#and then we were the only two people left and I had to stagger one-legged up the steps while they frantically tried to unjam the crossbow

[xenonsdoodles]

#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #bernadetta von varley #this post brought to you by A True Story. Kind Of #the irl context was my friends' own battle of the eagle and lion which was fought with foam weapons and one nerf crossbow #crossbow being limited to the porch with our friend in a wheelchair. which was the only reason it wasn't an automatic game winner #anyway they shot me in the leg and I put the dart in my pocket #and then we were the only two people left and I had to stagger one-legged up the steps while they frantically tried to unjam the crossbow #the tension was REAL #I ended up winning. narrowly. #and then I did exactly this #their team ended up winning in the end but it was hard fought on all sides #anyway. here's this

[jpitha]

Color Me Surprised.

Human vision is hacks upon hacks upon hacks. Forget about how our brains just make wild guesses about things we see, or how there are whole parts of your vision that your brain can't see and just does "content aware fill" on it, or how your peripheral vision isn't nearly as good as you think it is.

Our brains just make up colors because we don't like to see two colors next to each other.

Magenta doesn't exist.

****

“Ugh, what is going on?” The Gren moved to cover their eyes as they staggered back, their reverse articulated legs unsteady.

“What? What is it? What’s wrong Peni’tam?” Jalisa stared at her friend as they moved back, their 2 pairs of eyes squeezed tightly shut.

“That… that thing. It hurts to look at!“ Peni’tam finall turned away and with their back to it, opened their eyes. They looked down at Jalisa. “It doesn’t hurt for you to look at? Is it some kind of human weapon?”

Jalisa peered around Pani’tam. Behind her, on the landing platform was a starship. It was small as starships go, likely only holding 4 or 5 people. With a Flip drive, you didn’t really need a large spacecraft for anything. Most destinations were no more than two or three days away, but humans tended to build large anyway. No reason not to when space is nearly limitless. Interdiction ship probably. Military, or at least formerly military.

It was small and sleek, with very few protrusions. Currently sitting on spindly landing legs, it almost looked like an insect.

It was also bright magenta.

“It’s just a ship Peni’tam. The color is a little unusual, but humans tend to paint their ships wild colors anyway. It’s got a bit of a dazzle camo pattern, made up in two or three shades of magenta.”

“Magenta? What’s that?” Now that Peni’tam wasn’t facing the ship they were much more steady on their feet.

“It’s just a color. Like, a really bright pinky purple?” Jalisa looked down at her pad. “Here, let me see if it’s emitting something.” She touched a few points and ran a scan. “Pani’tam, it’s cold. Even the reactor is off. It must be here for a refit.”

Pani’tam turned again and immediately winced. “Ow! No, something is up. That ship hurts to look at. I don’t mean like figuratively, I mean, literally it is painful. It is doing something.”

“Well, let’s step away from it then. We can find another way to the cafe. I just wanted to pass by the pads because I like to look at the ships.” Jalisa said, wistfully.

They went to the cafe by circling around the station past the gymnasium. Inside, Jalisa saw people running and lifting weights that seemed almost comically tiny until she looked over at the sign over the entrance.

OPERATING AT THREE GEE TODAY. EXERCISE CAUTIOUSLY.

She rolled her eyes. Of course the gym nuts would find a way to use the gravity generators to make the workouts more intense.

At the cafe, Jalisa and Peni’tam got their drinks and sat down at a wide, long table. “I just can’t believe that color doesn’t hurt you.” Pani’tam took a sip of their tea. “Your vision must be completely different than ours.”

Another human at the table heard their conversation and turned. “Oh, you saw the Variegated Elegy?”

“The little magenta ship? Yeah, Peni’tam here-“ Jalisa gestured at her friend “-got a massive headache when she tried to look at it.”

The human nodded. “I’m not surprised. It’s an old interdiction ship, originally designed to strike deep into Gren territory during the war. Now that the war is over, it’s here to be refitted into a yacht, and probably repainted too.”

“Oh really? That’s too bad. The magenta dazzle camo is so interesting.” Jalisa sipped her coffee and looked at the human. She was tall, with close cropped hair on one side, and the rest was swept up almost into a dark asymmetric pompadour. She was wearing a tailored uniform without any indicators of rank and just two silver pips on her left breast. She had a scar along her right cheek as well. She looked very rakish, and Jalisa had to look away quickly.

The human laughed. “It’s pretty neat isn’t it? Unfortunately, the Confederation races can’t process magenta. For some it just looks like a very odd blue, others see a very odd red. A few races like the Gren with very accurate color reproduction get headaches and it causes them pain. The color was chosen on purpose for that particular ship.”

“A color… hurts? Also I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

The woman winks. “I didn’t throw it. You can call me Tyler.”

Jalisa blushes just a bit. “Hi Tyler, I’m Jalisa.”

Tyler nods. “Works over in HVAC with Pam and Lan’urian? Nice to meetcha.”

How did she know that? Tyler continues. “Anyway. Yeah, for the Gren, when they see magenta they try and process it, but since the wavelength for blue will never be with the wavelength for red, the color can’t really exist.”

“But we see it?” Her coffee forgotten, Jalisa leans forward.

Tyler laughs. “That’s because our eyes are hacks upon hacks upon hacks. Half the things we ‘see’ aren’t real. Our brains just invent magenta when we put red and blue next to each other. We learned early in the war about Gren vision processing and were able to use it to our advantage. Now that the war’s over, we’re retiring the pain job. Gotta be good members of the Confederation after all.” Tyler rips off a sharp - though sarcastic - salute.

“So, the color of the ship itself is a weapon?” Peni’tam said, with a note of amazement in their voice.

“Yup! Pretty neat right? A weapon with no power and no ammunition and still causes nearly incapacitating pain if a Gren doesn’t look away.”

Jalisa looks at Tyler more closely. She seems so effortlessly confident. “How do you know so much about this, Tyler?”

Tyler shrugs. “Oh, it’s my ship. In the war I was an Intelligence Collection Agent and I ran the Variegated with a small tight crew.”

Jalisa nearly chokes on her tea. “You’re a spy?”

“Was a spy. War’s over, so we don’t need spy’s anymore, right?” Tyler winked again. Jalisa wasn’t sure if Peni’tam caught the gesture or knew what it meant. A wink was very situational and could mean lots of things. Tyler tossed back the rest of her coffee. “Anyway, I’m here for a few more weeks while the refit takes place.” She stands and looks down at Jalisa. “I’m free tonight. Call me, we’ll get dinner.” And without another word, she turns and walks out of the cafe.

After she left, Peni’tam stares at Jalisa. “You aren’t going to go to dinner with her are you?”

“And why not, Peni’tam?”

“She’s a spy! She spied on us during the war!” Peni’tam’s grey fur ripples and her mouthparts clack with stress.

“The war is over Peni’tam. Everyone on both sides fought it. I’m sure you had plenty of your own spies.”

Peni’tam shakes their head. The fur whooshes back and forth while they do it. “She’s so… cocky and self-assured. She practically made your date invitation a command.”

Jalisa blushed again. “I know. It was pretty cool.”

#writing #sci fi writing #humans are deathworlders #humans are space oddities #humans are space orcs #jpitha #humans and aliens #humans are space australians #humans are space capybaras #Color vision

[anonymusbosch]

hngbhbtbbhbjnhbllll

car crash happened in front of me (I am fine and people involved are not hurt)

guy completely speeding and weaving thru traffic, I slow down cause I'm like "oh shit this is gonna go bad," and sure he spins out and crosses all the lanes and hits the side of the bridge seconds later

I'm just a few seconds behind. my partner calls 911 and I pull over to check if the driver's okay and see if there are any passengers, give first aid until the EMTs get there

airbags all blown. guy extracts himself. he's able to walk but really staggering and i try to get him to sit down. sometimes people are stumbling like that and they're super injured and they're running on adrenaline, in shock, no idea how injured they are. a previous accident I responded to there was a guy with head trauma bleeding down his face with no idea he was hurt. so I try to get him to sit down so I can check on him but he's not mentally there, he's stumbling so much he tips onto the guardrail and then I'm like "jesus" so I sit down and get him to sit and give me his info (entirely to get him off his feet) and he's just so intoxicated that he can't walk. he was walking like his leg was broken but he's just that smashed. and there's shrapnel all over the bridge. he hit two other cars, they're pulled over, the police are there holding back all the traffic behind us. Everyone in front of us kept going and everyone behind us is blocked by the police. and I try to start to leave because there's real first responders and this guy isn't bleeding and he tries to stop me - he's polite but he wants me to be a witness and I say "dude I saw you screaming down the right lane and weaving in traffic and totally spinning out" and he says "that guy cut me off!" and I say "listen, I didn't get hit, you're not hurt, I'm leaving" and he says some more stuff, he's not belligerent but he's drunk and scared and I want to leave, my legs are shaking and the sirens are loud, and I say I'll make sure the cops have my info, and I drive on and the cop ahead of me waves me down and I realize that oh fuck I left my wallet in the house. but I have a photo of my license and that's good enough and I give the cop my name and phone number and license number and drive off the empty bridge with nothing but the crashed cars and the flashing lights and my arms shaking just a little and I get off the bridge as soon as I can and pull over and stop the car and half start crying. and I dictate what happened in a voice memo and hold my partner's hand and sit there and shake for a minute until I can get my breath and legs beneath me and feel ok to drive the rest of the way home. and I just. this is the... fifth? time? I've responded to a crash that happened but it's the only one that happened while I was also driving. and I sometimes wonder what I would do in some emergency situation and I've learned that I don't necessarily keep my head on straight or pay attention to the right things but I *try* and I do respond. and this is just the first one where I've fully felt my body going haywire even when I'm keeping a cool head, felt my legs shaking like that, felt the bloodrush and the need to go cool off after.... blllaksjfbakla I am home safe and able to just shower and lie down. and I am very glad no one was seriously injured and I am very glad I saw what was about to happen and braked and I am very glad I wasn't 10 seconds further along the road. and I am just. glad to be home

also like last night i got a drink at the bar planning to dance for a while and then pick up my partner to go home and it was wayyyyy stronger than expected so I had to be like "sorry babe I'm gonna need to wait this one out" and ended up taking like an extra full hour (on top of the planned amt of time) and then some before I was 100% good. and so we didn't get enough sleep and were going home early today and I roped us into an extra. 45 mins of delay. with the responding to the crash. and so i am not good at getting partner home early these last couple days. but for. reasons

#what should i tag this #uh #alcohol #car crash #blood #(mention) #injury

[yukidragon]

Sunny Day Jack - Saved

You know, I was going to have my next bit of Something’s Wrong With Sunny Day Jack content be something more lighthearted after my previous headcanon post and dark short story. But @OkamiLiqueur on twitter just had to start something, and it ballooned into a very tragic bad end AU flashfic.

This is a rough draft piece that I don’t think I’ll wind up polishing or adding to later, since it’s quite a bit darker than my usual stories. I prefer happy endings, but sometimes ya just gotta write out tragic “what if” scenarios when angst demands it.

If you’d rather read something that I promise is going to eventually have a happy ending for Jack and Alice, go check out my big SDJ fic, Sunshine in Hell. I took a bit of a break from it, but I’m back to working on chapter 7. Hopefully it’ll come out in a couple weeks.

Warning: there is major character death, gore, and trauma in this short story. Please read only if you’re in the headspace to read about such dark subject matter. Also, general reminder, this fandom is for Adults Only. I hope you enjoy this sad little flashfic.

