#'i got this feeling. yeah. you know /where i'm losing all control / cause there's magic in my bones' | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lazypanartist · 2 years

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It's Okay

Leonardo x Reader

Rise movie caused me emotional damage 🥲 So I'm writing this for me, because I need it

Warnings: MOVIE SPOILERS, Angst/comfort, depiction of injuries

Some of this is from the movie script itself!

Word Count: ~1000

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Everything hurts

You groaned quietly, trying to reach up, rub your eyes.

You couldn't move your arm.

Where am I?

Eyes snapping open, you tried looking down. You could feel something hard against your back, something holding your arms to your sides-

Metal..?

Yes, metal restraints of some form. You could hear voices approaching rapidly, someone muffledly saying "They're awake- yes, I know I'm not in there, Leon, their blood pressure just spiked-"

Leon..?

Leo!

It was as if the previous day's happenings all rushed back into your mind at once. The Kraang invasion, pink goop and tendrils covering much of the city, your friends all getting hurt..

The last thing you could hear was.. some sort of goodbye message from Leo.

Self-sacrifice.

---

Leo's voice rang over the communicator beside your leg. "Casey, it's the only way. He's too strong. He's not gonna stay on the other side unless I keep him there."

"There has to be another way!"

The vagabond from the future sounded desperate. Uneasy. His voice cracked with what you assumed to be the effort it took to not cry.

"We tried everything, Cass. This is the only way."

You laid on the ground, several injuries scattered along your torso. You weren't a fighter by any means, but.. you couldn't just let them go without you. Besides, the lair was covered in Kraang goop.. unfortunately, most of the rest of the city was under their control as well. Most of your injuries had been accidental, but-

There was one gash, just below your ribs. Sister had thrown a large chunk of rubble at you. It was rather impressive, the size of the injury compared to the weapon.

"Leo, please don't do this! Leo!"

Raph's voice matched Casey's. Desperate. You felt a tear drip down your cheek at whatever the ex-leader was trying to convey to his little brother... What was he even doing?

Leo chuckled, but you could feel the sadness in his voice. "You're one to talk, big bro. Hero moves are totally your style."

Kraang laughed, barely audible through the comm at first. It sounded like he was getting closer, his voice fluctuating with the fighting that must have been occuring on the other side of the line. "Outmatched and alone, yet you persist. For what? Honor, redemption? Sacrifice? All meaningless."

"We'll see about that."

Casey's voice rang out through the comm. "Leo, please! I can't lose you again."

"Hey, future me would be real proud of you. I'm proud of you."

The line went dead. Even in your injured state, you could feel.. something besides pain. Dread.

You felt another tear drip down your cheek as darkness began creeping into your vision.

Losing him..

No...

I can't.. he can't do this...

And everything faded to black.

-----

"There we go, see! They're okay, Leo."

You blinked harshly, bright light filling your vision

"Pupils are normal, and their pulse is slowing down.. (Y/n), can you hear me?"

"Yeah.."

You mumbled weakly, turning your head to try and escape the lights. Luckily Donnie took pity on you, retracting the light back into his battle shell.

"Good.. your condition is stabilizing, that's good.. hey, you okay?"

You shook your head, tears falling down your face. He quickly undid the fastenings around your wrists and waist, helping you into a sitting position upon your request. Hissing, you pressed a hand against the wound on your torso.

"..Sister got you pretty badly. It'll most likely leave a scar, but the internal damage is minimal.

"..Okay."

The purple-clad turtle sighed, glancing towards the closed door of the lab.

"...You're worried about Leo."

Your head snapped up, tears still streaking down your face. Eyes widening, you followed Donatello's gaze to the door.

"Is he-"

"He's fine." He chuckled, though the faux-happy sound was short-lived. "Mikey's magic hands brought him back.. from the prison dimension. A few cuts and bruises, but nowhere near as bad off as you."

"..Can he.. come in? Please?"

Donnie nodded.

"That was the plan.. just wanted to make sure you were okay, first. Y'know, make sure he wouldn't further injury my patient."

"Thanks, Don."

He smiled towards you, walking towards the door.

"Of course."

Almost as soon as the door was opened Leo was in the doorway, practically blocking his twin from leaving the lab. He gasped, eyes widening when they met yours.

"(Y/n)!"

Your name was barely a gasp falling from his lips, rushed as he bolted to your side. Tentatively, he sat on the edge of the makeshift hospital bed, offering a hand to you.

"(Y/n).."

You cut him off, eyes welling with more tears

"I thought you were dying.. the- the last thing I heard was you telling Casey that you were proud, and then-"

You choked, tucking your head into his chest as you struggled to both cry and breathe.

"-then you were gone, Leo. We could've lost you! I could have lost you!"

His free hand smoothed along your spine. He scooted closer, pulling you onto his lap as you cried against his collarbone.

"I know, (Y/n).. I'm sorry. It's all I thought I could do... I thought that if I did that, then the rest of you would be safe.. now look at us."

He chuckled, hand falling to rest against your wound. You could feel his lips above your ear, pressing a gentle kiss as he held you.

Sighing, he settled the hand on your hip, the other pressing you closer by your spine.

"It's okay.. let it all out."

You shook your head, hiding your head in the crook of his neck, as if the action would hide your tears from the body they landed upon.

"It's okay. We're both here, see?" He began rocking you lightly, careful of your wounds.

"There we go.." He was whispering now, mouth still resting against your temple as he cradled you.

He chuckled again, settling his shell against the wall as he held you closer.

"See..? We're okay. We're going to be okay."

It wasn't hard to believe him.

You could feel yourself drifting back to sleep against his plastron, sniffling quietly as Leo continued mumbling words of comfort into your hairline.

"It's okay."

#ROTTMNT leo x reader #leo x reader #rottmnt leo x reader #rise leo x reader #rise leo #rottmnt leo #leonardo x reader #leonardo #rottmnt x reader #rottmnt #x reader #xreader #tw angst #tw injury #timeskip leo x reader #timeskip leo #timeskip rottmnt

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princess-of-the-corner · 6 months

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Im pretty sure anyone would take Enji over Gabriel. Enji’s actually written well, with a good character arc.

YEAH NO I

I went off on this a while ago but I'm bringing it back:

The arc with Enji is what they /wanted/ Gabriel to be. A man who is a Hero and cares about people and definitely cares about his family, but did awful and unforgivable things he can't fix due to his own sympathetic goals.

And it works because we genuinely /see this on screen/. While we see the bad stuff, we also see the good.

All of Enji's screentime that doesn't directly involve his homelife is him doing his literal job as a Hero. He held the title of #2 Hero for 25+ years, which is a fantastic thing to do! He's out there helping people and saving lives and risking himself for the sake of others and he's damn good at what he does!

And even when we focus on the stuff at home, we get that too. Yes there's the entire history on how this family started and of course the abuse, but we see him caring about them as well. When Rei's mental health drops, he gets her the actual professional help she needs. While he pushes Shoto too far, he's also proud of his accomplishments and tries to connect with him(it usually ends in failure). Fuyumi asks for family dinners together, and he makes sure to show up instead of giving the 'I'm too busy' excuse even though every dinner ends in a fight. Speaking of fights, he lets Natsuo yell at him during these fights and in turn is terrified at the idea of losing him. He tried to stop Toya from doing something that causes him major harm and could even kill him, and is devastated by his 'death' and immediately hit with guilt when he sees Dabi.

