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munson-blurbs · 1 year

Note

I love the perv!Eddie and bestfriend!reader

And have a suggestion

What if Eddie got jealous of one of readers friends and they have arguments (angsty stuff) but in the end Eddie accidentally reveals his feelings and the ending is up to you.

I know this suggestion is a little different from the fics that u write so if u don't want to do this it's ok!

Looking forward for the next fic❤️

For you and @eddiejosephluv <3 hope y'all enjoy!

Warnings: language, angst to fluff, hurt/comfort, Eddie is an idiot

WC: 3.5k

The Hawkins High gym is buzzing with anticipation for the championship basketball game. You're sitting next to your friend Steve Harrington, who came back to his old stomping grounds to support Lucas Sinclair. Sinclair had been riding the bench the whole season, but Steve was always there to cheer him on. Plus, he got to make fun of Robin for her ridiculous band outfit, so it was a win-win.

On the bleachers to the other side of Steve are Dustin Henderson and Mike Wheeler, eating some sugary snack and discussing Eddie Munson's latest sadistic D&D campaign.

Speaking of Eddie...

You spot him trudging into the gym just as the game is starting and wave him over. He shuffles over with a grateful smile.

"Thanks for saving me a seat," he says, plopping down next to you. "Had to finish clearing out the drama room alone because I was ditched!" He shoots a glare over at the two freshmen who are obliviously chatting away.

"Poor thing," you pout with mock sympathy. "How ever did you survive?"

Eddie gives you a playful shove, knees knocking into yours, but he doesn't pull back. And you don't want him to.

Thirty minutes into the game, the gym is now stifling. Too many bodies, too much cheering, and you realize your water bottle is empty as you try to take a swig.

"I'm out of water," you mutter, contorting your face into the cutest angry expression Eddie's ever seen.

"Here, take mine," Steve offers his half-full bottle, which you accept.

"How do I know you don't have cooties?" you tease.

As you banter back and forth with Steve, you don't notice Eddie's face fall. Drinking from the same bottle as Steve Harrington? It seems so innocent, but he has a feeling that you wouldn't dare share germs with Mike or Dustin.

C'mon, dude, get out of your head, he wills himself, but he can't shake off the concern that you might like Steve, the way that Eddie likes you.

The game ends with Lucas scoring the game-winning point. You scream so loudly you worry that you've damaged your vocal chords. Even Eddie temporarily pulls himself out of his funk to cheer for one of his little sheep.

After congratulating Hawkins' newest star basketball player, you make your way to the parking lot with the rest of the group.

"Y/N, how are you getting home?" Steve asks you, car keys in hand.

"Uh, I think Eddie was gonna drive me," you reply.

Steve jerks a thumb towards his car. "I have to drive near your place to drop Robin off, if you want a lift. Save Munson the trouble of going out of his way."

"Oh, um," you stammer. You certainly don't want to put Eddie out, but you really want to spend more time with him. You look at his face for a clue for what you should do, but he just looks away. Guess that answers that question. "Yeah, that would be great. Thanks."

At this, Eddie's head snaps up, but he bites back a response. Okay, she definitely likes Harrington, he thinks, watching you saunter off towards the BMW.

"Hello? Earth to Eddie?" he hears Dustin say. "Come in, Eddie..."

"What?" he barks, and Dustin flinches. "Sorry, just...never mind."

"Is Eddie sad because his little girlfriend ditched him for King Steve?" Mike taunts in a sing-song voice. He and Dustin burst into laughter.

"She's not my girlfriend," he mumbles, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Mike looks at him knowingly. "But you are jealous that she's hanging out with Steve."

"Yeah, man, I don't know!" Eddie rubs his face in frustration. "I thought maybe she was into me, but now she's sharing water bottles and getting rides home with him so, I guess not. I guess The Freak is left in the dust, again."

"Well, did you offer her water?" Dustin questions.

"No, but--"

"And did you say anything when Steve said it would be 'trouble' for you to drive her home?" he continues.

"No, Henderson, I didn't." Like the kid wasn't three feet away when it all happened.

"Okay, so what have you done to show her that you're into her?" Mike pipes up.

"Nothing! I've done nothing!" Eddie shouts in exasperation. "I don't even know what to do!"

"You could ask her to the prom," suggests Dustin, "y'know, assuming you're graduating this year."

Eddie considers this. He wasn't planning on going to the prom, but he'd overheard you talking to Robin about hair and makeup and dresses, which meant that you wanted to go. He could take you; assuming Steve didn't ask you first.

"Yeah, okay," he nods. "I'll ask her next week."

Next week comes and goes without Eddie asking you. In fact, three weeks go by without a mention of the prom. You want to go with him, and at this point, you might as well just ask him yourself.

Before you can do that, Lucas plops down at the cafeteria table. He splits his time between the basketball team and Hellfire, but he's been sitting with you more since the season ended.

"Y/N!" he says with a huge grin on his face. "Guess what?"

"You're being drafted for the NBA?" you joke, dipping a french fry in ketchup.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," he rolls his eyes. "No, you know Zach Harper?"

"He's on the basketball team with you, right?"

"Yup! And he wants to take you to prom," Lucas announces. "Told me that he's been checking you out since you started coming to our games."

You glance over at the jock table. Zach meets your gaze and gives a small wave, and you wave back with a giggle. He's cute, muscular, and one of the smarter guys on the team. Your eyes flicker over to Eddie, seemingly engrossed in the ham sandwich he's packed for lunch today. He doesn't appear too concerned about the prospect of you going to prom with someone else, so you shouldn't be either, right?

"Should I go talk to him?" you ask Lucas. Your question is answered when Zach makes his way towards you.

"Hey, Y/N," he says softly. "I was wondering...would you like to go to the prom with me? I thought I should ask our good-luck charm."

You smile at the compliment. "I'm your good-luck charm?" you ask incredulously.

"Well, I mean, we hadn't even made it to the championship game in years. And then you come to the games this season and we win the whole thing?" He shrugs his broad shoulders. "I don't know; doesn't seem like a coincidence to me."

"Then it would be a bad omen for me to turn you down, huh?" you flirt. "Sure, I'll go with you."

Eddie stands abruptly and bolts out of the cafeteria, shaking the table with the force of his movement. Dustin chases after him.

"Uh, Y/N?" Mike says slowly. "Why did you accept Zach's invite if you're going to prom with Eddie?"

You give him a confused look. "Because I'm...not going with Eddie?"

"You turned him down?"

"He never asked," you tell him. "I was thinking about asking him, but then Zach asked me. Besides," you add, "prom is not Eddie's thing." You pause. "Wait, why did you think I was going to prom with Eddie?"

Mike chews on his lower lip, contemplating his response before deciding to go with the truth. "After the championship game," he starts, "Eddie told me and Dustin that he was gonna ask you. I just assumed he did."

"Well, he didn't," you huff, "so I guess he changed his mind."

"Maybe you should go talk to him," Lucas says. "I would've told Zach that you weren't interested if I knew..."

"It's okay," you reassure him. "I'll go find Eddie."

You find him in the parking lot, smoking a cigarette down to the filter. He tosses it aside and immediately lights up another one. Dustin is learning up against the van with him, but heads inside when he sees you walk over.

"Eds? You okay?"

Silence.

"Can you just talk to me about why you're upset?"

"You're a smart girl, Y/N," he sneers, "you can figure it out."

You sigh. "Look, if you don't want me to go to prom with Zach, just let me know."

He takes the cigarette from his mouth and flicks the ashes to the pavement. "I don't care who you go to prom with. Seems like you've got a lot of guys wrapped around your little finger, though." He glances up at the sky. "Let's see, Steve Harrington, Zach Harper, and let's not forget about your adventures with that guy from the newspaper club last year..."

Your eyes narrow and a burning anger sets in your stomach. "What are you implying, Eddie?"

"Nothin'," he responds with fake innocence. "Just that you're getting a lot of attention from guys lately."

"Because..." you trail off, choking back tears. "it sounds like you're calling me a slut, or something."

"Your words not mine, sweetheart."

Rage floods through your whole body and you clench your fists. "Fuck you, Eddie," you spit. "I'm supposed to sit around waiting for you to never ask me to prom? Maybe you could try not being a pussy for five fucking seconds. Did you consider that?" But you don't wait for a response, turning on your heel and leaving him speechless.

Two weeks later, you haven't spoken to Eddie. In all fairness, he hasn't tried to talk to you; in fact, you've both been going out of your way to avoid each other. You’d stopped sitting at the Hellfire table during lunch, opting instead to hang out with Zach and his friends. You two had been getting closer; not exactly dating, but definitely more than friends. Zach slung an arm around you while he and his buddies discussed their college plans, whether they would continue playing ball, and the fraternities they wanted to join. It was halfway through the lunch period when you realized that no one had asked you about your plans.

“I’m, um, studying psychology at Northwestern,” you cut in shyly, purposely omitting the fact that you’d gotten a scholarship. You didn’t want to seem cocky.

Zach presses his lips to your ear. “Let me catch up with the guys, okay?” he whispers. You nod, embarrassed.

Ryan, one of Zach’s buddies, pipes up from across the table. “Harper, you tell Y/N about prom yet?”

You wrinkle your brows in confusion. “What about prom?”

“Oh, uh,” Zach glares at Ryan, “I think we’re gonna ditch. Heard that they’re cracking down on people sneaking in booze. It’s gonna suck.”

“But I already got my dress,” you supply lamely, disappointment creeping through you. “I really wanted to go.”

“It’s just a stupid dance. Ryan’s parents have a lake house, and we’ll throw a killer party there.”

“Okay,” you falter, sinking into yourself as they resume their previous conversation.

Meanwhile, from across the cafeteria, Eddie’s eyes are glued to you.

“Dude, what even happened when you talked to her?” Mike pries. “She won’t even look at us anymore!”

Dustin turns to Mike. “He told her that he was jealous because he has feelings for her and wanted to take her to the prom, and he apologized for being an asshole. Right?” He groans when Eddie doesn’t respond. “Eddie, what did you do?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Eddie mumbles.

“C’mon,” Lucas says, “we gotta assess the damage.”

Eddie laughs thickly. “Oh, it’s pretty fuckin’ bad, Sinclair,” he admits, “I, uh, may have implied that she sleeps around.”

The freshmen throw their arms up in exasperation, clamoring about what an idiot their Dungeon Master is.

“I know, I know!” Eddie laments. “I’m not good with feelings.”

“So instead of working on that, you decide to tell the girl of your dreams that she’s a whore. Nice.” Dustin retorts, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Eddie sighs. “D’ya think I can fix this?” he asks quietly.

“I mean, clearly not on your own,” Mike replies, “but maybe we can help. I’ve needed more advice about El than a guy should. Probably should give back to the universe or something.”

Lucas puts the first part of the plan into action, running up to you at your locker at the end of the day.

“Hey, Y/N,” he says breathlessly, “could you babysit Erica tonight? My parents have some last-minute plans, and I promised Dustin we’d go to the library and study together.”

“Oh,” you muse. “Yeah, sure.”

“Cool,” he offers you a smile, “6:00? I know Erica would love to talk about your plans for prom.”

You can’t help it; your face falls and you will your tears to stay in your eyes. “I’m not going to prom,” you tell him softly. “Zach said the teachers are making sure no one’s drinking, so he doesn’t wanna go anymore.”

Lucas tries to hide his excitement, feigning sadness. “That’s, um, rough. I gotta go.”

Weird, you think, but those kids have always been a little strange, so you don’t read into it.

Lucas makes a beeline for Eddie’s locker, where he’s anxiously awaiting your response.

“Eddie!” the boy practically screams, “she’s not going to prom!” He fills him in on his latest discovery. “So you can still ask her!”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Eddie asks. “She kinda hates my guts right now.”

“All part of the plan, my friend,” Lucas says, clapping a hand on Eddie’s back.

You show up to the Sinclair’s house at 5:45 and ring the doorbell. Lucas opens the door.

“I thought you were at the library,” you say suspiciously.

“I lied,” he responds plainly, pulling you through the door.

“Seems like a silly thing to lie ab--” you start, but the rest of your words get caught in your throat when you see Eddie sitting on the living room sofa. “Oh, no way.” You turn back around to leave.

“Please,” Eddie calls out, standing up quickly to stop you, “please, can we talk?”

“I think you’ve said enough,” you huff, recalling the way he spoke to you a few weeks back. “I’ve had a really shitty day, and you’re the last person I want to see.”

The words sting him more than he anticipates; he wants to be the person you seek out when things get tough.

“I’m just gonna...” Lucas trails off and darts upstairs, leaving you two alone. Dammit, Sinclair.

“Y/N, I am so sorry,” Eddie says, “I never should have made you feel bad for guys noticing you. Of course they do; you’re beautiful and smart and the nicest person I know.”

You cross your arms over your chest, still unimpressed. “Flattery won’t get you very far. You really hurt my feelings, Eddie.”

“I know,” he murmurs, glancing at the ground. “I’m not good with expressing how I feel, but that’s not a reason to treat you like I did. I should’ve just been honest with you from the beginning.”

“So,” you say, “be honest with me now. Do you really think I’m a slut?”

“No!” he says so forcefully it’s practically a yell, and he pulls back. “No, not at all. I think...” he sighs. “D’you remember when you joined Hellfire your sophomore year, my first senior year?”

“Mhm.” Where is he going with this?

“And Jason Carver took my lunch, smashed it on the ground, and told me to clean it up like the janitor I was destined to be?”

Of course you remember, thinking back to the humiliated look on Eddie’s face as Jason crushed the pretzels beneath his feet. “Yeah.”

“And you told him to fuck off and go stick his dick in a hornet’s nest,” he says with a small laugh. “And then you helped me pick up my food, and you split your own lunch with me.”

“Well, yeah. I wasn’t about to let you starve,” you mumble. “And I still think that Carver should sustain trauma to his genitals.”

“Agreed,” Eddie says with a nod. “But that moment? When we had only known each other for a few weeks, and you were so sweet when you easily could’ve laughed at me like everyone else...that’s the moment I fell for you.”

“Fell for me?” you echo, shocked.

“Y-yeah,” he stammers, fidgeting with his rings. “I’ve liked you since that day, and it’s only gotten worse since then.” He clears his throat. “And that’s not an excuse for being a jealous moron. I’ve had every chance to ask you out, but I never did. I just...stupidly...expected you to wait around for me to work up the nerve.”

His sincerity slowly chips away at your anger, though you’re not ready to forgive him yet. “Eddie,” you take a deep breath. “I’ve liked you for a really long time, too. But when you flirted with cheerleaders or bragged about your post-gig hookups, I didn’t treat you like shit,” you say pointedly. “I bitched about it to Robin and Nancy, or I wrote about it in my journal, or I screamed into a pillow. I didn’t make you feel bad.” You let tears slip down your cheeks. “You made me feel really, really bad.”

“How can I make it up to you? Earn back your trust?” he asks, repeating the words Dustin told him to say.

