#i chose more but I regretted it because I had to fight through a gauntlet and choosing more made the enemies like disappearing flesh clouds

[londonalozzy]

Did You Know? 2/2

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Steve x Reader

Genre: Romance, Angst, Drama

Summary: You find yourself in Siberia with Steve and Bucky. When Tony arrives you get caught in the crossfire, not knowing how or even if you can stop their fighting. Other than Steve who you're in love with, Tony is the most important person to you in the world, the closest thing you have to a Dad. It's tearing you apart seeing them fight like this. What do you do? How do you stop it?

Read Part 1

Masterlist

The moment that Steve confessed to knowing it was Bucky that killed Tony's parents all hell broke loose. They crashed and moved around the space with such speed it was almost impossible to tell which one was which. All I saw was a flash of red, blue and black.

I was stunned, distraught, broken hearted. I don't know how to fix this or how to make it better. Tony was out for blood, Steve was trying to protect Bucky, and Bucky was trying to save himself. I, well I just stood there, watching chaos erupt around me, a million questions running through my head. I knew I had to do something. I just had no idea what.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Zemo, still safely encased inside his chamber. A huge satisfied grin filled his features and it was then I realised he had won. He got exactly what he wanted. He blamed the Avengers for the loses he suffered during the Sokovia attack. In his eyes we wrecked his family, so he was now destroying ours. It looks like he achieved everything he set out too.

There was one thing that was certain in my mind, one conclusion I had come to. No longer could I fight alongside Steve and Bucky, not after this. It wasn't just the act of killing Howard and Maria that made me feel this way. It was how they've dealt with it since. They'd got me on their team, had me helping them, defending them. All the while they were keeping this big, dark secret. Bucky I can understand not telling me, he had no loyalty to me or to Tony. Steve on the other hand is a different story. I chose to go with him, knowing that doing so could destroy my relationship with the only father figure I've ever known. I did it because I thought he needed me. I did it because I loved him. Just goes to show that love isn't enough, trust is just as important. As of now Steve didn't have mine.

I was pulled out of the internal war I was experiencing when a large explosion to the side of me brought me straight back in to the real one. Fire erupted everywhere and debris began to fall all around.

Before I had time to even think about moving a massive cluster of concrete and broken twisted metal began to rain down, right on top of me. I made to jump out of the way but didn't manage to break free completely. Tripping over a metal beam I awaited the inevitable crushing. There was no way I was getting out of this. About to emit a scream of terror I was immediately cut short when I was pulled out of the debris path.

"Are you ok?" Steve breathed heavily in concern, pulling me to my feet and reaching out to check me for any injury.

"Don't...touch...me," I forced out with gritted teeth.

"(Y/N), listen to me."

"There is nothing you can say that will make this better. Not a damn thing."

"I love you," he shook, cuts and bruises littering his face. Usually I'd be fawning over him, concerned about the blood and grazes. Right now though, right in that moment, I couldn't care less.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you started hiding things from me."

"He's my best friend (Y/N)."

"Yeah, and I was your girlfriend."

"Wait, what do you mean was?"

"Maybe you should work that out for yourself."

Before Steve could reply to my angered outburst, my attention was drawn to the fight going on above us, Tony and Bucky not taking a break.

Bucky managed to break free for a second, taking his advantage to run as fast as he could. Tony made to follow, floating off of the floor and aiming himself in Bucky's direction.

"It wasn't him Tony. Hydra messed with his head," Steve yelled out, grabbing Tony by the foot and pulling him back.

"MOVE," Tony screamed.

"Dad, please don't do this. Be better than them. I can't lose you. If anything happens to you..."

"I have to do this (Y/N), I have to. He killed my Mom."

With that, he bolted off and the fight ensued, Steve quick to follow suit trying to tear them apart. Before long, Steve was right back in the battle himself, he and Bucky both beating on Tony like he was a punch bag. Who was this Captain America? This man I was watching right in front of me? Certainly not the guy I fell in love with.

As the fight went from the ground up into the rafters, I watched on helplessly, knowing that if I did try and get involved that I'd be no match. It wasn't just that though. Who would I be fighting with? Who would I be fighting against? I knew I couldn't stand alongside Steve and Bucky now, but could I stand against them?

"DAD!" I suddenly screamed, watching as Tony was slammed against metal railings, Steve attaching a metal cable around his neck and then pulling him towards the ground.

"Honey, get out of here," Tony called over to me, sadness but determination in his voice as he launched straight back up into the air, right in Bucky's direction.

Tony grabbed Bucky, pulling him off of an upper balcony and then flying off the side. Before they could get very far, Steve launched himself at the two, wrapping his arms tightly around Tony's neck and then proceeding to try and loosen his grip on his friend. The weight of the three proved too much for Tony's suit to bear and sure enough they all came plummeting to the ground, a deafening shudder, shaking the building as they hit the floor.

For a second none of them moved which gave me enough time to run over to them. Bucky lay motionless, knocked out from the impact. Steve shakily got to his feet and Tony, Tony stood strong and proud in front of Cap, no sign of letting up any time soon.

"Nothing can change what happened?" Steve struggled to get out as I came to a stop between the pair.

"I don't care. He killed my parents."

Sobs started to wrack my body as they immediately went at each other again, both men failing to see the affect this was all taking on me. I was shaking, could barely breathe. As it continued, Bucky now awake and joining in with the pummelling I could feel myself losing control. Spots clouded my vision, ringing began in my ears. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, the men beat my body to it. Tony made to launch a blast at Bucky with his gauntlet, which Steve knocked away with his shield. Unfortunately the blast didn't hit the wall, or the floor, or a pillar. It hit me. I fell to the ground with a large thud, my left side erupting with a pain I'd never experienced before. Just as I spotted the fight halt, both Tony and Steve desperately rushing in my direction, screaming my name as they did so, the blackness took hold, my eyesight flickered and I for want of a better word, checked out.

I have no idea how long I was out for but when I eventually came too, I felt like I was on fire. The first person I saw was Bucky, he was standing above me, regret and sorrow in his eyes. Steve and Tony were knelt at either side of me, Tony's face plate now gone and Steve, tearing up as he compressed my wound with his gloved hand.

"If I'd known...me getting severely injured...would stop your fighting, I would have got...in your path way...sooner," I croaked with a dry throat, tears threatening to spill from all of our eyes as I struggled to pull myself up.

"(Y/N), I'm so sorry honey. That was never supposed to happen," Tony whispered in despair.

"I should have been looking where I aimed it with the shield. It's all my fault," Steve breathed out in exhaustion, refusing to leave my side. I managed to trample over to a pillar, leaning myself against it for a little more comfort as I looked on at the regretful faces in front of me. God, this hurt.

"Do you have...any idea what this is...is doing to me?" I stammered in agony, pushing Steve away slightly when he got a little too close. I really couldn't have him near me right now.

"Every time...you hit each other, you are attacking...me. Not only are you killing each other, you are...killing me too...literally. Stop this, stop it...NOW. Please...whilst we still have a chance."

"I had to protect him (Y/N). He's my friend," Steve tried to defend.

"So was I," Tony bit out.

It was that answer that gave me the clarity I needed. At first I thought that he was just angry over finding out it was Bucky who killed his parents. I couldn't have been more wrong. He was just as angry at Steve, his friend, his team mate. Steve had lied to him, kept this from him, just like he had kept it from me. I couldn't let that go. I don't know if I ever would be able to.

Yes, I felt more trampled on by Steve and Bucky in that moment than I have ever felt by anyone. But still I could not see them killed, hurt even, especially Steve. This was my opportunity to break it up. Only minutes ago I thought we were coming to a truce, I for one shining second thought I had my family back together. How wrong I was. Now, we are more broken than ever. There was no getting back from this.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?" he asked, hope filling his eyes.

"Take Bucky and get out of here," I instructed, no emotion in my voice but tears threatening to break free.

"What?...But what about you?"

"I'm going...I'm going to where I should have been all along."

"Please, don't do this?"

"You've given me no choice. I can't see you killed Steve. I love you, I do, but I can't forgive you. I can't help you either. You need to go now, or I'm never going to be able to stop him."

Tony stood in silence the entire time, shock all over his features as a result of what had happened to me. I was bleeding profusely now, my vision once again fading in and out. I had to get this done though, had to finish this.

Not giving Steve a chance to talk any more I turned my attention to Tony, tears finally making themselves known, as it started to get too much. My next words sealed my decision for all of us.

"Dad? Take me home."

THE END!!!!

#steve x reader #Steve Rogers #marvel #Avengers #captain america #Chris Evans #Bucky Barnes #bucky #Iron Man #tony stark #civil war #avengers endgame #fanfiction #fanfic #imagine #oc #romance #drama #angst #steve rogers x reader #Avengers infinity war

[writer1]

The Experiment

Part 1

This was requested by @ahsokatano-thetogruta

You sit on the bench beside Rex, you and him were captured by the Separatists. You've tried to escape, but it's no use, they've used force inhibitor's on you and they have extra precautions now that you've escaped twice.

You're scared, you know that they have plans for you and Rex, they've been telling you so since you got here that they have an experiment they want to do on you. Worst of all they somehow know about you and Rex, how you are married.

You don't know how they would know, especially since you've only been married for about two months. You hate not being able to feel the force, it's like being blinded.

Rex pulls you close and kisses your forehead softly, he knows that you're afraid. He doesn't care if the Separatists see the two of you, they already know anyway.

"It's going to be okay, Riduur. I promise, we'll get out of this together." You nod against him, you're scared out of your mind, you move a little in discomfort against Rex's armor but stay pressed against him. The doors to your cell suddenly open and two medics walk in. Rex immediately stands up, glaring at them.

"Captain Rex." The one says, she's holding a syringe. It's filled with a yellow liquid, this must be the experiment.

"Let me guess, you're here to experiment on me." Her eyes narrow, she can tell that this prisoner will put up a fight. Rex is already getting into a sparring stance.

"If you fight, we will restrain you and give this to your wife over there." she tells him simply and his eyes widen in fear, he won't let them hurt you. Ever! He falls out of his stance and let's himself slump in defeat.

"Okay, do it to me. Just don't touch her!" As soon as he says this he goes to walk forward, but you grab his arm and stop him.

"No, Rex! It'll hurt you!" He turns and can see the fear in your eyes, you're also crying, he presses his forehead against yours.

"I can't let them hurt you, I'll be okay." He lies to you, he knows that this might kill him, but it's a risk he's willing to take for you.

