#thus they wouldn't be in armor

[myceliumelium]

damn I cant believe i actually finished this WIP. Their last kiss before Fingon gets reduced to a fine mist.

[copperpipes]

Jaime's fate is really a grave one. or, it would have been if the scarab that have gotten to him wasn't damaged.

The beetle (as humanity dubbed it, because the part of it that showed resembled a bug and granted unimaginable power, thus was compared to a sacred insect, or an insect that resembled it was made sacred after it.) Is most and foremost an in infiltraitor, made to gather as much intel about the planet and its population as possible, and maybe even prepare the planet's population to submission via manipulation of religion/culture.

Second is of course it being a weapon, powerful enough to destroy the planet its infiltratiting in case conquering it would be deemed impossible.

Now into the spec bio part:

The scarab itself is a semi-organic parasitic organism. The organic part being the one fusing with the host, binding together their nervous systems, becoming a part of the host's spinal cord or its equivalent in other life forms.

But wait, doesn't the host have an immune system? It does!

Does it help? Not in the slightest :'D

The scarab generates its own cells, many in purposes and varieties, like some that shock every immune system cell that comes near it until it fools the immune system into counting it as part of the body. It comes with consequences to the host, of course, with a weakened immune system the host is prone to viruses, and so it stays in a near constant state of fever to compensate. Or just the worst month of Jaime's life.

It not to worry! Just because the host's own immune system is out of commission for a little while doesn't mean its actually helpless, it has the scarab now, with enough programmed immune system cells of its own to share.

(This part is very dialed down in detail for the sake of people who aren't very interested in it, believe me I have at least an additional page in may Google docs)

The non organic part of the scarab is the computer itself, specifically the parts that if organic would just go out of commission quickly. Yes, an AI could be programmed into an organic nervous system, but said programming could be easily overcome and lost. Less easily by a non-organic system.

Oh and I wouldn't call the blue beetle armor.

There's no skin under there in that form.

There is however, blood.

Khaji-da is a serial number in reach-speak.

There is so much more material i haven't said, that is not all. It will continue . About the armor itself, about Jaime and the changes he has to learn how to cope with, and what's up there with khaji?

Also in the comic when Jaime first met the reach they pretended to be tech support and i find this immensly funny

@wazzappp i promised :>

[hawkinsbnbg]

Dragon!Steve and mercenary!Eddie.

Steve Harrington was a dragon.

Once upon a time, he would kidnap a princess, imprison her in his tower, guard the said tower, and await his doom delivered by a knight in shining armor.

But this wasn't that kind of fairy tale. No, in this story, Steve and the princess were friends. Her lover was a fae who was his platonic soulmate, and the knight in shining armor was his brother in arms.

Still, no one, even Steve himself, foreseen it when a handsome mercenary arrived at his tower and stole his heart.

Steve never felt so adored in his long and boring life, but Edwyn "Eddie" Munson managed to do the impossible.

The man was good with his words, even better with his fingers when he scratched the itchy spots beneath Steve's scales and drew runes of protection and love on Steve's human body.

Eddie was also an attentive lover who brought Steve sparkly gifts every time he visited the tower.

In turn, Steve let the mercenary ride on his back in their adventures, let the man guide him to wherever he was pleased, and let himself be consumed in the amorous looks Eddie would give him when the man thought he didn't notice.

Robin, Nancy, and Jonathan had been suspicious at first about Eddie's true motive. They worried that the mercenary would betray Steve because, despite his peaceful nature, Steve was the most powerful of his kind. And frankly, many had hunted him throughout his life given that even a piece of his scales cost a fortune in black markets.

Their concern was warranted, Steve supposed, but he trusted Eddie to not do him harm. Yet, sometimes, when Steve couldn't sleep at night, he would think about the worst and decide that if Eddie asked, he would give the man everything.

After all, Eddie already had his heart.

In the end, Eddie only asked of him a vial of his blood to cure Wayne's illness.

The day the truth came out was when Eddie approached him and stated that his uncle couldn't wait any longer.

Steve could see the desperation and hope in those chocolate eyes that he so loved, and knew for certain that Eddie wouldn't fight him but would be on his knees and beg until he agreed to help.

Before things could go any worse, Steve decided to take the matter into his own hands. Literally.

"So you had approached me because of my blood," Steve smiled wryly at the sting of the betrayal as he let Eddie dress the gash on his forearm. They both knew the cut would heal in a few minutes, but Steve didn't turn down Eddie's help. Couldn't.

"You should know that I didn't only have your blood in mind," Eddie fastened the bandage's knot securely.

"What? Are you asking for my organs next?" Steve huffed out a bitter laugh. "I heard they're quite useful ingredients for rituals and potions."

"No," Eddie met his eyes calmly and guided Steve's hand to rest on his chest. "Please listen to the song of my heart and do know that it is never a lie when I say this: I've been wanting all of you for myself since I first laid eyes on you."

Steve blinked rapidly in bewilderment and awe. Every dragon had an innate talent, and Steve's was the ability to see only the truth.

Thus, when Eddie opened himself up so freely like that, Steve could also see the man's deepest desire. And what he saw made him blush terribly. This man was truly hopeless.

"You never do anything in half, do you?" Steve snorted.

"Once Uncle Wayne gets better, I will return to the tower and never leave your side again," Eddie held his hand tightly as if fearing he would take it back and peppered feathery kisses on his knuckles.

Those words sung true to Steve's heart. Yet, he also sensed the wordless yearning from his lover. There was only one way, wasn't it?

"I'll go with you, then. I think it's time for you to introduce me to your family."

"Are you sure?"

Looking at Eddie's hopeful eyes, Steve leaned in to kiss the love of his life soundly.

"As sure as gold."

They both chuckled fondly at the memory together. After all, the first thing Eddie had given him upon their meeting was a sparkling bar of gold.

[winterarmyy]

Plot Twist | Part I

An arranged marriage with mafia!bucky.

Run-through: I just need to get this out of my system. Most of arranged marriage mob/mafia!au I've read has a strong/bratty reader. And a really mean/asshole Bucky. Which is absolutely fine btw but its getting repetitive for me. I wanted to see a reader who's actually soft but fierce when she wants to be. And Bucky who is generally cold and seems to be married to his job but notices small things that the reader do, thus subconsciously started to care about her. They don’t hate each other, nor do they are infatuated. I don’t know if this exist, so I decided write it myself just in case. Enjoy!

Navigation: Part I | Part II | Part III* (end) | Extra

Words: 1.1k++

Pairing: beefy mafia!bucky x female!reader

Warnings: just fluffy and wholesome stuff here. Nothing graphic or explicit.

P/S: I like to write in 3rd pov btw. There's a few mentions of y/n sometimes too. Beware of the grammar mistakes, English is not my first language. This might be 2-3 parts type of fic, so tell me what you think so far.

Read my other works here: Masterlist

“He's late.”

The soft clinking sounds of his rings colliding with each other and onto the dresser woke her up from her deep slumber. Though her body remained still, her mind continued to wonder,

“Late. Again.”  She thought.

The sound of fabrics rustling about hinted her of what was happening beyond her closed eyes. The shut of the bathroom door confirmed her speculations.

“So, what if he came back home late? Why does it concern you?” She questioned herself.

Only a fool would believe if she said that she didn't care at all about the whereabout and well-being of this man. He is her husband after all.

Six months ago, she stood on the alter with that man. They swore an oath. They sealed the kiss. He was hers and she was his.

James Buchanan Barnes; Bucky was what he preferred to called. He is what every man wants to become, and every woman wants to be with.

An Adonis of a man; impossibly tall, 6'5"; body armored with thick layer of muscles. Bucky is huge, that if he trapped her against the wall, she might just see the resemblance of him to a grizzly bear. His dark hair flowed just above his shoulder and his steel blue eyes were as cold as his personality.

Though she wouldn't compare him to a frozen blizzard during the winter, he was more like the first day of snow, when the white flakes started to fall.

Cold enough to make you shiver and warm enough to lure you out but most importantly, obscenely beautiful.

However, of course, the main reason of the marriage set up by her father was not because of how beautiful he is, but to fulfil his hunger for power. As if the territories that their family has wasn't enough, her father arranged this union to extend his reign.

Y/N protested at first but knew better than to fight against her father. Being raised in such family, at a very young age she learned to think always ahead; pass the emotions and intuitions. What's the rational and logical way to solve a problem.

Took her a week to wrap her head around the matter, research about Barnes and go through the agreement between her father and her then husband to be. Barnes had listed some main demands regarding the union and although most of them were about their business, but one particular demand had caught her attention.

“After marriage, the couple must be faithful to one another. Any romantic/sexual relationships prior must be severed/resolved immediately. Failed to do so will result to termination of the contract.”

“Hmm. Interesting.” She thought.

Not that she was in any relationship at the time, and all the research result to possibly positive outcome. So, in the end, she complied.

Which then explained why she was sleeping in Bucky's bed six months later.

“I know you're awake.” Bucky's gravel voice startled her internal thoughts. She could feel the indentation of the mattress on his side of the bed, the fresh and clean scent wafting from him. She nearly purred from a sniff of it.

She slowly opened her eyes as if she was trying to peep and god what a sight to see after a restless sleep; Bucky's idea of pajamas was basic pants and nothing above and Y/N didn’t know what to feel about that. Does she hate it? Absolutely not. Does she like it? Well, he is easy on the eye indeed.

