#put this beast in a glue trap

[micromime]

oh yeah my animal. Return of Wes fursona

[yannaryartside]

Sydney and the bear

Is the bear doomed? Is relaying on Syd actually holding Carmy back?

Maybe a controversial opinion

The reason I thought that it would be better for Syd to leave the bear is because there is a part of me that thinks that restaurant is not the place for her to be what she is destined to be. It is a place for Carmen, and that’s the reason he has insisted on not letting her ideas take place (even if he doesn’t ir subconsciously). The bear is his beast to control and heal.

The bear (restaurant) is kind of a haunted house. Cicero mentioned in s1 that just being in the building making him have bad thoughts. Carmy has hallucinated burning the place down, Richie and Mickey had a running joke about actually burning it down. The test to make sure that didn’t happen was a big plot point in s2.

In s3, while Carmy is setting the restaurant, putting everything in place, stocking books, he literally brings Mickeys ghost back in order to defend his vision of his dream, a dream they were supposed to share.

The bear is the place carmy is using to resolve his trauma and grief, and yet is the place where the frezzer is located, the metaphorical cage of s3. Is literally a simulator of Carmy’s inner world, his dreams, his sorrow, his people, the love of her life (Sydney) is presented in him 24/7. But it may also be too haunted.

I would like it to be a place that can nurture new life, a garden for everyone to grow, and not just dead ground. There is a reason Sydney’s ideas had not being able to grow properly, because the ground is so poisoned by Carmy’s trauma he doesn’t know how to remove the dead ground and replace it with a fertil one.

So yeah I would like for Carmen to be a better gardener but maybe we just need to restart in another place. Maybe the bear is just the version of himself Carmy is limiting himself to be. I would even find poetic if the pace ends up burning up as an answer to the money trap Cicero got himself into.

Syd may need to find her own ground someplace before Carmy and her can cultivate in actual equal ground.

Edit: my biggest concern

Is relaying on Sydney preventing Carmy to take responsibility for his trauma, aka the Bear ?

Sydney was the one that was able to make the team follow the brigade regimen. Her risotto dish warded them the only good review the restaurant has earned till present day. In s2 she leaded the renovations with Nat, while Carmy was messing around with Claire.

Then in s3 she was the super glue keeping the staff and the operations in as good as shape as it was possible. The literal moment carmy actually took charge of the Bear, it was only to steal them in the direction of chaos.

When Carmy say “I couldn’t do this without you” it was no my just a sentiment.

There is an argument to say that she the perpetual crutches of a person that refuses to understand they cannot move forward. Maybe Carmy only would look at his wound after Sydney is not there to keep things functioning.

[collectorcookie]

@rebelscythe123 this is for u <3

Loooots and lots of spoilers for everything caiowe for anyone reading this btw

Ok so a lot of cain's roles in the narrative focuses on him sacrificing himself. He's a knight so he should put his life in danger to protect others. He's a sage's wizard so he should, again, put himself in life-threatening danger to save the world. He is arthur's personal knight so, you guessed it, he should protect arthur at all costs, including himself. He's so kind and sweet and he made being a shield to others his meaning of life <3. This isn't a good thing, duh. He has no sense for self preservation and is very suicidal, maybe not in the depressed way, but in the extremely willing to throw his life away way. Like, in central ballad, he immediately puts himself between akira and oz throwing a rampage KNOWING ozzy can instant kill him, accidentally or not. And in central prelude, he also just throws himself at a beast with no consideration for his own safety.

Now, owen. Owen is the complete opposite of cain. If cain is generally puppy sunshine who's willing to die for anyone, then owen is depressed and thorny and puts his own survival above anyone and anything else.

Owen is the first person in cain's life that DOESN'T require cain to sacrifice anything for him. If anything, owen is the first person to offer cain something. Freedom. Cain, up until that point, had to keep himself hidden away. Now of course, owen defeating cain and stealing his eyeball was very traumatizing for cain, but it ends up in a net positive development for him because he doesn't have to hide anymore. I think cain even thanks him for it eventually. And another thing owen offers cain is a goal to strive towards. Now that owen has defeated him, cain has to work hard and train himself to become a better wizard. Wait i have two screenshots from anni2 that kinda

Just. Them. Ugh.

Now back onto owen, obviously everyone knows that owen latched himself onto cain because baby owen was locked up in a basement with nothing but a picture book with a knight. And cain is number one picture perfect knight. But another thing to consider about owen's character is that....kizu owen isn't owen himself, he isn't the real owen, he is just a trauma holder for owen's past memories. Wait holup i have more screenshots somewhere surely.

Yeah like in north ballad, owen wants to cure his injury because he wants to stay as himself. He's no longer the helpless small child calling out for anyone to save him, he crawled outta that hell himself, he saved himself, he's strong now. I don't like the way people treat kizu owen as the "real owen" or whatever because that kid just straight up isn't, i like the idea of the real self of a traumatized character is the self that overcame the trauma, not the one haunted by it.

And for kizu owen, anyone could have been kizu owen's knight in shining armor, as we see in ms2, where he sticks to oz like glue instead of cain. This fucks up cain severely. Because the reason why cain stuck to owen is because of his kizu self. Because his kizu self straight up says things like "save me" and "don't leave me alone" and what could a knight like cain do but respond? Yeah sure there's this other real owen that's a brutal murderer but let's ignore that for now because see! There's this other him calling out for help! And all of cain's identity is helping others despite the risks so trying to help kizu owen in spite of real owen potentially hurting him is such a cain thing to do.

But kizu owen will stick to anyone willing to respond. He's not a person. He's doesn't form bonds. He doesn't learn. He's just a trauma holder. In ms1, even when cain shows him over and over again that the door is open and it isn't locked and you can literally open the door, you aren't trapped, i wouldn't do that to you, kizu owen still ends up scratching and hitting at the door because he👏doesn't👏learn👏or👏move👏on. That's his thing. It doesn't matter to him if it's cain who is protecting him or if it's oz, he wants anyone.

And now cain is feeling like shit because arthur doesn't need him, owen doesn't need him, his knights don't need him, nobody needs or chooses specifically cain for anything, he has no space to exist. This is why he changes himself 180 degrees in ms2 because in his mind it's "well manipulating people is something only i can do so i will sacrifice myself and all of my morals for it." Are you. Are you seeing it yet?

BUT who does end up choosing cain specifically, over and over again? Owen. The real owen. He goes and fetches arthur aaaaall the way from central country to check up on cain. And ms2 isn't the only instance for this. He teaches cain magic and then later also prays his name in anni1. Owen ends up helping cain even when oz gave up on him in the knights event. Hell, even in central prelude, the only reason cain is alive is because owen's eyeball protected him. I don't remember where but i think there was once a convo between owen and mithra where mithra was like "that guy will take a 1000 years before he gets on your level" and owen was like "i'll wait". Owen WANTS to see cain grow, he wants to see him succeed.

Owen is the only character in the narrative that pushes cain to grow, cain is the only character in the narrative that pushes owen to see the world for what it is instead of the traumatized version he is holding onto.

All in all, caiowe is an EXTREMELY HEALTHY relationship, they literally make each other better, they just need a lot of communication, and they deserve each other, and i love them <3

[masked-umber]

The USJ arc(part 5)

Tw: Blood/gore, violence, and attempted murder

Entrance: Thirteen, Shoda, Kamakiri, Kodai, Pony, Tsuburaba, and Kaibara

Central Plaza: Vlad King, Tokage, Fukidashi, and Midoriya

Ruins Zone: Awase, and Monoma

Landslide Zone: Juzo

Mountain Zone: Kendo, Yanagi, and Tetsutetsu

Conflagration Zone: Shishida and Bondo

Downpour Zone: Komori and Rin

???: Kuroiro

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Conflagration Zone:

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Shishida chases villains through the fire in his beast form, none of their attacks seem to much to him, he's in full beast mode, a mode he can't control well.

An injured Bondo sets a glue trap on the road to trap the villains.

Beast Shishida goes to attack the stuck villains but Bondo launches glue towards him, trapping him.

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Downpour Zone:

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Komori(in her idle mode) is using the rain to her advantage to spread mushrooms everywhere, slowing the villains down but also using some to knock the villains out.

A villain who is covered in mushrooms rushes towards Komori but Rin jumps down on top of him, pinning him down, before raising his leg and hitting them over the head knocking the villain out.

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Central Plaza:

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Kurogiri warps next to Shigaraki, telling him that he has incapacitated the rescue hero, although one of the students did escape the building.

Shigaraki is surprised before he starts scratching at his neck vigorously in frustration, he threatens Kurogiri that he would've disintegrated Kurogiri for that if he wasn't so important to him.

Shigaraki sighs and calms down when Kurogiri puts a hand on his shoulder, Shigaraki admits that they need to retreat as he won't be able to fight multiple pro heros.

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Fukidashi lets out a small sigh of relief that the villains are going to retreat, but Tokage and Midoriya look uneasy.

Tokage tells Midoriya that and Fukidashi that they should head back to the entrance. Fukidashi seems unsure about that, he tells Tokage that they should wait so they can help Vlad King.

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Shigaraki takes note of the hero students in the water, he tells Kurogiri that before they leave he wants to scar the symbol of peace's pride by killing some of his students.

Shigaraki leaps for Fukidashi but Tokage moves quickly and detaches an arm to block Shigaraki. Midoriya watches in horror as Tokages arm disintegrates in front of his eyes. Shigaraki is about to grab Fukidashi's face but he's stopped by hardened blood.

Vlad King was able to lift his left arm enough to use his quirk to restrain Shigaraki. Shigaraki commends thr blood hero fot his quick reaction time to save his students, but that won't matter as he commands the Nomu of break Vlad Kings other arm before slamming his face onto the ground, which it does.

When Shigaraki is distracted Midoriya jumps out of the water quickly and uses a full powered smash.

The punch connects with something creating great wind pressure and kicks up a lot of dust. Midoriya notices his arm isn't broken, did he do the smash correctly?

When the dust settles Midoriya to his horror realizes that Nomu took the brunt of the attack. What surprises him even more is that Nomu is completely unscathed.. this is the secret weapon that was sent to kill All Might.

Shigaraki asks Midoriya if he's an All Might fan as he decays the hardened blood, but Midoriya doesn't answer. Shigaraki shrugs telling Midoriya that he doesn't care because he's done with him.

Nomu grabs Midoriya's arm preparing to crush him, while Shigaraki reaches for Fukidashi and Tokage. Fukidashi begins to use his quirk desperately while Tokage uses her (non decayed) arm to desperately grab for Midoriya.

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The fight comes to an abrupt stop when All Might breaks down the doors of the USJ and makes his entrance. All Might tells them "not to fear because I am here."

