#they showed her where to get weapons and how to join battles and the two became battle buddies real quick

[arolesbianism]

I recently decided to semi revive some of my crusty dusty splatoon ocs from when I was like 12, so here’s all of the goobers! Meet Cherry (she/her), Slosh (he/they), Egg (they/them), and Blast (she/they)

[seth-shitposts]

just some thoughts.

Kallus keeps every single item he's ever been given.

For the longest time, that had only been the bo-rifle. Which he lost when his cover was blown.

And then there was the meteorite, another item he kept close to his person because of its daily significance to him. Which is also MIA.

At first, no one really noticed.

When he first joined the rebellion, he had nothing. Which wasn't strange. What was strange was that it stayed that way for a long while. A few unsavory rebels poked, prodded, and speculated that it was the Imperial in him. But he always shook their taunts off, having more important things to attend to.

Sabine was the first to give him a gift. She painted his old imperial chest plate and he keeps it as a decorative piece. He had wanted to get rid of the armor initially, but she talked him out of it. Now he knows why and he can't really bring himself to part with it now that the teen has put her own personal touch on to it.

After four months in the rebellion officially, it had been the first and only item to be in his room.

A few weeks later, he wobbles into his room after a long shift and finds a laser-cut stone statue of a loth cat. It's unquestionably an item left by the rebellions own loth cat, Ezra. Kallus smiles to himself and makes it a center piece on his counter.

One morning he had invited Kanan over for caf... well, more so Kanan offered to bring Kallus some of his favourite to brew. Kallus tried to have them meet somewhere in HQ or perhaps in the ghost, or even in one of the rec rooms. Kanan explained that he wanted something where it could be more quiet, as he had something important to speak about with Kallus. Kallus reluctantly agreed and managed to get a hold of a caf brewer. He realized he made a fatal miscalculation when Kanan showed up and Kallus didn't have a single cup. Kanan had just laughed and said that he had a feeling that was the case. Kanan pulled out a few mugs he had taught himself how to make back on Atollon. He gifted them to Kallus, who uses them frequently. (He has acquired quite a collection over time. At one point, everyone who he considers friends has gifted him at least one mug each, he has a collection of 38 mugs.)

There's been a few more times when Kallus has returned to his room to find random items and nick-nacks from Ezra. His current favourite is one of Pryce's stolen helmets that Ezra had Sabine paint.

Kallus is quite fond of weapon that he helped Wolffe and Gregor steal from am imperial auction. It's beyond repair, but it was from the same line of Canon blasters that helped them win many battles back in the clone wars.

One of Kallus’s favourite Hera gifts is the miniature self-piloting ship that circles the ceiling of his room. She had made it in her down time, one day when she had scrap pieces she was fiddling with while he was working. Eventually, the two fell into a pattern of Hera working on some small project while Kallus read a book that Rex or Cassian usually gifted him. She usually also had him tell her whatever the latest interpersonal spectacles were hot in rumors.

Kallus doesn't question the continously growing number of Imperial rank badges that Chopper likes to keep in Kallus's room and have Kallus help him rearrange into a pattern. Chopper is taking after Sabine, in a light. The droid is very particular about how he wants the badges arranged. It's growing into quite an abstract work.

Rex and AP-5 have both given Kallus a dozen plants. Separately. AP-5 enjoys to talk about his interest in plants for hours during his down time. Kallus listens to every speech about the care that goes into them, the importance of their specific roles in the environment that supports them, and their scientific uses. Rex enjoys telling stories of his past related to each plant he brings Kallus. The soldier attaches the memory of old friends to a plant that reminds him of them. And he told Kallus that something about him just reads as plant caretaker. And Kallus still has no reason to doubt a single hunch from Rex because he has yet to let a single plant that either he or AP-5 has ever brought him die. He's managed to not only keep every single plant alive, but also thriving.

Ths growing number of plants pulled a chuckle from Zeb one day, cracking a joke about how he feels like he stepped into a different type of jungle.

The gifts that Zeb have given Kallus are numerous, all seemingly unrelated, yet distinctly Zeb. Furniture he made from wood he found in Yavin's jungle, gems he snagged from imperial black market auctions that he made into a wind chime, minor items that are fascinating to just hold and fidget with, a weighted blanket that Zeb stitched together himself, jewelry that Zeb said reminded him of Kallus. Quite a few of the gifts were made by hand. A number of others had practical uses to them. And some just given because "I looked at it and thought of you". The day that Zeb gave him a Lasana tunic, Kallus was left at a loss for words. The fabric was the most comfortable texture he had ever held, the colors were soft and gentle. Zeb told Kallus he made himself, every stitch, every color had an intent, a meaning behind them. He tried it on for the other and fell in love with how right it felt to wear, how comfortable it was, and most of all for the soft look in Zeb's eyes when he showed him. The top portion was sleeveless and backless, the cloth collar covering most of his neck and layered over his chest. The waist was contrastingly snug and hugged him fittedly. The pants we loose and airy, before the fabric around the ankles clung to his skin once more. The smile never left either of their faces the whole time.

[gingerlurk]

Lovers' Crest | Chapter 20: The Confessional II

Din Djarin x f!Reader

Masterlist

Summary: Din has left it all too late as his fears are realised.

Word count: 5k

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, slow burn, non-canon (the Razor Crest never gets destroyed, it also gets upgraded with a cabin), post season 3, Mo blood, injured Reader, Hurt/Comfort (if I have ever written a self-indulgent hurt/comfort fic in my life, it’s this chapter), lots of feelings.

A/N: We're nearly there, omg. Every single one of you who's joined me on this journey and let me know you're enjoying this story, you're SO wonderful. Thanks for reading!

--

Din rips at your flight harness, nearly pulling it from the seat in the effort to get you up. He shouts your name but you’re limp and silent, lifeless. Grogu watches with wide horrified eyes as Din hauls you, limbs dangling, into his arms. 

He yells to R5 to keep the ship on an even keel.

‘Grogu. With me. We need. Lay her down.’ He grunts out the words in stuttered bursts of breath, moving to the door.

‘Pah!’ Still in his pod, the baby unbuckles to follow the hulking shape of Din carrying you through the cockpit, dropping into the hold, across to the cabin. He floats into the cabin behind the frantic Mandalorian and your unconscious form, hovering nervously and murmuring as his father lays you down before turning to him. 

Din lifts Grogu from the pod.

He settles the child next to you, by your hip so his little hands are just in reach of the wound, and seats himself on your other side – framing you between the two of them. He takes out a small knife and slices away your leather tunic to expose the short metal object that Grogu spotted when you had leaned back in your cockpit chair. It is pulsing with a low hum and the skin around the foreign object is riddled with gooseflesh. Sweat pools across the plains of your abdomen and in the hollow of your neck. You shudder. 

‘Grogu,’ Din hovers above you both. He takes one, steadying breath. ‘I need you to be strong for her now.’ 

He points to the small hilt sticking from your middle. Grogu murmurs, gazing between it and Din with unease.

‘This is a phase blade,’ he explains. ‘It is an ultrafine weapon that a war trooper must have slipped in when she was fighting. She would have barely noticed it going in, but now it is buried deep and is making her bleed inside her body. Do you understand what I mean by that, Grogu?’

‘Ebbe?’

‘It’s hurting her inside her body where we can’t see. And if I start to pull it from her, it will activate an energy field that is going to make it worse, more bleeding, more damage inside of her.’

His voice cracks for a moment. He blinks back tears from behind his helmet, seeing the charts on his vision array showing your staccato heart rate and plunging BP blur and distort. He shakes his head and focuses on the child’s face. 

‘It’s designed that way, d’you understand?’ he goes on. ‘They use it to kill even after a battle ends. It’s impossible to remove without killing her.’

Grogu gives a little wail of despair, leaning into your limp form.

‘But y’can save her, buddy.’

‘Eeeh?’ Din’s son gives him a disbelieving look. He really doesn’t know - how powerful he is?

‘Remember Greef Karga?’ he says, leaning closer to the tiny child. ‘Remember the creature’s attack on Navarro? You saved him. You can save her.’

From where you lay, you convulse slightly and thick blood oozes across your hip and onto the bed. Your chest rises in shallow, hyperventilating breaths. His voice gets urgent.

‘You’re stronger now than you were then, so much stronger. You can do this. As I draw out the blade… heal her as it goes. Make the bleeding and the hurt stop. Can you do that?’ 

The baby’s ears twitch as he looks up to where your head lays lolled on its side. He looks terrified.

‘Please, kid,’ the desperation in Din’s voice pulls Grogu’s eyes back to him. ‘Please, you have to do this, I need h—’

Fuck, take a breath, Fuck.

‘I need you to try your best.’

Grogu seems to steel himself. He reaches out and presses both hands to your entry wound. Din takes the petite hilt of the blade in hand and braces a forearm against your ribcage. He watches as the child closes both gigantic eyes and focuses, tilting his head progressively up and up like he’s summoning the universe to him. Din observes his breathing pick up and his little forehead scrunch tight. 

‘Ehhhhh,’ Grogu looks pained, straining. His little mouth opens and closes a few times before settling into a hard frown. Then, without opening his eyes, he gives one tiny resolute nod.

Din takes a long breath in and counts… three, two…  

He pulls.

‘Hhhhrrrrrngh!’ You wail and arch off the mattress, pushing into Din’s forearm with a surprising force. He leans forward to put more weight on you and grips the blade tighter. It’s barely moved a millimetre but you and Grogu are both shaking violently. 

Just keep going. Stay steady.

Another pull and hot crimson spurts from the wound, splashing across the view of his visor. You jerk as if struck, arching again. His grip slips off the hilt. Panic rises. He feels like he might black out. Flushing hot and cold, the air in his lungs turning icy and his blood setting to boil.

Furious regret tears at him. Worlds, curse him. He’s wasted so much time. Holding onto the hurt, onto the shame, and the anger. Why? Why couldn’t he have let go sooner. Why couldn’t he have just talked to you. If he’d just tried. Just understood you better.

Fucking focus.

Retaking the handle, he channels everything down to his hand and the blade. It’s not you he’s killing right now; it’s just his hand and this blade. That’s all it is. His hand, this blade, he chants it over and over as more of the quivering weapon comes free.

His hand, this blade. His hand, this blade. His hand, this cursed, evil, fucking, going to kill his--

The weapon draws out, deactivating the second it breaks contact with flesh. Din hurls it into a med tin and shakes his hand, as if to get the menace off him. He looks back to you, reads your still sporadic vitals. Your lips are white and you’re puffing hard through clenched teeth. Your wound is still leaking blood. Too much blood.

He’s on the verge of weeping. But he concentrates instead on Grogu, whose claws are sunk deep into your skin as he continues shaking and grunting. The child is giving everything he has. 

Din Djarin looks between the two of you. His whole fucking world. He’s losing a part of it. Maybe for good this time. He’s been so foolish. 

Fresh tears come. His vision shifts out of focus and, instead of your two quivering bodies, he sees the spray of blood across his visor. Your blood. A wretched reminder of how tortured he’s been since you returned. Empty while you were gone, he’s been on fire from the moment you looked at him as you stood at that damned forge saying you’d fight for them. Each time he’d watched you from afar, desperate to go to you but drilled to the spot, it burned. His desire to see you, to actually see you. 

It’s time. It might be too damn late, but it’s time. 

He reaches and pulls his helmet up, off. Deposits it over you onto the bed. He sits back and puts a hand to Grogu’s back and the other to your uninjured side, drawing the two of you together, holding you as close as he is able.

Whatever happens, he needs to hold you both close, for as long as he can.

‘Come on, Grogu,’ Din leans in. ‘You can do this, you can. You’re so strong, stronger than any—’

Grogu gives a long pained sigh of effort and flops forward, head resting next to the spot where – thank all the worlds – your wound has closed over into a puckered, angry looking scar. Your breathing is evening out and you slowly come to stillness.

Even as the child lays there wheezing, the wound continues to lighten and shrink, the connection between you and he potent and enduring.

Din becomes aware of his own hammering heart, his staggered breathing. Sighing out every ounce of fear and panic that had consumed him these past few minutes, he looks at you. 

He gives himself a moment to take you in. Traces the side profile of your face where your head has turned away. Relishes in the way your eyelashes flutter, and your lower lip quivers a little. The way you’re breathing more normally with each passing moment. 

He gives himself a moment to think about the colour of your eyes, wonders if his visor’s vision array has ever truly conveyed their beauty.

Then he gives his son a reassuring pat.

Grogu’s eyes slip open and he looks at his father in wonder. Din smiles.

--

It’s so much pain. 

Great crumbling walls of it. Savage spikes impaling your very core. You fall back away from it, toward some dense murky nothingness. That’s what you’re aiming for – just for the relief – when something else reaches down and wraps around you. A coil of earnest embrace. A branch of tender love. It takes hold and gives a single strong entreaty. Come back. As it strengthens its hold, the excruciation eases. The agony releases.

And so you turn back.

Push through a dense fog, swim back to consciousness. It feels endless. White haze claws at you, but the warm light waits not far away. You drag yourself to it. It takes effort. So much effort. You have to call on the weary presence within you to rise up, haul on it like a rope out of there. Reaching, grasping, breaking the surface tension with a long, strained inhale.

The first thing you sense is Din’s voice.

‘Sshh, cyar’ika,’ he’s whispering. ‘That’s it, take it slow. There’s no hurry.’

You hear yourself groan then. Feel filtered cabin air settle on your skin. Smell earthy sweat and the tang of blood, and under those something achingly known. More out of curiosity than any desire to expose them to light, you blink one eye open a little, then the other. And then you feel confusion. Because through blurred eyesight, what you see makes no sense. With your head rolled to the side, you’re looking at the unoccupied half of the bed. Except it’s not totally unoccupied.

Maybe you haven’t woken up, after all.

Din’s helmet rests on the blankets. Empty and cold, no life behind the visor. 

You sense him sitting on your other side. Hear his steady inhales and exhales, clear and unmodulated. Feel the heat of his thigh pressed into your side. 

‘Din?’ you say, voice croaky and weak, still staring at the lone helmet. You can’t bring yourself to move, to turn. You can only raise a shaky hand to press a finger to the cool metal. A flood of feeling at the contact you’ve ached for, you trace over it, follow the streak of dried blood spattered there. Draw a thumb down the high arch of its side. A caress you’ve longed for.

‘I’m here,’ he says.

‘You’re not…’ Still looking at the helmet. You notice his gloves and gauntlets also discarded on the bed. ‘You’re…’

‘It’s okay,’ he says, throaty and barely above a whisper. ‘You can look.’

‘Are you,’ you struggle to keep tears from blurring your sight even more. Blink hard to clear them, hiss in a breath. ‘Are you s- sure?’

The sensation of two fingers gently pressing to your cheek makes you gasp. If you weren’t already lying down, you’re sure you’d collapse. You screw your eyes shut again as, with a tender push, he tilts your head to turn to him. 

He sighs, pulls his hand away. ‘Please,’ he rasps. ‘Let me see you.’

Come on, you tell yourself. This is all you’ve ever wanted.

So you focus where you think his hands will be, likely resting in his lap. You blink a little when you see them there – those strong, capable hands. Thick fingers, veins tracing over knuckles, over his wrists, and up to where his forearm disappears into a sleeve. You follow that up to one shoulder, dart from it across to the other. No pauldrons. Land in between. No cuirass. 

In your peripheral vision, above the chest you’re staring hard at, you register dark hair framing indistinct features. Dark hair you already know to curl around his ears and fan over his forehead, from touching him blind and from that one scant glimpse before the battle. You’d been so eager then. So desperate. And now…

He murmurs your name. ‘Look at me, please.’

Tracing the line of his neck, the edge of his jaw, you sweep your eyes up to meet Din’s. 

A plush lower lip purses just a little, as he releases a breath like he’d held it his whole life. You struggle to breathe at all, drinking in the glorious sight. Lungs burn as you slot each tiny detail into the image in your head. There’s so much to take in, but his eyes… My gods, his eyes.

Deep, and dark, and bottomless. They match his voice so perfectly, that velvety timbre you know so well, you’re amazed you hadn’t known their hue and tone all along.

He gazes back, absorbing you. Irises like onyx marbles roll over your face, opening you up and exposing you completely. Tears start to threaten you again just from the sheer overwhelming sensation of making eye contact with Din.

‘Mmm, weh,’ a gentle murmur pierces the spell, has you glancing down.

‘Baby, hey,’ you whisper to Grogu, who’s tucked into your hip squinting up at you. You prop yourself on an elbow. ‘Oh, you look so tired. Why aren’t you resting?’

‘He’s been waiting,’ Din says, drawing your eyes back to his, where you struggle not to get lost in their fathoms again. Gods, this is the face of the Gods. ‘To make sure you’re alright.’

You look back to the child, whose own huge eyes blink languidly. You can see the effort he’s making to keep them open. You remember then, what he did. Grogu reaching for you as you sunk into a murky oblivion. Giving you the life raft to let you drag your way back. Saving you.