We see the root of all of this. The trauma over losing his father and feeling powerless, wanting to save people so no one has to feel that kind of hurt. Seeing the perfection that is All Might and holding himself to impossible standards, only to try and find alternate methods when he realizes his own inherent weaknesses were stopping him from meeting that goal.

And when Enji is hit with the realization of all that he's fucked up, he takes responsibility for it. This is his fault. No amount of 'good' can counteract the bad, the fact that he cares for his family doesn't erase the harm he caused to them. He can't change the past, but he's going to stay around and do what he can to fix it. Even in the middle of a battle thinking he might die his lament is that he wanted to live to fix things but if he has to give his life to save them then so be it.

Meanwhile.

Gabriel.

Gabriel is being an asshole 95% of his total screentime. We occasionally see him caring for Adrien and Nathalie in earlier seasons and he /says/ he's doing this for Emilie. But that gets contradicted in later seasons as just a fluke when he uses all sorts of magic mind control on Adrien and casts Nathalie aside once she's stopped being useful and ruins his chances of saving Emilie in favor of kicking the shit out of children. Emilie's death is supposed to be his motivation which would make sense if this only started a year ago but no it started at least 15-20 years ago where he's been doing villain shit this whole time. We don't know what spurred his want for at minimum a remote control obedient doll child and possibly world domination(they swing on that so much). And when faced with what he's done, decides to just off himself instead of dealing with the conseqences and trying to fix anything(and low-key taking everyone with him).

And it double hurts because like.

I am currently writing a fic that's a deep-dive on Enji's history and 'how he got here' and all that. And it's. I won't say it's 'easy' to write because writing is hard but if you can write it's not that hard to balance this shit out.

#also obligatory joke of #Oh you mean in a fight?

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theminecraftbee · 2 years

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I love the magical girl scar au so much. And especially cub in this universe. Truly l am rotating him in my mind at all times.

How does him getting possessed actually go? Obviously lots of chaos, but I'm curious what happens from an interpersonal perspective. He doesn't really seem like he'd react very well to not just losing control of himself, but also putting scar in danger.

Out of curiosity, does he have any issues when he first gets actual powers, what with them being at least somewhat similar to what happened when he got possessed?

I AM SO GLAD. i too love cubfan so i am glad other people rotate him, even if in the context of this au.

so like... okay. how the possession actually goes is that, if you ask cub, he fucks up. he lets his guard down. he goes "yeah sure man i'd love some chaos" without thinking because, and this is a thing he'll only admit to himself: he'd felt drained of chaos, lately. he'd had to be too responsible. he'd also been... afraid, a thing that he hadn't been in a long time. cub isn't the kind of person who fears easily. cub's the kind of person who's certain in himself. cub is - maybe none of those things, right now.

so a spirit whispers in his head: hey, you seem like you need an outlet. wanna just cause some chaos?

and like, spirits don't make it easy. they override everything in you to make you want to agree. but the thing is, this isn't the first, or even the thirtieth time cub has heard a spirit. hell, it's probably in the seventies. and sure, the spirit isn't normally possessing him, but he should know better. he should probably fight back at least a little.

cub doesn't. he just... relaxes into it.

the good news is, that like many spirit victims, his memory of his time possessed is a little hazy. he doesn't remember a lot of the stuff he did to scar directly. but it feels like he's the one who did it. according to scar, it had been mostly "pranks". cub is fairly certain some of the things he pulled don't count as "pranks", given his main abilities seemed to involve scrambling the properties of things, and he's pretty sure he scrambled a lot of things that... aren't meant to be scrambled.

(he's... pretty sure he killed at least someone. which. not processing that one very well over here. at least later, when he meets the support group, he learns he's not the only one trying to mentally process that, even if the magic is largely reversed later. he didn't expect that hearing from other spirit victims would help so much, given he hears from them all the time in the context of helping scar, but... yeah, the support group helps.)

and then. here's the thing. it is seeing scar that makes cub try to start fighting back. to remember everything jellie and scar had talked about when it came to spirits. in the end, scar doesn't re-capture the spirit of chaos; cub forces it into an equilibrium because he refuses to hurt scar, no matter how much he wants to just have an outlet where he doesn't have to care. no matter how exhausted he is of being scared, of being responsible, of being uncertain, of having to care about consequences, he refuses to let that let him hurt scar. he'll find another outlet for chaos. he'll -

well, what he does is burst out of the possession and transform properly for the first time, the spirit of chaos relegated to a partner in his head, powers directly influenced by the spirit in his hands. the only thing that stops him from panicking is how proud scar looks. when he detransforms and the small ferret the spirit of chaos turns into lands on his shoulders, though...

well, you ask if cub has hangups, given that his powers are also based in the chaos he caused while possessed? yes. absolutely. cub HATES having to work with the spirit of chaos to properly transform and only does it because it will make him better at what he does than he already was - and he was very good at what he does. it takes a combination of the support group, advice from jellie, and finally just talking to the spirit and admitting to the fact he really, really just wants to be able to cause problems without feeling like he's about to bring the world down around them for him to get over those hangups.

it turns out that 'getting therapy' makes you better at magic. who knew?

#answered #magical girl scar #gestures at all of this. i really like magical girl scar cub #because he DOES just want to cause chaos the problem is that he's also protective of team scar #and he sort of is falling apart under the pressure but is trying to act a lot less like he's falling apart than he is #because he's CUB. he's ALWAYS calm and chill. he can't be scared out of his mind. that's not a thing he does #and it takes a little time before he manages to get balanced again #what i'm saying is that cub in this au maybe has a FEW control issues

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hikarivii · 2 years

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🎶 I-I-I Got this feeling, yeah, you know

Where I'm losing all control

'Cause there's magic in my bones 🎶

#mlp #my little pony #equestria girls #twilight sparkle #sci twi #human twilight sparkle #midnight sparkle #my little pony fanart #legend of everfree #equestria girls fanart #mlp fanart #digital art #artists on tumblr #my little pony twilight sparkle #my little pony sci twi #mlp eg #idk #spooky season #spooky month

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kuwdora · 3 months

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my festivid treat for @ohvienna!!!!

Bones music: Boney M & Imagine Dragons, mashup by David Santiago Vasquez characters: House of Usher/Death length: 3:41

download: right-click save as - thank you to epershand for hosting!

CONTENT WARNINGS: Visual Triggers: Flashing/Strobing lights, Eye Trauma, Animal Death, Animal Harm, Domestic Violence, Mutilation, Blood and Violence, Psychological Torture, Drug Use, Murder, brief nudity.

Also massive out of context spoilers, whew!