The room was dimly lit, but she could see his slightly damp hair; it looked longer than it is dry. Her eyes followed the outline of his body leaning against the bed. The soft light reflected on his metal arm particularly follows the gold lines decorating the dark surface.

She often had intrusive thoughts of tracing the lines; what would it feel like against her fingertips. Does he feel anything? Is it cold? Will it feel good? 

“You do know that it’s a waste your time to wait for me, right?” He huffed a heavy breath. She could hear the fatigue in his sigh.

And how does Bucky know that she waited for him before admitting her defeat to the drowsiness? Somehow, Bucky always managed to know things, to the littlest matter, even when he’s million miles across the world.

Just like when she found a copy of Pride and Prejudice on the bed a few months ago. The day before she received it, her copy was drenched in coffee; a young woman bumped into her in front of the café she often visit. He was in Russia that time. “Was it Clint? Did he tell Bucky?” she wondered.

“Whoever said I was waiting for you?” She scoffed, yet if the room was well lit enough, Bucky would’ve seen how playful her expression was.

He hummed a deep voice, “Hmm.” there’s a hint of doubt in his tone.

Y/N quickly follow her previous sentence, “I was simply enjoying my reading, that I lost track of time.” She shifted to face him and tucked herself further into the blanket, hiding the lower half of her face as she looked up at him. She wondered if he could tell that she was smiling just from her eyes.

Bucky’s gaze remained still on her, as if he was trying to reach into her soul, before he leaned closer to peek on the book on the table. Pride and Prejudice written on it.

He chuckled, which was rare. At the least the real ones are.

Of course, she had seen him smile and laugh countless of time. Especially during those gala they often attend. But those were just another set of armor he wore on a daily basis.

Bucky tried to bite back a smile, sinking his teeth into his lower lip, “Lost track of time, huh?” Yet, somehow Y/N can hear the smile in his tone.

“A good read?” he asked as if he did not know why his wife brought up about the book. She never said anything about the gift; not a thank you or a complaint. 

She simply cherish it in her own way. He heard from Clint that she rearranged her whole bookshelf just to make space for the book he gave her. Maybe this was her way of saying thank you.

He had been giving her books every week, since.

She pulled the blanket away from her face, lips curled into a genuine smile, “Always.”

Bucky preened to her reply before suddenly, “Okay, enough chit chat. It’s late.” he said almost monotone sounded, as he made himself comfortable under the blanket.

Before she could overthink of what went wrong, why the sudden drop of chemistry; that was when she felt his hand roamed to find hers. Bucky brought her palm closer to his face, she could feel his hot breath against her cold skin. 

He leaned his lips on her palm, leaving a soft and tender kiss as he mumbled, “Goodnight, doll.”

Rush of red shades bloomed on her cheeks, before caving into the feeling of his stubble on her hand. She gently caresses the side of his cheeks, hoping it soothes him to sleep. 

The corners of her lips curved upwards into a smile, "See? Like, the first day of snow."

Part II >>

Read my other works here: Masterlist

A/N: It’s my first fic so... share your thoughts? ily 🤍

[atlantahammy]

Hamato Clan Pallets | So, part 2 of my project I started because I noticed a number of the colors from @pluvionpc's color pallets were Season 1 exclusives, or were tinted by the scene color overlay and thus not the true bases. (No offense to you man, you did what you could and without them, this wouldn't exist) The purple dragons were surprisingly hard to get colors for, because they only appear, in light / neutral lighting, in 1 episode of the 3 they appear in, either dark in the next or on a screen. That and I kept fucking up the pallets with errors, can ask those in @elliwoods Bean Server... There was screaming and crying into 2 AM as I live-blogged spotting the errors, after dropping it there like... 6 fuckin' times and dying each time I saw a new one. /rage.

I maaaay have psyched myself out a bit on Big Mama's spider form pallet because I thought it was going to be painful... It wasn't, It was easy, and the fastest, I got it done in less than an hour.

Also, fun fact, Big Mama's Spider form is one of the few whose mouth gets colored in black. She also seems to have 2 web colors, that purple, and the silvery purple that is her human form's hair color.

Sunita was also pretty easy, as she's one of the few characters that have had their turn around posted, that I could pull base colors from, even from her Googlyschootz sheet, which has the opacity effect (I think it is around 80% or 90%)

On that note, Sunita still has the default mouth colors, but they're layered on top of her green color + opacity lowered.

Fun fact: Sunita inadvertently confirms that while 'Yokai' is the general term for all the "mythical's" (IE: Like ''Humans") in the world, they all do have individual names, IE: She and her dad are Googlyschootz. (Also the fact I had to go to the transcript to get her race name, instead of it being listed under trivia on her wiki page, greatly irritates me.)

Drax's villain armor was... Easier than I thought, I kept procrastinating on it because I thought it would end me out of frustration and it would end up being bigger than it was... Though it is clear his design had a few color changes before the show aired by all early art being all colored differently.

I also didn't do Huginn and Muninn with Drax's as I gave Mayhem is own, might as well give the two their own pallet too.

———————————– My Commissions | .Carrd | Ko-Fi

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Salt Mushroom

Debut: Super Mario Galaxy 3

Everybody remembers when Super Mario Galaxy 3 launched worldwide for the Wii's immensely popular successor, the Nintendo Wii Too, blowing all of our collective minds with its flawless combination of the inviting and memorable atmosphere of the first entry in the series with the incredible 3D platforming of its immediate predecessor. But let's be honest, we've all seen Super Mario Galaxy 3 at the top of enough "Greatest Games of All Time" listicles by now. Today we're going to take a much more focused look at just one element which helped to make Galaxy 3 one of the greatest 3D platformers of all time, and one which hardly warrants such a lengthy introduction: the Salt Mushroom!

This item first appears somewhat late in the game, in the Briny Mine Galaxy mission Salt Mario Finds the Cure. You land on a small planetoid with some Gearmos who explain to you that the mine's been overrun with weird monsters! With a boost from a Launch Star, you propel yourself into a pipe, which takes you straight into the depths of the Briny Mine itself.

Sure enough, there's weird monsters all over the place! Excargot, to be precise! These heavily armored, tank-treaded snail creatures try to charge at Mario, leaving trails of slippery slime everywhere! But jump out of the way, and they'll go flying into the wall, causing the shell-like armor on their backs to shutter open, exposing the slimy pink skin inside. What's that? Why haven't I included an image of Excargot, an extraordinarily weird Mario enemy? Well, I mean, we've all seen it. It would be pretty redundant to show a picture, then, wouldn't it? Hm? Now you want to know why I've explained everything in such gratuitous detail thus far? I think you need to keep your voice down.

Anyway, if you try to attack this glaring weak spot with a stomp or a spin, Mario simply bounces off! Clearly, a power-up is in order. Collect the nearby ? Coin to summon the Salt Mushroom, and collect it to become...

Salt Mario!!! With his newfound powers of star-spin-propelled salt-flinging, Mario can handily defeat the Excargot, and even walk with ease across their slime (and even across ice later on in the ever-iconic Slick Street Galaxy). But that's not all! The more time Mario spends as Salt Mario, the more his Hydration Meter decreases! His movement gradually becomes more sluggish, his jump height becoming shorter and weaker, all the while delivering his voice lines with that trademark Salt Mario hoarseness, and loudly rasping his parched lips when left idle, desperately pleading for water.

Of course, we all know that there is no water anywhere in the two levels where the Salt Mushroom is found, and we all know the grisly fate that awaits our plucky plumber when his Hydration Meter finally runs out. We've all seen it! Dozens of times! Hundreds, even! I think I speak for everyone when I say I could watch it happen forever and ever, and never stop laughing!

Needless to say, Salt Mario was a huge hit with fans, and Miyamoto has even cited the Salt Mushroom as his all-time favorite power-up. Some could say the Salt Mushroom has eclipsed even Mario himself in popularity, and many consider it to be the new face of the franchise! I mean, it's a hard claim to deny when we're three entries deep in the Salt Mushroom Rally series (yes, I'm counting Salt Mushroom Rally: Alkaline Abscondence as a discrete title from Salt Mushroom Rally: Alkaline Abscondence Deluxe, I'm not arguing with you about this). And with that, much like Mario's Hydration Meter, my material has finally run dry. You know what Mario would say in this situation? Of course you do! Say it with me, everybody! "HHHHHKKH, KHKKHHHHHHHHH, HHHHKKKKHKK!!!"

[arachniee]

i. medical haywire

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ various! hazbin hotel x female seraphim! reader

જ⁀➴

summary: as the seraphim responsible for the management of heaven's medical areas, your days are mostly spent in the comfort of labs and clinics. though, those mudane days seem to shift into more interesting ones after meeting the princess of hell and her little group.