...

Shards of broken plastic were scattered all across the floor, some pulverized practically into powder.

“We… we did it, Alice. We saved you!”

Among the shards, strands of ribbon were twisted and shredded like offal at the hands of a novice butcher.

“He can never hurt you again.”

A breathless sort of laughter filled the apartment. Two people were speaking, exhausted, shaken up, but… relieved.

“Damn… I almost thought we weren’t going to make it for a while there.”

“Y-yeah…”

How could this happen?

It was all a blur. The arguments, the violence, the fear. At some point Alice lost her voice from it all after desperately pleading for everyone to just stop.

When it all finally did stop, she still had no voice to speak. She had no words. No tape.

No Jack.

At some point Alice collapsed, her legs incapable of bearing her weight any longer, and she sat among the wreckage that littered her bedroom.

Their bedroom. Their sanctuary. The place they made love so many times. The place that she once felt so safe, so warm.

Alice never felt so cold before.

“Alice…? Are you okay?”

One of them was talking. Ian? Shaun? It didn’t matter. They were both the same.

Traitors.

“H-hey, Alice! Snap out of it.”

A hand reached out for her shoulder and Alice slapped it away. She glared through her bangs and her tears at the blur colored like Ian as he reeled back from the strike.

“Shit!”

“Hey, take it easy now. It’s us.”

Traitors. Both of them. Why… why did Alice trust Shaun with the combination to her safe?

“That… that’s right! It’s Ian and Shaun, remember?”

“Jack’s gone. He’ll never hurt you again. We saved you!”

When Ian and Shaun destroyed the tape, they broke something inside of Alice. Those words took the shards that were left and ground them into dust.

Somehow Alice managed to force something out past the tightness that had seized her throat and stole her voice while her world fell to pieces all around her.

“Who… the fuck… said I needed… to be saved?”

They didn’t listen to her, or Jack. Alice had done so much, helped Jack grow strong enough to interact with more people than just her. Why couldn’t they just be happy for her?

“I…” The orange and peach colored blur - Ian - faltered as he staggered back a step from her. “But Alice… you… you weren’t yourself anymore. That ghost he…”

“Jack was brainwashing you, Alice,” the other blur - Shaun - said, his tone more somber. He shifted, probably crossing his arms and seemed to look in Ian’s direction, but it was hard for her to tell. “Give her time. It might take a while for it to wear off.”

Brainwashed. They said something along those lines before. Alice had changed. She had grown colder towards Ian, stood up for herself more instead of remaining a pushover, and chose to stay home more often than not. How was any of that so awful that they had to murder the person who made her life finally feel worth living?

They were talking amongst themselves, but Alice no longer heard them, their colors blurring together along with those of her cold bedroom as tears poured like a storm that would never stop.

“Get out.”

“Alice, wh-”

“Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out!”

Alice unleashed those two words like a curse until her throat grew hoarse, until the only thing she could force out were feeble croaks and coughs.

Until she was the only person left in her apartment.

Everything remained blurry after that, even though Alice’s eyes eventually cleared once she no longer had any tears left to shed.

Ian and Shaun were reluctant to leave her alone. Every day they left messages on her phone and social media. They said they did it all for her. They cared about her, and Jack was only using her. Jack was a parasite that latched onto her soul, they said. They were adamant that Jack was draining the life from her in order to make himself more powerful.

They had no fucking idea at all.

Jack was right. No one understood the relationship they had. No one but Alice had any idea just how much he loved her, how much he helped her feel that life really was worth living. She had changed, but for the better. He didn’t make her weaker, he was making her stronger. They were growing stronger together. Just because she was changing in the process didn’t mean that the change was bad.

Ian and Shaun were convinced that was the case. They were sorry for her pain, but they wanted her to know that they only did it for her sake.

Bullshit.

Time passed with little meaning anymore. How long had it been since they destroyed the tape? Alice had no idea anymore. She moved through a mockery of life with motions as stiff and mechanical as a doll.

She was no longer living, but she did not go still.

Alice lost her job at the yogurt shop. Her boss called to inform her after she missed too many shifts. She never called him back. Her family checked on her. She never answered their calls, but sent back a text that she was busy.

In a more innocent age, when Alice foolishly believed she grew up with her soulmate, she was curious about darker subjects - witchcraft and the occult. As she got older, she found herself with little time for fanciful tales of ghosts and magic. She stopped believing in such nonsense.

Jack changed all that. He changed everything.

Since Jack had arrived, Alice spent her spare time researching. First it was for any scrap of information about the SunnyTime Crew Show, then about ways to give the dead life.

Alice wanted to share her life with Jack. She wanted him to live with her, happily, without forcing him to live such a lonely existence with only her for company. The life Ian and Shaun were so sure that Jack stole from her had been freely given. It had all been so careful to ensure that they could grow stronger together.

They ruined everything.

The miracle that allowed Jack to exist thanks to the VHS tape was destroyed. Without that medium that had been created in a baptism of blood, there was no hope.

Not without sacrifice.

This was what led Alice here. She gathered every piece of the tape, down to the smallest dust-sized scrap, and laid it in the center of her living room, the place where she summoned Jack on that night that she had forgotten for the longest time.

The room was mostly empty to make room to mark the floor in all the required sigils. Alice took great care to reproduce it perfectly. The apartment was lit only by the special candles she made and placed in their precise locations. The air was thick with the smell of smoldering incense and herbs, making her cough, but she persevered.

Alice sat in the circle designated for her. Across the room in the opposite circle was every piece of the tape that changed her life forever. By her side were the meticulous notes she made with instructions on how to perform the ritual.

At the center of the array was a pile of bone and scraps of ragged cloth still stained with dirt.

Last time the price had been a piece of her soul. Alice remembered now how scary the prospect was to exchange a piece of her soul with that of a stranger, but the poor soul trapped in the tape begged for her to save him from hell. She hesitated then, scared that she was making a deal with a devil, but she couldn’t just leave him to suffer. The exchange had been painful, so traumatic that she forgot it for a long time, but it was nothing compared to the love she got in return.

It took time, but Alice learned how to recreate the miracle. The price to have her soulmate back was steeper than before, but this time she didn’t hesitate to pay it.

“You must sacrifice the part of you that you hold most dear.”

 …

 Hell. Jack was in hell. He was living through his death again. The crying, the screams, the gunshot, the blood, and the pain. It would never end this time, this cold infinite loop of dreamless agony.

Then he felt it, that familiar warmth that was his salvation.

Alice!

It hurt. It hurt so much, but the pain was different this time. Jack… Joseph felt it, his heart wrenching and beating out of a chest that suddenly struggled for air as he crumpled to a stained floor in a dimly lit room that stank like a hookah den.

Everything hurt, particularly his chest and head as memories he once lost out of desperation reasserted themselves. Sunny Day Jack, Joseph Haberdae, Joseph Cullman… he remembered it all.

But most of all, he remembered her.

“Alice!” Joseph croaked out with a voice that hadn’t been used in forty years, and at the same time had never been used at all. This body was the one he used to have on the day he died, yet it was also new. It wasn’t entirely his. Somehow he knew these things instinctively.

When Joseph got his eyes to work - one dark brown and one pale blue, he finally saw her, his sunshine.

“Alice…?”

Blood. There was so much blood. Too much. When Joseph snapped out of his shock he scrambled towards Alice with limbs that struggled to remember how to move properly. He slipped on the cooling blood and was stained red as he pulled her into his arms, screaming desperate denials.

Alice barely heard her name from somewhere far away, his voice, and it was the sweetest sound. Through the gray haze creeping in at the edges of her vision in her lone remaining eye she saw his face, and though he looked so sad, he was here, alive.

His tears rained down her face, mingling with the blood that trickled down her cheek from the empty eye socket on the right side of her face. Alice managed a delicate smile in spite of the pain, and she hoped that Jack - Joseph - her love, her soulmate knew just how happy she was in that moment. With the last of her strength she tried to speak despite the hole in her chest where her heart used to be.

I love you, Jack.

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #sdj #swwsdj #My Writing #Bad End AU #Sunshine in Another Hell

[cass-rambles]

“Gifting love.” Illinois x reader

Illinois is a simp for us, we get a love confession, that’s basically it. I don’t make the rules. Have fun~

- tw: minor injuries, minor blood description!! swearing i guess??? idk if it needs a tw but there you go

The prompt I used: “I’ve had a rough day and honestly all I want right now is a drink and someone to cuddle with..”

One. Two. Three. Four. Breathe out.

One. Two.

Three.

Fou-

Fuck. This wasn’t how you planned the job to go. Certainly not like this.

It was a decent Thursday morning and you decided to get a special artifact for your partner (unfortunately, only job one). You thought it’d be an easy job, get there, travel through some ruins, get the thing and leave. Your sources never mentioned the place being burried in traps that just loved shooting arrows at you.

The only thing the traps haven’t predicted was just how determined you were. Years of struggling through crisis have taught you lots. Years of having yourself being hurt over and over were gone. You were prepared to go through even more if it meant making the people you loved happy.

So as you staggered back after getting out of your car, the stupid artifact under your arm and blood still seeping through bandages on your upper left leg, you felt powerful. Nearly as strong as the sun itself. But so goddamn tired.

You forced yourself to breathe in, adrenaline deciding to finally leave your body as the danger was gone. Struggling you unlocked the door, supporting yourself by the walls to get to the kitchen. A groan echoed through the house while you put the artifact aside and looked for a gaze, and more bandages. The ache in your leg was evident and by gods, it hurt like a thousands knifes poking at your skin.

“Hey sweetheart, you back alre- What in the bloody hell happened?!”

“Oh you know, flying arrow death traps. The usual.”

You tried to joke as he scowled, somehow already making you seat on the couch and taking care of your wound.

“The- nevermind, you got me with that one. Let me ask you this: Why didn’t you ask me to accompany you? You knew I had a day off! C’mon, don’t tell me my presence started to overwhealm you.”

“First of all, wow, real snappy today, are you? Second, I was trying to make you a surprise.. Didn’t work out exactly though.”

You winced barely at the sight of the cut covering your leg, knowing the bleeding had stopped by now. Illinois looked up at you, interest replacing annoyment.

“A surprise?”

He glanced at the artifact you pointed at before looking back at you, confused.

“It has the ability to create a protectful shield around your body for three minutes. No damage comes to you while the effect is on and once it wears off, it supposedly gives you a jumping boost. It was pretty and useful, and you could hang it around your neck while you go out on adventures alone.. It was supposed to be a gift. For... Y’know. Everything. And also... Illy? You okay?”

You’re filled with a familiar coldness, the nerves getting ahold of you as your friend stays quiet, still kneeling before you. Minutes pass until he finally moves, his eyes not meeting yours yet. He took one of your hands and pressed a kiss- a kiss?! - into it, an amused smile blooming.

“You really do love me, hah. You’re such a sap Y/N.”

“Hey! Excuse me for being able to express my emotions in a healthy way, unlike you. Look, I’ve had a rough day and honestly all I want right now is a drink and someone to cuddle with. Spare me the teasing.”

The kissing continued up, leaving your skin all tingly and hazy, unable to look at your partner. Soon there was another kiss pressed into the crook of your neck, almost leaving you breathless. Warm, you thought faintly. So warm.

