#after this...i'll need another slow weapon to complete | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lorkai · 2 months

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.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ A/N: I'm a little biased as always when it comes to those two but this was one of my best fics imo, look at their happy faces. They're so precious! I love them sm ipjwiojweoijg. There's probably some typos but I'm super busy with uni stuff + can't find the time now to proofread and this has been on my drafts for a while now, so I'm posting how it is. Tagging u bcs u asked, I hope u like this silly fic! @hanafubukki

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Not necessarily a warning but there's some suggestiveness at the start.

"Today I'm going to steal Rook's hat!" Those were your exact words.

You said this at six o'clock in the morning, the sun still creeping across the sky to brighten everyone and everything another day, after having entered through the open window of Vil's room like a gremlin - how you did it he had no idea considering his room was on the top floor of Pomefiore.

And in that moment, when you gush about how smooth and soft Rook's hat felt to the touch, and how you would play with the feather and laugh at the surprised expression on Rook's face, Vil wanted nothing more than to turn to the other side of the bed and go back to sleep.

You threw yourself into the vacant space next to Vil, swinging your legs happily as you asked for your beloved's help. Your little puppy eyes making his heart clench and twist inside his chest, like it always did when you used that same trick time and time again.

Breathe, exhale. He remembered. He couldn't give in to your whims again, he remembered well what happened last time.

You invited yourself even closer to him, ignoring your personal distance to cup his face in your hands, fingers massaging the silky skin as you looked up at him. "Please, Mein Lieber."

For a long second, Vil wondered how he could love two persons as chaotic as you and Rook. You two were practically the same and more times than you should you followed the hunter around, imitating his mannerisms and making him laugh like that because you think it was funny. You liked imitating him and Rook loved to have you around, taking you to people watch while you both stated your observations on each person.

This and Rook liked to teach you the hunter ways. So far, you haven't killed anyone with your bad bow skills.

"Du bist die Liebe meiines Lebeéns." You whispered against his ear, consonants and vowels completely exaggerated and some pronounced wrong. And he ignored you, rolling his eyes, accustomed to your antics by now.

One of the different things between you and Rook is that the Chasseur D'amour would use flattery and his good observation to get what he wanted, you instead always chose to irritate people (mainly Vil) with your terrible German speech. Was it your only weapon or was it just because Vil couldn't bear such torture?

He preferred not to know.

You then changed tactics, preferring to fill his face with slow kisses but always avoiding the place he wanted you to kiss him. His temples, his cheeks, his nose, his chin, every bit of skin your lips touched made him feel dizzy. Vil could mentally hear Rook's whines if he were there, ignored, Rook was always so needy for his and yours attention.

His rough, chipped lips slowly descending though the queen's neck while his hands free from his gloves gently navigated Vil's sides and hips. He trembled in your arms.

"That's enough!" Vil looked at you, panting. He held you before you could kiss his eyebrows too. "I'll help you, but you better come here right now and kiss me. On the lips, darling."

You didn't need to hear it twice. The kiss began softly, a needy dance of emotions. But he wanted more, needed more until he was truly satisfied with it. You had woken him up too early, had disturbed him and irritated him. He needed this to restore his good mood.

He needed you like you needed him.

Time seemed to slow down as you met again for a kiss, and another, and another, and hundreds of others, leaving only a sweet freshness behind. That was how he described all the kisses he shared with you, all of them precious.

Vil felt you smiling through the kiss, he could feel the aura of victory and presumption that exuded from you. He bit your bottom lip hard to keep your attention on him, making you whine.

"However, the execution of this plan of yours will depend entirely on you, Liebling. I don't need to remind you that Rook is a great observer and will instantly know you’re up to something if you act differently.”

You nodded as if you were confident that your other lover wouldn't be able to notice anything. Or at least, that he didn't realize it until it was too late.

Later, after you had kissed Vil until he was beaming and satisfied, and his lips were softly swollen, you found yourself sitting on a high branch of a tree, hidden from view and engulfed by green leaves. Waiting for the right moment, watching your target.

You forced your eyes to follow every movement of your vulnerable prey, the one who was sitting a few meters away from you, resting in his usual spot and polishing his bow.

As promised, Vil was talking to Rook about a subject you didn't know what it was. His expression carried the usual serious air but it was accompanied by a calm smile. Rook had that effect on him. And in you too, as if he always knew what you needed to hear to smile, to laugh and to cry.

Yuu notices the way Rook tilts his head to better hear what Vil is saying and how Vil laughs at Rook's jokes. A few seconds go by, you very slowly starts to climb down from your hiding spot, at this point you didn't even need to think anymore, your hands knew where to hold and how to search. It was like second nature.

Finally on the ground again, you do your best to mingle with the tall trees and huge bushes. You can still make out Rook and Vil's figures, the hunter stood up, showing Vil his bow and arrows, and he demonstrated the correct way to hold it.

It occurred to you that maybe Vil was talking about some role he would need to play as an archer and you had to admit that captured Rook's attention perfectly. He was so excited while he explained this and that to his lover, you almost wished to forget your little plan and come closer to listen to him. When he goes on a rant, his beautiful green eyes lighten up while he explain and demonstrates, even more when he can answer some doubts.

'Focus, soldier', you thought to yourself.

The hunter handed his bow to the queen, placing his hands over Vil's and explaining how Vil should shoot to hit the target. And Vil did perfectly. As Vil gracefully executed the instructions, Rook's admiration was evident by his big smile.

As Vil's aim improved under Rook's guidance, you edged closer, careful not to disturb the serene moment. Careful to remember every little detail. You could feel the tension building within you, anticipation mingling with determination. As Vil hitted the target, Rook engulfed him in a warm and long hug, swaying side to side as if they were doing a little comemmoration dance.

This was the moment you had been waiting for, as Rook kept praising Vil, you were getting closer, silent, deadly, your hands strecthed to grab your prize. sensed the perfect opportunity to strike. Timing was crucial, very important for you mission, and you waited a little more, watching them.

His hat was so close now... The sun shone into it, making it looks so comfy. You almost wanted to rush, to grab and run but you waited just a little more.

Vil handed back the bow, still smiling. You could tell it was genuine, he was proud of himself to be able to hit the target even if he wouldn't use this knowledge anywhere. More than this, as he put a stray hair behind his ear, Rook stood on his tiptoes to give his queen a kiss as reward.

And was then that you emerged from your hiding place, your presence initially unnoticed amidst the rustling leaves. Before either could react, you grabbed his hat and ran as if your life depended on it. It was so much beautiful, so soft and comfy, you putted on your head, the last thing you saw was Rook's shocked but proud eyes staring at you.

You had accomplished your mission, feeling very proud of yourself. But now it was time to proceed with the next phase of your plan; run away from Rook.

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reds-skull · 6 months

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Fic recs - oneshots (part 2)

Felt like doing another post like this (might make it into a weekly thing idk, until I run out of recs I guess lol)

So like before, this post includes only sfw oneshots:

nothin' gonna hurt you, baby (nothin's gonna make you cry) by MikaelLo - Ghost is captured and drugged while on a mission. Soap finds him and together they deal with the fallout.

Shaken by bleepyear - Soap is haunted by the events of Chicago. His hands won't stop shaking when he holds a weapon. Ghost notices.

In A Hole In The Earth by Louffox - Soap is told to shut it on a mission. He takes it too seriously when he falls down a well. (this one is one of my favorites)

Dead & Bloated by saucebass_yahoo - Soap learns something shocking about Ghost that sets a plan into motion. Do dead men celebrate birthdays?

A Burning Hill by dandeliondick - Soap stopped touching Ghost completely one day. Ghost spirals.

Break Stuff by shiftpink - Soap has trouble making it through the day without wanting to break something. Ghost helps his friend.

you're my end and my beginning by crown_twist - What if teenage Simon got a sneak peek of John MacTavish? (this one is so fuckin sweet it kills me every time)

stay by crown_twist - Soap finally figures it out, and promptly fucks it up.

watch by crown_twist - Soap confesses to the wrong person

get high in the moonlight by wolfspit - Ghost gets drugged and it's not the "fun" kind of drug. Soap keeps him from choking on his own spit.

keeping you safe by oh_ellie - Ghost and Soap always see each other off for their missions. Except for the time Soap was too agitated at Ghost. And that's where he fucked up.

lipstick marks and teacups by flyby2 - Soap finds Ghost making tea when sleep evades them both.

Sit For You by Shitty_Nerds_N0tes - After a rough mission, Soap picks up his old sketchbook and Ghost gets a look inside.

Hypothermic Heartaches by Gummichii - Soap becomes hypothermic and starts taking off clothes. Ghost has to find him before it's too late.

sweet by ElizaStyx - It's the middle of a sleepless night, Ghost and Soap slow dance in the moonlight.

stay frosty by orphan_account - another hypothermia fic, this time both of them freeze their ass off [idk why I have so many of these lmao]

All I wanted Was You by Aessedia - Soap gets injured on duty. Ghost sees it happen and becomes feral in his need to save him.

Choosing Regrets by Sillililli - Simon thinks he can talk Johnny out of wanting him, but Johnny's always one step ahead.

last vision by sherashalala - Soap gets injured and thinks that hiding said injury is a good idea.

Heather by eddie_dxaz - Soap finds a girlfriend. Ghost struggles with it.

I'll stop here for today, still have an unreasonable amount to go through, and that's not mentioning any fics that don't fall into these categories! But I'm happy to do this, wanted to show fic writers some love, since a lot of these really deserve more haha

#call of duty modern warfare 2 #cod mw2 #fic recs #soapghost #I decided on 20 oneshots for each post for now #thought i would finish this post but clearly... I have more than I thought lmao

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bedoballoons · 8 months

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OMG I WAS SO EXCITED WHEN I SAW MY REQUEST TY!!!