‘Hey, kiddo,’ you reach over and let him take hold of a forefinger with his little claw. Enclose it with a thumb. ‘See? I’m okay now. I’m okay.’

‘Emm?’

‘Yeah, you did good. You can rest now. Thank you.’

Grogu gives a lazy nod of his head, exhaling and cooing to the two of you. He pushes himself up and moves toward his pod, tentative little steps and huffs of air until he’s seated comfortably among the blankets. Pawing at the controls, he drifts out of the cabin and you listen for the shift of his hatch, open and then close.

Moving the hand he’d grasped to rest on your stomach, you feel it. Raised skin, threaded and uneven. Fingers trace back and forth over the new scar.

‘What was that? What happened to me?’ you ask, gazing up at the man sitting beside you, at his soft mouth, his sharp nose, his knit-together brow – his gorgeous features. 

A shadow crosses them as Din leans down and picks up a little metal tray. A tiny hilt with no blade rattles inside it. He lets you get a look at it before tossing it back on the floor like it’s tainted. You suppose it is.

‘Fuck,’ you huff an exhale, lean back. ‘Dicey.’

‘That would be putting it fucking mildly,’ he says, glaring at the offending weapon. How had you failed to notice a damned phase blade? When did it even happen? What would have happened to you if Din hadn’t— If he hadn’t been with you? You pull in a long breath of air.

‘How many times is it you’ve saved my life now?’ you ask. 

Eyes so soft and deep lock onto yours. You’re not prepared. They’re so expressive, you can read every single ounce of feeling in them. Longing, and fear, and some deep sad pain that breaks you wide open right from your chest.

The swell of emotion rises so swift it chokes you and slurs your words. But you force them out. As fast as you’re able over the short shallow panting that starts ramping up a staccato beat.

‘I’m sorry,’ you gasp. ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Gods. Din, I’m so- s- I—'

He’s leaning in, head shaking just a little.

‘I was scared,’ you push on, words bursting out over rising sobs. It’s been too much. It’s been too long. ‘I was just so fucking sc- scared. And confused. And like I was just lost? I’m sorry, fuh, ah, I’m so--’

‘Stop,’ he speaks over you. ‘Stop, please.’ 

But you can’t. You can’t stop. The dam you’ve been straining against dissolves into a torrent. Chest heaving and hands shaking, you scrunch your eyes shut and weep.

It’s when Din bends forward and takes your face in his hands, swipes a thumb over a tear-streaked cheek and whispers, ‘It wasn’t your fault,’ that you still. At the sound of your name, murmured and desperate, you open your eyes to see his own just inches away.

‘I understand,’ he says, looking right through you, brows pulled in and expression pleading. ‘I understand now.’

He holds you there for a long, agonising stretch. Faces so close your breaths merge, brush against the cooling moisture on your skin. It’s when your mouth parts just a little, and his gaze drops there for a second, that he seems to return to himself and sits back.

Bereft for a moment, caught off guard by how just a few moments of his touch has your body thrumming, you stay quiet. You lay still and watch him gather himself, readying his words. You know this posture, know what it looks like when he’s preparing to open up. The added details of his jaw working and forehead creasing in contemplation are not lost on you – in fact, they put your heart in your throat. Yet still, in this moment, you have no idea what he’s going to say. 

Sure enough, his words take you out.

‘A while ago,’ he says. ‘Through a misstep in fate, I possessed a weapon that could have allowed me to rule Mandalore. As Bo-Katan does now.’

This out-of-nowhere revelation has you asking before you can think, ‘Why didn’t you? Why aren’t you?’

‘Well, among many other reasons,’ he makes a gesture like politics and such. With a head tilt you know well, you nearly die to learn it comes with a single eyebrow arched high in sardonic humour. You feel giddy, but keep still and listen. ‘It was… heavy,’ he continues, expression dropping to neutral again. ‘Too heavy. Being a part of my Covert is about belonging. But this was something different. I did not have the want to carry that weight. To be pulled down. Bound.’

The word pierces right through your chest. ‘Bound?’

It’s a tiny squeak, the way you say it. Bursting out of you as you see him in all new light. Familiar light. He moves a hand over you to touch your forearm, strokes there in comfort – a reflex that he doesn’t seem to make note of. It makes your skin sing. 

‘Mmhm,’ he says, looking at you. ‘The thing you fear? I understand it. I should’ve understood it all along, but I was blinded by—’ He cuts himself off, swallows hard. 

‘Anyway, I am sorry for that,’ he says, whispering your name again. ‘I am so, so sorry.’

You’re trying to find the words to say he has nothing to be sorry for. To tell him you’d carried remorse and guilt with you across most of the galaxy. That you’d do anything to go back to before that cursed day and talk to him. Tell him these things before it had all become too late. But he continues before you can. 

‘And I’m sorry that I have been… since you got here, that I’ve…’

‘It’s okay,’ you say, when you see him struggling to keep going.

‘It’s not,’ he says. ‘It’s not okay, I was just- Shit, I was just so furious…’

‘I know,’ you murmur, ready to accept this and beg forgiveness. ‘I know you were angry with me, and, and I underst—’

‘I wasn’t angry with you,’ he interrupts.

‘But I- I hurt you so badly, I--’ you say, unable to believe him. Tears encroach again. ‘And- and I was here and you weren’t, and I didn’t know if you’d ever speak to me again, and I--' 

‘I was hurting, that’s true,’ he says, warm hand continuing its motions on your arm. It hasn’t stopped for one second. ‘But so were you. And I wasn’t angry with you.’

‘What?’

He leans the elbow of the arm not caressing yours on a knee, shifts a little closer. Drawing a deep breath to speak, he gives you another wounded look. An intense wave of gooseflesh ripples over you.

‘You being here,’ he says. ‘I couldn’t stand it.’

You must look fit to break because he rushes on. 

‘You being here, in danger. From the moment you stood in front of everyone and said you’d fight, I’ve been,’ he drags a hand through mussed curls, searches for words, ‘drowning, in fury and fear. When you told us your plan for the walker… Fuck-- I was livid.’

Paying attention to the tender muscles in your abdomen, you nudge yourself upright. Shuffle a little until you’re sitting up facing him, drawn in by what he’s saying.

‘That’s what you were angry about?’ you ask. ‘That I came back to fight?’

He shakes his head. ‘I was angry that you were risking your life. That you wanted to fight our battles. That they were letting you. After what I did? How I let you go?’

Din stops there for a moment, works his jaw some more and swallows like he’s trying to not choke. Grips your arm hard. He looks tortured.

‘I should never have let it get to that moment by the forge, that day you left,’ he whispers, voice tight and just under control. ‘But I wasn’t, wasn’t paying attention. I was so afraid… The idea of you in a war that wasn’t yours to fight… All I could think about was how I could protect you. If I even could.’ 

His eyes are glossy as they stare over your shoulder. Your fingers itch to touch him. ‘And when you did run… I thought at least, at least you’d be safer that way.’ 

Din takes a sharp hiss through clenched teeth.

‘But I was a fool,’ he says. ‘To not realise that whether you had run that day or not, you still would have ended up here, because of your bravery, and loyalty. Because of me. And I couldn’t stop it-- I couldn’t-- Fuck.' He lets go of you to drop his head into both hands. ‘And you almost just fucking died, right here-- All my fears were—'

This time you’re the one reaching out, clutching at arms and wrists and trying to shush and still him. You lift his head and you’re inches apart again. You mutter at him to look at you, look right here, I’m okay … Just look. I’m here.

He sighs hard and stares. Tears shining in the corners of his eyes, they shift back and forth across your face. Your fingers tingle where they dig into his hair. Heart thunders. A white hot current crackles through your arms and across your chest, sends sparks up the back of your neck. 

‘I’m here,’ you say again, voice breaking only a little.

‘You’re here,’ he whispers back. As he calms, clenched jaw relaxing, he leans into one of your palms. Just a little, without breaking eye contact. Although you do see, for the barest second, a soft pink tongue dart out to swipe his lower lip.

But he doesn’t move, just keeps looking at you – waiting for you to choose what to do next.

It’s not that you don’t want to keep holding him like this, to pull him closer, wrap yourself around him entirely. Not let go. It’s not that you wouldn’t give anything in the galaxy to simply press your forehead to his, nudge his nose with yours, press your mouth to—

It’s just that you’re on a threshold you’re not yet ready to step over. There’s things you want to say first. Answers you still need. Somehow, doubt there still about whether he wants the same thing.

So you pull back. Not much. Just enough to bring his features into focus again. Drop your hands to rest between you. He seems to will himself to relax and settle back as well, understanding the air between you is a volatile thing, and you should move forward carefully.

Into the silence, picking at the covers on the bed, you do let a little insecurity out. Just let yourself say it.

‘Well, here for as long as I’m allowed to be anyway,’ you mumble, hoping it conveys the question you’re too afraid to ask. Can I stay?

Din doesn’t say anything at first, but his eyes roam over you and you have to fight not to squirm under his gaze. Not react to the heat it’s building within you.

He moves a hand to you again and that heat flares. But rather than touching you, he lands it on the armour guard still clipped to your shoulder. A piece of the set the Armourer had had made for you.

‘You have come to be more accepted here than you realise,’ he says. You sense his thumb tracing back and forth over a specific spot, a tender caress. Tilting your head to the side to try to see, you can just make out a scorched tear where an enemy weapon must have grazed over the leather – and the dark grey steel underneath it.

‘What?’ You move your hand across as Din fluidly unclasps the piece so you can take hold of it and get a proper look.

Cradling it, you gaze up in disbelief. 

‘Beskar?’

‘Mmhm,’ he affirms. You look back down, draw your own thumb over the split to feel the cold bite of sacred steel.

‘I don’t understand.’ Tears prickle your eyes. One falls to land on Din’s thumb where it has come to rest over yours. He palms it into a fist, draws it back.

‘You will,’ he replies, voice soft. ‘Soon. There’s things for you to know, when we return to the Covert.’

His tone draws you from the shoulder piece back to his face – he’s nervous, hesitant, trying to not spook the wild thing before him.

The you of several months ago would have let what he just said set you on a panic spiral. Let it burrow into all your insecurities and trauma. Let it put a wall around you.

But the you of right now fends it off, reminding yourself that the price was just too damn high. The cost of giving in to fear and paranoia would end up destroying you. You know this now. Just trust him, you tell yourself. Remember what he said. Just be patient.

So you give a nod, an acknowledgement that you’ll wait to learn more. He relaxes a little.

Still, you have to work to not fret about what’s to come. So in the quiet that follows, your mind wanders back to the battle instead. Scenes and snippets dance across your consciousness. One thing jumps out at you, and you blurt it out.

‘Hey, why’d your jetpack cut out?’ you ask. He starts at your sudden turn in this conversation, but goes with it.

He looks embarrassed though. ‘Um, that’s…’ he mumbles, rubs palms together. ‘It’s only really powerful enough to carry just the one… person.’

‘Ah, too much weight?’ you ask.

At his chagrined look, a short laugh bursts out of you – breathy and full of relief. In response, Din smiles, with lips curving and teeth showing. The sight punches the air from your lungs.

‘Guess I’ll have to see about an upgrade,’ he says dryly.

Hells, and you’re gonna let that sit with you for a bit.

More bits come back. The miraculous course of events is overwhelming now that adrenaline and shock aren’t flooding your system.

‘And how would you have taken out Cephlate’s ship if I wasn’t here?’ you wonder aloud. ‘If I was still on the ground with…’

‘I don’t know,’ he admits. ‘I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.’

‘You had the second controls installed…’ Din shrugs, tips his chin and looks up at the ceiling, you see the faintest crawl of a blush on his neck. It’s charming as hell.

‘Let’s call it… hopeful planning,’ he offers. ‘I wanted to be prepared for anything.’

‘You were,’ you breathe. ‘You always are.’ He smiles again. You could get so used to that.

Another question bubbles up, but Din senses it and shushes you.

‘We can do a full forensic later – and talk more, I swear. But I think we’re about to—’ R5’s binary burbles a warning over the ship intercom. ‘Run low on fuel,’ Din finishes. 

He examines you with an ‘okay to move?’ kind of expression and you nod.

As you each move to stand, careful to give space to the other, the sensations of your body rush into your awareness. Unpleasant, irritated, and clammy.

You stop in the doorway, turn back. ‘Um, D- Din?’

He straightens from collecting his helmet and turns to you, listening.

‘When we’ve landed, can I-- would there be time for me to…’ You raise an arm covered in dried blood to rub it across your neck, caked in dust. Drop it to the cut-away hole exposing your abdomen, also bloody. Dither before thinking hells with it. Just ask. ‘Would it be okay for me to use the fresher quick?’ You mumble it out in a rush. Grubby and self-conscious. ‘I just…’

‘Of course,’ he says, voice a low rumble. ‘Anything.’

Not long later, you stand under the warm stream of water revelling in the sensation. You know you don’t have much time, but you linger long enough to feel yourself seeping back into your skin. Coming home. Rivulets of cleansing moisture travel down your body, as you let the dirt and the blood and the months on months of heartbreak wash off and away.

--

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[yujo-nishimura]

The Escape - Part 7

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

In the evening the whole village is captured and tied to the post, Buggy being in a good mood has shown mercy and not killed the tribesmen, but just plundered their houses and immobilized them. The moment when the captain reunited with his crew was kind of touching. Everyone jumped towards Buggy, even the monstrous lion and they all hugged him, some of the men even shed a tear or two. The lion was introduced to you as Richie, belonging to Mohji, a supposedly beast tamer. "And who do we have here, a young and ambitious lady in tattered clothes?" Cabaji inquires, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity and amusement. Positioned beside Buggy, his stance and mannerisms strongly suggest that he holds a significant role within the crew, quite possibly serving as Buggy's right-hand man and perhaps even his vice captain.

“Her name is Y/n and she has made my journey much easier. You can all thank her that we have reunited here again.” 

Cabaji steps towards you, reaches for your hand to blow a kiss on it, but Buggy doesn't let him and pushes him away with full force. “No touching!”, he yells and you laugh. 

“Nice to meet you all.”, you say, honestly happy that the clown pirate seemed to have such a loyal and diverse crew, their individuality perfectly complementing Buggy's charismatic and eccentric character. “Thank you for helping our captain!” everybody shouts and then Cabaji smiles at you “Please join our party on the boat tonight. This reunion needs to be celebrated!”

As you haven't figured out your next step yet, you just nod and agree - maybe the Buggy pirates can lend you some weapons and provisions before you continue your journey alone. 

You help carry the plundered bounty, food and treasures found in some of the houses of the tribesman back to the ship - the sun has already set and despite everyone being tired from the battle of the day, the spirits are high and everyone is looking eagerly forward to the celebration.

You still feel the wine from Gaimons party rumbling in your belly from the other night, but you are looking forward to getting a proper meal since the last time you ate you only had some dried fish. 

You observe Buggy taking charge at the shore, providing guidance to his men on where to bring the captured goods. As the ship bustles with renewed activity, the crew members engage in exchanges, their voices resounding through the air as they issue commands and coordinate preparations for the grand celebration. You follow Mohji and Cabaji who walk ahead and you step foot on the spacious ship of the Buggy pirates for the first time. After being only on a tiny raft this feels much more safe and secure. “Do you want to maybe check our downstairs quarters for some clothes? Yours look like…”  His face tells you everything and you nod, slightly ashamed. Cabaji called you a lady earlier, but you don't feel like one anymore in these torn clothes. “Yeah, they have survived a storm, but I think it's time for me to get something more appropriate…” 

“Show Y/n where she can change clothes!”, you hear Buggy yell at Mohji, in all this commotion he still has not forgotten about you. 

“Aye, Captain!”Mohji with a wave of his hand signals you to follow him and you both enter through a hatch down into the belly of the ship. The quarters for the crew members look more comfortable than the ones at the Snowland pirates ship - most likely because everything here is so colorful like in a circus tent. 

You reach a room with five hammocks and a closet, sturdy and tall, nailed to the wall. Mohji points at the closet. “Get yourself something to wear and then come upstairs again. I want to hear about your adventures and how you met our great captain.” You thank the beast tamer and he leaves the room, closing the door to ensure your privacy. The closet is full of different clothes in all sizes, some of them looking like circus costumes. You reach for a comfortable looking green top and black trousers, exchanging them with your ripped and torn Snowland crew fabric. You immediately feel like a human. You open the small porthole in the quarters and throw out your old clothes into the sea. You can hear whistling from the ship, someone saw that you got rid of these old fabrics and probably got the wrong idea. You look at yourself in the mirror, finding a small brush to comb your hair - now you look less shipwrecked and more like a full on pirate again. Next you would need a proper bag and some weapons - maybe you could ask the captain at the celebration tonight if he could lend you something until you had money to pay the Buggy pirates back. 