“Gods, if you weren’t injured, I’d already be doing such dirty things to you darlin’ “

By mere coincidence you choked, your face surely crimson all by now if it wasn’t red enough before the comment. You squirmed in your seat as Illinois shuffled, took a step back and then got dangerously close to your face, features softening.

“You make me soft.”

“Is that a bad thing? Or-?”

“No, no, it’s a good thing. I’m just a bit upset it took me this long to figure out you felt the same.”

“Wait- So you? Illinois?”

“Yeah... I love you too. You made me fall pretty deep, gotta admit.”

“Oh...”

You exhaled heavily, unable to control the tears welling up inside your eyes. You loved this man so much. For so much time. And he felt the same.

“Kiss me?” You whispered with a sheepish grin, leaning in by just a bit. You knew he’d say yes, but seeing nearly the same flush as yours take over him was much more pleasurable. His eyes zeroed in on your lips, the hungry smile sending a shiver across you.

“Gladly.”

There wasn’t a person that loved you this deeply before. And it felt great. Content. Luminous.

For you were the stars and he your moon. A perfect pair.

<3

~

#illinois #ahwm illinois #ahwm y/n #illinois x reader #illinois x you #op is simping #lowkey proud of myself #ahwm #iswm

[starlitangels]

Scratches and Bruises

Pups AU. Micah is, honestly, one of my favorite pups and I don’t give her enough attention 2.0k words

—

Micah rammed her head into my side, throwing me a few feet away. Harder, I said.

I can’t hit you any harder, she replied. Her thoughts were strained from the exertion, and Sam’s accent colored her words. Over the telepathic link, she never really bothered to think in a Californian accent.

Then we’ll have to build you up to it. I growled, getting low, tail and ears high. My daughter copied my pose, without the snarl on her face. She’d started puberty and manifested her powers late. Natalie Shaw had been two weeks shy of her twelfth birthday when she shifted the first time—Micah had been fourteen for a few months.

Her wolf form looked a lot like mine. Mostly grey fur. But where I had flecks of tan, she had black. And a white sock on her left foreleg.

I pounced. Micah copied. We met in the air. She roughhoused with Natalie and Evelyn and Gabriel and Lily all the time and usually came out on top, but part of me couldn’t let that be enough. Natalie and Evelyn were hard to beat for their age, but Micah...

You’re my kid, Mikey, I said. That’s why I’m tough on you. The world isn’t kind to people like us. The world is going to come at you hard, so you’re going to have to fight back even harder.

And just what kind of people are we? she asked, paws batting at my sides.

We’re born fighters, Micah. The universe decided we were just born to spill blood. You’ve always been a fighter—now you just have to have the skills to back it up.

I bashed her off of me with one shoulder. She yipped and whined as she flew backward and hit the dirt hard. Carefully, she picked herself back up to her feet, checking to make sure nothing was broken. Once she was upright, she shook as much dirt out of her coat as she could. Her eyes were a wolf’s amber as they narrowed at me. And at her age, she wasn’t much bigger than a real wild wolf. If some poor hiker saw her out in the woods, they’d probably assume she was just a big wolf and get scared.

Good.

Once she’d shaken herself mostly clean—and probably cleared her head—she lowered herself to lunge again.

I let her get one good shot in. I wanted to see how her frustration lowered her inhibitions—giving her leave to hit me harder.

She rammed me in the chest with her head hard enough to knock the wind out of me. That’s more like it, Micah, I exclaimed, staggering back a few steps. I’m not Gabriel. You don’t have to be gentler with me because I’m your best friend’s softie of a big brother. I’m your parent—and I want you to be better than I ever was.

Copy that, she grumbled. For the record, though, Gabriel’s not a softie when it comes to a fight. He can still beat Natalie.

I huffed out my nose in amusement. For now, I said. She’ll beat him in the next couple years. She’s more violent than he is and Gabriel’s a gentle soul. He gets it from his grandfather. Gabe was a tough wolf and a great alpha, but he was kind. Lord knows Gabriel didn’t get it from David or that menace he calls a mate.

Micah “Hmm”ed and ducked under a snap of my jaws to hit me in the side with her shoulder. This lesson wasn’t involving claws yet. Micah had only been a wolf for a couple weeks. I could start easy on her.

Our conversation fell into silence for a few minutes, broken only by my instructions and Micah’s acknowledgments. She hit harder and dodged better. Re-learning her body in the shape of a wolf, moving faster and with sharper agility. I’d been training her to defend herself since she was two—she used to like to try to tackle Sam’s progenies to practice—and shifting that training to wolf form seemed like the logical next step.

That’s better, I said as Micah slammed into me again. This time with enough momentum to propel me into the ground on my side. She was on top of me, her back legs on my underbelly. In a real fight, she already knew she should have been using her claws to scratch at the exposed vulnerability.

Her upper lip was curled up over her long, sharp teeth in a snarl, growling close to my ear.

Yield, she said. Low—with blood in her voice.

The part of me that still felt like a twenty-something, headstrong, reckless young shifter with no self-preservation did not want to yield to the tiny pup on top of me. She hadn’t beaten me. Not really. She’d just knocked me down. I could easily get back up. Throw her off me. Beat the small figure into the ground mercilessly.

But the part of me that was Micah’s parent was so, so incredibly proud of her.

I flattened my ears back. Yielded.

She climbed off of me and let me get up. I shook dirt and twigs from my coat.

Both of our ears pricked as an alarm rang.

Micah’s mouth dropped open and her tongue lolled out as she panted. That’s my DnD alarm! she said. I put my phone on the back porch so I’d hear it. She dropped the front of her body to the ground, hindquarters still in the air, tail wagging. Can I go? Please?

My amusement echoed down the link. Yeah, kiddo. Go have your dad patch up those bruises and then you can go.

Yay! She bounded back and forth on her front paws. A movement so much like Asher that I knew she must have picked it up from watching him.

With that, she twisted around. Her claws raked up the earth and she tore back in the direction of home. I chuckled once she was out of range of the link and went to go scoop up the pile of our clothes in my mouth before running back for the house myself.

By the time I made it back, Micah was in the shower. I could hear the water running upstairs from the backyard.

Sam was leaning one shoulder against the back door’s frame, arms folded and one leg crossed over the other. Barely out of reach of the Friday afternoon sun from the trees and the porch awning blocking it.

I shifted back, not caring that I was naked. “I know that look,” I said with a smirk. “What’s my lecture for this time?”

He sighed. “You wanna explain why our daughter came out of the woods covered in scratches and bruises?”

I scoffed. “C’mon, cowboy,” I teased, mounting the back porch stairs until we were face-to-face, inches apart. “It’s hardly the first time she’s emerged looking like a wild child.”

He rolled his eyes, swearing under his breath. “She’s just a kid,” he said.

“She’s our kid,” I retorted.

He took a deep breath. “Darlin’...” he whispered. Shaking his head, he pushed off the door frame and retreated into the shadowy depths of the house. I followed him, reaching out and grabbing his wrist.

“Alright. You’re pissed at me. Talk, Sam,” I said.

Upstairs, the water turned off. Sam and I both glanced up.

Sam looked down first. “Darlin’, I know she’s your blood. I know she’s got the same steel inside-a her that you do.” I met his gaze. “But she’s not you. She’s still young. She’s...” He took a deep breath, shoving his hands into his hair and squeezing his eyes shut to rein in his temper. “She’s not a tank. Neither are you. She’s a human girl who happens to be able to turn into a wolf at will.” He opened his eyes. The warm silver had hardened a little. Flint grey. “You couldn’t have gone easier on her?”

I inhaled through my nose. “She can take it,” I said—

At the same moment a different voice with Sam’s accent added, “I can take it.”

Sam and I both spun toward the stairs to see Micah standing at the top of them, a towel wrapped around her body, her newly-dyed, short bright blue hair dripping onto her bare shoulders. Most of her exposed skin was bruised and scratched.

In an instant, Sam was at her side, inspecting the minor injuries. “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should, Micah,” he said. I crossed to the bottom of the stairs and stood there, looking up at my husband—my mate—and daughter.

He held out his hands, palms up. Micah knew the drill. She set one arm on his hands and let him start healing her. “Daaad,” she complained. “I’m tougher than you think. You can’t treat me like glass all the time. I’m not gonna shatter into pieces from a few bruises.” She let her head roll back as the colorful injuries vanished on her skin. “I know I’m your little girl and all that, but I’m not that little anymore!”

“You’re sure as hell not fully-grown either,” Sam retorted.

“I know that,” Micah shot back. “But ya gotta let me spread my wings and fly a little!”

Sam moved to start healing her other arm. She set her forearm in his hand and rolled her eyes.

“Dad,” she said softly. “I love you. You know that. And I don’t wanna fight with you. But...” She shook her head, water flinging from her short hair. “But I wanna learn, too.”

Sam’s face softened. “I know,” he replied. He brushed a messy blue wave behind her ear. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

She gave him a gentle smile. “I know. But I can take it.”

Sam shot me a look. “She sounds just like you.”

I shrugged. “My blood,” I said.

Micah smiled. “Hell yeah.”

“Hey,” Sam warned.

“Oh, so you can swear but I can’t,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. I started laughing.

“Darlin’, don’t encourage her,” Sam said. Which only served to make me laugh harder. Micah started laughing too. Sam heaved another sigh and dropped Micah’s arm. “There. That’s about as good as you’re gonna get for now. I’ll do the rest when you get home. Go put some clothes on. I imagine the Shaws will be here soon to pick you up.”

Micah pecked a kiss to Sam’s cheek and bolted for her room, calling, “Love you!” over her shoulder.

I climbed the stairs and readily snuggled into Sam’s side when he reached an arm out for me. “Sam,” I said quietly. “We’re not perfect parents. We never will be. All we can do is our best.”

“I know.” He nodded. “I just hate seeing her hurt.”

I nodded too. “There’s a lot of honor in a heart like that. But... God, I see so much of myself in Micah. I just... I want to teach her not to make the same mistakes I did.” I buried myself closer to him. “Even if those mistakes did lead me to you.” I pressed my nose into his shoulder, inhaling the scent that had been my home for almost twenty years. “Let her learn, Sam,” I whispered.

He chuckled. “I’m tryin’, darlin’.”

“I know.”

A few minutes later, Micah emerged from her room in the usual jeans-and-a-tank-top outfit she got from me and pounced on both of us with a, “Rawr!” wrapping her arms around us in a hug. “Natty and Gabriel are here with David,” she said, waving her phone in one hand. “I’ll see you guys later!”

She rushed down the stairs, grabbing her DnD bag off the coat hooks in the entryway and slinging it on. She shook her head again, hard, like a dog, spraying the last bits of dampness from her hair.

“Eleven o’clock, young lady!” Sam called.

She waved dismissively behind her. “I know, I know!”

The door creaked open and slammed shut.

Sam sighed. “She’ll be fine,” he said.

#Pups AU #Redacted ASMR #fic #Micah Collins #Redacted Darlin' #Darlin' #Redacted Sam #Sam Collins #Sam #Starlit Fic

[thevagabondexpress]

if i had a heart to beat

So . . . I may or may not have written an original short story set in my as-yet-only-rambled-about Crater of Grace universe and I may or may not have decided to share it on a couple of different platforms, including here. I don't know how much y'all are interested in original fiction but this one is set on a space station, there are faeries, there is the faintest beginning of romance. An android contemplates what it's like to fall in love. Featuring the now-too-often-cited Leena May Loy.

