#thankful for the paths that got separated and even more thankful for the new souls that crossed my path

[ruhlare]

when it comes to certain people, you don't even have to try to replace them because what they offered wasn't much. it's like they were the void and now, thankfully, they're gone.

[punkpandapatrixk]

Full Cold Moon in Cancer ♦︎ Moon Magick Pick A Card

Happy New Year~!🍀It’s January already but, gosh, aren’t we all still preparing for the spring equinox this year🍓That’s when the real new year begins, aenergetically~🎍

The Full Cold Moon on 26th December carried a theme surrounding Home and Hearth. It touches on our IC (Imum Coeli) and 4th House in our natal chart. The IC tells us who we are when no one’s watching, and after we become super clear about that, it helps us realise what kinds of company are legitimately good for our sense of belonging in this mortal world.

Your IC can literally shed light unto the reasons you feel alone and separated from the people around. The Full Cold Moon in Cancer—ruler of the 4th House—invites us to take a look at our sense of familyship whilst being incarnate on Earth.

People on this Planet have been struggling with an immense sense of loneliness since the introduction of social media; isn’t that strange? How is it that the more people we’re able to connect with the more miserable we feel on the inside? Well, isn’t it clear that social media has helped us become more aware of what’s truly FAKE when it comes to human connections?💍

Our IC deeply craves real familial connections. Moving forward, wouldn’t you rather entertain soul-based friendships that really care about your wellbeing as a Human being? This Cold Full Moon in Cancer, you’re invited to once again die to everything and everyone that doesn’t make you feel seen, heard, respected, or wanted👻

Fake connections, whether online or offline, can go fuck ‘emselves🥢

[Masterlist] [Patreon] [Paid Readings]

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 1 – The Choice to be Free Has Always Been Yours to Make

i d e n t i t y – Knight of Pentacles

Others may think you are mad, but you of all people know there is method to your madness. More than everybody else gives you credit for, you’re actually somebody who’s very strategizing. You are careful with your plans and you think very many things through before you execute your plan. Others simply do not understand this mechanism in your brain because you’re quite unique, quite unorthodox even. This Full Cold Moon, you are invited to ponder if the source of your misery is actually other people’s beliefs about you rather than your actual incapability.

Just because you’re following a strange path of your own doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. Weirdos throughout history have changed societies for the better. We should all be thankful to weirdos—and especially, WITCHES. Did you know that WAY TOO MANY of our advances in science and medicine were actually done by witches? They burnt and hanged the witches and took credit for all of their hard work. Tsk tsk tsk… I raise my cup to all y’all witches who’s working to blast open new pathways for the rest of Mankind🍸Keep doing you. Keep going because spring will surprise you with loads of delights~🍬

s e r e n i t y – Queen of Pentacles Rx

You’re a helpful soul, that much is apparent. But you’ve got to learn some discernment so that you don’t get taken advantage of very easily. What the Queen of Pentacles in reverse is trying to show you is that, unfortunately, too many people in this world don’t even deserve to be helped. Not by you, at least. Unless you’re getting paid for rehabbing messed up people, let them deal with their own mess and grow up from it. Ultimately the Queen of Pentacles Rx is cautioning you against letting messed up people in your inner circle because these types of people are gonna bring their mess into your Life.

You get to decide, with your skilled discernment, who’s worth helping, fighting for; who’s worth keeping because they give you just as much affection. If, in order to keep serenity in your world you must look like a stingy bitch, let it be. Be selective with who you give your time and money to. Make sure you aren’t sucked dry of spiritual aenergy yourself. Your Higher Self and team of Spirit Guides are saying, this whole winter you’ve got shit to manifest—big, big shit. Preserve your precious aenergy so you can manifest real, long-lasting results~!🌳

f a m i l y – 8 of Cups Rx

Having said all of that, this card is saying: don’t easily walk away from things and endeavours that you know from deep within your heart matter. I think you’re so dreamy and floaty that you could have a hard time being realistic when it comes to the physical manifestation of your real desires. You could think, since they’re unrealistic, you might as well give up and choose to focus on other more pragmatic pursuits. If you must leave, leave the people and environments that don’t support your heart’s desires—don’t leave the desires and end up becoming very unhappy with yourself! After all, with your already methodical mind, you actually have all the power in you to bridge your dreams to Reality.

That’s why, honey, the freedom to be free has always been in your mind. Now you’ve just got to make the right decision—what kind of freedom is real freedom to you? The freedom to choose to kowtow to societal expectations or the freedom to walk your own path no matter how lonely (at first)?

‘If you end up with a boring miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it.’ – Frank Zappa

full moon self-care🔻🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 2 – Art and Romanticism Have Always Been an Important Part of Your Heart

i d e n t i t y – 9 of Cups

You have many dreams, but if there’s one thing, you’ve always dreamt to be independent, doing your dreamy things in your dreamy space. I think you’re the kind of person who’d be considered a quiet eccentric. You have many interests and hobbies, and you’re quite sensitive about having your me-time uninterrupted. I think you could erupt if someone walks in on your serious activity and startle you or if someone in your family tells you to go and do something in the middle of your reading. That kinda vibe. You’re quite a loner, actually. You’re super weird tho XD Do you maybe identify as an autistic kid, fam?

Anyway, please know that this Full Cold Moon is inviting you to ponder more deeply about your place amongst Humans. I have a feeling you don’t really like Humans or at least, you find human interactions absolutely exhausting, for the most part. If you know this blog, you know already how much I prize individuality and being alone if it means peace of mind and faster manifestations LOL BUTT!! In this reading, I’m getting that many of you may want to ponder yet again how you interact with people, especially those closest to you because sometimes, there really are people who care about your wellbeing more than you realise.

s e r e n i t y – 10 of Cups Rx

Many of you choosing this Pile probably haven’t got a nice family background. Of course, there are a million scenarios for each person but for the most part, I sense that you’ve felt familial connections to be emotionally unsatisfying. That’s why you seek emotional fulfilment in this multitude of hobbies and interests. Clearly you’re a very intelligent person, that much I’d like to iterate. And so, this reading seeks to validate your feelings about your eccentricity.

Art and all those dramatic things have always been integral to your sense of identity. I really think you should indulge, as long as whatever dramatic things you enjoy aren’t detrimental to your mental or physical wellbeing. If you happen to be the type that’s already doing detrimental things in your pursuit of an emotional high, this card is suggesting you pause breathe and eat before you go after another round of pursuing that high.

f a m i l y – Page of Cups Rx

When you’re pausing, you can cry. Accepting our emotions and acknowledging that they make us Human usually comes with a sense of grieving for all the ways we’ve thought ourselves as being in the wrong. There’s not a thing fundamentally wrong with you, it’s the people around you that have made you feel like you can’t communicate with them with striking vulnerability. And if these experiences have caused you to bear a lot of dark thoughts or negative emotions, I’d like you to know it happens to the best of us.

You could literally turn your pains into art, if anything. If you’ve chosen this Pile as your main pile, know that the pain you’ve experienced through human connections could be turned into art and that your Art has the capacity to heal those who come into contact with its backstory. And this, totally will have a significant place on the world stage because, as you can see, human interactions in recent years have gotten weirder and weirder in some capacity. So many people are hurting from getting disappointed by the…government and celebrities? LOL

full moon self-care🔻🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 3 – Princess Kaguya, Is That You?

i d e n t i t y – 2 of Cups Rx

At the core of your being, you’ve always been different in that your heart is a lot purer, your morality is criminally significantly higher, you’re compassionate and can empathise with people on a level that’s beyond the comprehension of most others. The way you’ve experienced this Human Reality is incomparable to what most others have known. Basically, you’re an alien! And that’s an incredibly modest thing to say about you.

What you genuinely wish to see manifest in this world is vastly more high-vibrational than most people would even care to think about. I hope you accept that you are genuinely such a good person when you’re in your best element. What’s really difficult to maintain is your faith in people, for the most part, because you haven’t really met anyone who’s capable of giving their heart to you as deeply as you’ve given yours. This whole experience has broken your spirit and faith in a lot of things.

s e r e n i t y – 9 of Pentacles

And thus, you’ve carved out a Life of your own, quite separate from most people you’ve ever known. I’m sure you’ve burnt a lot of bridges up until just recently, and I sense, many of you simply know there’s still a few more to burn going forward. This is your confirmation that you’ve done the right thing. In this Human world, too many people buy into the idea that to be good is to be social; but you’ve experienced firsthand that that’s often not the case. You know firsthand that many people’s demons get activated by some weird connections to other people’s demons. And you don’t like that.

So you made a decision to walk away from most aspects of social life and worked your butt off to polish your skills. Some of you have spent many years studying; some of you have spent very many months working on a glow-up; some of you have deepened your spiritual prowess and connected to higher realms; basically, you’ve died and become a ghost… Springtime will bring you the resurrection you deserve, bitch!🎍

f a m i l y – King of Cups

About your Soul Fam though, I feel that travel is highly indicated for you. Some of you, you could be meeting a Soul Fam member during travels, but for the majority of you, this aenergy is giving the idea that you’re literally meant to travel the world or live abroad, perhaps even for the rest of your lives. Highly advanced souls can often have a narrative in which they’re expected to die on a land different from the one they were born into. So, if you’ve been thinking of moving to a different country or state, this is your confirmation that it is indeed part of your soul scenario.

Thanks to modern travel, it’s so easy for highly advanced souls to connect with their true Family members from different countries and that’s something we’re glad about LOL If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re going to die alone and sad, that’s totally not the case. If anything, you have so many Soul Fam members who are going to be just as highly spiritual, profoundly dreamy and vastly empathetic as you are. You’re going to be very glad when the time comes for Soul Families to reunite in the upcoming couple of years~ YAY~!

full moon self-care🔻🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

[Masterlist] [Patreon] [Paid Readings]

[craacked-splatters]

ur crossover prison dimension au intrigues me @imagionationstation do u have any more stuff to share about it? 👉👈

Sleep deprived so feeling a lil loopy(sorry for any incoherent babble) but Shsjdks yeah yeah adding this 2 the "stuff 2 draw for" pile here

I kept coming back to this au. More specifically the part where Dee and Leon r trapped in the prison dimension. Like Rise animators did a cool job on animating the squishy fleshy organic dead alien race stuff in the movie! Look at this!