As you leave the quarters and go back up to the ships deck again you get slightly excited for the party later on. Despite leaving the Snowland pirates you have to admit that you miss the pirate life with a crew and the fun you can have when everyone is merry and drunk. 

As you step out on the deck Cabaji recognizes you first and nods in approval. The rest of the crew is also on board now, having finished the preparations to leave this island first thing in the morning. Buggy approaches you, also nodding in agreement. “Now you look less like a survivor, but more like a pirate.” 

There is warmth in his eyes you recognize for the first time since you have joined forces with him. “And you look like a full strong pirate captain with all your body parts in the right places!”, you chuckle. 

You see him blushing, not sure if out of anger or out of embarrassment that you commented so openly on his body. You might have found a method of teasing him and you tell yourself to remember this for later in case he gets too cocky again. 

“You must be hungry, let's go and get some food ready. I think we are all starving!”, he quickly changes the topic and you follow him to prepare a feast for the whole crew. 

[go-river-flows]

Sweet Visions of a flower

Summary: Syulang (OC), an orphaned girl after the destruction of Hometree. She is constanly reminded of this by her amputated left leg though she no longer dreams of her deep trauma. She is betrayed by the very people she trusted, leaving her with nothing once again.

A/N: I had trouble writing this final chapter. The writer's block was damn thick for this final chapter, so I procrastinated it for nearly two weeks (lol). Will not do it again. But as this series is coming to an end, the sequel to WBtAP has just started, and I have written the first And also...Unexpected Ja x reader moment. Because Ja is underrated.

Part 9 of 10

For the following days and weeks, everything became a melting pot. First Mo’at visited Syulang’s dreams, trying to heal her from within, the first few times proved to be a challenge so they moved their attempts to the Tree of Souls, where Mo’at can connect with the pink and purple tendrils, that somehow solved the issue of physically touching Syulang’s dream form and where Mo’at helped Syulang to heal. 

Jake, Tarsem and the warriors worked with Quaritch and his band of recoms to devise a plan to cut off the RDA to their supplies, targeting mines, resource ships, trains, anything that the RDA needs to survive. It would take weeks, possibly months to take everything out, they would need help but Jake was adamant that they would not make another war just like the battle between the Na’vi and the humans fifteen years ago. He didn't want to make the same mistake he did back then, wanting it done a different way, surprisingly Quaritch agreed. The recoms struck a deal with Jake, they would take the RDA down from the inside. The RDA wouldn't suspect their betrayal, hopefully. Jake wanted the warriors to keep it to themselves, not wanting the rest of the clan to worry or panic in any way. Heck, he didn't even tell Neytiri and his kids, trying to shield them from a potential war. Hopefully they wouldn't start a second world war on Pandora. 

The next month Quaritch had built a trust with Jake, much like how Jake built a trust with Quaritch when he was still human, working for the RDA before his betrayal. Jake was slow to show the group of recoms to High Camp, he knew it was a matter of time where he would have to address his clanspeople of his strange alliance. But it was funny to see Quaritch in Na’vi clothing, in fact all the recoms. They look just like actual Na’vi and before they leave to go back to the RDA they change back into their old uniforms. This time was the most difficult for the Omatikaya Clan, they weren't very happy when Jake told them the news and when the recoms finally visited High Camp everyone kept their weapons on them at all times. Tensions were high to say the least, especially with the remaining avatar drivers and scientists – Norm and Doctor Patel included – not particularly happy to see their past colleagues who ended the Avatar Program. Syulang guided a few of the recoms in training and also Na’vi healing and medicine. They were split up into smaller groups: Quaritch, Lyle, Lopez, and Warren joined Jake’s warriors. Ja, Zhang, Walker and Prager were taught na’vi healing. And finally Mansk, Brown and Fike were taught to hunt with other low effort activities – they desperately wanted a break from fighting.

  It took another month before a plan had been set. And within that month things got a bit better. The recoms, under Jake’s guidance completed their Iknimaya training, gaining their ikrans. Syulang spent most of her time with the recoms in the healing tents, one of them getting close to her. Ja, was his name. Kiri and Norm kept her eye on him as per Jake’s request after she saw him staring at her sister for much longer than she liked. Opting to tell Dad, just in case. Some of the tension had alleviated and the clanspeople stopped carrying their weapons everywhere they went, the recoms showed that they could be trusted. 

 Jake was right, Ardmore did look for the recombiants, in fact she looked for weeks and luckily didn't find them, eventually searching elsewhere. So what would happen next, Ardmore wouldn't expect. The recoms gathered together, where their clothes were returned to them. They sat together during the communal meal, which was possibly their last meal together. But instead of mourning their last moments together, they celebrated. Syulang watched them happily, a pair of eyes finding hers. She gave a soft but sad smile in return averting her eyes. 

“Tonight’s they’re last night here,” Jake announced to his family, “we won't know if they’ll survive.”

Syulang looked at her father with a neutral expression, masking a pained look, slightly unsure as to why he would say that. 

“I hope they don't,” Neytiri responded, her anger for the dreamwalkers who tried hurting her children still remained, not fully ready to forgive them. Syulang stood up at that comment, not wanting to hear any more of it, ignoring the looks she got from her family. Leaving HIgh Camp, she went up to her usual spot on another floating island. Sitting down on the edge, she observed the luminescent plants below, listening to the wind. She was alone for a while before a pair of footsteps caught her ear.

Syulang’s POV

Turning around I saw Ja appear through the vegetation. He came closer, looking at the edge, inching forward bit by bit, carefully sitting next to me dangling both his legs over the floating rock. We sat in silence for a bit as I felt eyes on the side of my face, I turned to look at him. Humming in question. He smirked a little cupping his hand over mine, the warmth spread through my body from the simple touch. 

“Be careful tomorrow,” I told him. He leaned forward, our foreheads touching as he inhaled a little taking in my scent. 

“I will,” he said in Na’vi, leaning in a bit more, his lips gently grazing mine before fully connecting. I pulled away a bit.

“Promise me.”  

“I promise,” he leaned forward again feverishly kissing me. Wrapping his hands behind my neck and jaw to stop me from moving. The sound of twigs snapping behind us broke our intimate moment, Ja pulled his knife out it's holster ready to throw it. A few familiar faces poked out of various plants as the guilty expressions of Lo’ak, Kiri, Lyle, Mansk and Prager faded to smug smiles. Those skxawngs. 

“Ohhh~ Someone’s getting some action,” Lyle sang cheekily as the rest stifled giggles. Ja threw his knife at Lyle who thankfully ducked out of the way. Ja gave me one final kiss, pulling away and storming toward the group, picking up his knife as he passed them. 

*

The next day, a large crowd formed around the recoms saying their goodbyes before the group left. Ja found me in the crowd. Giving a final embrace, he handed me a bracelet, it was small and looked slightly rushed but was still beautiful.

“If I don't make it. Nga yawne lu oer,” he cupped my cheeks planting a kiss on my forehead, his hands lingered on my face almost as if he was fighting internally to stay, but he couldn't. He had one final mission. 

“I love you too. Don't die,” I returned his actions, placing both hands on his cheeks planting a kiss on his lips as I couldn't reach his forehead. 

“Ja! Time to go!” Lyle yelled for his comrade. Giving me one final wave. I waved to them all.

“I see you. I see you all!” I shouted to all the recoms, plucking my fingers from my forehead. Their expression shifted to surprise before returning the gesture. Mounting their ikrans, they took off out of HIgh Camp shouting war cries, the clan returned their own war cries. I stayed standing at the entrance for the rest of the day, the rest of the clan went back to their chores but I anxiously awaited their return. 

The recoms had learnt a lot from their long stay. Most, if not all, received their song chords. All their milestones are a unique bead ranging from completing their rites of passages, learning the Na’vi language, learning to hunt or weave or heal, other beads gifted to them by members of the clan, mostly to Mansk whenever he cooks for the clan. Turns out he’s a bit of a cook, as everyone runs to him with their blows and plates. For Ja and I we had identical beads signifying our relationship. I pray to Eywa for his safe return. I no longer had any terrible nightmares or visions after Mo’at dream walked into my nightmares, healing me from within. I anticipate my future and what it holds, accepting whatever is thrown my way. As I'm mulling over what's to come, someone sits beside me. The smell of stewed yerik makes my mouth drool.

“Sister, you weren't at lunch,” Kiri hands me a yomyo lerìk (leaf plate) with the dish, “Don't worry sister. They will return. They’re warriors after all.”

“I pray to Eywa that they succeed in their mission.”

“Did you pray for him?” knowing exactly who she was referring to. 

“Yes. I pray that Ja lives. Because of this…” I showed her the bracelet. She gently runs her four fingers around the beautifully woven bracelet, red beads woven into the design.

“It's beautiful. I hope he comes back too. He’s the only one I can hold a proper conversation and tolerate…” she huffed, glancing at my questioning eyes, “...And because I can see he truly loves you.” She looked at one of my choker necklaces, my hand ran over the middle one, the one that belonged to Rumut. 

“He knows. I told him everything,” remembering the moment clearly, “He apologised too, even though it was a long time ago.” We sat in a comfortable silence as I slowly ate. 

After finishing my food, Kiri stood first ready to head back to our kelku. I followed after her, deliberately taking slow steps to which she rolled her eyes, yanking my arm and speeding toward the family tent. Mum and Dad were talking whilst dad was cleaning his rifle decorated with weaving. Talking about leaving the clan. Stopping when the two of us came within earshot, though it was too late. I heard it all.

“What did you say?” my ear twitched, “Leave the clan? Dad! You can't be serious?” He averted his eyes looking at mum, “Dad, you're joking right?”

“Wait, just listen to what I have to say–” He took a step in our direction.

“Oh, so you're serious?” I scowled, holding back a scoff..

“Syulang, wait just– Quaritch is hard to trust, he could lead them here–”

“If he wanted to kill us, he would have done it already and gone back a hero. But he didn't,” I argued back.

“Please, just listen to me!” Jake raised his voice, “Yes, you're right. But what about the other Recoms? Huh? They could very easily tell Ardmore where we are and I have a clan to protect.”

“Ma Jake,” our mother stepped between us trying to mediate, but it was too late, “Ma Syulang.”

“Why are you saying this? After you let them into our home, trained them. And now you're saying you still don't trust Quaritch? They’re practically part of the clan! What did you think you were doing this whole time?!” I yelled over Neytiri.

“I was keeping an eye on them! Them being here made it easier to keep an eye on them,” Jake yelled at me, pausing for a moment, “I was going to kill them," he confessed, "I was ready to kill them the first time. But then you showed up. And I was ready to kill them the second time. And you showed up again!…How could I kill them in front of you?”

I felt my heart break. Unsure of what to think or say. My adoptive dad wasn't the person who I thought he was. In that instant I wept, unintelligible words spewing out of my lips. Unfiltered. I guess I could never read his mind. Neytiri and Kiri move toward to comfort me, but I snarled at the two of them. A furious rage tore through me.

“What about me? What about me?! Did you think of me as your daughter or someone you needed to keep an eye on?” I spat at Jake. His expression changed to guilt as the pitter-patter of feet slowed close by. Jake didn't say anything which angered me further, that was enough for me. I wailed from the pit of my stomach in disbelief. Neytiri moved closer again, and I hissed viciously at her, my ears pinned fully back to my skull.

“Sister?” Neteyam, Lo’ak and Tuk walked into my peripherals, though I couldn't see through the tears, impairing my vision. 

“You lied to me,” I felt betrayed, “I trusted you, and you– LIED TO ME!” The lot of them flinched at my raised voice. I covered my mouth, I managed to scare myself having never raised my voice in a decade. “Did you ever love me?” my voice cracked.

“My daughter, I've always loved you,” Neytiri approached once again, her eyes wet but I backed away shaking my head.

“I wasn't asking you,” I hissed at Neytiri and felt bad right after, looking at Jake who again didn't say anything, only looking away avoiding eye contact. “I called you father, and I called you mother. How wrong I was,” turning my back on the people whom I called my family, storming away.

“Syulang! Sister!” I could hear the children yell, but I sprinted to my ikran. Mounting her as fast as I could, we flew out of High Camp. 

My hot tears poured down my cheeks, fluttering away as the wind blew on them. My ikran tried to ease the sorrow as we flew. I couldn't help but feel bad for sharing the pain through tsaheylu. My heart ached in pain, the same kind of pain I felt when I lost everything I had. The pain of losing my parents, my friend, my leg and now my own heart. I thought of my home I once built with my own bare hands. Where everything felt like it was going to be alright, but it was also the place where Jake asked me to join his family. And by the time I knew it, my ikran landed on the branch above my old kelku. The place where I once called it my home. I cried once more. How could he do that? How could I let him manipulate me? Why was I too naive to not question everything? How could he do this? Azui chirped, turning her head a little, cocking her head in worry. Her gentle thoughts calmed me enough to dismount her. I flung myself into the tented canopy. Nothing in there. Not my baskets. Not my mat. Not my bow and arrows or water jug. Just nothing. An empty husk of what used to belong to a free child. I curled myself into a ball on the fabric floor. I had nothing again. No home and no family again. Only betting that Ja lives so I could at least have someone to love. 

I didn't want to wait around for the people I once called family to find me. I stripped the fabric off the tree, using my small knife that I kept on me at all times to cut the bindings. Folding the tent together and strapping it onto the back of my ikran, I wiped my eyes, climbed down the tree to the river and washed my face. I called Azui down from the tree branch. Calling for my palulukan who I could smell nearby. She glided down the hill luckily still wearing her pouches, from the last time we went hunting. I checked them to find some bait and rope, the other had unbound arrowheads which was good enough. Deciding to mount my palulukan knowing my ikran would follow, I made tsaheylu with her and asked her to take me away from the Hallelujah mountains, the furthest point north. 

She ran as fast as she possibly could. Feeling her heartbeat, her breath and her strong legs pushing down on the ground, we thundered through the forest. Passing over hills, mountains and rivers for nearly three hours. We came to a strange clearing of trees. Large constructions of the small metal rooms that resided in High Camp ablaze. The last time I had seen such destruction and chaos was when Hometree was destroyed. The red and orange flames engulfed the tall structures. I had to get closer. Urging Lo’a closer to the burning architecture, I could see a blue figure laying somewhat close to the flames. Oh no. Not wanting to burn my palulukan I slid off Lo’a and ran to the Na’vi. The familiar bald head of Lyle was unconscious. Taking a hold under his armpits, I dragged him away from the flames. 

“Lyle!” I turned him around, finding a metal rod in his left leg. “Lyle! Please! Wake up!” I shook his shoulders. I couldn't heal him since I didn't have any healing tools. 

“LYLE?!” my ears perked up at the familiar voice. 

“Prager?!” I screamed back. His figure appeared not too far from where we were.

“Syulang?!” he ran to us, his expression a mix of concern and confusion, “Lyle!”  he knelt down on the other side checking Lyle’s body noting the rod in his leg, he grabbed some strange tool from his vest and cut the material away. I did as told and he tied cloth just above the burning rod. 

“Where is Ja?” I asked him.

“He’s okay. Help me with Lyle,” Prager pulled Lyle’s upper half up from the ground, moving between Lyle’s legs attempting to lift him onto his back.

“Wait,” I called Lo’a, “Let me take him, we can get away faster.” Prager was shocked to see my palulukan, however, he quickly agreed. Getting Lyle onto Lo’a, Prager got on behind him as I slid behind him hoping Lo’a could handle the weight of two extra Na’vi. Making Tsaheylu, I was quickly informed that she could not handle the weight but endured it anyways. “Tell us where to go,” I told Prager, who just pointed in a direction. 

“That way,” was all he said. I urged Lo’a forward in the direction Prager had directed, the heat of the flames diminished slightly and Prager pointed again, a little bit left. We essentially went round the flaming mass. Borrowing Lo’a’s advanced vision I looked over Prager’s large frame and saw a familiar group of Na’vi.

“Colonel!” Prager yelled as we got closer, the faces of the group turned to see him riding a thanator with Lyle in front of him. 

“Prager?!” Ja called over the roaring flames. We slowed and the group approached timidly. “It's okay! It's Syulang,” Prager slid off Lo’a still holding Lyle’s unconscious form. I can finally see the shocked faces of Ja, Quaritch, Lopez, Walker,  Mansk and Z-Dog. Ja acted faster, coming to my side at an instant, wrapping his strong arms around my frame, pulling me off my palulukan and not daring to let go.

“My sweet girl,” Ja mumbled into my neck.

“What's going on? What are you doing here?” Quaritch asked, “Where’s Jake?” I winced at Jake’s name. I hated that name.

“Where is everyone else?” Jake isn't here, he wants to kill you, is what I want to tell them.

“T-they didn't make it. We should get outta here. Everyone with me,” Quaritch led the group away. I looked into the red flames distraught. Those who weren't here; Zhang, Fike, Warren and Brown had perished in the flames. My ears drooped low as I shed tears for them. Ja wrapped his arm around my shoulders guiding me away from the burning mass, Lo’a following behind. In front of us was Prager who carried Lyle on his back. 

