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insomniac-jay · 2 years

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Marvel Next Gen

So I made this post a while ago expressing my frustration that Marvel made all of these teams made up of newer and younger characters (some made up of the children of their popular characters) and yet have done nothing with them.

Being how I am, I'm going to fix it because I think they all had so much potential but Marvel wants to focus on their boomers more.

For starters, the older heroes FINALLY age because realism makes for good story and plot points but they are still operating until the newer heroes become of age.

Another thing is that most of them will be young adults so about 18 to 20 because fuck the child soldier aspect.

New X-Men

I will never forgive Marvel for how dirty they do the New X-Men. Here's my idea of a New X-Men lineup:

David Alleyne | Prodigy: Co leader, Chicago born Mutant with the ability to absorb the skills and knowledge around him via subconscious telepathy. Later joins the Young Avengers.

Sofia Mantega | Wind Dancer: De facto leader, Venezuelan born Mutant with the ability to telepathically control the wind and some minor sound manipulation abilities. She later joins the Hellions Squad.

Laurie Collins | Wallflower: Member, American Mutant with the power to control the pheromones of others.

Josh Foley | Elixir: Member, American Mutant with the power to control, shape, and reform the biological structure of both his and other's bodies.

Jay Guthrie | Icarus: Member, American Mutant with the powers of flight via wings and a regenerative healing factor. Later joins the Hellions Squad.

Ruth Aldine | Blindfold: Member, American Mutant with the powers of psionics and clairvoyance.

Laura Kinney | X-23: Member, Indigenous Canadian Mutant with the power to sprout metal claws.

Megan Gwynn | Pixie: Member, American Mutant with the powers of flight and emitting a hallucinatory dust.

Cessily Kincaid | Mercury: Member, American Mutant with the power to turn her body into mercury and manipulate it. She also joins the Hellions Squad later.

Hisako Ichiki | Armor: Member, Japanese Mutant with the power to create a psionic armor around herself.

Noriko Ashida | Surge: Member, Japanese Mutant with the power to absorb all forms of electricity.

Kevin Ford | Wither: Member, American Mutant with the power to disintegrate anything with one touch. He is the third and last member to convert to the Hellions Squad.

With three of their members having left for the Hellions Squad, Jean Grey assigns four new members to take their place:

Alani Ryan | Loa: Hawaiian Mutant with the power to phase through solid matter by breaking apart its binding forces. Takes up the leadership role after David's departure.

Victor Borkowski | Anole: American Mutant with the powers of reptilian physiology and camouflage.

Paras Gavaskar | Indra: Indian born Mutant with the powers of a retractable exoskeleton and psionic construction.

Mark Sheppard | DJ: American Mutant with the power to manipulate different forms of energy based on the music he's listening to

Hellions Squad

Another team Marvel does dirty. Here's my Hellions Squad lineup:

Julian Keller | Hellion: Leader, American Mutant with the powers of telekinesis.

Sooraya Qadir | Dust: Co leader, Afghani Mutant with the ability to turn herself into a living whirlwind of dust.

Santo Vaccaro | Rockslide: Mexican born Mutant with the ability to create a body made entirely of solid rock.

Brian Cruz | Tag: Colombian born Mutant with the power to telepathically "tag" a person so others felt compelled to run away from them.

Quentin Quire | Kid Omega: American Mutant with the powers of psionics

Sophie, Irma, Celeste, and Esme Frost-Grey/Cuckoo | Stepford Cuckoos: American born Mutants with the powers of a psionic hivemind.

Angel Salvadore Bohusk | Tempest: American Mutant with the powers of insectoid physiology and acid production.

Roxy Washington | Bling!: American Mutant with the ability to produce and manipulate gems via her gemstone skin

Later on they gain three members from the New X-Men: Wind Dancer, Mercury, and Wither.

Young Avengers

My children and the better version of the Avengers. Here's my version of their lineup:

Kate Bishop | Hawkeye: Leader, Human with incredible archery and swordsmanship skills.

America Chavez | Miss America: Co leader, has the powers of superhuman physiology, interdimensional and time travel, and energy infusion.

William "Billy" Kaplan-Altman | Wiccan: Member, Mutant with magical powers including reality warping, clairvoyance, and creation.

Thomas "Tommy" Shepherd | Speed: Member, Mutant with the power of superhuman speed

Theodore "Teddy" Kaplan-Altman/Dorrek-Vell | Hulking: Member, Kree/Skrull hybrid with the abilities of shapeshifting, hybrid alien physiology, and superhuman condition.

Cassandra "Cassie" Lang | Stinger: Member, Human exposed to Pym Particles and now has the ability to reduce or increase her size

Elijah "Eli" Bradley | Patriot: Member but sometimes acts as leader, mutated Human due to exposure to Super Soldier Serum which grants him superhuman condition

Luna Maximoff | Aura: Member, Human/Inhuman hybrid with the powers of aura vision, empathy, and precognition.

David Alleyne later joined after leaving the New X-Men.

Future Four

The successors to the Fantastic Four, the Future Four have no intention of not uploading the First Family's legacy.

Franklin Richards | Powerhouse: Leader, Human mutate with powerful reality warping and psionic abilities

Valeria Richards | Brainstorm: Co leader, Human mutate with the power of super genius intellect

Takeshi "Taki" Matsuya: Member, Mutant with the power to telepathically reform technology

Rachel Summers-Grey | Prestige*: Member, Mutant with the powers of telepathy, empathy, and telekinesis. She is also the current host of the Phoenix Force after it bonded with her mother's body.

*Rachel had an old team which was made up of her and the other children of the previous X-Men, but left for unknown reasons.

MCU fans DNI

@calciumcryptid

#jay's marvel era #young avengers #new x men

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caelumfcrged · 10 months

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@orphanedshadow / gets a starter.

Even if she didn't know where she was, she knew where she was going. She could feel it, like a tug against her wrist, or on her spine. The dark was pervasive, and the tunnels were slippery and she'd knocked a knee or an elbow more times than she could count, and had collected more momentary scrapes and scratches than her dignity would've liked, but they didn't linger more than a moment. The threads of silvery blue flame sparked outwards every now and then, tendrils of heavens fire pushing through the inky darkness, giving her enough light to avoid the worst of the slips and sudden drops off.

She'd had to back track a couple times cause even if she'd been heading in the right direction, even she couldn't jump some of the distances, or phase through solid rock, so there'd been a few setbacks but she tromped onwards. She hadn't come this far to give up cause of a rockslide and if she'd done all this and then gave up and went home without Kara she would be in loads of trouble for nothing and -- even if they'd never say it, she was pretty sure there was some part of her moms that wouldn't ever forgive her if she failed ... so onwards she went.

#ORPHANEDSHADOW #IC.#STARTER.#VINNIE & KARA.#VERSE. ( main. / tog. )

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i-did-not-mean-to · 3 years

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A little something something for you

Hello, it is me...and I have a gift for you...

@dodo-doodles has created this AWESOME piece of art to go with a slice of warm, fluffy, heart-felt love!

This is me in a nutshell, you can read this as Bagginshield, you can read it as Thorin x OC, you can read it however you want! We can all agree that Bard, Thrandi, Thorin, and - last but not least - Bilbo deserve a shoutout for their parenting skills.

Also, let's imagine Bilbo took Frodo in right after his parents died.

This is dedicated to both the STGC and the Bagginshield community, for you are awesome people and I love you <3

Let's cheer for those awesome father figures and the amazing men and women they've raised!

Without further ado:

Please show @dodo-doodles some love, they're super super sweet, amazingly talented, with a twitch stream and everything...

@lathalea @legolasbadass @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @xxbyimm @kibleedibleedoo @middleearthpixie @thewarriorandtheking @bitter-sweet-farmgirl @lordoftherazzles @laurfilijames @mathelaw @shrimpsthings

“Oakenshield. Good, I’m at my wits’ end.” Bilbo groaned when he saw the old-familiar silhouette darken the doorway of his smial. Strong and broad, he was the very epitome of safety and steady support.

Thorin walked in, taking off his overcoat and hanging it up neatly while Bilbo shoved a rag underneath it to catch most of the rainwater that was pouring down in rivulets and threatened to ruin the floor.

“I am helplessly overwhelmed.” Bilbo muttered, waving vaguely into the direction of the sitting room where a small creature was huddled up in one of the sofas.

Such a tiny thing, Thorin thought – his own nephews had been hearty and sturdy as a rockslide in summertime – but this fauntling looked positively withering, cowering against the plush surface of the furniture.

Approaching a chair, Thorin shed another coat, took off his boots that resounded with sonorous booms every time he took a step, and unclasped his belt. This was a battle in which armour was counterproductive.

“Hello, little one. My name is Thorin. What is yours?” He spoke gently, sitting down on the floor and watching the fauntling shiver every time a flash of lightening split the sky like the wrath of some angry god.

“I want my mama.” The creature whined, pushing further into the sofa. After a moment though, a tiny face appeared that seemed to be mostly made up of luminous, blue eyes. “I’m Frodo. You are not a hobbit, are you?” It asked with a voice so soft it seemed to float on the still air between them.

“No, I am King under the Mountain. I am the king of the Longbeards. A dwarrow, I mean, I am a…dwarf.” Thorin replied with a warm chuckle that drew the little boy up on his haunches and off the sofa within a few seconds.

He was lithe and agile, Thorin could appreciate that, and he ran towards the solid figure that seemed so much more inviting than the immobile sofa in a straight line, eager to plunge into the warm protection of those massive arms.

“What has you frightened so, little one?” Thorin asked. “The storm. I want my mama.” The kid replied in a trembling tone.

“Ah, yes…You know, I have two nephews.” Thorin, now only in his soft tunic, slowly lifted the fauntling into his embrace and rocked him gently against his chest. “They are already grown, I’d say big, but they are dwarrows as well and we’re not exactly known for our height.” Again, he laughed melodiously, while the small boy inspected his braids and beads with interest. “Pretty.” He commented, the lids on his huge eyes drooping ever so slightly.

Thorin thanked him, sending a silent prayer of thanks to Mahal for his sister; Dís had survived, despite and through everything, she had stood firm, for her boys, for her surviving brother. What would Dís do in this situation?

He knew that he was a far cry from the motherly warmth of a dwarrowdam, but here, locked within the storm and sheltered in a hole in the ground, there was nobody else but Bilbo and the child. He would have to make do.

“Shall I sing you a song my sister has sung for her boys? My…boys.” Thorin’s heart warmed at the thought of Fíli and Kíli. “Hmmm.” Frodo hummed in acquiescence, pressing his frail body closer to the reassuring warmth of the sturdy man holding him.

It was a song for pebbles and Thorin very much doubted that Frodo would be interested in long wanderings, daring quests and terrible danger, but he didn’t understand Khuzdul anyway; all he had to comprehend was that Thorin was there and wouldn’t go away.

He remembered having his nephews clinging to him in unspoken fright, he recalled the nights spent sleeping with his back against the wall of their chamber because it made them feel safer when he was in the room, he dreaded the recollections of their fevers and their coughs…or that memory of him almost losing both of them.

“How do you do it?” Bilbo appeared, finding his old friend sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, Frodo huddled snugly in his strong arms, singing a sweet lullaby to the now sleeping fauntling.

“The world is full of single men and their children, Master Baggins.” Thorin smiled up at him, softer than during the quest, more confident than when he had first retaken Erebor.

“Even those Elven idiots have managed to raise their children on their own. Men have done it. I had my sister, bless her, but I would have taken in my nephews on my own, you know I would have.” Thorin went on.

Bilbo knew this to be true, he had seen Thorin with his nephews and he had looked upon his immense pride when they were returned to Erebor as the rightful and prospective future of their people.

“I don’t know if I can do it.” Bilbo admitted fitfully. “You can. You must.” Thorin declared firmly, his body never shifting from his protective stance while his face mirrored myriad of emotions flitting across his brow like ghosts.

“Steady and reliable as the mountain, adaptable and soft as the river, warm and nurturing as the earth, Bilbo Baggins, you’ll shape your arms into shields and your heart into a sun for the little one.” It was a challenge…and a promise.

“When did you become so wise, King under the Mountain?” Bilbo mocked.

“Well, Master Burglar, Barrel-rider, lucky one…”, Thorin grinned, “among the many names and titles I call my own, “uncle” is the one that means the most.”

#thorin oakenshield #bilbo baggins #uncle #fíli #kíli #frodo #single men #and children #love and warmth #pure fluff #thank you #solace #let's spread light #and gratitude #my virtual gallery

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batneko · 3 years

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a little danger

Birthday commission for @anonymousedward!

monster-on-monster mumarou, both fluffy good boys

rating: PG (some blood but otherwise pure fluff sorry)

Lights were a doubled-edged sword for a moth like Mumen. They meant food, they meant companionship, they (usually) meant safety. But they could mean danger too. Not just the risk of drawing the attention of predators, real danger, immediately life-threatening danger.

But to a mothman, danger wasn't a repellent.

He wasn't the largest type of moth – not by a long shot. As far as intelligent ones went he was slightly on the smaller side. In the dark, with a cloak, he could pass for human. Not that he often wanted to.