All Might tells them that he knows the gist of the situation because he ran into Kuroiro(or well Kuroiro stopped to tell him) which angered him.

His anger grows when he sees that the students had such a hard time, and the Vlad King and Thirteen got injured protecting the students.

The other villains tell Shigaraki that they need to leave, but before they can even move All Might jumps down to Central Plaza defeating them before picking up Vlad King, saving him.

He apologizes to and unconscious Vlad King for being late, before he uses his speed to knock Shigaraki's mask off and save Midoriya, Tokage, and Fukidashi. He tells the students to take Vlad King to safety, although he notices Tokage missing an arm. He asks if she's okay and a shaken Tokage says she is.. it'll grow back it might just take awhile.

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Shigaraki grabs his mask and puts it back on agitated, while saying that his fathers hand fell off his face, although when he puts it back on he calms back down.

Shigaraki is surprised that he wasn't able to avoid All Mights attack, but he notes that although All Might is still fast, he isn't as fast as he used to be.

Midoriya tells All Might that his attack did nothing to the Nomu, but All Might claims he's got everything under control, so the students can leave the area.

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All Might vs. Nomu:

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All Might rushes at Shigaraki and attacks with a Carolina smash, but Nomu intercepts it and absorbed the impact of the punch, Much to All Mights surprise. Nomu tries to grab All Might but he ducks and punches the Nomu in the gut, but that attack also has no effect. He punches Nomu two more times in the head before he retreats after realizing the punches still have no effect.

Nomu runs towards All Might and swings, but All Might evades and counterattacks with three more punches to the gut, while Shigaraki arrogantly explains Nomu's attacks in video game terminology, he explains that Nomu negates any attack All Might Might throw at him because he's a higher level and has a better skill set with his many quirks, one being it's shock absorption quirk, he tells All Might that he'd have a better shot at defeating Nomu if he let All Might hit his hit box and gouge out his flesh.

All Might thanks Shigaraki for revealing Nomu's weakness in an albeit confusing way, before he suplexes Nomu creating a large shockwave, which stirs up dust.

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While carrying Vlad King towards the exit, Tokage notices how strong All Might really is, before Fukidashi asks her about her arm, and Tokage shows him that it's growing back.. just slowly.

Midoriya keeps looking back at All Might fighting worrying that he'll overexert himself or worse his time will run out.

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When thr dust settles, All Might realizes that Kurogiri created a portal beneath to save Nomu and trap All Might while he stays in the suplex position.

Nomu uses the opening Kurogiri gave it to bury it's claws into All Mights side (including his weak point) while Shigaraki mocks All Mights plan to bury Nomu in the concrete failed. Stating that All Mights skill level isn't high enough to defeat Nomu.

All Might let's go of Nomu and tries to free himself from its grip without success.

Kurogiri drags both All Might and Nomu slowly inside of his warp gate. Kurogiri politely explains that Nomu had to restrain All Might as he was to fast, and now he plans on closing his warp gate to effectively cut him in half.

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Midoriya watches in horror as he sees All Might in mortal danger, he asks Fukidashi to help Tokage carry Vlad King for him, he doesn't wait for Fukidashi to answer and drops Vlad King in Fukidashi's arms before rushing off to join the fight.

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Kurogiri intercepts Midoriya's attack, and prepares to use warp gate on him, but he's intercepted by Awase, quite literally tackling Kurogiri's metal neck guard, and welding him to the ground as Juzo uses his quirk to soften the ground around the Nomu before harding it, which allows All Might to break free of the villains hold with a slight amount of struggle.

Monoma rushes towards Shigaraki in an attempt to copy his quirk but Shigaraki evades him with ease. Shigaraki snaps at Kurogiri for letting himself get tackled by a mere child. Awase admits that Monoma figured out that Kurogiri uses the black mist to cover his actual body, so thanks to Monoma he knew to aim for the neck armor.

Juzo helps Midoriya up as he hears Awase say that if he could he'd so destroy Kurogiri's fucking neck armor, Juzo tells Awase that isn't a very heroic thing to say, before Awase rolls his eyes and says he wasn't actually planning on killing Kurogiri he was just angry.

Shigaraki compliments the students efforts before ordering Nomu to free Kurogiri. Much to everyone's shock Nomu breaks off its own limbs that were submerge in the hardened ground and regenerates them, Shigaraki explains that Nomu has more than one quirk up its sleeve, that includes the all powerful super regeneration quirk, and reveals that Nomu was made to kill All Might.

Nomu attacks Awase in order to free Kurogiri, creating a massive shock wave that is powerful enough to knock Midoriya, Juzo, and Monoma down. Midoriya worries that Awase wasn't able to dodge that devastating attack only for Monoma to jump back when Awase appeared right next to him. Midoriya is surprised and asks Awase how he was fast enough to react to Nomu's attack, but Awase replies that he wasn't fast enough.. hell he didn't even move. When the smoke from Nomu's attack clears, it's revealed that All Might saved Awase in time but he took the brunt of Nomu's powerful attack.

After seeing All Might save Awase's life, Shigaraki starts to monologue about weaker npc's needing to be killed to gain exp, and how All Might used violence to protect the npc, he asks All Might what counts as good violence and bad violence. He doesn't give All Might to respond as he continues saying that the title of "Symbol of peace" is nothing more than an oppressive form of violence, accusing All Might of using his title to create more violence.

All Might, finally given an opportunity to speak, tells Shigaraki that his words ring hollow, as it is Shigaraki himself who is creating violence, Shigaraki admits that All Might figured him out.

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Midoriya gets Juzo, Monoma and a very shaken Awase to backup All Might because if they do then they'll have the villains outnumbered, but All Might overhears them and tells the students to leave despite their insistence, especially from Monoma and Midoriya(who knows that All Mights time limit is about to end)

Shigaraki orders Nomu and Kurogiri to attack All Might while he deals with the students. Kurogiri and Nomu approach All Might, who finds his resolve despite his declining power.

The Symbol of Peace comes blow to blow with Nomu creating Shockwaves which keeps Kurogiri, Shigaraki, and the students from getting near them. All Might and Nomu fight head-on , trading punches at incredible speeds. Shigaraki reminds reminds All Might about Nomu's shock absorption, and All Might replies that it's shock absorption not shock nullification, so there is a limit to it, so if he keeps punching he'll eventually defeat it.

The Nomu continues to strike back, All Might says that if the Nomu can withstand him at 100% then he'll just go beyond his limits, and starts to fight with everything he has. Nomu begins to become overwhelmed by All Mights attacks, before it gets sent flying across the Plaza. It recovers jumping back over to All Might forcing them to collide mid-air.

All Might gains the upper hand and throws Nomu onto the ground. All Might lands swiftly on the ground as the Nomu bounces off the ground, All Might powers up one last smash defeating Nomu with a powerful smash sending him flying through the roof and into the stratosphere.

The students standing awe as All Might stands victorious, in his signature victory pose. All Might lowers his hand, claiming that he has gotten weaker, because if he was in his prime it would've taken five punches to defeat Nomu, but today it took over three hundred mighty blows to defeat Nomu.

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Whew this arc is almost over, can't wait for the sports festival arc I have so much planned for that arc.

Fun fact: Kurogiri was able to warp himself out of Awase's Weld quirk, he just needed an opening.

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Beginning: First day in 1-B

Previous: USJ arc (part 4)

Next: USJ arc (Final)

Table of contents

[thesternest]

Get glue trapped!

I'm already sick so you're extra fucked up and evil for this

Not only that

But my birthday is in less than two weeks so youre putting me in a glue trap when I'm almost at my birthday so you have no morals to seperate you from a vicious beast

Because it seems so

[amoirsetpacis]

★ --;; A heavy sigh fills the relative quiet, only otherwise gently punctuated by the occasional sound of debris tumbling, crumbling in on itself.

Some mess he'd found himself in now, Vash thinks, staring down at the mass of feathers lying still in his arms.

At first, Vash hadn't even thought about participating in any of the challenges that the Stars had constructed. From nearly the moment he'd woken up to the sight of the little menace curled up in his and Wolfwood's bed, on their pillows, the creature had seemingly made it his singular goal to beat it into Vash's head just how much it hated him.

It stuck to Wolfwood like glue, whenever it could; skittering around the priest's ankles as fast as possible, demanding with ever-louder squawks and shrieks to be cradled in the bend of an arm, sitting on shoulders and the top of his head. The second Vash tried to tell it anything to do, or catch it, or pet it, it immediately began to puff up at him and swipe with its tiny claws. And the first time Vash had managed to pick it up it had gone and electrocuted him.

Point taken.

At least Wolfwood had found the whole thing funny, unable to stop from laughing at Vash's plight. ( Never mind how he had had the same troubles, that overgrown beast made of mist and smoke hardly even looking Wolfwood's way without the promise of food. ) But if this thing was to be Vash's responsibility, he figured he may as well try and at least somewhat get a handle on it.

It's been so frustrating that he still hasn't gotten to name the damn thing. Wolfwood had joked and called in an over-dramatic chicken, so all Vash has been able to associate it with has been poultry. Go figure.

It's unconscious, now, cradled in the curled nest of Vash's legs. It's done something stupid and gone and run off without him again, and managed to poke and prod its head where it shouldn't have again, and now there's a very high likelihood that they're trapped down here, beneath that crumbling city, with only a finite amount of time left before the whole structure comes tumbling down on top of them.

Man, he's gonna have a lot of angry people to answer to if he goes and gets himself killed so soon after the last time. That, and even if the creature tap danced all over his last nerve, it wasn't Vash's place to decide its fate. ( That won't stop him from getting furious with the little bugger, though. )

Looks like choosing the challenge that's literally out in the middle of nowhere isn't exactly the best of choices. But, hey, he managed to get the thing out here with him at least, so that should be considered at least good enough for a silver medal. A gold star for the attempt, or something. In retrospect, it obviously hadn't been the best of ideas. He's not even sure why he'd decided to try it. To prove they could?

At the very least, ten shocked-still little Oficotots lie at his feet. They're victims of the same thing that's put him in this predicament as well; the creature being shocked or startled or frightened or angry or all of the above. The shock had even gotten Vash a little bit with its intensity-- and that was a surprise. Every time it had let loose on him it had only ever been a bit of a shock, enough to set his hair on end; sending the entire remains of a building down on the lot of them was an entirely different ball park.

Now, if only they could get out of here with the proof of their little round-up. Instead, the little beast is lying unconscious while Vash is left to try and formulate a plan, because he's one again being forced to be the responsible one when it comes to duos he keeps finding himself in in this city. He's kind of gotten spoiled to not having to be the straight man. Using so much energy must have knocked it out entirely-- he hadn't seen any debris fall down onto it, despite how still it had gone just after the shock, and its breathing is slow and even as though only sleeping.