જ⁀➴

warnings: mentions of death, mentions of blood, too much caffeine intake, not proofread; there might be grammatical errors, all lowercase letters

જ⁀➴

heaven was as bright and bustling as ever, regardless of the time of day. whether it'd be the sun shining, or the moon. every corner of the city was filled with fun and joy, not a single hint of negativity. heaven was paradise, after all. a paradise that everyone wanted to get a taste of. it was the embodiment of dreams, everyone would agree. this was place that granted them a life that was worth living, even in the afterlife.

however, you wouldn't say that this was your dream. in the presence of the night, you remained unfazed as you continued with your work. eerie silence seeping into the laboratory room you were currently in, despite being all alone, this somehow bought you comfort instead of uneasiness. being surrounded by laboratory equipment and machinery, your attention shifted from the blood sample in your hands to the medical files on the metal table near you. it wasn't just any pile, almost every corner of that table was filled with piles and piles of folders almost the size of mountains.

after you received the report of an extermination angel's murder, you haven't slept in days. an angel was behead, that kept you up at night. each time you thought about it, your curiousity and thirst for knowledge were eating you up from the inside and out. you wanted to dwell deeper into the topic, but you still had medical areas to run. and with the recent news that you received about the extermination, you wanted nothing more than to just drown yourself in your own misery. every six months, really?

extermination angels return with more wounds than what others would expect. and with thousands of them returning with injuries that range from scratches to more notable wounds, the extermination is something you do not look forward to dealing with. you are definitely not surprised, these sadistic fuckers are too overconfident in their own actions, lacking in armor and more driven to attack, and because of that, you're the one who has to suffer with treating them.

and now that those demons know what they can do to angels, you're expecting more bloodshed during extermination. and that means more work. and not mention that the extermination angels should be in the best condition possible to participate, thus, you have to monitor all of them regularly. and with your more 'common' patients, the residents of the city, you haven't seen and felt daylight nor the moonlight in who knows how long now. you haven't even slept yet, only taking naps here and there that only last around half an hour or so.

as you checked your watch, you noted that the project you were currently working on would have to be continued in the next few hours instead. you followed quite a strict and busy schedule, which is not surprising for one of the highest of seraphims. you tidied up the lab a bit, rummaging through the almost endless amount of files and folders, grabbing a few before your eyes fell onto a folder that had a letter "v" in the middle. you momentarily paused your actions, frozen in place as you stared at it. you eventually pushed it aside and grabbed the files under it before you stood and made your way out, turning off the lights and locking the door.

the halls were dimly lit, casting an unsettling sense of uneasiness. though, you walked through them without a care in the world, this was heaven after all, no one would harm you here. each door you passed was dark and disturbing, expected as it was almost two o'clock in the morning. your steps echoed down the empty halls as you walked to the laboratory's cafeteria. your last caffeine intake was almost an hour ago, you need to grab another mug before you collapsed with more work piled up on your desk the next morning.

unsurprisingly, the lights were still on in the cafeteria since the cooks would usually prepare the food early in the morning. you had to commend them for their dedication though. as you entered the kitchen area, you were greeted warmly by the workers, you nodded at them in acknowledgement, greeting them as well, though with a little less energy. they understood why, and they were grateful for your dedication to your job as well. it must be hard to keep everyone in check, managing a lot of stuff all at once. before you could reach one of the coffee makers, one of the newer staff members extended a mug of steaming, hot coffee into your reach with smile. you looked at them with raised eyebrows and tired eyes, the young angel just wanted to express his admiration, and maybe this was the way that he thought you would appreciate the most at the moment. maybe he was right, so you gently took the mug from his hands, careful not to spill any onto him.

he visibly beamed at you when you expressed your gratitude by muttering a small 'thank you', hoping that he, even in the slightest way possible, was able to help your mood and tiredness. you stayed in the cafeteria for a few more minutes before you had to go back to work. the young angel's mood dampened a little bit, but he understood and bid you goodluck with a smile. after that unintentional break you had, you walked to your office, a little more energetic now, was it because of the caffeine or the interaction you had with the young man? you're not sure. he reminded you of an old friend you had, but you shook those thoughts away as your office finally came in sight.

you were slightly surprised to see someone standing at your door, their knuckles knocking onto the door. you were always told you had such light, unaudible steps, now you realized how right they were. if you hadn't spoke, this person wouldn't have heard your arrival. even in the dark hallways, you were able to make out the person's appearance, and you didn't quite expect to see her here, especially at this hour.

"emily?"

you stated, your voice was somewhat husky, you figured it was because you hadn't interacted and spoke to someone in who knows how many days due to your work. the young seraphim slightly jumped at your voice, not expecting you to appear right beside her in the dark. she let out a nervous laugh, she was jittery, you could tell with how she played with her fingers and avoided eye contact. and when she finally spoke, you knew your hunch was correct.

"h-hey! no wonder no one was answering me, i thought you fell asleep in your office again!"

her smile was strained, it was quite obvious. you didn't question her as you gestured for her to enter your office with you. you placed the files you were carrying on the table, taking another sip of the coffee in your other hand as you nodded your head to one of the chairs, emily understood and with unsure movements, she sat down on the chair in front of your table. the atmosphere was tense, you could tell. she couldn't seem to stay still in her seat, eyes darting all around the room. the silence was deafening, though you wanted to break it yourself, you didn't want to overstep boundaries and ask her directly about why she was acting so... troubled. and it didn't take long before she took a deep breath and spoke.

"i heard there's going to be a meeting with the princess of hell."

her voice was quiet, but to you, it was loud and clear. you knew about the meeting, of course. sera and the others have informed you about this meeting a few days ago. you were one of the most important figures of heaven, so your presence there was mandatory. and you weren't surprised that emily knew about this meeting, as she herself was also a seraphim. though you wondered why she spoke of the meeting in such a tone. you expected her to be happy, especially since you knew of her curiousity about hell and the demons who reside in it. as you stared at the file in your hands, you gave a brief glance to her as an acknowledgement to continue. she hesitated for a few seconds before she eventually spoke again.

"sera didn't tell me. no one did. if i hadn't passed by and accidently heard them talk about it, i wouldn't have known."

at her words, you finally lifted your gaze. she wore a sad expression, her eyebrows low and down as her lips were. she seemed visibly upset. yeah, maybe sera was going to tell her and was about to do so, but the meeting is in two days. usually, sera would speak to her about the meetings at least a week before they were held. and when she found out that the meeting is on the day after tomorrow, she had her doubts that sera would tell her. maybe it was childish, but to emily, she thought that she at least had to be informed, she wanted to help her sister, in the preparation and such. but with how sera didn't tell her, nor did anyone, she figured that they may have not wanted her to attend and join, nonetheless know, about the meeting.

"she knows how much i want to know about hell, so why didn't she tell me? am i not allowed to join the meeting?"

you knew why sera didn't want her to know about it. yet you knew that you aren't the one in the place to tell emily any of those reasons. you knew the answer to both of the young seraphim's questions, but you made no move to answer them. that was not for you to tell. you didn't want her relationship with sera to be waned by whatever may happen during that meeting, and you understood why the older seraphim made an effort to ensure that emily doesn't know about it.

you didn't want to give emily any false hope, but you wanted to do what you could to make her feel better. so instead of giving her a sure answer, your eyes fell back on the file in your hand before you spoke.

"i will speak to her about it."

your reply didn't gurantee her anything, but as soon as she heard those words from you, she immediately smiled and brightened up. you and sera are very good friends, yes, but sera held onto her duties and responsibilities with an iron grip. and if one of those involved emily's safety, you knew convincing her wasn't going to be an easy task.

if it were anyone else, emily was sure that sera would just dismiss them, claiming that she was doing the right thing, but if it were you, then there's a silver of hope. she's beyond grateful that she had a friend like you, someone she could open to about all this. though, this all felt foreign to her. the feeling of not being included.

chants that vary from 'thank you's and 'you're the best's echoed in the room, emily was practically bouncing in her seat from the excitement. you were satisfied that you were able to bring up her mood, even just a little bit. the conversation continued, mostly from emily. she told you all about the events yesterday, rambling about random things. you would nod to her statements, eyes still focused on the tasks that need to be done. as soon as she started talking a little slower and quieter, you lifted your eyes to see a half-awake seraphim, blinking in and out of sleep. your initial thought was to offer her a drink of your coffee to stay awake, though as a doctor, you knew very well not to do so, that would be ridiculous with your title and knowledge in health.

you advised her to rest, letting her know that you would inform sera of her whereabouts soon. emily couldn't really make out what you were saying anymore, so she just nodded her head along with each word that escaped you. oh, how the tables have turned. you shook your head with a small smile before you stood up from your seat, making your way around the table. gently, you scooped the young seraphim up into your arms in bridal style, adjusting your hold on her to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable, and after the softest of snores left her, you knew.

as you reached one of the couches in your office, you gently laid her limp, sleeping form. you didn't really have any blankets here, as you never really sleep here (and you never expected anyone else to). so you just took off the dark blazer you had on, leaving you in your white dress shirt. your clothes were no doubt expensive, the sublte but intricately made accents in your favorite color.

you turn away momentarily to glance at your watch, it was almost five in the morning. as hectic as your schedule is, you have more work in half an hour, so you had to get ready to go back in the lab. you wrote a small goodmorning note to emily after grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, leaving the neatly folded note on the coffee table in front of the couch, you may or may not have also put a few candies as well. after hearing a satisfying pop from your stretched limbs, you braced yourself for another day of war. war against tiredness and work. but now you also had to add the little promise you had made to emily, you'll have to converse with sera soon.

a knock came from the door, one of the nurses on shift informing you that adam requested to meet with you at 8 am today. you pinched the bridge of your nose, already feeling the in coming headache. when will you ever catch a break?

[yetanothergreyjedi]

Ghosts of Our Pasts

DP x DC crossover

Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne sibling AU

Parts 1 & 2. Part 4 Part 5

Part 3: Before

"You are not my brothers!" Their newest brother shouted. They were used to this by now. Once Damian had stopped actively trying to kill them for dominance or whatever, they'd taken to domesticating him like feral kitten. He was a lot more hiss than he was claw. And as long as they didn't push too far, he just got more comfortable with them. Except, of course, when they referred to him as family.