Human cities were too distracting, with all their noises and lights and smells. Out here in the forest was more Mumen's speed, even if the forest was getting more crowded lately.

Tonight would be a crowded one. The full moon hung bright and low in the cloudless sky, stars twinkling like jewels around it. As Mumen stepped into the warm spring air, he took a slow breath and let his antennae probe the breezes.

There. To the south and east. Danger.

He could feel it in the wind. A sense of wrongness, like a hole where there shouldn't be, a cold current in a hot bath. Mumen spread his wings and took to the sky, following the trail.

But the light pulled him away. The glimmer of moonlight on water was too tempting, too beautiful, too distracting. Mumen veered off and landed near the lake, leaning back against a tree and drinking in the sight.

After a while (how long had he been entranced?) another gleam caught his eye. Mumen pulled his gaze away from the water and followed it. Something silvery moved to the shore, stopped, bent to drink, then stood up… and up… and up.

Oh. My.

At least a head taller than Mumen and twice as wide across the shoulders, its face turned toward the moon just as Mumen's had been before, then it tilted back and howled.

A wolfman. Mumen couldn't recall if they were the type who'd been human once, but their forms were now somewhere in the middle, wolf in face and foot and fur, human in hand and mind. At least, so it was said. They kept to themselves, which was probably why Mumen hadn't heard about one moving to the forest.

He backed up a bit more, just to be safe.

The wolfman scooped up some more water in his massive hands and rubbed them across his head, sending his fur sticking up around his ears. It only enhanced the gleam of it, like every strand was a silver thread. Would it be soft? Mumen wondered. It must be, it looked so fine…

He must have moved without thinking, because a branch suddenly snapped beneath his foot. The wolfman whirled around, teeth bared and shining like knives, and automatically Mumen's wings snapped out to their full width.

The wolfman jumped, startled, then hunkered down with his fur standing on end. In the low light, beneath the trees, the spots on Mumen's wings would have looked like the eyes of an enormous creature. He recovered his composure quickly, and growled in Mumen's direction. The low rumble sent a shiver through Mumen's setae. He spread his wings once more, flapped, and took off.

Best to leave before the wolfman decided to take revenge for the embarrassment.

Once more, Mumen found the trail of danger and followed it east. The mountains lay this way, rising up from the trees quite sharply in places. That was where Mumen's senses led him, to a road winding along a cliff, the slope not completely vertical but not far off.

He could feel it. Where there should have been solid rock and metal, there was... weakness. Like air flowing through a gap. Mumen settled onto the rocks above the danger point and considered his options.

Was it a potential rockslide? He could see a few large ones that had rolled out of place recently. But that would feel stronger. Was it the barrier along the edge of the road? That wouldn't stand up to a speeding vehicle anyway. But it was there for guidance at night, so it might have been enough to draw him nonetheless. Was it worth reporting to the human authorities?

Mumen sat and thought about it for a long time. This wasn't a commonly-used road, at least not at night, so he wasn't worried about frightening any drivers. And he had a nice view of the moon from here, above most of the trees.

Maybe he could make a sign?

The distant sounds of the forest life were usually white noise to Mumen. He was forest life too, after all, and he was familiar with the different birds and bugs that sang in the underbrush. Now, thinking about the structural integrity of the road, he was aware of every thump and crunch. And there was a sound happening he didn't know what to make of. Soft, but rhythmic, not quite footsteps, but...

Mumen glided the short hop from cliffside to the metal barrier, peering down the mountainside. Were more rocks falling?

He found himself staring into the wide golden eyes of the wolfman, and a grin full of knives.

“Got you,” the wolfman said. His voice was deep too, suiting his appearance, but it came out in a yelp as the barrier gave out beneath his grip.

Mumen barely had a second to gasp before a broad hand latched on to his ankle. Mumen flapped his wings instinctively, knowing full well he wasn't strong enough to carry both of them, and they hung in the air for a single heartbeat before they fell. The wolfman let go the moment they dropped, and Mumen heard him yelp in pain along with the gritty crunch of falling stones.

He'd followed Mumen all this way? Mumen didn't have a very strong scent, but he'd flown in a straight line, so that was his mistake. And that sound Mumen had heard had been the wolfman climbing the mountain. It wasn't that high, but it was still a lot of effort to go to.

Despite having been potential prey, Mumen felt bad. He waiting, flapping slowly, until the rocks stopped rolling, and dipped down bit by bit until he found the wolfman curled up on an outcropping.

He groaned, and raised his head cautiously. Golden eyes fell on Mumen, and the teeth flashed for a second before he winced.

“Ow.”

“Are you okay?” Mumen asked,keeping his distance.

“Dunno,” the wolfman said. He pushed himself up one piece at a time, arms, shoulders, back, hips. Beneath the silvery fur his body was almost impossibly sculpted. His tailed lashed weakly as he looked up at Mumen.

“I'm sorry I embarrassed you,” Mumen said, hoping to squash the wolfman's grudge. Of course – he realized a second after he said it – accusing the wolfman of being embarrassed might be making it worse.

“You didn't,” the wolfman said, and seemed to mean it. “I just wanted to get a better look at you.”

“Me? Why?”

He grinned, and it didn't look threatening now that Mumen could see the glint of hope in his eyes. “Your wings are beautiful.”

“O- oh.” Mumen's antennae dipped down over his face. Now he was the one embarrassed. “Thank you?”

“Just bein' honest.” The wolfman shifted, paws creeping down to find a foothold. He was wearing loose trousers, now dirty and torn, but there was a dark patch on one leg that Mumen didn't think was supposed to be there.

“You're hurt,” Mumen said.

“A little,” the wolfman admitted. “Can't fly, y'know.”

“Will... Can you get down?”

“Gotta, don't I?”

Mumen frowned, to himself. “Wait there.”

“I'm okay!” the wolfman said, a little more emphatically. “This is nothing.”

“You're bleeding.”

The wolfman hesitated.

“I'll go and get some bandages,” Mumen said. “And I'll be right back. At least it's better than letting it bleed.”

“Okay,” the wolfman said. He smiled. “Since it means I'll get to see you again.”

Antennae so low they threatened his already-poor vision, Mumen flew off without another word.

It didn't take long to grab bandages and some antiseptic from his cabin – he hurt himself quite often so he always knew where they were – but the flight there and back took several minutes. Mumen was worried the wolfman would have taken off out of stubbornness or something. Mumen had known him for barely five minutes, but he seemed like the type.

The wolfman was waiting though, pant leg rolled up and big hand pressed to his calf to put pressure on the injury. Mumen settled on a stable-looking rock and set out his supplies.

“You ready?”

“I guess.” The wolfman squirmed around until he could put his leg in Mumen's reach. “Weird. Been a while since anybody did this for me.”

Already concerned about that statement, Mumen applied some antiseptic to a gauze pad and wiped away at the wolfman's bloody fur until he found the source. It seemed to have mostly stopped, until Mumen prodded it, of course. It was still a good sign.

Mumen cleaned the injury as best he could, noting the way the wolfman's ears twitched while he worked, and wrapped up the leg with bandages. Not too tight, it wouldn't do to compress the muscle. Blood still needed to flow to his foot.

“That's better,” the wolfman admitted. “Thank you.”

“Well, it's kind of my fault. I ran away. If I'd stayed, we could have talked.”

“Eh, I don't blame ya. Those wings are meant to scare me off, right?” He grinned once again. “Too bad you found the guy who likes a little danger in his life.”

Mumen found himself smiling back. “Do I get to know the guy's name?”

“Garou,” the wolfman said. Mumen had to hold back a laugh. Maybe he'd been born a wolf after all.

“I'm Mumen,” he said. “I go by Mumen, anyway.”

“Nice t'meet you, Mumen.”

They shook hands, Mumen using his lower one since it hadn't gotten dirty. Would blood be considered dirty to a wolf?

“I guess I'd better make my way down,” Garou said, leaning forward. It got less and less steep as you went, but it would still be slower on only one good leg.

“I wish I could help, but,” Mumen spread all of his arms, “my body's light. I can't carry anyone else.”

“Hmm, bet I could pick you up with one hand.”

For some reason it sounded suggestive. Maybe it was just the hint of a growl, or the way Garou's eyes looked him up and down. Either way, Mumen's antennae dipped down, but he didn't look away.

“You probably could,” Mumen said softly, watching Garou's arms flex.

It was with a smug twitch of his eyebrow that Garou lowered himself down from the outcrop. Mumen took off and hung in the air, watching his gleaming fur and smooth muscles.

“Enjoying yourself?” Garou called.

“Yes,” Mumen replied, refusing to feel ashamed. “And I can tell you where the good footholds are if you get stuck.”

“I won't get stuck!” Garou said. He was probably right. But it was as good an excuse as any.

After less than ten minutes, Garou had made it to a part he could walk down, though Mumen still felt rather nervous about the angle. His legs weren't quite like a human's, made to move in a controlled fall. Even Mumen would be better at it.

“Here.” Mumen landed next to him and held a hand out.

“I'm good,” Garou said.

Feeling rejected, and feeling foolish about feeling rejected, Mumen pulled his hand back. Only to have it grabbed a second later.

“Not that I don't want to hold hands,” Garou said, too quick to be smooth. He'd probably regretted it the moment he said it, just like Mumen had earlier.

Mumen smiled, and his antennae bobbed in front of his face.

“I'll walk you home,” Mumen said. “It's the least I can do.”

“Yeah? It's a ways.”

“I'm not doing anything else tonight.” It was mostly true. He had plenty of food back home, spring was warming into summer and his cabin didn't need any more maintenance. He should really report that broken barrier to someone, but it could wait. Maybe a human would notice it in the morning and save him the trouble.

“Okay,” Garou beamed at him. How could he say no to a face like that?

The walk was mostly silent. Mumen wasn't sure what to say, and Garou seemed to be enjoying himself without speaking. He was limping, but not badly, and didn't put any weight on their joined hands.

“Almost there,” Garou said as they veered around the lake.

“Here?” Mumen said. “Th... the caves?”

“Yeah. Me and a few other wolfmen. They're... off in another part, though.” His brow pulled down over his eyes.

“It's just, I thought tourists came to the caves. Especially now that the weather's nice.”

Garou huffed through his nose. “They've got more right to 'em than we do?”

“No, I guess not.” It was definitely a problem that would have to be solved eventually, but not one that Mumen could do anything about. Not like over-stressed infrastructure.

Garou led Mumen away from the largest entrance, along a cool path between cedar trees. The moon was high above them now, so bright it actually cast faint shadows of the branches.

In the dark, something growled.

Mumen saw Garou's fur along his neck bristle, his hackles raised, and his golden eyes fixed on a space between two trees. Oddly, Mumen wasn't picking up any sense of danger.

“What's that?” a voice said. Another wolfman, this one dark-furred and burly, emerged from the shadows. “You brought a bug home?”

“What about it?” Garou said, raising his chin.

“That's a mothman.”

“I know.”

“You know what mothmen are, don't you?” The wolfman's lips pulled away from his teeth, giving him a sour expression.

“Big moths? Who the fuck cares.”

“They're harbingers of disaster,” the sour wolf said.

Mumen shrunk back, ducking his head and pulling his wings in tight to his body. It wasn't quite true, but it wasn't anybody's fault if they came to that conclusion. He tried to use his danger sense to do good, but...

“Harbingers,” Garou repeated. He turned to Mumen and, with eyes full of innocence, said “Did you come all this way to warn Nigamushi about his love life?”

Mumen snorted in spite of himself.

The sour wolf huffed and sputtered. “I'm trying to help you!”

“Don't need it, thanks.” Garou tugged Mumen's hand, and they both walked on.

“Don't blame me if he causes a cave-in!” the sour wolf called after them. And after he got no reply, Mumen heard the crunch of his footsteps as he walked away.

The entrance to Garou's part of the caves was small, almost too narrow for his body, and Mumen had to flare his wings just so to squeeze in. It widened past that, and he'd made it cozy with a thick blanket over a nest of straw and an enormous pillow (was it a dog bed?) and a couple of lamps like Mumen had seen humans use while camping. Garou lit them up and flopped onto his pillow, leaving enough room for Mumen to join him.

“It's not much,” he said.

“Do you need much?” Mumen asked, settling in. “You've got a whole forest.”

Garou smiled. “You get it.”

He leaned in, and Mumen realized he'd done so first without thinking about it.

“How's your leg?” Mumen asked, softly.

“Sore,” Garou admitted. “I need pampering.”

Mumen smiled and pushed at his shoulder. “So spoiled.”

“Hey, you already took responsibility. And besides...” Self-consciousness crossed his face for a moment. “You only said you'd walk me home, but you came in. That means you wanna be here, right?”

There was a current of air coming from the back of the cave. It connected to the others, though most of the wolves would be out enjoying the moonlight now. And none of them apparently wanted to share a den with Garou.

“I want to be here,” Mumen said.

“Is... Are you sure?” Garou said, his smile wobbly. “You hardly even know me. And I did kinda... hunt you.”

“I'm sure.” It was finally Mumen's turn to grin. “I like a little danger in my life.”