I-I-I got this feeling, yeah, you know Where I'm losing all control 'Cause there's magic in my bones I-I-I got this feeling in my soul Go ahead and throw your stones 'Cause there's magic in my bones

youtube

also streaming on ao3

#please heed the warnings lmao #my bonkers vid this year #i had sooo much fun putting this together #festivids #festivids 2023 #fanvid #fanvideo #the fall of the house of usher #house of usher #my vids

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mistrdctr · 11 days

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SHARE AT LEAST FIVE SONGS THAT REMIND YOU OF YOUR MUSE, OR THAT YOU ASSOCIATE WITH YOUR MUSE'S CHARACTER ARC. Including lyrics is optional.

Tagged by : @ssolessurvivor ♥

Tagging : @theprice-cffreedcm @suffcring @storyuntrue @sioraiocht @ravarui @forevermuses @kissedbymischief @bloodstainedstar and if you didn't do this yet and read this: You as well! ♥

Rag'N'Bone Man - Human | Take a look in the mirror and what do you see? / Do you see it clearer or are you deceived / In what you believe? / 'Cause I'm only human after all / You're only human after all / Don't put the blame on me / Don't put your blame on me / (Oh-oh) some people got the real problems / (Oh-oh) some people out of luck / (Oh-oh) some people think I can solve them / (Oh-oh) Lord heavens above / I'm only human after all / I'm only human after all / Don't put the blame on me / Don't put the blame on me

Panic! At The Disco - House Of Memories | If you're a lover, you should know / The lonely moments just get lonelier / The longer you're in love than if you were alone / Memories turn into daydreams, become a taboo / I don't want to be afraid / The deeper that I go / It takes my breath away / Soft hearts, electric souls / Heart to heart and eyes to eyes / Is this taboo? / Baby, we built this house on memories / Take my picture now, shake it 'til you see it / And when your fantasies become your legacy / Promise me a place in your house of memories

Imagine Dragons - Bones | I-I-I got this feeling, yeah, you know / Where I'm losing all control / 'Cause there's magic in my bones / I-I-I got this feeling in my soul / Go ahead and throw your stones / 'Cause there's magic in my bones / Playing with a stick of dynamite / There was never gray in black and white / There was never wrong 'til there was right (ooh, oh) / Feeling like a boulder hurtling / Seeing all the vultures circling / Burning in the flames I'm working in / Turning in a bed that's darkening / My patience is waning / Is this entertaining / Our patience is waning / Is this entertaining?

Imagine Dragons - Enemy (Arcane) | I wake up to the sounds of the silence that allows for my mind to run around with my ear up to the ground / I′m searching to behold the stories that are told / When my back is to the world that was smiling when I turned / Tell you you're the greatest / But once you turn, they hate us / Your words up on the wall as you're praying for my fall / And the laughter in the halls, and the names that I've been called / I stack it in my mind, and I′m waiting for the time / When I show you what it′s like to be words spit in a mic / Oh, the misery / Everybody wants to be my enemy / Spare the sympathy / Everybody wants to be my enemy / Look out for yourself! / My enemy / Look out for yourself!

#bookshelf; personal studies (musings)#personal file; headcanons #(I only had 4 songs so i did the crossed out thing at the top lol)#(but yes i think I did this some times before but i wanted to do again thanks to the tag ♥)#(hnG love him and the songs)

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entropiasgift · 1 year

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Chhaya & Dario vibe check!

I-I-I got this feeling, yeah, you know Where I'm losing all control 'Cause there's magic in my bones I-I-I got this feeling in my soul Go ahead and throw your stones 'Cause there's magic in my bones!

Bones, Imagine Dragons.

( @laultimahijadelcaos )

#oc: chhaya tuinstra #oc: dario arthaban #vibes #kkoth #the goblin mode #*intensifies*#sometimes when a boy likes a girl very much they sit in the back of a party and plot how to overthrow the government #and kill the gods #friendship goals

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liesonthefloordramatically · 6 months

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youtube

I-I-I got this feeling, yeah, you know Where I'm losing all control 'Cause there's magic in my bones

#今日の気分は #put on old playlists while putting together lecture for tomorrow #and now I am once again cursed with Feelings about Oleander #maybe if I PC'd more often I would be less full of feelings about PCs (unlikely)#music #Imagine Dragons

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cococowboah · 6 months

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I got this feeling, yeah, you know

Where I'm losing all control

'Cause there's magic in my bones

#i can't be the only one who thinks of Gale every time i hear this song #gale #bg3 screenshots #bg3 gale #Spotify

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gloomforrestrunes · 1 year

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Oooooooooh how about bones or sharks both by imagine dragons

I-I-I got this feeling, yeah, you know

Where I'm losing all control

'Cause there's magic in my bones

Bones - Imagine Dragons

kane moments!!!! wanted to add in the lyrics in the drawing itself but the way the composition worked didn't really allow it dhjgfjh. good recommendation!!

#kane aera #ask #anon #other art

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masterfuldoodler · 2 years

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"I-I-I got this feeling, yeah, you know Where I'm losing all control 'Cause there's magic in my bones." ~ Imagine Dragons

This has been sitting and waiting for me to fix it up for months now. I don't think that's gonna happen. So here ya go

#oc #original character #original story #my story #collab story #keepers #rhyin #wizard #digital #color #eyestrain #maybe?? idk #sketch #doodle #artists on tumblr #my art #august sketch #quick finish

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drpg-global-archive · 1 year

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DRPG - EVENT - Magic Cutie Piua~Piuas! / Magic Cutie Purity Party! / Magic Cutie Pure Heart! ☆ Make/Let the Sakura Bloom!

5/5 - On Being a Magic Cutie

Together with their new companion, Puretina, the party goes to the final battle to stop Love Oracle.

The Reason for Darktina

Pure Sicily: Oh, I forgot to ask, the Love Power was corrupted by Artina's negative emotions, right?

Puretina: Yup. As a result, Love Power turned into Dark Power, causing all this mess.

Pure Sicily: So Miss Artina has negative emotions in her heart. Why?

Puretina: Well... It's all over and I'm fine! Anyway, let's move on...

Pure Flonne: No! Now Love Oracle is in the same situation as Puretina. If we figure out the answer, we might be able to get him back to normal!

Puretina: Ugh... Are you sure you want to know?

Pure Flonne: Yes!

Puretina: Ugh... Understood. Actually I was tasked by the Archangel.

Pure Sicily: To collect money?

Puretina: That too, but mainly the Archangel asked me to "hold a Magic Cutie show" when the sakura blossom. Because of this, I had to deal with tight deadlines and budgetary pressures day after day to secure costumes and cast members...

Pure Sicily: What a terrible boss.

Pure Flonne: As a fellow Magic Cutie fan, I have something to say!

Puretina: I can't say it was the other "you". In the past week or so I have been so busy with my work that I didn't get a good night's sleep.

Pure Sicily: So when we met, you were completely out of it.

Puretina: So when that strong power entered my body, the negative emotions inside me exploded.

Pure Flonne: I-I'm sorry! Puretina...

Puretina: I'm fine now. Being Darktina helped me blow off all that steam.

Pure Sicily: So, you're saying that Love Oracle has those negative emotions, too?

Puretina: Yeah. If we can release them, I think he will come to his senses.

