger shifted over to him. Such a shame, though. These poor boys had no idea of the mistake they were making. He did doubt these boys were vampires after all, and injectors were such a rarity.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“Yeah!”

Again, so pathetic, so predictable... Law could only roll his eyes at that. They were too easy. If he so desired, Law knew just how to play them.

But, simply because it would take no effort, and more importantly because of just how he knew to play them, he refrained. He would rather do things his own way, after all...

“Your worst nightmare.”

Those words were all it took for the boys to abandon their current victim and charge at him.

And of course, just like their psyches, they, too, were too easy. But Law anticipated it. Perhaps if he had been a regular human, the boys mighthave posed a challenge at best, but empowered by pureblood as he was? Hardly.

And, as the boys were licking their newfound wounds, Law flopped himself down onto a snow pile.

“What is your fucking problem, anyway?”

He looked over at the polar bear, who had stupidly stuck around. Why didn’t he run away when he had a chance? Oh well, not his problem.

“He’s just a fucking bear. Who the fuck cares if he can talk or not? I mean, there’s weirder shit out there. More dangerous shit.”

“Oh yeah?” A head snapped up. “What do you even know, kid?”

“Yeah, I mean, he obviously isn’t from around here!”

“And,” it seemed they were taking turns talking, “ya know what they say about foreigners...”

Law focused back on the two humans. “Actually, no,” he said, watching them cautiously, “no I don’t. And then, he let his lips curl once more. “Doindulge this foreigner just what your people say about us. I am mightily curious about your predispositions.”

Shock was the expression that greeted him.

“Hah?!”

“I’m a pirate,” Law explained briefly. It was obvious that they did not expect to find another child who was from elsewhere. “My crew stopped here for supplies.”

More shock, but there was another look there. They were starting to feel uneasy around him. A child foreigner was unusual, but they understood immediately what a pirate meant.

Law only let that smug expression grow. “Or,” he continued and cracked his knuckles, “I could beat it out of you.”

And unease rapidly turned into nervousness and fear.

“A-Ah!” It was enough to get them talking. “Th-They say to never trust ‘em!” He was fidgeting, but did not stop. “You never know who they are, or what they want, or what they carry...”

At the last note, Law felt himself tensing. He was feeling echoes of his past once more. And it was starting to make a lot of sense now...

“Ye-yeah!” the other boy continued, maybe even more nervous at Law’s obvious anger, “I mean - didn’t you hear about the country that got struck with a contagious disease? How the people there were trying to flee from it, carrying the disease with them? Trying to infect othercountries?”

Oh. Yeah. Yeah, it was definitely making a lot of sense now. Of course the rulers of the neighbouring countries would spread that rumour. Spread the fear of outsiders to justify their actions. It was making Law sick.

“So they-”

He hardened his gaze on the boys - and perhaps it wasn’t fair to them to face his anger. They, too, were victims of it in a sense, blinded by lies and rumours that were repeated so often they seemingly became the truth. That countries of people were exposed to this.

“They exterminated them.”

His voice, too, was hard. Angry. Full of rage that still had yet to be tamed.

“Slaughtered them. Lining children up against churches, and shooting them down one by one. But not before making them complacent with promises of hope and freedom. Burning hospitals down with patients still alive within them, laying on cots in pain. Hauling their corpses out, beyond the borders to run tests on them and study them... Oh, yes. I know all about Flevance. I was there, after all.”

And, if only to drive that nail in deeper, Law pulled up his sleeves to show the marks littering his arms.

Fear - that was all that was in those boys’ eyes now.

But then, Law scoffed, scoffed and laughed.

“Oh, do relax. If Amber Lead was as contagious as they said it was, wouldn’t you be hearing about outbreaks all over the place? It was just a lieplanted in your heads so they could justify slaughtering an entire country. The same could be said about the strangers you are so afraid of. We are people, too, just like anybody else. And I’m pretty sure this bear is the same. Right, bear?”

A squawk left the otherwise quiet animal.

“Yeah, you,” Law turned towards him and smiled, “you got a name?”