Ok so I have another one, This time it’s Shinobu kocho like reader x anemo characters (including my bb wanderer and albedo) and so basically shinobu is VERY short like 4’11 short, she uses poison to kill demons, she is always smiling Hashira has a cheery attitude even though she’s burning with rage on the inside, she is a doctor (technically) and her katana only the tip is blade because all she needs to do is stab her opponent to get poison injected into them, and she is also technically a alchemist. I’m sooo sorry if this is too much you don’t have to do all of it!!

fun fact: I only have one eye 👁

IM SO GLAD!! I love Albedo and the anemos so much oh my gosh!! Again this was a blast to write and I hope you enjoy!!

Also that's extremely cool! You totally don't have to answer but I'm just insanely curious...why do you only have one eye? 👀

─⊰⁠⊹ฺ✿𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤⊰⁠⊹ฺ✿─

{༻~Shinobu Kocho like reader!~༺}

CW: Mentions of fighting, reader with rage on the inside and slight teasing for being short, overall just super fluffy! Xiaos is a whole oneshot because it was super intense to write!

(Includes: Albedo, Xiao, Kazuha, Heizou, Venti, and Wanderer!)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

𑁍༄Albedo:

Albedo glanced in your direction and instantly became mesmerised by you, your hair clipped up in your butterfly clip to keep the strands out of your face while you worked away concocting the next deadliest poison. To anyone else you'd most likely look like just another alchemist at work, but in his eyes, you were the most beautiful when you were experimenting. Especially when you were so deep into your discovery like you were currently, your attention completely focused on your potions, making you completely unaware of just how much he was unable to take his eyes off you.

Eventually he looked away, his face slightly pink as he went back to his own studies, only now he couldn't concentrate, his eyes drifting to you ever so often.

𑁍༄Xiao:

You knew Xiao could take on almost any beasts the world threw at him, but that didn't mean he had to do it all alone, especially when he was incredibly out numbered and injured from a previous fight. "Xiao! Stay back, let me finish the battle for you!" You shouted jumping in front of him as more hilichurls crowded around you both, swinging weapons of fire and shooting arrows in every direction, one wrong move and it could all be over in seconds.

"I can handle myself, you should be the one staying back!" He swung his spear, the blades slashing through the air as he sent another beast flying, no matter what he'd make sure you left alive...even if he couldn't join you in the end. "Always so stubborn." You muttered, as you went to work, your movements quick and thought out, the top of your blade sinking into hilichurl after hilichurl, poison draining them of their life force before they could even defend themselves.

You and Xiao fought side by side while your opponents numbers steadily decreased, his injury slowing him down as the seconds ticked by and your own body loosing its momentum as exhaustion took its place. Just as the battle began to reach its end, the walls around you began to shake, their once sturdy foundation now crumbling from the heavy burden of filling in for a arena. "Xiao! The place is going to collapse!" You screamed for him, but you couldn't see where he was, your eyes searching for him frantically.

Then suddenly arms wrapped around you, the battleground fading away while he teleported you just outside of the building, using the last of his strength. "Are you, alright?" He asked falling to his knees, making your mind cloud with worry as you kneeled beside him. "I'm fine...are you?"

"I'll be okay. Don't worry."

𑁍༄Kazuha:

You looked at the butterflies surrounding you, their bright purple and blue hues standing out against the rising sun, while the wind flowed softly, carrying them to their next destination. "You remind me of them, the beauty of a butterfly and the gentleness they bring as they flutter by, but unlike them, you have burning rage on the inside and I don't think you truly know how to handle it." Kazuha sat next to you, his eyes never leaving you as he spoke what had been on his mind for some time now...the things that made him worry everytime you two weren't together.

Your cheeks felt warm, partially from his compliments, but also from the slight embarrassment of just how well he knew you and how right he was about your situation, you didn't know how to handle the anger and every day you got closer and closer to loosing any control you had. "I don't..know how to...to help myself." You whispered, you sounded so weak in that moment and you wondered if he'd look down on you for that, but of course he wouldn't.

He put his arm around you as you leaned your head on his shoulder, the cold morning air making you snuggle up to him as the two of you watched the sunrise. He'd do anything to help you, especially because you didn't know how to help yourself...

𑁍༄Heizou:

Heizou held your hand, his fingers intertwined with yours as the two of you walked along the soft shore, sharing a stick of fresh sweet dango and talking about the most recent mystery he'd been investigating, one that just so happened to involve you. "And you're sure you had nothing to do with the toxic flowers going missing? You could tell me you know, just because I'm a detective doesn't mean I'll arrest you right away." He attempted, his sweet smirk and charm almost enough to make you share your little secret, but you simply couldn't.

"Heizou, I have nothing to do with those flowers disappearing and even if I did, you know you don't have enough evidence to actually put me at the scene, the only way you'd have enough grounds to take me in, is if I confessed. And we both know I wouldn't do that..." You smiled sweetly at him, placing a kiss on his cheek as he chuckled in defeat. "One day I'll catch you for your crimes."

"How about you just catch me in general?"

𑁍༄Venti:

You danced around happily, your hair slipping out of its clip as your jacket flowed around you with every movement, your smile bright while you hummed the words to the song that was playing. It wasn't often you got to be like this, free to have fun and dance without a care in the world, and you owed it all to the musician himself, the one you held so dear to your heart after just a few outings with him.

You couldn't really explain it, but he had a sense of wonder that you couldn't get enough of and as the song came to a end you hurried up to him, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug while he laughed happily. "Venti your performance was incredible! I loved it so much!!" You couldn't contain your excitement, placing a sweet kiss on his cheek as they turned a light shade of pink, "Awe thank you, honestly seeing you dancing brought me alot of inspiration, I wanted to match the joy you were giving off and sing the words with as much enthusiasm as your movements held."

Your face instantly went red, you'd inspired him...

𑁍༄Wanderer:

"...you can't reach it can you." Wanderer watched in amusement as you attempted to stand on a chair to get something out of the top cupboard, but to no avail, you just weren't tall enough. "Shhhh, how is it I could kill multiple enemies at once with only the tip of my blade, but my height is enough to stop me from reaching the sugar?" You sighed in defeat, slowly climbing down and putting the chair back in its rightful place at the table.

"You just have to find a poison that makes you taller." He chuckled teasingly as you shot him a playful glare, "Actually...I don't think I need to. Wanderer, oh please, please can you, my hero, get me the sugar....I will forever be indebted to you!" The amount of sarcasm in your voice made him roll his eyes and yet, you calling him your hero...still made him feel good, he kinda liked being someone's hero, even if it was for something silly like this.

"Alright alright, I'll get it shorty." He smirked at you the entire time, even though he had to use a chair as well and when he handed you the sugar, you could tell he was absolutely filled with pride. "Thank you my hero!"

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚Have a nice day*⁠.⁠✧

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omgkatherine01 · 2 months

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Between Your Wings - Chapter 6: Plans to CDC

Series Masterlist

Chapter 5, Chapter 7

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x female reader x Rick Grimes (slow burn)

Please comment, like and share

The night was long and dreadful as you didn't get any sleep, none at all. No one could.

You couldn't stop thinking about Amy and the other campers who died.

The men didn't waste time and started to clean up the walker bodies in complete silence as the sun came up into a new day, and you and Jacqui decided to help them, despite Lori had asked you to rest after checking your bruise under your eye.

Carol wanted to check on her husband, but you and Lori didn't let her leave, so you volunteered to check on him, but you found him dead in the tent, almost completely eaten. You told Daryl and he dragged the body to the side with the rest of the bodies.

And now, you were taking your knife and stabbing their heads, one after another to make sure they were all really dead before you all pushed them towards the giant pile the men had made. Not long after you started, Daryl appeared beside you and only silently followed your lead with a pickaxe held tightly in his hands, swinging it down aggressively on the skulls.

He didn't say a word to you as you both worked side by side, but nodded towards you the second he caught your eye in greeting to be polite. You heard a conversation that was happening close by to where you were working, quickly caught your attention as you looked up.

"She's just been sitting there all night," Lori said, looking towards Andrea who was still holding Amy close to her, numb to the world around her as nothing else seemed to matter.

"Did she get any sleep?" Shane asked.

"Would you?" Rick replied, his worry only increasing the longer he stared at her, "I'll go talk to her."

You followed him with your eyes as he slowly approached her with the intention to not only try and talk to her but try to break the news that you would need to move Amy soon. She still hadn't turned, but it was only a matter of time before she did, and the others were worried that she would attack Andrea the first chance she got. But your opinion was to just let her be for now, needing to mourn the death that had hit her so hard.

It was far from anyone else's business.

But the moment she heard Rick walking closer from behind her, she didn't hesitate to pull out her gun and aim it right at his head before he could take another step. You tensed a little when you watched how escalated the interaction became, and the look in her eyes made you question if she was actually going to do it.

"I know how safety works," she said.

Rick simply raised his hands in surrender, not saying a word as he backed off slowly. She then hesitantly lowered the weapon and turned around back to her sister, instant tears streaming down her face once more.

You just watched her, and you felt your eyes sting slightly, but you quickly pulled yourself together. "Ya alright?" a voice said from beside you.

You turned to see Daryl and nodded slightly, "Yeah." You looked back in front of you as you kneeled down to stab another body in the head.

"You can go to the RV, be with the kids," he said quietly and looked at the body next to you, "Rest for now."

