#truly fighting a losing battle by winning that check

[sunburstsandmoonshadows]

I finally got to finish the Burrow's End ep and 1) hell yeah Tula, ho it up, 2) the whole Red Warren family is truly coming into this place with a some insane energy right off the bat, love that for them, and 3) I don't trust these goddamn bipedal stoats and their stoat propaganda a goddamn inch.

[persevereforahappyending]

Maybe in Another Life |17 - Final|

Pairing: Clarisse La Rue x Reader

Summary: You are a Hunter of Artemis, but you start to question what you truly want when you meet Clarisse and get to know her.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3.5k+

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 | ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7 | ch. 8 | ch. 9 | ch. 10 | ch. 11 | ch. 12 | ch. 13 | ch. 14 | ch. 15 | ch. 16 | ch. 17

It had been a couple days since the battle of Manhattan, and you were fully healed. Apollo had saved your life, but you still ached like crazy after, you fell asleep pretty much as soon as you got to the cabin when you and the others arrived at camp. The first night back was one full of celebration, all the cabins came together, partying and cheering each other on. Even the demigods who had sided with Luke were welcomed back, at least those that lived and realized the error of their ways. 

The second day though, was one filled with grief and mourning. Everyone had been so excited to win the war, no one truly knew how things would actually go, there had been a real possibility of Kronos winning. After the win, after the celebrating, it finally hit everyone, they might have won the war, but it came at a great cost. Every cabin lost members, everyone lost someone, whether it be a friend or sibling. You might have been saved by Apollo but many were not, many Hunters had not been. You weren’t sure if the poison made you lucky, dying slowly was the only reason you were still alive at the end to even have the chance at being healed. 

Apollo might have been annoying, but you didn’t take him saving you lightly. You were as good as dead until Apollo intervened, there was no reason for him to do that, other than he simply liked you. You owed him everything, you owed it to your sisters who didn’t get the chance to continue on. You owed everyone who didn’t make it, you would spend the rest of your life dedicating yourself to making sure Apollos gift wasn’t in vain, that you deserved this second chance at life. 

You hadn’t seen Clarisse much since getting back to camp. She helped you to your cabin and then left you, after you insisted she go enjoy the night. The next morning at breakfast she came over to check on you but then quickly went back to her table. Breakfast was depressing that day, everyone sat quietly at their tables, no one was making jokes or being rowdy. There was a somber mood that coated the entire camp that day. The next few meals got louder and louder until there was a consistent amount of chatter amongst the demigods. 

You had only seen Clarisse at meals though, usually across the pavilion. You’d be at Artemis’s table with your sisters, and you’d look up, meeting Clarisse’s gaze, who was seated with her siblings at the Ares table. Clarisse had lost her best friend, you wanted to be there for her, you remembered what it was like losing Zoe. You didn’t want to push her though; Clarisse wasn’t exactly the type to be open about her feelings. You silently made it known you were there for her, if she wanted to talk, she could come to you, but if she wanted her space, you’d happily give that to her as well. 

You threw yourself into training as soon as you were able. You spent your days on the training grounds, shooting arrows or swinging a sword at the dummies. You said it was to stay in fighting shape, just something to help your recover but every time you slashed your sword at a dummy you saw the faces of your sisters, the faces of all those lost. 

“Hey,” Thalia called out, just as you dealt another hard blow to the wood dummy. You turned to face her, sheathing your sword in the process. “Just got word from Artemis.” Your heart dropped at that, that meant you were leaving soon. As much as you were ready to leave Camp Half-Blood, you weren’t ready, you hadn’t had a real conversation with Clarisse yet. “We leave tomorrow.” 

You gave a small nod. “Well, I’m always packed,” you said. 

You turned back around, facing the dummy. You put your hand on the hilt of the sword, intending to draw it again and continue your training. “You should say any goodbyes tonight,” Thalia’s voice made you freeze. “We’re leaving at sunrise.” 

You didn’t turn around; you just turned your head enough to see Thalia out of the corner of your eye. “Thank you,” is all you said. 

When you heard Thalia finally walking away you drew your sword and continued on with your training. You knew it was your last day to talk to Clarisse, but you didn’t know where to start, so you trained. You trained for hours, ignoring the other campers as they came and went, ignoring as lunch time came and went, ignoring as dinner time came and went. You finally stopped when the only light in the sky was from the stars. 

You looked up, your eyes instantly going to Zoe’s constellation. You sighed; you knew what you had to do. Even if Zoe wouldn’t have approved of your feelings for Clarisse, she definitely would have called you out for avoiding the girl just because you were scared. You once again sheathed your sword and made your way off the training grounds. You made your way to your cabin to put away your weapons, then you were going to go to the bonfire you knew the campers were having. It would be the last bonfire for all the Hunters there and you figured Clarisse would be there. 

After putting your stuff away and getting cleaned up you made your way to the bonfire. By the time you got there the party was in full swing, demigods were all paired off or in groups talking with one another. You saw most of your sisters there as well, most of them branching out and talking to other campers by this point. You passed by Percy and Annabeth, making sure to give Annabeth a small nod and completely ignore Percy, not even bothering to turn when you caught him frowning. You made eye contact with Thalia across the fire who gave you a small nod. You saw everyone, everyone besides Clarisse, the one person you had actually wanted to see. 

You soon left the bonfire, knowing there was one other place Clarisse might be. You made your way through the camp until you came to the Ares cabin. The cabin was dark and not a single sound came from it, most would assume no one was home but that didn’t stop you from walking up the steps and knocking on the door. 

It took a moment, but you finally heard shuffling and then the door creaking. “Hey,” you breathed out when you saw Clarisse standing before you. 

“What are you doing here?” Clarisse asked, she crossed her arms, but she didn’t sound angry. 

“We’re leaving tomorrow.” 

Clarisse nodded, suddenly refusing to look you in the eye. “I heard.” 

“I needed to say goodbye.” 

You reached up to grab Clarisse’s hand but paused midair, questioning your decision. You saw Clarisse eyeing your hand out of the corner of her eye. When she didn’t pull away or make any move saying she didn’t want you to touch her you got over your nerves and continued. You gently grabbed her hand, letting her arms fall to her side as you swung your clasped hands between the two of you, gently rubbing circles on the back of her hand with your thumb. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered. 

“We both knew this day was coming,” she sighed. She looked up, giving you a sad smile. 

“Yeah,” you sighed, returning her smile. “Until we meet again.” 

Clarisse tugged you by the hand, pulling you in for a hug. You were sure she would never seem so vulnerable out in the open, the two of you were standing on the porch of the Ares cabin, anyone walking by could see the two of you. You knew everyone was at the bonfire though and they’d be there all night. You weren’t sure how long the two of you stayed there, you just hugged each other, enjoying the comforting silence. 

When you finally parted Clarisse went back into her cabin and you walked back to Artemis’s. You weren’t in the mood for a bonfire. As soon as you walked through the door you kicked off your boots and laid on your bed, looking up at the ceiling. The odds were that once you left camp, you’d never see Clarisse again. Clarisse graduated next year, meaning she probably wouldn’t be at Camp Half-Blood anymore, even if that wasn’t the case, it wasn’t often the Hunters came to camp. The war was fought and won, there was no reason for you guys to come back to the camp as often as you had in recent years. Unless you ran into her on a quest this would be the last night you saw Clarisse. 

The next morning you made your way to the top of the hill with your sisters. Your sisters crossed over the barrier, making their way down the other side of the hill. You were about to follow when you caught Clarisse running towards you out of the corner of your eye. “Give me a second?” you asked, looking at Thalia. Thalia nodded, then walked away enough to be out of earshot. 

“I just...” Clarisse started when she got to you. “I just wanted to say goodbye.” 

You smiled. “Goodbye,” you whispered. You reached out, offering her your arm which she hesitantly took, gripping your forearm. You pulled her forward, resting your forehead against hers. “Until the next life,” you whispered. 

You heard Clarisse let out a shaky breath and felt her give a small nod. “I’ll hold you too that,” she whispered. You couldn’t help but smile at her words. 

The two of you stayed like that for a second before you both of you finally, though reluctantly, pulled away. She walked backwards down the hill until she finally turned around, jogging down the rest of the way. Your eyes followed her the entire time, you intended to watch her until she disappeared from your view. You felt the air change and the hair on your arm stand up, you gave a sad smile, knowing it was time to leave. 

“You’re older,” you said, not even bothering to turn around. You knew who was behind you, you always knew when she was near, you could always feel her presence. 

“I know you feel weird when I look like a child,” Artemis said. 

“It’s just a little weird to be getting advice or be given orders by a twelve-year-old.” You chuckled before finally turning around to face Artemis. 

She looked similar to how she always did, however instead of taking on the appearance of a twelve-year-old she made herself look a little older, made herself to look around your age. It wasn’t often Artemis changed her appearance, she hardly ever made herself look older. Given the fact that she’s taken on this appearance to talk to you, even though you were all supposed to leave in a few minutes, didn’t seem like a good sign. 

You turned away from Artemis again, looking back over camp from the top of the hill. You had done this a hundred times, you had left camp without so much as a glance back, you despised Camp Half-Blood, you always looked forward to leaving, except now. It seemed camp was getting harder and harder for you to walk away from, you couldn’t help but assume it had to do with the daughter of Ares. Your eyes found Clarisse, walking down the hill, getting further away from you. 

“I’m releasing you from your oath.,” Artemis said softly but instantly breaking you from your thoughts. 

“What?” you asked, turning around. You looked at her with wide eyes, you weren’t sure you had heard her right. 

“You deserve to be happy.” she gave you a kind smile. She didn’t need to repeat herself, you really had heard her correctly, that didn’t make you any less confused though. 

“I am happy,” you insisted, stepping closer to Artemis. “I’ve always been happy with you, with my sisters.” You weren’t sure why she was doing this, you had remained loyal, you never broke your oath, you didn’t know why she was abandoning you now, you thought you had done everything right, you tried to do everything right. 

“I know,” she sighed, resting a hand on your shoulder. “But now your heart isn’t in it anymore,” she gave you a sad smile. Your eyes fell, she was right, she was always right. “You have been a great second to my lieutenants, to Zoe and then to Thalia. You’ve been an even better friend and confidant these last thousand years.” 

You glanced up to see Artemis not looking at you but down the hill at Clarisse. “I’ve seen you two together, you have strong feelings,” Artemis said softly, no animosity in her voice. “You have been willing to ignore those feelings, to sacrifice what you want, to honor your oath.” Your eyes fell once again, the feeling that you’ve disappointed your goddess washed over you. “I am not disappointed in you.” You looked up, your eyes widening, it was like Artemis had read your mind. She had always been good at reading you though. “You have fought admirably by my side. I will miss you,” she gave you a sad smile. “But I want you to be happy.” 

You looked back down at Clarisse, watching her slowly disappear from your sight. “Do you want to be with her?” Artemis asked. 

You opened your mouth, but nothing came out. Despite the conversation going on you were caught off guard by Artemis’s question. “I am loyal to you,” you found yourself saying. It didn’t matter what you wanted or what you felt, you were loyal to Artemis. 

“I know. You have never once wavered. I am not angry,” she smiled, so you knew her words were true. “You have stayed the course and pushed away your temptations and desires better than anyone.” Despite her words, despite knowing Artemis wouldn’t lie, if she was angry or felt you betrayed her, she wouldn’t bother with this conversation, she’d just punish you. Despite all that, you still felt like you had failed her. 

“Do you want her?” she asked again. 

“I-yes,” you whispered. There it was, you said it, it was the first time you admitted it out loud. 

“I am releasing you. You will no longer be immortal, but you are free to be with her, to love her, to live a new life, one that you choose.” 

“I don’t know what to do without you.” You had been with Artemis and the Hunters for so long, you barely remembered your mortal life. 

“I’m not abandoning you; I will be there if you need me, you will always be my friend, and a sister.” That brought you some comfort, you knew Artemis still kept in contact with the few people she did let leave but you never expected her to do the same to you. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Believe it or not just because I reject love does not mean I don’t want my Hunters to be happy,” Artemis chuckled lightly.  You couldn’t help but smile as well, Artemis could be harsh, but she did truly want her Hunters to be happy. “If that’s what they ultimately desire, so long as they don’t break my trust.” 

“Thank you.” 

“No, thank you. Thank you for a thousand years of service.” Artemis stepped forward and gently rested her forehead against yours. She brought a hand to the back of your neck, then she slowly began taking away the gifts bestowed upon you, leaving you mortal once again when she pulled away. 

“I can never repay you for all that you’ve done for me.” 

“You don’t have to; you’ve done more than enough.” 

“Thank you, for everything, truly.” 

Artemis gave a small nod. She looked down the hill at the Hunters waiting for her then back to you. “Also, it might be unconventional but feel free to continue to stay in Cabin Eight.” 

You couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “I appreciate that.” Artemis didn’t have to allow that, but you appreciated that she did. You were a child of Nike and despite Percy’s terms Nike didn’t have a cabin yet. You would have been stuck in the Hermes cabin and that was certainly not what you wanted; you would have rather set up a tent outside. 