#one punch man #opm #mumen/garou #mumarou #mumen rider #garou #licenseless rider #mumen x garou #batfics

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windlion · 3 years

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@aliciarosefantasy Kylin's time to get whumped (And not in a hallucination). I'd like to see how the iron triangle handle it, since he's always so tough and invincible. Fluffy friendships a must.

---

Timeline, what timeline? :D I spent longer on this with the other sides of the Iron Triangle than I should have, but it was fun-- Merry Christmas!

They had no warning before the mountainside dropped beneath them. Wu Xie yelled and tried to grab on to Pangzi as the ground shook out from under them, rocks and dirt cascading downwards. He tried to keep his feet under him, pack to the mountainside as they tumbled down sharp shale, but it was too fast, too chaotic, as they went in seconds down what they'd spent all morning climbing up.

He lost hold of Pangzi quickly, and it was all he could do to duck his head under his arms as they went through a series of scrub trees, sharp dry branches snapping and whipping across them. Pangzi, however, wasn't done with him--Wu Xie came to an abrupt stop as Pangzi seized onto him in turn with a grunt of effort. "Tianzhen?!"

Wu Xie could only wheeze in reply, the sudden blow from his pack straps having knocked the breath out of him, and reached up to try and pat Pangzi in reassurance even as more rocks and dirt rained down around them. Wu Xie scrabbled to get his feet under him against the mountainside, helping take some of the strain. Twisting, he could see Pangzi had managed to stop himself laying side-ways across several of the tree trunks, distributing the weight.

As the rockslide slowed to a trickle, a cloud of dust still hanging over them, Wu Xie coughed and returned Pangzi's firm grasp to haul him back up into the thicket of scrub pines. "Xiaoge?"

Pangzi shook his head, sitting back against the slope as he tried to brush dirt, rocks, and bits of tree off of him. "Didn't see him. You know our Xiaoge, though."

"You look like you've been through a wood chipper."

Pangzi grumbled, flicking a piece of dry-rotted bark at him. "You would've looked like you went through a meat grinder if I didn't stop you from going over the ledge."

Wu Xie absently patted at his shoulder, leaning back to look up the cliffside. "Aa, good catch."

Xiaoge had been scouting ahead of them, some ten to twenty meters further to the west. And some . . . five to ten hundred meters up. Dust still hung heavy in the air, a few shards of still falling here and there pinging their way down the mountainside. Definitely not guaranteed to be stable.

Pangzi followed his gaze and scowled at the shale, echoing his thoughts, "That's going to be a bitch to climb again."

"We might need another way up." Hell, a solid sheer cliff face with ropes was better than this shifting mess. He still had his climbing gear.

Pangzi leaned back and yelled at the blue sky in outrage, "We weren't even in the tomb yet!"

That reminded him-- Wu Xie met Pangiz's eyes. "Someone was."

Pangzi's face contorted in a grimace as he reluctantly agreed. "Tianzhen, you are full of good news today."

"Hopefully they'll leave you something to blow up." Wu Xie pushed his way back up to his feet, extending a hand. "Come on, let's go find Xiaoge."

"Or he'll find us."

They'd forged along for nearly an hour, making slow zig-zagging progress uphill and west. They paused to tap out a question every five minutes or so, using a rock against the edge of a shovel so it would echo in the air. The benefit to finding Xiaoge more quickly was worth the risk of alerting any sentries from the group that had beaten them.

Pangzi took a quick mouthful of water to wash down the dust while they waited and listened for a response. "You don't think he surfed all the way to the bottom, do you?"

Wu Xie shook his head. "If anything, he'd stop far faster."

But Xiaoge wouldn't have kept going without them, without being sure they were safe. Wu Xie scanned the mountainside, feeling his guts twist with unease. In theory all the grey shale uniformly coating the mountainside should have made an excellent backdrop to find one black-clad Zhang Qiling against. In reality, Xiaoge was probably as covered in dust and ghost pale as Wu Xie and Pangzi.

"He might have fallen straight into the tomb. They blew up the damn mountain right under us."

Wu Xie winced. "It's possible."

That would be one of the better options, really, because he had full faith Xiaoge could handle whoever or whatever the tomb could throw at them. Because the alternative. . .

Pangzi hissed like a tea kettle, flinging the back of his hand into Wu Xie's chest, voice hushed and intent, "Look."

Wu Xie followed his finger pointing uphill, to where the hilt of an extremely familiar black and gold sword just barely jutted from the rock. "Xiaoge?!"

They raced each other to the spot, Wu Xie winning by a scant meter. The sword was indeed jammed straight into solid rock, providing a handhold for someone to crouch just in the lee of a ledge. The problem was, there was no Xiaoge with it. Pangzi worked to haul the sword free, grumbling about over-achievers, while Wu Xie searched for any signs of their friend.

Even looking, he almost tripped over him instead some five meters downhill, covered in a heap of shale. Wu Xie cursed and dropped to his knees, digging frantically, sending more rocks cascading down. Pangzi hurried to join him, helping Wu Xie pull Xiaoge up and free from the mess. Zhang Qiling was lighter than he should be as always, and unnaturally still. Wu Xie hauled him close and hurriedly pressed his fingers to the man's neck, holding silent. He breathed out in relief when he finally felt the pulse, slow, steady. "He's alive."

Pangzi frisked the other man's limbs and body, checking for injury, reporting, "Nothing broken. Doesn't look like anything that would put him out."

Wu Xie frowned down at the man's head in his lap, carefully sinking his hands into thick hair to feel along the man's skull, then winced as he displayed blood-covered fingers to Pangzi. "That would do it."

Pangzi hissed, patting the unconscious man's shoulder. "Aiya. . . had to hit him in the weak spot."

Wu Xie probed along the edge of the injury, queasily glad to find that the bones didn't seem to shift under his hands, just a knot of swollen, tender tissue and hair matted with blood. "I think . . . maybe just a concussion, not a cracked skull."

Pangzi caught and held his eyes, worry matching his own. That might be bad enough. Pangzi breathed out gustily, leaning forward to seize hold of Xiaoge's arms. "All right, you get his pack. Let's go find a place to make camp."

Wu Xie hesitated, then helped strip off the lighter pack before maneuvering Xiaoge onto Pangzi's back. Xiaoge was alive. They'd deal with whatever the fallout was when he woke up. And if he'd forgotten them, well it wouldn't be the first time.

#sometimes I write #Daomu Biji #Wu Xie #Wang Pangzi #and one extremely not-here-for-this-adventure Xiaoge #they're going to fuss over him like a pair of mother hens #as they should #and he will probably be extremely goddamn grumpy that he got taken out by a ROCK #AWAY from his boys #implied Pingxie because . . . it's Pingxie #they sorta go together #. . . feel really bad for whoever beat them into that tomb because a stressed Wu Xie and a surly Xiaoge are NOT going to be pleasant

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chaos-societies · 3 years

Text

Episode 7, The Spokes That Keep Turning

[x]

There was little light in the small entrance to a cave hundreds of miles from South Island. Chuck was crawling through the small passageway and already had stains of mud and dirt on both his clothes and his fur. He held upright a torch which limited his progress as he made his way deeper.

“You sure you didn’t want me to go first? I am a bit smaller.” A slightly high pitch voice came from behind him.

A smile arose on Chuck’s face. “Wasn’t it you who said whoever gets here first gets to go in first?”

“WaSn’T iT yOu WhO sAiD…shut up.” The girl answered back snarkily. Chuck just smiled.

He came across a small wall of rocks that seemed lose enough to dislodge. He reached his free arm as to his waist and pulled out a small hammer. He got as much leverage as he could in the tight space and began swinging at the wall. After a few hits the rocks seemed to loosen up and he kept swinging. Lo and behold, the small wall collapsed and he squeezed his way through.

He found himself in a massive cathedral. The sound of running water and the occasional drips of stalactites, giving portions of themselves to the pillars below in hopes that they would eventually meet to join the hanging columns, echoed through the chamber. He stood on a ledge and found he didn’t seem to need his torch as much as he thought as beauteous glowing crystals, larger than the tallest buildings in any village or city he had been to, were scattered all around. He didn’t dare extinguish the torch though as they had only succeeded in finding what the party of two were hoping to find. Only now would the exploring begin.

“By the lords…” He said as he gazed upon the sight.

His follower soon emerged from the tiny entrance and stood up to gaze upon the sight as well. “Whoa. It’s beautiful.” She said. The bluish tint of the natural light of the cave, coming from seemingly unnatural sources, washed away the green color of her fur. “So. I guess we found it.” Her awe was paused as she curled a smile and gave Chuck an elbow to the side. “Guess now that we found this place that means we’re forever cursed like the locals said.”

Chuck gave an ‘oof’ with the hit but had grinned at the joke anyway. “Come on, we only just found the cave. Now we got to find that crown. There may still be many curses that we have to look out for.” His partner rolled her eyes.

The two started making their way down to a ledge where there seemed to be enough footholds to climb down with relative ease. Working their way down, they appeared to be mere ants on a wall compared to the size of the vast open room.

…

[x]

“The cave was far to the northwest of the continent. It was bigger than anything I had seen or explored. I couldn’t imagine making a map of the place. I just made a crude trail on some parchment I had to make sure I got back out.” Chuck spoke to the gang as he dipped a biscuit in some black tea and took a bite. He continued. “There must have been miles of passageways, dozens of rooms and chambers that I was not able to investigate or explore. I ended up finding the crown in a crypt, deep in the cavern. I almost didn’t make it out; it was a very dangerous excursion.” His audience of the usual bunch listened intently. “Not being a greedy man, I had no means to keep the thing.” He let out a sigh and a small smile formed on his face. “Ah, I used to be quite the adventurer back in the day. I gave the crown to the archives in Westport. They have many safeguarded secrets in those archives and I still am confident in its safekeeping there.”

“Wow. Sir Charles, I didn’t know you were a treasure hunter.” Amy stated.

“I wouldn’t call myself a treasure hunter. More of a scholar. There just happens to be many scholarly relics of times of old that may be hidden about.”

“Did you go back into the cave to find anything else?” Sonic asked.

“I would have. Oh the wonders that must have been down there! When I went back, I found that a rockslide must have happened and the entrance, so small and hidden, taking me many hours of research and weeks to find, was covered up. It would take a massive crew to undergo the efforts to clear the rubble. No one other than those at the archives, and now you lot, know of what I found there and I find it best for that information to fade away.” He finished explaining.

“Do you think the other crowns were down there?” Tails asked.

“I don’t know. Possibly. But such things of great historical importance such as that are rarely in the same place. Would have made things much easier back then wouldn’t you say.” He answered with a chuckle to finish.

“So you want us to travel all the way across the continent?” Rouge asked a little unsure about the task if that be the case.

“Heavens no. At least…not quite yet. I hope things won’t come to that. But much of my research to find the crown was done in the library at Smithwick, beyond the Greater Area in the Green Hills. But that journey wouldn’t even make sense for you to go looking in old dusty books and then come back after not even knowing what to look for.” Chuck took off his glasses and looked away knowing what had to be done. “No…this next journey I may ask of you won’t be a simple errand. What I am hesitant to ask of you all, if you shall accept the task, I’m afraid may take you away from South Island for a while.”

“How long is a while?” Rouge asked.

“That depends. Weeks for sure. Maybe months.”

“How would we go about doing that?” Tails began to wonder.

“It won’t be easy. You’d have to do certain jobs here and there for tokens. Beyond Cap, I can’t guarantee a place to stay. And there will surely be many nights where you would have to set up a camp between cities in your travel.”

“You think we could take the Syphon to make things easier Tails?” Sonic turned to him to ask.

“I thought of that but it will surely need a good amount of maintenance on the way which I won’t have a means to do unless I am here usually. It can only do so much, I’d hate for us to come to an impasse and have to leave it somewhere, lose it, or it even break down where we can’t get it back up.” He explained.

“Why do we have to go out and do anything?” Rouge spoke up. “The way I see it, we had some kooks play a grotesque prank at Stark Ruins and now we’re chasing ghost stories. Do we really have to do anything?”

The room was a bit silent as Rouge had brought up a good point. There was no indication of apocalypse, there was no threat that they could tell, and other than some loose connections between pieces of mythology they had no reason to make any further action. But Chuck was smart and he wouldn’t be laying out the framework of such undertaking unless he deemed it necessary, and he definitely wouldn’t be asking them to put themselves in danger and leave South Island out of mere curiosity, despite it being embedded in the Cyan way of thinking. But there was another piece of evidence.

Chuck looked around at the lot and saw Amy shyly staring at the ground. “Amy.” He said warmly. “Do you wish to say something?”

She looked up at Chuck and knew he meant well. She could say no and that would be the end of it. But she felt something was awry. She knew answers needed to be found or else something horrible may come to pass. “I do.” She stood up to speak

“Amy?” Sonic said mostly as a reaction.