You shook your head as you got up, "I want to help."

He studied you for another moment or two, nodding slightly before he turned back to the bodies. You turned to Ed's corpse and also Daryl. He was about to hit the axe into the skull, but you tapped on his arm when you saw Carol walking closer.

"Let me do it," Carol pleaded, in a voice barely above a whisper.

Your expression soften and you opened your mouth to decline her, she didn't have to do this, she shouldn't have to do this.

She saw you were about to protest, and she shook her head, "Please, he's my husband."

You glanced at Daryl who seemed to be hesitating but then he held the pickaxe toward her. She took it and he stepped back beside you.

You watched as she hesitated for a moment, holding the weapon over her shoulder as she looked down at him sadly, before swinging down harshly with a loud crack. For a moment you thought she would stop there, but that first swing only woke something inside of her as she began hitting him over and over again, more anger and rage coming out of her with each slam of the blade. It surprised you, but it didn't at the same time. This was the man who beat her constantly, who made her feel worthless and weak for God only knows how long, leaving her building everything up inside.

She eventually came to a stop as his head was completely smashed in, her breathing heavy as she contained herself again and kept her remaining composure. She turned back towards you with a barely noticeable smile, handing the weapon back to Daryl as she muttered a small 'thank you' before walking back off to find her daughter.

Once she was nearly out of sight, you looked at Daryl with concern. He shrugged one shoulder as he looked down at the bodies.

Jacqui's loud yell cut through the air and brought everyone's attention to her as she screamed, "A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!"

You froze upon hearing that, and none of you hesitated as you all ran over to the man who was now holding a shovel to protect himself from everyone. His eyes were filled with fear as everyone began to slowly crowd around him at an exaggerating pace, sweat beating down on his pale skin from the scorching hot sun and the nerves of you all finding out his secret.

"Show it to us," Daryl demanded with a pointed finger.

But Jim didn't budge, still holding onto the shovel and swinging it around to try and get you all away from him. "Jim, Jim, it's okay," you said and took a step toward him, "We just want to see it. We won't do anything to you."

"I'm okay," he insisted. That's when T-Dog quickly snuck up behind him and held his arms back, so the shovel fell out of his grasp with a clatter. You quickly reached forward and lifted his shirt to see a bite mark on his side.

"I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay," he kept repeating, almost convincing himself more than anyone else as you all saw the bloody mark left on his body.

You dropped his shirt and stepped back with T. You stared at the bitten man in sadness as he kept repeating the words.

Jacqui didn't waste any more time as she ushered him away from the group, letting him sit down behind the RV to let him get out of the sun for a while, while getting him a drink. Everyone else just seemed to form around in a small circle away from him, talking about his fate and how there wasn't a lot of time left to discuss this to begin with.

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it," Daryl stated as he slung the heavy weapon over his shoulder.

"No," you said, causing everyone to turn their attention to you. You shook your head, "We can't."

"He's gonna die anyway," Daryl said.

"I don't care," you said and looked at each person, "We can't. There's a line, and we can't cross it."

"So what?" Daryl asked, "You wanna wait until your buddy dies and comes back to eat you?"

"She's right," Rick said, taking your side.

Shane was taking your side as well when he responded to Daryl, "Would you want us to do that if it was you? Kill you immediately if you get bitten?"

"Yeah," Daryl answered, "And I'd thank ya while ya did it."

"It's Jim's choice," you said softly.

"What about the CDC?" Rick asked suddenly, "I heard that they were working on a cure."

Shane scoffed, "Yeah I heard that too, I heard a lot of things before the world went to hell."

"What if the CDC is still up and running?" Rick asked.

"Man, that is a stretch right there." Shane said.

"Well think about, it I think it's our best shot, shelter, protection, food--"

"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right?" Shane asked. "I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning."

"That's 100 miles in the opposite direction," Lori said.

"Yeah, but it's away from the hot spot," Shane replied.

Rick sighed, "Look, the CDC might be Jim's only chance."

You caught sight of Daryl slowly turning to stare at Jim, seeing the idea form in his mind. He made eye contact with you once he felt your stare and you lightly shook your head telling him no, to not start something he couldn't finish.

He just rolled his eyes before slowly stalking backwards toward Jim, pickaxe raised. "Man, someone just needs to take care of the damn problem!" he yelled before rushing over to put an end to this.

"Daryl, don't!" Shane snapped as you ran past him to put yourself in front of Jim without even thinking, while Rick raced to catch up and held his gun to the back of Daryl's head.

When Daryl saw you stepped in front of him his grip on the pickaxe faltered, but only for a split second as he clearly didn't expect you to put yourself in such a situation.

"We don't kill the living," Rick snapped lowly.

Daryl's eyes narrowed as he slowly looked back towards him, the gun now placed between his eyes, "S' funny... coming from a man who just put a gun ta my head," he replied snarkily.

Shane stepped over, "We may disagree on some things, not on this. You put it down. Go on."

Daryl put the pickaxe down and stormed off towards the woods to have another little tantrum by himself. Rick looked over at you as he placed his weapon back and nodded in appreciation for stepping in, before moving over to take Jim into the RV to rest until you will figure out what you were going to do.

As you saw the two made it inside safely, you started dragging the bodies still scattered around in the piles you had made until Glenn and T came over and offered to help you.

Today was a depressing day that just seemed endless, constantly being reminded of what you all lost in just minutes with every glance you took around this place. It was a hot mess, everything bloody and disgusting from the horror scene. But it only seemed to get worse as everyone around the area heard a single loud gunshot ring out amongst the silence, looking back quickly to see Andrea sobbing all over again. Amy's now dead and lifeless body laid in her arms, and for you it became almost too much to handle as her cries were only growing louder.

You glanced around and then turned and headed off into the woods. As you did, you spotted Daryl looking around with his crossbow, probably making sure there were no more walkers nearby.

He glanced over at you and then away as you approached him. "Hey," you said softly.

"Should be in camp," he said, his eyes searching around.

"I came to check up on you."

Daryl's head turned to you, clearly taken back. "Why?" he asked and turned back to look around.

You shrugged lightly as you crossed your arms over your chest. "I don' know, maybe 'cause you're my friend?" He quickly looked back at you. "At least I think of you as one." There was a moment of silent before you spoke again softly, "I'm sorry. About Merle."

He glanced at you and then looked away, nodding in respond. You let out a soft sigh and glanced down, "I am, you know?"

"Thanks," you heard him muttering and you glanced at him. "He's out there, somewhere."

You hesitated for a moment before you spoke softly, "Are you... are you gonna go look for him?"

He seemed to be in deep thought, thinking over your question before he finally gave a small shrug. "Don' know..."

"I, uh--" you started but you didn't know what to say exactly. Forget about your stoner brother and stay with us? Yeah, like that would be a good conversation, you thought sarcastically. "You should, you know, stay with us..."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you're my friend, and I want you to stay," you admitted, "I--I feel better knowing you around." Feel better knowing you around? Making it a bit obvious you into him, I think, you thought.

He stared at you for a moment before he looked back toward the camp over your shoulder before away, "Come on, let's go back to camp."

He turned and walked toward you, brushing his arm against yours as he walked past you. You swallowed and let out a soft sigh before turning around and following him to the entrance.

You looked toward Dale as he approached you. Despite everything that had been going on at this moment he smiled a small smile to you and stood in front of you. "What you said, about not crossing a line of killing Jim..." he trailed off and nodded in approval, "That's what keeps us human."

You smiled a small sad smile, "We can't forget who we are just because the world ended, right?"

Dale nodded, smiling lightly, "That's right."

****

A few hours had passed, and darkness now covered the sky.

You had buried and burned all the remaining bodies and finally came to the decision that all of you would make the trip to the CDC in order to try and help Jim. Deep down, you thought it was a lost cause, but you didn't say it.

As everyone were sitting around the fire, you were a stone away from the rest and just sketching on your new sketch book Glenn found for you. Your eyes lifted up and down as to not miss a single detail, getting everyone perfectly in their image as they quietly talked, getting more tired by the second.

You felt a person leaning over and glanced over to see Carl. He smiled as he stared down at your sketch and you smiled at him. "You like?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding.

You gave him another smile and turned back to your sketch. You glanced back up again to get some finishing touches when your eyes landed on Daryl who was sitting quietly to himself, the furthest away from everyone else on a tree stump.

You glanced back at your sketch and flipped to an empty page. You glanced at Carl and saw the boy sitting next to you and gave a couple of pets to Max's. You glanced back at Daryl and studied him. He didn't look miserable but yet slightly uncomfortable sitting around the fire with everyone.

You looked down at the page and started to sketch him. You felt another person on your left side leaning over and you quickly glanced to see Glenn looking over at your sketch. His eyes moved to your face as he leaned back, and he raised his eyebrows with a small teasing smile.

You felt your cheeks heating up and you gave him a look as you closed your sketch book. He caught to what the look meant, and he placed a finger on his lips, promising not to say anything.

You let out a silent breath and glanced toward Daryl before looking down at your dog, giving him a couple of pets on the head.

****

This morning was chaotic to say the least as you all got ready in the early in the morning to head off towards the CDC like Rick had planned. Everything felt rushed as the group packed up everything from the camp, placing it all into small little bags as you all gathered around for one last moment before diving straight into the unknown.

It was nerve racking.

You could sense immediately that everyone was uneasy about this decision, now more than ever knowing that you all were actually going through with it. Since you first woke up this morning there had been nothing but tension and anxiety filling the air, though nothing seemed to change. In fact, you all only seemed to need to get there faster with how fast Jim seemed to be slipping away.

