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thedroneranger · 1 year

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Say My Name

Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Précis: You and your crew enjoy playing games with the aviators at the local navy bar. You may have finally met your match...

Note: Stumbled across a meme that inspired this one. Hoping you think it’s as fun and light as I do—enjoy!

Warnings: 18+ only, smut.

Word count: 3.0k

It was innocent enough. Meet someone, introduce yourself with a fake name and see where the night takes you.

The game was even more fun as a civilian in a Navy bar bursting with aviators. They had no shame introducing themselves with their call signs, taking you home and never speaking to you again. Why should I?

I have to admit: It was a lot of fun. Made things feel low stakes. The hookups were a mixed bag, but that was part of the fun.

The following week, you reconvened at the bar to brag about your time between the sheets or, at the very least, share a funny bit you gleaned as compensation.

Since the bar was about as transient as the LAX airport, it was rare to run into someone twice. Plus, by now, we knew the Regulars—Regs for short. They, on the other hand, couldn’t be bothered to remember us.

An in-game challenge we liked to issue each other was running into Regs and seeing if they remembered us. You lose, you buy a round. You win, your drinks are everyone else’s problem for the rest of the night.

This week was no exception. Skye, real name, had saved seats at the bar for Jane, real name, and I. Perfectly timed, the bartender delivered our drinks as we sat.

Upholding our tradition, Skye arrived first, so she shared her conquest first. She had caught the eye of a tall, sun-kissed pilot, call sign Rooster, that lived up to the implied innuendo. For the first time, Skye wanted, no needed, a Reg! Our resident one-hit wonder, she refused to touch the same pawn twice.

Meanwhile, Jane went home with a handsome guy, call sign Harvard. The three of us chuckled as she proceeded to rant about how he must’ve been a nepo baby to get into the country's most elite university. That, or all the jet fuel really killed quite a few brain cells. Thank goodness the head between his legs required only blood flow—it did not disappoint. However, she would rather watch paint dry than have to attempt to hold a conversation with him again.

Now my turn, the pair looked at me expectantly. Both saw me leave with a suave blond pilot, call sign Hangman.

Hangman was one of the smoother pilots I’d met. He stumbled upon me alone, sitting at the bar, Skye and Jane elsewhere toying with their catches.

“This seat taken?” He had a faint southern drawl.

“All yours,” I responded. The bartender arrived with my drink, and Hangman wordlessly ordered his own.

We looked at each other. His eyes were a stunning jade, and his smile was absolutely lethal.

Thankfully, I’d been told time and time again my grin was just as fatal. I let myself pretend that was the reason he was looking. Throughout the night, his gaze would drop to my mouth often. Occasionally, it would drift down my neck and sometimes lower.

His beer arrived and we continued to banter. Finally, an opportunity arose to exchange names. “Hangman,” he said, tipping his beer bottle toward me.

“Alex,” I lied as I touched the edge of my drink to his. “Friends call me Lex.” I winked as I sipped my beverage.

Part of the fun was how long you could keep their attention or how often they got distracted by an easier target. I had to hand it to Hangman, I did not peg him as a blinders-on kind of guy, but he was.

As the night wore on, we sat closer and closer. Surprisingly, I had not noticed when he hooked his foot on my barstool and was subtly inching me toward him.

My elbow was resting on the bar, our bodies turned mostly toward each other. Hangman had just delivered a punchline to an actually funny joke that made me genuinely laugh.

“You know,” I looked at him through my lashes, “your accent gets thicker with every beer.”

His megawatt smile appeared. “The drawl is how I draw ya in.” He winked and knocked my knee with his.

Damn, he was charming.

If I hadn’t been sitting at the bar with him for the last couple hours, I’d find it hard to believe this funny, affable human was the same cocky asshole shit-talking his friends and sharking their cash in darts earlier in the evening.

Last call crept up on us. We stayed in our seats as we closed our tabs—a true gentleman, Hangman insisted he pick up my drinks.

“Nightcap at my place?” He offered as he finished his signature with a gallows stick figure. A chuckle escaped me as I nodded in response. “What?” he inquired, cocking his head a little.

My eyes still on the receipt, I subtly gestured my chin in the same direction. “You’re really into your call sign.” He smirked, his deep dimples making an appearance as we vacated our seats.

“Only here,” he responded. “Makes the bartenders smile—I like to leave this place in good humor.” His hand slipped to the small of my back as we walked out.

He insisted he drive my car to his place, so I could leave at my leisure. He’d get his from the bar in the morning.

“I’m surprised you live here.” I initiated conversation as he drove. I watched a smile tug his features.

“Well, I wasn’t completely honest.” He stole a quick glance at me before putting his eyes back on the road. “I’m staying at a buddy’s house. He’s out of town while I’m in town, so he lent me his place. Allows me to avoid the barracks, and I return the favor when he’s in my neck of the woods.” He paused. “Have you ever been?”

It was the politest way I’d ever been asked if I were a tag chaser. “To the barracks? I have not had pleasure,” I responded. Sarcasm coloring my tone.

“You’re not missing anything,” he quipped with a wink. I smiled mostly to myself. The rest of the ride was silent between us but not awkward. The radio was our soundtrack until he cut the engine in the driveway of a quaint little bungalow.

As I exited, Hangman came around to shut the door and take my hand. We walked to the house, and once inside he left me to my own devices while he snagged some beers from the fridge.

Hangman handed me a longneck as we settled into the couch, me tucked into his side. After some small talk, our beers almost empty, he was leaning toward me. His eyes locked on my lips. “You know,” I said as he continued to close the gap between us. “You’re much more of a gentleman that I was expecting.”

His signature smirk appeared. “There’s still time for me to not be a gentleman.” He pressed his lips to mine. Eagerly, I forced him back so I could climb into his lap. One palm rested on his chest, while the other tugged his locks.

He groaned as I rolled my pelvis into his and roughly pulled on his lower lip. Playfully, I sat back, biting my own lip and batting my lashes. Hangman’s hands settled into the back pockets of my jeans and kneaded my backside. “Something tells me you're trouble.”

Our smirks mirrored one another. “Aren’t you lucky, you get to find out firsthand.” I leaned in for one more kiss, before slipping off his lap. Zero hesitation, he popped up, grabbed my hand and led me to his room.

We barely crossed the threshold, and Hangman was peeling his shirt over his head. I mimicked his action, and we slipped our pants off at the same time. He watched as I slowly stood to my full height. His eyes wandered the length of my legs and then studied the tiny swathe of fabric covering my apex.

As he looked, I turned so his eyes followed the curve of my thighs to my buttocks and then up my back. I was looking over my shoulder at him as he realized my bra was dangling from my index finger. My smile widened as the garment hit the floor, and then I sashayed to the bed.

He watched me sink onto the mattress. Knees wide, I let my legs dangle over the side and leaned back on one palm. The other was busy kneading my nipples to taut peaks.

Even in the dim light of the room, I could see his pupils were completely blown. He sauntered over and stood between my knees. Tilting my head up, I met his gaze. Staring down at me, he tangled a hand in my hair. My eyes fluttered closed, waiting for his next command.

Instead, he untangled his hand from my trusses. Eyes open with curiosity, I kept his gaze as he sank to his knees, resting his palms on the tops of my thighs. We never broke eye contact as he kissed each of my kneecaps.

My breath hitched as his calloused fingers ghosted up my legs and curled around the sides of my panties. Almost involuntarily, my hips lifted so he could slip the garment down. Hangman took his time sliding them off, letting his fingers trail the entire length of my legs. Settling himself, he looped one of my legs over each shoulder. The position forced me to lie further back and prop myself on my elbows.

I chewed my lip as he nosed and kissed along my inner thighs. His smirk appeared as he got closer to where I really wanted him. “As a gentleman, I’ll make you come first.” A wet, hot kiss punctuated his statement.

Before I could retort, he spread me with his fingers and suctioned his lips around my bundle of nerves. If it weren’t for his hand anchoring my hip, my entire body would've come off the bed. “Oh, fuck!” I nearly shouted as his fingers slipped down to my soaking hole.

He pulled away, tugging my clit before letting it go, to watch his thick fingers languidly sink into me. Every come-hither motion had me seeing stars and the band in my lower stomach pulling tighter. Coupled with him lapping my core, I was nearly over the edge. The final push was a string of phrases, including ‘just like that’ and ‘good girl’ leaving his mouth.

I sat up and squeezed my eyes shut as my orgasm rippled through me. Hangman slipped from beneath my legs and settled beside me on the bed, ushering me to lay back down. Prolonging my peak, he scissored his fingers and enjoyed my walls tightening around his digits.

Finally through my high, Hangman removed his fingers. That disappointingly empty feeling washing over me, I opened my eyes to see him cleaning my arousal from his hand. “You’re sweet,” he said as he pulled his fingers out of his mouth with a pop and looked down at me.

My hand went to the back of his head to pull him down for a kiss. Sloppily, I licked his mouth and sucked his lips to taste myself. We broke apart. “Mhmmm, needed to confirm,” I explained. His smile appeared as he pushed his lips back to mine.

Hangman growled as I sank my teeth into his bottom lip. Breaking the kiss, he slipped off the bed to grab a condom, rolling it on as he came back. He grabbed my ankle to position me at the edge of the bed so his length was resting against my throbbing apex.

The backs of my thighs rested against the front of his. He still had a hold on my ankle, while my other leg hooked around his hip. I watched as Hangman laid my leg against his chest. Then he toured the length of it until his hand came to rest on my hip.

We kept eye contact as he leaned forward. “It’s my turn.” His hand slipped between us to guide his length into me. A hissed deflated my lungs as he seated himself. Girthier than his fingers, he gave me a few seconds to adjust.

Every couple of thrusts, his pace increased. Now verging on brutal, he hooked my legs around his arms as he planted his palms on the bed for more leverage. I couldn’t help the moans that escaped my lips as he relentlessly drove into me.

“Taking me so well,” he complimented. “That’s a good girl, Lex.”

Lex?

Who the fuck was Lex?!

My body reacted before my mind, and my open palm connected with his cheekbone. Hangman’s hips stuttered, but only for a moment. “What was that for?” he asked between thrusts.

Fuck.

I’m Lex.

I forgot…

Fortunately, Hangman seemed none the wiser. “I need to know so I can do it again,” he clarified, smirking.

“Shut up,” I ignored his question. “Put your hand around my neck.”

“Choke you?” he rephrased.

Whining, I clawed at his wrist. “Yes, please!”

He obliged, placing his palm over the column of my throat. His thumb, fore and middle fingers applied pressure to the sides of my neck. A hum buzzed up my throat and my bottom lip disappeared between my teeth as he applied pressure.

The only sounds in the room were both of us panting and skin against skin. His hand had since left my neck and was cradling my head, fingers curled in my hair, while the other was planted beside me on the bed.

One of my hands reached between us to draw tight circles on my engorged nerves. Occasionally, I’d slip my fingers into a V around his base. “Yes, keep your hand there,” he instructed. I obeyed, squeezing rhythmically. A drawn out ‘fuck’ left his lips as his hips stuttered while he came.

Hangman buried his face in the crook of my neck, but kept his pace to encourage my second orgasm. His hand replaced mine between us. The calluses of his thumb added just enough sensation to push me into my next pleasure wave. “Fuck, I love when you squeeze me.” His pace slowed at the same rate as my aftershocks.

Hangman uncurled himself from me, and I whined at the loss of heat and sat up. He threw me his discarded t-shirt before wandering to the bathroom. A minute or two later, he came back with a warm washcloth and, kneeling in front of me, gently cleaned me up.

Offering his hand, he pulled me to standing. Then, before returning to the ensuite bathroom, he turned down the blankets and motioned for me to climb in.

Jokingly poking a finger to my chest, I looked over my shoulder and then back at him. “You want me to stay?”

His signature smirk reappeared as he walked over to me, standing close enough I had to look up at him. “Can I tell you a secret?” I nodded, waiting. He bent down so his lips met my ear. “I’m a cuddler.” He whispered, and then placed a chaste kiss at the top of my jaw, before dipping past me to the bathroom.

By the time Hangman came back, I was nestled into his bed, postcoital sleepiness settling in. He draped himself over me, wrapping an arm around my waist and slipping his leg between mine. The last thing I remembered was him pressing kisses to the back of my neck.

A few hours later, I stirred to find myself tucked into Hangman’s side, him on his back. My head and hand on his chest, and my leg looped over his. His arm was slack in the valley between my hip and ribs.

I wanted to stay there with Hangman. Kiss him awake and then convince him to go to breakfast, but that wasn’t part of the game.

Begrudgingly, I slipped from his grasp. However, I had decided I was keeping his t-shirt. Collecting my clothing, I slipped on some pants. Then, I crept over to the bathroom to make sure I was somewhat presentable. Gathering the rest of my belongings, I hopped into my vehicle and headed home.

Keeping up the facade, I left the longing details out of my story as I wrapped it up. Jane and Skye were both ready to jump on me with a million questions.

However, instead, their attention was drawn behind me. Confused, I swiveled in my seat to find Hangman leaning against the counter, looking right at me.

“Hey, stranger.” My heart definitely skipped a beat.

His gorgeous grin appeared as he stood to his full height and leaned closer to me. “Hey, stranger,” he repeated. “Left without a trace on Saturday.”

“Is that not what you wanted?” His gaze was intense, yet I couldn’t look away.

“Not at all.” A drink arrived for him, and he winked at the bartender. “I was hoping we would go out for breakfast.” He sipped his beer. “Exchange phone numbers.” He paused again. “Real names.”