“I’ve…been having dreams lately. I know what it sounds like but. They have been…different. They aren’t some surreal haze that you forget about shortly after you wake up or even some fictional scenario or collection of events and memories. They have been clear and almost like a message. All of them foreboding.” She was timid at first but then her confidence overcame her. “They’ve been about the recent events, but because of recent events. In fact lately, they have been about recent events before they’ve transpired. Before we set off for Cap the second time, I dreamt of fire and flood devastating the land. Then we came across those runes about god and giants of fire and water in conflict. The gypsy in the street told me we were special. She knew I was having dreams and I hadn’t said a word to her at that time. I’m think something is about to happen and I think we need to act.”

The room was silent again. Finally Chuck spoke up. “Rouge, you have every right to be skeptical about this. I’m glad you are in fact. So many things can occupy your mind and if you don’t scrutinize them to really determine what they are for, you may succumb to falsehoods. Not at all am I ordering you to undertake this task, by any means. This is your choice.”

“When would you want us to leave?” Sonic asked.

“Not for a while. Before I send you off, I need to do much research and further study the Stair na Seacht to give you all the proper amount of information for your investigations and findings. That will give you time to prepare as well. Overall, so that you are not blind to my goals, I think we need to find the other crowns.”

“Do you expect me to join in on any of this?” Knuckles spoke up for the first time in this meeting.

“I’m afraid this concerns you, as well as anyone. But again, that choice is yours to make. You have your chapter of the Red Society on Angel Island to manage. I would never ask anyone to stray from their duties to their Society.” Chuck answered.

There were many wandering thoughts throughout the room. Yet none of them were spoken. “Can we have some time? Some time to think about it?” Tails asked coyly.

“Of course.” Chuck gave him a warming smile. “I am sorry to have burdened you with this request so suddenly. Go enjoy yourselves. Talk amongst yourself if you so please but rest your thoughts for now.” Slowly, they each got up and made their way out of Chuck’s hut. Once they were all gone, Chuck rubbed his eyes and placed his glasses back on his face. “Chaos have mercy.” He muttered.

…

“Up to the Green Hills. Oh I bet that’d be an awesome sight! Not to mention some great solid ground to stretch my legs. I don’t know about you all but I think I’m decided.” Sonic said enthusiastically as the group walked from Chuck’s hut.

“You won’t even need to do any convincing to give Sonic a chance for adventure.” Amy said almost in a derogatory manner if it wasn’t for the light admiration in her voice.

“Oh you know it!” Sonic responded as he pulled Amy close and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

“I still don’t know about travelling hundreds of miles away on foot chasing fairy tales.” Rouge spoke up.

“Come on Rouge! Even if it’s for nothing, can you imagine the places and sights we’ll see? Something other than desert and this dusty old town? Don’t get me wrong, I love it here at South Island. But the world is much bigger than this corner of The Greater Area.” Sonic rebuked.

“Would you be joining us Knux if we decide to go?” Tails asked their pseudo-foreign friend.

He gave a huff and crossed his arms. “Why?”

“Why not!” Sonic answered back continuing his enthusiasm.

The echidna let out a sigh. “I have other things to worry about.”

“Oh? Like what.”

“Like my own island. Besides, you all have to learn to take care of yourselves. Can’t rely on me all the time to save your skins.”

“Oh har har har. You say that but we all know you enjoy our little scuffles, let alone our company.”

“Your company? Pfff, I need a break from your company on the regular!” He shouted back annoyed. “And IF I were to come along on your strange trek for some dead guys’ busted up crowns, I’d have to make it back to Angel Island regularly. Its trajectory goes along your path up north, depending on the time of year, and touches the Green Hills. I’d be coming and going often.”

“Sounds like you already thought it through.” Sonic said with a devilish grin. Knuckles looked over at him as Sonic gave a few raises of his eye brows which earned him a heavy shove from the Red.

The group came up to the tavern as Knuckles began to veer toward the road to the main bridge. “Well like Sir Charles said, we have some time to mull it over.” Amy stated. “Oh, are you heading out Knuckles?”

“I am. Someone’s got to make sure my goons up on Angel Island haven’t killed each other.”

“I’m sure Mighty does at good job keeping them in check.” Sonic added.

“Regardless, I’m looking forward to my own home again. I’ll see you in a few passings. Angel Island should be getting close.”

“See you around handsome.” Rouge called out to him. Knuckles threw his hand in the air in somewhat of a wave as he walked on. “I think he has the right idea though. I need my own place for a bit. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” And with that Rouge also departed the group.

…

“What do you mean, your turn? It’s MY hammock! If my ass is planted in it, it’s not leaving until I decide for it to.” Nack the weasel blurted out as he swung lazily in the breeze on a crudely made rope hammock. He flicked his wrist to ‘shoo’ off Bean, closed his eyes and went back to lounging.

“Kinda rude to make the decisions for your ass,” Bean began crawling on his hands and knees around the hammock. “I’m sure if you let it decide,” by now he was underneath Nack, “it’d want to go UP!” At that moment, Bean sprung up and sent Nack flying out of the hammock.

“Bean! I’m gonna kill you!”

Bark was sitting next to one of the trees used by the hammock, relaxing as well. Nack happen to land close to him so Bark quickly grabbed a hold of Nack’s handkerchief to hold him back from charging at Bean.

“Bark resting on bark, holding Nack back from attack!” Bean cheerfully called out as he swung his feet back and forth while sitting upright in the hammock.

Nack, now defeated as he surely wasn’t going to break free from Bark’s grip, crossed his arms to pout. “Bean, at least could you shut that beak of yours?”

“howms mhis?” He answered with a poor attempt at ventriloquism. Nack just sighed.

“Kn-Knuckles is b-b-back!” Ray came into the scene from above as he glided down to the group.

“Geez, it’s about time. The guy should just hand off the island to us with how little he seems to be up here now.” Nack commented.

Mighty strolled up. “Give him a break. He’s been alone up here for over half his life, if the guy wants to see the world and venture out a bit, he is more than deserving to do so.”

“But why the desert though? He always goes down there instead of anywhere else on the globe. He just wants to hang out in the dirt meanwhile it’s paradise up here! And let alone the treasure that’s supposedly up here.”

“Treasure you still haven’t found but are so sure is here?” Mighty taunted.

“Oh there’s treasure here. Heard it many times from people who see this hunk of land floating overhead.”

“And yet none of them have been up here?”

“Irrelevant. Every treasure hunter knows where there’s ruins there’s treasure.” Nack walked over to Bean as he was lying back in the hammock, whistling an odd tune. He flipped Bean out of the rope bed then quickly hopped back into it. “But nothing wrong with living the good life up here in the meantime.”

“Is he still talking about gold and riches?” Knuckles finally made his way up to the group. Bark just silently nodded his head. “I’ve told you, I’ve seen every inch of this island. The only treasure here is solitude and delicious fruit.”

“Maybe that’s the only treasure you care about.” Nack added.

“E-enough for me!” Ray said as he came down from a tree with a pear in his hands, taking a good sized bite from it.

“Ray, sounds like your speech is improving.” Knuckles said warmly as me moved over to another tree and gave it a hard smack with his fists earning a few fruit to fall from the tree. He tossed one to Bark, another to Mighty then took a bite of one for himself.

“I’ve b-b-been p-practicing!” The flying squirrel said excitedly.

Knuckles leaned over to Mighty and whispered. “Still no luck on jogging his memory about your village?”

“No. And at this point I’m starting to think it’s best if he doesn’t remember. He still is the same cheery optimistic guy but that event definitely traumatized him if it’s entirely blocked out from memory. It did something to him, other than give him that stutter that is. I feel for him.”

“Yeah. You’re a good guardian for him you know?”

“He’s like a little brother.” Mighty said with an endearing smile as he watched Ray devour the pear he came across.

“Heh, you two are like some others we know.”

“Sonic and Tails?”

“Yup. Speaking of them, some things went down not too long ago. They’re going to be venturing out up north at least to the Green Hills. I’ll probably be dropping down to join them quite frequently.” Knuckles explained.

“Nack has been getting a little irritant about your absence you know. It might be good to stay for a bit. The gang down there are tough cookies, I’m sure they can handle a lot of the journey themselves you know.” Mighty spoke his two cents.

“I know. But I’m thinking the crazy events that have surrounded their recent ventures are somehow connected to this place too. While I was down there, there were a lot of strange markings in some cavern north of Cap that matched some here in the ruins. Chuck called them runes and some other ancient markings that I have never seen up here before. Can’t remember the name. O-something he called them. I just…really want to know why I was alone up here and what happened to the others of my kind that used to live here.”

Mighty looked at Knuckles for a good bit and saw how him and Ray weren’t the only ones with some deep seeded issues about their past. Though his past was not a particularly great one, he at least knew his past. He decided to verbalize this to him. “I’ll support you buddy. Ray might not remember our village being ransacked, his parents being killed. But I do. It’s not comforting reflecting on it – that village took me in after I escaped that mad man’s experimentation – but I know where I came from and how I got here. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to not even know that.”

“Thanks.” Knuckles rested a hand on Mighty’s should briefly. “Oh, that reminds me. Amy was talking about some dreams she was having again. One of them mentioned a man with a manic laugh. Not going to lie, you don’t hear much about humans anymore. Not much left. But your captivity with that demented fool came to mind.” Knuckles explained.

“It would be horrifying if she’s having premonitions about the same guy. I will say…he did have a strange laugh that would haunt me for the rest of my life…”

#chaos societies #sonic au #episode 7 #the spokes that keep turning #I refuse to let this story die with all I have thought out and planned for #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #rouge the bat #amy the hedgehog #knuckles the echidna #uncle chuck #mighty the armadillo #ray the flying squirrel

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glacecakes · 4 years

Text

Alchemy Lullaby (5/?)

Of all the changes that came with living in the castle, becoming a father was not one he anticipated. When Eugene encounters a small child suffering like he did, he gives them the opportunity to grow up the way he never did… helping them both heal. (AU where Varian is 4 and gets adopted by Eugene)

Chapter 5: Varian has been kidnapped, and his family tries to save him.

SORRY this took a lot longer than I planned because school wiped me tf out. Warnings for child abuse (kinda?) some violence. Shoutout to the scar Varian discord server, AJ, Izaak, and Ten, all of whom helped me figure out some stuff for the AU! And to all of you! The response to this has been. Incredible.

I PROMISE this is the last plot heavy chapter for a lil while. The next few are just gonna be fluffy oneshots with baby mischief. Because after this, we’ll all need that.

Rapunzel gasped for breath as she skidded around the corridor. She’d been perfectly content, finishing up her portrait, when she’d looked up only to find an empty stool. That wasn’t too concerning, since Varian had a habit of wandering off. But she’d checked all his usual haunts by now, from the library’s kids section to the kitchen. Heck, she even checked to see if he’d taken a nap in his room (even though he despised them)! But he was nowhere in sight.

“Varian!” She called. “Varian, if you’re playing Hide and Seek you’re supposed to tell the seeker!”

So focused was she, the princess nearly bumped into two massive men striding down the hall. “Oh!” she gasped. “Dad! Hi, have you seen Varian?”

“Hello to you too, Rapunzel,” His father smiled. “Not since breakfast, I don’t think. Quirin?”

The man shook his head. “I’m sorry your Highness. If I see him I’ll send him your way. Varian is the little boy with the blue hair, yes? Doesn’t he normally shadow that Eugene fellow?”

It was like a light went off in Rapunzel’s mind. “Oh!” She gasped. Of course! Varian was awfully impatient, he’s probably helping Cass and Eugene!

“Ok thanks bye!” She cried, racing back the way she came, leaving the two men alone in the hallway.

“...So, how are you taking to being a grandfather?” Quirin asked.

“Never say that to me again.”

“Understood.”

Rapunzel took off towards the dungeons, and sure enough, she could hear multiple loud voices.

“Sounds like my plan…” Her voice trailed off in horror. She found Varian alright! And there were her two friends… still in prison. “Cass! Eugene! How did this happen?” She bit her lip, eyes wildly searching for an explanation.

For a moment, everyone was still. No one dared to breathe. The air was thick with tension and panic.

Varian wasn’t sure what was going on, but he did know that the mean men holding him descended on him like vultures. When he’d raced down the dungeon steps to come face to face with the escaped criminals, he had been too scared to even speak. They had taken one look at him, and grinned.

“You must be the kid Rider loves so much,” Sideburns had said, and his brother stepped forward. He’d advanced on Varian until the child’s back collided with a wall, and then scooped him up. And now these men were grinning at Eugene with shark-tooth smiles.

Soft hiccups escaped his mouth. He wanted all of this to be over! He wanted the men to let him go, Rapunzel to hug him tight, and Eugene to read to him in bed. He just wanted this all to be a bad dream.

It wasn’t a dream, but it was Eugene’s worst nightmare. He took in Varian so the child would never experience what he did growing up. He took him in so Varian would never have to resort to crime, never have the enemies Eugene did, never live in constant fear, constant flux. And while it was true Varian would never want for anything as a citizen of the castle, he now suffered because of Eugene’s past. The past he never wanted Varian to have to see or experience.

He couldn’t even muster his mask. The anxiety rushed through his veins. That was his kid in danger.

Eugene’s hands slammed onto the cell bars. “Let him go. Now!” He barked. “Come on, guys, your beef is with me! You really gonna take it out on a kid? He has nothing to do with it!”