Why did this thing hate him so much? If it hadn't gone and run off on its own, if it had only listened, then they wouldn't be in this predicament.

... Ah.

Vash sighs, the nails of is organic hand absentmindedly absentmindedly scritching at its side. " 'S like you're supposed to be some big flashin' sign, huh?" he murmurs to himself. "Listen, I've already got enough a' that from the little guy, I don't need you squawkin' in my face too."

He's not stupid. Stubborn and set in his ways, maybe, but not stupid. And the younger Stampede may be a great deal different from him, but all that guilt and self hate for every mistake stares back at him like he's staring in the mirror. Only difference is that this thing stays mad at him-- doesn't want anything to do with him. Hell, he hadn't even bothered to give it a name.

Can't say he blames it. Sometimes Vash doesn't want anything to do with himself, either.

Maybe this whole thing had been some twisted way of trying to prove himself wrong. A subconscious attempt at trying to wrangle a modicum of control over the guilt, the horrible emotions clawing at him from the inside out more often than not.

He'd always thought he'd deserved that hurt. Penance, or something, for the sins latched to the yolk around his neck. But, looking down at t h e little creature in his lap-- it had gone and hurt itself. Done this to itself, trying to run off and do everything on its own.

.... Apologies are owed to a great many people, he supposes. Even if his propensity for running off still probably won't be going away any time soon.

Another groan as structures settle further into themselves, as dust settles from their movement. Vash sucks in a breath, eyes hawk-like as they watch the structural remains that make up their little alcove, counting slowly up to ten in his mind as he waits.

" .... Okay," he finally murmurs, once the sound of rocks shifting stops completely. "We gotta get outta here."

It's not safe to light a match in here; there's no way to hunt for a breeze except for to listen for it, to hope to feel it against one's skin, but Vash had been sitting here for a while now and hadn't heard anything, and the only exposed part of him was his face and the tips of his fingers. Just his luck. But there had just been movement, so he gives it just a few moments more, meditative and senses sharp.

There.

It's faint, but he catches it. Off in the corner- the possibility for an opening. Hopefully it'll be big enough for him to weasel his way through. Hopefully it won't collapse as he's trying to do so.

Movement is slow; he gently sets the little beast on the floor before sticking each of the tiny robots in the bag he'd been given and throwing it over his shoulder, then goes back to cradle the creature in the cowl of his coat. It tickles his face as it breathes, but at least this leaves his arms and hands free. Hopefully it won't wake up just to bite him, or something.

Carefully, listening to every shift in concrete and rock, Vash pries debris away piece by piece. Luck holds his hand today, at least for now, and nothing crumbles or falls apart to pin him to the ground. There's a very thin line between moving too slow and moving too quickly, either end of the spectrum threatening to leave him a brief corpse here, and the thought occurs to him that he doesn't know what would happen to the feathered fiend asleep at his collar bone if they died here.

He doesn't want it to die.

After what feels like both seconds and an eternity, Vash is finally able to squeeze himself and everything else along with him through a hole just wide enough to fit, and the sigh of relief he heaves makes his entire body sag. Here, that slightest of breezes picks up just a bit-- enough that his head is able to turn and pick out the direction it's vaguely coming from. Endless underground paths branch here, but everything looks vaguely familiar from where he'd run down here chasing after his beast. All of the collapsed structures sit behind them-- for now, at least. Best to move quickly, while the iron is hot and there are no more ancient buildings waiting to flatten him.

"Really oughta' give you a name, huh?" he murmurs after a while, footsteps echoing. Not so far off, the light of day sits bright at the end of the tunnel.

[primefan15]

Introduction chapter

I woke up abruptly to the hands of a figure whose hands seemed solid and like bricks and whose fingers were that long that they wrapped around his palm, covering me snuggly with my blanket. 

A bright light shone to my left; it caused me to look at what it was that was essentially standing next to me. 

And there I saw a translucent figure standing beside me, approximately 8-feet tall with a sapphire - blue aura, surrounded by a pure white background, shining so bright it lit up the room. 

His smile immediately put me at ease. 

And in this moment, I was completely still, unable to scream, unable to move all at this beings' will. My natural human instinct was for me to call out for my husband to see what I was seeing but couldn't.

He began transmitting information to me telepathically. Without words or emotions, he showed me a slide show of visions and transmitted information to me. None of this information seemed to make sense to me, or why I was specifically targeted. 

This all happened so quickly that it almost seemed like a dream, but I could feel his physical touch and knew that this was very much not a dream. 

He proceeded to show me that there are God-loving believers who need to be reminded of God's divine power, and the hope we should have in God in times of trouble.

I have come to calling this being "Roy." 

It is then that our human/celestial friendship began. My life was about to take a complete turn. 

Chapter 1: The shaky tree

On a warm summer evening, with my bedroom window open, a ridiculous shaking motion was coming from the tall, sturdy elm tree outside. 

All of a sudden, heavy footsteps transferred to my roof. It sounded like a heavy body that of a size of a man with two legs that of opposed to four. 

Whatever was in my tree was now on my house. It was trying to get into my house somehow by chimney or any other means. 

Not knowing exactly what it was, and no clear storms in the area, I knew this was not weather related. No wind or storms that would indicate this type of shaking. 

I then heard grunting like an animal or beast, not recognizable to anything of this world. 

I called out "Lord Jesus, I rebuke this evil entity trying to enter my home." I then asked the Lord to send his angels to protect our home from this and any future evil entities. 

This animal or beast then fled for the moment, but little did I know that this evil creature was lingering on my property. 

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Shortly thereafter, we started seeing what looked like a carpenter bee here or there in the house. 

And one morning, there were thousands to the point that it became a full-blown invasion of what appeared to be these carpenter bees that took over our laundry room, on the first floor of our house, adjacent to "the tree." 

These "bees" could not be killed so easily, we tried every method imaginable, including:

raid bug spray (the most potent bug sprays out there), bleach, lemon and lime juice, bug zappers, a 10-pound weight, hanging glue traps, shoes, stomping them out, smashing them with objects, and a plastic baseball bat at some point. 

But even after these tools we used, they would get up and fly away like nothing happened. Even with half of their body missing. 

Just as soon as it began, it ended. Ironically, we started noticing shadow figures in our house.

We always felt like there was something watching us. Several different occasions someone would report seeing a shadow go past, underneath the door, thinking it was one of our cats. We confirmed that it was not our cat once we saw that he was sleeping during the time we saw these shadows go across the door. 

What are we dealing with here, what is going on?

Do we have a demon in our house?

Cloud-looking circular shaped, floating objects that have a sparkly outline started appearing in our house, following us around, showing up out of nowhere, and presenting themselves without saying who they were or why they were here. 

They give off an intense heat and frequency that radiates to whoever is standing close to them. Everybody has had a different experience or symptom from them, but the most typical symptom was either shaking, dizziness, or an earthquake sensation. 

And even if you didn't see them, you knew that they were around when you felt these sensations. 

We wanted a deeper understanding of who or what this was and how to deal with it.

Our understanding is going to become much deeper than we can even fathom. 

Now, you might think this is fake, but this is what is happening to me and my family. My mom is the one that has written this, I'm just helping spread the news. Please repost this. More chapters i will post of this as it happens.

God bless you and have an amazing day.

[fleshmonger]

Can you imagine though, a piece of written work, one hundred and three pages of fine print text containing various anecdotes, facts, and how-to's relating to glue and the various ways to make and use it? Every single passage reads in between the lines as a poignant moment in the author's life.

A passage detailing the sticky webs they found themselves trapped in when their fortress was attacked by a forgotten beast.

A single door, closed just in time, a bar placed directly in front of it and glued in place to prevent said beast from passing through again and causing any more damage.

An old friend who would have been lost if it was not for the medical adhesive the fortress surgeon managed to scrounge up from the chaotic maw of an unsorted stockpile.

Every chapter more heartfelt and soul crushing than the last. It is a warning of the things we encounter and how they can take away the things we love. It is a manual on how to use the adhesive properties of the materials around us to provide protection and healing. It is a lamentation in honor of those we were not able to help, those lost souls who could not be put back together. It is what keeps us going, the bonds with the ones we care about. The ones who, though no longer attached to this mortal coil, will stick around in our memories until our own time comes to join them.

It's overflowing with sadness, it's completely serious. It's glue.

Dwarf Fortress is riduculous. a world I generated contains a manual on adhesives called "It Is Glue". it's 103 pages long and the game describes the writing as "completely serious, yes overflowing with sadness".

[translightyagami]

New Collab Lawlight Fic

me and @seventhfracture aka TrashKing wrote a fic together! it's a hypnotism fic with our usual signature "more beneath the kinky surface" vibe. first chapter is up, and should post every Friday/Saturday (we're in two v opposite timezones lol). Hope y'all enjoy!

Scar Over the Wound | chapter 1

“What will it take?” Light stands, big shoulders, big chest, puffed into a great beast of a prisoner. “What will convince you I’m innocent? A lie detector test? A background check? Because being around me all the time has done nothing to assure you, or maybe you’re just too up your own ass to admit that you simply enjoy being cruel.”

Silence, true silence, lays over the room. L blinks, coffee caught in his lashes, and stares into the venomous hole that is Light’s anger. He tilts his head, catches where the corner of the other man’s lip trembles, and forms a plan. How does one catch a brat? Why, you put out a glue trap. Or was that rats? Index and thumb dug into the flesh, L worries his bruising jaw with a slight grin.

“Let me hypnotize you,” he says.

(Tensions are running high during the Yotsuba case when Light privately consents to being hypnotized. What better way to prove his innocence, right? L’s keen to jump on any blood in the water but things take an unexpected turn.)

[mickstart]

what do you think are some iconic/memorable schumi moments? i just got into f1 and would like to know more about him bc somehow i can’t really find anything like that about him.... just stats which are incredibly impressive but i can’t find anything about how he behaved or just anything about his personality..... thanks <3

:) Hi anon, thank you for unleashing the beast.

Ok I love you for asking me this thank you SO MUCH. Welcome to the circus I’m glad you’re here! Also yeah, Schumi is often talked about in terms of statistics and not as a human, Which is a shame bc like! Schumi is fascinating and the dynamics on the grid in late 90s F1 is so much fun! Also, this is mainly going to be late 90s -> early 2010s stuff bc I was born in 98 so uhhh I didn’t properly witness ANY 90s stuff and had to learn about it.

OK so I got super carried away but I’ve divided this into 3 sections: Drives/races that I think showcase some of his talents, human moments we need to talk about more, and Chaotic Little Bitch moments. The key thing to remember w/ Schumi is that he personally tends to be nice but as soon as you put him in a competition, Bastard Mode activates like a cat’s pupils going wide.