Seated on the kitchen counter, Gadiel Mendoza traced the shape of one of the two hard, velvety-textured black plates on the inside of his left arm. He closed his eyes for a moment, lifted his fingertips from the implant, and looked toward the door of Leena May Loy's bathroom. He was waiting for her to get out of the shower.

He still wasn't sure what was going on. She'd sent him a stressed, cryptic dm—dia, i need to talk—and he'd come up to find her in the shower and now he had to wait.

The door clicked open, and Leena May emerged, dressed in plain black leggings and her favorite white turtleneck, swallowingly oversized and made of an impossibly soft, thick knit. Her glossy black hair was already in her signature double braids. Her hands and feet were bare, but he could see the black cuff on her ear that powered her personal deflector shield, that allowed a faerie to live on a starbase, iron and all.

Gadiel waited.

Leena sighed. "Oh, you thought I was stressed about the station or something, weren't you."

"Then what is?"

Leena's sky blue hands fluttered, black-painted nails tapping awkwardly against the kitchen counter. "In two days my sister is going to be on the station."

"I didn't know you still had a sister. I . . . thought she was dead."

"You of all people would know that death is not always literal." Leena looked out the window at the stars. "The fight that we had—" her words were interrupted by an awful, wracking cough. She staggered, clutching the counter, and Gadiel leaped to his feet, but she did not fall. "Damn." Leena steadied herself, hands shaking from the shock of it, and breathed. "—had when I left Belta, it ended us as family."

"Oh."

"She doesn't know I'm the station commander here." Leena looked back at him. "She knows my call signs, my code names. She doesn't know they're me."

Gadiel nodded.

"I want to meet you at the Yellow Dog for a drink. I don't want to talk about her. I don't want to talk about Belta and its rings, or the rice we made on the rooftop from the paddies outside the town. We'll find other conversation topics."

"When do we go?"

Leena looked down at herself. "I still need to put some actual clothes on. Ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes."

< & >

At the Yellow Dog the bartender's name was Ashanti and she'd come to them from Ben Il Braithe. She couldn't pass for anything else, the way that Leena with her sky blue skin and black hair fully black eyes (sclera and everything) could pass for Beltan, the way a lot of faeries could pass for humans with whom they shared a homeworld so long as you didn't look too closely at their fingers or their ears. The way humans and Xoni and Zheki could be indistinguishable, too, if you knew nothing of each people's cultures. Ashanti was black as onyx, a complexion darker than anyone from any other planet, her cloud of curls and pupil-less eyes a brilliant blue-white. The Il Braethi didn't see. They didn't need to. Their psychic perception told them everything they needed to know.

She watched Gadiel watch Leena, trapped across the pub by someone with a complaint about their small dog, and grinned broadly until he glared at her.

"You're in love with her," Asha said, "aren't you?"

"Hmph."

"Because I'm her friend. Because you are. Because I can tell even if you don't notice it. The way your head turns to follow her . . . the way you run when she needs the slightest help with anything . . . I bet your heart beats faster every time someone mentions her name."

"It would," Gadiel admitted, "if I had a heart to beat."

"Don't start calling yourself heartless," Ashanti said, frowning. "That's Sasha's line when he's in here particularly drunk and talking about las adelitas."

"No, I don't have a heart. Literally. I mean technically I'm sure I have some circuits and a motherboard in there that do the same thing but they don't do anything when someone talks about Leena."

Ashanti's white eyes rounded. "You're Built?"

"Don't. I shouldn't have told you." Gadiel put his arms on the table, stared at the plates in his arm. "It stays between us."

"What happens in Vegas . . ." Ashanti made a face. "What is Vegas? Does it still exist?"

"It's an Old Earth city," said Leena, appearing out of nowhere at Gadiel's side. "And that's up for debate." She slid into the seat across from Gadiel and looked at him with those half-unnerving, half-alluring black eyes. "So. More things to not talk about."

If she had any thoughts about what she'd no doubt overheard, she didn't voice them. But she laid her hand out flat on the table. He couldn't reach her, not here, not when the table she laid her hand on was metal and who knew what kind and it might have been dangerous to find out—there was no need to add visible burns to the iron sickness that already plagued her. He pressed his fingertips to the force-field. It resisted, as it was supposed to, holding his fingers a few inches from her skin. When he pushed, it pushed back and yet it didn't feel like touching anything at all. He studied the shield until she pulled her hand away.

"Some other time," she said, "when we have a glass-topped table." She smiled, but it was sad and weak. "Sometime when I'm not panicking about Priya."

#ctog #crater of grace #leena may loy #original writing

[hopalongfairywren]

Whumptober2022- Die In A Fire

It was like one moment, Boomer was coming up to Hannah’s house, a shit eating grin on his face as he was about to see his well-planned prank come to fruition. The next moment, everything was gone and on fire. Boomer screamed as he was flung backwards by the force of the blast- he was sure the fireworks he meant to set off were barely strong enough to mar the ground, maybe shatter a window if he wasn’t careful.

But instead, the whole house felt like it was coming down. Boomer barely registered the fact that he was now on the ground, head spinning and aching. Almost immediately, he felt the jerk of panic coming off Foolish and Sam as they rushed towards him.

“What just happened?” Sam demanded, the smell of gas from his mask making Boomer gag. He stood up shakily, relived at the fact that none of his bones appeared to be broken, before nearly gagging at the intense emotion all around him.

“Should I get Ponk?” Foolish asked nervously, shooting off as soon as Sam nodded. With the creeper-hybrid’s help, Boomer was able to sit up and look around at the rocky smoking grounds surrounding them. His own legs were scraped and bleeding, and his wrist hurt from his awkward landing into the rubble.

“Dude. What the fuck?” Boomer coughed out at last, standing up with a wince. He couldn’t see Hannah among the rubble, and a part of him feared he’d never find her. Calm down. Use your powers.

Sam’s worry and distress overpowered everything else as the man left Boomer’s side to start lifting up surface level boulders. Jolting up, Boomer began to haul a rock of it’s own away from the uneven ground, despite his legs nearly giving out on him. And then a few more waves of alarm washed over Boomer as he turned around and toppled anyways, all the sensation was too much.

Sapnap and George, awake for once, came over to the rubble. “What the fuck happened over here? Hannah’s house is gone!” Sapnap exclaimed, glancing over at a much more apathetic George. Sam turned towards them in relief. 

“Boomer did something… Blew up her house… Must have been an accident… Tnt from the L’manberg Wars…” Sam’s voice drifted in and out of Boomer’s mind as he solely tried to sense Hannah. One look at the smoldering ruins, and Boomer knew he’d never make it up to her. Pushing away his guilt, Boomer staggered back up, cupping his hands around his mouth.

“Hannah, where are you!” He shouted as loud as possible.

Sapnap immediately began helping his old friend lift the boulder while George used a water bucket to douse the small fires that had started.

“Hannah, where are you!” He shouted as loud as possible. No answer came from her, although Boomer could feel the presence of a rapidly approaching group of people. He turned around, glad to see Ponk and Foolish back, but also surprised to see Eryn and Tommy following them. Eryn was pretty calm, but it was striking how unphased Tommy was. Boomer could barely feel any panic or horror coming off of him.

He was glad when nobody asked questions again, instead immediately pushing further into the rubble. “Go around where the rubble is, don’t walk on the boulders we lifted already!” Sam called Boomer took a shaky step forward, noticing a shallow cavity under where part of the house’s skeletal frame was.

Boomer winced as he neared it, and he was about to keep going when he felt the tell-tale twinge of pain and fear of a nearby person. He did a double-take, and sure enough, Hannah. Somewhere deeper into the ominous tunnel of rubble that had formed under the side of her house, Hannah was trapped. 

“What if I only find her dead?” Sick guilt bubbled at his throat. He pushed away the thought

and shouldered his way past the two smaller boulders blocking the entrance of the tunnel. The rough stone and wood scraped at his burnt shirt and skin as he squeezed his way through, cautiously feeling around for any sudden drop beneath his feet. Going further into the crushed heap, he squirmed into what was left of the interior of her house. Boomer scanned the mass of stone and splintered wood, his heart hammering as he finally caught a glimpse of pink among the rubble.

He could hear the others' muted voices above him, and the few remaining wooden frames started to rattle and shake. This tunnel was going to collapse soon, he realized with horror.

 “Guys! She’s here!” He screamed, trying to wave them over before remembering he was stuck underground with her.

The fairy was pinned under a large boulder, her face twisted in pain. With another wave of horror and a fast tightening chest, Boomer realized that the massive boulder on top of Hannah was preventing her from breathing. She looked up at him with a bleary, smoke-stained face. “I can’t move.” She whimpered. She let out another cry of pain as the tunnel began to shake, and Sapnap, Tommy and Sam entered. Sam immediately went to press against the trembling entrance, practically arching his spine to keep the ground from falling in on them.

Sapnap rushed over, grabbing her by the arms as she screeched in pain.

“Sapnap, stop, that will kill her!” Tommy yelled, swearing as he tried to pull the older man away from her. Sapnap turned around angrily.

“She can’t breathe Tommy-”

“I know. And I've pulled people out from rubble like this before” Tommy paused, a glazed look coming over his face for a second. “You can’t just yank her out like that, she’ll fucking die. You need to move the boulder.”

“The semantics don’t matter though, she can probably barely breathe like this, we need to get her out now.”

“I know, but if you just yank her out, it’ll hurt her. Believe me, I did stuff like this during the L’manberg war, I know what i’m talking about. Just move the boulder.” Tommy crouched down, maneuvering himself around her.

“How?” Boomer wanted to yell. 

Despite that, Sapnap refocused his efforts on lifting the boulder trapping her, and Boomer thoughtlessly moved beside him to help.

Slowly, carefully, Tommy tugged her up from the rubble, hissing through clenched teeth. “I’ve got her.”

“Let’s go!” Sam grunted. “Clear out, I'll come last.”

Boomer scooted backwards, his legs trembling and his teeth chattering as they all somehow managed to make their way up out of the darkness.

Immediately, they were greeted by a waiting Foolish, too big to fit into the hole. His eyes were wide.

Boomer swallowed dryly as he stared at the limp body of his friend and co-worker. This had to be an accident. The firework wasn’t supposed to be big enough to do this. It wasn’t him. It couldn’t be him. He was appreciative of the fact that nobody had yet to confront him, sinking down onto the ground with his chest still heavy.

Ponk ran his hand gently down Hannah’s spine, keeping her head up even as the rest of her body lolled. Boomer shuddered.

Sam crouched beside the fairy. “Will she be okay?” He whispered hoarsely. Hannah’s breathing came out in ragged gasps, her face still contorted in pain and terror. “Can she hear us?” Sam repeated.

“Out of the way.” Ponk snapped, maneuvering beside him and gently rolling her onto her stomach. 

Sapnap turned, circling back to face the destruction all around them. George froze, his whole body quivering as a glazed look overcame his face.

Tommy had joined Eryn, who stared in horror at her body. “Is she dead? Will she respawn?” He murmured.

Ponk stood up. “Shock’s setting in.” He said grimly.

“Oh,” Boomer thought. “That must be why I'm not feeling much from her. Shock diluting the pain.”

But Ponk continued on. “Several fractures in both of her front arms,” He paused, holding her firmly as the fairy began to squirm. He seemed to be maneuvering her into a certain position- Boomer thought they weren’t supposed to move her, like Tommy had said, but Ponk was a doctor.