If anything, Patches gripped the boy tighter. Varian let out a whimper, kicking his feet in an attempt to free himself. But to him, it was like trying to topple a brick wall.

Sideburns laughed. “Oh no, Rider, this has everything to do with him. See, we were going to kill you, but that seems… too kind. This,” He waltzed over and gripped pudgy cheeks. “This seems a much more fitting punishment. All you can do is sit and watch as we make sure you never see your son ever again.” Ice filled Eugene’s veins. They wouldn’t…. Would they?

He couldn’t take those chances. “No!” Eugene screamed, banging his fists against the cell door. “Take me instead! Kill me! Do whatever you want to me, just please, let him go!”

Varian only struggled more at Eugene’s distress. Never see Eugene again…? No! That sounded horrible! He didn’t want to go anywhere with these scary men, he’d rather go back to his momma!

Meanwhile, Cassandra grit her teeth. Until she was free, there was nothing she could do to help. And even then, they had a hostage. One that Cass would prefer to keep unharmed. Where did Rapunzel even put the key? She took it from her dad, did she give it back?

As if her thoughts summoned him, the Captain of the Guard’s voice rang out. “The Stabbingtons have escaped!” He called, and a smattering of footsteps followed. Guards poured into the dimly lit hallway, only to falter at the scene. It must’ve been a real sight, the prisoners out of their cells and the citizens locked in.

Patches grabbed a halberd laying against the wall and held it up to the small child’s neck. “Nobody moves,” Sideburns warned. The guards, who held their crossbows ready to fire, all faltered.

“Eugene!” Varian sobbed. “Eugene, please help!” The man let out a cry of despair, rattling the bars in a frantic attempt to get to the toddler.

The Captain seemed to finally notice them in there. “Cassandra?”

“Dad!” She cried.

“Quiet!” Sideburns roared. The halberd inched closer to Varian’s neck. It nicked him ever so slightly, and the child weeped. Tears dropped onto the silver of the weapon.

“If you know what’s good for the kid, I suggest you put your weapons down.” The large man said. Slowly but surely the guards lowered their weapons one by one. What were they supposed to do? Shoot a child? An actual child who had been adopted by the princess’s boyfriend?

Soft footsteps were the only sound. The Stabbingtons slowly backed up, inching away with Varian still in their grasp. They turned the corner, and just like that, Eugene had lost his child after only a few short weeks.

The captain rushed to move once the brothers were out of sight. He dug the keys out and with a clink, unlocked the cell keeping Eugene and Cassandra.

Like a shot from a canon, Eugene broke into a sprint, bolting after the men who stole his Varian. He used to wonder how the King and Queen felt, how awful the pain must’ve been when they lost Rapunzel. He now regrets ever wondering. It was an awful, all encompassing sadness that threatened to swallow him whole and leave him empty. He had been completely powerless to stop the Stabbingtons from kidnapping Varian in the first place. He’d fought with Cassandra, he’d sent Varian down to High Security to go retrieve a jack– Varian could’ve easily gone and got the guard, or hell, Rapunzel! He could’ve told Rapunzel that he saw they completed the game, please let them out! Instead, he hadn’t considered the dangers down below. And now his boy was suffering because of it.

Oh who was he kidding. He kept trying to say Varian was just his ward, his kid, dancing around the s word. But with the threat of never seeing him again, Eugene was no longer willing to deny it.

Varian was his son.

And Varian was in danger.

His eyes stung with unshed tears, lungs burning and legs pounding on the pavement.

He heard the telltale sounds of someone catching up beside him. He glanced over, expecting it to be Rapunzel, but instead found it to be Cassandra. They skidded around another corner just in time to see the Stabbingtons enter a small tunnel.

The whole time Varian cried and struggled. Patches had thrown Varian over his shoulder, and while the child kicked and hit, it was to no effect. He sobbed his little heart out as he was forced down into the tunnels. Eventually, the Stabbingtons had had enough.

Sideburns grabbed his face. “Shut up or I’ll gag you.”

“I don’t know what that means!”

“If you’re quiet you won’t have to find out.”

The little boy screwed his eyes shut, desperately trying to quell his sobs. Deep breaths, in and out, just like Rapunzel showed him when he scraped his knee.

“Varian!”

Varian’s head snapped up. Hope glistened in his young eyes. It was Eugene and Cassie! They raced towards him, trying to catch up to the Stabbingtons.

Patches scowled. He threw Varian to the ground, and the child hit the floor with a cry of pain. Dust billowed up around him, coating his pants. A sharp rock caught onto his arm, and Varian had to swallow down a fresh onslaught of tears. He didn’t want to get into more trouble.

The ginger-haired man brought his full weight onto the wooden support pillar once, twice, three times, and it splintered. The tunnel shook, severely weakened without its support. Eugene and Cassandra sprinted the remaining feet, barely managing to dive towards the kidnappers and avoid the oncoming rockslide. Debris clouded the musky hallway, and when the dust settled, it was just them.

No guards and no Rapunzel. They were on their own.

...Unarmed.

Undeterred, Cassandra lowered into a fighting position, fists raised and ready to punch. She leaped forward, landing a solid punch onto Patches. He fell back and hissed in pain. The halberd clattered to the floor, and Varian scrambled on top of it. It was far too large for him to use, but he managed to get it upright.

Rising to his full height, Patches threw a punch at Cassandra. The woman was short enough to duck, sliding around his hulking form to avoid hit after hit. But she couldn’t take him down, not on her own.

A quick glance over her shoulder saw Eugene had begun to fight with Sideburns. The ex thief snarled at his old ally, all charm and false pretenses gone. But for all of his determination, Sideburns managed to land a few hits, and it quickly became apparent that neither of them could defeat these large men at hand to hand.

“Varian!” Cassandra called. “The halberd, give it to me!”

The child whimpered. “I-I’m not supposed to listen to you!” If he misbehaved, bad things happened! Momma always told him the destruction that followed them was his fault. If only he behaved!

Eugene grunted as he dodged a mean left hook. “Varian, I shouldn’t have told you that! I was just trying to upset Cassandra!” He kicked at Sideburns’s legs, but the man was a brick shithouse. “You don’t have to do everything I say, because half the time I don’t know if I’m making the right call!”

Another dodge. “Half?” Cassandra grunted.

Eugene rolled his eyes. “Ok, most of the time. Give her the halberd!”

That was all it took. Varian dropped the halberd right into Cassandra’s path, and she grabbed it. The weapon twirled once, twice, and then the flat side whacked Patches, sending him sprawling.

“Now that’s how you use a halberd,” Eugene called, and the handmaiden smirked.

“Nice job, kid.” She said. Varian gave her a shaky smile. Now, to help Eugene…

Said man let out a cry of pain. Sideburns landed a hard hit on his face, and he was sent sprawling.

“Oi, watch the merchandise,” He moaned.

“You know, we were going to let you live, just without your kid,” The towering criminal growled, fire in his eyes. “But I think I’ve changed my mind.”

Varian stood in horror, watching as Cassandra tried to cross the battlefield to help, but she couldn’t stop the kick Eugene got to his face. He hit the wall with a crack.

The little child shook in terror. He’d been kidnapped, held at knifepoint, threatened, and now Eugene, his Eugene, was about to die. The terror had been steadily building, he’d only just managed to stop crying, but to think of a life without Eugene?

Would he go back on the streets? Back to his momma? Would Rapunzel and Cassie blame him? If only he’d been smarter, if only he hadn’t gotten kidnapped, Eugene would still be there!

A stream of blood dripped down Eugene’s nose.

The terror went into overdrive.

Varian screamed.

The earth began to rumble, pebbles jumping up and down from the floor. A deep groan came from the earth, and the tunnel around them began to crack. The small child’s hair began to float, unaffected by gravity, and his hairstripe glowed brighter and brighter, until it shone like a star in the sky.

From behind Varian, large obsidian rocks sprouted. They sped towards Sideburns, growing bigger and thicker, snaking towards the man. He only had enough time to look up in shock before the rocks sent him flying. He hit the rocks from the earlier cave-in and crumpled beside his brother with a groan.

The earth stopped rumbling. The tunnel settled. Varian’s hair fell back down over his face.

Eugene blinked in shock. One moment he was about to die, the next, large black rocks came in and finished the battle. He’d heard from Cassandra and Rapunzel about the rocks that grew back her hair, these must be the same ones.

But how did they get there…?

“Eugene!”

He barely had any time to think before a blur collided with his chest. Varian gripped onto his vest and wailed, burrowing his face as deep as it could go.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok, you were super brave today,” Eugene whispered, wrapping his arms around the trembling child. “It’s over, you’re ok. We just gotta… get out of here…”

Cassandra poked at the rocks. While they had saved the day, they now blocked their only escape.

“Cass? Eugene? Varian?” Rapunzel’s voice floated down. They glanced up, and the princess was peering down from a small hole in the ceiling. Moonlight filtered through and settled on them like a spotlight. “Is everyone ok?” The princess asked as she let down her hair. As soon as they were all up, she wrapped the whole group in a bear hug. “No one’s hurt right? We’re all safe now?” Her eyes shone with unshed tears.

Eugene stepped back, readjusting his grip on Varian. “Yea. We’re safe now.”

The walk back to the castle was quiet. The Captain took on rearresting the Stabbingtons, letting everyone head to their rooms to recoup from today’s insane events.

“I’m so sorry, for everything,” Rapunzel moaned. “I shouldn’t have done that, I should’ve helped you talk it out, and then I let Varian out of my sight, and-”

Eugene wrapped one arm around his girlfriend. The other supported a dozing Varian. “Hey, hey, Blondie, it’s ok.”

“Yea, we all made mistakes today,” Cassandra piped up. “...But Eugene started it.”

“I did not!”

“Did too!”

Rapunzel groaned, but smiles on all their faces gave away that none of it was serious. The rest of the trek back to the castle was devoted to filling Rapunzel in.

“The black rocks…?” She asked. “The ones that gave me back my hair?”

Cassandra nodded. She gazed off into the distance, deep in thought. “I wonder if they responded to your distress? Or maybe it was just a coincidence?”

“Eh, who cares. They did a good job! Go team.” Eugene shrugged. “I say we worry about it another time. Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I am exhausted, so I’m gonna put this little guy to sleep and then turn in,” Eugene began, but stopped when Varian began to whimper.

The toddler clutched onto Eugene like a lifeline, shaking his head violently. “Please, no, don’t leave me,” He whispered. “I don’ wanna be alone, please don’t leave me.”

The last time he got that upset… the last time the black rocks appeared…

That had been the last straw for momma. She’d left him not a week later.

Eugene glanced nervously and Rapunzel and Cassandra. As much as he wanted to help Varian, he was way out of his depth. Dealing with a trauma like this…

Cassandra thought for a second before speaking. “Hey, I have an idea. Rapunzel’s bed is pretty big, why don’t we all have a big sleepover? Would you like that?” She ran gentle fingers through Varian’s hair. The child melted into her touch.

“Yea, ok.”

The man breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks,” he murmured, and Cassandra gave him a smile back. She moved to brush some dirt off Varian’s shirt, and in the process, moved his shirt sleeve.

“Nooooo,” Varian moaned sleepily. He kicked his legs. “My shirt stays!”

The handmaiden rolled her eyes. “I don’t get it. That has to be uncomfortable. Why do you insist on rolling your sleeves up?”

Varian yawned, curling up in Eugene’s arms. He spoke like the answer was obvious. “‘Cuz that’s how Eugene wears ‘em. I wanna be like him.” With that, he finally fell asleep.

The kid sure was something else, it seemed.

But they could handle him if they all worked together.

“They’re here?” Quirin breathed. “In the castle?”

“The tunnels beneath the castle,” Frederick groaned, running his hand down his face. “If Ulla is telling the truth, then its source is somewhere here.”

“We will find it,” Quirin insisted. “And when we find it… we must destroy it.”

#tangled #tangled the series #varian #tts #tts varian #team awesome #tangled eugene #eugene fitzherbert #tts eugene

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pops-and-kids · 3 years

Note

How about ☑ for Jozu?

Something my muse has accomplished that they’re proud of

Jozu grunts and taps the side of his mug. Not the question he was expecting, but a welcome one nonetheless.

“Something I’m proud of....”

“When I was young on the crew and training how to use my devil fruit to it’s fullest the learning curve was great. Turning diamond is a remarkable ability in itself, it makes you nearly invincible. But it’s only as strong as it’s user. I wasn’t able to throw my weight around, even with my fruit, and it was frustrating. It took a few years of pushing myself to finally get anywhere. But the thing I’m most proud of is when I saw it all pay off.

“I punched a cliffside on an island so hard the rock cracked all the way to the top within seconds. It fell apart all around me. Solid, strong rock...crumbling from the amount of power I put into my hit. It’s something I'm very proud of, and I’d mark that the turning point in my training from an uphill battle to an even playing field.”

He runs his right arm as he thinks about the shockwave that went through his diamond coated arm and the sound of the splitting cliff-face.

Atmos laughs from his side, “And we still had to pull you out from under the rockslide though! He didn’t get out of the way fast enough!” He gives his younger brother a rough pat on the head, smiling brightly.