"Everybody listen up," Shane started, "Those of you with CBs, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"

Morales stepped up next as he looked to all of you with saddened eyes, "We're, uh, we're not going."

You all looked to him and his family that was gathered behind him, unsure if they knew what they were doing. "Are you sure?" Rick asked.

He nodded as his wife spoke, "We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people."

"We're sure. I gotta do what's right for my family."

You watched as Lori hugged Miranda, and the children were saying their goodbyes. You glanced toward Daryl, who was leaning against his pickup truck, his brother's motorcycle was in the back. You stepped toward him and leaned against the truck, speaking quietly, "So... are you coming with us?"

He shrugged, "Guess I am. Better in a group than alone." You smiled a little and nodded.

Everyone then began moving towards their vehicles, and you glanced around before looking back at Daryl, "Mind if I ride with you?"

"Guess the dog with too if you will, huh?" he said, and you smiled as you raised an eyebrow. He scoffed, "Get in."

You picked up Max and opened the passenger door. You placed Max in the front and got in as Daryl got into the driver seat. You placed your bag by your feet as Daryl started the truck. You began to drive to the CDC as soon as the RV began to move.

You glanced out the window, leaning your elbow against it, staring at the entirety of the forest passing by as you all slowly made your way down the little mountain.

Taglist:

@tfamidoingwithmylife, @cold-v0dka

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thebisexualdogdad · 5 months

Text

The blue canary - Thea Queen x Male Lance!reader

*a/n: Laurel didn't die in season 4*

● you had known Thea practically since birth through your older siblings Laurel and Oliver being childhood friends and eventually dating

● you were really close but grew apart at 12 when Oliver and your other sister Sara died in the Queens Gambit ship wreck

● it wasn't until you were 17 and Oliver (and later Sara too) came back that you reconnected

● it's a real slow burn relationship not getting together until you guys were 22 after the whole Damian Darhk fiasco

● by this point Thea has become speedy and you've become the blue canary following in your sister's footsteps

● you already knew your way around a gun thanks to your dad as well as being trained in hand to hand combat by Laurel and Sara

● but your weapon of choice are your blue shurikens

● Laurel and Sara are even more protective of Thea than Oliver is when you tell everyone you're dating

● you expected the whole typical older brother "if you hurt her I'll hurt you" speech from Oliver but instead he's just like "if you ever break her heart those two are the ones you need to be afraid of" he says pointing to Laurel and Sara

● Laurel "he's right you know"

● "Why are you threatening me?? I'm your brother??"

● Sara "yeah but we like Thea better"

● meanwhile there's Quentin "how is it that every single one of my kids has dated a Queen??"

●"it could be worse, I could be dating Oliver instead of Thea"

● Quentin "don't even joke like that Y/N"

● Oliver “Hey I'm right here”

● getting interrupted all the time by your siblings

● even at your apartment they let themselves in with keys you didn't know they had

● you and Thea are busy making out on the couch and Sara just pops in

● "Sara! Knock first!"

● "I come to see my little brother after being gone with the legends for 6 months and this is the welcome I get?"

● one time you joined the legends going back to the 1800's

● as fascinated with the waverider as Thea was she is perfectly fine not time traveling anymore

● "Hey babe, Sara invited me to go on another one of their missions you want to join?"

● "no thanks, I'll stay here in the present with electricity and proper plumbing"

● Thea is much better with a bow and arrow than she is with your shurikens

● she was trying to throw one at your target practice set up in the arrowcave when it flew completely past the target and nearly hit Oliver in the head which he ducked just in time

● "Okay no more shurikens for you speedy"

● "come on Ollie I was so close to actually hitting the target this time!"

● "were you??"

● date nights also getting interrupted when Felicity calls you in to stop ongoing crimes nearby

● “damn and I was really looking forward to dessert too”

● Felicity “please tell me by dessert you mean actual food”

● Thea “well there was definitely going to be whipped cream involved”

● you and Malcolm Merlyn do not get along at all

● “Thea do you really need to date this guy, I expected someone better for my daughter”

● “Merlyn if you don't shut up I'm going to cut off your other hand”

● Thea “do I need to separate you two??”

● it's still awkward doing any sort of PDA in front of Oliver

● you kissed her goodbye before heading out for a mission and Oliver is just glaring at you

● “Y/N and I have been together for two years, I really can't kiss my boyfriend in front of you yet?”

● “nope,” is all he says making a show of picking up his very sharp arrows

● Laurel whispering to you “you're lucky I'm the one who caught you guys in the med bay earlier, if it had been Oliver those arrows would be in your chest right now”

#arrow imagine #thea queen imagine #thea queen x reader #x male reader #headcanons

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genshinemblem564 · 6 months

Text

Sagau x SMT

Hi, sorry for being so absent. My anxiety meds lost their effect and I only got my increased dose prescribed a few days ago. I also picked up a copy of SMTV the same day and I have been HOOKED. So now that I'm able to function again, I thought I'd write something. SMTV is the only SMT game I've played, so i may get some things wrong if i go too much into details, and rather than be another fanfiction, this will be more of a storyboard. (I've already got two other fanfics I need to work on) Anyway, sorry this got a bit long, but I hope you enjoy.

CW: Reader, (Y/N), and you used interchangeably at the start

• There are many ways you could write this, but I find the one that works best for me is in the form of a reverse isekai.

• The characters that appear vary slightly depending on the reader's age and academic advancement. For example, if reader is in high school, Xingqiu may be brought along to help them get close to you. If (Y/N) is in college, it would be someone older like Kaveh. Regardless, the characters that would appear are Xiao for obvious reasons, Faruzan, because they at least gathered that your written language was different from theirs, a few archons of your choice, and Childe, sent by the Tsaritsa as he was the first, and only depending on your progress, Fatui member to earn their creator's blessing. There were supposed to be a few more, but I couldn't think of any at the time of writing this.

• The characters who are looking for you do their best to blend in while doing so, only speeking when prompted, while the others all take part-time jobs so they can afford any resources necessary to find you, and to make sure they aren't living on the streets.

• The crossover starts in the same way regardless. You and a character are walking home when you come across a crowd of people blocking the path. It seems transit had been delayed, so you decide to find a detour, and on a secluded road when the two of you are alone, a crack in reality forms before bursting open to form a portal.

• You felt uneasy, but before instincts could take over, a swarm of monsters came through and dragged the two of you through, the shock of it all causing you to pass out, and when you wake up the first thing you see is Xiao.

• The portal had long since closed as Xiao was preoccupied with your safety. He explains all of this before dropping two swords to the ground, whether it's the choice weapon of you or the character doesn't matter, the weapon he brought for you needed to be light or it would have only served to slow him down.

• From here, your elemental powers awaken slowly and in their weakest form as you strike down the first few daemons with zio.

• The way you recruit demons works more like catching pokemon. Walking through this strange world, you were ambushed by a pixie. You instinctually held out your hands to shield yourself, only to let loose a spell. When you opened your eyes, the pixie was still there, and Xiao was confused as the demonic energy had completely vanished from this being. You purified Pixie.

• After exploring this land a fair bit, you spotted a group of angels being attacked by a powerful demon, and you decide to help them out. After the battle, the angels expressed surprise at the sight of a group of purified demons, and they requested, almost demanded, you speak with their superior.

• After your demons grew enough in power, they were able to make their own portals to and from that world.

I think I'll leave it here, while I definitely would like to write more on this, this was also an exercise to get my brain back into the writing mindset after not being able to for so long. I also have two other fanfictions that I should focus on first, as stated above. I might write more on this as those come closer to ending, but if any writers want to use this, feel free

#genshin impact #sagau #shin megami tensei #smt #crossover

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holly-fixation · 2 months

Text

Fallen Silver: Ch 4

Summary: Sephiroth is MIA. Second Class Rhapsodos and Third Class Hewley are tasked with locating and finding him. The public does not know of this disappearance. No one was prepared for the truth.

No one knew SOLDIER hung on by a thread.

Chapter 4: Relief

Inspired by @altocat 's and @rottenpumpkin13 's posts.

Please enjoy.

The heart monitor beeped at the occasional fluctuation of vitals. Oxygen levels remained steady, blood pressure nearly constant, heartbeat a perfect pattern while the patient remained unconscious. Every attempt to waken the man scattered all regulation to complete chaos. For his own safety, Genesis was strapped down before any attempt at a test took place. Some tests purely examined the floating rods in the Crimson Soldier’s eyes. Others proved the lack of connection between actual vision and what he claimed to see. Even a pitch black room held the phantom he critically begged to escape from.

Twelve hours had passed. The fourth experimental cure was ready. Angeal was the only person allowed in the room as the doctors added the cure to the IV and weaned off the sleep medication. They left as the old friend stood in silence at the side of the bed.

All Angeal could do was wait, watching the slow progress.

The small movements of damaged hands, the soft scrunch of eyelids, the adjusting breath. Once beautiful mako blue eyes opened to the stain of dark rods slowly swimming in both scleras. “Angeal…?” The voice was hesitant, careful.

“Hey Genesis,” He couldn't help the small smile, the small hope, from entering his voice. It was the first time Genesis recognized anyone physically inside the room. “How are you feeling?”

The redhead glanced around the room, every exit, every window, every potential weapon fully taken note of. Then he noticed the restraints and looked up at Angeal desperately. The rods in his eyes jostled with the movement. “You need to run. Get out of here before he comes back.”

“No one's coming after you-”

“He’s going to kill me. You have to save yourself, Angeal. I'll distract him as long as I can-”

“Genesis.”

He stopped.