You pick at an invisible speck of dust on your pants. “The apology was a good start.”

“Sinclair told me that, um, you’re not going to prom anymore?” he blurts out. “Something about that jockstrap bailing?”

“Word travels fast around Hellfire,” you remark.

“Could I take you?” he asks quietly. “We could go as friends. No pressure; I just wanna make sure you get to go.”

You consider his proposal. Prom with Eddie Munson was something you’d wanted for ages, but were you ready to trust him again?

“I dunno,” you say.

“Let’s make it tentative,” he suggests. “We can try hanging out again, work through all this. And we can plan to go to the prom. And if you change your mind at any point, you can pull the plug on it.” He sticks out his hand. “Deal?”

You shake it, offering a smile. “Deal.”

After a few weeks of movie nights, finals study sessions, and the occasional coffee shop date, prom arrives. You break the news to Zach that you won’t be attending his lake house rager, and neither of you are too disappointed.

Now, you’re sitting in Nancy’s bedroom as she swipes red lipstick over your lips. Your hair is teased slightly, giving it some volume. You wear a long black off-the-shoulder dress. You borrowed a necklace from Nancy, a thin chain with a small diamond in the center.

You feel beautiful.

“Girls!” Mrs. Wheeler calls from downstairs, “your dates are here!”

Jonathan and Nancy are going together, and Robin had asked Steve to accompany her until she and Vickie could sneak off. She’ll have to pick up some of his Family Video shifts, but it’ll be worth it.

You carefully walk down the stairs in your heels. Your eyes meet Eddie’s immediately, a huge grin forming on his face.

“Wow,” he draws in a breath, “you’re stunning.” He takes a corsage out of the chilled plastic case, slipping it over your wrist. You pin his boutinneire to his jacket.

“You look so handsome,” you tell him, and it’s the truth. His hair is pulled back into a soft bun at the nape of his neck. He’s wearing fitted black pants and suit jacket, a dark gray button-down shirt underneath. His guitar pick necklace hangs around his neck. With all of the courage you can muster, you press a kiss to his cheek.

After Mrs. Wheeler takes enough pictures to fill several albums, the six of you are off to the prom. The gym is decorated with streamers, balloons, and flowers. It’s still the gym, but there’s a special magic in the air. Vickie joins the group, and all of you take to the makeshift dance floor.

You pause when the first slow song blares over the speakers, unsure if Eddie will want to dance so intimately with you. Before you can move, he grabs your hand.

“Can I have this dance?” he asks shyly, and you nod.

“Of course.”

You loop your arms around his neck; he snakes his around your waist, hands resting on your lower back.

“Since we’re being honest with each other,” he whispers teasingly, “then I have to tell you that you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

You laugh. “You’re so full of it, Munson.”

He shakes his head, a lock of hair slipping from the bun. “No, I’m completely serious. I hope I remember this night forever.” He hesitates only briefly before pulling you closer, leaning in, and kissing you gently.

His lips part yours as you melt into him, smiling and kissing him at the same time. He deepens the kiss when he realizes that you’re reciprocating his feelings, hands pressing harder against you. He moves one to your face, holding your cheek and softly caressing it with his thumb.

And while the future is filled with unknowns, neither of you worry about that. For now, it’s you and Eddie, and that’s all that matters.

#eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x f!reader #eddie stranger things #eddie munson stranger things #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #eddie munson fanfic #fanfic #angst #fluff #eddie x you #eddie x reader #requests

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animanga-bonanza · 3 months

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sakura vs the sound ninja

Sakura Haruno is one of my favorite characters from the Naruto series, and like many Sakura fans, I have my criticisms of how she is written. However, I also recognize that much of the hate directed at her is based on misunderstandings/misrepresentations of the canon text.

In this post I will re-examine a moment from the Chunin Exams arc in Naruto: The Dosu squad vs Team 7 (and allies). Many claim that Sakura was outshone in this battle by Rock Lee and Team 10 and looked pathetic in comparison to the other Leaf genin. However, upon closer inspection, an interesting fact emerges: Sakura inflicted more damage upon the Dosu squad than Rock Lee and Team 10 combined. She was the first to draw blood from the enemy, and she did it by using basic Academy-level ninjutsu and a simple yet effective strategy. Narrative-wise, this was a big moment for Sakura, and the details back it up.

Before the Battle

Sakura is quick-witted, and early in the Land of Waves arc, she was more quick-witted than Naruto. This is demonstrated here: when the Demon Brothers attacked Tazuna, both Sakura and Sasuke jumped into action while Naruto froze in fear.

Another example of Sakura’s quick thinking in this arc is when, in the next chapter, Zabuza appears. He throws his sword in an arc, making it spin like a helicopter blade, and the Leaf shinobi and Tazuna must get down on the ground to avoid getting decapitated. You can clearly see that Sakura had to push Naruto down (in the background, Sasuke pushes Tazuna out of the way). Sakura literally saved Naruto’s life in this moment.

Later, during the Chunin Exams arc, Sakura’s quick thinking once again saves Naruto’s life. After Orochimaru knocks Naruto unconscious, he starts falling from a height that would have killed or at least seriously injured him. Sakura somehow pins Naruto to a nearby tree trunk by throwing a kunai with perfect precision and force.

These are small moments, but they demonstrate that Sakura has real talent as a shinobi and has protected her teammates in the past. However, like Naruto and Sasuke, she had to reach her limits to surpass them. Naruto is the first on their team to learn the meaning of courage, during the Land of Waves arc. Then, in his fight against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, Sasuke must overcome his fear of death, which had literally paralyzed him. Finally, it was Sakura’s turn to discover her inner strength and resolve to fight even in a hopeless situation.

Another thing I’d like people to recognize is that Sakura is not the only member of Team 7 to be outmatched by the enemies they had to face. Remember, Team 7 wasn’t supposed to be on that mission in the Land of Waves arc, it was above their pay grade and their skill level. Although Naruto and Sasuke got the spotlight, they were still no real match against Haku – they only survived that battle because Haku was too compassionate to kill them (although it's likely that the Kyuubi would have saved Naruto from a lethal attack). Plus, Sasuke’s Sharingan was a great aid to him, and Naruto could only break out of the Crystal Ice Mirrors jutsu with the power of the Kyuubi. Sakura, who lacks a kekkei genkai and a tailed beast, was an ordinary genin, so it makes sense that she couldn’t do that much.

That said, I think there could have been a way for Sakura to contribute more during that arc, but that’s a topic for another time.

Furthermore, during the Forest of Death, both Sasuke and Naruto got taken out by Orochimaru, because Orochimaru is a literal Sannin. And then, there’s the Sound Ninja…

The Sound Ninja

The Dosu Squad is strong, let’s be clear about that. And they were not normal participants in the exams. They were assassins targeting Sasuke. Once again, Sakura is put in a situation that she had no reasonable way to expect or prepare for. But she still rose to the occasion, despite being completely exhausted due to a whole night of no sleep and no food or water.

First, let’s compare her to Rock Lee. Now, I love Rock Lee, and in fairness to him, it’s stated by Tenten that if he hadn’t been distracted by protecting Sakura, he could have beaten the Dosu Squad. However, it’s also a fact that despite using advanced taijutsu moves – which Dosu acknowledged were quite lethal – Lee couldn’t really injure the Sound Ninja. Instead, they were able to block or neutralize all his attacks, then knocked him out flat.

Here, Lee makes a dynamic entrance, landing a hit on all three members of the Dosu Squad, but you can see that all they got was some bruises:

Then he uses the Primary Lotus against Dosu, but thanks to Zaku, Dosu takes little to no damage:

So, despite Lee’s best efforts and the fact that he was using specialized taijutsu, the Dosu Squad emerged from that fight relatively unscathed.

Now, Lee was outnumbered. Surely a three-on-three battle would have been more even, right? Well, that didn’t work out for Team 10.

Choji couldn’t hit Zaku, who was able to just jump out of harm’s way. Shikamaru could only temporarily paralyze Dosu. And although Ino possessed Kin’s body, it was Zaku who made Kin bleed when he attacked her.

So, neither Rock Lee nor Team 10 could really injure any of the Dosu Squad. But Sakura? She stabbed Zaku. She made him bleed. And she targeted his arms because she was smart enough to realize that they were his most dangerous weapons. Again, just by using basic ninjutsu and simple tactics, Sakura inflicted more damage on Zaku than Rock Lee and Team 10 combined.

Character Growth

People often mock Sakura for cutting her hair as if it was no big deal. But the reality is that it was a big deal, hence why the manga emphasizes it so much. Sakura’s vanity was literally holding her back, as represented when Kin grabbed her hair to immobilize her. Kin even openly states that vanity is Sakura’s weakness, she cares too much about her looks and doesn’t push herself hard enough. Then, as Sakura takes a beating from Zaku, Ino remembers how Sakura used to be so insecure in her appearance and put effort into making herself prettier. Sakura allowing her face to be battered shows that she no longer cares about her looks. Literally, Zaku strikes Sakura in her forehead, which was the part of her that she was most insecure about.

Later, Ino even states that they all would have been dead if it weren’t for both Sakura and Sasuke.

Conclusion

Sakura’s actions in the Forest of Death should not be downplayed. Although her skill set was not as impressive as that of her teammates or the rest of her peers, her intelligence and resolve showed that she could stand her ground even against formidable opponents like the Dosu Squad. Indeed, I think that Sakura’s peers during this encounter are held back by their specialized skills, relying on their special abilities instead of creative tactics. This battle demonstrates that it’s not the tool that determines the outcome, but the ninja that uses it.

#naruto #naruto meta #sakura haruno #team 7 #chunin exams #pro sakura haruno

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wakasagayhime · 9 months

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ok i know i was silly yesterday when i talked about abyssalposting but im serious this time. i am currently experiencing earth-shattering amounts of abyssal brainrot (mostly skaspec brainrot let's be honest here) and i have not been able to get them out of my head for a few days in a row now but twitter is too scary to be cringe on and tumblr is where everyone can be as cringe as they want. i need to spew a few gallons of this sewage out of my body. i am so sorry to everyone who follows me who doesn't know what the fuck i'm talking about.

anyway skadi's fucked up heartbreaking plotline/ending in caerula arbor is tearing me apart but also making me think deeply about what might happen in the canon universe. the fact that ishar-mla can allow skadi to return to normal after taking control of her is great! it's not so great if the abyssal hunters are all dead and skadi is destroyed by guilt. but i'm a little optimistic now that in the event that ishar-mla does corrupt skadi in the canon timeline, as long as the abyssal hunters manage to survive and the overall damage isn't that bad, skadi will probably be ok. of course, the ideal is that skadi just doesnt have to go through all of that, but who even knows at this point i just watched all my blorbos get put through the torture machine and idk if they're allowed to be happy yet

also those of you who follow me on twitter may be familiar with my tweets about skadi's storyline being a trans allegory. that is still 100% true to me. HOWEVER. i would say it mostly pertains to the threat of being overcome by a horrifying monster whose name she does not want to be associated with. the fact that ishar-mla is gendered as more masculine does play into that at times, but then the issue is if skadi becomes ishar-mla there is no way in hell i'm still referring to ishar-mla as skadi as a he/him. i'm sorry. if he wants to live in the body of a bad bitch he's going to have to live with the new she/her pronouns.

i have many thoughts in my head that are just bouncing around like fish out of water but these are the two most (relatively) coherent and least (relatively) cringe. thank you for your time. i am unwell.

#glub glub

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siderealscribblings · 2 months

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"À ta santé!" Glasses and mugs clinked together over the worn, scratched up table in the corner of The Bell and Buckler. The local band was enjoying their complimentary mugs of Mondstadtian wine a little too much and as the warm buzz of alcohol tinged the back of Eponine's throat, she could hear them start to warble out of key.

Gardes from all over the city favored The Bell and Buckler, not only because servicepeople coming off shift got one round on the house. It was a rustic, cozy tavern run by Loretta, a former musketeer that hung up her spurs after a vishap gnawed her leg off below the knee. Even now, she could be heard thunking behind the bar with her hardwood peg-leg, her old service musket hanging above the bar next to the skull of the vishap that ended her career.

"A toast!" Marius wobbled to his feet, tugging his garde uniform down and raising his glass somewhat theatrically. "To Miss Eponine who somehow managed to survive her first week on patrol as a member of the esteemed Maison Gardiennage!"

"Hear hear!" A ruddy-faced musketeer named Fantine giggled, thumping her mug on the table.

"Enough!" Eponine laughed, hiding her eyes behind her hand as Marius made the unsteady climb up on top of one of the barstools. Fortunately The Bell and Buckle was the sort of establishment where inebriated gardes climbing on furniture was nothing out of the ordinary. Barely anyone looked up from their cards or dart games as Marius launched into a speech that could barely be heard over the din of conversation.

"Our beloved Lady Furina is safe from all manner of capitol terrors!" Marius proclaimed, spilling some foam into his bowl of stew as he raised his tankard. "Including runaway poodles, misguided tourists, and clingy little aristocrats!"

"Off the chair!" Loretta shouted, turning a nozzle of cold tap water on Marius and knocking him flat on the floor. "Or I'll call the garde on you!"

"The garde's already here!" A patron called, drawing a roar of laughter from the half-dressed Maison Gardiennage agents packed into booths and crowded around billiards tables.

"I'll call the Iudex then!" Loretta countered, grinning as a dreaded ooh wafted through the crowd. "Miss, I hope you've an iron liver if you plan on drinking with these two."

"I think my liver will be fine," Eponine chuckled, unable to be too embarrassed. Here she was, barely twenty-five and already appointed to the Maison Gardiennage. Poor girls from Possion could scarcely dream of more and with the money she was making, she would be able to send for her sisters before the year was out. She had plenty to celebrate and if her new co-workers got a little rowdy celebrating, who was she to stop them?

"So," Fantine said, leaning on her palm as she turned her attention to Eponine. "How do you find the Court so far?"

"Oh, it's…big," Eponine said, causing Fantine to snort into her cider. The collection of well-worn wooden cottages that comprised her hometown was nothing compared to the towering spires of the Court of Fontaine. It was one of the last Great Cities that hadn't been obliterated in the Calamity or the ensuing chaos and history hung in the air like mist. She had never felt like more of a bumpkin in her entire life; surely she must've looked like an idiot gaping at everything.

"You will get lost, but one of the little anklebiters will set you right if you ask them," Fantine said. "The melusine know their way around better than almost anyone these days."

"A little too well," Marius muttered. "If you ask me-"

"Oh here we go," Fantine sighed.

"All I'm saying is that our little fuzzy 'friends' know a lot about a lot of things," Marius said, holding his hands up. "Enough to do damage if they wanted to."

"The melusine?" Eponine asked. "What damage could they do?"

"I dunno," Marius said, wrinkling his nose. "They're creepy though."

"Marius also finds stuffed seahorses and teddy bears creepy ," Fantine sighed, flicking a wadded up napkin at Marius.