I’d been had.

He smiled at my silent confirmation.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked in a lower voice.

Hangman leaned further in to whisper into my ear. “And ruin such a hot moment?” We pulled just far enough apart to look each other in the eye. “I was sad when you weren’t there for Round 2 in the morning.”

I couldn’t help but grin. Heat filled my cheeks, as I looked at my shoes for a moment.

“Instead of you toying with another flyboy’s heart tonight, I’m going to buy your drinks and get to know you…” he trailed off. I finished his sentence with my name, which he repeated with a grin.

“I knew you weren’t a Lex.” He winked. “I’m Jake, by the way.”

“Hi, Jake. Nice to meet you.” I winked back before taking a sip of my drink.

Jake let out a hearty laugh that squinted his eyes.

Skye’s hand brushed my shoulder as she and Jane vacated the area. They both gave Jake little waves. In exchange, he relayed soft thank yous.

He pulled my stool as close to his as possible and looped his arm around the back. “Well,” he looked down at me, “now that I know your name, I want to know everything else.”

“Good thing we have all night.”

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actual-changeling · 9 months

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no i am not done with the breakup scene yet. it haunts me during the day and it haunts my dreams, soon i will be able to replay it in my head on command. today's obsession: tell me you said no

firstly, i think it's important to point out just how deep the miscommunication runs here. aziraphale is excited, outright giddy about the news he is delivering, and he expects crowley to be just as happy about them.

after all, he thinks he is giving crowley what he has always wanted - they can go off together, he can be an angel again, which to zira equals being on the good side. the side of *light*. he remembers crowley's creation, remembers how in awe and happy he was with it, and thinks that is what he is offering.

aziraphale's expressions during this scene are probably gonna be their own post, but long story short he switches between excited and confused like a broken light switch, unable to decide which one to settle on.

crowley, well, crowley is angry. angry and confused and completely caught off guard because aziraphale is shaking the very foundation of what crowley currently thinks to be their relationship. the horror dawns on him pretty early, but he tries to fight it off, tries to convince himself that no, aziraphale wouldn't. he wouldn't agree to that, he KNOWS me. he knows i don't want to go back, he knows both sides are equally bad.

tell me you said no. tell me i wasn't wrong about you, about us. tell me i didn't misjudge our entire relationship. tell me the last millennia were worth something, anything.

tell me you said no.

if you rewatch the scene, you will notice that crowley never breaks eye contact, he stares aziraphale down the entire time. unless it was literally blink and you will miss it, i am pretty sure he does not even blink. not once. aziraphale on the other hand is looking everywhere but at him, his gaze flicks around just as much as his expression. crowley tries again, one last time. tells him you know they will both destroy this planet, humanity, us. it doesn't matter which side wins, the result will be the same. we KNOW that. we SAW that. we stopped it from happening.

aziraphale does not answer.

he does not have to. crowley can read him well enough to know exactly what he responded, and even if he couldn't - he knew from the beginning. he just cannot believe the answer. he still can't.

it's one of his fatal flaws, isn't it, believing in aziraphale and in them against every rule and threat the universe throws at them.

now to get to the part that breaks my heart.

crowley repeats himself again, not breaking eye contact while aziraphale tries to avoid his gaze.

tell me you said no.

he still hopes. after that entire conversation, he still hopes.

when the silence stays unbroken he steps towards him, asking one. last. time.

angel tell me you said no.

this. this frame. this is when the realization hits him full force, the truth he has been trying to talk and rationalize his way out of. he has been begging aziraphale to tell him that he did not betray him, them.

everything he has been fighting for the last six thousand years, all the thoughts telling him he is worth less than aziraphale because he fell, because he is a demon, evil, on the wrong side. everything he has been unlearning, accepting that he can be kind, he can be good. accepting that aziraphale cares about him, fuck, maybe even loves him.

crowley thought aziraphale is the one being that sees him, truly sees him, which is why he offers himself without his glasses - his last layer of protection.

he betrayed us. he has never been with me, we have never been on our side, not when he chooses heaven over the fragile, peaceful existence they have carved out for themselves. he took care of the bookshop, allowed zira to take his bentley, cleaned up and tidied and prepared it for his return, for the both of them. just to get all of it thrown into his face, to have it degraded as not good enough. to have HIMSELF degraded as not good enough.

and after all that. after that realization, the pain, the break in what he thought was their reality.

after aziraphale telling him that he plans on leaving earth and wants crowley to be someone he is.

crowley swallows his tears and he steps back, keeps his glasses off and continues with his confession anyway. his voice breaks several times throughout it, he is on the verge of crying. i will probably make a separate post about all that but once again, tldr he suppresses tears throughout his entire speech.

i want to spend eternity with you and he cannot say it because he knows he would break on eternity and start crying. somehow, crowley still hopes that maybe this will change his mind, this will make him realize that he needs to stay here, stay with me.

crowley hopes and hopes and hopes and aziraphale finally meets his gaze and all he responds is nothing lasts forever.

no, i don't suppose it does.

still, what is left but to keep hoping that maybe one day, they will be an us, even if it isn't forever. even if it's just one day, one kiss, one second of being held and kissed back.

crowley keeps hoping and that, to me, is the most painful part of it all.

#alex talks good omens #good omens #good omens season 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #crowley #aziracrow #aziraphale x crowley #good omens meta #this got so much longer than i intended for it to be rip #i feel like it is important to mention that these posts are not planned in the slightest #i look at some screencaps experience emotions and then write a stream of consciousness #i hope it has enough of a red thread that people can follow though #any spelling mistakes and the like are because i do not proof read my tumblr posts #you get my unfiltered brain vomit

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idkanametoputhere · 9 months

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Lost Story

type: angst (slight comfort if you squint really hard)

pronouns: they/them

character: Vil Schoenheit × actor!reader

tw: death(²), reader is not yuu/the prefect, ghosts, mentions of shutting yourself away, the plot makes only SLIGHT sense (but idc), self-neglect, shitty news report

masterlist<3

two years..

it had been two years since vil schoenheit had died in a tragic accident while pursuing his passion, acting. it was an accident, really. a prop that was misplaced and not handled properly. a giant prop that ended up falling on him, delivering a fatal blow on his head, ending both his life and the production of the movie

everyone was devastated. his family, friends, schoolmates, fans, coworkers. especially that one coworker, another one in the acting buisness. another one who had been cursed by the bright, blinding stage lights of fame and the acting industry

they had worked with vil on so many projects, including his final one, the one that was left unfinished. an unfinished symphony. what was meant to be a movie of pure love and joy ended up as a story of grief and sadness

and in said grief, the young actor buried themself in work. they were busy, working in project after project, while avoiding the public eye unless it was for a premiere of a project they acted in. the dark veil of grief was too much for them to handle

and that is how they had ended up in a local theater, late at night, practicing their script. it was a small theater in their hometown, and the owners trusted them enough to give them a key of the theater so they could practice to their heart's content

and practice they did. they practiced until their eyes were burning with exhaustion, the lines on their script were getting blurry, and their voice was strained from repeating the same lines over and over

it was time for them to leave. they packed their backpack, gathered their script and phone, put on their jacket and started walking

until they heard it

"y/n"

a quiet whisper and an ice cold breath on their neck. a voice they had fought so hard not to forget, but they could recognize it amongst a sea of voices. it was him..

"vil?"

they asked and turned around. and there he was. the tall boy was in front of them. his blonde and purple hair neatly tied on a ponytail, wearing the same costume he wore on that final project and a soft smile decorating his face

shock could not begin to explain the emotion they were feeling. vil was there. vil was in front of them. vil, who had been hit in front of their very eyes, who they had visited in the hospital countless times, and on whose grave they had cried entire rivers of tears, was in front of them

"how..? I don't get it.." they whispered, staring at his ghastly form with wide eyes. "it doesn't matter. but I'm here, I'll stay here until the sunrise" replied the boy, a creepy cold breeze filling the room at the sound of his weirdly echo-y voice

"no, I'm just tired...I'm tired. I'm tired, or I'm going insane" they say with a nervous chuckle and look at him "you're dead, you can't be here" they continue, their voice sounding as if they're hanging onto their own words to prove that they haven't gone mental

instead of replying to them, ge embraced them, in an attempt to prove that he was there. the hug felt weird from their perspective. it was like hugging..cotton candy, or a bunch of strings. it was like hugging something that was there, but also wasn't

the two stayed in that hug for a while, clinging to eachother as if the other would disappear, maybe because they could..

it felt weird, so weird that they stopped questioning if that was reality or a trick of their mind. but they liked it. and so they made conversation with him, laughing and smiling, just like they did when he was alive. but time was passing, father chronos wasn't gonna wait for anyone, not even two hurt actors

and as sunrise was closer and closer, an..absurd question fell from the boy's lips

"may I have this dance, my lady"

he said with an air of confidence. it was a line he had told them many times before, not because of a liking to dancing, but because of a liking to practicing a certain scene

you see, the fatal final project of his, was a love story between two royals. two royals who were bound by the bond of a marriage arranged by their parents. but the two slowly fell in love, and the dance scene that the two actors loved was the moment that the two characters were confident that they were in love

so the two actors danced. they danced, and danced. they danced out the emotions of the two characters, and the emotions of their own selves, who were forced into separation, in contrast to the two characters they were playing. they danced until the young actor was exhausted, and the two ended up sitting in a corner of the stage

"you're gonna leave now..aren't you?" asked the actor that was physically alive, but their heart felt as if it wasn't beating, it had lost their passion. "yes..when the sun rises I'll disappear" answered vil, a melancholic tone decorating his voice. the other sighed, and rested their head on their semi-solid shoulder

"can we just stay like this for a while?"

"yeah"

and so they drifted off to sleep

"and now on to Erika, with a report about a recent tragedy that happened in the film industry"

"thank you Lionel. A true tragedy has hit the film industry, as the famous actor y/n l/n was found dead yesterday morning. according to the reports, the actor was found dead in a theater in their hometown, in which they used to practice. the doctors examination proves that the death was a result of a complication of l/n's health issues, as well as negligence of their own self.

after a brief interview with the actor's family and manager, all of them revealed that the negligence might have been a result of their grief over the famous actor vil schoenheit, who died two years ago and with whom l/n appeared to be very close with

now, Lionel, what makes this case truely mysterious and creepy even, is the camera footage from the theater. although the audio seems to be distorted, it's clear that l/n's is talking with someone, but they are alone in the theater. this goes on for hours until something even weirder happens

l/n stands up and starts performing a dance that many have recognized as a scene from the scrapped project that killed Schoenheit. it's even weirder that, without using magic, they pull of some steps that are impossible to do without a partner

whatever the case, this is a real tragedy. our hearts go out to the family and friends of l/n. may their soul rest in peace. back to you lionel"

and so the tale ends. a tale of unspoken love, separation, and reunion for all eternity..

a/n: OKAY MANY THINGS TO SAY. 1) I wrote this based off a scenario I made with a c.ai bot 2) IM BACK??? 3) my new phone's here AAAAAA 4) another fic with vil that includes dancing 5)I did this on c.ai 2 days ago, and I was expecting my period so I was emotional and almost made myself cry by writing it. now I'm on my period, so if I have ro suffer, all of you have to as well

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snickerdoodlles · 5 months

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For the ask game: f, m, and n!

:D! ty friend <333

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

i!! spent a silly amount of time choosing a scene for this!!

from Silver for Truth fic:

“You actually thought we bought your bullshit? You thought Kinn did?” Kim sneers. “You know what? Why the fuck not? If you can convince us you’re telling the truth, we won’t hurt you. But Tawan…” Kim smiles, thin and sharp, eyes as cold and wild as a shark’s. “Khun and I have had six years to think about what we’d do to you for breaking Kinn’s heart. So please. Keep your fucking trap shut.”

tbh i just love all the dialogue in this fic. brothers looking out for brothers! brothers being shy about loving each other! kinn and vegas having a dick measuring contest while the guards stand on edge! tawan's reality check!

this fic was really tricky for me to write because, well 1) tawan is the femme fatale of his own story and so fucking obnoxious lol, 2) i was deep into some chinese political dramas while writing this and definitely inspired by the court politics/layered discussions that would happen in those, but the thing about a mafia setting is that for all kinnporsche's violence gets dressed up in family politics, there are no actual politics to any of it. mafia politics are either an excuse for the violence they already wanted to inflict or a coverup for a power/territory grab. there's a funny brilliance to the specific chess metaphors the writers chose because while i think the intention was to show Korn as a mastermind puppet master, the specific moves and game mechanics overall work far better as a metaphor for how out-of-place Korn is in a mafia above street-level operations and how he bulldozes his way to victory vs any proper or decent planning/scheming.