He kisses your forehead for what may be the last time and wipes your tears away. He then turns and walks over to the medic, you start to follow him but the other medic holds you back. You try to fight but he's to strong.

He holds still as the medic wipes an area on his neck, she then presses the needle in and injects Rex with its contents. He hisses in pain, she finishes up and wipes the area again. Both medics leave the room, the one not even bothering to place a bandage on Rex's neck.

Rex walks over and sits beside you, pulling you close. He thought that whatever they injected him with would kill him immediately but that doesn't seem to be the case this time. You nuzzle into him, feeling tears come to your eyes as you realize that Rex could die at any minute from this.

"I'm sorry." You whimper, this is all your fault. The only reason Rex didn't fight is because he was protecting you.

"Don't be, I chose to protect you. That's my choice, and no matter what I'll never regret it." You nod, you pray to the force that Rex'll be okay. You can't lose him.

Rex suddenly feels a pain in his stomach and he doubles over, groaning and clutching his stomach. You sit up quickly, something's wrong. Really wrong.

"Rex! Rex what's wrong sweetheart?" You ask him frantically, he just groans in pain again. He tries to walk, but he only gets a few feet before he falls to the ground. You start to walk over to him and that's when you see it, Rex is starting to change and you freeze in your tracks.

His voice grows deeper ever time he groans or yells, he's starting to grow larger. You watch as his armor starts to bend and that's when you unfreeze and run over to him.

You kneel down and start to undo his chestplate as fast as you can, you get it undone and it pretty much bursts off him. You throw it to the side and start on the armor on his arms, ripping the wrist gauntlets off as they start to tighten on him.

You get his bicep piece off of both arms as grey fur starts to grow all over him. He's starting to scream in agony now, he can't even think from all the pain flowing through his body.

His eyes are shut as tightly as he can keep them, tears welling up and trying falling. You aren't fast enough and the rest of Rex's armor bursts off him, completely destroyed.

You watch as your husband's body continues to grow and change, Rex does his best to block out the pain as he transforms and his mouth starts to grow longer, turning into a snout.

His muscles start to bulge under his skin and his shirt tears off, leaving him in only his now torn pants. His legs bend and the bones rearrange, the pain lessens and his screams turn to whines and whimpers.

You take a step back away from Rex, you can't believe what they've done to him. You hear him whine and feel tears come to your eyes, he's so much bigger than he used to be, he doesn't even look human anymore. You don't care though, he's still your husband.

You walk over and sit beside him, he's still clutching his stomach, head against the floor. He's breathing heavily, you place your hand on his head. He flinches and you pull your hand away, not wanting to hurt him.

Rex sits up and you finally get a good look at him, he's gigantic. His heads a wolfs, with yellow eyes. And his body is bulging with muscle covered in grey fur, He looks at you, fear lacing his eyes.

He looks away, ears pressed tightly against his head. You stand and walk over to him, kneeling and cupping his cheek. You turn him to face you and see tears in his eyes, he's so scared.

"Are you okay?" You ask him softly, stroking his cheek with your thumb.

"I... I don't know?" He tells you truthfully, flinching at the sound of his own voice. It's so much deeper than its supposed to be, he has no idea what to think right now. He just completely transformed into what he thinks might be a werewolf, which aren't even supposed to exist.

He doesn't even recognize his own body, and the fear in your eyes when he looked up at you. He hates that he scared you, hates that he's a monster now.

You keep stroking his cheek, you don't need the force to know that Rex is scared. You know that he's always had trouble with his appearance, and this has probably made it a hundred times worse.

"Rex, you do know that this doesn't change anything, right?" You ask him, he looks at you, surprised. You deserve so much more than him. He shakes his head and you sigh.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault." You feel tears come to your eyes, Rex should have fought them. Then he would either have won and escaped or you would be the Werewolf. Rex's eyes widen and he pulls you close, wrapping his large arms around you.

"No! I would never have forgiven myself if this had happened to you, I told you before that I don't regret it and that still stands." You nuzzle into his chest as the tears start to fall, you feel so helpless.

You should have been able to stop it. You sit like that for a while, pretty much in Rex's lap, when you hear the door open again. The same medic's as before walk in, and the woman has a wicked smile on her face.

"Oh my! The serum worked better than expected!" She says excitedly, walking closer to Rex. He bares his fangs and emits a low, deep growl, holding you even closer.

"What do you want now!" He barks out, and the medic just smirks.

"Actually, we want to test the serum on a... female." You feel Rex stiffen, he growls.

"Don't you dare touch her!" He warns them, he swears if they even try to touch you.

"You have no choice, we still have to prepare the dose so we'll be taking her to another room. Away from you, we want to make sure nothing can stop us." Rex growls loudly, you know that he's not going to easily let you go. The woman just smiles, then pulls out a gun and shoots Rex with a dart.

He yelps, then starts to feel dizzy. He knows that they've drugged him and he does his bests to stay awake, and protect you. But it's all for not when he passes out into a dreamless sleep.

Taglist: @captainrexisboo

#captain rex #star wars clone wars #WereRex x reader #werewolf clone wars au #werewolf rex x reader #werewolf clones au #werewolf rex au #wererex #my writing

[lightofthemagdalene]

So, Onna is Dead

(a record)

I got the ping from Amara while I was driving 3 days ago. I haven't written until now because it was very painful and stressful and I needed to process it, though I regret a little that I may have lost some of the details of her passing.

I've never been ping'd before. I didn't know I could be, but I recognized her when she called. How could I not? We shared a mind for 28 years. I went to the door she and Addison use to enter our headspace from their world in a panic, and was about to essentially try throwing myself into the ether without guide (because why would Amara need me?) when Orias showed up (she really can get anywhere, I didn't know she could be in my headspace) and grabbed my arm and said no I must never do that (especially not while driving) and to just close my inner eyes and follow her voice. I went into a kind of trance, my body drove me the rest of the way home without issue (though I will never choose to do that again) and slid into another headspace. I recognized it because it's not much different from her room in our old house. Very Amara. I could hear and feel her really clearly from there (an over-the-top fancy victorian gothic room in a cave/mound in a field of dark green tall grass under a purple sky oddly, I was expecting her house though she reminds me now that her house is more of a real place than a headspace would be).

Amara was panicking and sent me an image of where she was (at her house with Onna who was very ill) and said "It's time. I don't know what to do. Can you help me?"

Knowing her I understood.

"It's okay. It's okay that it's now. She doesn't look like she has much time left and it's okay, you've been here before. Say goodbye and let her go, hun, she's in pain."

"I know, I know, but..."

"We can't save her."

"That's not what I want! You know that! I want..."

"Don't tell me, tell her."

She took me with her as she focused back on her body. Onna was... Gods, she was awful. Her body withered and sunken and stinking of rot and pain, wrapped in parts of what was probably a beautiful dress. She always did dress well. Her legs and fingers were essentially only bone now, and her arms barely functioned. She was laying across Amara's lap on the floor in the sitting room. Amara had barely made it past the entryway with her body before she'd run out of energy and Onna had begun to run out of time. She'd wanted her to die in her bed, but this was as close as they'd gotten. Her eyes were still clear.

Onna's dark, glittering eyes still saw me, though.

"Hello there, kitten-sweet, did you come to say a helloandgoodbye?"

Her voice sounded like paper as she rasped out the old, old joke she knew I'd remember. I nodded, just then realizing that that was why I was really here. I moved my arm to hug at my waist, moving Amara's arm to do the same along with me. She leaned into the pressure, the best I could do at physical support through this odd separation we endure. When I nodded so did Amara, and Onna smiled.

"Thank you for taking her, I know she can be trouble." Her lips cracked and bled as she forced the weakening movements of her facial muscles into submission. Fighting everything including her own body until the last, as we'd expected.

"That's okay. She was good."

"Apologies for not making myself up for you, dear, you'll have to forgive me."

"That's okay, On."

"It was good to meet you, little traveler."

"It was good to see your light, sister."

"May yours remain lit, sister," she nodded.

I pulled back, my heart hurting too much to talk anymore.

Onna's breathing hitched and slowed and Amara's panic took over once again.

"Tell her," I reminded her softly.

“There is a world,” she choked, knowing it to be untrue but needing to pretend-- as we often did-- that it wasn't, “where we were never broken. Where your mother loved me and we grew together as equals. Where you never lied and we figured it all out. Where we found Jack and loved him as one. Where we loved each other in a way that didn’t burn the world down.” Her throat closed, and she fought the rush of panic that overtook her as Onna’s breathing shallowed and faltered.

“I’m sorry it wasn’t this world. I’m sorry I couldn’t fix it for you.”

Onna tried to speak, but the words didn't form. Only her low-ringing harmony sounded, but it was enough.

I forgive, I forgive, I mourn, I forgive.

The room stilled. Something exited.

“Goodbye, On.”

There was a massive amount of disorientation as Amara's panic set in. Odd that a few years in therapy alongside a human prison taught her some skills, but useful. We calmed down together without damaging her or the house. She screamed for a long time into the emptiness about their house.

While she keened I tended to the body, my movements a strange kind of spiritual muscle movement as I laid her out flat and pulled that green energy from somewhere and bid it cover the torn fabric and twisted flesh with a glamor (which: since when do I know how to do that?). Onna's cheeks filled out and I managed to twist her skirt enough to cover the worse of the disfigurements. I closed her eyes and settled her back into Amara's arms, reminding her of what would need to come next.

As she carried her back to the entry hall she looked mournfully back at the mosaic portraits of the two of them which domineered the back wall, framing the doors to the main hall with their regal, placid expressions of ownership. Onna looked as she was meant to look, a terrifying beauty that hurt if you looked at it for too long. I'd thought she only glowed in Amara's happier memories, but from what I've seen now she glowed even in images of her. Even in death. An inescapable point of light that genuinely burned once you became too aware of it.

"That'll have to come down now," Amara said out loud though it was directed to me.

"Only if you want it to."

She stood and stared for a long time.

"I want it to."

"Then it will have to come down."

"Later."

"Later, indeed."

She shouldered the front doors open and pushed through, squinting at the harsh light of the sun in her world. I didn't even take the time to experience being in another world, all I could do was hold onto Amara and feel the pain of the weight of Onna in our arms as she collapsed on the path at the front of the house.

Onna was horrible. A horrible, awful, terrifying menace to everything I love and value in any universe. She was hate and greed and pain and control and abuse in every possible horrific aspect of each word.