"Yes we are," Someone quipped back, and Damian's face grew stormy.

"You. Are. Not." Damian snarled. "I had a brother. You will not replace him!" They all froze with the revelation, and Damian took that time to throw down his Robin gear and storm out of the room.

He'd had a brother. The league had tucked away, not one, but two?!? And they had killed one, or gotten them killed or— it was no use to speculate, they didn't know what happened.

"I'll talk to him," Dick volunteered, before he started to spiral. No one responded, probably because they'd started a spiral of their own.

___

Damian wasn’t hiding. Well, from a civilian's perspective, he might be. He felt like hiding, but this was not an appropriate situation to hide from. Thus, he stayed in a place someone with League of Assassin training, and his b— his father’s other children would find completely obvious.

It was Grayson who found and silently sat down next to him. He didn't ask, and that was better because Damian didn't have to say anything, but it was worse because he needed to say something, and now he couldn’t hide behind a resistance to interrogation.

"He would've loved it here." Damian admitted.

Grayson leaned ever so slightly into him. "What was he like?"

___

Danyal laughed as he ran down the hall, enjoying the moment while he could before the inevitable he'll to pay. He'd been seen, but hadn't been caught, so his self imposed mission was successful.

It was a harmless prank, but an action suitably beneath an heir to the Demon. It should be enough. Damian wouldn't fail, but he feared he would; now, even if he drastically missed his mark he'd still have a reason for grandfather to keep him around.

If Dany had known he was setting the mark his brothers would be held to, he would've held back. He did now. He sprinted on the razors edge of acceptable performance and excellence. Hopefully, it would last long enough to put his plan into motion.

___

Damian told him about the older brother who loved the stars, played secret games, got into odd kinds of trouble, and was the best at everything. Dick got a sense of how young Damian must've been when he'd died. There was also something missing in the stories, but Dick didn't push. This was a rare bit of vulnerability, and he wasn’t going to risk it.

They missed patrol that night, and later shared those stories with the rest of their siblings. They morned the brother they'd never meet, and eventually Damian called them brothers too.

But one phrase from that night still haunted Dick;

"He would've gotten us here years ago... if it weren't for me..."

Dick never did ask, he wasn't sure he wanted to know the details.

___

Danyal layed there for an eternity. If he moved too soon, he'd risk Damian turning around, if he waited too long, he'd bleed out. Would Damian turn around? Would he apologize and help him up? Would he come back to finish him off? Had his brother intended a slow kill to make him suffer, or to let him escape? Maybe Damian hadn't accounted for the light armor beneath his clothes?

He waited a half an eternity longer, then forced himself to his feet. He managed a few steps before pain and dizziness toppled him again. Up. Step. Step. Down. Up. Step. Down. Crawling managed more distance, but left a more obvious trail. It wouldn’t get him out of here. He would die here. Unless...

___

Jazz wanted to be mad at the boy who was now her brother. Her parents had barely left the lab since he'd offered a glowing green vial in exchange for a home.

It was his fault they'd forgotten about her, but only this time. Last time is was the old woman convinced her husband was still in the house. The time before that it had been a beeping box that went off whenever it was pointed to close to an electrical line. It would only be proof until it wasn’t, and then she'd have her parents back until someone brought the next new toy. It was his fault this time. He stood in the living room in his borrowed clothes like furniture was a foreign concept. She sighed, grabbed a washcloth and ran it under warm water. It was hard to be mad at someone who'd shown up looking like they'd escaped a serial killer.

He didn't startle as she approached and she realized he'd been watching her. Well, no backing out now.

"Here," She held it out to him, "you have dried blood behind your ear."

"Oh," He ducked his head and started scrubbing. She waited for him to finish and showed him where to put the dirty laundry. She had a little brother now, and their parents had forgotten them both again.

_

_

_

💕

In this AU, Jazz is 13 when Danny arrives. She already thinks that psychology is interesting, but she only starts diving deep into it after Danny shows up.

If you guys have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear them. This was a one part thing until you asked questions and started thinking about the answers.

Tag list:

@spectralstardustandphantomnights @avelnfear @idfk-man10 @blackroserelina @candeartist422 @mur-ururu @luer-mirin @insufferablecrab @skulld3mort-1fan @alonedustspeck @voidbornposts @meira-3919 @marshmelloe @aethernorwood @mimilikey @undead-essence

Dears, I love you, but you really need to change your profile pic to anything that isn't the default because I thought you were bots. I legitimately almost blocked you on reflex because I'm getting so many right now.

@the-winds-of-kushala and @spectralstardustandphantomnights thank you both for your lovely title suggestions

💕

[plump-lips-imagine]

Could I please request a fix where Bowser hires a “Human Expert” aka the reader to help him understand humans better thus understanding Peach and her wants and needs, even help a bit with practice proposal and practice dates. The reader going along with it as not only does Bowser pay good money, but it gives them a chance to learn and write about Darklands and its inhabitants. They become close from their frequent interactions and perhaps maybe even closer…

Hmmm. Nice! Let's see if I can make something with this. I hope you Like it! I tried!

The Cupid and The Dragon

You Were currently in a cage a bit scared and a bit agitated. Yes. In a cage in Bowser's Castle in the Throne room currently waiting for Bowser's arrival while Koopas stand guard.

How did you get here? Well, about 40 minutes ago-

Earlier that day.

You Were traveling across the mushroom kingdom to learn about the people with your backpack in tow, excited to see new people. You are a bit new to the Kingdom to know a lot about it, but here enough to make a name for yourself. You see, you're an expert when it comes to the subject of love. You give excellent advice to those who ask for it, you give readings to see compatibility, and give an in-depth reading into the person's love language.

You are known as 'The Cupid'.

But what's a love expert doing out here. Well, you Were making your way to the dark lands. You came to study the habitants and the kingdom, maybe hopefully making some discoveries and new friends along the way.

But whenever you would ask anybody in Toad Town about the Dark Lands, they would shiver in fright and say it was too Dangerous to go there.

But Curiosity kills the Cat, as they say.

You step over the line that connects the Mushroom Kingdom and Dark lands together. It was hard and hot. The air was dry, and the heat was intense as magma littered the lands along with the soot.

‘The weather here is harsh. I’m surprised anyone lives here.’ You thought to yourself, covering your face from the climate and soot. ‘But…It’s kinda cool.’

You stared in awe at the magma that flow on the land, as a perfect blanket to the surface. It was pretty if you looked from a different perspective. It made your eyes shine in delight at the sights in front of you.

'It's a hazard to be here, but it seems fine if you were into lava and a darker theme. I wouldn't mind staying here for a bit. I wonder where the locals are at?' You ponder as you see no sign of life anywhere. But your sight-seeing came to a halt when a blur behind you whooshes past you as they came to a stop in front of you, making you stop as well. It was... A turtle. A Turtle with a red shell and wings, with a helmet as its only piece of armor with a spear at the ready pointing at you.

"Halt! You have trespassed on the Dark Lands under the All-Mighty Bowser Rule!... Are you human?" "The Turtle asks, his spear still close to your face. You take a small step back at this as you nervously glanced back at them. "Um, yes? Yes, I am! I didn't mean to trespass, I was just exploring new areas as I'm still new to this world, and I was curious about what the dark lands were. I can leave immediately."

"Likely Story." Two more of them came swooping down, spears at hand also. "Humans are rare here. King Bowser is going to need to see you before you go anywhere. You are under arrest." Three Spears pointed at you in a menacing manner as you raise your hands in the air for surrender.

Oh dear.

***

And That's why you're here now. Waiting for your 'meeting' with "King Bowser'. You heard about him; the toads would tell you stories about him. His massive claws, the spikes so sharp that they could kill at the touch. Sharps teeth, Large Menacing build that can send the Kingdom into Chaos!

Safe to say you weren't excited to meet him face to face. It didn't help that the rumbling of footsteps was coming closer. The doors open with a boom, making you stand up in your cage. He's Here.

And he's HUGE!

Bowser stands Giant compared to you, his presence made the room shudder in fear by his intimidating glare, and it was directly aimed at you.

A smaller Koopa in a Blue robe and glasses follows behind him. "Here They are, your Grouchiness."

"Well, Well, Well. What do we have here? You must be the trespasser my koopa troops were telling me about." He bought a his claw finger to your torso and pointed at you harshly, making you move backward by accident. "What Business do you have here human.?

"P-Please believe me when I say I mean no harm or ill will. I'm just a wondering traveler learning about the land from experience. I just wanted to learn about the kingdom, and the locals is all. Honest" You put your hand above your heart in swear to being truthful. Bowser smirks, but his eyes tell a different story. He's not buying it and he was disinterested in your attempt at being honest.

"Likely Story, Human. No one dares to walk in my land if they wish to make it out in one piece. Only Those that wish to get burned come here!" Smoke comes out of his mouth in repressed annoyance as his finger is at your face. You shake in fear.

gulping, you bring your hands to your head and remove your hoodie. You reveal your face in an attempt to show that you can be trusted. you felt vulnerable. Bowser's eyes widen as he removes his claw away from your face.