I am so sorry for the following short essay. Also some crashes are briefly mentioned but only ones with absolutely no injuries and there’s no details.

Chaotic Little Bitch Moments

Schumi debuted as a SUBSTITUTE driver for Jordan when one of their drivers was in police custody (yes. really.) The highest a Jordan had qualified all year was 10th and in his DEBUT at SPA, one of the toughest tracks, in the middle of the season, Schumi qualified that Jordan 7th! THEN his clutch failed before the first lap was even complete, but Benetton and Jordan WENT TO COURT to fight each other to sign him for their team before the next race in Monza. He couldn’t debut normally he HAD to cause a scene and set the tone.

The Red Strings of Fate: He qualified 7th, his iconic 7 starred helmet, his first victory next year was ALSO at Spa - his first complete race would be at Monza, Ferrari Holy Ground, and he finished 5th which 👀 1) he was immediately racing with The Greats. 2) Mr 5 Championships With Ferrari.

Winning a race by taking a stop and go penalty on the last lap, crossing the finish line in the pits, and making such a complicated argument about said penalty that in a hearing that was SUPPOSED to be Mclaren protesting the race result the stewards scrapped the entire penalty and the 3 who awarded it handed in their licenses??? Iconic.

Austria 2002 where Rubens was ordered to give the win to Michael. And then Michael fucking made him stand on the top step on the podium like “oh no no no RUBENS deserves this” and made a big SHOW out of it and its like “Michael stop you’re not making it heartwarming you’re making it WORSE Michael STOP” The Tension of germany 2010 podium VS the theatricality of THIS podium.

Team orders were banned because of this which also makes this indirectly responsible for Fernando Is Faster Than You having to be a coded message. You can’t escape him,

Blocking Alonso in Monaco qualifying and then, years later in 2010, overtaking Alonso technically illegally at Monaco (the race was ending under safety car, but the safety car doesn’t lead them over the line it pits and they’d crossed the safety car line and the regulations were NOT specific about the rules) and getting a 20 second penalty bc Damon Hill was a steward. Haunting FERNANDO specifically at Monaco like the ghost of christmas past? Getting a harsh penalty because ANOTHER driver he’d fucked over was a steward? Forcing the FIA to rewrite the rulebook to account for his nonsense when he was in his FOURTIES? I don’t know another chaos king.

Winning the 1995 championship by crashing into Damon Hill, getting AWAY with it for some reason, and then trying to do the same thing in 1997 to Villeneuve, failing to do so and simply rebounding off of him harmlessly, almost COMICALLY, and beaching his own car in a gravel trap at which point the FIA said “I have had ENOUGH of you Wacky Races Man!” and disqualified him from the entire championship

Forcing Mika off the track so bad at Spa 2000 that Mika realized the only way he was gonna be able to get past him was to re-invent the overtake and go for it whilst they were passing a backmarker. (The overtake itself is at 2:05 in the video but the build up to it is Important bc the key part it’s not just badass, it only happened bc Mika knew who he was dealing with.)

Spa 1998 was a Ridiculously Chaotic race it truly was the Mugello 2020 of its year, and after a crash at the start that took out almost the entire grid Schumi accidentally collided with Coulthard later in the race. (The teams used to have a spare car at every race then, so the race was able to continue after a restart.) This wasn’t a racing thing, Coulthard was getting lapped. So something in Schumi SNAPS, and he storms down the pitlane and tries to fight Coulthard while the mclaren and ferrari mechanics both hold him back and finally drag him away. He projected into the future, saw Coulthard was gonna talk non-stop shit about Seb, and acted accordingly.

Monaco 2012 Pole don’t talk to me about this I still can’t believe the audacity of this man to get the only pole of his comeback, at MONACO, at the ONE RACE where he had a 5 place grid penalty to take!!

In general, I know Cheating Bad but. I HAVE to admire the brainpower it must take to have the rulebook so memorized that whilst driving an F1 car Schumi could spot a loophole the size of the eye of a needle and then dance through it, forcing the FIA to add ANOTHER page to the rule book specially for him bc nobody else even REALISED that loophole existed.

Human Moments

A quick rant about Mika and Schumi’s entire friendship. After Spa 2000 Mika goes up to Michael, says something like “Don’t ever do that again” then they’re friends again. They had this mutual understanding that Racing was not Reality. This goes all the way back to their F3 days they were rivals AND friends for their entire career. They truly were the Sewis of the era if Sebastian was like 50% more evil. Their entire dynamic is “You’re the only motherfucker in this pit lane who can handle me”. Schumi would do some bullshit and every other driver would throw up their hands in frustration and Mika would just go “Okay” and drive better to put him in his place bc he was the only one who could keep up, and Schumi very visibly LOVED that he’s grinning after Mika owns his entire ass with that overtake at Spa. They were unstoppable force meets immovable object and I’m so sad their rivalry isn’t more talked about bc the way Mika is the only driver who can get him to behave like a normal human being is SO entertaining.

This is a sad one so I won’t link it but he started crying in the 2000 Monza press-conference with his brother and Mika when he equaled one of Senna’s records. The press kept trying to ask questions about it and Mika just has this death grip on his shoulder and tries to get them to stop or let them take a break and it’s so sad but also important to know about.

Once said he didn’t want Mick to race in F1 bc the pressure of his name would put Mick under so much stress and he wanted his son to be happy. (He fully supported Mick in his endeavors! But only after making absolutely sure it was what Mick wanted, and making sure he knew he could just race for fun if he wanted and it didn’t have to be F1)

This whole interview just after Mick was born with the Schumacher family. Special shout out to Gina on his head the entire video and also Corinna talking to the press while Michael is captivated by Mick. Me too Michael.

Once allegedly pleaded to take a stray kitten home from the track?

I reblogged this yesterday but. Sticking like glue to Sebastian at an F1 test and immediately being like “This is my new son he’s gonna go far”. There’s a lot of pictures out there also of Michael being a guest at the karting races Seb went to as a kid and baby Seb visibly losing his fucking mind at being given a trophy by his idol. Every day of my life I think about him trying to ruffle Seb’s hair through his helmet at Brazil 2012

WInning the championship in 2000. Him thanking the entire team individually and pausing mid-celebration to kiss his wife Corinna so tenderly it’s in the F1 opening. Also, the way it literally cuts from the rest of McLaren looking like they’re attending a funeral to Mika grinning at him and hugging him fucking SENDSSSSS me.

Schumi was a little shit in all the 2010-12 press conferences like, lowering Lewis’ chair, playing with a microphone wire, but ESPECIALLY corrupting baby Seb and getting him to mess with Nico Rosberg.

He’s just GOOFY! Like I refuse to let him be remembered as a terrifying force of nature he was so goofy kind of similarly to Seb. PLEASE watch this incredibly awkward interview he did with Coulthard on a golf buggy where they both had to pretend they hadn’t thought about murdering each other at least once. I think Sky F1 should force Brocedes to do this when covid’s over. “Do you mind if I drive?” “Yes.”

EDIT: I CANNOT BELIEVE I forgot the 1999 Canada press conference where Eddie Irvine and Mika Hakkinen get into a water fight and Schumi immediately grabs a towel and hides behind it and is like “I had NOTHING to do with it” 🥺 adorable, actually

A lot of people at Ferrari, including Rob Smedley (who was on the other side of the garage with Felipe Massa so not in his inner circle) have said that a lot of the success of the team came from Schumi’s LEADERSHIP more than anything, that he’d make the team get together to bond all the time. When Schumi moved to Ferrari in 1996 they were NOT dominant. He did the same thing Lewis did - went to a team that everybody said would be a huge mistake and helped build them up behind the scenes.

THIS bit of the Canada 2011 Rewind where his engineer gives him the strategy and he’s like “... OkaAaAaAay?” and then when it turns out to be the wrong strategy he cheerfully tells them it’s too late. Little shit.

Speaking of Mercedes I also wanna say that like. They were a MESS in 2012 and his car DNF’d because of a failing on their part MULTIPLE times. (In Canada qualifying his DRS was stuck open and they couldn’t close it.) He did not say a single bad word about them EVER even though the press used this to attack him non-stop as washed-up and bad without Ferrari to cheat for him. At Ferrari he was the exact same with the team, any bastard antics Schumi had for his rivals did not extend to the engineers and crew.

OK this one is soured bc Top Gear is trash BUT if you were like, a kid in England who followed motorsports? Schumi’s fake reveal as The Stig on Top Gear was like the coolest, sickest thing,

Please view this image of Schumi and Mika when they were young and stupid

Iconic Races

ok so I have limited myself to a few races that show off some of his key strengths!

Hungary 1998 / France 2004 - STRATEGY/SPEED - Schumi switched to a 3 stop strategy in 98 and a FOUR STOP strategy in 04 and won both races. In order for the strategy call to work he’d have to basically make every single lap a qualifying style ‘flying lap’ and you best fucking believe he DID THAT. God I fucking miss when Ferrari was the king of strategy.

Argentina 1998 -  has it all. Talent, battling Mika, pit lane mind games with mclaren, and bullying coulthard xxx

Spain 1996 / a majority of the wet races - RAIN - One of Schumi’s nicknames was Rain Master bc he was so fucking good in the wet. If it started raining and you were a Schumi stan you were cackling evilly before the red lights even went out. I single out 1996 bc it was his first win for Ferrari and it was unexpected but in most wet races, even Canada 2011 post comeback, you can see Schumi thriving.

Malaysia 1999 - Schumi missed pretty much the entire second half of the season with a broken leg, came back for the last 2 races with everybody murmuring about whether he would struggle, and immediately put the Ferrari on pole. Also worth noting is that he was the number 2 driver for these 2 races bc his teammate Irvine was fighting Mika for the championship and he went along with that without complaint, allowing Ferrari to win the constructor’s championship if not the driver’s.

Monza 2002, 03, 04, or 06 just because it has the energy of the tifosi kneeling at the feet of an idol to their red god.

Brazil 2006 - Fuck All Y’all - Schumi’s last race for Ferrari. He got a puncture and ended up almost lapped, and then drove his way back from that to 4th bc he couldn’t go out without reminding us he’s a bad bitch.

Monza 2012 - Defending - Don’t tell F1 Twitter that there’s actual footage of Lewis and Michael having a genuine lengthy battle on track but DO watch Michael defending like a motherfucker and Lewis breathing down his neck for half the race we need to talk about this more.