Ooey gooey icky ew ^^^ I love it

And also the prison dimension looks so sick and cool

I imagine surviving in a dead wasteland full of decay and corpses and echoes with a lunatic hunting u down 24/7 wouldn't be fun. What horrors do u think they would witness while trying not to bleed out and die? What trauma would Kraang inflict on these two? Revenge and rage are the only things fueling that war criminal & truly I don't think there's anything holding that guy back (for the love of everything I hope the bois don't have to fight any other rise kraang tech, it's genuinely terrifying they're literally gonna die Do NOT let that maniac get their tentacles on anything else besides the weird corpse armour they're wearing plz & thank u)

These poor kids. Leon went from the movie events to this, and Donnie literally got poofed to atoms before popping up in the middle of a child murder. Wowza how overwhelming. The one thing that keeps popping up into my mind is the two of them huddling together under some ruins or holding hands bcuz they're too afraid 2 end up separating and dying alone. How strange would it be. To have a different version of ur brother(- not quite a stranger bcuz there's still similarities that he shares with ur own, he's a brother, he's not urs but there's another versión of u running around, there's a whole nother universe bcuz of course there is and somehow ur still bros in it and he's here instead of his home he's right here) how strange it must be to this different face, different voice and eyes and mannerisms an entire new soul as ur only anchor. To be the only thing to keep u from falling apart. To see each other as a constant reminder of what they wished they had, of wanting to their families, of wanting to just leave this hellscape where things don't make sense and just go home.

But when they do finally get rescued there is no feeling of safety or realness or even a home to greet them. Only a sense of wrong & confusion & hurt & the equally trembling hand holding ur own and those scared haunted eyes that followed u since the horror show of the prison dimension.

(Trauma bond!! Yay🎉)

How would Leon and Dee interact with each other at first and how did it change as they continued to survive? What was it exactly that made them start clinging to each other? Would it become a habit for them both to go reaching for the other even when nothing is said or done?

And and!! I was thinking about the 2 angst paths u set out too. They're both sooo good!! Honestly u have such a big brain where do u keep coming up with these genius ideas! The custody battle route is very angsty :)) heehehehe. Rise splints and Don having no problem stopping Dee from going home with his family for Leon is so sweet and also AUUUGHH!! They're literally willing 2 do whatever is needed to keep their family safe & happy and I cry but then I remember the 2012 fam being the same & then i cry again

Also ur so right d 2012 bros have never been apart for long, they literally spent 15 yrs of their life together bcuz together meant safe and safe meant home. They're literally heat seeking missiles for each other even in the show. With them it's either they all die or none of them do. How painful it must be to be ripped apart so suddenly like that :((

Um anyways so yeah very good au👍 will continue to doodle gonna sleep now

[sdyd]

* ALWAYS WATCHING OVER YOU. sentence starters from kaigan games' horror series, simulacra. change pronouns / tense as necessary.

now we are luminous, a bright star. all shall see us !

I've been trying to reach out ...

thank god I found this phone.

you are not worthy of respect.

poor unfortunate soul.

you're just like the rest, a sheep.

tragic. we can change that.

you think you can stop me ?

I have no use for someone who accepts the world they are given.

no one truly deserves anything.

I ate and entire pizza by myself in five minutes.

tell me I'm pretty.

material attachment is so pedestrian.

behind your glass screens, behind your black mirrors, is a reflection of reality.

we seek those with extraordinary influence.

you are lost.

it is easy to be led astray when you are so broken.

you deserve to be followed.

you looked through his phone ?!

he has the nerve to accuse me of invading his privacy.

you're the one who went out of line.

I am not even mad, just disappointed.

how are you feeling ?

can you stop being so emotional right now ?

you've got the wrong person.

I'm not who you think I am.

you're better than this, [ name ].

what are you rambling about ?

maybe he'll slip up and tell you something we don't know.

there's something on my mind ...

it's not my fault that she left you.

if you're obsessed with me, I get it.

there's something off about him.

it's too late for me.

she can still be saved.

do not trust its' words.

nothing is what it seems.

I saw him, then I blacked out.

it only reveals itself too its' chosen

he told you, didn't he ?

I am her as she is me.

if it is me you wish to see, so be it.

impressive. a worthy pretender.

you have seen through my mask.

do you crave the truth so badly ?

the material society is fading, a digital one taking its' place.

she did nothing wrong and nothing right.

is that how you've been feeling ?

expecting him to follow you is pointless.

your actions will carry weight. live with them.

fuck this silent treatment. fuck it so much.

hello, worm.

don't forget your headphones.

no more losing, only growing.

when you look into my eyes, you can see it looking back.

join the fun !

worms, how are we feeling today ?

my followers are my puny worms.

there is no end or beginning.

we will never be separated.

pretender.

soon, this will become your reality.

hola chikas !

grovel as we consider your divinity.

that old fool mistakeningly thinks he has solved this.

your concept of right and wrong eludes me.

your own suffering will lead you back to us

how does it feel when everyone leans on you for guidance ?

don't compare yourself to me. ever. you're not on my level and you never will be.

don't you kids link everything to the cloud these days ?

are you having a stroke ?

who's going to believe us if we said some face - tearing monster killed them ?

I'm not a cartoon rabbit.

life hurts a lot more than death.

yes, a person was ruined.

this is not your memory.

I was lost and you sensed my need. I followed your path and you kept me from falling.

you need a form. a new body, a new face. a true face ... I will do this for you.

what is the current status of the investigation ?

[ name ] appears to be on this alone.

focus, please.

tell me, what do you see ?

step, seek, and proceed.

your path is coming to an end.

tell me, what do you doubt ?

find the truth.

my perversion fails to deceive you. you have seen through my mask.

what's the worst that could happen ?

we will never be separated.

you showed me that the human heart can hide so much more.

you have given me a great gift.

why won't you just let him be happy ?

this cannot be !

you and I are not that different.

I'm really scared. I've been trying to reach out.

I asked for your name.

then who will save me ?

it's getting harder to think.

I need to get out of here !

help me defeat this thing, [ name ] !

I'm right here. you won't go through this alone.

you should go.

it's up to you now.

promise that you'll remember me ?

I'm glad your here.

the only way forward is to disappear.

who am I to deny their wish ?

no one deserves that.

I should have paid more attention.

I valued my own ambition over their cries for help.

I forgot who I was.

is it really that easy ?

everything is slipping away.

you really think I can do this ?

embrace your sins.

you wear the face of a ghost.

you're unable to exist without something to latch onto.

GET ! OUT ! OF ! MY ! HEAD !

I don't know what to say ...

you pulled me back. thank you.

that's what partners are for.

I'm not letting you go that easily !

thanks for believing in me.

we've got so much to talk about.

I'm not afraid anymore. I feel clarity.

don't deny its' voice, let it through.

I just embraced the truth.

I'm here. I'm not leaving you.

you've seen the damage I can do.

no one deserves that.

you're safe, you're with me.

now, where were we ?

I can't lose you too !

I'm on my way ! just stay on the line !

you can do this.

[thebelugawhalefriend]

Connection: Kris x Reader

CW: Y/N insert, Gender Neutral reader, Slow burn (?)

Part Two

Please Note: This will be a spin off starting from Chapter 2's ending! While new tidbits from future chapters will affect new aspects, this will be a fanfiction based on my own thoughts and story direction. Please take this as an "alternate universe/ending" piece rather than pure canon material. Thank you!

Loading...

Loading...

Connection [TERMINATED]

All I can feel are my muffled breaths as I struggle between couch cushions.

"Kris... Stop struggling! I'm trying to sleep!" A black boot shoves my face further into the coarse fabric prison I'm in. "Wait a minute- That's not Kris' kickable face!"

Just as suddenly as I had woken up in peril, a tight grip on my head pulled me from the cushions. Yellow eyes peer through me in suspicion.

"Just who the HELL are you?!"

"Wait- I can-!"

"Why am I waking up in the Dark world, huh?!"

"Just listen!"

"AND WHERE THE HELL IS KRIS?!"

...

"...Susie?"

A soft yet familiar voice interrupts the barrage of demanding questions before I can even process what's going on. The pause gives me just a moment to look around to what just might be happening. My head? Currently being held by Susie, an armor clad purple monster whose bite would most likely end me. My surroundings? None like I've seen in the game before. Card castle isn't anywhere near that I can see... And yet the friendly green dressed goat, Ralsei, is here to greet us.

"Just who is that you're holding...?" Ralsei tilts his head.

"I don't know WHO they are, but they better explain why we're here..."

"Maybe instead of gripping them like that, you could let them down? Maybe they'll tell us on their own!"

It takes Susie a long moment to get used to this idea. A few glances shared between Ralsei and myself too. But, it isn't long until she releases her claws and lets me back down onto the couch. "Fine, but they have FIVE seconds to explain themselves..."

I stand right up from the couch and dust myself off, shivering and shaking from the encounter. Unlike the others, I'm still in the plain clothing I typically wear. It WOULD feel unfair if it weren't for the fact that... Well, where am I? More importantly- HOW am I? How could this happen?

"I'm (Y/N), but... You've known me as Kris for the past few days-"

"YOU'RE KRIS?!" Susie sounds exasperated, but a nudge from Ralsei quiets her down.

"Kind of? It's hard to explain but I've kind of... Been like a guide for Kris. Telling them what to do to stay on the right path. Their Soul, if you will. I know you two very well... But, Kris... They pulled me right out of their own chest and stuffed me into the couch cushions! I don't know how, I don't even know why, but all I know is that I'm somehow here...?"

"...And you expect us to believe that?" Susie raises an eyebrow.

"I know it sounds ridiculous! I don't even believe that I'm here! Shit, I'm still dressed in what I wore yesterday and I'm not even FROM your worlds!"