GETTING BACK ON TRACK, i won't bore you with my kp chess meta lol, but in writing silver for truth, i had a lot of push and pull between wanting to write high tension, veiled barbs, political double-speak confrontations vs the far more blunt and abrupt violence of a mafia setting. i'm really pleased with how the story came out in the end. i had so much fun writing kim and khun work off each other and the way they schemed together to protect kinn, i had even more fun writing kinn and vegas poking at each other every chance they got regardless of how inappropriate it was, and i had the most fun delivering tawan's reality check to him in the form of vegas shooting him in the head. and ultimately this entire fic happened in the first place because of the line shown above-- kim telling tawan he's here to hurt him because he hurt kinn, and there's nothing tawan can do that would make him stop 🥰

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

oh gosh u know me, i'm only ever working on one fic at a time!!

since we're talking about talk shit, get hit series, my current plan for the next fic is a Porsche POV that's more of a coda to silver for truth. because in silver for truth, kinn makes up a lie about porsche having run off with vegas on his orders as a way to protect him, but i think porsche would absolutely hate that. porsche always chafes when his personhood and freedom to choose is stripped away, either acting out in an extremely bratty, "i fucking dare you" sort of way ala ep2, or internalizing his conflict so hard he becomes a quiet shadow while he works through it ala ep5.

i always knew that i wanted the end of silver for truth to have kinn and khun finding a cover for porsche as a jab/punishment for tawan -- tawan seems to genuinely care about vegas in a way he doesn't for anyone else, but he doesn't care for vegas so much that he'd be willing to reveal their lie at his own expense. but then i wanted their lie to come back and bite them/kinn as well from the person they never expected it to, which is porsche himself, because porsche can accept and handle his stupid decisions, but he hates when people try to strip away his choice in making stupid decisions, and i love that about him.

however, since i first wrote and posted gone fishing, i have desperately wanted to throw kimchay into the jungle for their own romantic vacation. and i realized that the direction talk shit, get hit series is going gives me a very good reason to have them thrown in there beyond just me wanting to do it. there's a car chase to throw them in there! painful mafia reveals and kim swallowing his own foot! kim having to cling to chay despite it all because chay can like, survive nature, and kim is a precocious little city boy wildly out of his depth! kim is going to have heart eyes to the max over chay's nature survival skills while ALSO being in the metaphorical doghouse because he's tried to claim he doesn't care about chay. the end is going to feature them both killing the goons that originally chased them into the forest for the other and kim desperately pleading for chay to stay despite his awful offerings. kinn and porsche are downright frantic when they finally get to them and kim tiredly plops his head against kinn's shoulder from relief and they both have a crisis about it for the next three fics in the series.

kimchay jungle fic was an idea i had a year and a half ago and think about SO MUCH and somehow it keeps getting pushed back on the writing docket.

RIP ME

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

i've technically already done this!!! well, okay, i've done this several times actually, but all of you should go give so much love to @bisexualbard-writes soulmate AU fic the sweet invention of lover's dream !!

i don't want to talk too much about bard's fic because it's her fic, definitely go yell about it with her (<3333), but the premise of kim having a very distinguishable soulmark vs chay's very vague/open one came out of a groupchat convo that was...mostly me complaining about the soulmark AU/trope come to think of it 😅

i can rarely seem to find soulmate/soulmark AUs that hit any of the beats i'm looking for. i supremely Do Not Like when two characters choose each other specifically because they know they are soulmates. similarly, i haven't really liked when two characters don't know if they're soulmates, choose each other, and then in a twist it's revealed that they were soulmates all along! either because. well. it's just a lot more interesting to me if they never soulmates in the first place 9.9 times out of 10.

there's a lot more than just those two things that i dislike in this trope (and ofc nothing to say that they haven't been done well, even if not to my tastes) but those are two aspects of what's probably my ultimate issue with soulmate AUs: the attitude that because something is temporary, it’s not worth experiencing, or that because something might be temporary, it’s not worth committing to for even a short time.

the draw of any soulmate AU is the comfort of not being alone and presumably a guarantee that you(/the character) will find someone who will stay, but a lot of soulmate AUs don't unpack the issues that come with an "i'm waiting for The One" attitude. we're a sum of our experiences, the painful and the good, and having a compass to a ~one true destined~ doesn't change that any relationship is still built together and not having any experience in being in a relationship is going to cause problems.

...this is a very long ramble to say bard took my trope complaints and my initial lob of "what if kim chooses chay because of a soulmark but chay would choose kim anyways" and came out with an absolutely delightful ~10k fic of kim and chay falling in love despite what the universe says and you should all absolutely go read it and give it some love <3333333333333 (story link again for easy clicking!!)

[[ fic writer asks ]]

#i hope u like rambles my friend because BOY O BOY did i not shut up 🤣#thank youuuu i had a lot of fun pondering these <3333 #series: talk shit get hit

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pikahlua · 1 year

Note

On your meta about Bakugo's death. Yes but also no. The fandom keeps forgeting Bakugo wasn't actually murdered. Hori drew a great deal of panels explaining the moment and how Jeanist told him not to go and Bakugo decided he was going to be the one to defeat Shigaraki and jumped in, bursting his own heart by overusing his own quirk. AfO even talks about how his body wasn't able to keep up with his technique, things Hori wouldn't have put there if the goal was just say "oh, shigaraki killed bakugo." In that case he would have just delivered a fatal blow. Tomura's murder of Katsuki is meant to be his biggest cry for help. Tomura didn't actually murder him and that's the thing. For all the beating he gave Bakugo, the fact that his demise was overusing his own quirk while rejecting a direct order of the professional hero that was guiding him in the battlefield instead of whatever Tomura did to him says a lot more about Bakugo's own character than Tomura's chance of saving.

It is important to not change/forget that part of the narrative by saying Tomura killed Bakugo, because we are actually creating an event that didn't really happen in the manga, more so when the author explained right there what was actually happening for a reason.

It'd be nicer if you just ask me clarifying questions next time. Then I wouldn't have to do this.

You can't say Katsuki wasn't murdered because we don't KNOW what happened. The ambiguity is on purpose, clearly. We see Tomura LAND A HIT on Katsuki's chest right before his heart explodes. The question of what actually happened to him at this point remains unanswered. We cannot conclude either way if technically Katsuki was murdered or blew up his own heart by accident.

What we did see of Katsuki's thoughts says nothing about how he "decided he was going to be the one to defeat Shigaraki." All it shows is that he thought whatever he was about to do was key to Shigaraki's defeat. The conclusion to this arc could potentially reveal an unexpected goal behind Katsuki's actions.

I would argue the focus with Best Jeanist was not on Katsuki disobeying orders (which would also lead to a weird semantics debate) but on Katsuki's fighting display surprising the hell out of Jeanist. He thought Katsuki jumping in would be bad, but then Katsuki predicts Tomura in battle well enough to scare the shit out of him. Whether or not there is any emphasis in the story on how this was all somehow something Katsuki did to himself and Tomura was just incidentally involved is...also up for debate. We can't know either way without the conclusion.

I was obviously being reductive in my initial post you're responding to because I was talking about the SYMBOLISM. If I were to really get into the nitty-gritty, I would've called him TomurAFO, not Tomura.

Regardless of whether or not I would've referred to him as Tomura or TomurAFO, I showed the most important panels where clearly TOMURA perceives himself as having killed Katsuki. This was what was most relevant to my point. You can even throw in the scene where he mocks Izuku for being too late if you'd like. The main point was Tomura's "cry for help" part, not the technicalities of "murder." Tomura thinks he's a destroyer, he openly takes responsibility for Katsuki's death, and he calls himself "Izuku's villain" to emphasize how unsavable he is. It all ties back to that moment in his childhood when the old lady wouldn't help him as he was suffering.

#anon ask #ask pika #my hero academia manga spoilers #final showdown spoilers

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electrasev5nwrites · 10 months

Text

Ninja Daily: Vapors 86

"Well, this is traditionally when we exchange witty banter," Temari sighed, slowly reaching over her shoulder for her fan. "I don't suppose you have anything to say?"

"Nothing more than hands off your fan, unless you really need it to hide a blush, you delicate flower," Aiko tried winsomely, darting forward to force Temari into taijutsu and make her defend herself with her hands. Accordingly, her first strike was an open palm swipe aimed at Temari's throat, mimicking a kunai stroke that would have been fatal if she'd been armed. Temari clearly recognized the implication and her pride wouldn't let a mock-fatal blow pass. Her response was to slap the blow away while she jerked her head to the side and bent inwards, leading with her elbow to deliver a punishing blow to her opponent's unguarded ribs. Aiko was already twisting on her supporting leg to bring her left leg up and managed to completely evade the blow, snapping her left out with a stiff ankle and a flat foot that impacted painfully with Temari's gut.

It was something of a balm to her ego to see that she had the physical strength to send someone faltering, after Yugito had shrugged it off when they'd fought almost two weeks prior.

Temari curled inwards to gasp at the hit to her lower torso but jerked her free arm out to retaliate. She was too slow. Aiko had swept around the taller girl with un-augmented speed and snapped both hands out to steal the heavy fan off Temari's back.

That was the most efficient way to ensure it didn't get used against her at all. She couldn't see many ways to end this fight without hurting Temari or getting hurt herself, so her next best bet was to rub in how silly the whole thing was and remind everyone that this was just a game.

She was amused to note a gasp from the crowd at that point. Matsuri, perhaps? Was it Just Not Done to touch Temari's fan?

The abject fury in the blonde's face when she whipped around to see Aiko awkwardly clutching the weapon to her chest like a baby supported that theory. She gave an apologetic smile and danced away, ducking completely under the first anger-fueled blow and then flickered to the opposite end of the arena for the second blow.

To her credit, Temari didn't miss more than a beat before she veered around to stare at Aiko. Her eyes were a little rueful while she stared at her own weapon.

Just to play to the crowd, Aiko made a dramatic, slow swing with the pilfered weapon and grinned at the wave of titters that passed around the pavilion. Absolutely nothing happened. Apparently, she wasn't much of a wind-user.

Temari's expression indicated that Aiko's inept attempt had been downright painful to watch. "I'm not going to be able to hit you, am I," she confirmed, as though she already knew the answer.

"Nope," Aiko chirped back, grinning from behind her burden. "We could play tag, though." Illustratively, she darted to three different positions in less than a breath, playing with her Hiraishin. It had been confirmed, so she may as well rub in to the audience that she wasn't using it how they expected. It should also make her point to Temari. She was a smart girl, and she would know that Suna would be better represented if she recognized that this fight was stacked against her instead of stupidly charging forward into a match she couldn't win. Aiko was more worried about the next match, honestly. That would be when she really needed the seals she had planted. Temari didn't actually have any intention to hurt Aiko from the start, but others might.

"Maybe later," Temari dead-panned, settling into a relaxed pose with a sigh. "This is no fun, Uzumaki. I give up. Now give me back my damn fan."

"Boo!" Tsunade called out playfully, hands cupped around her mouth. "Keep fighting, you sissies! I want to see some blood!"

"Drunk looney", Aiko said fondly under her breath, before turning to Temari to quietly joke, "Tits McGee wants us to continue, are you sure?"

"I am certain," Temari said dryly, reaching out insistently for her weapon. She smoothed her hand over the metal surface lovingly before putting it back over her shoulder—or trying, at least. The blonde grimaced at Aiko, real irritation on her features. "Damnit, woman. You messed up the straps," she complained, tucking her fan under her arm and fiddling with the holster as they walked out.

No one seemed particularly pleased with the short show, but Aiko didn't care. She nudged Temari with an elbow and leaned in close to mutter, "Sorry. Is it just me, or is that blue-haired woman sketchy? I didn't want to be a jerk, but I don't like showing more of my repertoire than I have to."

Temari snorted in reply, shooting Aiko a mirthless look. "I know the feeling. I've never even heard of her before. It's like the Mizukage let in anyone with a can-do attitude and funky hair."

At that point, they were too close to anyone else to continue the covert conversation, but it was at least somewhat of a relief to see that someone else was wary of Konan.

'I want that woman gone from here. She's causing trouble, and who knows what Akatsuki could do with any real insight into what everyone is deciding? Or rather, what she could do here, more immediately. There's at least two jinchuuriki in this town right now. If she were to snatch one and run… Well, Konoha might well get blamed, and it'd be doubly bad news. Or she could let in more Akatsuki and do real damage to any number of countries in one relatively unsecured target. If Deidara alone was willing to take on Suna, a small mob of S-class shinobi could cause a lot of problems.'

The thought caused an unpleasant shiver. But she couldn't just challenge Konan to a damn duel or anything in front of the whole delegation.

Not least because she probably didn't want to fight Konan. All she knew about her was that she could turn into paper and was probably an S-class fighter. For a fight like that, she would want both Kakashi and Yamato at her back, and a write-up of Konan's abilities. Maybe Tsunade and Jiraiya lurking around just to be on the safe side would make her feel a bit better about that hypothetical match.

'I might not have a choice,' Aiko told herself firmly, not letting her gaze wander over to Konan while she began to push her way through the crowd. 'Which means that I should think about how I would want that fight to go. And where I would want it to happen. I don't particularly fancy trying to ambush Konan in her boudoir.'

Involuntarily, she shivered, imagining opening the hotel door and finding Kakuzu on the can. It was never a good idea to fight an enemy on their turf when you could help it: they could have back up or traps.

Or, you know, Kakuzu on the can, which she was sure was scarring enough to last several lifetimes. Now she just couldn't stop thinking about it. No, no, nooooo. She was arrested from her path and increasingly disturbing thoughts by a vaguely familiar voice.

"Uzumaki."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Fuu-san?"

The other girl narrowed orange eyes at her. "Put up a better fight against me in the next round," she clipped out shortly. "I don't want you to think I'll just give up because you try to play a childish game."

'Tokiwa looks pissed,' Aiko noted. She didn't bother to hide her amusement at that. It was cocky and rude for Fuu to assume she would be continuing in the match, or at least to say so in her opponent's hearing. What a silly kid. "I look forward to sparring with you as well, Fuu-san, but let's not get ahead of ourselves."

She really did like the idea of sparring against Fuu. The other girl had been careful to keep her distance from Aiko so far, and it might be her only chance to tag the jinchuuriki. You never knew when it might come in handy to be able to access one of those guys. They were sort of a hot collector's item, after all.