“It’s been an honor and a pleasure,” you said. “Fighting by your side, my goddess.” You held out your arm and Artemis gripped your forearm giving it a firm shake before making her way down to the Hunters. 

Lastly, Thalia appeared beside you. “I’m never going to find another second like you,” she said. 

You smiled at the comment, giving a shy nod. “That’s true,” you said cockily. 

Thalia smacked you on the side of the arm before giving her own goodbye. “I owe you my life,” she whispered. 

You gave a little shrug. “Just doing my job.” 

Thalia tilted her head, narrowing her eyes slightly at you. “You deserve this, you know?” You scrunched your eyebrows, tilting your head in question. “To be happy,” she clarified. You sucked in a breath, giving her a small nod. “There’s nothing to feel guilty about, Zoe would understand.” 

Your eyes widened slightly, that was always something you worried about. Zoe might have been gone but you were constantly worried about disappointing her. You knew how much the Hunters meant to her, how seriously she took the oath, she was the one that had been by your side since the beginning, walking away now almost felt like a betrayal. Zoe was like Artemis though, she never thought less of those who wanted to leave the Hunters, so long as they didn’t break their oath to do so. 

“Thank you,” you whispered. 

Thalia gave you a final nod before running off to join the rest of the Hunters. You stood at the top of the hill, giving them all one final wave before watching them take off into the woods. You turned around, looking back down at camp, you let out a shaky breath before making your way back down the hill, intending to find Clarisse. 

You didn’t have to try too hard to find Clarisse, she was where she was the majority of the time, on the training grounds. She wasn’t in the middle of training though, her back was to you, and she was talking to Percy and Annabeth. 

“I thought you left?” Percy questioned when his eyes landed on you. 

“Change of plans,” you said. 

Annabeth tilted her head, her eyes flicking from you to Clarisse, and you could swear a small smirked appeared on her lips. You saw Clarisse’s body stiffen before turning to face you. “Didn’t Artemis arrive this morning?” Clarisse questioned. 

“She did,” you confirmed with a nod. 

“Then what are you-” 

“She and the Hunters just left,” you cut her off. 

You watched as her brow furrowed then her eyes widened in realization. “What does that mean?” she asked quietly, like she was nervous to hear your answer. 

“It means,” you hesitantly stepped forward. You were only partially aware of Annabeth dragging a confused Percy away. “I’ve been released from my oath,” you let out in a shaky breath. You reached out, ignoring the way your hand shook, and took Clarisse’s hand in your own. 

“You’re not a Hunter anymore?” You could see the hope in Clarisse’s eyes. 

You shook your head, giving her a shy smile. “I hope that’s okay?” Despite having feelings for her and knowing she had feelings for you, you weren’t sure if this was actually something she wanted. 

Clarisse crashed into you, wrapping you up in a tight hug. “Of course it’s okay,” she mumbled into your neck. 

You instantly wrapped your hands around her waist, pulling her closer. She pulled away just enough to rest her forehead against yours, your noses lightly brushing against each other, both of you hesitating to lean in. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” you whispered. This was all new to you, you might not have minded Apollo’s flirting, but you still had never crossed any of these lines before, you had never felt anything like this, even before joining the Hunters. 

“Me either,” Clarisse whispered back. Your shoulders relaxed at that. You knew she had a crush on Chris but knowing the rest of this was all knew to her definitely eased your nerves a bit. 

Clarisse finally closed the distance, kissing you. For a split second you froze but quickly gave in, kissing Clarisse back. You both smiled into the kiss as it got more intense. When the two of you broke apart, Clarisse rested her forehead on yours again, both of you smiling like crazy. 

Clarisse swung an arm around your neck, and you swung your arm around her waist as the two of you began to walk off the training area. You ignored the way Percy’s mouth was hung open and his eye practically coming out of his head and the way Annabeth was smirking as the two of you passed them. 

Taglist: @cxcilla @danonered @touchmyfracturedomens @luclue @manu-007s-world @death-in-love @nenas19 @mynameiskaci @fictionalwhor3

[ashtavula]

HIII can i request some overblots react to their s/o fight with clones like in frieren after the end ????? And after their s/o wins the battle so passed out and the overblots have to take care its injury

Oh, like Land's ability, right? Though, his ability is pretty similar to Cater's...

Also, I'm going with the assumption that the reader isn't actually fighting the boys in this. You're just getting into a random fight.

Overblotters with an s/o that can use clone magic

Riddle:

-During the fight, Riddle does his best to help you, even though he's not the best at it. He's been around Cater for long enough that the clones don't faze him, but he stresses himself out trying to protect all of them since he's not sure which one is the real you. After the fight, Riddle turns to scold you for getting involved, only to see you faint. He immediately starts shrieking for help as he drags you to the infirmary.

-He blames himself for not actually being able to keep you safe as he tends to your injured body. If he was a stronger mage, then this wouldn't have happened. As he carefully reapplies your bandages, Riddle becomes determined to further improve himself, both as a mage and a partner, so that you won't have to suffer for his failures again.

Leona:

-Leona isn't actually all that worried about you during the fight. He assumes that you're more than capable of keeping yourself safe, so he focuses on ending the fight as soon as possible. He grumbles as he turns his gaze towards you, and the last thing you hear is him yell your name as you collapse.

-Once you wake up, Leona refuses to leave your side. His gaze is intense, and he mutters that you should leave all the fighting to him if you're going to lose, even with your advantage. Despite the fussing, his hand is gentle as he slowly strokes your skin, his brow furrowed. In his mind, he's berating himself for not being good enough to keep you safe.

Azul:

-Azul isn't the best in a brawl, but he's doing his best, even though he's wishing that he still had his tentacles. He's very concerned about you, even though he can see your clones throwing punches. And in the end, his worst fears are confirmed when he finds you passed out.

-He fusses over you like a worried mother as you recuperate, constantly fluffing your pillows and shooing the twins out of the room so you can rest. However, all he can think about is that he truly is a worthless octopus. If he was better, then he could have saved you. Instead, the only thing he can do is think up ways to hasten your recovery. Because the sooner you're back on your feet, the sooner he'll stop feeling like he doesn't deserve you.

Jamil:

-Jamil is well-trained, and he knows how to protect someone in a fight. However, he runs himself ragged trying to protect all of your clones. He doesn't know where the real you is, until you crumple to the ground. Jamil curses under his breath, and he scoops you up into his arms before rushing back to Scarabia.

-He's also the type of guy who scolds you for being so reckless. Really, he's just mad at himself for letting you get hurt. Jamil clicks his tongue in annoyance as he checks on your injuries, muttering about teaching the idiots who hurt you a lesson. In the end, he's an excellent caretaker, and you make a swift recovery.

Vil:

-He hates having to get his hands dirty, but Vil doesn't mind "disciplining" a rowdy group of students, especially if you're involved. Vil takes your opponents down with swift, elegant kicks and punches, and the two of you quickly take them down. Unfortunately, you end up crashing into Vil as your vision blurs, and you faint in his arms.

-You love Vil, but you wish he'd stop shoving foul potions down your throat. All of his concoctions are helping you heal, but that doesn't help the taste. He also keeps lecturing you, all with a disapproving frown on his face. However, once the bottles of medicine are empty and he's finished talking, he'll press a gentle kiss to your forehead, and he'll quietly beg you to not scare him like that again.

Idia:

-Idia's panicking, yelping for Ortho's help while he tries to avoid getting punched. Later, he'll be amazed at your clones, but right now he's trying to survive. Eventually, Ortho comes to the rescue, and the two of you win the battle. As Idia makes his way over to you, you faint, and he begins to panic all over again.

-You're kept on house arrest in his room until you finish recovering, but it's not terrible. Idia keeps you entertained, and Ortho is an excellent helper. However, Idia's brain keeps churning out miserable thoughts. He feels useless, and he worries about your injuries. As you rest, he slowly lays his head down near your shoulder, just shy of touching you. He watches you sleep, silently wishing for you to get better soon. Maybe then, he won't feel like a failure.

Malleus:

-A fight like this is mere child's play to Malleus. Of course, most of your opponents flee the moment he comes close to them. Malleus is fascinated by your clones, and it's his curiosity that makes him fail to realize that you've been injured. When you fall into his embrace, you catch a brief glimpse of gathering storm clouds as your eyes flutter shut.

-You recover quickly, thanks to Malleus' magical prowess. He spends almost all of his time protectively curled around you, murmuring apologies for what happened. Malleus seems to be fine, but it hasn't stopped raining since you got hurt. Internally, his thoughts are spiraling. For a brief moment, he thought he'd lost you. You've brought joy to his lonely world, and the thought of you dying terrifies him. As you drift off to sleep in his arms, you hear him whisper that he'll never allow anyone to harm you again.

[thosewildcharms]

i'll be thinking about 1x04 for the rest of my life probably, but currently i'm thinking about how genius it was that instead of the episode being about convincing rick to fight the CRM, as I originally thought it would be, it ended up being a battle to bring rick himself back to life. it's both rick and michonne fighting to revive a dead man who is doing anything he can to stay dead.

the show had already established that rick metaphorically killed himself and made okafor's mission his own instead of committing suicide and that from the moment she arrived he went into panic mode and was doing everything he could do put himself between her and the many threats aimed at her. like, we knew all of that going in.

and then this episode blows that wide open in the first, what, ten minutes? the CRM thinks they're dead. they can leave. and still, rick clings to okafor's mission. and in the hands of lesser writers, in the hands of any other production team who did not understand these characters as profoundly as danai and andy understand them, that's where it would have ended. rick would have genuinely been fully brainwashed and have been coming from a place of misplaced egotism, and they'd be having a very different fight. it would be rick insisting he had to fight the crm alone and michonne arguing that they can fight them together with nothing deeper than that going on.

but of course that's not it, because that's not rick grimes, and this is danai gurira's pen. he's not brainwashed, he's broken. he's so deeply and profoundly traumatized that clinging to this mission as a way of maintaining his own metaphorical death has become the last and strongest wall of his self-defense mechanism. and he spends the whole episode desperately trying to keep that wall up, and failing.

when he sees michonne's scar, he immediately looks for the PRB. because the physical proof of how much danger she will always be in reminds him of how much he can no longer bear to witness it. when michonne tells him about RJ, he asks her to give him the PRB and when he learns that RJ calls himself Little Brave Man, he doubles down on okafor's plan. because he can never lose another child (the way he lost carl twice) if he never knows or meets him in the first place. when michonne blows up about how scared and guilty she feels about not being with their kids he goes completely cold and blank and tells her to go back home. because if they're all out of sight and together they'll always be alive in his mind. because he's already dead, but they don't have to be. he becomes truly recognizable to michonne, to remain unmoved in the face of her pain like that.

and yet. he lasts about ten seconds before sprinting after when she leaves the room. he fusses over her when she can't stop coughing and refuses to leave her side when she's in danger. several times michonne checks in, to see if her rick is still there ("do you still love me?" "I just needed to hear you say it") and confirms that yes, he is. he's emphatic that he has never stopped loving her and never will, that she never has to thank him ever, for saving her life or for anything else. over and over, his love for her wins out even though he's trying so hard to keep that wall up. to remain dead so she will leave and keep living. he's trying to convince both her and himself that he's already gone, but always breaks at the last minute because the immediacy of seeing her right in front of him is more powerful than his own fear. tries to shut himself down, can't resist her, rinse and repeat.

and god, michonne. i've been yammering about the intensity of rick's love for michonne for weeks now, but michonne has done nothing but prove that she's right there with him, if not more. to reveal that rick is the only person who has ever made her feel safe, only to have him continually reject her and be a stone wall against her anger and pain and fear and confusion was so fucking heartbreaking to watch, and still she spends the whole episode banging and scratching and tearing at that wall around him, begging to understand why he's lying to her, why he's being so antithetical to the man she loves. and once she figures out that there's something else going on, that the rick she loves is undoubtedly still in there, she knows exactly what to do to save him. she forces him to say how much he loves her, how much he can't bear to actually let her leave him, so both of them can hear it and then reminds him of how he loves her. this woman spent a decade alone, afraid, raising their kids and facing horrible trauma herself, almost dies trying to find her husband only to meet a stranger once she does, and still does not give up on him. fucking incredible.

i said in a previous post that the only thing that could keep rick grimes from doing anything to get back to his family is a threat to their lives. and it's still true - his grief and trauma is so profound that even the nebulous threat of losing them is so horrifically terrifying to him that he's refusing to go home to them, keeping himself dead to protect himself from their possible deaths. but ultimately, michonne's love for him is even stronger than that. it took almost a decade for the CRM to break him, and michonne brings him back in a day. because the love they have for each other is more powerful than anything. as she says, it can't be denied.

it's honestly the most romantic hour of television i've ever watched. there's so much more that i can say that i haven't even touched on here, and i'm sure i'll be thinking about it for a very long time.

[atlas-of-a-human-soul]

A little danger, pt. 17 - Finale

A little danger - Series Masterlist

Pairing: Sky of Eraklyon x mind!fairy

Warnings: angst, fluff, swearing, violence, sexual innuendos, descriptions of blood/wounds/death

Word count: 6k

———— PART 17 ————

“What happens now?” Aisha digs her hands into her pockets, looking around as the sun slowly sets.

