#while ACTIVELY trying to run him through with a sword

[spacedace]

Fuck whatever DC is doing with the al Ghul's characterizations and story lines, I've decided that from now on the al Ghul's are gonna be DC's version of the Addams Family instead.

Now I don't mean just give the various al Ghul's the exact personalities of the various Addams and call it a day. That's boring, that erases all the interesting parts of the al Ghuls, that's just using "find & replace" and not actually adding anything. I mean give them the vibes of the Addams Family.

Keep the al Ghul's as the al Ghul's with all their scheming and machinations and world domination attempts but give them all the unhinged energy, the casually insane view of the world, the deranged levels of love and devotion for family. Make them that group where objectively they are batshit insane but also you cannot argue with the fact that they are indisputably the most stable and functional family in the entire universe.

They're creepy, they're kooky, they're mysterious and spooky. Ra's many opulent homes and impenetrable fortresses are a museum and the al Ghul's really are a screa-um whenever people come to see-um (or when they lay waste upon their enemies in a surprise attack that has been planned for months and is just the first domino in a series that will ultimately lead to achieving a far greater goal).

They all love each other and want each other to be happy, they express this primarily with stabbing and murder attempts (its fine, death is a thing that happens to other people).

And forget the League of Assassins being a cult. Just make the whole vast globe spanning organization a collection of cousins/aunts/uncles/dear old friends ect. No one (not even the al Ghuls, if they cared to keep track of such things) is sure who is actually related to them and who just got absorbed into the ever expanding family tree based on their vibes being right.

(Is Sensei Ra's father you ask? Well he's certainly someone's father - probably.

Anyway have you heard about Cousin Cheshire? Despicable poisoner of a young woman, capable of the most horrific things imaginable - yes she is the sweetest dear. Like I was saying though, she just had a baby!

Everyone in the family is just so excited to throw a baby shower to celebrate! Ubu has really gone all out with the spike traps, he does so love getting to welcome a new addition to the family.

Talia of course has cultivated a brand new strain of the most toxic plants imaginable to make a brand new kind of necrotizing poison. You know, as a nice little romantic gift for Cousin Cheshire and that young man of hers. It really is so important to make sure you take time for you and your partner to go on dates and have a few pitched battles to the death on dark rooftops in the pounding rain when you have children.

Now there is some to-do about it all of course, you know how family get together can be. Everyone is arguing over who should get to give little Lian her first weapon and what it should be. Nyssa is pushing for grenades but Ra's is insisting on a sword - he's traditional like that you know - but Dusan has the vote so far on throwing knives. You know the kind that have the little divots along the edges of the blades them to make it easier to get the poison you dip them in to stick.)

I'm just saying that the al Ghuls should be a delightful cross between the Bond Villains they were originally conceived as and the lovingly unhinged Addams Family. It just feels correct in my heart.

(Again keep the interesting aspects of the characters and the nuances of who each of them are like their drive to save the world through destroying humanity and their strong environmentalist leanings and their constantly playing 5D chess and everything, but like, take away the racism and the cartoonishly evil for no reason bullshit and give them some fun feral energy to go along with it).

[chaoticbardlady99]

I Wondered if I Could Come Home? (Astarion x Pregnant F! Reader) MDNI 18+ Part 2

CW: Smut, insecurities, pregnancy sex, PIV

Tag-list: @im-just-a-simp-le-whore @starstruck-mj-writings @divineknightmare

Part 1 is on my Masterlist :)

This is unedited because I’m tired 😂💜

Photo belongs to @cheekylittlepupp on Tumblr

“These are all truly terrible options, Darling,” Astarion whispers into your ear, “I feel like putting anyone in this should be considered abuse.”

You try and fail to suppress the laughter- covering your mouth with your hand when another woman shoots you a glare. You should regret dragging Astarion in here, but you don’t. He’s right- this place has absolutely nothing adorable and you hate shopping here. You are very happy he shares the same sentiment.

This was an unplanned stop in the grand scheme of the evening. Astarion had insisted on taking you on a date the moment you woke up this morning. When you went to protest and say, “I look like a beached whale, no”- you were thoroughly kicked by Eowyn.

You picked the name Eowyn together a little over a month after Astarion first arrived. It’s almost month 7 now and although Astarion missed out for a few months- your daughter and him are already peas in a pod.

You disagree with Astarion? Kick. If you pick a book that doesn’t interest him? Kick. You get hormonal, angry, and Astarion sounds even slightly sad? You bet you are gonna be running to the bathroom to throw up. She’s a spiteful fucking kid and you cannot catch a break. You are the one carrying her and yet!

You suppose you can’t blame her though. You don’t want to give him any reason to leave anymore than she does. You know Astarion won’t leave again, but that worry is also silently there.

“Darling,” Astarion whispers, “come look at this atrocity.”

Astarion scrunches up his nose and picks up one of the other baby outfits. He looks at you with a “really?” and shows you a piece of fabric fashioned into a onesie with “Selune Loves Me”. You don’t even bother to suppress your snort of laughter.

“I have a horrible feeling that Shadowheart will be buying that for Eowyn,” you sigh.

“Oh no- not if I can help it!” Astarion puts the onesie back (he even folds it), “our kid is going to be a raging atheist and I will have it no other way!”

“And if she decides to be a cleric or a paladin?”

Astarion grumbles a “well that’s different” under his breath. He opens the door for you and bows dramatically as you walk through it. Astarion’s smile is brighter than the sun when you giggle.

“I’m glad you are willing to support all possible life paths, Star,” you tease.

“I will eventually convince her to change her mind,” he muses, “we’ll begin putting swords and instruments in front of her and hope she turns out better than Volo.”

You huff at him and roll your eyes. He intertwined his fingers with yours and you continued the rest of your date.

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

You are laying in your bed- remaining absolutely still. Astarion seems like he is still sleeping?

Whatever sick fuck keeps adding spice into your life, has gifted you an incredibley real sex dream with Astarion. Again.

You told yourself you were going to behave- certainly not because you want to. It’s out of respect for Astarion and his boundaries. You don’t know what he’s been up to or if he would even want to while you look like this.

Oh wonderful- tears.

The hardest part of this whole pregnancy nonsense is that you don’t feel good about yourself or how you look. You didn’t necessarily have the best self esteem to start with, but your body changing in front of you almost every day wasn’t helping. You know your hips have gotten slightly wider and your breasts have gotten bigger. You try to be active as much as possible so you feel some control and you eat as healthy as you possibly can without lacking nutrients, but none of it felt like enough. You feel disgusting.

Your silent tears fall down your cheeks as you suppress your pitiful sniffling. If you close your eyes, you’ll eventually fall asleep. That’s what you usually do and that’s what you did when Astarion was gone. Sleep heals everything.

Maybe your body has finally had enough of pushing all of the discomfort back. All those feelings of being unwanted, unloved, and not like yourself are ripping you apart at the seams as they rush to your eyes.

You begin to move away from Astarion- deciding it would be better for you to sit in your little rocking chair and read for a bit. There is no reason to make yourself upset over something you can’t change. Your pregnancy will be over soon enough anyhow.

“Darling?”

Astarion’s voice pierces the silence and his fingers are clinging to your shirt as if to keep you there.

You clear your throat, “yes my Star?”

“Where are you going?”

Astarion sounds incredibly worried. It’s been hard for him to see you when you are sick or when you are obviously picking yourself apart in the mirror. Astarion is constantly worrying about your vertigo and you walking around without him or Shadowheart to catch you.

You told him that his worry isn’t necessary and that you would let him know if you were feeling dizzy or like you were going to pass out. You don’t want to bring harm to yourself or your child.

“I know you know your body, Darling,” Astarion says with his shoulders slumped and a slight frown on his lips, “I have no right to tell you what you can or cannot do, but please, my Love. I just found you again. I can’t even fathom the idea of-“

Astarion had broken down sobbing, then you began to cry, and then Eowyn was kicking so you caved and promised to let him know if you were leaving the room.

You roll over to look at him and his eyebrows raise in alarm. You hastily run the tears away and smile.

“I was just going to sit on the rocking chair.”

Astarion just squints at you and you avoid his gaze- looking up out the window.

“The moon is very pret-“

“Tav, why were you crying?”

Dammit. It’s the “I’m serious” Astarion voice.

“Oh uh,” you chuckle awkwardly, “I just had an interesting dream and it led to interesting thoughts- then TADA pregnancy hormones.”

Astarion flashes you a teasing smile before ghosting his lips over yours.

“Oh I am very aware of these ‘interesting’ dreams of yours, Darling. I’ve been waiting for you to finally ask me to re-enact a few.”

Your heart stops momentarily and you blink a couple times. There is no way you heard that correctly. You begin to tear up and Astarion’s brows furrow in concern.

“You don’t want that,” you say in a low voice, a stray tear rolls down your cheek, “I look disgusting.”

His lips are on yours in an instance- a whimper leaves your lips as you feel a warm stirring between your legs. It’s almost embarrassing how desperately your body wants him- craves him. Being kissed like this by him again is a blessing.

“I wish you would stop trying to guess what I want when it comes to you,” he sighs against your lips, “and I wish you could see how beautiful you are- all the time.”

“My body has just changed so much- to me anyway,” you whisper, “I worry that I’m not attractive to you anymore.”

Astarion grabs your hand with his and guides you down to the front of his underwear- opening your hand so that you palm against his erection. You blush furiously when he forces your eyes to meet his with his other hand. His pupils are blown wide with lust.

“Does it feel like I’m not attracted to you anymore?”

“No,” you whisper shyly.

“I want you desperately,” he places a chaste kiss on your lips, “As I always have.”

You feel embarrassed by the sigh of relief that leaves your mouth upon his confession. You want to be with him this way so badly it hurts. You hesitantly wrap your leg around his hip and you pull him in for a kiss.

Astarion’s lips are soft against yours. You keep a slow pace- unsure of how far he would be willing to go.

You find out pretty quickly when you feel his hands find your underwear- tearing away the fabric completely. You pout against his lips playfully.

“I liked those.”

“I’ll buy you a thousand more pairs, my Love.”

“But-“

The breath leaves your body when you feel his fingers begin to play with your clit. Astarion roughly presses the pads of his fingers against your clit- the additional friction making you keen in pleasure.

Astarion starts to pull away and your hands find purchase in his hair- pulling him back to you. Your desperation spurs him on and your lips are crashing against each other at a fast pace.

You feel him pull you back by your hair, making you look at him- you open your mouth to protest, but then you feel one of his fingers slide into you. Astarion pushes himself all the way into you with his finger until his palm is teasing your already sensitive clit. He must realize how ready you are for him because he enters a second finger and then a third shortly after.

The feeling of his fingers inside of you are intoxicating and the way he is looking at you is even more so. Your moans are on display for him to see- Astarion’s hand in your hair has yet to loosen as he finger fucks you relentlessly.

“So good, so perfect,” he says, “and I’m the only one who will ever have the pleasure of breeding you.”

Astarion’s words rip something inside of you open- you begin to clench around his fingers hard as your climax sinks into your body. His name falls from your lips like a prayer.

It probably is- if you are being entirely honest to yourself. Astarion looks ethereal under the moonlight that floods the room. His curls are mussed up a bit from sleep, his lips turned upward and slightly parted as he watched you be overtaken with pleasure.

Astarion leaves a chaste kiss on your lips and moves your hair out of your face. He sits up and pulls you onto his lap and traces the veins in your neck down to your collarbones. His hands meet in the middle to unlace your shirt all while making eye contact the entire time.

“Gods,” Astarion whispers as he kisses down your chest, “you are exquisite, my Love.”

You must have forgotten what it was like to be under Astarion’s lustful hands and loving gaze. Your dreams were nowhere like this.

You whine at the skin contact and you feel yourself clench around nothing. The feeling of his cold fingers running along your skin- how they tease and pinch your sensitive nipples. Astarion’s word of praise alone are enough to get you off.

“So needy.”

Astarion takes one of your sensitive nubs into his mouth- sucking and grazing it with his fangs. His other hand begins to trail downward as grinds his erection up into your unclothed, soaking folds.

“Have you missed me, Darling?” Astarion coos, “has no one else been able to make you feel this way since I’ve been gone?”

You know exactly what he is asking.

“Yes,” you say breathlessly, “because my hands are nowhere as skilled as yours.”

Astarion’s laughter fills the air and your body with joy. His hand moves to release his erection from his underwear. You gasp at the sight and your hand immediately goes downwards- you feel him growl against your breast when you swipe your finger through some of his precum.

You look down and his eyes are on yours as you put your finger between your lips, licking it clean.

Astarion moves his attention from your breasts- pulling you by your hair down to his mouth so he can taste himself on you. The other hand lines him up with your entrance before pulling you down by your hips at the same time he thrusts upward.

You see stars as Astarion grazes that perfect spot inside of you. His hands had untangled from your hair a while ago, both of his hands guiding your hips down so that you continue to take his full length.

“Astar- I’m going to- fuck,” you cry out as his fingers find your clit again.

“You are going to what, my Dear? I’m afraid I didn’t catch that,” he says teasingly, his thrusts getting sloppier as you clench harder and harder.

“I- I,” your eyes roll in the back of your head as you pitch forward, putting your face in the crook of his neck. Your moans reverberate through the room- your voice is almost guttural from the intense amount of pleasure you are experiencing.

Astarion’s orgasm followed yours quickly- his moans coming out ragged and incoherent as he fills you to the brim with his seed.

You kiss his cheek, along his cheek bone, and then back until you are in the crook of his neck again.

“You are the most incredible woman I have ever had the privilege to lay eyes on,” Astarion says fondly, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Star,” your blissfully fucked body relaxes against his.

You don’t remember when you began to fall asleep or when Astarion repositioned you so that you were spooning. The only thing you can recall is Astarion kissing your shoulder, neck, and behind your ear while whispering his gratitude and love for you into your skin.

[esamastation]

Shizuroth, part twenty-six

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five

-

Angeal makes it to Midgar first, having rushed through his mission and finished it early. Genesis, even if he rushed, would have had a harder time making it back - Junon wasn't exactly close, after all, even by helicopter it would take a few hours. Genesis still makes his presence known, muttering in his ear the whole way.

"I was asleep when he messaged me! And why is it my job to babysit the favoured son of the Science Department anyway?! What madness must our quest bring to find you so lost -"

"Genesis…" Angeal sighs, pinning his PHS between his right shoulder and his ear while attempting to park his truck in the Shinra Building's maze of a parking garage.

"How was I supposed to know he would lose it the moment I turned my back to him? Our fair hero seemed so well put together yesterday - the clothes he picked! He looked very smart! I was almost proud! I thought he had it handled."

"Genesis, I doubt anyone blames you for this," Angeal assures him, checking the mirrors.

"And they better not! Yesterday he seemed fine. Said he was looking for a quiet day in," Genesis scoffs. "Of course for Sephiroth that must involve untold physical toil. When he messaged me, I thought he would do what he always does, fight a few monsters, slay a few enemies. Normal behaviour, to be expected from our great Hero!"

Angeal finishes parking and takes the PHS in his hand. "I thought Sephiroth was fine too," he says, placating. "He was confused, sure, but overall he was calm and collected. None of us could've seen this coming."

Genesis lets out an explosive sigh. "Maybe we should have. He's not himself."

"There are many ways to not be yourself," Angeal says with a sigh. "Try as we might, we are not trained for these kinds of mental issues."

"No. And neither is anyone else at Shinra for that matter."