“What happened?” I asked Ja. He exhaled deeply from his nose before telling me of how they took down Bridgehead.

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[eradicatetehnormal]

Posted this as a comment, but here's a repost to tumblr:

I think that unless something big centered around Kairi happens, I'll always have mixed feelings for her. When I'm playing the games, I don't pay her much mind, but when I go back and think about her, it's so frustrating. Sora was reckless when he stood up to Riku with no weapon but got rewarded for his courage and learning his lesson about the power of connection. Riku is reckless when he joins Maleficent but gets to redeem himself by going through castle oblivion and eventually becoming a keyblade master. Kairi though? As mentioned in the video, when she's reckless in KH2 by jumping into the pile of heartless, she needs to be given grace by Riku and his ability to apparently pull keyblades out of his bum-hole.

It's almost as if the narrative, the very universe of Kingdom Hearts is punishing her for daring to try to be more involved. It's sad. I get that that's the point, but when Sora gets to rebound and save the universe despite his mistakes, it can feel upsetting and unsatisfying to see Kairi be able to barely progress in terms of her position. I get, understand, and agree with some points about the people who say that Kairi sucks because she doesn't fight, having a bit of a sexist mindset. Here's the thing though, when it comes to action movies, cheezy shounen anime, or most relevantly, RPGs, fights aren't just two dudes slicining at each other with "d1ldo sticks," as TheGamer'sJoint calls, them.

Fights carry narrative weight behind them. They represent things. Roxas fighting Sora represented the former's last-ditch effort to get out of the latter's shadow and take control of his life, only to end in tragedy, confirming, for then, that nobodies are fated to be forgotten. Xion's fight with Axel represents the hardships of crumbling friendships and how some desperately cling to something that isn't working out.

Kairi though? She never gets that big narrative fight. Sure, there's the fight with Xehanort, but that's shared with Sora. I guess it's cool that she got to stick it to the guy who tried to "fRiDgE" her, but most of the truly emotional stuff comes from the scene before that fight. It showed how the relationship between her and Sora has changed over time, where she hasn't proven herself to some losers in the real world, Sora has come to recognize her strength and is willing to fight with her as an equal possibly giving her some confidence for the battle. Still, she never has that character that's a foil to her.

She doesn't have anybody forcing her to push past her limits. She's essentially her own cheerleader. I guess Axel's there too? They didn't do anything with that.

I used to feel irritated with how much of her character is centered around her relationship with and to Sora and Riku, but the more I think about it, it makes sense. Particularly with Sora, I always thought of them as parallels to each other. Sora is everything Kairi wants to be. Someone who defied fate and expectations by rising above almost any challenge that faced him in spite of his weakness. Kairi is everything Sora thinks he is. Someone who, despite their best efforts and endless potential, end up failing most of the time and having to rely on others, never quite being able to get out of those training wheels. Sora is what happens when you TRY to be the knight. Kairi is what happens when you are FORCED to be the princess.

I hope that KH4 can find time to make that undertone to their relationship, more of an overtone, even if they're just feeling the relationship change through their hearts or something. I feel like people (myself included) miss Kairi's character because, beyond our misogyny, we're so accustomed to arm candy bimbos in action media, that we'll immediately look at most leading female characters through that lens. I wonder if more people would appreciate her character, had KH been a character-driven TV show instead of an action JRPG. I would love to get some more side material of her, whether it be a short series, a 3-hour visual novel, or another rhythm game. Something that really picks her brain.

[space-dreams-world]

More DP x DC au prompts:

_ Amity's Exception: If you listen to DISTRACTIBLE Podcast featuring Markiplier, Bob and Wade on Spotify or YouTube, then you would have heard the episode with the Aladdin exception. So it's a similar concept, where the only people that can really help amity are either magicians or the non-meta batfamily.

_I'm a monster and I'll make you suffer: Danny is tired, tired of all the hate he gets, from the town he is trying to protect, from the GIW who want to eradicate his species, from his bullies and Vlad, from Sam and Tucker voicing their opinions on ghosts and not letting him think for himself and definitely from his crazed up ghost-hunting parents. One day, a big battle happens between him and another ghost that result in a misunderstanding, that they can both agree it was a mistake, but the fentons show up and start spewing bias nonsense about ghost kind. Sam publicly tries to defend the ghost, but ultimatly is bribed by her parents to confirm the fentons bias. Danny vehemently denies their facts and says he is not a monster, though they firmly believe he is one. Unknowingly, Circe or Klarion is in town and decides to cause some chaos. (Ghost have an funky reaction to magic.)

Circe or Klarion hits Danny with a spell at the same time as the fentons shoots their ghost revealer weapon and the whole town watches as their hero mutates into an eldritch creature. At first Danny screeches in pain as his form shifts, his face melts off to show his now space like skin, four more sets of eyes appear on his face all fully the neon green, his fangs become more pronounce and elongated, he slowly grows another set of arms with claws, a tail, two pairs of wings and a set of horns on his head, all matching his space skin. He is also quite bigger in this form and all his scars are visible. Suddenly the former phantom screeches, paralyzing all around him with fear as he books it out of town. (Sidenote that screech was so powerful, he was able to close the Portal to amity including Masters one in amity as he was the one to introduce ectoplasm to amity park.)

After Eldritch Phantom leaves, only the fentons are really happy before realizing their son is gone, so when Jazz and Danny's friends explain what really happened and where Danny is, they are shocked to discover that they sent their boy away, they decide they are going to find Danny and help him get back to normal before figuring out how to support his new changes. (Not great! Jack and Maddie, but they care for their son.)

Meanwhile, Vlad is searching for Danny with Skulker hoping to manipulate him into joining his side and curing his new form. To his surprise, Danny's new form is too much too handle and is forced to retreat. (Danny is definitely stronger than Vlad, due to the exposure of pure ectoplasm and the size of the portal. Keep in mind, Danny's brain is similar to a wild aggressive animal now, and while Danny struggled as a human ghost, he has no problem curb-stomping Plasmius now.)

Somehow this gets on JL or YJ radar and are forced to confront E! Danny. It's a difficult battle for whoever is fighting him, till the resident feeling reader attempt to read E! Danny's mind. All the team hear is <Pain... Fear... Sorrow... Anger...Betrayal...Too Young to Suffer... Alone... Child..> and that's what clues themselves in on something different about this foe. They are able to calm him down somewhat.

At the same time, the Fentons and Jasmine have clued onto Danny's signature and are approaching him. Danny sees them and starts to freak out more thinking they were here to end him. Jasmine is the only one safe enough to practically be beside eldritch! Danny and he won't panic. The team asks who the fentons are and they reply that they are the boy turned beast's parents. They somehow are able to get E! Danny to the watchtower where the resident magicians are able to craft bracelets that will hide Danny's new true form, while his parents try to figure out how to reverse the effects of their invention on Danny. ( They don't realize magic was involved, so it did not work.)

When Danny is able to speak again, his parents profusely try to apologize for hurting him, but it's a little too late. Danny gives them an ultimatum: Either destroy or move their life's work and focus more on the family, with more scientific proof of their theories or lose both Jasmine and himself forever. It's because Danny explains to them that Jazz and himself shouldn't have been to be the responsible ones in the family at a young age, that Jazz shouldn't have taken the role of Mom to take care of Danny, that they should notice when he comes injured by bullies and not assume it's ghost and listen to them for christ sake. That Danny and Jazz's lives are permanently damaged by literally growing up with unstable and untested chemicals and guns around them.

Route A: They agree to the demands, are forced to attend family counseling with the kids and rework their entire world views.

Route B: They disagree, thinking they know better than their kids. The fentons are sentenced to jail for child endangerment, child abuse, needing mental help among many others and all their asset are frozen and given to their kids.

If Vlad even tries to adopt Danny and Jazz, it will get denied because the JL know who Danny is and he has told them all about Vlad and his methods, the GIW and the Anti-Ecto Acts, so even if Vlad looks in his direction, it's automatic engage on site.

[silver-wield]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review Chapter 6 & 7

Okay, this collection of posts will be filled with spoilers, including clips and screenshots, so if you don't wanna see things, then don't look. Some of the things I'm gonna highlight will include references to Remake and other sources to link with the overarching plot. This is a straight path playthrough with no sidequests or extra content.

Time to hit the beach!

But first we run into some friends. Johnny's been scammed into running a hovel of a hotel but he gives us rooms for free.

The whole Johnny bit was kinda much, but it could've been worse.

Literally can't go to the beach unless it's in the right clothes, so Cloud does a few fun activities to earn tickets and then joins sailor Barret. Boi gets in his feels over soldiers degrading and then it's time for a pov change.

As fun as all the other possible scenes are, I think this is the most plot relevant. Aerith and Red talk about the white materia, the whispers and what was stolen from her.

And then it's right back to the fun doing stuff to earn swimwear! Tifa gets to play her theme in a concert at one of the hotels and we hear how the original person ran off with their lover. You can find them both at the Cosmo Canyon hotel.

After everyone's changed, Cloud indirectly calls Tifa hot and there's some mild flustered flirting.

And then Hojo shows up. Honestly this still seems so freaking random having him lie on a lounger while girls fawn over his wrinkled skanky ass.

Eventually we hit a boss fight, and weirdly enough it's Yuffie and Johnny to the rescue!

After that comes some conversation where Tifa speaks the line in her profile.

After a night's sleep we meet Yuffie again and you can choose how to answer her a bit like her OG recruitment, but no matter what she's coming with.

And it's a trek up the mountain. Literally.

Aerith is the slowest. Literally.

The party splits into two. Yuffie, Barret and Tifa go first. Yuffie leaves drawings on the cliffs to direct us and tell us a lil story.

Yuffie winds up Barret, who yells at her and makes her cry. Tifa tells Barret off and makes him cry. They all make up and become good friends.

Anyway, while we're climbing we get a moment with Rufus, who tells off the board for letting Midgar get ruined and not stopping his crazy father from dropping the plate. The weapons are talked about briefly, but overall, Rufus has different priorities than his dad.

Then we get another interlude with Zack. Elmyra comes to take Aerith home, and Zack comes along with Cloud.

Then it's back to Mt Corel and Yuffie explains the interim government in Wutai and we see more hints about Glenn and his team.

They find a weapon in the reactor, then head to the bridge, which needs lowering. Cloud has a funny turn so it's left up to Yuffie, Tifa and Barret to do the thing.

Yuffie's level is mostly swinging and throwing her star at stuff, and culminates in a boss battle to protect three baby chocobos. There's a super cute part after where Tifa says the baby bird looks like Cloud but cute 🤭

We take a trip on a minecart with more throwing star and shooting things and reunite with the group at the bridge.

And in Corel, Barret finds a less than warm welcome.

Cloud has another funny turn. Sephiroth can't have Cloud feeling confident about Tifa having a scar, so distracts him when Tifa finds doc Sherain, who saved her life after Sephiroth's attack. He says someone from Shinra helped too, so maybe we'll find out in part three.

Barret gives us a brief history of Corel and the reactor and his part in it. We're heading into the start of one of the most emotional character arcs of the game.

If you don't cry over Barret's story you have no soul!

Honestly, Costa del Sol has always been filler material. And I seem to be saying that about a lot of chapters so far. Tbf Corel and the prison give us true meaty storytelling and Barret's arc has always been one of my faves and remains one of my faves. John nailed every line ❤️😭

[shade-pup-cub]

Febuwhump 2024, Day 16: Wild, Twi & Chain - Came Back Wrong (continuation of Day 4)

Fandom: LOZ/Linked Universe

Summary: Moving forward after getting Wild back from Dark was not going to be easy. He still hated all of them and wanted them dead. Twilight was going to do whatever he needed to get his Cub back not only physically, but mentally. The others were much more guarded over Wild's free range and the chances of getting their old version of their brother back.

CW: blood, moderately graphic description of injuries, MCD-temp, suicidal thoughts (no actions), impulse control

“We aren’t tying him to the damn tree, Legend!” Twilight had been in this argument for the last hour, going in circles, getting no closer to a solution to their problem.

The problem? Wild.

After the events of Dark kidnapping Wild, none of them had any clue how to go forward. They already had his hands bound in front of him and some of them wanted his feet bound at night.

Legend wanted him restrained as much as they could, not trusting the scarred hero turned enemy.

Twilight on the other hand saw this as worsening his Cub’s condition. They needed to show Wild that they weren’t what Dark said they were.

“How could you even be on his side anymore?! He tried to kill us!”

“Because he is still one of us. He is still the Wild we know and love, it has just been buried inside him.”

“You know what, fine. Have it your way, Twilight, but if he murders all of us in our sleep, it is all on you.” Legend poked Twilight in the chest as he spoke.

“Gu-ys?” Wind’s stuttering voice said in a hushed tone. They all turned to him. He was bug-eyes and visibly shaking.

Following his eyes, everyone looked to where he was looking. He was looking at Wild. Twilight gulped at the sight of his Cub. His head was tilted down some, a malicious smile curled too much like Dark’s, eyes were calculated as they bored holes into Legend.

When it was clear that all eyes were on him, Wild pointed his gaze at Sky, smile dropping into more of an ominous grin of anticipation. Sky would be his first target and there was more than one reason for that. The Master Sword was his biggest threat, revenge was his motivation.

“Nope, he’s getting tied to the fucking tree.”

Two weeks sleeping tied to a tree. Two weeks of only his hands tied to a tree. One week his hands tied to one of Twi’s and two nights tied to someone else’s until Wild had slept tied to everyone. It was a forced vulnerability to show none of them would hurt him.

To say that they were all sleep deprived during it would be an understatement.

They eventually allowed Wild to walk freely with them. Of course, that was without his Slate for a time. The day he got it back was the day they were ambushed from all sides and he couldn’t help in any kind of way and Sky had been separated from the rest, whacked across the head, Master Sword kicked away.

Wild could have allowed the spear to easily go through the Chosen Hero’s chest, but instead Twilight saw Wild sprint over and take up the Sword to defend him. It managed to be a short battle with Wild back in the ranks.

Sky consciously got to a sitting position. “Thank you, Wild.”

Wild jolted at his name, breathing heavily from fighting. He spun, sword lowered, but still kept it between himself and the other. His pupils wouldn’t focus as his mind raced between ‘kill’ and ‘walk away’. He grabbed at his head as the war in it raged on. In doing so, Fi began to burn Wild’s hand, yet Wild seemed only to hold onto her tighter.

“Wild? Wild you have to let her go.” Sky said as he got to his feet and waved everyone away so the struggling hero wouldn’t be crowded.

“I-I, I can’t. He won’t get out of my head. Get out of my head!! ” Wild promptly fainted, sword falling to the dirt path next to him.

“Wild!” Sky, Twilight and Hyrule didn’t even think twice of the potential danger. Warriors grabbed the back of Wind’s tunic, keeping him in place when he tried to join them.

Time sighed as he sheathed his weapon. “We make camp near here. Drink a potion if you need one. Yes, Sky, that means you. We can discuss later what just happened. Let’s move.”

This was the turning point in Wild and how he was treated. A few more liberties, like cooking under supervision, was added to the things he was allowed to do. That first night back to cooking, was the first time Wild had laughed freely.

He handed a bowl of stew mixed with rice to everyone, Legend first. Legend never once pulled his words towards Wild. “How do we know you didn’t poison it?”

There was a collective, “Legend!”, from around the campfire.

Wild shrugged and began to eat. “Guess you have to eat and find out.”

Everyone stopped eating, looking at their food.

“He’s kidding, right?” Four asked quietly.

“He’s eating it.” Hyrule added, but still didn’t take another bite.

Legend turned to the Traveler. “That doesn’t mean anything. We have literally seen him eat rocks!”

Without missing a beat, Wild laughed, “And Time drinks Poes. What is your point?”

“I’m never telling you a secret ever again.” Time’s heatless glare had Wild rolling.

This was Wild, the Wild they knew. The one that could give and take jokes, even if he still kept to himself. Even if he still didn’t like to sit too near to anyone else, he kept close enough to be involved.

Wild tried to stay busy since it was a hazard to let his mind wander too long. Warriors and Sky took the opportunity to see what kind of fighting skills Wild had, now that his memories of being a knight were back. He hadn’t told them everything, but just enough to seek out the two other knights for sparring. Twilight always sat in on the things Wild was doing too.

Wild began to take off his tunic when Warriors stopped him. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean? I’m getting ready for the spar.”

“Yeah, I know, but why are you undressing?”

Wild looked at him with no small amount of confusion. “Is’t this how it is supposed to be?”

Sky and Wars shared a look before the Skyloftian spoke. “Wild, what makes you believe that this is normal?”

“This is how I have always done it. Before the Calamity and when Da-.” He swallowed thickly at the name he refused to say out loud. “I was always told to wear shorts so I could feel when I made a mistake.”

“Holy Hylia. Where did we go wrong?” Sky asked more so himself than the other two.

“Cub, that’s called abuse.” Twilight said from the sidelines.