“I don’t know”, Terra responds, chewing her bottom lip.

Bloom folds her arms across her chest, sighing, “I can’t be here when they realize I’m gone.”

“They won’t know,” Y/N states, “If anyone comes after you, I’ll use my powers to make them think you’re still incapacitated.”

“You’re sure you can do that?” Stella asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Sure, she can!” Flora tries to lighten everyone up, only for her smile to drop as the girls start walking to the dorms.

“Something isn’t right,” Y/N rubs her hands as the cold wind picks up. “I don’t like that almost all the specialists are gone to a supposed hideout.”

“It feels like a trap, doesn’t it?” Bloom agrees.

“I should have gone with Sky.”

Stella sighs, “You need to stop worrying. It’s going to be fine.”

Shaking her head, Y/N presses her lips in a thin line. “He doesn’t remember anything before yesterday. They could kill him and it would be my fault!”

Grabbing her by the shoulders, Stella scowls. “The weight of the world isn’t on your shoulders. Everything that goes wrong isn’t always on you.”

“Stella’s right,” Aisha pipes up. “Fucked up things happen every day, but that doesn’t mean it’s your fault.”

“I know you guys are trying to cheer me up, but I feel it in my bones…something is going to happen to him…to all of us.”

Y/N returned to her dorm, immediately grabbing her phone.

“Are you safe?”

Staring at the screen, her brows furrow with every passing minute. Sky might be busy at the moment, or he might not even know how to unlock his phone.

As the last ray of the sun disappeared, she closed her eyes. Just for a moment, she can relax and let the day's worries leave her mind.

Suddenly she awakens, confused as she checks her clock. It’s the middle of the night and there are no texts from Sky. What woke her up?

That’s when she heard it - screeching and chirping.

With trembling lips, Y/N’s chest struggles to contain her heart. Last time she heard those sounds she found herself surrounded and in a battle with Sebastian she couldn’t possibly win.

“They’re here.”

Swallowing thickly, she lets out a heavy sigh. “I have to protect the school,” Y/N whispers.

Rushing to the main building, she finds it empty - most of the students have gone to the dorms already. Taking a deep breath, Y/N’s eyes glow purple. It doesn’t take much of her energy as her focus forms hundreds of invisible strings simultaneously.

“The Blood Witches are here. Those who can fight, be ready to defend yourselves and those weaker than you. Don’t let the scrapers bite you.”

The power goes out, darkness enveloping her. She can only hope that this is a sign Sky is unharmed – because if the Blood witches are here, he’s safe.

Taking in a few short breaths, she heads to the library. It’s the only place she can think of that would be useful for hiding.

Scrapers are slithering, she can hear them. The screams coming from a distance tell a story, one she wishes she could ignore. Shaking her head, she holds her breath as she runs toward the sounds.

Covering her mouth at the sight, she grimaces. Pressing her back against the wall, she runs in the opposite direction. She can’t stop the scrapers. There are no Specialists in sight, no weapons, and no magic she could use to fight them.

The last thing anyone needs is her power taken by them – that’s when they’d truly lose.

Checking her phone, she checks the group messages. There are videos of students being taken to confinement – not everyone is being drained.

“Where are you?” Y/N texts.

“Musa and Flora are stuck in the school. Where are you?!” Stella responds.

“In the school.”

“We got ahold of the guys. They’re coming back. Hide.”

“Sky?”

“Is asking about you. What do I tell him?”

“Anything but the truth.”

If he finds out she’s in the school, he might be stupid enough to enter the grounds. Sky is the only person she wishes was beside her right now, but also the last. Knowing he’s not near them puts her at ease – as far from danger he can be, she is happier.

“Tell him I’m sorry…and I love him.”

Turning it off, she pockets her phone before heading to the library as planned.

While she was finding a place to hide, Sky was slowly losing his mind.

“It’s almost dawn and we’re still not there!”

“I’m driving as fast as I can,” Saul snaps back.

“I’ll be sure to let the fairies know when we attend their funerals!”

Rolling his eyes, Saul speeds up. “Fine!”

“Stella said three of them are still in the school,” Riven says.

“Who?!” Sky asks, his cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

“Musa, Flora - who you don’t remember, and –“ Riven pauses, gulping. “Y/N.”

Covering his mouth, he fishes his phone out of his pocket. The photo of him and Y/N stares back at him as the screen lights up and he realizes it’s asking for a password.

“I…Do you know my password?” Sky looks to Riven who shakes his head.

“Try Y/N’s name or birthdate?”

Raising a brow, Sky scowls.

Lifting his hands in mock surrender, Riven chuckles. “Not my fault you’re so whipped!”

“It’s not that, dickhead! I don’t remember her birthdate!”

“I do,” Saul chimes in.

And that’s exactly what it was – his password is the day she was born. Riven is right – he is whipped. The first message that pops up is hers – Are you safe?

Holding his breath, he writes the same to her.

No response.

Scrolling up, he finds hundreds, if not thousands of exchanged messages, photos, videos, links…the history of his heart’s desire that he cannot remember.

“Ask Stella if she’s heard from her.” Pausing on a photo of Y/N in a red dress, he inhales deeply. It feels so familiar, yet nothing comes to mind…If she dies, he’ll never remember who he is…who she was to him. That can’t happen!

“She did,” Riven glances at Sky. “Apparently I wasn’t supposed to tell you she’s in the school…and to tell you she’s sorry and she loves you.”

Gliding his tongue across his teeth, Sky nods. “Right.”

“I’ll never get used to that,” Riven frowns.

“What?”

“You…not caring about her…or me or anyone really.”

“I care,” Sky exclaims…”I think.”

“You can’t tell me you don’t remember anything. I mean, I’d understand forgetting the stupid things, but Silva? Y/N? ME?”

“You?” Sky snorts. “Silva is like my father, she’s my girlfriend…what are you?”

“I was your best friend once.”

“Mhmm.”

“I was!”

“Once.”

“Yes!”

“Meaning, not now. So how important are you really?”

“Shut up!” Saul shouts. “Unless it’s about the situation at Alfea, I don’t want to hear it!”

The first light of dawn breaks over the horizon, casting a soft, golden hue across the landscape as Sky and the rest of the specialists return to Alfea. The early morning air is crisp, carrying with it the scent of dew-laden grass and the distant murmur of the waking forest. Yet, the tranquil beauty of the sunrise is marred by the grim reality that awaits them.

Sky’s heart tightens with fear and desperation as his thoughts turn to Y/N, who is trapped inside the school’s walls. His mind is a chaotic storm of emotions, battling against the cruel void left by his missing memories.

Every instinct in him screams to run to her, to ensure she is unharmed, to hold her close and protect her from the danger that now surrounds her. Yet, the gaping hole in his mind taunts him, a cruel reminder that he can’t recall the details of their love, the moments that defined them. The self-loathing gnaws at his heart, a relentless ache that leaves him feeling helpless and inadequate.

Sky’s fists clench at his sides, his knuckles white with the intensity of his grip. He hates himself for the amnesia that robbed him of the memories of Y/N, and for the uncertainty that clouds his judgment. But despite it, a deep-seated certainty anchors him—he cannot, must not, lose her.

“The attack was over in about 20 minutes,” Bloom explains. “I don’t know how many Blood Witches are in there, but it’s safe to say there’s enough to take over every Specialist there.”

Saul nods, “They knew we were making a move on their hideout.”

“And we drank the last of the Blood Witch antidote,” Riven scowls.

“They took over every specialist?” Sky asks.

“Mhmm. And the fairies didn’t have it much better. Sebastian brought an army of scrapers to take them down,” Bloom sighs.

“Are they all drained?” Sky’s worry echoes in every word spoken.

“Not yet,” Bloom manages a reassuring smile. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he remembers Y/N…and her. “They’re being held under the school, taken to him one by one.”

“Y/N?”

“Neither Musa nor Flora have seen her. She hasn’t responded to any of our messages since last night.”

Watching the videos from the girl’s group chat, Saul points out. “That’s Bavani.”

“We’re thinking that he can’t handle a lot of magic at once,” Bloom continues.

“So there’s still time to save some of them,” Saul notes. “That’s good. Good intel.”

Bloom smiles, “It’s all Musa. She’s hiding in the school. She’s managed to avoid detection, but Flora wasn’t so lucky.”

Rubbing his chin, Saul nods. “Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us. A frontal assault is suicide.”

“A covert strike upgrades our odds, but not by much,” Riven shrugs. “And we’ll be fighting friends, which is a headfuck.” Glancing at Sky, he rolls his eyes. “For most of us.”

“So, we use non-lethal weapons and neutralize the threat. But what if the Blood witches manage to take us, as well? I haven’t had the antidote like the rest of you,” Sky reminds them. “And you don’t know how long yours last. What happens if we end up being the ones to kill the fairies?”

Frowning, Riven pauses. “You’re right…You shouldn’t be going in there with that mindset and without an antidote.”

Scoffing, Sky grabs him by the collar. “You won’t stop me.”

“Careful mate! Someone might think you do give a shit.”

Clenching his jaw, Sky pushes him aside, heading off. It would be enough for Riven to believe he’s left as he wants him to. Maybe he should leave. Y/N said it herself, he seems better off not knowing what’s happened between them…She seemed honest about it.

Gnawing on his bottom lip, he checks his phone once again. Their photo lights up the screen – his eyes seem happy and his smile wide. Photos can be deceiving, but this doesn’t feel like a lie. Not too long ago, this heart of his required her presence to keep beating, and no matter how badly he wanted to ignore it, something about her calls to him.

Throwing caution to the wind, Sky steps forward, his eyes fixed on the school. He knows the risks, and the peril that awaits him inside, but none of it matters in the face of losing Y/N. The weight of his love for her, even in the absence of his memories, drives him forward, a force stronger than any fear or doubt.

“I’m going in,” he declares, his voice steady despite the turmoil in his heart. The other specialists glance at him, concern etched in their features, but Sky’s resolve is unwavering.

Without waiting for a response, he breaks into a run, his heart leading him toward the one person who means more to him than anything. As he races toward Alfea, the rising sun casts a hopeful light on his path, and Sky prays that it’s not too late to save her, to hold onto the love he knows he can’t live without.

“I knew he’d do that,” Riven sighs. “I get to clock him when he gets himself possessed!”

Clinging to the walls, Y/N holds her breath. One wrong move and she’d have set the realm up for a disaster. If Saul or Farah were with her, they’d advise caution. She can’t save the school on her own – the number of scrapers and Blood Witches is too great for one fairy, even one as strong as her. She turned her phone off the night before, worried it would be used to track her. No one can know where she is, because she doesn’t know who to trust. Every specialist can be controlled, every fairy turned against her. If she’s to stand a chance to find her way out, she can’t risk it. But if she wants to fight Sebastian, the risk of distraction with thoughts about Sky’s safety might be worse.

Stay and fight, or run for her life?

It’s a choice she was always destined to make.

Farah would tell her to trust her instincts, but they’ve led her astray before. Running her hands through her hair, she sighs. If she runs, she won’t get far. Realistically speaking, the exits are manned well. Fighting Specialists, especially those she doesn’t want to kill would prove to be more difficult than fighting her own demons.

She checks her phone anyway.

“Are YOU safe?”

Covering her mouth as tears flood her eyes, Y/N nods to herself. He replied sometime during the attack. They must have been on the way back. He’s safe. Or was safe? Hopefully, he doesn’t give a damn and will stay away from Alfea until the Blood Witches are defeated.

A quick look at the group chat tells her she’s right – he’s outside with Bloom. Suppressing an eye roll at the thought of a no-memory Sky being around his ex who still wants him back, Y/N sends the group a quick text.

“I’m heading to the library. If anyone’s inside, meet me there. I’ll wait an hour. If no one comes, I’m doing this on my own.”

“Solarians are coming. Hold off on any stupid acts of bravery!” Aisha responds.

“Every passing minute means one more fairy loses her magic. I’ve been hiding from it my whole life, but there’s no place left to hide now. I’m ready to use my magic, no holding back.”

Stella replies, “We’re all coming inside. Bloom and Sky are missing. I have reason to believe Sky is taken by the Blood Witches and is used as leverage against her.”

“He wants the Dragon flame,” Aisha states.

“With it, I won’t stand a chance against him.”

“We are coming,” Aisha confirms.

“I can’t wait that long. I’m going to look for them.”

Drawing in a deep breath, she checks around the corner. No one’s noticed her. Y/N stands in the dimly lit hallway of Alfea, her heart pounding in her chest. Sky is somewhere in the school, but finding him amid all of the other minds that are taken and breaking the Blood Witches' control is a daunting task. She takes a deep breath, centering herself, and closes her eyes, letting her power flow through her.

Tendrils of her magic extend from her mind, invisible and delicate, searching through the labyrinth of thoughts and emotions that fill the school. She has to be careful, and precise. Alerting the Blood Witches could mean disaster, not just for Sky, but for everyone.

The first minds she touches are frantic, students and teachers caught in fear and confusion. She gently skirts around them, moving deeper into the building. Each mind she passes through is a potential danger, a possible alert to the Blood Witches. Her focus narrows, a laser-like precision guiding her as she seeks the one mind that matters most to her. If she manages this, she will return to the others, free them as well.