Angeal hums in agreement and then looks up as he spots movement outside his truck. Well, damn. "Listen, Genesis, I have to go. I'll do my best to handle this. What's your ETA?"

"Another six hours, minimum," Genesis says regretfully. "You're going to take Sephiroth on alone?"

"Hopefully not," Angeal says. "But probably. I'll… try to keep you posted."

"I'll write you a lovely eulogy," Genesis offers, and with a snort Angeal hangs up on him.

He takes a moment to inhale and brace himself. Then he turns the engine off and pockets his keys. The Turk outside waits politely - though not very patiently - for him to step out.

"Mr. Hewley, I'm here to escort you directly to Director Deusericus' office."

"I should head to the SOLDIER floor first," Angeal says slowly, warily - not liking the implications of this at all.

The bald Turk is utterly impassive behind his sunglasses. "Director Deusericus is waiting. This way."

So… the situation has already escalated to that point, has it. Damn.

Angeal grabs the Buster Sword and then follows the Turk to the elevators, and spends the entire time going up mentally running through all the ways this could go wrong. There's a lot of ways this could go wrong - but surely the company wouldn't actually try to eliminate Sephiroth?

Lazard's appearance doesn't give him much hope - the man's face is tight with tension, and there's a Turk lounging by the window, a casual threat.

"Angeal," Lazard says and looks up. He doesn't look at all relieved to see him - just more tense. "Good. There's no time for pleasantries or even explanations, so I'm just going to get to it."

"Sir," Angeal says guardedly.

"Sephiroth is on floor 49," Lazard begins while the Turks watch them with deceptive disinterest. "As far as we can tell, he's not actively hostile, but he hasn't moved in several hours. There are approximately twenty SOLDIER members on the floor with him, and they've stationed themselves between Sephiroth and the elevator. For security reasons, they're refusing entry for anyone but active SOLDIER members. Even I wasn't allowed off the elevator."

Angeal frowns. So either Sephiroth was too dangerous to let anyone in - or he was so vulnerable that SOLDIER members had stepped up to guard him. "I assume you're sending me in, with orders?"

"Yes. Sephiroth has a mission, and you're going to deliver him to it," Lazard says and picks up his PHS. "I'll send details to your account. Your first and only priority is getting Sephiroth out of the building and into the airport. There's a transport waiting for him on standby."

Angeal takes out his PHS and checks the newest mission.

They're sending Sephiroth to Wutai? Now? "Sir, I understand some disciplinary action is in order, but is this really the time for -"

"The less time we waste, the better for all of us," Lazard cuts him off and glances at the redheaded Turk by the window.

The Turk shrugs. "Sephiroth almost killed Department Head Hojo," he says lazily. "We at Shinra Public Security Department feel it's best to put some distance between the two."

Angeal blinks, surprised. "Sephiroth almost killed Hojo?" he asks faintly. "Was anyone else -?"

"No one was killed - there weren't even any injuries," Lazard assures him.

"You'll be briefed fully on the incident," the red head Turk promises, "once both you and Sephiroth are safely on board a transport and in the air."

Angeal tries to read between the lines, even as his gut says that sending a SOLDIER in what sounds like still ongoing mental breakdown to an active war zone is a bad idea. But then, he's not sure what's the alternative? He'd been half expecting to be tasked with Sephiroth's imprisonment! Or worse, his detainment in the labs!

If Sephiroth really attacked Hojo… Wutai might be his best chance at some freedom.

The red head Turk clears his throat. "Clock's ticking, SOLDIER First Class Angeal Hewley," he says. "Better get moving."

"There's a helicopter available on the HQ Landing Pad," the other Turk adds. "Or alternatively, a car in front of the building. Both your and Sephiroth's belongings have already been packed and delivered to the transport."

"All we are missing is the big guy himself," the red head says. "Think you can go get him for us?"

Angeal looks at them and then at Lazard, who's watching him seriously. The man looks weary and stressed - but not like his hand is being forced. There's not time for much else, he can only hope his read on the situation is right.

"Alright." Angeal nods. "I'll get Sephiroth on the transport."

"Good! We'll meet you there," the redhead says, clapping his hands together. "Don't be late! And Hewley… don't let anything stop you."

Angeal arches his brows in alarm as the two Turks saunter out. "What the hell does that mean?"

Lazard sighs. "Angeal," he says. "There's no time. Get Sephiroth out of here. Now."

[corpsebasil]

wait omg im thinkinggggg about knight nikolai because when am I not

imagine him being like…more committed to his oath in this one. hear me tf out

just look at him Jesus Christ

So your chambers are connected to his with a panel in the wall. Easier to get to you if you’re in danger, obviously. And you spend a lot of time with him as his princess. Time spent getting to know the man behind the armor.

(lol behind the armor get it anyways)

Headcanons of mine about his favorite activities to do with you:

- horseback riding

- playing cards

- reading quietly in each other’s company

- sneaking into the kitchens and baking.

omfg imagine him with like some flour on his face and the two of you are just making a giant mess. huge mess.

like—

You: give me that!

Nik: It’s not my fault you can’t reach it.

You: you’re WAY TALLER THAN ME.

Nik: jump, princess.

You: I will climb you like a tree—

and the whole time he’s got your spatula above his head, high up, and grinning down at you while you’re pouting and attempting to snatch it back.

but ONE NIGHT he doesn’t stay in your rooms with you to play cards. It’s your weekend tradition so obviously you’re confused. he’d been avoiding you all week, actually.

he didn’t wake you up to join you on his morning runs (he even looked a little guilty about it when he came back sweaty and you had your arms crossed), didn’t have breakfast with you like he usually did when he managed to sneak away from the barracks, and stayed calmly avoiding eye-contact from where he leaned against the wall during dinner.

so naturally you’re confused. that’s how you find yourself knocking on the door that separates your rooms, demanding answers from your knight.

no reply, so you go in. and boyyy are you shocked.

he’s sitting in the chair at his desk, head in one of his hands, a bottle gripped in the other. he’s halfway in by the looks of the significant amount of empty space inside.

he looks up when you enter and he shakes his head in a simple ‘no’ gesture. Whatever that means.

OKAY DRABBLE TIME

^^thats me to him btw

“You’re avoiding me.” You say. His fingers grip the neck of the bottle tighter, his eyes slightly bloodshot and tired. “Tell me why.”

It’s not a optional—it’s a demand.

“Princess..” he begins, voice hoarse as he sets the bottle down and sits up straighter. “Go to your rooms.”

“I give the orders last time I checked.”

His expression is pained when he tries again.

“Please go.”

“No.”

“Princess, please. Go.”

(I WILL STAY! I COMMAND IT)

He stands swiftly and moves over to you, gesturing to the door at your back.

“Do not be difficult.”

“Then tell me what I’ve done wrong?” You watch as he runs a hand over his face, his entire manner one of distress. “You’re my—” You pause. “You’re my friend.”

“That’s the problem.”

“How—”

“I made an oath.” He snaps loudly, then curses under his breath. “I swore an oath to you. To the crown.” When you only stare, perplexed, he walks in a slightly wobbly line over to where his sword rests. “When I was sworn in as Captain of the guards you held this sword. You gave me that honor.”

“I—its tradition for the princess to—”

“I swore an oath. To you.” He makes a pained noise and runs a hand over his face again. Then he frowns and shakes his head. “I stood in front of every one of my knights and pledged my loyalty to them. But I was pledging to you.”

By now you feel slightly winded as you watch him, your fingers trembling at your sides as you try and sort through what he’s saying.

“Nikolai..” you begin, moving a step closer. He doesn’t move, but you see his jaw tighten, a muscle twitching. “What are you telling me?”

“I swore an oath.” He replies quietly—almost desperately—and goes on. “To protect you. To honor you and I—” You watch him take in a deep breath, your heart racing. “I cant do that anymore. Not when I disrespect you every single moment in your presence.”

Your mouth dries.

“You’ve never disrespected me.” You insist softly and he gives you a sad, defeated smile.

“I disrespect you every time I look at you.”

“Nikolai—how—”

“It’s the way you—” He pauses and reaches out, his fingers hovering next to your face for a moment. His knuckles just barely graze your cheekbone before he sucks in a breath and stops. “It’s the way I think about you. All the time. It’s killing me.” He swallows and places a hand on his chest over his heart. “I swore to protect you, die for you..” a shake of the head. “…but all I can think about is…” another shake, his knuckles brushing down your face to rest against the edge of your lips. You aren’t sure you’re breathing. “What it would feel like to..”

You’re staring in mute shock as he watches your mouth, his tongue darting out to wet his lips before he’s tilting your chin up to him, his eyes moving back to yours. You step closer involuntarily and his pupils seem to dilate a fraction at your nearness.

“Tell me to stop.” He murmurs, looking at you raptly. “Tell me I’m disgracing you. Tell me I’ve lost you.”

“You won’t lose me. Not ever.” You breathe.

Nikolai is still for a moment before leaning in, your eyes shutting on a nervous inhale when you feel him getting closer. He touches his forehead to yours for a brief second before carefully, almost cautiously, pressing his mouth to yours.

Oh.

You’re surprised not only by the wave of desire that rushes over you but how fast it hits you. Suddenly you’re clutching his shirt, yanking him closer as he groans into your mouth, parting your lips for deeper kiss. He’s literally starving for you good God.

[boytoyhalo]

Can you give me your fitpac headcanons to make me feel better after whatever the fuck Bad's stream was today. I am so unwell...

absolutely i can!!! let's see here hmm

pac likes to sleep/cuddle with fit sprawled out directly on top of him, like actively crushing him, because the deep pressure makes him feel safe (i think I said this in a different post but accidentally switched the names around, tho tbh i could see this being true both ways so maybe they take turns)

pac's ring markings glow bright blue when he's flustered or startled (see my blue ringed octopus hybrid pac headcanon) fit discovered this for the first time with the "how you doin big daddy" incident and since then fit has been going out of his way to sneak up on pac to make it happen because he thinks it's cute, this is also part of why he's gotten more confident with his flirting

fit would never say it out loud (partially because it would embarass him and mostly because he knows it would embarass pac) but he actually capital l Loves it when pac says his name with the "-tch" sound at the end. he thinks about it more than he shoud probably

this is less of a headcanon and more a writing prompt or like. a scenario that i think would happen but i think that at some point they'd be goofing around and threatening each other over whose a better fighter (they both think its each other but theyre arguing for themselves. for the bit) and fit would take off his prosthetic arm to hold it in his other hand and point it at pac like a sword and pac would be all oh yeah i can do that too and try to take off his leg standing up and would of course immediately overbalance and fall and fit would rush to check if he's ok while laughing his ass off and pac would use the leg to knock his legs out from under him so they would both be on the ground laughing so hard they couldn't breathe. and then fit would make a stupid pun about pac "not having a leg to stand on in this argument"

speaking of prosthetic's pac normally likes to keep his metal leg covered but the first time fit gets a proper look at it he's like woah your prosthetic looks so cooler and sleek and high tech i wish mine was like that and pac preens because he made it himself (ok it was him and mike but thats practically the same thing) and after that pac starts wearing his right pant leg rolled up (fit is only half of the reason, the other half is that it makes richarlyson feel better about his own leg but this is a fitpac post)

they both Really Like watching each other fight, hence the dungeon dates, but their favorite part is after all the mobs are cleared when they're cleaning their weapons and sorting through loot and just sitting quietly together basking in the shared victory and adrenaline and praising and complimenting each other for a fight well done

fit is aroacespec (he can count the amount of people he's been actually attracted to on one hand) and between that and his trust-no-one 2b2t background he's pretty inexperienced with most relationship related things, so pac is a lot of firsts for him. Pac not-so-secretly loves this because he's possessive and likes that no one else gets the type of attention he does from fit

fit starts wearing his glasses more often when he's not expecting combat or some other situation that will make them too inconvenient because pac says he looks cute in them

pac likes to make fit carry him on his back because 1. he likes the contact and 2. its fun to feel tall. the first time this happens it's because pac's metal leg takes a hit during a battle and is basically useless til he can repair it, so fit carries him back to chume labs out of necessity. After that pac usually makes up an excuse or plays up any hits he take so fit will do it again, except he's really bad at lying so fit knows what he's doing but he doesn't mind so he doesn't call him out on it

pac's hair looks really soft and fit realllly wants to run his hands through it but he's way too awkward to ask because that feels like a line being crossed and whenever pac runs his own hands through it fit just stares like a total weirdo which tubbo and phil both make fun of him for but somehow even then pac doesnt seem to notice. it takes him a long ass time to mention it to pac who he then finds out really likes having his hair played with and has been wanting fit to do it for forever but has also felt too awkward to ask. and then they laugh at themselves for being dumbasses (and then when they kiss for the first time and every time after that fit's flesh hand immediately goes up to his hair)

fit mentions that when he gets overstimulated sometimes its too much effort to remember to take his hearing aids out so pac asks if he can borrow them for a little bit and gives them back to fit with a new noise cancelling feature, and fit has to stop himself from literally proposing marriage right then and there. He settles for just cleaning chume labs top to bottom and leaving some chocolate and an embarassingly sappy thank you note that would read as a straight up love confession to anyone outside of him and pac's oblivious-but-also-not-oblivious slowburn-but-not-slowburn bubble

sometimes if pac is tired but cant get to sleep he'll go find fit and ask him to just talk at him for a bit because his voice is relaxing and if he falls asleep with his head on fit's shoulder or in his lap fit will sit as still as a rock for hours to not wake him up

ok ok you got me rambling this post is way too long now and most of these can barely count as headcanons but yippeeee i hope u like them!!!! everything will be ok we will have our morning crew and fitpac content back soon i promise

[little-pondhead]

The Folly of Men -

Chapter 3: #228B22

AO3 - MASTERPOST

[GENERAL TW: Swearing, lukewarm violence, lots of POV changes, and mild body horror.]

-

Damian was still being watched. The summer storm had well and passed, but the eyes he felt on the back of his neck were persistent, following him no matter where he went. He drove himself mad, tearing his room and the rest of Wayne Manor apart for bugs, asked Oracle to scan the city while he patrolled, and even pulled in a favor with some magic users to ensure he wasn't being haunted. Nothing! It was concerning his family, but Damian didn't care. He kept himself surrounded by others at all times whenever he left the house. Something was out there, ready for him to be truly alone. He didn't want to give them the opportunity.

The day came when he was assigned to patrol with Orphan since Batman was with the League but was separated due to the Riddler's schemes. They had solved the riddle already, thankfully, but Damian was intercepted while on his way to their meet-up point.

Pru, a former League assassin, caught his attention from one of Gotham's rooftops, and he swung down to meet her.

“Assassin,” was his only greeting. Damian was not a fool. No matter what had happened between Pru and Drake, she was still dangerous. He drew his sword easily and pointed it at her neck, reminding her that he was still a threat as well.

Pru didn’t look too happy to see him either. “Don’t give me that shit, Robin,” she snarled. “I’m just here to pass on a message.”

“I believe you are loyal to my brother, not me,” Robin hissed. “Why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?”

“Because it’s important!” Pru looked frustrated. “Eth Alth'eban is on lockdown, and I barely managed to get out. I can’t get in touch with Red Robin; every time I try, something happens and messages are re-routed or destroyed. Lightning strikes on the communication towers in Antarctica, the encrypted server that runs through Bolivia crashed from a fucking hurricane, even the goddamn carrier pigeon got drawn off course from high winds in Brazil! Do you have any idea how erratic the past two weeks have been? It’s like something is out to get me!”