“No it’s not.” Wild began. “Right?”

Warriors and Sky shook their heads no. Wild gave a soft, oh , and put his Knights armor on again that seemed to be his new go to outfit.

Wild’s fighting style changed, causing the fighting dynamics to change with him. He hung close to Warriors, Sky and Time more than Twilight, Legend or Hyrule. He used his bow still, but not as often as he once had. He quickly climbed the ladder of best swordsmen as if it was a competition, but it seemed like most things regarding skill was just that. No one questioned it, but gave praise to his fighting ability. There was no doubt as to why he was chosen as one of Hylia’s Heroes.

As the months went by, things became normal. Wild didn’t sleep in full plate armor, he was given back his full range of things he could do and pulled his weight as he said. It was calming and held hope for him as he became rehabilitated.

Like every rehab though, there were low points. Typically one of the others would see it coming on and do their best to help or ask Twilight to take over. When Wild noticed it himself, he would politely excuse himself from the group and ask Sky for the Master Sword.

Time majority of those times stayed out of Wild’s view due to him looking similar enough to Dark.

Twilight had been asleep on one of those nights, fitfully sleeping as much as he could before he took over the last shift of watch. There was a smell that tickled his senses, but he didn’t wake.

A muffled cry and his eyes were open. What he saw was the greatest nightmare he could think of. Wild had a hand over Time’s mouth from behind, knife already sliced clean across his throat. It was only a few seconds before his eyes rolled back and he landed face first in the dirt.

Looking at the rest of the camp, more of the same was there. Sky had the first watch and mostly likely was the first one Wild went for. The beloved weapon Sky held dear, was run through him and embedded into the log he sat on. His upper back and head was draped off the log, eyes open and staring at Twi.

Warriors had his scarf wrapped around his very wrongly bent neck, purple and blue bruising already there from Wild strangling him. Fear was the expression on his face. It was clear why as he had Wind partly in his lap as if Wind woke up in the middle of Warriors struggle. Wild must have snapped his neck and got to Wind before he could scream.

Wind himself didn’t seem to have any blood on him, nor was his neck like Wars. Twilight assumed that Wild placed a hand over his mouth and nose to suffocate him.

Four was face down, blood pouring from the back of his head. Blunt force trauma was the only thing that could have been the cause.

Hyrule’s body was partly tossed into the flames. Fire took over his lower body as it continued up his clothes and now nipped at his face.

Legend… Twilight couldn’t even look at him due to how mutilated he was. Wild made sure he had paid for the cruel things he had said about him and the things that should have been done to him for the others’ protection. Bile was close to coming up and Twi had to look away.

The only thing he could look at was Wild in his blood soaked clothes stalking towards him. He wanted to move, to run, to fight, to say something, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t do a damn thing as Wild straddled his chest, short blade raised over his head with a deranged look.

When the already red glissoning blade reached his chest, Twilight gasped awake.

Nightmare… It was only a nightmare. He swallowed down his fear and turned only his head to look at everyone.

Legend’s body was just as it had been when they went to sleep. Nothing was sticking out, pulled out or caved in.

Hyrule was at Legend’s back, curled up in a ball. His cheeks were pink, but only from the warmth shared between him and Legend, not from the fire cooking him.

Four looked dead to the world and would be for a few more hours. Outside of Sky, he was their deepest sleeper.

Wind was wrapped up across Warriors lap, breathing and snoring with clear airways.

Warriors had his scarf laid in his lap, a hand fisting it so the Wind Burrito couldn’t roll away with it. There was a bruise on his neck, but not from what the nightmare showed.

Sky was on his stomach, sleeping peacefully. No sword through his chest, eyes perfectly closed and probably dreaming of Sun. They really needed to visit the islands in the sky soon so those two love birds could get married.

Somewhat above Twilight’s head was Time. He sighed in relief knowing that his ancestor was not gone and that he wasn’t going to become the ghostly skeleton that he once knew. Malon was a forgiving person, but it would still be a conversation none of them would want to have.

That left… Wild.

At the campfire was the hero in question. Twilight could see his shoulder’s trembling and not from the cold. One of hands was in his hair and there was no way it didn’t hurt with how hard he was pulling.

Twi’s heart hurt knowing that his Cub was suffering alone. He didn’t second guess shifting into Wolfie and padding over, but giving enough room in case Wild reacted badly. He gave a slight huff through his nose, letting the other know he was there. Bloodshot eyes with big tears met him.

Oh Cub…

“Hi, Wolfie.” Wild sniffled and removed the tears with one hand, his other hand becoming quickly hidden. “Sorry if I woke you. Go back to sleep and I’ll wake you for your watch.”

Moving closer, Wild stiffened. He had never been afraid of the large wolf, so this was unusual for him.

Wolfie slowly nosed at the visible hand then peered around to see why the other one was so quickly removed from sight. A glimpse of shiny metal had his head jerking up. Wild had a dagger in hand.

Talk to me. Wolfie tried to say as he pressed his big head into the other’s chest, an eye still on the hidden hand.

“I never knew what family- outside of you- was before you guys stumbled into Hateno and dragged me along into this adventure. I was okay with not knowing what it was before since I didn’t have memories of my life before the Calamity. He showed me who my family was before I died over a hundred years ago. I had parents and a little sister who was attached to my hip and would have done anything to keep her safe. I failed at that too.”

Wolfie gave a whine then a lick to the under part of Wild’s chin to encourage him to continue.

“I found the Master Sword too young, but it didn’t do what it did to Time. I wish it would have. My family died because of that blade and I couldn’t stop it from happening. My parents were killed by knights, the very thing I was turned into. My sister died of starvation.” He gave a wet unamused laugh, “I served the very kingdom that took everything from me, including the memories I held so dear.

“Now I have you guys and I almost killed you all because of our enemy doing the exact same thing. He saw how I was molded into the ‘Silent Knight’ and he did the exact same things to me so I would see things his way. I was told repetitively that we were mere puppets, Hylia’s play things. Told that the Shrine was a way to fix me into what Hylia or the Kingdom wanted me to be, because I wasn’t enough. Then He told me that even you all thought the same of me, that I am broken, not enough, worthless, a liability, just a weapon to get the job done. I believed it too. I was so blind by it all that I almost killed my family.

“The Master Sword was what changed everything. When I could have let Sky die, something in me wouldn’t stay quiet, I had to act, to protect, to save him. Having a weapon in my hand made the brainwashing come back and I fought it so hard, but I couldn’t stop it. That’s why Fi stepped in. She showed me the truth and I was so overwhelmed by it all. I wanted to change, to be better, not just for myself, but for you and the rest of them.” Wild looked around at all the sleeping bodies.

“Do you wanna know the worst part of it all?” Wild suddenly asked after a few moments of silence.

Wolfie tilted his head for him.

“I still have the impulse to kill every single one of you.” He pulled his hidden hand around, dagger tightly held in his hand. “And I fight between doing so or ending my own life to save you.”

Wolfie gave a startled yelp at the confession, not wasting any time as he transformed back to his normal self.

“You would be safer without me. Gods… Legend was right, I came back so wrong-”

Twilight wrapped Wild into a strong hug, terrified to let go of him. He was wide eyed as he heard the first sob leave the young hero, breaking his heart further than it already was. He easily slipped the dagger from WIld’s hand and tossed it away with a thud, pulling Wild closer between his legs so he could lay his head against his chest, hear the steady thrum of his heart beating.

“What is wrong with me, Twi?”

“Nothing is wrong with you, nothing . You came back to us broke, Cub, not wrong. This world would be less bright without you in it. This family of misfit heroes would be less than complete without you part of it.” He gave a kiss to the top of Wild’s head. “I would be less if you left, Cub.”

A few more sobs broke free and Twilight silently cried with him.

“Twi, I’m so tired.”

“I know you are, we can see it. When you begin to fall, lean on us, please. Wild, promise me you will search us out to help you.”

Wild cleared his throat, “I promise.”

“Get some sleep. I’ll start my watch.”

“Twilight?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

“Always, Cub, always.”

Twilight felt the teen slump into him more, falling asleep before his eyes were even fully closed. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. Feeling eyes on him, he looked around and saw that everyone was awake, unmoving, watching.

Sky was the first to move closer, placing his Sail Cloth over Wild’s back. They both smiled as Wild gave a hum of appreciation, clutching it more to his chest.

Changes start small, but they were all there to help the healing process. They would not let Wild go through this alone.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

This world's evil god sucks, I'LL SHOW YOU HOW IT'S DONE! (Chapter 5)

A Warhammer Fantasy Isekai

Chapter List

Varxus accepts a task given by Commander Rhys in hopes his warband has the chance to become true warriors.

Word Count: 5.1K

Warnings: Descriptions of Violence, confusion, and friendship.

Chapter 5 - Warriors in Progress

After a brief distraction of Lena and Mason purchasing a few books from a nearby stall, they joined Varxus who was waiting outside the Guard’s headquarters. He stood in front of the door frame, staring at one of the guards who were attempting to meet his eye. Their legs were quivering since he completely towered over them, and everyone knew he could kill them without much effort, but admirably attempted to do their job.

“Listen, you can’t just burst through the entrance like that tavern!” One of the guards said with a shaky voice.

“Then get him out here yourselves,” Varxus replied, what little patience he had left clearly thinning. “Or would you prefer we converse through a hole I can barely see through?”

“We’d prefer if you didn’t cause even more property damage!”

Varxus clenched his fist, clearly ready to begin causing human damage before Lena and Mason stepped in.

“W-We can get him!” Lena quickly interrupted.

The guard seemed relieved at their arrival, incorrectly assuming 

the two of them alone would be enough to halt his wrath indefinitely.

“I’ve had enough of following orders from mortals.” Varxus snapped. “Lena, Mason, stand back.”

“H-Hey! I’m warning you, don’t-” 

Varxus grabbed part of the stone frame and yanked it, ripping out a hole sizable enough for him to squeeze by and scaring everyone who witnessed it. Some of the guards froze completely while others attempted to aim their weapons. One glance from Varxus was all it took for them to stand down as Lena’s face sheepishly scrunched up. Mason’s face was hidden under his helmet still, but it was obvious from the way his body mimicked Lena’s actions that he felt the same. Staring at the guard who spoke to him directly, he dropped the stone almost at his feet, and walked in without a word. Lena and Mason followed behind him as his footsteps echoed throughout the entire building. 

Varxus examined the doors and found one at the far end that had far more ornate decorations than the others and assumed that was where Rhys was. As he approached it, he ran into the exact problem as before. Lena made motions to open it, but instead Varxus held her back, raising a clenched fist. He knocked on the door with three swings, almost resulting in the entire door frame coming off.

“Never charge through a door. Knock first. Remember that if we are fighting in a building.” Varxus told Lena and Mason.

 When the door opened a few moments later, Varxus could only see Rhys from the neck down. What Rhys saw outside his door was Lena with a new suit of armour and an apologetic expression, Mason who was still looking back at a newly broken door frame, and Varxus from the waist down. Rhys’ eyes glanced at the panicking guards, then back to the group.

“Well, I suppose I know who to thank for our new transom,” Rhys blankly remarked.

“Quit wasting my time and tell us what it is you want done,” Varxus bluntly stated.

Rhys paid no attention to his rudeness and looked at Lena and Mason.

“Now that you properly look equipped for battle, I’ll get to the point. Lindrow is about to come under invasion by undead.”

Lena and Mason looked at each other, confused. It was clear they had never seen or heard of undead. Varxus on the other hand completely straightened his back and his attention became razor sharp. Noticing that he had Varxus’s full attention, Rhys continued.

“At first it started with a wandering skeleton near our borders. Then it escalated to a group with a few zombies. Our guards were easily able to handle them at the beginning, but injuries are cropping up and we’re slowly getting surrounded.” Rhys crossed his arms, studying the group’s body language. “Each time we find a new group it’s a different location, and it’s been circling our territories.”

“They’re gauging you.” Varxus observed.

“Precisely. Who ever the bastard that’s planning this attack is, they’re crafty. We’ve held off attacks from bandits, the Dark Lord’s forces, and even other monsters before. Even managed to find each of the sources and destroy it without a single one of them entering town. But they’ve kept up the pressure without dedicating a full force, while we’re busy getting whittled down.”

Varxus mind raced back to all the times in his old world that he had battled the fanatical servants of the Great Necromancer Nagash, the cunning Vampire Counts, and the disciplined unending legions of the Tomb kings. No matter how many you killed, it’d be pointless if you did not cut the head off the army. He had even seen fellow Chosen brought down by being drowned in an ocean of skeletal bodies, hacking away at their armour. The very existence of the undead was an anathema to the powers of Chaos. Varxus had long ago learned not to underestimate them, and the same would still stay true now.

“Do you know their master?” Varxus asked, his tone of voice becoming less hostile and more thoughtful. If they were to take down the undead, he needed every scrap of information.

“I do not. However, there is a two hundred year old legend about an old witch.” Rhys replied.

Varxus narrowed his eyes, though his helmet’s visor hid that. He did not take Rhys for a man to put truth to legends, which meant he must have a lead.

“The legend says she was a simple woman who fell into the dark arts and lusted for power. She isolated herself from her home village and began raising the dead for her own amusement, and plotted revenge on the people who wronged her. I don’t have a clue if she actually is the one behind these attacks, but I sent some scouts to the location of the legend weeks ago. I’ve yet to hear from them. Your job is to find out if our mastermind is using that legend to their advantage.”

“What about the scouts?” Lena spoke up. “Shouldn’t we be looking for them, too?”

Rhys looked at Lena for a moment before the faintest hint of a smile grew on the corner of his lips.

“I hope for the best, but expect the worst, miss Lena. If you do manage to find them, or at the very least their remains, that would suffice.”

Mason then chimed in with his own question.

“And if we don’t happen to find the attacker?” 

Rhys’ face darkened.

“If that is the case, then Lindrow will hold out the best we can. I have sent a courier to Dalery, petitioning the queen’s aid. If you decide to stay for that duration, I don’t particularly care. Nor would your lord, I presume.”

“It seems that you would welcome former soldiers of the Dark Lord more than I, so I can kill two birds with one stone. I can train my soldiers here, and defend this town.”

“Because these former soldiers did not have a choice whether to serve the Dark Lord or not. Whatever hole you crawled out of, I assume you did.”

Varxus leaned forward, his fist clenching and the armour making an audible crunch.

“You will assume nothing of the realm I came from. This town would be lucky to have a single child unflayed if anyone other than me had arrived.”

The other Chosen he fought with would have revelled butchering the townspeople of Lindrow and Pran, even if it served them no purpose. And that was assuming they too cast aside the Chaos gods, not even considering their hunger for more power.

“So you say,” Rhys replied. “I will personally make contact with your soldiers then so that we can avoid a confrontation, and gather them to Lindrow.” 

Varxus carefully studied Rhys’ face. If he planned for betrayal, he hid it well. But from the way he was speaking, he did not appear the type to stab him in the back with treachery. Depending on the situation, Varxus might have acted upon the betrayal himself, but he’d be right back to square one if he did so. And if anything, it’d just be a minor inconvenience if it did happen. Varxus didn’t have terribly much to lose, and far more to gain.

“Very well. Tell them that is time to become true warriors, and they will follow. In the meantime, we will attempt to dispose of this undead master.”

Rhys nodded. He went back into his room to grab a map before returning and handing it over to Lena. 

“May the Goddess bless your path.” Rhys said, putting his fist over his heart. Varxus nodded in response. He gestured to Lena and Mason to follow, which they did so after bowing farewell to Rhys. Rhys watched them depart as the guards quickly got out of Varxus’s way as he ducked slightly under the hole and disappeared from sight.

…

It was about two hours later when they were beginning to approach the location marked on the map. It was deep into the wilderness, with the dirt path slowly getting devoured by the greenery. Varxus remained on high alert, his eyes constantly darting left to right and his ears perked up to hear the smallest of creatures. Though, what he had been hearing for a while was Lena and Mason speaking with one another.

Lindrow seemed to finally break the ice between the two, and spoke excitedly about the books they had purchased. One was an abbreviated history of the world, and the other was a children’s story, apparently. Varxus knew they had been speaking, but he paid no mind to the contents of their conversation. Varxus considered silencing the two so they could concentrate, but even to his own amazement, pushed the idea aside. After all, his fellow Chosen would not have fought together if they could not rely upon each other. A single weak link in a team can lead to disastrous results, especially with the prey they seeked. Perhaps if they found allies in each other, they’d be far more effective in combat. 

With that being said, Lena found it very easy to find conversation with her father’s killers. Likewise, Mason appeared to enjoy conversations that weren’t about torching the next village, or whatever asinine orders his previous leader had him commit to. Varxus kept this information in mind. It’d no doubt come in use later when they were in a better position to think about conquering the world. Now, Varxus’s mind wandered into his original goal. Gaining enough power to usurp the Chaos Gods.