Valencia 2012 - This isn’t necessarily anything special but I cried in my living room over the only podium of his comeback so it goes on here. It doesn’t have the same impact if you haven’t been watching him struggle with the car for years, DNF-ing from car failure most of 2012, and having BBC F1 telling you he’s washed up every single weekend, but you can just enjoy one of the best drives of FERNANDO’S entire career as he DRAGS that Ferrari by its hair to a home grand prix win and then watch the crowds embrace him like jesus and also Schumi being happy on the podium. Also, the very start of this clip from the press conference: him forgetting what language he’s supposed to be speaking 

Basically, Schumi was a hyper-competitive ambitious bitch who turned into a goofball as soon as he switched the engine off. This is by NO MEANS everything if I was making an exhaustive best races guide I’d do more research and another post but I hope this is what you were looking for?? THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting me go MAXIMUM SPECIAL INTEREST and I apologize.

[irrelevantwriter]

Feral

Pairing: Chief Jim Hopper x Female Reader/You

Rating: Explicit, NSFW

Warnings: Language, unprotected vaginal sex, mention of bodily fluids, touch starved Hopper (he just wants to be held), allusion to PTSD but not stated explicitly, Hopper going full beast mode (bc we deserve)

Word Count: 2K

Summary: Jim was trapped in the Upside Down. He made it out and back to you. But all that time away without you means it’s only a matter of time before he snaps.

A/N: I miss my thicc Chief and this is me finishing a fic I started last year to exercise my Hopper muse. I had the idea to have Jim trapped in the Upside Down after season 3, but we’ll see if that’s going to be true or not. As long is our boy is still alive, I don’t give a fuck. So, this idea was bred from one of a million convos @negansdirtygirl22​ and I had about Hopper being a beast in the sack and was very much based on the scene in season one of him ransacking his own trailer. This went a little softer than I anticipated, but he’s still going HAM on that pussy so I don’t think you guys will mind. Enjoy and share with your friends! Feedback is that good shit.

*Masterlist in bio.

**********************

Jim eyed you closely, barely able to contain himself as you drew the curtains in your bedroom. The lamp on your nightstand offered a subtle glow, but it was enough for him to appreciate what he’d been kept away from for so long. You were blanketed in one of his flannels, the long wool socks your wore stopping just below your knee. It was a sight he never thought he’d see again.

Being trapped in the Upside Down was shit. It was a terrifying place that he had yet to really even put into words since he’d been back. He felt like time had stood still and yet, he felt like he’d been away a hundred years. In reality, six months had passed. Every second there he was on alert, fighting for his life in some capacity. It was not unlike the time he spent in the war, although even then he had better chances of making it back than he did in that warped universe. It was a place that looked so much like home, and yet it was the farthest thing from it.

A tease for what could be.

Home.

He felt his heart stutter at the thought. He was finally back with his girls, a notion that had been so far away and intangible only a few short days ago. You’d been at his beck and call since he’d returned. You were by his side constantly, a byproduct of thinking the love of your life had died. You always seemed to be touching him in some form or fashion, the skin-to-skin contact a comfort to his touch starved body. He could see what the loss of him did to you…and he felt like he’d been punched in the gut because of it. You’d clearly taken his “death” hard and his sudden reappearance had everyone suffering from whiplash, you especially.

Jim grunted when you bent across the bed to turn down the covers. He caught the barest glimpse of your ass encased in white cotton, the visual making his libido soar. He’d been without your touch for six long months…it was starting to show.

“Jim?”

Your voice pulled him from his lustful thoughts, slamming him back into reality.

“What’d you say?” He asked as he scratched at his newly trimmed facial hair, eyes flicking from your face to your exposed legs.

“I asked if you were ready to go to bed?” You smiled warmly up at him. It was a smile that made his chest feel tight, in the best way possible.

“I, uh…” He found himself at a loss of words looking down at you, the glow of the lamp highlighting you in the most heavenly way.

“You okay?” You prompted with a slight laugh, but he could tell you were worried by his hesitance.

He reached for you, pulling you close. It was the first time since you’d both been reunited that the two of you had been so close without anyone else around. El had been stuck to him like glue and it’d taken a shit ton of convincing from Joyce to get her to sleep at the Beyers’ home for the weekend. Joyce had tried to delicately explain the need for “adult time” while both you and Jim had looked on with a mixture of gratefulness and embarrassment.

Jim was feeling especially grateful at the moment.

“Never better.” He replied lowly, encasing you in his embrace. You let yourself become surrounded by him, snuggling your face into his bare chest.

“God, I missed you…” You whispered against his skin, hands resting near his beating heart. That wasn’t the first time you’d expressed that sentiment. And he could hear the grief less and less each time you did.

He cradled your hips in his hands, positioning his mouth near your ear. “I missed you more.”

He felt the delicate touch of your lips on his chest and he pulled you closer. He didn’t bother trying to hide his aroused state. Instead, he let you lead…he let you dictate where this was going to go because he was a man already on the edge.

“Jim…” You moaned as you rubbed against him, feeling his need for you push back in kind. He dug his fingers into your hips, pulling the fabric of his shirt with it. Your hands were suddenly on his face, pulling him towards your desperate lips.

That was all it took.

Jim moaned at the taste of you, your essence cloaking him in a desire-fueled fog. His body warmed from the inside out, his nerves feeling like they were vibrating with pent up energy. His tongue dominated yours as you struggled to get closer than humanly possible to him. He ripped at your shirt, buttons flying. The garment was removed immediately, allowing bare chests to meet. Your hands tangled in his hair and he swore he felt you shiver when he ran his hand down your naked back.

“Bed.” You gasped against his lips.

Jim grunted in response, lifting you from the ground and forcing your legs to wrap around him. His mouth attached to your neck, sucking with wild abandon. He could feel the heat radiating from your core, the pull for him to get lost inside you. It was almost too much for him.

Moans and groans filled the room as he threw you on the bed, your back making contact with the soft blue sheets. Your legs opened instinctually and Jim admired the view, a view he’d missed deeply. He could see a darkened patch of moisture on the fabric of your panties, the evidence of your hunger for him making him delirious. He had the sudden urge to mount you, to own you once again after so much time apart.

He slid off his sweats, exposing himself to the electric air of the room. You closed your legs at the sight and shifted helplessly against the mattress, eager to create friction. He moved forward wordlessly and parted your legs. You allowed him to do as he pleased, letting him rip the cotton from your body like a barbarian. He growled at the sight of your glistening lips, already burying his fingers inside you.

“Fuck.” You cursed with your head thrown back. You squirmed against his hand, coaxing him further inside you. He panted as he watched you writhe against his touch, your back arched and your mouth parted in a portrait of ecstasy. You were soaking his fingers, your body more than ready for his entry. He was thankful for that because he didn’t think he had it in him to be gentle. It felt as if he’d reverted to some sort of primal beast while away and he had yet to make the switch back to reality. His only concerned was feeling you wrapped around him, painting your walls with his cum.

He pulled his fingers from you with an obnoxious slurp and coated himself with your spendings. You rubbed your legs together as he jacked himself off to you. Just the sight of you sprawled out and as desperate was enough to nearly send him catapulting into space.

He stopped himself before he got to that point, already seeing the tip of him leaking with precum. He pulled at your ankle, practically impaling you on his cock. He covered your body with his own, biting and sucking along your nude body with animalistic fervor. Your nails pierced his skin as you thrust your hips up, attempting to catch him in your folds.

“Goddamn,” He cursed as he squeezed your breasts in his large hands, pushing them together so that he could devour your peaked nipples. He moved along your curves, settling between your legs. The position felt like home as much as the cabin did. The warm clutches of your body was his true home; it was where he belonged.

He nipped at your ear and buried himself against your neck as he finally thrust up into you. You accepted him, though he could feel the tight stretching of your walls as you did. Your whole body tensed around him, sucking him further inside. His breaths got faster and more ragged, the struggle to retain some sort of control slipping by the second. The sensation was too much and not enough. He could practically feel your heartbeat pulse against his throbbing cock, your walls encouraging him to move. His forehead rested on yours, the both of you taking a moment to both savor and ease the satisfying tension.

Jim gave no thought to anything besides the feel of your body connecting with his. He began to move fast and deep, grunts and growls accompanying each thrust. He transformed from man to brute as he pounded into you. He could feel the barrier of your cervix, his cock hitting it in an intense rhythm. The bed moved with his actions, the headboard a soundtrack for your coupling.

“I can’t…” He rasped, hands going to your throat. “I can’t last. Fuck…”

Your nails dug into his back, your legs wrapping around him as he set a brutal pace. You didn’t hide the moans and whimpers that escaped your lips. He could hear every inhale and gasp as he fucked you with wild abandon.

“It’s okay…” You breathed out, chest rising and falling in rapid movements. The sound of his cock assaulting your pussy was obscene, the growing wetness between your bodies a signal that both of you were close.

He felt your hand wiggle between your bodies, your fingers rubbing feverishly at your clit. His hips only moved faster, clutching at that blissful force that threatened to take hold. Your back arched, sending your chest up and into his. He gripped at your thighs as you begged for more and pulled away in overwhelming desire. He followed your body, not letting you escape his wrath.

“I’m cumming, Jim…fuck.” You cried out, features contorted into a myriad of emotions. Your nails pierced his skin as your pussy clamped down and didn’t let go. His cock had no choice but to stay immobile as your walls spasmed with almost painful intensity.

“Fucking Christ, baby…” He cursed, trying not to succumb to your body but knowing the effort was fruitless.

You soaked him, the evidence now painting both him and the sheets below. Your body shook with aftershocks of pleasure, but he resumed his thrusting, his cock now sliding almost sloppily against you. His hands dug into the mattress as he watched your face go from lustful torture to peaceful serenity in a second. He’d missed your face, envisioned you there with him as he struggled to stay alive. Now that he was back with you, he never wanted to part from you again. If he had it his way, he’d be balls deep in you every day. You were his solace, his peace.

The thought of having you like this forever set him off and he came with a violent thrust and growl. He bit into your shoulder, but still not hard enough to break the skin. He used your body to accelerate his climax, pumping you with cum and sucking harshly into the flesh of your neck. You accepted it all, widening your legs in a silent demand for more. His muscles tensed and contorted in blind passion, his mind blissfully suspended in that moment. His fingers dug into you flesh, anchoring him to you as his entire being sailed into the clouds.

He collapsed onto you with a grunt, his chest heaving and skin sticky with sweat as he listened to your heartbeat beneath him. Your fingertips danced along his broad back, your legs tangling with his. He felt the biggest wave of exhaustion overtake him, his eyes barely able to remain open.

“I love you, baby girl.” He mumbled sleepily, your touches only adding to his lethargy. He shifted his hips slightly, his cock still very much connected to you. The unmistakable feeling of cum overflowing from your lips and soaking you both comforted him, his body in no hurry to separate.

“Love you too, baby…” You mirrored back, your voice soothing him into a nightmare-free slumber, a state of rest that he’d been chasing for six months but was never able to achieve.

The man was home.

