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chaoticgeminate · 1 year

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Cloud Nine (ii)

Summary: Returning home to Paldea to retire, after living a life known as the "Champion of Champions" brings you back to an old friend -now a new love- with dark secrets who need your help.

Pairing: Javi G x f!Reader

Rating: T (Any smut is going to be implied only)

Notes/Warnings: Nothing major, this story is going to be fairly light hearted, though I will be using some of the wild Pokédex entries as reference for a few scenes.

Written for @yearofcreation2023

Series Masterlist | Year of Video Game AUs Masterlist

and how much cooler could my life get? (3k)

Geeta waved cheerfully and you couldn’t help but return her enthusiasm, the League Chairwoman had been a fierce competitor during your own run and ever since you’d left she’d become a good friend keeping you updated on how many students came that qualified to compete for the title of Champion (not many), and if there was anyone who loved Pokémon in all of Paldea as fiercely as you did it was her.

“So, the Champion of Champions is ready to retire? It’s about time.” Geeta nudged you playfully and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, following her into the room where the rest of the Gym Leaders were all assembled. It was a camera free meeting, which Iono had tried to put up a fight about, but even she relented that if they were going to discuss major League infrastructure that it’d be best to keep that from the public for now.

“Vaultin’ Vezula! If it isn’t our Champion, home again I see!” Kofu was on his feet in a second, quick to come and clap you on the shoulder, with enough force to make you stumble, but the cheerful chef still made you grin even though you were sure that you’d end up with a bruise. You introduced yourself to the room, given the number of people here you hadn’t met or seen in so long, and most of them were really welcoming even if they were intimidated by Geeta’s presence.

As you took your seat it was Grusha who cleared his throat to speak up first.

“Team Rocket thugs were spotted on the mountain, trying to steal Pokémon from academy students, they’ve been getting bolder.”

“I’ve had my fair share appear in Artazon, they’ve tried to steal the Sunflora during my Gym Challenge.”

“They’re all around Cortondo too, I’ve had to request more Officers for patrols because of how many new students were being cornered.”

You listened to each Gym Leader begin talking about Team Rocket sightings, still not sure just how far Lucas’ influence reached, and noticed the way Poppy was watching you intently. If you were less paranoid you might’ve chalked it up to her being a child but you weren’t willing to rule anything out, not with your life -and Javi’s life- on the line here.

“Did we create a map network of where they’ve appeared? We may be able to triangulate their base location if there’s a center point.” Assuming Lucas was dumb enough to make his manor on the outskirts of Alfornado was a bad idea, for all his grandstanding and fake smiles Lucas was craftier than anyone could expect, you wouldn’t factor it out but you weren’t going to go charging in Water Gun blazing.

“We have a few locations marked but we hadn’t thought to do so immediately.” They sent you a copy of the map pins to your Rotom Phone, your eyes scanning to see if there were any possible patterns even with the limited sightings available to you. There wasn’t, especially with Area Zero blocked off in the center of the region completely, so for now you made a note to keep an eye on reports of Team Rocket sightings and add them to the map.

“I’ll start investigating the areas marked, since we’re still waiting on this year’s group of Academy students to progress through the League, and if anyone else has any sightings let me know immediately.” As the Champion you did have the allowance to forgo Squawkabilly taxis and just use a flying Pokémon to travel, since any League responsibilities were a priority, and your Corviknight -Rook- was always ready to stretch her wings.

Grusha nodded and the meeting shifted to talks of limited certain press interactions now that Rotom Phones were giving people unhindered access to Uva students and League challengers, Iono’s streaming popularity had inspired battle streamers and care-taking streams or food making streams, but the adult members of the press that began stalking and cornering these minors were a problem that had gone unchecked for so long.

As the room began to clear, once the meeting was adjourned and Geeta had a plan of attack to draft new limitations for the protection of the kids, you were stopped by Katy and Grusha for a moment in private. The two of them waited for everyone to get out of hearing range, with the former summoning her Nymble to make sure that the coast was clear.

“We think Team Rocket has a foothold with the Police force, and maybe the League.” Grusha was right to the point and you decided to choose your words carefully since you didn’t know if these two could be trying to learn what you know to report back to Lucas.

“It’s always a possibility, do you have viable evidence? After I helped put Giovanni behind bars I was sure that the records of Team Rocket members were thoroughly combed and that every member was subsequently locked up too.” Katy let out a soft noise before she glanced at Grusha, then handed you her Rotom Phone. On the screen she had a video playing of a police officer talking to a member of Team Rocket, near the Cortondo gym, promising him a better haul of Pokémon if he didn’t touch the Smoliv. Reminding the grunt that the Pokémon from Javi’s business were off limits.

“I sent this to the police and all that happened was new officers being sent to Cortondo, no arrests were made, so when I elevated it to the League and nothing changed… well I got suspicious.” Katy watched you send a copy of the video to yourself, taking her phone back, and you looked between the two of them carefully.

“I’ll head up to the Glaseado region to start my investigation, since they’ll likely expect me in Cortondo first given the amount of young trainers that come through. What I want the two of you to do for now is ask any trainer, any resident, if or how often they’ve seen Team Rocket grunts and a rough idea of where. We can’t find the source without narrowing their headquarters down.” Both Gym Leaders nodded and set out while you waited a moment, leaning against the wall, and Sneaky -your Mimikyu- slipped out of your shadow and hopped up onto your shoulder.

“Guess I should throw on a parka, huh Sneaky?” You had to make the moles, whoever they were, think you had a pattern; it was easy as the Champion to announce where you were going and appear there, it’d be expected of you. Meanwhile you tapped out a message on your Rotom Phone to Jacq, your former classmate -now biology teacher- about that potential Champion of his. Getting a child involved, a student no less, was risky but you personally had to handle this as carefully as you could.

If that meant being the distraction was the role you had to play then you'd take it.

Addie Cage was very chill compared to her father, Nicolas and Olivia had been thrilled that you’d reached out to meet with the contender Geeta and the other gym leaders had scouted out for you, you’d spent far too long having the actor attempt to convince you to do some public interview thing with him before he relented so you could plan a meeting with his daughter. Now as you sat at the picnic tables, having already laid everything out for her, you were very impressed with her immediate go-getter attitude.

“I’m not afraid of those Team Rocket thugs, a few of them have tried but none of them are as good as my team is.” You could understand now where Geeta and the others saw potential in the girl, she valued each of her partners in a way that some trainers just didn’t, the bonds of trust and love she was building with her Pokémon would inspire them to be stronger for her as well.

“That’s what I like to hear, I’ve reached out to the other region Champions and so far it looks like Team Rocket is the only one that has a return on the horizon. So if we stop them here then that should be the end of things.” You traded contact information directly once you knew she’d change her course back to Cortondo, to start looking around as subtly as she could, under the guise of wanting to look for specific Pokémon for her team. As you donned your parka and called Rook out, nodding to Addie, your Corviknight set off for Glaseado Mountain.

You would have to contact Javi and make sure you kept him updated too, though for now you were careful of using any contact that could be recorded or intercepted, but for now you made you way into the cold. As you expected the crowd was waiting for you, you had told Grusha to heavily mention your return, and after answering questions and signing autographs you got to work on scouting around the area for any signs of Team Rocket activity. A message from Addie confirmed that there were sightings in Cortondo, in the span of a few hours -while you’d searched through the cold- she had beaten three grunts and made sure that they were given to police custody.

Coordinating travel with Addie was easy, her Miraidon presented a lot of surprise in that you had never heard of the Pokémon before and it offered her much more mobility than a Cyclizar ever would, and by the time night began to fall you felt much more confident about your challenger and her capabilities as well as being able to outsmart Team Rocket after Addie recruited a few of her friends to the cause. Penny, Arven, Nemona, along with the former Team Star bosses -and their crews- were eager to help protect Pokémon all over Paldea and you couldn’t help but feel a little bit of regret and guilt that you were doing to them what had happened to you.

Making these children step up to protect their region because you’d been so absent from the League by traveling that nothing had changed to make things better for them.

Javi’s penthouse apartment was warm and you could hear voices when you opened the door, closing it silently and using the heavily padded carpet to your advantage.

“I did not tell her anything, Lucas, if she knew the truth do you truly believe she would have chosen to be with me?” Hearing the sound of Javi’s panic set you on edge but hearing his cousin’s name explained it well enough, you moved as quietly as you could to slip closer to where the duo conversed without being noticed and ducked behind the kitchen island to stay well out of sight of Javi’s study door. You silenced your Rotom Phone and set it to record, just in case Lucas said anything incriminating as a response, and the Pokémon controlled device moved to the top of the door frame silently.

“You do have a point, but I can assure you that if I find out you lied to me the consequences will be far worse than simply taking Arizona from you. It won’t be too hard to stage an accident for our Champion of Champions or even make her the scapegoat-“ His phone began to ring loudly and you resisted the urge to go in ready to fight, so far all that had been revealed was a threat against your life and that wouldn’t be enough.

Whoever was on the other end must have said something that set Lucas off.

“What do you mean our employees have been turning up in police stations significantly more? How are they losing to children?!” Lucas stormed out, slamming the door closed loudly to talk on Javi’s patio, and you waited until you heard Javi’s soft sniffles before sending out Sneaky to ensure the place was actually empty of Lucas’ possible men to hear you. Hurrying while Lucas’ back was turned to the elevator entrance, setting your bag down and slipping your shoes off in the entryway as if you'd just arrived.

Lucas’s head turned, the thick glass muffling what he was saying, and met your surprised gaze; it took all your acting ability honed from interviews to smile warmly and wave at the man like he was still just an exasperating relative. Lucas’ smile was a touch sinister -if you knew what to look for- as he waved back and pointed to the phone. You turned toward the study with a wrinkle of your nose and a roll of your eyes, crossing the penthouse to where you boyfriend was, and Javi’s eyes were wet with tears when you knocked on the study door; he darted a panicked look toward the window that made you shake your head gently.

“I slipped in while you two were… talking. I heard enough to know he think I don’t know the truth and that he thinks he can kill me or make me his fall girl.” Your whispered confession made Javi wrap his arms around your torso and you ran your fingers through his curls gently, cooing softly to make the sniffles go away, and you made sure your Rotom phone was tucked away when you heard the patio door open again. Lucas looked like he hadn’t just been screaming, which was impressive, as he walked into the room.

“There she is, our Champion of Champions has come home, how have you been?” You let go of Javi to hug the other man, not wanting to alert him to anything.

“Exhausted, the press is a nightmare so I spent so much of my time camping, this is the first time in a long time I’ve had a bed to sleep in; which just made me realize how badly my back hurts.” Lucas laughed with you and didn’t complain when you moved to sit down in one of the two heavily padded arm chairs, taking the other, as Javi excused his tears by saying Lucas had delivered good news. Your head tipped and the man only huffed before pulling a ring box out of his pocket.

“Oh? Who’s the lucky person?”

“Her name is Leona, our daughter Poppy is a member of the Elite Four., I’ve been putting this off but decided it was about time.”

Now you understood why Lucas influence in the League was both slow and very high up, as a child Poppy wasn’t given tasks that allowed her a lot of direct influence but she had to be permitted to sit in on League meetings.

“I didn’t know you had a daughter, Poppy is a darling little girl.” Javi looked just as surprised as you felt at the revelation, you suspected Lucas had kept his personal life very far from Javi on the chance that your boyfriend decided to finally fight back. Unseating Poppy as the Steel Type trainer for the Elite Four likely wouldn’t be difficult, all someone had to do was defeat her in a best of five battle after applying to the role, and if push came to shove you wouldn’t mind being a member of the Elite Four rather than the Champion if it meant securing Javi’s freedom.

“Somehow I got lucky that she’s most like her mother, I should probably allow you two some time together given your no doubt busy schedule.”

“Oh, well, just more of the same I guess. Preparing for the League season to potentially allow me to retire, making sure the Gym Leaders and Elite Four are up to snuff, and now working to shut down Team Rocket before they can get a solid foothold. I think the press is my biggest issue, since they’re too excited for interviews and whatnot, but I’m sure I’ll find whoever is trying to steal Pokémon from their trainers and revive Team Rocket soon and I’m more than willing to work with the League even if I get retired.” You decided to test the waters, to make sure he truly believed Javi hadn’t told you a thing, and Lucas’ soft chuckle as he patted you on the shoulder was warm with fondness.

“I’m sure you will, you certainly proved me wrong from so long ago, you’ve proven many naysayers wrong by making it as far as you have. Be safe.” As he left you waited for Sneaky to give you the all clear, the little ghost Pokémon purring when you picked it up to hug it close, and Javi met your gaze with a sad smile. If Lucas was telling the truth and Poppy was his connection to the League you had to be very careful how you handled this, sending a message to Geeta to stop my your apartment tomorrow, and you sighed softly.

“I had to get students involved, since they can move around virtually undetected, the press and Lucas will have their eyes on me. Addie, the one that Geeta and the other Gym Leaders have said is shaping up the be a solid contender to unseat me, got her friends involved too. I’m putting children in the line of fire, Javi-“

“Was that not what happened to you? Even before you began the Champion of a region, on your journey through it you were putting these organizations behind bars, and until the League steps in to do more this is the only way. Now that you’re home that can be your aspiration, to change things for the better for those that come after us, but for now you need to take advantage of this to keep ahead of him. I will not lose you to his greed, to this evil of my family.” Javi buried his face into your neck and you nodded, perched in his lap as you vowed to somehow repay Addie and her friends for doing what you couldn’t and cleaning up Paldea for good.

"Addie's father, Nicolas, is my favorite actor so it is very much bizarre to think that she's going to be facing you soon."

"Really? Huh, I guess I'll have to take him up on his offer to meet sometime then."

Javi's soft eyes and the way he silenced the slight whimper made you smile and kiss him on the corner of his mouth.

"You'd be attending too, silly man, don't act like I won't use my connections to make you happy too."

While it was a no strings attached offer you were more than delighted in how he expressed his gratitude.