"You're....The Cupid"

"O-oh, you've heard of me, your majesty." this is news to you.

he huffs. "'Heard of ya?', You're practically the talk of this Kingdom. Your abilities make my minions desperate from reading from you. You are all they can talk about." He glares at you, but it wasn't the same as before. It was more of a 'minor inconvenience' than a threatening glare.

But now that you're here. he could use you to his advantage. With your love expertise, you can tell him the secret of him making Peach his. This will be a piece of cake with you as his secret weapon.

"Human." You look up at him. "Be thankful. You're going to be helping me get Peach to fall in love with me!"

"Huh?"

"Did I stutter? You going to help me when Peach Over! Aren't you the expert in that Category?!"

You look at him dumbstruck. "Your Highness, I don't make anyone fall in love with anybody. I'm just a matchmaker that gives good advice."

His Hold hand suddenly grabs your cage in his hand, threatening to Crush it. You yelp in surprise.

"THEN YOU"RE GOING TO TELL ME THE SECRET OF WINNING PEACH OVER!" "I-I-I.... I CAN'T DO THAT!!"

"ARE YOU DISOBEYING MY ORDER? YOU DARE SAY NO TO ME!?" His hand closes around the cage a bit, making a dent in it.

"You dare disobey the King?" Kamek Butted in.

"I CAN'T BECAUSE THERE IS NO SECRET, BUT I CAN HELP YOU UNDERSTAND AND INCREASE YOUR CHANCES WITH HER!"

He stops crushing the cage, giving you a chance to breathe. He looks at you confused.

"What do you mean by that? Explain."

"Well... I can read compatibility and the chances for you to get with your loved one, depending on the percentage and what I see, I could help you. That's my expertise. I find True Love for You. I don't make it Happen."

He stares at you for a minute contemplating what you just told him.

"Kamek, Lower the cage." Kamek looks at him in Surprise but used his magic to lower the cage to the ground and opened the door.

You step out and looked behind you at the barely put together cage and gulp but turn back to Bowser.

"Well, how do you do it?" He asked lowly.

"Pardon?"

"This Reading. How do you do it?" He asks again in an annoyed gruff.

You look away for a second and then speak. "I'll need your palm of hand to start."

"Why?"

"It helps create a connection with you and only you, so It becomes clear to me to tell you the answers you need."

"I've never heard of such a thing. What type of trick are you pulling human?" Kamek didn't believe you for a second. He was waiting for you to try and make a run for it.

"It's not a trick I swear. It's how my Powers work. Honest!"

Bowser doesn't say anything else, but he did get on one knee to attempt to get to your height. He still overpowered you, but it was for him to show you his hand, giving permission to read him like a book.

He was even more, intimated even outside the cage, but you shallowed your fear and gently brought your hands to two of his fingers as that's all you can hold in your hand. You softly rubbed them to get a feel for him. His hands were rough, and they held incredible strength, but also control when he need to be gentle.

as you continued to rub, you felt him shift his hand away. It made you look up at him. "Are you alright, Your highness?"

"I'm fine! Just do what you need to do."

if you didn't know any better. He looked...Shy?

You shake your head as you read his palm. "I want you to imagines your loved one. I need you to create the perfect image of them in your head."

He closes his eyes as he did what you said. His aura was that of a strong fire, intense rage, and Passion. The Aura he was imagining was that of a soft but firm sweetness, a loving and strong sprit. It was an attractive pink aura.

The compatibility of them together.....Yeesh. You gulped at the numbers. This is not good.

"Uhhhhhhh....."

"Well, What do you see? Are Me and Peach destined to be? A match Made in Heaven?"

***

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN '6 PERCENT!!?" He roars loudly as fire spews out his mouth, making you duck for cover.

he didn't take the news well.

"That's the number I saw, Your highness!! Please, don't burn me!!!"

"You better read again. You must have made a mistake! There no way!"

"Your Highness, there is no mistake! I made sure to check before I told you!-

"THEN YOU MUST BE A FAKE!! I SHOULD"VE KEPT YOU IN THE DUNGEON AS SOON AS I SAW YOU> YOU"RE MAKING FUN OF ME-"

"THAT"S NOT TRUE AT ALL!! DON"T SAY THAT!" you yell at the top of your lungs. He growls at you, flames at the ready.

"How dare you raise your voice at-"

"I AM NO FAKE! That's why I told you the results. I knew you wouldn't like the numbers, but I still told you anyway. I take pride in my work, and I won't lie just to make you happy. I attend to be accurate. I don't care if you don't like the results and it makes you furious, but you deserve to know the truth. So don't call me a fake.... please" You stare at him as you stand your ground, shaking but firm.

you dealt with too many people criticizing your work because it was something they didn't want to hear, and you'll be damn if you'll let someone that is getting your reading for practically free disrespect you like that.

He glares at you at your arrogance, but...he felt a bit of respect for you hearing you say that. It was refreshing that someone was going to be straight with him. Still, he was angry. He stomps the ground in a mini tantrum.

"So what, are you saying I have no shot with her!?"

"No, I'm saying there's a low chance. It's low but you still got a chance."

"Yeah, that helps." He says in a sarcastic tone.

"I can help still."

"Oh really, how?"

"Well, it's Princess Peach right. She a human like me. I can provide some great love advice and coach you what she most likely sees in a Man- errr....Turtle?"

"Koopa."

'Koopa. because you're not loveless and you obviously love her, but she doesn't see that side of you. we just to figure out how to make it show.'

"I don't need a coach. I am perfectly capable of showing her what I have to offer." he states in a cocky way.

"And has your approach to her worked in the past?"

"...."

"Look, I just want to help. Everyone deserves Love, and I'm sure you will find it once you at least hear me out. I promise I know what I'm talking about." You look up at him with pleading eyes.

He contemplates this and sighs... "Fine. but don't think you're the boss of me. You will stay here until i don't need you anymore. don't even think about running away."

You stare at him, and think. 'Sweet! A place to stay. But I gotta stand my ground.' You take a deep breath.

"I agree to help you win Peach Over. However,......My services are not free. Each session cost 30.....35 coins. And I request a tour of the Dark Lands and to learn more about your Kingdom...Please."

He stares at you in amusement at your demands. Your pathetic attempt at confidence can be called cute if he didn't find you annoying.

"Very Well. You got a deal." he reaches his hand to you and you grab his finger to shake.

Let the coaching begin.

***

"I guess Love makes a guy come out of his shell. Let's rule the world, together. Will you Marry Me?" he held out his hand to you with a bouquet of piranha plants. His eyes shine with a soft gaze in them. it was different from how he usually acted.

you stood there in a pink dress and pink lipstick on, staring at him.

"Not Bad. It was Cute." You admitted bluntly.

"Only 'Not Bad'? I worked months on that proposal!"

"Well, you're coming off a little too strong. I'm saying not to use pick-up lines, but you might not want to start with that one. I would say it after you hear her accept the proposal.The cornyness of won't be as strong. And probably skip the carnivorous plants as the bouquet, it can make her a little jumpy if they decide to bite. Eep!" The plants try to bite at you all at once, just an inch away as Bowser quickly stomped on the flowers to put you at ease. You sigh in relief and Bowser looked a little sheepish.

"Besides, Why the proposal? I think a date would be the first course of action. aren't we moving a little too fast?"

"What's the point of beating around the bush if I intend to marry her?" He asked as it was an obvious question. You contemplate how to break it down for him.

"Well, she might want to take it slow. Humans usually like to get to know their partners before they can even think about marriage. They want to get to know you. "

Bowser rolls his eyes at this. "Please, what do you know? I already know everything I need to know about My Peaches."

".....Alright. Tell me about her. Tell me everything you love about her. Why do you want to Marry her?" You sit down on the ground as he did the same.

"Well, What's not to love about her. Her beauty is like no other, Her golden hair, Her beautiful blue eyes, and the crown that stays forever in place. Her sweetness is almost too addicting-."

You sat at him as his eyes shone at just Talking about her. He had this lovesick expression on his face. He went on and on, but you don't mind.

***

"So... What type of king are you?" You and Bowser were in the dining hall as y'all took a break from coaching. Servants quickly place food on both sides of the table and went back to their positions before they could say thank you.

Bowser looks at you weirdly. "You don't know?"

"Nope. I'm afraid only know your name. When I try to ask The Toads at the Mushroom Kingdom, they would be too scared to tell me."

he chuckles to himself as he smirks proudly at himself. "Well, My presence does intimidate most. I am a King of the Koopas. I rule with an Iron in this Kingdom. Soon the Whole World. Don't you forget it." he Exclaims proudly, eyeing your reaction. You look at him awestruck, interested in what he had to say. it was...kinda cute.

"What about the small brown mushroom guys. There not koopas, are they?"

"What? Oh, you mean the Goombas. No, but I rule over them too."

"Really? And what about Kamek?"

"He's a Magikoopa, also a type of Koopa." Bowser doesn't know why, but he didn't mind answering your questions. He would've thought he would be more annoyed but the way your eyes looked at him with curiosity made him want to talk with you more.

"Have you been a ruler your whole life or did it happen suddenly?"

"My whole life. Kamek is the one that raised me to become a Strong leader when I was a koopaling."

"And he must've done a good job considering that you're still ruling to this day." Kamek sneezes in the distance somewhere. " It can't be easy Ruiling at such a young age, so you must be an excellent king if you are still ruling to this day."

Bowser chokes on his food a bit at your sudden compliment. A light blush coats with face as he stares at you wide eyed.