Angeal couldn’t be more thankful that his friend could finally respond. “It’s not real. Sephiroth isn’t attacking you. It’s an illusion. It was all an illusion.”

Genesis tried to move. “But my injuries-”

“Weren’t caused by him.” Angeal couldn’t tell his friend the whole truth. Not now. “Wutaians attacked in your confusion. Sephiroth dragged you back to our base.”

Mako blues blinked once. Twice. Thrice. “...I-” the rods stirred again, obscuring both irises. His head snapped to the door and he tensed. “Don't come any closer!”

“Genesis!”

“Leave him out of this! He's done nothing!”

The Third was given no other option, reaching for the closed, unlocked IV.

“Don't! Stop it! Angeal, don’t listen to him!”

Drops slowly slipped through the tube.

He bit his own cheek, drawing blood and whipping his head as if taking a blow.

“Angeal, please, you know that’s not true! Don’t listen to him! Don’t do this! Please don’t do-... don’t…… please…….” Genesis fell limp, his eyes closing to trap him in quiet darkness once more.

“I’m sorry.”

The nurses and scientists returned. The Third Class SOLDIER was sent away.

Angeal leaned against the wall and exhaled slowly. He was so close to getting through, but Hollander still had no reliable cure. He didn’t think keeping Genesis unconscious for this long was safe, let alone another few days or possibly weeks if no cure at least brought him back to sanity. He should probably update Sephiroth…

Wait. Sephiroth. His head snapped up. He hadn’t seen the First since Genesis was strapped down. Where could he possibly be?

Hojo’s lab, of course. However, all his attempts to enter the highly classified laboratory were completely shut down.

* * *

Why wasn’t it working?

Unbeknownst to Sephiroth, the cure for the toxin hadn’t been touched since the head scientist received the broken gong. He first struck it without any repairs, but the Silver Soldier showed no reaction. Sephiroth was left locked in the exam room as Hojo entered the cold storage containing various cell cultures: bacteria, viruses, and even the preserved Leviathan scales removed from the Hero of Wutai himself.

The first true attempt was filling the crack in the gong with the scales and the same Wutaian bronze as the rest of the instrument. No effect. Then, after calling in a team of engineers, they attempted to extend the rivets and curves on the surface, matching every wave with scientifically perfect accuracy. Again, no effect. Hojo even requested a proper musician to strike the instrument, and though the resultant sound was exponentially better, Sephiroth showed no reaction, not even a wince.

What were they missing?

Despite the frustration, a hidden experiment was also taking place. Sephiroth did not speak a single word since the promise of helping his friend. Hojo kept a simple notification ready for if or when the man decided to speak, perhaps even give hints about who or what he was talking to. Yet this experiment was also a failure as Sephiroth never allowed his thoughts to leave his lips again.

In the days since Rhapsodos’s emergency return, both sections of the lab were useless.

“I have a task for you,” Hojo stated as he entered the room, the addressed man not even turning his eyes in response. “Return to Wutai and retrieve an undamaged gong.”

Slit pupils met black glasses in bewilderment.

“This will continue your progress on the front as we continue developing a remedy for Rhapsodos. Though I understand you cannot accomplish this task alone.”

He looked down like a guilty child. A failure. A disappointment.

“So what will you require?”

After a breath, the Silver Soldier hardened, his eyes flicking ever so slightly as ideas ran through his mind. After a few seconds of silence, he responded, “Four Second Classes with confidential or higher security clearance. And Angeal.”

Hojo nearly groaned. “Him? What can that inferior Third possibly accomplish?

“He is the only one I trust to carry out the mission. We share the same motivation. He is the only logical choice.”

“And if Hewley is captured or gassed, what will you do?”

Another moment of silence. A small shake of mercury. “...I’ll follow my instincts.”

* * *

The flight back to Wutai was silent. The director of SOLDIER informed all personnel of the First’s immediate return, saying the orders were completely above his rank. Sephiroth was granted the extra reinforcements he required. He had yet to discuss the plan with Angeal who already had dreadful feels about this sudden decision. It was difficult enough to leave Genesis in that lab, especially since both Angeal and Genesis refused to return until Sephiroth recovered.

On the dawn after arrival, Sephiroth requested Angeal’s presence on a hill half a mile away from the latest claimed fortress.

“What are you thinking?” Angeal questioned immediately upon reaching the location.

Sephiroth breathed deeply. “Hollander won’t find a cure. Hojo claimed to aid the effort in return for finding an uncracked gong.”

Mako blue eyes widened.

The head of silver turned away.

“We’re doing this to take one back? Does he know what it did to you last time?”

“For Genesis’s sake, it doesn’t matter. Loathe as it is, I’m confident Hojo will identify a cure when he recreates the compound in his lab. I must personally deliver the gong to him as soon as possible.”

“What does he want it for?”

Sephiroth winced.

The Second glared. “Sephiroth. What does he want it for?”

“He’ll run experiments to find the cause of the feeling. Either I grow a resistance to it or Hojo develops a countermeasure,” His words were cold, detached. He flinched, shaking off another thought.

“And what about the toxin?” Angeal tried to back the First into a corner, to force him into abandoning this incredibly dangerous plan before allowing it to leave his lips.

“I’m resistant to it.” His eyes still contained the rods. There was no hiding the simple truth.

“Not immune.”

“...No.”

“Then with all due respect, you should be nowhere near this mission when it begins.”

“I already have a plan.”

“Sephiroth-”

“I will lead the team of Seconds to the next outpost. They are already aware of the secrecy of the matter. I will distract the Wutaians and tell the Seconds everything they see me do is an act.”

“Our troops know that’s a lie.”

“Which is exactly why the team is new.”

“What will you do if they confront you about it? Or if the cadets let it slip?”

“We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.” Sephiroth’s expression hardened. “When I collapse, I want you and a team of scouts to infiltrate the outpost and retrieve the gong. Anything else you can accomplish will only be permitted if the gong is retrieved undamaged. We then claim the outpost if we can.”

“And what will you do when your ‘act’ ends with you losing consciousness?”

“I’ll tell them I must commit entirely. If Wutai in any way believes I am playing them, they will abandon the post and retreat with the payload.” He suddenly grabbed his head, trying to suppress a noise from escaping. He hunched, blocking his face with his bangs as he turned away.

Angeal’s frustration halted, reverting back to the kind hearted friend they both knew. “What’s happening? Sephiroth, is it the toxin?”

“I don’t care what happens,” He spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t care what happens to me. This was my fault. I have to do this.” Slowly, hesitantly his posture returned.

“I don’t like this…”

“During my capture, how many times did you say that exact phrase to Genesis?”

“That’s different-”

“It’s exactly the same. We’ll make preparations now and leave at dusk. That’s the only way we can help him. It guarantees the payload is present and gives us a solid chance to claim it.”

“Taking risks on the field and torturing yourself are two different things.”

“It’s not that simple…”

“You keep saying that.”

“Angeal-” He cut himself off, turning away and curling in on himself, small, weak, afraid. He didn’t notice his friend whipping around to watch his face. “I have to do something right. I can do this, I swear.”

The Third softly pressed a hand to the black leather arm. He said nothing until Sephiroth relaxed into reality. “You’re not healed. How many times are we going to do this?”

“Until we’re all safe again!” Sephiroth’s snap silenced the discussion. Angeal hugged him, but it felt empty and cold. The silver soldier craved something the friend could never provide, but he did not know what.

* * *

The last orange glow of the sky dimmed as Sephiroth and the Second Classes approached the outpost. Though the Silver Soldier could feel the tension, confusion, and hesitation of the team following him, they dared not speak a word. He focused on forcing one foot in front of the other, despite his survival instincts screaming in protest against every wave of the toxin.

He silently wished the Seconds would speak their mind. At least then something would distract him from the voice.

Even She failed to persuade him.

Know that I am with you always. Cling to my words to spare yourself and your friends.

The moment the firelight of the outpost shimmered his silver hair, the gong rang and he collapsed instantly. The phantom strings of his heart pulled in every direction, desperately reaching for something to connect with even at the cost of agony. He curled on the ground, rocking and screaming without the comforting, fear awakened voice. His body grasped the needle like threads of desperation tightening around his heart like a noose.

No one remained to comfort his despair.

Wutaian forces laughed, mocking the hero and raining down magic at the Seconds defending their fallen leader.

After all, it was just an act, right? He’d get up soon? He’d save them if they were in danger?

On the other side of the outpost, Angeal and the small team of scouts slipped past the guards undetected. Inside, everyone seemed to be enjoying the show. They stayed low and quiet until the gong was in sight.

The scouts claimed the gong and mallet while Angeal dispatched the enemy soldiers. At the muting of the dreadful instrument and the bright red target on all of their backs, the full force of Shinra’s troop attacked.

All except the Silver Soldier who laid unmoving with Second Classes sworn to protect him.

Hours passed before the highest ranking SOLDIER awoke. Only his Third Class friend waited for him. The cadets were scouring the outpost for resources while the scouts called in the payload back at the claimed fortress.

Inhuman eyes opened, ebony rods finally flushed away.

Angeal held out a hand. “You need to see this.”

Sephiroth took it and rose to his feet. “Lead the way.”

At the heart of the outpost stood a mausoleum. However, Wutaian culture would not allow a final resting place so far from any public gravesite, so perhaps it was only a front. Sephiroth’s assumption was proven correct as they opened the door, an ornate staircase descended, lined with patterns of silver scales, not a shred of gold in sight. He rushed down the stairs despite his instinct to run away. Stone and marble statues of the Wutaian water god constricted the room. Its scales surrounded them like a victorious snake. Altars, fountains, torches, candles, shackles, ritualistic weapons.