While Susie was giving me the most menacing glare, Ralsei was scratching his chin in thought. "It does make some sense... I don't see anything that would make you a lightener, but you can't be a darkener either. Though, can you remember how you got here?"

"No... All I know is that after finishing this chapter, I-"

"Chapter? CHAPTER?!" Susie interrupts again, yet Ralsei doesn't stop her this time

"Look, I don't think I have time to explain all of this! We have to find Kris- If they pulled me into this mess, they're going to get me right back out of it!"

While the tall purple monster was hesitant to agree, she crossed her arms and nodded, "We will have to find them, regardless of you. I doubt you're telling the truth..."

Ralsei stops her thoughts, "But! (Y/N) very much could be! And if they are Kris' SOUL, we need to find them and fast. Who knows what could happen to Kris if them and (Y/N) are separate too long...

[practically-an-x-man]

Another one: Jimmy and New York City! Like his favorite spots, favorite pieces of history, fond memories, etc.

Oooh thank you!!

There are a lot of things about New York that have changed from his time. On the rare occasion he actually gets to walk around and look at it now, it almost seems like a different city entirely

Obviously he was a fan of Coney Island. It's gotten a lot bigger and more grand since his time, but he still loves it. Something about kids and adults both experiencing the same wonder, and how it just feels like an escape from how rough the rest of their lives can be

^ Side note, this is also why I see Coney Island as overrun with ghosts in general. It's both a funnel for a lot of powerful emotion, and a little separate from mundane life, which might make it easier to channel that paranormal energy

Sometimes, when he's walking around with Lars or one of his 'Buster friends, he'll point out buildings that have changed from his time ("My father worked there, back when it was a steel manufacturing plant", "This whole street used to be made up of tailors and haberdasheries, you know", "Oh, my favorite restaurant used to be right here on this corner. I wonder why it closed down...")

His favorite thing about New York (except for maybe all of its libraries) is the live music. Buskers, jazz groups, live music pouring out of a bar on a Friday night... doesn't matter. If he hears it on another street, he will change his entire route to try and seek it out

Though speaking of the library... that's always been his number one favorite. The big New York Library opened when he was a teenager (1895, he was 13), which was about the same time his parents started subletting out their spare room to other families. His home got incredibly loud and crowded, and the library was an escape for him

^ He also met his former partner, Robert, in that library! Well, technically Robert met him in the aviary first and asked about a few of the birds, but they crossed paths a second time when Jimmy went to check out a few new books at the library. Most of their early meetings/flirtations came from those two locations, since they could meet in public without too much suspicion

^^ Once or twice... yes, he's looked for Robert's ghost at that library. He still doesn't know what happened to him after the Tunnel of Love shooting, and he wants that closure. He's never found that ghost... mainly because Robert's soul is closer than he realizes

He's a little shocked at how callous people seem to be in the modern world. New Yorkers have always been a little blunt, of course, but not so blunt that they refuse even to speak to you. It took a lot of getting used to.

He'll act like he's an expert on the city and will offer to show his friends around, but because of all the changes from his time, he's almost as likely to get lost as the rest of them

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e36 — whitestone is for lovers

4+ hour episode!

"there's lots of lore in here because I have a problem" — quick someone find all the hidden lore in the tarot cards

oh my god please let Fearne try to steal from Keyleth

The reason Keyleth's attempt to resurrect Will and Derrig failed was because the swords were imbued with a toxin. It was a particular type of extremely rare venom, extremely expensive, designed to deny the working of divine magic.

That is for FUCKING SURE frigid woe.

Which is an Aeorian disease that the mages of Aeor manufactured to prevent magical healing, so that they could fight the agents of the gods without having to worry about their divine healing.

"Frigid woe is a special disease developed by Aeor's mages that cannot be cured by conventional treatment or magic. The only way a creature infected with the disease can be cured is by finding and drinking the manufactured antidote, a milky liquid stored in gold vials found in Eiselcross' ruins."

Cassandra is in Lyrengorn on business. This is a very small city in the northernmost reaches of Tal'dorei, and it's famous for the "Moonweaver's Ribbons," the northern lights.

The lord is in his office

one of the de Rolo children is stalking them through Castle Whitestone

Keyleth Got A Message

Her response— "Of course. Yes, no, I understand, I'll — I'll be there as soon as possible."

Vasselheim is planning a huge celebration on the solstice to reinforce and renew the divine wards around the city and to enact massive rituals not usually achievable.

There are also a lot of people doing a lot of things. Agents of the Betrayer Gods, mages, arcanists, people gathering rare materials and crafting usually-unachievable rituals — etc, etc, etc. Otohan and whatever the fuck she's up to is, for all she and the Hells know, a tiny blip on Keyleth's radar.

"My current focus with the other Ashari leaders is a rogue faction in Issylra, but the less you know, the better." that's definitely the place the Blightstar ship came from, yeah? or maybe whatever remains of the Hishari?

"[The Changebringer] is one of the good ones, one of the freer ones, one of the more fun ones... if you like where the winds can carry you, you might like the path that she leads. If faith is your thing."

Percy keeps his mask up on the wall so it's looking out over his office.

Talisein unconsciously mimicking Percy's mannerisms is so fucking funny to me, especially since it's pretty clear Matt is doing the same thing behind the screen

Percy is an excellent father and you cannot take this away from me.

"I know it's early, but if you would, please wake Pike Trickfoot and summon her to the castle. If she's not at home, she might be at the bakery."

my heart is so full

Gwen named the wolf Chetney carved for her Galdric ;-;

AND VEX??

oh that's right, Vex would age a bit slower than Percy because she's a half-elf

"She was the woman that Laudna was... she's very beautiful." Imogen my heart

we talk so so much about old adventuring parties helping out new ones and doing things for them, or about how the actions they take will affect future campaigns. but this is an instance of the Bells Hells, a level seven party, presenting an opportunity to 20th-level world leaders to at least partially undo something that has been plaguing them for decades. to make right something they thought would always be wrong, and to do it in a way that really, actually matters. "we have to help them. darling, we have to."

"I can feel her soul. It's adrift-- not yet beyond our reach, that's good. What... there's something else here. There's something... it's holding her back, I can't — Percy?"

"There's two souls bound to this body, and I can't separate them. Not like this." "Two souls?" "Yeah. And one of them is Delilah Briarwood."

akdjfgshj

yeeeeeah, Percy ain't gonna let this happen

"When you call a spirit back, you have to call out to the spirit and be like, 'hey, come back,' and they say 'yeah okay' or 'no thanks,' but I can't even talk to your friend because Delilah's there."

If Pike finishes the ritual, there's no telling which spirit will return.

Vex wants to find a solution, Percy doesn't want to take the risk

"Wasn't your soul held by another? What did your friends do?" GET HIS ASS ORYM

"What if we could get rid of her for good?" "Then do so. Without my aid."

"Darling, at least let them try... I mean... we both have some fault in this, don't we?" "Then tell me if you find a way that is satisfactory, but do nothing without my approval. Delilah stays gone."

Beau would get into so many fucking fights with Percy, I would pay money to see them interact. Cobalt Soul Whitestone branch when?

Pike thinks there might be scripture of the Everlight that could help them with exorcism or separating the soul but it's not her specialty, so now they're all gonna go back to her house to look, I guess?? and then maybe to Vasselheim?

"Do we need the old guy? Do we need that fucker?" Ashton follows Percy as he leaves??

"I just wanna say a piece, maybe make an offer. I don't like to lose." "I suggest you get used to the idea." "Let me tell you, I have. I have lost everything, everybody. I have had a lifetime of bad hits, problems, lost people, promises broken, people died, it is the background of my daily life. I have died. This is madness up here, this is not something that just fucking happens. This is what happens when the universe really doesn't like you and decides it wants to keep you around a little while longer. And then I met these people, and life changed in a very intense way. Not in a lovey-dovey 'I've found love and friends' way. The world got weird, there is weird shit happening, and now I'm feeling very small in a very big world, when I used to feel very small in a very small world and that's where I was comfortable... I'm not here for love, or happiness, or joy, or whatever the fuck— I'm here because it's important." "Don't lose that anger. Use it to build. To create. And guard it with your life... I'm not sunsetting the idea. But I need certainties. My children will not grow up in a world where that woman exists. And if you bring [Delilah] back, I will send you all to the same place I will send her. For my family."

I really want to know how much of that was Ashton being genuine, and how much of it was them trying to convince Percy of something in a way they thought would work.

TRINKET!!! BABY TRINKETS!!!

"Must be nice to get people to do what you want them to do just by growling at them, not by having to explain yourself. I'm jealous."

I am rotating Ashton in my head like they are in a microwave. They have such an interesting brand of self-deprecating hubris, such a confidence in their fatalistic tendencies, I cannot wait for them to break. I cannot wait for the moment they just break the fuck down, 'cause Ashton's disposition is like stone -- they'll never bend, they'll never yield, but when they break it will be fucking catastrophic. And when they do, I really hope that they're forced to accept that people care about them and that they care about people. Caleb's journey to that conclusion was slow and gradual and we saw every step of the way— Ashton's, I think, will be a cliff that they're pushed off of before they learn to fly.

Pike has some ideas for rituals that could help!

One seems like an astral projection type thing, very old and very powerful. The Bells Hells would need to go to where Laudna is being held by Delilah, and then separate the two of them long enough for Pike to pull Laudna away.

When a soul passes on, they go to whatever realm best matches their faith or alignment. But Laudna was in a "cold, separate" space that Pike had never felt before, and it felt "very much like Delilah." Like a fucking demiplane or something?

FCG's soul is a "unique, strange, semi-translucent light... not as bright as hers, but present, this fuzzy sparkle. As you turn your hands, you can see them shifting and moving, almost like electrical pulses, but not electricity, not arcane— it's hard to explain. You just feel warm."

"It means that you're alive. And it looks like you already have eyes on you." FCG saw the symbol of the Changebringer on their soul.

did FCG just alert Vex that the party has residuum?