She was Amara's first love. Her whole entire world for most of her existence. She was-- at one point-- the best of what we can be. I have the memories of Amara's of every single little moment of goodness that she left in the world, and also the ones that should have warned Amara that she was slipping... But the fall came quietly, and Amara's vision cleared too late and there is nothing to do to change that.

She was a Sister of the Magdalene. Their sister. Their god. Their matriarch across millennia.

That is why they all came to say goodbye.

Tessa arrived first, Anya close behind her with her hand clasped tightly as they shoved through the remains of the cheering, victorious armies that had fought their fight home. Tessa called for silence and shamed them, for a death is nothing to celebrate to a Magdalene. Selena came next, riding the wind and already crying streaks of heavy tears before she pulled Tessa down to hold onto both Amara and the body that remained. She began the Keening, and Amara followed next. Maia arrived at a steady walk along with Kira, and both sank to their knees with the rest of the group to cradle the corpse. Jack came with Viv soon, and the group parted to allow him to settle at Amara's back and support her as she held the weight of the passing.

When Orias arrived Amara's Keens changed pitch. The true end was coming.

Even Orias-- who hated Onna more fiercely than any being in memory-- wept as she pulled Onna's soul from where it remained inside her sunken, hollow chest. The parts were separated in the family's tradition, and Onna's pains were offered to Amara.

"Do you want to remember these for her, Mother?"

Amara shook her head, which surprised me. I'd expected her to want the suffering, but she didn't. I'd never watched this far into my predictions of how this day would go, wanting this to remain private for her if she wanted it. Orias too considered eating the sins for which she'd suffered her entire life, but chose to let them go instead. She released the little ball of darkness from the tips of her gauntlet-talons and it faded into the air as if it never was, to be forgotten by time itself as the world healed. Onna's body broke down, crumbling into flakes of paper-like petals that drifted away on the breeze, over the house's wall and off toward the garden. Off home.

That's where I left them. Amara followed later, needing somewhere away from the family where she wouldn't just get high or drunk or hurt herself in her anger. I'm so proud of her for knowing not to just lock herself in her house alone with a pile of opioids and rot.

She'll be okay. They'll all be okay.

Sometimes it's time to say goodbye.

The memory of two little girls laying on the sand looking at the stars and planning their lives still lives in me. It still lives in Amara. It's what we have left of who Onna could have been. It's not enough. Gods' truth, it's not enough... but it's what we have, and that's okay.

Sometimes only the small things remain.

#All dialogue translated #tongues #Ur #mourning #death work #onna #onna and amara #amara and me #amara #Tessa #Selena #Kira #Maia #Anya #Viv #Jack #Orias #Headspace #Death Work #Over There #Personal Pantheon #The Magdalene #forgiving #remembering #cw #trauma #abuse #ptsd #drug use

[invertedfate]

Random Ask Dump - Anniversary Edition (50+ REALLY OLD ASKS!)

Going through OLD AND CRUSTY ASKS to try and chip away at the inbox. HERE WE GOOOO...

That’s an interesting idea, and I could run it by Cake, but I think it would honestly be a LOT to track from a programming perspective. Especially ‘cause killing Sans is gonna result in a “bad ending,” so to speak.

An attempt was made by Undyne to have all three hang out at the same time. Papyrus was SUPER EAGER. ...but one thing led to another and there were many messy explosions of chemicals and lots of smoke. Alphys had to step in before things got out of hand. It was all very daunting for her. Pap and Undyne are VERY LOUD, VERY AMBITIOUS PEOPLE.

I actually have some ideas of some side comics I may do at some point! :o It’s just that right now there’s a lot going on.

I need to poke Carni about that at some point. He’s just been very busy with other projects!

Clearly he’s standing on the “out to lunch” sign.

I wanna say that it’s very possible in theory. :o It probably affects them differently since monsters’ emotional state affects their magic and their physical state.

I do like little easter eggs like that, though I’m not sure where I’d fit it in atm just ‘cause I already showed Pap’s room, haha.

I made the chase theme for Mad Dummy as well as Mad Mew Mew’s battle theme. @pinewsun​ made the battle theme for Mad Dummy, and @thomasthepencil​ made the Season Dude battle theme and MD’s overworld theme. :o

That’s a really fascinating conundrum! You’re absolutely right- if IF was a standalone game, then from a writing standpoint, having more subtle implications would make sense! The reason I chose a different approach for IF is because it’s set after Flowey’s already known to be evil and I like to give different POVs rather than stick to just Frisk’s.

That’s an interesting thing, actually- both fights lean heavily on the fourth wall. Both are treated as climaxes for their given routes. It’s funny because Asriel’s fight is a lot more straightforward and less meta by comparison.

I agree! The thing with Papyrus is that he’s extremely powerful- he just doesn’t want to kill. But it’s a deliberate choice not to kill- he’s able to force his attacks to do next to no damage. He’s also pretty darn crafty, as he made the Gauntlet himself. It really is just a case of Undyne’s personal biases and concern for him.

That was a deliberate choice. :O Papyrus is very influential toward Frisk. He is best skeleboi.

Papybot loves you, anon! He just wants to feed you WHOLESOME SPAGHETTI!!!

It is possible to whistle through teeth. ...alternatively, magic. As for the music, Undertale implies that the music is heard! Maybe it’s just... a thing that exists in this world. Or it’s just meant to be a silly meta joke. I try to keep it somewhat ambiguous other than occasional nods to it. Chara’s pants are lighter because I just... felt like it, I guess? Haha. I wanted their feet and pants to stand out more from each other, so they have khaki pants. As for the Undyne fight being animated, well, this ask is old by now, but Sparks was the one who was down for it.

Well, the teaser’s been out for a long time now, but that’s the idea! It’s also why this has been in production for so long. The Determinator has some really over the top attacks (that weren’t even shown in the teaser), and Sparks animated in Photoshop. That’s how hardcore he is.

Shhhhh. Don’t give me ideas. I’m already slacking on Tem Village. :P

Sometimes I do have slumps and burnouts (see Antipode’s lengthy hiatus), but breaks lead to me being refreshed and coming back with even more enthusiasm than before!

Oh, there are a lot of these throughout the comic. For instance...

Flowey appears in a few background shots in the Ruins!

When Sans says “or maybe...” he looks at the empty flower pot. This was one of the earliest bits of foreshadowing about who created Flowey, and nobody noticed it at the time!

The MTT vending machines initially look like this but have helpful items.

And then they look like this, with an angry face and pose- Mad Dummy has possessed them!

As of Part 38, it’s been revealed that he did first meet Asgore as “Santa.” As for whether or not he knows the truth, time will tell. :o

Oh, these are excellent suggestions for calls! I’ll try to keep these in mind.

So, I believe Glyde uses the Mysterious Door motif. Jerry uses the motif in its battle theme- I believe it’s a mix of original motif and Wrong Number song?

Sans is a master of power napping. He probably gets a decent amount of sleep, though.

There are a lot of ways to interpret Pap’s lack of sleep! In IF, he can get by without it, but he also has a lot of reasons to avoid sleeping. Some reasons include productivity but also due to a looooot of heavy baggage. More on that later.

I think sleep can definitely make monsters healthier. Rest = better mental health as well as physical health, and with how important mental and emotional help is for monsters, that’s very important!

They just really like socks. Socks are warm. Socks are slinky. And googly eyes are the best. So they took on the form of a really eccentric sock puppet and sock collector. Scandalous.

It also has Alphys’ motif, as the two are the leaders of the royal guard!

I would say the lack of Asgore as an influence has left Undyne slightly less grounded? Like, she had Toriel and Gerson in her life, but her relationship with Toriel is... definitely not quite as close? Like, Toriel by that point kept people at an arm’s length due to losing multiple children (including one from old age). So, while they were on friendly terms until the aftermath of the DT experiments and the tapes’ release, it was more like mutual respect and a sorta professional relationship with Undyne admiring Toriel and wanting to spare her from more heartache.

That is a really interesting idea. While that didn’t happen, I do need to maybe revisit the grumpy dog at some point or another. He’s still a lil’ salty.

I think in terms of layout it won’t change much, but there will be new/different content for sure. :O

Mad Dummy’s base design is mostly original, but she has a wig + headband from DIO from Jojo Part 3! Fun fact: While MTT has Kamina shades, Papyrus’ goggles are loosely based on Simon from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann in terms of color. :O

So basically, when Asriel defeated Frisk, he had the power over the timeline to reset it as he pleased- in theory. However, that power was overwhelming for him, and due his lack of understanding OF said power and one last ditch attempt at resisting from Chara, things went wrong.

There is a track that takes some inspiration from Rage Awakened. It’s not released, and it’s not exact, but it won’t be released for a WHILE. Like until the part comes out.

I think it’s just the fact that tacos are so random. Like, my biggest beef in that regard was that OG Underswap had a lot of arbitrary replacements for things in UT and not all of them made sense. Like, if Sans was to make a foreign food, ramen would’ve made more sense due to Alphys being weeb trash, haha.

Okay, so the rough timeline iiiis... Falling: - Cyan - Green - Orange - Blue - Purple - Yellow Dying: - Cyan - Orange - Blue - Purple - Yellow - Green

You know, it’s funny because this ask is super old, but that’s basically sorta what happened. :O It became a beach-themed resort.

Never forget MTT fangirl Temmie’s pool escapades.

I think Forgespring for me because I had to make the tileset myself (it took a few months, I think?), but Aquarius was definitely in the works for a while. But once I had the tileset from Fours, the rooms were very easy to design!

That woulda been pretty rad! Maybe I can find another spot for it one day, haha.

I think for Dohj, I’d have to check with Fours, but I’m certainly not opposed at some point? Right now, the following chars can take questions: - Frisk - Papyrus - Sans - Undyne - Alphys - Napstablook - Mettaton - Asgore - Chara - Flowey

Cyan appears in Part 45! :O No answer about orange for now, tho.

I do have vague ideas for Tem village. I just haven’t had time to go back and do it.

Stay tuned and you may find out! :O

Hmmmm... I had a lot of fun with MTT SPIRAL and the Determinator, tbh. They were both very time consuming, but I love how they came out! Also, buff Jerry.

Turnabout Storm. :)

It’s a really awesome fan crossover that works way better than it should. :P

None taken! We know that with headcanons, everyone is gonna have their own interpretations. These are just the voices we liked for Fireglobe Production, but everyone has their right to their favored interpretations!

Yeah, Knight Knight is one of the coolest CORE mercs in the original game. It was fun to repurpose them for Inverted Fate as royal guards. :o It made room for unique encounters in the CORE in the form of them robots- as Undyne would rather use machines than other monsters to do her work.