All Fics Taglist: @haylzcyon @wordsnwhiskey @pagannightwitch @radiowallet @tauralmie @amneris21 @trickstersp8 @practicalghost @alwaysdjarin @alexxavicry @all-the-way-down-here @xoxabs88xox

Just Pedro Taglist: @maievdenoir @beecastle @littlemisspascal @writeforfandoms @aynsleywalker @lovesbiggerthanpride @mswarriorbabe80 @emiemiemiii

Alt Taglist: @imtryingmybeskar @fan-of-encouragement @grogusmum @sizzlingcloudmentality @deadhumourist

#year of creation #year of themed creation #year of video game aus #tuwomt fanfic #pokemon au fanfic #javi g xf!reader #javi gutierrez x f!reader #chaoticwrites

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savage-rhi · 2 years

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Immortal Shield Chapter 35: Gods Bane II

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Tagging: @seradyn

Ardyn’s eyes zeroed in on Noctis while he made his approach into the throne room. Several people bowed their heads out of respect. Ardyn only followed suit when he was the last one who hadn't had his head lowered. With every step the king took, the sound of his pacing echoed. The noise triggered Ardyn’s heart to beat rapidly. He swallowed, doing everything possible to maintain composure and upkeep his disguise. The scourge and all its impurities were practically screaming at this point. Somehow he ignored it.

There was suddenly a pause in the kings tempo. Noctis hadn’t finished ascending to the throne. Ardyn's brows knitted into a concerned glare. There was no reason for the king to stop with his procession.

Ardyn with great care and subtlety, tilted his head up to gaze at the king. Noctis was staring in his direction. There was a gloss in his pupils Ardyn could make out from afar. The kings ocean blue eyes appeared pale, reminiscent of something undead. The feature sent a trickle of nerves up Ardyn’s spine. He made a fist with his right hand, attempting to keep the scourge at bay. It became increasingly obvious to Ardyn with each passing second that Noctis knew he was there. He just couldn’t tell which one of the many citizens amongst the crowd was being worn as a mask. The energy of frustration radiated off of his majesty.

“Your highness,” A light British accent whispered upon reaching the bottom steps of the throne. Amongst murmurs and conversation, Ardyn observed Ignis convince the king to keep marching. As soon as Noctis made it to the top of the stairs, he immediately went to the throne to catch his breath. Several guard and personnel were at his side to offer aid.

“You all may reconvene the forum!” The announcer proclaimed. It was a matter of a seconds before everybody went back to discussing their plans and concerns regarding Insomnia. Ardyn made a face. No one seemed to be concerned that their king was off the mark.

“Selfish fools.” He muttered bitterly to himself.

Ardyn drifted into the crowd, circling in and out and making small talk every once in a while. He side eyed what was going on with Noctis and his retainers. A few concerning details came to light for him: One, the king appeared to be having breathing issues since he made it to the seat of power. Two, he could be heard requesting water every few minutes or so when Ardyn was within ear shot. Finally, there were occasions in which Noctis would stare into the crowd like a hawk readying itself to descend from the skies and catch its prey.

Ardyn could feel his instincts beckon him to get closer to the king. The scourge continued to tempt him to unleash, but he refused to give in. Not unless it was absolutely necessary to defend himself. Ardyn began to make progress towards his goal. With every passing minute, he was arriving towards his destination.

"I know thou ist here, Adagium."

Ardyn’s eyes widened. He stopped dead in his tracks. His amber eyes glanced around while he remained still. Ardyn feared if he moved an inch, the dragon king himself would emerge from the Astral Plane and strike him.

"Thou wear many masks in this lifetime. He who lacks courage to face me himself. Such pettiness will not go without punishment."

Ardyn felt a pulsing headache suddenly knock him down several pegs. His knees buckled and he fell forward; catching himself from falling on his face at the last second. Several concerned folks approached, to which Ardyn tried to calmly dismiss. The pain grew worse. As if dragon flame itself was scorching his skull.

“H-how are you--alive?!” Ardyn exclaimed.

"I have waited a quinquennial to rise again. Remnants of the crystal dwell within the King of Light. The crystal left it’s mark upon his majesty during decade slumber. Thy will not intervene. The scourge calls thou to answer the call of my brethren. I shall slay thee before thou can lay me to rest among mortals. Now come out into the light, cowardly Ardyn. Lucis. Caelum!"

Ardyn screamed. It felt as if something reached inside of his body and ripped out all his guts and bone until there was nothing left but neurons to pop. He fell to his hands and knees, yelling aloud for the sensations to end. The experience was on par with the torture he endured before being locked away in Angelgard. Ardyn never thought in a million years he’d witness so much agony once again.

While Ardyn suffered at the hands of an unknown entity, the throne room descended into chaos. The barking orders of crownsguard and retainers were scrambled among the yells and pleads of citizens. Everyone made a beeline for the major exits, while crownsguard escorted, and some were preparing to attack Ardyn until they were commanded to help the public first.

Noctis began to yell and scream himself. His right hand reached for his abdomen. His palm pressed down firmly as if something would explode from his stomach. He cried out in bellows, feeling a wave of nausea and utter rage begin to seep throughout himself. Noctis was beyond terrified. The several months leading up to this point had been an anxiety inducing mess. Worst of all, Noctis still had no clue why this was happening and what was doing this to him, making his body feel as if it was being ripped apart and glued back together.

“It hurts! Make it stop! P-Please! Please make it stop! Gladio! Iggy!” Noctis’s voice was teetering between inhuman screams and the most depressing whimpers to ever leave the body of a man. The desperation in his tone was harrowing.

“Noctis!” Ignis and Gladio both yelled while either of them attempted to hold Noctis down while he violently flailed. Noctis hit whatever he could, desperate to rise up from the throne. Snarls and growls escaped past his gritted teeth.

“Gladio, keep a hold of him!” Ignis yelled.

“I’m trying! I don’t know what’s going on!” Gladio shouted.

“We have to get a medic! We have to get the king somewhere safe!”

“What about that damn thing!?” Gladio gestured with his head towards Ardyn. He felt a painful jab to his jaw causing him to flinch. Noctis had landed a punch. Gladio growled and grabbed a hold of the arm that did the damage and attempted to force his weight upon Noctis.

“Let--the guard handle it! Our duty is to keep the king safe! We can worry about the intruder later!” Ignis proclaimed, while ordering Gladio to grab a hold of Noctis’s arms while he secured his legs. The two men began to carry Noctis out in this fashion while he continued to cry, his body shook fiercely in their grasp.

The darkness beckoned Ardyn to let go so he’d no longer feel the grasp of Bahamut's actions. He did just that, allowing the scourge to envelope him in its cold warmth to soothe the incomparable ache Bahamut had bestowed upon him with great intrusion. The disguise was gone, but Ardyn no longer cared.

Several inhuman rasps left Ardyn while his body transformed. The horns of Ifrit returned upon his skull and his flesh appeared more sickly than ever before. He slowly rose from the ground, grunting as he finally caught a break from the pain. Ardyn was so wrapped up in his own misery's that he didn’t register the commotion from afar, both Ignis and Gladio shouting. His eyes glanced up, and in a split second, Noctis--with a crazed look in his eyes--attempted to strike him down with the Sword of the Father.

Ardyn managed to summon Rakshasa at the last second, the blade meeting it’s equivalent with a booming thrash of metal against metal. A blue light encircled Noctis while his glossy eyes became more enraged.

“H-highness!” Ardyn called him out, only to be met with a snarling bellow.

“I will kill you, Adagium! I will kill you!”

Noctis rapidly and in quick succession slammed the Sword of the Father against Rakshasa. Ardyn knew he was more than capable of countering the strikes, but it would come at great risk of harming Noctis, and that was the last thing Ardyn wanted to do.

Their swords clashed again, the blades trembled as their masters desperately tried to overthrow the other.

“Noctis! I’m not here to harm you! Please, listen!”

“Damn you!” Noctis seethed. “Why won’t you stay dead?!”

“Bahamut is inside you! Do you hear me!? Cast him out!”

“Fuck you!” Noctis screeched. While Ardyn was too fixed on the meeting of their blades, Noctis swooped under his legs, causing Ardyn to collapse backward onto the ground. He then attempted to stab Ardyn through the head, but missed while Ardyn rolled to his side.

Noctis didn’t make it easy for Ardyn to get back on his feet. With every attempt, Noctis seemed to have a good counterstrike to keep Ardyn trapped to the marbled flooring. Ardyn felt on edge with each pass of their blades, knowing if he didn’t get out of a defensive position and into one of attack, he would be done for. Even with the might of the scourge coaxing him to continue to fight, Ardyn knew his endurance could only go so far against the body of a man empowered by a god. Bahamut's essence was seeping out of Noctis like a dam that had been broken. To make matters worse, Ardyn quickly glanced between his right and left, noticing both his majesty’s retainers, Gladio and Ignis, decided to join the fight. He could see them rushing to the aid of their king.

“Gods be damned!” Ardyn’s inhuman voice shouted. He managed to break free of Noctis’s swings and rose up.

Ardyn began to take the offense, overwhelming Noctis while trying to figure out a way to break him down without killing. Easier said than done...Ardyn thought to himself. He had Noctis taking several steps back. A look of utter scare traversed his features while Ardyn gained the upper hand. Ardyn couldn’t tell if it was Noctis himself or Bahamut that was growing terrified, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was he was showing signs of exhaustion.

“Noctis, listen---!” Before Ardyn could get another word, he felt a painful jab to his lower back. Gladio’s blade sliced down him. Ardyn quickly spun around, raising Rakshasa to return a blow to Gladio’s chest, only for Noctis to kick him at the injury site. Ardyn gasped and fell forward onto the ground. He winced several times, crawling onto his hands and knees.

“I’ll cut his head off!” Noctis yelled, beginning a starting run towards Ardyn.

“No you won’t!” Ignis suddenly stood between Noctis and Ardyn. Despite being blind, Ignis could sense the hesitation in Noctis’s movements. He raised his voice. “You never strike a man while he’s down, your majesty! Let Gladio assess the enemy and we will continue from there! We need to get you somewhere safe!”

Noctis was more than prepared to knock Ignis out of the way, even if it meant taking the blade to his retainer. Before Noctis could raise the sword up, he felt another wave of pain hit him. Noctis grabbed at the left side of his face, wincing while he stumbled backward. He dropped the Sword of the Father, the blade dissipating into thin air. His knees buckled until he was on the ground. Ignis ran to his aid, putting his palms upon Noctis’s shoulders to keep him steady.

“Gladio! What’s the status of our intruder?” Ignis hollered.

“I’m checking! I’m checking!” Gladio approached Ardyn. With caution and his sword poised to strike if necessary, the crownsguard commander gently used his right foot to flip Ardyn on his back mid crawl.

Ardyn panted heavily. His eyes closed while he heaved. The veins upon his flesh continued to branch out. Black smudge was pooling from the corners of his lips while he coughed.

“You can’t be--” Gladio squinted his eyes, studying Ardyn with scrutiny. He shook his head while looking past the daemonic features and into the core of who the attacker was. Gladio felt his blood run cold, his eyes widening in shock.

“Oh hell no!”

“What is it?!” Ignis shouted, managing to get Noctis to his feet while the king continued to whimper and grasp his head.

“It’s Ardyn! Ardyn Izunia!”

“That can’t be!”

“I’m staring at the son of a bitch, Ig! He’s right here!”

“Well done,” Ardyn croaked out. He opened his eyes, revealing his amber colored hues surrounded by a sea of darkness. It was enough to make Gladio jump back. Ardyn couldn’t help but chuckle as he rose the upper half of his body up.

“And to think I didn’t believe you had any brains under that skull of yours.”

A slight smile slipped across Ardyn’s lips. He was suddenly jolted upward. Gladio grabbed Ardyn by the collar of his shirt and hoisted him up.

“What the hell are you doing here?! You’re not killing Noct! We won’t allow it! You daemonic freak!”

“Y-you fool!” Ardyn choked out. His left hand grabbed a hold of the arm Gladio was holding him up by, claws digging into the man’s flesh. “I’m here to help--!”

“As if!” Gladio countered with a spat. “Why else would you terrorize innocents and attack the king at a public forum? It’s all part of your damn MO! We know you! Noct being sick…this is your doing, isn’t it!?”

“You--got it wrong!” Ardyn exclaimed. “I’m trying to--!”

“Noctis, wait!” Ignis yelled.

Noctis shoved Ignis out of the way. Before Gladio could register what happened, Noctis tackled him to the right, causing Ardyn to break free. Rakshasa and the Sword of the Father once more met. Both fighters struggled until Ardyn managed to land a hit to Noctis’s upper chest when he neglected to defend, sending Noctis several feet back. Before he could land another upon the king, Ardyn was confronted by both Ignis and Gladio. Each respectively attacking Ardyn with both long sword and daggers.

Ardyn could feel his flesh being pricked by the daggers Ignis summoned to his aid. Gladio struggled to land another blow like he did before, but Ardyn could feel himself losing ground. He needed to incapacitate them both, otherwise he stood no chance fighting one on one against Noctis.

“You two are being ridiculous!” Ardyn shouted as he exchanged hits with both men. “I’m here to help!”

“Then put your blade down if you’re so inclined!” Ignis commanded. “Call for peace and you’ll have it! We swear to you!”

“And let the king lay his blade to my throat? I think not!” Ardyn countered.

“Serves you right regardless!” Gladio shouted, letting out a powerful yell as he swung his sword towards Ardyn’s head, missing him by a few inches.

“It doesn’t matter if he wants peace!” Noctis screamed from afar. “Kill him! Help me kill him!”

Soon enough, Ardyn was fighting three to one. The wound Gladio had dealt to him was beginning to throb painfully with every block and parry Ardyn had to perform to ensure he wouldn’t be hit. The scourge continued to give him the strength to carry on, yet Ardyn knew he was being backed into a corner. Eventually he wouldn’t have the stamina to keep this up. He’d have to summon the royal arms much like he did against Tempus and the Einherjar. A huge risk to be certain, especially when the main villain in this fight was a deity that hijacked the body of a monarch.