YEP

YES THEY DID

"And if it goes right, we are at your service." Hm. That's something I actually hadn't considered. Vox Machina would have no reason to intervene in something that the Bells Hells are dealing with if VM knew that they were handling it. So if the Hells tell them about Otohan and that they're confident they can deal with her, VM will have no reason to get involved until after the Hells have already failed (if they fail), at which point it's probably too late anyway.

.....The Hells didn't pass through the Divine Gate when they astral projected out to wherever Laudna and Delilah are.

They're standing on a stone floor that's covered in black fog.

FCG looks a little more amorphous; whereas everyone else is crisp and defined, the shape of them is more ethereal and fuzzy. "It's not the metal that's defining the spirit; it's more like the shape that resides within is taking form."

In this landscape, there are bits of gravel and dark gray stone, all in grayscale. There are cliffs that drop off, and areas where the fog just... stops. Beyond the immediate vicinity, sound cannot travel, like the void does not allow vibrations to transmit.

Oh this is super fucking inspired by Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. If anyone has played that game, this sounds very very similar to Aryshulae's dream realm.

There's a faint smell of vegetable rot, like a bog or compost. The wind is voices. Whispers. Multitudes. Sourceless, genderless, distant and beyond the fog.

yo that is an awesome use of the immovable rod. Ashton has affixed it underneath their bracers, so they can activate it and hold on if they fall.

As they move forward, spire-like rock formations get taller and more frequent — a valley of rock needles, until eventually they push up past beyond the fog. Some of them begin to grow branches and the whispers grow louder. "There she is." "Get her." Eventually, they get to a petrified forest — petrified or mimicked by stone, they can't tell. The ground is mimicking pitfalls, bushes, ferns — but it's all stone.

There's a built structure, like a cabin or hut, and there's a firelight coming through the window. Near it, the whispers get louder. "Hit her! She's here! Where? Gather them up, burn it down. The witch, the witch is here."

oh.

oh no.

how long has Laudna been here? hollow ones don't have a soul. so has Laudna's soul been here ever since she died, trapped by Delilah?

"There is a cot, a stone fireplace resembling the stones gathered from the forest, and within it a small fire burns. There is a small table and a stool, and on the table, you see tools— a pair of scissors, a knife. The body of a rat. On the stool, you see a shadow shape, a black flame barely holding there, flickering in and out of existence... you don't feel like she's there, but you see the shape of Laudna sitting there, making something at the table... you see a small purple light that just kind of sits in her chest."

The whispers get louder. "There she is! There's the witch, burn her!" The black flame vanishes, the fire curls up, and the stone cabin begins to burn. A bunch of shadows converge on the cabin, and start initiative!

ohhhh. maybe these are Laudna's memories (making it even more inspired by Pathfinder WotR btw). maybe she tried to make a life for herself outside of Whitestone or some other city and got chased away for being a "witch." maybe that's why she was on the run when she found Imogen. maybe we'll get to see the scene when she and Imogen met.

and that would also track. because what if all of this shit is stone and grayscale because these aren't actual memories, but neurological imprints left on the physical form of Laudna? things that were never experienced by the soul, never imprinted on the soul, but were in the body, so now they're here like echoes?

Ashton rage build update: Tal finally rolled possibility! also, their entire astral form flickers with the energy of their rage, not just their head. an ally within 10 feet of Ashton (including themself) can add 1d4 to attacks and saving throws. it's essentially a 10-foot radial bless that lasts for as long as they maintain their rage. know your enemy is Liam's keen mind of C3, and the possibility rage build is Tal's bless of C3.

yeah. yeahyeahyeah. Imogen said "they always-- that's how they always ran her out of town." so this is a memory of the Laudna we know -- Laudna after she died the first time.

combat done!

maybe it's because the lighting is making it easier to envision all of this in my adhd/asd brain, but it feels like early C3 is much more cinematic than early C2 was.

there's a little alcove underneath the house with roots. the roots lead to a tunnel. this goes to a ziggurat, right? like, this is some kind of fucked up amalgamation of Laudna and Delilah's memories because they were intwined in undeath?

"You're going down, but as you step out, you see sky facing you. A purplish, faintly obscured starscape, like a night sky with purple nebulous cloud in the distance, like you're staring into a cosmic shadow. On the sides, you see more roots, pushing downward. As you step forward, the gravity seems to shift, and suddenly you're emerging from the floor of another forest-like realm around you... you see more of these trees, and then beyond them, a wall, partially crumbled. Rooftops. Not far beyond them, a massive leafless tree, hundreds and hundreds of bare branches looming over this shaded city, with a faint bit of green light drifting out like a mist, filling the city and lighting it from underneath."

[deathisararemercy]

What if Perrito got separated from Puss and Kitty and is taken in by someone who's dog just died from old age. Would Perrito go back to Puss and Kitty if they do find him or stay with their new owner who treats him well?

Home is Where...

A/N: Hello anon friend. I'd like you to know that I said, "Oh...oh my heart" when I read this ask. Apologies for the delay. There were a number of ways I could see this going, so I wrote a little list of headcanons instead of a long convoluted fic. And in the case you are a person who has lost their dog or pet, I send you my condolences and well wishes. I hope that this brings comfort to those who need it. Thank you for sending in a request.

Content warning: references to past animal death

I imagine Perrito gets separated from Puss and Kitty in one of two ways:

1) A heist goes wrong, Kitty blames Perrito (still struggling with trust a bit...), and Perrito is shooed away. (Puss has to have a wor with Kitty about all...this).

2) Perrito gets lost in town, and is separated unwillingly from Team Friendship.

Perrito runs into someone while they're walking the path they'd usually take their late dog. Seeing Perrito alone on the road, sad and tired, they decide to take him home and feed him.

They're a bit surprised to find out he's a talking dog, but it's actually really nice to have someone to talk to. They become fast friends.

They're wary of bringing up their late dog at first, but at some point it comes up. Perrito is both therapy dog and therapist. Some nights, he finds this person looking at old paintings/drawings of their late dog and lays his head on their chest as they cry a little bit.

Perrito listens while they tell stories about their dog, and makes his own fun commentary if the moment calls for it. He loves seeing this person laugh, smile, and reminice. (See The Trident for Perrito's excitement for stories).

But Perrito also tells his own stories too, opening up about his past and the adventures and people he's met throughout his life. There was hardship, sure, but there was also so much love...he misses his friends a lot.

It's comforting and bittersweet for this person. Perrito has so much joy for living and so much love and positivity in his soul, it's both unbelievable and heart-warming. They begin to wonder how their dog thought of life and what their dog would've said if they could speak.

But in the present, Perrito is bringing them some comfort, and in return, they're sure to feed him well, listen to his excited chattering, and maybe even get him a new sweater.

Which is what makes it all the more...tense when Kitty and Puss finally find Perrito.

(If Scenario 1 occurred, Kitty would apologize to Perrito. She'd recognize that she shouldn't have lashed out like that to him. Yes, finding the ability to trust others was difficult for her, but Perrito was someone who had proven time and time again that he would always be there for his friends.)

At this point, Perrito would be torn. I think it's less about him being treated well by the human and not Puss and Kitty; it's more about him being worried about the human. Would they be okay if he went back with his friends?

If the human has come to better peace of mind after the death of their dog, then Perrito would give them cuddles before saying goodbye.

If the human is still hesitant, then Perrito would ask to stay with them for a bit. He'd get back in contact with Puss and Kitty when he was ready to go.

Ultimately, I think it boils down to Perrito's line: "My home is where my friends are." It doesn't mean he doesn't consider the human a friend or that he isn't really close with them, but Team Friendship means a lot to him as Puss and Kitty are the first two people he's really grown close with.

[huntinglove]

A love letter to my F/Os:

My darlings, I can't possibly express how thankful I am for all that you've done for me. Your presence makes my life worth living and all our moments together keep me going. I hope I can thoroughly express how much you all mean to me.

To those who have me during our childhoods but never got the chance to grow up beside me, time has never diluted my adoration for you. Even if my body grows, my mind and my soul are still just as in love with you, just like when we first met.

To those who have watched me grow and change and who have patiently waited for me to return into your embrace, I couldn't be more thankful. There isn't a single day that goes by where I don't think about you and all the wonderful things we have lived, and will get to live together.

To those who were beside me during the darkest moments of my life, never cowering or taking me for granted, I owe you my life. Those moments where you've kept me safe and sane are one of the only reasons for me to still be around today.

To those who aren't taken seriously by others, who feel ashamed of the true essence of your being, I understand how you feel but I'll always see you as bright and loving. Nothing could ever make me ashamed of loving every single part of you.

To those who see something worth loving within my being and vessel, who find kindness and beauty where I can't see it, thank you for teaching me how to love myself. Day by day you make me smile about something in myself that I would've never noticed without your help.

To those who mourn the distance between us, I can guarantee that our hearts will never be far from one another. No matter how many universes or different realities separate us, I'll always feel your loving aura and I hope I can reach you with my own as well.

To those who have lived long before I even existed but still managed to make your love timeless enough to reach me. Millennia feels like a mere second every time I think about your loving touch and your gentle kiss, I'll love you for much longer than you've waited for me. Your presence has accompanied me long before I knew who I was but my love has never wandered away from the path you've paved for me.

To those who will come to be long after I've passed, I hope my love can be so celestial to the point where you'll still feel my presence during your happy days. The sudden feeling of warmth that washes over you shall be my loving embrace. And all the mysterious smiles that come your way are reminders of how bright your soul shines, to have caught my eye way before your very birth.

To those who believe in my potential like no one else ever has, I dedicate my creations and inspiration to you, as my most genuine muse. Every idea, every skill and every piece of art, carved into existence by my hands, has only come to be because of your loving influence over my very being.

To those who cheer me on through every step of my life, no matter how small my progress may be, you're the reason I've decided to allow myself to keep living this long. Your words light up my path when everything else feels hopeless and pointless.

To those who give me a reason to be my genuine, true self no matter what will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for lending me your ears and always being so invested in everything I have to share, no matter how different our tastes may be.

To those who's souls resonate with my own and who make me feel welcome to be my most vulnerable self with, I'll always be happy to have found someone so wonderful, who understands me better than anyone else. I'm so very lucky to share half of my soul with a perfect twin flame like yourself.