After what feels like an eternity, she senses a familiar presence—a flicker of Sky's essence amid the chorus of other thoughts. Her heart leaps, but she forces herself to stay calm, to maintain her delicate touch. She can't afford to make any mistakes.

Carefully, she weaves her magic around Sky's mind, trying to differentiate it from the surrounding influences. She senses the dark threads of control, the insidious tendrils of the Blood Witches' magic entangled with his thoughts. It takes every ounce of her concentration to avoid triggering their awareness.

Gently, she begins to unravel the dark magic, her power working to sever the links without causing a backlash. She feels the resistance, the darkness fighting back, but she presses on, her determination unwavering. Her hands tremble slightly, the effort of maintaining such fine control taking its toll on her.

Sebastian is distracted, she can sense it. If not, she would be discovered by now. Sky’s ears can pick up the conversation – and she can pick up on his mind’s reaction to his body’s struggle. He can’t breathe.

She can see where they are now. Running toward him, she continues to work on his mind. His airway is released once more and she gasps for breath as well. She senses Sky's confusion, the haze that clouds his mind. She pours her emotions into her magic, hoping to reach him, to let him know she's there. "Sky," she thinks, her voice a whisper in the storm of his thoughts. "I'm here. I'm coming for you."

Little by little, she feels the dark magic give way, her power pushing it back. It's a delicate balance, a dance on the edge of a knife, but Y/N doesn't falter. She can feel Sky's presence growing stronger, the fog lifting from his mind. The connection between them sharpens, and she holds onto it like a lifeline.

Finally, with the final cut, she breaks the last of the Blood Witches' control. The dark tendrils snap, and she feels Sky's mind clear. She senses his awareness returning, his thoughts no longer muddled by the external influence.

Pausing as she hears a noise, she hides in a classroom as the Specialists pass.

"Sky," she whispers with her eyes closed, her voice trembling with relief and exhaustion. "You're free."

She opens her eyes, blinking away the fatigue, and knows she has to find him physically now. But for the moment, she allows herself a brief respite, leaning against the wall, her heart still pounding. She’s done it—she’s found him, freed him. Now she just has to reach him. His mind is saved, but his body is still in danger.

Reaching the great hall, Y/N pauses as she hears the Dragon Flame roar… Sebastian’s using the crystal to steal it.

“Not long now, Bloom. I can feel it.”

Panic claws at Y/N’s throat as she feels the familiar crackling of her power under her skin. She can’t allow this to happen.

“Hate to interrupt a private moment,” Beatrix smirks as she walks in on the other side of the room.

Swallowing thickly, Y/N looks up to where Sky is wrapped up in vines. He’s unconscious.

“Not now, Beatrix”, Sebastian all but growls.

“Bloom might want to know what you plan to use the Dragon Flame for.”

Whimpering, Bloom glances at her. “Does it matter?”

“Figured. Remember you said that,” Beatrix smirks as sparks of electricity dance along her fingertips. And that’s when Y/N hears it – the one defining thought that made her come out of the shadows.

But she wasn’t fast enough.

Beatrix raises her hand, and the electric current surges upward, striking Sky with a searing intensity.

The electricity courses through his body, causing the vines to snap and break. His muscles convulse uncontrollably, and his eyes widen in pain and shock. The force of the electricity halts his heart, the life draining from his eyes as he plummets to the ground.

Y/N, no longer hidden in the shadows, witnesses the horrific scene. Her heart stops, a scream dying in her throat as she watches the man she loves fall lifelessly to the ground. Desperation and rage fuel her magic, and it bursts forth in a wave of raw power. She steps forward, her eyes blazing with an ethereal violet light, and focuses on Beatrix.

With a flick of her wrist, Y/N sends a telekinetic force slamming into Beatrix. The impact is so powerful that it hurls the fairy across the room, her body colliding with a stone column. The sickening crack of Beatrix's neck breaking echoes through the air, and she slumps to the floor, lifeless.

Ignoring the fallen fairy, Sebastian and Bloom, Y/N rushes to Sky's side, dropping to her knees beside him. Her hands tremble as she reaches out, her fingers brushing against his still-warm skin. "Sky," she whispers, her voice choked with tears. "Sky, please."

She places her hands on his chest, her magic flaring in an attempt to restart his heart. Her power flows into him, but it's erratic, fueled by her panic and fear. "Please, don't leave me," she begs, tears streaming down her face.

Her vision blurs with tears, and she presses her forehead against his, whispering desperate pleas between sobs. "You can't die," she cries. "Not now, not like this. Come back to me, Sky."

She feels his heart beneath her hands, willing it to beat again. Her magic pulses, a desperate, rhythmic push against the stillness his heart has surrendered to. She pours everything she has into him, the love, the fear, the sheer force of her will. "You said you loved me," she murmurs, her voice breaking. "I love you too, please."

For a moment, nothing happens, and the weight of despair threatens to crush her. But then, faintly, she feels a flutter beneath her palms—a weak, stuttering heartbeat. Her breath catches, hope flaring in her chest. "Sky," she whispers, more urgently now. "Fight. Please, fight."

The heartbeat grows stronger, and Sky's chest rises with a shallow, ragged breath. His eyes flutter open, confusion and pain clouding his gaze. Y/N lets out a shuddering sob of relief, her hands still pressed to his chest as she watches him come back to her. "Sky," she says again, her voice trembling. "You're okay. You're going to be okay."

The emotional strain should have left her feeling drained, but she held onto him tightly, her fingers entwined with his. She won't let him go. Not now, not ever. As his breathing steadies and his eyes clear, the overwhelming relief that washes over her is quickly replaced by a searing, unbridled anger. Her eyes, still stained with tears, harden as she lifts her gaze to Sebastian. He stands across the room, a smug expression on his face for he sees the emotional tie to both the fairies he wishes to exploit. Y/N's heart pounds with fury, each beat resonating with her magic, which roils and churns within her, struggling to break free. Sky will not be a bargaining chip anymore – she will make sure of it.

She stands, her body trembling with rage. The air around her crackles with raw energy, and her fingers spark with violet electricity. Y/N takes a step toward Sebastian, joining Bloom, who is equally filled with determination. Her magic begins to spill over, uncontrollable and fierce, responding to her emotions.

Her eyes shift to a deep, glowing violet, mirroring the storm of power within her. Waves of violent purple light ripple across her skin, creating an aura of pure, untamed energy. Her hair, once a uniform color, now has vivid purple streaks that shimmer and dance like liquid fire.

Then, with a sudden burst, her wings emerge, an extension of her fury and strength. The wings are large and powerful, each one a breathtaking tapestry of colors. The primary hue is a rich, deep purple, but they are veined with streaks of lighter lavender and electric indigo, like lightning captured in glass. The edges are sharp and crystalline, catching the light and refracting it into a dazzling array of colors. The wings pulse with every beat of her heart, shimmering with an ethereal glow that reminds the onlookers they are otherworldly.

Y/N stands tall, her wings unfurled to their full span, casting a shadow that speaks of both beauty and danger. The energy rolling off her is palpable, a violent storm barely contained within her form. She looks every bit the powerful fairy she has become, a being of raw magic and unyielding will.

Sebastian's confident demeanor falters as he takes in the sight before him. Y/N’s transformation is a clear sign of her immense power, and the look in her eyes promises retribution. She steps forward, her voice low and filled with a cold, burning rage. "You will pay for what you've done."

Bloom transforms beside her.

“Okay. So what are you gonna do? Kill me. Then what? Destroy the school? Your friends are outside fighting for you.”

Stella speaks from behind her, “Technically, their friends are inside now.”

“Bloom, look at me!” Sebastian insists. “This is exactly what happened to your mum, Bloom, and people died. Your friend has no control over her power.”

Y/N can feel Bloom falter for a moment.

“You can stand down, Y/N,” Stella tries. “We are here. You don’t have to do this alone.”

“It’s too late for that now;” Y/N responds. “Get everyone as far away from here as possible.” She looks to Sky who still seems dazed. “Now!”

“We’re not leaving you,” Bloom reassures her as Terra, Stella, and Aisha transform beside them.

“Someone needs to take Sky away from here,” Y/N raises her voice as everyone seems to hold their breath.

“He won’t be harmed,” Stella stands across from her, her golden wings spread out as well. It’s a marvelous sight to see.

Nodding, Y/N turns her energy back on Sebastian, hitting him with the first wave of power she can muster. The girls follow her lead, each using their power, now heightened with their transformation complete. Sebastian grunts as Y/N allows more of her power to trickle into the attack, drawing more and more of her life force with it. Bloom does the same, using the Dragon Flame as a catalyst that turns Sebastian’s grunts into dying screams.

The energy disperses along with Sebastian, the girls returning to their original form immediately after.

All except for Y/N.

“Breathe,” she tells herself, staring at her shaking hands. Noticing her glowing purple veins, she stumbles back, straight into a sturdy chest, making her yelp as her wing gets hurt on impact.

“You’re alright,” Sky places his hands on her hips, steadying her. “I didn’t mean to hurt your wing.”

With trembling lips, she manages a nod. “I –“, she pauses, realizing why she’s still struggling to transform back. “You died.”

“I’m sorry I did that,” he cups her cheek. “Would it help if I promise I won’t do it again anytime soon?”

Glancing around, she sees everyone’s put some distance from her. Only Stella remains, cradling Beatrix. Fuck…that was her. She killed her.

“I didn’t mean to kill her,” Y/N exclaims. “She’s the reason you were dead. I reacted to a threat!”

“I believe you,” Sky rests his forehead on hers. Placing her hand on his chest, he takes a deep breath. “Breathe,” he reminds her, “Breathe with me.”

A soft, broken smile appears on her lips as she synchs her breathing with his. Slowly, but surely, her wings have disappeared and the violet light faded away.

“You’ve done this before,” she tells him. “Talked me off a ledge in the same way more times than I can count.”

“I know,” Sky’s nose brushes against hers. “I remember every single time.”

Pulling back, she gasps, “How?”

“You were saving me from their control and it all flooded back to me. Right before it made me pass out entirely.”

Pressing her lips in a thin line, she grabs onto his jacket and drags him closer. “We have a lot of shit to figure out.”

“I’m well aware.”

“I love you,” she remarks.

Grinning, he repeats, “I’m well aware!”

Raising her eyebrows, she narrows her eyes at him. “Is that all you have to say?”

“Yep!”

“Dick!” She rolled her eyes at him before planting a kiss on his lips that nearly stopped his heart again.

Holding her flush against his body, Sky never wanted to let her go. Every time he did, he regretted it in record time. Sometimes it was fate that pushed them together, other times a little danger, but whenever the dust settled, Sky knew it would need Y/N to keep beating as much as he needed oxygen to keep breathing.

Parting, he smiles as she gasps for breath. “I love that I make you breathless and I DO love you. I might be a dick, but I am yours.”

“I’m not sure I believe that,” she purses her lips.

“My phone’s passcode is your birthday. It leaves no room for doubt.”

Chuckling, she nods. “I was wondering how you remembered it.”

“Saul,” Sky shrugs. “Speaking of, he’d love to see you’re alive and well. He was stressing a lot.”

Leaning into his side, Y/N looks up at him fondly. “Let’s see the old man then.”

He wraps an arm around her, leading her away from Beatrix’s body and Stella’s tears. She’ll beat herself up about it for a long time, but Sky will remind her every day that he loves her and he will support her through it. So many wonder why he chooses to stand with Y/N, some were brave enough to even ask “Why her?” and he’d only laugh at the stupidity of their question, responding, "Why would I choose anyone else when she exists?”

For Sky, this wasn’t a momentary thing like it was with Bloom and Stella. If he knew he’d get Y/N back in his life, he wouldn’t have dated either of them, because Y/N is the kind of love one carries for a lifetime. Does he enjoy the intrusions her power force upon his mind? No. But he can find a way to work around that. If he were simply honest with her, no secrets kept inside, she wouldn’t accidentally see anything that would break her heart. And he’s certain she’s seen quite a bit of secrets that don’t necessarily affect their relationship that she’s allowed to remain a secret.

Trust. It’s all they truly need. And forgiveness, but that he has an abundance of.

The once-bloodied courtyard of Alfea is now eerily silent, save for the occasional sound of distant sobs and murmured reassurances. The air is thick with the scent of burnt magic and the lingering tension of a fight hard-won. Y/N walks through the debris, her steps slow and weary, yet purposeful. Beside her, Sky moves with a similar weariness, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any remaining threats. They barely made it out of Alfea before Saul noticed them. His usually strong and composed demeanor is softened by the relief of seeing them safe. The weight of the world seems to lift from his shoulders the moment their eyes meet.

Y/N's heart skips a beat, her eyes welling up with tears that she no longer tries to hold back. The sight of Saul, alive and waiting for them, brings a flood of emotions crashing down on her. She quickens her pace, her legs nearly giving way under the emotional strain. Sky, sensing her urgency, matches her stride,

"Saul," Y/N's voice cracks as she calls out, the name carrying all the love and respect she holds for him.

Saul steps forward, his arms outstretched. "Y/N, Sky," he says, his voice thick with emotion. "You’re awfully close there."