"Th-they've got weird eyes!" Marius hissed defensively. "And I swear sometimes I catch one just talking to someone I can't see. Who knows what information they could be carrying out of the-mmph ?"

"Enough ," Fantine said, stuffing a bread-roll in Marius' mouth. "We didn't bring our new recruit out here to listen to your melusine conspiracy theories; we need to hear her ruling."

"My ruling ?" Eponine said, watching Fantine and Marius exchange conspiratorial looks.

"You've been patrolling the Palais and the Opera for a week now," Marius said through a mouth of crumbs. "And in that time, you've seen Lady Furina and the Iudex come and go. Have you had the opportunity to see them…together?"

Together? Eponine shrugged. "Lady Furina and the Iudex had lunch together yesterday; I can't say I spent too much time with them, but I guess I saw them chatting a little bit."

Eponine had nearly fainted as she looked up one day to find her nation's god passing by her on the way into the Iudex's office to take her mid-day meal on the terrace overlooking the lake outside his office. She had spent the rest of the day wide eyed and almost vibrating with excitement, so close to divinity that she could still remember the smell of Lady Furina’s perfume.

"They're always chatting," Marius said with a meaningful nod.

"Always," Fantine nodded.

"...yyyyyyyes, I would think the head of our country and her number two would stay in close touch," Eponine said, nodding a little uncertainly.

"Verrrrrry close touch," Marius said, leaning in and dropping his voice. "So…do you think they're lovers?"

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1tsjusty0u · 2 months

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can i present you with a random scenario. what would happen in an au hypothetical where only one of the champions survives the calamity. idk like what would happen for each champion im curious

ywah you can!!

ok this depends on if you mean like. taking links surviving role or surviving alongside link. in my au the former would be.. a bit more complicated? actually that could make for a really fucked up scenario of which i shant say as . probably spoilers? actually no . in wotb link actually dies early (a recent development meta-textually). so basically if hes already in there and a champion has to be put in their instead theres two routes. one he could never be put in there at all, already gone by the time they find the SoR. or two he Is in there but something just Fails Really Badly. it just.. wouldnt heal him. so its a last ditch effort to put a champion in there.

long text below Be Warned.

so while we’re on the topic of that scenario!!! lets start with it!! 1 mipha. she would send out an ok signal to the other champions, and she’d either check on her people first or try to get vah ruta to the nearest champion to help them. or hell she might check on zelda first. i think the plan without link would be to either say fuck it we ball and impa would take zelda to the castle, Or just go straight to kakariko instead as a safety thing. i think she’d actually check on zelda as she’s seen as the most important, then try to reach the champions. i think she’d have the same problems the champions descendants have getting into the divine beasts honestly, though vah naboris would be easy theres no water close enough. vah medoh is not only too high but has an actual shield. vah rudania walks around too much and causes way too much damage to death mountain. she could fire her shot at one of the divine beasts, but that would kill the champion inside it, wouldnt it? so she just resigns to help zelda and impa. she can take care of guardians well enough honestly. her cause of death would probably be either malice or trying to heal zelda or impa While Being Fought at. shes put in and boom 100 years later. i dont know how scales work but i think they wouldnt regrow in the SoR and she’d be left with scarred skin. either rhoam or a zora she knew would greet her on the great plateau. rhoam… wouldnt exactly be happy about. link not being there. mipha being able to defeat her blight is proof to him that shes capable, but also he really has no other options. who else is going to help zelda? mipha had defeated one of his creations.. so she could defeat him. she kind of has to, master sword or not- she’s the only one left. if a zora she knew was there instead i think itd reflect on her personally more? like her healing, her tendency to look after others instead of herself, how she’s dealing with this. the zora wouldnt force her to help zelda, maybe not even telling her. but yeag. still amnesiac, and things go mostly the same as canon besides some.. hiccups. going into zoras domain would have her literally not be able to leave, let alone go to zelda or any of the divine beasts. dorephan and muzu would gush over her because well. they havent seen her in 100 years!! and shes alive!!! she’s been martyred which would be. uncomfortable to her. because she doesnt know who that statue is, even if it looks like her. sure shes calm and nice, but the statues face.. it looks. serene almost. calm. lifeless, dead. vah rutas been protecting the place, and vah ruta would also say hi!! she’d get a memory of herself here which could include her little self or her pre cal self Hiding Things, like vulnerability. itd make her uncomfortable as well!! AND SIDON. sidon would have mixed feelings, but he would absolutely hang out with her in a more.. chill manner. just like. camping and eating. frog hunting. showing her how to ride a waterfall like she taught him. they get to know each other better like. well like siblings. she might do a pre cal and when she suggests leaving while doing a chill hangout she’d do That Smile. the hiding something smile basically, or ‘im the mature sibling’ smile. and sidon would be like ‘youre making that face’ >:( and shed go (sweating) ‘what’. but yeah. sidon would either go with her and travel with her or establish a mail system no matter the cost. They Will Talk damnit. going into other regions is hard when you cant really handle many temperatures that arent in the water. im ppretty sure zoras domain has chillfin trout in it so i think she’d do better in colder weather rather than hot, which sucks because two divine beasts are in hot weather. she’d probably still need at Least a ruby circlet though because hebra is probably too cold, or just sucks because of the snow. death mountain she’d have to put. so much flame resistance elixrs on. she’d also wear a sapphire circlet all the time there even if its not in the flaming zone. she doesnt like the hot springs </3. yunobo and her would-

-get along i think. she’d probably be slightly annoyed at how scared he is but other than that no complaints. he’d be really nice without being a pushover and i think she’d relate/admire that. she’d eat smotherwing butterflies. daruk would be really happy to see her. getting into gerudo town sucks so so soo badly. sand keeps getting under her scales, its Dry, its Hot (during the day), and theres not like. an elixr for her scales. the only real place sand Isnt on her is the lake in the kara kara bazaar. i think she’d put on flame resistant elixir there just so it protects her scales. or she gets some armour to help her with that. otherwise she’s let into gerudo town. vah naboris would be a nightmare for her. she’d have to have like. a hazmat suit for that one. and the yiga!! she wouldnt like them the moment she hears of them, which has to do with link pre cal but saying too much is spoilers. honestly though. i dont think theyd try to kill her, at least not Nearly as much. after all shes Just Some Zora. no sword, no divine intervention. after getting the thunder helm though theyd go after her probably. but yeah she does Not like them and will actually fight them the first chance she gets. this caused problems for the thunder helm stealth mission. urbosa and revali would be impressed to see her but also worried (revali) and defeated/giving up almost (urbosa). she and paya would get along really well and she’d clean with her Instantly. though paya would tell her that she doesnt have to + she should. be doing other things. she’d buy links house which. weird feelings about it so she doesnt really live in it but its just. There. like a memorial. she’d also be annoyed at purah teasing her about having to get parts but she’d mask it. she’d like indexing fish and birds in her compendium, and the sanke carp Fascinates her. she’d like kass’s music and really just sit and listen to him play. she’d also try to tell him what the shrine solution was once she figures it out. though i dont think he’d tell her the calamity legends. impa does however. she’d find lurelin and would So Badly want to go into the sea. however its too much salt. she’d probably fish there honestly, fishing rod and all. also though seafaring is dangerous for her so. no eventide unless a good boat rather than a dodgy raft. she.. tries to make it into korok forest. but she doesnt know how, and if link ever told her how he did it she cant remember. also its Super haunting for her i think she’d minorly see horrors in the mist so. yeah no forest for her. she’d defeat ganon though, and she’d probably live in zoras domain but take zelda with her. OH ALSO HER MEMORIES…. zeldas photos wouldnt help her too much. only 1 has her in it. so she’d get memories based on her surroundings, like how link gets snippets of the champions. seeing her trident would get a memory, the veiled falls shrine would have a memory, goponga village would have a memory, maybe the east post would have one?, and she’d have a zelda memory somewhere in zoras domain (maybe with those history tablets, or in an area with wildlife). and if link has a grave thatd also have a memory. she’d also get a memory of impa because hell yeah. im tempted to make link a spirit that follows her like the other champions honestly. but yeah post cal sidons been set as the ruler so. she can do what she wants. she’d mostly help zelda though.

in the scenario she lives alongside link, she’d tend to him on the great plateau and generally help out purah and robbie. she’d have to be at the domain most of the time though, and she’d be next in line for the crown rather than sidon. she’d grow older and do her best to help with the side effects of the calamity. she HATES yiga even more here than the last scenario. she also hates guardians, but she can take care of even the stalkers now. she’s there to greet link instead of rhoam, and helps him recuperate. she doesnt have a paraglider at first so for him to get down he’d need to climb down. or she couldve made a river system into the great plateau so if he holds his breath he can dive in and out. he still has to do the shrines zelda let mipha know that he has to. she might also travel with him honestly. she’d also spearhead the guardians on the great plateau when she finds out some are active. things would tense between them as time goes on but thats another story. basically old lady who may want to kill.

if revali survived!! uhh first scenario. he would fly all the way to the other champions first, and would check on zelda last. he’d also try to see how the village is doing before he flys to the champions. he cant get to naboris or ruta because he cant see anything, and rudania is at a Really painful angle, and with death mountain erupting.. its a pipe dream to make it there. he dies also to malice, or maybe to a guardian shot. same deal as mipha, either rhoam or a rito he knows greets him. rhoam has the same feelings (+exasperation because of all the champions, it was revali. and he’s a lot more of an old man to him with like changing the deal and teasing him. they would probably fight if not for the fact they dont hate each other). if it was a rito theyd focus more on flying than anything else. actually. he can get off the great plateau. i mean unless he forgot how to glide/one of his wings couldnt work he could. simply get down there. so for plot lets say he forgot how to fly and glide. once he learns how to again he goes to kakariko, and once he learns of rito village hes goes straight there and almost never leaves it. its His Hometown damnit!!! the nostalgia would get to him. though not knowing anyone would be… weird to him. but he’d still love the village. he and medoh would banter but theyd miss each other. he has to get to vah ruta by walking and hes SO mad about it. he would absolutely fight muzu if muzu hated him like he hated link. maybe muzu would doubt his skills and insist no outside help is needed. mipha would be sad probably. not to see him but just to see her family. but i think her and revali would be friends like pre cal and theyd have fun just with now looming dread. the flame resistant stuff would suck to put on, but he isnt going to drink it so he suffers instead. he would probably like yunobo. he’s able to reassure him better and yunobo is like you mentioned more reasonable in general so. yeah!! OH YEAH also he and sidon.. hm. i think sidon would tease him/punk him a lot. be more mean but thatd be why theyd get along in the end. frienemies. vah naboris. would be awful. sand in his feathers the same way mipha had sand in her scales. itd be Doubly hot for him, so he’d have to go at night but rito have terrible night vision so it sucks, and he cant even get into town. he spends a good minute arguing with the guard, not about wanting to be let in but to do Divine Beast things. eventually riju has been summoned and, while exasperated, she believes him. he still has to get the thunder helm, and hes more neutral on the yiga than mipha is. he sees them as a threat but like. he doesnt despise them. if they werent threats itd be fine. i think hes also slightly scared of them. he sneaks through, master kohgas defeated and the yiga are after him, and actually doing naboris hed also need a hazmat suit for. though its a bit better because ARCHERY YEEAAHH 🔥🔥🔥🔥💶💶💶🦅🦅🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹. urbosa would feel the same like she did with mipha, except more exasperated and defeated because Its Revali. daruk would be happy to see him though still. link may or may not be a spirit here? itd be tense at first but i think itd mirror their friendship arc pre cal (of which i need to answer that ask i am sorry) except the roles would be swapped. youll see. anyways yeah. payas meh to him, doesnt like impa a lot but doesnt hate her, would debate purah probably Somehow. he wouldnt buy links house probably. memory locations: his bow and arrow, the flight range, the tabantha village ruins, tanagaar canyon/dinraal, mabe village perhaps, one of zelda same with mipha, links grave, and maybe one of impa. also possibly one at the secret hot springs. post cal he’d constantly help rito village and thats it. Maybe help zelda if she sends a letter but yeah. he’d have to find a hobby though

living along side link. he would also help purah and robbie, though less so. he’d be forced to greet link but in the meantime he’d protect his village and basically become the elder. seeing a young link whiles he old would be… disconcerting. he’d probably feel a mixture of guilt and anger. same deal as mipha though he has a paraglider for him. he wouldnt kill the guardians however and would just find a route for him to avoid them. he’d also be straightforward about what happened to link as opposed to mipha, so their relationship would be less strained as time goes on. he travels with him up to rito village and no more. i think he’d also visit the champion descendants to do his best to help them out.

daruk!! he’d go to the champions straight away. vah ruta is isolated in water which he cant get to (and also has a shield), vah medohs way too high up, and naboris wont stay still, and though hes mighty he can absolutely get crushed by naboris’s legs. god how would he die. yiga misfire maybe???? malice once again?? probably just an accumulation of malice. hed try to instantly leave the plateau (no fall damage like majoras mask goron rock ball form) and while rhoam (if he was there) would try to tease him he’d have to just tell him ‘hey. you Have to do this. Its important. please’ or would straight away tell him the truth. if a goron spirit was there . shrugs. theyd probably focus on strength and building enough to get ganon. goron city, hailed as hero though hes a bit uncomfortable about that and tries to both take it and be mature(?) about it if that makes sense. like hes more comfortable with it than mipha, but it still puts him off a little. vah rudania would hate to see him (rudania missed him so much its unbelievable). vah ruta would be. one Hell of a divine beast to do. he’d have to use a thunder sword instead of arrows, and he’d be A Test to sidons strength as a whole. OH ALSO yunobo would love him !!!!! him bludo and yunobo would probably hang out post cal. anyways. vah naboris he would simply slam into their legs instead of bomb arrows. still would need the thunder helm. master kohga would respect daruk enough however business is business and right now theyre enemies. daruk would not like the yiga like mipha . closer to the hate scale than revali but less than mipha. he’d be pretty pissed at them and wouldnt realize why for a while. the yiga have to get inventive when he becomes wanted which means new weapons methinks!! also he’s let into gerudo town. gorons r genderless so. hell yeah. and. ok so daruk cant get up to vah medoh theres. not many options. either he’s chucked from hebra peak at all of medohs batteries and is finally chucked on board, Or if youve seen klerics 10 ways link can make it up to that divine beast on his own he does that. also also urbosa would have more hope with daruk than mipha and revali. revali would secretly be happy to see the guy. link might be a spirit as usual. memories! his stone smasher, death mountains peak, military training camp, the place where link saved him which he mentions in his diary, the hot springs/springs near the base of death mountain, honestly probably meeting mipha (maybe trading fish) ((where no clue, though he has memories of the other champions like all of them of which they arent the samw memory locations in botw. like miphas statue doesnt trigger a memory for daruk and anyone else ok sorry)), uhh zelda, impa?, links grave, and maybe some place in akkala.