To those who couldn't be more different from me but chose to stay beside me no matter what, I'm always honored to get to experience a brand new world of experiences, especially when it comes from you. Even with our differences, we still fit together perfectly.

To the beautiful beings that have captivated my heart and soul. This is but a mere fraction of the ocean of emotions that fill my very being whenever I think about each and every single one of you. You all mean the world to me and I'd be completely lost without you.

Thank you for giving me a purpose and for making my life that much better.

I love you

- Ghosty 💙

[corpocyborg]

Find The Word - Manuscript Search Tag

Thanks for the tag, @merge-conflict! To be honest, I could do this tag game about a thousand times and never get tired of it. 😅

Word #1: Chrome

She was growing very fond of her new body. It had clearly been designed to resemble her old one, although the signs of its fully mechanical nature were not exactly subtle. Wires and chrome were exposed in several places, and she had the impression that the body was meant to be customizable. Maybe limbs could be swapped out, upgraded? 

But for the most part, she looked like herself, with the notable absence of the devilish billy goat tattoo branded with the Arasaka logo - the one she’d received courtesy of her former brain parasite. In its stead was the Arasaka logo itself, conspicuous in black against her pale artificial flesh. Whoever’d given her that had a sense of humor.

Word #2: Whisper

No matches. Apparently, I tend to use “spoke/said softly” more often for whatever reason? But, hey, same difference, right?

“It shouldn’t matter how I spoke to Fingers,” V said softly. “I said what I needed to get what I wanted."

Judy still wouldn’t look at her, keeping her gaze stubbornly locked towards the base of the staircase. But V could tell her anger was starting to cool off, and she weighed her actions carefully to avoid rekindling it. She’d stay silent until Judy was ready to talk to her. 

Finally, Judy spoke up. “Ends justify the means, huh?”

“Don’t they?" V asked. "If my refusal to antagonize the person who might be able to tell us where Evelyn is leads us to finding her in time to save her life, would you consider that worth it?"

Word #3: Burn

She switched over to the next mode, and the shock of it nearly overburnt her processor. She could sense not only every room on the floor, but every floor in Arasaka Tower - from Izanagi at the bottom to the Night City duplicate of Saburo Arasaka’s office at the top. For a while, she watched the Arasaka employees moving and working throughout the building. In this view, they reminded her of gears in a machine or neurons in a brain. She could recognize a synchronized pattern in their motions, see the order in the chaos. 

Word #4: Sky

I shared this blurb already, but it's the only match I have.

“To make the right decisions with imperfect knowledge,” Takemura said, “that is how you become the world’s most powerful man. One hundred candidates standing at attention, and Arasaka-sama looked into each of our souls and chose the one who would serve him best.”

V was gazing away from him, towards the city. The setting sun had transformed the sky into a golden backdrop for Arasaka Industrial Park. Her hands were gripped around the fence that separated her from the sight. A little too hard, maybe. She’d dented the metal in that thoughtless way that only one with arm cyberware can.

“So you did what you had to.” she said.

“I sense that you judge me.” His voice was quiet, with a barely perceptible edge of harshness. “And yet you have no right to. Unlike you and your friend Mr. Welles, I was not arrogant. I did not take the easy path.”

V’s eyes snapped back to Takemura in surprise. “Wasn’t judging you.”

“Untrue.” Takemura insisted. “You oppose the corporations, their order, their world, in a mindless way, yet you offer no worthy alternative.”

V sat in silence. How the fuck’d he gotten that idea? Must be mixing her up with Johnny. But then, she thought, haven’t exactly been acting like myself lately. Even before the Relic.

“You’ve got it all wrong,” she finally said. She shook her head. “I know you think I’m just some common thief, but my values now are the same as when I worked for Arasaka. I believe in doing my job well.”

“There are no clean hands.” Takemura said cryptically. “But it is important how they become dirty.”

V scoffed. “Wish everyone at Arasaka felt that way.”

“As do I.”

Tagging: @another-corpo-rat, @just-a-cybercroissant, @bnbc. No pressure of course!

Words: recognize, eyes, step, error

[creativia10]

The Kindness of a Glow

As the king of the underworld, sometimes Logan had to be cold. There were things he had to do. But sometimes, even his heart gets to him.

Pairing: Logince, Moxiety

Word count: 1038

Warnings: angst, death is a major theme, negative self talk,

Notes: Inspired by @tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors The Darkness of Night (lys Orpheus and Eurydice greek myth au)

So, I watched Hadestown for the first time recently. And this came to me as I thought of possible what ifs.

Logan still almost can’t believe he gave in to Roman. He let the demigod try a nearly impossible task to bring their dead lover back from the underworld.

He heard Roman walk over to him from behind.

“You think they’ll make it?” Roman asked.

Logan sighed. “I don’t know…” and he truly didn’t. He knew Roman wanted them to. And Logan wasn’t heartless. But he had to look at things from a bigger perspective as the king of the underworld.

Time was strange in the underworld. Logan was pretty sure he wouldn’t know of the result of the test he gave Virgil unless he failed. Unfortunately, he did see for himself what came of it.

Logan was startled to crying. Strong emotions were not something Logan came across a lot in the underworld. When he did, the criers were more likely to be newer spirits. Logan did not spend long around the newer spirits with how much he had to keep in order.

When he followed to see the cause, he immediately knew what had occurred when he saw who was crying. Patton. The lost lover of the demigod who was tasked with a test to be able to bring Patton back. Patton did not have the dead or vacant eyes spirits of the underworld often developed, as he was a new spirit.

Patton was kneeling on the ground looking off into the distance as he cried. In the direction he and Virgil had gone in to leave. There was only one reason the other would still be here after having left already.

Ah. So he failed then.

Patton barely glanced up when Logan approached. Patton continued to cry.

“It’s not fair,” Patton sobbed. “None of this is fair. Our love was supposed to be stronger than death. I can’t even fault my beloved Virgil for looking back. He was already an anxious man even before having to deal with such a harrowing task. We were so close. I could see the light. I almost felt alive again. I’m not even mad at him for giving in, just the situation we were in that got us to this point.

It should have been enough. Surely he proved his love was strong. No mere man could have done the things he did for me, for us.”

Logan was hit with the  great size of this soul’s grief. He thought of the times he was lonely for his husband. The one before him would not have mere months to be reunited again. But years. The man who traveled to bring back his lost love from the underworld would have to live with this the rest of his years. Knowing he failed to bring his love back when he had been so close. This wasn’t fully on Logan. Logan was in a tough spot as the ruler of the underworld, he couldn’t just let them go. Patton had died after all. There was no changing that.

Despite the reasons he explained to Virgil before, Logan couldn’t help how his heart went out to this couple. Separated by the cruelty of death too young.

Logan sighed.

“Go back to him,” Logan said. Patton startled and looked up at him with wide eyes. His tears had not quite dried.

“Do not let anyone see you as you leave, but I am granting you permission to return to your love who still lives. When you get to him you will be alive again. If you two were as close to the end of the path as you claim, then I will count this as succeeding. Do not expect me to grant something like this again.”

Patton nodded frantically as he stood up.

“Thank you,” Patton said,

Logan nodded,

“Tell no one of this. As far as anyone knows, Virgil did not look back too soon.”

 Patton agreed before floating off.

Logan could almost feel Roman’s smug smile as his husband came up to him again.

“You let him go,” Roman said. Logan sighed.

“I am not heartless. And I was willing to let him go anyways. It wouldn’t change much for me.”

Roman hmmed. He wrapped his arms around Logan and leaned his head on Logan’s shoulder.

“You are a kind and just king.”

Logan felt warm. “I try.” He bent down to press a gentle kiss to Roman’s head.

*

Virgil hadn’t moved from his spot. He stayed kneeling from the moment he gave in and looked to see Patton’s ghost there behind him. Like Virgil was told he would be, before Patton got pulled back to the underworld. Virgil was a complete and utter idiot. There was such difficulty to the path. And yet it was just before he made it that Virgil gave in to the doubt to check Patton was there. Why couldn’t he have held on just a bit longer? Now Virgil would be alone, just as he was the moment he lost Patton.

Virgil almost didn’t even see the point of moving from where he was sobbing then. He had lost the light in his life.

A sudden gasp startled him though. He quickly turned to the side to see Patton there, and alive. Patton smiled at him but tears were leaking out.

“Patton?” He whispered. Virgil stumbled to get up and they both came forward in a crushing hug. They were both crying.

“How-how are you still here with me?” Virgil barely got out. “I failed. I saw you go back as soon as I looked.”

Patton sniffled. “The lord of the underworld, he-he saw me and let me go when I told him how close we had gotten.”

“How could he have known what you were saying was true?”

Patton shook his head against Virgil and pushed closer against him.

“I don’t care. Not if he let me come back to you. We just can’t tell anyone how we almost failed.”

“Okay. Okay,” Virgil croaked out.

“Anything. Anything to be able to have you here now. For the rest of our lives together.”

Patton laughed through the tears. Then he cupped Virgil’s face and came forward for a kiss.

Virgil would not lose sight of him again now that he gone through the underworld and back.

[onewomancitadel]

Im not 100% certain if Cinder will actually keep the maiden powers all the way to the end. But even if she's shown without them in an epilogue or something I think her statement to Pyrrha; "dont worry I will use these powers in ways you never imagined" is actually foreshadowing for her doing something epic with them at some point. I think she will do something crazy at least once and then maybe lose them when Ozma and Salem are gone.

I got a separate private ask about the topic of Cinder keeping her Maiden powers mentioning someone had asked him about it so I wonder if you're the same person. Thanks for your ask at any rate.

I think she will keep the Maiden power, I frequently write under my Cindemption tag about her using the powers for transformative good. I frequently express the opinion that her redemption arc hinges on the Maiden power, or, in other words, the Maiden power effectively prefigures into the redemption arcs in the story. The way I read the Maiden powers - and the same is true of Ruby's silver eyes, and Semblances in general - is that they're linked to, and fulfilling functional ideas in the story, but the nitty gritty of them is not where we'll find the story answer.