“I - uhh - Bepo.” And Bepo looked nervous. A little scared, too.

But Law only continued to smile. He even sniggered slightly before he flopped against the snow pile once more. “See?” He said as he looked up at the sky and the snow falling from it. “He’s got a name.”

He could feel gazes upon him, but Law didn’t care and he ignored it.

“And you? You boys got a name? Mine’s Law.”

“Uhh…” There was a moment of awkward pausing. “I’m uh, Shachi. And he’s Penguin, Peng for short.”

Law felt himself burst out in laughter now.

“You’re named after animals, and you beat up a talking one? You guys are the strange ones, not us ‘foreigners.’”

Nervous laughter was the response.

Perhaps it wasn't the most desired response, but it was a start.

[artsy-alice]

What can we look forward to in The Road Home? Not trying to be offensive or sarcastic btw, I just want to get properly hyped! :)))

Aaaaaaa okay so you’re also getting ME properly hyped. ^^;;

The Road Home will basically be:

a 10k-word chapter every month

with some art bc i’m extra

a comic or two depending on my schedule ahahaha *cries*

it’s a slice-of-life, sorta chill but sorta adventure-ish fantasy road trip story… basically me just playing DnD but like tagged tooth-rotting fluff and found family

it alternates between two time settings because it tells two parallel storylines, one past, one present

Page, the main character, is a traveling magic action librarian kid with dyslexia

he has two moms who are very awesome

mom #1 is a goofy huntress whose life motto is #wanderlust

mom #2 is a former weaponsmith who is now a librarian and teacher

he’s got a cool aunt and uncle too

cool aunt is an artist who does magical tattoos

cool aunt is aro-ace, married to an aro-ace husband and they’re trying their absolute best to kick ass and take names and raise the most adorable kid

cool uncle is a doctor who is #verytired #sotired #thatsmysecretpage #i’malwaystired

anyways, Page has a cool family and also cool friends

he’s on an errand for him mom, to retrieve this book from across the continent, hence the road trip

he meets a gender-fluid cutie-pie shapeshifter who tags along bc it’s fun

he wants to kiss them sometimes

and he’s gotta go home soon. that’s where the title is from. because y’know… the… uh. the road… home… *mind blown*

I’VE WRITTEN ABOUT 50% OF THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE WHOLE STORY

I’M JUST BEING PICKY AND HAVE BEEN REWRITING AND REWRITING IT FOR TWO ENTIRE YEARS! :D :D :D :’D

So yeah I’d love it if you guys could give it a read when it comes out.

…Tho right now I’m finishing up on the two Andrei/Hunter/Tristan stories first in time for me opening up my personal non-Tumblr non-fanfic writing dump. So you might be getting those earlier (prolly within this very week if we’re all lucky and i don’t get sick from TRAVELLING TO WORK EVERYDAY IN THE FUCKING RAIN).

[annathewitch]

Work in Progress

When I was writing the birthday challenge for @musikat18 that turned into White Knight, I actually started writing a totally different fic response first. I got about two thirds of the way through before getting stuck, but I'm going to finish it.

Because Musikat is stuck in the car, I asked if she wanted a sneak peek of a couple of chapters to keep her entertained. So here it is! It's mirror!verse because nothing says happy birthday like the mirror!verse obviously!

This is a work in progress, unedited and will most likely change.

It's Mirror!Bones x Reader (I guess the reader is mirror!verse too), who grow up together and eventually end up serving on the ISS Enterprise. It always bugged me how the mirror!verse actually worked, surely not everyone could be a total psychopath all the time, or no one would have survived? And I totally subscribe to the 'Bones can never be completely evil' way of thinking.

Enough rambling. Warnings: swearing and a tiny bit of mild violence at the start. Oh and Bones is 15 and reader 11ish at the start.

1.

“Well look what we got here!” The boy looms over you, sneering, gesturing to his two friends and you curl up as tight as you can, wrapping your arms around your knees and trying to protect the robot drone you are in the process of building for your science project. “It's a runt. Prolly some kinda alien half-breed. They should’a drowned you at birth.”