Pure Sicily: All right! Let's hurry up and cleanse Love Oracle's negative emotions!

Stage 1 - Cleansing Activity 1 Stage 2 - Cleansing Activity 2

Longing for the Real Thing

Puretina: Found you, Love Oracle!

Love Oracle: Oh, that was pretty fast. As expected of real Magic Cuties. I really envy you...

Pure Sicily: Love Oracle, dark power has made you lose control. Now, we're going to cleanse you and put you back together again!

Love Oracle: I don't need it.

Puretina: What do you mean?

Love Oracle: The Dark Power reveals my feelings. It makes me feel free. I've been a fake for all this time, but now I feel real! I didn't have the power of Magic Cuties like you. But now it's different. Now with this power, I can make my ideals a reality!

Pure Sicily: But it's wrong to involve other demons just for the sake of your ideals!

Love Oracle: That's because you're a real Magic Cutie! Get them. My servants!

Puretina: So many demons possessed by the Dark Power!?

Love Oracle: They will take your love!

Puretina: Pure Sicily!

Pure Sicily: Yes! Restore their sanity and find Love Oracle!

Stage 3 - Cleansing Activity 3 Stage 4 - Cleansing Activity 4

Let's Go See Sakura

Pure Flonne: We did it! The demons have come to their senses and are resting!

Puretina: Now it's time to deal with Love Oracle.

Love Oracle: Damn it, why are you trying to stop me? I'll soon be a real Magic Cutie!

Pure Sicily: Is this what a real Magic Cutie would do? You taught me that, didn't you? That Magic Cuties help those in need, and give them love and hope. What you do is completely different!

Love Oracle: Sh-Shut up! I'm going to be a Magic Cutie... I'm going to be a Magic Cutie at any cost!

Puretina: Maybe his admiration for Magic Cuties is too strong to be swayed by words alone.

Love Oracle: Of course. I used to love watching "Pretty Guardian Lovely V" on TV. And that's where I got the name Love Oracle from.

Pure Flonne: Mmm! Is that so? You've got good taste.

Puretina: Lady Flonne, this is not a time to be impressed.

Pure Sicily: Hmm? How come you become a Magic Cutie when you wanted to be a Pretty Guardian?

Love Oracle: After the Lovely V episode ended, I left the TV on and Magic Cutie came on after. That's where these girls in pretty costumes were helping people in need with the power of love and hope. I wanted to be like that. With that in mind, I made a costume and came up with Magic Cutie Techniques. However, it was all just pretend. But now, I'll be a real Magic Cutie soon! My dream will come true at last!

Puretina: You can do a lot of things with Dark Power but is it still not enough?

Love Oracle: I'll have all the love in the Netherworld, and use that power to become a real girl! Then I will become a completely invincible Magic Cutie!

Pure Flonne: Completely invincible Magic Cutie! Hmmm... I like that, I surely do!

Puretina: Well, I don't think it's possible, but maybe it is?

Pure Sicily: That's absolutely not acceptable! Love Oracle, what you're doing makes you a villain! I'll remind you with all the Magic Cutie Techniques you taught me.

Puretina: Okay! Let's save Love Oracle together!

Pure Sicily: Love Oracle, when you're back to normal, we will go see the sakura together!

Stage 5 - Fierce Battle with Love Oracle! Boss - Love Oracle: I am the perfect Magic Cutie!!

We Are Magic Cuties!

Love Oracle: E-Everyone...

Pure Flonne: Love Oracle, you've come to your senses!

Love Oracle: I'm sorry, I... I've put everyone in danger, and I don't deserve to be a Magic Cutie...

Puretina: That's not true. Your love for Magic Cuties is real. It was only distorted by Dark Power.

Pure Sicily: Yup! You have the heart of a real Magic Cutie more than anyone else. Be confident!

Love Oracle: Pure Sicily... Thank you.

Puretina: Uh, excuse me? Love Oracle is back to normal, but the demons are still possessed by evil...

Pure Sicily: So many of them left!?

Love Oracle: It's okay. With Magic Cuties joining forces, nothing is impossible!

Pure Sicily: How do we join forces?

Love Oracle: The last Magic Cutie Technique... "Friends are the greatest magic" ! There's nothing hard about it. Everyone hold each other's hands. And unleash the power of our love and hope throughout the Netherworld! This is our combined love technique "Magic Cutie Purity Party"--!

Pure Sicily: Go-----!!

Puretina: Look! We did it! The demons are coming to their senses!

Pure Sicily: Hey, look at that!

Puretina: That's a very big sakura tree! How beautiful!

Pure Sicily: But why? That sakura tree wasn't there until just now...

Pure Flonne: It's a miracle! And it's all thanks to our Magic Cutie Purity Party!

Love Oracle: How true!!

Pure Sicily: Sakura blooming in the Netherworld... Magic Cuties are so awesome!

Puretina: Good for you, Pure Sicily! Now the incident is solved and your wish has been granted, right?

Pure Sicily: Ah! Look at the sakura!

Love Oracle: So these are sakura?! Amazing!

Puretina: We also invited the demons we met. It turned into a big party.

Pure Sicily: I'm glad they all seem to be having fun!

Love Oracle: By the way, wasn't Pure Flonne going to put on a show?

Pure Flonne: Everyone! Are you ready? The Magic Cutie show is starting soon!

Puretina: I'm not prepared yet...

Pure Flonne: Prince Laharl and Mr. Valvatorez are both here, so we've got to start it!

Puretina: V-Vampire!?

Love Oracle: How about you, Pure Sicily? Still feeling embarrassed?

Pure Sicily: No! We've all come this far together, and we've learned how wonderful Magic Cuties are! I'll show it to big brother too!

Love Oracle: That's the spirit! Then let's let Pure Sicily go first!

Pure Sicily: Yup! Magic Cutie Technique No.4! "Always Smile, Always Love"

#sicily #artina #flonne #love oracle #magic cutie piua~piuas! ☆ let the sakura bloom!#disgaea rpg #drpg #disgaea rpg global #drpg global #event

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boomtheplotthickens · 2 years

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i got this feeling, yeah, you know

where i'm losing all control

'cause there's magic in my bones

imagine dragons // bones

#imagine dragons #imaginedragonsedit #dan reynolds #wayne sermon #ben mckee #daniel platzman

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ihaveyouwebringhell · 2 years

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say hello to my mona lisa, a collection of songs that remind me of our favorite space lesbians. lyrical reasoning for each song is under the cut. send more suggestions if you’d like

This is Love—Air Traffic Controller: You're no good, you're no good//You could kill me and you should//I'm an idiot for thinking this was anything but blood

idk—la.nskey: no lyrics just vibes

Leach—BONES UK: I do not trust you as far as I'll throw you//And I want to throw you away//Your religion is ugly, but you are a good slave//Seen at the hippest VIP graves

Raging on a Sunday—Bohnes: I should be at church but I'm raging on a Sunday//Lie to confess, fuck it, worry 'bout it some day

Bones—Imagine Dragons: I-I-I got this feeling, yeah, you know//Where I'm losing all control//‘Cause there's magic in my bones