The smug smile on the third commanders face is instantly washed away and replaced with a look of ‘god dammit.’

“Would you stop reminding me every time I tell that story...”

“Nope!”

Jozu sighs as Atmos laughs at his suffering.

#answered #Jozu #ask meme #Atmos #Diamond Jozu

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rinas-ninjas · 4 years

Note

Have you written the Into a Mindscape au as an actual story? And if so, do you have a link for that? I really wanna read it

So in theory it should be on the blog tagged #into the mindscape, buuuuut....who knows how Tumblr works. So without further ado ->

“His data is glitching – I think we’ll need to help him manually.”

Jay really hated not thinking things through. Who in their right mind thought uploading themselves into a nindroid’s glitchy programming was a good idea?

He stared in wonder at his surroundings. Nya had shown some weird puzzle box onscreen – so why was he in this dark –

“Who are you?”

He turned in surprise at the accusatory voice. “Huh? What are – who are you?”

A kid – an honest to FSM kid – stood in front of him angrily. “I believe I asked you first.” He insisted. Jay stared at him for a moment – simple clothes, messy blond hair, and intense blue eyes.

“I’m…Jay…” he replied slowly. “Who are you? Where am I? I was supposed to go into Zane’s memory banks…”

The kid straightened up. “Oh – this is Zane’s memory bank.” He stepped forward to Jay. His eyes were unnerving. “Are you here to help him?”

Jay nodded.

The kid smiled. “Good. Then I can assist you.” He grabbed Jay’s hand and tugged him along into the dark. “Are you one of Zane’s friends?” he asked.

“Yeah – I’m one of his teammates.” Jay responded. The kid’s eyes seemed to glow in the low light.

“I am glad you are here,” he said. “Zane needs friends – especially now.”

Jay stopped in alarm when the hand slipped out of his. “Where’d you go?” It was too dark to see. “Kid?”

“I cannot aid in this task,” the kid’s voice echoed around him. “Only you can do this – help Zane! Find the key – or all is lost, and we shall all be trapped here!”

Jay turned this way and that, but it was impossible to see where the kid had gone. He ran a nervous hand through his hair. “Jeez…that better not have been like, some stray program or something…” Sniffling caught his attention, and he warily moved forward in the dark.

“Kid?”

He stumbled back and swore at the harsh clang of metal colliding with his face. He fumbled in front of him and found a doorknob, and quickly opened it to low yellow artificial light.

And to an even younger, smaller kid, sitting on a thin rug surrounded by gears and stray wires.

“What the heeeeck – heck is going on here?” Jay caught himself, extra aware of his younger audience.

The child gasped and sat back. “Who are you?”

Jay found himself taking a second look at the room around him. Shelves haphazardly piled with parts, scrolls and scrolls of blueprints, a horribly messy worktable…it looked exactly like…”Dr. Julien’s workshop?” He wondered.

“You know where this is?”

He stared wide eyed at the child. “You’re – no way,” he shook his head. “Zane?”

“Is that my name?”

Jay knelt down next to him. “I…I think it is. You…” he took stock of the small frame in front of him. It didn’t make any sense, unless Dr. Julien built additional models through the years, but… “You look like him, at least.” He frowned. “Do you not know?”

Artificial tears welled up in his eyes. “I cannot remember.”

Jay swept him in a hug and shushed the tears. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “It’s okay.” He leaned back, holding Zane’s shoulders and looking him in the eye. “I remember, right?”

His small companion nodded tearfully. Jay nodded with him and gave him an encouraging smile. His eyebrows shot up as he scanned the room again. “And the kid from before said we needed to find a key…”

Zane perked up. “A key?” He wiggled out of Jay’s hands and sprung to his feet. He quickly crossed the room to the cluttered worktable. “I saw one – I think. I just,” he screwed up his eyes. “I cannot,”

“Remember…” Jay trailed off. “Memory! Of course! Come here, little Zane.” Zane returned to his spot on the rug. “Now, please don’t freak out, okay?” Gentle fingers pressed a small spot just under Zane’s jaw, opening a panel just below his shirt collar. Zane glanced between it and Jay with wide eyes.

“Wh-what is that?”

Jay ran his hands down his arms in a soothing motion. “It’s okay, little buddy, it’s okay. I think I can help you remember. I just need to look at that panel, okay?” Zane shakily nodded and unbuttoned his shirt. Jay sighed in relief as the panel opened fully, revealing a familiar, albeit much simpler, control panel.

With a memory switch turned to off.

“Hold still, buddy.” He flipped it on and sat back as Zane jolted. The room around them spun, the gears scattered on the floor flying up to hang on shelves and hooks around the room, the wires dashing off to follow them into drawers and organizers, and even the worktable’s chaotic contents hastily reorganized themselves, to Jay’s amazement.

As the world came to a halt, he turned back to the child in front of him. Zane was now buttoning his shirt back up, and there was an affirming fire in his blue eyes that Jay hadn’t seen before.

He met Jay’s look with a grim smile. “Thank you. And well done.”

Jay stared around the room in wonder as it slowly melted away into shadow, leaving him and Zane on the rug. “What’s going on?”

Blue eyes stared intensely at his own. “Zane needs your help. I was easy – a tutorial level, I believe you would call it.” Jay furrowed his eyebrows in concern. “But it will not be so easy from here on. I believe you will need help.”

“One of the others…” Jay murmured, and Zane nodded.

“At least.”

Both of them glanced down to where the child’s feet were fading into shadow, the rug having disappeared as they spoke.

He looked sharply at Jay.

“Get help. Get back. Get the key.”

Jay stared as the boy faded into nothing.

“You did very well.”

Jay jumped as the same child from before stepped forward. “Kid!” He tilted his head in confusion. “Are you taller?”

“I am…improved, somewhat.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “Great, thanks – listen, don’t run off on me like that! You’ll get…” He hummed. “Actually, I don’t know if it’s possible to get lost in here. I think so? Maybe you’ll like, fall into a memory or something. Which would suck…Zane has some nasty ones…” He shuddered.

The kid blinked. “I am not harmed by Zane’s memories.”

Jay rose to his feet and stretched. “Good, because oh boy has he been through it –“ He paused. “Zane’s memories? Who are you?”

He stared at Jay. “Did you find the key?”

“What – no I – agh!” Jay smacked a hand to his face. “I think I need help. How do I get out of here? I need to get one of the others.”

“You cannot get out without Zane.”

“I – what.”

“You can send a message. But until the key is found, there is no leaving.”

Jay gaped at the kid. “How…whatever. It doesn’t matter – I’ll just call Cole in here and we’ll find the key in no time. We’re the dream team! It’ll be easy.”

“Just you wait and,” Jay turned to the kid – or rather – the spot where the kid should be. “Oh come on!”

--------------

“So you sent Jay…into Zane’s brain…and now he needs me to go in too?”

Nya shrugged while she typed away at her console. “From what I can tell, yes. All I know is I got a weird file labeled ‘lightningninja.txt’ that asked for you to be uploaded in.” She turned to where Cole was nervously eyeing the wires and nodes attached to Jay’s unconscious form. “Don’t worry, it’ll be easy. In and out – once Zane’s fixed, I’ll pull you both right back here.”

Cole nodded with her.

“Easy.”

--------------

“Oh thank the first you’re here!” Cole blinked in the blank expanse around him. It was just…black…except for –

“Jay!”

Cole swept the smaller ninja up in a bone-creaking hug. “Okay, I’m here,” he set down a wheezing Jay. “What’s the plan?”

“You have to find the key.”

Cole jumped with a barely contained curse. “Jeez, where did you come from?!” Glaringly bright eyes stared at him.

Jay caught his breath behind him. “Oh yeah.” He gestured. “Cole, meet Creepy Mind Kid. Creepy Mind Kid, Cole.” He put a hand on Cole’s shoulder. “He says there’s some key we gotta get, I think I find the key, and boom! He still. Says. There’s. A Key.” He glared.

Cole glanced between Jay and the oddly silent kid. “Okay…” He looked around them. Still blank. “So what do we do?”

“Follow me. Find the key.”

Cole gently ignored Jay’s mumbled comments about where keys could possibly be found. “Where is it? Do you know?”

The kid shook his head. “I cannot find the key. It is…a safety measure…that I cannot bypass.”

Cole frowned and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay…well where to then?”

“We are here.”

He turned in place, seeing only Jay. “Kid?”

“Find the key.”

“Where did he –“

“I hate when he does that.” Jay frowned next to him. “Come on, Cole – we need to keep walking. The memory or puzzle or whatever will load soon.”

Cole jogged beside Jay’s quick steps. “What are we looking for? What is this key thing?”

Jay shook his head. “I have no idea. Last time, it was just a memory switch – but that Zane said it was basically level zero.”

“Well that’s helpful,” Cole cut off with a grunt as he tripped over something and landed hard on – how were they standing on solid ground now? “What the…?”

“Sh-sh-sh!”

“Don’t shush me! I just fell!”

“Sh! I hear someone!”

Cole stilled and strained to hear what Jay did. “How is it the guy who routinely blows himself up doesn’t have hearing damage?”

“You’re the one who blasts soft rock 24/7. Now – here!” Jay motioned Cole over to a pile of rock. “Do you hear that?”

Cole’s eyes widened. “Rockslide,” he whispered. “Jay, help me – carefully – move these.” Jay nodded and set to work, Cole carefully raising stalagmites as support as they went. Both froze at the small hand they uncovered, before continuing twice as fast, eventually pulling out a small blonde boy.

“Zane?” Cole breathed. This Zane was still thin, but older than the one Jay had described. “Buddy, can you hear me?”

Blue eyes screwed shut before opening wide. “What – I – father?”

Cole shook his head. “No, we’re not your dad, buddy. What happened?”

Zane shook his head before wincing and laying back down with a whine. “I do not – I can not remember…”

Cole glanced at Jay, who shook his head. “He has long-term memory of his dad. This isn’t a memory switch issue.” He offered a comforting hand to the small nindroid. “I don’t know what the fix is here.”

---------------

“How are you doing, buddy?”

Zane winced as Jay tightened a bolt in his chest. “I-I am doing al-right.” His voice stuttered with a glitch, and Cole frowned.

“If you’re hurting, we can take a break.”

Zane’s small hand gripped Cole’s. “I-I can h-handle it.”

Cole didn’t miss the way Zane’s eyes blinked back tears; even when Jay stopped out of concern, it looked like the damage hurt a lot. “Let’s stop for a bit, okay?” He helped the boy sit up carefully. “We can try to figure out what happened.”

Zane nodded with a wince. “Alright.”

Jay sat in front of him, fishing a penlight out of who knows where. “Let me see your eyes, buddy.”

Zane quietly complied.

“What do you remember last?”

The blonde’s face scrunched in a frown. “I…I was playing…Father said I could explore a little, now that my system was updated.”

“Were you trying to climb up?” Cole asked. He was all too familiar with how volatile seemingly solid rock could be.

Zane shook his head. “No…no I,” His eyes widened. “I was trying to help!”

Jay’s face dropped. “What,” Zane ignored him, opening a small hatch in his thigh.

“She fell!”

Both ninjas stared dumbly at the little bird in his hands. It was feathered, clearly okay if a little shaken by its ordeal.

It angrily chirped at them.

A screech sounded from above, and Cole chanced a look at a tree jutting out from the steep rock above them. “There’s mom…” He looked down at a sheepish Zane. “You were trying to get up there?”

He could have sworn Zane’s ears flushed blue. “I…I thought it was not too high…”

Cole couldn’t help but smile at the embarrassed look. “You always were a softie, you know that? Let me see,” He gently took the baby bird from Zane with a grin. A few moments and a climb (and some close calls from angry Momma Bird) later, it was in its nest and all three boys were on the ground.

Cole turned back to Zane with a soft smile. “You’re allowed to ask for help, you know? People care about you.”

Zane blinked and smiled wide. “Yes,” he replied. “I do know.” He stood, his system suddenly repaired and flawless.

Cole’s eyebrows shot up as the world began to fade to black around them. Zane fixed him with a look that stared straight through his eyes and into his soul.

“He needs your help. All of you. Find the key.”

The boy disappeared into the darkness.

“Protect him.”

Cole stared at the once again blank void surrounding them. “What was that?” He asked.

“I still have no idea,” Jay shook his head. “All I can tell is,” He frowned. “When did you change gis?”

Cole blinked. “What do you mean? I didn’t,” He looked down in surprise. “Huh…” A familiar rope held with an animal badge sat on a simple gi. “I haven’t worn this since Lloyd was a kid.” He looked up at Jay. “Looks like you’ve got it too, Sparkplug.”

Jay looked down and yelped. “That is weird,” He looked at the plain blue gi with confusion. “Why are we wearing this?”

“Zane’s mind is rebooting.” Jay let out another screech and practically climbed Cole.

He glared at the now familiar blond head of hair. “Would you stop doing that?”

Cole dropped him unceremoniously, ignoring the indignant “Hey!” that resulted.

“You’re taller,” He said with suspicion. “What’s going on here?”

The kid ignored his question. “Did you find the key?”