You can feel tears start to form in your eyes, but your Mama has always said that you should never let anyone see you cry, so you squeeze them shut and hope that if you’re very quiet the older boys will go away. Only they don’t.

The boy grabs your wrist and pulls hard, dragging you onto your knees in the dirt. The half finished project drops to the ground and before you can blink one of the other boys has stomped on it, breaking it into several pieces. You know you’ll get into trouble if you don't have anything to present at school.

Angry, you swipe out at him blindly, but the group just laugh. The ringleader twists your other arm behind you and you cry out in pain. “You’re gonna be a slave, runt. Like all the other alien weaklings. You’re gonna be my slave. Look at me,” he orders and grabs a handful of your hair to force your head back. He stares right at you with cold eyes. “What should we make her do?”

“Nothin’ Lafayette.” An older boy with dark messy hair is standing a few feet away, arms crossed. You don’t know where he came from. “You’re gonna let the kid go.”

“This is nothin’ to do with you McCoy,” the boy who is Lafayette sneers back, but you can tell there is an edge of uncertainty. The other two boys have taken a step back too. “I found the runt.”

“You’re in my backyard. That makes her my business.” McCoy doesn’t seem scared at all. “I said, let her go.” He punctuates each word with a step forward and the edge of menace is unmistakable. Lafayette hesitates and it's a mistake, because McCoy is suddenly right there and swinging a right hook and there’s a crack as the younger boy’s nose is broken. He follows it up with a punch to the gut and Lafayette is on the floor next to you and his two friends have turned tail.

“You want to kick him?” McCoy offers, but you shake your head. He sighs and hauls the boy to his feet grabbing him round the throat. “Don't touch her again, do you understand?” Then he throws Lafayette in the direction of the road and your tormentor disappears around the corner dripping blood from his face.

“They're right you know. You’re weak. You should have kicked him.” You stare nervously at this unexpected saviour who is flexing his knuckles.

“Why did you help me?” You ask suspiciously. You don’t know McCoy and strangers never help each other out without a price. He fixes you for a moment with his strange coloured eyes that are somewhere between green and brown, before shrugging.

“Lafayette is an asshole. Leonard McCoy.” He holds out a hand and you use it to pull yourself up, wincing at the pain from your twisted arm.

“Y/F/N, Y/L/N. Will you teach me how to punch?”

2.

You’re sat on the dusty floor of Len’s garage. Well, truthfully it’s his parents’ garage, but his father is some big shot in the Imperial administration and is hardly here, and his mother would never set foot in somewhere so filthy. You have spread in front of you the stripped down workings of a hover bike that he has bought, seemingly on a whim.

“It’s a piece of shit, Len. Someone had your eyes with this.” You’re inspecting the fuel system critically, wondering if he can pay for all the parts he’s going to need.

“Whatever kid, but can you help me fix it?” He’s lounging in an old chair, some kind of medical textbook open in his lap, flicking through the pages.

You chew your lip thoughtfully, wondering why he’s so keen on the project. He’s never been particularly mechanically minded before. Give him a lifeform and he's a fucking genius, but cold dead metal, not so much. You suppose that's why he’s asked you. “Good as new,” you reply confidently, “with a few modifications, better than new, in fact. That's if you can pay for it.”

Len looks at you with a lazy half smile and nods, watching you with his intense hazel gaze as you start chattering on about making the fuel delivery more efficient, and upping the output of the engine. He supposes this is an odd kind of friendship and he’s not quite sure how it happened, but it's the least complicated thing in his life and precious.

“It’ll go like shit off a stick McCoy!” you beam happily at him. “Can I ride it?”

He raises an eyebrow. “You’re fourteen Y/F/N. Your Mama would have my hide.” He sees your disappointment, but it's warring with your eagerness to tinker and improve. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go on it.”

“Promise?”

Len nearly laughs at the fierceness of your expression. “Promise.”

He shifts in the chair so he’s leaning forward, elbows on his knees, dropping the textbook with a thump on the floor between his feet. He looks serious. “Y/F/N, I got into Ole Miss to study medicine in the Fall.”