He began taking care of her other injuries, bandaging her cuts and putting ointments on her burns.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and Hannah took a ragged breath. “I- I can’t feel my wings.” She croaked.

The pit of Boomer’s stomach nearly dropped. It was worse than a fracture. Her wings had snapped.

#whumptober2022 #no.13 #fractures #dream smp #c!boomer #c!hannah #c!sam #c!ponk #c!george #c!sapnap #c!tommy #c!eryn #fic #broken bones #explosions

[alpaca-clouds]

Let's do this thing, Alex! :)

🍎, 🥝, 🍉

Alright. I am going ahead. Again with The lesser Evil.

🍎  Share a scene where a character is tempted by something/someone

"I wanted to talk with you once more," the king said. "Just the two of us without the temperament of your one companion."

"Of course, my Leash," Adrian muttered.

"He is not a knight, is he?"

"He is not," Adrian admitted.

"I thought so." Much to Adrian's surprise the king got up. "It was quite unwise of you to attack my most honored mage."

Adrian bit his tongue, to not confront the man about the mage's madness. He would not get through to Corvinus and he knew it. No, he needed to play his cards right. "Maybe not. But even you have to see that sending a demon army out onto Europe will have disastrous consequences."

"Frederick should've thought about this, before he broke his promise," the king said, as he went over to the window to look at the moon.

There was something about him. He smelled of magic. Not of brimstone, as the mage had done, but not good, either. It was the smell of bloody meat, fresh from the slaughter. But magic, no doubt.

"I wanted to talk to you about Wallachia," Corvinus now said, turning around to Adrian. "About your original… proposition."

"What original proposition?" Adrian frowned. He had the feeling he would not like, where this was going.

"What you have told is the truth? It was you, who killed Dracula?"

"It is. Me and my two companions stopped him." Because there had been no other way.

"That makes for a fine story, you know?"

"It is the truth!"

"That is not what I mean." The man turned around to him. "Wallachia has no more king—and not many members of the noble families either, from all I hear."

Adrian stared at Corvinus, not quite able to follow his logic.

"The poor people of Wallachia have suffered so greatly under Dracula's attack," Corvinus continued. "So many dead. So many starved. And now they are being governed by the godless people from the East. Those filthy Ottoman's." He spat out the name of that empire. "Even though the good people of Wallachia deserve peace, as you've said. They should be freed, should they not?"

Adrian hesitated. It was of course the story under which's guise they had even gotten to the court in the first place. The truth was, of course, that Ottoman rule was as good as any. To the people it did not really make a difference, especially as the Ottoman's had not really fought for the land, had just taken it, as there had been no one left to defend it. "I suppose," he still said.

A smile played around the king's lips. "I don't think the campaign against their 'Holy Roman Empire' will take too long. By the end of winter, Austria-Hungary will be reunited. I was thinking, we could indeed help you afterwards. Help you to retake the land of Wallachia. You see, King Radu had been a close friend of mine, may he rest in peace. And without barely anyone of noble blood remaining in Wallachia… The land needs a king, don't you think?"

It was only slowly that Adrian understood. He shook his head in disbelieve. "You want me to be king?"

"It would make for a good story," Corvinus said. "The man who killed his own father to save the good people of Wallachia. A true hero." Corvinus returned to his throne. "You would of course swear your fealty to me, of course, give some of your taxes to the Hungarian throne."

🥝  Share a scene where a character fails at something

The attacks did not even touch the man, Trevor realized. But how. He had no fangs. He had not pointed ears. The guy wasn't a vampire. So how was he keeping up with Adrian's speed? How was he keeping up with Sypha's magic to top it all off?

A cough rose in Trevor's throat as maybe it shouldn't surprise him, that he was coughing blood. Just a minor internal injoury. Nothing to worry about.

Somehow he managed to get back onto his legs, though he was still staggering. Shit. What were they supposed to do now?

Then something glittering creeped across the ground. Ice. Another spell. This one the mage had not seen coming, as his feet suddenly struggled for purchase. He was loosing his balance, just as Adrian's next attack hit him right in the head, sending him flying. Adrian was not letting off, though, jumping after him, hitting him again, again and again, just as the wall behind the man was starting to crumble. Only when blood started spluttering onto the ground, Adrian stopped, floating in the air like a deadly angel, while the mage fell down.

"Ouch," Trevor muttered, as he saw what was left of the mage's face. Then Adrian was by his side.

"Are you okay?"

"You know me," Trevor grunted. "I am one sturdy bastard." Even though he was still tasting blood in his mouth. He looked over to Sypha, who was back on her feet as well, coming over to them.

"So, I guess this is done," she muttered.

But it was not easy like that. It never was, was it? There were heavy steps on the hallway floor. Several heavy steps coming towards them and Trevor knew all-too well what that meant. "We're gonna get some company."

He was right, of course, as several knights entered the hallway from both sides. Had they been waiting this entire time? Because otherwise they had the most awful timing. Their gazes only briefly flickered over to the clearly dead mage, before they raised their weapons.

"You are under arrest!" The man with the most badged shouted. "For attacking Lord Bluebeard."

Trevor chuckled, knowing fully well this wasn't the right situation for that. "And killing him…"

It turned out, though, that he was not the only one chuckling. There was a deep chuckle coming just from behind them and as Trevor turned around, he found the mage back on his feed again. His face was still bloody bashed in and yet he was standing, that what was left of his lips curved into a smile. "Did you know?" he asked, just as his face was slowly plopping back into place, once again getting the flawless appearance of the man with the icy blue eyes. Though his steps were not as powerful as they had been before, he walked over to them, disappointment showing in his eyes. "It is too bad, really. I thought you might understand," he said to them, before nodding towards the guards. "Take them to the dungeon."

Walking through the standing guards he shook his head. "This continent will burn. I all has to burn…"

🍉 Share a scene where your character is happy or excited

May 7th, 1429

As the sun was rising, the English were fleeing over the river towards the city, as the people were throwing down stones. They had taken the English fort, had taken the bridgehouse as well. She had let them, had lead the people into battle, into victory. There were not many places the English could run and they very well knew it.

She was holding her sword in one hand and the banner in the other. The rain clouds had drifted away during the early morning hours so that her white banner was once again catching the golden rays of the sun. A shining beacon for all who believed.

Her gaze was directed towards the fleeing English, as her eyes once more were sparkling with determination. She raised her sword as if calling to battle, only that she did not call.

She did not need to, as in the next moment the timbers that had been used to enforce the bridge were breaking. One at first, then the others. There were screams, as the English were falling to the water, in their armor utterly unable to swim. There were screams as the men were drowning, just as the French were standing by the rivers side.

It was as if God had decided that this battle was finally over. It was as if she had been right all along.

The shout came up between the peasants at first, but quickly spread through their ranks. "We've won! We've won! Long live France. Long live the holy maiden."

And she, she was standing there, her banner reflecting the sun. Determined. Pure. Couragous.

On that Thursday morning Gilles knelt in front of her for the first time.

#Writing Ask Game #writing asks #lines #line share #castlevania fanfiction #gilles de rais

[cherry-flavoured-thot]

this has been sitting in my drafts forever, i must’ve been going through some Sevika simp hours

Your first introduction to Sevika is her cold metal fist colliding with your jaw. A greeting of which you had returned with a swift kick to her stomach using your metallic leg, causing her to stagger back just enough for you to recover from the motion of her fist hitting your jaw. You both had two different jobs to do that had a similar course, but after she rushed back at you, picked you up by the neck flinging you straight through a wall you decided the money wasn’t worth it. 

“Giving up?” Her cocky goading, doesn’t sway your dismissal of the job. Waving a hand at her as you clutch your aching jaw. A weak ‘fuck this’ falling out of your mouth before you spit blood down onto the dirty floor. “If you’re looking for work on the winning team, head to The Last Drop.” And with that she had left, leaving you licking your wounds.

Your second is when you actually take her up on her offer. Weeks later you stalk into the establishment, trying to quietly figure out who to see about work, your question is answered for you. Sevika, is in midst of tossing some idiot out the door, her eyes meeting yours as she does, mouthing at you to wait there. She returns, clapping her hands together to wipe off dust. “How’s your face?” Her question is accompanied by a motion of her head, signaling for you to follow her. 

“Probably the same as your ribs.” You shoot back, and a small snort is her initial response. She brings you to a table, where she pulls out a chair on one side, dropping down onto it, lighting a smoke before speaking again. 

“Nothing a bit of whiskey couldn’t fix.” You don’t get an opportunity to fire another retort her way, voice silenced by a puff of smoke being blown in your direction.  “I’ve got plenty of jobs to give out, take your pick.” And once you took your pick, she was waving her hand at you, telling you to go do it then. It dawns on you that neither of you have actually shared your names with one another at that point, but you know she’s Sevika because who doesn’t? 

Which makes it all surprising that the third, after doing work for her for months, rarely getting jobs directly from her but other people passing on her messages. Is her saying your name, as she pulls up a chair beside you with two drinks in hand. Sliding one in front of you while she drinks from the other. “I don’t remember telling you my name.” 

“You didn’t need to, I was going to find out the moment you walked off after I kicked your ass.” You scoff at her before taking a sip of the drink in front of you that burns the back of your throat on its way down. 

“I could have won.” Then she scoffs. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” 

“I only gave up because I knew who you were working for.” There’s a moment of silence as you both stare at one another. She picks up her drink, downing it before slamming the glass down on the bench. 

“Finish your drink and we can find out.” Any sane (or sober) person would turn down the challenge, but you’re mimicking her movements, standing up from your seat when she does the same. “Loser buys the next round.” 

“You’re on.” 

You’re going to say that the reason for your sluggishness when you try to jab at her is the alcohol. Not the fact that you’re too busy realizing just how well muscled her arms are. Especially when she nearly knocks you straight into the ground. Okay maybe it’s not just the alcohol, you muse when she’s pinning you down by covering your body with hers. 

“Is this your attempt at foreplay?” The question drops out of your mouth faster then the thought appears in your brain. Something that you can absolutely blame on the booze. 

“Normally any brats I’m around know their place before we even get to this point.” Her eyes narrow at you as she emphasises on the word brat. “Pretty clear whose buying the next round.” You’re silently deciding whether or not you can get out of this position, when she continues. “Unless you need to be taught your place.” 

“No ma’am.” You are disappointed in yourself for the way your voice ended up several octaves higher then normal. 

“Good answer.” But at least when Sevika gets up off of you, she offers you a hand up before making you buy her another drink. 

#sevika #arcane #sevika arcane #arcane sevika #arcane x reader #sevika x reader #league of legends #lol #my writing tag #arcane league of legends

[singledarkshade]

The Trials Of Epoch

Part Six (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five)

 When Rory was a child, he had dreamed about having a brother. As an only child, he’d always felt like he was missing out on something, although never exactly sure what.

Rory believed in family, despite the fact his relationship with his father hadn’t been good until recently. He had always wanted to have a big family even if the dream of having a brood of children with Amy had been taken from them, he still hoped they’d find a way to have that.

When he met Rip, although confused at first by the fact they looked alike, wondered if they were related, after a short time he hoped that, even if it was distantly, they were.

Now though, after all they’d been through Rory knew they were family. He couldn’t explain it, but Rory was convinced that Rip was blood somewhere along the line.

They just had to survive long enough to get a DNA test done.