But it seemed that Fuu talked better than she performed, because Tokiwa quickly put her on the run. The teal-haired girl was obviously frustrated and struggled not to whip out her jinchuuriki-based powers. Any sane person might have felt trepidation about pushing someone so obviously volatile, but Tokiwa was apparently a stone-cold bitch. Aiko felt oddly fond of the older woman as she watched just how chillaxed she seemed to be about the imminent possibility of very real danger. Even the atmosphere among the spectators grew tense as it seemed that a semi-friendly contest of strength might turn into a bloodbath.

Either Tokiwa thought she could handle even what a jinchuuriki could dish out at her worst, or she trusted that the establishment would control any demonic overflow.

Personally, Aiko thought it was the former. Fuu couldn't even hit Tokiwa, and the older woman was steadily scoring hits with the freakishly long katana she carried, gouging slices out of Fuu's arm guards and chipping at the short sword that Fuu had pulled out instead of a kunai to block.

"She is a hell of a swordswoman," Aiko murmured casually to a rather stiff-looking Yugito, propping her chin up on both hands and peering interestedly at the contestants. "I pity the Fuu."

All she received was an odd look for her wording.

She sighed a little mournfully. That was probably another person who thought she was irredeemably weird. 'It's almost like Mr. T. doesn't transcend realities. Ridiculous.'

There was an ugly gasp and an obvious burst of killing intent when Fuu finally lost it completely and burst out with demonic energy. Pity. She really hadn't mastered her bijuu, then. It was terribly irresponsible of her to enter a spar if she couldn't control herself. Despite her disapproving thoughts, Aiko's heart stopped momentarily when she really took in the sight.

'That is so much better than tails that it isn't even funny.'

Aiko lurched over the table, practically climbing up in order to get a better view and balancing on her elbows with her hips at the edge. "Ah, that's so fucking cool!" A grin split her face that no one else seemed to notice, as they were a bit preoccupied with the fight that had suddenly turned into a possible death match with onlooker casualties. "They look like glitter. Hey, hey, Tsunade-sama!" She thudded her palm on the table childishly. The older woman didn't respond, so Aiko demanded, "Aren't her wings so pretty?"

Tsunade gave her a long-suffering look. Instead of replying, she reached out to pull away Aiko's untouched rice wine and knocked the whole thing down in one long series of gulps.

Wide-eyed and gleeful, Aiko actually paid avid attention to the next interchanges. Even if it was unintentional, Fuu was putting on quite a show. There were a few shrieks as Fuu crashed into a table, sending chairs and kunoichi flying.

"Aiko, stop this idiocy," Tsunade groaned, fanning herself with one hand and looking longingly at the empty glasses in front of her. "I don't care how pretty the damn things are, make them go away."

She pouted, but obediently leapt over the table and rapidly thinning crowd. Aiko casually wound two blunt chains out her back and down each hand, eying the distracted jinchuuriki like a performer might eye the tigers they were trying to convince through hoops. "Hey, Tokiwa-san, do you mind if I cut in?"

"Go for it," the brunette grunted, a hint of strain on her face while she dodged a spray of some sort of poisonous glitter. Maybe she had been bluffing about not being bothered by an unleashed bijuu.

Fuu had to be the most glamorous jinchuuriki Aiko had ever seen, and she definitely approved. Still, the demonic chakra was bothering some of the lower-level nin. Matsuri was actually shaking, but at least she still stood by Temari's side. Three of the Mist Chuunin and Genin who had been serving the group had actually made a run for it. Little shits. Come on, there were how many A and S class shinobi in the room? What drama queens. It was going to be fine.

But she had orders. So Aiko crossed her bent arms at the elbows, palms out, and then whipped out the chains to full length as she slid her arms over one another, straightening them to guide her weapons' trajectory. The chains attached to her right arm caught Fuu around her left upper arm and immediately curled around her torso, failing to secure her right because the limb had been raised. The momentum began to tip the jinchuuriki over sideways even as the chains that had shot from Aiko's left elbow caught Fuu on her right hip (Tokiwa barely dodged in time) and snaked down and around her legs, tangling all the way to Fuu's ankles and pulling her feet entirely off the ground. She hit the cement with a clang and a painful thump.

The only sound was the scrape of chain against the cement as Fuu struggled. Apparently, she wasn't terribly vocal like Nii had been, but the red of her eyes was directed at Aiko with more than a bit of fury.

She was mildly curious about what everyone was thinking as the girl they suspected of stealing jinchuuriki held one down easily, but Aiko didn't dare take her eyes off Fuu while she was still under demonic thrall. She'd been told to solve the problem, and she would look like a gigantic ass if she let Fuu slip free due to carelessness. It was one thing for others to think she was immature- they might underestimate her- but it was quite another for them to think that she was incompetent or incapable of following through on orders.

Mei was the one who broke the stand-off. Her voice echoed mockingly off the distant ceiling that kept the sun off the group. "That was fun, but perhaps the tournament is over. Why don't we break for the day? Personally, I hope to see some of you lovely ladies in the hotel reception room tonight. I have some small games planned, as well as refreshments."

Aiko could practically hear Tsunade perk up at the suggestion of free drinks, and she knew where she would be later that night.

Surely enough, after Fuu came back to her senses and cringingly apologized for the trouble, keeping Aiko in her white-rimmed eyes the whole time, Tsunade and Mei led them all but arm-in-arm and chattering gaily on the way to the hotel. Apparently, an amusing diplomatic fiasco and the promise of a free bar melted all sorts of barriers. They'd spent enough time after everyone else had left in the clean-up that the small group went directly to the event room Mei had referred to as the 'reception hall' in the hotel room. They were the first ones there, since everyone else had gone to their rooms or for a walk when released. It was only proper to allow Mei to be the first, as the hostess, so it wasn't surprising.

The Konoha nin stopped dead in their tracks when they caught their first sight into the reception hall.

It wasn't the garish decorations, although the room had been prepared along an aesthetic that was best described as 'glitter rainforest'. It wasn't the full bar, it wasn't the geisha strumming the koto in a corner, and it wasn't even the enormous hot tub in the center of the room that was dotted by floating candles.

Well, it was partly those things, but it was mostly the small group of rather attractive young men who were scattered around the room behind the bar or standing by racks of towels. Mei had apparently decided that today was 'Casual Friday' and that there was no need for shirts.

"I'll bite," Tsunade said numbly. "What the hell is this?"

'Besides a hilarious glance into Mei's psyche, you mean?'

At Aiko's side, Fuu sputtered a little helplessly, all but clinging to the girl she'd been so frightened of a moment ago. Aiko absently wrapped a comforting arm around Fuu's shoulders and took the opportunity to brush a seal there with her fingertips. She tried not to grin at the elation of having sneakily added one more to her collection of tagged jinchuuriki. That made… Well. Naruto, Gaara, Fuu, Yugito, and Shinji. That was five. Hot damn, she was much better at this collection game than Akatsuki.

Mei shot Tsunade a faux-offended look, placing a hand on her chest. "Tsunade-san, weren't you aware that the employment rate for men aged seventeen to twenty-three is the lowest it's been in decades? I know it might not be in the spirit of this conference, but my tender heart couldn't help but feel for them. We're stimulating the economy by providing temporary employment for young men in the area."

Tsunade choked at the innuendo, giving Mei an incredulous look. "I feel… dirty," she mused. Still that didn't stop her from shrugging and striding into the room as if she owned the place.

"They're just so cute," Mei huffed lowly, giving Tsunade a mischievous look. Subtle, she was not. Aiko didn't exactly approve of the hint of sexual exploitation in the way that Mei had tailored her staff, but the sheer unrepentant tackiness of the whole affair was rather glorious.

"Mei-neesan, have I ever told you that you are my personal hero?" Aiko asked conversationally, taking a towel from an attendant with a wink and slinging it over her shoulder. He directed her towards the changing rooms with a flirtatious smirk that Naruto might have punched his face in for, but she wasn't fussed. It was kind of funny, and it wasn't as though any of them seemed like they'd been coerced into wandering around in their swimtrunks.

Mei outright laughed. "No, but thank you. I do deserve that and all other compliments you can think of."

Tsunade made a wounded sound. "I should be your hero."

"No, you're already Tenten and Sasuke's personal hero," she deflected nonchalantly.

"Who the fuck is Tenten?" was the last thing she heard muttered confusedly as Aiko crossed the room and pulled the door shut behind her. She stripped easily and left every item on her person but the pin in her hair into the provided basket. It wasn't exactly that she trusted everyone here: of course she didn't. But everything she had with her, barring the hairpin was replaceable. The yukata was nice, yes, but she had a whole closet full of them. (Hey, she liked clothes, even if she wasn't very good at putting together outfits that didn't make other people cringe).

She entered the water with her towel on, even if that wasn't exactly conventional. Aiko wasn't particularly body shy, but she didn't see the need to show off her scars and comparatively dinky chest in front of the smexy kage powerhouses in front of her. Fuu looked about ready to implode from embarrassment and kept glancing nervously at the brunet who was chatting with Mei and bringing drinks to the group, but she bravely sunk in the now bubbly, flora-scented water up to her chin instead of fleeing.

'Poor thing. I think she doesn't want to risk miffing Mei any more after she lost control earlier. She's trying to do damage control, but Fuu clearly doesn't want to be here.'

Aiko gave the other girl a sympathetic smile. Fuu really couldn't be that much older than she was, and apparently she was a bit shy. That was a hard personality trait to have in their business.

Other kunoichi began trickling in. About five others made an immediate bee-line for the hot water where two of the most important political figures were already soaking, but others settled at the bar, in front of the sunny windows on lounge chairs with card games and complimentary books, or even around the shoji sets interspersed through the fake forest.

"Suddenly, I am so very glad that I never told Jiraiya this conference was happening," Tsunade groaned, laying back in the water and letting one boy put a drink in her hand while another put cucumbers over her eyes. "He would get way too big of a kick out of this."

"I actually have four ANBU teams specially tasked with keeping him and all 'suspicious' toads out of city limits," Mei said dryly. "Nadeshiko insisted. As did Iwa. Waterfall. Ku-"

"Alright, alright already," Tsunade waved away, faux-testily. The tone was ruined by her rueful grin. "I get the point. He's a scoundrel. If an apology is what you want, I can draft one, but I've never been able to control him." She gestured blindly with her drink at Aiko (inadvertently sloshing something pink and fruity into the pool). "But this one might be helpful."

Temari gave a barking laugh, letting her own clothes drop directly on the floor and stepping in the tub without a care. Her little genin hanger-on was so red-faced that Aiko thought she might actually combust (probably a good hint that Suna didn't have the same cultural nonchalance about nudity in bathhouses that Konoha or Mist did), but the blonde didn't seem to care. "Does Aiko really have a miraculous jutsu to keep him out or something?"

"No, he's my godfather," Aiko yawned, giving a stretch. "He probably doesn't want to see me naked."

Temari dubiously repeated, "Probably?" She slowly shook her head. "Why can't you say that with a little more confidence?" Her voice was unusually high-pitched.

"He's an odd duck," Aiko muttered, laying a hand over her eyes and leaning back.

Mei visibly cringed. "I would hope he would have that small amount of shame." She gave her glass a distasteful look. "I need more alcohol to help me forget that disturbing implication, right away."

"Hey, you could utilize that information for good instead of evil," Fuu cut in with a little amusement, eyes darting to Aiko (and then immediately down into the bubbly water with a blush). "Just…" She cleared her throat to try again. "Just put up glamour shots of Uzumaki-san on billboards if we have a conference like this again. I'm sure that would be suitably scarring. You could justify it as advertising, since she's basically the winner of our tournament. She was the only contestant to beat two other people." Her voice got tinier and tinier until it trailed off into meek nothingness.

Fuu cringed back from the indignant look that Aiko shot her, even as other kunoichi gave in to giggles. "Hey, I'm not so hideous that I should be used to ward off perverts," she protested crossly. "I'm no Tsunade, but I'm not exactly Danzo in a dress, either."

Tsunade spit out a mouthful of her icy drink into the glass still at her lips. "That's disgusting!" she protested crossly, wiping her mouth with the back of a hand. "I can never un-think that image."

"Do I want to know who Danzo is?" Mei asked curiously.

Aiko shook her head. "Not really, other than that he's like seventy years old, cantankerous as all hell, and not about to win Miss Konoha any time soon."

There was a moment of silence.

"Uzumaki, you're a buzz-kill," Yugito posited clinically from the other end of the tub. "I think that in punishment, you should be used to ward off Jiraiya. That statement is not merely motivated by self-interest or personal dislike."

She just rolled her eyes. "You all just lack humor." Aiko considered the conversation over, and turned to lever herself out of the pool. She froze at Temari's curious tone.

"Aiko, is that a tattoo?"

Defensively, she clapped her hand awkwardly over her shoulder blade, (not noticing or caring that a blond cabana boy was gaping stupidly at the way her towel slumped) and shook her head. "Nope! Definitely not." She grabbed another towel from the closest pile and draped it over her shoulders before turning to give the kunoichi still in the hot tub a cheesy grin. "Don't be silly, Temari!"

The Suna nin didn't look convinced, but she just shrugged the abjectly bad denial off.

The soaked towels were a little uncomfortable, so she gratefully accepted the plain robe that was offered and hurriedly changed into that.

At least the company could have been worse. For all her meddling, Konan apparently drew the line at excess socialization, which Aiko both understood and was grateful for (though it did seem like a strange opportunity to miss). She didn't drink more than a serving of alcohol, however, because the idea of being chemically compromised here didn't sit well with her. Tsunade was a badass bitch and could just burn the liquor off if she needed to, but Aiko did stupid things like get tattoos and giggle all night in bars with her ANBU captain when she drank, apparently.