As he traded blow for blow, and counter for block, Ardyn mentally beat himself up for excluding Caelan. If she was at his side, he would’ve had better odds. Yet he couldn’t fathom nor forgive himself if she were taken from either of the three idiots he was dueling to the death. Something had to give. Otherwise, Ardyn knew it would be over before he’d have a chance to strike down Bahamut once and for all.

The words of the draconian from earlier ran through Ardyn’s mind while he continued to fight, along with the cryptic messages he received during his nightmares. In a matter of seconds, Ardyn was able to figure it all out. How the dragon god came to be despite being defeated years ago.

Shards of crystal, the dragon calls. Dragon born from slayer. Heavy heart, youngblood falls. Seal draconic entity to its fate.

Noctis, during his ten years of residing within the crystal, absorbed its essence into himself. It remained with him long after the damned rock had been destroyed. The crystal, with it being so intimately connected to the gods, acted as a gateway for Bahamut to resurrect himself. The Astral’s spirit latched onto the crystal remnants within the king, causing his sudden sickness and erratic behavior. Bahamut was using Noctis to siphon his life force in order to come back from the dead much sooner than expected. And on a primal level, Ardyn understood the scourge was the key to casting the bastard back into the cosmos.

It all made sense. Ardyn knew what he had to accomplish, and it gave him the strength to up the ante. Despite the pain he was under, despite how tired his arms and legs were growing, he had to fight. He had to endure. He wasn’t going to allow the damned draconic entity to ruin another set of lives for his own gains. Even if said people hated Ardyn with every fiber of their being.

“Guys! Stop!” Prompto shouted from afar. He ran with Caelan following close behind.

The three men who were locked in combat looked up in surprise. All distracted until Noctis erratically jabbed the hilt of his sword towards Ardyn’s chest, causing him to grunt out. To everyone’s surprise, Noctis took off running from the battle. His body jolted and writhed in pain. His yells carried out into the hallways.

Ardyn had a feeling there was a part of Noctis still in there, desperately trying to keep Bahamut from succeeding with his plans.

“Prompto! Follow Noct!” Gladio commanded.

“You got it! Don’t do anything stupid guys, all of you!” Prompto shouted. Before he could fill the rest of the gang on what was going on, and who Caelan was, Prompto made a beeline for the king out of instinct. He felt his heart stammer. Hoping against hope that his friend would survive whatever the hell this ordeal was.

Ardyn began to run until he was blocked off by both Ignis and Gladio.

“What are you two idiots doing!?” Ardyn shouted. “I’m the only thing standing between your precious kings demise and keeping an Astral from obliterating this godforsaken planet!”

“Gladio, wait--!” Ignis attempted to grab a hold of his comrade, but to no avail. The bulky soldier was already moving into the offensive.

“Over our dead body’s!” Gladio shouted. He didn’t hesitate to swing his sword at Ardyn, once more picking the fight back up where they left off.

"That can be arranged!" Caelan shouted. A static noise on par with the vibrational frequency of electricity preparing to explode sounded off. Caelan performed a warp strike, hitting Gladio square in the chest with the reverse side of her blade and sent him flying while she got between him and Ardyn. Soon after she applied a harsh kick to Ignis’s chest. The retainer was cast off in the same direction as Gladio. Both the men crashed nearby the marble pillars in the throne room.

“Cahl!” Ardyn felt his heart leaping from his chest upon seeing her. He wanted nothing more than to drop Raksasha and pull her into his arms.

“YOU!” Caelan shouted while she pointed her blade to him accusingly, then blocked a series of attacks from Ignis’s knives that flew towards her.

Whatever happiness and deep concern Ardyn felt towards Caelan arriving to save his hide fell away. He wouldn’t be surprised if she too began to attack him. The look of contempt she wore made Ardyn swallow nervously.

Both Gladio and Ignis were still trying to recover after taking hits. Caelan focused her subsequent attacks on the marble pillars within the room. The large boulder-like monuments tumbled and caused quite a commotion. Debris flooded the throne room with a thick chalky color.

Ardyn began to cough, feeling the air become thick with dust. He let out a surprised gasp while Caelan approached and grabbed a hold of his right hand, sprinting out of the room and into one of the main hallways. He couldn't help but smile. Her presence soothed him greatly.

“Catch me up, what happened?” Caelan shouted while she kept running with Ardyn in tow.

“It’s Bahamut. The damned God is attempting to revive himself through Noctis.” Ardyn coughed a few more times in between trying to keep up with Caelan.

“How the fuck--?!”

“Noctis was in the crystal for over ten years. Even with it being destroyed, the boy absorbed remnants. Enough to where Bahamut could draw strength from and begin regeneration. The kings body is acting like a portal to the Astral Plane, and Bahamut is trying to get through so he can finish what he started, and--”

“We gotta hurry then!” Caelan exclaimed.

“Cahl, stop, stop, stop!” Ardyn fired off rapidly. He grabbed a hold of Caelan’s shoulders when she slowed, forcing her to look at him as they came to a grinding halt.

“Are you alright?” He couldn’t help but think of her safety before his own, eyes glancing over her face.

“I’m pissed!” Caelan admitted, taking in a few deep breaths. “Ardyn, we were supposed to do this together as a team!”

“I know!”

“Yet you left me behind!” Caelan shoved him. “You suicidal idiot, I was worried to death!”

“I don’t want to lose you!” Ardyn yelled. He furrowed his brows, his breathing becoming labored at the thought.

“You have no right to decide what I can and cannot do! I chose to come here and help you!”

“I can’t lose you. Do you understand? I can’t. I know you, Cahl--I know how much you wish to protect me. I couldn’t in good conscience put you in a situation where you’d get in the way. You dare call me the suicidal idiot? Well…look in the mirror! Look at yourself and what you’re doing! What you did back there!”

“Ardyn,” Caelan sighed, grabbing either side of his face. Her anger stilled. She smiled when his eyes locked with hers. “I made you a promise. That I wouldn’t stick my neck out for yours. I intend to keep it.”

“What?” A small gasp escaped from Ardyn’s mouth while Caelan pressed her forehead to his. Both their eyes shut momentarily while enjoying the contact and its familiarity.

“We’re sticking to the plan we made from this point on,” Caelan began and pulled back. Her features became serious while her hands still grasped the sides of his face, thumbs feeling over his stubble and flesh. “You’re going to keep moving and I’m staying behind.”

“Cahl, I can’t just leave you to--”

“No,” Caelan shook her head. “No ifs and buts about it. This is what we agreed to. I’m your shield and guard. My place in this mess, is making sure no one gets to you while you confront the king.”

Ardyn let out a huff, shaking his head in her grasp. The uncertainty in his honey colored eyes plagued him to no end. “So no protests or counter arguments on your part to convince me otherwise I should let you join in?”

Caelan laughed. “I told you before, dragons and prophecies are beyond my understanding. I already did the math. If I were to participate in your fight against an Astral, I’d only get in the way. I know my limitations, Ardyn. And my strengths. I have you to thank for that. My place is here. I’m choosing to stand down and guard you so you can succeed. It’s not my call to interfere with what you need to do. I know this.”

Caelan let his face go, her hands now went to his. Their fingers entangled while Caelan gave Ardyn’s hands a tight squeeze before lessening the pressure. “I love you. Now go. Get your answers, fuck up a God, and save your grand nephew. You can do this. You’re strong, and I know you’ll find your way back.”

Ardyn pulled Caelan into a kiss, he parted shortly upon hearing the marching steps of the crownsguard coming their way. The concern he held for Caelan once more plagued Ardyn as he murmured.

“Cahl,”

“Ardyn, trust me.” Caelan nodded, raising her brows for emphasis as her right hand held up to stop him. “I have this covered. I can handle the two back there. Keep moving forward, don’t look back. No one here will touch you. I have Eos, and you have the cosmos. I promise.”

Ardyn forced himself to nod. He realized he needed to put his trust in her as much as Caelan was giving her faith to him. Before Ardyn knew it, his feet began to take him away from her. He shook his head, then gestured towards her with a warning.

“I swear if you get hurt--”

“You have a higher chance of kicking the can versus me. Now shut up and go!”

Her smile alone could be the death of him. Ardyn allowed himself a few seconds to gaze over Caelan’s form before he took off up ahead, moving through a set of large doors and into the heart of the citadel.

Caelan watched Ardyn until she could no longer see him, wanting to make certain he wouldn’t come back to her. She swallowed, allowing her fears for Ardyn’s life to surface now that he wasn’t accompanying her. Caelan wasn't sure if Ardyn had the power to come out of this mess unscathed, but she knew she’d be there for him when the dust settled.

Caelan quickly turned around from the direction she and Ardyn had came from. Several troops made their presence known, drawing their weapons and slowly began to creep in towards Caelan's space. She shook her head, letting out a deep breath while taking a defensive position. Her grip on the hilt of her blade tightened.

“Don’t take another step towards the kings chambers!” One of the guards yelled. “You will come with us quietly!”

“Alright,” Caelan nodded. She could see several of the crownsguard ease up, some already making the stupid assumption she was going to surrender without a fight. Many weak points were exposed to her in a number of seconds. She let out a sigh, furrowing her brows. “Who's dying first?”

#immortal shield #ardyn lucis caelum #ardyn #ardyn izunia #ffxv #ffxv ardyn #final fantasy xv #fanfic #fanfiction #time to fuck up a dragon god

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iantimony · 1 year

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tuesday!

hello tuesday :) i'm going to start crossposting these onto my dreamwidth also just so i have a non-tumblr log of my weekly updates. please friend me on dreamwidth i would love an excuse to move platforms more

listening: OH i listened to SO much this week. i tuned in to my spotify release radar thing and it was a great idea to get exposed to some new music from artists i already know i like! i also peeped the discover weekly one a bit

i haven't listened to the newest paramore album in full but 'running out of time' was on the release radar playlist and i really really like the sounds! it feels very st vincent-y to me in a way that i wasn't expecting from paramore so i wonder if that was a conscious influence at all? or if they were both separately influenced by the same sources? it's really good though. i dont remember following shakey graves but they also rule i've been jamming to the whole album 'deadstock' which i think is just a collection of some of their more popular tracks? plus some live recordings. and tom rosenthal makes me cry still

from discover:

and then i found memi through...instagram reels i think? instagram has unfortunately nailed the type of music they should serve me to get clicks so i do. keep clicking them. anyways i love her

reading: quantum :V

oh wait actually i do have reading this week! i re-opened the slowly app (i downloaded it years ago but stopped using it at some point), which is a real-time penpal app - you can send letters to random people in the world, and it will send in "real time" as if you were actually mailing a letter! so i opened it and the app went oh? you're active? cool! and i started getting letters! so i got one from a guy in morocco, which i replied to right away, and also one in mandarin which i have NOT replied to right away because i had to spend like an hour translating it rip. out of five i put my mandarin proficiency at a 2 on my profile but honestly that may be too high oops. ah well. it'll be cool to try and get my mandarin back up to snuff! it'll also be a great way to learn things like idioms and other stuff that doesn't show up as often in traditional learning materials.

for example, phrase that i learned is 畅所欲言, chang4 suo3 yu4 yan4, which is a standard four-character idiom that means to speak without inhibitions or to just frankly speak your mind. i have like a full two pages of new words and phrases that i had to look up to read the letter which is awesome!

the letter from morocco was very cool and like...poetry adjacent? which im not sure if it's just because of a translation quirk - he said his english isn't the best - but i dunno. "I am writing to you because writing is a companion of the tired". anyways.

watching: i started watching evangelion with my partner!! we did ... i think about five episodes last week? it owns. this is the first time in a really long time that i've, like...gone blind into a media? my only exposure to eva has been through out-of-context memes (shinji get in the robot) and i feel like a lot of the time with TV shows i tend to read the wikipedia page before watching to see if it's really worth it :") i've never really cared about spoilers or whatever because honestly if it's a good enough show it won't really matter if i know what's going to happen or not, it's more about How it happens and how it's shot/framed/acted/etc. but i have zero context for eva and im very much enjoying it! i wasn't expecting the body horror at all it rules

making: making good progress on my embroidery project! this photo is from about two weeks ago but it's the most recent one i have and honestly haven't done THAT much more. i just finished filling that vertical headphone cord in with red, started some other headphone cord...after that all i have left is the letters (rip) and then doing maybe some sort of sashiko stitch/cross hatching as fill for the hair? like some spaced out x patterns in a grid or something like that. because i'm sure as shit not doing a satin or brick stitch to fill all that in and i think it'll still look good that way.

im also finishing up valentines gifts to mail to people :3

misc: hgg. quantum midterm on march 2. it is Rapidly approaching and im very nervous about it but in a VERY different way - this semester he's having the exams be open note and open book, which could be really good or really really bad. on the plus side i dont have to drive myself insane memorizing equations on flash cards again, most of my studying will probably be uber-familiarizing myself with the layout of the notes so i know where to reference things and also copying out things from online that might be relevant. on the minus side it means i have really no clue on how hard this exam will be. pain.

research is going. i feel like im sooo close to getting shit to work. however i am also experiencing research fomo because a prof that i didnt even know existed gave a presentation on her group for potential new students and i went wait wow that fucks. sigh. i think that's all for this week gang, gonna crosspost to dreamwidth after lunch!

#tuesdayposting #Spotify

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gameminds · 1 year

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Tooth Gone

I got my tooth extracted. hooray

lol but seriously. I already feel substantially better psychologically just to have it out and not have to worry about it, and it hurts less than it has when it was at its worst already anyway. I'm glad I was at least able to be on top of my shit for long enough and consistently enough that I was able to get that done.

I'm still a little short on the financial side, and unfortunately I still haven't been able to monetize streaming or writing in any way yet. But really, I'm still in a very happy hobby space with both of those, and I've been very successful with school and work in the mean time. Partially because I sold a house last year, I'm essentially getting exactly zero dollars back on my tax return. So it may be another few weeks of grinding pretty hard until the end of the semester in the first week or so of May.