“So why come to me? You’re in Gotham now.” He pointed out.

Pru threw her hands up, exasperated. “Because Nightwing told me Red Robin is out of the country to help with flooding in Qatar! Apparently, there’s a fucking tropical storm hitting it for the first time ever! You’re the one who really needs to hear this, anyway, so I gave up and found you. It seems Gotham won’t let me leave until I say my piece.”

Damian considered the situation. Pru really did look like she’d been through hell and back. She looked furious at something, and her clothes were still damp from rain. Except it hadn’t rained in Gotham for a while. Not since…the summer storm. The back of his neck tingled again, and he glanced around. Clouds were closing in. Fuck.

He sheathed his sword. Pieces from this puzzle were starting to fall into place, but he needed more information. “Say what you must,” he nodded to Pru while tapping his comms to alert Oracle to the conversation. He also activated his emergency tracker, hoping Orphan or Nightwing would find him in time. Their conversation would end quickly once the woman relayed her message, and Damian wasn't about to force Pru to stay because he was nervous about being alone.

“Finally,” Pru sighed and sat heavily on the rooftop, not minding the glass that dug into her hands and thighs. “Your grandfather has a new Heir.”

Damian blinked, pausing. He wasn’t quite expecting that.

“I only knew about this early because they killed my inside man in the medical department. I got a hold of his notes, and it looks like they were in the middle of treating an unknown entity, and the files all referred to it as the ‘Demon's Heir.’ I'm not Red, so I can't be sure, but the records don't start in a way that would suggest they made a test tube baby or another clone."

"And it is not my cousin they are treating? Perhaps grandfather has changed his mind and declared Mara his ideal Heir."

Pru stared at Gotham's roiling clouds, looking frustrated. She didn't seem to notice anything strange about them. "No. Mara al Ghul was in Kuwait until recently. She and the others from the Demon's Fist were doing something on orders from Mother Soul. It's above my pay grade, so I can't tell you much more than that other than they left suddenly without finishing their business. I'll take a guess that Mother Soul will be pissed about that. I do know that the medical records were updated two days ago to reflect a stab wound to the entity's chest. Their name was also updated: Phantom."

Damian considered Pru's words. He turned the clues over in his mind like stones, carefully examining anything that might hint at deceit. She was telling the truth, unfortunately. "So someone named Phantom has claimed the role of Demon's Heir, and my cousin most likely heard this news first and abandoned her post to attack the usurper," he summarized. "And my grandfather has closed off his city for one reason or another, presumably to either train or protect Phantom. Am I correct?"

Pru nodded. "That's pretty much it, birdie. Whatcha gonna do about it?"

He ignored the jab. "I will consider my options," he said stiffly. "Now that you've served your purpose, leave Gotham immediately." Orphan, where are you?

The former assassin laughed and hauled herself to her feet, brushing off the glass and dirt that stuck to her clothes. "I'll consider it. I've been running around for weeks; Red Robin won't mind if I crash at his, will he?"

"He will."

"Tough shit. See you around!" Pru jumped off the rooftop and into the alley below, not giving a shit about potential muggers as she waltzed into the night.

He was alone.

Damian watched her go before tapping his comms again. “Did you hear everything?” He asked Oracle, but no reply came except static. He expected this but cursed anyway. Thunder started to rumble overhead; he felt it deep in his bones. Whispers of electricity started crawling along the rooftop, following wires and coming dangerously close to touching him. He was forced to back into a corner on the rooftop and hoped his rubber-insulated boots were enough to prevent a shock. The feeling from earlier was stronger than ever. Someone was watching him. They knew he was finally alone. Obviously, Orphan nor Nightwing would get there in time, so Damian would have to deal with this himself.

He turned in a circle, straining his eyes to see through the cloud cover. He still couldn’t pinpoint their location, but he knew they were up there. “Reveal yourself!” He barked, hand on his weapon.

A moment passed. The air pressure changed, making his ears pop uncomfortably. His eyes were trained on the sky as rain started to fall. The clouds above the city gathered wildly, swirling together and reaching down toward him. The bolts of electricity that crawled over the rooftop raced together and rose up to meet it, becoming large bolts of lightning that could do real harm to the city if even one got loose. He stepped back into the corner even further, watching the mass of storm clouds finally get low enough to spread out across the building like a thick fog, revealing a figure in the vague shape of a man.

Great. Of course, it was something magical. He'd be having words with the magic users from earlier.

The man wasn’t touching the ground. In fact, Damian could hardly make out his legs as his broad form blurred from the wind, snatching bits of his green body away. Smaller rain clouds encircled his waist like a belt, and his hair looked more like jagged horns sitting against his brow. While he wore a well-loved weather vest and thick gloves, the rain around them would have soaked the man through by now. But he was perfectly dry. Damian was a little envious.

The man was smiling at him, but not the kind of smile that welcomed him into the conversation. No, this man of clouds and lightning was holding himself like someone was forcing him to be there. His red eyes looked like a swirling red cyclone, and his overall air was disinterested and tired.

Damian flinched as the man opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out except drawn-out screeches and clicks. It sounded like thunder was crashing right next to his ear or a tree getting struck by lightning. He didn't like it. The man frowned, realizing Damian couldn't understand him, and cleared his throat to try again.

“Hello, little Robin,” the man eventually tried, this time in Arabic. His voice was…strange. It sounded like he was gasping with every word, and the thundering sound was still there, muted and layered under the greeting. "I'm sorry, I forgot the people of this world are not natural speakers of the Realm's language."

“I am not little,” Damian snarled, likewise in Arabic.

“Of course not,” the man waved his hand. “A ghost’s size does not determine their power. I greet you nonetheless, little Robin.”

Damian had a feeling that speaking with this man was going to be infuriating. “Who are you?” He demanded. “And why are you in Gotham City?”

“You may call me the Navigator,” the man bowed a little, stiff in his back like he wasn’t used to the action. The Navigator, it seemed, was used to being in power. But by bowing to Damian, he showed his reluctant submission right off the bat, hoping to appease him and have a civil conversation. “And I believe you have a hunch as to why I’m here. You noticed me pretty quickly, after all.”

“So you are the one who’s been stalking me.”

“In plainer terms, yes.”

“I presume you’re the one who’s been messing with Pru as well?”

“You would presume correctly,” The Navigator's face scrunched and swirled like he was making a face of disgust. “I would rather have sent my sylphs to do it, but the Scepter insisted I do this part myself.”

More new information. If Damian remembered, sylphs were elemental wind spirits. So the Navigator was either a spirit himself or someone who could control them. But he said ‘ghost’ earlier. How did that fit in? He didn't look like the undead Damian knew of.

And ‘the Scepter’ was said with an inflection that suggested it was a name. Scepters were symbols of royalty, but Damian didn’t know anyone who actually used one or went by that name. It was no title he’d ever heard of. Whoever they were, they had to be more powerful than the Navigator if they had truly sent him after Robin.

“Aye, I can hear your brain working from here, little Robin.” The Navigator rolled his eyes, stretching the tiny cyclones. “You three are so similar that I’ll never find peace.”

“I don’t quite follow. State your business quickly; I’m losing my patience.”

The Navigator waved his hand, summoning a tablet out of nowhere. He tapped on it a few times clumsily, like he wasn't used to holding it, and then tossed it to Damian. The boy caught it easily and examined the thing. It looked like a normal tablet, similar to the ones Drake made and sold. It had a shield logo stamped on the back with Egyptian hieroglyphs engraved around the edge. It was warm to the touch, and Damian felt a little tingle as he turned it over in his hands. This was filled with magic.

The screen was made from something other than normal glass, that much he could tell as he scrolled away, trying his best to absorb the information quickly while keeping an eye on the stranger. It was a contract, he realized. The contract had been written on papyrus and then scanned in digitally. Half of it was written in a language he recognized but couldn't read. The other half contained details on limitations for the Navigator and instructions he was to follow regarding 'ghostlings,' 'The Guardian,' and...Damian Thomas al Ghul-Wayne.

Damian paled beneath the mask. His full name was in this contract. This was about him. The magical being before him knew who he was. He sped through the pages faster, frantically looking for answers.

...And as stated previously, the Navigator, Ancient of Storms, will grant Damian Thomas al Ghul-Wayne his blessing. This blessing will last the entirety of Damian's natural life until death returns him to the Realms. Upon completing the blessing, the Navigator will dispatch one guard to watch over Damian until the Scepter returns* but will not interfere with him personally.

During this period, the Guardian will fulfill the contract between the Gardener, Ancient of Growth, and one Ra's al Ghul. *The Scepter will enter The Guardian's time loop, and therefore, the Navigator may return to the Realms once the time loop is closed again. The runaway ghostlings will be promptly returned to their Lairs and Haunts in the correct dimensions.

As one last note, the Navigator will also refrain from fucking around with The Sword and The Shield unless he wants to find out what they can do. (I'm serious, too. The Shadow is busy, but I'll still find out if you try something, and I will kick your ass with no hesitation. The other two will be more than willing to punt your ass into Soup Time, as well.)

Upon completing this assignment, I release you from your bind, Ancient of Storms. Return to your Lair and rest with your sylphs. Thank you for your service.

Upon signing, all parties agree to abide by this contract until its terms are met. May the End take our souls if it is ever broken.

The Navigator, Ancient of Storms

Jasmine Nightingale, the Guardian's Scepter

At the bottom, under the signatures, Damian spotted a smaller note addressed to him.

Damian al Ghul, I look forward to our first meeting. Don't forget to bring your sword!

"You," he breathed heavily, glancing up at the mass of clouds. "Explain. What on earth is this?"

The Navigator cocked his head a little too far to the left. "I thought it was pretty self-explanatory," he said in a bored tone. "I was essentially sent on a ravenger hunt to find you and some escaped ghostlings. You shall receive my blessing whether I like it or not, and then I'll leave you to return to my Lair. Hopefully, I'll never have to grace these rotten clouds again!"

"It's 'scavenger hunt.'"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. You are useless at explaining. What is this 'Ancient of Storms' title you have? What are these Realms this contract speaks of? Why must you give me a blessing?"

"Ughhh," the Navigator rolled in the air, groaning. "I'm the embodiment of storms, isn't that obvious? I'd rather deal with Plasmius now than talk with a naive ghostling like you. What kind of ghostling speaks like this anyway? It's rude! I've been practicing my manners; the least you can do is humor me. At least Phantom can figure shit out on his own; I don't have to explain anything to him."

"Phantom?" The name caught Damian's attention. "You know Phantom? Who is he? What does he want with my grandfather?"

"Dunno, little Robin. That's between the Scepter and the Gardener. They had a contract in place decades before your grandfather was even born. And since I'm not allowed near Phantom for a while, all I know is that he's been handed over to Ra's al Ghul for a chance at recovery. He was involved in an incident recently. I don't know the details, but he's hurt so badly it's turning the Realms upside down. That's why I was sent away; I thrive off chaos."

"So, again, you are useless," Damian snarled. He turned away, which, in hindsight, was a stupid move, but he was so angry at the lack of answers that he didn't care. He buried himself back into the tablet, scanning through the contract again, looking for anything useful. Everything seemed so organized, yet the information he wanted felt just out of reach.

He vaguely heard the Navigator mutter in surprise. Something about freaky time visions being too accurate before a blinding white hot pain spread across his body. He dropped the tablet, falling to his knees. It felt like lightning was crawling under his skin, burning him from the inside out. He was distantly aware that he was screaming but didn't know how to stop it. Then the pain was gone in the next instant, and he was left collapsed on the roof, eyes screwed shut as shudders racked his body. He smelled burning flesh. A misty touch brushed away his damp bangs, cooling his brow.

"Yup, I'm pretty sure he's still alive," the Navigator murmured. "Well done, little Robin. Perhaps the Scepter knew what she was talking about when she said you could house my power. Either way, I've said my piece. The rest is up to you. Goodbye, and I hope to never see you again. Feel free to pass on those ghost rabies to the Gardener if you ever see him, though."

And with a rumble of thunder, the presence of the spirit disappeared, taking with him the gentle rain and green storm clouds. Damian lay on that roof for what felt like ages, staring into nothing and dazed from the pain. Nightwing eventually found him, however, with Orphan not far behind.

"Baby Bat!" His elder brother cried, sliding to a stop beside him and gathering Damian in his arms. Cass hovered next to them, unsure of what to do.

"Baba," he croaked in return. "The tablet..."

"Don't worry about that," Nightwing pushed his bangs back, just like the Navigator had. "Are you okay? You're shaking; Oracle lost contact with you over an hour ago and you never showed up to the rendezvous spot. What happened?"

Damian tried to tell him. A being made of storms came by, looking for me by name. He wanted to say. He cut off my comms and shared a contract with me. Then he struck me with lightning and left. We need to bring the tablet back to the Cave for analysis.

But his throat was too dry, and Damian's mind was in too much pain to form the words. As he curled up in Nightwing's arms, all he could mumble was the word 'baba' again and drop his head to the side. Nightwing cursed, instructed Orphan to grab the tablet, and swiftly made the trip back to the Cave with a sense of urgency. Damian groaned the whole way. His body was tender, and every jostle sent tiny shocks through his nerves.

He must have passed out at some point because he remembered skirting around Crime Alley one moment and Alfred checking his vitals the next. The butler gave him a gentle look and dabbed his forehead with a cool cloth. "Where's-" he tried to ask.

"Quiet, Master Damian. Master Dick will be here in a moment." Alfred soothed. Damian dropped it and settled back into the medical bed. When had he taken his clothes off? How long was he out?

A few minutes later, his siblings got the message that he'd awoken and stormed the med bay. "Baby Bat!" Cried Dick, sliding into the room and bolting to Damian's side. "Are you okay? Do you remember us?"

"Yes, baba." Damian croaked. Alfred held a glass of water to his lips, and he sipped carefully to soothe the burn in his throat.

"Dickie told me you got one hell of a shock," Jason, the second eldest, stood in the doorway, arms crossed and staring at them. Cass hung from his side, overwhelmed with anxiety. Steph was shuffling an exhausted Duke into one of the other medical beds, simply so the boy could feel included but still get some rest.

"I did," Damian confessed. Dick gripped his hand tightly, helping him sit up better. "I've been feeling a presence stalk me over the past few weeks, and tonight, I was finally confronted when Cain and I were separated." He left out the part with Pru for now but relayed everything the Navigator had told him, including the details he'd seen on the contract.

Everyone stayed silent as he spoke, but Dick looked like he was ready to bite someone by the end of the story.

"I'm calling everyone back to the Cave," he decided. "This is a Code Addams."

Jason shook his head immediately. "I'm all for punching storm cryptids," he said. "But you know this doesn't fall under Bruce's emergency plans."

"He's right, Dick," Steph frowned. She sat on the other side of Damian's bed, playing with his fingers lightly, and he didn't have the energy to move her. "We can put out a warning, but this sounds like League business to me. Most of us won't really be any help when it comes to al Ghul family drama."

"It's not 'drama,' Brown. Grandfather has taken a new, unknown Heir that has connections to several powerful entities if I'm not mistaken."

Steph nodded. "Yeah! Drama! And if that freaky storm demon shows up again, then we're even less equipped to deal with it. B's not even here right now to help, so we're on our own for this one."

"I'll even send Babs a copy of the contract; she'll probably be able to find something we can't." Jason started tapping away at his phone with one hand, updating the BatKids group chat on the situation and unloading the work onto Barbara.