the second scenario he would constantly try to help the descendants rather than link as he figures purah and robbie got it covered, but he visits them while they do great plateau things and they chat!! maybe try to take care of guardians. he would be the most straightforward with link, both in helping him gain strength but in his memories. he’ll offer to travel but wont force it on him. other than that he’d stay on death mountain with rudania. most things wouldnt be a threat with daruk around honestly. just a support beam basically. kind of sad because i. dunno what kind of character arc he would have in most of this. </3

urbosa!!! she’d take a quick glance at her people but go to zeldas and the champions aid. its hard to tell which she’d go for first.. like on one hand she’s biased towards zelda but she just went through a blight and can hear the SOS signals of the others. maybe multitasking? getting naboris to zelda as fast as she can, picking her up/dropping her off (which could lead to some chatting on the way), and then to a divine beast, maybe realizing about a quarter left of the way that theyre already dead and theres no point now. mipha would have a similar revelation probably just.. later. but urbosa dies helping zelda and impa, either distracting something or getting ambushed. great plateau, you know the drill. if rhoam was there theyd have some, “lovely” chats (theyd be So petty against each other. she’d find out her smiting power by trying smite him. though they are friends and have fun and would drink with each other.) and once her whole deal is revealed they have a little heart to heart, and this becomes even more serious to her. she’d go straight to the castle or would reluctantly go to kakariko taking rhoams suggestion seriously. if a gerudo was there it’d probably be more fighting training/regaining strength, plus. warnings of the world beyond this plateau. anyways. impa and her would be besties (though impa would be.. too lax for her). and she’d enjoy paya a lot, maybe try to flex on her to tease her. zoras domain dorephan and her would get along i think AND OH WAIT. SHE HAS LIGHTNING POWERS. if she can get the thunder helm she could finish vah ruta in one strike (though it Does worry the zora a bit). she may throw shade at muzu for his hate of hylians and of the shekiah tech (especially the latter i think). sidon and her would be battle buddies i think, theyd constantly try to outdo each other but still respect each other to have Actual Teamwork. dynamic duo that will kill you. also she makes fun of him sometimes. anyways. mipha would be pretty happy to see her! death mountain. either drinks the elixir first and then realizes most people apply it on their skin so. oops. but she doesnt really care so she keeps drinking it like its champagne. chugging. despite being used to the desert she still doesnt like the heat. yunobo and her would also get along i think!! she would just immediately kill whatever hes afraid of and he looks in. slight fear. though the mines was a workout for her and shes making sure he knows he Owes Her for that one. anyways daruk would be ecstatic to see her theyre Instant Besties. new ghost pal perhaps as well. he’d yell like a sports fan everytime she beats the blight/gets a hit. its chaotic that time the energy is just net positive despite the circumstances. hebra. honestly. she might be ok with it? the desert is cold at night and she lives next to snowy mountains. nice change of pace. teba gets her up there pretty easily, maybe bow troubles? slices the targets with her sword as teba watches in surprise yet defeat. revali and her would, once again, be very petty. however revali would still worry with the blight but she’s fine. i think she’d hate the rotating angle of vah medoh. aaand naboris!!! no freeing to do she just gets to see a long time friend of hers (naboris). she’d love riju and riju may feel a bit of pressure, but over all she’s welcomed back with open arms (maybe some new locals not recognizing her which would be interesting). though she’d have to clear the yiga. now on the hate scale, she probably wants them annihilated (i am so sorry). like riju would have to pull her back saying ‘heyheyhey yeah they suck but dont??? kill them??? or their entire clan????’ which would only barely stop her. she wouldnt even try to sneak through she’d fight them and threaten kohga for the thunder helm. kohga lets her have it without fight and makes a retreat, though he probably lays low? if he hunts her afterwards is debatable because on one hand she Is a threat to them and ganon, but also she Can kill them before they teleport and retreat. so a bit of a choice. also hateno, purah and her wouldnt be-

too much of friends but theyd get along well enough. same with robbie. she wouldnt get links house to her its not her problem. or maybe she does but because she’d think itd be a nice place for zelda. kass and her would just be diplomats to each other. link spirit maybe shrugs . memories!! sword and shield, kara kara bazaar, southern oasis?, shield surfing champion shrine that she did, patricia maybe?, digg dogg suspension bridge, a spring memory with zelda, flora and fauna with zelda, links grave, impa, the champions yadda yadda. the memory numbers probably dont match up between all the champions sorry

second scenario!!! exclusively helps zelda and either stops her from letting ganon eat her or tries her best to fight ganon before retreating and he eats zelda. then she just. wanders. purah probably helping her cope or just. do things. she might even stay in kakariko for a bit, and she moves out of gerudo town. she’d say goodbye to everyone of course. but ywah. also maybe guard kakariko from yiga of which cado would fear her immensely. she’d either greet link or let rhoam do it and just meet link at kakariko and be Cryptic and Vague like he was but push him towards helping zelda, maybe even traveling with him. however she’d probably try to have him stay On Track constantly which would go. poorly. either that or she silently judges him but doesnt say anything. she’d only really hammer in to Go To Castle once all the divine beasts are free. they probably split off though, urbosa going to either chill or help in some way just elsewhere. like helping robbie light his ancient oven and getting guardian tools. also she has more wrinkles now shes super super old

if link isnt revived but the champions arent put in the SoR itd just be a mix of the two scenarios, slowly chipping at the divine beasts while helping out globally and getting old and having to cope with everything afterwards because they still have their memories

this . may not have been what you meant. i am sorry. however. thumbs up

ALSOALSO wanting the yiga dead is not a morally pure/correct course of action for them. it is not morally right thing to annihilate an entire group of people this isnt a bug its a feature. them wanting the yigas dead is not good. just in case.

#wreath of the bild #tw implied death #cw death #HELLO!! not much to say #dont want people getting the wrong idea thats why i put the last comment there uhm. yeah

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thrumugnyr · 11 months

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WAIT ITS BEEN THAT LONG IN THE CAMPAIGN??

Patataj and Rahadin have been dating for 1.5 years??? O.O

Idk why am I surprised knowing how time can be in DnD lol but the fact its been a while gives me hope things won't end too bad for them babsba

Altho it's cute Rahadin showed up to support his boyfriend I'm kinda suspicious of his answer GAH

OMG, I should have clarified this better: we have been playing this campaign for 1.5 years - the time passed for Patataj is only about 2 months and that's about the time that they're dating, or, well, know each other at least.

Let me tell you chronologically how he ended up in a relationship with Rahadin (this is LONG and has spoilers for CoS so beware):

Rahadin was the first person Patataj met after he woke up in Barovia (he got dragged in through a dream by, as we would later learn, the Abbot, who was looking for sun god support in his endeavor to fix the curse (of Strahd) and accidentally grabbed Patataj over Senna).

Rahadin was there to check out the newcomers mostly (and because my GM was scared of combat balance haha) and they went through the death house experience together. For Rahadin this meant nothing much, but for Patataj that's an intense bonding experience (also they were holding hands for most of it, as Patataj was the only one without darkvision).

After they made it out of the death house, Rahadin disappeared, but Patataj took up the sending spell on his level up a few days later and thus was able to send Rahadin little messages. That's how he was able to secure a meeting with him as well. That meeting went rather poorly, but he managed to not get killed. You must also know that by this time, Rahadin just seemed like a sulky, shy dusk elf to Patataj. Someone who would be funny to make flustered and drag out of their shell a little. Not much else. He hasn't really seen him do damage or anything.

He does start to ask random people he meets about Rahadin though and then slowly realized that, well, he does not seem to be a terribly well liked guy. Kasimir (the leader of the few surviving dusk elves) tells him to stay away from him, but Patataj doesn't quite know why, because he gets along quite well with him.

So after a few days (and after the party killed the Aboleth in the lake) he asks Rahadin for a second date to make up for the first one and to his surprise, Rahadin agreed.

They have like a romantic little boat ride and Rahadin even brings a scroll for Pataj so he can walk on water (because he mentioned missing being able to run in the open desert and the lake is...pretty big and the next best option). Of course Patataj goes for a run but in the end he can't just let Rahadin sit all alone in the boat so he offers him a ride.

And that's how this picture happened ahaha. YES, IT WAS ACTUALLY A THING not a dream or anything - I know!! Wild!

Centaurs don't just offer someone to sit on them willy-nilly (if at all), so in the end Patataj confesses to Rahadin that he caught feelings. He's a bard after all and centaur hearts beat fast.

Of course for Rahadin it's way too soon to reciprocate such feelings the same way (I mean, they knew each other for....two weeks at this point, maybe one? And he's like 500 years old. Them centaur hearts be moving in hyperspeed to him). But he still admits a certain fondness and they actually do kiss when Patataj asks for one.

Some time passes, Patataj keeps sending those sending messages and they interact like that every day. Just small things, as sendings have a limit of 25 words ahaha.

Eventually, Strahd invites the party for dinner, as he does. Everyone is low key terrified, but Patataj is excited to meet Rahadin again....and it goes well. Our warlock pisses Strahd off majorly because he continuously keeps the appearance of the girl Strahd is into, but Patataj is having a great time, even winning a bard-off against Escher.

Patataj ends up spending some of the night with Strahd, ending in him offering Strahd his blood (and I do not think he was even charmed. We're all still confused as well. Strahd just was very good with words and made Patataj feel sad for him okay?). Rahadin ends up taking care of Patataj for the rest of the night and it all gets very emotional, they exchange gifts, they kiss more, Rahadin starts to open up a little about his past and other personal things.

No, nothing besides kissing happening - but hey, progress.

They are mostly back to sending messages and short meetings for most of the campaign then. This goes on for months in real time you know haha. It does sometimes skew with my perception how much time actually passes.

At some point Patataj manages to convince Rahadin to join a little party at the tavern in Vallaki and it's all very cute. They play like, throwing knives and never have I ever and it's really stupid but fun....thanks to probably the alcohol Rahadin does actually end up comfortable enough to do ....more than kissing that night, too. And that is actually also the last night they managed to spend together until now.

Meanwhile the campaign goes on, we go to Krezk like, twice, kill the Abbot, we do the Yester hill battle, defend Vallaki (where Rahadin was extremely worried). In Vallaki there was also one instance where Patataj almost died and sent some final words type of message to Rahadin and boy, Rahadin was UPSET about it. Mostly mad because the message did not include Patatajs whereabouts and such and it took him longer to find him. He was probably also upset that the whole thing made him so scared in the first place haha. Rahadin is not used to care about anything other than Strahd and maybe Anastrasia (and since they're both vampires, they die far less easy, so not much to worry there).

But yeah, this is how you manage to date Rahadin in Curse of Strahd: You need a GM who puts him in the campaign early enough and PERSISTENCE. It's not easy to make Rahadin care, but once he does, he's very loyal and your chances of survival become very good actually ('You wouldn't want to hurt Rahadins mate' worked very well with the werewolves for example lol) - but also it can be a little terrifying at times. Patataj is trying to come to terms with the fact that all the protection benefit he gets out of this also means that it is very likely that he will end up as a vampire in the end. Also there is no turning back. Rahadin is very unforgiving and I'm sure if Patataj would break his heart, Rahadin would slit his throat, because that's just how he deals with his problems. There is also still a chance Rahadin might follow Strahd's orders to kill Patataj despite his own feelings. It's 500 years vs a few weeks/months after all.

But I do think Rahadins feelings are genuine. He says the most romantic shit sometimes and he really was very supportive in the last session (at least as much as you could expect Rahadin to be). It was actually the first time he said 'I love you' in return! MORE PROGRESS!

And I also do think he doesn't just want to use Patataj for personal gain. He's not a very....scheming guy. Not that Patataj would care either way. He'd do almost anything for Rahadin at this point, aside of things that go against his morals of course. It's quite funny, really. Patataj knows of all the terrible things Rahadin has done by now, but he kind of shoves it aside under 'well he did it under Strahd's orders, he wouldn't have done it otherwise' because he just can't fathom Rahadin is THAT bad/uncaring, since to HIM he is extremely gentle and sweet, even if sometimes a little struggling with showing emotions. Love makes blind, I swear.

But I'm rambling. I hope they get a happy ending. At least Patataj would deserve one after everything (all the suffering and pain of people around him and his powerlessness to help are getting to him), but it IS Curse of Strahd and who knows what will happen. Even at the best outcome, he will have to kill some if not most of Rahadins 'family', in the worst outcome, Rahadin kills him. In the most likely, he ends up a vampire in Strahd's castle, never to see sunlight again.

So yeah, on that depressing note and for anyone who read this whole thing, I'll leave you with two songs from my Patadin playlist because who doesn't have songs for their OC?

Nessa Barrett - Die first

Amber Run - I found

#forgive me for this overly long post #but I have lot of feelings about this #I put a lot of my free time into it after all (if you calculate all the sessions and art) haha #so if people seem curious I will be like WELL YOU ASKED SO HERE WE GOOOO #hahaha #thrum rambles #DnD #Rahadin #Patataj #Curse of Strahd #centaur #would I recommend going for Rahadin? Hard to say #(depending of course whether or not your DM is willing to let you treat Curse of Strahd as a dating sim)#sometimes it feels like I accidentally cheated the game #sometimes I feel I'll pay a terrible price for it lol #WE WILL SEE

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demiclar · 4 months

Text

Memento Mori

Destcember Day 5 - Memento Mori

Zavala and Shaxx consider the inevitability of death.

-----

Zavala jerks as Shaxx’s sword clashes hard against his, the clang of metal reverberating through his fist and down his arm as it sings through the room. Not one to pull punches, Shaxx follows the strike immediately, forcing Zavala to shift his sword just in time to meet Shaxx’s blade before he can slice Zavala open. He manages a nick on Zavala’s side instead and Zavala stumbles backward. He catches a blow, aimed down towards his shoulder, then another aiming for his side. He can feel sweat streaking down his body, and blood from the cut on his side. His breath gasps in and out of his lungs.

“Stop.” He gasps out, even as he lifts his sword to receive another strike.

Shaxx halts immediately.

“Are you alright?” He lowers his blade. Zavala is one of few granted the rare privilege of seeing Shaxx’s face, and without his helmet he can watch Shaxx’s gaze drift over him, sizing him up. He eyes Zavala’s wound.

“I’m fine.” Zavala promises. He picks up a cloth from nearby, one he’d intended to use as a sweat rag, and wipes it over the wound, clearing away the blood to see the damage beneath. “It’s alright.” He tells Targe, shaking his head when his Ghost moves to heal him.

“Here.” Shaxx takes his sword from his hand, carrying his and Zavala’s blades to a rack off to the side of the practice space, at the rear of Shaxx’s workshop. Zavala presses the cloth to his cut, looking up when Shaxx returns with two glasses of water, offering one to Zavala.