I don't think she will do something crazy with them at least once; it's been established that the Maiden powers intensify with time, and so we're probably going to see intensifying acts with her which may be progressively realised with her redemption arc (which is something we see in R/WBY already - for every villain their acts of good are 1,000x more powerful than their evil).

You're also skipping over the Ozlem resolution, which is more than just them leaving, it's going to require their reunification and some type of confrontation with the brother gods - it's going to be a big deal and have major consequences, probably magical ones (and ones that revive the world, which might even involve all the Maidens together). Magic has already 'died', and if you're going to go to all of the effort to redeem the Maidens and redeem the use of the power through the Maiden who views them in the wrong way (the same as the audience - just a powerlevel) - then there's no reason to suspect all that effort would be for nothing. Welcome to a world of new solutions etc. etc. etc.

If they intended to dissolve the Maiden powers, the redemption arcs wouldn't be tied to the powers and we would be left with inappropriate Maiden candidates (sorry) such as Pyrrha and Penny. The powers would have to be categorised in a way that they need to be dissolved, which includes people who shouldn't keep the power, because in the case of Pyrrha and Penny it's not a destiny that's fitting for them and it's something that is limiting. Penny is freed when she's freed from the power, even if it were part of her arc of growing up/fully self-actualising. So the fact that there's NOT that disconnect between current Maidens and their destiny is a really good sign we'll see the power stay.

Plus if the Maiden power is tied to Aura and the soul, dissolving the power would likely kill the Maidens. I doubt that is happening either if Ruby purifies Cinder with her silver eyes (and Jaune is involved somehow) because the ultimate purpose of Ruby's eyes (to protect life) only followed by death... doesn't make sense. Once you add in Cinder's rebirth (all the thematic motivation for that) and there's no reason to suspect that makes any sense either.

You are right though, Cinder doesn't realise how right she is when she says that line. It's ironic prophecy which I never shut up about, so thanks for highlighting that. Cinder really is right; she is on the path to her destiny, she doesn't know she will be a very good Fall Maiden, just not in the way she expected.

[mtnkat3]

4.46pm

Grinning. All random but the last was "thinking" go figure. 🤔🤷‍♀️

Yeah my loves .. gotta work on my daily things. I've been thinking about not going out with wh for midday food. But. It's the only time I get away from here. I think the best thing to change is to get back into my early morning habits. Very hard for me though. Never an early riser. I am the kat that covers my head. Thank dad hammering & running saws at 7am on Saturdays as a kid. And always living near train tracks that are crazy loud, even 2 miles away! When worked at that store I was up at 5am to be there by 7am. 2 miles. And usually was in bed by 11.45pm~midnight. But I also got an afternoon nap ~4pm for ~1hr. So. Start bedtime prep at 11pm so in bed before midnight. And then up my alarms & add more. 5~10am.

I'm also wondering about my meds, specifically Levothyroxine. If my dosage is correct. Still tired, still lethargic, still low energy.. &.. cold hands & feet, breaking nails, fragile hair. All classic thyroid issues symptoms.

Now that it seems my ins/cobra is fixed [sigh. next $ due.] Paws crossed! I can call my pcp to reschedule. But got a busy day tomorrow. Counseling, new back tires on truck, premium due. I probably will be running all day.

So need to get my laundry done! I only have a couple pair of jeans that aren't too snug right now.😳😖🙈🙊 but. I was the girl with one pair of pants in 7th grade, ~4 in hs. More important things, like food, than asking my parents to spend on clothes. Clothes, rolltop desk, dad built bookcase headboard.. that was Christmas. I am both careful, frugal, & creative with money & belongings.

I dress up jeans.. or I just go simple. Tee, jeans, jacket & my Tijgeress cap today. Hair in a side braid .. course I also got wh diet coke on my nice tank. Sigh. Having boobs. Grin. I swear I need a bib! On went the jacket.🙄🙈🤷‍♀️ and yes my loves .. I was drinking water with lemon. I 95% of the time do. Rarely sodas. But oh how I miss Barq's, tea, coffee & hot chocolate! [I get coffee in my Bolthouse Mocha Cappuccino protein shake so have to be careful. I'm sensitive to caffeine. Not sure why.]

Blushing beet red. That's me calming down from driving & navigating around a mall. Which I rarely do. Just awesome greek restaurant there & wh wanted to look for shoes. I'm of the mind of find on line, after having my feet properly measured. To find the best deals. At least until I can be truly selective. More American made. Heck me made!

Start living a fully abundantly rich life! With my precious beloved mates!

Not be stagnating & dying ..

But doing & lovin life the way we want to! Whether that's enjoy lazy Sundays.. Having a church home. Going to football games on Saturdays. Making Christmas decorations & gifts. If we travel & do things. Heck, my life .. I'm rewriting my story. I want to do whatever makes us happy. Whatever that may be..

I love you.. & I miss you fiercely.

I will find my way back to my life's proper path because God's Guiding me. And He brings us together. It makes my soul feel fulfilled.. & motivating me to push myself. Not just words. But praying His Hands to make me right again!

Sigh.. so hard to be separated from you.. just makes me think about it all constantly. But I need to get my butt movin. Move the cat. Lol! Do my running up & down basement stairs routine to get laundry done.

I love you..

I will await though whilst I work.

~True love never dies & true love always waits.~

Your complex warrior queen daughter.

~Tijgeress kat Phoenix.🌺

👩🤓⚓🙏🙇‍♀️🌂🔗⛓🧰⚙⚒🛠⚔⚖🗽 🍁🧣🥾🥧🥮🥤🍋🍯🍼☕🍫🍎🍑🍒 🐯🐾🐐🦉🐢🐛🦋🌱🌺🌹🌻🌷🌳🧶🧵 ⌚⚡🌠🚀🗝🔱⚜💝🐻🦌🧩♠️♾🎯🧭🕯🎶💋

Su.10.23.2022 7.06pm est.

So difficult to write this one.😖🙇‍♀️

[thequietmanno1]

Thelreads, Vigilantes 72, Replies Part 3

     (Vigilantes ch 42) 1) “Oh god, the Hell’s drink once again, can’t believe she’s out to corrupt those poor, innocent christian boys, what a unforgivable monster… Alright, let’s see how shit is gonna hit the fan, because Pop apparently is gonna be the one to be drugged today-

You know, I’m starting to feel like Furuhashi has something against her.”- You might be right about that…

  (Vigilantes ch 48) 2) “And this moment brings back what I’ve already said before: Koichi and Pop are starting to go their separate ways. Slowly, they are following their dreams, improving and focusing in what they want to be, and this, unfortunately, means that one can’t keep walking along the other.

…

): “-

Not unless one path goes down in flames with a bang, right? Hahahahaahohgodithurts

   (Vigilantes ch 49) 3) “That is, until pieces of the captain hit her in midair and she get throw into a wall, ending up in a coma from which she’ll only wake up years later, but becoming a cult celebrity and a symbol in Narahuta. The money from her merchandise will fund the Vigilantes’ operations for the next few years, and Koichi shall fight in her name!

…

Christ that one went into a weird place.”- Still better than where the story actually ended up taking Pop…. (Vigilantes ch 58)

4) “You know, the thing that I said that Pop should do? Be apart from Koichi for a while so she could find herself, grown as a person and then truly see what she feels about him and what she wants to do? Guess that one would be too much, considering how Knuckles came back less than 48 hours later from the convenience store… “- Well, she’s spent some time apart from him, but thanks to No:6, she’s not exactly found herself… shame Knuckle didn’t pass on the ways of the magical bullshit taser to Koichi.    ( Vigilantes ch 67) 5) “But using her as the metaphorical truck is a good option, it seems like Furuhashi decided that pop had it good for too long and now is determined to give her the worst time possible: Her crush is moving on, her gang is being disbanded, and above all she`s being compared to the person who kept it all going for so long, and how inferior she is in comparison. Oh boy, this will be fun to watch.”- Yes, really fun indeed…and it’s apparently going to get even better!

   (Vigilantes ch 67) 6) “Please girl, she hasn`t done anything in the trillions of years since Makoto abandoned our universe, you think she`s going do something else in the next 60 chapters? nonsense, she`ll wait until the last chapter to tell him that she likes him, they`ll start dating, the series will end, mark my words.”- Or she’ll get brainwashed, Koichi will realise he cares about her more than a friend would, and will have to rescue her Prince Charming style to confess her new-found feelings to her once she’s in her right mind.

   (Vigilantes 69) 7) “Oh he got the right idea there, being self-sufficient doesn`t meant that you need to never rely on anyone else, we humans are meant to help each other after all. Heartbreaking how a nomu got the right idea and Pop hasn`t.”- Well, he turned out to have a different idea in mind when he was talking about her ‘true potential’… as a villain and the next host of the re bee parasites.    (Vigilantes ch 69) 8) “Oh boy it seems like she accepted the deal with the devil. Can`t believe pop is going to sign with an agent that will steal all her money AND he is a nomu, good lord, the worst of both worlds, he`s like evil Hannah Montana.”- Well, he hasn’t stolen her money, but he did steal her mind, her body, her promising future as a public singer and possibly her soul, depending on how well Pop can possibly regain herself from all this. That said, still not the most exploitive contract I’ve heard about. 9) “Of course it would be when it came to torturing Pop. Of course. I… I don`t even know what to say. Even though it had been so long since the previous chapter, I don`t think that I had fully processed what happened, but now- well, there`s no way to deny it.

So, Pop became the new Queen indeed.”- She's a Killer Queen Gunpowder, gelatine Dynamite with a laser beam Guaranteed to blow your mind Anytime @thelreads

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

It Was a Long Time Ago.... (Part 2)

Febuwhump 2022: #15. Hidden Scars

Fandom: Marvel, Daredevil, Matt Murdock

Word Count: 2434

TW: Scars, lying, hiding the truth

Thank you to @loverhymeswith for beta reading for me! 💜

@febuwhump, @babblydrabbly, @bewitchedignition, @myguiltypleasures21, @lucyysthings

Part 1, Part 3

It had been a few weeks since you had been released from prison and moved in with Matt. Initially, you had feared that the connection between the two of you would have faded or changed over the seven-year separation, yet things felt like you had never been apart. While Matt seemed a little more serious, more mature than he had back when he was in college, he was still the same sweet, kind-hearted boy you had fallen in love with.