Dick looked devastated. "But-"

"Hey, Dami?" Duke groaned, cutting everyone off. He was tangled in the thin sheets of the bed now, squinting at the youngest Wayne like he was staring at the sun. "I was kind of half-listening, but you said something about the lightning strike being a blessing, right?"

"Correct."

"Okay, um. Are you aware you glow now? Well, glow more than you used to?"

"...I was not aware. What do you see?"

Duke shuffled and threw an arm over his eyes. The lights of the med bay were giving him a migraine, but he refused to leave now. "You used to just look like a lamp. Now, you look like a bolt of lightning," he said. "There's electricity following your nerves. And your eyes are glowing green—just like Jason's when he's mad. Whatever you got hit with, it's definitely doing something to your body. I just don't know what."

Everyone paused at that.

"Well shit," Jason eventually broke the silence, bringing Cass even closer like a teddy bear. "Looks like we should get a hold of Talia and Bruce, at minimum. Demon Brat, you should probably go to Eth Alth'eban if you want answers."

Damian thumped his head against his thin pillow. "Fuck."

"Potty mouth!"

-

Danny was starting to get tired of waking up sore.

At least he recognized the room. It was the same one as before and actually decorated like a patient's room, not an underground bunker with his own blood splattered on the walls. He groaned, trying to shift his body. How much was he missing? His lungs were back, obviously. They felt raw in his chest. His vocal chords were also half-baked, but speaking wasn't really an issue right now.

What mattered was his pounding headache and the fire beneath his skin. He had started to sweat in his sleep, which is something he'd never done ever since he had died. Danny tried to glance down at this chest. (Had someone slipped his bones back into place?) The bandages were professional work but pulled away easily when he tugged on them. He hissed as they caught on fresh scabs and drew tiny amounts of blood.

His torso was a fucking mess. Danny was underground for ages, he knew. The GIW treated him like an immortal lab rat by tearing open his body every day to poke around and take samples. It was a miracle they didn't find his broken core, which was hidden deep behind his heart.

The cuts on his torso were being held together by surgical staples; no doubt any stitches or glue dissolved when in contact with his blood. His skin was flushed, puckered, and oozed green. The stab wound was fresher and looked nastier than what Lunch Lady could cook up. It was probably infected. He most likely would have scars even as a ghost. Frostbite once told him that wounds to the soul were the hardest to heal, and Danny didn't see himself getting over this anytime soon.

He laid his head back, staring at the smooth ceiling. A whine built in his throat. Why did everything have to hurt? He just wanted to go home.

But where was home?

His home was gone.

He had nothing to return to.

His parents pretty much disowned him the moment they sold him to the GIW.

The whine turned into a quiet sob, and he let himself sit there and shake. All he had ever done was try to be a good son to his parents, a good friend to Sam and Tucker, and a good brother to Dani and Jazz. Why did it have to be up to him to save others? Sure, it was kind of fun, but the stress of protecting both humans and ghosts got to Danny fast. The others didn't understand. No one understood. And now they never will because Danny was gone and had no home.

And there was that heavy pain again. His core became impossibly cold, uncomfortable against his human heart. It was pulling at his skin and at his bones. He gasped and cried, balling up the bandages in his fist. Was his chest caving in? His core felt like it was trying to turn him inside out and tear him apart.

Why was no one there to help him? Why wasn't he good enough to be saved? Was it because he couldn't save that little girl? Were his failures finally catching up to him? He'll do better, he promises...

Desiree must have heard his silent pleas. The door to his room opened, and a single man entered. It took a moment to recognize him through his tears, but Danny eventually saw that he was the same man who had soothed him to sleep previously.

"Ra's al Ghul," Danny managed. The man nodded to him, coming closer to stare at Danny while he writhed on the bed.

"You are having another panic attack."

"C-can't-"

"The doctors say you have lungs once more. Use them."

"It hurts-"

"Then let it hurt," Ra's didn't look away from Danny. He was cold but not disgusted. He expected Danny to be strong enough to handle this himself. "You are my Heir now; either embrace the pain or let go of what torments you. Become stronger."

"I can't!" Danny sobbed. His shoulders shook with the effort it took to speak. "They'll come back-"

Ra's firmly said, "They shall not."

"You don't know that! I'll be cut up again!"

"You are not from this world, Phantom. Whatever torments you cannot follow."

The words slowly sunk into his brain. The weight was lifted off his chest for a moment. Another world? He wasn't in his home dimension? The GIW didn't exist here? His parents weren't waiting around the corner with a bone saw and handcuffs?

That was great, but that also meant he truly was alone now.

There was no way for him to find his way back, was there?

The pressure from his core lessened, and his body stopped trying to eat itself. His chest expanded again, allowing him to breathe properly through choked sobs and broken groans. He clenched his teeth, trying to stop the tears. He really was useless.

"You are not useless, Phantom." Ra's had a hard light in his eyes. "As mentioned before, you are an al Ghul now, one of my grandsons, no matter what you were previously. You are very valuable to the League now, and I refuse to let you go."

Danny sniffed. "I can't offer you much," he said. "I remember that Undergrowth promised you power and knowledge, but I'm practically a high school dropout, and I'm so weak I can barely lift my head."

"So you shall regain your strength. I have lived a long time, grandson, and I shall live even longer. Your recovery will be swift when compared to the erosion of time."

"Mr. al Ghul..." Danny said defeatedly. His throat felt thick from all the crying. "I couldn't even keep my town safe. All I'm good for is killing kings and pissing people off. I don't want to bring you that kind of shame."

Ra did not show any signs of his satisfaction with Danny's words, but Danny could taste it in the air. "So you were a warrior, yes?"

"I-uh, sort of? I'm a ghost, and I died two years ago. Ghosts fight for every reason and no reason. I kinda had to learn on my feet or risk getting Ended."

"A warrior who cannot die. A man who has the will to act." Ra's appraised him like a prized cow. "Yes, I shall be able to use you, child. The al Ghul legacy shall never die out if you become the Demon's Head. Phantom al Ghul is a...fitting name, I suppose."

Danny wrinkled his nose. "I don't know what half of that means, but okay. And my name isn't really Phantom; that's just my title and hero name. My real name is Danny."

"Then, Daniel-"

"Danny!"

"Daniel, now that your tears have stopped, let me call for refreshments and fresh bandages. We must discuss the Gardener's contract and your usefulness in great detail."

Danny sighed. He was calmer, but now he had to do an Ancient's magic paperwork? He'd rather let his core swallow him whole.

At least someone needed him again.

-

The group followed Jazz’s decision without a second thought and stepped through the giant portal alongside her. Luckily, it led right to the edge of the In-Between, where Clockwork and a few others resided in their individual spaces. Jazz yelped as she realized there was no solid surface to land on and flipped around in the air uncontrollably. Sam and Tucker had the same fate. All of them kind of bobbed around like ducks in the water before Danielle sighed, gathered them all up with some rope from Tucker’s pack, and hauled them along in the vague direction of Clockwork’s tower.

For a space called Long Now, it didn't take very long to reach the tower, even with Dani hauling along three passengers. Everyone was pretty quiet during the ride, still processing what they had seen in the underground facility. It was a little strange. None of them felt disgust or fear at Danny's actions, but anger and sadness at what he was forced to endure. Not once did they consider abandoning him, even though others might have shied away from his monstrous outburst.

Jazz wondered what Clockwork could possibly say to them that would make the whole thing better. She just wanted to see Danny. She wanted to sit down with him and watch shitty kid's movies while they huddled under that one big quilt her parents had. The one that was gifted to them as a wedding gift and the one they added to when something important happened. She felt horrible thinking about it now.

Jazz would probably never see that quilt again. And if she did, she would probably burn it.

"We're here," Dani quietly announced, untethering the group from her body as they touched Clockwork's island. Long Now was a special place even in the In-Between. The tower's foundations were in varying stages of decay, and much like its owner, the building warped from looking good as new to 'about to fall over' kind of old right before their eyes. Everything felt so fragile.

They entered the lower entrance, climbing a spiral staircase past rows and rows of clocks lining the walls. Everything was ticking out of sync, which usually annoyed Jazz to no end. Right now, she couldn't care less.

Reaching the top had a lack of fanfare. One minute they were passing the biggest fucking grandfather clock they'd ever seen, and the next, they were in Clockwork's main room at the top of the tower, facing the old ghost himself.

Clockwork didn't even look at them. He seemed exhausted.

"We're here," Jazz announced. "Tell us what you know."

"No greetings, Jasmine? I thought you raised Danny to have manners, so where are yours?"

"Locked behind the walls of Fentonworks. Tell us what you know, Clockwork, or I'll break everything here." She snarled. It wasn't an empty threat, and everyone knew it.

"Please, Clockwork," Tucker added. "We saw your message. Where's Danny?"

Dani started crying into Sam's shoulder. "Where's my brother?" The ghost girl sobbed. "I want to see Danny!"

Clockwork sighed. He was aging rapidly, growing wrinkles as they watched. "Daniel is safe, for now. I hid him in another world. However, the flow of time has changed. New paths are being forged. If things continue as they are, Daniel will become something worse than Dan."

Danielle muffled another sob.

"Daniel did something I did not expect while having his rampage in Yellowstone. It will take a delicate hand to make sure his actions do not cause him to go down the wrong path."

"What did he do?"

Clockwork looked them each in the eye. His eyes were glassy and blank, like the face of a new watch, but his sincerity was enough to reach them. "He sealed off the Realms."

Tucker choked. "I'm sorry, he wHAT??"

"Daniel, in his explosion of sudden power, sealed off the Infinite Realms from your home world's influence. Only the power of an Ancient can break that barrier now. The only portal still open is the one located in Fentonworks, protected by the strongest shield your mortal world has to offer. Vortex had to be sent out to collect ghostlings who didn't return in time. By sealing off the Realms, Daniel effectively declared they were under his protection and claimed the title 'Guardian' since only Guardians have the right to seal off worlds."

Jazz's mind was spinning. "He...sealed off our world. Did he do it on purpose?"

Clockwork shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. This was a decision made by Fate alone. He was simply the strongest power source available that was also willing to defend the Realms to his End. The Realms responded in kind and claimed him as Guardian. That is a title and a burden he will share forever."

"Oh, god..." Jazz sat heavily on the floor, reeling from the shock. Dani left Sam's shoulder and crumpled into her lap, still crying. Tucker and Sam also offered each other comfort, leaning on each other as Clockwork's words sunk in. "So, what happens to him? Where is he now? What future do we have to avoid?"

Clockwork waved his staff, summoning a few large clocks with reflective surfaces. The clockfaces glitched and changed to show different pictures of Danny, all doing various things at different stages in his life. One had Danny laughing with a group of strangers. Another had him shaking hands with a green-skinned man. A third was him sitting in a hospital bed, getting stabbed in the chest. They cycled through different pictures and videos, and it was hard to look away.

"This is the future we must avoid." Clockwork motioned to the smallest clock, which showed a furious Danny screaming into the vacuum of space, tears pouring down his face. A large rip into the Realms tore open from his Wail, and the stars surrounding him started to get sucked in.

"If this future comes true, Daniel will destroy not only your home world but the Realms as a whole," The Ancient explained. "Because of his new link to the Realms, no one will be able to take the title of Guardian from him. He will become a destroyer and tear apart every universe and every timeline. Everything will just...End."

"That's horrible," Sam whispered. "What's the tipping point?"

Again, Clockwork looked them deep in their eyes. "Your betrayals."

"WHAT??" Danielle screeched, whipping around.

"You betray him by dying, Danielle. You melt in his arms and ask why he didn't save you. Samantha, you betray him by leaving him. Your home world is never unsealed and you can't stand not being able to see your grandmother again. Tucker, you betray him by lying to him. You say you're on his side but end up stabbing him in the back for a 'good cause.' Jasmine, you betray him by acting just like your parents." Jazz felt tears prick her eyes, but Clockwork kept going. "You see the monster he has become and can't look past it. The four of you betraying him would be his last straw, and Daniel would rather tear apart the universe than be reminded of you four ever again. And so he does."

Sam protested, "We would never!"

"You wouldn't." Clockwork agreed. "But you can, and in some ways, you already have. That is how time works. If you do not want to bring about this end, you must actively fight against this destiny like Daniel has fought against Dan."

Tucker whipped out his PDA, already taking notes. "What's the game plan, then? I would rather eat Dash's underwear than stab Danny in the back. If I have to throw hands with an evil version of myself from the future, I'm willing to do that, too."

Clockwork smiled at them for the first time since their arrival. "That was the right response," he told Tucker. "You're already taking a step away from that future. But for the best ending for everyone, all four of you will need to connect with the Realms as well."

"But we don't have the same power that Danny does."

"No, but your will is just as strong as his. Prove to the Realms that you're willing to fight, protect, and love just as much as Daniel. Become his support. Do it right, follow in his footsteps, and the Realms shall accept you with open arms. You will be bound together as a family for eternity."

The four looked at each other. Jazz gently wiped away the remainder of Dani's tears as they pondered over the ghost's words. Connecting with the Realms would probably mean giving up some amount of their humanity, especially if it truly was a forever thing. They might follow in Danny's footsteps a little too closely-but for their friend and brother? They would do anything.

"Fuck eternity!"

"Tell us what to do."

"We'll always be there for Danny."

"I don't plan on eating any underwear, but I will fight evil me if that's what it takes."

Clockwork shriveled up, folding in on himself several times before unfolding into a child, like a phoenix (but without the fire). He looked less exhausted now, less like the promise of the End was no longer hovering over his shoulder. "Become the Guardian's Shadow, Danielle. Take up his mantle while he is away and keep the peace in his stead. Be the Guardian's Sword, Samantha. Be at the front of each fight and kill when he cannot. The Guardian's Shield will be you, Tucker. Your wish to protect those around you will come true, and you will gain the power to shield them from harm. And Jasmine-"

Jazz held her breath.

"You will have the most difficult job. You will be the Guardian's Scepter. His symbol of power. You will work behind the scenes to stage events that shall work in his favor no matter what."

She released her breath, surprised. "A scepter? Like the symbol of royalty? But wasn't the position of King given to another?"

"In sorts. Daniel helped elect a council to rule the Realms and refused to be a part of it. However, you shall be his Scepter, only wielded in times of need. You will take the dark and harsher jobs that shouldn't be brought to life. You will pull the strings to ensure the timelines stay together, and he never strays from the path."

"How would I do that?"

"You need to become my apprentice."

-

After Jason's statement about coming to see Ra's in person, the whole Batfamily blew up. Words were said in person and over text, and Damian was too exhausted at the time to get a word in edgewise, so let Jason argue for him. Eventually, Bruce had to take a moment away from his League duties and settle the matter over a conference call. After debating, he allowed Damian to return to the League of Assassins, provided Dick went with him. The man was already on a leave of absence from his job to cover for Batman, and he could keep a level head when dealing with the Demon's Head.

So off they went as soon as Alfred gave Damian the all-clear. Strangely enough, he had no side effects from being struck by fucking lightning. Well, almost none. He did feel flush every once in a while, and his veins burned like there was liquid battery acid in them, but other than that, he was fine! No, he didn't need another cold press, Alfred! It was only a few hours by plane; he'd be fine!