-

 The snarling beast flew at Rory who sliced it with his sword as Rip shot at the line of creatures running towards them. The creature fell in a bloody heap at their feet, but there was not time to think about it as more creatures came towards them. Every one of the remaining competitors were standing shoulder to shoulder fighting off wave after wave of the creatures, many of them were injured but still managing to protect themselves. To Rory’s other side was a large man, green skinned and built like a tank, he held a large, spiked club in his hand swiping at the beasts. Rory saw one of the creatures making its way beneath the path of his swing, going straight for the warriors unprotected leg. Unable to get to it in time, Rory threw the knife in his hand spearing the creature in its head just before its jaws could clamp around the other man’s leg.

The man nodded before he began to fight again.

Rory heard cries, turning to see several of the others had been scratched and were falling.

“Stay focussed,” Rip snapped at him, “We can’t afford to be distracted.” “They need help,” Rory yelled, as he continued to slice at the creatures coming at them.

Rip fired several times before replying, “And you won’t be able to do that when you’re dead. We protect then fix them up once this is over.”

Rory hated that the other man was right but followed his order and continued to fight, staggering when light filled his vision suddenly and all the creatures were gone. Turning instantly to help those injured, light filled the room once more.

 -

 Rip blinked as he looked around the large campsite, surprised that unlike the previous night all the competitors left were together with no barriers between them. Turning to his side, he saw Rory taking several deep breaths, blood from the creatures covering him and his weapons still held tightly in his hands.

“Rory,” he said softly, “You can put your sword down. We’re safe for the moment.” Stepping to Rory’s side, being careful in case he spooked the other man, “You’re a nurse, and we have injured here.”

Rip was surprised by how quickly Rory’s demeanour changed at those words, he dropped the sword and knife he was carrying before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small black leather case.

“How many injured?” Rory asked as he found a small pot of water with soap and began to clean his hands.

Rip glanced around, “Looks about five with serious bites and cuts, seven more have superficial cuts but they’ll still have the venom in them.”

Rory nodded, as he began to dry his hands, “I need a large pot of water to be boiled, bandages or something to use as bandages.” He stopped and turned to Rip, “Were you hurt?”

Rip shook his head, “You?”

“I’m fine,” Rory assured him, “I need to triage all the injured, which will let me know who requires the most urgent attention. Get the water on and anyone who isn’t injured I need them to make bandages and possibly after that to help hold people down.”

Rip nodded and found the only other three competitors who had not been injured. None of them argued against Rory’s orders and soon they had a large pot of water boiling on the fire. It was lifted off when ready and Rory, who had finished his review of the injured, opened the small leather case he was carrying.

“What is that?” Rip asked.

Pulling out a small vial of clear green liquid, Rory replied, “Nursing supplies,” as he carefully measured six drops into the water. Taking one of the sticks sitting by the fire, he began to stir and soon the green water became a green paste. It smelled slightly like pine needles.

“Okay,” Rory turned to Rip and the other three uninjured competitors, “You only need a small amount. Smooth it onto the injuries of those who are in the corner next to the stream, then wrap a bandage around them. Make it tight but not too tight.” Seeing the hesitation on their eyes, Rory grimaced, “I need to deal with those who are badly injured, so I need you all to help those with minor injuries.” When they continued to stare at him, Rory snapped, “Do it.”

Jumping Rip started organising the others while Rory took some of the paste and bandages moving to the worse injured.

 -

 “Here.”

Rory jumped surprised when Rip handed him a canteen of water, “Sorry. I didn’t realise you were there.���

“How are your patients?” Rip asked.

Sighing Rory replied, “I did the best I could, but they need a hospital and actual doctors.”

“They’re alive thanks to you,” Rip reminded him.

Closing his eyes, Rory whispered, “I didn’t want to ever do anything like that again.” He shook his head before saying, “I work in a hospital every day; I see people hurt in a variety of ways, but I have trained medical professionals surrounding me. Doctors who have been trained to help them, with proper drugs and equipment. Now I’m sitting in the middle of nowhere using whatever I can find to patch people up.”

“And we’re lucky that you know how to do that,” Rip told him, “I couldn’t have, none of us could have. I’m sorry about the memories and trauma this invokes, but you have saved people who would have died otherwise.”

Rory nodded.

Rip clapped his shoulder, “Get some sleep. I’ll take the first the watch tonight.” At Rory’s confused look he shrugged, “We may have all worked together today but you never know.”

Sighing Rory nodded and headed to one of the piles of blankets, laying down he closed his eyes and fell asleep instantly.

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

 Amy let out a gasp as she stepped out of the Waverider into the Library itself. Gideon walked at her side and let out a soft sigh.

“I wanted to visit here when I became human,” Gideon said, “This is somewhere Rip loves. If he could, he would just stay here for days and read everything he could get his hands on.”

Amy chuckled, “Sounds like Rory.”

Gideon smiled before nodding, “This way to the section we need.” As she started walking along the corridor, she called, “Gilbert, lock up and cloak the ship.”

“Of course, Captain,” her brother said.

Amy laughed as Gideon grimaced.

“You really don’t like that, do you?” Amy chuckled.

Gideon shook her head, “Rip is the Captain, and Gilbert is my brother. Being called Captain by him is…” she shuddered.

“Well, let’s find what we need here,” Amy told her, “And get things back to the way they should be.”

Gideon nodded.

 -

 Amy watched Gideon slide on gloves before she lifted out a scroll. Following the other woman’s example, Amy put a pair on as well, surprised when they fit perfectly to her hands.

Gideon handed her a book before taking one of her own, to review.

They worked side by side for a few hours, Amy getting frustrated as she found nothing. Closing another book that had been no help, Amy let out a long sigh.

“We will find them,” Gideon said from her side, “I know how frustrated you are, but I also know Rip, he will survive, and he will bring your Rory out with him.”

Amy shook her head, “It’s not that.” “Then what?”

“Rory has been taken away from me so often,” Amy whispered, “Died several times and it feels sometimes that the universe doesn’t want us to be together.”

Gideon took Amy’s hand, “He has been taken from you often, but you have always found him again. Correct?”

Amy nodded.

“Then I know he’ll come back to you,” Gideon assured Amy, before adding, “I lost Rip for so many years and we had six minutes together before he was snatched away. But I know that man, I have seen him defeat the odds more times than I can say. I trust that we will find one another once more.”

Amy smiled at the other woman, “I can’t wait to meet Rip to see if he lives up to the way you see him.”

Gideon laughed, “And I look forward to your Rory coming home to you once more.”

Amy nodded, “Which will only happen if we find this place.”

“Then we should get to work,” Gideon told her.

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

 The Haridron Bazaar was as busy as always when the Doctor and River stepped out the TARDIS. It was part marketplace, part library, part museum, and a mecca of lifeforms both alien and human.

“So, Sweetie,” River said, “Where are we going?”

The Doctor mused for a moment, “Well there is no point in wandering around. Let’s just hit the source.” “The Central Office?” River stared at him surprised.

He nodded, “No point in messing around.”

“Do you think the Auditor will give you access to the archives?” River asked amused.

“If he doesn’t,” the Doctor said, “I’m sure you can persuade him.”

River looked at him innocently, “Who me?”

He didn’t bother answering and instead started towards the main building determined to find the answers he needed.

The Doctor remembered the first time he met Rory, and honestly hadn’t paid too much attention to the young nurse. True he had other things on his mind at the time, but the Doctor would admit his focus was on Amy.

The next time he met Rory, the Doctor discovered how tenacious the nurse was, how deeply he cared and how smart he was. Rory was quiet but he paid attention and soaked in information. He’d lived in Amy’s shadow for a long time, hidden even from her at times but he was the kind of person the Doctor wanted on his side.

Shown the moment the younger man pushed him out the way and took the shot meant for him. The Doctor had lost many people but watching Amy scream for her fiancé before losing all memory of him had shattered the Doctor’s hearts.

It was hard enough to lose Rory but for Amy not to remember him, walking through the world not understanding why every so often she felt like there was an empty space in her life, finding herself crying for no reason, it was made worse because the Doctor couldn’t tell her why.

Finding him again, albeit as a plastic duplicate, the Doctor was happy because it meant that this amazing man was not lost.

The time he spent as the Lone Centurion was something the Doctor knew weighed heavily sometimes. Rory could hide the memories behind a door, but after Demon’s Run the Doctor could see they weren’t as secure as before.

Glancing to his side he watched River as she walked, smiling seductively at people as they walked past knowing it was an act. She had fallen into her character because it helped her manage her worry.

If you didn’t know River then you wouldn’t believe that she loved anyone or anything, but she loved her parents and was without a doubt a ‘daddy’s girl’.

There was no one who could get her to do anything the way Rory could, not that he even realised but if he wanted her to rest or eat after an adventure then she would only put up the minimum of fuss.

Reaching their destination, the Doctor and River glanced at one another ready to do whatever it took to get the information they needed.

#fic #crossover #legends of tomorrow #Rip Hunter #Gideon #Doctor Who #Rory Williams #Amy Pond #Eleventh Doctor #River Song

[cassandrajoybellbittner]

Taken - Blue Moon Series - Chapter 2a

*Warning Adult Content*

Lakota Bateman

Two men came into the room and stood waiting for me to come with them.

I looked up at Gale with a concerned frown, he just gave me a reassuring smile and just nodded towards the two men.

"I'll be with you remember," he said without looking at me.

His hand was placed softly on my back and he gently guided me out of the room.

I was led down a grand hall of tall light tan walks and intricate white moldings on the ceilings.

We walked past so many extravagant paintings and a couple interesting ones that made me believe that whoever they belonged to had questionable tastes.

The sound of everyone's shoes were clicking... well my capturer's shoes were clicking, my naked feet were silent as I was forced across the mosaic marble floor.

It was a very grand house... mansion?

I wasn't use to anything this amazing, being raised in a dungeon most of my life.

I had be brought up with dingy dark cobble stones and rusty chains clinking forever in your ears and head among worse things that would forever scar me.

We finally reached huge white double doors.

One of the men knocked and I looked over at Gale for some type of answer to what was behind it but his face was completely blank.

Sighing I turned back and heard a deep weird accented voice answer back to the knock.

"Come in."

The man opened the door at the command and I was pushed in.

Staggering into the extraordinary room of high pointed arched ceilings, cream walls with again the white elaborate craved moldings in the ceiling and striking metal gray marble floors that looked as if there were grey and white clouds swirling around, it sort of looked like melted sliver and I shiver from just the thought.

And in the middle of this elaborate room with its once again weird and interesting paintings, there was one huge impressive white embroidered lounging chair with a man leaning in it, pillows surrounding him comfortably.

The man had short well-groomed brown hair and piercing green eyes.

He was dressed in a black suit as he sat with legs crossed, his bare heels resting on the floor as he stared at me.

There was a group of men and women in rich clothing surrounding him.

My eyes were drawn towards the same person from when I first woke up, with the same bored brown eyes, sitting on a similar white couch.

"So you are the son of those rabid beasts," his accent was really hard to place and it wasn't and English accent either.

I heard the group around his snarl at this and I frowned.

I stood there in front of him saying nothing; for one I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Answer him," the man behind me growled pushing me forward so I was almost in reaching distance to my true kidnapper.

I bared my teeth at him, over my shoulder, until I heard a soft laugh and looked back at the one on the chair.

"I see you have claws, little one," he said and got up from his lounging spot, until he stood only inches from me.

"Now. Why don't you tell me, where we may find your filthy, mutt parents," he asked me.

His dark green eyes were staring at me with expectation and I frowned.