There's a hollow feeling in your chest, he’s going away. In your heart, you knew it was coming, but it had seemed a distant possibility rather than the certainty he’s just presented. Suddenly the bike makes sense. “Congratulations Len, it's a really good school,” you say with all the enthusiasm you can muster. You squeeze one of his hands shyly and he looks pleased.

You’ve talked before about how he wants to be a doctor, his desire to understand the workings of the body, to explore alien species and improve on human frailty, to be a healer. He wants to fix things, and even in your pretty sheltered life you know that this is a rare quality in this Empire that prizes dominance and destruction.

You want to make things better too, but not people - they’re mostly too confusing. No, you see the great space ships and want to make them faster, go further. There must be more to this universe than politics and war and alien threats, and you want to find it.

“You’re not a scared little kid anymore Y/F/N, you’ll be okay without me,” Len says. If he's honest it's more to convince himself than you. You’ve never been wise enough to the dangers around you, but he’s taught you things to keep you safe, if, when, you need them.

So you work together on the bike over the summer. Your Mama complains about you always being covered in grease, but you like the smell of mechanics and dirt and it's a beautiful thing when Len lets you start the engine for the first time and it thrums into life.

And when it's tuned and balanced as finely as you can get it, and you climb on behind Len to ride out round the town, arms wrapped around his solid warmth, you think life couldn't get any better. You tuck away this memory and hold onto it when he rides away two weeks later.

3.

Len comes back occasionally for short visits, but as he realises when he rides his bike down the street to his parents house, it will have been two years since he spent any real time here and any significant time with you. Sure, you’ve commed each other a bit, but med school is hard work and suddenly there's a whole host of politics and jostling for position to deal with as well. Being his father’s son he should have expected it, but he’d hoped to be able to carve his own path.

He’s sitting out on his mother’s porch, letting the heat warm his bones and watching a pretty girl walking across the field behind the house. He nearly falls out of his chair when the girl gets nearer and he sees it's you. You’re not the scrawny waif he remembers, you seem to have grown about a foot and filled out.

You seem to see Len at the same time and you stop dead. He waves awkwardly and you start running across the backyard towards him, throwing yourself the final couple of steps into his chest with a thump. He holds you at arms’ length and inspects you, happy to see the smudge of dirt across your cheek and the grease ingrained in your hands. Not so different then.

“You’d better have brought my bike back with you McCoy.”

Len laughs, feeling lighter than he has in a long while. You sit on the steps as you demand to know the answers to a hundred questions and he tries to keep up. Eventually you run out of steam and he gets a chance to return the interrogation.

“You staying out of trouble kid?” It's the only thing he needs to know.

“Yeah. I broke Lafayette’s arm a couple of months ago. He was groping one of the younger girls at school.” Len sees a fire of defiance in your eyes that he hasn't seen before.

“That’s my girl. So long as you watch your back.” You nod. Len’s mother calls from inside the house and you stand to go. “Y/F/N, there’s someone I’d like you to meet tomorrow, can I call by?”

“Sure.” You’re clearly curious but don't ask.

It's while you’re studying in the back yard that Len appears, bringing with him this stunning blonde creature who’s all smiles and eyes like flint. “Y/F/N, this is Jocelyn. Joce, this is the girl I told you about.”

Len is pleased with himself and you don’t want to disappoint him, so you extend a hand which Jocelyn takes in a delicate hold. You’ve never been so aware of the ingrained dirt and raggy nails. She takes a seat gingerly on the battered old patio set, smiling like a shark. “Leo told me all about his ‘kid sister’. He's such a darling.”

You manage to make polite small talk for a half hour and drink sweet tea. All you can think is that nobody ever calls him Leo.

It's a few days before Len comes around again, when Jocelyn has left. He appears at the door of your room, your Mama must have let him in. You’re sitting cross-legged on the bed with padds and stacks of notes around you, so he perches on your desk chair. He’s bigger than he used to be, broader across the shoulders and fewer angles.