And honestly, with the news that Eth Alth’eban was on lockdown, Damian thought it would be harder to enter the city. Undetected, at least. Sadly, they were found out immediately and had a group waiting for them as they touched down. As soon as he stepped off the Batplane onto the private airstrip in Yemen, he was quickly surrounded by the 'welcoming' entourage of assassins. They took his bags, herding him toward a black car as Dick jogged to keep up with them. Damian was glad they didn't do a pat-down in their rush; he'd hidden the tablet under his clothes just for this purpose.

"Hey!" his brother shouted. "How did you guys even know we were here?"

"This is a League matter, Nightwing." The head of the group, a one-eyed man named after the god Balor, whom Damian recognized as part of his grandfather's elite, barely turned to look at Grayson and dismissed him entirely.

“No, this is a family matter,” Dick leaned against the door of the car, preventing Balor from opening it and shoving Damian in. They stared at each other long and hard.

“You are not an al Ghul.”

“Damian was nearly killed by a storm demon and told there was a new Heir who is somehow connected to said storm demon. I’m not leaving him alone.”

Balor considered the options before him, glancing at Damian. His one good eye assessed him. The boy simply raised a brow. “I’d prefer it if my baba came with us.”

The assassin’s face twitched, which was the equivalent of a snort of disgust, but gave in to Dick’s demands and herded them both into the car. Two more assassins slid in on either side of them while Balor took the passenger seat. The driver barely glanced at the airport security as they drove the vehicle off the tarmac and into the middle of the desert.

The drive felt long. Damian held a stoic face whenever Balor looked at him and refused to engage in any conversation with Dick. Even when the AC was turned off, everyone started sweating, and his brother was threatening to sing show tunes until they turned it back on.

He ended up singing, of course. Damian just zoned out as his brother started warbling through the entire soundtrack of Hairspray. Truly, the man had questionable taste. For their credit, the assassins made it through the entire performance of Hairspray and halfway through High School Musical before the driver slowly leaned over, never taking their eyes off the desert landscape, and flicked the AC back on to blast. They lasted longer than Bruce would have.

Dick still finished the High School Musical soundtrack despite getting what he wanted. No one ever said he did things half-assed.

Finally, Damian spotted the maze of canyons that housed the Assassin City, Eth Alth’eban. Damian wasn’t sure if his elder brother had ever been there before, but the tight hold he had on his hand suggested that Dick either had very complicated memories of the place or was anxious about being in enemy territory. He wasn’t really interested in asking.

As they approached, the main gate was large and imposing. The sun was high in the sky now and beat down on them to reflect all the minute details that had been carved into the gates. They were gorgeous pieces of work, ones that Ra’s was no doubt very proud of. Guards were there to welcome them, examining the vehicle from top to bottom to ensure nothing strange was being brought in from the outside world. Damian glared at his brother when the man leaned forward to take the attention off of him and the hidden tablet, loudly asking the outside guards when they could go in yet.

One of them narrowed their eyes at Dick. “An extra?” They hissed in Arabic. “This was not approved by the Demon’s Head.”

Balor jerked a thumb at Damian. “His choice,” he responded simply. “The Bats are never alone. The Head is aware of this." Since when? They never called ahead. Damian felt the burn of lighting in his veins again. He caught Balor's eye in the rearview mirror and realized that the man's eye color was much lighter than it was supposed to be. It was shifting between gray and blue, like a cloud, and stared at him with unusual intensity.

Fuck. Of course, the secret guard that was mentioned in the contract. It must have gone into effect when the Navigator returned to wherever he came from. How did he know they would end up in the Eth Alth'eban?

Whatever was said next, Damian missed, but eventually, the gates opened, and the car was let through. Dick was quiet once more, staring at the lush city, probably trying to figure out how to do a backflip off the tall buildings. They headed straight for the palace that was past the training grounds. Most people were taking a noon daybreak, so the grounds were empty when the car pulled up next to the designated drop-off point.

Balor motioned for the group to leave the car, and the two assassins tugged on Dick’s arm painfully, practically dragging him along and not allowing any room for him to wander off. Damian wasn’t touched, but he was no less shuffled in the same direction. They went up the steps, through hallways lined with servants and fountains, following a path Damian recognized easily. They were headed to the medical wing.

His mind raced. Was he ready to meet this ‘Phantom’ fellow? Would he insist on fighting to the death to prove his worth? Had his mother gotten his message and made it here before him? So many questions ran through his head, yet this was not the time to ask them. Damian bit his tongue and instead played the part of the perfect al Ghul. Silent, deadly, and proud.

Balor was leading the way. He studied the older man's back carefully, looking for any other inconsistencies in his behavior. There were none, except for a single cloud symbol stamped into his neck that shimmered the same color as Vortex. Did this mean he was possessed? Was he another one of the Navigator's blessed? Did Damian also have the same symbol? No one else seemed to notice the mark, so Damian put it in the back of his mind. He'd have Dick check his neck later, just in case.

They'd reached the end of the medical wing now, where Damian knew the rooms were sealed off for quarantined patients.

Indeed, a pair of guards stood in front of the extra set of doors. Balor nodded to the guards and pushed through without stopping. The quarantined corridor was short, with only six rooms, three on each side. Five were marked with a little green flag by the door, indicating their vacancy. The sixth, the farthest on the left, had a little red flag displayed. Damian pushed his way to the front of the group and beelined for the door. This was it. Soon, he'd have some answers.

His grandfather opened the door before he could knock. The al Ghuls looked at each other, noting how much had changed since they had last seen each other. His grandfather looked…well. He was healthy, and there were no visible injuries. His clothes were immaculate but simpler than his usual ornate robes. It felt like Ra's was dressed for a close social visit, not for taking over the world and planning murder.

"Damian," His grandfather was as short as ever, however. "You are late."

"Good to see you too, old man," Dick snarked. Ra's ignored him, waving a hand to Balor, who promptly shut the door again before Dick could walk through after Damian. The two were to wait in the hallway, apparently.

Damian moved further past his grandfather, forgoing the greeting. His eyes were glued to the hospital bed. Draped in rich blankets and wrapped in soft cotton bandages, a boy around his age was sitting up and staring at him with green eyes similar to his own. He was holding a glass of Lazarus water, raised to his lips like he was about to drink it. Honestly, if it wasn't for his incredibly pale skin and wispy white hair, the boy could have been his-

"Holy shit, we look exactly the same!" The boy lowered the glass, staring at Damian in wonder. His voice was double-layered, like the Navigator's, and it grated on Damian's mind with the sounds of screaming and creaking ice. "Are you Mr. al Ghul's other grandson? This is so freaky!"

Ah, so this was Phantom.

-

[majorproblems77]

ITS LU UPDATE TIME!!!

AND IT IS ALL ABOUT SKY AND IM SO EXCITED :DDDDD

You know what that means! It means a long post by me! :D

Cant wait to be excited about my blorbo for like 30 minutes, so sit get some popcorn and like some earplugs cause i will try to contain my screaming but I've been waiting for more Sky stuff and I'm so excited!!!!

For point, and because I keep forgetting, all the panels I'll be talking about belong to JoJo and @linkeduniverse

Let's do this!

Alright lets get this out of the way first, I love some parallels right, So as per usual, if I need a panel from anything prior I'll let you know where it's from!

So what do you think he asked him.

Hey sir! Have you seen a guy with a big flag on his back going way to fast come through there?

Man is just like, oh yeah he went that way past the forge that your other weird fellows were at earlier.

He run, Then he hero stop. Power pose activated, target acquired. Then he run some more

Run my blorbo run!

Genuinely interested in what exactly this is, Is it a map? Is it a list of places? Is it a paper with time shift shenanigans in it?

I'm not versed in the postman, Is this normal, or did he do this cause he heard Sky and wanted him to think he was waiting?

This face has be dead. (/pos) I love him so much my dear blorbo its been too long since we saw you last.

Putting this together for 1 reason

Postman is a dick, Sky was so close, That can't be more than 10 or so metres at most. Poor man ran across Town out of town to catch up to you for you to go sprinting off into the woods, and my man is full on Olympic sprinting to deliver this mail geesus.

Also, the compulsory return of the king 🧍, Sky is the king of this pose and will not be beaten. Although Legend comes pretty close.

God the expressions in this update are top tier, Sky is just so expressive. Right now, Man is thinking why he does this to himself.

I'm fucking cackling, this art is amazing and Jojo's sister did an amazing job. Like I feel like I can hear this picture with that teasing tone that my siblings would use on me when we were younger. God I love it.

So even though Sky is looking towards Legend here, so I'm totally under the impression that Legend said Wahhhh, and Hyrule said I cant run. As Hyrule was with wars When they got split up initally. Poor Sky, man has become the butt of jokes. Im glad Four is giving them a look, He doesn't look impressed. Its okay Sky, you've got a friend in Four behind you. :D

War's is the real MVP of this arc in my opinion, Man has been in charge of the ragtag chain while Time has been out of action looking over Twilight. He's at the end of his tether.

Part of me wonders if this is going to impact his fighting going forward? Maybe he'll slip up because he's so stressed. He knows not all of them are knighted. These heroes he is with are NOT soldiers and he can't treat them as such.

And this sentence. Don't Interrupt! sounds like he is scolding rowdy recruits, rather than fellow heroes.

Which if you think about it, Sky is giving essentially a scouting report here, He scouted ahead and has returned to speak about his findings. War's is a captain, in his era he's a commanding officer. He's taken reports of this kind before.

Having a panel with Time, Wild and Twilight in Gives me more life than i think i give it credit for. (I am in the crowd that there's a family connection between these three.)

It's also nice to see Wild, like genuinely smiling.

Moving on

Hero pose again! :D

I love this man

These panels are very important to me so give me a moment while I explain.

Sky probably has her words engrained in his mind. You can see the questioning look, and thinking. "Is this going to work?"

That eternal dream That he's talking about, he knows her power is faded, but he's going to try anyway. I just didn't think he would use it to track what I can only assume is the postman.

It's really nice to have Sky's relationship with the master sword put on display. It means a lot to me and has brought me great Joy through this update.

He cares about her. And even if she can't talk to him anymore. He still trusts her to lead him true.

And this panel breaks my heart! Something inside of him probably really hoped Fi would speak to him or give him more of an indication. Sky looks so sad.

I just wanna hug him, and tell him it'll be alright. He's probably thinking about turning around at this point. Maybe he's thinking about how some members of the chain perceive Fi.

A soulless weapon.

(Or maybe im thinking too much into this)

The way his faith is restored!

Fi did lead him! She did! She's still there somewhere, and his shock! Oh my boy. My sweet blorbo,

And having used like super zoom on that last panel, MY BOY IS SMILING! :D

RUN BLORBO RUN I BELIEVE IN YOU!

(Also appreciation for the full body shot's we've got of Sky from this update, I love it so much I love him so much.)

Did I go hunting for the references, Yes I Did.

I think the following area is the area where they pull Twilight too, rather than the battle field and he then moved on from here to get to the battle field.

From sunset pt4

The pillar behind Sky has the only slant I can think of. It looks to be the same angle, but that could just be me.

If it is that location, it might be closer to that battlefield than we originally (Or at least I originally) assumed.

(If you've got any other places let me know!)

God i love him

Blorbo beloved! Is about as shocked as i am with the whole Mailman thing.

The confidence of this man is unreal. He's ready, he's moving he's going. He's going and ain't going to stop.

Me absolutely yelling at how this portal looks, it so ANGRY, But we know the Shadow is pissed right now. And if the shadow is making these portals and he's angry. I think the chain might be in for a surprise as they move on to the next location.

Which if I have to be honest. I think is going to be Skyloft. I think we are moving into a Sky arch, having had a Twilight Arc. (I also really want to see Skyloft in this universe, and there's an opportunity here. We've had more master sword things. We've had Sky content. who knows where Jojo will take this next, but I'm excited either way.)

Finally back to the chain! :D

The gremlins return :D

Wind's little 3:< face as he's thinking is giving the energy of an upcoming detective arch, He is thinking and he is thinking HARD okay.

Poor Sky. Man has been running around doing all the hard work while the rest of them just enjoy themselves. Hyrule especially is kinda like 'Ohhh... our bad...'

It's actually a kinda guilty look, maybe he feels a little bad about the teasing from earlier?

Now i gotta mention the potion thing, cause its just so damn funny not too. Sky my blorbo slow down you are gonna choke on the stamina potion.

But.

I want to focus on War's here.

And Wild too.

These two. These two are important.

Wild has gone from happy and chill vibes to Oh shit real quick.

After everything he put into the Shadow, while the shadow was injured and watched as the thing exploded. It just decided to come back or something. And Wild, here I imagine is thinking, "How was that not enough..."

Now Wars.

War's is Stood not looking at anything, In fact, I think he's looking past Time. The last thing he said was a two word scolding but apart from that he's been awfully quiet. Now he looks like he's thinking. He's closed off, protective.

The only time I can see where he does this is when he's in what I'm going to call, 'Captain mode.' So, When he's flicked something in his head that tells him he has to be a knight.

He dosent do it often, in fact from what I can see he does it 4 other times.

In order

Devine dark reflections pt 8 - when he's talking about knighthood with Sky and Hyrule

Sunset pt11 - When talking about Wild, and the fact that he's left

Sunset pt13 - When speaking to Twilight about pulling his own weight

Dawn pt 2 - when Twilight is talking about the team they are.

And now here in Dawn 7 - Where they are discussing the fact that an enemy they fought escaped or survived.

All conversations I would assume a captain would have to have with his men at one point or another. I wonder what He's thinking here. It's got me thinking.

Woah, So this took me longer than I thought. I am on the 4-hour mark now. Lmaoooo

Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for listening to me ramble for like 20 minutes.

And just remember

Sky is the sweet bestest blorbo beloved and I love him. :D

Thanks for coming to my tedtalk.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 39 part one

(Masterpost) (Pinboard)  (whole thing on AO3)    

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Fight Exposition Club

Wei Wuxian hollers into the smoke, saying things to provoke Xue Yang, in the hopes that he’ll come fight properly, so Lan Wangji can shank him. Wei Wuxian is figuring out a new way to be a battle couple with Lan Wangji. Without flinging a lot of yin energy around he can’t fight back-to-back with him like they did during the Sunshot campaign, but he can use his mastery of tactics to bring enemies into range of Lan Wangji’s sword arm.

Xue Yang repeatedly sneaks up on Wei Wuxian, rolling natural 20s on his stealth checks even when he’s in extremely plain sight. 

Come on, Wei Wuxian. Try harder. 

They trade trash talk and Wei Wuxian points his flute a lot while Xue Yang tilts his head a lot. 

(More after the cut!)

This scene is tedious but it does give Xue Yang a chance to explain his motivations and philosophy. Why do we need to know? Because he’s here to provide a contrast to Wei Wuxian. Notably, he says, of his massacre of the Chang clan, “since I want to kill that whole family in Yueyang, then I wouldn’t even leave their dog alive.” 

As we get to know Xue Yang, he seems to be into murdering entire clans, and it’s easy to assume he picks them at random. But in fact, his killing of the Chang clan was his revenge for a grievance, and he waited until he earned Wen Ruohan’s permission before he embarked on his massacre. He’s not an uncontrolled spree murderer, despite talking and preening like one. His killing of Song Lan’s sect was also revenge for a grievance. 

The problem with Xue Yang’s murderous tendencies isn’t that they are uncontrolled or random; it’s that he has no sense of proportion, and no mercy. Contrast this with Wei Wuxian, who went on his own revenge-driven killing spree, but even as he massacred the Wens at their corporate offices, he left Wen Qing alive. And once he’d killed those directly responsible for the massacre of the Jiang clan, he turned to actively saving other Wens.  