Personally, I see it as an Asriel motif, but I also acknowledge that at one point it WAS gonna be an Asgore motif. Toby has a habit of just using whatever music works for a scene (see sans. at the snail farm.)

I do have a few ideas, though I won’t say for what yet. :o

He’s likely made blueprints for that train. :P

It probably would just have different flavor text/progression!

So basically, I treat the starting motif for BAaTH/Power of NEO is just a “true hero” motif.

MTT is definitely major in IF! As for whether or not he’ll have a hangout, time will tell. There’s definitely more to resolve with him, though.

I’m gonna remake at least a few of the older tracks, including Regret. My goal is just to bring the OST to a similar standard of quality.

So, animated parts coming up: Part 47, Part 49, Part 50. There may be some other parts, but we’re gonna wanna scale things back for a little bit for the sake of all our sanities.

I go with both. ;)

Honestly, probably fairly similar to the bully fight in the Ruins- which is why I ultimately decided not to do one. Both fill similar archetypes, though I think if I did do a battle, I woulda still had Flowey interrupt at the end and scare them off.

It’s a very emotional scene. Far more tragic than her geno death, IMO.

Well, the main goal in that regard is the remasters (Part 9 is in progress). Otherwise, I do think these hiatuses are good for working ahead. I’ve still gotta do more work, though, because my buffer this time around is a lot smaller from the trial-hiatus buffer. Alas!

Honestly, the website is the best thing to happen to IF. It’s allowed us to do so much with the comic’s presentation that would be impossible with imgur. NORIX IS THE BEST...

#inverted fate #ask dump #asks #undertale au #behind the scenes #undyne #frisk #papyrus #asgore #sans #alphys #lore #toriel #fallen humans

[writeanapocalae]

TCK: Twilight City Part 17

Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16

“As long as they’re cooperative we shouldn’t have any problems,” he answered. He took a few steps towards her before stopping, feeling fidgety. He still couldn’t look her in the face. He just felt so useless, standing before her and he knew that it was because he was. She had done everything back there and he had been so rigid in saying that The Order was the only way to do things. “I fear that I must apologize for my actions. When we faced the Hunters I was not up to par, not as your partner on this mission nor as a knight.”

She watched him, putting an arm over her stomach as if she would be crossing them if she could. She said nothing and her mouth as unreadable.

“As your superior I should have been the one to put myself in danger, to protect you and to get us past the Hunters. I regret to realize that I was… I was terrified. There’s no pretending that I wasn’t. I could do nothing and all of my instincts were to run. I left too much of the fighting to you.”

He paused then, looking at her, hoping that she would say something, anything, reprimand him or lecture him or tell him that it would be best if they concluded their mission via separate routes because she would be faster and better off without him.

Instead, she said, coldly, “Are you done?”

He turned his attention to the ground. “I could keep going.”

She raised her good hand to stop him. “Don’t. You don’t need to prostrate yourself for this. We’re out on our own against monsters. You’re scared, so am I. It doesn’t matter how many times you train for this shit, when you actually have to deal with it its just so much more. And you did what you could, you fought just as hard as I did. Shit...” It was her turn to look away, to stare at the boarded up windows. “I just about ran off without you. I was scared and before The Order and duty and responsibility and shit that was the way things were. It was stay and fight and die or run away and maybe live. Cowardice was the only way. But we couldn’t have run from them and escaped, not on that bridge. And I wouldn’t have been able to do anything if you hadn’t broken that big guy’s jaw. So we’re both cowards and we’re both brave, and we both saved each other, yeah?”

He gave her what he could, a small smile. “Yes, I suppose we did. Thank you.”

She rolled her eyes.

The Crow Knight went to one of the racks where there was an assortment of scarves and bandannas. He chose a small assortment of them and returned to The Puffin Knight.

“I’m going to make you a sling, alright? You are going to need it for that shoulder,” he explained.

She nodded and watched him, not lifting a finger to help, as he measured and combined and tied the sling, his fingers not quite working from being a tad too numb. She did grit her teeth and wince as he slid her arm into it, trying not to damage her shoulder further.

“I don’t think I can put my breastplate back on,” she admitted.

“And I’m without a gauntlet,” he reminded. “We’ll both just have to be extra careful to not run into anything further.”

She sucked in her lip and didn’t blink, a sure sign of bad news.

The Crow Knight sighed and patted his hair, making sure the braids were still keeping it tight against his scalp. “What is it?”

The Puffin Knight kicked her legs, the heels gently clacking against the glass case of sunglasses under the counter. “Well, you see how this place is safe, right? No magic in here?”

He nodded.

“That’s about it. The other side of this? The bookshop? It’s now all magical. As is the road outside. The quarantine zone has gotten quite a bit bigger than The Order thought.”

The Crow Knight wished that he was surprised. At this point, any further bad news was to be expected. He leaned against the counter, trying to think of what they could do. Magic was completely unpredictable, there was no planning for it. It was rarely completely impossible to get through though, as much as it liked to pretend that it was.

“Is there someway around it?”

She shrugged. “I wish. I mean, there’s always a chance, but I have no way of figuring that out. The magic zones may have merged or just shifted or grown, there’s no way of knowing. It makes maps kind of useless.”

taglist: @chauceryfairytales​ @detectivesebcas​ @vanity-glass​ @thelunaticghost

#twilight city #the crow knight #the puffin knight #my writing

[alloftheendgamefeelings]

Endgame spoilers

Talking about arcs, rewards, and empty space. And, because I’m me, explicitly tracing character arcs through all of the movies, even though anyone who cares enough to read this probably already knows.

The hardest part for me, dealing with Nat’s death Endgame, is realizing that there were a few different things happening simultaneously.

There was the arc I was reading into the ten years of the MCU, and I genuinely felt rewarded because, in interviews pre-movie, it sounded like Scarlett Johansson saw Natasha in the same way that I had: that what she wanted, more than anything, was to find a place where she belonged, where she could love and be loved without fear of rejection. Where she was valued as a person rather than just as an asset.

And you can trace it. In IM2, you can see her realizing that while Iron Man isn’t qualified for the Avengers Initiative, his found family is what makes him special. You see it in her careful recitation of “love is for children” but her absolute loyalty to Clint. You see it in how she puts in the work to befriend Steve. You see how she just accepts that Tony doesn’t trust her because of IM2 in Avengers, but how hurt she is that Steve doesn’t trust her in Cap2, or that Nick’s’ small circle excluded her. You see it in her only goal in Cap3 being to keep the team together, joining Team Stark not because she believed in the Accords but because it was the best way to stop them from being separated, and she went to Steve in that church and she gave him as much of herself as she could.

And there was another arc, the one I liked much less. The one that kept repeating. The one where, since the time when Clint recruited her, no one has ever just accepted that she’s not a threat. We see it over and over: other characters don’t trust Natasha, and she has to do the work to prove that she’s trustworthy, and they grudgingly agree to accept her until the next time she has to show she’s worth taking a risk on even if their goals aren’t exactly identical.

But then there’s the arc that was on screen. If you actually look at what was in the movies- not the deleted scenes, not the novelizations, not the interviews, not what we got out of comics- so little of this is actually there. So much of it is those of us who care about Nat connecting dots (about her and around her), and making educated guesses.

As a result, we never actually find out what, canonically, she wants. And when you think about this movie, you realize: that’s not true for any of the rest of them.

Clint wanted his family happy and safe. We see that in how no one knew about them until Ultron, we see how much it kills him to leave them in Civil War, and we see how even though he’s wearing an ankle monitor he’s delighted to be picnicking with his wife and kids. His relief when Laura calls is palpable, and we see how close he holds the kids during Tony’s funeral.

Bruce didn’t want to be a monster, too dangerous to be around people. And while we have no idea HOW he became Professor Hulk, he did it, and now the guy who thought his inability to have kids made him a monster has them coming up to him for photographs.

Thor never wanted to be king, but it was his responsibility. Once New Asgard was settled and he’d killed Thanos, he felt lonely and directionless, and mostly just played Fortnite. He got one last time to spend with his mom, which gave him the boost he needed to consider a new life: one where he lets someone else take the crown, who can actually handle it, who he trusts, while he gets to fuck off to space to have more adventures.

Tony wanted to not grow up to be his father, but also wanted his dad’s approval. He got both of those. We see how much he loved Morgan, and how well he took care of her; we see how he was able to advise his father, and even get that hug.

Steve... Steve’s a weird case here, because he talked about that missed dance, and he got it. The missed dance always seemed like a metaphor for all the things he’d missed out on, and that he’d chosen a different path, and everyone lives with regrets and etc. But here he got the opportunity to take exactly what he’d always held up as that one big thing he missed, and he took it. Whether or not it works for you as a viewer, he got exactly what he’d been looking for since his first movie.

My first instinct was to say that Nat, in this movie, doesn’t get what she wants. And while I stand by that, I also can’t prove it, because we don’t KNOW what she wants as much as they wanted those things. In this movie she says she’d always wanted a family and now she has it with the team, but we don’t get to see that. We see what they mean to her; we don’t see that she means the same to them.

So the closest Natasha gets to joy is probably flying with Clint on the way to her death, and that isn’t the same as, say, Scott’s realization that Cassie isn’t missing. Every other character gets the joy of human connection. Natasha gets “Shit, space is cool.”

So going back to her death- it would have been upsetting no matter what. Because she wasn’t getting what she wanted. But if they’d done more with the aftermath, it could have been a cap to her arc of wanting a place to belong. It could have shown that it wasn’t just how much her family meant to her, but how much she meant to them.

I mean, look. Clint is clearly upset with the cost of the soul stone. Bruce tried to bring her back with the gauntlet. The whole team made noises about valuing her, and I don’t doubt it.

But her loss had no real narrative weight- not like Tony’s did. There was not a single moment during the fight where they acknowledged we could really use Natasha to help us win here. As much as I felt it (I sobbed), the gorgeous scene with all the women fighting doesn’t seem to really HAVE that bittersweet note of how Nat should be there. There was not a moment where anyone realized how much she’d always been responsible for, in terms of handling the aftermath. Clint’s kids call Natasha “Auntie Nat,” but we don’t see them mourning her, while we do see them at Tony’s funeral. We don’t see anyone surprised that Natasha chose to sacrifice herself for Clint and for her family and for the world, but we also don’t see anyone grateful for it.

Don’t get me wrong. Natasha was resplendent in this movie. She was brave, and noble, and good. She did what no one else was strong enough to do: she stayed, and she worked, and she gave all that she could for five years of absolute devastation, and then she gave even more. Natasha was a hero. But from Iron Man 2 on, Natasha was a hero. She didn’t grow to this point. She was here all along.