“I remember everything,” Sky declares.

Without hesitation, Y/N closes the distance between them, throwing herself into Saul's embrace. The moment her arms encircle him, the dam holding back her tears breaks, and she sobs uncontrollably into his chest. Saul holds her tightly, his hand gently stroking her hair, offering the comfort only a father could provide. Sky, though usually reserved, joins the embrace, wrapping his arms around both Y/N and Saul, creating a circle of warmth and safety.

"It's over," Sky whispers, his voice hoarse. "We did it."

Saul nods, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You both did," he replies, his voice full of pride. "You were incredible."

Y/N pulls back slightly, just enough to look up at Saul's face. “I didn’t think I’d get to see either of you again.”

Saul cups her cheek, his thumb wiping away a tear. "I'm here," he assures her. "And so are you. That's all that matters now."

Sky looks at Saul, a newfound respect and gratitude shining in his eyes. "Thank you," he says simply, his voice filled with sincerity.

Saul smiles, a rare and genuine expression of pure joy. "You've both grown so much," he says, his voice choked with pride. "I'm so proud of you."

Wiping her tears, Y/N speaks quietly, “I killed Beatrix.”

“After she killed me,” Sky defends.

Blinking fast, Saul’s jaw drops. “What are you talking about?”

“Beatrix killed me. My heart stopped and when I opened my eyes again, Y/N was with me. And then she transformed fully!”

Eyes wide, Saul raises his eyebrows. “Wings and all?”

Y/N nods, smiling for the first time. “Purple veins and all!”

“Okay! That’s a lot to unpack!”

“Farah told me the secret to transformation magic,” Y/N states. “She didn’t have time to talk to you before she was gone again.” Licking her lips, Y/N sighs. “She said you’d understand.” Taking his hand in hers, she realizes he’s shaking. “Told me your friendship was dear to her.”

Pressing his lips in a thin line, Saul looks to the ground, a frown etched on his forehead as he nods silently.

Taking a deep breath, Saul looks at them both, forcing a smile. “Now that it’s all over, I have to do some final checks on the school and the grounds. I order you both to rest up and take a shower, okay? You stink!”

Chuckling, Y/N retorts, “So do you!” Giving him one more hug, she allows Sky to lead her away from Saul.

“Do you think he’ll be okay alone?” She clings to Sky’s arm, her eyes lingering on the path before them.

“Yeah. He probably just needs time to let it sink in. What was it like for you? How did she even appear, I thought Rosalind –“

“She did. Farah had contingencies.”

“Oh…”

“She was there when you left for the hideout. Gave me a pep talk and when the sun was gone, so was she.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it now, you don’t have to.”

Y/N raises her brows, “I know, but that’s genuinely all it was. She told me to save my world – You…And I did. That was the key to transformation magic for me. Embracing the love I have for you and all the fears that love sparks,” she shrugs. “You were dead and I had to face it…after that, nothing about my power scared me as much as the silence of your heartbeat.”

"Right..." Sky's gaze flickers to her parted lips. "You weren't serious about what you told me, about wishing your powers away?"

Pulling her closer, Sky could sense her shiver. "Sometimes. A part of me wanted it gone and when I was surrounded, I wanted to surrender to the scrapers. But I had to fight to help Andreas and I...Failed."

"You did more than enough," Sky tries to reason with her. "No more heavy talks for now. We’re going to take a shower and do nothing for the night.”

Cocking her head, she pulls out her key. “Nothing?” Her lips curl upwards as a mischievous glint appears in her eyes.

Pursing his lips, Sky suppresses a smile as she kicks the door back and her hands grab his shirt. “I’m trying to be respectful.”

Pulling him into her room, she shakes her head fondly. “After all that’s happened, I’d much rather deal with dick Sky for a little while.”

“You liked him, didn’t you?” Sky teases.

“It was a love-hate relationship,” Y/N chuckles.

“Mhmm,” his lips brush hers. “I know he liked you… Once you washed all the blood off. That kind of freaked him out.”

A laugh escapes her as she nods. “I bet it did!”

“He loved how bossy you were,” Sky kicks the door closed, his breath mingling with hers as he walks her backward into the shower. Turning the water on, he raises a brow. “But I think it’s my turn now.”

Biting her lower lip as her smile turns into a grin, she cups his face before their lips collide as do their worlds – and this time, nothing will tear them apart.

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by Phyllis Chesler

The young women who demonstrate for Hamas are surprisingly vulgar, physically aggressive and self-satisfied. Their body language is, dare I say it, rather male. They curse. They enjoy the discomfort they cause in Jewish onlookers. Some wear hijab and niqab (face masks). Others wear Queers for Palestine t-shirts or sport black-and-white checked keffiyehs as scarves.

These girls and women are super-sonic “mean girls.” They smirk as they triumphantly tear down posters that feature the faces of kidnapped Israeli civilians. They look quite happy with themselves when a Jewish student appears visibly distressed.

Leftist women of all ages, many of whom are Jews, and some of whom are rabbis, lead chants against Israel. They wield megaphones, blow whistles and bang drums. They are seasoned, “in your face” performers and feel utterly righteous about drowning out everything and everyone else.

Of course, the young pro-Hamas men are even louder and more menacing. They are taller and wider. They scream, mullah-style, in hoarse voices of rage and are sometimes armed with knives, sticks and guns. They use their feet and their fists to kick, hit, beat or sucker-punch anyone who dares to carry an Israeli flag, wears a Jewish star or is in any way visibly Jewish. I’ve seen this in videos and heard about it from people who were there.

This hot Jew-hatred has been brewing for a long, long time. Yet it is being experienced as sudden and unexpected. The sight of Jewish blood on Oct. 7 has activated what we may metaphorically think of as “sleeper cells” that have been well-trained in mob violence against the Jews. These mobs are now on the move around the world and on American campuses.

Young American Jewish students, both women and men, are shocked, reeling, in free fall. They are traumatized. Frightened. Students did not suspect that such Jew-hatred existed so close to home. Like Anne Frank, they truly believed that all people were basically good. (Frank never exactly believed that, however.)

Such Jewish students are not prepared for a pogrom; or for the fact that Israel is now fighting an existential battle for its survival.

From a psychological and practical point of view, here’s what the students must learn. I am now addressing them directly:

First, you must understand that you have suddenly been drafted into a war. You must think like soldiers. In particular, you must accept that it does not matter if your enemies do not like or love you. A soldier’s only duty is to fight to win.

Second, you have to learn not to take anything personally. If you are cursed as “colonialists, racists, Islamophobes, capitalists,” it has nothing to do with you, who you are or anything that you’ve done. Jew hatred/antisemitism/anti-Zionism is a sickness, a virus, a plague that has afflicted Jew-haters. The shame is theirs, not yours.

Third, you must accept the fact that, despite exceptions, most people, both young and old, tend to be cowards and conformists. If you stand up to evil, if you stand up for Israel, you will lose friends, teachers, employers, even family members who may strongly disagree with you. This is the price that telling this particular truth exacts.

Fourth, you—or your parents or Jewish and Christian organizations—must fund armed guards to keep each one of you safe, just as synagogues and Jewish centers require armed guards. More importantly, you must spend at least a year or more learning Krav Maga or some other form of self-defense.

Believe it or not, if civilian haters, even in mobs, know they you know how to fight, they may decide to leave you alone. It’s happened many times before in Jewish history.

Fifth, it is important that you find like-minded students and meet regularly both in person and on the internet.

You have no choice. Please realize that the sight of Jewish blood excites and thrills the Jew-haters. The sight of Jews fighting back brilliantly and methodically, as the IDF is currently doing, enrages the Jew-haters.

We are not going to win any popularity contests no matter what we do. Like Golda Mair, I say: Let’s survive. Let’s win. We are in that kind of battle.

I must thank trauma psychiatrist Dr. Larry Amsel, with whom I discussed these ideas. You will hear more from both of us soon.

[shxtodxroki]

𝙸.... 𝚆𝚘𝚗?

Summary: It’s time for exams at U.A., and as the students of class 1-A are pit against each other in one-on-one battles, it seems as if Denki’s instantly doomed to lose as he’s paired up against Katsuki Bakugo of all opponents. All of Denki’s classmates have always underestimated his abilities, but with you cheering him on, he manages to pull off the amazing feat you always believed he could.

Flufftober Day 4 Prompt: Cinderella Moment

Warnings: There’s some mentions of insecurities on Denki’s behalf due to teasing (this isn’t meant to villainize any other 1-A students to be clear, teenagers are stupid and we sometimes go too far with teasing our friends or don’t see how it affects them, but none of them are meant to be seen maliciously or as villains in this just to be clear)

Pairing: Denki Kaminari x Gender Neutral! Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

Check out my full Flufftober masterlist here!

Denki knew that he’d never been considered one of the strongest in your class, he could see how the consequences of reaching his limit on his powers could be entertaining to his classmates and he understood that he hadn’t demonstrated any exceptional skills in comparison to his classmates. It was clear they'd meant no harm when they’d teased him as classes went on, and he could understand why everyone expected Bakugo to beat him in this exam. Hell, even he expected Bakugo to come out victorious in the end, like it was just a pre-determined course of fate that he had absolutely no hope of changing.

But there was one person who had faith in him, one person who wanted him to win and truly believed he could do it. 

You, the sound of your voice encouraging him before his turn came up and the image of you beaming at him, possibly even holding him close in a warm, tender hug if he were to somehow win, managed to spark the passion inside of him that had long laid dormant while attending U.A., and Denki knew right then and there that he had to win at any cost. If not for his own pride and accomplishments, then certainly for you and your unwavering belief in him.

You knew Denki couldn’t hear you while he was in his exam, that much was obvious. As much as you wished you could cheer him on through this, knowing how anxious he must have been at the thought of facing Bakugo of all people in a one-on-one fight, you’re unfortunately left as nothing more than a mere spectator as you watch him through the cameras displayed in front of you and desperately pray that he can win this. You knew he had the strength, you knew he was more than what everyone else in your class seemed to see him as. You could see the strength lying dormant within him, bubbling up and waiting for the perfect chance to erupt ever since the first day of classes. You were certain he could win this if he tried, so you simply watched in anxious anticipation, your eyes fixated on the pixelated image of him across the large TV screens.

Though he couldn’t physically see them, Denki could absolutely feel the presence of your eyes on him as he entered the exam arena. He knew his other classmates were watching him too, but right now, all he could think about was you. About how badly he wanted to prove you right and show that you believing in him wasn’t a mistake. He wanted more than anything to be the person you believed he was, and so he stood in the exam arena with a more sturdy resolve than ever before even as Bakugo’s unforgiving eyes pierced into his own shaky ones. Now wasn’t the time to let his aggressive, harsh classmate shake him up, so he forced himself through a round of deep breaths to calm the nerves flowing through his veins as the timer for the beginning of the exam began to down and echo all around them.

He felt too aware of everything, as if every hair on his body was standing on its end and every nerve ending was hyper-ware. The dust shifting beneath his feet, the wind just barely blowing through his hair, the electricity charging up within his fingertips, so many sensations bombarded his thoughts at one. Bakugo’s icy, borderline murderous glare would normally have him shaking where he stood, but today, he refused to cave. So as the alarm sounded for the exam to begin, Denki quickly took to the far end of the arena opposite of Bakugo’s starting post, attempting to glance over the exam location as he ran and form a plan despite Bakugo’s immediate pursuit of him. 

Denki just had to be fast enough to maintain distance between the two of them for now, until he could come up with a plan. He forced his legs to run faster to keep the lead, unwilling to give up this fight even as his friend’s booming voice screamed out for him to give up from behind him. “Come on, come on….” He muttered to himself, frustration evident in his voice as he attempted to block out all outside noises and concentrate. How could he defeat Bakugo? What could he use to his advantage that would let him win this seemingly impossible battle?

His mind operated faster than ever before as Denki charged towards a large building at the far end of the arena, as the base concoction of a plan began brewing in his mind. It was dodgy at best, and it relied heavily on one particular assumption, but it was the best chance Denki had at succeeding and proving his worth in that moment with so little time to spare. And knowing Bakugo better than most others in the class, Denki felt more confident than expected with the assumption his plan set faith in, so with one last glance behind him, he solidified his resole and burst through the doors of the building as he put his plan into action. He knew he likely had a minute or less before his opponent would reach the building, so he instantly got to work as he found a suitable temporary hiding spot and swiftly set each moving part of his plan into motion. 

Exactly fourty-five seconds later Bakugo stormed through the doors behind his target, shattered glass raining onto the floor in his wake as his eyes frantically searched for his prey. He was (underwhelmingly for Denki) barely affected by the complete lack of light courtesy of the shut-off power his opponent had rushed to create, and Bakugo's ears quickly perked up at the sound of machinery a few floors above. A wolfish grin spread across his face, nearly consuming him as he stalked upstairs with the grace and precision of a madman on the run. He wasn’t even bothering to be careful, barely holding in his laugh as this victory had practically already fallen into his lap. Leave it to Denki to reveal his hiding spot by making too much noise, he nearly made it too easy for Bakugo to strike.