Active Listening

Meanwhile, Lan Wangji’s fight coordinator is on a smoke break, so Lan Wangji has nothing to do for several minutes except turn around trying to see or hear something through the fog. He keep this move fresh by executing it in as many different ways as possible.

You’ve got the head turn with hair flip...

the “eyes first” head turn...

the fast head turn...

and the body turn while the head stays put.

Nailed It

After conversing through the mist for a while, Xue Yang decides he’s going to try to stick nails in Wei Wuxian, like those he used on Song Lan. 

Wei Wuxian’s fight coordinator is taking a nap, so he just stands there helplessly while the nails come straight at him. Fortunately Wen Ning has some moves prepped, and he comes sailing in -- flying faster than two metal projectiles, which is a neat trick -- to intercept the nails. 

He squeezes them to make sure they’re dead, and drops them as dramatically as possible. 

Wei Wuxian gets in on the head-turning action for a bit, until he figures out that A-Qing is helping them. 

A-Qing is even better at listening than Lan Wangji is, and she knocks her stick on the ground when Xue Yang is near her. 

This allows Lan Wangji to throw Bichen right through Xue Yang’s chest.

Unfortunately, Xue Yang is busily stabbing A-Qing in the heart already.

Wei Wuxian runs over to A-Qing, but he’s too late...since she’s not a cultivator, the wound is fatal.

If you find the low camera angle and the lens distortion here familiar, there’s a reason for that.

Actually, the whole situation is familiar, isn’t it?

Right down to the white clothes and the pierced heart.

Sigh. At least A-Qing’s death was part of her own fight with Xue Yang, not someone else’s story. She put herself in harm’s way to use Lan Wangji as her weapon.

Lay Down Your Arms

Speaking of pierced hearts, I feel like Xue Yang’s chest wound should be bleeding at least as much as his mouth is bleeding, but what do I know?

Xue Yang goes to attack Wei Wuxian, hollering as he does it. At least I think he’s targeting WWX; the blocking in this scene is confusing. Anyway, this gives Lan Wangji the opportunity to do the greatest fight move of his entire career.

He throws Bichen at Xue Yang, severing his arm in such a way that the arm spins around and hits Xue Yang with his own sword.

Fuck Yeah Hanguang-Jun!

Note: if you like Xue Yang’s fight scenes as much as I do, check out my fanvid over here. 

Now I’ve Gotta Turn My Back on You

Once Xue Yang is unable to fight, Su-She-in-a-mask appears, initially trying to rescue him. 

Su She goes to grab XY’s shoulder to teleport him out out there, but Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji react simultaneously, throwing a talisman (WWX) and Bichen (LWJ) at his hand, forcing him to let go. 

So he yoinks the Yin Tiger Seal from Xue Yang’s vest pocket and them bamfs himself away, leaving Xue Yang to his fate.

Xue Yang takes a moment to contemplate how well and truly fucked he is. 

Then he cackles gleefully, since that’s his response to anyone having a terrible day, including himself, apparently. 

This inspires Song Lan to finish pulling himself together so that he can finish Xue Yang. 

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji leave him to it instead of sticking around to make sure XY is really dead this time. Remarkably, this does not result in a miraculous escape for Xue Yang, and Song Lan stabs him, mortally wounding him. 

Then, as Xue Yang lies bleeding out in the road, the show pulls an amazing switcharoo, giving us Xue Yang's perspective on the events leading up to his death, explaining his perspective and giving new depth to his character.  Still evil, still an asshole, but also a victim, with a temperament formed by trauma and injustice. 

Flashback Time

Flashback-Xue-Yang tells Flashback-Xiao-Xingchen what he’s done. First we get him gloating as he explains what he’s done to XXC.

Then he explains why. We circle around and around until we arrive at his central trauma: the encounter with Sect Leader Chang that cost him his finger and turned him into a vengeance machine. 

When he was busy carrying out his long-planned revenge on the Chang clan, Xiao Xingchen interrupted him, with Song Lan’s help, so he extended his revenge plan to include them. And because he has no sense of proportion, he wasn’t content with killing them; he wanted to destroy them, particularly Xiao Xingchen, whose idealism deeply offends Xue Yang. 

Everything he did to Xiao Xingchen was basically an elaborate way of saying, “the world is worse than you believe it to be.” 

His plan comes to fruition when he tells Xiao Xingchen everything he has done to him, culminating in showing him what they - together - have done to Song Lan. 

Unfortunately it works too well, because Xiao Xingchen is so horrified and disillusioned that he cuts his own throat, falling dead while Xue Yang watches in horror. 

Song Lan’s tiny, perplexed reaction to Xiao Xingchen’s death--the first thing he’s reacted to since losing his fight with Xue Yang--always breaks my heart.

Then things get really weird. Xue Yang is determined to resurrect Xiao Xingchen, following the same protocols that Wei Wuxian developed for reviving Wen Ning. But his version is way, way creepier. 

Initially his plan is to add Xiao Xingchen to his collection of fierce corpses, because the dead are easier to control.  But as time passes and XXC fails to wake up, Xue Yang becomes more and more distraught, showing what looks like a genuine attachment to Xiao Xingchen. 

This doesn’t make him less of an abuser, but it does make him a lot more interesting and complex of a character.

As the flashback ends, Xue Yang’s last thought is about Xiao Xingchen giving him candy, simply out of the kindness of his heart. 

Ultimately, Xiao Xingchen teaches him, at the very end of his life, that the world is--slightly--better than Xue Yang believed it to be.  

The Point of It All

Of the many parallels we see in Yi City, the arc of Xue Yang’s life compared with the arc of Wei Wuxian’s is particularly important.  

They each have similar talents; they each had similar beginnings. But Wei Wuxian has a kind heart and a yearning for justice, while Xue Yang is relentlessly cruel and cynical. Why?

The answer, I think, is this guy:

When Xue Yang was a hungry street urchin, he encountered Sect Leader Chang, who reviled him, beat him, and grievously injured him, setting him on the path of vengeance, murder and mayhem. When Wei Wuxian was a hungry street urchin, he encountered Sect Leader Jiang, who fed him, elevated him to a high status, and taught him, by example, to value and protect the weak.

Xue Yang responded by wiping out every member of the Chang clan. Wei Wuxian responded by tearing himself apart in order to ensure the continuation of the Jiang clan, as well as becoming the hero of the Sunshot campaign, a champion for the weak, and the cultivation partner of the most righteous dude in the Jianghu.

Jiang Fengmian wasn’t a good parent (understatement), but he was a pretty good sect leader, and at a crucial moment, he chose kindness.  That moment ripples outward through families and sects, across generations, into the wider society.  How a man chooses to interact with a hungry child can ultimately shape the entire world. 

...damn it, Yi City, you made me appreciate Jiang Fengmian! 

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Osferth NSFW Alphabet

A= Aftercare (what they’re like after the act)

Really good with the aftercare. Loves to cuddle and checks in to make sure his partner is okay. Will likely make them pray to assuage the religious guilt though.

B= Body part (favorite body part their own or their lovers)

He likes his hands - the duality of wielding a sword and praying is something Osferth enjoys, and having the privilege to explore his partner's body with them.

He likes his partner's eyes and hair. He loves staring into their eyes when he's buried inside of them and nuzzling into their hair and breathing in their scent when he's holding them close.

C= Cum (anything that has to do with it)

Will pull out and cum directly onto his partner's pussy rather than inside of it. Not the ideal way to prevent pregnancy, but this monk has long since broken his vow of celibacy.

D= Dirty secret (Pretty self explanatory)

The fact that Osferth has sex at all is a dirty secret. He's not supposed to. But he actively seeks it out and enjoys it.

E= Experience (do they know what they’re doing)

Yes, this man is as devoted to the skilled art of fucking as he is swordsmanship.

F= Favorite position

Any position where he can have his partner in his lap and stare up at them - loves the opportunity to watch them fall apart, but also be completely wrapped up in them.

G= Goofy (how serious are they)

Osferth will be a little shy and let slip the occasional nervous giggle, as he knows he's not really supposed to be doing this.

H= Hair (grooming habits)

Not very hairy, so no grooming necessary.

I= Intimacy (in the moment romantic or rough/dirty)

Prefers slow and romantic, but if he's pent up after a battle or pressed for time he will be very rough.

J= Jack off (do they masturbate and how often)

Never. It's a sin. If he's going to spill his seed he'd prefer to do it while being intimate and make the sin worth it.

K= Kink (kinks what they like possibly unusual)

Actually gets off on the religious guilt a little bit. Will put his cross around his partner's neck while they're riding him and be mesmerised by the way it looks moving between their tits.

L= Location (where they like to get it on)

Everywhere. His tent, his partner's tent, a dirty straw laden barn floor, a lumpy inn mattress. Osferth spends much of his time travelling, so beggars can't be choosers.

M= Motivation (things that makes them tick/turn ons)

Eye contact. Long, pretty hair. Lingering touches. Whispering in his ear.

N= No (turnoffs or absolutely won’t do)

Being publicly vulgar/crass, making it public knowledge that he's done the deed.

O= Oral (receiving or giving and how skillful they are)

Is quite shy about this, not opposed to it, but it will take some persuasion to get him to engage in either.

P= Pace (how fast they are and how long they last in bed)

Will take his time if he's bedded down for the evening. If there's a chance of getting caught then he's jackhammering.

Q= Quickie (do they prefer fast and hard)

Prefers soft and slow, but life on the road often means his only option is a fast and hard quickie.

R= Risk (do they like to try new things)

No, Osferth likes what he likes - he's sinned enough, his partner shouldn't push their luck.

S= Stamina (how many times they can go and how long each round lasts)

Osferth has very good stamina. He can last a while and can go at least twice before he runs out of steam.

T= Toys (are they game for using sex toys on themselves or lovers)

Absolutely not.

U= Unfair (how do they tease or do they enjoy suspense themselves)

He's not one to tease and gets extremely flustered if it's done to him.

V= Volume (are they loud, what sounds, and do they talk)

Is very quiet - expect the occasional gasp and barely audible panting.

W= Wild card (random sincannon of any sort)

Has fantasised about taking his partner while they read scripture and seeing how much they can get through without faltering.

X= X-ray (what’s down below in dem pants)

A really pretty cock - those baggy trousers are concealing a decent 7.5 inches - it's worth getting on your knees and praying to.

Y= Yearning (sexdrive level)

High, but he's shy about it.

Z= Zzzz (do they sleep after if so how quickly after)

Won't fall asleep for a while - likes to have time to decompress and process what's just happened.

[rottenpumpkin13]

What’s a day in the life like of a security guard watching the chaos of the boys unfold on the security cameras?

A Day On The SOLDIER Floor Through The Eyes Of The Security Cameras

★

4:00 AM - Watch Sephiroth stumble into the elevator half asleep with a coffee cup in hand, select the wrong floor, then get off on General Affairs.

4:03 AM - Watch Sephiroth hobble back onto the elevator, rub his eyes and finally select the right floor.

6:00 AM - Watch Angeal take half a bottle of aspirin in the elevator. Then he sends a voice message to Genesis ("WAKE THE HELL UP OR ELSE I'M GOING OVER THERE AND DRAGGING YOU TO WORK BY YOUR HAIR") and exits the elevator mumbling "and so the nightmare begins again."

6:15 AM - Watch Zack excitedly hop onto the elevator with a protein shake, headphones, and rapping Fergalicious the whole ride up to the SOLDIER floor.

6:30 AM - Watch Genesis preen himself in the elevator's mirror while saying "You are enough. You are not a disappointment. You are successful. You are talented. You are not annoying. You are attractive. You are better that Sephiroth."

7:02 AM - Watch Director Lazard crash into the conference room door head first. It's a clear, glass door. He didn't realize it was closed. He does this every morning.

7:30 AM - Watch Zack try to buy a candy bar from the broken vending machine, forget that it's broken, lament over his lost Gil, then walk away. He does this twice a week.

7:32 AM - Watch Sephiroth try to buy a candy bar from the broken vending machine thinking it's been fixed, lose some Gil, then shrug.

7:31 AM - Watch Genesis punch a whole through the vending machine, steal a candy bar and rush off to give Zack his candy.

7:32 AM - Sephiroth tries to stop Genesis from "theft" and reprimands him for breaking the vending machine. Genesis: IT'S ALREADY BROKEN WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN??

Sephiroth: THANKS TO YOU IT'S NOT GETTING FIXED ANY QUICKER NOW, IS IT?

7:37 AM - Sephiroth and Genesis are on the floor locked in a scuffle. There's hair pulling, dodged punches, the usual.

7:40 AM - Angeal and another SOLDIER pull Sephiroth and Genesis away from each other. The trio spends the rest of the morning working around the base.

10:21 AM - Zack comes back from a mission. The security cameras catch him step off the elevator, do a cartwheel, then run off to bother Sephiroth.

10:40 AM - Zack is teaching Sephiroth how to perfect his cartwheels. Sephiroth does one the exact moment Genesis appears around the corner. He crashes into Sephiroth's legs.

11:00 AM - Angeal is seen in the elevator. He's covered in sweat while downing the contents of a water bottle. He's on his way to pick up the guys for them to go to lunch.

11:01 AM - The cameras catch Angeal stepping off the elevator, taking one look at Zack crying and screaming while trying to pull Sephiroth and Genesis apart. Angeal goes "nope" as he steps back into the elevator.

11:30 AM - Watching Zack zoom into the cafeteria giving Genesis a piggyback ride. Angeal and Sephiroth are right behind them talking and laughing. The boys sit at their usual booth in the cafeteria. This is the most normal part of their day. They're just talking and eating.

1:00 PM - Watch Cloud exit the elevator on the SOLDIER floor. He's there for his daily training session with Genesis. Or Sephiroth. He doesn't know yet.

1:02 PM - Watch Lazard greet Cloud on his way through the main hallway. They stop to chat for a bit before Lazard informs him that Sephiroth is waiting for him in the training room.

1:07 PM - Cloud reaches the training room.

1:08 PM - The camera inside the training room is filming an active argument between Sephiroth and Genesis that is escalating by the minute.

Genesis: YOU HAD HIM YESTERDAY!

Sephiroth: AND YOU HAD HIM FOR THREE DAYS LAST WEEK.

Genesis: HE NEEDS TO WORK ON HIS CASTS!

Sephiroth: AND HE CAN BARELY HOLD A SWORD WITHOUT HIS ARM CRAMPING.

Genesis: HE NEEDS TO WORK ON EVERYTHING THEN.

Cloud: I AM STANDING RIGHT HERE.

1:32 PM - Sephiroth and Cloud are sparring as practice. Genesis is off the side yelling tips at Cloud. This is distracting both Cloud and Sephiroth, so much so that the latter launches a blast of water at Genesis to get him to shut up.

1:42 PM - Cloud is off to the side listening to music on his phone and relaxing while Genesis (soaked) and Sephiroth (covered in soot) spar.

2:53 PM - The security camera right outside Lazard's office catches Zack and Kunsel rush by carrying a crate full of cats. The cats are meowing loudly.

2:54 PM - Lazard opens his office door, looks down the hallway, doesn't see anything, then shrugs and goes back inside.

3:21 PM - Cloud is sitting in the SOLDIER lounge sipping some expensive espresso while reading a magazine. Roche comes up to him.

Roche: Dude, aren't you gonna get in trouble? You're not in SOLDIER.