You spent hours just watching him as he moved around the apartment as if you could make up for what you had missed over the past seven years. Never caring what he was doing, but just basking in his presence. Every once and a while, he would sense your gaze on him, and he would turn to give you a brilliant smile that always sent butterflies fluttering through your stomach. And sometimes, you would turn, and you swore it seemed as if he were staring straight at you, eyes boring into your soul.

Even though he never said anything about it, you knew he could see more than he admitted to. Well, maybe see wasn’t the right word. But like how he could tell it was you at the prison just by your walk. Or how he would slightly tilt his head as he seemed to hear or smell something no one else had noticed. Or how he could avoid obstacles in his path without using his cane. Back when your relationship was new, you used to mess with him by randomly standing in his way so he would bump into you. Yet, he never did. A small smile would creep onto his face, and he would sidestep you at the last moment. You still couldn’t figure out how he did it. And his skills at maneuvering had only seemed to have gotten better over the years.

Seven years had passed yet most of the time it felt like the two of you had never been apart. Your life was now more perfect than you could have ever hoped for. Well, except for two things:

One, Matt kept the weirdest schedule. Of course, he left for the office most mornings or would work at home when he could in order to stay closer to you. You understood this completely and had no issues with it. What did concern you though was when you heard him leave late at night after he thought you were asleep. When you finally confronted him about it, he claimed he had to meet with some clients at this time because of their schedules. But this didn’t explain why he always ducked into his bedroom the second he got back, always managing to avoid you even if you waited up for him.

You trusted Matt, you really did. But every time he snuck back in, purposely avoiding you, you couldn’t help thinking about your ex. Even before the night when everything went terribly wrong and your life was shattered, your ex hadn’t been a good person. He would come home at all hours of the night smelling like booze and cheap perfume and when you would confront him about it, a slap across your face would be his only response.

Matt wasn’t like that. At all. But honestly, it wasn’t like the two of you were even dating. He was letting you live with him while you tried to get back on your feet, but you hadn’t really talked about your relationship or tried putting labels on what you were. He had told you at the prison he had never stopped loving you, but that didn’t mean in your absence he hadn’t found someone else to love too. So, if he was sneaking out to go see another woman, he had every right to do so, though it would be nice if he would tell you if there was someone else. But just because the two of you had been making out didn’t mean that he owed you anything.

And that brought you to problem number two. Before, it had seemed like every time the two of you had been alone, you were ripping each other’s clothes off. Sure, you had been in your early twenties, enthralled by the forbidden nature of your relationship (both from the legal standpoint and his Catholic guilt), and fueled by the knowledge that you might be locked away soon, but now Matt had done little more than kiss you. The few times you had tried to go further, starting to slip your hand under his shirt or trying to remove it, he had pulled away. You were just glad he couldn’t see the disappointment and pain that flashed across your face every time it happened.

And maybe he just needed time. So, you resigned yourself to not push, to not bring it up. Yet every time he rejected you, the hurt got stronger and lingered longer. Until finally, one day, you just couldn’t take it anymore.

The two of you had been making out on his couch when you leaned back, pulling him down on top of you. When he didn’t hesitate, you increased your ferocity and wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him deeper into you. His hands threaded through your hair with a groan, and you thought maybe this time was it. You reached out one hand to pull off his shirt while the other began reaching for his belt. Immediately, he jerked away from your touch, untangling himself from your grasp and muttering a soft apology as he climbed off the couch.

It felt like your heart had just shattered in two. You swallow the sob in your throat as his rejection hit you like a slap across the face. Sitting up slowly, you watched as he walked to the other side of the room and leaned against the wall, his back towards you.

It was all just too much. Softly, you whispered, “Matt….do you not want me anymore?”

He turned around to face you. “What are you talking about?”

You stared down at your hands as you wrung them anxiously. “I swear, I’m not trying to push you into something if you’re not ready, but can you at least tell me that? I don’t want you to feel like I’m only interested in you for… for that, but I remember how we used to be and…. it wasn’t this. It’s been a long time and I’m sure there have been a lot of other women. I never expected you to wait for me…. And actually, part of me thought I would never see you again so the fact that I can even just still be a part of your life is more than I ever expected or hoped for. So, if that’s what this is, you’re feeling guilty about being with me, about being with someone else, it’s okay.”

“What? No. Why would you think that?”

“How could I not? You’ve barely touched me since I got back, and anytime I try to touch you, you pull away. When we kiss you always seem to be enjoying it and everything seems to be going along smoothly, but I feel like as soon as I try taking it the least little bit further...Did I do something wrong?”

“Oh, no, never. Sweetheart, it has nothing to do with that. It’s just…” You watched as he struggled to find the right words to explain his actions, but he came up empty.

“I mean, I understand if you’re no longer attracted to me, or if you have someone else and you’re just trying to be nice to me, or I’m not living up to your memories. Just please, Matty, I…” You trailed off as tears began to stream down your face.

In seconds, he was next to you, and he gently took your face in his hands, nimble fingers brushing away your tears. “No, it’s not you. It has never had anything to do with me not wanting you. Because I do. So much. I’ve dreamt about it for the past seven years and from the moment you first stepped back into my arms, I’ve not been able to think of much else.”

You pulled away from his caress. “You said something almost identical to that back at the prison. But they’re just words, Matty. And actions speak much louder than words. And so far, your actions have been telling me you don’t want me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then why? Why won’t you let me touch you?”

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily as if he were considering something. Then finally, he said, “I have to show you something and I don’t really know how you’re going to take it.” He stepped back and hesitantly began to pull off his sweatshirt. “Some things might have changed a little since you saw me last.”

You chuckled softly. “Matt, we haven’t seen each other for seven years. I’m not expecting either of us to look anything lik-” The words died in your mouth as he finished removing his shirt. Your hand flew to your mouth as you struggled to hold back the sob that was building in your chest.

You had caught glimpses of the marks on his arms, neck, and face, but they could never have prepared you for this. His chest and stomach were covered in scars, cuts, and bruises of various sizes. Some had faded over time while others looked like they might only be a few days old. As he turned to lay his shirt on the couch behind him, you saw that his back was in a similar state.

“Oh my god. Matty….wh-what happened?” You stumbled forward and cupped his face in your hands, gazing into his slightly unfocused eyes. “I’m so sorry. I-I should have been here for this, whatever this is. I should have been here to help you. I..I..” Your tears began to flow once more.

Matt gently took your hand. “Hey, this is not your fault. Even if you had been here, it wouldn’t have changed anything.”

“What happened?”

“It’s complicated.”

As you began examining the injuries a little closer, you began to feel a little uneasy. You lightly brushed your fingers over one of the newest cuts. “Matt… some of these are fresh. Like, since after I’ve been staying with you, fresh. What is going on? How did you get these and why have you been hiding them?”

“I didn’t know how to explain it to you. I still don’t. So, I thought it was better to just hide them until I figured it all out. But I can’t let you think the reason I’ve been holding back has something to do with you. I just didn’t want you to see me like this,” he said.

You continued to examine the injuries “Does this have something to do with where you go at night? Are you in some weird, blind guy fight club or something? I remember you used to practice boxing like your dad, but boxing wouldn’t leave scars like this.”

“Yes, it has to do with where I go at night, but I can’t tell you more than that. Please let’s leave it at that.”

“Matt, I can’t just ignore this. If you’re in trouble…. If someone’s hurting you…. Let me help.”

He shook his head. “I can’t. Not yet at least. Please, just know I’m doing what I feel I have to and I’m being as careful as possible. That’s all I can say. I’m asking you to trust me and know that I will one day tell you everything. But not now. So, please, can you accept that?”

It made your heart physically ache to know that whatever was happening was still going on. That the next time he took off his shirt, new marks might be there and there was nothing you could do about it. Yet, years ago Matt had believed you, trusted you, when no one else did. He had given you the benefit of the doubt and didn’t push you for more information than you were comfortable sharing. How was it fair for you to demand more than that from him now?

Silently, you approached him, and he tensed as he felt you mere inches in front of him, unsure what was about to happen. You placed your hands on his bare chest and gently pushed until he fell back onto the couch. Sinking to your knees, you slotted yourself between his legs. You felt his breath hitch as his eyes grew wide.

Slowly, you leaned over and brushed your lips across the scar right at the base of his neck. Then, you slid your mouth over until it reached the bruise on his collarbone, and you placed another kiss there. You continued this pattern over every cut, every bruise, every scar. And in between kisses, you whispered, “Whatever the reason-” *kiss* “-I trust you.” *kiss* “And if you’re not ready to tell me-” *kiss* “-I can wait. Just please-” *kiss* “-please promise me you’re being careful.” *kiss* “I just got you back-” *kiss* “-and I’m not ready to lose you again.” *kiss*.

It took a long time, but you meticulously kissed each mark on his torso and stomach until you returned to his neck. Then, moving just a little higher, you hovered your face directly in front of his, so close you could feel the warmth radiating off his skin. You watched his throat bob as he swallowed sharply. And for the first time since you had been reunited, you whispered, “I love you, Matt Murdock.”

He surged forward, almost knocking you over as his mouth crashed into yours. There was a fire and passion behind his touch that you had not felt in many years. One hand twisted into your hair while the other wrapped around your waist, lifting you off your knees and onto his lap. He shifted forward, allowing you to wrap your legs around his waist with a moan. As your hands began trailing across his chest and dipping down lower, you pulled away from his mouth just enough to ask, “Are you sure?”

He nodded, nipping at your bottom lip. “I love you too. And I’m ready to let my actions speak louder than my words.”

You smiled as he recaptured your lips. You were still worried about what kind of trouble Matt might have gotten himself into, but at the moment, the only thoughts in your head were about you and the man you loved.