Beyond the silver, it was all the same

“This was for Genesis…” Sephiroth’s words left breathlessly.

“Two with one is unpredictable,” Angeal quoted. “They’re trying to take down the top three SOLDIERs.”

“Or all three of us.” Sephiroth met his eyes. “We promote SOLDIER. Even though you haven't made Second yet, if all three of us fall victim to capture or toxin, no one will enlist and the program will be deemed a failure.”

“And the Wutai’s war would finally end.”

Inhuman eyes fell. “Or Shinra creates a new weapon to destroy their entire country without a second thought. At least with the war, some of their people will survive...”

Something hid in that statement, but Angeal chose not to push. “Let’s head back to the fort. Get some real rest before transport arrives.”

Sephiroth nodded. “I’ll call in an excavation team.”

* * *

The gong cured the toxin. That was what Sephiroth told both scientists when he arrived in HQ with the instrument in hand but lacking the black rods in his eyes. Hollander immediately attempted it without a second thought. Genesis did not react. However, neither did Sephiroth. Again the science department summoned a percussionist. Apparently the reaction required proper technique.

Sephiroth watched through observation glass at the second attempt. In Genesis’s room, the musician rang the gong. The Silver Soldier fell to his knees, gloved hands clawing at the glass and uncontrollable groans leaving his lips.

The Crimson Soldier remained perfectly still. One quick look from the scientists proved the instrument was a failure. Sephiroth was told to seal himself in an experimentation chamber before Hojo injected the lab-grown remedy.

Of course, Hojo’s cure succeeded. Genesis finally came to, surrounded by scientists and nurses, not a single friendly face at his side. Sephiroth was long gone, and to Hojo, the less he knew the better.

Within The Drum, Sephiroth paced, his arms crossed and his head down. Waiting. Preparing. Fortifying his emotions. Praying they could contain the resonant emotion.

He glanced up at the observation chamber, some part of him attempting to see through the solid force field of indigo hexagons. He hopes the scientist would at very least reveal the instrument to him before the training began.

Step by step he begged this to work.

The chamber blocked out all natural light, adjustable fluorescent bulbs illuminating endless stasis. The pulse of the force field gave the illusion of measurement, subconsciously counted by the Silver Soldier.

Mid step, the gong rang, and all attempts at resistance shattered as he clung to his own body, his shouts echoing off the walls. Any thought of progress and control collapsed.

Hojo watched, fascinated and disgusted by the effectiveness. Sephiroth was stronger than some musical instrument. What occurred to cause such a reaction? Despite his desire to immediately take samples, he decided to indulge a different desire. He contacted his assistant and ordered them to find more musicians.

How long could the First survive on his own?

To be continued…

Thanks for reading!

Chapter List

#ffvii #sephiroth #final fantasy vii #ff7 #final fantasy 7 #jenova #genesis rhapsodos #angeal hewley #ffvii hojo #hojo ffvii #ff7 hojo #hojo ff7 #professor hojo #god there are a lot of ways to tag hojo lol

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assassins-and-hidden-blades · 2 years

Note

Congrats on 1.2k!!! Your an amazing writer and we are all so lucky to have your prompts and stories!

Please for prompt 11# may I have Jacob saying that to F!reader after she’s been kidnapped an tortured for a few days. Blighters took her to mess with Jacob and they intended on killing her and leaving her where Jacob would find her body but they don’t get the chance. He gets to her in time and she’s scared and shaking/trembling. ( p/s she’s a civilian )

02/08/2022: Thank you so much! I'm nothing without your kind words and support <333 there are a couple of #11s around, so I'm going to take an educated guess on which one you mean. I hope you enjoy!

F! Reader x Jacob Frye

#11: "Show me where it hurts, darling, it's okay."

"Where is she?"

He leaned in close to the beaten Blighter in front of him, his low hum delivering a slow threat. "Believe me, I can make this the most painful experience of your life. You either tell me where she is, and you can scamper away with your miserable life, or I shall beat the truth out of you. Your choice."

The Blighter just chuckled in his chair, his bloodstained grin igniting a new rage in the Assassin. Jacob's lip curled in a silent snarl, raising his clenched fist to strike. The door creaked open behind him. "Jacob? Can we talk?"

"Can it wait?"

Evie didn't respond, and Jacob turned his head. The damp stone room was barely illuminated around Evie's silhouette as she leaned against the doorframe. Jacob released the Blighter's shirt reluctantly, moving to the door. "Better start making funeral plans, Frye," the Blighter sneered. Jacob paused in his step, spinning only to send a throwing knife into his shoulder.

"Get comfortable," he seethed, slamming the door behind the howling man.

The adjoining room shone the first sunlight on his skin for about six hours. He knew he was running out of time, and despite taking a deep breath, he pulled off the brass knuckles on his left hand and threw them in a white-hot anger across the room, a frustrated yell escaping his throat. An empty vase shattered in the corner. He turned to rest his fists on the table of weapons beside him.

"Please," he begged, head hung low. "Tell me you have news."

"I followed every lead of suspicious activity, everywhere Blighters have been stationed. I made a short list of--"

"Give it to me." He sniffed before turning to face his sister, hand outstretched.

"Jacob, think with your head for a minute. You know they're trapping you. They want to get in your head."

"I don't care. Give me the list."

"You aren't listening. I'm telling you to not go barging in like you always do. Even when you have your head on straight, you're reckless. You will get yourself -- and possibly Y/n --"

"Evie, give me the fucking list!"

It only took a second for Jacob to realise that he had snapped. He heaved a sigh, rubbing his hands down his face. "Sorry. I'm sorry."

Evie put a hand on his arm. "I know you're worried. But you also need to be safe. You're no use to her dead. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"Yeah. Yeah, I promise." A piece of paper slipped into his palm.

"Finish with your 'friend', and then we get going."

The next time Jacob entered the room, there was a smirk on his face. The Blighter's demeanour had completely changed. He was a pig ready to squeal.

"I'll tell ya everything!" he said once he made eye contact. "I'll tell ya under two-- no, three conditions!"

Jacob raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Get this fucking knife out of my shoulder!"

Slowly, he crossed the floor to the Blighter. With equal speed, he crouched in front of the chair, grasping the hilt of the knife. "Keep talking, and I'll pull it out."

"How many days has it been?"

"Why does that matter?" Jacob asked, but relented a moment after. He has grown too impatient. "Four days."

He didn't like the smile that emerged after.

"And what's the time?"

"... 5 o'clock." He twisted the knife, releasing another painful cry. "Why?"

"She's... She's at the docks. The Thames docks."

He yanked the knife out of his shoulder, standing up to confer with the list from Evie.

Out of three places, the Thames docks sat at the bottom of the list.

He marched out. "You'll never get there in time, Jacob! By nightfall, she'll be dead!"

The Blighter's words echoed with the slam of the door.

"What happened?" Evie had waited, ready to support him.

"Docks. She's at the fucking docks." As soon as he left the stronghold, he ran to the main road, squinting in the soft light of dusk. A Rook carriage waited outside, ready for this moment. Evie and Jacob took over the driving seats as the Rooks sat inside. Jacob set the horses off urgently, immediately setting them into a canter. "Get the Rooks to cause a distraction. Pick the idiots off from a vantage point. I'm getting y/n."

"Stop seeing red and think about how you're going to achieve that, Jacob."

"Already have."

The reckless driving took merely five minutes, another reason for Jacob's anger. "Everybody out!" He rapped harshly on the wood as he dismounted. "You see anyone else, you bring them here."

"How do you think you're getting in?" Evie grasped his coat before he could walk off.

"That building there is a storage unit. Guarded by two Blighters, probably more inside. And I'm going to walk through the front fucking door."

"Calm down for two seconds, Jacob."

"I..." He took a stuttering breath. "I can't. Not without her."

Evie didn't say anything. She squeezed his shoulder before looking to the Rooks. "Rooks! With me!" She took them down to the opposite side of the docks, already drawing attention as she climbed high.

Jacob stood tall as he descended the stairs to the docks, waiting for the Blighters to come to him. Each time, they would crumble after one counter-attack. The trail of bodies led him to the door of a storage unit he had crossed off the list when he first started the search. Self-loathing boiled in his gut.

With a startling bang, he kicked the old door open. Gun drawn, he gave a hard look to the one holding a bloodied blade to your neck. Jacob studied the hurried rise and fall of your chest, your ruined clothes, the bruising and lacerations adorning your skin, the gag in your mouth. "Drop the gun, Frye."

"If you want to live, you'll step away."

There was a scuffling behind him, the recognisable sounds of people choking on their blood filled the air. In his peripheral, green coats joined him; swathes of Rooks blocked the door, cornering the lone Blighter. The man seemed to stutter in his stance, nervous and unsure of the sudden developments, of the ace that had fallen out of his sleeve. In the next second, he ran.

Jacob couldn't care less what would happen to him. His focus was on you, only you.

"Y/n, I'm so sorry." He kneeled in front of you and pulled the gag from your mouth, gently grasping your face. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen." He cut the bonds on your wrists, catching you as you fell forward. Your eyes were closed. "Y/n, can you hear me?"

Nestled against his shoulder, you kept inhaling stuttering breaths. "It hurts," you cried hoarsely, tears spilling onto your cheeks.

"Show me where it hurts, darling, it's okay."

"E-Everywhere. Jacob, I'm scared."

He readjusted you into his chest. "I'm here now, I've got you. We'll get you home. Are you bleeding?"

You shook your head. "It's stopped." Although it should be reassuring, Jacob's heart dropped at the extent of what they've done.