You know the biggest Nat moment for me all movie? It wasn’t her at the desk with all the people reporting in, or even her dying to let Clint live. It was the moment when Steve checked to see if she was okay, because in her previous six movies, that was never something anyone thought to do- after extreme trauma, sure, but not just when she was doing something hard. That moment of her not being taken for granted was a throwaway line, but I had so much hope that it was leading to more. And it didn’t.

So maybe the answer is that Natasha’s arc didn’t have an ending, because Natasha never had an arc. Other characters’ shifting perspectives of her never had to follow a path, and her journey never had to, because no one- aside from ScarJo and parts of the audience, I guess- cared about it. But I don’t like that read at all. I want to read Natasha’s sacrifice as closure.

I want there to be something I missed that proved that her growth was important to the Infinity Saga. I am trying so fucking hard to find a way that Natasha’s actions in this movie signified growth for her, rather than just a way for the narrative to remove one of the pieces and prove its stakes.

If you find one, please let me know.

#Avengers Endgame #Endgame spoilers #Black Widow #Natasha Romanoff #I cried like ten times writing this post I'm a fucking mess

[xechoecho88x]

You Are To Me

Prompt: 

A: “If you do this, you’ll die!”

B: “If I don’t, thousands will die. I’m not more important than all those people.”

A: “You are to me.”

Pairings: Royality, Analogical

TW: Some violence, some injuries, fighting  (Tell me if you want anything else added)

-NOT GRAPHIC-

--

Roman ran through the Imagination, breathing hard. He was covered in bruises, scratches, and cuts, his hair was messed up and smeared with dirt. He gripped his sword so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. 

Roman cursed as he turned sharply, trying to lose his pursuer. He fell into the mud, staining his white outfit. He scrambled up, eyes widening as he caught sight of the creature who was attacking him. 

She was grotesque. Venom dripped from her long fangs and her beady black eyes seemed to stare into his soul. She looked similar to a dragon, except not the kind from Dragon Tales, or even the one from Cinderella. No, this dragon was simply terrifying. She had spikes that were needle-sharp and thin, covering her body. When this dragon was little she looked more like the dragons from How To Train Your Dragon. During this time, Roman had “lovingly” named her the Dragon Witch. 

As the dragon grew, she grew more and more out of Roman’s control. Now the Prince had to protect the emotions and aspects from her. This involved fighting tooth and claw, literally in the Dragon Witch’s case, figuratively in Roman’s. As that was his sworn duty as protector and ruler of the Imagination. 

The witch readied her staff and shot a beam of magic toward Roman. The creative side panicked and disappeared back to the Mind Palace, back to safety. Abandoning his post as protector of the city of emotions and aspects.

Roman collapsed to his knees in fear as he reappeared back in the Mind Palace common room. He was shaking, and if tears were leaking from his eyes, he’d never admit it. He was so close, so close, to being hit by whatever spell the Dragon Witch had casted. Who knows? That spell could’ve been fatal. He closed his eyes in hopes of calming himself from his near-death experience. However, it seems that Patton had been making his way through that room in order to reach the kitchen so he could start making dinner for the sides. 

“Roman? Kiddo?” Patton asked nervously. He shifted from leg to leg as he stared down at the seemingly injured side.

Roman’s eyes snapped open. “Padre!” he exclaimed gazing happily at the moral side. 

Patton helped up the princely side looking over his mud-stained clothing and various scratches with concern. He quickly left the other side as soon as he was back on his feet. 

He returned quickly, or maybe it seemed that way to Roman, he was kind of spacing out at this point, regretting abandoning his subjects. Patton lugged a First Aid kit along with him. 

Roman blinked and suddenly he was on the sofa, the top of his muddy uniform thrown off to the side. Patton knelt before him, wiping his wounds with disinfectant. Roman hissed in pain, feeling the sting of his cuts. 

“How did this happen, Ro-ro?” Patton asked him gently.

Roman shook his head. “I-I have to get back.” Roman muttered. “I was dueling the Dragon Witch, I need to save the citizens of the Imagination.”

Patton blinked. “You can save them later, I’m sure they can deal with it for a little while longer. You’re only one side.”

“They can’t!” Roman exclaimed, getting up from his spot on the couch in agitation. “I’m the only one that has a chance! Now…” Roman looked around for his sword and his uniform. 

“Roman.” Patton said, looking into said Side’s eyes. “Rest.”

“Patton! I-” Roman exclaimed in exasperation. Then suddenly, his eyes seemed impossibly heavy. “You didn’t…” Roman muttered sleepily, appalled that Patton wouldn’t listen to him. 

“I’m sorry, Roman, but you need to rest.” Patton said, eyes dimming from the glowing it was doing previously.

Patton had many powers as leader of the “light” sides. One such was the ability to cause other sides to fall asleep. 

Roman’s world went dark. 

When Roman re-awakened, Logan sat in the armchair next to the couch. The logical side studied him for a moment before getting up from his seat and walking over to where Roman was resting. “You’re awake.” 

“No thanks to Patton.” Roman grumbled. “How long was I asleep?”

“Not long enough!” Patton called, once more, from the kitchen. The sound of running water made Roman deduce that Patton was washing dishes. 

“About an hour.” Logan stated. 

Roman scrambled up into a sitting position. White-hot panic shot through him. He’d been away from the Imagination too long! What could the Dragon Witch have gotten up to when Roman was resting?

Logan looked down at the Prince in concern. Roman was almost hyperventilating at the idea that he had failed to protect the citizens of the Imagination. 

Virgil then appeared on scene. Walking in from the kitchen, it was likely that he was helping Patton clean the dishes. The emo nightmare crouched in front of Roman. “Breathe” He said, staring directly into Roman’s brown eyes. 

Roman nodded and closed his eyes, regulating his breathing pattern. But now, Roman was itching to run back to the Imagination, ADHD kicking in at the best moment possible. 

“Roman.” Virgil said, to get the flamboyant side’s attention. He clearly noticed Roman’s fidgeting, despite it starting only a second before. “We’re going with you, to kick that b-witch’s butt!” 

Roman felt deeply touched. “I would gladly welcome you all, however, it is too dangerous. I simply cannot condone this. I don’t want you all to get hurt because of my inability to solve my own problems.” 

Virgil simply scoffed at Roman. “We’re not going to get hurt. And even if we do, it is no way your fault. I mean, we chose to go? Hello?”

Patton poked his head in the common room, again. “First, Ro, eat your dinner. You were asleep while the rest of us ate.” Interjected Patton. 

Roman glumly accepted. However, he was NOT going to just “let the other sides join him on his quest to defeat the Dragon Witch”. They didn’t understand. They didn’t realize that she was much more dangerous than what Roman had made her out to be. He didn’t want them to know how hard it was to defeat her every time. How he was never quite able to kill her. 

After Roman had finished the spaghetti that Patton had lovingly made for him, he stated that the others were not allowed to join him. 

  “Isn’t there strength in numbers? Logan?” Patton asked in counter to Roman’s previous statement. 

“Statistically, the chances of winning are much higher with more people to help.” Logan answered in agreement. 

Roman sighed. He didn’t want to give this up, because he didn’t want his fellow sides to suffer at the hands of the evil Dragon Witch. But he knew that they were too stubborn. The chances of them making it out with minimal injury were higher if Roman gave them instruction, weapons, and armour. “Alright, come to my room.”

Patton’s eyes immediately brightened and he scampered up to Roman. Logan smiled in satisfaction and Virgil gained a look that seemed to say, Of course you gave in. I knew you would. 

Roman’s room held an assortment of different armours and weapons, not just swords. However, most did not seem to fit what Roman considered that they needed. He summoned a highly protected piece of armour. The inside was padded with kevlar and it covered everything up to the user’s head. The design was rather simple, something you might expect from a cartoon depicting a medieval knight’s armour. The design also held light blue accents. The helmet was somewhat similar to a samurai’s helmet. However, it wasn’t as fancy, more protecting than anything. The helmet also had a clear visor that slid down over the face. This could be used to protect against flying materials and as a defense for your face. Roman handed the armour to Patton. Roman received a confused expression back. 

“Wear it.” Roman grumbled, “You’ll have a lower chance of dying.”

Patton nodded and slid on the armour. 

While he was putting it on (armour takes a long time to put on, there are many pieces and it can be difficult to maneuver), Roman summoned another set of armour. This one was much more practical. Moving in this piece would be much easier. The chestplate, shoulder pads, arm gauntlets, and boots were constructed out of a magnesium-based alloy. This alloy is known for being lightweight and strong. The rest of the armour was stylized kangaroo leather. The armour was mainly black with indigo accents scattered throughout. The helmet seemed to be based off of a Roman Legion helmet. This allowed the front of the helmet to be open. Roman handed this set of armour to Logan. It was entirely based off of his personality, practical, but effective. 

The next piece of armour was almost a combination of the last two. The design was very clearly based on what samurai armour looks like. The armour was functional, but protective. The tassets, spaulders, gauntlets, and chestplate were all constructed out of a titanium alloy. The rest was made from a thick leather. Small spikes constructed of steel stood up on the armour. The armour itself was mainly black, however, the straps and small details were violet in colour. The helmet that accompanied the armour was matching, unlike the other pieces of armour. The helmet was the same titanium alloy that was used on the armour with the same steel spikes sticking up from it. The helmet was painted black. The horn design on the front was much smaller than most samurai helmets, this was supposed to help maneuverability. The horn was balanced and was violet in colour, as Virgil’s colour scheme normally was.  

Roman tossed the armour to Virgil and got to work summoning weapons for his friends. Patton received a shield and spear. The spear was to keep enemies far away from him and the shield was to protect him due to his armour disallowing free movement. Logan received a crossbow and a quiver full of arrows. Roman saw that fitting because of Logan’s precision and ability to make quick movements. Virgil got dual katanas. The skill needed to control both at once was large, however, Roman had full confidence in Virgil to be able to use them. Roman handed each weapon to its corresponding side. Roman then spun around and grabbed his own katana. 

The other sides were familiar with his sword, but not in it’s blood-stained state. Patton let out a small gasp at the sight, Virgil took a step back, and Logan simply inspected the sword, no doubt determining how dangerous the upcoming battle will be. 

Roman narrowed his eyes, “Let’s give that Dragon Witch what is coming to her.”