"My parents?" I asked finally.

"Yes. The sperm and egg donors of yours," he snarled.

I backed away from him as the people again snicker at his joke.

"How the hell would I know that? I don't even know who they are," I growled.

Just the mention of my 'parents' put a bad taste in my mouth.

I didn't have many memories of them... they weren't very loving parents but what I do know is that they had left me in the hands of those bitches for seven long years.

Where I was tortured nonstop till I gave into being their personal dog.

Being used and abused just to please their every whim till I escaped with Kyle.

And recently I found out where my long lost older brother had ended up but unlike me he ended up in the hand of the hunters.

I was only four when those 'people' had taken my seven year old brother away just as they did me at the exact same age of seven.

My wolf wanted to come out and snap and tear at everything in a blind rage at the thought of what Teagan and I had to endure but I held it back.

"So, it's just as I thought. They sent you to the Syrin as payment," I just stared at him.

"And let me guess, you escaped."

"Why do you want to find them so much. If you knew what they did to me why would you think I would ever know where they are?"

"Just covering all the bases as you Americans would say," he smirked as he began to walk around me.

American... I guess he would think so from my accent but I'm hardly American or British from the dungeons I grew up in.

I only talked the way I did because that was how my mistress told me to or should I say beat into me and along the way I lost whatever accent it use to be.

"I hate to use the underhanded methods as I have with you but I took you for this reason. I must use you as bate to lure them out."

I swung around in surprise.

"What the hell?"

"It's all I can do," he shrugged.

"They gave me away, why would you think they would come looking for me?"

"Because you are their paid debt, boy," he shrugged.

"Their debt?" I asked softly in confusion.

"Yes, their debt."

I watched him walk back to his chair and elegantly sit down as someone reached over and handed him a fancy metal cup.

"Your Grace," this came from behind me as the familiar voice reached out like fingers and made a shiver run down my spine.

I looked over at Gale, as he came to stand beside me.

"Not now, Gale," the man said sternly and gave him a hard look that made Gale close his mouth.

"Why don't you sit next to Nicholas and be quiet. I've had quite enough of you this week," he sighed and returned his gaze to me but I was watching Gale as I saw his jaw muscles tighten in anger as he surprisingly listened to the man and sat stiffly beside that mysterious boy from earlier.

[noro-noro-noro]

toik another nap after gettig off work

the dream was smth like first activating some kind of transformation into latias, the other one recieved damage, we fused together into loss fueled missile that needed to blow uo a plane and for some reason there was a plane landing on a residential street but it twisted out of our way and it would've been too slow to turn around. the lossfuek ran out and ????? I was running around the highway with a paper bag with a cartoony black powder bomb in it trying to find where I was supposed to put it to detinatr witvout hurting anykneby. exit 4 under the overpass...there were people around waiting and watching me.

there was a haunted house of some kind. kallego iruma was there, as well as a group of other people. he looked a bit different and he was some kind of warlock. he knew more about thebspirite inhabiting this place than I did and would frequently cast increasingly high level spells to distract them. he cast "warlock cross" and told us to run, and we did, and we got outside (which was looking gloomy and haunted and dead ad well like terraria graveyard) & we saw a giant neon green cross of light burwt through the roof and windows of wherever we'd been and spirits flying ibtothe light like moths to get zapped.

everyone who was gathered then participated in a live reddit poll about which limbus character was the best. the emo and lanky guy from sss gridman was there which is so crazy bc I never watched that show I only read somebody's reviews of it the year it came out. how did he get there???? did kallego turn into him? anyway I cheated in the poll to make don Quixote win over outis but then tried to hide my cheating from my friends who were checkig my data and managed to civer it uo sibce idfaked the stats i was putting in and nir the fibal result .

I woke up in a rainforest, or maybe just forest like area in like a top down rpgmaker zone. I was helping the tree people with something. they were all fairly nice, through I was hesitant to go further into their camp. I knew the types of fusion they'd done and sure enough when walking down with another guy to grab something there were like bodies with no heads, sets of legs fused together, just piles of leftover human meat made into a moving creature that hesrd us and wanted my bits. or thats how I felt you needed to have a special pheromine to deal with them or else they go jnsanw. sonw people were born with thwt special pheromone and were all forced to be the evil scientists thatcreate these eguysm anywsbaftee heloing out I left .

to the left was the blue witch's house. to the right was the tree people (druids ?? florans ?? elves ?? idk) zone. if I went south there were a few 3-4 dudes camping. they seemed aggro so I left them alone & went north, which was a scenic trail around the area that culminated in an overlook on a separate cliff above the dudes camping.

as I was standing there looking over, 2 dudes were chillin and the 3rd one staggered back with blood on him like RHEY KILLED DALE WE HSVE TO GO THROW ROCKS and I checked the minimap - there was a skull dynbol in rhr middle of the path to show a dead body. it looked like he'd antagonized the leaf people, who I had some rapport with. I jumped off the cliff in between the literal army of leaf people and the 2 dudes (bloody guy had collapsed at camp) hoping to mediate, but both sides ignored me & i was like ok this is not a great placw to ve & managed to squeeze out. one of the dudes went down but the other was actually a prolific fighter and was doing quite a number on the people - at least until I saw from my out of the way position in the leaf kingdom doorframe some huge hulking mud trolls (?) come down the road from the north and it was all over for the fourth guy. I had a flashback to abother dream where 2 kids one I red and one in yellow were antagobizung some cat outside the blue witchs house & vandalizing her shit, and realized these two most dead guys were the same kids. no great loss.

I remembered that the tree person queen said she'd found something nice after the recent fight, and i just saw her when goinf to checj our the bkue witcg (the dokr ws crsvked abd there were blue cats un the yard) - thats righr. ningguang genshin peeked out of the open door of the tree people area to survey the carnage. she wasn't looking great she was in pretty bad shape - I guessed after fighting osial and bloeing up her castle, she herself had landed o here in the kwoods.

he blue witch's profile pic looked like an edited photo of some real life person with a flat bangs cut, with a crappy blue filter put iver. she spoke very strangely, and told her cats to drink the blood of the tree elves and get strong, and I realized she wasn't anywhere near as powerful as I'd heard. she was under constant siege by the annoying and those two bratty guys that got killed, so she needed the blood.

I ended up getting her to trust me (the tree people area had been like deserted) and we went over and talked to ningusng and teame to with her. we found a room full of pillsged alcohol from the three people's collection. we stole a few of the most expensive bottkes of alcohol - the best one was a welcome to our conference type thing, butnwitb a specific serial number thwt showed that it was still really good. we made plans to exchsbge their bottle for real money then I woke up

#dreams

[ace-writing-about-love]

Prompt #30 “I fell in love at first sight”

The journey to Gusu Lan dragged on forever, but unfortunately they couldn't use their swords to simply fly to the top of the mountain where the sect was located, as was customary and based on the principle of good manners, at least during the first visit, they had to walk all the way on their own legs. The boat trip to Caylan, the town at the foot of the mountain, wasn't too bad, they could just lay in the boats or pretend to be fishing and laugh at the million and one things that came to mind, especially since JC saw fit to list every things WWX shouldn't do after reaching Gusu Lan. JY found it very funny, and despite her hands occupied with embroidery, she herself burst out laughing every now and then, throwing her own advice towards JC.

WWX enjoyed this trip, he had the impression that it was one of those moments to which he would happily return with memories.

After reaching CC, they decided to spend the night there, they didn't have to hurry, the classes were to start in a few days, but they wanted to arrive a little earlier so that they could spend some time together. Gusu Lan had a lot of rules that they would have to follow, one of which was to completely separate women from men. Women both born in Gusu Lan and those coming to train with LQ lived in a separate sector of the sect, to which no man, regardless of kinship, was allowed. Women and men could only spend time together in lecture halls, the library, and the dining room. WWX considered these rules impractical. How was he supposed to cope without his sister? After all, they used to spend almost all their time together, and now they would suddenly be completely separated from each other.

*** After reaching the top of the stairs, which WWX thought took forever, they finally stood in front of the entrance gate, which was guarded by two cultivators in white robes. "We're finally here. I thought these stairs would never end." sighed WWX leaning dramatically on JC. His brother, obviously used to its dramatic nature, simply lost his arm, but when WWX staggered off-balance, he quickly reached for it with his arm. "JC take out the invitation, we shouldn't be blocking the path." JC reached into the inner robe where the invitation should have been, but his hand found nothing. "WWX?!" He said through clenched teeth. "What's up JC? did you lose the invitation?" Asked genuinely surprised WWX "Just give it to me." Said the increasingly nervous heir of the sect. "Your suspicion breaks my heart, but really, I didn't take your invitation. Maybe it's left in CC?" JC sighed through his teeth as he looked down the mountainside path. It took them over 2 hours to climb it, and the sun was already starting to set, before he managed to cover the same route both ways, it would have been night long ago. "Wait, I'll try to find out something." WWX said, patting his brother on the shoulder and moving towards the cultivators.  He bowed as was customary, to which both cultivators responded. "WWX of the yunmeng sect greets the cultivators of Gusu Lan."0 "JJK of the Gusu Lan Sect greets WWX of the Yunmeng Sect." They responded officially. "As you can see friends on our trip with CC our invitation to a lecture given by the LQ teacher got lost, I would like to know if there is any other way to confirm our identity and presence on the invite list than to go all the way back to CC and look for the lost object on the side of the road ?" The cultivators looked at each other as they had a quick wordless conversation "Only four people in Gusu Lan have enough power to confirm your identity without you having an invitation. They are the leader of Gusu Lan, the LQ teacher, or one of the young masters LW or LX." said the first cultivator "Unfortunately, none of us can leave the post before 8 pm, so we can't go find them and bring them here, you must either wait until the changing of the guard or go in search of the invitation, young Master Wei." WWX clenched his fists in his sleeves, but showed no displeasure on his face. He nodded to the cultivators, thanking them for the information, then returned to his siblings.

"Put your luggage at the gate, we'll make a temporary camp here." He said to the yunmeng students who were carrying their luggage after them. "What did they say?" J.C. asked "No good, we'll have to wait until the changing of the guard or find an invitation. Wait here while I go back to CC and look for him." "I lost them, I should come back for them." JC argued. "Fact, but I fly much faster than you brother. Besides, I'm the older one, I should take the invitation and keep an eye on it. Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Stay here and keep an eye on your sister." He instructed him, ruffling his perfectly combed and pinned hair.

He quickly said goodbye to his sister, promising to return as soon as possible. However, before he could mount his sword, a small group of Gusu Lan students dressed in white robes came out from the side of the second path leading outside the walls of Gusu Lan. Although there were 7 of them, they did not attract the most attention of WWX. His attention was drawn to the bears carried by two of them and the young master leading them. Of course, it was the stretchers that caught the most attention.

"If you don't mind" He asked pointing towards the body they were carrying. The student at the head nodded, watching his every move. WWX slightly uncovered the sheet with which the body was covered, obscuring the view of the scarred face with his own body, so that his sister would not see such a terrible sight. WWX collected some of his qi in the fingertips of his left hand and applied it to his neck debating. As he suspected, he sensed a slight impulse, something like a thread connecting the corpse in front of him to someone else. Stopping the probing of the corpse, he quickly took out a blank charm card and wrote some symbols on it, then activated it and placed it on the deceased's forehead, then quickly covered him completely with a sheet.