"You're alright, you're okay."

#assassin's creed #x reader #assassin's creed x reader #jacob frye #jacob frye x reader #assassin's creed x f!reader #jacob frye x f!reader #1.2k follower celebration #assassin's creed fanfiction #assassin's creed x you #jacob frye x you

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thepenultimateword · 1 year

Note

Hey! Can you please continue short prompt #56? I’m literally on the edge of my seat wanting more lol. Thx ❤️

Part One

Supervillain's office smelt like someone had dumped a gallon of autumn spice cologne over every cherry wooded inch of the room. Villain tried hard not to gag as they came through the door--they were already in enough trouble as it was--but they couldn't seem to completely wipe their grimace. The scent made their eyes sting and lingered bitter in the back of their mouth.

"You needed me?" Villain piped up and then immediately winced. Was Supervillain going to take that in a romantic way? Of course, Supervillain didn't need them; first of all, it was just a dating app match, and second of all it wasn't like Supervillain couldn't date whoever they wanted. They didn't want Supervillain to assume that they assumed that something was about to happen between them. Villain wasn't that pathetic. Or desperate. Or interested.

"Ah! Villain." Supervillain swiveled in their desk chair, steepling their fingers beneath their chin. "Quick question. Roses or orchids?"

Villain stared, facial muscles seizing in involuntary shock. They didn't even think they could blink. "Uh...orchids?"

"Eating in or eating out?"

"I don't get why--"

Supervillain cocked their head to the side, the sharp cut of their slow blink stopping Villain short. Those eyes were like clear-cut diamonds, so pale they were almost devoid of color. In picture, Villain could stare for hours, but in person, it was a little like being flayed alive.

Villain swallowed. "Depends on my mood and how long of a day I've had."

Supervillain considered that for a moment, and though their eyes vaguely clouded over, the change in luster was not enough to stop their vacant gaze from piercing straight through Villain's throat. Another sudden blink seemed to file that information away for later and on they went.

"Movie or dance?"

"Movie I guess."

"Salty or sweet?"

"Neither. Spicy."

They were getting the hang of this question game.

"PDA or privacy?"

Nevermind.

Villain blushed and looked down at their knees. "A little of both."

This time Villain did take a physical note on the notepad in front of them. Then they marked something on a grid sheet and nodded Villain politely back toward the door. "Alright, I'll take that into consideration. You can return to your workstation now."

Villain blinked. "What?"

"I said that's all I need from you, you can get back to work."

Was Villain hearing this right? Not acknowledging the dating app was one thing--there were a million ways to explain it away, and after all, it was sort of embarrassing--but to ask all these odd personal questions and then dismiss them?

"You're not even going to tell me what all these questions are for?"

"Just a little pop quiz."

Villain blinked again. "What?"

Supervillain pulled a stack of papers across the desk and began initialing sections every few paragraphs. "I'm gathering data from my admirers in order to transfer it into my ruling style. Whatever attracts you to me could also be used to "attract" more followers and sway the public to my side."

"Oh." Villain hated the humiliated flush spreading across their cheeks, but they hated the disappointed knot in their chest even more. "That...makes sense."

Stupid. Why didn't they deny it? Tell Supervillain that their little narcissistic test didn't apply to them because they'd only swiped up out of pity. Why did any words at all refuse to come to their mouth?

They turned numbly back toward the door, barely feeling their legs move them across the room and down the hall back to their desk. They stared blankly at the blueprints they'd been drawing up for a new destructive weapon, something that had been meant to really make them stand out from the rest of the think tank, and half-considered crumpling it into the garbage can beside their desk before they forced their hand to take up their pencil again and went back to sketching lines. This jilted feeling didn't mean they still didn't want a raise.

They lost themselves in the work, letting it consume them whole, anything not to think about the humiliation and irritating hurt roiling in the back of their mind. It was nearly midnight when they realized Supervillain's story made no sense. How did gathering data on Villain have anything to do with Supervillain's admirable qualities?

They must have dozed off sometime after that because when they came to themself again, they were blinking morning light from their eyes and their cheek was pasted to the blueprint sheet. Lifting their head groggily, the glint of blue glass caught their eye.

A little vase of red orchids sat safely on the far corner of their desk.

Villain rubbed their eyes, but when they lowered their fists the orchids still stared prettily back. They looked around the empty office for matching gifts, even mozied around to the other dead departments to widen the pool, but it became quickly apparent that they weren't going to find anything.

They were the only one with flowers, and based on yesterday's interrogation they knew who they were from. They just wished they knew what that meant.

…

I felt like this scenario could go lots of ways, hopefully this one is ok :)

Master Taglist:

@moss-tombstone @crazytwentythrees @just-1-lonely-person @the-vagabond-nun @willow-trees-are-beautiful @cocoasprite @insanedreamer7905 @valiantlytransparentwhispers @whovian378 @watercolorfreckles @thebluepolarbear @yulanlavender @kitsunesakii @deflated-bouncingball @lem-hhn @office-plant-in-a-trenchcoat @ghostfacepepper @pigeonwhumps @demonictumble @inkbirdie @vuvulia @bouncyartist @lunatic-moss-studio @breilobrealdi @freefallingup13 @i-am-a-story-goblin @ryunniez @rainy-knights-of-villany @distractedlydistracted @saspas-corner @echoednonny @perilous-dreamer

#supervillain x villain #villain x villain #heroes and villains community #hero x villain community #hero x villain #dating app #writing snippet #creative writing

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dustysalmon · 18 days

Text

Show Me Yours And I'll Show You Mine - Asajj Ventress x Crosshair (Part 1)

AN: Like many of you, the Harbinger episode gave me much to think about, and before I knew it, the Ventross ship was already sailing.

CW: None for this part, except for our two baddies having a bit of a rematch, and Ventress making Crosshair sweat a little bit. (They're just training, folks!... For now...)

Word count: 2.8k ⎮ Read on ao3 ⎮ Part 2

It is a beautiful day on Pabu, a sky so blue you can barely make out where it meets the see, not a single cloud on the horizon. A day like most days on the island, Ventress has come to notice, and the perfect opportunity for her to train and meditate on this quiet morning. Initially, the plan had been to find Omega, test her abilities and hop onto the next job. Business as usual. But a week had already gone by, and Ventress was in no hurry to set sail for another planet, and especially not to take another contract.

She picks a remote spot; her days of voluntary solitude as a Sith apprentice are far behind her, but she still enjoys the quiet. Perhaps now more than ever before. Calm is hard to come by in a life like hers, so she gives it her best effort to enjoy and cherish it whenever it comes her way. She sits with her legs crossed, eyes closed, her lightsaber placed carefully next to her. It’s a funny thing, how a mere object can bring such serenity and comfort to an individual. There is no qualms about the fact that she can survive well enough without it, but it’s part of her identity, a testament of her life’s work, of her successes, and her failures. They are indissociable.

Ventress shuts out the superfluous thoughts just like she knows how to, and turns her focus towards the life all around her. She aligns her breathing to the slow lulling of the waves against the shore, surrendering to its rhythm completely, until the rise and fall of her chest follows. Ever since her awareness of the Force, this has always been her favourite part, becoming the vessel of an entity much bigger than herself, and to let its essence flow within her. Letting go has always been difficult, after being controlled and manipulated from all ends, Ventress has had a compulsive need to control, both herself and others, more often than not. Here, it’s like standing on the edge of a precipice, unknown territory, until finally she reaches her goal. Complete serenity, a perfect sense of calm and control, over herself and the elements surrounding her. Balance. It has been a long journey, but she’s finally there.

This is not so bad, quiet meditation facing the sea on a day like this, she could get used to it. Ventress smiles dismissively at the idea. Have the years made her soft? Has spending time with Omega? She bats the thought away and recentralises her focus.

On occasion, a curious moon-yo comes to sniff around. They’re quite sociable creatures, although a little skittish. Ventress holds out her arm and the little green primate reaches with its hands to grab at it before climbing on her right shoulder. Friendlier creatures than the species found on Dathomir, that much is certain. She allows this little moment to gently pull out of her meditation. Time for some combat practice.

The yellow blade that gushes out of the lightsaber still feels foreign to Ventress, the confirmation of a new chapter in her life. She begins her usual routine, moving the weapon with fluid grace, form after form as the sun rises higher in the sky. Strike, parry, and repeat, all done with flawless precision and movements, the blade cutting through the air with a hum. Almost an hour passes before Ventress still herself, and takes a moment to really breathe, feeling the cool wind whisper through her short hair; and then resumes her training. For anyone watching, it looks like a dance, a very deadly dance, but not devoid of grace— some would even say beauty.

At least that is what Crosshair would say, as he quietly approaches Ventress’ space. He’s been watching her for a good two minutes now, and while he is no stranger to single combat, this is definitely not the clones’ preferred style. They were raised to operate as an army, units of thousands of clones, sent to the front lines to fall like pawns in a board game. There’s no beauty or grace in war, and right now, he feels the slightest amount of envy. What a privilege it is to look your opponent in the eye, to study them as they study you. No stray bullets, no booby traps or hidden mines. Only skill, observation, and sometimes respect, if you’re lucky.

Ventress is still facing away, to the sea. She knows he is here, standing a couple of feet away from her, and wonders if he knows, or simply doesn’t care that he is not as sneaky as he thinks he is. Let him have the benefit of the doubt, she smiles to herself. For several minutes, she gives no indication that she is aware of his presence, repeating the forms that have been drilled into her, first by Jedi Master Ky Narec, then by Count Dooku, with a little less patience and a decidedly more aggressive pedagogy, if you can call it that. She is a better fighter for it, there is no denying that, but the reminder of those years are still painful. Ventress has long accepted that this wound will never heal, and that she must move on, for her own sake.