“Thank you.” He takes it, pulling a deep gulp from the glass. He holds the rag to his side, drinking in the feel of the pain in his body. He and Shaxx train regularly, but it had been his choice to train with swords, something they rarely do. He wanted something that would feel taxing, and worthwhile. Considering his wound, perhaps it wasn’t such a good choice.

“What’s troubling you?” Shaxx asks, his eyes shifting over him again. “I noticed that you seemed distracted.”

“Honestly?” Zavala shakes his head. “I’m not certain.”

He’d been distracted the whole fight. Shaxx had begun slowly, perhaps hoping to catch Zavala’s attention and draw him in after a minute or two of sparring, but when he had not, he’d taken a different tactic, resuming his usual effort and swinging at Zavala full force. Even that hadn’t focused him. If he’d been in the moment, he wouldn’t have been so unprepared for Shaxx’s blows. They’ve been sparring partners for what feels like the past century, after all.

“Perhaps the resurrection of the Ahamkara?” Shaxx offers, a telling note of frustration in his tone. Zavala smiles weakly.

“Yes.” Zavala admits with a nod. “That is a top contender.”

He takes another drink from the water glass, watching as Shaxx sighs heavily. Zavala isn’t certain how to feel about the Ahamkara. Everyone he knows that had been around during the days of the Great Hunt seems to feel similarly to each other, frustrated by this new turn of events. He knows most of them feel their original actions were justified, having experienced too much to not recognize the danger Ahamkara present. Zavala feels similarly, but at the same time, the mass extermination of a species because they were labeled ‘dangerous’ is too authoritarian for Zavala’s comfort.

The commander in Zavala, however, is terrified. Guardians are already being tricked by Riven, even the lingering bones of dead Ahamkara hold influence over them. If the whole host of Riven’s eggs are to survive, Zavala can’t imagine the danger they possess.

“It feels like,” Zavala begins, lifting his head. “No matter what we do, there is always something that is likely to kill us. Our deaths seem inevitable.”

Shaxx nods, tired, resigned. “We were brought back to fight a battle that will never end.”

“Or it will end with our deaths.” Zavala says, and Shaxx sighs again, shaking his head weakly.

“We shouldn’t think that way. We can defeat the Witness, I know you believe that.”

“Do you?”

Shaxx stops, crossing his arms over his chest to fix Zavala with a look that’s almost a glare.

“I think we can defeat the Witness,” Zavala begins, Shaxx’s brows lifting as he waits for him to go on. “But I’m not sure whether I think that because I believe it, or because I have to think that way.”

“We will prepare all that we can,” Shaxx says, “when it comes time to fight, is there really a difference between the two of those?”

“The difference will be if we succeed, or if we die having failed to lead our people through another, better option. Something that might save them.”

“There is no better option, the Witness wants to destroy us, even if we tried to flee, it would follow.”

“The Witness wants the Traveler. It doesn’t need us.”

Zavala watches Shaxx’s face fall, his expression shifting into worry and concern.

“Zavala.” His voice is much softer, no longer like they’re debating, or on the verge of arguing. “I thought you had made peace with this.”

Zavala’s eyes fall shut and he pulls a deep breath into his lungs. His sweat is already cooling on his skin, cold winter air flowing in from the window they’d propped open. Goosebumps are starting to rise on his skin.

“How can I make peace with the decision that may well destroy our entire civilization? The decision I made?”

“You are not alone in this.” Shaxx reminds him. He sets a hand on his shoulder, stepping closer, and Zavala looks away. “Think about it. If the others did not agree with your decision, do you really think they’d be here? The Awoken, the Cabal, the Eliksni? They could all leave if they wanted to, but they haven’t. They’re fighting with us because they want to.”

“Even if we all die?”

“Zavala–”

“You can’t tell me that isn’t a possibility.” Zavala interrupts, and Shaxx lets out his breath, then nods.

“Fine.” He agrees, “even if we die. Even if every one of us dies at the Witness’s hands, we made this decision together.” Shaxx squeezes his shoulder. “The Traveler raised us to protect. Not only itself but everyone around us. We’re going to do that. I believe it.”

He holds Zavala’s shoulder, his eyes lingering on Zavala’s own until finally Zavala nods.

“Good.” Shaxx smiles, then claps his shoulder. “You should get some rest, Guardian. You need it.” Zavala smiles weakly, and Shaxx pushes him towards the door lightly. “And see to your wound. We both know pain can center the mind, but don’t rely on it if you don’t have to, Commander.”

“I know.” Zavala nods. “Goodnight, Shaxx. Thank you.”

He leaves his sword on the rack rather than take it with him. Perhaps tomorrow, when he’s better rested, they can try again.

#destcember2023 #destcember #destiny 2 #destiny shaxx #destiny zavala #demiwrites #I know I'm so behind

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dilemmaontwolegs · 2 years

Text

Run These Streets {4} || Street Racer!Bucky

Summary: You take it upon yourself to get Bucky out of his funk after receiving home detention for his racing. Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, illegal racing, changing wound dressings WC: 2.5k

Bucky Masterlist || Part One || Part Two || Part Three || Part Four || Part Five

The local radio station was playing loudly in Bucky’s garage when you arrived. He didn’t even hear that you had pulled up until you turned the volume down and he smelt the food you had bought with you. “You need to rest babe.”

Bucky winced as he stood up from the empty engine bay he was inspecting. He looked like he was about to argue but wisely closed his mouth when he saw the bandage on his side was turning red. “Fine.”

“Scrub up and come inside, I got your favourite.” You ordered as you teased the mouth watering bag in front of his face while walking past.

“You are my favourite.” He called out as he watched you disappear into the house, your soft laugh drifting back.

The oil and grime was stubborn and by the time he had scrubbed his hands clean you had set the table and poured you both some homemade ice tea. You could see he was in pain as he gingerly lowered himself into the chair so you opened the cupboard that was littered with pill bottles and half empty first aid kits.

“How do you find anything here?” You mumbled as you looked at the labels and found most of them had expired years ago. “Honestly, I don’t even know how you survived on your own so long.”

“Luck mostly.” He chuckled before groaning. “I may have pushed it this time.”

“You think?” You shook your head as you carried a few rolls of gauze and painkillers. “Take these and lean back. Your bandage is soaked.”

You carefully took off the soiled bandage, trying not to hurt him anymore, and felt your stomach roll at the sight of the sutures that followed the line of his ribs. None of them looked torn but the wound was still bleeding so you wrapped it again with fresh gauze and checked he had swallowed the painkillers.

“You’re lucky you didn’t have to go back to the hospital.” You tutted. “Do you know what a pain in the ass it is having to get hold of your probation officer?”

“Not really,” he admitted with a timid smile, “that’s why you’re so great, because you take care of all that shit for me, and I love you for it.”

“Nice save.” You giggled as he sat up and kissed you before you took your seat. “What’s the damage?”

“I can save a few parts but she needs a new engine and most of the panels replacing but the chassis is straight so she’s not completely written off.” He muttered as he pushed his food around the plate. “It’s gonna cost a fortune that I don’t have.”

“I know how much that car meant to you.” You said softly as you placed your hand over his. “We’ll find a way to get her fixed.”

He wasn’t convinced as he chewed his lip. There weren’t many options left since he was on house arrest for illegal street racing that resulted in the crash. Even if he wanted a mainstream job he couldn’t leave his front yard and he doubted many people would hire him after the addition to his record.

“I’m going to go lay down for a bit.” He mumbled quietly after eating in silence.

You were about to offer to join him, even though it was far too early for you to be able to sleep all night, when your phones buzzed simultaneously.

Unknown Number: 14th and 3rd. Midnight.

Bucky’s phone was tossed away angrily and you sighed heavily as you got up to grab it, finding no new cracks on the screen. He had been in the hospital for the race the week before and you wondered if every Friday night would be this hard for him. The four month sentence suddenly seemed a whole lot harder, especially if he couldn’t have some connection to the racing scene.

Grabbing your laptop, you came up with an idea and worked quietly, tinkering with Bucky’s TV while he slept. When you were all set up you walked into his room you were surprised to find him wide awake, staring blankly at the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling.

“Babe, I have a surprise.” You whispered as you broke through his harsh self reflection he had been stuck in. “Two actually - though one you might not like.”

He frowned at that and sat up, his chest still shirtless despite the drop in temperature. “Yeah, doll? Why’s that?”

“Why don’t you come to the living room first.” You said as you offered your hand to help him stand, linking your fingers as you led him down the hallway. “I connected my laptop to the tv so that you can still watch the race tonight but, and this is the part you won’t like but hear me out, it's connected to our headcam.”

“So you’ll have to be there, racing, for me to watch.” He laughed humorlessly as he shook his head. “No way, doll, you’re not going out there without me.”

“It’s a win-win babe, you still get to watch what you love and we kinda need the prize money for those repairs.” You argued as you sat him on the couch and let him pull you to his side.

“Not if it means risking your life. The Camaro isn’t worth that.”

“You know I can drive, just as good as you.” You said, taking a deep breath. “I’m doing this Bucky, with or without you…but I could really do with you having my back.”

You held out your headset that was already connected to the laptop and waited as he stared at it. You were about to give up when you saw him look away but with a heavy sigh of his own, he took the headset and placed it on his lap.

“No unnecessary risks, you hear me?” Bucky warned. “If you get a hint of any dodgy shit from the other drivers, you pull out. And, I will cut this ankle bracelet and steal a car to come find you if this connection cuts out for more than a second.”

“Deal.” You grinned as you jumped up. “I need to steal your tires real quick and head off.”

“Take a breath.” Bucky caught you by the hand and kissed your knuckles. “Adrenaline makes for easy mistakes.”

“I know, I know. It’s just been years since I last had a proper race, I forgot how it feels.” You rambled as you tried to calm your mind. “Tell me I’m gonna win.”“I don’t have to.” Bucky chuckled, kissing the corner of your mouth with a smile. “Because you are gonna win.”

You were conscious of his injury so you carefully wrapped your arms around his waist and kissed the light beard that was growing out along his jawline. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He whispered against your lips. “Drive safe.”

Your Hellcat wasn’t meant for racing in the sense like Bucky’s Camaro. It wasn’t fit with a roll cage and the interior hadn’t been gutted out to lighten its tare weight but Bucky made sure the front seats had been fitted with harnessed bucket seats a long time ago. But the soup and nuts of the matter was that your Hellcat was fast and with your skills it was easily a strong contender.

“Holy shit, it's been awhile since you brought her out.” Steve grinned when he saw you pull up at the 11th hour. “How’s our boy doing?”

You held up your helmet with the camera mounted on the top. “Ask him yourself. You can take Bucky away from the race but you can’t take the race away from Bucky.”

“I wanted to see the race, not his mug.” Bucky joked in your ear and from the indignation of Steve’s scoff could read his best friend's mind.

“He’s talking about me isn’t he?”

“Maybe.” You winked. “I actually have a favour to ask.”

You hit the mute button on the helmet's microphone so you could talk to Steve and heard Bucky call out after a moment's silence.

“Sorry, Buck, must have knocked it. I could still hear you.” You assured him as you imagined he began to pace the living room. “Time to get this show on the road.”

Steve walked around the other drivers before making his way back to you, a small nod giving you the go ahead to pull up to the spray painted starting line.

“Do you still get nervous? I feel like my stomach is going to try to climb out of my throat.” You swallowed as you reached the line and focused on the woman removing her bra to flag the race start.

“Every damn time.” Bucky chuckled, easing some of the worry knotting your insides. “Concentrate, doll, finishing in one piece is what matters.”

“Yeah, about that…”

You ran out of time as the woman waved her bra three times before letting it loose and you dropped the clutch and floored the gas. The front wheels lifted off the road as you launched forward and for a second all you saw was the reflection of lights glimmering off One World Trade Centre before you fell back down to earth. You gripped the wheel tighter as the suspension bounced and noticed there was a supercar to your left that was inching ahead of you, but the machine was made for drag races not taking corners which was exactly where you were heading.

“90 degree right turn coming up.” Bucky guided seriously. “You’re going into it pretty fast there.”

“Yup.” You confirmed much to his dismay as you pushed further, the last to start breaking heading into it. “I didn’t come here to lose, Barnes.”

You ripped the e-brake back as you turned, kicking the back out and drifting into the corner before anyone else. The others were quick on your heels but you had effectively put the supercar out of the running as it popped out of the corner in last place.

“It’s been months since we tuned your ride.” Bucky growled as you raced along the straight, jumping red lights as the scream of your engine limited. “Take it down a notch.”

“Can’t do that babe.” You shook your head, his view on the tv screen shaking with the movement. “I didn’t have enough cash for the buy in.”

“Fuck.” Bucky swore as he fisted his hair in his hands. “Right turn then hard left.”

You eased off the accelerator for the back to back turns and your heart skipped a beat as you almost over-corrected coming out of the turns.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Bucky asked as he watched the street fly past in a blurr, feeling like it was him in the driver's seat. “300 yards until you have a long left turn so don’t go in too tight.”

“You wouldn’t have agreed.” You admitted as you flicked your eyes to the GPS and saw the turn he was talking about, one that snaked under the highway. “We need to work on your terminology.”

“I’m not exactly used to being in this position, you’re much better at this job.”

Headlights flashed in your wing mirrors as the Toyota Supra tried to take you on the straight with his lighter car.

“Right back at you.” You murmured as you tried to keep your eyes on the road, on your competition and on the ECU diagnostics that had popped up with an alert.

“Turn!”

Your eyes flashed away from the screen in the centre of the dashboard to see you had reached the left turn. You braked too much in a spike of panic before turning and clenched your fist tighter on the gear stick as you chopped down and tried to chase the Supra that made it past. The next two corners were a dog fight as you edged to close the gap and came neck and neck on the last straight.

“I’m not losing to a fucking import.” You growled as you turned the nozzle for the NOS and watched the pressure engage.

“That bottle hasn't been swapped since the roady to Boston.”

You could practically taste Bucky’s fear, hear the anger at himself for not keeping your car in top shape but his was supposed to be the race car, not yours.

“You worry too much.” You said, stealing one of his favourite phrases. “It’s scary isn’t it, being on that end of the line.”

He grunted in agreement. “Does it get easier?”

“Nope, but I’ll always do it for you.”

You saw the Supra boost forward and chuckled because your V8 cylinders were about to annihilate his inline 6. You pressed the release for the NOS and felt the increase in horsepower almost immediately, the front wheels threatening to lift off the ground with the surge.

“You got this, doll.” Bucky all but shouted as he chewed his lip and froze in front of the wide screen tv. “You’ve got this.”

Your long hood inched past the Supra’s and you saw the driver smash his fist against the steering wheel before the finish line appeared not a moment too soon. Your triumphant laugh was echoed by Bucky’s cheers and you spun into a burn out at the end of the street where Steve waited with the other unofficial officiants of the street racing scene.

“I love you!” You laughed as you tore off the helmet and kissed the camera.

“I love you too, now get your sexy ass home so we can celebrate properly.”