He surveys the mess in your room, “Hey kid, what you working on?”

“I tested out of the advanced math and physics classes at school, so I’m working on warp field algorithms.” You hand Len one of your padds and he looks over it, eyebrows shooting up his forehead. He can understand a tiny fraction; he knows you’re clever, but this? This is genius level.

“This is advanced Y/F/N. You taught yourself?” You shrug. He shakes his head and frowns. “You need to be careful who knows you can do this stuff. You’re too young to want to attract attention from the authorities.” He knows through his father that gifted kids can disappear into the Empire’s machine, and it scares him that it could be you.

“I keep it to myself, Len. I’m a fucking poor kid in a small town. I’m hardly the type to attract attention, even if I wanted it.” You roll your eyes.

Len isn’t stupid. He knows that Jocelyn’s reaction to you was icy. If she saw you as a threat, then others will too, and you have no influence or power as a shield. Your academic gifts just make you that much more of a valuable target. He’s brought you a gift, and now he's even more glad, though he’s angry that this is necessary. Rummaging in his backpack, he pulls out a roll of cloth, with something wrapped inside. He passes it to you carefully. “Here, I got you something. Call it a late birthday present.”

You unroll the cloth to reveal a set of knives. The blades are about three inches long, and the handles wrapped in leather. They’re not fancy, but they seem well made even to your inexpert eye. You stare at Len, eyes wide.

“You can throw a punch, but you’re old enough to need to protect yourself better. They’ll fit in a boot, or you can strap them somewhere inconspicuous. I can teach you the basics.”

He’s only being practical, wanting you to be prepared even though the chances of someone like you needing to use them are slim. But this scares you. You didn’t even know he could fight with knives. You begin to form a refusal on your lips, but he cuts in.

“You’re not always going to be stuck in a damned nowhere town in Georgia, Y/F/N. It's smart to know these things, trust me.” He’s looking at you with dark eyes that have seen a little more of the world, and you wonder where the light Leonard you hugged on the porch a few days ago has gone.

“Okay,” you whisper.

By the time Len leaves again, he's taught you how to wield the knives with a certain degree of skill, and where to inflict maximum damage. It occurs to you that of course he would know these things, he’s a fucking medical student. Knowing how to heal also means knowing how to kill.

A/N: There we go! Tell me what you think... I plan to edit and finish it eventually, so let me know if you're interested in me posting after I finish Falling.

@dirajunara This is the fic I was wrestling with whether it was any good or not 😊

[sonxfdoom]

☆ Chapter 2: Edgeless Affection! ☆

Helo yis this a DanganRonpa idea in my head that I’ve had and completely plotted out lmao. It’s all Gohan’s and it’s crippling depression™. One day I’ll actually write out the entire plot but w/e.

This is the end of Chapter 2, after the trial!! Suck my ass I wanted to get 2 the part with the death. Triggers are: Death, Character death mentions, Avid descriptions of death, Avid descriptions of torture, and lots of angst and death welcome to DanganRonpa everything’s depressing and filled with death.

The two big Gohan’s here are @ferocitus & @heartyrice!!  Cloudsofrice and ScholarWarriorFather are mentioned in here as somewhat major characters as well, but they don’t get nearly as much focus!

Rest in hell any mobile users.

“Ding ding ding! You got it right on the money! The Blackened that ended that poor tall saps life was none other than the shortstack ‘Mini-Chan’!” The robot laughed, small too similar features to the majority to the rest of them spread in a gleeful smile at the despair and suffering in the air! Oh what fun this killing game was!

The tallest of the pre-teens, now that ‘Edge’ was no longer alive to take that role, ran forward towards The Blackened. Hands wished to reach out, to hurt or throttle or even just touch the other boy whom he felt so much love and affection for- even despite the fact that he was a murderer and murdered their other love and it hurt his heart so much to hear but despite that he still loved the boy-

Tears ran down his face, fists soon falling to the ground with the rest of him, punching it with endless ferocity. This is not what they had imagined! They were to all get out together! The three of them were to be happy! “W-Why!? Why would you- HOW could you!?”