As a reward to herself for being good in regards to mind-altering substances, Aiko allowed one of the masseuses Mei had arranged for to rub some sort of luxurious conditioner into her hair before braiding it and another to give her a foot massage and a pedicure, opting for pink paint out of the rather limited selection. Absently flirting was fun, but as the night dragged on she grew more and more tense and just wished that Tsunade would allow them to leave. The Hokage appeared to be having the time of her life, however, red-cheeked and laughing up a storm with Mei, all but collapsing over each other. The conversation over there seemed to have degenerated into tall tales about fights with missing nin (the only universally politically correct bad-guy to brag about beating up, Aiko noted with vague amusement).

"Would you like a drink?"

"I said no the last ten times, so you can feel free to stop asking," Aiko snapped testily. Immediately, she regretted it and gave a sigh. "I'm sorry, that was rude. I'm a bit tired."

The heavily pierced redhead gave her a faint smile. "No apologies necessary."

"You think you're sso hot," Kurotsuchi slurred, lurching over to point a good foot to Aiko's left, clearly too inebriated to see straight. The redhead whose name she had never asked looked mildly repulsed as the Iwa-nin rather ineptly menaced Aiko. "I could- I can take all three of you." Her brunette attendant followed her over with a long-suffering expression and laid a hand on the girl's shoulder to steer her from starting a fight.

"Yeah, you could sit on me," Aiko mumbled, tossing her braided hair over her shoulder and disengaging with a shared eye-roll with the older teen that she'd snapped at earlier.

'I am not getting paid anywhere near enough for this,' she sighed. 'Baby-sitting heads of state while they alternately politick and get as much relaxation as they can squeeze in is too stressful for a stupid A class mission.'

"Aiko! Walk me back to my room." Temari tossed a hand over Aiko's shoulder. It looked relaxed, but the fingers that laid against the muscles over her collarbone were tense.

This at least promised to be interesting, so she let herself be led up a floor. "Hey, your room is pretty close to mine," she noted. She wondered where Matsuri was, but didn't ask. It might not be something Temari wanted brought up right now.

"That's probably not a coincidence," Temari huffed, shaking her hair out and unlocking her door. "They probably tried to separate people they thought might get into fights as much as possible."

Aiko snorted. "Joke's on them, if I leave her alone for much longer, Tsunade is either going to end up in a fist fight with Mei or sitting on her bed all night while they gossip and paint each other's toenails."

For all that she'd claimed to be disapproving at first, Tsunade had been giggling incoherently at cute men for the past hour or so. That was probably a pretty good sign that she should be going to nap.

"They do have a disturbingly inconsistent dynamic," Temari mused with a slight grimace. Then she shook her head. "That's not important right now. You noticed that something was seriously off with that woman from Ame, right?"

Relieved, Aiko nodded. "I'm glad it's not just me. I think that she's trying to cause trouble."

The blonde frowned. "Something about her bothers me. I think that she has been paying far too much attention to me and alienating the smaller villages from Suna and Konoha in specific. I'm sending Matsuri home. I can't leave, but I wanted to see if you had any ideas. She's been on your case as well since we got here."

"It might just be my enormous paranoia," Aiko acknowledged, "but I can't help but think that the only agenda she could be serving by creating dissent the way she is would be Akatsuki's."

Temari outright shuddered. "I don't like that idea," she said darkly, giving a wary glance at the door. "It had crossed my mind that she was a spy, but I had assumed that Ame was planning to try to undermine us for some reason and not that she might actually be affiliated with Akatsuki."

Aiko snorted, reaching out to ascertain that Konan's seal and the woman attached weren't nearby before she responded. Assuming the Akatsuki had gone to her hotel room, she was based two floors above them on the opposite end of the building. That was definitely too far to overhear, so she didn't feel too wary about intimating, "Why does it have to be one or the other?"

She couldn't outright say that she knew things like that with no evidence, but she could lead Temari to the right conclusions if she was willing to listen. Tsunade had been disinterested, but here was a willing ear. If Temari got Gaara on the right track, then Tsunade would have to pay attention to the admittedly minor bits of evidence she had under the guise of an intuitive leap.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you," Temari said wryly.

'You don't know the half of it.'

She felt a sudden rush of honesty well up. Sure, this was a big hint as to her most important technique, but she did trust Temari. The sand kunoichi was a genuine ally, and sharing this information could help them make a better plan of action. Besides, it was almost like following through on her promise to Yamato… even if he might have preferred that she work with Tsunade rather than Temari.

Well, Temari wasn't an inebriated hot mess right now.

"On that note, I should probably tell you that I tagged her. So at least I know where she is at all times."

Temari's expression twisted into incredulousness before she gave the distinct impression that she had a massive headache. "How?" she asked helplessly, before making a sharp motion with one hand to cut off conversation. "Never mind that. You mean a Hiraishin, right?" At the sheepish nod, she outright groaned. "You…" Then she shook her head to start a new train of thought. "That's good. We can use this. Do you think we should try to ambush her?"

Aiko cringed a little. "I'm not sure I want to go that far without provocation," she admitted. "If we get caught, it would seem to validate every stupid claim she's been making."

Left unsaid was that could be even worse than doing nothing, if Konan really was just there to observe. But they could hardly afford not to act on their suspicions if the Akatsuki were going to make infiltrating this conference worth their time by taking a jinchuuriki souvenir.

"So we don't get caught," Temari posited logically.

"Should murdering a diplomat really be option number one?" Aiko asked a bit skeptically.

Temari snorted. "I highly doubt that she's a real diplomat. But you're probably right about not making that our first option. Then again, what would undermine her claims quite like doing something highly suspicious like just disappearing?" She gave a cruel little smile and wavered her hand in the air to emphasize the point.

'God, I love this girl.'

"That'll only work as long as it looks like she was the one who made a break for it," Aiko reasoned out, tugging on her braid. "If it seems like something went wrong and made her panic, anyone with a healthy sense of self-preservative paranoia will investigate her further. What do we need to do to avoid leaving the impression of foul play?"

Aiko jerked into consciousness in the dead of night, with no idea what was wrong. But something had to have woken her up. Out of habit, her first check was a visual scan, a chakra pulse, and then she quietly peered into Tsunade's room under Jiraiya's chameleon genjutsu with her chakra silenced.

'Nothing.'

She frowned, unsettled. Had it just been paranoia? A bad dream that woke her up?

'I can't dismiss this. If something is wrong and I ignore it…'

She trailed off the thought, realizing that her mind was only leading her to one prominent idea of what could go horribly wrong. There were multiple variations on the scenario, of course, but they all involved Konan.

Konan. Who was crossing the hotel towards Temari's room. Temari, who was lodging alone after Matsuri had left. Somewhat unpleasantly, she realized that it would look awfully suspicious that Temari had sent Matsuri home if Temari were to disappear in the dead of the night.

'If Kumo could think of using a jinchuuriki's sister as bait, Akatsuki could. And she might be trying the same thing we thought of: making her look like a suspect by suspiciously disappearing her.'

If Konan were to do something like take a jinchuuriki with her, Temari would be the obvious suspect. And that was disregarding the value Temari had as a hostage against Gaara.

On the bright side, this neatly wrapped up the problem Temari and Aiko had wrestled with about how to avoid any signs of foul play. No one would look for signs of a struggle in Temari's room, and Konan had doubtlessly made sure she wasn't seen on her way to Temari's rooms. They could turn Konan's trap back on her.

'That's assuming that she doesn't know about the seal I put on her.' Aiko frowned, rapidly strapping on her arm protectors and shoving on her boots. They doubtlessly looked stupid with the white tank top and pink cotton shorts she was wearing for pajamas, but there wasn't time to change further. Of course, since she was still under Jiraiya's genjutsu, it didn't matter much. 'If she does know about that, she would deal with it by having backup and get both of us at one time. This could easily be that trap.' Uncertainly, she glanced over at the room where her Hokage was sleeping. Going to check on Temari would mean leaving Tsunade alone.

'Temari is in definite danger. Tsunade… She can take care of herself. I won't be gone long.'

Aiko hastily dropped her genjutsu and knocked on the wall in Tsunade's room to startle her awake from a safe distance. "Tsunade-sama!" she hissed, keeping her voice low even as the older woman lurched upwards to glare at her. "That creepy woman from Rain is approaching Temari's room. I think she's trying something."

Tsunade groaned and fell back into her bed with a whumpf. "Enough with the Rain-nin," she huffed, rubbing at a temple. "Really, you woke me up to tell me that your new personal enemy is walking around the halls at four in the morning? Maybe she needs to get some damn ice. Bother me when you have something more solid to act on."

She had to resist the urge to stomp her foot childishly against the ground. Tsunade didn't believe that there was reason to worry, but from her perspective, the evidence was pretty circumstantial at best. Fine. "Can I go check on her?" Aiko bit out testily. She swung around and back into her room the instant she had permission, slapping a seal onto her door so that she could return and pulling Jiraiya's genjutsu back on. By this point, Konan had stopped moving… probably actually inside Temari's room. She couldn't linger. There just wasn't time to argue with Tsunade.

She didn't like the plan, but she silenced her chakra signature, took a calming breath, and flickered to Konan's seal. Temari was standing combatively in front of her bed, mussy-haired and pajama clad. By contrast, Konan was fully dressed in the same outfit that Aiko had noted the day before. Ew.

"I'm afraid I will have to ask you to come with me."

Temari gritted her teeth, probably noting the same irony that Aiko had about their pipe-dream ambush being turned back. Her eyes darted towards her fan—propped against the wall, right next to the impassive looking Konan.

But lo and behold, the blue-haired woman didn't seem to notice Aiko at all. That was more of a shock than anything. Shouldn't an elite terrorist be able to spot some geeky teenager trying to sneak up on her? Granted, the hope had been that she would pass unnoticed, but she hadn't really thought it would work.

Temari jerked towards her weapon and then leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding getting pinned to the wall by some small weapon that Aiko hadn't even seen Konan throw.

'Well, item number one on the agenda is to take this fight away from here so we don't draw any attention… or worse, so that we don't find out exactly how she was planning to extract Temari. If Konan really is reliant on some paper-based ninjutsu, the easiest way to decrease her combat capacity is to get any paper on her soggy.'

She spent a long moment willing Temari to step closer to Konan so that she could flash between the two and grab them at the same time. But that wasn't going to happen, Temari was a mid-to long range fighter. Of course she didn't want to get any closer.

Oh. Duh.

'If only I had a jutsu that allowed instantaneous travel so that I could come back for the person I initially leave behind,' Aiko mocked herself internally, shaking her wrist to loosen up the joints and gritting her jaw. 'Dumbfuck.' She flash-stepped immediately behind Konan and burnt a Hiraishin seal onto the back of her neck even as she tore the two of them away from Water Country and dropped them into a section of ocean that should be between Wave Country and Mist's island chain.

Konan sputtered, but regained her balance to stand on the water and darted forward to break free of Aiko's grip. Disappointing. She was going to have to be forced into the water instead of obligingly fall in out of surprise. Whatever her faults, Konan had excellent reaction time. And many small weapons falling out of her robe to hover oddly at her side and around her in a cloud that partially obscured the older woman, even as she looked around for her new opponent with a small line of confusion pressed between her eyes.

'Yes, paper. That's definitely paper coming out of her sleeves,' Aiko judged grimly. 'Kind of pretty though.'

She didn't care how pretty it was. She didn't want to be killed by thousands of papercuts. It was something like what she imagined working in an office would be like.

She spotted the exact instant that Konan seemed to notice the slight shimmer left by the chameleon genjutsu in the night air, which was frankly impressive. It was hard enough to see in daylight. Maybe she wasn't a total idiot.

"Jiraiya?" Konan sounded confused.

Aiko's jaw dropped in indignation at the same time the genjutsu did. "Did you seriously just mistake me for a fifty year old man?" She asked incredulously, placing a hand on her chest. She wasn't old! Konan was the old one. Who the hell was she to criticize Aiko?

"Uzumaki," Konan breathed, quirking her fingers delicately to direct the cloud of paper butterflies hovering in a cloud at her command.

"Yes, it's Uzumaki, you tacky idiot," she snapped irritably, tilting her hip out combatively. "Because I pity you and you're obviously as thick as you are blind, here's an economics lesson. Maybe if you bothered to spend ten dollars on waterproof mascara, you wouldn't look like a five dollar hooker. I doubt it though, since you're dumb enough to match your eyeshadow to your hair."

'And maybe if it were waterproof, it wouldn't run down your stupid face when I soak you. You stupid head.'

Konan looked confused, frankly, but Aiko didn't have time for her shit. She flickered back to the hotel (and had to reorient outside of Temari's room and let herself in sheepishly because she hadn't thought to plant a seal there) to grab her comrade. Temari was still blinking at her room, though she'd turned the light on and snatched up her fan to hug it protectively to her chest.

"We're going on a field trip," Aiko said grimly, grabbing Temari's arm and forcibly dragging her to the position where she'd left Konan. Perhaps she should have warned her comrade, because Temari yelped and sank down to her ankles before she reflexively adjusted to stand on the water.

'Well, I don't need two seals on her,' Aiko thought a bit vindictively, and yanked on the explosive she had first planted on Konan.