[askmalal]

Traitors of the 37th Cohort:

Mastodon type Super Heavy Siege Transport “Pallida Mors”

The Mastodon was the largest ground assault transport regularly utilized by the Legions during the Great Crusade (at least until the fluff changes next time). It could carry half a centuria/century (50; historically speaking roughly 52) Astartes or a full talon of Dreadnoughts. The Stormlord could carry the same number of Astartes but was incapable of carrying Dreadnoughts. (One assumes that the Furibundus, not much larger than a Terminator, would be an exception.)

These were massive vehicles, armed with dedicated air defense batteries, four sponsons, a Melta equipped breaching prow, and a magna Melta array specifically designed for burning a hole through... pretty much anything. In addition, the Mastodon was designed as a mobile Fortress, with an interior designed to be fully defensible. (If “destroyed,” rules count the Mastodon wreck as a fortification.) Production cost of each and the resources required were nearly equivalent to those used in the construction of a Warhound Scout Titan. The Mastodon saw heavy use during the Heresy and was mothballed in the Codex era given the need for smaller transports amongst the new Chapters. However, they continue to be used in the post-Heresy era from time to time, such as in the case of the War of the Beast.

“Pallida Mors” was IX Legion Super Heavy Vehicle #066 among an unknown number of Mastodons in Blood Angel’s service. Assigned to the Siege Maniple of the 37th Cohort, it was not deployed to Cygnus Prime, though several vehicles of the type were used there. However, it has seen hard service in the years since.

This is essentially the final piece of my Revenant force, at least for now. The model is absolutely huge, easily longer and taller, though narrower, than a Baneblade or Fellblade chassis, though only slightly larger than a Gorgon (which is ironic given the Gorgon should theoretically have more troop capacity.) I acquired this used as a sort of roughly painted “glue bomb” by someone who put it together just well enough to use at an event, with detail bits for another Legion. I had to remove these, reinforce the construction, and replace the forward sponsons with third party Iliastus pattern Assault cannons (FW makes no Iliastus cannons beyond those it makes for Blood Angels Terminators) I took my time to make it look used, and I’m genuinely pleased with the result. The track configuration is a natural mud trap, and so I may have been slightly over zealous with mud application, but I think it works a treat. A truly huge miniature; I’ve painted many tanks in my day, both historical and otherwise, and this may be the largest and heaviest. Ironically, though large, the proportions are far more realistic than those for other FW vehicles!

Ritual blood markings can be seen on the helmet “ears” of the crew, along the lining of the armored viewports, on the gunshield of the anti-aircraft battery, and the hull sides. The intent again was to make this look deliberate rather than overtly gorey.

I am particularly proud of the “We Are Theophany” inscription! The faded, messy “IX” is semi accidental. I wanted it to look like a recent retouch and used a technique for small scale spray paint. It’s messy, but pretty much standard for armored vehicle markings retouched in the middle of a campaign.

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe: The Fantastic Mutants chapter 6: Frightful Finale (originally posted on April 7, 2021)

AN: It's been far too long since I entered the world of Marvel Gems. What with Steven Universe: Alternate Future, the holiday season and my return to college, I've just kinda got distracted from my big crossover universe. But no longer! I will resolve Fantastic Mutants and maybe get to work on the next stories in this trilogy, no matter the cost.

Also, one disclaimer before we start. My deepest concerns go out to the family of Tom Kane, who I imagined voicing Magneto in here in a reprisal of his role from Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Wolverine & the X-Men. Keep in mind that I came up with the cast long before he had that possibly career-ending stroke. Anyways, let's get a move on at last.

--

The moment that the Blackbird landed in Doomstadt, the Ultimate Alliance immediately charged to Castle Doom, ready to rescue Steven and stop Doctor Doom & Magneto.

"Hang on Steven, we're coming!" Connie yelled while riding atop Lion. Deadpool was behind her on the big cat, hoisting a boombox over his head that blasted 'I Need A Hero' as the heroes drew closer to the castle.

However, armies of Doombots dropped from the tops of the castle walls to defend their master from the invaders. The robots began firing lasers while setting up protective shields around the entrance to their namesake's palace, to keep them from breaking in.

"Oh great, Doombots." The Thing groaned, but then began getting himself pumped up. "But then again, I've been waiting this whole adventure to say this! Y'all know what time it is?"

"It's only 2:50 pm, Ben. Why?" Pearl answered quizzically.

"Dumbass, he's gonna say the thing!" Deadpool yelled excitedly.

"You got it!" Ben grinned as he turned to the Doombots. "IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!" Right off the bat, the ever-lovin' blue-eyed beast began tearing Doombots apart, which excited Amethyst greatly.

"Now this is more my style!" Amethyst cheered, and she joined Ben in tearing the robots apart.

"Good, you two keep them distracted while we break down the doors!" Wolverine commanded as the rest went to beat down the entrance. However, with every Doombot taken down, more began popping up.

"They don't seem to be stopping!" Amethyst said. "Can this get any worse?"

"As a matter of fact, it possibly can." Garnet predicted with her future vision, just as the castle entrance went down and the Frightful Four emerged from behind it.

"The doctor has ordered us to keep you from getting in his way." The Wizard announced. "But it seems we might have our work cut out for us with this many intruders."

"Just as long as he still does whatever he wants to do with that dumb kid he had captured." Mole-Man responded.

"We'd rather die than let you harm Steven!" Peridot yelled, taking up arms with the remains of some Doombots nearby to form a massive sword.

"Ah, who cares?" Trapster shrugged. "He's got more where they came from anyway."

Even more Doombots emerged to fight the Ultimate Alliance, and they seemed stronger than those before them.

"Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and I will take care of these villains!" Connie began planning. "The rest of you take on the rest of the Doombots!"

"You got it!" Lapis obliged. "Hey, where's the Professor?"

"I am staying behind in the Blackbird, but I shall assist in any form I can from here." Xavier announced from the plane using his telepathy.

With a nod to each other, Connie and the primary Crystal Gems prepared for battle against the Frightful Four.

--

All around the operating room that Steven was forced into by Doctor Doom, various medical devices surrounded the boy as Victor experimented on his hybrid nature. Doom had taken blood samples, X-rays, extractions of saliva, but it was nothing short of a breakthrough.

"There has to be something I could use." Doom muttered to himself as he examined his gathered data. "I've been working tirelessly, yet still nothing is working!"

"You'll never win Doom." Steven said weakly. "No matter how hard you try, my powers will never be used for your evil deeds."

"Famous last words Steven." Doctor Doom scoffed scornfully at the boy, but then he began gazing upon his gem. "Wait, that's it! I'll just have to take out your gemstone! I have yet to decide on what to do after that, but I believe I just made a breakthrough!"

A dull thud sound was then heard throughout the operating room.

"What was that?" Doom asked quietly.

The thudding got even louder and louder until finally, Juggernaut's fist broke through the wall and allowed Kitty Pryde & Mystique to leap through the hole.

"Kitty!" Steven cried happily. "And Mystique?"

"No time for questions." Mystique said to Steven. "Creed, now!"

On Raven's command, Sabretooth leaped into action and used his adamantium claws to break Steven free from the operating table he was restrained to.

"Wait, why are you helping me?" Steven asked the Brotherhood members as he lifted himself off the table.

"It's because of you, squirt." Sabretooth answered. "Magneto was all like, 'Ooh, we can't let him harm a fellow mutant even if he promised to help us with our cause', all thanks to you. But then again, he did basically have the same endgame as your X-Men friends anyhow, just with more violent extra steps."

--

Back outside the castle, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl & Connie were all pitted against the Frightful Four, one of them fighting one member each.

"So what's your origin Wiz?" Amethyst asked the Wizard. "Were you laughed at because of your poor fashion sense?!"

"Oh haha, very funny." Bentley Wittman scoffed. "I'm merely jealous of the Four's fame, especially that infernal Human Torch!"

"Oh, so classic jealousy then?" Amethyst replied before using her whips to tie up the Wizard and spin him around. "Geez, grow some dang humility!"

Meanwhile, Pearl was pitted against the Puppet Master, who had decided to defend himself with animated statues of his current boss.

"My puppets are unstoppable!" the Puppet Master boasted, but Pearl proved him wrong by cutting them down with her spear. "What?!"

"You should consider thinking before you speak." Pearl snidely replied before the statues simply put themselves back together. "Wait, how?!"

"It's puppetry, I don't have to explain it!" Phillip Masters shrugged.

"Kinda like how no one can explain your girlish features!" Deadpool jeered the puppeteer's appearance, which caused a puppet to punch him in the face.

"So your gimmick is that you have this gun you use to trap people with?" Connie asked the Trapster while expertly dodging his special glue.

"Yeah, I mean, it's in my name." Petruski replied and aimed his paste gun at her.

"Didn't you go by a different name in the past?" Connie remarked, making the Trapster frightened and then furious. "I think it was Paste Pot Pete, right?"

"SHADDUP!" the villain formerly known as Paste Pot Pete yelled angrily, and he wildly fired his paste gun everywhere he could point it at, covering random spots with his glue. "DON'T CALL ME PASTE POT!"

Connie thought quickly and just as Pete was about to fire his paste at her, she cut the gun in two, disarming him.

Finally, Garnet was pitted against Harvey Elder, aka the Mole-Man, who despite his abnormal height and poor vision, he was able to keep up with her with a fighting style resembling bojutsu that he used his staff for.

"We won't let you keep us from Steven!" Garnet yelled while the leader of the Moloids ran circles around her. "Why are you throwing your lot in with Doom, anyways?"

"He promised us things in exchange for our services!" the Mole Man declared. "Very special things, riches, glory, our own castles!"

"Well, my future vision tells me he won't actually give you those things." Garnet informed Harvey. "Instead he'll just run and hide once defeated while you're left to be arrested."

"WHAT?!" Harvey exclaimed in shock, leaving him open to get punched in the face.

--

"I thought I could trust you Erik!" Doom exclaimed as he stared down the master of magnetism. "Now you dare turn on Doom for that boy?!"

"He is essentially a mutant, just like I." Magneto boldly declared as he defended Steven and Kitty. "And I refuse to allow you to do him any harm."

"This is my land you mutated ingrate!" the doctor roared. "I can do whatever I please here, and you are powerless to stop me, lest you incur the people's wrath for endangering political immunity!"

"When has political immunity ever stopped the Brotherhood?!" Magneto boomed, floating up as a show of power. "Men call me Magneto, master of magnets! And I welcome you to die!"

Using his mutant abilities, Erik made everything in the operating room float in the air with a raise of his arm, and threw that arm down to launch them all at Doom. "Go children, find your friends! I shall handle things from here."

"Right." Steven obliged before he and Kitty fled the battle, leaving the leader of the Brotherhood to combat the king of Latveria.