This summer, I'm going to be taking 4 full credit classes, so my school schedule is going to ramp up pretty dramatically. But I'm in a place where my productivity level and focus level is at all time highs, and I'm feeling more comfortable and fulfilled than I maybe ever have. Unfortunately again, I will probably have to reduce my content output a little. But basically no one is consuming it right now anyway XD

If you've stopped by the blog or my stream, I'd love to hear from you! I've been really interested to get feedback and hear from people who share interests with me, and I'm eager to build a bigger community of people that I feel like a part of. If you read my stories and you enjoy them, please please please share them, comment on my posts about them, send me a message, anything at all to let me know you're out there! Helping me share my stories with new people is the most important way you can help me meet more writers and content creators, share queer, progressive content you enjoy with people you love, and grow my channel so that I can keep adding more stories to the portfolio! Letting me know what you like and don't like, what you want to see more of, what keeps you coming back, and how I can help you see yourself in my stories is the most important way you can let me know that you appreciate the effort I put into crafting stories that speak to people, and help me get better and better all the time!

Anyway today I'm feeling very grateful after having several very bad weeks full of a lot of pain, stress, and depression. For anyone out there who reads this blog, reads my stories, watches the stream, hangs out with me on twitter-- thank you for spending some of your time with me and my weird thoughts!

the patreon can be found through my linktree if you want to support or check out my stories-- everything on patreon except the story outlines is available TOTALLY FREE. any amount you want to contribute goes directly to supporting me as a writer and content creator.

I've been posting stories sort of scattershot between a bunch of different profiles, but this week I'm going to migrate all of them over so that they're linked on both the patreon page and my writing blog, AB sci-fi. All of the stories will also be migrated to Google Docs in the process. I may even do some updates and edits 😉

Hope all is well with all of you! Enjoy the stories!

Catch you next time-

-AB

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shioaoi · 1 year

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Every game I played & beat in 2022 and my thoughts / opinions.

Ai: The Somnium Files

While released a few years ago, I finally got round to playing it due to NirvanA Initiative being released and an acquaintance of mine adores these games. I'm a sucker for mystery based games, and the whole mental fuckery mixed with the somnium gameplay and eccentric characters just ticked all of the boxes for me. While graphicly it's nothing spectacular, I didn't really care because everything else kept me hooked and I'm very much cemented in the 'this is a highly underrated game' camp

Hours played: 27

Trophy Achievemnts: 45/45

Ai: The Somnium Files - NirvanA Initiative

This was not a sequal I was expecting to get, considering how the original game flew under the radar. Guess the creators were like, fuck financial success we want to make what we want - and I appreciate that. While I don't think the mystery is as tight as the first game, NirvanA Initiative wacked mental fuckery up 10 folds. I loved all the new characters; the gameplay tweaks and new additions made it even more enjoyable to play than its predecessor.

Hours played: 32

Trophy Achievements: 49/49

Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp

This game only can exist and sell because us Danganronpa fans are starved for content following the five year dry spell since V3 release. It's basicly a repackaged version of the mini game you unlock when you beat the main game. Was it nice returning to my DR2 children and seeing all the new interactions? Yes. Did I cry over my best girl Mukuro getting some validation and recognition? Yes. Would I recommend? Absolutely not.

Hours played: 20+

Final Fantasy XIV - A Realm Reborn & Heavensward

This year was the year I finally fell into the rabbit hole that was FFXIV. As an avid Final Fantasy fan, I tried playing a few years back but I didn't bite. I then tried again after my girlfriend switch servers out of solidarity and I got hooked. I found a great group of people to play & bard with and began to fall in love with the world and story. Unfortunately, I've not made a lot of progress further then part way through the post Heavensward updates because my completionist nature means I refuse to move onto the next expansion before I've done all of the available content & side quests. It's an on running joke about I will never get to Endwalker.

Hours played: 600 - 700

The Great Ace Attorny Chronicles

Last year I began to properly get into the Ace Attorny franchise. I played through Phoenix Wright Trilogy, and Apollo Justice on mobile & the first half of Duel Destinies (plz Capcom port them to console). I brought The Great Ace Attorny on sale and over the course of a few months played through all episodes. It took some time because heavy visual novel games takes a particular mindset as it required a lot of reading and I'm permanently tired. I loved the visual style and setting (Steam Punk Victorian London is a weak spot of mine - see Code Realize). I loved all the characters, from the main cast to the individual chapter characters. I didn't know all of the twists that were coming even if some I accidently spoiled some for myself. Just a pleasant roller coaster and places the Ace Attorney as one of my favourite video game franchises.

Hours played: 128

Trophy achievements: 19/30

Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Zero Dawn was one of my favourite PS4 Games and one of the only western open world games I actually care for. For the sequal, I enjoyed the gameplay lots and explored every nook of the map. Unfortunately the story wasn't as engaging as the first, mainly because Aloy didn't develop and grow like she did in ZD. I loved the supporting cast a lot, particularly Beta, Kotallo and Alva. The gameplay will keep my coming back, though I hope they don't drag the story out until its just becomes empty.

Hours played: 70

Trophy achievements: 59/59

Jump King

Did I play this because many content creators did? Yes. Did I reach the top? No. I still had a blast chilling for a month or so playing this as a timekiller and seeing my progress and improvement.

Hours played: 10+

Life is Strange: True Colors

Think this was released in 2021 but I only got round to playing it in January. The first Life is Strange and Before the Storm had a very big impact on me, but I never played LiS 2. When True Colors was announced as a full game and not being released in parts, well I was intrigued. Playing it was like slipping into a cosy jumper you long forgot about the back of the closet. The gameplay and corniness was familiar but welcoming. The quality improvements in the graphics and controls was nice and made the whole experience better. I don't think I enjoyed the story and characters as I did the first game & prequel, but I also am happy to see this franchise that I have a soft spot for evolve and try somthing new.

Hours Played: 12

Trophy Achievements: 41/41

Minoria

I brought this indie souls like on my switch for under £5 in a sale. I had been missing a game I could just pick up and play for half an hour or so. Its a 2D souls like and while there isn't to much to the story, the setting was enough to grab me in and I had fun exploring the map; I never got to frustrated with dying because 9/10 it was because of my own stupidity. For somthing I brought on a whim, I had fun.

Hours Played: 10

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

This game I played in two halves. As a longtime pokemon fan I brought it on release and I put a good number of hours just running around catching pokemon and trying to fill the pokedex. I actually didn't progress the story because my completionist nature made me want to complete the pokedex in each area before I moved on to the next one. I eventually just sorta fell out of playing, having not even made it half way through the game. Then during the peak of the UK heatwave in the summer I was hospitalised with acute pancreatis and had to have emergency surgery to prevent me from dying. When I returned home it was to hot for me to stay in my room so I was downstairs a lot with only my switch and - since I had no money at the time - I picked up Arceus again and not only beat the story but also 100% the Pokedex, which I had never done before in a Pokemon game. It was a fun experiment by Game Freak and I hope we get another, expanded version of this game style in the future.

Hours played: 100+

Resident Evil Village: Shadows of Rose DLC

Now, I'm not a big RE fan - outside of the RE 2 Remake, Village was the only real RE game I had played (I had watched let's plays of RE7). For the most part I had a lot of fun with Village so when Halloween rolled around and I had no plans, I brought the DLC Shadows of Rose for some horror fun. And again, like with the first game, I had a lot of fun. Exploring the Castle again was a lot of fun, and they somehow made the Doll House even scarier like jfc. I liked Rose a lot and I cried at the stories resolution. A very enjoyable evenings entertainment.

Hours played: 3-4

Spiritfarer

Another game that came out a few years ago and I am only now just getting around to playing. It had been on my radar & wish list for a while and I finally picked it up during the time I underweather but not yet diagnosed with pancreatis and hospitalised. This was by far my favourite game I've played this year and the one I think back to constantly. The visuals are gentle yet stylised; the soundtrack soothing and the gameplay and story to well intertwined together. It was just such a chill game to play - I loved building my ship and recognising the whole thing every time I constructed a new building. I loved all the characters and their stories, and each one impacted me in different ways and I would get genuinely sad whenever I had to let someone move on. It one of those games I wish I could erase my memory of and replay blind all over again.

Hours played: 45+

WILL: A Wonderful World

An interesting little visual novel I brought during a sale. The premise is you have to move around pieces of the characters situation / dialog to change the outcome and progress. Some of the stories were kinda wierd and one that even kinda disgusted me, but the core gameplay was interesting enough that I played through to the end. It isn't a particularly long story, but I enjoy Visual Novel that add elements in so you aren't just clicking the continue dialog button.

Hours played: 10 hours

Honourable shoutouts to games I've started but not yet finished.

Persona 5: Royal

Pokemon Violet

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story

#shio be gaming #ai somnium files #nirvana initiative #pokemon #shadows of rose #resident evil village #final fantasy xiv #minoria #Will: A Wonderful World #final fantasy #spiritfarer #life is strange #horizon forbidden west #danganronpa

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motivationaquotes1 · 10 months

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Releasing Motivation - Hardik Pandya Quotes that Resound

In the realm of cricket, Hardik Pandya has displayed excellent abilities as well as shared smart words that resound with fans and hopeful competitors the same. His statements go past the limits of the pitch, filling in as a wellspring of inspiration and life examples. This blog entry digs into the significant insight implanted in Hardik Pandya Quotes, investigating their effect and pertinence.

The Substance of Hardik Pandya Statements

Hardik Pandya's statements are not only an assortment of words; they exemplify his excursion, battles, and wins. These statements act as a guide of motivation for anybody endeavoring to conquer obstructions and seek after their fantasies. How about we dig into a portion of his most effective statements that keep on making a permanent imprint:

"Have confidence All the while, Results Will Follow"

Hardik Pandya's statement accentuates the significance of zeroing in on the excursion as opposed to focusing exclusively on the result. This way of thinking addresses that predictable exertion and commitment make ready for progress, paying little mind to quick outcomes.

"Dauntlessness is My Solidarity"

In a world frequently overwhelmed by self-uncertainty and misgivings, Hardik Pandya Quotes highlights the meaning of dauntlessness. An update embracing difficulties head-on and facing challenges are fundamental to individual and expert development.

Hardik Pandya Statements: Enabling Competitors

Hardik Pandya's statements are not restricted to the cricketing field; they stretch out their impact to hopeful competitors across various games. These statements give important experiences and inspiration:

"Stretch Your Boundaries, Break Obstructions"

This statement urges competitors to rise above their constraints and break liberated from apparent limits. It's a call to persistently challenge oneself and hold back nothing, both genuinely and intellectually.

"Consistency: The Bedrock of Accomplishment"

Hardik Pandya's statement features the significance of consistency in making progress. Competitors are reminded that consistent advancement and steadfast commitment lead to wonderful accomplishments over the long run.

Also Read : Motivational Quotes in Hindi

FAQs About Hardik Pandya's Insight

What enlivened Hardik Pandya's statements?

Hardik Pandya's statements are motivated by his own encounters, difficulties, and wins. They mirror his outlook and his excursion as an expert competitor.

How might competitors apply Hardik Pandya's statements to their preparation?

Competitors can apply Hardik Pandya's statements by involving them as mantras during instructional meetings. These statements can move them to remain committed, brave, and zeroed in on their objectives.

Where could I at any point find a greater amount of Hardik Pandya's statements?

You can find an assortment of Hardik Pandya's statements on his authority web-based entertainment records, meetings, and articles highlighting his bits of knowledge.

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Conclusion:

Hardik Pandya's excursion from a youthful cricketer to a carefully prepared competitor is set apart by assurance, boldness, and a persevering quest for greatness. His statements typify these qualities, filling in as directing lights for people from varying backgrounds. As we retain the pith of Hardik Pandya's words, let us be propelled to stretch our boundaries, conquer difficulties, and produce a way of valor and achievement.

Source: https://wordpress.com/post/motivationaquotes.wordpress.com/113

#Hardik Pandya Quotes #Hardik Pandya Quotes in Hindi

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unoriginalmess · 3 years

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A Second Mask: Chapter 4

Did that just happen?

Hello guys! It's me. I'm finally writing again. Sorry about the delay. I'm going to explain more at the end of the chapter, but I'm just going to keep the beginning short. So here is chapter 4:

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To say Adrien was concerned would be a huge understatement. He was downright disturbed. Its been weeks and still Marinette hadn't changed back to the happy, peppy, nice girl that he knew. AND SHE WOULDN'T EVEN TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT!

He tried to talk to her for a whole week after her original trasformation, but after the repeated firm rejections, he stopped altogether. He figured that maybe with some space, she might be able to work through whatever she was going through, but at this point, he's losing hope.

When he is feeling this distressed about something, he usually turns to his lady, but she has been acting weird too. Ever since she suggested they start sparring, she's started to show that she is going through kinda a rough time as well. She is the same ladybug when everyone is watching, but when it's just the two of them, she looks sad and tired. She has also started saying some concerning things while they are sparring. She has started talking about how she has started taking being Ladybug and the Guardian more seriously, and how she has less distractions now, which would be a good thing if she didn't say them so sadly.

The good thing is, the sparring has given him a chance to get out his aggression because of the whole Marinette-situation and his anger at his father in a safe environment. He didn't like the idea of hitting Ladybug at first (especially in the face) but with her not holding back on her hits, he felt more comfortable doing the same. It has helped them fight better too. He hopes that whatever Ladybug is going through in her civillian life will work itself out soon, but until then he will be there for her. He just needs to figure out how to be there for Marinette.

•••

Felix was making good progress with Marinette. After they first asked marinette about (insert fashion question of your choice here, I legit know nothing and I didn't have time to research anything for this chapter), she had started answering their questions on a daily basis. After a couple of days of that, she had started to rant to them about different things in the fashion world that were bothering her, exciting her, or confusing her that particular day. In response to that, they had started to respond to her rants with their own opinions on the subjects and even start their own rants.

It had gotten to the point where Felix would now consider them to be friends, though they know that Marinette would never call them as such, it was fine with them. They know she has trust issues, and they can understand why, so they are fine with being friends in everything but a name.