You look at him confused. 'Did I say something wrong?'

bowser coughs before continuing to eat. "How's your food, is it to your liking." He asks changing the subject.

"It's delicious. I've never had anything like it. My compliments to the chef." You say with a smile.

Both of you are unaware of the minions looking with shock across their faces. Did their king just get flustered?

***

"Absolutely not!"

"What Why?!" "Because no sane human would want sacrifices of literal people to show them love!!

"But how do I show my undying love her!?"

"You make figurative sacrifices for her, not literal!

Kamek looks between the two of you boredly as both You and Bowser get into a debate of loving gifts for Peach. He shakes his head at his son. Well, at least his anger seemed to go down.

***

"Woah.." You look out the outside view of the Dark Lands from from the Castle. You can see Peach's Castle over yonder if you squint. the Lava mixed in with the Sunset made it beautiful to see. You could See the Goomba Patrol training outside.

"Nice, isn't it"

"It's amazing. i din't know lava could look so beautiful."

"...You're a werid human."

You look up at him. "Werid how?"

"You are as calm as ever in the dark lands, in frint of me of all people, and You actually like it here."

"well...It's not so bad. at least to me. I wouldn't mind living here. You're not that bad either. It's nice to seeing you in love. "

"Oh really?" He looks at you with this look that said, "I don't believe you."

"Yes, it's true. I Love 'Love'! And if you're willing to hire a coach to help you with the woman you love, then how bad can he possibly be." You smile brightly at him.

'Too bright" Bowser thinks to himself as he brings his hand to your heads, giving you a light noogie.

"Now whose being corny. Stars,that was cheesy."

"Ow, hey. Sorry! Quit messing with my hair."

Kamek watches this display in the background. he looks at both of you in wonder. Bowser is never this calm. What was even more shocking was that Bowser had a genuine smile on his face.

***

"Okay. what is something that Humans crave in a relationship?"

"Power!!"

"NO!! Human beings crave affection and safety!"

"I can provide that!"

"Bowser, what was the first thing you said when I asked, "what is she's says no?"

"I said I would attack and destroy the Mushroom Kingdom along with those toads if she tried!"

"That's a problem! That is not safety! That is coercion! If you have to make her love you,THAT'S.NOT.LOVE."

"But She's so stubborn. I tried so many times and she won't say yes! What other way can I make her mine?!"

"You can't!"

"THEN WHAT'S THE POINT IN ALL THESE LESSONS!!" He voice booms in the room as he stomps loudly at you, his eyes glowing red with rage.

You're breath gets caught in your throat and you can't speak as you shiver in place and flinch, waiting for something to happen.

He sees this and his gaze softened. he didn't like the look on your face. the thought that you expect him to hurt you made him feel...guilty. he lets out a breath to release anger and steps away from you to let out the steam in his chest. You look at him in surprise.

"...I'm never going to get Peaches to like me, aren't I?" He solemnly asks, more in a rhetorical tone.

You slowly walk up to him, careful with every step you take. this is the most vulnerable you have ever seen him. You reach your hand to his claw, grabbing it in your hands. You pause for a minute.

".... I wouldn't say that. Your compatibility increased gradually. It's now 32%. It's still low I won't lie, but Your chances have increased. It might take some time, but real love is worth waiting for. And I see you're really trying. Most People wouldn't change for a loved one, but I see you trying so hard. It would be crazy not to fall in love with you."

Bowser stills says nothing, still not looking at you.

"For what it's worth. I think you would make a nice husband." You admit quietly. you used this as your que to leave the throne room, as you felt you've overstayed your welcome and made him uncomfortable.

But Bowser wished you stay in the room a little longer. He found himself missing your presence as soon as you left. this felt...weird.

He would have to make a note to tell Kamek to double your pay when he had the chance.

[jubileemon]

Orihime's Powers and Representation

Orihime's power in regards to her characterization. Orihime is an idealist. She exists in a very violent world, yet refuses to fight unless she's under really terrible pressure. She used to see Ichigo as her Prince Charming, her Knight in Shining Armor, until she realized that is simply wasn't the case. The girl was pretty much living in her own little fantasy world to cope with her HUGE troubles, which is why yanking her out of it and making her face a reality so stange to her own left her so distraught. So what do her powers do exactly? Reject reality.

Also in regards to Orihime, the reason why Loly and Menoly hate her even more after she uses her Reality Warper powers to bring them back to life. is more complicated than just being two ungrateful sadists. To start, Hollows/Arrancar/Espada as a whole are beings that are born when souls don't cross to Soul Society and stay in our world, becoming corrupted with supernatural energies. And here, two Arrancar girls (Hollows who have removed their mask and gained Shinigami-like powers) have witnessed how a lowly human has the power to undo death, pretty much messing with everything they know about their own existence. What is a crowning moment for Orihime, in the view of these two girls (and especially Loly, who had a better look at all of this than Menoly since she was horribly mutilated by Grimmjow yet she was not dead) is like catching view of an abomination, which explains the whole "she's a monster" deal.

Hollows, beings that are born from death, despair and fear, are being faced with a being who can literally rewrite reality so that events do not occur. Taken in this context, Orihime is less like an angel of mercy to these two and more like a God from their perspective. A being whose nature and abilities are so alien that they outright defy explanation. Considering this, its understandable that they would react less than pleasantly to what happened to them.

Further to the above point on Orihime's character in relation to her powers — there's a very specific reason why Orihime actually used to be useless on the battle field, and it's not any kind of limit on her power. It's been heavily alluded to that Orihime's power is pretty much limited by her own imagination. Naturally, when it comes to helping people, her healing powers can reverse pretty much anything. However, think about who Orihime is. She wouldn't hurt a fly if she could help it. She can take down random Hollows like that mook that was attacking Tatsuki in the school because it's monstrous in appearance, and they'll hurt more people if she doesn't attack. Place a humanoid enemy in front of her, and will take her a while to see that she should consider them an enemy, and she simply cannot attack them unless it's really needed. This is why Tsubaki's power will always be the most limited of her set.

Actually, about Tsubaki... think about the Shiten Koushun aka Shield of Four Heavens' Resistance. How is it formed? Via adding Tsubaki to the Three God Reflection Shield, thus making him turn a defensive barrier into an offensive weapon. Tsubaki is the weakest of the six Rikka spirits as well as the one who's less like her, personality wise; and the ones forming the Reflection Shield (Hinagiku, Lilly and Baigon) are relatively similar to her in character. This means that, if she wants to join the battle effectively, Orihime must accept to use Tsubaki yet not by simply sending him off towards the enemy (like many of her haters want her to), but by integrating him to the side that she dominates the most. Only by using Tsubaki in combination with Hinagiku, Lily, and Baigon can she draw his attack potential... mirroring how Orihime must now fight alongside Ichigo, Chad, and others if she wants to not stay behind. Also, when was the Shiten Koushun seen first? When she and Ichigo were attacked by Ginjou. Who was actually a humanoid enemy (more exactly the formwr Substitute Shinigami, but we didn't know that back then, and neither did she). This means that Orihime either is working on the issue mentioned above or has already gotten past behind it.

As for her Santen Kesshun (Three God Reflection Shield)? It too, is not the fragile thing it seems to be. It is specifically stated to Reject an attack and its consequences. It stands to perfectly good reason that it doesn't matter if the shield shatters instantly or not — another can always be thrown up. What matters is that whether the shield shatters or not, it genuinely DOES reject the attack that hits it.

Furthermore, it actually makes a ton of sense that it shatters so easily, too. Orihime's powers are a form of reality warping, after all, being what Aizen calls "the Rejection of Events"; she's essentially the Queen of Retcons. When her base shield blocks an attack, it also retcons that attack out of existence. But then, that raises the question... if there was never any attack to block, then why would she even make a shield in the first place? The reason it shatters isn't that it's fragile; it's the shield disappearing in a Puff of Logic because the attack it was meant to block suddenly never existed in the first place.

As for her Santen Kesshun (Three God Reflection Shield)? It too, is not the fragile thing it seems to be. It is specifically stated to Reject an attack and its consequences. It stands to perfectly good reason that it doesn't matter if the shield shatters instantly or not — another can always be thrown up. What matters is that whether the shield shatters or not, it genuinely DOES reject the attack that hits it.

Furthermore, it actually makes a ton of sense that it shatters so easily, too. Orihime's powers are a form of reality warping, after all, being what Aizen calls "the Rejection of Events"; she's essentially the Queen of Retcons. Logically, when her base shield blocks an attack, it also retcons that attack out of existence. But then, that raises the question... if there was never any attack to block, then why would she even make a shield in the first place? The reason it shatters isn't that it's fragile; it's the shield disappearing because the attack it was meant to block suddenly never existed in the first place.

[utilitycaster]

if sam is truly in a position where he has to introduce a new character, what kind of build would you wish he would try out? or would you like him to still go with a cleric?

Good question! My answer below comes down to "it depends, but I do lean towards a new but very differently flavored cleric."

I think cleric is still probably the best option. It is rough to be a party without a cleric (having played a non-cleric primary healer myself), and Fearne would have to shift pretty dramatically in playstyle if he did not at least play a strong healer. He could go for a more healing-focused druid, but that's a tall order to jump into at L13, or return to a class he knows well and play a bard. @captainofthetidesbreath suggested cleric/wizard multiclass which would also be a great idea; this party does not lack for high charisma with the witches, but could use a high intelligence character, and it's an incredibly powerful multiclass for a reason (though it would mean no higher-level resurrection spells, since the classic split is a cleric dip for a wizard thus granting them scalable healing and armor).