Doctor Doom burst from the pile that Magneto had trapped him in, and retaliated with a powerful electric shock and that sent Magneto flying into a wall.

"Damn you!" Lehnsherr growled, creating a barrier around him to defend from further damage and unleash electromagnetic shocks from the barrier.

"Come here!" Doom roared, lunging at the mutant terrorist.

--

"The Gems have got to be outside the castle!" Steven exclaimed as he and Kitty ran from a slowly growing army of Doombots chasing them down.

"How would you know that?" Kitty asked.

"I remember when the Doombot said that the castle had intruders, that must be them!" Steven reminded his mutant pal while a Doombot tried to grab him. Suddenly, that same Doombot was stabbed through the neck by Lady Deathstrike's claws.

"Can't believe we're resorting to this." Deathstrike muttered before turning to the children. "I suppose you are looking for those Gems, correct? Go, we'll handle things from here."

As the pair continued running, Avalanche and Pyro appeared beside Yuriko to fight. With a confident nod, Avalanche stomped his foot and caused the castle to cave in on the robots, crushing them to bits.

As for Pyro, he was busy melting more Doombots into liquid metal, which gave the Blob an opening to run them all over with his immense girth.

"Oy, wait up ya squirts!" Juggernaut yelled as he bolted through the wall, covered in Doombot remains. Behind him, Toad and Mystique joined the massive mutate as Steven & Kitty finally reached the front of the castle, where the Crystal Gems, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the X-Force, Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver were waiting.

"Steven!" Pearl yelled excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Steven, and Garnet, Amethyst & Connie followed suit. "We were so worried sick, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Steven answered. "He just took some samples of my blood and saliva, that's all."

"Steven, long time no see!" Spider-Man cried, giving the half-Gem a high five.

"Peter, Wanda, Pietro!" Steven replied, seeing the web-slinger along with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

"Ah, so you brought my children along?" Magneto asked as he suddenly appeared behind Steven with the Brotherhood behind him. "How quaint."

"Magneto!" Wolverine yelled, and he and the X-Men got ready for a fight, but then Xavier strolled in on his wheelchair. "Uh, Chuck?"

"Erik." Charles politely greeted his archrival.

"Charles." Erik replied in kind. "It seems we are once again at a point where we must align our interests for a common good."

"Indeed it is." The Professor examined thoughtfully.

"Uh, I guess this is pretty common, right?" Amethyst asked the pair of elderly mutants.

"Quite so Amethyst." Xavier declared. "Now then, what brought you to turn on Doom?"

"It was that boy there." Magneto revealed while pointing at Steven. "He convinced me that I could never allow a fellow mutant to be harmed, and I allowed him and Ms. Pryde to flee while I contended with Doom."

On that topic, the Frightful Four rose up to strike back against the Gems. "Et tu Magneto?!" the Mole Man yelled. "Well, we'll see who has the last laugh when the doctor comes for you all!"

Just then, loud mechanical wheezes and groans came from deeper within the castle. Everybody gathered turned back to the front gates and decided to go inside, hoping to see what was up.

--

"That helmeted fool shall rue the day he ever crossed me!" Doctor Doom muttered hatefully to himself as he tended to a massive machine until a security screen brought up the Ultimate Alliance making their way through his castle, now joined by the Brotherhood of Mutants. "Excellent." Doom purred before he pressed a few buttons on one of his metal gauntlets, causing the machines to turn on. "If Steven won't let me have that gem, I'll rip it from his corpse!"

Four gigantic purple and blue robots slowly stood up straight as their eyes began glowing four different colors, blue, red, green and white. The Sentinels Victor had been waiting to complete were finally ready, and he couldn't be happier to unleash them on his foes.

--

Phew, so glad I finally finished this! This took ages to write, since I intended to finish this chapter in February but then Alternate Future and college got in the way, plus I'm starting to get a little burned out since I have to balance two massive Steven Universe fanfictions. Hopefully I can at least get the next story started in the summer. But I'm getting ahead of myself, sorry to keep you waiting!

[writing-the-end]

WS Chapter 39: Alone

Previous Chapter

Masterpost

Sorry yinz, I just had to leave you all at a cliffhanger! Red and I were so excited to leave you on this- and I won’t say that this is the last time either. For those wondering, the world the wanderers are from doesn’t have respawn mechanics, but thanks to Xisuma the hermit world does. Boy those world wizards are useful!

Ecto belongs to @cooler-cactus-block  (Still can’t @ D:)

Red belongs to @theguardiansofredland​

Warning: Contains mention of death, character death (respawn), language, and mentions of blood and violence

Red gasps for air, grasping at his chest with one hand and the ground with another. His fingers dig into sand, warmed from the sun. A shuttering cry is caught by the wind, pain just now coursing through Red’s body. 

But the bolt is gone. The pain remains, but the deadly arrow is no longer skewering Red like a fish-kabob. Red looks down, gasping for each breath of air like it’s his last. It should be his last. He should be dead. 

He was dead. Was. But now, by some miracle, he’s back. He remembers the fight. He remembers freezing the vindicator right before he let his axe swing. He remembers the pride when he saw Ecto and Avon’s relieved faces. And he remembers the shock of being shot. He didn’t even have time to experience the pain before he was gone. 

And then nothing. Nothing for infinity, nothing for a second. And now he sits in the warm sand, a cool ocean breeze playing with the curls of his black and orange hair. There’s no blood on his vest, no arrow through his chest. But the pain remains, slowly dying back with every breath, every step away from death. Every moment of being alive again. “Wha-what happened?” 

Red’s voice cracks, carried away by the wind. But no one hears her question. She’s alone, on a tiny spit of land in the middle of the ocean. There’s no distant sound of horns and fighting, no massive towers built in the plains. Her pockets are empty, all the potions and potatoes missing. Wherever Red is, it’s far away from the battle. Far away from all her friends. Far away from everyone. Alone. 

He did it again. Utterly useless, always in the way. Red thought he was helping, and for a moment he felt like he actually was. He managed to freeze a whole line of illagers in their tracks, and he was able to deliver much needed supplies to the hermits. He was able to do something actually productive to the team, actually be a part of the fight. Be a part of the solution. 

But Red was a fool to think he was anything but worthless. That he could do anything to help. Instead, he just got in people’s way. He got into his own friends’ ways. They had to worry about him, and his safety. Potentially ignoring their own to make sure Red wasn’t in harm’s way. And in the end, Red’s own inept efforts got him killed. 

He’s not observant or clever like Ecto. He can’t use his surroundings like her, turn plants into tools and the very ground into her traps. He can’t see solutions in the problems before him, or alternate paths that no one would think of. 

And he’s not determined or fierce like Avon. He can’t stick through a fight, even when all the odds are against him. He can’t take on half a dozen enemies and grin about it. He can’t survive the harsh reality that she has taken on. 

Red’s weak. Sensitive. He always chooses the wrong path, makes the wrong friends, decides the wrong fate. He’s no fighter, he’s not sure if he could ever kill someone. He’s not a survivor, he can hardly even start a fire. Red never should have left the safety of his ocean, his monument. The safety of his family. He never should have gone with Avon, he only slows them down. Gets in the way. And now, his home could be gone. And he’ll be alone. Just like he is now. 

The battle has quieted, the raid vanquished. Blood mars the green grass, and in a few rains the field will be filled with poppies. The hermits are celebrating their victory, and the sudden popularity with the nearby village. But amongst bodies, shot down pillagers and defeated ravager beasts, Avon and Ecto mourn the loss of something more precious than any emerald or armor. 

Red is gone. Dead. Shot through the heart, and they can only blame themselves. They should have done more to stop her. Done more to protect Red. She was the only one that kept the team together. She was the heart of the team, the glue that kept everything from falling apart. Ecto and Avon would’ve killed each other a thousand times over if it wasn’t for Red and her peaceful nature. How will they go on? 

“Alright, we came here to ask questions, not fight pillagers.” Xisuma strikes his diamond sword into the dirt, cleaning away the blood as he pulls it out. 

“Though that was loads of fun.” Stress adds, looking up and repositioning the flower crown on her head. Their voices carry closer to Ecto and Avon, huddled close and holding onto the bolt that struck down Red. Both are fighting a losing battle against their anguish, tears welling up in their eyes and threatening to spill over. 

“Thanks for the help, guys. Guess in all this farm construction I didn’t notice I had the deep dark bad omen thing.” Tango flexes his arm, looking at his pale skin. He should’ve seen the effects on his body, but he was so busy he didn’t take heed. Tango puts his bow away, rubbing the back of his neck with a smile. “What can I do ya for?”

Ecto looks up, shocked that the hermits can be so...so...nonchalant about this. Avon and Ecto just lost their friend, the sweetest, kindest person they ever knew. And the hermits are acting like nothing happened? Mumbo wipes the sweat from his brow. “We were hoping to ask you about your work in the nether. Did you see anything strange?” 

A strangled hiccup escapes Avon’s lips, swallowing the cries and trying to keep it down. Ecto’s eyes narrow at Mumbo, watching as he leans against a tree. Xisuma continues the questioning, but both of the remaining wanderers are hardly listening. Mourning has morphed into anger, furious that the hermits aren’t bothered by the sudden death of their friend. What kind of monsters are they? Ecto stands, vision blurred by tears she refuses to let fall. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Aren’t you fiends even going to acknowledge this?” 

Mumbo raises an eyebrow, looking at the bloody bolt clutched in Ecto’s hand. He notices that Red isn’t with them. The littlest wanderer isn’t fluttering around anywhere. She must’ve died. Didn’t he see her with a totem before? But rather than fall into grief with Ecto and Avon, he just shrugs. “What’s the big deal?”

In a blink and a breath, Mumbo’s own life is a hair away from death. He tips his head back, trying to escape the weapons brushing against the skin of his neck. Daring to press into his adam’s apple. But the further he backs away, Avon’s trident and Ecto’s sword only follow. Mumbo jumps as his back bumps against the bloody corpse of a ravager, and he has nowhere to hide from the seething anger before him. 

He looks down the shafts of the blades, for once both Ecto and Avon in perfect sync with one another. Completely different people, unified over the loss of their best friend. Anguish lashes against the fury on their faces, teeth bared and gritted. Square jaws as still and ready to strike like their weapons, each and every breath laden with anger and loss. Mumbo raises his hands to try and ease the anger, but it only snaps Avon. “You didn’t protect him! Why weren’t you there for Red? Why weren’t you strong enough, why wasn’t I fast enough to stop him? Why didn’t I do anything?”