Ghost of You—Good Charlotte: A ghost of you is all that I have left//It's all that I have left of you to hold//I wake in the night to find there's no one there but me//And nothing left of what we were at all

Without You—Ursine Vulpine & Annaca: Hold me like I never did anything to hurt you//Don't let go//Give me another minute to lay here in your echo

Throne—Saint Mesa: You hate my bad behavior//You cut my lips and tongue//You play the part of savior//I watch you come undone

Don’t Save Me—Chxlotte: Maybe I'm wretched and deserve this, I don't know//Don't save me, I'm almost glad if this is how I go

Arms Tonite—Mother Mother: And hey, you, don't you think it's kinda cute//That I died right inside your arms tonight//That I'm fine even after I have died//Because it was in your arms I died

Visions of Gideon—Sufjan Stevens: I have loved you for the last time//Visions of Gideon, visions of Gideon

My Tears Ricochet—Taylor Swift: And you can aim for my heart, go for blood//But you would still miss me in your bones//And I still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky)//And when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)

Bad Romance—Halestorm: I want your love and I want your revenge//You and me could write a bad romance

Vendetta—UNSECRET & Krigare: Kindness never looked good on me//Never been one to sit quietly

Kill for You—Zolita: I've killed for you baby, who else could say that?

Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)—Fall Out Boy: I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color

Feel For You—Boy Named Banjo: There's nothing I can say//Nothing I can do//To make you feel the way//The way I feel for you

Can’t go to Hell—Sin Shake Sin: They say the end is coming//And I need to prepare//We can't go to hell if we're already there

Lion—Saint Mesa: Down of the water//Beads drippin' down your face//Calling out, calling out my name

Let u go—Dafna: They say If you love 'em let them go//But since you never loved me back I'm gonna keep you close//So why//Why the hell should I let you go

Lady Jesus—UPSAHL: Look at me now //It's the second coming, baby, watch out //To all the people I don't like, bow down//I almost let 'em kill my vibe, middle finger to the sky like

#gideon the ninth #harrow the ninth #the locked tomb #gtn #htn #tlt #gideon nav #harrowhark nonagesimus #griddlehark #gtn spoilers #htn spoilers #tamsyn muir #nona the ninth #tlt analysis #spotfiy

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andiinaraethtash · 2 years

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What's this? A chapter?

Chapter 19: Cause I See Smoke Up Ahead (And I Got Steel in My Hands)

Notes:

... yeah. It's been over a month. Blame an ongoing mental health crisis. I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth, but I'm hanging on, so. There's that. To everyone that has left comments and kudos, thank you. I don't know if I'd be able to push on without you guys. Tw: This is the start of the big battle. So, y'know, blood and violence and all that. Otherwise, should be good. Chapter title from Goodbye by Arcane

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

The good news is that they have a plan. The bad news is that the plan is terrible, at least in Gem’s humble opinion. But they don’t have much of a choice; they can’t stop the ritual, seeing as the groundwork has already been laid, was laid months ago, and if it isn’t performed, the resulting explosion will level the empires.

At least, that’s where the research Gem, Sausage, and Scott have been doing is pointing to. They can’t be sure, but they really don’t want to test that theory.

So instead of interrupting the ritual, they’re going to change it. During his journey through the spirit realm last year, Sausage found a different form of corruption, light corruption, an equal and opposite power to the corruption that Exor is so fond of, and when Scott sees it, he immediately confirms that it is tied to Aeor. Therefore, if they can replace the corruption Exor’s going to be using in the ritual with the light corruption, they can summon Aeor instead.

That’s the hope, anyway. As Jimmy points out when they present the plan to him, “There’s a lot of room for things to go off the rails, and knowing us, knowing our luck, it’s going to.”

But even with that optimistic outlook, it’s the best shot they have. They have three days to prepare, three days to rest, recover, and make sure they’re in peak physical condition, three days for Scott to master his powers and for Gem to regain control of her magic.

She does her best to make sure she’s ready, but her sleep is interrupted by the echoes of fWhip’s last scream, and she can’t eat because the food just tastes like ash in her mouth. She’s jumping at shadows, and there’s nothing that makes her feel better, especially seeing as they all left to their respective empires to secure them and set up successors in case anything happens to any of them. None of them are nearby to reassure her that everything’s going to be okay, that they’ll make it all through this. Instead, she’s left to give instructions to Gandalf and Rohan, who both had been so happy to see her and devastated that they might be losing her all over again, and pray that they’re unnecessary.

So instead of eating or sleeping, she practices, making sure to rest and take breaks when she needs to, but her magical abilities were somewhat strangled by her captivity, and it takes a bit for her to get back into the swing of things. Once she does, though, she finds her magic is actually stronger, and maybe that’s because of whatever cure Katherine gave her, or maybe it’s because her magic grows with her. She doesn’t know, and doesn’t care enough to do the research to find out.

There’s something relieving about being more powerful, something that feels a lot like courage. She knows she’s strong enough to stand up to Exor now—maybe not beat him, but she’ll definitely make him kill her if he wants to beat her. She’ll never be his captive again.

Finally, the day of the new moon dawns, and they all gather in Rivendell once again, this time in Scott’s secret meeting room instead of in his house. He and Jimmy greet them all—Jimmy must have come early, but since he’s more or less taken charge, no one really questions it—but Scott’s wearing his antlers again, and they’re still gleaming gold, but they now have ice crystals dancing around them, with small icicles, like small daggers or sharp teeth, hanging from the antlers themselves.

Gem has her big hat, the one that fWhip and Sausage had taken to teasing her about, and her staff and the sword fWhip made for her. Just putting it on her belt had nearly reduced her to tears. She misses him more than she would have thought she would, especially given that she’s lost him before, but she supposes there’s no getting used to this kind of pain.

The rest have their sturdiest armour, their strongest weapons, and even with all the swords, shields, tridents, bows, and quivers full of potion-tipped arrows, they know they’re not strong enough. There’s no way they can beat a god with mortal weapons.

Even as Gem looks around the room, thinking this, Scott takes his seat at the head of the table. Joey, Joel, and Sausage immediately claim the seats on one side of the table, and Pearl produces a stool which she sets at the foot of the table and proceeds to all but collapse into it. She looks as tired as Gem feels, and she doesn't doubt that her friend has gotten as little sleep as she has.

Pix gestures her, Katherine, and Lizzie into the three remaining chairs, electing to stand next to Shrub, while Jimmy stands next to Scott. As soon as they’re all seated, Jimmy beckons Shrub over and she lays out a map of a city surrounded by gorges, lava pits, and the tentacles of corruption Gem remembers vividly from when Xornoth was loose.

It’s so unrecognisable it takes a moment for Gem to recognize the city as Eastvale, and the surroundings as the plains of the Grimlands. The city stands on the map like a beacon of light, but even it is slowly being overrun by the red. The Manor and the Forge both still stand strong, seemingly untouched, but Shrub’s words quickly break that illusion.