If I were like, Sam's advisor here (so...Liam), I'd say knowledge cleric. It would give them the perspective of a different god (Erathis? Corellon? Ioun?), it's an excuse to play high intelligence and have very good INT-based skills, it would be a very different take on cleric, but it would still have all the useful core abilities. Twilight Cleric is also RIDICULOUS (positive) and would solve a number of problems and, I mean, FCG stats but shift around Charisma/Int/Con scores a bit to be slightly less tank, much more intelligent, and uncharismatic. Would be an interesting way to bring in Sehanine. And, I should note, either knowledge or twilight could be used to make a Marquesian character which might also help fill in some lore gaps.

To talk through some other healing options: I do love Tary but I believe he was played as a Battlesmith and so that's only half healing. Paladin is an option, actually, if he plays one of the more healing-focused ones (65 lay on hands points? no joke), and I think Sam would make a good paladin in many ways (and paladin auras at L13 would be MASSIVE for the party. My one concern is that because paladins need to have good charisma and strength and a decent CON score, filling the intelligence gap gets tougher unless he rolls very good stats. I wouldn't go for divine soul sorcerer because three sorcerers is ridiculous, but Celestial Warlock wouldn't be bad either. I actually am a big fan of rangers now that the Tasha's and Xanathar's options are far better than the core build, and I really do think hybrid classes are a great fit for Sam, but I'm again a little worried about the stat demands and the quantity of healing. If I were Sam's advisor I would also have a serious talk with Ashley to see how she feels about Fearne taking on more healing to guide my decision.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

i'm not a zvtara shipper in any significant way, but sometimes i can't help but see aang as slightly hypocritical. i get that he managed to let go of katara in CoD, but i don't understand how exactly he let go of her but was still super into her in all of s3. what does "you need to let her go" even means? also, i get that he doesn't want to kill ozai at the end of the series, but what about the times he hurt people in ways that would result in deadly injuries? (i don't hold the end of S1 against him since he was being used as vessel by the ocean spirit, i'm mostly talking about the avalanche he caused on the northern air temple episode)

When Aang leaves the Guru, despite knowing he won't master the Avatar State at all if he left at that point, he did it because he literally ahd a vision of Katara being in danger. When he is letting go of his attachment in that season finale, he gives one last glance at Katara, who is in the middle of a battle, because he knows that the only way to truly help her would be to trust that she will be okay and focus on preventing the Fire Nation from winning.

On the episode "The Awakening", when Aang is panicking and wanting to reveal to the world that he is alive and fight the Fire Lord without a plan, he goes alone. On the day of the eclipse, he kisses Katara, but they go their separate ways in the battle, instead of him being close by in case she needs him.

The "learn to let her go" thing has NEVER been about him no longer being allowed to be in love with her, or even a close friend, and it was never a fully black and white issue either - that's why we see IROH, the guy who lost his son because he chose his quest for power over thinking as parent and thus keeping him away from the battlefield, telling Aang that he is right to choose love above everything. Why we have Katara be the one to literally bring Aang back from the dead. Why the Guru himself explicitly uses Aang's love for Katara as a way to make him strong enough to deal with the grief of losing his people, and why he says "Learn to let her go" not "Forget about her" (there's a reason the cliche of all cliche lines is "If you love someone, set them free" - attachment existing, by itself, it's not a bad thing, but holding onto it ALL the time can get toxic).

Hakoda let his children go when left to fight in the war, doesn't mean he no longer cares or shouldn't care. Iroh let Zuko go in book 3 because at that point he had understood that his nephew needed to follow his own path, doesn't mean he no longer cared or shouldn't have cared anymore. Why is Aang the only one being held to an absurd standard of "If you understood that you can't always be with the people you care about because you got other responsibilities besides just being their friend, that means you're supposed to never want them around even when that wouldn't negatively affect anything"?

As for Aang's supposed "fatal victims" - this is a cartoon that operates on cartoon physics. The Omashu slide/mail system on episode 5 should have left the heroes permanently paralyzed from waist/neck down, assuming they didn't full on die because the human body simply can't survive a fall like that. Firebenders don't burn themselves when practically holding the flame they're generating, nor when they literally breathe fire. We've seen some of the bad guys survive falling down from an airship and hitting the ocean, in full armor, and be completely unharmed.

The show had casualties - but it was always highlighted a fatal injury instead of glossing over it. There's a reason the showrunners were surprised fans ever thought there was even the slightest chance Jet had not died. In a world where people survive absurd stuff, the show suddenly changing the tune to go "Actually this one screwed over some people" is the ONE way to know there actually was a death, and these situations are still the exception, not the rule.

"Oh but Nichya, it was an avalanche!" yes, much like the one in Mulan - a cartoon that is famous for going "Ya know what, the bad guys didn't die despite being buried in the snow long enough that all the good guys left, and only after a major plot event." It's almost like animation does that kind of stuff all the time...

You can't apply real world logic/physics to a cartoon, and it's very weird that the fandom only feels like doing so in the explicit attempt to create a reason to hate on Aang because they don't like that a pacifist remained a pacifist.

[ninjigma]

QuinFox Week Part 4/7 - First / Previous / Next

Day 4: Keeping the Other Alive + Fox find's Quin's Lightsaber Track: 'Escape From East Berlin' - Daniel Pemberton (Spotify / YouTube)

"You have to stay with me Vos, come on!"

He really was trying, promise.

"I know, just... focus on keeping up. I'll do the rest, okay?"

Quinlan took a slow breath, focusing on just putting one fast-paced foot in front of the other. His awareness was muted in his attempt to mask his pain, and at this point, all the energy he had was being expended in keeping ahead of whatever droids were left on their tail.

Suddenly he was being hauled up and forward, aware of the ladder only when its rungs were suddenly beneath his hands.

"Up!" Fox barked, shots ringing out after his words. 

Quinlan obeyed the sharp order without hesitation. He was around three floors up when his awareness flared and he wrenched backward, a hand flailing wildly as he lost his hold on the wet durasteel. A new slew of blaster fire came from the end of the alleyway, backup arriving and causing further chaos. Moving purely on instinct he reached for where his saber was clipped to his belt-

And found nothing.

The sound of his saber igniting drew his gaze downward, the green flashing and lighting up across the red of Fox's armor. The clone must have picked it up earlier when Quinlan had nearly collapsed, no time to do much more than grab the saber in one hand and pull Quinlan back to his feet with the other. Now Fox was moving with deadly accuracy, cloak fanning out around him, and Quinlan noted how even without Force sensitivity Fox was plenty skilled with the blade. He was precise and sly in his movements, expertly incorporating the blaster to dispatch another droid with a bullseye to the head, the sight inspiring some rather unique feelings in the base of Quinlan’s stomach.

"I said up Vos!"

Right, he was supposed to be climbing. Without another thought he continued moving, easily trusting Fox to cover him. That simple piece of knowledge that Fox was with him was enough to assure him they had a chance in all of this mess, was enough to motivate him forward.

He made it to the roof without further incident, slipping over the edge and sliding across the wet surface. The way it momentarily muffled the sound of the alleyway and how the rain thrummed against Quinlan's skin brought the Jedi a moment's respite, a second of clarity in the fog where he tried to parse out what they needed to do next.

He wasn't dead, not yet anyhow. But now they were on a rooftop and rather exposed to any air support the Separatists may have in the area. They needed cover, Quinlan needed medical attention, and most of all they had to get back to the ship and out of this damned sector.

All too soon Fox was joining him, Quinlan only having a few moments to breathe before Fox had grabbed his hand and yanked them both across slick metal and tile. Fox was still holding his saber, playing their escape purely on the defensive, and Quinlan was again truly impressed with how well Fox was handling the blade, continuous sweeps that blocked blaster bolts out of the sheer speed of the weapon's arc. 

Though Quinlan knew this wouldn't last long. Already he could see the end of the street coming up with a gap they definitely couldn't jump across. Fox had been guiding them as best he could, but they would be stuck with nowhere to go now, and would end up surrounded and outnumbered in seconds. They wouldn’t last long.

Unless...

Fox had begun to slow, head whipping around in search of some way out of this besides fighting straight back through the droids. Thus he was a bit surprised when Quinlan somehow found an extra burst of speed and began pulling Fox along after him instead.

Fox wasn’t dying like this, for something Quinlan had done, not while he was still drawing air.

"General?!" Quinlan managed a rather unhinged smile at the surprise in Fox's tone, though the commander followed without any other complaint. If anything he sped up, keeping pace directly toward the edge of the building, even when it became clear that was exactly what Quinlan was aiming for.

Trust me.

It may have been a trick of his mind, his single focus on getting them both out of this alive, but Quinlan could swear Fox squeezed his hand before leaping off that roof with him.

Always.

The feeling of free falling wasn’t unknown to Quinlan, but the struggle not to succumb to dizziness as he stretched out a hand and slowed them was an interesting first. He gave all of his attention to the presence of Fox, adding it to his own awareness and willing the Force up to meet them. In a rather graceless move the Force answered, just before they reached the street, and they were suspended perfectly in the air a moment before falling the last foot to safety. 

Quinlan staggered, would’ve fallen if not for Fox immediately tucking into his side and pushing them ever onward. Now the Jedi really was stumbling, his energy burning up faster than he could think.