Felix was looking forward to their daily banter as they waited in their seat for Marinette to arrive. When she did, she was followed by a very pissed-looking Alya. Felix turned to look at her and noticed that she had what looked to be tears forming in her eyes. What they didn't notice was the little black butterfly that had entered through the window in the back of the room, and was making a beeline towards her.

•••

Marinette walked to school in yet another one of her newest fashion creations: a pair of oversized grey ripped jeans and a navy blue sweatshirt. She was actually really liking her new look, and the comfort that it offered was just an added plus.

She was actually feeling excited to talk to Felix about Gabriel Agreste's newest fashion flop. They were the only person that she had met that actually cared about fashion as much as her. It made her happy to talk to them. It kind of scared her how excited she was. Shouldn't she be distancing herself from everyone? she thought to herself. No. Felix isn't my friend, they aren't close to me, they are just someone I talk fashion with. Like a coworker, yeah. Totally. Felix is just a coworker. ("Liar" says the inner voice in her head)

She was shocked out of her thoughts when she was pulled to the side by someone as she entered the courtyard. Her mind immediately thought of an akuma, when the person spoke.

"Marinette! Girl," Oh it's just Alya. Wait Alya? "How long are you gonna keep up this cry for attention? Are you really THAT jealous of Lila? I know that Adrien likes her, but that doesn't give you the right to act like this! And you are hanging out with Felix, who accused her of sexually harrassing Adrien on their first day here-?" She looked absolutely furious at her, but Marinette had heard enough. She cut Alya off in the middle of her presumably long rant.

"ALYA!" Said girl jumped at both the inturruption and the tone of voice used, "First of all, this isn't a cry for attention, if anything its a cry for leaving me the fuck alone. Second of all, I'm not jealous of Lila. I'm not in love with Adrien anymore, and haven't been for a while. You knew that I was dating Luka right? Why would I care who Adrien likes? Lastly, I am allowed to hang out with whoever I choose, whether you like them or not. It's none of your fucking business Alya, and if you think that I'm just some jealous, attention-seeker why do you even care?" With that last question she stormed off to the classroom, leaving a speechless Alya behind her.

When marinette sat down in her seat, she just kept thinking about how Alya was just talking to her. How could she think that about her? They used to be best friends, and Alya wasn't even concerned about her not talking to her anymore, she was just concerned about her being "jealous of Lila". It made her so furious that she could feel tears trickling down her face. She sees the black butterfly out of the corner of her eye and without hesitation grabs it out of the air.

(Next part is taken from this post by @bigfatbreak)

"Go ahead and akumatize me- See what happens, Hawkmoth!" She screamed the words with a slight madness that the energy of the akuma was giving her, "Every leash has two ends! I just have to pull until I find where you're holding it!"

At this point, the entire class was frozen in place watching her and listening to her crazed-sounding voice threaten an actual terrorist. Marinette felt Hawkmoth's confusion and terror through the bond. What in the- She's sensing me through the Akuma?! The akuma then started to fly away, and when it couldn't it zapped her hand like it was made of lightning and fluttered through the same window it came from. Marinette felt like she had failed yet again and collapsed down on her desk, muttering, "Uuuuggghh. It escaped anyway... What a waste. I didn't realize that Hawkmoth was such a coward. He usually likes grandstand..."

She was startled when her hand was picked up by Felix's, "You likely scared him off by managing to locate him like that... A risky move, I should mention. I would ask that you not attempt that a second time. No one knows what his akuma is truly capable of. You'll want to keep off of this hand for a while, too."

"Oh, are those the doctor's orders? Why, Felix, it almost sounds like you care about meeee." Marinette was all too amused by Felix's concern for her. She also liked to tease them... AS COWORKERS DO.

"I have an investment in your presence. Now don't be cheeky and let's get you to the nurse's office," They said while holding her wrist and gently pulling her in that direction.

Marinette scoffed, "'An investment in my presence'??"

Felix chuckled while still semi-dragging her by the wrist towards the front of the room, being careful not to hurt her injury even worse, "What did I just say about being cheeky?"

On their way out of the door they passed a VERY distressed-looking Adrien. He seemed to be sharing the sentiment with the entire class of: Did that just happen?

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

And thats chapter 4. It is VERY LATE! I know. I've been swamped with work, and when I went to write it, I had zero ideas on how to write this chapter. I never ended up getting those ideas. I just went where my writing took me, so if it doesn't really match the characters that's why. I will try to be better at updating regularly, but it probably won't happen. Sorry to everyone with a normal sleep schedule, but this is the time that I write things. Also I didn't have my outline with me while writing this chapter, so it might not have everything I planned to write in it.

I would like to thank you all for all of the support I've been getting on this fic. Despite all of the chapter delays, you guys have stuck with me through all of it, so thank each and every one of you. I love seeing so many people loving this au as much as I do. Without you guys this story wouldn't exist, and I would've stopped writing it after the first chapter.

As always, constructive criticism is always accepted. I love being able to improve my writing whenever possible.

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day/night/whenever you are reading this. See ya next time guys, gals, and non-binary pals.

Taglist

@queer-illusion @apasponsor @heckinggremlin @1-ahiro-1 @hewantedbeefintheparkinglot @sassakitty @lennauts @rianoel @dorkus-minimus @khneltea @welp-that-was-unexpected @mlnchlymrshmllw @lovelyautumnsunflower @chariphrasis @lovesbooks @komatsuna-yuki @polyvirnl @innocentlyguiltyfrenchfry @qhobias @ive-tumbled-down-a-rabbit-hole @hammalammadamdam @cloudydaysomewhere @alcoholic-barney @basenikon @xxbehindthemaskxx @corporeal-terrestrial @shadowymemoirs @moonlight-densetsuu

#a second mask #feralnette #feralnette au #felinette #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfic #adrien agreste #felix culpa #marinette dupain cheng #here it finally is #idk why some of the tags arent working

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ladeeferal · 3 years

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Big heads up if you follow me.

Yes I'm a trans women, one that is lucky to pass enough for society to accept me as a women but a lot of trans women are not so lucky, if you fetishsize the trans women community you need to reevaluate how you look at us as a group in general real we are just women wanting to fit in society and live our lives just as a cis person but all the cis people in my comments and other Tumblr users are very disgusting and need to stop the idea that trans women are just a toy for you is absurd, as well as the fact that you treat us lower than you would a cis women, there is no respect and a lot of trans women have left Tumblr from this very reason. Spreading the native that trans women are just cross dressers or just sissy/sissies that are just men that one to have sexual interaction with men is wrong and does a lot of damage to our community and these cuts are deep because not only does affect us hear your remarks and beliefs affect us in everyday of life because it spreads to every corner of the internet and in person interactions being called a sissy or shemale is extre.ly toxic and rude. This language from now in my comments will be removed and deleted to keep it a safe place for other trans women to see my transition and how far I've come on this journey. The journey we take is not by choice, we rather be cis so just please treat us kindly and accept us for who we are. Thank you.

Now for a little HRT update!

Year 0 (zero)

This is me pre transition pre hrt just to find myself and be comfortable with who I am as a person and truly be me.

Year 6 of hrt

After 6 years I'm starting to feel better than everything I had my surgery planned back for last year but because of covid that canceled I'm waiting now to get back on the wait list to try again we have some set backs here and there and sometimes they are big but I'm super excited to see myself after I get surgery I'm going to be able to love myself more and be able to be who I truly am on the Inside!

I will contuie to post my progress as time goes on this my secondary account since my first one got nerfed back on the big Tumblr ban a few years ago because shared breadt growth updates. I'm hopping I can get back up to my orig 6k followers let's see if we can make it again ^0^

P.S if you are trans and just starting feel free to message me about any questions youay have about my journey and what to expect. Or if you have any other questions please ask my dms are open for apropite conversation and questions my ask box is also open if you think your questions can help out other trans peeps.

Thanks again for anyhave you guys have stuck with me through these last 6 years it's been a wild journey and I can't wait to show my progress and how my life will look like going forwards!

#transgirl #transisbeautiful #transwoman #trans lives are valid #transgender #m2f #lgbtqia #lgbtq #girls like us #girlslikeus #trans girl #hrt diary #trans hrt #hormones

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vvienne · 3 years

Text

RANWAN FIC RECS

Absolute Zero by jitterati

Pathologically solitary academic Chu Wanning left behind a life of research to enlist with the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps Jaeger team when giant monsters began to emerge from the Pacific ocean, eager to leave his personal entanglements behind him and join humanity's collective battle against the threat of extinction.

His goal is to build an artificial intelligence that will allow a pilot to operate a Jaeger mech solo - eliminating the need for pilot compatibility and the mortifying ordeal of being totally known by another person, a "neurological handshake" known colloquially as the drift.

He didn't expect his former students to follow him all the way to front line of the war against the kaiju.

Featuring lots of side character interaction, pining, yearning, questions on the nature of personhood, friendship between jerks, people coping badly with loss, snarky AI, and giant robots. Illustrations by Saika & Daru

Husky and his White Kitten Disciple by JustAMoon123

Within a lonely heart, the seeds of hatred start to grow.

-A 2ha Age and Role-Reversal AU.-

NOTE: This Story is Now E Rated!

[Before meeting Chu Wanning, Mo Ran had drawn his power exclusively from the Wood side of his dual Spiritual Root, and his Qi had always glowed green.

Now, only when in battle did it do so, with Bugui’s blade encased in a tyrannical green light.

Outside of battle, like when he set barriers of warmth; or made Crystal Butterflies to tease golden flowers; or cast a small array to keep a box of food warm, his Qi manifested with a gentle red glow.

Mo Ran’s Wood was destructive, while his Fire was protective.

Ah, Mo Weiyu, Mo Weiyu. Even your power betrays you.]

Burn, Pine, and Perish by moonqueenmaia

It’s been two days since Taxian-Jun’s last visit, and Mo Ran hasn’t touched Chu Wanning at all, beyond gentle and fleeting caresses. Chu Wanning decides to take matters into his own hands by surprising Mo Ran when he comes back to their home after a trip down the mountain.

it's no coincidence (it's a kitty-incidence) by lanzhan (gothguk)

There’s a white cat lounging in the middle of Mo Ran's bed.

to touch you with bare hands (even if it burns) by moonqueenmaia

Chu Wanning is a renowned professor of mechanical engineering at Sisheng Peak University. Beautiful, lonely, and talented beyond belief, he has spent his 32 years mostly by himself, silently and secretly yearning for affection and companionship. Yet Chu Wanning has resolved to himself that he will spend the rest of his life alone, no matter his hidden fantasies.

Enter Taxian-jun, an unruly, arrogant, and struggling student, fiery and domineering, who comes in and shatters the calm of Chu Wanning's life. They enter into an agreement, both burying their feelings underneath a storm of lust and lies. Yet amidst it all, something deeper may be helplessly and slowly blooming.

It is up to them to cultivate it, or destroy it for good.

cursed by devilsoupe

Chu Wanning and his disciples are sent to investigate an abandoned village, and Chu Wanning is hit with a curse.

Mo Ran was determined to treat his shizun respectfully in this life, but what choice does he have?

liar liar cock on fire by lofikv

I (32M) walked in on my roommate (23M) masturbating in our living room. Ever since then I couldn't erase the image of his penis in my mind but I found a sex toy online that is almost as big as him, so I bought it and tried it on myself so that I can imagine how he would feel inside me. I have also been romantically attracted to him ever since we started living together. How can I cope with this?

UPDATE: He caught me in the middle of an emergency.

(Absolute) Unit 311 by devilsoupe

Chu Wanning doesn't have a soulmark.

Neither does Mo Ran.

ducks entering highway by Sectionladvivi

Mo Ran finds out his well-respected, MILF-coded, tears-of-angels-tight-ass robotics professor moonlights as an erotic novelist. He immediately leverages this knowledge for an opportunity to play tonsil hockey.

to yearn by devilsoupe

Chu Wanning starts to cough up flowers. Taxian-Jun is angry. Chu Wanning is not allowed to die pining for someone else.

When it starts happening again in his second life, Mo Ran knows enough to worry.

from blossom to blossom to impossible blossom by Wildehack (tyleet)

Taxian Jun is the victim of a flower curse.

sticky fingers by fakeplasticlily

The man tosses the towel unceremoniously back at Mo Ran’s chest, like he’s personally offended by it. And the fact that his hands had just been all over said chest barely minutes earlier, maybe. “Please pack a box of egg tarts with extra custard filling, a box of red bean paste buns with extra syrup, a rice pudding with extra candied fruit garnish, and a box of osmanthus cakes with extra sweet pear jam.” Mo Ran’s eyes grow progressively wider as he lists the items. It’s him. Not the suburban mother of four, not the elderly guy dealing with a midlife crisis, but quite possibly the hottest guy he’s ever seen. Who also happens to have the highest sugar tolerance Mo Ran has seen in a human being in his two years of running this bakery.

Hard to Love The Lonely Night by bloodsongs

Chu Wanning glares up at him, adjusting his women’s robes. “Still, why couldn’t you have been the wife instead?”

Coughing politely, Mo Ran looks to the side, avoiding his gaze. “Shizun’s skills with the illusion barrier far surpass this humble disciple’s, and, well…”

He doesn’t need to complete his sentence—it’s infuriating, but Mo Ran is now taller than him, broader than him, larger than him. Very much so. The young sapling he raised in Sisheng Peak is now a full-fledged tree, a man built like the mountains Chu Wanning has seen in his travels.

Chu Wanning and Mo Ran pretend to be a married couple visiting a small mountain town to investigate some suspicious disappearances. Mini Canon AU casefic. Contains spoilers up to Chapter 130 or so of the novel.

Purple Ink by jeejaschocolate

Chu Wanning is a robotics engineer who lives a life of isolation and loneliness, only partially due to his chronic illness. Eventually he gets so sick that he requires the help of a full-time medical assistant.

Of course, these days, all those jobs are given to CyberLife androids.

Chu Wanning resents the android they give him. From his fiery eyes to his long black hair, to his incomparable tenderness and consideration for Wanning’s feelings.

He resents him. All the way until he falls in love with him.