“He’s setting up shop in the Forge,” Shrub says, and Gem feels her heart sink and her throat close up. Of course he’d desecrate everything that fWhip had built, if only for laughs. If the damage is even repairable, it’s going to take so much time and resources, she wonders if it’ll even be worth it, or if the Grimlands are destined to become something dead and uninhabitable.

Jimmy nods, then gestures at Sausage. “You’ll be in charge of switching out the summoning items, Sausage. Pick two to go with you. Pix, take one and clear out Eastvale. We want to save as many people as we can. Scott and Gem, you, me and the other three will need to hold Exor’s attention.”

Sausage, Pix, Scott, and Gem all nod, and Pearl adds, “There’s a secret tunnel under the chapel, it goes directly to fWhip’s farmhouse. It should help you get the villagers out safely.”

Pix nods again, then turns to Shrub. As he asks her to go with him, Sausage turns to Lizzie and Joel, who quickly nod at the unspoken question.

As soon as that’s decided, Scott clears his throat, and produces a wrapped item, which looks suspiciously like a sword. “There’s something else you should know about.”

They all still, and look at him expectantly. Jimmy nudges Scott, encouraging him to go along, and Gem holds her breath. This is big, she can feel it.

Scott sighs heavily and unwraps the sword, and Pix immediately gasps. “Is that…” the prophet asks, and Scott nods.

“It’s called the Rune Blade. It has… a great deal of power. According to the book I found on it, it can sever the bonds between ruler and land.”

“Not just that,” Pix puts in. “It sends the victim to the afterlife of the wielder’s choosing. That… that is a powerful weapon, and a deadly one. Where did you even find it?”

Scott gestures vaguely upward and behind him. “The festival grounds. It was encased in ice up there, ice I didn’t summon. If I had to guess…”

“Aeor,” Gem breathes, hope and fear in equal measure rising in her chest. “It has to be. There’s no way anyone or anything else could have found it and put it there. The ice practically confirms it. So why would he give it to you?”

Scott shifts uncomfortably. “I’m not sure.”

Now, Gem is no expert on Scott, or his body language. She can’t tell what he’s thinking without him saying anything the way Jimmy can. But even she knows he's lying, or at the very least is hiding something.

Interesting… and concerning.

Still, she doesn’t pry, though from the look Jimmy is giving him, she has to guess that he will.

Slowly, she stands, reaching for her staff. “We should get going,” she says, nerves gathering in a ball in her stomach. “It’s not getting any earlier.”

Nods all around, and the others all stand, grabbing weapons and shields. They’re all nervous, she realises, and it does nothing to ease her nerves. Gods, what are they doing? They have no way of knowing if this is even going to work. They could all be headed straight to their deaths—and the deaths of everyone and everything they hold dear.

They head out, and Gem takes a second to pull Pearl into a hug, then gets wrapped up by Sausage. “I love you guys,” she whispers, “just in case something happens, I need you to know—”

Sausage shushes her before pulling away. “Hey, now, none of that. We’ll be fine. I’ll see you when this is over, okay? Just stay safe. I… I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to any of you. Don’t make me a liar.”

That’s a bit of a tall order, but she nods anyway. Pearl does the same, and they stand around in a circle that should have one more member, and they all know it, before finally Lizzie calls Sausage over, and Pearl and Gem head over to where Scott, Jimmy, Joey, and Katherine are waiting. One way or another, this ends now.

And she has a sinking feeling in her gut that it’s not going to end the way they want.

_______

The plan goes off the rails almost the instant they arrive. As soon as Eastvale comes into view, the Forge, which had been sitting innocuously on top of the jagged cliff, explodes, sending a fireball into the sky as the top of the building is flung straight up into the air, before coming crashing down at the base of the cliffs.

Gem pulls up in shock—a bad thing to do when gliding through the air—and she can hear the others exclaim in surprise as soot and ash are thrown in every direction. She coughs as she struggles to regain her balance, which, again, is hard to do in midair, but she manages to stabilise her flight enough to land on the roof of the walls that surround the city.

The only ones who don’t land next to her are Pix and Shrub, who are leading the rescue effort. They’re entering the city through the secret tunnel Pearl had mentioned, and Gem dearly hopes that Exor doesn’t know about it. But then, he’s had free reign of the city for about two weeks now, he might have found it in that time. It’s hardly a secret to the people of Eastvale.

Still, she exchanges a look with Jimmy and Sausage, the former of whom gestures her best friend forward, along with Lizzie and Joel, before turning to Scott, herself, Joey, Katherine and Pearl.

“Let’s go cause some noise,” Jimmy says, looking grim.

They all nod, unsheathe their blades—or in Gem’s case, readies her staff—but she can’t help but notice that Scott isn’t using the Rune Blade. He’s using his own sword, which, while effective, doesn’t have the same power that the Rune Blade does. He’s probably trying to keep it secret, as an ace up his sleeve in case things don’t go the way they hope.

Scott takes the lead, diving down and firing a rocket to help boost himself toward the Forge, where debris and ash is still raining down, filling the air. Gem has to cover her mouth with the hem of her tunic to keep from breathing in the filthy air.

They land right outside, careful not to step on any of the rubble, which has heat waves rolling off of it, and look around carefully.

Exor is nowhere to be seen.

They all exchange a look, silently agreeing that it’s a trap, and go to step inside.

Immediately a red forcefield springs into existence in their faces, and Jimmy, who was in front, bounces off of it with a yelp. Scott catches him as he stumbles, helping him keep his feet, then whirls around. Gem copies him, and is thoroughly unsurprised to see Exor waiting for them.

Well, her brain says it’s Exor. Her eyes, her heart says it’s fWhip, because while his skin still has patches of corruption growing on it, is still blackened in several areas, is still riddled with red veins that pulse with unholy energy, it’s also showing through in its normal colour in places. His eyes are red, still, but they somehow look more alive than they had the last several times she’d seen him.

But then she takes another look, and her heart catches up to her eyes which catch up to her brain, and she can clearly see the deer god in place of her brother. His stance, his expression, his body language, scream arrogance, scream malice in a way that fWhip had never projected. This isn’t her brother. Her brother is dead. This is just the thing wearing his body.

She gathers a fireball on the end of her staff and points it directly at the god. “Exor.”

“Gem,” he says, smirking. “I see you’re back on your feet. How fortunate; you living is just as beneficial as you dying would be, if not more.”

Gem scowls, and the fireball grows. “Believe it or not, but I’m hoping to inconvenience you more with my living than with my dying.”

Exor’s smirk broadens, and he turns to Jimmy. “Well, well, if it isn’t the cod boy. Finally stopped running from your responsibilities, have you?”

Jimmy swallows hard, but readies his weapons. “I don’t run from anything. Not anymore.”

With a laugh, Exor then turns to Scott and gestures at Pearl. “And I see you’ve managed to forgive her. After everything she did to you, you still are too weak to finish her off.”

“She’s my friend. Of course I forgave her.”

“Oh, so your friend gets your forgiveness, but not your brother? Not your blood?”

Scott bristles, and Gem shuffles a little closer to him, letting him know she’s there for him, he’s not alone. “My brother killed my parents, tried to damn the entire kingdom to a living hell. Tried to kill me, did kill some of my friends. You might have influenced him, but those were still his choices, and I can’t forgive him for that.”