Steve was quick to work his way through the three race cars parked behind you and took the pink slips and keys from the angry losers before any got ideas of making a run for it, which wasn’t unheard of. He was grinning from ear to ear as he brought the winnings over and you knew it would go a long way into paying to repair Bucky’s Camaro as well as some of his legal fees.

“Thanks, Steve. I actually have one last favour to ask.” You said as he engulfed you in a hug.

“Anything for you.”

You were still riding your high as you drove to Bucky’s and parked outside, needing a moment to gather your thoughts and calm down after the rush of endorphins left your hands trembling. The moment only lasted a second before your door was pulled open and Bucky grinned proudly at you.

“There’s my girl.”

“She’s got a surprise for you too.” You said as you unclipped the harness and stepped out to see three pairs of headlights coming down the street. Their engines purred across the quiet night and Bucky draped his arm over your shoulder as he watched them approach. “I didn’t have cash for the buy in.”

“You said.” He nodded. “So you used your car as collateral.”

“Kind of.” You smirked, seeing the Toyota, a Ferrari and a Camaro as few years older than Bucky’s park at the curb. “It was a race for pink slips.”

His jaw gaped wide as he stared at the cars, his friends climbing out of the drivers seats. “These are all yours?”

You laughed and shook your head. “No, baby, they're ours.”

Click here for part five.

#streetracer au #street racer! bucky #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x poc!reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes imagine

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medusapelagia · 5 months

Text

8 Au-gust: Robots and Androids - Part 12 [The end]

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Rating: Mature Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson WT: Android Steve Harrington, Wanted Criminal Eddie Munson, guns violence, blood and injuries Words: 2290

Vecna is smiling cruelly “You were never good, not as an android nor as a human.” he whispers in S.T.E.V.E. 's ear while he concentrates the electricity in his fingers, ready to fry the other android’s circuits.

A voice yells “DUCK!” and S.T.E.V.E. lets himself fall to the ground dragging the knife with him, while Eddie quickly shoots at Vecna's head, directly in his central cortex. The white android glares at the outlaw for a moment and then falls to his knees before collapsing to the ground.

From behind the dunes the members of the Hellfire and the humans from the outpost that were hiding, are now pointing guns at the other androids and the humans from the ship.

S.T.E.V.E. touches a sensor on the side of his head and a hologram of Vecna appears, repeating “Our dear leader is a hybrid, like you. Or even better… he is an android thanks to you.”

“I think we got everything we needed, right Dustin?” S.T.E.V.E. asks, with a hand on his injured abdomen, in his ear the kid giggles “Great camera Stevie, I’m already sending the video to all the other planets. I’m sure that more than one will have questions for our leader!”

S.T.E.V.E. is still talking with Dustin when Eddie punches him, hurting himself more than the android.

“Fuck you, stupid metalhead! You shot me! You shot me, mother-fucker!” Eddie yells full of anger.

“I did.” the android confirms with calm while trying to assess the damage to his body.

“You could have killed me!” Eddie growls, straddling him and the android lets the human push him to the ground while he shakes his head.

“No. I shot exactly where I meant to. There was no possibility of you dying from that and a very low percentage of possibility of you dying from the heat.” S.T.E.V.E. explains to him.

“How much?”

“Uh?”

“How much, Stevie!”

“Nine point seven percent.”

“Nine point seven percent! That’s not low! Fuck you stupid tin can.” he keeps yelling and punching at the android.

“You should stop yelling and get some refreshment on their ship or you will really die from the heat.” S.T.E.V.E. explains to him, pointing at the ship “The percentage of probability of you dying of a heat stroke is slowly increasing every time you hit me”.

“You fucking shot me!” Eddie keeps complaining, even while he is finally resting inside the ship and drinking some fresh water “Gareth! Did you see that? He shot me!”

His friend shrugs “You shot me too once, and you did far more damage than him, so don’t complain about that with me.”

“That was an accident! He didn’t hesitate to shoot me!” Eddie insists while Gareth turns toward the android.

“He gots you well. You are lucky he didn’t damage any sensible circuit.” the boy says to S.T.E.V.E. while checking on him.

“He didn’t want to break me.” the android explains showing no emotion “He wanted to make me suffer.” ordering him to shoot Eddie, stabbing him in the stomach, Vecna was searching for a human reaction, and he didn’t get one because S.T.E.V.E. can be special, but he is certainly not human. He made a calculation when he shot Eddie: the faster he shot him the easier it would have been to trick Vecna into believing that S.T.E.V.E. was still an obedient android, still “I’m sorry I shot your thermal suit.” he says lifting his eyes and finding Eddie’s “It was the only thing to do. I calculated that it was the safest option and I’m very sorry if you will not trust me anymore, but I was right.”

“It’s not a question of being right or wrong! It’s about the fact that you didn’t even hesitate when he told you to shoot me!” Eddie takes a deep breath “For a moment I really thought you were going to kill me.”

“I’m sorry you feared for your survival.” the android replies, still looking at Eddie “But you should know I would have never put you in peril. It’s against my code.”

“I’m an outlaw, your stupid code doesn’t work like that.”

Steve tilts his head “I would have never hurt you consciously Eddie.”

They stare at each other for a long time. It’s the first time that Steve calls him by his name.

“You would not? Not even if it was for a good cause?”

“I will not lie to you. I’m not innocent: I killed people and so did you. Was it for a good cause? I don’t think so. I feel that there is a good reason for killing but I see how functional that is on a wide scale, but no, someone should really mess up with my code if he wanted me to kill you and I promised myself that I’d never let someone so close to me mess up with my code.” the android looks toward the human outpost that is eyes can still see even if it’s miles away “Maybe it’s because I’m special, but I feel… something. And that something would never forgive me if I should hurt you, good cause or not.”

“Stevie…” Eddie calls, but Owens interrupts them, getting in the room and looking at both of them, Eddie has a plaster on his forehead while Steve’s abdomen is still leaking some liquid.

“Conditions?”

“I need a repair room to patch him up, but he is good.” Gareth replies, still looking at the tablet he has in his hands.

S.T.E.V.E. stares at Owens, who gets closer and puts a hand on his new metallic shoulder that doesn’t match the rest of his body “Good job kid. I can officially say that you are an honored member of the Hellfire.”

S.T.E.V.E. rolls his eyes and Eddie chuckles, then the android asks “What now?”

“Now we wait.” Owens replies “We sent the message through the galaxy and I’m sure that we will not be alone in our war anymore.”

War is such an awful thing, but the android will accept everything if that means that the little android at the outpost will be ok “And El?” Is this man going to forget about her like he promised or is he going to betray their trust?

“El? She is a lovely girl, isn’t she?”

***

When the news about Brenner's true nature gets to the other planets, the rebellion starts.

Those living in Hawkins are not involved either with the rebellion or with the war, Owens declares that S.T.E.V.E. and El are too important to risk someone else finding out about them, so they stay on the desertic planet, hiding and waiting to be forgotten once and for all.

Gareth stops at Hawkins too and with his help, he and Dustin manage to repair Steve, even if they can’t find a perfect replication of Steve’s arm leaving him with the old replacement that Dustin found between the discharged parts they own.

The war is terrible but fast: knowing that Brenner is an android too, the entire Central Station revolts against him and many humans command the androids to attack the tower and burn it down.

There are many casualties, but everything ends with Owens winning the new elections; he is no longer considered an outlaw, and the same applies to all the members of the Hellfire. Every attack made before the election is forgiven, but the passage from Dr. Brenner's leadership to Owens’ one is not a smooth one: a lot of androids get destroyed by furious humans or crash after receiving too many conflicting orders and that deeply hurts S.T.E.V.E., who can’t stop thinking about them as his brothers.

Owens offers to S.T.E.V.E. to be the one to decide Dr. Brenner destiny, giving him the opportunity to turn him into a whore android as he was going to do with him, but he refuses, and he doesn't even participate in the big ceremony where they turn off Dr. Brenner once and for all.

For the entire duration of the hostilities, no one let S.T.E.V.E. leave the little human outpost on the forgotten little planet that was the beginning of everything and even if Gareth and Dustin get new parts to repair him, the android decides to keep his scars “They are mine.” he replies when the kid asks him why he doesn’t want to be fixed properly.

When the android is not helping, he keeps staring at the wedding picture, while in his mind echoes the voice of the blond man whispering “I love you Steve.” on the sand of a beach where he has never been.

“I know why you keep looking at that picture.” El says, sitting with him “You think you will never have something like that, don’t you?”

The older android nods; he doesn’t know exactly what it feels to be loved, but if the memory feels so nice it must have been something really good.

“There is a man. A good man. He could help you if you want.” El continues.

“Help me do what?” S.T.E.V.E. asks confused.

“Become human.” she replies with a smile.

S.T.E.V.E. turns toward her with his plastic eyes “This is not possible.”

El gently touches the other android’s head “You are already human, here. And here.” she adds placing her little hand where there should be a beating heart but there is only a battery.

“Do… Do you think we have a soul?” he asks.

“I think you do.”

“I think you do too.” the android replies, hugging the girl. It doesn’t come easy, but he is getting better at showing his emotion.

“He will come with you if you ask him to.”

S.T.E.V.E. doesn’t need to ask who she is referring to, he knows perfectly well who: Eddie Munson. The man who was his captive has refused to leave planet Hawkins even when Owens has offered him a big role in the new government.

“Is it wrong to want to be human?” S.T.E.V.E. asks her, looking at the hidden tattoo on his arm.

“No, but you need to have the autonomy to want to become one. Not every android has it.” El gets up “Ask him to come. And you’ll have your answer.”

“What answer?”

She smiles and replies “How does it feel to be loved.”

***

The ship is small and old, it’s the one that Joyce, once Elena, stole while she was escaping with two kids and a little android.

Eddie lifts his google “Not the best ship I have ever had, but we will make it work. So, captain, give me direction and I’ll fly you wherever you want.”

S.T.E.V.E. shows him the interstellar map El has given him.

The planet is small and far, surrounded by the best security Eddie has ever seen but El has assured them that the man is waiting for them.

They make numerous stops to get fuel and food, the journey is long but the company is nice.

“So, what is he going to do? He is going to magically make you human, or what?”

“I don’t know.” the android replies a little bit worried about having someone working on him for what he really hopes is going to be the last time.

“Are you scared?”

S.T.E.V.E. stops, analyzing the nasty feeling that he has inside, and discovers that, probably, he is scared.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be with you. I will not let this crazy man touch you if he can’t show us what he did and what he is going to do to you.”

S.T.E.V.E. stares at the dark-haired boy and finally asks the question that occupied the android’s mind since Eddie came back to retrieve his broken body “Do you care about me?”

Eddie blushes, it is nice seeing a physical reaction, it helps a lot S.T.E.V.E. understand what’s going on, but right now he is really confused.

“Is it important?” Eddie tries to brush it off.

“It is. To me.”

“Why?”

S.T.E.V.E. takes a long time to analyze his sensation before answering “Because I think I care about you.”

“As your captive?”

“As my human.”

Eddie turns toward him so quickly that his neck cracks, the ex-outlaw’s eyes are big with emotions that S.T.E.V.E. can’t really understand.

“I care about you, Stevie. And I don’t care if you are an android. I care about you.”

The android tilts his head “But you don’t want me to be a human.”

“It's not a matter of what I want, it’s a matter of what you want.” he sighs “But if you think you are doing this for someone else and not you… maybe we should talk about that.”

S.T.E.V.E. shakes his metal head “I want to. For myself. I want to feel more. Pain, happiness, I want all of that. Is it bad?”

“No, it’s fine.” the human replies, starting the landing “Come on. We have an appointment.”

When Murray puts S.T.E.V.E. on stand-by for the last time, Eddie is holding his hand.

“I love you, Stevie.” says the blond guy of his memories.

“I love you, Stevie.” whispers the black-haired boy at his side.

Tag list: @shunna, @yourmom-isgay I hope you enjoyed my story! Thank you for staying with me during this journey!

#android AU #Wanted Criminal Eddie Munson #Android Steve Harrington #tumblr fic #myfanfic #steddie #au gust 2023 #stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things fanfic #writing challenge #medusapelagia #medusapelagia fanfic #my fanfic

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abloginnameonly · 7 months

Text

Mercy

@oc-tober2023

A little mid-dungeon philosophy

Mar C was delighted when one of the clerics traveling through Stromkuhldur was willing to share the writing he’d brought with him. Captain Lurkana didn’t want them getting too close with the adventurers, especially a non-combatant like Mar C, but they’d managed to plead their way through Lieutenant Greg, who was able to bring it to the Captain.

“They would like to take this opportunity to practice for their scribe work," it explained. Lieutenant Greg knew better than anyone how diligently Mar C collected scraps of writing to read. "And if he cannot handle meeting one of our scribes without causing trouble, he will be taken care of.”

Vyrin looked a little pale, even without Lieutenant Greg looking at him, even without its tone changing. Lieutenant Greg was great like that - always looking after its troop of scribes. They didn’t get into too many big fights like some of the other commanders, but they did control the flow of adventurers into their settlement, and the Lieutenant took its job very seriously.

It was mostly prayer scrolls, Vyrin warned weakly. And they might not have even survived the three levels of Undermountain in his pack.

But that was plenty enough for Mar C, that was perfect, and then Lieutenant Greg asked of Vyrin was trying to back out because he'd had plans of causing trouble, so they met by the river three hours later when Mar C was done with their shift and he’d had a chance to rest with his party. Vyrin still looked unsettled and approached the riverbank in a careful way that meant he’d heard about the undead creatures that were in the water, which was good because sometimes they crawled out. He was an elf, a little tall and orange-haired, with very blue robes under thin leather armor that made Mar C sad to think about for too long so they didn’t.

Vyrin settled himself awkwardly on the cold hard stone, legs folded carefully under him, and rummaged a handful of scrolls out of his well-organized bag. He took them out one by one, inspecting them for damage, explaining what they were as he went.

“This one is used to cast a shielding spell... These are ceremonies that I can conduct... This one is a prayer for clarity of mind…not a spell, mind you, just a prayer to Sehanine Moonbow.” He pronounced the name carefully, a little stiffly, unsure of what was expected of him.

“You’re really nice!” Mar C assured him. “It’s nice that you’re showing me your expensive scrolls even though you were afraid of Lieutenant Greg." Vyrin grimaced, but didn't deny it. "Don’t worry though, as long as you don’t do anything that would threaten Stromkuhldur, you won’t be in any trouble here.”

“Small mercies,” he said dryly.

“Yeah, I guess I am!” Mar C chirped.

“Oh-" he cleared his throat. "I’m sorry. No, ‘mercy,’ not ‘Mar C.’”

“Hm?”

Vyrin’s brows pulled together in a way that usually meant that Mar C had said something odd. This happened often enough that they were getting almost alright at guessing what it was.

“Were…you making a joke?” Sometimes they did pick up until too late that someone didn’t mean what they said seriously. Or that they meant something seriously when Mar C thought they were playing. It was one of the things that made some of the soldiers sigh when Mar C talked to them.