Fallen Flowers in Swallows' Nests by bloodsongs

You deserve better—I refuse to disrespect you ever again. I want to be better. I must be better.

But I don’t know how. I don’t know what to do.

I don’t know where Taxian-Jun ends and Mo-Zongshi begins.

I only know now that I cannot lie to myself: I want you so fiercely that I burn with it, I am consumed with the desire to make you mine and mine alone. To become one with you, feeling your fire twine with mine.

Or, Chu Wanning finds letters from Mo-Zongshi that were never shared with him.

These hitherto undiscovered letters cover a range of emotions that weren't present in the book he gifted his Shizun: contrition, yearning, and desire.

Counterpoint by senchafloat

Five years ago, Mo Ran was just a boy who loved playing piano—there were many things he didn't know. He didn't know how capricious and unforgiving the world of classical music could be. He didn't know just how lucky he was to have Chu Wanning as his teacher.

Five years later, Chu Wanning is now a renowned concert pianist, and Mo Ran is an upstart conducting student. When Chu Wanning shows up unannounced at his alma mater, Mo Ran has plenty of questions, along with a desire to prove his worth to his old teacher. But as it turns out, Chu Wanning isn't as invincible as he once seemed. As old secrets come up to the surface, the two of them are forced to reinvent the ways they'll make music together.

impatient to adore you by riverdanceeee

At some heartbreaking point in his life, Mo Ran accepted that Chu Wanning would never reciprocate his feelings, so he dealt with it as any other person would. He'd rid himself of his affection, respect their friendship, and learn to move on. But Mo Ran's affection runs too deep, and when any opportunity to spend time with Chu Wanning knocks on his door, he goes running to answer and accept. Even if it means he has to break up a potentially dangerous dog fighting ring.

To Bow Before A Willow Vine by bloodsongs

“I…” Mo Ran hadn’t thought that far. He shakes his head, lowering his head in deference, resting his forehead against Chu Wanning’s knuckles. "I'll do anything you want of me."

The silence stretches on for a beat too long.

"Anything?" Chu Wanning says eventually, tilting his head.

Written for 2Ha Week, Day 4: Reverse AU for the 0.5 timeline. When Chu Wanning storms Sisheng Peak and crowns himself the cultivation world's new emperor, Mo Ran trades his life for Xue Meng's. Contains spoilers for up to the end of the novel.

Call me by my name by rinsled05

When the man called Taxian-Jun arrives, years later, it’s the coming of a storm.

He sweeps into a dinner appointment between Chu Wanning and a client, clad in black, a smirk tugging at his mouth. Over the spark of irritation, Chu Wanning can’t help but admire his lean frame, the way his hair, cut rebelliously short, falls over smoldering, dark eyes. The way he towers over him, even when Chu Wanning rises to full height.

Chu Wanning’s heart races as Taxian-Jun leans in close, ignoring the shouts and gasps around them.

“Sakaki of Ran,” he purrs in their native tongue. “You’re mine.”

Chu Wanning lifts his chin. “I don’t know you.”

“You will,” Taxian-Jun says, and leaves.

In which Chu Wanning is a courtesan serving Chinese merchants in Nagasaki, Japan, and Taxian-Jun decides to make him his.

荷官牌型 ♠️ The Croupier's Hand by bloodsongs

In deep financial straits after losing his job as a teacher, a desperate Chu Wanning becomes a croupier at Sisheng's new casino.

The once sleepy town of Sisheng Peak grows busier by the day as the casino draws more and more tourists to their mountains. Consumed by his lingering regrets over the worst mistake of his life that destroyed his teaching career, Chu Wanning is too distracted to worry about anything else but his next shift, his next paycheck.

Except that's when Mo Ran, the reason Chu Wanning lost everything, returns to Sisheng Peak.

As the heir to the casino.

White Rabbit Club by minkit

Desperate to rid himself of a few pesky things called virginity and desire, Chu Wanning waltzes into a world he knows little about and right into the embrace of a mysterious stranger who reminds him of the student he's been dreaming about all year. The lust fueled dreams his student stars in are the very reason Chu Wanning applied to the sex club in the first place, and now he's desperate to get rid of these filthy impulses once and for all.

Congratulations, Chu Wanning, on your acceptance into the White Rabbit Club. We hope you enjoy your stay.

Risk and Restraint by purloinedinpetrograd

There is nobody Mo Ran works with who does not love him. He’s worked hard to cultivate this image while he climbs the corporate ladder at Sisheng, and it’s paid off in dividends. He’s in every WeChat group. He can call in favors with any division of any department. He can make even the tightest of deadlines relax their stranglehold on his team.

That is, there is nobody except, of course, Chu Wanning.

A Lingering Sweetness by theherocomplex

Chu Wanning is now all too aware of what he looks like: a dry stick of a man, never handsome, angular and cold and pale. A drab, short-tempered creature, as appealing as a splinter in one's foot. But Mo Ran looks at him as if he will never get his fill, and part of Chu Wanning thinks, What if —?

At the end of the line by PearlAquaBlue

“So … I reckon someone thought you needed to loosen up a little bit. Now that you’re here, want to try it?”

Chu Wanning hangs up. Throws her phone on her pillow with a disgusted glare after it. Stands up and paces to the kitchen in long, angry strides. Her cheeks are burning. With trembling fingers, she grabs a glass and pours herself some water, gulping it down in one go. It doesn’t help much. She grips the kitchen counter tightly, then marches back into the bedroom to glare at the phone again. Her fingertips itch, and it’s as if some kind of magnetic force draws her closer and closer to her bed until her fingertips are but an inch away from that tempting black mirror. Before she knows it, she’s unlocked it unsteadily and pressed “repeat” on the last call.

“Welcome to Sisheng Peak – ”

“And what would that entail?” she asks, a little too breathless.

Let's Fall in Love for the Night by purloinedinpetrograd

Chu Wanning could only stare in horror as a large cloud of sickeningly yellow pollen rose from the field, blanketing the place where Mo Ran stood in a heavy fog. “Um,” he said lamely.

“Fuck,” Mo Ran cursed, and Chu Wanning didn’t even have the heart to chastise him for his coarse language, because he was too preoccupied wrestling the surge of fear at seeing his disciple disappear behind the haze of that indeterminately threatening dust.

A million terrible possibilities raced through his mind, each one more dramatic and gruesome than the last. His heart hammered against his ribcage, threatening to crack the bones. “Mo Ran,” he said slowly, “I think you should tell me what that does, now.”

Xue Zhengyong sends Chu Wanning and Mo Ran on a mission to find a specific ingredient for some concoction of his wife’s. Chu Wanning is torn between rejoicing at the chance to spend time alone with Mo Ran... and grieving over the very same thing.

But, well, it’s just flowers. What could go wrong, right? (Spoiler alert: it’s sex pollen.)

the day dawns in your hues by localshabba

2ha Week 2020 Day 1 prompt - Haitang

---

Schoolteacher Mo Ran is having an ordinary day until he has an awkward encounter with the notoriously rigid school librarian, which leads to the start of something new.

Also features: flowers, dinosaurs and lots of tenderness and pining.

helping hands by verity

When Mo Ran was but a young, innocent, virtuous grad student—well, one of those things—she built that couch from a flatpack box with her own two hands. Over the years, the smell of polyester and cheap foam padding has given way to an equally aromatic blend of Chu Wanning's haitang blossom perfume, spilled coffee, and white lithium grease. Chu Wanning herself is always perfectly dressed without a stain in sight. Even right now, her head tucked onto one folded arm, the other loosely gripping her tablet, she looks so formal.

Mo Ran gently rests a hand on Chu Wanning's socked ankle where it peeks out of those tailored white trousers. She really should behave herself.

She really should... behave herself...

in plain sight by localshabba

Written for a prompt fill in the 2ha Kink Meme.

---

"I have a surprise," Mo Ran breathed, coming to stand so close behind him that his breath landed on Chu Wanning's nape. Not touching Chu Wanning any other way, because he likes to make Chu Wanning lean back just a little bit, to seek out that contact himself.

"I think Chu-laoshi will enjoy it."

Chu Wanning is sure he agreed to the whole idea; he's just unclear on when. Things got hazy around the point when Mo Ran turned him around by the shoulders, got down on his knees and...well. Apparently he'd skipped breakfast that morning.

When he returned to his senses, his clothes were all neatly tucked into place, not a stain on them, and a charmingly pink sexual aid was nestled comfortably up his--ahem, inside him.

---

Now available in Spanish!

casually acquainted by tagteamme

Chu Wanning knows what he is and what he isn’t. And where he lacks in pleasantries and outward appeal, he makes up for in untouchable grace and dignity.

It threatens to unravel once he meets a familiar face in an unfamiliar city.

“So quick to run away from me, Chu-laoshi,” Mo Ran says, voice gently teasing as Chu Wanning refuses to make eye contact with him. “After you came all the way from…”

He trails off, waiting for Chu Wanning to let him know, but he sees the map open on Chu Wanning’s phone and grins wider. “You want directions?”

Chu Wanning clears his throat, and shakes his head. He should say something— instead, he stays silent as he looks down at his phone and punches in the hotel name again.

Happily, his phone tells him to try again when he has signal.

The Right Hand of Light by gedsparrowhawk (FaceChanger)

Chu Wanning is asleep on the bed, clutching his hands tightly to his chest and curled in on himself. He’s still wearing the same robes he was in in the water prison. On the writing desk, a bowl of water and clean linen for bandages sit untouched, and a tub of bathwater has cooled without being used. Mo Ran sighs to himself. Wanning is truly hopeless.

He sits on the side of the bed and touches Chu Wanning’s shoulder. “Wanning,” he says. “Wanning, wake up.”

---

Rare 0.5 tenderness, after the water prison.

nothing can consume you by tagteamme

Mo Ran’s violent history has never had to catch up to him.

It’s already embedded itself into him as scars on his body, as a tattoo on his forearm, as the lingering taste of blood in his sleep and finally, as the searing brand pressed against his chest before he’s thrown into the sea as punishment. He knows that this is where all his chances come to an end.

But as the deep fathom of the water swallows him up, something else saves him and pulls him to a tiny cove tucked away off the coast of an overlooked port town. When he wakes up under the care of a mythical creature wearing a familiar face, an even older and more distant past finally finds him.

#ranwan #2ha #erha #chu wanning #mo ran #2ha recs #fic recs #2ha spoilers

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bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture · 3 years

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The race continues! Let’s see how everyone else gets past the first obstacle.

[No. 25 - In Their Own Quirky Ways]

Yamada is vibrating in excitement as he announces that the first event is an obstacle race - a lap around the stadium, made just for that day. Which again points to the events themselves being non-randomized, which I think we all already knew. Wonder what would happen if said ‘randomizer’ got hacked… ah, well, the staff are probably prepared for that?

Also, I love Aizawa’s gruff little ‘hey’ in response to Yamada’s excitement, like. You can tell he’s telling his friend to dial back without any further context.

As we go back to the students fighting the robots, Yamada continues his explanation: Anything’s fair game so long as the contestants stay in bounds, making the whole race a harsh game of chicken. And all the action is brought to the audience by the camera robots at each location! Aizawa wryly notes that Yamada doesn’t even really need him there. And pfft, I love how the camera robots are cheering on their larger brethren, telling them to aim for the humans’ legs and to smash the humans.

The other zero-pointers still loom menacingly over the students, with the collapsed robots acting as a barrier to progress as well. Some of them are particularly nervous, one commenting on how there are kids pinned under the collapsed zero-pointers, while another says the crushed students have to be dead, and that they didn’t know the students could be killed during this event.

(Seriously, though, what would have happened if students died during this? I have a strong feeling that wouldn’t have been good for PR…)

The metal of the robots starts to deform from underneath with several bangs, culminating in a hardened Kirishima bursting out from underneath, scoffing at the idea of his death. Yamada helpfully announces how Kirishima had been crushed. Kirishima’s quirk fades as he grumbles about Todoroki being a bastard for timing their fall like that, and that he’d be dead if he wasn’t him. We then get a helpful little quirk blurb from the narrative: Hardening turns his body hard as a rock - it’s the ultimate offense and defense!

Another part of the robot bangs from underneath, with a metallic-looking Tetsutetsu bursting up from underneath, complaining about 1a being full of jerks and that he’d be dead if he wasn’t him. Kirishima recognizes him as the guy from class 1b, while Yamada notes how Tetsutetsu had also been flattened. As if to continue to emphasize how similar their quirks are, we then get a narrative blurb: Steel turns his body hard as a rock - it’s the ultimate offense and defense!

Yes, they are written exactly the same way. Yes, Kirishima does realize how similar their quirks are. He dashes ahead with tears in his eyes, calling Tetsutetsu a copycat and that he fells generic enough as it is.

(Insert a ‘B-baka!’ joke in here somewhere.)

Kaminari calls the two lucky for being able to just smash through without worrying about being crushed. Rin of 1b (with a scale quirk, not mentioned yet), shouts at Kaminari, or I guess the other students in general, that they should team up so they can carve a path through.

Meanwhile, Katsuki is blasting himself up and over the zero pointers, telling himself he can’t let Shouto get ahead. As he flies up and over the top of the robots, Yamada complements Katsuki’s strategy of taking the high road, calling it ‘clever’. However, he’s not the only one to do so - Sero and Tokoyami are right behind him, much to his shock. Sero says that with his personality, he expected Katsuki to bust his way through, but that he avoided the potential fight. Tokoyami’s greeting is more simple, just stating that he’s happening to follow the same path.

The narration gives us brief overviews of their quirks as well - Sero’s Tape is shot from his elbows, and can be used to wrap things up, and can also be detached to lay down traps. Tokoyami’s quirk Dark Shadow is a shadow beast within him that can materialize and morph at will.

We briefly head over to the stands where Toshinori and some of the other school staff (Thirteen, Snipe, and Cementoss specifically) are watching on. Yamada announces how the current leaders of the pack are overwhelmingly from class A. Toshinori notes that Class B and the others aren’t bad, it’s just… And as if picking up on the same thought, Aizawa finishes that Class A knows there’s no time to hesitate.