The Akatsuki gave out a tiny grunt, but didn't have the wherewithal to control the widening of her eyes when her hip suddenly decided that it wanted to spontaneously combust. It demonstrated that desire with a violent expulsion of chunks of flesh and a spatter of hot blood that arced out over the water. Konan jerked sideways, nearly dropping to her knee before she re-balanced.

Aiko was reluctantly impressed. Now that was adapting. It wasn't what she'd wanted, though: she had thought that Konan would lose concentration long enough to get soaked.

"Did your hip just go out?" Temari snarked, hefting her fan ominously and letting the first joint slide silently open. "I hear that's normal for the elderly. That's okay, I'm sure you can just stand and fight. You don't look like much of a runner anyway, grandmother time."

Konan heaved a jagged breath and cut her right arm across her torso violently without so much as a word, possibly because her teeth were still gritted shut. Aiko jerked away from the spray of paper that shot towards the two girls, but Temari stood her ground and flipped her fan all the way open in one smooth motion before viciously batting the projectiles back at Konan. Some flew past, some came to an abrupt halt, but some connected with the woman and melded into her clothing.

"Come on," Temari jeered, expression ugly. "You think you're going to hit either of us with something like that?"

The Akatsuki narrowed her eyes and flung both arms upward. It would have been a dramatic move if even she hadn't grown enormous white wings and shot straight upwards into the air.

"Okay, that might help," Temari acknowledged quietly, tilting her head slightly to the side as Konan partially dissolved up to her hips into thousands of sheets of colored paper, which apparently decided that now was an excellent time to fold into shuriken that glinted in a rather ominous way that implied they weren't regular paper. The sight momentarily took Aiko's breath away: what little she could see under moon and starlight, anyway. They hung in the air for a split second, alien and beautiful.

And then they weren't just floating on the breeze.

"Move!" Aiko half-shrieked, barreling her ally out of the way when they shot downwards. It was like trying to dodge raindrops—they were so thickly packed that they was no way to avoid the barrage without escaping the hundred-foot wide crowd. She flung her arms around Temari just as the first of the tiny blades came crashing down onto her head. She jerkily reoriented the two of them several hundred feet away to Konan's left, though unfortunately still in her range of vision since Konan had taken the high ground.

The next thing she registered was that blood was soaking her face. "Ow," Aiko said dumbly, running a hand up her head to pull out the half-dozen tiny blades sticking directly into her skull. Temari was wide-eyed but unharmed, having ducked while Aiko had moved horizontally. The only blood on her was Aiko's. Pain came a moment later.

"I think now would be a good time to test your theory that getting her wet would slow her down," Temari said a bit faintly. Aiko nodded, wiping blood out of her eyes as best as she could with the underside of her forearm.

"Good plan. Please tell me you have a kunai or something like that on you? Anything small."

Temari hurriedly hitched up her sleeping robe to her thigh and yanked a single short blade off a leg holster. "Make it count."

"I will," Aiko responded a bit grimly, pressing a Hiraishin seal onto it—and then throwing it directly downwards, into the ocean. She didn't wait to see Temari's (no doubt hilarious) reaction before she shot upwards to Konan and violently wrapped her hands around the woman's neck where her seal was and then instantly brought the two of them back down to the seal she had just thrown down into the freezing depths of the ocean.

'Ha. Water beats paper.'

Except the next thing she knew was that Konan had dissolved into razor sharp sheaves of paper under her grip and brutally sliced at all the flesh she found, scoring dozens of times on her fingers, hands, and up her arms. She had kicked away from the pain in the same instant, slightly before she could register the biting pain from hundreds of tiny cuts into her torso and shoulders.

'Water does not beat paper! Paper wins, paper wins!'Aiko thought somewhat frantically, and ricocheted back up to the surface to wrap her cold arms around her torso and put pressure on the worst of the bleeding.

That had all happened in less than two seconds. Temari's eyes were wide and aghast with just a little bit of fear, and Aiko knew that the Sand kunoichi had caught on to the same thing that she had even as she rushed to brace Aiko up.

They couldn't beat Konan.

"New plan," Temari huffed, jerking her fan up to shield them as paper shards shot out of the water and veered at the two kunoichi. She couldn't help grimacing at the ugly sounds of colliding metal. "We're not going to be able to kill her. Retreat?"

"I never retreat, but I think that we could advance in a backwards direction," Aiko shot back with a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes. "We can't leave her here, though. She's too close. She could come back to Mist within the day."

"How far away can you dump her off?," Temari asked grimly, arms shuddering under the force of holding up her weapon against Konan's paper spears that definitely were not paper.

Aiko shrugged helplessly. "The northern half of Wind country? But I don't think that's necessarily a good idea."

Temari gave an ugly bark of a laugh. "If that woman wanted to get through the borders, she would, so that wouldn't be the worst. But I think she's laying low for some reason. I bet that she'll go back home. Could you take her straight to Rain?"

"I don't want to go there, but… Grass?"

A single sheaf of paper fluttered innocently through the gap between Temari's fan and the surface of the water.

'Well, that can't be anything good.'

Aiko clung to her friend like a limpet and Hiraishin'd them a hundred feet away. It wasn't quite enough to escape the massive wave that erupted after what had apparently been an explosive tag snapped into fire on their old position. Both girls were slapped with a good hundred-something pounds of force and dragged into the salty water.

"Just get the bitch!" Temari forced out breathlessly, spitting sea water out and futilely trying to climb back up to the still agitated surface of the water. The next shockwave of water from the epicenter dragged them both back under.

'I can't. Not as long as she's in hundreds of pieces.'

Despairingly, Aiko kicked upwards towards the faint hint of moonlight she could see, feeling Temari struggling similarly at her side. She would Hiraishin up, but the seconds spent underwater were actually her best chance at an opportunity to think, as terrifying as that was.

What would make Konan reform? Well, the need to do something that she couldn't do as thousands of pieces of paper seemed to be a good bet.

That meant she needed to parse out what Konan could and couldn't do as paper. Clearly, she could kick their asses. But she couldn't take either of them captive, or talk to them.

So, what, pretend to be defeated? It wouldn't be much of a play. She was in very real danger of bleeding out if she didn't slow her heartbeat and get medical attention. Temari was fresh, though, having blocked or been out of the way of Konan's attacks so far.

Konan would probably make a move to capture them once they were incapacitated, but she didn't want to have to have Konan beat on Temari to that point to get her to make a move.

Temari seemed to clue in at the same time Aiko did, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't you da-"

Too late. Aiko carried Temari to her hotel room and the two collapsed with an ugly squelching thud on the carpeted floor, soaking and shuddering. Tsunade burst into the room an instant later.

"Tsunade, stop her-" Temari snapped out, but Aiko flash-stepped back wards and held her hands out, openly pleading for them to understand.

"I can't leave her there! She'll just come back and it'll be so much worse. She'll only make a move to become solid if she thinks she's won. That's the only way I'll be able to grab her and get her out. I'll let her think I'm being cocky and want to take her by myself so that she reforms once it's obvious she's won."

Bless her heart, Tsunade was both quick on the uptake and didn't ask stupid questions. "If you get any more beat up, you're going to lose consciousness, and you really might die or be taken captive," she warned grimly, moving to help Temari up off the floor. "Is whatever is going on worth that risk?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Aiko replied, relieved that Tsunade was willing to trust her judgment in a hurry. "Permission to re-engage target?"

"Yes, but Sabaku here is going to be explaining things," Tsunade gave Temari a warning glare. Aiko pulled a tired smile at the sight, letting it be the last thing she noted in the hotel. At least she didn't have to be the one to talk things out with Tsunade.

Back on the water, Aiko scanned the area for her opponent, cursing that the increased light in her hotel room had diminished her night vision again.

'Focus, just focus. I just need to draw her out into showing herself, grab her, and ditch her in the desert somewhere. Then I can go back to Tsunade and get medical attention.'

Harder than it sounded. The night was ominously still and silent. Apparently Konan had some genjutsu or something to help her hide as well. Maybe she'd just left. Maybe Aiko was too late and she was on her way back to Mist.

'My legs are shaking,' she noted distantly.

Funny. She didn't remember getting her legs injured. Still, her left knee wobbled precariously. It gave out when she was hit from behind. Aiko caught herself on her elbows and immediately scrambled forward, splashing as her focus wavered and she partially dipped below the water, struggling to get to her feet. That pretty well proved that Konan was here. She had to regain her feet and grab her—chakra chains if she had to, although Konan was likely to just dissolve around them and escape.

And then she knew nothing.

"She's not coming back tonight, is she," Temari asked quietly, staring down at the five small splotches of blood on the hotel carpet. They had waited for two hours, and the sun was beginning to warm them through the window.

Tsunade looked strangely pale. "I don't think she is," she agreed numbly. "I think it's time that we go seek out the Mizukage. I think that this counts as a kidnapping from her conference. We're going to have to go with a selective lie, however."

"What, don't want to tell anyone that Aiko's been marking everyone within arm's reach?" she asked tiredly, not really able to inject any venomous humor. Her friend was either dead or lost to Akatsuki.

'and it should have been me. If she hadn't followed Konan to my room, it would be me. My tessen is all but shot, and I only took a couple blows. I couldn't fight that woman at all.' Her face tensed, and she clenched her hands into fists at her side. 'I need to get stronger. A lot stronger. I couldn't even keep up with Aiko, and she got her ass handed to her. '

"No, I don't," Tsunade sighed. "That would be a diplomatic nightmare. New story is that your fight with Konan spilled out into the hall, Aiko heard and went to investigate. I followed out, but a second too late when Aiko took the two of you out of city limits to protect civilians from collateral damage. From there, we can tell the truth." Her gaze drifted to the floor and tightened, staring at the same drying blood stains Temari had been hovering over all night. "Lucky us, we even have some collaborating evidence that there was a fight, and everyone had a chance to see Aiko's skill set the day before, so they won't distrust that she would have reflexively used Hiraishin."

"Yeah, lucky," Temari repeated bitterly, moving to stand. "That's exactly how I feel."

#vapors #uzumaki aiko #electrasev5n #ninja daily #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction

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bluntforceyearning · 1 year

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I posted 1,324 times in 2022

That's 1,075 more posts than 2021!

22 posts created (2%)

1,302 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined

@purple-amaranthe

@widevibratobitch

@katstwistedmind

@tall-wolf-of-tarth

I tagged 480 of my posts in 2022

#asoiaf - 65 posts

#jaime x brienne - 62 posts

#jaime lannister - 57 posts

#persuasion - 54 posts

#brienne of tarth - 51 posts

#autumn my love - 39 posts

#braime - 32 posts

#the sandman - 18 posts

#ettore bastianini my love - 15 posts

#bridgerton - 14 posts

Longest Tag: 110 characters

#they might as well have claimed that fish swim in the desert or that clouds are consisted of marshmallow fluff

My Top Posts in 2022:

11 notes - Posted February 11, 2022

The Sandman dropped on Netflix only yesterday, but I see the Corinthian has already gotten Babygirl-fied. The devil works hard, but the tumblrinas work fast!

11 notes - Posted August 6, 2022

100 years from the birth of THE baritone that ruined me for all other baritones, operablr's favourite dude, tragic, divine, velvet-and-bronze-voiced, our beloved Ettore! Thank you for the music!

12 notes - Posted September 24, 2022

Anyone who has ever read "Like water for chocolate" or watched the film (WATCH IT!), can agree that Mama Elena is a terror and deserves the worst. BUT! The guts it takes to aim your shotgun at a troop of guerrillas, when you're the head of a small group of women home alone in the middle of nowhere, and deliver this line

“I have a very good aim and a very bad temper, Captain. The next shot is for you, and I assure you that I can shoot you before they can kill me, so it would be best for us to respect each other. If we die, no one will miss me very much, but won’t the nation mourn your loss?”

I almost cheered!

18 notes - Posted March 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Guys, Persuasion was bad! The trailer doesn't even do it justice! Nothing prepares you for how CRIMINALLY bad it is!

In an almost 2-hour long film, they managed to rush through with indifference or skip entirely most plot points, so the unfortunate viewers could enjoy more of Anne babbling nonsensically while looking at the camera

They murdered the characters of the protagonists (the secondary characters and the interactions between them providing insight to the plot and social commentary are barely even there). Anne is "so altered, Austen should not have known her again" and Wentworth has all the charm, spark and personality of an an unsalted, boiled potato (apologies to the potatoes!)

Anne and Wentworth are worse than exes, they're BUDDIES! They're not only on speaking terms, they talk about their past, their feelings, their appreciation for each other, their hopes and dreams, how they wish the best for each other and I couldn't get through these scenes. It was painful to watch!

They annihilated the chemistry between them. It's a story where silence speaks the loudest and it's a character on its own. You remove the plot, you remove the silence, you remove the characters and there's nothing there anymore. There was NO CHEMISTRY AT ALL ! It was the dullest, most flavourless, pointless to watch pairing! To do that to Persuasion out of all Austen books (the most tension-filled, blue balls-inducing, physical of them), takes a special kind of talent!

The letter (and I'll leave it at that)

The liberties taken to make the film more "modern" or relatable. Aaaaah…….. rubbing temples. I can't decide if it's worse or equally bad as having Anne throw at us butchered lines from the book at irrelevant times, to soften the blow to the book fans. It wasn't "refreshingly relatable and modern" (I suppose that's what they were going for). It was so bad it couldn't work in either Regency or a modern setting or any other timeline, to be honest. It can BARELY serve as a parody of Persuasion!