The shorter said nothing, gazing down at his love with a blank expression. The same face that he had held onto since the latter half of the trial. Since he had accepted that he was a murderer. ‘Go-chan’ only continued to sob, the marble that they all stood upon shattering and breaking with ease under his blows as more sobs kept leaving his frame and he swore he couldn’t breathe. They were all happy- Had ‘Mini-chan’s’ feelings all been a lie? Had the boy planned this since the beginning? Had he done something wrong?

One of the Gohan’s, one with longer hair than most, ran over and patted the boys back in an attempt to console. The boy made sure to give the murderer a harsh glare. The eyes kept staring at him, boring into his mind and soul. It hurt- his nose smelled sugar in the air- sugar on his hands that were now coated green and it hurt his lungs to breathe in-

“I didn’t do it from malice.” His cracking voice spoke and echoed in the silent room. “Why else then!? What reason did you have!? Could you have had!?” The tallest roared out, eyes glaring towards the boy with such hatred one wondered how ‘Mini-chan’s’ head hadn’t melted.

“I did it because I wanted him to be happy.”

A stagnant thickness rang through the air, before a loud scream and the spiked hair from the previously sobbing boy had surrounded the room. ‘Cloud-chan’ as he had been named after his fluffy appearance, held onto the furious boy with all he could, trying to get through to the boy that wanted to just reach over and ruin- end The Blackened’s life. “We don’t need you gone too.”

“Why does it matter!? I couldn’t protect him! I-I swore to protect him! I promised with everything I had that I wouldn’t let him die and I did because I could have done something to stop this and DIDN’T!”

A deep breath, before the shortest spoke once more. “You saw it too, didn’t you?” “S-Saw what!?”

“You can’t deny it. You saw it, we all did but you saw it just as clearly as I did. You saw it- the hope that was so bright in his eyes die. The despair creeping in. We both saw it since the first death and we did nothing about it. We-We were selfish, and took all the kindness he gave us for ourselves. We didn’t think about him even once. I-I refused, to sit back and watch him fall into the same scared, depressive states that we both tried to hide from him! I refused to let the hope in his eyes die like ours did all those years ago! I wouldn’t let it happen! I-I... wanted him to live a life full of happiness. And if that meant killing him again and again to escape this hell than I would gladly do it endlessly for him.”

Everyone looked angry- some had sympathy, yet most retained rage. ‘Go-Chan’ was no different. “Y-You..” he whispered, words cutting clear through the tension. “You’re an idiot.” 

“...What?”

“I said you’re an idiot! An idiot! An absolute fucking idiot!” the boy screeched, head raised high and mighty to face the boy- his former love.”Do you think this is what Edge would have wanted? Do you? Edge was probably laying there- during the last few moment of his life crying his eyes out! He-He was probably wondering what he had possibly done wrong! Wondering what he must have done to have one of the closest people in his life, one of the people he loved with all of his heart kill him! C-Can you imagine how horrified he must have felt? H-How bad he must have felt!?” The hybrids rage turned to that of grief and sorrow, for that was all that remained. “....I, don’t think he would have wanted this.”

The shorter boy retaliated after a brief pause in time, sentence being chocked out from a throat threatening to close itself from the pain he felt. “I wasn’t going to let him suffer- I refused t-to let him go on in a world where he was hurting-”

“Did you think he wasn’t hurting before!?”

“....What?”

“D-Did you honestly think that he wasn’t hurting- in pain before he met any one of us? That his life was just rainbows and happiness?” Hands pulled at his hair, crying out loudly before continuing on through his tears. “He’s lived longer than ANY of us! He’s seen more death than prolly any of us have! H-His father’s a monster! A-An’ I’ve seen it for myself! H-He had no one to rely on, no mother or father to give a single care for him and the moment he had people in his life that he felt he could love and cherish with everything he had to give you fucking killed him! Killed him thinking about the happiness that YOU thought he still had! Killed him for your fantasies for a normal life that we all have!”