We get to see this in brief flashes to some of the 1a kids: Tenya is kicking one of the smaller robots, Kaminari is using his electricity like a taser, and Jirou is using her earjacks to disable yet more robots. Kirishima is sprinting as fast as he can, Ochako seems to be making use of her quirk, and Ojiro’s looking pretty cool while taking out a robot with his tail.

Aizawa (and I suppose Toshinori, in his own way) continue their thoughts and explanations for Class 1a’s heightened performance: they’ve been exposed to the outside world, and up close. They’re had that fear planted in them, and they’re endured and overcome it. Each has grown from that experience, and forgotten how to hesitate.

As if to emphasize this, we see Izuku ducking under the attack of a robot, dashing past it to grab a piece of (apparently heavy) armor plating from the zero-pointer Shouto knocked down. He notes how the contest has just begun, so he can’t rely on One For All just yet. As he keeps moving, he notices that the same robot is still locked onto him and chasing, thinking of how UA made them pretty tenacious. He comes to a stop and turns with the plate, noting that with how fast it’s moving, it can’t break quickly - a flaw he takes advantage of by spinning with the plate in hand, the momentum tearing through the thinner arms and neck of the robot. He tells himself he has to keep moving, while also acknowledging how handy the sheet is and that it can function as a shield as well.

Meanwhile, Momo our goddess blasts away the competition - almost literally.

Like, Momo. I cannot even begin to describe how cool that is. Abet I dunno if making something that big was the best idea for her reserves… ah well, I mean, part of this early part of the manga is the kids making mistakes and learning their limits and pushing themselves, so. At least it looks cool! Izuku’s impressed with how easily she beat a zero pointer, without acknowledging his own success in doing so just a few months before this.

(Then again, neither she nor Shouto broke most of their bodies to do so, so shrugs.)

Snipe notes how most people are better off dodging the zero pointers in the exam (guessing the entrance exam is what he meant here), while then acknowledging that they’re really just slow hunks of metal if you try to take them down - so long as you find a weak point. Toshinori is distracted by Izuku’s actions being on the big screen (or at least one screen). His thoughts acknowledge how Izuku has to know how crazy this is, but he keeps busting through. He then thinks that by the skin of his teeth is fine, so long as he keeps going.

And with that, we’re through the first obstacle, and onto the second… next update. I need to close my eyes for a moment because headache, bleh.

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wordsnstuff · 4 years

Text

Guide To Plot Development

Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress || Studyblr || Studygram

Where To Start

Start with the zero draft. Honestly, the only thing you need to know about your story in order to complete a solid zero draft is the basic timeline of events and 2-3 main characters. Zero drafts don’t need to include any minor characters, backstory, world building, subplots, anything. They’re just a rough estimate of what your story is going to be and where it’s going to go.

This way, you have something to work with when you do approach the task of maturing your story, which is a lot easier to do when you have already gotten the garbage ideas onto paper, seen them, realized they’re bad, clipped out the good parts, and developed a better understanding of your story’s trajectory.

Placing The Climax

The climax is two things; the apex of built tension and the turning point of the conflict. Recognizing that as a definition makes pin-pointing the climax of your story much easier, especially if you’re the kind of person who likes to start with a solid premise and work forward from there, rather than build a sturdy skeleton and fill in the blanks as you write the first draft. If you’re still having trouble, the climax is usually one of, if not the most exciting parts of the plot, and that comes from anticipating a massive shift in the story.

Outlining For Discovery Writers

I know a lot of people out there will read this article and question whether they can put it to use because they’re not an intense plotter who relies on outlines, character sheets, etc. A lot of writers prefer to let characters grow on their own and the conflict present itself naturally, which is less predictable but very exciting, especially when brand new ideas hit you out of nowhere. If you’re one of these people, fear not. An easy way to settle the slight nervousness that comes with diving straight into a blank page is to write down all of the basic or specific ideas you have in one spot where you can see it all and as you go along, refer to it for inspiration or answers when you hit a snag in your story’s flow. It’s not exactly an outline, but it’s a lead, and it’s worth doing.

Balancing Planning With Pantsing

A lot of writers who decide to take their stories seriously and commit to finishing a large project make the mistake of thinking that means they have to plan like a professional (which, spoiler, most professionals don’t do). What happens in these cases is that writers plan so meticulously for so long that the story becomes... boring. We all get kind of tired of stories when they take up too much of our imagination, but getting tired of a story before even a word of it is written should be avoided.

I have a personal rule that I never give myself more than 6 weeks to plan a story. That seems like a lot to most people, but I also zero draft all of my stories before I plan them, so I never start a first draft with a blank page. I suggest that if you frequently run into this issue, you try this method and between each serious draft, you give yourself at least a month of space from it in order to refresh your mind.

What Comes After Drafting

Foreshadowing, symbolism, subplot integration, and micro-development. These are all examples of things that writers try to plan before their first crack at a draft and end up betraying their ability follow through with writing the story at all. When it comes to complicating the story, these elements all come into the picture much later, when the main plot, character profiles, and structure is solid and ready to be finalized in the interest of moving forward in the writing process. When you’re plotting, shove these things out of your mind. You can’t input symbolism into a story that doesn’t exist, and you can’t develop characters that haven’t been born.

Common Struggles

– The common struggles section of my “guide to__” posts are general questions sent in by readers on the topic at hand. If you have a question that has not been addressed thus far, you’ll probably find the answer in this section. As always, you’re welcome to send other questions to my inbox if you don’t find the answer in this post. –

~ How do I correctly pace a story?... The pace should depend on the genre and point of view, as these things are the framework of every plot. Generally, anticipation should be a slow burn and the big moments should be snappy and explosive, rather than drawn out. The exposition, climax, and resolution should take up the least amount of time in your story, and the rising action should be the majority of the rest of it.

~ What needs to be in your beginning, middle and end?... The answer to this question is answered when you choose a definitive structure model to either follow or build off of. I have a whole post about it here: Plot Structures

~ How can I know if I’ve resolved my major conflict enough?... The resolution of your story should leave the reader feeling satisfied with the protagonist’s overcoming their obstacle, but still leave enough room to anticipate more to come.

~ How should the plot close?... This is entirely up to you, but I would take into account the possibility of a sequel. If it’s 100% a standalone story, give it a clean ending and tie up the loose ends, pat yourself on the back for all of the clever foreshadowing everyone missed, and leave the protagonists and beloved secondary characters’ futures looking bright.

~ How do you write a plot around a theme?... Most stories that have a central theme are born from answering a tough question. George Orwell’s 1984 asked “What would the world look like if totalitarianism ruled society?”. Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 dealt with censorship and questioned whether bliss only belongs to the ignorant. Bottom line is, pick the theme you want to explore, and then ask yourself the tough questions. The story should be the process by which you find the answer.

~ What is the best way to handle a large cast within a plot?... You have your main conflict and the plotline that surrounds it, and then you have various subplots, around 2-3 where you explore the world/characters further and immerse the reader in the stories. You can convince the reader to become invested in a large number of characters by making them heavily involved in the subplots. They should all touch the main plot considerably, but the bulk of their development should be in the subplot, and if you were to have 15 characters, you’d want around 3 subplots where 3-5 of them were important players. However, large casts that reader’s have trouble keeping up with is a problem that usually results from a writer’s inability to make cuts or combinations. Remember: the reader’s experience is the most important thing. It’s better to downsize your ideas than lose your readers altogether.

Other Resources From My Blog That Help With This:

What Do You Do When You Over-Plan?

Resources For Plot Development

How To Write A Good Plot Twist

How To Foreshadow

Writing Long Stories Without Filler

Writing Stories About Your Own Experiences

Novel Planning 101

Tackling Subplots

Things A Reader Needs From A Story

How To Turn A Good Idea Into A Good Story

Planning A Scene

When To Stop Planning

How To Outline Outside Chapter Structure

Tips on Mapping Out A Series

Outlining By Chapter

How To Outline Effectively

Tips On Starting A Scene

How To Start A Novel

Character Driven vs. Plot Driven Stories

Plot Structures

Planning A Scene In A Story

Effective Ways Of Planning Chapters

Writing Meaningful Stories

Finding Your Own Writing Style

How To Write A Story Timeline

Making A Story Come Together

Tips on Planning A Series

Coming Up With Scene Ideas

General Resources For Plot Development

How To Engage The Reader

Coming Up With “Original” Ideas

Building Upon A Good Premise

Pacing Appropriately

–

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thermaflute · 4 years

Note

can you please write a smut drabble with katsu and his girlfriend who is like a twitch streamer and like he’s in the mood but she’s in the middle of a stream of some new horizons ofc (bcs we have taste here fellaz 😌) maybe with kirishima if u want! anyways she cuts off the cam but thinks she did the mic too but didn’t nd twitter jus goes wild the day after- SCHS SORRY IF THIS IS TOO MUCH 👉🏽👈🏽🥺

I only changed some slight details but I hope I did it right! I couldn't fit Kirishima in but It def wasn’t too much!

Slightly suggestive but nothing wild so 18+, some cussing, disrespect to animal crossing fish

Bakugo x Streamer!Reader

"Okay but do you guys like the pink dress or the orange one?"

You watched the comments come flooding in on which one was better. In between were messages that were just emojis or people asking questions. You giggled at a particular message, "you have the bells for it, get every color".

"Guys guys guys, you're all wrong. Only one person got it, I'm just gonna buy all the colors." Then began the tedious process of going in and out of the store to buy every available color from the changing room. "When are they gonna update that feature? Anyway, it's almost the end of the month and I haven't caught all the fish so we're gonna be out there for a minute."

You stop, mid dash, as your boyfriend startled you with his loud entrance. "You scared me babe, I'm streaming right now."

"Cool, I don't care."

You suck your teeth at him and asked your stream. "You guys mind if my boyfriend hangs out while I play?" Your fans gave a resounding yes filled with all kinds of heart emojis. You figured they weren't gonna turn down the chance to see Ground Zero on screen. "They said yes."

"Nice of you to ask, I was staying in here even if they said no." You rolled your eyes at his comment playfully as he pulled up a chair next to you.

"I've seen you play this plenty of times, hand it over." You laughed and handed your controller to him, knowing damn well he was gonna fuck it up.

"Well then, since you want to be in here so bad, you're gonna do my fishing." He looked at you as if you were tripping, but you just smirked at him back. "I'll show you how. You just throw it in front of-"

"See, this game is so easy I don't know why you play it so much yo-. Why'd it go away?"

"You pulled up too quickly and it swam away."

"Fine, I'll get another one." He ran across the beach, getting progressively angrier as they all swam away. The chat was cracking up at the fact that a top hero was failing at a casual game.

"You know what? Fuck it, I'm not here for this anyway. Turn your stream off I'm bored."

"What? No? It hasn't been long enough Katsu."

His hand grips your thighs harshly and you Yelp, "You can get back on when I'm done." He does your signature ending wave mockingly at the camera before "ending the stream." What he didn't realize was that he hit the wrong button, and all it did was hide your cam.

"I've been out there getting my ass kicked all damn day because of your little stunt."

"Tough, get better then." You know you're pushing it but you don't quite care. He scoffed at you and started working on your pants immediately.

"Don't get slick with me, you know what you sent me earlier. I couldn't do shit all day because of you."

"This is going to be your problem soon."

"Hmmm, this sounds like a personal problem babe." His grip on your thigh tightened as he parted your thighs with ease.

"Shut up you. Oh. Aah~" Your moans seemed to overpower the room instantly. He was quick in between your legs, making you grip your chair for dear life. You felt any composure you have slip away from you while your angry ass boyfriend did his best to make you hysterical. In a half blissed state you saw your chat going nuts. "FUCK." You pushed the blonde up with your thighs, to which he looked at you confused as you officially ended the stream. "It was still on. You only turned off the cam!"

He looked at you with a bit of a proud glint in his eye. "Doesn't bother me, that's kinda hot actually." He easily pushed you back against the chair with one arm.

"Katsuki! Ugh, I'm not trying- Aaaaah- to get banned!"

"Yeah yeah, I'll have my PR team work it out." He pulled you further down the chair and you felt all your complaints fade from your head as your hand tangled in his hair. You couldn't say much anyway, as this was your plan when you sent those nudes earlier.

His phone rang violently on the table but he ignored it, too preoccupied with overstimulating you. It continued to ring, with various notifications going off as well. You matched his energy and continued to ignore it for the rough treatment you were getting below.

"Send me nudes again while I'm at work and I'm going to end you."

"Hmm, okay."

"You're not listening," he slapped the side of your thigh, jolting you up from your blissed out state. He gets up and you follow him, giddy for the pounding you're gonna get in less than a minute. Howver, you quickly remembered the fish you weren't catching right now, and just as quickly chased away the thoughts with reassurance that you'll just time travel in the morning.

___________

You start your morning as you usually did and checked your notifications, and to your surprise, you were trending. The comments were relentless, most of them made by your fans.

"Lmfaoooooo sis was getting ate up."

"Bruh he couldn't catch the fish so he caught some cooch. And you know what? That's king shit."

"Who wants the audio clip? I'll send it."

"Yo they got an OnlyFans? That was kinda hot."

You backed out of twitter and rolled over in bed, not wanting to acknowledge that thousands of people heard you and Katsuki. You heard the shower door open and out came your man, proudly smiling at you. "Did you see that you're trending."

You nodded into the pillow.

"Yeah my PR team yelled at me about it when I finally answered the phone but I think it was worth it." You rolled up to look at him change, realizing you were still a bit sore.

"I'm in pain dumbass."

"That's my problem how?" He snickered at you before he chucks you the bottle of pain relievers. "And next time maybe you'll keep it to yourself while I'm at work."

You repeat his actions and voice mockingly and a towel lands on your head. "Katsuki!"

"Love you too loser."

#bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo #bnha #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugo imagines #mha x reader #mha imagines

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whump-town · 4 years

Text

Deaf!Hotch

In AU in which I make Hotch deaf and hope that my research paid off and I do the deaf community right in my writing of Hotch. So, obviously, there’s the disclaimer that I know ASL but I am not deaf

Warning for language

Word Count: 2,902

It was touch and smell that Aaron Hotchner knew first upon awareness. The heavy scent of antiseptic hovering in the air. He frequents the hospital enough to know that the smell will linger on his clothes, skin, and hair for days. A ghost with its fingers dug into his skin. The touch he feels is familiar. Fingers wrapped around his own in a light hold. There’s a light pressure around his bicep and the sting of a needle in his elbow.

It’s with that last thought that it occurs to him that he can’t hear any of the sounds he commonly associated with a hospital. No hiss of the oxygen canal wrapped around the back of his head or beeping machines as they dump the numbing painkillers into his arm.

Just silence.

“Can you hear me?”

Through slivers, Hotch looks up at his old mentor. He can feel Dave squeeze his hand, attempting to ground him through his blinding pain but… he can’t hear Dave. He doesn't hear the older man call his name or shushing him softly when the pain brings him to tears--- his own pain-filled cries falling deaf to his ears.

Mercifully, he falls unconscious once again.

The team comes in a moment later. The easy smiles on their lips falling. Together, they’d managed to shake some of their fear after seeing him collapse in the field. Emily had caved and told them about Hotch’s reaction to being so close to the backhoe. Reid had told them that while he and Hotch had been sharing a hotel room this trip, he hadn’t seen Hotch sleep. Any naps he may have been getting were rudely interrupted by pain or nightmares.

They’d shaken their mixed feelings with the reminder that nothing can keep Aaron Hotchner down. At least… nothing yet.

Knowing what they did, they still had a false sense of hope walking into his hospital room. Expecting their boss to greet them like he always does. Maybe he would let them have their moment. Giving in to the hugs and worried complaints they have but…

He’s curled onto his side, pain etched into the grimace he has even in his sleep, and they can see the drying tears from the door.

“Hey, kiddos.” Dave stands from the only visitor’s chair offered and smiles wearily. “Did you eat something?”

A nurse steps past them and they allow her through without mumbled complaints. She works quickly and they watch with curiosity and fierce protectiveness. When Hotch whimpers as she touches him, Morgan steps forward, stopped only by the hand that JJ grabs him with. He settles back against the wall, shifting nervously until the nurse can give Hotch the painkillers he needs and sends him into a painless, drug-induced slumber.

“He’s not alright,” Morgan mumbles, shaking his head. “What are we going to do?”

Dave shakes his head, rubbing at his goatee. His eyes are glued to Hotch and the nurse, smiling and nodding as she makes her way back out of the room. With the room cleared, he lets his shoulders fall and his resolve crumbles --- for only a moment.

Emily steps closer to the bed. Her arms are wrapped tightly to her chest. She has a complicated relationship with the man in question. A challenging friendship blossoming but… "We'll do what we always do, " she says, steadying herself with a deep breath. "We'll remind him what we're fighting for and we won't let him fall behind."

Dave starts to add on but Hotch shifts on the bed. A soft grunt leaving his mouth as he tenses in pain. He pulls his leg up towards his body, kicking out.

Morgan grows frustrated--- are they not giving him enough painkillers? He shouldn't be in pain.

"Aaron, " Dave calls. He catches Hotch's hand as he raises it to his ear--- the doctor had warned he was only aggravating the eardrum by pressing into it with his palm. "Can you hear me, son?"

Hotch opens his eyes but still tries to weakly pull away.

"Alright, " Dave mumbles, rubbing his shoulder and caving. Giving up on getting an answer. "Easy now." He holds Hotch's hand and steadies him when Hotch's panic-filled eyes find him. "It's alright."

Hotch turns his head away. "No, " he rasps. "No, " his chest heaves as he sobs. Ragged breaths leaving in heart-wrenching wheeze's.

"It's alright, " Dave tries but Hotch vehemently denies it.

With a soft, broken voice Hotch whispers, "I can't hear you, Dave." Tears falling down his face, got stinging tears. "I can't hear."

They should have seen it coming within the weeks leading up to the accident.

New York had left them all shaky but if anything that should have made them more aware of his vulnerability, right?

Hotch had stayed with Dave the weekend following the explosion. Dave had seen Hotch grappling with the pain and the buzzing. He’d forced his old protege to eat whatever meager bites of sandwiches he could manage but he was only drinking enough water to swallow the fistful of pills he’d been given by his doctor.

But Dave isn’t the only one who’d seen.

Derek had driven Hotch home and then to Dave’s. He’d watched as Hotch sat in agony in the front seat. Trembling hands rubbing at his temple or covering his hurt ear but Derek hadn’t stopped. He’d asked if Hotch wanted him to but he knew Hotch would never agree. Not until it was too late and that’s exactly what had happened. Hotch had pushed himself too far and his body had made the decision to stop.

When the Sheriff fired the bullet that finally killed Chloe and ended the horror she brought back to the Angel Maker and his disgusting legacy, Hotch had collapsed.

And now…

“Stop hitting me!” As if losing his hearing wasn’t bad enough--- he’s got to have Emily fucking Prentiss teach him American Sign Language. She’s an awful teacher but he’s learning quickly. As much as he hates it, he’s getting really good at signing.

Within two weeks he’s picked up a strong enough vocabulary that Emily no longer brings a notepad to visit him. It’s a wonder to him how she picks up ASL so easily but he also knows she's a very mysterious woman. He’s probably safer not knowing. Even if he can profile his way into understanding her time spent being thrown about the world in her youth made her adaptable to quick change.

She raises an eyebrow, “sign the word right, and I wouldn’t have to hit you.”

He frowns back at her, “you enjoy it.”

She smirks and he shakes his head. As aggravating as this all can be, he knows it’s brought him closer to his team. To his family.

JJ had taught Jack and Henry some common signs and Jack had taken to them incredibly well. Children, Reid would later tell him, are good at this kind of stuff. Rapid change. Reid… not so much. The best part of his week is their updates. Each one taking the time to come to his apartment and show him what they’ve learned this week.

They’re trying. They care.

But they’re all terrified for his return to duty.

The Bureau is always working against Hotch and the very idea of what losing this job will do to him--- the thought is sickening. And to lose it over something as silly as an accident? Over something that he can’t control? Especially, when he’s fought to learn ASL and to use the hearing aids that don’t help but are necessary for his return… It’s not fair.

If he can come back, if the Bureau sticks to their vow of inclusivity, then he can suck up dealing with the hearing aids.

“Are you alright?”

He hasn’t been cleared to drive yet. Hearing isn’t the issue. In fact, deaf drivers have a great reputation. Emily’s been steadily supplying him with books on deaf culture and even a program in Georgetown for deaf people in the community. The tinnitus is holding him back from driving. The hearing aids help with the buzzing of the tinnitus but they don’t improve his hearing quality enough to really matter. Which is fine, Emily doesn’t mind carpooling.

“No.” He rubs just under his right ear, breathing through the wave of pain. It’s a bad day and hearing aids or not, his hearing is at nearly zero and his pain intense. “Hurts.” The Bureau has decided he needs the hearing aids for his return. They improve his hearing by a fraction but he’s not going to put up a fight if they help the tinnitus. The problem is, if he does leave them in for too long he gets a headache.

It doesn’t get better as the day progresses...

His stomach lurches dangerously. Standing on shaky legs, he makes a jerky but quick pace out his office door. He can’t get any further than the stairs at the catwalk. It’s a stumbling crash that he can’t hear as his body hits the metal. He feels the cold bar pressing against his temple. Closing his eyes, he pulls in a deep breath and waits for the relief. Prays for the ringing and pain to settle with the soft, muffled pace of the bullpen. With sound other than the keys of his laptop and emails chiming.

Lavender-- Emily. The soft scent of her customary perfume is the first thing to greet him. She must be hovering in front of him, deciding whether or not he’s better left alone. Giving him a chance to collect himself for a moment before pressing on.

A hand squeezes his shoulder and he peels his left eye open, leveling it on her. He knows it’s bloodshot and surrounded by the heavy bags that are cemented proof of the fact that he hasn’t slept well in days. He also knows, she’s not here to judge him.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, crouched right in front of him she signs the word help. He’s likely to never tell her but this is what he appreciates most about her. He’s in pain and she’s not going to waste her time if he doesn’t want her near him. He does want her near but… he doesn’t know how to say that.

He can feel the catwalk shake as someone steps out, heavy, solid steps coming his way. The low vibrations of a voice--Dave-- says something but he can’t hear it as he presses his head harder into the bars and digs his palms into his aching ears. A hand is placed between his shoulder blades and Dave sits down beside him-- the familiar scent of cigars and books washing over them.

Dave.

A hand comes between them and cups his jaw, tilting Hotch’s head away from where he’s painfully pressing it into the bar. “Hurts,” he feels his mouth form the words. He can feel his vocal cords moving but he can’t be certain he’s made a tangible sound.

“One to ten,” Dave asks and Hotch is thankful the older man is much better at sign language than Reid because he can’t focus on his lips. Even if he were good at lip-reading, he’s not sure he could manage right now.

He holds up a shaky hand-- six.

“Liar,” Emily says as she comes to squat down next to them. He hadn’t even noticed her leave. She’s got a cold press of paper towels and presses it to the back of his neck. It does wonders for his stomach but nothing for his pounding head.

Derek offers a water bottle with a straw wordlessly as he passes with a cup of coffee.

It takes ten minutes for the ringing to start to die down. The pain doesn’t go anywhere but he can hear the faintest mumbling coming from Morgan and Reid’s rowdy conversation. It doesn’t matter how many times his ears flare up like this, each time he’s waiting for the noises to never come back.

He knows that one day the world will fall completely silent. He’ll never hear Jack’s voice or the deep rumble of the team all trying to talk over one another. The progression of the loss of his hearing is slow but even with hearing aids now, he can’t make out the distinct sounds of words when someone is talking directly beside him.

To the team's credit, he seems to be the only person bothered by this.

“It’s only a two-hour drive,” Reid observes with a smile. “We can drive!”

One of the preventive measures for his hearing that the team had taken is cutting back on the use of the jet. If it’s not enough watching Hotch suffer through the buzzing amplifying each time they take off, then for the ecosystem (Garcia had sent a very lengthy and inclusive PowerPoint and email into the director to persuade him using the SUVs would be helpful in many ways). He’d agreed to fend off any more of her emails.

The downside is they always have to stop for snacks.

“He’s a grown man,” Hotch signs down the aisle from Dave and Emily. “He should know PopTarts are not a meal.” Reid is, what, nearly thirty years old now and Hotch is still watching that kid eat these overly-sugared, processed things every day. It worries him. What does Reid eat when Hotch isn’t around to cut him off?

Emily holds up a power bar and the red Gatorade Morgan had requested, “do you remember if JJ said she wanted chocolate milk or not?”

“No,” Hotch says from behind the shelf he’s scanning. “She wanted a Snapple.” He points her over the refrigerator he’d just come from. He would have gotten the Snapple if he’d been thinking about it. “What are you getting,” he asks, unsure of what he wants for himself.

“Hey,” Dave has to shout to get Emily’s attention and she points over Hotch’s shoulder to Dave. Hotch turns, eyebrows furrowed. With both of them looking Dave motions that he’s heading back to the car. “I will leave you,” he threatens, stepping out.

“No, he won’t.” They both agree.

They agree to split a bag of trail mix--- intends to pick out the pretzels and he knows she’ll eat the M&Ms out. It’s this intimate knowledge of his team that makes up for their shaky ability to sign. He’s not actually that good at lip-reading but he knows them and that covers his ass pretty well.

That and JJ has gotten really good at jotting what she wants to say rather than struggling to understand and use sign language. He appreciates it--- she’s really bad. It doesn't help that Emily is way nicer to JJ when she teaches her signs than she was with him.

When she takes her time, though--- when they have the time--- it’s all good.

Morgan is surprisingly good at ASL. He didn’t just take to it like Emily but he didn’t blink. It brings them closer together. Sign language is also insanely helpful in the field. Even if Hotch can’t join them in the field. Running point means that Morgan and Hotch have to work closely. The shift in power between the field and the precinct is barely discernible.

He enjoys talking to Garcia the most.

She’s quick to adapt to slang. He has no idea where she’s getting these words from (she made internet friends so she could immerse herself better and support him). She also carries her very unique way of speaking and being into her signing and he really enjoys that. Even when it confuses him.

It takes some getting used to for all of them.

Lots of flashing alarm clocks and Garcia showing Hotch there’s a program on his phone to make his phone flash when he gets a message. They all have things they learn to adjust. It’s safer to stand to Hotch’s left, it’s his better ear. Before talking, they have to actually make sure he’s paying attention. JJ signs as she gives her messages to the media that way he can keep up. They remind him to take the hearing aids out before he gets headaches and offer advil when he forgets.

Slow and steady and, to them, it’s no different than the ways he looks out for them. Because he’s still the same hard ass who work long hours and doesn’t sleep enough.

Jack takes is way easier than all of them. The kid doesn’t even stumble.

There’s a sing for chicken nuggets and Hotch didn’t even know that until one day Jack out right refused to just verbally speak. Of course, he’d heard Aunt Emily and Hotch arguing about Hotch’s reliance on what’s left of his hearing. Siding with his aunt, as he has the aggravating tendency to do, he’d decided the only way for himself and good old dad to communicate was sign language.

Later, he’ll use the story of his father’s accident on a college application. They’ll tear up a little as they proof read it. Jack might have been young when it happened but he saw the way his family shifted. He learned a valuable skill, ASL, and he also learned a very important lesson about family.

Family adapts for those they love.

And that’s what they’d done. When it would have been easier to let him go, they fought, because that’s what family is supposed to do.

Shout out to @softcabrera for looking over this!!

#criminal minds #criminal minds headcanons #criminal minds fanfiction #aaron hotchner #deaf!hotch #hearing loss #deaf #hearing aids #emily prentiss #david rossi #derek morgan #spencer reid #jennifer jareau #jennifer jareua #penelope garcia #jack hotchner #bau #they're a family

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