It's not an accidental failure. It's not a hit-and-miss (by a few million light years!). It's so fucking bad, it can only be on purpose. Did somebody bet the creators they couldn't make the most cursed Austen adaptation of all times? That would make sense! How else could one explain this PLOTLESS, FLEABAGED, QUIRKY-FIED, BLAND AS ROOM TEMPERATURE WATER AND SUBTLE AS WRECKING BALL, PARODY OF PERSUASION?

I wish I could take back those 3 hours of my life (that's how long it took me to watch, as I had to pause every other scene, yell "what the hell? what the fuck? what is this? what the fuck am i watching", take deep breaths, rub my temples, pour more wine and press play).

If you haven't watched it, I envy you. If you did, let us pray for lobotomies!

23 notes - Posted July 16, 2022

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#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Spotify

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lord-of-dragons-2007 · 1 year

Text

(Reefside Park)

Kim was just about finished with her run when suddenly she heard a ground-shaking explosion close to where she was,

"Whoa! What was that?" Kim asked herself as she ran off to see what caused the blast. When she stopped she saw what had cased the explosion, it was Elsa, but to Kim she was some strange woman. Elsa had just cornered two innocent kids,

"Oh, I am not going to like what I'm about to do." Kim said to herself as she resigned herself to getting re-involved in this world of rangers, and with that Kim leapt up and delivered a devastating high jump kick to Elsa's face with so much force behind it to send Elsa flying away from the kids,

"Hey how about you pick on someone your own age group." Kim said as she landed with her grace as a gymnastics expert,

"You kids get out of here." Kim said to the two kids behind her,

"Who are you?" Elsa asked as she rose where she had fallen,

"A concerned parent." Kim replied as she took her old fighting stance,

"Ok . . . if that's the way you want to play it, Tyrano-Drones attack!" Elsa called out; suddenly Kim was surrounded by foot solders that appeared out of nowhere.

"Kim, what did you get yourself into?" Kim thought to herself as she looked around trying to find a weak spot in the encirclement she found herself in, as the tyrano-drones moved in closer suddenly several blasts came from behind as some of the drones where destroyed while some were merely phased, seeing this as her opportunity to go on the offensive Kim ran out of the encirclement while the tyrano-drones were distracted, "I leave you alone for one minuet and you go get yourself in trouble." Dr. O said as he and his rangers came to Kim's aid,

"Hmmm, I must admit black looks good on you but I liked you better when you were in white." Kim retorted playfully,

"Dr. O who is she?" Kira asked clearly puzzled by the banter between Dr. O and this woman,

"Lets take care of the introduction later." Conner piped in,

"He's right guys let go." Dr. O said as all six members took a fighting stance. The battle lasted for several minutes, both sides took serious hits and dogged near fatal blows. Finally as Conner and Dr. O were sent flying back from a parried sword attack from Elsa,

"Man she's extra strong today." Conner complained,

"Conner you know what to do." Dr. O said as Conner rose up while Kira and Ethan formed up behind him,

"Shield of Triumph!" Conner called out as he reached up and pulled the shield of triumph from its dimensional pocket,

"Just the move I was waiting for." Elsa thought as an insidious grin appeared on her face,

"Ok Elsa this ends now! Shield of Triumph!" Conner called out, but before he and Elsa teleported to the Shield of Triumph dimension Elsa fired an awkward looking cannon at the center of the shield. On pure instinct Conner held up the shield to deflect the Cannon's shot, which played into Elsa's plan perfectly.

"Whoa! What was that?" Conner questioned, within seconds of the hit from the cannon; a dimensional portal opened up centered around the shield,

"What's happening?" Kim asked tensely,

"I don't know, everyone hang on!" Dr. O called out as the vortex slowly pulled everyone in,

"Don't fight it rangers that vortex will pull you into another demenstion where you will remain trapped for all eternity." Elsa said triumphantly,

Conner was the first to go as he was holding the shield, next came Kira because she came to his aid as he was being sucked in, then Trent, Ethan, and finally Dr. O and Kim. Elsa was very pleased that her plan had succeeded, but then something happened that Elsa did not plan on; the vortex then pulled Elsa into the mix.

(Mysterious Island Lair)

Mesogog watched unemotionally as Elsa's plan backfired and pulled her into the vortex along with the rangers,

"Well . . . I guess Elsa's plan was not so fool proof after all, oh well one less sorry excuse of a minion." Mesogog hissed as he rose from his throne to go assemble a monster to destroy the city,

"My lord," Zeltrax interrupted,

"What is it Zeltrax, I have a city to destroy." Mesogog hissed in displeasure,

"My apologies my lord, but I have take the liberty and constructed a monster in anticipation of Elsa's failure." Zeltrax explained,

"Hmm, maybe your not as worthless as I had thought Zeltrax; where is this monster of yours?" Mesogog hissed in approval, as Zeltrax motioned for his beast to make his presence known. The room grew cold and dark just as it had when it was first created, suddenly its monstrous form appeared from thin air just next to Zeltrax,

"My lord this is the Terror-Dragon Raxx." Zeltrax introduced,

"Hmm, you seem to have done well Zeltrax, let's see if it's as tough as it looks." Mesogog hissed as he looked over the monster,

"Should I dispatch him my lord?" Zeltrax questioned,

"Yes, but in good time." Mesogog hissed as he returned to his throne.

(Ranger Command Center)

Hayley watched on in horror as the team was slowly sucked into the dimensional portal to never bee seen again,

"I was right . . .." Hayley said to herself,

"The end is here, its up to them to find a way out of this." Hayley said, after a few moments of silence her face brightened up, she had an idea,

"But their not alone in this, I know I can find a way to help them out of this, now were does Tommy keep his number?" Hayley said as she went into Dr. O's house.

(Dimensional Hole)

The ranger team plus Kim had been free falling for several minuets now; Trent, and Ethan had passed out due to the trauma. Dr. O and Kim were still holding hands but Kim was the only one who had passed out while Dr. O looked as though he was on his way there; Kira still hung on to Conner's hand while she was passed out, while Conner was showing better signs of coping with the trauma. It was strange the ranger team and Kim were there but Elsa was nowhere to be found, where did she end up?

(As Conner loses conscienceless fade to black)

(Full screen, bad quality video of the original power rangers theme song begins to play but slowly decreases in size In the background of the video are torn pages of a calendar jumping back in place, good as new, years fly in reverse. The video ends)

(Conner's Point of view)

(Distant, muffled voices become closer and clearer)

"Er . . .. wa## up . . .. Conner! WAKE UP!" a female voice calls out; Conner slowly opens his eyes to be offended by the bright light. His vision is somewhat blurry, he blinks a few times and his vision became clearer. It was Kira hunched over him.

(Back to the omniscient view of the world)

"Conner!" Kira yelled again,

"Ok, ok, ok I'm up. Where are we?" Conner asked very disoriented,

"We don't know, we seem to be in a forest of some sort." Kira Replied,

"Great." Conner said sounding very distraught,

"Hey where are Dr. O and Kim at?" Conner asked,

"I don't know we woke up and they weren't here." Kira answered,

"Even more to worry about." Conner said as he rose to his feet and offered Kira his hand to help her get up, she took it and was now on her feet,

"Ok who are you? And what have you done with Conner?" Kira said sounding half serious,

"What?" Conner asked confused,

"You, helping me up." Kira said,

"What I cant be a good guy now?" Conner asked rhetorically,

"Hey guys I think I may have found a way out." Trent said off in the distance, Conner and Kira jogged over to see him and Ethan hunched over a couple of sticks in the ground,

"Um how does this help?" Conner asked, while everyone looked at him like he was an idiot,

"This is a makeshift compass, the rises in the east and sets in the west. By marking the position of the sun we can deduce where north and south are." Tent Explained,

"Oh, so which way do we go?" Conner said sounding embarrassed,

"By this we go that way." Ethan said,

The four teens walked down what seemed like a beaten path for what seemed like hours but in reality they had walked for about 45 minuets, in time the four teens made their way to a shore front of a medium sized lake across to it was a large park,

"We gotta find a newspaper." Conner said urgently,

"Why?" Ethan asked,

"I'm trying find out where we are, I saw this trick in a movie once." Conner said,

"You know dude that's not a bad idea." Ethan said, at that time the four teens saw a man throwing a paper away. The teens made their way around over to the park area and dug up the paper up from the trash, as Conner picked it up and look at the top of the front page. A look of sheer disbelief washed over Conner's face as his eyes grew wide and his face grew pale,

"Well, what does it say?" Trent asked, as Ethan took the paper and saw what Conner saw,

"Guys, you wont believe this." Ethan said as his facial expression matched Conner's.

(Oliver Residence)

A young teen with long hair was just barely coming around from an anything but peaceful sleep,

"Nuh . . . .man, what a dream." Said the Teen as he rose up to go to the bathroom to brush his teeth; slowly as the teen became more alert he came to notice the strange silver bracelet on his wrist,

"What the-" the teen said as he look up in the mirror,

"AHHHHHH!" the teen yelled,

"What's wrong Tommy? Is everything ok?" Mrs. Oliver called out,

"Yeah just . . .saw something." Dr. Oliver has just come face to face with his younger self in the mirror, Tommy quickly got ready and joined his family briefly in the dinning room; he was still confused but then an idea came to him,

"Hey dad can I see the front page?" Tommy asked,

"Sure son, here you go." Mr. Oliver said as he handed his son the front page, what Tommy saw next made him grow pale. Angel Grove November 18,1993.

(Hart Residence)

A young teenage girl awoke with a start as if she had just laded from a long fall,

"Whoa! Man what an odd dream." Kim said as she yawned, as she stretched her arms she notice the silver bracelet that was on her arms and then everything came back to her,

"Kim, Honey, its time to get." Mrs. Hart called out,

"Ok mom I'll be ready." Kim replied, as Kim made her way to her bathroom. Kim had to look in the mirror to confirm her suspicions; when she saw her younger self she took it much better than anyone would have thought,

"Ah man I hate time travel" Kim whined to herself,

"What was that honey?" Mrs. Hart asked through the bathroom door,

"Oh nothing, I'm just . . .still half asleep.

(Angel Grove Power Ranger Command Center)

"Ay yi yi yi yi yi!" Alpha 5 cried out it distress,

"Alpha, calm down and tell me what is the problem." Zordon said trying to calm the droid down,

"Zordon, I've detected an unusual time signature and a rip in the time/space continuum." Alpha explained,

"Alpha calm down and monitor this development, I will go down into my chamber to meditate on this matter." Zordon instructed as his floating head fell down below the visible part of his inter-dimensional tube.

#paradox rangers in time #power rangers fan fiction #chapter 7

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vxnillite · 1 year

Text

At death's door? Nah, I'm delivering these b*tches inside their house myself

this has been sitting in my drafts for weeks now 🧍it was 90% done, I just kept forgetting to proofread it 💀💀 anyway !! this is sort of a lore drop fic for Noah. In the time between the RDA's return to Pandora and the recoms coming into the fray, the RDA has actually been fighting against the natives (without recom forces), and this period lasted for about a year. I think it fits Noah's character for them to be joining in on Sully's raids, given that they did train under Fauti (@99-kroi 's OC) and underwent rituals for becoming a warrior. Adding to that, I think that, if the RDA were sending foot troops into the forests—trying to maybe burn them down to build on the land—Noah would've been ambushing those troops, but inflicting only near-fatal wounds, hoping that it would deter them. But Noah was never known to be a patient person. Eventually, they'd have enough of the RDA not taking their ambushes seriously despite how close to death they leave these soldiers. They'd let the RDA know what exactly they're dealing with.

IMPORTANT !! TW tags: depictions of v!olence and k!lling (read at your own risk)

[warning again, this fic is mostly violent. I'm not responsible if you're greatly disturbed or triggered. You've been warned.]

Note: italicized quotes are the characters speaking in Na'vi

In stark contrast to the buzzing and chittering of the forest was the heavy clunking of metal as a group of a dozen soldiers, all mounted on Skel-suits, hacked away at the foliage. Round after round, their bullets would tear through any beast that tried to jump at them. The soldiers would cheer every time they put down a big one.

The captain, a burly army veteran, grinned as he picked up the dead viperwolf by its tendrils. He brandished it like a trophy.

"Coulda killed this one even without this dang suit, dontcha think, boys," he mocked. "This planet ain't got nothing on me, on any of us!"

The soldiers howled and whistled as the captain haphazardly threw the limp creature to the side. He turned around, shifted his AR in his hands, and barked, "Alright, men, let's keep mov—"

The self-glorifying captain suddenly fell to the ground, right next to his own kill. A single arrow pierced right through his temple.

A second one whistled through the air before lodging itself in the neck of the lieutenant.

The soldiers heard an alien noise, like an animal call, echo from up on the thick treetops. They marched to formation, having no time to mourn as yet another soldier dropped to the ground. The arrow came from a different direction.

The next in command barked, "Natives! Kill on sight!"

Another call. Northeast. Everyone shifted towards it. Then arrows flew right into the back of the heads of two more men.

The soldiers then shot blindly at the trees, their bullets flying through nothing but leaves and bark. Their attackers signaled again, then three men went down.

Four to go.

"Keep shooting! We'll hit one eventually!"

And hit one they did. A loud, pained hiss told the soldiers so, but it came at the cost of two more of their own. The survivors stood with their backs to each other. They rained another round of bullets at the trees. By the end of it, another arrow came flying back at them.

And then there was one.

He stood still in the middle of all his fallen comrades. A part of him told him to just wait for his own death to come when he heard the attackers call again. He wasn't versed in the language to realize it had been different from the others.