“...With the pitiful displays I have seen, what power can this world offer me?” Varxus thought to himself. The more he thought about it, everyone he encountered would have been absolutely annihilated if they were to fight anyone from his world. The Empire, the undead, the forces of Chaos, not even mentioning the other lowlier races like his own Dwarves and Elves. All would laugh at how mundane this world is.

“...Is it this world that is outrageous in its simplicity, or is my own that is the outlier…?” Varxus had never even considered what other worlds were like. All he knew had been war, death, and servitude. Although this world had its own fair of strife, it did not seem to be in such a dire state like his own. He did not like the idea of being in a peaceful world, it just didn’t feel natural. 

As he continued walking, he could only hear the sounds of his armoured boots crushing the branches underneath…Why were Lena and Mason not speaking? He turned around to face them and realised they had stopped their conversation and looked around confused.

“Milord, did you not hear that?” Mason asked.

“Tch, this world has been dulling my awareness with these questions…!” Varxus cursed himself for allowing these thoughts to distract him. He listened closely and heard a very familiar sound. The sound of bones clattering.

Varxus reached for his Soul-Splitter and nodded at the two silently. They looked at each other confused before Lena’s eyes went wide, and they instantly reached for their weapons without another word. Some tiny bit of pride flickered in his chest for them. They were beginning to learn. It was a start at least. Finally letting his distractions die down, he then heard the skeletons emerge deep in the woods on their left.

“It appears it is now our turn to be gauged.” Varxus said calmly, his fingers clenching tightly around the rope bands of his grip.

Ten human skeletons with rusted weapons emerged from the shadows, all of them slow and out of sync with one another. Yet their gazes were all locked onto them. They were at best a minute away at their current speed. Varxus felt some form of relief the more he examined them. The skeletal soldiers under the command of the Vampire Counts moved in perfect synchronised harmony like puppets. If they were this disorganised, that meant their true masters weren’t nearby, and they weren’t too great a threat. And now, Lena and Mason’s skills could be put to the test.

“If I had known we’d be fighting the undead, I’d have made you buy a mace. No matter, it is time to show your worth to me as warriors.” 

Despite Lena and Mason’s urgency and attention focusing on the skeletons slowly approaching, Varxus calmly walked in front of them.

“They are only this disorganised due to their masters not being present. Do not expect this fight, or the next one to ever be simple. Stay on your guard.”

“Yes, milord!” They replied.

Varxus stepped behind them, mostly to watch their fighting, but also to make sure no one flanked them. He had no doubt there’d be more on the way.

“Use your shields to deflect their blows and anticipate when and where an attack is coming. If you cannot even stop mindless skeletons, then you are of no use to me alive.”

Lena and Mason glanced at each other before gripping their swords.

“Show me what the mortals of this world are capable of.”

Lena heard his words loud and clear, and she tried to steady her breathing. She recalled how he fought in the village. Calmly, and with intent. Lena remembered the adrenaline coursing through her body when she saw her father dead on the floor. She imagined the skeletons that had sprung out from her nightmares as her father’s killers to steel herself. Already, she began to feel that same anger that pushed aside her fear. She grit her teeth as Mason stepped forward, shield raised. She mimicked his actions and followed closely with her buckler. They ran towards them, to which some were raising their arms and ready to strike.

Mason used his shield to deflect the first strike, standing in place. He let the skeleton attack again, and the moment it bounced off, he used his sword’s hilt to smash it on the side of its head. It sent fragments of bone flying and it crumpled lazily onto the grass. Lena hesitated joining in before realising another skeleton was approaching his flank. 

“Mason, behind you!” Lena shouted.

She quickly ran behind him and blocked the attack as the skeleton swung downwards. Despite her attacker only being made of bone, the force almost completely pushed her back, almost tripping. Before it could attack again, she used her buckler to slam against its ribcage and shove it backwards.

“Duck!” Mason replied.

 Mason spun around and struck with his blade, knocking the weapon out of the skeleton's hand. 

Varxus watched with mild interest. Mason clearly appeared to be more competent than the other soldiers he served with. Not only that, Lena was taking advantage of her smaller stature and coordinating. Far more than what he had seen anyone do thus far. It pained him as a former Chosen to watch fighting mere feet away and not be part of it, but as a lord watching his minions fight, he began to swell with pride. They were finally learning.

Lena rushed in and kicked the skeleton’s legs, snapping it and making it fall face first. Before it could retaliate, Lena used the rim of her buckler to smash its head in repeatedly, to the point of overkill. Varxus shrugged at that. He couldn’t criticise since most marauders he knew did the same, especially the followers of Khorne. Mason on the otherhand had a startling amount of self restraint, his shield raised as he watched the remaining eight close in. They started to encircle them, to which Lena began to slightly panic. Varxus decided to finally step in, part of it to make sure his seemingly only competent fighters wouldn’t get killed. Though it was mostly because he had enough watching and wanted in on the admittedly mundane action.

His armoured gauntlet grabbed the skull of a skeleton before effortlessly raising it off the ground and smashing it into the one in front of Lena, snapping her out of it.

“Do you plan to avenge your father by standing there, cowering? Take their skulls, spill their guts on the floor! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!”

Lena now snapped out of her panic and now her face shifted into confusion.

“The what god?”

Varxus crushed the other skeleton under his armoured foot and shook his head with a tired sigh.

“Nothing. Force of habit.”

He turned expectedly at Lena who refocused her efforts on an incoming skeleton. She let the swing drop as she nimbly leapt to its right and slashed her sword against its body, bisecting it in half down the middle. The skeleton exploded into dust as she rushed over to help Mason. He let two of them get close as his shield deflected, both swinging directly one after the other, attacking side by side. Mason swung his shield wide when the one on his right attacked, making its sword arm hit the left skeleton. Taking advantage, he slashed at their necks, decapitating the skeletons. Lena rushed in from his side to engage the last three who were spaced out. Mason and Varxus quickly joined her.

Lena caught its attention and lured it away with her buckler raised. Varxus decided to take care of the other two by barreling straight into them, letting the weight and charge of his armour do the work by shattering them upon impact. Mason decided to help Lena by attacking from behind, using the hilt to smash the back of its head, with Lena leaping to its side then stabbing it several times on the head, the undead energies quickly dissipating. 

“A-Are we clear?” Mason asked, his panting audible through his helmet.

Both he and Lena were drenched in sweat already while Varxus had barely breathed the entire duration of the fight.

“Listen closely, and you’ll have your answer.” Varxus replied.

The two steadied their breaths as they tried to listen to the sounds of the forest around them. When everything was silent, they in fact heard more skeletons approaching from the opposite direction. Varxus grunted once he saw their reactions, which was surprise. This time it sounded like there were even more bones rattling than before.

“You two will become overrun if we are to linger. These are most likely scouts who are recognizing that you're a considerable threat and sending more.”

“If we go to the witch, will that mean they’re going to get stronger?!” Lena asked.

“Most likely. Assuming she is even there.”

Varxus suddenly froze in place as he heard something unnatural. It sounded like bones moving, but not like the other skeletons. This was faster, much faster.

“An enemy fast approaches, prepa-” Varxus didn’t even have time to finish before a skeletal wolf leapt from the darkness and in front of them. Unlike the other undead, this one had a purple energy radiating from its eye socket and was far more animated. It moved as if it were still flesh.

“T-That one is really fast!” Mason remarked, failing to hide his awe.

Varxus adopted a combat stance that indicated he took this threat far more seriously. If an undead moved this lively, then it can only mean one thing.

“The master is nearby!” Varxus shouted. He prepared to attack the wolf before seeing another human skeleton emerge, just as animated. It expressively flailed its limbs about, as if it were waving hello, and appeared to be unarmed. Before any of them could comment on its strange movements, the one pulling their strings revealed itself. 

Compared to most necromancers Varxus had seen, she was the strangest he’d seen. A fair skinned woman emerged from the darkness, dressed in black and adorned with gold trimmings. Her eyes and hands glowed with a dark purple aura, calmly walking towards them with a sinister smile. She wore gloves that went up to her shoulders and leggings that revealed part of her thighs. Most notable of all, was the condition of her appearance. Nothing had holes or even seemed ragged. All of it appeared brand new, and her long brown hair was smooth and accompanied by a small golden hair clip. Her left hand had a small gold ring on it, and was just as gaudy as the rest of her clothing. She waved hello before Varxus turned to Lena and Mason.

“KILL THE WITCH!” Varxus shouted. Without hesitation, he raised one hand and channelled the winds of magic into it. The woman was about to say something, no doubt a curse, before blue flames shot out of Varxus, blinding and searing reality. The grass in front of him ignited as the woman snapped her fingers and a wall of bones suddenly emerged from the floor, deflecting it.

Lena and Mason rushed the flanks and raised their shields as the wall came down. The woman still stood in place, though her smile seemed to be fading upon seeing the two. Her skeletal wolf pounced upon Mason, using its limbs to trap his arms onto the ground as the human skeleton grabbed Lena by her arms. Varxus ran for the necromancer with his Soul-Splitter raised and about to strike before she leapt backwards, barely dodging the attack as it slammed onto the ground. Skeletal hands erupted from the earth and grabbed the head of the hammer, to which Varxus left it on the floor and swung his fist at her.

This time, she was too slow to dodge and was struck in the face, making her fall to the floor. Before Varxus could finish the job, she quickly floated into the air, wiping off the blood from her mouth and relocating her jaw with a purple energy surrounding it. She looked down and saw that a good amount of blood had been splattered on her dress, making her seemingly good mood disappear entirely. So he wasn’t imagining it, that blow should have killed her. Looks like he’d find a worthy fight after-

His thoughts were interrupted as his feet were suddenly locked into place. The hands had dropped his hammer at least a dozen feet away and had him stay in place. He tried moving, but found he was unable to even lift it upwards. Whoever this necromancer was, she was clearly powerful. And he was about to take the brunt of it.

“Might I ask what an elf girl, a servant of the dark lord, and a stranger are doing attacking me when there is a legion of skeletons approaching us?” 

“I WILL HAVE YOUR SKULL ON MY BELT!!!” Varxus shouted out, trying to break the skeletal hands binding him with his fists. He saw Mason and Lena were struggling to break free from her familiar’s grips-...Why were they still alive? Shouldn’t they have just killed them and moved on to him?”

The necromancer floated back onto the floor, the purple aura slowly fading as she crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. She tapped her finger against her arm, waiting for an answer.

“Y-You’re attacking Lindrow, aren’t you?! We’re here to stop you!” Lena shouted out defiantly.

Varxus expected a mocking laugh in return or some kind of insult. Instead, the woman looked surprised. She remained still for a moment, unsure on how to respond. Instead, her human skeleton did so for her.

“Attacking Lindrow? Little lady, we’re mindin’ our own damn business!” the skeleton replied in a surprisingly human voice. It was deep and fast speaking, which seemed to catch Lena off guard. “Now we got a buncha nutjobs trying to kill us for trying to see what the commotions about!”

“M-Minding your business?” Mason asked, just as confused as Lena.

The wolf turned to its master, speaking in an elegant voice of a noblewoman.

“Are they perhaps after the guards? It has been several weeks, milady,” the wolf calmly stated. Now even Varxus was confused, relenting somewhat on trying to break free of his prison.

The woman was about to say something before finally looking up and noticing countless skeletons were approaching them. Her eyes turned towards the sky and realised the sun was preparing to set as well.

“Hm…I suppose we still have time,” the Necromancer shrugged as she nonchalantly approached Varxus. “Allow me to ask again. What are you doing here?”

“To kill you.”

“Clearly. Well, you mentioned Lindrow, so I can only assume the town has finally gathered courage to come and burn me at the stake.”

Something was not right. Varxus knew she clearly overpowered them, at least in magical prowess. Even as his hand’s energies dulled after being used for only a second, she barely used energies to hold her familiars together and bind him. In fact, the energy that let her repair the damages done seemed minimal as well. Why wasn’t she killing them?

“I’d rather you kill us than prattle on, witch.”

“Well, if you let this ‘witch’ prattle on for at least a few more seconds, maybe you can see that she doesn’t want to.”

Every thought process in Varxus’s head screeched to a halt. What madness has he gotten himself into? A necromancer who doesn’t want to kill? Then what in the seven hells is she doing?

“Milady? Should we not continue this conversation in the safety of home?” The wolf asked.

“Yeah, they’ll be on us in a couple minutes, boss!” The other skeleton exclaimed.

“Which is plenty of time, thank you for your concern.” She replied, dismissively waving a hand.

“We were told about a legend of a witch who lived up here, is that you?” Lena questioned, tilting her head over to make sure she was heard.

“Hah! I didn’t think anyone still believed I was up here.” The necromancer began to laugh, though not at Lena’s expense. “I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot.” She looked at Varxus, and her smile began to come back.

“I do indeed raise the dead, but I doubt I’m the one you were hunting down.”

Varxus said nothing as his battle instincts raged on, screaming to crush her skull. Yet processing the words she was saying, some things were starting to align. If she wanted them and Lindrow dead, they wouldn’t even be having this conversation if some skeletal hands could hold the insane weight of hellforged armour in place. She offered her hand as a friendly gesture.

Varxus yanked her forearm to bring her in closer for an attack, only to rip the entire thing off unintentionally. Lena and Mason gasped in horror while Noura chuckled. He stared at the arm, then back to her. Her reaction finally seemed to make his adrenaline die down. Her familiars just sighed as if this were a common occurrence. What kind of Necromancer was she?!

“...Varxus.” He blankly stated. “Unbind me, and I will hand back your appendage.”

Noura motioned to her familiars to drop Lena and free Mason. Her remaining arm hovered over the bone socket that was bleeding profusely, a purple aura glowing over it. Her smile remained as Varxus finally felt his foot come free. He had half a mind to beat her to death with her own arm, but realised that’d probably be a fruitless effort, considering she was amused more than anything.

“D-Doesn’t that hurt?” Lena asked concerningly.

“Oh it’s going to hurt like hell, sweetie. But, I can worry about that when we get to my house.”

“Yeah, the boss doesn’t really care about that kinda thing anymore. You fleshies got names?” The skeleton asked, shrugging.

“...Lena.”

“I’m Mason.”

“Varxus, Lena, Mason. Pleasure to meet some new faces. My name is Noura. The wolf is Justine, and the other one is Castus.”

Justine elegantly bowed her head while Castus did a casual hand wave. Noura offered her other hand to Varxus again, still smiling. Varxus looked at her hand, her face, then her hand again. He reached his gauntlet forward, the hand being able to completely crush most of her arm in one grab with how big it was in comparison. He mindlessly shook it, moreso to finally get a move on before realising he didn’t hold back. When he let go, her other arm was completely folded into itself, bones and skin completely crushed. She laughed, confusing everyone, even her own familiars.

“It’s going to be lively with some new faces! Come now, I’ll make you all a fine meal.” Noura excitedly proclaimed, despite her one arm and stump flailing helplessly in the wind.

Lena looked as if she were about to throw up before receiving a reassuring skeletal pat by Castus.

“Eh, don’t worry, it looks worse than it actually is!” He casually brushed off.

“We need to get moving, milady.” Justine said again, impatience growing.

“Alright, everyone this way. The skeletons will lose interest since the sun is still out, so don’t worry about that.” Noura motioned for everyone to follow her with her stump, and her familiars promptly did so. Lena and Mason looked at each other and shrugged before tagging along. 

Varxus at first hated this world because it looked different. Then it was for the fact it's Dark Lord was evidently but a piss in the wind for the more advanced civilizations. And despite their notoriety, they were treated better than him? On top of that, the necromancer he met was more friendly than literally every person he’d known in his life combined? Even when he attempted to kill her, she just laughed. If it was solely a physical fight, he’d win no problem. But in a magical one, he’d get eviscerated without a second thought. It was the exact fear of the catgirl, come to fruition. 

“Why does nothing in this world make sense?” Varxus defeatedly asked.

Grabbing his Soul-Splitter, Varxus reluctantly joined them, his mind too broken to protest.

To be continued in Chapter 6

[kelbunny]

Cordelia Glenbrook and Avlora for the character ask game!

:0 the most female characters of all time

Anyways...

Cordelia Glenbrook

First impression

I was fairly neutral about her, really just thinking of her as your stereotypical princess character. Pretty much she was only "Roland's sister" to me.

Impression now

3rd favorite Tristrat Character, and second favorite female character in media in general, second only to Avlora. Cordelia I am so sorry for doubting you.

I lover her character arc so hecking much, going from meek little princess to having a sharp wit and tongue. I really enjoy how instead of making her work to undamsel herself with physical strength, she does so using wit and alliances. Reminds me of why I like Paper Mario (at least the first two games) Peach so much, but instead of just using her damsel status to act as a spy like PM Peach does, she's also turning enemies to her side to eventually undamsel herself and take back her kingdom.

Also as a side note, bc of how good of a character she is for me, she subsequently ruined Gloria from BDii for me. I go from the best princess character I've seen to one that barely feels more than a cardboard cutout and the difference is real.