He barely paid mind to the heaviness of his stomps as he reached the top of the staircase, rushing over to the source of the sound of appliances whirring at lightning speed. The laugh that Bakugo had been biting back came out full-force as he realized that the dunce face had not only been careless, but he had quite literally left a trail leading right to his location, leading the wolf directly to his prey. The copier on this floor had been turned on, no doubt thanks to Denki’s careless running as he likely bumped into it on his way to what was clearly his final hiding spot; the broom closet in the back corner.

The sound of an electric vacuum whirring on and off made it clear that Denki was hidden in there, and was likely scrambling to power the machine down after accidentally setting it off in his rush to hide. If he were anyone else, Bakugo likely would have felt bad about his classmate’s unfortunate circumstances, but being the boy he was, he felt no shame or pity as he charged full-force into the broom closet, launching off one of his explosive blasts without a second thought while harnessing the power of one of his gauntlets that he had been warming up while entering.

And poor Bakugo, he had just made a fatal mistake. And he hadn’t even realized it yet.

He got cocky, and moreover, he got careless.

Denki had known with near certainty that his friend would underestimate him, that he would easily believe that Denki had been foolish enough to leave a trail of clues in his wake as he rushed off to cower in fear of his impending defeat. Bakugo seemed to have completely forgotten that Denki’s electric control also allowed him to control electronics remotely, too distracted by his seemingly easy win to think more clearly about the obvious trap he had walked straight into. Denki's entire plan had banked off of this assumption, and now it was coming to fruition.

The buzz of the copier and the electric vacuum, as well as the explosive outburst of Bakugo’s own gauntlets, perfectly covered up the sound of Denki’s soft and careful footsteps to his opponent’s ears as he crept up behind him, charging up his electricity as he felt static coursing through him. Thanks to the dust clouding the air from the explosion, Bakugo still hadn’t realized yet that he hadn’t caught his target after all as he cackled in his believed victory. Denki allowed himself to intake one last heavy, silent breath, before setting his eyes on Bakugo with pure determination. This was it, it was now or never.

He charged without a moment of hesitation, taking hold of Bakugo by the torso as his arms trapped the man in a prison-tight embrace as he instantly set off the maximum voltage output he could through his body without putting his friend at genuine risk. Just enough to win the battle, without doing any serious damage. Or so he hoped, as he waited a few moments before letting go of his enemy’s body to see what he had accomplished.

And as Katsuki’s now unconscious body swiftly fell from his arms and landed unceremoniously on the floor, time seemed to stop for Denki. His mind was silent, and he didn’t even register the alarm blaring to announce the end of the exam. Nothing clicked until he felt a warm set of arms wrap around him, pulling him into a cozy embrace and snapping him out of the daze he had been in as his eyes were met with the sight of your gorgeous face.

“Oh my god, Denki, you did it!” You were positively radiating with excitement, the smile on your face infecting him like a virus. Your words didn’t compute in his brain immediately, but your bright grin was immediately matched across his own face as he returned your hug without a second thought. “I knew you could, I’m so proud of you!”

And that was when his victory finally set in, the moment when his jaw fell wide in shock as he looked down at you with a mix of butterflies and pure joy swelling in his stomach. “I…. won?”

The questioning tone of his voice makes you laugh like a beautiful melody as you pulled him in for another hug, causing him to go weak in the knees as Denki’s hands tentatively began to lightly trail up and down your back. The way you nodded so eagerly in reponse to his question had his head spinning, both from his exhaustion after the intense battle he faced and from the nearly all-consuming wave of affection you had caused within him thanks to your soothing hug. He didn’t even bother to hide the increasing red flush painted across his face as he simply held you in his arms, so happy to have made you proud after seeing just how certainly you had believed in him. He had done it, he had managed to face this challenge and beat it, and it was all thanks to you.

Now he just had to man up and finally ask you out, but he allowed himself to put that off until later as Denki melted into your warm embrace with a satisfied, lovestruck grin lighting up his face and basked in the glory of his unexpected victory.

Request - Anonymous said: if you could, would you mind writing for shouto and/or denki for flufftober, please???

A/N: I wasn’t super sure what to do with this one at first, so I hope this fits decently enough with today’s prompt! I need to catch up a bit on these lol, today was the first day where I didn’t have the fic ready at least a day in advance so hopefully I’ll be able to catch up! I really wanna keep up and be on time with this event, I’m having a lot of fun with it and I hope you guys are enjoying it so far as well! I’m really excited for some of the stuff I have coming up on later days hehe :] Also my requests are currently open, so please feel free to send in your requests if you have any, and I hope you guys are enjoying Flufftober so far!

Taglist: @flufftober @pasteldaze @yeagerfushiguro @papijean @trashy-bowtie @thekaylahub @palenightmarepersona @eunoiasa @applepie-macaroon @ghostofscarley @blesshouto @tsukkisukkii @awkwardaardvarkforever @kiaratheace @shotos-angelic-whore

If you’d like to be added to any of my taglists, you can fill out this form here! Thank you for your support <3

[epickiya722]

Your recent posts about Gojo... It's literally why I interact less and less in fandom. People see hot characters and project stereotypes on them without a care of what they are

It can sound petty especially with how it doesn't matter in the long run but it's like seeing people saying that in a no curse au Sukuna would be a playboy... Like yeah it's an au, he will be a bit different (like not being a mass murderer cannibal) but that is just... Seem so ooc to me, even in an au.

But well yeah. They just change them into male lead of romance novels. They don't matter in another context to them which is why you'll see me blow up about how vain it all feel like

Another example is how interesting Jogo is but nobody care about him because they don't want to fuck him. Like his last fight with Sukuna? The fact that he's the first person Sukuna ever praised for being strong in the story? A "stand proud. You are strong." Like? When I game to this moment I was zo shocked because it's not expected on Sukuna at all. And how Jogo mourned the death of Hanami and Dagon too?!

Yeah you know I just know now that outside of fanworks it's better to just ignore fellow fans because they have nothing to say beside how hot a character is

It really does suck that when it comes to liking a character some people just stop at their appearance and that's it. Nothing else intrigues them and they go as far as to misinterpret them -> leading into misinterpreting the story and having terrible ass cold takes that just feels like they need something to say to make them sound "logical".

And it's people like that who are the loudest. So when others want to engage in the story and they check out meta posts and reviews for it, they'll see that trash first and run with it.

When JJK first came out, I did see it was quite popular but at most I saw fanart for it and kind of just ignored everything else. I went ahead with watching the anime and then went to see what people were saying and honestly? What the hell?

Gojo is a character that has a bad case of "likeable character, unlikeable fans".

I truly do believe that some of his fans only take to him for being attractive and powerful. When it comes to his story? "Eh, what's that?"

Look, I'm all for finding characters attractive. I, myself, find some characters attractive. But I don't see the thrill of stopping there when that character also has a whole story you can explore.

I know Gojo fans are mad, but... his pretty ass is in a story that is meant to be written tragically. People will say "he should be the MC, that's my MC". Well, guess what? He's part of the main cast, so his ass is getting that full experience.

I like Gojo a lot, too, I do. But watching the first season, something deep in my soul told me "oh, he's a sad one", so I guess a part of me was already prepared for something like 236.

This is going to sound harsh, but when he said "I would win" way back in the beginning? I clocked in that he, in fact, wouldn't. That fight against Sukuna was going to be a lost battle. Oh, I believed in Gojo and I wanted him to win. But whenever a nearly, seemingly invincible character say they are going to win... most likely they're going to lose.

And again, it's JJK. There's going to be loses and agony. It also doesn't matter sense for Gojo to win when YUJI STILL EXISTS!!! Like, sometimes, I feel like some of the fandom just wants Gojo to take the frontlines just so Yuji can't do anything.

I didn't expect for him to die, no. Still hurts. But... come on... the manga wasn't ending that soon.

The fanon interpretations I see of him (Gojo) is just... if you asked me to pick one I hate the most it is the "Gojo is a womanizer/playboy" interpretation. Same case for Sukuna, I do not see it. Especially, when in canon this guy just does not care for all of that. But it's fanon stuff and since I don't like it, I just steer clear of it.

And good point about Jogo. I'll be honest, I find that the Disaster Curses were interesting antagonists of the beginning of JJK. They were the first real threats for our cast. They were challenges.

They were curses made from humanity's fear of disasters and other humans. And yet, even with being curses, they showed "human" qualities. They were able to talk, a rare case for curse spirits, and feel other emotions. Mahito often displayed joy, example. Dagon and Jogo displayed sadness. They were a group that did hold some care for each other.

And yeah, I would say because of their physical appearances they're often ignored. (Unimportant, but I actually loved Hanami's design, that's my favorite design right there.)

[sailxrmxrs]

i truly underestimated the sheer amount of brainrot watching trigun stampede would give me but here we go. this is the culmination of many nights spent scrolling vash fanart and letting the thoughts run wild. circumstances mean there's a gunfight happening and vash is there by your side trying to protect you but oops a bullet scraped past you and now he's taking you to safety asap to patch you up and fret over your wellbeing. protective vash being soft and flustered hits me directly in a weak spot he's just so.....y'know. love that little man.

Surviving in a hellish desert in the throes of summer was already an arduous task in its own right. Settlements and towns were miles upon miles apart, the distance feeling even longer when the horizon was a vast pool of sand as far as the eyes could see. Not to mention the perpetual thirst and hunger that ailed your body at any given time of day. The relief that coming across some semblance of civilisation brought was beyond words. However, enjoying such a sight was too often spoiled by hostile hosts or unsavoury groups. Travelling with Vash the Stampede meant there was never a boring moment, even if he did draw trouble like a magnet. Today was no different, under the unrelenting summer sun was the sound of gunfire. It had been like any other day until someone had recognised Vash and all hell broke loose. As soon as the gunfire started, you both dived for cover shortly before Vash charged off without a second thought to try and take care of things by himself. He always tried to insist that you remained out of danger despite knowing he was fighting a losing battle. Not once had you let Vash fight alone nor did you intend to start now. Pistol in hand, you held your own, immobilising anyone who came close enough. Never enough to fatally harm them, just enough to leave them unable or unwilling to keep fighting. Vash had been adamant that neither of you would be killers and you were more than happy to comply. Peaceful resolutions were few and far between but that didn't mean lives had to be lost for the sake of some gun fight over a money reward.

Surveying the area, you caught sight of Vash's familiar red coat. He artfully dodged a bullet flying his way, rolling behind a broken-down car for a momentary shelter. A perfect opening to make your way to him. Survival in numbers was always the winning move. You aimed your pistol, shooting at your assailant's feet and sending them off balance. It gave you enough time to jump to Vash's side, ducking just fast enough to dodge the bullet intended for you.

"What are you doing?! You never listen when I tell you to stay out of trouble," Vash complained, pouting as you caught your breath. It was almost impressive how he could sound so casual right in the middle of a direct attack on his life. He reloaded his bullets, lips still downturned though you knew he was secretly grateful for the backup. Even if Vash preferred to keep you out of harm's way, he never once doubted your ability to keep up with him.

"And let you have all the fun? No thanks." More gunshots struck the body of the car, swiftly ending any attempts at conversation. There would be time to talk things over later. First you had to get out with your lives in tact. You and Vash shared a look, silently communicating the usual plan of action and within an instant you were jumping back into the fray. In any other instance, being outnumbered would be cause for worry but with Vash at your side you knew that you would prevail. He hadn't earned his infamous reputation for nothing. Even if he was secretly far softer and much less prone to violence than the wanted posters suggested, his skill with a gun was on another level—though a decent helping of luck no doubt factored into his survival. Vash shouted over the cacophony of sounds, only just audible as he checked in with you. Even in the midst of battle Vash was as attentive as the situation allowed him to be. Every time you'd shout back that you were fine, that he should worry about himself but it did little to quell his worries.

The distant sound of cars approaching sounded from the deserted town centre. Whoever was leading this gang had called for backup and soon you and Vash were going to be surrounded. Your attackers were focused on Vash, intent on taking down the Humanoid Typhoon before worrying about the unnamed partner he'd found himself. He was worth a lot more in their eyes, which gave the perfect opportunity to slip away and take care of the threat before it became an even bigger problem. Usually you'd like to let Vash know if you were disappearing off somewhere but circumstance didn't allow it and you just had to hope he'd be able to find you once it was all over. You sprinted down past an old bar, its windows once boarded up but now littered with bullet holes. The place was certainly a ghost town. There had been no sign of life until a suspicious looking individual had emerged from the shadows asking who Vash was. There was no telling what troubles they'd caused here to clear out the townsfolk. Still, you couldn't dwell on maybes and what-ifs. What mattered here was getting out safely. And maybe finding some salvageable food and water to sustain you and Vash on the next leg of your journey.

Peeking out from an abandoned home, you caught sight of five men standing in what used to be the town centre. Whoever these people were they were no amateurs, at least judging by the size of their guns anyway. This could end poorly if you weren't careful. A more defensive approach was in order; sticking to the shadows to conceal your whereabouts was likely the only way you'd come out of this alive. You climbed through the broken window to the empty building beside you, making your way upstairs and onto the balcony. The wood of the balcony seemed to be holding together well enough to keep you mostly hidden from view with a few stray cracks and holes to keep an eye on your targets. It was the perfect spot to line up your gun and take aim without getting yourself caught too soon. You just had to hope the wooden barrier was enough to keep you from harm until you'd taken enough of them down. Your sight was limited, but even a few misses could suffice as warning shots to deter them from getting involved. On many occasions you'd watched grown men run screaming when a bullet struck metres away from their feet. All bark and no bite. Though something told you these men wouldn't go down quite so easily. Your intuitions proved accurate, the blind shots doing little to scare them off.