[dameronology]

you have my number {bucky barnes x reader}

summary: bucky barnes' memory is a little selective, thanks to all the brainwashing - but one thing he'll never forget is his love for you, even if you're a complete & utter pain in the ass. his ass. (based on deja vu by olivia rodigro)

^even tho this fic refers to bucky as having a new gf, the reader is still g.n :)

this is spoiler free! enjoyyy

- jazz xx

Your relationship with Bucky Barnes had been nothing short of a train wreck.

And frankly, that was putting it nicely.

It had been a short & passionate affair; intense and sweet and filled with so much emotion in such high concentrations that you'd both almost drowned in it. For every euphoric moment, there had been one so low that you'd scraped your knees on the ground. Climbing a ladder to heaven whilst simultaneously digging your own graves had taken its toll on you both, and eventually, you had no choice but to go your separate ways. It had been for your own sanity, really.

So there he was, tucked away in a neat little box in your brain, labelled don't touch, ever. Even when you were completely wasted, surrounded by your friends and their respective lovers, you never dared to venture back down that particular memory lane. Forgetting all the bad parts and selectively remembering the good parts was easy enough to do, but you had the common sense to remember why you'd broken up in the first place. Because Bucky Barnes, despite being easy on the eyes and having a charming sense of humour, was a pain in your fucking ass. He managed to press every one of your buttons without even trying and his ability to bring out the best in you was completely and entirely wiped out by his tendency to bring out the worst. That wasn't even getting started on his emotional hold-ups; a can of worms neither of you had dared to open until it became the very reason for your demise.

Six months had passed, and you'd managed to expertly avoid him. You worked different missions and Sam Wilson, god bless his sweet soul, went the extra mile to ensure your paths never crossed in a professional sense. On a personal level, however? That was a little more difficult. New York City felt a lot smaller after your break up. You found yourself occasionally ducking under your hood when you saw him on the F-train, or rushing to cross the road when you saw him coming towards you on the street.

That was when you had the whole city to lose yourself in; streets and shops and little food carts to distract yourself with should you need to. Being confined to the same room for a work party was a different story entirely, and one you didn't want to read. Yet, thanks to some insistence from your boss and a little grovelling from your colleagues, you found yourself rocking up to the former Avengers tower on a Friday night.

"So you do exist outside of your work uniform?" Sam Wilson greeted you with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah - nice to see you too, Wilson."

Despite your initial attempts to elbow him in the rips, he wrestled you off of him and pulled you into a tight hug. Sam was one of your favourite colleagues and oldest friends - he'd witnessed the rise and fall of your relationship with Bucky, and been there for you both during the break-up. That had been an exhausting few days, running between your respective apartments in an attempt to offer emotional support to you both.

"D'you want some champagne?" He asked.

"I'm good, but thank-"

You froze, eyes widening at the sight of James Barnes across the room. He looked quintessentially the same, bar for the fact his hair was a little longer and he had a fresh, pink scar under his left eye. Having ditched his usual attire for a black blazer, he looked good. Annoyingly so, in fact. It made you secretly grateful that you'd chosen to dress up a little more than usual too.

"- on second thoughts." You took the flute of champagne from Sam, also grabbing a shot of vodka from the same trey. It was gone in seconds.

"Need I ask?" Sam gave you a playful frown. His brown eyes followed your gaze over his shoulder, landing on the man you'd been staring at. "Ah. I need not."

"Sorry." You murmured. "We haven't actually spoken since, y'know."

"Since you had a break-up that made Ross and Rachel look good?"

"I don't think Bucky has ever seen Friends." You quipped.

"His loss." Sam shrugged. "You should talk to him."

"Nope." You snorted. "Absolutely not. I don't even know if he's moved on."

"Judging by the pretty blonde on his arm, I think he has," Sam replied. "Would you look at that! They're headed right for us."

That was a lot of information to process at once. You would have needed a week alone for your poor, tired brain to deal with the fact that Bucky had someone else on his arm, and a further three days to big yourself up enough to talk to him. Alas, that was not the case tonight. Instead, you had about five seconds between Sam finishing his sentence and your ex-boyfriend reaching you. It was just as well you found the energy within that timeframe to down your champagne.

You could see the woman on his arm clearer now. To give credit where credit was due, she stunning. She looked like the sort of girl who smelt of strawberries and Chanel, and grew her own vegetables on the fire escape. The kind of person you swore to be with every New Year that came, but quickly ditched after a week, returning to drinking coffee from the Starbucks under your apartment rather than going to the organic, vegan place a few blocks over. There was an ethereal glow about her and fuck. You were mad.

"Sam!" Bucky called out to his friend - for a minute, you thought he was ignoring you, before you realised he genuinely didn't recognise you. Your name rolled off his tongue with a tone of uncertainty, as though he was learning a new language and still learning how to pronounce things. "Wow. You look...different."

"So do you." You shot back. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Katie." He awkwardly smiled. "My...my girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you." You forced an equally pained grin, taking her hand in a shake.

"How do you and Bucky know each other?" She asked.

"Work." Bucky quickly said. You thinned your eyes at him, almost in disbelief.

"So you're an Avenger like these two?" Katie asked, clearly not picking up on the tension. "That's so cool."

"Not in an official capacity." You replied. "But they'd be fucked without me."

--

The night only got longer from there, really.

There wasn't enough champagne in the world to help the void in your soul. It was a gaping wound that Bucky Barnes had both filled and widened - and tonight, he was doing the latter. It sounded as though him and Katie were having a grand ol' time of it. From the parts of the conversation that you'd actually bothered to listen to, you'd gathered that she'd arrived in New York from London just over three months ago. That meant she had a fucking accent. Of course she did. It made everything she said a thousand times more interesting.

"We were in Paris, in this little cafe. What was it called, babe? Maison de vie?"

"Maison de l'amour, doll." Bucky corrected her. It had only sounded right when he was calling you that.

Your eyes shot up from your drink, immediately staring daggers at them both. The slimy bastard. You had been the one to show him that place. You'd been in Paris for a mission, and after realising it was your four-month anniversary, you'd taken him there for pancakes. It had been a slow morning, filled with hazy eyes and pink skies, and it had ended with him dropping the L-bomb for the first time. The photo you'd taken of Bucky, sat beside a pile of pancakes the same size of him and with whipped cream on his chin, had been your phone background until the day you broke up.

"I've been there." You didn't break away from his gaze, holding cold blue eyes in a trance that he found to be almost suffocating.

"Oh, nice!" Katie beamed. "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah." You sniffed. "The company was shit, though."

"Oh, man." She replied. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's not your fault." You gave her a sweet smile - to Bucky, it was a look of venom. "So, tell me more about your trip to Paris."

He quickly cleared his throat. "We didn't do much. Just a weekend getaway-"

"- are you forgetting that we saw Billy Joel?" Katie cut him off with a laugh. "The Billy Joel!"

"Right." It looked as though his mouth had gone completely dry.

"He told me he loved me for the first time to Uptown Girl-"

"-excuse me for a moment." You shoved your glass in her hand, before backing away from your little huddle.

Your brain was focused on getting away and only on getting away. The room suddenly felt a thousand times hotter, and a thousand times smaller too, as though the walls were closing in on you. Maybe that wouldn't have been so bad if they'd just collapsed around you and swallowed you fucking whole. Anything to get away from this situation.

Making a beeline for the balcony doors, you elbowed them open and stepped outside. The cold air of the rooftop gardens was a welcome contrast to the stuffy indoors, biting, night air hitting your face like an icy hug. The sounds of the city rung below you - sirens and yells and tourists - and tangled into the faint sound of the music, all parts of a world that your brain was working overtime to block out.

You focused on the city instead, using the bright lights of the surrounding buildings to anchor you to reality. None of it really even made sense - you were over Bucky. Had been for a long time. It was just the thought of him doing all the things that he'd done with you, with someone else. It made you feel a little bad for Katie, too.

"I was going to tell you about Billy Joel."

You glanced over your shoulder, giving a derivative snort. "Piss off, Bucky."

"I'm serious." He ignored your demand, cautiously approaching you.

"I brought you those tickets!" You turned around to face him. "We were meant to go together. Billy Joel was our thing."

"We broke up!' He reminded you. "Like I said, I was going to tell you that we went together-"

"- I don't care." You cut him off. "I genuinely don't care."

"That was a lot of storming off for someone who doesn't care."

"Okay, maybe I care a little bit." You huffed, taking a seat on a bench. "It's not even that you're with someone else, it's that you're doing all the things we did. The nicknames, the pancake place, the concert."

"I..." Bucky took a seat beside you, pondering for a moment.

"And declaring your love for someone to Uptown Girl is fucking weird." You muttered.

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

"Vienna, obviously."

"You're such a pain in the ass." Bucky replied. "But for what it's worth, I wasn't thinking of Katie in that moment."

You glanced up at him, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"D'you remember that morning when we were in New Orleans?" He asked. "And we had a few hours to kill before our flight, so you started dancing around the hotel room to Uptown Girl?"

"I remember." You softly smiled.

"That was when I realised I loved you." He admitted. "I was replaying that in my head at the concert, and it just kinda came out, and Katie heard."

"Damn." You muttered. "Sucks to be her, huh?"

"I like Katie." He said. "Truth be told, doll, I'm still stuck in the past a little bit. With you, and with what we had."

"We fucking hated each other by the end, Buck."

"I know, but I mean all the stuff before that." He explained. "You were the first person who saw me for who I am and not what I've done. The first person that actually made me feel loved and worthy."

"I do try."

He lightly elbowed you "I'm serious. I think I'm just projecting my longing for what we had onto my current relationship."

"You're being painfully honest tonight." You observed. "It's fucking weird."

"Who taught me to be painfully honest?"

"Right." You rolled your eyes. "So this is how Frankenstein felt when he created his monster."

"You're the worst," Bucky muttered. "I genuinely am sorry, though. I shouldn't be recycling our memories. I should make new ones.'

Dusting off your trousers, you stood up. "You're right."

"Thank you, though."

"For what?"

"For finding me first," He replied, "and for teaching me what love is."

"Well, if you ever need to be reminded? You have my number."