Gem winces. She knows, somewhere deep inside her, that Scott still loves Xornoth, it’s just buried by layers and layers of loneliness and hurt. She knows because despite every mistake fWhip ever made, every time Sausage betrayed them, she still loves them. The only difference is that she can forgive them. She’s not sure Scott is lying when he says he can’t.

Exor grins. “ Were they? You forget, I am perfectly capable of puppeting someone around even without my true self being present in this realm. Eventually Xornoth’s will crumbled and gave way to mine. Granted, it took decades—time I didn’t have with this meat puppet” —Gem growls when he says that, and Pearl bares her teeth in a savage snarl— “but I did it. And now, now my plan has come to fruition.”

There’s a yelp inside the Forge, and Gem has to fight her instincts not to turn around, because Exor is grinning, and she knows the battle is about to start. “Oh, little elf, did you think you could sneak past me? I may not have an agent on the inside anymore, but I can still guess your next moves. You are so predictable.”

Distantly, Gem is aware that the sun is setting, and the new moon is rising, but she’s more focused on Exor’s next words.

“Ready for my next move?”

He hurls a fireball at Scott, and Gem releases hers as Pearl and Joey charge. While Katherine hangs back and shoots from a distance, Gem takes off, circling the air above them and raining fireballs down at the enemy.

Exor exchanges a few blows with Joey and Pearl, then bats the jungle ruler away with a backhand that sends him flying, and shoves Pearl backward into the forcefield, where she bounces and lands in a heap. As she scrambles to her feet, Gem lands, exchanges a look with Scott, and charges, swinging her staff and sword in perfect unison.

They don’t have a choice. They have to win.

_______

As soon as Lizzie, Joel, and Sausage enter the Forge, a forcefield springs into being, trapping them inside. Lizzie whirls around, hearing footsteps from the shadows, and is thoroughly unsurprised to see illagers, zoglins, and ravagers hurtling toward them.

There must be some sort of magical mechanism summoning them, she figures, but that’s largely unimportant, because right now she has to defend Sausage while he tries to alter the ritual. Almost as soon as she’s set her shield, though, Sausage lets out a strangled yelp, and she risks a glance behind her to see him reeling backwards, hand clutched to his chest as a force field smokes at the point of contact. That’s not good.

But within the next few seconds, she’s too overwhelmed by enemies to pay any attention to what he does next. He’s cursing behind her, but all she can focus on is whirling her trident around in savage arcs, skewering, slashing, and shoving the enemies that threaten to overwhelm her. Somewhere above her, arrows are being fired down at a rate she’s only seen from Joel a handful of times. She knows, though, why he’s so desperate to win, to survive. Gods know she’s desperate as well (JimmyJoelPixKatherineScottGemPearlSausageJoeyShrub all fighting to survive, fighting to keep the empires alive).

There’s a zoglin bearing down on her, and she manages to impale it, but her trident gets stuck in its ribcage, and she wastes precious seconds trying to rip it out. It doesn’t budge. Cursing, she scrambles for her sword—unadorned netherite, enchanted but not well-used—but she sees a crossbow headed her way and knows she can’t block it in time. So instead of grabbing her sword, she reaches into her bags, closing her hand around the base of a totem as the crossbow hits.

It hurts, it always hurts when she dies, but this time she’s not exactly dying, she lives, because the totem of undying she had in her hand dissolves into liquid gold, which flows up her arm in a familiar rush to seal the hole in her chest, pushing the crossbow bolt out and filling her with renewed strength.

Still, she curses, because that was the only totem she had that wasn’t buried under useless junk she’s never bothered cleaning out of her bags, and she hadn’t meant for it to be used so early. It’s better than dying, but that’s not the point.

Desperate, she reaches out to the utter extent of her powers, calling the ocean to her in the only way she could, the only way it could reach her all the way inland, and as a great bank of thunderstorms roll in from the northwest, she grins savagely and thrusts out her hand, recalling her trident. It flies into the palm of her hand as the rain clouds above burst open, and she calls down the biggest lightning bolt she can.

The following thunderclap is loud enough that it temporarily deafens her, and though Lizzie closes her eyes, she’s still rendered blind by the enormous flash of light. She lashes out blindly, feeling the blows she lands as they reverberate up her arm, but she can’t see where they’re landing or where the enemy is coming from.

But there’s a lull in the action, like she killed more than could spawn at a time, and she takes a split second to breathe, blinking the stars out of her eyes. Her vision clears just in time to see Joel go down as a vindicator strikes him in the back with an axe.

With a scream, she takes off, landing on the minecart rail to stand over her husband. Crouching in a defensive manner with her shield covering them both, she ducks her head down and checks on Joel, who is surprisingly conscious and looking confused, but he’s also growing paler by the second as a blood pool gathers beneath him, staining his magenta shirt a deep maroon.

“Joel, stay with me,” she says as she rolls him onto his side so she can see the wound. It’s deep, but it mostly just hit the shoulder, not the lung or liver (or whatever Joel has that passes for that) so it’s just blood loss she has to worry about, though that’s no small thing.

“Not planning on going anywhere,” Joel manages, slurring his words slightly. “You and me… we’re getting our happy ending if I have to kill for it.”

“Good news on that front,” Lizzie says, as lightly as she can, because her hands are shaking, and her shield is shuddering as the illagers rain down blows on it. It’s not going to last much longer. “You may just have to.”

Joel glances around the shield and his eyes go even wider. “Oh.”

Snorting a quick laugh, she splashes a regen potion on him, then gives him a health potion. “Here, drink that, then get back to the fight. I need you—”

“Aww, I need you too,” he interjects, and she glares.

“I need you to watch my back,” she finishes, and he deflates slightly.

“Right.”

As he downs the potion, Lizzie roars a battlecry and charges forward. The illagers are all nicely lined up for her along the rail line, and she grins savagely as they all fall off, toppling to the ground below like autumn leaves before a gale. With a flying leap, she jumps off the suspended railway and comes crashing down on a ravager, imbedding her trident in the base of its skull.

As her impromptu mount dies with a shriek and a frankly unnecessary amount of thrashing about, she hops off and launches back into the fray. The tide is turning as the numbers of the enemy are whittled down, by herself, and Joel, and even Sausage who takes a moment from whatever he’s doing—he hasn’t removed the piece of red corruption from the altar, why hasn’t he removed it—to fire off a round of rockets from his assassin’s league-issue crossbow.

She turns to look at what Sausage has done as the last of the illagers falls to Joel’s arrows, and is shocked to see that he’s constructed another altar. “What—?” She starts to ask, but Sausage grabs her arm and tugs her—a mean feat, considering she is nearly four feet taller than him—toward the opening they sneaked in through.

“C’mon, we gotta go!” Sausage says, sounding worried but not overly stressed, which is odd because he hadn’t done what he’d been tasked with doing, why is he so calm—?

She doesn’t have any more time to wonder about that, because they’ve come up on a problem: they’re sealed in by the force-field that had sprung up in their wake. As Joel lands next to them, massaging his bad shoulder, Lizzie exchanges a look with Sausage. They’ve got no way out.