Within a few shots, your position was compromised and your targets had begun their own onslaught of bullets. A number of bullets struck the balcony though you still remained out of sight for the time being, the few hits you'd managed to land working in your favour to skew their aim. Judging by the speed at which they shot, you'd need to make a move. And fast. If one of them decided to make a run for the house you'd be without a solid escape route. Then, a bullet came flying, striking a wood panel beside you and giving your attackers a direct chance to shoot. You leapt up from your spot, running back into the house to make your escape. Footsteps thundered up the stairs leaving you no choice but to engage. Despite his imposing size, the man was not well-trained in close combat. His moves were predictable and clumsy, leaving one too many openings for you to take advantage of and send him crashing down unconscious. One threat down meant only four more to take care of. Then there was Vash and whatever chaos he was involved in right now. You couldn't let your concern for him cloud you judgement, pushing those fears aside as you made your way down and back out of the window you'd climbed in from. Gunshots were firing at an alarming rate though there was little strategy in it. They didn't know where you were just yet. Waiting behind the wall to the house, you let them edge closer before ambushing them with a fresh round of bullets. Now that you were on ground level, you could see two of the assailants holding back, no weapons in sight—though there was no counting on them being unarmed.

As shots fired, you tried to manoeuvre around the onslaught of ammunition but without sufficient cover you couldn't escape the scrapes of a few bullets. Cursing under your breath as one shot past your cheek and split the skin, you heard a familiar voice calling your name. Vash. He was running like a fire had been lit inside of him. There was an intensity upon his face that you rarely ever saw. Even in the most dangerous and dire of situations, Vash always managed to send you a beaming smile. He was truly the embodiment of sunshine. But right now he was the eye of a storm crashing over all in its wake. He was ruthless with his shots, each one striking true and sending your attackers to the ground. Still alive, but perhaps wishing they weren't. The two men who had been hanging back and watching remained out of Vash's line of sight and, for the time being, out of danger. Not if you could help it. Raising your gun, you set onto the two remaining assailants. They were quick to return fire as they backed towards their car.

"Let them go. We need to get out of here," Vash called, making his way over to you. "Are you oka—" Vash halted mid-sentence, spotting the slow drip of blood down your cheek. Without another word, he was scooping you into his arms and running despite your protests. It was a minor injury, not one to panic over. But Vash didn't seem to think so. He carried you off to the other side of town, making for one of the abandoned homes still in good enough shape to act as sufficient shelter. He sat you down on an old leather couch, the material torn up and worn, as he rummaged through drawers in the neighbouring kitchen to look for something to clean the wound with.

"Can I trust you to stay there while I go back to our car? Assuming it's still in one piece, that is," Vash asked, eyeing up with caution. Worried knitted his brows as he contemplated leaving you here alone and unprotected.

"I can walk, you know? It's just a little scratch."

Vash shook his head, blonde hair as animated as his expression. "Doctor's orders."

"You're not a doctor."

"Am now. Stay there." Vash made for the doorway before turning back to add, "I'm glad you're okay."

When he returned with some supplies, Vash set to cleaning your wound. The bleeding had long since stopped but he was adamant that it required his utmost attention. His movements were gentle as he wiped away the dried blood with a dampened rag of fabric while his other hand softly holding your chin in place. He always touched you with a delicate sense of care, but this felt almost as if he were scared to break you any further. Despite his tenderness, something darker seemed to linger in Vash's face. As if he felt guilty for not being there just that little bit sooner. None of this was his fault. There was no way to predict such an attack would happen. It was simply the way of the land. Whether Vash viewed it that way or not was another matter entirely. Once he deemed you cleaned up and devoid of any other injuries, Vash tossed aside the cloth and leaned forward in his seat. He was uncharacteristically quiet, usually full of energy after making a safe escape from a fight.

"Vash?" Your voice was low, tentative so as not to startle him. "Please don't blame yourself for what happened out there. I'm fine, see?"

His eyes remained fixed on a hole in the flooring as he responded. "They came after us because of me. You got hurt because I wasn't fast enough."

"No." You immediately denied his admissions of guilt, edging closer to place your hands on his cheeks. They were as soft as usual, tinted pink from sun exposure. His eyes were glistening, tears threatening to spill down those rosy cheeks. "This isn't your fault, Vash."

"I was so scared. I thought I'd taken care of the last of them then I turn and see you're gone. I heard gunshots and—" He paused, voice cracking. "You don't know how I relieved I was to see you still alive."

Your heart ached, knowing all too well the fear that had likely stricken him in that moment. "I promised that we were in this together, didn't I? Can't go breaking it just yet." You smiled, heart fluttering at the sight of Vash mirroring the action. Your thumb swiped at a stray tear as you left a soft kiss on the bridge of Vash's nose. His cheeks warmed a deeper shade as he tried to pull away. He flustered easily but still tried to hide it every time to no avail.

"Think we're good here for the night? We could do with sleeping in an actual bed for once. One more night in the car might actually kill me."

Vash nodded, hands finding yours as he pulled you up from your spot on the couch. "Practice for the future, hm? All cosy in a little house. Could be nice. So long as you don't mind the bounty, that is."

"It's worth it if it's you." Vash's hold on your hands dropped, his hands moving to cover his bright, blushing face. Your laugh chimed with the sound of his whining complaints. What the future held in store for you and Vash was unknown, but you were certain that so long as he was smiling, all would be well.

[theink-stainedfolk]

OC Questionnaire Tag

Thank you for the tag @the-golden-comet and @drchenquill ♡

I'll be taking my OCs for Thorn-Kissed

My questions are:

1. What is your happiest memory?

2. What do you wish to achieve?

3. How far will you go to reach your goals?

4.Would you go into battle knowing you might lose?

5.Do you often let your emotions get the best of you?

6.What do you think is the strongest emotion?

Your questions are:

What's one thing you wish people understood about you?

If you could relive any moment in your life, what would it be and why?

What's a habit you wish you could break?

That’s a great set of questions! They could really delve into the characters’ motivations and desires. Here’s how they might answer:

Cheryl Winters:

1."My happiest memory is from when I was a child. It was a summer day, and my mother and I spent the whole afternoon in the garden, planting flowers. She was happy then, and I remember feeling like everything was perfect, like I was exactly where I was supposed to be."

2. "I want to reclaim my dreams, to feel like my life is my own again. I want to finish college and create a life that isn’t tied down by the past or the expectations of others."

3. "I don’t know. I’m afraid of what I might have to sacrifice, but I also know that I can’t stay trapped forever. If it means breaking free, I’ll go as far as I have to, even if it scares me."

4. "I think I would if it was something worth fighting for. I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to face certain defeat, but if it meant protecting someone I love or standing up for myself, I’d have to try."

5. "I try not to, but sometimes it’s hard. There are moments when the frustration and sadness are overwhelming, and it’s difficult to stay composed. I’ve learned to hide it, but it doesn’t mean it’s not there."

6. "I think love is the strongest emotion. It can drive people to do incredible things, both good and bad. It’s the one thing that can lift you up or break you down completely."

Roses (Mysterious Stranger):

1. "My happiest memory is a time when I was truly free. There was someone who believed in me, who saw something good in me. That memory keeps me going, even when the shadows close in."

2. "I wish to break free from the chains of my past. But more than that, I want to find redemption, to prove to myself that I can be more."

3. "I’ll go to the very edge if I have to, even if it means walking through fire. There’s no turning back for me now. I have to see this through, for my sake and for hers."

4. "Yes, I would. I’ve done it before. Sometimes, it’s not about winning; it’s about the stand you take. Even if you lose, you can still make a difference, or at the very least, go down with honor."

5. "No, I can’t afford to. Emotions are a luxury I’ve learned to control, to keep hidden. But that doesn’t mean they’re not there, simmering beneath the surface. It’s a constant battle to keep them in check."

6. "Fear. It can control you, dictate your actions, and bring you to your knees if you let it. But if you can conquer it, you can do anything. It’s both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness."

I'll tag @finickyfelix @willtheweaver @leahnardo-da-veggie @illarian-rambling @winglesswriter @paeliae-occasionally @graveyardshift111 @thecomfywriter @roarintheheavens

[cheemken]

Knight I’m gonna send a request soon, I just need to think about what

Anyways, I’ve been thinking about the Masters Eight tournament and I’m still disappointed with how it was handled

And I know you don’t care much for the Anime, but just hear me out about how I think it should’ve went

The competitors should’ve been Ash, Iris, Cynthia, Diantha, Steven, Alder (not totally sure about him), Wallace, and Lance (they’re not ranked in this order). With Leon being the final challenge to the winner

I hated that Leon was a competitor because it just guarantees that whoever he faces is automatically going to lose

But yeah, I just think if it’s the MASTERS Eight then it should be the strongest trainers. Which are the Champions both present and past, hence Wallace and Alder being here

I’m kicking Alain out because he just felt like he was chosen as a competitor at the last minute when he had no true reason to join the PWC. Plus he ain’t a Champion

Another thing I was annoyed with was the Battle Field, like if you look at the Kalos League battle field in the Anime, it actually looks cool and had different battle fields. It wasn’t a generic rectangular box. The Masters Eight should’ve at least had a nicer looking battle field than…what they gave us

Last thing I want to rant about, but ALL battles should’ve been 6vs6 and not 3vs3 in the first round. The battles would’ve been so much better to watch if they were full battles

But yeah, it would’ve been a great send off if Ash had competed with the Champions from each Region, won the tournament, and then won the title of World Champion from Leon as the final challenge

The way they handled the Masters Eight was smth else man it was such a cool concept but the way they executed it is just cnmdndjd😭😭

It would've been so cool if it was like that bc for one, why is Alain there, and two you are so goddamn right abt Leon like he's always gonna win against anyone, plus I'm hella fucking salty over the Diantha vs Leon fight as you can see owo

But real why is Alain there😭 for fanservice??? He and Ash didn't even fight and you can tell I'm also salty over that Lumiose Conference battle lmfao the way I started hating Alain and Zard X bc of that yes I'm that petty— also why the fuck is he a rank higher than Iris💀

I do like that it's the Champions for the Masters Eight tho, it checks out bc they're the strongest of each region, but w Alder, as much as I love him, isn't he retired? What I always picture was the Champions plus Raihan, bc iirc, I think in the manga?? I'm not sure but I read that Leon always had to figure out a new strategy against Raihan bc he's always close to beating him, so if it's not Alder, I pitching in Raihan

So my ideal Masters Eight is Lance, Steven, Wallace, Cynthia, Iris, Diantha, Ash, and Raihan; Leon then being the final boss to see if the current number 2 can be number 1

Speaking of the M8 y'know, how does the ranking system of theirs even work? Cause yeah there's still the Ultra trainers, the top two of those being Raihan and Drasna. What I'm saying is,, should the competitors battle within Wyndon Stadium to be counted in it or do they have some sort of trainer card registration thing that automatically knows how many battles you had and how much you improved as a trainer? Idk bc I haven't watched the anime since hahaha

But yeah with the stadium and the battlefield right it's so goddamn plain😭 what I had in mind that would've been more of a challenge was smth similar to Kalos' field but also having control of the weather, like, if it's the ultimate challenge, then the Champions/M8 should be able to adapt depending on the weather of the field, whether it be raining, sunny, hailing, or if it's a sandstorm, to see how resilient they truly are, how they can make a disadvantage into an advantage, it would've been cool to see ig

Also as much as I despise all those "this is Ash's ultimate team" videos in yt bc they're basically all his aces, for this, I really wished he could've used all his aces because come on, you're gonna challenge the different champions of different regions with a team you just trained? Like he really won against Steven and Cynthia with a recent team, and ik he had training but c'mon man, the M8 aren't pushovers, might as well bring your strongest mons to have a fighting chance against them (I remember someone actually writing a fic abt that, of Ash using his previous pkmn, using a different team depending on the champion he faced and it was really dope cnmdnd).

But yeah, it's just,, well it could've been better but hey hahah

[autumnmobile12]

I want to talk about this character.  There’s a lot to unpack.  Look at this entrance.  She is fabulous.  She quieted a whole room even when Dracula couldn’t.  From the moment she appeared, we all knew she was going to be trouble.  But from there, her demeanor of power and poise began to slide downhill and rather than subtracting from her character, this adds a beautiful complexity.

Remember that line in Game of Thrones?  “Any man who must say ‘I am the king’ is no true king.”

This line by Carmilla has the same meaning.  It plays into the element of ‘show, not tell.’  The way she entered Dracula’s council was impressive and intimidating, and that is all she needed.  If she truly was a powerful, confident character, she wouldn’t have felt the need to brag about this.  By explaining her actions to Dracula, she cheapened her own tactic to mere theatrics.  With this one line, she went from a powerful woman to a power-hungry character who unknowingly displays her own insecurities.