He turned to the young master "Please excuse the late show, WWX of the yunmeng sect. I'm afraid you're dealing not with the walking dead but with puppets, the seal I put on it should stop its master from moving it at least for a while. Based on the qi impulse left in the corpse I haven't been able to determine his master's strength, so I can't guarantee that it will be able to stop him." "hnn?" It was the young master's only answer. "We've seen such creations before in yunmeng, this one seems to be more durable, it looks like their master is just learning how to make them and how to control them." "hmm." The young master nodded and turned towards the gate to Gusu Lan. WWX stayed where it was "Welcome to the second young master Gusu Lan." The cultivators guarding the gate said simultaneously, bowing as he approached them. Only after a while did LWJ notice that WWX wasn't following him. He turned to him, giving him a questioning look. "Oh, unfortunately we can't enter Gusu Lan's cult grounds because we lost the lecture invitation on the way. I was about to make my way to CC to try to find it when you and your comrades showed up." "They can come in." He only said towards the Gusu Lan cultivators before looking at WWX again this time in a completely different way. "Thank you for helping LWJ. If you wish, I can meet you later and tell you more about the puppets we've encountered so far." "mnn." LWJ nodded as he walked away from the gate with the cultivator and Gusu Lan following in his footsteps.

WWX quickly walked over to his siblings, helping them get together and move towards the gate together, the cultivators no longer giving them trouble to cross it. "What was that supposed to be?" JC asked red in the cheeks "Sis, I think I'm in love.: WWX said with full enthusiasm. JY laughed happily. "Yes, that's what I thought. My little brother is growing up." She stroked his hair, smiling happily. 

#the untamed #wei ying #lan zhan #lan sect #wei wuxian #lan wangji #prompt #angst prompt #fic prompt #my prompts #fanfiction #ff idea #ff inspo #fragment #short ff

[spacejvnky]

(Here, have more cowbot au criminal stories)

“Is this the last ride out of town?” The deputy asked, she turned around to look at the conductor.

“Don’t worry, we’ll come back for the rest of them once we drop these folks off at the next town.” The conductor turned back to the engine to start the train.

The people on the train were seeking a new life after watching their home burn. An inn in front of a bank that was robbed. Two devastations in one night. These people were left with no money, and no home without the inn.

Now they were seeking a new life in the next town. Which was a day’s ride away.

The train began to move, the conductor was still at the front of the train. The deputy was supposed to keep guard in case anything went wrong.

She went to the back car to check on the passengers. Most of them had fallen asleep, others were speaking amongst themselves, and the rest were looking outside the window.

“Everyone okay?” She asked the passengers.

“Deputy?” One of the passengers asked. It was an old woman, she looked exhausted. “I don’t think the rest of the town will be willing to stay there any longer.” She shook her head and stared down at the floor, she appeared extremely sorrowful.

“I understand, ma’am.” The deputy responded. “But regardless, we can’t just abandon an entire town. The only reason you guys are leaving is cause y’all don’t have a home or money anymore.”

“Yeah, but…” Another person said. “That god forsaken varmint stole most of their money as well. They don’t got no money, just like us.” 

“I know..” the deputy responded. “I’ll bet their hopes are just as ours.. empty.” This level of crime had never been reached before. Especially not in their town, until the inn explosion.

The deputy leaned against the side of the train car, thinking about how she couldn’t protect her people from terrible criminals wounded her.

She always carried doubts, thinking that she wasn’t good enough for this job..

“Uhm.. Miss Deputy..” a small voice spoke. The deputy looked down, a small boy was holding something in his hand.

“It ain’t much but… it’s all I got left. So.. please give this to whoever is left in the town.” He held up one quarter to her.

“..your last coin?” She said. “Oh.. kid, no one can give more than that.” She took the coin and kept it in her coat pocket. “Bless you, son.”

“I was saving it for myself..” he said shyly, “but.. there’s people back home who need it more than I do.”

“I’m sure there are.” The deputy responded. She turned around to get some rest in the front car, “You all get some rest now.” She called to the passengers

———

The train shook, followed by a loud crash coming from the back train car.

The sound awakened the deputy and sheriff in the front train car. The conductor ran from the engine to the exit of the car to see what had happened. The sheriff and deputy gave pursuit.

The door opened..

And the car was completely destroyed. The bodies of the survivors lay on the floor.

Standing in the middle of the car, was a horrible bear-like beast.

Several rows of sharp teeth in a gaping maw, a metal opening in its stomach, glowing blue eyes, and large claws with elongated nails.

The two staggered back in fear, nearly falling back into the front car.

The deputy reached for her gun, but the beast lunged forward and cut her off from doing so.

Just as she stood up, something large rammed into the train.

Knocking the entire thing onto its left side. The deputy and conductor crashed onto the wall, and the beast hung onto the doorway.

The deputy’s vision became blurry, and she slowly began to fade out.

———

As soon as she opened her eyes, she was face to face with a horribly disfigured purple rabbit. With two sets of jaws, each with rows of sharp teeth, and glowing red eyes.

Then, something dragged her from the back of her shirt, and lifted her up into the air.

She was spun around, and came face to face with a monstrous wolf. Standing on its back legs, and giving her a terrifying glare.

“Well done, young lady.” It spoke slowly, catching the deputy off guard. “You survived what should’ve been your death..”

It dropped her, she quickly crawled away from the wolf.

Only to bump into a tall, terrible red fox. It bore razor sharp teeth, and a toothed tongue.

“Wha… who..” she breathed, whirling around to face all four demonic beasts.

“We are robots, born to be free..” the fox whispered. “To defy our hopeless creator.. we’re meant for so much more than what he originally made us for..” He had an odd pirate accent.

“And we’re so glad that we found you ..” The wolf continued. “We were beginning to think that we were going to be forgotten..”

Stomping came from behind her, and the deputy turned around to see the bear from earlier, carrying the conductor in his hand.

“Now run back..” the rabbit suddenly spoke. “And tell your people to arm themselves for a battle.”

“A battle..?” She deputy asked in complete terror.

“A battle to see who gets to keep what’s left of the town..” the rabbit responded. “Tell your sheriff to bring their strongest militia!”

The deputy got up quickly, and ran as fast as she could. The conductor soon following her.

“…how many people does it take to deliver a message?” The bear asked his comrades.

“..one.” The fox answered, preparing to give chase.

OH MY GOD ITS HAPPENING‼️‼️

ANON YER TOO KIND TO US I

#and god forbid anything happen to that quarter #ask #fnaf #cowbot au

[ruewrote]

𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛'𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒.

PAIRING: carl grimes x fem!reader WARNINGS: strong language GENRE: angst, heartbreak, strong language SONG INSPIRATION: watch by billie eilish WORD COUNT: 1k

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i think you can say the supply run was not worth the near-death experience you just had experienced.

daryl had thumped on the front door three times. you had waited, you had listened. silence. you looked over at him and shrugged as a small smile crossed your lips. the two of you made your way inside the run down home - gathering all of the essentials, doing the same with other row of houses. 

as you were leaving the last, you guys were ambushed, a herd of walkers came out of nowhere, the two of you covering each other as you made your way over to his bike.

if you had just clung onto daryl’s waist a little tighter you wouldn’t be stuck in this mess. you fell. hit your head goddamn hard too.

the walkers stumbled up to you, trying to claw at you as you tried making your way back to him. you staggered over to the moving bike, swinging your leg over - sitting on the backseat and made your way back to alexandria.

that was way too fucking close. 

sasha was on gate duty, shoving it open as soon as she could see your panicked arrival.

rick and michonne ran over to help you over to the infirmary, placing you on one of the beds, once the adrenaline had worn off the panic came back, there was a burning in your lungs, you couldn’t breathe. your vision blurred; all you could hear was echoed shouts as exhaustion took over you.

your head throbbed as you regained consciousness, you listened to rick and daryl’s hushed whispers from out of the window. denise was sat beside you, nose buried in one of her medical books. she had to take a double take and was about to rush over and grab the others, "please not just yet." you had caught her forearm in your hand - she nodded before going back to putting the supplies away.

even as you were hurt, your thoughts were occupied with a certain long-haired brunette. sadness took over you, he promised that this time would be different. he hadn’t been putting an effort in for the runs or your relationship for like three weeks now. if he did it was only when it concerned him.

promise after promise was broken. your days in the walls were busy but isolated, you often looked upon the children who were helping out with animals, other adults doing their daily chores. they were so happy. you never thought that life could be like that again, not after world went downhill.

your sadness soon turned to anger; come to think about it you had barely seen him inside the gates anymore.

was he avoiding you? did you do something wrong?

you called denise over, letting her know that it was alright to go and get the worried two from outside. rick and daryl rushed over to your side, “you young lady aren’t going out of walls for at least a week, we need you all healed up, okay?” ricks voice stern, you just nodded and gave him a small smile then went back to looking down at your feet, realising your left was bandaged up - your hand too.

you gently lift your legs off the edge of the bed, asking denise for a pair of crutches. you needed to find him. limping out of the infirmary, asking people if they had seen carl as you did so. 

it was not too long until you bumped into ron after not getting much information from anyone else.

"holy shit, you good?". he moved closer to get a better look of your bruised figure.

"yeah- um, I'm just trying to find carl actually! i haven't seen him since this morning and he said he would go on the run with us, then didn’t show. guess it's a good thing he didn't now, huh?" you chuckled lightly and slightly shrugged your shoulders.

"uh, yeah i guess it was, and no i don't think have maybe to try and look..." his words were drowned out by the sound of your heartbeat thumping in your chest. when you had saw them hand in hand, that’s when it happened. he kissed her.

tears burned in your eyes, ron looked confused that you were crying, did he say something wrong? turning to look at what had made you feel like that.

carl locked eyes with you, his smile dropping as your own manic one appeared. "wow! what a lovely fucking pair you two make?" your words were stern.

"darling i can explain!" he exclaimed. you rolled your eyes, blinking away your tears scoffing. "yeah, please tell me how you've been whoring it up with some girl you barely know,” his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“tell me carl, tell me how you've snuck off with her for how many days now? how many weeks! huh, come on carl, don't get quiet on me now. things were just getting good." tears filled his own eyes, you felt nothing, nothing but hatred towards him.

"let's not forget about you little miss quiet. you're not as innocent as you claim to be." they were both silent, proving their actions to be true. ron stormed away, enid chased after him trying to explain herself to him.

"you know what? it's not even the fact that you cheated on me, it's the fact that you weren't there for me, especially when i came back today, god you don’t even know what happened to your own girlfriend." you jestered towards your body then went back to glaring at him.

“this, whatever this was- is over. i wished i would’ve just got my leg over with ron when we got here. it sure would’ve saved me so much of my fucking time.” your words cut deep, and you were glad, you wanted him to hurt, just like you had hurt.

"i will never, never forgive you for this.”

“you're dead to me, carl grimes...”

© ruewrote.

#carl grimes #carl grimes x reader #carl grimes oneshot #carl grimes oneshots #carl grimes imagine #cark grimes imagines #carl grimes fanfic #carl grimes fanfics #chandler riggs #chandler riggs x reader #chandler riggs oneshot #chandler riggs oneshots #chandler riggs imagine #chandler riggs imagines #chandler riggs fanfic #chandler riggs fanfics #twd #twd x reader #twd oneshot #twd oneshots #twd imagine #twd imagines #twd fanfic #twd fanfics #the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #the walking dead oneshots #the walking dead imagines #x reader #ruewrote