Roman stormed through the portal into the Imagination with his fellow sides trailing him. Patton glanced at Roman once they stepped through, concern lacing his eyes and tone. “Ro? Where’s your armour?”

Roman spared him a glance, he was wearing what he usually wore in videos and such. “My uniform is lined with dyneema.” Came the concise response. 

Logan nodded with understanding. Dyneema is known for being one of the strongest fibres and is said to withstand knife (and possibly sword) stabs. 

“It doesn’t matter right now, we have to save my people and defeat the Dragon Witch. Logan and Patton, stay more at a distance, Virgil, I think you’ll be able to land a few hits, I will join you at close confrontation. This isn’t going to be some easy fight, this will be physically and mentally trying. Do as I say, and try to keep out of trouble. Good luck.” Roman told the others. The feeling of dread was heavy in his stomach. He hoped with all of his might that they would all come out unscathed. However, that hope could not possibly be a reality. Roman did not expect to come out of this battle alive. 

The sides walked quietly through the Imagination, Virgil and Patton being racked with worry and suspense, Logan and Roman planning and checking their materials. Roman suddenly came to a stop and put his hand up, signalling the others to stay quiet and stop. He quickly glanced around the tree he was hiding behind.

The Dragon Witch had her back faced toward them. She was located in a clearing, seemingly resting. Roman had to admit, the sight was almost beautiful. She was surrounded by flowers and sunlight leaked through the canopy to form a spotlight around her. The Dragon was lying down and seemed very peaceful. Her black scales glittered in the sunlight. The scene was almost picturesque, Roman almost hated to ruin it, but he knew how much terror and destruction came with the half asleep witch. 

Roman looked to his friends with pain clear in his eyes, “On the count of three.” His friends nodded solemnly. Virgil glanced at Logan and gave him a quick kiss. Roman almost felt sick. Virgil was saying ‘goodbye’ in his own way. In that moment, Roman made the decision that his friends would come back alive. No matter the sacrifice. No matter what. Roman couldn’t take this away from them.

The tension leaked from the Dragon Witch’s shoulders. Roman took a deep breath and let it out. “Three.” He whispered. Logan’s eyes narrowed. He met Roman’s gaze and gave a slight nod. 

“Two.” Regret pooled in Roman’s stomach. Why was he putting his friends in danger again? Virgil gave him a small touch, reassuring the Prince. Virgil tensed, getting ready to move as soon as Roman said so.

“One.” In a split second, Roman and Virgil had launched themselves from their hiding place. Roman had caught Patton’s gaze. Patton gave Roman a smile. Roman knew that meant that Patton put all of his trust in the regal side. 

Fueled with new determination, Roman leapt into the air to land a blow against his enemy that he had known most of his life. This was the battle of Roman’s lifetime. 

At first the battle had gone in the side’s favour. Roman had been pleasantly surprised, but soon enough they started to lose. Virgil and Roman had landed a few good hits against the Dragon Witch, but soon enough she was awake and was fighting full-force. Thankfully, she couldn’t find Logan. He shot many arrows at her that she had not deflected. 

She shot spells out. Roman had managed to avoid them thanks to Patton and his shield. Virgil was not so lucky, however. He had been trying to use his shadow magic to deflect the Dragon’s magic but she had easily overpowered him. Virgil fell. Patton let out a scream. 

Roman’s eyes widened, this what he was trying to avoid. Logan had quickly grabbed Virgil and both disappeared from sight. The Dragon Witch turned and stepped even closer to the city. Panic and fear fought for control over Roman. 

“Patt, can you distract her? I will attack her whilst she’s occupied.” Roman planned quickly out loud. Patton gave a determined nod. Then he slipped away, toward the Dragon Witch.

What am I doing? What am I doing? What am I doing!?? Roman’s internal mantra screamed at him. He positioned himself behind the Dragon Witch. Patton was dodging her attacks and even landing a few blows. Roman felt strangely proud of him. 

Roman stabbed her in the back. The Witch roared in pain and threw him backward. He slammed into a tree and his vision blurred. Logan was suddenly standing in front of the Dragon Witch, distracting her even more. Virgil was swiping attacks against her. Patton rushed over to where Roman laid. 

“Ro?” Patton’s voice shook. 

“I’m fine.” Roman said struggling to get to his feet. Patton offered his hand, looking over Roman’s injures. 

The Dragon Witch suddenly flapped her wings and took to the sky. It was a strategic retreat and was perfect for the sides. Virgil glared up at her as she flew away. Logan and Virgil then walked over to where Roman and Patton were standing. 

“You okay Princey? That was pretty brutal.” Virgil said with some concern, clearly holding back his emotions at the moment. Roman suspected it might be in case they overpower him. 

“I’m fine. I actually have a plan on how to defeat her. Logan, Patton, weaken her down. Then Virgil will capture her with his powers, and I will deal the final blow. How have the armours been holding up?” Roman explained and asked quickly. 

“It might work.” Logan said thoughtfully, “The armour has been very protective and I assume has been working.”

Virgil made a noise of agreement. “I won’t be able to hold her very long, so we will have to act quickly.”

“Not a problem.” Roman agreed. “Now, we have to find her quickly, in case she recovers.”

“She’s at your castle.” A new voice informed him. 

“Ah, of course.” Roman said, ashamed he hadn’t thought of that sooner. “Wait, who are you?” Roman asked as an afterthought, suddenly questioning the information’s credibility. 

Remy stepped into the light. He grinned. “Hello, your Highness.”

“SLEEP!” Patton cried excitedly, giving the aspect a large hug. Remy smirked and returned the hug. “Hey pop.” He said nonchalantly. 

“Let’s go.” Roman instructed, determined to end this once and for all. 

The sides had gone on a short trek to Roman’s castle. The Dragon Witch stood atop setting fire to surrounding buildings. They had immediately leapt into action. The plan quickly took a turn for the worse. Logan and Remy had ended up in the Dragon’s vile claws. 

Virgil was trapped in a spell, unable to move or speak. Let alone try to cast a spell on the Dragon Witch. 

Roman turned to Patton in desperation. “I have to attack her.” Roman informed Patton. 

“N-no you don’t!! We can come up with another plan!”

“I have to.”

“B-but, if you do this, you’ll die!”

Roman looked at Patton, sadness clear in his eyes. “If I don’t, thousands will die. I’m not more important than all those people.” The Prince gestured over the burning city, eventually landing on Logan, Remy, and Virgil. 

Patton’s eyes filled with tears. “You are to me.”

“I’m sorry Patton.” Roman whisphered, leaning in and giving Patton a quick kiss. It was intimate and full of love. Patton desperately clung to the belief that it would not be their last. Roman smiled at Patton. He was struck by the realization of how it echoed Virgil and Logan earlier. 

“I will see you later.” Roman firmly disbelieved in ‘goodbye’s. 

Patton nodded, his face felt wet. Roman would return! He had to! But, in reality, Patton was entirely unsure. 

Roman charged. The Dragon Witch had dropped Logan and Remy in order to duel Roman. They dropped with dull thuds. They were now locked in combat. 

Roman was landing plenty of hits on the Dragon Witch. She was also landing plenty of hits on Roman. He was now bleeding from multiple wounds. But she had dropped Virgil as well. He quickly recovered and slammed the Witch with a spell. Roman took the opportunity to slice her head off. 

The Dragon was quick and stabbed him through the stomach with a claw. But fell to the ground, dead a split second later. 

“Roman?” Patton asked slowly.

The world suddenly blacked for Roman and he collapsed to the ground in pain and blood loss. Patton’s scream was lost on his unconsciousness. 

In the dark side of the Mind Palace, Remus let out a small gasp. Deceit ignored it, the Duke always faked hurt, or made odd sounds. He stopped ignoring the ‘darker’ half of creativity when his voice warped. “Roman.” Remus said in pain, deadly serious.  

The splitting of creativity wasn’t perfect. If one side was in extreme pain, the other could feel some of it. Deceit stood up quickly. “What happened?” He hissed. As self-preservation, Deceit protected all of the sides. 

“He’s… really hurt.” Remus said quietly. That scared Deceit, Remus was never quiet. “No one hurts my brother but me!” Remus suddenly screamed. The Duke grabbed Deceit’s hand and teleported them to the light side of the Mind Palace. 

The Light Sides were clearly in disarray. Logan was tending to Virgil and Remy, bandaging wounds and putting ice on their bruises. Pieces of various types of armour were scattered over the floor of the room. Patton was kneeling next to the couch, holding some gauze. Roman was lying on the couch, clearly unconscious and bleeding heavily from multiple wounds. The injury of main concern was his stomach. He seemed to be bleeding the most heavily from that wound and that was where Patton was now pressing down the gauze.

Remus let out a sound of distress and fell to his knees, staring at his twin. His older brother was not supposed to get hurt! 

Deceit rushed over to Patton and was suddenly helping Patton with Roman’s wounds. “What happened?” Deceit questioned.

“The Dragon Witch, she’s never coming back.” Patton said. 

Virgil sat up, “She better not.” He waved away Logan, who was trying to get him to lay down. The anxious side walked over to Remus and gave him a quick hug. Virgil was trying to be reassuring. It worked somewhat. 

Eventually, all of the sides were surrounding Roman, staring down at his unmoving body. Suddenly, his eyes creaked open. “Did someone die or something?” Roman said, still half-asleep. 

“I would hope not.” Virgil said. 

Roman’s eyes widened and stared at everyone looking down on him. “When did I become so popular?”

“When you almost died.” Deceit said. Roman jolted in surprise suddenly realizing that Deceit and his twin were standing there as well. Roman leaned in toward Remus, arms outstretched for a hug. 

Remus leapt into the hug, tears leaking from his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” Roman closed his eyes surrounded by his best friends and (maybe) boyfriend. “I am too.”

--

Cross-posted on AO3 and Wattpad. Enjoy~

#my writing #royality #analogical #sanders sides #ts roman #ts logan #ts virgil #ts patton #ts deceit #ts remus #dragon witch #some violence #be careful #ts remy

[theonetheycallsagey]

Freedom

Ok, so not gonna lie, I don’t really ship the bees that much (more of a Blacksun guy personally) but after several debates about it with @gruntnuker-rwby that usually ended with “If you don’t like it, write it yourself,” I decided to give it a shot. Definitely not better than what CRWBY does I’m sure, but it was an attempt. I’ve never written this amount of emotion before, and it was a real struggle to convey what I wanted. Hope you enjoy, and if you do, check out my other stories!