When we hit Season 3, we see she does seem genuinely happy to see her sisters and, at first, it’s heartwarming.  However, she keeps them at arm’s length and tries to ‘control’ them as if she’s afraid of betrayal.  She is the one who presented the idea to conquer Dracula's old territories, and then she denies the credit to any of the others who made it happen. Lenore secured Hector's loyalty, Striga commands the armies, Morana developed the strategy.  All Carmilla did was essentially say, "Here's an idea, let's do it."  We can even see Striga’s anger with Carmilla for her refusal to acknowledge any of their help, especially Morana’s.

Now we see her desire to conquer the entire world.  This is paranoia.  Her need to control everything has fully manifested, and in all fairness, we get a glimpse into the reasoning.  Styria has been invaded multiple times and when the Sisters asked for allies, they went ignored.  At this point, Carmilla wants to eliminate every possible threat so nothing can ever hurt her again.  Even Lenore is alarmed by this change in her behavior here.

We also get into her backstory a bit where she talks about how men ‘took things’ from her.  For the medieval period, this checks out.  This line could mean anything.  Her father could have taken her freedom by arranging a marriage that advanced his own interests but the match offered her no form of happiness.  It could be she was the sole heiress of a substantial territory and someone forcibly married her to claim that territory.  It could be much worse.  Any of these could be the case.

And then there’s the vampire who turned her.  We don’t get much information other than he promised her everything but then ‘became mad and cruel.’  Two ways we could look at this is 1.)  Carmilla genuinely loved this vampire when she was turned and when he revealed himself to be cruel and insane, she killed him or 2.) she was already disenchanted with the idea of love when he turned her and she used him until he ceased to be useful.

And finally, she takes her own life.  She says, “I win,” but nothing can be further from the truth.  She mocks Isaac and his Night Creatures for being unable to kill her, but Isaac wasn’t done fighting.  He wasn’t mortally wounded.  He wasn’t even slowing down, he had a lot more monsters to face her.  What happened was Carmilla could see which way the wind was blowing.  She knew she was losing the battle, she could not stand the humiliation of dying at the hands of a human, a being she viewed as inferior to her, and so she took the coward’s way out by taking her own life instead of fighting to the bitter end.  And it demonstrates that she truly loved nothing, not even her sisters, in the end.  Once she sees Isaac, there is not an ounce of concern for Lenore.  She doesn’t demand to know what he’s done to her, there’s no nonverbal moment of realization that if he’s here, he may have killed Lenore first, there’s no anguish at the possibility that her ‘beloved sister’ has died.  Lenore meant absolutely nothing to her.

This is a great complement to both Isaac and Trevor’s character arcs in the finale.  Isaac and Carmilla both rose above their traumas, just in opposite ways.  Carmilla chose to intimidate and control everyone around her and never allowed herself to love ever again.  Isaac chose to let go of his anger and began a new future.  Contrasted with Trevor, Carmilla had nothing to protect and killed herself, and he put everything on the line and essentially said, “If I’m going to Hell, you’re coming with me.”

Carmilla is a tragic character and brilliantly written.

[easily-distracted-ivashkov]

Honestly I saw this tiktoker who made a really good point, who said. For those that do not like Adrian in the VA series, it's more than likely due to Rose not begin that into him. We are getting her pov and thoughts. So since she doesn't like Adrian, some fans may feel the same way.

I took that to mean, in Bloodlines because it's much more of a slow burn romance, we are seeing more of Adrian's vulnerable and emotional side. Rose in VA just writes him off as this party guy womanizer. But Sydney see more than that. She pretty much tells Adrian, you can drop that I don't really care act. Cause I'm not buying, you can do great things and you know it. And that is when I think Adrian really started to fall for Sydney. He couldn't impress her with his title, money or looks. He really had to show her his mind and have his actions speak for him. Sydney is an Aquarius, showing who you really are is going to win them over (I know I have an Aquarius). That is probably why us Adrian stans since VA, fight so hard for him and tell people to read Bloodlines. He is much much deeper in Bloodlines than VA.

Also side note I can't stop laughing at the fact that all three of them are Fire Signs. Cause it explains so much about their love triangle 😂😂🥴

- Golden Ruby 💠💍

Hello Anon! I haven't gotten any of these in a long time so first off, thank you for taking the time out of your day to send this wonderful message to me!!!

Second, I agree with you entirely!!! The first six books are as you pointed out, told from Rose's point of view and we can tell right from the get-go that she didn't exactly like him so of course even while they dated, she was bound to have poor thoughts about him (one scene that comes to mind immediately is when Adrian was drinking after Tatiana was murdered and Rose saw him through Lissa's eyes and straight up referred to him as a coward over his only way of knowing how to cope. Something that truthfully made me lose some respect for her tbh).

Third, Adrian is a WONDERFUL character and is my favorite for many reasons! He has his own demons and struggles he battles with constantly (keeping his literal sanity in check is only one of them). And I'm so glad he and Sydney ended up together because there's genuine love and care for each other; that's what Adrian honestly deserved through everything was just love and someone to care about him. (Another scene came to mind from the books of Adrian mentioning how he never imagined himself being anyone cried over). I think a lot of people often forget that while yes he was spoiled and rich, he still seemed very neglected and not to mention all of the verbal abuse from Nathan. I can honestly go on and on about Adrian but again, he is a character with depth and I truly don't think he deserves any of the hate that he gets. He just wanted to be loved, that was all.

[wuxiaphoenix]

Movie Review: The Great Battle (2018)

Ooooh boy this one is stunning. Five out of five stars; caveat that this is a war movie, never mind the PG-13 rating. This is a fictionalized version of the Battle of Ansi, Gorguryeo (ancient Korea) against the Tang Empire in 645, and there’s more than enough blood and death to leave you rattled. But it is a very good story.

We follow Sa-mul, a young cavalry cadet in shock after the army he’s in loses horribly to the Tang, and Yang Manchun, a general who’s defied orders to defend the fortress city of Ansi.

This is a story about love, revenge, what’s truly honorable, and who do you choose to follow when the chips are down. It will gut-punch you. (I broke it into about thirds and watched it a bit at a time over two days. It would have been overwhelming for me otherwise.)

It’s also a gold mine for anyone who wants to write pre-gunpowder battles and sieges. How do you correctly use terrain? Why would a mountain fortress keep cavalry? What factors does a general analyze to determine what’s a winnable fight that will kill some of his people, and what’s flat-out suicide? What does a battle of hundreds of thousands of cavalry and foot look like? How much chaos is there? What kind of stunts can you pull when you may not have much in the way of resources, or people, but you’ve heard exactly how the Tang took down other cities, and you’ve spent a lot of sleepless nights coming up with countermeasures?

(A whole bunch of things, but I’ll stick to two words: flaming wheels. They’re not just a nasty Japanese demon. They’re a real thing.)

Oh, and hey, those big poofy cloaks? They actually can serve a useful purpose in a running horseback fight, making your target less than clear to enemy archers....

More than just physical tactics, this movie shows a lot of the mindset of people in such an awful situation. Some break. Some become spies for the enemy, hoping to survive. Some don’t have hope at all, just a grim determination to die still fighting. And some just... keep going, because they have to, because there’s an army in front of them and everything they love behind them.

If Hollywood would make a movie like this about the crossing of the Delaware, I bet you, the theaters would be packed.

Note, this movie doesn’t claim to be historically accurate. A few historical notes can be found here, and notes on the movie specifically here.

Also note this is a war movie, and that means a lot of characters you admire will die. I wouldn’t show this to the younger kids. Older ones, yes. Because - and this is critical - no one dies a pointless death. People die trying to live; or in extremis, so someone else will live.

If you have any interest in the battles of the past, or want to write them into your stories, definitely see this. The impact of the trebuchets (in all senses of the word) has to be seen to be believed, and things escalate from there. You can feel what it’s like to have to survive a bombardment, a siege, pulling arrows from the dead because you have to have the ammunition. Or more of your people will die.

...And from the records we have, the defenders of Ansi really did hold the top of that earth mound for three days straight, until reinforcements came and the Tang Emperor gave it up as a bad job.

If the winter’s gotten to you, if the craziness is all around you, if you feel overwhelmed - check this movie out. Sometimes you can beat the most horrible odds.

Sometimes, the good guys win.

THE GREAT BATTLE | Official Trailer

Note, movie is age-restricted on YT.

The Great Battle - full movie with ads

[pjspurge]

So here is my story......I am 41. My birth children are 20, 22, and 23. I met a man 6 years ago who has small children. They are now 15 and 10. Three years ago, the year my youngest turned 18 and was graduating from high school, I go to the doctor hoping for menopause. Boy was I so wrong. I was pregnant. And since I had my tubes tied after my last kid was born, it was ectopic and had to be removed. The tube too. It was not great. I was pregnant for 7 weeks. The next month I find a lump in my right breast, thinking it was just something left over from the pregnancy, I go to the doctor. Wrong again. It's cancer and it's Triple Negative. Very aggressive. By the time I got my double mastectomy the tumor was the size of a softball. Only 2 months. Very aggressive. I go through the chemo and radiation. I thought I was winning. But I get fired 2days before I ring the bell to come home. That was in August. In November I find that it has moved to the brain. I now have the most aggressive breast cancer in my brain. I have had the first brain tumor removed and the rest have been gamma knifed and through protein radiation. But I am fighting a losing battle. It will eventually win. I have accepted it. My kids think I will live forever because I am too stubborn. Lol. My husband works his ass off every day to save up for my funeral since I lost all my insurance when I lost my job. Half of my SSI check every month pays my medical insurance. He covers everything else. He is truly amazing. So that is me. Crazy dying lady who is trying to hold it all together. I vent on here because my friends have issues of their own and I don't want to bother them. I figured on here, you have a choice to read. And honestly I don't want my friends and family to know how bad it is.

[butwhatifidothis]

I just saw two amazing tweets about Claude opposing Edelgard:

"claude fights against edelgard in every route and i find that weird and contradictory to his philosophy of avoiding as much bloodshed as possible. what does he have to gain from risking the lives of the alliance army to fight edelgard

then after edelgard beats hum in crimson flower, he doesnt even fight to the death. after his friends and troops died for whatever it was he convinced them they were fighting for, he surrenders and leaves. it doesnt make any sense to me"

So weird and contradictory of Claude to not want to give up the Alliance's freedom to exist as its own, independent country when he specifically wants things like freedom of religion for people. He gains nothing from trying to protect the Alliance's autonomy by fighting Edelgard. /s

And then he's bad because he doesn't want to fight to the death. 💀💀💀 How is he better off dead? He's willing to compromise on Fodlan's future, why should he die and give up his dreams for Almyra as well? ??!!?

I checked this person's other tweets cause I'm kinda petty that way and for some reason they're pretty insistent that it makes sense for Claude to support Edelgard's cause... just why.

It's kinda funny seeing people get so close to the point only to still miss it. Like, hm, I wonder why Claude doesn't side with Edelgard, even though siding with the winning side of the war would technically, in all likelihoods, end it faster. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that Claude doesn't agree with Edelgard on her methods of achieving her goals and thus doesn't trust her to rule over Fodlan? ...NAAAAAAH, it must be inconsistent writing!

And what's funny is that by siding against Edelgard and taking on an anti-Imperial stance in the Roundtable, Claude by and large keeps most of the Alliance out of the war. Leicester, even on CF, hasn't even faced a proper battle against the Empire until soon after Byleth returns. And then after Claude's defeated, it's outright said that he used the Alliance lords' self-centeredness to ensure that if he were to be defeated, the Alliance would get out of it mostly intact:

So yes, him surrendering/losing as he did did in fact keep most of the Alliance safe. Which keeps in line with his "philosophy of avoiding as much bloodshed as possible."

And, just. "for whatever it was he convinced them they were fighting for" bro I don't know how clearer the game can be about it, but much of Claude's philosophy can be extrapolated from Lorenz's words here:

"I am sure the rest of you all have your own reasons to fight." People coming together and working as one to achieve a shared goal, even if their personal reasons for doing so differ? So like, and hear me out here, maybe... they all just personally want to defeat the Empire? You know because they might not like the idea of being violently invaded? And Claude rallied his friends and people around that shared goal and tried to lead them to achieve it? Blows my mind when I read people say that he tricked them into fighting or whatever, because like, it's right there.

And wow! Claude, the person who puts value in both the lives of others as well as his own life, surrenders when he sees that doing so will ultimately save more people and himself than fighting back would! Because when he tried to make his last stand it failed and he realized he doesn't stand a chance against the Empire! I just don't see how this makes any sense at all, truly it's as though 1 + 1 = 3 in 3H.

It's like... 3H has its wonky writing moments sometimes, right? I think that's something we can all agree on. But there is a reason why Claude never sides with Edelgard. There is a reason why he didn't join the winning side of the war and crush the Kingdom with Edelgard. Claude does not trust Edelgard, he does not like Edelgard, he does not want to do what Edelgard does, and he wants to take her down and stop her. There is no world, unless you fundamentally change one of either Claude or Edelgard's character (or both of their characters), where Claude would join Edelgard. Legit don't know how else the game can say it that makes it any clearer