Vyrin didn’t sigh, but he did set the scroll down.

“No… Is it not…” He searched for words. “‘Mercy?’” he repeated, and Mar C paid attention this time. Ahh, they understood now, he wasn’t saying their name. But what was it? Mar C was ten and knew a lot of words, but they didn’t have that one written down in their notebook. They shook their head. Vyrin tilted his in return

“You know…I’ve heard before that goblins don’t have a word for mercy, but that’s always felt more like a deliberate cultural misunderstanding on our part than truth.”

That sounded like such a smart thing to say that Mar C smiled.

“How about you tell me what it means, and I’ll tell you if we have that in Goblin; I know lots of words, a lot more than I know in Common,” they said modestly.

Vyrin nodded.

“Fair enough. Mercy is…being kind when you’re able to hurt someone.”

Mar C stared.

“That’s just…being kind?”

“Right, right… It’s specifically when you’re able to punish someone. If someone did something bad to you and then you were kind and let them go.”

Oh that. Vyrin smiled seeing the recognition on their face.

“Oh, yeah, we have a word for that.” Mar C nodded.

“That’s great! How do you call it?”

“Suicide.”

Vyrin laughed, caught off guard.

“Great, very funny.” He rolled his eyes in a not mean way.

“Was it?” They preened a little, pleased at their joke.

“Yes, yes… But actually, surely you actually have a word for something like that?” Vyrin asked.

“Well, sure.” Mar C shrugged. They heard it plenty in the war shouts of the soldiers about to fight the drow - it was something you weren’t supposed to have. “But I think we don’t use it the way you do. We let people go if it will kill too many of our people or use too many resources to chase ‘em. We let adventurers through Stromkuhldur because most of you aren’t worth all the fights. But we’re not really allowed to let someone live just because we’d feel bad.”

“Not allowed by who?”

“The next people who will try to kill us,” Mar C said simply.

Vyrin frowned, and Mar C couldn’t tell if they were trying to understand or not. It was hard, sometimes the nice ones were the worst to talk to because they got a little less smart when they had to think about other people.

“Don’t you mean ‘if’?” he asked gently.

“I don’t. ‘Will’ and ‘when.’”

“Have you ever considered…going somewhere where you don’t have to fight?”

“Do people not protect their homes on the surface? Do you not have wars?” Mar C was skeptical. Adventurers that came into the dungeon were too good at fighting for there not to be any above ground.

“We do. I just think it’s a shame that you have to fight so much. Think of how much better your home could be.”

“I like my home!” Mar C defended. “I’m proud of us, and I’m not sorry that we’re killing drow that are trying to kill us.”

“Have you ever hear the saying that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail?”

“...No.”

“I just hope that you, you and your people, will one day be able to live a peaceful life.”

Several days later, a scouting team brought several adventuring packs back to Stromkuhldur. Four bodies were shot with drow arrows and much of their equipment was already looted. After sifting through what could be repurposed, the scrolls were deemed unmagical and Mar C was able to claim them. A small mercy that at least his scrolls survived him. An even smaller mercy that they were killed quickly rather than enslaved. Miniscule, that he’d died proving his beliefs.

#[throwing spaghetti at the wall bc i'm behind on the prompts and my goal is quantity and building habits not quality]#oc-tober #oc-tober2023 #mar c

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hella1975 · 2 years

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wait hold on a ursa takes both zuko and azula away fic??? idk how anyone hasn’t done this concept but hella you’ve tapped into a concept that has to be explored at this point! making it zukka is also just the norm around here too.

ah im glad you like the sound of it! i refuse to believe im the first to think of that idea bc i dont think ive ever had an original thought but there's definitely a lack of ursa exploration in the fandom. the thing with this wip is that it's going to be so ginormous and so multi-faceted that it's actually really hard to explain the plot of? like ursa takes zuko and azula with her but ursa is so damaged by what she's been through and is too busy prioritising survival to be loving anymore and their life on the run is so brutal that zuko and azula - still only 9 and 11 years old which is a big reason of why their relationship is able to heal, bc they're still so young - really lean on each other to cope. initially it's a survival thing, but they grow to just genuinely get on well with and care deeply about each other. and one way they do that is that zuko starts telling azula stories! like the two of them become huge avatar nerds bc of these stories and actually i might just give you a snippet bc this is rlly hard to explain LMAO

Neither of them had any idea how to just be nice to each other, but Zuko wanted to be nice. He wanted Azula to be safe. He wanted to protect her. She was his little sister. She always had been, and she needed him. Now, more than ever.

“You know, Mother used to tell me about our great-grandfather.” Zuko said quietly into the shadows, a whisper to ensure Ursa, always so quick to anger these days, didn’t wake up. “You know he was Avatar Roku?”

For a while, it was painfully silent, to the point Zuko was certain Azula wouldn't respond. Then; “Of course I know. Some of us actually paid attention in our lessons.” Azula sniped, but she sounded a little too cutting, in a way she only sounded when she was unsure. She didn’t like it when she didn’t know what Zuko was leading to.

Zuko turned to face her direction, the cheap blanket scratching his chin and not covering all of his body. At eleven-years-old, Zuko was finally starting to grow into himself.

They were in a town on the outskirts of the Earth Kingdom, barely a speck on the map, and currently, their names were Riku and Aoi. Ursa has been very clear; her children were to never use their birthnames, no matter how alone they thought they were. They were living in a cottage with half a roof, their mother funding the rent by sewing patches onto dresses for a seamstress. She was barely in the house, but Zuko knew even when they left in a few day’s time – as they never stayed in one place longer than a week or two – he would still barely see Ursa. He wondered if she knew how reclusive she’d become.

“She told me stories about all the Avatars. I always wished she’d tell you them too.” Zuko said a little sadly. “I never understood why she didn’t.”

This silence was different, and they both knew Zuko wasn’t just talking about the stories.

“Tell me.” Azula breathed, so quiet Zuko almost missed it.

“The stories?” Zuko asked in surprise. He had been waiting for Azula to cut him down, to tell him to go away like she used to. But...

He realised maybe Azula wanted to be nice too. Maybe she was tired of being looked at like a monster by the people supposed to love her.

Maybe she was just a nine-year-old girl who needed a bedtime story every now and then.

“Yes, Zuko.” Azula hissed, and his name was so shocking it was like a curse. “The stories. Tell me about the Avatars.”

So, Zuko did.

“Water, earth, fire, air.” Zuko whispered, remembering how Mother told it. In the shadows, Azula’s eyes burned gold. “Long ago, the four nations lived together, but everything changed when the Fire Nation, the superior nation, began to share its wealth. The Hundred Year War began, and the only person able to stand in the Fire Nation’s way was the Avatar, master of all four elements. But when the world called for him, he fled...”

It became a tradition, after that. Zuko would lie beside his sister on the nights neither of them could sleep, and after an entire day of hiding himself, he’d turn to Azula and just talk. In Kyoshi Island, he told her of Avatar Kyoshi murdering Chin the Great. In Makapu village, he told her of Avatar Roku – Great-Grandfather Roku – battling a volcano. And in the Western Air Temple, he told her of the Avatar who never was.

“He’s out there somewhere, though.” Zuko uttered wondrously. “One-hundred-and-twelve, the last airbender. Can you imagine it?”

“You’re in your head too much.” Azula sighed. She always pretended not to care, but as the months dragged on, she allowed herself more. First, it was in her asking for a specific story. Then sometimes, she’d slip up and laugh. In the fragments of these nights handed over to ancient legends, as scraps of lies left behind in their wake with every new roof they found themselves beneath, Azula was more herself than ever. She could be, in front of her big brother. That was something she learned.

They learned other things, too. They learned that the Earth Kingdom was starving, that the Fire Nation was hated, that people weren’t rebelling; they were suffering. The story changed. When Zuko saw technological advancements that bewildered him in the Northern Air Temple, he stopped saying that the Fire Nation was the superior nation. When he saw children with burn scars and amputated limbs, he changed ‘began to share its wealth’ to ‘attacked.’ When the stories he told his little sister of the Avatar turned into a lifeline, a speck of hope in a world of ashes, ‘fled’ became ‘vanished.’

Zuko learned that a war was a war, that his father was not a hero by any means, that they got out just in time.

And it was hard, but the two had their own rebellions. Zuko and Azula didn’t get on in Caldera, but out here with a string of fake identities behind them and a death sentence at the end of it, they only had each other. Their mother was a wound, their father was a blade, and they were, through it all, still just kids. They leaned on each other in the places they used to bruise. Azula took the softness she tortured her brother over and began to protect it. Zuko took the coldness in his sister he used to despise and chased it away. When Azula drew the curtains and hid in cupboards to hold a flame in her palm and just breathe, Zuko made sure Ursa didn’t catch her. When Zuko lay beside Azula and talked to her until she finally fell asleep, Azula didn't push him away.

Azula, he whispered, and it was a promise that she could still be who she wanted to be.

Zuko, she breathed back, and it was a recognition that, through it all, she still saw him.

#the relevance of these avatar stories is that azula has heard them since she was nine years old #like it's a real theme in the fic that azula adapts to their life on the run a LOT easier than zuko and it's because she's #just the right side of too young when they run away that she forgets a lot of what life was like in the fire nation #her personality IS this new life whereas zuko still remembers a lot of their old life and is very haunted by it all #and hates all the lies and having to deny who he really is #and one thing azula builds her personality around - bc of her age - is the avatar thanks to these stories #she seriously hero-worships the avatar which is relevant bc two years after they ran away #zuko gets caught by soldiers and brought back to ozai... when he is thirteen... same age he was in the canon agni kai....#and ozai burns him same as canon to try get info bc ozai has a VENDETTA against ursa now and is determined to drag them all back #but zuko is actually really clever and LIES and says he has something better for ozai: he knows where the avatar is #so ozai sends zuko off at 13 to bring him the avatar! same as canon! and he sends iroh bc iroh has been clever and stayed ozai's ally #this whole time while working quietly with the white lotus to try and get ursa and the kids back #so ozai trusts him and sends him with zuko to spy on him effectively #so their three years together looking for the avatar is basically the exact same as in canon down to iroh trying to get through to zuko #AND MEANWHILE azula wants to find zuko but she doesnt know how until she hears that the avatar is back #her hero is alive and out there and if anyone can find her brother it'll be the avatar #so she joins the gaang! and zuko follows them and azula leaves him little clues and zuko puts off capturing aang bc he needs to get azula!#but they dont acc all unite until ba sing se and how do they do that? bc zuko starts blue spiriting and he meets sokka #so yeah. it's complicated. there's also a revolution in ba sing se that zukka started SKJHGKSJH it's all a mess #but we get protective big brother zuko and badass sokka and azula mummy issues exploration it's all so fun #ask #also i dont like the writing of this extract bc i wrote it literal YEARS ago like i started this wip before i did my fucking a-levels #so if the writing seems shitty that's my business

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reunionatdawn · 3 months

Text

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 8: Manuela/Hanneman)

Hanneman: My sister is far from the only victim. Many noblemen have done the same to their own wives, and I despise them for it. So, my quest began. I would unlock the secrets of Crests, make them available to any who desired… If I achieved my goal, the nobility would be rendered obsolete, and my sister could finally rest peacefully.

Hanneman wanted to get married, but he always drove women away due to his life being consumed by his research and never being able to shut up about Crests. Unless you marry him yourself, the only other romantic option for Hanneman is Dorothea.

Manuela: My voice is a gift from the goddess. However, as all things do, it will decline with age. One day, I will lose that gift. And so I decided I needed to learn to survive without it, long before that day came. I needed to prove to myself that I can live on… even after my voice returns to the goddess.

Manuela is a more believable romantic partner. And she was in the same boat as he was because she felt like she'd spend her life alone, too. She felt like damaged goods due to her age and all of the unsavory things she had to do in the past to achieve her dream of performing in the opera. But she was a lot stronger than she seemed.

Hanneman: I see you act so irrationally, and I lose my wits. I care about you a great deal, and wish to see you safe. Will you believe me? Manuela: Yes, of course. I'm the same way, after all. I let my emotions get the best of me.

The writers sort of pushed these two together. Even their paralogue "Oil and Water" is shared with each other. The two always got into arguments and made up again, but it was precisely because of all their funny banter that I liked them together. They acted like they were already a married couple.

Hanneman: If we combine our abilities, housework would be conquered and dinner rendered delicious. There are other ways we could find to support one another, I would imagine. We might make a better pair than you think. You and I, together. Manuela: Huh. You might be on to something.

Hanneman bears the Crest of Indech, represented by Temperance. This arcana symbolizes the blending of opposites and the achieving of synthesis. It's about harmony, peace, and patience. Temperance brings a message of balance and moderation in all things. It is a card of collaboration, of trying to find common ground instead of forcing the will of one onto another.

Hanneman was right. There are even more ways they can support one another than just cooking and cleaning. They'd be able to support each other emotionally because they have a lot in common due to their pasts. Manuela is childfree. She cannot understand people like Alois who have kids, and when she has a baby with Ferdinand, she lives as a career woman and he is the child's primary caretaker. Hanneman is the last man who would ever value her for baby-making potential.

Manuela: Heh, it seems my longtime rival has taken his final bow before me. There is a gaping hole in my heart. Try as I might, I cannot rouse myself. I can almost hear him now: "Why are you so despondent? This is completely out of character for you." How I wish I could say back, "That's none of your business, you doddering old geezer!"

Their relationship is given even more prominence in Hopes where they both get their time to shine playing the hero for each other. When Hanneman comes to her rescue, Manuela even admits that she's into it. And Manuela worries for Hanneman before coming to his rescue. She is particularly grief-stricken if he doesn't survive. It shows how she cared about him much more than she let on.

Hanneman & Manuela After the war, Hanneman and Manuela held a grand wedding ceremony, to which all of their many students were invited. Later, as Garreg Mach came to be restored, the Officers Academy finally reopened, with a renewed focus on accepting students regardless of status. Manuela and Hanneman returned to work as teachers, almost as if nothing had changed, and filled the halls with their banter in the way only married couples can. Their relationship spawned a trend of romances among colleagues at the Officers Academy, but that is an entirely different story.

The two always argued like an old married couple. Might as well just become one. Nothing about their lives even changes when they get together. They maintain their positions at Garreg Mach and it's just business as usual. Hanneman can still continue his vital research to accomplish his dream and Manuela can continue being a surrogate mother to all her students.

#fe3h #fe3h meta #manuela casagranda #hanneman von essar #hannemanuela

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claire-starsword · 4 months

Text

The Guardiana Magic School Run - Part 16

We continue Max's extreme luck with boats.

I am also teased with the existence of my Favorite Man but unfortunately, he does not join the team now, nor is he valid in this run. The neverending string of Adam Ls.