P.S.: this takes place on the ship ride to Atlas

The cool wind rushed into the ship through the open rear window and fluttered Blake’s raven-colored hair. Despite Qrow advising against it for “fuel mileage reasons”, Blake needed to step back for some fresh air. Maria quickly affirmed that they would have just enough fuel to make it to Solitas, giving Blake her opportunity. She could feel it getting cooler and crisper the closer they got to Atlas, but it was still refreshing nonetheless. Any kind of reprieve she could get after today was appreciated.

A single tear streamed down Blake’s cheek. It was all she would allow for now. She had her fair share of crying earlier. It was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life, but she only realized that about ten seconds it happened, when she had fallen to her knees and fully processed what she had done. In the moment, it was easy. The final piercing blow, driven right through his heart, was something he had trained her to do. What he had brainwashed her to do.

Blake drew a deep breath to try and recompose herself for what felt like the twentieth time in the past few hours. It was much easier when she was with the others, but anxiety wracked her mind. Her whole life seemed to surge through her thoughts in an instant in a seemingly unbreakable trance. That was, until the sound of rattling metal perked her cat ears up and directed her attention to behind her. There stood Yang, her Ember Celica gauntlet shaking with her trembling left hand giving her away.

“Sorry,” Yang said softly. “I wasn’t sure if this was a good time.” Showing signs of frustration, she closed her eyes grabbed her arm in a desperate attempt to get the shakes to stop. But, her nerves only caused it to get worse, until she could feel another hand lightly cup around hers. Yang’s eyes reopened to see Blake’s waiting to look into them. A heartfelt smile and a light grip around her fingers was all it took for all the tension in her muscles to ease.

“It’s ok. I have a feeling the shaking will stop soon,” Blake said smoothly. The slight conviction she carried with that statement was enough to cause Yang’s chest to swell with confidence, as if the reassurance from Blake was all it took to have the belief course through her veins. Eventually, it was Yang’s turn to crack a smile.

“How ya holding up?” she asked, only caring to address her worry for Blake and not wanting to take up any time on herself. Blake turned around to face the window once again, her ears now drooped slightly. She took a step toward the window so the breeze could once again find her face. Blake didn’t give a definitive answer. She didn’t know what the answer was.

“You were right, Yang,” she finally spoke. “I thought I cared for him, and he legitimately cared for me. But, he was just manipulating me, shackling me to his side so I couldn’t leave.” Her fists clenched and her voice began to waver, until Yang approached her from behind and wrapped an arm gently around her shoulders. The heat Yang’s body naturally radiated was enough for Blake to just rest her head and curl up, but she settled on simply relaxing her hands.

“Even after I cut that train car and left him, I still felt chained to him,” she went on with a stabilized voice. “Because of him, I never thought I could trust anyone again, neither human nor faunus.” Yang’s eyes glanced down as she briefly paused. “But then, I met you guys. You started to teach me that humans weren’t as evil as he made them out to be. And then I met some faunus stowaway who treated me to lunch one day.”

“Sun,” Yang said with a chuckle, drawing a nod from the cat faunus. “I’m really surprised you two didn’t get together honestly. You guys just seemed to hit it off.”

“I did feel that way for a while, and I know he felt the same way for me. I’m sure he wanted a relationship even more than I did. But, as I tried to discover more about myself, my feelings changed.” Yang tilted her head a little, golden locks covering one of her eyes until she pushed it aside.

“He realized it even before I did. He knew those feelings had shifted. He wasn’t mad. He didn’t try to talk me out of it, like it was a second place he couldn’t settle for. He was the first person to steer me back to you and the others. He insisted to fight for you just as much as you wanted to fight for me.”

“And he was right,” Yang said with arms folded and a nod of her head. “He’s such a good boy. Hope Vacuo hasn’t torn him up.”

“More like he hasn’t torn up Vacuo,” Blake responded, getting a laugh out of both of them. Finally looking away from the night sky, Blake’s amber eyes fixated on Yang. They looked right into hers again and found nothing but compassion. Her heart started racing with warmth, a feeling of butterflies that was never triggered by anyone before. Her brain seemed to short-circuit at finding words to say. All she could focus on were those lavender eyes.

“One day you’ll get to thank him again,” Yang said to help Blake along.

“Yeah. For all the kindness. For not making this about a relationship. For just being a friend when I needed one the most.” Yang peered down again, sharing Blake’s struggle in uncertainty of what to say next. There was so much she wanted to confess in that moment, but no coherent thoughts could make it through translation. Her heart was too busy being lodged in her throat.

“And for bringing me back to you.”

The blonde brawler suddenly jerked her head back up. Heat rushed to her cheeks as they hued pink, which Blake decided to feel for herself by caressing her cheek just as Yang did earlier in the day.

“One of my first choices once I was free from him was you, all the way back in the Emerald Forest,” Blake said. The memories vividly flew through Yang’s mind. The ursa falling to reveal her partner, with a sly smirk and a readied Gambol Shroud. The nights in their dorm, having their dance together, fighting together in the Vytal tournament, it all felt like yesterday. Tears welled in Yang’s eyes even before Blake could finish her piece.

“The only time I’ve ever regret it was when we were apart. I chose you then, and I’m choosing you now.” Yang reached for both of Blake’s hands instead of covering her face to hide the crying. She wasn’t afraid of letting Blake see the raw emotion. After all this time apart, she just wanted to hold her partner. There was so much Yang still wanted to say, so many thank yous for so many different things. So many feelings she had pent up and denied for so long after they had split up. She wanted to pour everything out in this exact time, but the flood of emotion could only culminate in one sentence that she barely had enough power to croak into Blake’s ear.

“I love you.”

After a moment of fleeting shock, the two locked eyes one more time. It was just setting in on both of them that they’re about to have a lot more time to do just that. The two instinctively leaned in simultaneously for a kiss. It was fleeting, but powerful. Neither of them could process it, but it just felt right. A feeling that they haven’t truly felt in a long time. Blake rested her head on Yang’s shoulders as they both turned to face the window once again, butterflies in both their stomachs but their hearts completely at ease in each other’s embrace. For the first time in forever, they were left with each other, only the stars they were gazing at giving them company. The stress of today felt so distant.

And they couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect.

#rwby #rwby fanfic #rwby fanfiction #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #bumbleby

[616marvel]

.

POST INFINITY WAR DRABBLE

Character portrayal: Steve Rogers

A sacrifice is made for every battle. Every victory paints a bloody history. It’s a vicious cycle that any soldier must understand yet accepting it is never without the initial form of denial. When he woke up, they said that they’d won the war. There were consequences that had to be paid, but he accepted it because they told him that it was for the greater good. They never told him what they lost.

For a while he thought that following orders was the right thing to do to serve the country that he once called home. Saving. Fighting. Leading. It was all orchestrated for him to find a place in this new time. He’d lost everything he’s ever known and the only thing that he had left were fragments of timeworn nostalgia written in history books. What he’d known as home felt foreign, yet it’s all he had – so he followed orders and stayed in check. 

The gradual change was something he hadn’t noticed, but he began finding his place in this new time. He began trusting people despite of their differences. The bigger picture that's far greater than he could ever be was something he had taken a part of willingly. Leading had become second nature, but he’d gain more than just soldiers or allies – friends, that’s what he’d call them.

Even with their dispute, the disagreement and the sacrifice that he’d put on the line, he still trusted every single one of them. Saving Bucky was just something that he had to do. Not just for himself, but also for the sake of saving a friend that deserved more than the life that HYDRA had created for him. James Buchanan Barnes was a WWII lieutenant, a brother, a friend, and a hero that risked his life to follow Captain America’s command. He was no weapon – he was my best friend and he deserved more than this.

I’m sorry, Tony, but he’s my friend.

It hurt, the gravity of his choice weighing tenfold with every passing moment yet he doesn’t regret his resolve. The responsibility of choosing to go against the accords had consequences and he had accepted it yet the nagging thought of his team’s security was a guilt that he could never accept. They chose to fight by his side in exchange for their freedom; no longer were they the celebrated heroes. Criminals were what they were called. They didn’t deserve this, but following him came with a price.

They hid, fought in the shadows; the next time that they were needed, they didn’t hesitate to save the world that had deemed them as criminals. They stood as a team, fought as one and thought that they could win. Together.

This time, they’d lost more than what they could bargain.

“Steve,” confusion laced his familiar tone.

Again, he felt helpless as he watched his best friend fade into broken pieces, crumbling to the ground as if this was a merciful conclusion. It happened so quick that he had almost missed the way Bucky’s skin lost its color, how his fingers fragmented into fine dust, enough for the wind to pick up and gust away. He’d been right there, standing in stark ebony with confusion written across his face. And then Steve sees nothing but the green and brown forest in the foreground.

One by one, they faded into nothing and he watched, unable to do anything but just – watch. The realization hadn’t struck him yet, denial varnishing the bubbling anguish deep in his chest as he aided the survivors. The remaining people huddled inside the throne room, scared and confused while the rest of his team moved to the lab in hopes of silence to recollect their thoughts.

The lab that’d been filled with Wakandan warriors was barren, the pile of sand weighing more than a ton of bricks as a reminder; it was Okoye who’d come to an initial realization. “The princess, she was…”

She was a warrior, loyal to the throne, but much more than just a follower. The utter anguish painted across the contours of her features made his heart ache. “I wasn’t able to protect them,” repentance bled through her conviction.

It wasn’t your fault.

It settled at the tip of his tongue, but no words could ever be enough – not when he shared the similar sentiment. He was their leader and he had responsibilities – he –

Dammit, Bucky just got back. He shouldn’t have fought. It should’ve been me. I should’ve –Not Vision, Bucky, Wanda, or Sam. It should have been me.

The seams of his undoing cracked under his awareness, nails digging in his skin as fists tightened enough to whiten his knuckles. He watched him turn into nothing, unable to do anything but stare with uncertainty. It was worse than watching him fall. He had greeted him with a familiar smile that morning, ready to follow Captain America to the ends of the world.

Bucky should’ve known better than to trust someone that had let him die once.

“Steve…” empathy lined the edges of Natasha’s tone, “we couldn’t have known.”

Stop blaming yourself. Please.

Sympathy filtered through her usual indifference, disbelief and grief crystalline through jade hues. She knew that he’d take the weight of the world on his shoulder, but no amount of reassurance could ever change the fact that he’d watched half of his friends die despite giving them a sense of false victory. He knew what they were putting on the line; he’d expected for consequences, but he was never prepared for everything that they could lose. “I watched Vision die, Nat. I watched Thanos rip Vision’s life away in front of Wanda, complete the gauntlet, and leave. I watched Bucky, Wanda, and Wakandan warriors disappear. I watched –“

Steve's voice cracks, chest tightening at every breath that passed through bloodied lips, "I watched and I couldn't do anything."