Cloud: No, but my friends are all Firsts.

Roche: Ah, work smarter not harder.

Cloud: I do work hard. Unfortunately I have a divorced couple who share custody of me as my mentors.

Roche: Where are they?

Cloud: Sephiroth left for a mission and Genesis is helping Zack and Kunsel hide a crate full of stray cats they found in sector four.

4:15 PM - The hidden camera in Lazard's office (that only Mayor Domino had access to) shows Lazard peacefully working. There's a loud crack in the ceiling. Angeal crashes through the air vents and falls directly on top of Lazard's desk in a cloud of dust and debris.

Lazard: OH MY GOD!

Angeal: Have you seen—*cough*—have you seen a cat anywhere? *cough cough* I thought I heard a cat in the vents.

4:20 PM - Director Lazard has fainted. Angeal is panicking as he tries to wake him up.

5:00 PM - Sephiroth is walking down a hallway on route to his office to draft up his mission report. All is a sudden, a cat crashes through the vents and falls right into Sephiroth's arms

Sephiroth: Oh! Hello. What were you doing in the vents?

5:01 PM - Genesis crashes though the vents and falls right on top of Sephiroth.

[mettywiththenotes]

Okay okay okay

So Hawks clearly isn’t giving up, right? He’s just not. That’s not who he is, so of course he’s going to keep fighting. With the panel of Hawks holding the sword, with the sounds of the Twice rampage in the background, it really seems like he’s not going to go down that easy

Hawks saw “Twice” come out of the portal and his reaction was this

Total panic, right? He killed Twice for a reason - to prevent mass destruction from happening because, knowing Twice’s quirk and what side he was on (what side he was sticking to), he knew how chaotic the war could get. So seeing Twice come back? You can see the panic inside of him. This is not what he wants. We know he’s willing to kill “Twice” again

Fast forward to this chapter

All other threats are gone. AFO is gone. There are no Villains or Noumu in front of him. Dabi has been taken care of. Yet Hawks still stands because there’s one more Villain that hasn’t been taken care of, and that’s “Twice”/Toga

While we could say he’s only standing here to protect Tokoyami from the oncoming Twice’s that will surely attack them once they spread further, there’s no way he’s not going to be involved with the Twice clones anyway. And I don’t think Hawks would just stand there and wait for someone to take down Toga - he’d probably try to do it himself

So I think there’s a possibility that Hawks could go after Toga and try to kill her before the clones can spread further. I also think there’s evidence to Hawks joining the fight and attempting to repeat history

Hawks has already been through killing Twice. There’s a chance he’s willing to do it again based on the fact that he’s done it before. Something along the lines of “I’ve done it once, I can do it again. Only I will bear the burden of it”. It’s not farfetched at all for Hawks to do so because he wants to spare anyone else from having to kill. “I am willing to be corrupted” and all that

(He’s probably ready to face Twice, to deal with the image of taking him down again, but could he do the same with Toga? With the reality that he wouldn’t just be taking down the image of Twice, but a young girl too?)

Also, the narration says that the Heroes cannot falter

Who’s someone who won’t falter, no matter what the task? Who is willing to corrupt himself, willing to cover himself in blood for a brighter future? Hawks. I feel that the text is practically calling his name for him to enter. Also, the Todoroki’s are out for the count, Iida looks like he’s done too. The only Hero shown here willing to stand up and not falter is Hawks

There’s evidence for this Toga-Ochako fight paralleling with the Twice-Hawks fight

Firstly, Toga is on Twice’s side. She is quite literally Twice in this parallel. Someone who looks like him right now, someone who activated Sad Man’s Parade, someone who has shown care for members of the League in these moments

Someone who, as chocolate-biscuit has pointed out here, has the same hole in her mask just like Twice did

And what does this fight also have in common with the Raid one? A third person is shown ready to fight

Dabi was the only one shown running towards the fight, and Hawks is the only one shown so far who is actually up and still willing to fight

The red sparrow dream

That dream has always reminded me of Hawks, because of the specificity of the animal. It’s not just a bird, it’s a red bird. Red like Hawks’ wings. We know Hawks doesn’t have his wings right now, but also notice that the wings aren’t important to the dream - the type of bird is mentioned specifically, but the bird specifically uses its feet and its beak. Also notice that birds can represent the freedom to fly away, to escape, but this bird doesn’t use its wings and do that. Instead, it chooses to stay and inflict harm

I know this may just be a small coincidental thing, but still, I think there’s a potential for it to be connected to Hawks somehow

Finally, Horikoshi has said Ochako and Hawks are both “beacons of hope” in the final war arc. Hawks, who didn’t give up fighting against AFO and protected Tokoyami from getting his quirk stolen, and still refuses to lay down. Ochako, who won’t give up on Toga. She wants to save people from the Villains and the war but she can’t ignore a Villain’s cries either

How interesting would it be if we had both “beacons of hope” clash in their fights to protect and save people?

Of course, this is only a possibility, though I think it does have the potential to happen. I would personally love to see Hori dive into Hawks’ character involving Twice again, and putting him up close and personal with someone Ochako wants to save would be so interesting to watch

But, let’s remember that I’m theorizing based on 2 panels of Hawks lol. We’ll have to see what happens next, but again, it’d be really cool to see them all come together this way and fight against ideals and saving vs killing

[roxiewritesstuff]

Your Armor is Soft

Hello again guys! As always, feedback is appreaciated.

English is not my first language so feel free to correct any mistakes! Warnings: Clarisse is soft! (Cause I’m a whore for soft Clarisse who is only soft for her s/o), Battle, wounds (not graphic), happy ending. (tell me if I missed any)

A/N: Reader is Percy’s sibling, you choose if blood related or not. So daughter of Poseidon.

Hope you enjoy :)

Clarisse La Rue x Fem! Reader

“Clarisse, you cannot upgrade your water gun to shoot stronger than the others’.” I scold the woman sitting on the ground, trying to dismantle her water pistol.

“There’s no rules about boosting your weapons.” A knowing smirk creeps up her face.

“There is about killing other campers though.” I state, snatching one of her tools.

She huffs in annoyance. “Alright, but you’re no fun.”

Crouching, I give her a sweet, short kiss. “But you still love me.”

“Don’t get too cocky.” A smirk appears on her features yet again.

It is supposed to be a calm day. Summer is at its highest and most campers are already inside borders, talking to their half-brothers and sisters.

Today there are many entertaining and fun activities to do. Mr. D and Chiron were kind enough to let everyone relax for at least one day of Summer.

But I should know already that nothing is ever calm in camp Half-Blood.

“HELP!” We hear people scream from near the border’s entry. Don’t tell me it’s another bull.

Both of us get up and start running to assist. Many campers from different cabins race along us.

The screams get louder as we near the entrance’s pillars. People are rushing left to right desperately. We can barely see what’s happening in front of us. Pushing our way through the crowd, we find out why everyone is yelling.

“What the…” I mutter astonished.

Some guy I don’t recognise is sprinting away from the biggest cyclop I’ve ever seen in my life. And for the looks of it, he doesn’t know how to fight. Probably a new camper, without a satyr to guide him through the woods safely.

“Shoot. Go get more children of Ares!” I shout so Clarisse can hear me over all the screams. Pulling out my sword, I get into a fighting stance.

“What? Are you crazy?! Look at the size of that thing! I’m not leaving you.”

“I can hold my own. Besides, I will be safer if there is backup. Please, love.” I urge her. 

“Okay.” She rushes to her cabin, just to pause midway. “Hey, don’t die on me, okay?” Her concerned face shows more emotion than she’d like.

I nod. And while my girlfriend runs away, my attention is back on the boy and his new friend.

“Hey, dickhead!” I call for the cyclops' attention. “Catch me if you can!”

 Jumping through roots and rocks, I sprint to the opposite direction of the new camper, trying to make the big creature fall.

“Newbie! Run to them! They’ll protect you.” I order while pointing at the other campers, safe inside the borders.

After a strenuous time, children of Ares finally arrive. Clarisse leading them. I’m so tired that, looking at them, I stumble my feet into a rock. I don’t fall though. The cyclop catches me just in time to throw me into a tree with all its force, knocking the air out of my lungs. How lucky.

I hit the tree with my back, falling after the impact. My head down on the floor and my sword by my side. Clarisse rushes to me. Her half-siblings surrounding me for protection.

"Baby, c’mon. Wake up.” She pleads me.

“I’m awake. Just… out of breath.” A groan leaves my lips as I try to stand up but fail. The head of Ares’ Cabin helps me sit up.

“Get him.” And with that short command, all her half-siblings bolt to the cyclop.

The green-eyed woman puts her hand on my chest to regulate my breathing. “You’re okay, don’t worry. I’m here with you.”

“What happened?” A new rushed voice appears by my side.

I look over to see my brother, Percy Jackson, dashing to me.

“A new camper arrived without a satyr. A cyclop smelled him.” Clarisse explains for me.

“I’m on it.” Percy declares and runs off, pulling his own sword out.

“Be careful!” I try to yell, only to start coughing in the middle of the sentence.

After a few minutes of recovery with Clarisse by my side, I feel good enough to stand again. Ready to fight.

Just when I get up, Percy flashes by my eyes only to hit a tree right by my side. Unlike me, he stays down.

I can only feel rage at that moment. No one touches my brother.

“Get him to the infirmary.” I demand. A couple of campers helps him while Clarisse never leaves me.

“What now?” The fighter asks.

“Now he dies.” I sneer.

My hands close in fists, all the screams around me fade. Water streams course through my veins, soaking my skin and the soil surrounding me. The current leaves me, only to envelope me like a ball. My hands dart forward and the water obeys. The cyclop is hit by a pressured water stream that sends him flying through the woods, splatting on the ground.

“Babe!” Clarisse gets my attention. She moves near the creature and makes a platform with her body so she can help me jump. “C’mon!”

I grab my sword from the ground and use my powers to guide me to her and make an impulse. I aim at the cyclops’ eye and dig my sword through his flesh.

Bullseye.

The creature turns to ash and I fall to the ground. I try to stand up just to discover that my legs are wobbly. Luckily, I feel a pair of strong arms embrace me before I can hit the ground.

“Love, are you okay? Talk to me!” It’s the last thing I hear before I blackout.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

When I regain my senses the first thing I notice is the soft mattress beneath me. No more screams. My mouth feels dry and my eyelids heavy. There’s also a soft feeling on my hand. I can’t quite pinpoint what it is.

I open my eyes and the light is dim enough for me to not be bothered by it. After a little while I can open them wide enough to scan my environment. 

Infirmary, great.

The light entering the room tells me that it’s dusk. I look down to inspect the soft feeling on my hand, only to find out it's my girlfriend's hand holding my own. She’s asleep, snoring softly in a chair by my bed. So beautiful.

I was about to whisper something but the only thing that comes out is a rough cough that startles her awake. She gets up quickly to get me a cup of water as she sees me struggle.

“Better?” Her soft voice asks. Probably the softest I’ve ever heard.

I nod. “What happened?” We may be talking in whispers by now.

“Something about using your powers so much you passed out. I didn’t really pay attention to what Will was saying, I was worried about you.” Taking my hand again, she kisses it gently. The gesture so unusual and delicate that makes me melt.

“Wait,” My head perks up. “how long was I out?” Her expression reflects my concerns.

“Two days.” Wow… Was it that bad?

“You… have been here all this time?” 

“She has.” A third person enters the infirmary. Will, son of Apollo. “She almost beat me up when I tried to take her to her cabin.” Luckly, he didn’t seem upset by my partner's attitude.

“You should know better than mess with a child of Ares.” I try to lighten the mood.

“I will definitely be more cautious next time.” That sunny smile of his flashes me.

“So… wanna tell me what happened?” I inquire, gesturing to the bed.

“When they brought you, you were dehydrated and physically exhausted. The cyclop cracked one of your ribs. You abused your powers so much that you passed out.. Fortunately, you only had to rest. Everything is healed now but I suggest you take it easy for a week.”

“Thank you, Will.” My brother quickly creeps my mind. “Wait, how’s Percy?”

The son of Apollo walks to the other side of the room and pulls one of the curtains back. There is Percy with a cast on his leg, Annabeth by his side.

“You’re awake!” Both of them cheered. The daughter of Athena walks up to me and pulls me into a hug.

“Hey, be careful.” Clarisse says warningly, ready to split us.

Wanting to ease her, I grasp her shoulder. My hand slides into hers again, squeezing softly.

“How are you doing?” I ask my brother from across the room.

“I’m fine, just…” He gestures to his leg.

“Yeah, he’ll be here for another 2 weeks.” Will says.

“Can I go to my cabin, though?” I ask Will, wanting to get out of that not so comfortable bed.

“Sure. Although I would like for someone to monitor you for me.”

Everyone looks at Clarisse. She only scoffs.

“Of course, you think I’d let her be alone after all of this?” She questions, almost offended. Standing up, she makes a move to carry me.

“Wait, I can walk on my own.” I giggle lightly.

I take her arms to stabilise myself, a little weak but successfully. My girlfriend’s arms almost embracing me, just to be sure that I wouldn’t fall.

“Okay, I’m fine.” I say confidently. Even though I’m walking just fine she still keeps a hand on my waist, just in case.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

At night, Clarisse doesn’t leave my side. Ever.

While I took a shower she was on the bathroom floor. I am still a little sore so she even helped put my clothes on.

When we are getting into bed, something on her arm catches my attention.

“Love, give me your hand.” I ask tenderly.

She complies without a doubt, just wanting to please me.

I notice a deep cut right by her tricep.

“Clarisse La Rue!” That catches her attention as she looks at me wide eyed. “You told me you weren’t injured!”

“I’m not.” She replies confused.

“Yes you are! There’s a cut right here!” I twist her arm a bit to show her.

“It doesn’t hurt. It’s nothing really.” She isn’t nearly as concerned as I want her to be. She seems melancholic even.

“Why didn’t you treat it at the infirmary?”

“Because you were knocked down on the bed! Bleeding! You were gone for 2 days! Do you think I’d care about me when the person I love the most is hurt?!”

I’m shocked. Clarisse isn’t one to just talk about her feelings openheartdly. Her father never allowed her to. We’ve been working through that, so sometimes these outbursts can happen. Nothing that actually scares me. 

Although I’m kind of happy she is expressing herself, the last sentence caught me off guard. 

“You love me?” Of course that’s the only thing my exhausted brain can catch.

She looks at me dumbfounded for a while, until she realises what she said. “I… do. I love you. I love you and I was terrified of losing you.”

“I’m sorry.” I reach for her neck to hug her and nuzzle my face there.

“It’s okay. You are here now.”

After a few minutes of just hugging lovingly, I call for her. “Hey Clarisse?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“I love you too.”

[deldeldel90]

traitor Blaine au where he was always worse but in a wet cat sort of way. greyden vibes, where he's just like really mentally ill and just. Going Through It.

so he runs away after the final battle, lives in destitute, doesn't take care of himself AT ALL. he's basically just stewing in his own failures, becoming unhinged and generally unwell, doesn't sleep, doing Really Bad.

and he's trying to come up with a plan. to get revenge, because like,, he's lost everything. he's lost Father, and he still hasn't uncovered how much abuse his dad put on him bc he has zero (0) emotional awareness. he's coming up with revenge because it's the only thing that's keeping him stable and keeping him from absolutely breaking into a million pieces.

so… after a few months of planning, and not taking care of himself, becoming sick every few days and forgetting to eat and not sleeping, he has the Perfect idea. he pretends to be helpless in order to sneak into their club.