The soldier howled as an arrow pierced through his shoulder. Seconds later, he fell to his knees. He couldn't feel his legs anymore. How his whole body could then feel both painful and numb at the same time would've driven him crazy if not for the fact that his head was already pounding crazily, like someone was banging a drum right next to his ear. He barely heard the sound of something landing next to his twitching body with a thud, but as they turned him over onto his back, the soldier came face to face to his attacker. They put a foot on his chest, kicking air out of his lungs, and spoke, unexpectedly, in English.

"I know you can hear me, so better listen the fuck up, mga putangina kayo. You stupid fucking assholes just couldn't back off no matter what the fuck I do," they hissed, "I've let your soldiers go back out of mercy. I thought that would keep you the fuck away, but no!" They drove their foot harder down onto the soldier's chest. "So, no more playing nice. As long as you keep sending troops out here, not a single fucking one of your soldiers will be coming back, starting with this unit."

With his entire body paralyzed, the soldier had no choice but to stare up in horror at the blade hovering inches over his chest.

But more terrifying was the face of the one that held the bladed staff. It was the last thing he ever saw.

—-------------

Noah glared at the lifeless soldier—rather, the camera on his suit—one last time before pulling their staff from the dead man's chest. Their hands shook as they did—from anger, rather than the struggle.

Then they turned around as Fauti and Khro'a jumped off from their branches. Noah's face immediately softened with concern when they saw the bullet wounds on Khro'a's arm. They rushed towards him, worried.

"Hey, hey—I'm fine! Don't worry," he reassured, "Just a nick on the arm. The people back at camp can fix me right up."

"Then you stay right there. Do not move an inch."

"But, my arrows—"

"I will get them."

Fauti cut off both of them. "I already have them."

He approached the two, all 12 arrows in his hands. The serrated tips were coated in blood with some bits of flesh still stuck to them.

"Why didn't you kill that last one right away," Fauti asked.

"I wanted to send the RDA a message."

Khro'a then asked, "Wouldn't that make you a target? They'd know who's been ambushing all their forest troops."

"Let those bastards know," Noah scoffed, the huff of breath fueled with rage, "I don't give a shit if they hunt me down. I'd like to see them fucking try."

Furrowed brows slacked as Noah caught sight of the slain viperwolf. They approached the creature solemnly and knelt before it, grimacing at the evidence of a round of bullets it had suffered from.

Fauti and Khro'a gathered behind Noah in the same solemn silence.

Noah touched the viperwolf's head gently. "Those men toyed with you, as they did with many of your kind. May your spirits run free with the Great Mother."

Then they rose and turned to the men behind them. Fauti stepped forward and put a consoling hand on their shoulder.

"Let go of your anger for now, Noah," he said, "We must head back to the village."

Before leaving, the three looted the soldiers of their weapons and ammo. Everything that wasn't permanently attached to the Skel-suits, they were taking it all back to High Camp. They called for their pa'li right after. Then they rode to a cliffside where they could safely call for and mount their ikran.

While the three were in the air, Noah spoke out of the blue. They were sheepish, to say the least. What was the right way to thank your friends for helping you kill a bunch of enemy soldiers anyway? But they pushed themselves to say what felt right.

"Thanks for coming with me. You didn't have to."

"Eh, what are friends for," Khro'a shrugged, "And, I can't believe you didn't tell me about this!"

"And me," Fauti joined in, "Going after the enemy on your own is dangerous. I thought I taught you better."

"You did, and I'm sorry. I just thought—"

"Especially for someone your size."

Noah sputtered and their eyes widened at Fauti. He was smirking quite a bit, seemingly proud of himself. Khro'a, flying next to the older Na'vi, was holding back a laugh, failing in the most obvious manner.

Teeth clicked with frustration. "This is all your fucking fault, Khro'a," Noah glared at the man, ears flat with embarrassment, "He's never pointed it out before!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who made the joke! Why are you mad at me?"

Noah clicked their tongue. "Oh, don't act dumb! Who else would he have learned that from?!"

"Huh, Khro'a, you were right," Fauti chimed in, chuckling, "Their reaction is very funny."

#avatar fanfiction #avatar the way of water #avatar james cameron #oc fic #avatar 2 #noah #khro'a #fauti #lore drop

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thefamilyeldritchabomination · 1 year

Text

Chapter Eleven: Procession Pt. 6

“We’re a bit short on cash and you just came at the right time.” The first murder hobo said as she pulled a knife out from her pocket.

“Oh dear, I seem to have forgotten my wallet at home, but tell you what, I’m in the mood for a bit of exercise.” Envy gave a tooth grin as they shrugged when the gang started circling them.

No more words were exchanged as the first murder hobo in training took a swing at Envy for only to have his hand break upon impact. The group stared in shock as one of their own dropped to the ground in pain when Envy gave a violence happy, crazed look. It was barely considered a fight when the first kick was swung by Envy, sending one of the murder hoboes crashing to the wall of a building. Envy’s murderous glance came towards the girl with the knife who was trembling at this point as she held the knife up for self defense. After the knifing from Hughes earlier, Envy wasted no time in grabbing the girl’s arms and simply snapping them with sheer pressure. The screams of anguish from that girl as she dropped to the ground filled Envy with ecstasy as they kept ‘playing’ with these murder hoboes. It was a dance of destruction as Envy continued inflicting harm and injuries towards this group, even after being immobilized on the ground. As all things normally do, it would soon come to an end as Envy shifted their fingers into long knife like daggers, copying Lust’s ability for the hell of it.

These worms, maggots really, didn’t deserve a creative death. No, they would be getting a very long, drawn out death to watch them suffer every single moment they spend on this miserable little rock. That was their sole purpose now to Envy as they hovered above the knife girl with the broken and mangled arms. Vivisection seemed like the best route with the apparent leader of these amateurs as Envy grinned sadistically as they drew those murder fingers close. The pained screams never came, Envy’s hands were frozen in place as the girl below was hyperventilating on her apparent upcoming death. Envy tried again, but once more, they froze midway. This only served to anger Envy further, the denial of getting the satisfaction of the kill made Envy only growl under their breath. Creating a crater above the pained girl, Envy retracted their fist from the building before wandering off, leaving much angrier than before. They had come out for carnage and now Envy couldn’t even deliver a fatal blow anymore. Then dread hit Envy as two questions had hit them: what use are they now to Dante if they couldn’t even kill on demand? How were they even going to kill their father and brothers? To hell with this, Envy turned around to head for a liquor store. They’ve decided, if they can’t cause mortality, Envy would just have to settle with mentally scarring Freddy with what a drunk Envy is like.

=======================================================================

The big one thousandth birthday had arrived for Cuilleann, her coronation day in the depths of the plane space just as Cuilleann had chosen it to be. While all was calm in the Summer Dusk’s castle for the coronation, outside, it was pandemonium as the island had disintegrated. Districts were lost, making refugees seeking shelter in the neighboring districts, hoping the coronation of the Twelfth Queen would stabilize and save their homes. The only Queen that wasn’t rejoicing was the Autumn Mist, who only had dread knowing full well today was the day that Tir Na Nog would die. There was a task the Autumn Mist had to do and he was set on getting the task completed to atone for the crime committed that long time ago. The first stop was to the Autumn Mist’s command center, down below the crumbling island. The staff was in a panic as they did what they could to stabilize their technology to keep it functional as their Queen arrived.

“Autumn Mist! We’re doing our best to keep this district afloat!” The first technician said as sparks erupted from the monitors.

“That won’t be necessary, I want you to send out a distress signal to nearby islands. Once that is done, get everyone including yourselves to the docking bay to evacuate.” The Autumn Mist gave the order, the technicians panicking upon hearing the order and scrambling to get the distress signal out and order an evacuation to the docking bay.

“What about the other queens? They’re all at the capital right now for the coronation.” The Technician asked as the distress signal was broadcasted.

“I’ll be going there and hope they’ll be willing to do the right thing by getting their districts evacuated. I will be needing one more thing from you, the coordinates for the plane we were in when we lost Gort.” The Autumn Mist said as he got ready to leave to collect his aislings.

“Yes sir, we will get the coordinates right away and we can relay the message to the other control centers throughout the island.” The Technician stated as she went to get the coordinance into a flash drive.

“Thank you, all of you, please stay safe and get to the docks once everything is done.” The Autumn Mist said as he accepted the flash drive and headed out.

“It has been an honor serving under you, Queen of the Autumn mist.” The Technician bowed as she went to work getting the evacuation underway.

The Autumn Mist gave a soft smile before he started his journey back up above to get his aislings off the island right away. The above ground was just as chaotic as it was down below as the cavaliers had started the evacuation process for the staff, some not getting the chance to escape as withered hands and vines started pulling some who used magic underground. The island itself was desperate to stay alive as it started hunting magical sources to feed off from when a hand gripped tightly on the Autumn Mist’s arm. The Autumn Mist nearly jumped from fright when he saw it was the cavalier that had rightfully called him a coward when Gort first went missing. The cavalier was exhausted from fighting off the withered hands and vines that had been dragging his fellow cavaliers down underground.

“Is it true? Is Tir Na Nog dying?” The cavalier asked, angered by this whole situation.

“Tir Na Nog has been actively dying for a very long time, today is its final death throes.” The Autumn Mist stated, the words paining him as they came out.

“So the Summer Dusk knew about this the whole time and is still carrying on as if nothing terrible is happening!?” The Cavalier yelled, the frustrations of seeing his fellow cavaliers being pulled down below finally exploding out.

“Gef, I don’t blame you for your rage. I need to get the aslings together to depart the island at once before I make the confrontation with the Summer Dusk. Will you help me?” The Autumn Mist said as he started leading Gef the Cavalier along on this quest.

“If it means finally getting to deck that sorry excuse for a Queen, then yes, yes I would.” Gef said, looking forward to repaying the Summer Dusk for all the woes he had caused.

“Yes, but, I also need you to be with Cuilleann when we collect her. I’m sending you and the Dullahan back to where Gort was last seen.” The Autumn Mist said as he started heading for the aislings’ living quarters.

“You’re not coming along? Can’t you cut off your wings and leave the island?” Gef asked, now concerned with what he had just heard.

“While yes, I could sever my ties to Tir Na Nog by cutting my wings off and exit the island, but I’m needed here to oversee that everyone receives that chance to safely leave this island. Any good queen would rather go down with the island and crystalize than to let their fellow fae plummet to an uncertain fate.” The Autumn Mist explained, accepting his certain crystalline prison.

With a solemn nod, Gef followed the Autumn Mist upwards towards the quarters where the aislings were preparing for whatever adult duties they would be expected to do after the coronation had concluded. Tinne had been nervous the entire time from preparations for the move into adulthood, but grew more frightened as the panicked screams could be heard from the chambers. Tinne wasn’t the only one that shared that nervousness, his twin, the two youngest, the replacement, and even Muin were unnerved by what was going on outside. As if on cue to make the matters worse, the red emergency systems lights went off, its sirens blaring for the immediate evacuation of the district. The group nearly stampeded out of their quarters when the Autumn Mist arrived with Gef by his side.

“What the hell is going on!? Is our district going to fall?!” Tinne barked both out of fear and anger.

“No, the entire island is done for. I’m here to get you and your batch siblings off the island at once. You will have to sail towards the nearest island that has picked the distress signal that’ll be willing to host. I’ll be staying on the island to oversee the evacuation, I will also be sending Gef and Cuilleann to locate Gort on a different ship.” The Autumn Mist explained when Tinne stepped right up and yelled.

“Like hell you are! I want to be there to find my batch sister too! I am NOT leaving this all on Cuilleann and Gef to find her! I’m going on that ship too!” Tinne demanded having had enough of being told what to do after all these years of pent up resentment.

“Fine, who else wants to join Tinne for the finding Gort group? I had wanted to keep you guys together, but I cannot waste time arguing.” The Autumn Mist conceded as he looked over to his other aislings.

“I’m going, so is Victoria, Ruis, and Ngetal.” Muin said as she brought along her younger batch siblings who wanted in on the retrieval.

“I’ll be going, I can’t leave this idiot alone and I need my sparring buddy.” Duir said as he held Tinne’s head hostage for a brutal head lock.

“Then you have made your choice, stay with Gef while I get the rest of your siblings off the island. I will be back shortly and we will be going to the Summer Dusk’s castle to retrieve Cuilleann.” The Autumn Mist said as he led the group leaving the island to the docking bay to shuttle off to the nearest island.

The aislings had bid one another farewell on their prospective futures as they parted their ways as the Autumn Mist led the other group off to the docking bay and loaded onto a ship to sail towards the nearby island, Nibiru, coming to give aid. Once the Autumn Mist had returned, the small group made their way towards the Summer Dusk’s castle. The sky shuttles were still in operation as they loaded up and made their way towards the district, looking out in horror of the chaos going on. Tinne had to close his eyes when he saw some being pulled underground by the vines and withered hands. There was an audible gasp from Duir as he had to hold back horrified tears as he pointed towards the tower of slumbering Mac Lir. The others watched in horror as Mac Lir’s tower shifted a bit before plummeting off of Tir Na Nog, the true queen having been lost to the Planes Space as he became encased inside a crystalline sphere. Following after the plummet was the entire Autumn Blaze District falling to its end, taking those who didn’t make it out along for its end. The chaos continued throughout the whole ride to the Summer Dusk District as more nearby islands started approaching to offer rescue aid.

#Fullmetal Alchemist #FMA 03 #Fan Fiction #FMA Fan Fiction #Writing #The Wayfarer #Envy the Jealous #Envy #OCs #Homunculus #Homunculi

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