Then they were stopped, hands were on his shoulders. Black spots dotted his vision, but things were quiet finally and Quinlan could swear he wasn’t standing any longer. All that really mattered was how he could still sense Fox, reaching out and focusing on that steady and clever soul in order to find the motivation to keep moving. 

Well, they must be safe if Fox had stopped them, had begun pressing something against where Quinlan knew his shoulder should hurt but only felt the dull sensation of Fox’s hands.

He always thought Fox had nice hands, strong and sleek with a small scar on his right palm.

Maybe Fox would let him kiss it, just once.

“Don’t- Quinlan!”

[ironunderstands]

I saw your post about Jade and wanted to share my thoughts on why, I too believe that, trying to justify or excuse whatever she's doing because she's a woman is ridiculous.

I've seen so, so many people going on about how women (fictional or real) are absolute saints who can do no wrong and every awful thing they do is excusable. Why? Because they're women. They've had it rough unlike men.

Let me tell you why this infuriates me so much.

It's because they're downplaying the hardships any man (again, fictional or real) has to face in favor of rooting for their girlboss or queen.

People are trying to say Jade is a hero because she "rescued" Aventurine while Dr Ratio is a POS because he talked down on Aventurine (even though it turns out to be an act, people still say it's "too late" for apologies and that he isn't sincere).

Now, I don't know anything about Jade. Yet. But saying she's some kind of hero or savior feels very wrong. It's like people are acting as if Aventurine needed her or else, he wouldn't be alive which is NOT TRUE.

Aventurine isn't some helpless damsel in need of a knight in shining armor. The man saved himself without anyone else's help.

Apologies for sounding rude but I know damn well if Aventurine and Jade's genders were swapped, Jade would get cancelled on every platform on the planet in seconds.

So yeah. That's my rant. Sorry for taking up your time and listening to me being annoying.

I understand where this is coming from, and I do think that yeah, people excuse a female character’s actions because she’s a woman. However, the reverse also happens way more, where women get demonized for stuff that barely even matters, which only results in the thing you’re talking about occurring more as a form of pushback, and thus results in character’s like Jade who are horrible people getting that ignored by her fans.

Also yeah, people’s tendency to damsel Aventurine is extremely annoying, considering he only has managed to survive so far due to his own efforts, and attributing his success to Jade is stupid.

Lastly, I do think you are correct that if their genders were swapped, people would hate Jade even more than they already do now, I think the “such pretty eyes” comment would not go over so well if it was an older man to a younger woman.

So I do get the frustration

[ghouljams]

IDK if you're active on Twitter at all, but I've been seeing some people depicting König as the crazy dude in KorTac, but Nikto as the even crazier one that even König thinks is insane.

(Just a head's up there's some NSFW art posted above the art I've linked. https://x.com/HotSatans/status/1798119725819723996/photo/1)

Anyway! I kinda want to write some stuff with Nikto being a terrifying menace to society (and more specifically König), and was wondering how you felt about me stealing your Cowboy!König for a short fic? It'll probably be König rocking up at Nikto's house to confront him after he's recuperated from his fight with Goose or smth.

Any pointers for how you think your version of König might behave going into a situation like that would be appreciated 👀👀

That's so fucking funny I love Nikto that crazy bastard.

Yeah steal away. I think my main character notes for Cowboy!König are weird to explain but I'll do my best.

I want him to have the unsettling aura of an eight year old that sees ghosts, so I tend to have him as a sort of wide eyed observer. He is a stranger in a strange land so I enjoy having him be at odds with the environment(see paying full price at the feed store). He follows societal rules but doesn't care to learn the unspoken manners of the world. The persona he puts on for Bee, the kind, patient knight in shining armor, is just that -a persona- and König is well aware that he's lying to her but in his mind the ends will always justify the means.

I see König as a character that learned the world through the bullying he received in his brief canon backstory and resolved that instead of becoming better he would simply become the bully. He wanted the power that was held over him and so he climbed the military ranks quickly, but a man who wants control as badly as König is dangerous to keep around when he's threatening the higher ups...

He's not stupid, but he's impulsive, and puts his own needs/desires above anyone else's. He will always think he's in the right and thus can justify any wrong doing he commits. My initial thought is that he'd go to find Nikto to ask why he didn't help him in the fight? They were comrades at one point, and perhaps König considered himself Nikto's superior officer despite mercenaries not adhering to military ranks, so why wouldn't Nikto jump in to help? They could have taken out that woman much easier together, and really hurt Ghost in the same blow.(Never mind they would have been hunted down by the whole town for the sin of killing one of the town's residents)

König is a manipulative bastard, he knows the tricks to pull out on people, he knows how to get people on his side, but I don't think he's good at concealing the rot in his words. You look at him, and you know what he's trying to do. Nikto especially, I think, would know König for who/what he is.

[aurumacadicus]

My birthday was just on the twelfth so how about 12 for the ficlet challenge?

Happy birthday! 🥳 This will round the prompts out to an even thirty so I'm going to go ahead and close the meme after this. Sorry if I didn't use yours!

--

Steve reached out to put his hand on Tony's ankle, hesitating just as his fingertips met the blanket covering him. He drew his hand back slowly. He wasn't sure what to do. If he was allowed. Catastrophically grounded, Strange had called it when he'd come to examine Tony. He'd abstained from using magic so long that his body had purged all of it.

It had been terrifying to watch. It still played in Steve's mind every time he closed his eyes. Tony's armor had dropped around his feet, sloughing off his body in lines of melting gold. The battlefield had gone silent. Even the Doom bots, which should have had no fear and thus no hesitation, had frozen where they were. Tony had sucked in a breath. Lifted a hand toward the glowing arc reactor in his chest. But he hadn't made it in time. His magic had pulsed, bursting out of him with such force that it had burst the glass in every building and car for a ten mile radius.

He'd nearly burned himself out. And there was no telling if he'd ever be able to make more magic.

Steve had never realized how much of Tony was magic. He looked so small in his bed, eyes wide and sightless. Even the reactor's glow seemed dimmer now.

"I didn't know you were a witch," Steve offered. He'd been told talking might help. He'd never known what to say, before. He figured anything would be better than nothing at this point, though. Even Rhodey hadn't been able to get a response the few times he'd gotten leave to come visit. "Was it a secret? Or was I just oblivious?"

Tony said nothing. Steve hadn't really expected him to. He waited a beat, then reached out again, taking Tony's hand in his. It was cold. He brought his other hand up and clasped Tony's hand between both of his own.

"Techno-mage?" he murmured thoughtfully. "Or. Electricity maybe." He remembered how Tony's magic had pulsed, a deep, echoing thing he felt more in his chest than heard with his ears. "Sound?"

Tony's hand twitched in his grip. Steve fought the urge to lunge to his feet, bellow that there had been a change so everyone could pile in to see him. No need to get worked up, he told himself, casually sliding his gaze up to Tony's face. Tony's gaze was just as blank as before. The corners of his lips had turned down into a frown though.

"Tony?" Steve asked gently. "Can you hear me?"

Tony said nothing. His hand didn't twitch again. Steve sighed, shoulders sagging. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to the back of Tony's wrist. He'd heard that sometimes, being cut off from their magic could kill a witch. Tony hadn't died, but it had been a near thing. He wondered if maybe that wouldn't have been better. How happy could Tony be, a shell of himself like this?

Steve lifted his head again, looking up at Tony's face. "It's getting late." He ran his thumb over Tony's knuckles gently. "I should go." He hadn't, at the beginning. He and the others had decided, in a tense emergency meeting, that Steve having the wherewithal to leave himself was less traumatizing than him being dragged out to shower and eat under duress. He brushed his lips over the back of Tony's hand, then patted it gently as he stood. "I'll come back in the morning."

He was almost out the door when his sharp ears caught a breathy, weak, "...tay..."

Steve turned on his heel, stunned. He reached out to grab the doorway to brace himself. Tony looked just as unaware as he had a moment ago--as he had the entire time he'd been laid out in bed. "Tony?" he asked, hope nearly choking the word back down.

"...Stay," Tony said, more air than sound.

Steve crossed back over to him in several long steps, snatching his hand back up as he bent closer to him. "You want me to stay the night?"

Finally, miraculously, Tony's gaze drifted up to his face. His eyes were damp as he whispered, "Please."

"Anything you want," Steve answered, relief sinking down to his bones as he sagged back into his chair.

"...Here," Tony offered, his other hand twitching at his side.

"On the bed? Yeah," he answered, standing back up. "I can help you warm up. Can I be a wolf? I. I'll be. Like a weighted blanket then. And I'm. Softer. That way."

"'kay," Tony answered softly.

Steve worried he was just being agreeable because he was too exhausted to be anything else, but he decided he wasn't going to be sorry. Tony's core temperature had dropped. 'His inner spark unable to maintain its temperature,' Strange had said, and 'prescribed' keeping him as warm as possible. Steve's lupine body would work in place of the hot water bottles tucked at Tony's feet, the electric blanket covering him. Besides, Tony had always liked burying his fingers in Steve's coarse fur when he could. He could warm his hands with skin contact.

Maybe he couldn't do anything about Tony's magic. But he could help try and get his temperature regulated. That Tony was aware and could speak was an improvement, after all.

If nothing else, Steve would at least have more information to give Bruce and Strange when they came in to check on him in the morning.