Favorite moment

I really like her turning point in her character arc after she learns of Roland's "death". She showed signs before, but it's really when she feels she starts using her wits, because as far as she knows at that point, no one will be coming to save her anymore, so she better start trying to do so as well, with this eventually culminating in turning Avlora to her side.

Another more minor one, but her mid battle conversation with Gustadolph during the golden route. Both the voice acting and the interaction itself, mwuah. Shows just how freaking much she had grown.

Idea for a story

I want to write, either as a fic or a comic, a post Golden interaction between her and Roland where they both come to terms of just how much they went through and how it affected them, and the relief that they hopefully wont have to go through it again.

Unpopular opinion

I've mentioned it before, but the fact I don't like Avlora/Cordelia as a ship.

As for another one, I personally prefer her over Geela as a healer. Yes her spells might be more expensive, but she heals tp faster, and her weapon skill feels more useful in the fact it can stack unlike Geela.

Favorite relationship

Look, just because I don't ship them, doesn't mean I still don't hecking love the dynamic between her and Avlora. Like I cannot words it right now but like *motions* them! The Duo! Do not separate!

Also the sibling relationship of her and Roland, but that is bc I am weak for sibling relationships in media.

Favorite headcanon

I made a post about this before, but the idea that Post-Golden Avlora starts teaching Cordelia swordfighting, specifically at Cordelia's request.

Avlora

First impression

I thought she was cool. I was pretty excided and hoping that she would eventually be playable bc who doesn't want the cool Knight Lady with a giant sword?

Impression now

Even cooler than originally thought! Even if she weren't playable she'd still be my favorite female character of all time. Like her dynamic with Cordelia, her characterization, how terrifying she is! It's all so good!

I remember learning she was the secret character for the golden route and being really excited and eager to get through the non golden endings so I could finally get her.

I remember telling my much younger siblings who were watching me on and off that there was a secret character for the Golden route, and they immediately guessed Avlora, and when I finally got to that part, got extremely excited they were correct.

Also, I love how Avlora is one of the few cases in video games where a boss joins you and still feels like a boss. I need to redo it at some point, but like a year ago I attempted a challenge where I try and beat every mock battle with only Avlora (with a few exceptions), and like, yeah I felt like the boss.

Favorite moment

I really like the Avlora battles, most notably the one in Wolffort and the one in the Gardens. Like that is how you make a boss terrifying.

As for story, the scene where she recognizes Cordelia's strength and pledges allegiance towards her, and how she sees that strength can be more than physical.

Idea for a story

I can't say I have one at the moment, at least not one I haven't written cough cough self promotion cough cough

Unpopular opinion

Other than not liking Cordelia x Avlora, I don't think I have one. I guess liking Avwell would maybe count haha.

Favorite relationship

I mentiond this in Cordelia's but the dynamic between her and Cordelia is so good I will mention it again.

Favorite headcanon

Same as the one listed in Cordelia's section. I want Avlora to teach Cordelia to stab.

[nixalegos]

A Deal in Drustvar

Continued from Here "Those are excuses, not reasons. Daggers and swords can be made smaller and lightweight, and given you're going to be trained by the Alliance in spells fit for war, what with joining the...Tenth Fleet you said? You may even end up with little more then an enchanted hilt and channel magic through it as a flaming sword. Or conjure weapons. Who knows." He added as he turned around slowly. "The letter opener is cute. I've a ritual dagger in my boot. It's never been useful to have there." He confessed. "How often are you left in a position where your hands at your ankles or in a crouch mid battle? If you're a spellcaster, they'll simply kill you, not toy with you." He stated before coming to look past her, towards the darkened woods and then her again. "Miss Ashton, I am not entirely convinced you aren't in fact a Drust witch. So do not mistake the idea you could stab me as praise. You could quite literally disembowel me with your letter opener, rend pieces of my soul to Thros, and you would slow me down, for maybe, ten to fifteen minutes once you were done. Let's not pretend its a matter of capability, it's a matter of I can afford to show mercy even if you're my target and trying to kill me, that's the gulf of difference we bear." He said flatly, without pride or mockery in his tone. "And, no, bones aren't really valuable. There isn't a shortage of parts out there. Still beating Wicker Horror hearts? A Witchs soul forcibly captured in a gem. The last desperate plea of help from a Hexxen victim as their sanity gives out, those have value to those like me who use such. You, on the other hand." He considered his words carefully, taking a moment to pause. "I would hate to see you peering into matters as foul as those if you're in fact not already taken by the Drust. Or any dark magic if I'm being honest. Azeroth has enough bastards and power hungry psychos to actively encourage someone else down the Path of Sacrifice." He said, trying to be reassuring, but his smile just had a few too many teeth in it to look 'nice'. "So I cannot trade you for a 'basic' spell of pyromancy, because my fire simply isn't for the innocent. I'll escort you to whatever local township you need to get to so you can get back to your new life in the Alliance. They'll train you in the Arcane, and hopefully they don't just churn you into yet another worthless warmage with no talent beyond making evocations." He said with a scoff. "Now, are you wrapped up here, if I get you back quickly enough I can likely still check out the other two most likely sites this side of the mountain before sunrise."

@tillyashton

[omegafan101]

Oh boy, Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022 is out and it’s absolutely amazing so I guess it’s time for me to share my thoughts on it and gush about every story. Here we go! Spoilers below!

Guardians

Starting off with a Blaze story! I absolutely love how the Annuals give some time for some supporting characters to shine without hurting the story too much. And speaking of supporting characters who need a chance to shine MARINE IS BAAAACK!

Okay, full disclosure, I have never actually played Sonic Rush Adventure, hell I haven’t so much as watched the cutscenes. So the extent of my knowledge about Marine is from her appearances in the Archie comics, and SonicSong182′s use of her. So, I don’t know why people don’t like Marine, but I love her and am so glad Blaze’s very own Tails has finally made another appearance!

But of course the real meat of the story comes from a character interaction I had somehow never thought of!

It only makes sense that Blaze would go to Knuckles about her worries with being a guardian, the two don’t know each other well but they share the same role. It’s a very nice little talk that shows Blaze’s character growth with actually taking Knuckles’ advice because she WANTS to be around everyone again. Also love how Knuckles acknowledges that leaving Angel Island to help save the world is always a gamble because I think everyone was getting fed up of him leaving it behind so often lol

I also just love the implication that Blaze invited Marine to join her on her little vacation. Understandable that she’d wanna stay behind but I hope we get to see more of her again. SPECIFICALLY because I want her to meet Silver and finally form that fantasy team.

And hey I guess this means Blaze is gonna be sticking around the main crew awhile! GOOD! I love Blaze, she’s a wonderful character and I’m so glad Ian found a natural way to put her back into the story again without having to jump to constant dimensional stakes.

Uh... This would be the point where I jump to the next story but I just gotta take a moment to absolutely GUSH about Adam Bryce Thomas and Joana Lafuente’s artwork!

LIKE LOOK AT ALL THIS! IT’S SO FUCKING PRETTY!!!

Also some appreciation for how fucking cute Blaze is when she smiles we love a girl who’s learned it’s okay to be happy

Weapons

ALRIGHT I’VE STALLED LONG ENOUGH YOU SEE MY NAME, YOU SEE MY PFP, YOU SEE THE COVER I CHOSE TO USE, IT’S TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE OMEGA STORY BABY!!! (oh yeah and Gemerl’s there too)

I kid I kid, I love Gemerl and couldn’t be happier that he’s been added to the main lineup of Sonic’s friends, really thought everyone forgot about him after Advence 3.

So hey, we finally get that sparring match Omega and Gemerl teased and OH

LOOK AT THEM GO!

We love a good fight that doubles as a moment for characters to get a better understanding of one another. That’s some good ass shonen shit right there.

I love how Omega really does see the potential in Gemerl, one who has gone toe to toe with Sonic and was pretty damn even with him, and offers him to join his side in actively destroying the Eggman Empire. But on the other end of the spectrum, yes Gemerl WAS built as a battle robot, but more importantly he was built as a successor to Emerl and was made to evolve. And he has greatly, gaining a genuine care for his new found family and perhaps even some form of emotion.

Now, I wanna talk about this panel right after.

So, Omega and Gemerl don’t have... Eyes or a mouth, so they can’t really convey any emotion with their face. But I’ve been known to read far too deep into Omega as a character, and something about the way he looks here is getting me to think he is genuinly taken aback about Gemerl’s statement.

First of all there is his face, which again, can convey no emotion, but he does have the head piece which can be angled to look like eyebrows. Often he’s seen at such an angle that he looks angry or threatening, but here it makes him look kinda wide eyed.

The second most damning piece of evidence is the fact that he is not on guard. At all. Omega is a robot built for destruction, who loves to fight, and is currently in a sparring match. But he is standing with his arms at his side staring at his oppent. He gets on guard in the very next panel but that’s awfully slow to him.

My two cents? Well, I think Omega takes a bit of what Gemerl says to heart, because, aside from breaking off Eggman’s ranks, Omega HASN’T evolved. He is still destructive, he will still destroy anyone who gets in his way, and he still may have some aggression towards Sonic. By all accounts, he is still Eggman’s creation. Now if Team Dark were friends like they’re supposed to be I could bring that up but Sega sucks now so--

Do I think this’ll lead anywhere? Probably not, and I’m likely reading too much into this, but I can always pretend that Omega is more of a character than he actually is, can’t I?

Anyway, I love how these two just beat the ever litting bolts out of each other and then carried each other back to Tails and Belle.

And at long last, we got some brobots in the house.

(Hey guys, your little sister, Belle, is also over there... Wanna include her...?) I’m constantly in need of Omega being Belle’s big brother I don’t care how OOC it would be.

Hero Camp

In all honesty I don’t have too much to say about this one, it’s cute, it’s fun, I find it funny that Cream feels the need to go to a camp to learn to be a hero after all the shit she’s been through.

Also this panel

I don’t know why but I love it. For some reason I cannot hear Cream’s usual voice reading this, I think it’s just cause it’s not quite as nice as she usually is which you know what good for her.

Also LOVE the fact that the Restoration HQ has all this shit lmao

Anyway, Cream’s fun, Orbot and Cubot are funny, this was a nice little story. That’s all.

Future Growth

Oh you thought we were only getting an excuse for Blaze to stick around? THINK AGAIN!

Looks like Silver’s here to stay! Which I’m very glad about, time starts getting fuckity if he always comes back when his time is in crisis. It just makes no sense.

But at long last, we get some Rivals 2 acknowledgement

Good choice of character to talk to Silver, writers. I’m proud of you.

Anyway I love the line of “Everything’s okay, but I’m not.” Silver’s always been an anxious mess, and it makes sense that he would feel like he’s doing something wrong if he doesn’t have something to save. Not to mention, with so much time spent with everyone in the past, he’s made some lasting friendships that he can’t have in his own time. I guess this means Silver will be sticking around, because he wants to. Which is nice.

Also this

Anyone with this little ship must be very happy.

Another Grand Adventure For Jet the Hawk

First off, Jet’s room.

Oh good lord there’s so much to point out here. I think my favorite part is the picture of him and Sonic with Sonic’s half very poorly torn off. Also happy birthday Jet!

But enough about Jet cause we’ve got WHISPER CONTENT!

I’ve missed her. Please come back to us soon Whisper (i know she’ll be in an upcoming issue with Surge it’s just nice to see her here).

And now we’ve got Whisper, on Extreme Gear, shooting a badnik from it, and with her oh so rare moment of yelling because Jet is just THAT annoying.

This story is very fucking good I highly enjoyed it.

Also love how she never got Jet out of the badnik’s hand that’s pretty fucking funny, like is he gonna be okay?

A Rough Patch

Been too long since we’ve seen this idiotic duo, and I love how they have a big break up over rhyming. Rough and Tumble are so fucking good.

This grouping is so odd I love it. Someone really realized Rouge and Tangle sounded similar to Rough and Tumblr and decided to roll with that and I respect them for that.

These two are so fucking dumb I love them

They are lucky they’re so strong because I don’t think they’d get anywhere in life without that fact.

Anyone stealing Rough and Tumble’s rhyming gimmick is like when Ash and his friends would steal the Team Rocket motto it’s so much fun.

However I am legitimately upset that Tumble didn’t cap off the joke by mentioning that “mangled” and “Tangle” is a slant rhyme like come on it was right there!

And hey! Rouge has a Chaos Emerald now!

I wonder if I should be keeping track of that. I’m pretty sure this is the first one we’ve seen since they were used at the end of the Metal Virus, but I could be wrong.

Conclusion

I want more. Honestly 2023 Annual cannot come sooner. I love these things so much, the differing art styles, the weird character matchups, the chance for less important characters to get a story to shine. It’s all so much fun!

Overall I don’t think it’s quite as good at the 2020 Annual, but that was telling tales in between all the Metal Virus chaos so it’s kinda hard to beat.

Also I just realized Shadow was absolutely no where to be seen in this, I don’t think he’s made an appearance since issue 36 in fact. We’re coming up on a year and a half since Shadow has been in the comics, it looks like Ian is really keeping his word with not writing Shadow stories if Sega is gonna be so awful about his characterization, and frankly good for him! I would rather not have Shadow in the comic then have the awful version of him Sega has forced upon the writers.

But this one had all the fun, goofy, character driven antics I so crave and even gave us Silver and Blaze has longer staying characters and the status of one of the Chaos Emeralds (if we’re keeping track).

And most importantly, OMEGA GOT A STORY 10/10

No seriously, I loved this, it’s not perfect, I probably won’t remember the Cream story by the end of the moneht, but it was fucking great to read overall.

9/10

[ficretus]

Knightfall, literary references and subversions

In many of my theories I heavily focus on literary references characters are based on. Now, literary references are not be all end all of predictions. They can easily get subverted as we've seen many times before in the show. In this post I'll focus on Knightfall and its literary references, is it relatively straightforward or is it all just subversions.

LITERARY REFERENCES AND CANON CONFIRMED ROMANCES

First thing I wanna focus on is how much do literary references play a role in 2 so far canon confirmed pairings, Renora and Bumbleby. After all, if there is a precedent that they don't matter, then there is no point in predicting anything based on them. And here it's a mixed bag.

Renora has grand total of zero things to do with literary influence of their characters. But here is the thing, Ren and Nora in general have very little to do with their respective characters. Their literary references mostly end up being aesthetic flavor.

Look at Nora for example, on surface level she is indeed Thor: she is heavily reliant on physical strength, her primary weapon is hammer (that is named after Thor's son), her primary element is electricity. But other than that, pretty much nothing. You can go to any famous Thor story and you'll find nothing you can reference back to Nora. At most I thought she might parallel Thor's rivalry with giants (seriously, at the end of pretty much any story where some giant is stirring shit, Thor shows up overjoyed he gets to murder him) since she fought Hazel in Haven, but this is clearly just a coincidence overall. If it was an intentional reference, she'd be pitted against Elm during the Atlas arc which didn't happen.

It actually kind of annoys me how little Nora has to do with Norse mythology. Characters like Pyrrha (Baldr), Ozma (Odin) and Hound (Fenrir) seem to have more to do with Norse mythology than character who's primary influence it is.

My point here is that while yeah, Renora is an example of literary references not mattering, Ren and Nora in general don't abide by the rules of their respective references. Hard to say they have changed the game, because they don't even play it.

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Now onto Bumbleby. Here is something that confuses me about it: people tend to say this ship being canon is an example of literary references not mattering, when it's fairly straightforward Beauty and the Beast story. You don't have to complicate it, switch roles or whatever people do. On its own it reads like archetypical Beauty and the Beast story.

I mean, run Yang through some basic traits Beast has in most famous Beauty and the Beast versions:

Is Yang beast? Yes. While not Faunus, Yang's temper and dragon imagery make her beast like. Beast also tends to have some reptilian features in lot of versions which adds to the allusion.

Is Yang overprotective of rose flower? Yes. In this case not being literal rose flower, instead being her sister.

Does Yang get abandoned by Blake? Absolutely. Blake runs away to her family after Volume 3, directly paralleling Beauty leaving the Beast and returning home to her family.

Do they reunite in Beast's moment of need? Yes. Blake joining the main cast during the Battle of Haven, foiling Adam's plan. This is direct parallel to Beauty returning to Beast's side after having visions of his demise.

Is Yang prince? Not literal one, but symbolically yes. It works in two ways, she is daughter of Bandit Queen, making her princess. She is also daughter of Maiden (and as I say every other post, Maidens are symbolically royalty), once again princess. It also works well with Villeneuve version of Beauty and the Beast in which Beast gets abandoned by his mother as she goes to fight in the war (which works no matter which Yang's mother figure you take).

Bumbleby is straightforward Beauty and the Beast with references going back all the way to Volume 1, which is one of the reasons I disagree when people say Bumbleby was retconned into existence and Black Sun was suppose to be the thing originally.

As I said, mixed bag, Renora doesn't play by the rules of literary references, Bumbleby does. Literary references naturally matter more in case character's story is actually influenced by them.