Avon’s anger whips across Mumbo, but her words are more for herself than him. She doesn’t even realize she’s begun berating herself, yelling at him because she can’t yell at herself. It wasn’t Mumbo’s fault Red’s perished. Avon swore to protect him, and she failed. But she is furious at him for a whole different thing. Avon’s hands begin to quiver, tines of the trident brushing against Mumbo’s neck. “Red is gone...and there was nothing I could even do.” 

Avon remembers the last moments Red spent in his home, at the ocean monument. He didn’t pack a weapon because he didn’t think he’d need it. And he promised Mama Gummi he’d be back. But he won’t. He’ll never go home, never keep his promise with the elder guardian. Never see his bed, or his girlfriend, or his family. Ever again. 

Silence has fallen across the field. None of the other hermits dare to step closer, to interfere with such a delicate situation. One wrong step, one wrong move, and the wanderers will turn on them. Mumbo watches as the tears overflow in Ecto and Avon’s eyes, and rivers fall across their clenched jaws, falling like heavy drops of rain against the bloodstained grass. One release leads to another, and Avon’s trident collapses to the ground with its wielder. The weight of the blade, the weight of the loss has taken away all of Avon’s strength, anger breaking down into its core form. Grief. Ecto kneels a moment later, a thin trail of blood falling down the edge of her iron sword. 

Mumbo falls too, grabbing at his neck and gasping with relief. A thin scratch mars his skin, no deeper than a papercut. Any deeper and it could have killed him. The sword and trident cross in the bloody grass, left unattended by their owners. For once, not fighting each other. Fragments of words fall from Ecto’s lips in between sobs. Avon’s crying is a silent anguish. How much more can she lose? How many more people could Avon fail to protect?

“Red is dead, and you… you bastards don’t even have the fucking hearts to e-even give condolences?” Ecto sobs, hand grasping for her mouth. For once, it seemed someone cared about Ecto. Wanted to stay around. But ultimately also left her. She tries to stop the crying, to just be one emotion. To just be angry, without the sorrow. But one fuels the other.

Xisuma remembers to breathe, looking at the scene before him. Ecto and Avon are collapsed amongst the blood and death, weapons discarded as they try to fight off an enemy no blade can defeat. Trying to hold back their emotions, the anger that bites at the heels of Mumbo and the loss that claws at their own throats. Tearing sobs out, ragged and lost. Mumbo’s neck bleeds, but he managed to keep the two from killing him on the spot. Xisuma steps forward, slow and cautious. He’s dealing with rabid animals. “I think….I think we have a big misunderstanding.” 

“What kind of misunderstanding?” Avon whispers, a person so normally reserved suddenly overflowing with emotion. “What the hell is wrong with you people? Don’t you care?” 

“I think our world is different from yours. Death works different here.” Xisuma keeps his voice just quiet enough to be heard over his helmet. “Just...hold on. It’s better to show you.” 

Xisuma stands, pulling out his enchanted diamond sword as he walks to Tango. He takes his friend’s hand, grasping it tightly and offering a relaxed smile. 

And plunging the sword directly into his gut. Glimmering crystal pierces Tango’s torso and shredding through his armor, red blood dripping from the blade’s tip. Staining the grass the two stand on. Blood blooms, dual flowers on either side of Tango. Tango’s form begins to dissolve, flecks of starlight fading into nothingness. Returning to the stardust that formed him, formed the entire world. 

Ecto and Avon are horrified. These hermits aren’t just crazy- they’re butchers. Completely unaffected by death. Killing for no reason, even their own friends aren’t safe from being cut down. 

The starlight glimmers, dancing through the air and recollecting atop a white bed near the brightly colored towers. Luminescent light fades into shades of yellow, red, and blonde. Reshaping into a person. For a brief second, he’s just asleep. Tango gasps his first new breath, clutching at his side and immediately sitting up from his bed. “What the fuck, man! At least give a guy some god damn notice!” 

Ecto blinks, rubbing away the tears in her eyes. She makes sure she’s seeing what’s right. Tango walks past her, picking up the supplies left behind. She reaches out, stumbling to her feet and grabbing at the collar of his grey vest. The fabric is real. He’s real. Tango is alive, albeit somewhat pissed off. Ecto turns, looking to Avon for an answer. She always has an answer.

“World magic.” Is all that Avon manages to gasp out, trying to regain her breath as her mind struggles to realize the incredulous news. 

Xisuma nods, offering a comforting smile. “Red is very much alive. And I’m pretty sure I know exactly where she is.”

[severalspoons]

“Wolfwood Mood” quotes

To be updated as I find more.

God may judge you, but His sins outnumber your own. --  @afabbaeddel

“Cynic, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.” ― Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary

“That's one of the remarkable things about life. It's never so bad that it can't get worse.” ― Bill Watterson

“An encouraged person will eventually get his drive from encouragement; he becomes more dependent. A person that never really receives encouragement learns to move out of spite; he becomes more independent.” ― Criss Jami, Killosophy

They're going to have to glue you back together, IN HELL! -- Demoman in Team Fortress 2

Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” ― Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”- Epictetus

“When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms 

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me. --Fallout New Vegas NPC

“We all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others.” ― Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Man can get used to anything, the scoundrel. --Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

“And what's strange, what would be marvelous, is not that God should really exist; the marvel is that such an idea, the idea of the necessity of God, could enter the head of such a savage, vicious beast as man.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

“The soul is healed by being with children.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

“People speak sometimes about the "bestial" cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

“Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Killing myself was a matter of such indifference to me that I felt like waiting for a moment when it would make some difference.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Dream Of A Ridiculous Man

“Destroy my desires, eradicate my ideals, show me something better, and I will follow you.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

“The whole work of man really seems to consist in nothing but proving to himself every minute that he is a man and not a piano key.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground

“One man doesn't believe in god at all, while the other believes in him so thoroughly that he prays as he murders men!” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot

“Scratch any cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist.” ― George Carlin

“Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” ― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

“You only live twice: Once when you are born And once when you look death in the face” ― Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice 

“There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, and it's up to you how you respond to it.” ― Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies

My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

“Freedom is what we do with what is done to us.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre

“Better to die on one's feet than to live on one's knees.” ― Jean Paul Sartre 

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre

“There is no reality except in action.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism

“Life—the way it really is—is a battle not between good and bad, but between bad and worse.” ― Joseph Brodsky

“mankind is resilient: the atrocities that horrified us a week ago become acceptable tomorrow.” ― Joseph Heller

“Do you know what it means to be a survivor? It means that not only do you have to live through things, you have to live with them as well. The second part is much harder and sometimes it takes the rest of your life to learn how to do it. But at least you have the rest of your life…” ― Josephine Angelini, Firewalker

“Someone has to be stoic, for the sake of, in spite of, and in the face of all those who are, not. Someone, has to be serious. Someone has to choose to forgo choice, so that there is an option left for others to consider. Everyone can't be, someone.” ― Justin K. McFarlane Beau

“Loving someone always requires you to not love others.” ― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man's soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it.” ― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

“We are not defined by the things we do in order to survive. We do not apologize for them,” she says quietly, eyes never leaving mine. “Maybe they have broken you, but you are a sharper weapon because of it. And it is time to strike.” ― Laura Sebastian, Ash Princess 

“People are petty, spiteful creatures. What they can't use, hurt, steal, or control, they'll usually destroy.” ― Lorna Reid, Darkwalkers

“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.” ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“If someone puts their hands on you make sure they never put their hands on anybody else again.” ― Malcom X

“Think of it! We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.” ― Mary Ann Shaffer, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“Does anything in nature despair except man? An animal with a foot caught in a trap does not seem to despair. It is too busy trying to survive. It is all closed in, to a kind of still, intense waiting. Is this a key? Keep busy with survival.” ― May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude 

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." ― Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise.

--Maya Angelou

You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.

--Maya Angelou  

“Somehow, even in the worst of times, the tiniest fragments of good survive. It was the grip in which one held those fragments that counted.” ― Melina Marchetta, Finnikin of the Rock

“Show me somebody who is always smiling, always cheerful, always optimistic, and I will show you somebody who hasn't the faintest idea what the heck is really going on.” ― Mike Royko

“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.” ― Rabindranath Tagore, Collected Poems and Plays of Rabindranath Tagore

“Survival," I said softly. "It's selfish, and it's dark, and we've always been a species willing to do anything to satisfy our needs.  ― Rachel Caine, Total Eclipse

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson  

“To have endured horrors, to have seen the worst of humanity and have your life made unrecognizable by it, to come out of all that honorable and brave— that was magical.” ― Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

“We'd stared into the face of Death, and Death blinked first. You'd think that would make us feel brave and invincible. It didn't.” ― Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave  

“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent—no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.” – Seneca

I will fight you in Hell upon a mound of bones. -- @shitmygaywifesays

“As long as there’s two people left on the planet, someone is gonna want someone dead.” -- Sniper, Team Fortress 2

"If God had wanted you to live, he would not have created me!” -- Soldier, Team Fortress 2

babies cry because they are alive and that is the saddest thing to be. — spencer madsen (@spencermadsen) December 15, 2011

Do you think God stays in heaven because He, too, lives in fear of what He’s created? --Spykids 2nd movie

“No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side.  Or you don't.” -- Stephen King, The Stand

“The only thing that matters in the end is your own survival. It's what humans and cockroaches are best at.” ― Susan Ee, World After

If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn’t as cynical as real life. --Terry Pratchett, Guards, Guards!

“I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are good people and bad people. You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.” ― Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards! 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt 

I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees. --Unknown

if you stay alive for no other reason at all, please do it for spite. -- Unknown

Hell is empty, and all the devils are here. -- Unknown Tumblr post

“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” ― William Goldman, The Princess Bride 

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” ― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

...I WILL FACE GOD AND WALK BACKWARDS INTO HELL— wint ( @dril ) May 22, 2012

#Yes I will put Shakespeare side by side with Dril #fight me

[luthiferx]

Pink watermelon gum in your eyes Whispered truths with homemade pies We are one; To never part flung like a poisoned farrowed Dart

Blinding lights surround the feast Hiding us from that beast Tonight's party will last forever But the last light will go out, Slowly we'll fall wherever

So follow the wisps to the circus of dreams Fear the one holding your seams For tonight between crystal eyes and silly highs We'll laugh once more while the core burns out and dies

You'll hold my hand with painted fingers While they surround us; it lingers Remember that feeling of someone behind you? That's me, that's you, that's them stuck like Glue

Under the covers is not as safe as you think In fact you're trapped in here, trapped to sink The carnival glee is higher than the bubble shrooms The Masquerading hides the toxic plumes

Put your hand into the glass tank Trust in me is like lies you've drank I jest, pushing us through safety snares Nothing like this comes from downstairs

Repair your loss with jokes of the crowd The faceless ones clap so proud Smashed mirrors under your feet, You've lost reality And tonight once again I will test your Morality