______

The ground above them shudders as Pix and Shrub turn the corner. He holds the torch up as she stumbles, grabbing her arm with his free hand to keep her upright.

“Sorry,” she pants as they press on.

Pix shakes his head, not sparing the breath to tell her it’s fine. It’s not, they both know it, but he wants to pass on the sentiment anyway. So he squeezes her arm just lightly enough to be taken as reassurance and lets go, pressing onward.

They’re still not quite to the exit that takes them up to the village, with Koda, Nova, and a few of the wolves tagging along, though the bulk of the rest of the wolves are stationed around the farmhouse, hiding behind the rubble of the Forge’s roof that had nearly crushed fWhip’s former retreat.

So they press on, Pix leading the way despite Shrub’s familiarity with the Grimlands, because she has never been down here, and while she is capable of defending herself, Pix feels better knowing he’s the first line of defence. They’re almost there, and he isn’t sure what they’re going to find, but he knows whatever it is, he’s going to protect Shrub from it as best he can.

Finally, they reach the exit, a series of stairs that leads out a cellar door to one of the back streets of Eastvale. The sky is nearly black, fire still spewing out of the top of the Forge, and there’s a thin blanket of ash covering everything. There’s a small garden to their right as they round the corner, but all the crops in it are dead, strangled by thin red vines.

But most concerningly, other than the flashes of magic from over the wall and the sounds of battle, there’s no signs of life. No movement, no sound; it’s like the city, once teeming with life, has died.

Behind him, Shrub gasps, her hand reaching out to clutch Pix’s robe. “No… where is everyone? They can’t have all…”

They can’t have all died, Pix finishes in his head. She’s right. There’s no signs of that level of violence, and Exor isn’t exactly the type to clean up after himself.

Turning to Koda and Nova, he kneels and scratches behind their ears. “Can you find them?”

As Shrub lights up, clearly finding hope in the possibility that the dogs can track down the missing people, Koda perks up, lowers his head to the ground, and starts casting around for a scent. Nova just watches, but she’s little more than a puppy, so he can hardly blame her for not knowing what’s being asked of her.

Finally, Koda seems to find something, because he barks and races off, through the main market place and down a side street that leads to a shop Pix doesn’t recognize. Shrub must, because she whispers something that sounds like, “Of course!” but she offers no explanation. It’s not needed anyway, because as soon as Pix pushes the door open, Koda and Nova both barrel forward, down some stairs that lead to a basement of sorts, clearly used for storage.

Pix tries not to feel too crestfallen, but it must show on his face because Shrub is nudging him and pointing to a painting. “Behind that,” she says, and Pix swingings it open, revealing a ladder that leads even farther down.

“A secret workshop?” He asks, and Shrub nods.

“It’s where he did all his tinkering. He even had a map of the empires down there. I didn’t know the villagers knew where it was.”

Leaving Koda, Nova, and the rest of the wolves at the top, they descend carefully, wary of any traps Exor might have set, but there are none. It’s quiet, like the cavern is holding its breath, but as soon as they turn down a tunnel, a makeshift club comes swinging at Pix’s head, and he barely gets his shield up in time to block it.

“Wait!” Shrub cries, and the villager who’d swung halts, looks down at her, and relaxes.

“Lady Shrub?” She asks, and Shrub nods.

“Is everyone here?” She looks around as she asks, and Pix does the same.

The tunnel seems to lead to a large cave, where sure enough, Pix can see a map of the empires stretched out across the wall. Huddled in the corners are maybe fifty villagers, less than a third of the population of Eastvale, but there are a few more people coming out of hiding places along the tunnel walls, and a few more curious heads poking out of another tunnel that undoubtedly leads farther into the caves.

The villager nods. “Everyone who survived. We lost several people to disease and starvation. But the children are still alive. Most of the women as well. Are you here to help us?”

“Yes,” Pix says, “we’re here to get you out. The other rulers are trying to kill Exor, the one who has possessed Count fWhip, but we need to know that you are all safe, otherwise, we’ll be distracted going into the battle, and that's something none of us can afford.”

Behind the woman, who looks ready to argue, a young boy, probably no more than ten, comes forward, grabbing her hand and looking at Pix with pleading eyes. “We can’t leave. Our lives are here, where else can we go?”

Pix kneels to be at his level. “Your lives aren't measured in the things you have here; your lives are here," He rests his hand against the boy's chest, against his heart. "That's all that matters, is that you have this." He taps the boy's chest one more time, then straightens. "Are there any who are unable to walk?"

A few people--an older woman, a girl with crutches, and a young man in a redstone powered wheelchair with a cat in his lap--all move forward, and Pix gestures them to the front.

"Shrub, lead the way. Those three first, then the children and women. All the able-bodied men should space themselves out amid the group, to protect them. I doubt Exor will bother attacking us himself, but he has more minions than we have fighters, we can't afford to risk your lives."

Nods all around, and Shrub turns on her heel, gesturing the disabled people and the children forward. Koda and Nova both run through the crowd, greeting everyone with enthusiasm, and Pix smiles as the man in the wheelchair shoos Nova away, cradling his cat closer, and whispering, "It's okay, Jellie, we'll be alright."

As they proceed forward, Pix hurries to the map and observes it for a long moment. The bridge from the farmhouse to the Crystal Cliffs had been utterly wrecked, so that way is hopeless, but they have to get the villagers out of the Grimlands entirely, out of the corrupted area, out of Exor’s way. So that leaves either Rivendell, which has a target on it the size of the mountains it rests upon, or the Lost Empire.

He supposes they could go to the Undergrove, but there is little room there for the hundred-odd villagers who've survived. That wouldn't be the smartest move.

No, the smartest move would be to go to the Lost Empire, but that would mean traversing the shattered plains of the Grimlands, which is hard enough on a good day, but with women, children, and injured, and the plains the way they are… that seems impossible.

They'll have to cross that bridge when they get to it. Possibly literally.

He watches as the villagers file out of the tunnel, following his orders as to who goes where. It's a relief; he was half expecting some of them to push to the front or put up a fuss, but no, they're all being quiet, solemn, even, as they leave, their possessions in bags slung over their shoulder.

Even Shrub's wolves are following his orders, spacing themselves along the line of refugees, though quite a few of them are waiting on him, his own personal bodyguards. He feels honoured, but he also knows that them waiting on his depriving the villagers of more protection. Hopefully, none of them will be lost because of that.

Finally, the line of refugees thins out and Pix unsheathes his sword, readying his trident in his off-hand as he casts one last glance around the room to ensure that they aren't leaving anyone behind. There's no way they make it to safety without a fight; he just has to hope they'll win it when it comes.

Notes:

I promise I'll update again within the next two weeks. Assuming I don't have to go to a mental health facility. Which, at this point is still a possibility. Anyway, did you catch the cameo from one of our favorite miners and crafters? I love sneaking these little Easter eggs into my works.

#cleaning lady #empires smp #empiresblr #fanfiction #creative writing #tw: blood and violence #you are totally meant to read those first two sentences in Pearl's voice

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