Jay popped up looking as irritated as ever. “Listen, kid, I have not found a single key, all I’ve done is flip a memory switch and dig a mini version of my friend out of a ditch!”

The kid made a face. “That is strange,” He mused. “I thought you would have found it by now.” He turned to Cole. “Do you require more assistance? We can call for the red one.”

Cole looked confused. “The red one – Kai?” He squinted at the kid. “How do you know about Kai? I thought you were separate from Zane.”

A strange look flitted across the kid’s face. “I am…a unique string of code. Do you require further assistance?”

Cole sighed, and traded a look with Jay.

The blue ninja shrugged. “As much as I hate to admit it, we might need the help with the next step.”

Cole nodded. “Tell Nya we need Kai,” he asked.

The kid smiled. “As you wish.”

#ninjago #ninjago au #into the mindscape #rina writes #cole #Cole brookstone #jay #jay walker #nya #nya smith

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misanthropecopy · 3 years

Text

@geobadge asked:

"And here I was, thinking I'd lost you."

“And here I was, thinking you were dead. A shame cockroaches have a nasty habit, of staying alive,” Psyche telepathically retorted back, drone dripping with sarcasm. Rather than being in front of him though, legendary was in a cave system with Team Rocket’s forces surrounding every entrance and exit. To the naked eye, it seemed like Mewtwo was cornered, but situation was actually FAR from such events. This time it was the genetic Pokemon who lured mafia in.

Giovanni had crossed a line, when he burned down the village; her HOME. In response Psyche took every precaution, when going out to find a new one. She wasn’t going to let such atrocious human beings like him despoil and obliterate the closest thing Stein had towards a safe haven, much less some place where surrogate family temporarily resided in. She had spotted Rocket’s drones, through the eyes of Pokemon residing miles away, when searching for a new residence. Luckily, she was already in an entirely different region then the one others occupied by then. In turn clone opted to lead violent gang on, make them think they cornered her amidst some special place; an abandoned quarry within Kalos.

“Tell me, Giovanni? Can you not smell the stench of rotten eggs?” she questioned, as the grunts started creeping near entrances like Sharpedo closing in on some carcass. “There’s a few other things, that smell like it. Your rotting soul and gas.”

Without hesitation Mewtwo ignited one fire blast inside center of mine; engulfing area in a fiery inferno. Exploding flames spewed from all the entrances, burning alive every individual who got near. Combustions rumbled the earth, prompting rockslides. Legendary however was safe, inside a quick protect that she conjured up. Swiftly she then burst through the solid rock, making her OWN exit and absconding uninhabited tunnels as they collapsed in on themselves.

Giovanni would KEEP loosing her, so long as she had anything to say about it. Psyche may have to stay away from the others all day and might not even come back tonight, until she made certain mafia lost track of her. But still she would endure such trials, if it meant keeping her family, the clones and even Stein briefly safe from horrid man.

#geobadge #BEYOND MY LIMITS (ic)#NOT A THOUGHT GOES UNHEARD (answered ask)#Psyche vc: Well guess I'm missing dinner tonight :')#Death tw//#Violence tw//#((death warning cause lets face it))#((some grunts probably were murdered in that stunt :'D //SHOT))

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insomniac-jay · 2 years

Text

American Heroes [Part 2]

Rochefort "Rocky" Andrews | Rockslide: A big country boy hailing from Kansas standing at 6'7" with dark brown hair and emerald green eyes, Rocky is a guy perfectly worthy of the hero name Rockslide. His Quirk is called Rock Solid and it allows him to cover his body in an armor made of any type of rock.

He works closely with his girlfriend Lolly Williams.

Raphael Dylla-Reyes | Shocker: The younger brother to the heroine ShockRock, Raphael does not like being compared to his sister in the slightest; not that he detests her or has had to live in her shadow or anything like that. He just finds it annoying when people try to compare him to her as a way to demean him. Unlike his sister's Quirk which converts soundwaves to electricity, Raphael's Quirk allows him to absorb electricity and convert it into soundwaves.

He seems to have a rivalry with fellow hero Iron Phoenix (Santiago Jimenez).

Santiago Jimenez | Iron Phoenix: A popular and well-known hero, Santiago has managed to climb the ranks and finds himself at a comfortable number six on the U.S. Hero Billboard Charts. He considers himself blessed as not only does he have a powerful Quirk and is a top hero, but he's also married to another top hero and they have a wonderful and beautiful child together.

His Quirk gives him a pair of iron wings that he can ignite at will and use them to increase his speed. He is also highly resistant to g force.

His wife is the heroine Euryphaessa (Rayna McFarland) and his daughter's name is Miracle. He also seems to have a rivalry with fellow hero Shocker and they aren't on the best of terms.

Diamond Lexington | Diaveil: Despite being in her forties, Diamond has been in the hero scene for a long time and is one of America's most famous Moonlight Heroes. She's mentored countless other heroes including Splendor (who came under her wing after her falling out with Midnight), Superstar, and more. Her Quirk allows her to create a protective veil entirely out of diamonds.

@floof-ghostie @calciumcryptid @opalofoctober @labgoth @pizzolisnacks @elflynns-horde-of-stuff

#jay's bnha ocs #characters: american pro heroes

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himbowelsh · 4 years

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Have you seen ATLA??? What sorts of element-benders do you think the Easy Co boys would be?

*heavy breathing* okAY

so, of course, not everyone in the A:TLA world is a bender, and there’s a lot of context involved when you consider what the Fire Nation ended up doing / how they’re villain-coded throughout the show. this is purely what the boys would be if they were benders, separated from any in-universe context.

Richard Winters: An Airbender with a very light touch, and a precise way of approaching his skill. Dick would be very serious about bending as a whole --- not judging other people for using their talents the way they want, but always approaching his own soberly. He’s a ‘think before doing’ type who recognizes the necessity of keeping himself separate from others while in a position of power... but needs a few companions who truly understand him.

Lewis Nixon: He’d be a Firebender, but I can’t see Nix ever putting a lot of effort into it. While he’s got raw ability and natural skill, he’d prefer to use his more practical talents, such as observation and talking circles around people. Plus, Nix is drunk, like 90% of the time, and mixing Firebending with alcohol is dangerous. Since he doesn’t fit the stereotypical hothead Firebender mold --- except for a bit of a hedonistic streak --- a lot of people don’t even realize Nix has bending abilities at all.

Carwood Lipton: Stable Lip is a born Earthbender, with a deep connection not only to the world around him, but to other people. He has an extraordinary amount of control, and his willpower is nothing to sneeze at; Lip works with dirt and dust better than solid stone, preferring its mobility, but that makes him no less adaptable. When he commits to something, he sees it through, and he approaches learning any new skill the same way. While not extraordinarily powerful, his diligence sets him apart.

Ron Speirs: He would be a Firebender on the level of Azula --- very skilled, very powerful, very dangerous. Ron would be one of the rare firebenders capable of bending blue fire, the hottest kind; he knows some absurd tricks, and feels most at ease around open flame. So many rumours exist of him incinerating his enemies alive, and even roasting comrades who have crossed him, that people are terrified of Speirs on principle.

Harry Welsh: Another Firebender, and Welsh is kind of explosive. His powers are basically like fire-crackers, going off at unpredictable times and causing unprecedented damage. He’s a chaos gremlin who loves to watch what he’s reaped, but also has a surprising amount of control. Harry doesn’t burn anything he doesn’t mean to burn, and while he can have fun with his powers, he knows when to douse the flames. Doesn’t mean he won’t happily singe people who annoy him, though.

Eugene Roe: Waterbender, with an aptitude for healing. It’s not... something he enjoys, just something he’s always been good at. Eugene comes from a long line of skilled healers and Waterbenders, so that’s where he’s always been expected to direct his training. He has no real training to use his bending defensively, but a unique talent for sensing and manipulating the energies of living things which makes him a very strong healer. He will smack you with a water rope if you step out of line.

Joe Toye: An Earthbender with an astounding amount of power, even though he’s not particularly versatile. He’s excellent at controlling rocks, and has been known to create strong earthquakes, but he doesn’t use any showy tricks --- he just doesn’t think they’re quite his thing. To everyone’s surprise, though, he’s got a natural aptitude for working with metals. If anyone’s going to be able to get the hang of metalbending, it would be Toye; he’s got the irrepressible force of will and bullheadedness, so he’d probably keep trying until he finally got it.

George Luz: A dynamic Earthbender with a talent for adapting to any situation. George’s natural stubbornness and mischievous streak play to his advantage when using his powers. He’s been known to create fissures in the ground beneath people, just to startle them, and will sometimes cause mini rockslides to keep people on their toes. George’s playfulness masks a surprising amount of control --- for every rock he throws, he can catch them all before they hit the ground.

Bill Guarnere: Firebender, point blank. Bill is dynamic and driven, with a forceful personality; he has a way of drawing people to him like an open flame. Not to mention, dangerous when angry. Bill would make an extremely powerful firebender, more instinct than thought-out tactics. He’d absolutely be a master of the fire-breathing technique --- picture Bill doing his trademark roar, and fire just shooting out of his mouth!

Babe Heffron: Another Firebender, but Babe’s clumsy with it. He’s got a decent amount of power, but it’s poorly controlled. He’s been known to set things on fire by accident, and when he loses his temper things sometimes just... combust. Not safe to leave him around an open flame. Babe tries, bless him, and has been training with Bill for ages now, but his powers always stay just a bit out of control. Poor Babe is a walking hazard.

David Webster: Is this even a question? Boy’s a Waterbender through and through. Even if Web didn’t have such a natural connection with the element, he’s emotional and feelings-driven, very faithful to his own ideals. He feels most at easy in a large body of water, feeling it pulse and swirl around him. He’s really good at purifying water, and has a special talent for controlling water pressure; when outraged, he’s not afraid to just smack someone with a water whip, but Web still calls himself a pacifist.

Joe Liebgott: Okay, hear me out --- Joe would actually make a really good Airbender. While fiercely individualistic, they can also be dangerous when angry --- when their principles are challenged or threatened, Airbenders can go off, and that’s Joe to a tee. He’s very expressive, and has a mischievous streak... but Joe also sets himself apart from the crowd, not letting them too close. When enraged, Joe has a habit of forming very destructive cyclones; he’s not above going off on his own for a bit, taking off through the air to brood. While he’s got an aptitude for his own bending skill, he’s always been very curious about the others (even if he won’t admit it) and loves to observe them.

Buck Compton: Buck’s charismatic and companionable nature would make him a great Waterbender. He’s a bit of a powerhouse in defensive arts, and very innovative when it comes to new ways of using his skill --- he’s got a few techniques that he’s pretty sure he invented, since no one’s ever seen them before. Water cyclones, hurricanes, even advanced techniques like water boxing --- Buck can do ‘em all.

Johnny Martin: Firebender, and you know it. He’ll set your ass on fire if you look at him wrong. His glare literally sends people running for water buckets.

Bull Randleman: A very steady Earthbender with a talent for creating earthquakes; he tends to use his powers to help people, clearing up rockslides and helping out with mine collapses, whenever possible. He can lift an extraordinary amount of weight, and move shocking quantities of stone around.

Don Malarkey: Earthbender here! He’s got a talent for finding the fun in his abilities, and sometimes gets scolded for not taking them seriously. He’s caused a few accidents messing around, especially when he created a rockslide that almost crushed a group of his friends; after that, Don learned to be more careful, and became very concerned with learning to control his abilities. He loves to tunnel around in the earth, and has uncovered a lot of treasures by pulling up things long-buried.

Skip Muck: Skip values harmony and companionship, good at diffusing tension; he has an individualistic streak, and a way of standing out in a crowd. This would make him a great Airbender! His mischievous nature means Skip would be all about somersaults and tricks mid-air; he loves sending gusts of wind to lift people’s hats off their head and ruffle their hair.

Alex Penkala: A Waterbender with a playful streak; he’s a splasher. Penk is observant and emotional, intensely faithful to his friends --- excellent waterbender traits! While he has no natural aptitude for combat, not training himself to use his abilities defensively, he has a natural gift for making water walls, and always used to entertain his younger siblings by creating water falls and sprinklers for them to play in.

#band of brothers #hbo war #THIS WAS A LOT OKAY #i hope everybody fits!!#it was hard to figure out where to put a few people like nix and lieb #but hopefully??? they all sound good??#Anonymous

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i-did-not-mean-to · 2 years

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Mae's January Tolkien Prompt Challenge

True to my word, here is my submission then..

I am sorry, it might be a bit strange...@mismaeve

They called it a ‘rockslide’ and I loved the term for it captured the movement and the noise of a gaggle of pebbles running down the hill perfectly.

Chips of the old rock, as I liked to describe them affectionately in my mind, sons and daughters of pebbles we had known and loved from the moment of their birth to the zenith of their strength; we would never see them decline though.

“Ah, we’ve made it,” Ori sighed, leaning back against the sun-warmed stone behind him, “Erebor, the beautiful, that has not been lonely in over a lifetime.”

His hands – dotted with ink stains and marks of old age that would never fade – closed around mine that had grown as brittle as the parchment that had been our bread and butter.

It had been his decision to come back to this place where everything had begun.