They had made him for the sole purpose of winning the war. He had lived for almost a century and he was celebrated, respected, and loved for a good portion of it. Captain America survived but at the cost of his friend's death. He's - tired. Exhaustion and heartache was his constant company; could anyone really blame him? What good was he for if he couldn't even -

Captain America, scientifically generated to win the war. They had lost this battle yet he lives while half of his friends - were gone. Steve couldn't save them.

What good was he for?

It should've been me.

#im sorry this shit was long #marvel rp #steve rogers rp #drabble #romanogers #personal #writing

[istrys]

His Word is His Bond

Rethandus had a lot to think about on his way back to the Acherus.

It was difficult to see Whitstan standing beside Kaevia like he was one of them, especially in the aftermath of his reawakening; thanks to Syrahn’s naïveté Artemisia’s work had been undone. Whitstan was now whole again - or at least, whole enough to return being a colossal threat - and at Rethandus’ current state, there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Hell that he could defeat him. Kaevia’s blind trust and stubbornness to fulfill her promises has now put her life in considerable danger, and there was nothing the Harbinger could do to stop it; just the thought of Whitstan standing over her crumpled corpse filled Rethandus with newfound hatred.

What’s worse, she saw his distrust of her new ‘friend’ as weakness. Once Whitstan’s last remaining memories were unlocked, the Commander of the Oathguard plans to remove everyone she doesn’t trust from service; which means most of the Death Knights will be left to their own devices. How would Rethandus tell the men and women who served faithfully over this past half year that they were not to be trusted and had to leave? Many were caught on the wrong side of Zaldrannar’s coup. Many had to either serve in the Blackguard or be incinerated by the Mad Pyromancer himself. Many paid the price for their redemption with their lives. It didn’t feel right to kick them to the curb just because Rethandus did not and could not trust a man who just recently tried to get him killed. Hopefully Alucieus could shed some much-needed wisdom on his daughter, if he’s in any condition to do anything right now. Or perhaps the Oathguard had been doomed ever since Syrahn showed Whitstan mercy; an honest organization destined to end before it even began. Or, perhaps, he was overthinking this whole ordeal. Alucieus needed to know his daughter wants that monster by her side, but Rethandus had bigger fish to fry.

When he opened the door to Istrys’ chambers, he was met with pale skin and legs a mile long; she wore little more than a loose thread and a pair of leather shorts. Her armor was set to the side, still stained with the vigor from her throat wound. The woman glanced up from her desk, pulling her goggles off to give Rethandus a sly smirk. “Oh, please Andy, storm on into my room without so much as a knock. Thanks.” The Necromancer still looked like she was in terrible shape, but if she was giving him sass, her injuries couldn’t be too serious. “Had you walked in ten minutes ago, you would have seen me in all of my splendor. Dancing around my room with my plump, juicy ass clapping agai-“

“I take it you’ll be back on your feet soon if you’re making jokes.” Rethandus stared at the woman with minimal interest. “How are you feeling, exactly?”

“Exactly? Like a corpse, I’d think. Glad Whitty was kind enough to clear my throat.” Istrys’ gaze dropped to her legs. He noticed the stitches along her neck, but he decided against addressing them. “I regret making that Light Rune though. As you can see my mouthwateringly gorgeous legs, but they are of little use to me for now. And to be honest…?” she paused while she pushed her runeblade across the desk. “I honestly thought I was going to die down there.”

“You nearly did.” he paused to study her face closely. “Fortunately Vesk was able to sustain you.” She stared at him intensely for a split second, seemingly at a loss for words.

“I… what?” Istrys ran one of her hands through her silver hair while she shifted in her chair to face him. “What are you talking about…?”

“You take me for a fool like the others, then.” Rethandus pushed his words through his clenched teeth. “Just because my temper is short and my threats are plentiful that doesn’t mean I don’t notice things. I knew the moment you returned, covered in strange wounds with a second presence lurking behind your eyes. This pointless deception is why nobody trusts you. Speaking of which, Commander Sun’rael plans to remove everyone she doesn’t trust once Whitstan’s memories completely return; you are likely the first to go.”

“Ugh, that’s some bullshit.” The Necromancer scrunched her nose at him. “I’ve busted my ass for the Oathguard, and I’m still suspect of treachery? Fuck that, and fuck her!”

“You were planning on a coup if you were convinced they were killing off us Undead, were you not? That looks like treachery to me.” The Harbinger crossed his arms while he scowled at her. “But I doubt she’ll send you to your execution. Worst-case scenario you’ll just be kicked out and left to your own means.”

“That…” Istrys started, leaning back in her seat. “… doesn’t sound too bad then, I guess. Being off the hook for that whole Zaldrannar debacle would be nice… but what about you?”

“What about me?” Rethandus asked, perking a brow. “I haven’t attempted any traitorous actions of the sort.”

“But your trust is still under question, right?” the Necromancer asked, causing Rethandus to fall silent; he didn’t have an accurate answer for such a question, and that uncertainty was quickly becoming unsettling. “Hey, if she kicks you out of the Oathguard with the rest of us, why not come with me? We can defeat the Legion in our own way. Or even run away together like two young lovers.”

“That’s not going to happen. Especially that last part.” He huffed, pulling his gaze away from her. “Kaevia would not turn me away. I’m an integral part of the Oathguard’s Offensive.”

“Yet it’s Whitstan by her side, not you.” Istrys’ words struck a chord in the Harbinger, clearly pissing him off; but before he opened his mouth to unleash what would certainly be another threat, the Necromancer continued speaking. “Look, I get it Andy. You hate the bastard. And despite your best efforts, he’s seemingly always one step ahead of you. But your hate-boner for him is distracting you from the real enemy, okay? If you can’t kill him, then why bother?”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” His icy glare returned to fixate deep into her eyes. “I defeated him once. I can defeat him again.”

“He had no memories of his past, which likely included most of his combat training. No grasp on Necromancy, and one of his arms was burnt to a crisp by our late friend Zerry.” Istrys scoffed, but she chose her words carefully all the same. “You won’t have a severe advantage like that again… so what makes you think this will end in your favor again?”

“Because the next time I challenge him, you’re going to help me.”

“Oh? I’d like to see you two fight again.” Istrys leaned forward while she sneered at him. “But I thought you had a sense of… what was it called again? Honor?”

“I plan to fight him one on one, if it’s fate.” Rethandus corrected, narrowing his brow. “But as it stands he wouldn’t need to put in much effort to defeat me. That’s why I need an experienced Runesmith to repurpose my runes to put me on an equal playing field.”

“He has a San’layn spirit that’s granted him impressive control over his Blood Runes.” Istrys explained, stroking her chin while she studied Rethandus closely. “Add to that his natural talent for Necromancy, and well… it doesn’t look good for you, Andy-boy.”

“With a little more juice his horde of ghouls would be easy to deal with.” The Harbinger glanced down at his icy gauntlets. “I can reach him without issue… it’s in close quarters where the problems begin.”

“There’s more to Necromancy than raising the dead. But I’m sure you knew that already.” Istrys huffed, before yawning obnoxiously into her hand.

“Teach me all the tricks you know about the arts. Inscribe the best runes you think I can handle on my armor. Give me the edge I need to set this straight, Istrys.” Rethandus reluctantly took a step forward, catching her attention.

“You want me to do all that?” she asked, perking a brow. “And what’s in it for me, Andy? What do I get out of this, besides front-row seats to a fantastic duel?”

“Name your price.” The Harbinger retorted. The thought of being in her debt did not sit well with him, but he didn’t have a choice. If Whitstan turned on Kaevia and killed her, Alucieus would be next; if the former Spell-Breaker truly returned to his old ways, there would be no one to stop him until far too much damage to the Oathguard was done. It had to be him. It had to be personal.

“No more idle threats.” Istrys demanded, sitting up straight with a cruel grin spread across her face. “Anyone who knows you doesn’t take your threats seriously anyway. And I want in on any meetings you have with the Redblood girl and her lieutenants. I want to know where every single member of the Oathguard is going.”

“If I agree to those terms, it must go both ways.” Rethandus warned. “No more lies, no more treachery. If you do something on your own, you must tell me about it. If you want me to trust you, you have to do the same.”

“I’m not finished.” Istrys huffed, indignantly. “I know the Oathguard gets some pretty rare and expensive stuff in their supply exchanges. I want in on some of that good shit, you hear? And if I have a favor, you’re going to help me with it. Do we have a deal?” The two Knights stared at each other in silence for several moments, but eventually Rethandus began to approach her.

“Deal.” He reluctantly spoke, still struggling with the idea of giving her this much knowledge on the Oathguard’s inner workings and questionable resources; but if it meant protecting Kaevia, and indirectly, the Oathguard itself, it would be worth it. With an outstretched hand, the Harbinger stood before the Necromancer and waited for her to shake his hand. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“Oh Andy, making you regret things is something I li-” As Istrys reached out to shake his hand, the Harbinger firmly grasped her wrist and pulled her onto her feet; her sentence was cut short the moment he embraced her in a hug, pressing her chest against his freezing-cold armor. “W-what’s all this about, mister?”

“There’s something else.” Rethandus whispered in her ear, brushing the side of his face against hers. “Kaevia has had us under surveillance for who knows how long. I’m going to find out how this Lilthessa witch is doing this exactly, but in the meantime you need to watch what you say and what you do.”

“Is that so?” she softly whispered, gently pressing her chin against his shoulder. “I’ll be sure to stop calling her a Redblood Bitch then…?”

“That’s a start. And Istrys? That trick you tried to pull in that dungeon? The one that almost got you killed?” The Harbinger pulled her even closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. “That was reckless, even for you. Don’t do anything stupid like that again.”

“Rethandus…” the Necromancer whispered, clutching his shoulder tightly. “I still can’t use my legs, so… please don’t drop me.” The Harbinger gently lowered her back into her seat, pausing to glance down into her eyes one last time before turning toward the door; he departed without another word, leaving her alone with her own thoughts.

“I think you and Rethandus need to have a serious talk.” Vesk finally spoke, after being completely silent this entire time. “That was unusual for him. Very unusual.”

“I…” Istrys nervously huffed, slouching back into her chair. “S-shut the fuck up, Vesk. He’s just… trying to trust me is all.”

“As you say, Istrys.” The spirit sighed, returning to her reclusive silence.

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