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Side note about Bumbleby. I find it kind of funny common argument against it is that members of team RWBY are suppose to be like sisters, therefore pairing is inappropriate. Then you check Villeneuve version of Beauty and the Beast (which is origin of many common tropes in modern versions) and realize Beauty and the Beast there are first cousins. Sorry folks, it appears supposed incest is feature, not a bug.

IS JAUNE'S STORY JOAN OF ARC STORY?

After all, if Jaune is surface level reference to Joan like Nora is surface level reference to Thor, then literary references don't really matter. In this case, I'd say Jaune follows enough Joan of Arc story beats for me to say he is indeed influenced by her.

In first 3 volumes it is mostly surface level with some subversions to the Joan's story. Oh, he has no experience, yet he is given position of team leader, that's like Joan being given military command. Oh, he is crossdressing, that's so Joan. Oh, he is blackmailed by a guy that is on the nose reference to Joan's interrogator Cardinal of Winchester. If it continued going that way I'd probably chuck all Joan of Arc books out the window and returned to the normal life, but alas, that wasn't the case (please greenlight Volume 10 and immediately do Whiteknight so I can return to the normal life).

Following the Fall of Beacon, Jaune's story starts following Joan's story way more closer. Events that happen in following volumes start matching events happening in Joan's story chronologically. Fall of Beacon being both subversion of Joan's victory at Orleans and sack of Joan's village by Anglo-Burgundian forces. I made an entire theory about it and you can check it out below.

Long story short, Jaune's story follows Joan's close enough for me to conclude that it's valid way to read the character. If that's the case, then most logical love interest you can give to Jaune is character based on King Charles VII (Jaune is not straightforward rendition of Joan of Arc so him having a love interest is not out of question) since he was the most important person to Joan. And based on the title of this post you can guess who in my opinion fits that role the most. How that works, you can check in the theory below.

INDECISIVE KING:

RWBY's Indecisive King story is common argument of Knightfall theories. For those uninitiated, it's a story about Relic of Choice. There is a wise King that gives good advice to anyone that approaches him. One day, he is approached by Widow that lost her village and husband to Grimm and subsequently lost her will to live. He advises her to live and she listens to him, staying in his castle. King is given Relic of Choice that makes him see visions of unavoidable doomed future. He becomes Indecisive King, unable to give any advice to his subjects. After chasing away all of his advisors, he is approached by Widow who asks him about his issues. After being told about his visions, Widow puts on a Crown and sees a vision of her future with the King. She tells him to live and puts Relic of Choice away, they end up living happily ever after.

As how does this story relate to Knightfall? Well, Jaune matches the role of Widow, Cinder matches the role of King. Their Volume 5 encounter seems like a reference to the first meeting of King and Widow (dialogue even similar to some quotes from the written version of the story). Story also feels very similar to the meeting between Joan and King Charles VII (theory in link below). And even ignoring all that, story is based around Relic that is connected to Fall Maiden.

Ok, but why do I bring this up? It's simple, it's the story written by RWBY writers, not some centuries old fairy tale. What's the point of writing a story, have characters in the show play roles similar to the ones in the story if it's not gonna mean anything. I guess it adds to the world building. If Jaune ends up killing Cinder, nobody is gonna even flinch. Nobody is gonna go "oh, this subverts Indecisive King, what a twist" since subversion of the story is based on majority expected conclusion. If references to Indecisive King were more direct and story itself more known, I'd consider completely subverting it to be plausible. But as I see it, there is no point in subverting something if nobody knows what are you subverting.

ADAM AND CINDER:

Hold on, am I forgetting about the elephant in the room? Or more accurately, forgetting about edgelord bull in the room. Adam was introduced with lot of Beast references, and yet not only does he not end up with Blake, gets killed by her. And since Cinder and Adam are similar in some regards, and Cinder is nemesis to Jaune, she will meet similar fate and end up subverting her references. I feel like this doesn't work for several reasons.

____________________________________________________________

First of all, you need to have some expectations for them to be subverted. At the beginning of the story we didn't know much about Adam. What we did know was that he is morally questionable but seemingly fights for the good cause. He was framed as more of a sympathetic villain or anti hero. So when you have him as Beast reference, there is some expectation Blake might return to him and change him for the better. Of course, that didn't happen and it was soon revealed Adam is completely evil and he would have no redemption arc. For better or worse, expectations were subverted. You still have some fans to this day that think Adam was set up for a redemption arc but writers changed their mind and made him complete asshole.

With Cinder, it's the complete opposite. Character was introduced as a villain, seemingly with motivation of being evil for the sake of being evil. She only ever interacted with Jaune as his nemesis. Nobody except weirdos like me have expectations Cinder will even be redeemed, let alone end up with Jaune. Majority of community expects Jaune will avenge Pyrrha and in some way be the cause of Cinder's downfall. Repeating Adam's story with Cinder doesn't work with latter as it does with former. Ironically enough, playing Joan of Arc story mostly straight would be massive subversion of expectations.

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Second of all, consistency and timing of references. Yeah, Adam was initially reference to the Beast. He is Bull Faunus and Beast tends to appear similar to Minotaur. He has rose as an emblem, Beast is afflicted with rose curse. He was abandoned by Blake just like Beauty ran away from the Beast. That's pretty straightforward and easily recognizable for average viewer. However, references stop after he was revealed to be completely evil. His role shifted to more of Disney's Gaston or rose curse, being existential threat to Blake and Yang. So he played his role as the Beast until the big reveal and shifted to appropriate villain role. He also served as a red herring to Yang's Beast.

With Cinder, it once again goes opposite way. Her early role in the story evokes different expectations. Theory as old as time itself is that Cinder would be the one to kill Jaune since he is Joan of Arc and she is fire themed. That combined with her role in Fall of Beacon and her quest for power made her to appear as more of reference to Joan's enemy, Duke of Burgundy. However, as story goes on she becomes more of a reference to King Charles VII (her backstory in Volume 8 especially added lot to the King references). If they were pulling Adam again, why bother adding so many allusions to Joan's King after Cinder was revealed to be Jaune's nemesis. It's not really even a subversion because unlike Adam as Beast, Cinder as King is not as obvious as a reference. It's hard to appreciate subversion if you don't even know what's being subverted.

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And lastly, this one is subjective, but it's boring as shit. While Cinder does share lot of elements with Adam, at the end of the day they are different characters with different motivations. Adam's motivations were deeply connected to Blake. Him going after people close to her and becoming "ship hater" made sense. Turning Cinder into Whiteknight "ship hater" is massive disservice to the character and goes against her established goal. Why the hell would she care if Jaune is with Weiss when her primary goals are taking Maiden powers and killing Ruby.

It ends up being extremely repetitive story with villains getting reduced to just "ship haters". I mean, what is next? Is Salem gonna be Rosegarden "ship hater" and break Oscar's weapon? Which ship is Tyrian hating? Be it villain or redeemed, I doubt Cinder's fate will mirror Adam's (or at least I think it will be boring if they end up going there).

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This is mostly my reasoning why I read literary references to Knightfall relatively straightforward and why I don't think they are playing some 3D chess with subversions. If they are doing Knightfall they are doing it, if not, then it's likely gonna be more about people like me reading too much into random references and seeing patters that don't exist then about them doing some multi layered subversion. Either way, that's all for today, some Knightfall, some Bumbleby, lot of rambling

[inukag-archive]

Hello! First of all, I love your blog, I've found so many wonderful fics here! ❤❤ Secondly, I'd like to request fic recs where instead of Kagome ending in the Feudal Era, it's InuYasha who ends up in the modern Era (no pregnancy/baby fics please, lol). Thank you!!

Hello!

Rather than creating two small lists with a lot of overlap, the fic finders opted to make one “spends more than a canon amount of time in the modern era” list which includes fics where Inuyasha is on the other side of the well at canon’s close. As per your preference @deanscarlett, we’ve separated the list into [Includes Babies] and [Does Not Include Babies]. 

[DOES NOT INCLUDE BABIES]

Breaking the Habit by @kstewdeux (M)

After being separated for six years, Inuyasha and Kagome are reunited on her side of the well. TW: SI, Mental Illness. Notes: This is a rewrite of the original Breaking the Habit story I posted on here. It will be slightly expanded and edited. After much reflection, I have decided to complete the plot as I had originally envisioned and finish it out before going back to finish the original.

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Darkness Fades to Dawn by kodiaqkitten (Y)

Upon Naraku's defeat the jewel becomes locked in the modern world creating havoc and destruction in Kagome's life. Inuyasha would pull her from darkness and heal her troubled soul. Recovered, the miko befriends a young nephilim plagued by a life of constant suffering. Can a miko of light help heal even the most broken of souls? A new evil threatens the world and together with friends from the past, she must rise to the occasion and once again destroy humanities enemy.

--

Strength by inufan625 (X)

COMPLETE:When InuYasha arrives in Kagome's room battered and broken, clutching the Shikon no Tama in one hand, and the world outside has gone mad, Kagome will find herself tested in ways she never imagined, & in the end will learn what true strength really is.

--

Hanyou of the Future by paynesgrey (M)

After the final battle, Inuyasha follows Kagome back to her time, only to be stuck there indefinitely. Inuyasha encounters a whole string of oddball jobs, rival suitors, modern society mishaps, and he has to deal with their awkward relationship. COMPLETE.

--

Dreamcatcher by 2ways2live (G)

Inuyasha joins the Higurashi family after leaving the feudal era. He adjusts to the modern world while being a hanyou. One night, he goes through his usual human transformation. He spends his sleepless night pondering his life so far and the loss of his mother.

--

Life Could Be A Dream by @that-one-nerdy-gal (T)

After browsing the pages of a photo album, Inuyasha finds himself imagining what it would have been like to grow up in Kagome's strange modern world, only to wake up the next morning to find that his musings have become reality! Is this really a dream come true? Or is something else going on?

--

The Importance of Ramen by @mamabearcat (M)

Kagome is struggling to cope with balancing two worlds - the physical safety of modern Tokyo and the pressures of high school, and the danger of the past. She has handled battles with demons and monsters in the Sengoku Jidai with the help of her friends. But how will she handle a confrontation in the modern era, with no weapon and friends to help her? And how can she cope with her growing emotional attachment to an oblivious dog hanyou?

--

The Accident by @splendentgoddess (X)

Complete rewrite! An oldie but a goodie. Kagome accidentally gets injured in her time, causing Inuyasha to face the truth about his feelings. But how does Kagome really feel? And what about Kikyou? What part does the new moon play in all this?

--

The Irony of Fate by @fawn-eyed-girl (E)

After Kagome wishes for the Shikon Jewel to disappear, she and Inuyasha are transported back to 21st century Tokyo, where they are trapped after the well closes up. How will they cope with living with Kagome's family, and what happens when youkai from the past start showing up? What will they do when the unthinkable happens, and will they ever get back down the well?

--

Merry Christmas, Inuyasha by @splendentgoddess (M)

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the shrine, the Higurashis were preparing a meal fine. Kagome went to retrieve the chicken with care, not knowing a certain hanyou had followed her there... Okay that's enough rhyming. Inu/Kag Fluff! Enjoy!

[INCLUDES BABIES]

Forget Me Not by @splendentgoddess (E)

Kagome sacrifices her happiness for the man she loves, returning to her time forever, but not without sharing one night of passion to cherish always. Little does Inuyasha know that he left Kagome with more than memories. Off-canon post-manga.

--

Purity by Sueric (E)

Naraku is gone. Kagome has the jewel. After seeing InuYasha's torment, Kagome faces 'the truth' of his feelings. Kagome does the unthinkable, and in a final act of love, Kikyou offers InuYasha one chance to fix it. But is he too late? Originally archived on Mediaminer and FFnet.

--

The Aquarium Series by @superpixie42 (T)

An alt-ending/canon-divergent series where Inuyasha chooses to stay in the Modern Era with Kagome post-Naraku. All the works are inspired by @Kirrtash: her art and headcanons. Installments include stories before and after the Final Battle.

--

Chronicles by Sueric (E)

A new quest begins for InuYasha and Kagome. Answers come from the strangest of places, and sometimes the truth you seek really can change your life. Sometimes the greatest truths in life can be found by understanding the life of another. Complete. Originally archived on Mediaminer and FFnet.

--

All Hallow’s Eve (trilogy) by @splendentgoddess (X)

When Kagome's school friends invite her and her 'jealous boyfriend' to a Halloween party she decides she actually wants to go, and convinces Inuyasha to go with her. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Complete! Followed by Hallowed Anniversary  & Hallow Be Thy Name 

[therese-lokidottir]

The Avengers: Earth Mightiest Heroes series watch

Widow's Sting written Kevin Burke & Chris Wyatt

There is a meeting between HYDRA and AIM, where Modok is talking about studying the Cosmic Cube. This weapon has the power to grant any wish and can give HYDRA the power to conquer the world. Though Modok is going to need more time to make it work. The Meeting is broken up by Hawkeye who demands to know the location of the Black Widow.

There's a shoot-out Hawkeye knocks a good number of the henchmen, but both Grim Reaper and Modok manage to flee. Shield flies in and demands to have a meeting with Hawkeye. Fury chews out Hawkeye for interrupting Shields's operation. However, Hawkeye is more annoyed because they have failed to capture the Black Widow themselves. Fury defends himself saying Hawkeye should know how elusive she is considering they were partners. Tony reluctantly agrees with Fury. There's not much they can do to find Widow and they still need to deal with the aftermath of the breakout, but Hawkeye refuses to back down and storms out. He'll find her alone if he has to.

Captain America and Black Panther speak with Hawkeye. They say he shouldn't be so focused on revenge and doing this all alone won't be good for him. An old friend of Haweyes, Bobbi Morse no under the alias of Mockingbird walks in and offers her help which Hawkeye quickly accepts

The Mockingbird tries to help the team by showing them the HYDRA safe houses and storage facilities. However, the other heroes ignore her advice. They suspect that she is trying to mislead them and they have been following Black Widow's trail through a tracking device planted on the Grim Reaper by Hawkeye during their last encounter. Their plan is to use the device to locate Baron Strucker, with the expectation that the Widow will soon follow.

Hawkeye and Mockingbird launch an attack on the Reaper when he is about to change transport, but unfortunately, they are beaten and captured. However, this was all part of their plan to get closer to Strucker, with Captain America and Black Panther not too far behind. The only problem is that the HYDRA transport they are on has a cloaking device that prevents the tracking device from working.

Hawkeye and Mockingbird find themselves imprisoned and alone. Unexpectedly, Black Widow pays them a visit in their dungeon. Just as she is about to speak, Hawkeye interrupts her and swears to take revenge. After Black Widow leaves, Hawkeye breaks out of his cell.

It turns out that AIM has been delaying HYDRA and no one expected the Cosmic Cube to work. Now, however, it does, and MODOC must reconsider its plans.

Hawkeye and Mockingbird attempt to take down Baron Strucker for the second time but are outnumbered. Fortunately, Cap and Black Panther arrive and join the fight. While Cap corners Strucker, he activates a self-destruct sequence for the base. Widow jumps in to save him, and Hawkeye gets a clear shot at her while she's escaping with Strucker. However, Hawkeye sees Viper about to attack a restrained Mockingbird and chooses to save Bobbi by taking the shot instead.

During a mission, Hawkeye chases after Black Widow, who is trying to escape. The two engage in a battle where they manage to disarm each other and start fighting hand-to-hand. Widow proves to be better in this combat, and she manages to disable Hawkeye. However, Strucker insists on finishing him off and begins to drain his life force. Surprisingly, Widow saves him. But she takes the knocked-out Strucker and flees. Captain America and Black Panther arrive to rescue Hawkeye, and Fury brings the Helicarrier to extract Mockingbird. Eventually, the HYDRA Island is destroyed in flames. While regrouping at the docks Widow tells Strucker that it was Black Panther who knocked him out. Modok flies in to return the money that Hydra has paid him claiming that the cosmic cube project was a failure. He leaves claiming that Aim will be working on a new project for Hydra soon enough, however, Strucker is suspicious of Modok's true intentions

Back at Shield's headquarters Fury shows Mockingbird Viper's body has now transformed into that of an alien Skrull.

I loved this episodes. Once again, this show does a great job of setting multiple plots at once and continuing them and it does it in a way that doesn't feel crowded.

I immediately like it how it was Cap and America and Black Panther were the ones helping out Hawkeye. Showing Steve support for his team and containing on Black Panther and Hawkeye kind of being buddies.

Hawkeye gets to showing his wits seeing right through Fury's tactics using Mockingbird and being able to use it to his advantage. I am a little curious about Fury's mindset though. Like, he's not really here for superheroes, but apparently, it's him giving his top agents mask identities. Alright, Nick whatever you think is best.

This episode sets up for secret invasion, although it won't fully playout until next the season. It's crazy watching the MCU complete mess right now and then see a children's show understand how to tell a serialized story.