“I want to die amongst my kin and be buried beside my brothers who – in eternal silence – may or may not have stopped bickering,” he had laughed as he had shouldered the small pack and set out on our last voyage.

“We have,” I acquiesced in that hoarse voice that seemingly died one note a day until it faded out completely.

“Home,” he smiled and despite the long, dense beard tucked neatly into his belt, that boyish grin had not changed in the decades since our first meeting.

I had loved but him and my craft; there had been no pebbles, so there would be nobody left to mourn us after we’ve passed.

As he watched the crying youngsters race towards the warm hearth and the sweet cakes of their mothers and grandmothers, Ori turned his head slowly to breathe a kiss upon the smooth braids that had gone from ink to milk over the years.

“My beloved, have you no regrets?” he asked after one of those long silences in which part of our souls and minds already slipped into the Halls of Waiting to be reunited with friends and family – long gone and sorely missed still.

“Not a single one,” I chuckled, straining to bend those stiff fingers to enclose his tighter.

We had seen misery and deprivation, we had faced down fear and loss, we had overcome hardship and heartbreak; death – inevitable as it was – seemed like a long-awaited friend by now.

“Have I told you that I love you often enough?” he spoke now as if time was running out, as if that last vestige of desperate life and fierce loyalty revolted against the heavy curtain falling inexorably.

“Say it once more and I shall be free of regret and fear for sure,” I smiled, leaning my head against his solid shoulder as the sun melted into the land behind the mountain.

“I love you,” he croaked, “now and forever. Wait for me…”

Again, his lips – thin and cracked nowadays – were pressed upon the crown of my head.

“What do you mean?” I slurred, a leaden fatigue spreading through my veins.

“You’ve never wanted to be my widow, darling, and I shall ever be your obedient servant,” he laughed, but there were tears in his voice.

"I am not dying yet, Ori," I laughed, my words muffled by the warm wool of his perpetual, trusty shawl.

“I know,” he sighed, “but you know you shall, and I will miss you so terribly. It has always been you and me. What am I to do without you? You’re the one I cannot lose without losing myself!”

“Do not regret me, do not mourn me, come find me! You’ve always been good at finding me,” I replied lovingly and – knowing that he would see me home safely before it got too cold – I let my eyes close and sank into the welcoming darkness as into an embrace.

#mismaeve's challenge #prompt #fanfiction #ori propaganda #the hobbit #writing #ori the dwarf #goodbyes #slight sadness #what has gotten into me today #sorrrrrryyyyy

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misstinfoilhat · 4 years

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I've Got You - A Gangsta. fic

This is a gift to @paininanime! It will have two parts. The next one will be ready within a few days! Also posted on ao3.

The vibration rumbling through the ground was what distracted Nic from Woricks franticly waving arms and visual warnings of danger. For a swift second, the deaf twilight shifted his attention from the trembling and dancing debris on the ground, to peer puzzled over his shoulder as a thick, flaming smokescreen hit him with the force of a rockslide and an invisible force threw him several feet into the air before he hit the ground, shoulder first.

There was only a brief moment to try to comprehend what had just happened. Soon, the dust-colored hurricane of building materials enveloped him and invaded his lungs, making it nearly impossible to breathe while the gravel nicked furiously at his skin like minuscule, piercing blades. The dirty air seemed to hail down on him in larger and larger pieces.

Mind alert but body paralyzed beneath rocks and iron and wooden beams showering from above, Nic struggled to comprehend what just happened.

A moment ago, they were pursuing a group, selling counterfeit Cerebrer to struggling twilights, or their owners. They'd tracked the operation to an old warehouse, and had quickly overpowered and dealt with most of the culprits. They chased after the few that were left and had just stepped outside, pausing for a few seconds to get situated in the new surroundings, when the view turned foggy and Nic was flung across the lot.

The first large piece of concrete hit Nic over the head, followed by what felt like a million more, burying him under the massive weight of the collapsed building while heat burned through his clothes and tore at the exposed flesh.

How long the sky was crying rocks and flames was impossible to distinguish. It could have been seconds or minutes. The world revolved in slow-motion all the same, dragging each moment beyond belief, exaggerating each tear to his skin, each pounding his body took and making him yearn for when it would eventually knock him out or kill him.

Desperate and in immense pain, Nic tried to let out a noise. He had no idea if it carried through, or if he had been successful in making any sound at all. It was the only thing he could do, with his arms pinned in place and legs covered by a huge piece of cement. No matter if he had been able to cry out or not, it left him in a painful coughing fit, shattered ribs shifting agonizingly, robbing him of air he was already severely lacking.

The pitch blackness that surrounded him made him oblivious to the fact he already was losing consciousness.

Despite himself, Worick couldn't help calling out for his partner and friend. As much as he knew Nic would never be able to hear him, it was already easy to forget in everyday life when the twilight stood and watched incomprehensively as Worick gnarled at him for not answering the phone. Either way, if the twilight had been hearing or not, Worick could hardly hear himself through the ear-shattering blast and the following ringing in his ears.

The force of the falling building and explosion knocked him off his feet, but the moment he had gathered himself and the eruption had died out, Worick was back up.

He ran along the rubbles, shouting his friend's name frantically, hoping to spot a black splotch of hair, or a twitching hand trying to claw its way out of the crumbled and burning remains. Except for dust settling on the ground, there was no sign of movement anywhere.

How could he have let Nic get caught by the explosion like that? Why didn’t he just grab him by the arm, pulling him to safety? Instead of helping him, he had distracted him with his panicked waving. He had yelled at him to run when the idiot hadn’t even been looking at him!

People in the area had started to gather, daring to come closer now that the situation seemed to have settled down. Some people joined him in the search, and he could hear someone say that they would call the fire department.

Worick on the other hand, stepped away to call Dr. Theo and Chad. He knew that the moment someone realized that Nic was a tag, there was a good chance the volunteers would dissipate. Even the fire department or the ambulance didn't have any obligations to help an insignificant twilight. As much as they had to clean up and secure the place, if Nic was injured, he'd be chucked off to the side somewhere. They might even blame the entire explosion on him.

Either way, they would need Chad.

After explaining quickly what had happened to the elderly inspector and leaving a vague message with Nina, trying to reassure her that everything was fine and not to worry, but to tell Dr. Theo to hurry his visually impaired ass over there faster then the police could shut down his dubious practice on a surprised raid, he ended the call and stared numbly on the screen.

He had an unread message from Alex, notifying him that she had bought his cigarettes as he asked and that they had received another mission from grandma Joel about roughing up a few thugs responsible for another robbery at her stand earlier in the day. Worick realized that he needed to call her too and tell her what was going on. Something in his stomach coiled by the thought. She didn't handle worrying by herself too well.

As he turned to dial the number to their office, he heard a male voice shout, sounding almost disappointed, “Never mind. It's just a twilight.”

Nic forced himself back to consciousness like he had so many times before, a notion he had taught his body during his childhood as a mercenary. There was no time for being unaware of his surroundings and the moment he felt a hint of lucidity within the dark realms of unconsciousness, he would grasp onto it with a death grip and squirm his way through the grimy quicksand of fatigue and pain and back to the surface.

Yet, also aligned with how it would work in his childhood, he regretted it the moment he opened his eyes. The black orbs stung from dust and debris, while pain shot through his body in agonizing spasms. A swift flashback of waking up after being mortally wounded in combat before his troop left him behind flickered through his mind. His left arm was impaled by a sharp rock, lodged into a position above his face trying to protect his eyes from the tip of the sharp object that had buried into the side of his elbow, deep enough to hit bone.

He realized that this was bad. With each breath he took, harsh coughing fits persued. The air around him felt thin and heavy at the same time, and his exhausted lungs struggled with each intake. The space around him was too dark to make out if he was laying on his stomach.

Tryingly, he reached his right arm out as much as he was able too. It wasn't much; it reached a patch of dirt that he tried to scratch to see if the debris would stay grounded or drizzle onto his face. The particles of sand fell between his scarred knuckles, and he took it as a sign that he was laying on his back and started to wiggle his feet to get loose from the tight embrace of the earth beneath him. Another sharp pain through his hip and legs made him stop abruptly, but without sight or hearing, digging was his only escape from the masses of dirt and rocks, so he gritted his teeth together and tried his best to bare with it.

With only a right arm at his aid, he kept scratching, loosening pieces of dirt that fell to cover his face while he cleared a narrow tunnel through the layers of grime until it reached something solid. Gnarling, he realized that he wouldn’t be able to break through it and retracted his arm, starting anew in a different spot.

This time, he succeeded in getting past the object that had stopped him before- he felt the blunt corner of the beam scratch against his palm as he cut through the earth beside it. The small relief was short-lived however, as he soon after had the entirety of his right arm extended without breaking through the surface. There was no use.

Somehow, the realization of having to wait until rescue made his adrenaline ebb off. The weight of whatever crushing his legs started to grow together with the uncomfortable shifting of broken ribs with each involuntary twitch, soon threatening to become unbearable. The sharp edge of the object impaling his arm grid and splintered at the bone. Nic had to bite his lip to not cry out in pain, even if he knew that no one would hear him. The constant reminder that his voice made people uncomfortable was still etched into his mind. Especially as uncontrolled as it was under great discomfort like this.

From time to time, they would use it as an intimidation technique. That didn’t bother him. Worick had explained that his natural speaking voice was deep and scratchy. Even if he had been hearing, it would be like that. It was the sounds that he didn’t have control over that people seemed bothered by.

Painful noises. Even Worick was unable to keep face by those, so Nic tried not to make them.

Something above him stirred, making the weight on his chest change with it. His chest tightened, and his breath came out in short, rapid gasps. It felt like the airflow through his lungs wasn’t enough, and an instant of panic struck him. He couldn’t breathe.

Whatever had made the weight above him shift, kept doing it and it was getting harder to draw a breath. Something had to happen soon if he wanted to avoid being strangled to death.

With the little strength left in his chest, Nic shakily, as careful as he could, filled his lungs and wheezed out as much sound as he could produce. Dizziness enveloped him instantly, but he stubbornly repeated the action. Coughs tore through his chest, a heated liquid spilled from his lips as he kept going.

Soon, the darkness that surrounded him cleared and a small hole appeared from above, dimly illuminating the pitch darkness. With a shaking arm, Nic reached towards it, recognizing how the edges of his vision were closing in.

He was just able to worm his hand through the opening. A moment after, a calloused hand met it, holding it tightly, reassuringly. If Nic had had the energy to clutch onto it himself, he would have.

“Wo… Wo-ick,” he muttered weakly, barley hanging onto consciousness as the gap widened and the hand meeting his became visible and the light intensified. Dazed, he peered incomprehensively at his own arm, the clear, bright burns coating it, the bright blood seeping from the wounds. Then, at the limb grabbing onto his, not recognizing it.

But that didn’t make any sense. Where did Worick go?

The remaining dirt still covering the ground above him quickly crumbled away, exposing him to the sunlight and fresh air which he still struggled to take in. A man he didn’t know hovered above him, mouthing something he couldn’t read.

A wave of relief washed over Nic, and he didn’t care if he couldn’t recognize this person or understand what he was saying. The claustrophobic darkness was gone and he knew that at least he wouldn’t die from being buried alive. Quickly, several more people appeared above him, arms reaching out, brushing him off and tugging at him.

Where was Worick?

Was Worick buried beneath the ground too? A spark of worry grew in Nic, and he had no idea if he was asking out loud or if he only moved his mouth.

Worick! Where’s Worick?

The man who had first grabbed onto Nic stretched out towards him but suddenly paused. Through half-lidded eyes, Nic looked on as the arm reached down and lifted up the chain around his neck. Scrunched eyes examined the tag carefully. When the chain slackened and fell back against Nic’s neck, the expression of his rescuer dulled. He almost looked disappointed.

“Never mind,” Nic read on the man’s lips as he got back up. The earth decayed under the soles of his shoes when he got back up, dropping onto Nicolas’s helpless form

“W-wait. Wo-ick?” he tried to call after them, but he knew there was no use. Nobody cared. Of course, they didn’t. That didn’t come as a surprise to him. But if Worick was out there somewhere in the same spot as him, he needed to let them know! He was an actual person!

Once more, he tried to yell, arm still in the air, grasping for anyone, anything. Whatever sound might have been emitted from his throat was drowned out by debilitating coughs that made him crumble with pain. His thin line of vision narrowed further but he forced himself to clutch onto awareness.

Because they could help Worick. He was worth saving.

He felt his arm grow heavier, shaking harder. There was nothing left in him to keep it fueled. It burned from wariness, from diminishing hope and began to fall while Nic felt like he sank deeper into the ground he already laid in---

But something caught him. A strong hand grabbing onto his. A rough, dry palm clasping on, uncaring of the injuries littering the ravaged hand. Strong fingers tightening the hold as Nic felt himself slip.

The last thing he saw, was the sparkle of a single azure eye, and a stubbled cheek wrinkling into a devious smile, articulating a brief, “I’ve got you.”

#gangsta.#fanfiction #nicolas brown #worick arcangelo #whump #explosion #gangsta #gangsta fanfic

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