Once again there's nothing too interesting for the clear bonus. I do realize too late that I forgot to check the item shop in Waral, there's supposed to be something special there. I cannot go back now though until I solve the water problem here, so my bad.

The thing about this battle is that you can split up and face them on three fronts, including some very annoying narrow paths, or just rush through the center and ignore the side enemies or deal with them later. I want exp, but I have many squishy people, so I'll start from the center and see how it goes. There are, as usual, bats though, which should be approaching from the sides anyway.

Also, Domingo is not equipped with the ring he's supposed to be equipped with. I goofed up big time last part apparently. Hopefully we won't miss the extra movement.

Turn 1 is a bore fest with only a single bat approaching. Domingo can immediately go deal with it and hopefully distract it from frail targets.

lmao never mind. fellas love to ignore Domingo, poor thing.

Not a frail target though, so we're fine. This is just how Max's life goes.

The Worms however are doing a number on him. I do think they're valid targets for the Mermanbuster though.

Meanwhile Domingo left that first bat at 1 HP so Anri gets easy exp.

It is turn 4 and the bats are ignoring everyone so hard.

Domingo continues to have massive level ups, I didn't screenshot but he also got more defense, he's so good.

Unfortunately no amount of level ups can make these dogs less annoying.

On the other hand these things are indeed Mermanbusted.

We're now on annoying blocked positions. And if you ever thought "Oh the hounds are immune to fire so they must be weak to ice", tough luck, they seem to resist it despite again having no magic res marked on their stats. There is a clear attempt to nerf wizards in this second half of the game and, well, you'll see where that goes in the future! For now is more annoying than anything as Narsha is taking everything just fine.

Also Arthur redeems himself blasting this thing off the earth. I cheer briefly before realizing there's four more dogs in this map.

Because I'm annoyed at how much HP the dogs have, and the Skeletons tend to be tanks as well, I'm using Attack 2 on Narsha, Arthur and Max, as the position lined up nicely. Tao is also getting the buff, but I don't think she'll get to use it. Always funny if she does though.

She was supposed to Blaze a Skeleton to oblivion, because that's another way to deal with their tankiness, but I misclicked and ended her turn. Sorry woman.

Gong is also not having a great promotion debut.

And then Lowe gets really excited to one up him! That's a one shot, shame it doesn't give much exp at this point.

We're at turn 6 but I'm not too worried about the bonus, I'd rather train, so it's time to try baiting the side enemies with Domingo and other tanks. Tao also gets to finally deal with that Skeleton as intended, getting a level for the good work.

Turn 7 and everyone is baited by the trio of Domingo, Narsha and Max… Except that bat. I think these things are allergic to Domingo. You can see the dog did not ignore Domingo, this is flight AI thing or whatever. I'm calling it allergy. Or maybe a phobia. The enemies would be justified in having a phobia of Domingo.

A Skeleton survives Tao. This should be illegal >:(

Khris finishes it and unlike Lowe she gets a lot of exp from this enemy, levelling up.

Gong gets to redeem himself with some awesome damage.

This goddamn Skeleton refuses to be baited. I want to beat it up with Tao as she's pretty useless against the boss here, they're a mage so they resist any magic and have two hellhound with them. But Tao has no more Blaze 3 so she need someone to protect her, probably Gong, who can't tank the stronger enemies.

We're at turn 10 and haven't reached the boss yet, so that's it for the clear bonus. I really don't mind because the boss has to be done carefully (they have Freeze 2), and we're getting good exp. The worms were ridiculously easy thanks to the Mermanbuster (and Narsha getting a crit as strong as the Mermanbuster, the woman is really good with seafood), and Tao and Gong are finishing the annoying Skeleton.

The thing about this boss is that, as a mage, their defense is trash. Max can probably one hit them. But they're not in reach yet, and the dogs will block us as soon as they can. Their damage plus the mage's damage is a heavy blow to tank, but I think Max can do it as his magic res is 38% right now, pretty good (nothing compared to the 47% and 48% of Narsha and Anri though, I did not notice Anri was getting this good, turns out there's two goddesses of magic res).

Because the mage is easy to hit, doing away with the dogs seem like the best option. I'm unsure of how much damage we're gonna do, I'm not used to the damage of Supernova yet.

The damage is a whooping lot, that's how much. Perhaps it would have been possible to one hit the mage with this even with their resistance, Supernova is a bit weird with the resistances actually, but again, I prefer exp to the bonus today.

Not much to comment for the end, Max, Arthur and Domingo deal with the last dog while receiving heals from Narsha, Khris and Lowe. By the time only the mage is left things are easy. You can see here however what 60% magic res means, Anri cannot finish this fella at 5 HP. But surviving like that only means he gets one of the rarest deaths possible:

The Domingo slap.

Overall, a chill battle. There's a lot to do in town next time so I'll leave that for the next part.

Losses: 0 Deaths: 2

#shining force #ressurection of dark dragon #guardiana magic school run #long post #that domingo sprite is. soooo good for something you never wanna do

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alphagodith · 2 years

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hear me out; vampire ingo

if there is any way to insert vampires into an unrelated piece of fiction, I WILL FIND IT. today’s example is pokemon!

so ingo’s stuck in the past with no way to return home to his friends and brother who verrrrry much needs/wants him back, yes? if traveling through time instantly is not an option, why not just sit it out in real time? vampires are immortal and can even spend centuries just sleeping if they don’t feel like being awake the whole time, so... let’s turn ingo into a vampire so he can get back to the future the old-fashioned way!

and then emmet can catch up to him in years and once they look to be the same age again, ingo can turn emmet and we get immortal vampire train men! i see absolutely no downsides to this.

(if anyone wants to do anything with this concept feel free, just, plz tag me cuz i wanna consume all vampire ingo content)

my personal vampire rules for reference;

- immortal, do not age at all after turning, wounds do not scar tho scars from before turning don’t go away unless re-injured.

- appearance changes are minimal from turning. paler skin is a natural, gradual consequence of avoiding sunlight. eyes may glow, especially in the dark. fangs, obviously, but small enough not to look too out of place when not in use. gain a more beastly appearance when injured/starving/scared- pointed ears, slit pupils, elongated fangs, claws, bruising around eyes, darkened/visible veins.

- turning requires blood sharing and death. drain out the old blood and replace it with vampire blood, vampire blood reacts to dying body and turns it into an immortal body.

- can feed without killing, human blood is significantly more effective but pokemon blood (if red) works as well. you could feed once from a human per week or four times a week from pokemon and survive just as well. basically blood is better for a vampire/tastier to them the more similar it is to their own blood (easier to digest). this is why many vampires prefer blood of a specific type. (also this would mean that emmet’s blood is INSANELY delicious to ingo since they are biologically identical)

- vampire blood naturally heals tissue it touches, so small amounts can be used to heal humans. emphasis on small tho, unless you want to turn them. handy for sealing bite wounds.

- react to blood the same way humans react to tasty food; if they are hungry it will take some effort to resist but if they are fed they won’t bat an eye. if they get so hungry that they are actively taking damage/dying, THEN it becomes a problem they can’t control.

- allergic to sunlight but don’t IMMEDIATELY combust upon contact. being in sunlight is essentially like being way too close to a flame, uncomfortable and sickening at first/through clothes but gradually becoming more and more painful until one is sizzling and burning. ie, a hood and glasses would be enough to get to/from work without causing a scene, but longer would leave one weakened, and being directly exposed for more than a minute or two would be VERY bad.

- silver/holy water can cause burns as well if you want but i don’t care for religious stuff like that, particularly in the pokemon universe where i don’t think christianity is even a thing. garlic is bad just cuz vampires have heightened senses and it’s already strong and unpleasant for humans.

- vampires do not have a heartbeat, do not produce any more body heat than necessary to keep their blood from freezing, and do not need to breathe. their blood still runs through their veins due to the same magic that keeps them ‘alive’, but it’s a continuous flow rather than a pulse. they prefer colder temperatures, so sleeping underground is great, but get them so cold they freeze and that is a problem (tho they thaw out just fine). forgetting to fake breathing is a common problem, also forgetting that you have to inhale in order to speak, tho younger vampires often ‘pant’ on instinct when exerting themselves.

- a vampire is 4-10 times stronger, faster, etc, than a human, when well-fed. get stronger as they age, may gain powers like flight/invisibility depending on clan. directly related vampires (sire/childe) have a mild telepathic link, able to sense eachother’s locations and communicate with just thoughts over a short-ish distance (like within a mile of eachother). this can tie-in with the ‘twin telepathy’ myth if you want, enabling ingo and emmet a deeper bond even before emmet is turned and being hugely magnified after.

- a stake to the heart causes paralysis by blocking the flow of blood/magic that keeps them animated. whether they remain aware in that state or not depends on how complete that blockage is. (bigger stake, less awareness)

- can only be permanently killed by the head being totally torched/incinerated. significant head trauma can cause issues with regeneration tho, such as memory loss, or leave the vampire BASICALLY dead unless someone else intervenes (such as gathering their parts up together and dumping them in a blood bath).

#pokemon legends arceus #pla #ingo #emmet #kudari #nobori #shippers and non shippers alike are welcome to interact #cuz i'm a rational adult and don't confuse my phobias for morality #prompt #vampire au #submas #immortal bond #immortalbond!au #vampire!ingo

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crystalelemental · 6 months

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I can't front. I hate this one.

General Overview This one's weird, because it's not as though I don't have many EX Fire types. I have more of them than I do Water types. But somehow, Fire feels like a nightmare. I didn't bother trying on Electric, I know that's worse. But I didn't expect the Fire run to be so...terrible.

Problem 1: Fire supports suck unless they're SS Morty. Kiawe doesn't do enough in one action, Evelyn is sturdy but not good at survival, while MC Torchic and Marley absolutely suck ass. Anything above like 300 Strength may as well instantly kill those two. And my Marley is EX, there is no excuse.

Problem 2: There is like nothing technical in this type. SS May is a good example. Like oh good, defense debuffs. Except there aren't. They're all single-target, and unless partnered with NC Leaf, she's kind of atrocious at her job. Anni N is super slow to debuff anything, so even with his Sp Def drops against Kiawe, he can't get to it because oops, too busy having to Noble Roar. Serena's sleep is borderline useless with Resilience and she's not a good damage dealer, Lodge Irida has a 50% flinch rate instead of 60% and somehow this is noticeable, etc etc etc.

Problem 3: some of these stage conditions are a nightmare. Removal of 80% sync damage is absurd against Flannery, while Flint's removal of healing is absolutely disastrous. Debuffs should be the answer to him, but it's not great, because you have only two options to work with. And guess what. One of the stages cuts Striker stats, so good luck with that.

Fire just feels like it sucks. I can't figure out a good means of approaching half of these stages. I have ideas, but they're clearly not working. This is about as good as I can do without investing more resources, and guess what I don't really want to do. The supports suck, there's not really any good technical utility, and the stage conditions are nightmarish. So I feel like this one's particularly rough.

And yet apparently it's not, and I'm just dumb! I am super far down the ranks despite this score! Honestly I don't know why. Outside of the Master rank, sure, I'd buy that. But down in Great? You're telling me there's like 40k+ players out there that have performed better than this? I don't think my Fire roster is lacking, so I admit, I'm legitimately stunned. It's Challenger Gloria, isn't it? I didn't get her, I don't like that outfit and don't like Cinderace. But I'd bet that's a huge part of it. How absurdly frustrating.

I may try to push a bit higher. But I'm tempted to stop here just to keep the rounded number of powerup tickets. Not like I need the Master medal, this is just pride. And I find myself crankier than I want to be with this, so I'm not exactly keen on it.

Vs. Kiawe (MC Torchic, Anni N, Serena) This is the "Strikers get fucked" match, so I put Anni N here expecting the spread damage to matter. It doesn't. Anni N kinda sucks horrifically, you know? So slow to set up, attack only has 85% accuracy by default, he's too busy. Serena seemed like a good disruption call, but frankly the spread sleep is terrible. They all recover simultaneously and it's too much for Torchic, and god forbid Anni N burns.

Vs. Blaine (Kiawe, Leon, Eevee Lucas) This one could be achieved much more easily with investment. I have no doubt that this would generate a good amount more if I just bit the bullet and invested. Leon's able to take the sync with Eevee Lucas' Atk debuffs, and his Earthquake/Hurricane combo is supereffective against everything. But, because Leon and Lucas are 1/5 non-EX, they can only get so far. If I were really aiming to push the score, this would be the solution. And who knows, maybe that would fix the godforsaken gauge issues too.

Vs. Flint (Evelyn, Hilda, NC Leaf) No healing is a brutal condition in Fire. With Anni N accounted for, the only other offense debuffer was NC Leaf. Without healing, the options for support were Marley or Evelyn, and I went Evelyn for the defensive ability. I slightly regret it. Part of my problem here is that Hilda mostly exists just to sync, but truth be told she's not the best pick. Without healing, all this Potion goes to waste. But my other options aren't EX either. I haven't EX'd Ethan, I won't EX SS Red, and I highly doubt Lodge Calem or Blarcanine are going to accomplish anything. But really, this fight is...bad. I think it might legitimately be in my best interest to drop Leaf and put in someone else, as Flint also uses Fire-type sync, and it's brutal. But I can't think of anyone who stands a chance. The problem with this mode is that it's all bulk. They deal good damage, you do not, so it's an endurance contest. Guess what doesn't work in your favor when you can't heal.

Vs. Chili (Marley, SS May, Lodge Irida) SS May really should be better than she is, but here we are. I tried to get Irida to flinch for some extra turns and boy did that not accomplish shit. Marley is frail beyond belief, and without debuffs, we're all just corpses in waiting. Nothing in this fight works in our favor. I can't even say there's a good SS May approach, since the only possible partner she works well with is NC Leaf. I could make that shuffle, but it's not great.

Vs. Flannery (SS Morty, Silver, SS Hilda) SS Hilda deals great DPS, and that's really the aim here. Flannery syncs Rock, which means Sun does little for her. Silver can take every sync after first, since the damage won't matter, while Hilda beats everyone down. Problem: spread damage from Searing Shot is required. V-Create will not get the job done, and you will not have a good time against full HP sides. Even with his bulk, Morty can only accomplish so much when the strength values start flying. I honestly hate it.

Final Thoughts I think I'm legitimately mad about this one. I have more EX Fire types than Water, but Water had nearly 80k more points out of this event. I held Master rank with Water. I don't even like Water. I like Fire. I was kinda looking forward to trying this one. But I think I hate it now.

This is an excellent showcasing of how badly you need good supports. Water thrived because it's got plenty of great support options to choose from, while Fire here is a nightmare. While I admit I could push score pretty dramatically with the right investment, I don't really want to do that. I don't care to invest in Leon, SS Red, and Eevee Lucas, just for this. I don't want to use my candy on this. So this is probably right where I'm staying. Which annoys me. I feel like I should be able to do better, but I don't think I want to try.

#high score event #fire high score #proving once again that Fire is a mid-tier typing

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