..... The air remained silent, only cut away by the sounds of breathing and crying, tears from not only the mourner but The Blackened as well.  A bright chipper voice cut through the air though, filling everyone with dread.

“Enough of the sobbing! Some good ol suffering is good every once in a while but with it neverending it just gets boring!”

“P-Please wait! Please don’t do this!” “It’s punishment time!”

The gavel held in the small robots hand was soon swung down onto the big button in front of him, the screen above his head lighting up with enthusiasm. -Gohan ‘Mini-chan’ Son has been found guilty! Commencing execution!-

Execution: ☆ The Rescue of Shining Hope! Grab Hold and Climb the Way Up! ☆ 

‘Mini-chan’ had been thrust into a hole only able to gaze high above and forward towards the open hole he had been placed near to- claustrophobia only making his head swirl. There, he could see the bright hope of his life- Edge, dangling hopelessly from the rope wrapped around his torso. ‘Save me Darlin’! P-Please do somethin’!’ he yelled, which only furthered the shortest ones resolve to rescue the boy.

Making an attempt to start grabbing the wall, he flinched back as thorns ricked his palms, as a hand had tried to grab at his pale skin. Tears ran down his face, staring up at the boy he cherished so much and the wall that held the touch he hid away from.

Slowly and with shaky hands, the hybrid grabbed the first hand, horrified and disgusted when the hand attempted to latch onto him. They reached out towards him, clawing at his clothes and skin as he raced his way up with all his effort, blood matting his torn shredded clothes to his muscular frame as he race up with all he could to the very top. It got smaller and smaller it felt to the climbing boy- hands from all around reaching out and attacking him at every possible opportunity. He was almost there- his hope that shone at the very top of the hole they were in was there and then he could make his amends!  Resisting the urge to freeze up as one hand had gotten a clear grab at his wrist- clawing in deep and with such ferocity that the boy could swear pierced his bone, his mauled hands soon had reached the very opening of the hole he had been placed in, where the boy was held- sunlight pouring into his eyes as he shakily reached out for the boys hand- his loves hand while he babbled endless apologies- Only to have his dream turn into a nightmare.

All that was held out before him in the dark closed off tunnel he had climbed was the hanged corpse of his love- red lifeless eyes staring straight through him as a bloody destroyed hand kept it’s grip on the bodies foot. The rope slowly frayed, ‘Mini-chan’ trying desperately to calm his screams of sorrow and apologies to try and unloop his dead love from the rope with his hands. But it was too late- The rope snapped.

Unable to hold the body of his suddenly falling love and maintain his spot with only his legs, he fell down- hands taking care in trying to rip at the falling child- yet make no attempts to catch. Hands reached feebly up towards the once open top he had looked after, tears pouring above him as he could only stare into the eyes of the boy that he had killed for the sake of happiness, for the life that was no longer in his eyes.

A sickening crack soon resounded in the chamber, a mangled body with blood splattered across the walls and floor lay still, cuts and bruises from grab wounds apparent from the shredded remains of clothing. Another body lay on top of the boy, already dead- a rope that had been tied around his neck frayed and old doing nothing to stop the flow of green blood that dripped down onto the corpse beneath.

☆ Execution Over!☆

“Aww well would ya look at that! They died in each others arms! Or at least, ONE died in his own hold! Haha!” The robot wiped a fake tear from his face with a handkerchief it had pulled from nowhere, blowing it’s nose loudly before looking at the others in the room. “I was always a sucker for sad romance stories! Now get out!”

The elevator opened up, everyone still shell-shocked from what they had witnessed. To use another person- the victims body in the execution! It, frightened all of them. All besides one, who could only watch on his knees with an expression devoid of life, tears pouring down while staring at the mangled bodies of his two former loves. “Is someone gunna get the sad sap over here or am I gunna have t’ do it?”

Another Gohan- this one a high-schooler, grabbed the smaller self in his arms, and made his way to the elevator with the both of them.

An arm slowly reached out to the corpses, but would never get to see either of them as the doors to the elevator closed and signaled their ascent.