(he is helpless, but not like he’ll ever admit that.)

“i don't have a curse,” he tells them, pretending to be ashen-faced. there's blood on his fist from where he had to work his ass off in order to get a meal. it was the first one he'd eaten in about three days. “but.. i heard this place can help for more than that. is it okay if I…” he feels his throat stir. “if I can-” he stumbles over his words. his face burns in very real embarrassment.

“of course you can join,” prez says immediately. she takes his hands, cold to the touch, and puts them into her warm ones. “let's get you inside. you're all damp.”

blaine doesn't own anything better than about two pairs of outfits and a raggedy cloak. he doesn't have anything. everybody hates him, after all. he doesn't want anything. he just needs revenge.

this is what he needs… to make Father proud. to be loved again.

he tries to pry into their secrets. they force him to eat a hot meal instead. he tries to get curtis to tell him where he keeps different keys. curtis insists he gets a bath first—”and wash your hair,” he says, kindly, offering to help him do it, if he's unable to do it on his own.

“i’m fine,” blaine hisses, wondering why everyone's being so… nice to him. he ends up needing the help for his hair. his body feels so weak. his sharp mind has fog all around it.

“do you have the flu or something…?” syrah demands to know, rolling her eyes as she sets up a board game in blaine’s makeshift bedroom. “c'mon. this game’s called ‘fashion roll-two’. saff and abbi are getting the snacks.”

and more instances like this. they keep taking care of him, he keeps trying to get information and sabotage them. it won't stop.

blaine does not understand what's going on.

the cpc smile at him at every breakfast and offer him more of those sugary waffles.

here's the twist: THEY KNOW BLAINE IS LYING!!!! they know he's a trickster little bunny rabbit!!! a snake. a thieving cat, if you will. they know it all. they just see him and go, “damn bitch you live like this?”

but they see him– hurting, actively in pain, destroying himself, all while trying to hide it under a mask of pure hatred. but he cares too much.

(he always has.)

he teaches abbi the way of the sword- from what little he knows. he paints makeup onto syrah's face. he paints flower pots and gardens with saffron. he reads poetry with prez on the quiet nights. he helps curtis with the cleaning whenever he can. he plays requested songs at the piano for the club during the days where it's raining too hard outside to spend it by the campfire. he remembers all the names of the girls nobody else really looks to. he gives gwen his jacket after she made a mess of herself in the kitchen and can't help but understand why she's everyone’s little sister. aurelia and him have cat fights but he looks out for the younger girl, making sure her food is always chilled.

he tries to take revenge. tries to keep a distance and make himself hateable, tries to keep others away from him. tries to self destruct.

but they don't let him.

au name: “to befriend an enemy” or something like that :3

[thesilversun]

For the wip title game, can you spill sometjing about 'sea in storm'?

This is, as much of what I write, a canon divergent AU.

DFS and LXY are fighting on the ship right at the start, they get to the point where dfs has pinned lxy to the deck with his sword in his shoulder and dfs is telling to admit defeat.

lxy tries to use his yangzhouman to free himself, but the bicha poison flares up for the first time, and he can't. He accuses dfs of poisoning him - he doesn't know what poison is, but he knows it's bad.

dfs denies it, denies knowing anything about sgd's death either. lxy doesn't believe him. If he's going to die he's taking dfs with him - he'll avenge sgd and himself. Can't reach his sword, grabs a jagged, broken peice of timber from the deck beside and stabs dfs in the stomach and then passes out from the poison.

dfs is angry, in pain and he can see on the distant shore the attack against the Sigu sect - an attack he had never ordered or wanted.

Someone has set them up and used them both. Someone has used him, made him their weapon. Again. He's absolutely furious. He's going to find out who dared do this and kill them.

First he...no, they, need to survive. he needs lxy to know that he fights fair. Dfs is barely on his feet, but he manages to get him and lxy into the small boat lxy had arrived in.

They huddle together in it, lxy barely conscious, both soaking wet, freezing and bleeding, the stormy sea threatening to drown them both. finally the boat washes up on the beach, the storm has lessened, the moon is visible through the racing clouds.

Wuyan finds them, assist them to get to Medicine Demon. It's early enough in the poisoning he can do something, but it's likely to permanently damage lxy's energy. Dfs says save him, they can fix anything else later.

Anything else include himself, as dfs tells Medicine Demon that his only priority is lxy. Which means by the time lxy is something like conscious and not actively dying - although still feeling absolutely awful - dfs is suffering - there are wooden splinters still stuck inside him from the piece of timber he was stabbed with.

He sees wuyan being as gentle with dfs as he can, while he holds him down, so medicine demon can open up the wound and remove the wooden fragments that have cause it to become infected. He sees dfs caught in horrible fever driven nightmares and learns for the first time of the Di Fortress.

Lxy is still too sick and weak to manage to walk more than a few steps, but his mind is clear. He runs over everything, he talks to Wuyan. comes to the same conclusion as dfs - that they have been set up. He still gets wanmian's letter and the news that so many of the sigu sect have died.

dfs and lxy slowly recuperating, trying to work out who could have set them up. They will have to play a long game for now.

Not sure where I'll take it after that point - perhaps it doesn't need more.

Also not sure when I'll get round to writting all of that up as a full fic, I've go so many that I'm working on.

[kalolasfantasyworld]

Black Clover Pacific Rim Au

Hi everyone I had this idea some time ago and talked to some people about. Few of us actually started writing something and it looked pretty good. This is still an open idea and very much a WIP, but I wanted to finally share it 💕 (took me 1.5 months to do so)

@funky-sea-cryptid @thoughtfullyrainynightmare @lyranova @loosesodamarble @koneko-pi @hybridanafrost

Some main information

Jeager pairings are the same as combo parings in BC mobile game (I'll go through them below)

This is the time, when the jesger program was at its peak, so there is a lot of them and they are well organised

Characters are stationed at the Clover base (which is in Japan) officially run by Augustus Kira (he's terrified of Kaiju and is there only to uphold his reputation and position)

The story starts with Asta and Yuno arriving at the Clover base as new junior pilots with their jeager

Just like in Pacific Rim, this story happens in real world and suit countries are bases

Jeager pairings at the beginning of the story:

(There could be more, these are just a few I have some ideas for.)

Nozel & Fuegoleon

Pilot one of the best jeagers in the whole world and are an extraordinary team.

They usually lead missions as captains.

They are very popular and known for their merits.

Everyone looks up to them and they have big fanclubs.

They go way back, so their drift is very efficient, until recent problems

They come from high situated families associated with the jeager program.

Asta & Yuno

They come from an orphanage and everyone suspects, that their parents died because of a Kaiju attack

They participate in try outs for jeager pilots

It appears that their drift is exceptional so they get it in to the training program, despite no one actually believing in them

Asta wants to become a jeager pilot, to obviously protect the citizens and become the next commander, but he also wants to impress a nun that was taking care of the boys in the orphanage

Yami & Jack

They are a mess to say at least, but at least they are efficient

This team is being sent out, when they need some unconventional methods

Their jeager uses sharp plasma edged swords and fights mostly close distance

Noelle & Mimosa

Since they come from the Vermillon and Silva families they are expected to do great

Nozel doesn't want Noelle to pilot a jeager, he says that she's weak, but she ends up signing up anyway

Girls are in the same training group as Asta and Yuno when they arrive at the Clover Base

However since Noelle was badly treated by her siblings she has problems with trust and her drift is very shaky

Her and Mimosa even though being effective in training fail in the jeager while drifting

However after Noelle gets to know Asta better, she learns how to deal with her emotions and past

Magna & Luck

They are the "wild" team

Their jeager is smaller, but very agile

It shoots fire projectiles and is able to electrocute

Luck's mother pushed him into the jeager program

At first it was hard for Luck to open up to Magna through drift

However later they begin to ghost drift... (This is Tam's and @t-f-t's idea!!!)

Also they are CHRONIC drift junkies (another amazing idea of Tam and Alex!)

Finral & Vanessa

Finral was pushed away by his influential family and ended up in the jeager program wanting to prove himself

Vanessa on the other hand was running away from her abusive mother

They clicked in the barracks, when they were sneaking out to a bar, during their training and it appeared they were compatible

They are a support jeager

Charlotte & Sol

Charlotte took Sol under her wing

They have a female looking jeager

Nacht & Morgen (Not active anymore 😔)

They used to be one of the best teams there were

However an accident happened and Morgen was ripped out of the jeager by a kaiju

Nacht finished the fight on his own, but it took a tool on him

He hasn't drifted with anyone since Morgen

He hangs around the base, but is very closed of, he only talks to few people

Julius (is he really by himself..?)

Julius is the only one known to pilot a jeager by himself

He excels at everything he does and quickly takes the lead

Commander of the forces

He has a secret partner pilot he doesn't know about... (yes it's Lucius)

Some relationships that happen:

Asta & Noelle (I have a story idea for them)

At first Noelle is apprehensive of him, but later, when she sees his good heart she warms up

Asta helps her and inspires Noelle to become stronger

She obviously never admits that she cares for him...

Yami & Charlotte

Their two teams usually don't work together and Charlotte seems to not be fond of Yami

However under the cold exterior she hides her crush on the rugged jeager pilot

They get to know each other while working at the same base

OCs

Briar belongs to @koneko-pi

Neva belongs to @lyranova

Josele belongs to @loosesodamarble

Lisa belongs to @one-leaf-grimoire

Odette belongs to @hybridanafrost

Helena is mine ;)

Solara belongs to @thoughtfullyrainynightmare

Briar (the meeting happens later in the story)

She is a modified human for a project Azure Queen

Azure-Queen was a scientific attempt to create and control their own Kaiju, made by the Diamond base

Azure queens are genetically modified women who can theoretically control the Kaiju

Each Queen has one Kaiju

Briar has Uroboros

Yuno & Neva

They met earlier in the Academy, previously to being assigned to the Clover base

Neva was adopted and taken care of by a famous pilot William Vangeance

She is closed of and at first they did not get along greatly

However with time they learned to lean on each other

Neva was transferred to the Clover base without a partner pilot

She was amazing at the simulators but was closed of and could not drift with anyone

Now she has six months to find a co pilot or she's out

Nacht & Josele

one of the reasons Nacht stayed at the base was Josele

Josele is a coach for the jaeger training program, she takes care of new recruits such as Asta and Yuno

she used to be with Morgen and his death hit her hard

Nacht experienced through drift the memories of Morgen and Josele, so even though he had feelings for her as well he pulled back

Now he can't leave, something urges him to stay and watch her back

Lisa & Julius

Julius saves Lisa during one of the Kaiju attacks

She is grateful and joins the fight against them

She becomes one of the military advisors and watches over the missions

Her and Julius's relationship develops and they become very close

Zora & Odette

Zora is the best on the simulator. He kicks ass of all of those who are "better fit" to be jeager pilots, but there's one problem. He can't find anyone to drift with.

He meets Odette a new trainee brought by Yami

And somehow they click

Now they need to go through training until getting their jeager

Nozel & Helena (obviously I have a more developed story here as well)

Helena is a doctor from Spain who wishes to help with the Kaiju war so she gets a job at the Clover base

Little does she know, that she will fall for a mysterious and cold jeager pilot

Nozel and Helena meet during a mandatory health check up for pilots, because she fills in for his previous doctor, with who Nozel parted on bad terms

Nozel is even more angry about the doctor change and they start off at the wrong foot

Additionally their personalities and views on how the jeager program is conducted differ

However with time something, maybe curiosity, mystery and definitely desire, draws them towards one another, but they keep their relationship secret

However that's not the only secret that Nozel hides...

The only one who knows about Nozelena is Fuegoleon, because he shares a drift with Nozel

Poor Fuego has to watch them be not necessarily proper 😂. However it's not like his attention is not completely swept by a foreign Drift specialist...

Fuegoleon & Solara

Solara is a specialist, when it comes to drift. She compares the memories to the flowing river and teaches the pilots how to navigate and let it flow, so they would more efficient

She was brought to the base by Mereolona, who normally doesn't pilot, but can join in when needed (she's a beast then)

Solara feels a special connection to a certain red headed pilot, who is one of those she's supposed to help with his recent drift problems

At first Fuego and Lara are shy and some misunderstandings slow down the pace of their relationship

However as time passes it develops into something deep and real

There are some problems, because other bases, especially the one she transferred from, need Solara, but the pair fights to be together

Some OC owners have more developed stories for their own OCs. I hope I didn't mix anything here in this summary.

I to be honest have some specific ideas only for two (Nozelena and Astelle).

[markantonys]

parsing through my thoughts on the TOM gawene conflicts as i've been rereading some of their scenes while working on my fic! as always, my interpretations are colored by my role as gawyn's defense attorney lmao

the core of these conflicts really is so good to me. because we have egwene, who has a complex about needing to do everything herself and thinking she can't rely on other people to do things on her behalf (due to her experiences of needing to strong-arm into supporting her aes sedai who only raised her because they wanted to use her as a puppet). and we have gawyn, who has a complex about needing to be useful to a more important person at all times (due to his upbringing as "a living sword for elayne's/andor's use"). and so OF COURSE they run into a problem of gawyn trying too hard to be useful to egwene, egwene getting mad that he's interfering and presuming she needs his help, and then gawyn getting upset that egwene is rejecting his help and not letting him be useful. tasty, delicious, organic, and in character if you ask me! and throughout, we see that they both care about each other and both ultimately want the same thing (gawyn becoming egwene's warder), but just can't quite understand each other well enough to get onto the same page about making that happen.

now, sanderson's spin on it of "oh, gawyn's too used to being a prince so he struggles to follow orders and play second fiddle" isn't the correct read to me. imo it's based on real-world, patriarchy-rooted assumptions of what being raised as a prince would be like, but in andor's matriarchal monarchy, gawyn has always been raised to play second fiddle rather than hold the spotlight himself and he never had a problem with it prior to TOM (in fact, he was actively miserable being a large-scale military leader), so transitioning from being elayne's first prince to egwene's warder shouldn't be too big a shock to his system. and he's usually shown to be pretty willing to follow orders - UNLESS those orders are to do nothing, which most (all?) of egwene's orders to him in TOM are. because he Needs To Be Useful and can't accept that sometimes he can help somebody best by Not Doing Anything (encapsulated perfectly by the "gawyn i need you to do something for me" "yes anything" "stop guarding my door" "what no!" exchange). so in that sense i think gawyn behaves pretty in-character in TOM, but sanderson just picked out the wrong reason for what's making him behave that way.

thus, the resolution of the conflict does stumble a bit. egwene being put in a situation where she would've died if gawyn hadn't helped her works for her end of it (learning to lean on others), but on gawyn's end it's kinda clunky. the lesson he Truly needed to learn is that sometimes the best thing he can do is nothing, but sanderson was under the impression that the lesson he needed to learn was that his place is in egwene's shadow and he must come to her as a warder rather than as a prince. hence, the resolution on his end is him accepting his own death as the price to pay to keep egwene alive. which is........kinda the opposite of what he needed to learn and basically contributes to his actual death in AMOL.........wait a minute, WAS this a mishandling by sanderson or was he deliberately making gawyn learn the wrong lesson to set up his death? lmao

anyway, at the end of the day the whole bloodknife sequence is SO goddamn romantic that i don't even care about some of the details of gawyn's motivations feeling off to me. literally a top 5 most romantic WOT moment from which i will never recover!!!!