Crosshair is still standing there watching, arms crossed, and clearly he doesn’t intend to make his presence known. Ventress quickly takes the hint. Those clones, utterly incapable of initiating anything without being told what to do. Ever the good little soldiers.

"Came here to learn a few things, clone?" She is well aware of how much they hate to be called that, and has no intention of letting him down easy; no particular reason. "Would you like me to slow down a little bit so you can keep up?"

"I don’t need to learn anything from you." Ventress throws him a quick questioning look before resuming her movements, which have become more and more complex since Crosshair arrived. All on purpose, of course.

"Seeing how our last encounter went, I’d beg to differ."

"You caught me on a bad day." He says with barely concealed bitterness. Also, he doesn’t believe a single word, but that’s an information he will keep to himself. Ventress scoffs.

"And I suppose your brothers too were having a bad day then?" She taunts between two sophisticated backflips. "Oh, let me guess, you are the best out of the three." The mockery in her tone stings this time, and it takes Crosshair a lot of effort not to show it. "Well that’s promising—"

"Has anybody ever told you that you talk too much?" He interrupts, chewing aggressively on his toothpick. She offers him the fakest of contemptuous smiles. "I’ve seen you fight now, I’ve seen your technique. You’re not infallible." Another summersault, and a fancy twirl in the air, for good measure. A reminder. See, this is what you’re up against, before Ventress finally puts all of her focus on the clone, walking slowly towards him. If he wants a challenge, he’s going to get one. Crosshair matches her step for step, a sense of boldness rising within him.

It’s a big mistake, and very petty on his part to even consider a rematch. She took on the three of them without so much as breaking a sweat just a couple days ago. He still has the marks to prove it, a couple of bruises here and there adorning his back and torso, and a nasty hit to his ego that’s not itching to go away. If he is being honest, she is the first opponent in a long time who has actually managed to physically hurt him in a straight fight. And as much as he loathes it, he can’t help but respect that. But clone’s pride being what it is…

"What’s the matter? Scared that I might get the better of you this time?" Thinking back, this is not even what he came here to do this morning. Truth be told, he doesn’t even know what brought him here. It’s like something pulled him in.

"Don’t make me laugh," Ventress scoffs, "you’ve read my file, clones are no match for me." A bit of a low blow, she realises as the words escape her mouth, but Crosshair doesn’t react to the cheap comment.

Crosshair tosses his toothpick aside. "I’m not like other clones."

They are facing each other now, just a few inches apart. And Ventress cannot deny it, there’s a fire in his light brown eyes, a glint that flirts right between boldness and insolence. Well, it doesn’t change the fact that he will lose, Ventress muses, but it’s something she likes to see in an opponent. The satisfaction of putting them back in their place is all the greater for it.

"No. No you’re not." She concedes. The yellow blade of her lightsaber disappears with a snap-hiss, and she clips it back to her belt. "Well then." They don’t need more than those two simple words to acknowledge that the fight is on

They circle each other up, carefully matching the other’s footsteps, like animal and prey, although it’s not yet clear which is which. Crosshair realises only now that he’s not wearing his armour, simply his black overalls, leaving him alarmingly vulnerable to Ventress’ blows, which he now knows to be very powerful. But he is nothing if a not thorough soldier, and he has actually learned a thing or two from watching Ventress fight Hunter and Wrecker. She is small, very thin and light on her feet, although unfortunately, being quite lithe himself, it’s not something he can use against her. On the matter of raw strength, he may be a man, but her lifelong training makes up for the differential that this detail may entail. Timing and precision then, two things he has come to master as a sharpshooter. For the rest, whatever she does, he will have to do it better.

Once more, he notices Ventress waits for him to make the first move. Crosshair gives in, but it’s the last time he promises himself. He throws a couple of punches her way, carefully keeping his guard up. This is more about testing the terrain and seeing how she reacts. They keep this up for a minute before the clone really starts going at her, with more speed and strength this time. Ventress parries some of his jabs, the rest she simply avoids with quick movements of her upper body. She is that good, and it’s already starting to irritate him. Mentally slapping himself to keep his head in the game, he continues his assault.

Left, right jab, he bounces on his feet to follow her movements but she circles around and docks all his blows effortlessly, her guard is not even up anymore, she is just moving her body around with inhuman speed and reflexes now. Ventress blocks one of his blows with her forearm, and counters in his stomach. It hurts, she has hit him there before, during their last fight, but somehow he manages to grab her arm and spin her around.

"Cute display," a smirk tugs at the corners of her lips, her tone laced with amusement, "but this is not a dance."

Crosshair barely has the time to register the mockery before he finds himself losing the upper hand. Indeed, if Ventress was difficult to get a grab on, she is even more difficult to hold onto. Sticking her own arm firmly behind her back, she pulls Crosshair against her with the motion, and uses their body weights against him to roll forward and extricate herself. So far, it is a perfect copy of their first fight, and Crosshair is no closer to finding a blind spot in her technique.

Ventress can see the gears spinning in his head, and picks this very moment to press her own attack, releasing a flurry of strikes down upon him with alluring speed. Despite his best efforts to parry and counter, Crosshair immediately finds himself stuck on the defensive, struggling to keep pace with the successive assaults. Ventress is absolutely ruthless, seizes every single opening, exploiting the slightest lapse in Crosshair's defenses. Her strikes find their mark almost every time with unerring accuracy. She is not only swift in her movements, but also quick at guessing what his next move will be. More often than not, Crosshair gets the unpleasant feeling that she’s working her little force-sensitive mind tricks on him; or maybe he is just trying to console himself.

With each blow, she pushes him further back until he’s cornered against a rock. He faints an error in his footing, and surprisingly, Ventress takes the bait rather easily— eager to end the fight as quickly as possible, no doubt. This is a one-time opportunity, he realises that, and so he gets to work. He dodges the first punch, the second, and feels the air sweep along the side of his face as the fist flies by, a little too close for comfort. Her left flank is open, if he can land a well-placed punch there and knock the wind out of her… But suddenly he feels it, the tremor strikes him like a thousand needles. His right hand flinches in midair, his fist loosens as he struggles to hold it up.

It all goes very fast then, Ventress shoves him hard and away from her, and throws two nasty kicks to his lower abdomen before sending him reeling to the ground, on his knees, his arm twisted behind his back.

"Yield." Her voice is calm as she issues the order, her breathing even despite the effort. Crosshair is a different story.

"No," he grunts in pain, but it’s not just physical. He hates that this part of him is slowing him down, it makes him a liability, and it could cost him in the future. It could cost her brother’s lives… Omega’s. "No," he says again with resolve, which Ventress only interprets as foolish pride.

"Have it your way." She sighs before releasing him. As he barely manages to roll away, he is suddenly gripped by an invisible force that lifts him off the ground. He grips uselessly at his throat, trying to grab at something that is not really there, his feet kicking the air in vain. It is such an odd sensation, like fighting all the elements at once. He feels utterly powerless, and he despises it. No, he will not let himself be strangled into unconsciousness, not a chance.

"Okay—," he gasps, "you win."

Crosshair hits the ground with a thud, his hand rubbing his neck.

"You cheated," he says reproachfully.

"You were being unreasonable," Ventress counters, matching his tone. "You were willing to let me break your arm, over what, pride?"

"It’s not—"

"There’s no shame in defeat."

"Easy to say when you find yourself on the winning end." Crosshair grumbles, attempting to stand up.

"A point." She offers him her hand, which he accepts after a slight hesitation. "Damage?" Crosshair got to his feet with difficulty, holding onto his left flank and shaking his head no.

"You clones are terrible liars." She says matter of factly rather than reproachfully as she looks him over, extending her hand to the one at his midsection. "Let me have a look."

"I’m good." The clone visibly flinches as if he’d been burnt.

"Seriously?" It seemed that Crosshair was more angry than embarrassed after careful consideration. Cute. Ventress tried to keep her smile to herself, unsuccessfully.

"You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?"

"Seeing grown men utterly incapable of accepting defeat? Always." Her grin had only grown wider.

"That’s— I’m not— forget it." As his eyes come to focus on nothing on the ground, Ventress looks at him, really looks at him. He is truly upset, but it is longer clear if it is about the defeat or something else, perhaps something more personal. She herself wasn’t particularly adamant to show her battle scars, or any scars for that matter. Some wore them proudly, for others, it was a testament of their weakness, forever carved in the skin. Crosshair looked like the kind of man who had seen a lot; done a lot. And suffered a lot. Most clones had, she knew, many because of her part in the Separatist war.

"Let me see you home at least." She half offers and asks. Years ago, she wouldn’t have lingered or even looked back twice to help an injured enemy. But that was before. She likes to think that she is a different person now, hopefully a better one too. It doesn’t erase all the bad at all, but it is a start. And besides, this clone is truly intriguing, and hardly an enemy.

Crosshair eyes her suspiciously, looking for any sign of malice or ill intent. He sees none, and nods silently before making his way up the bay, Ventress on his heels, occasionally holding a hand near his lower back as they make their way up, just in case. He doesn’t shy away from the touch this time, which Ventress assumes is because he simply hasn’t noticed. And if he has, well, that’s a start.

That's it for now, folks! Part 2 will be coming shortly with some much needed, um, comfort...

#the bad batch #asajj ventress #ct 9904 #crosshair #asajj ventress x crosshair #crosshair x asajj ventress #star wars #fanfiction #the bad batch imagine

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thewertsearch · 1 year

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Asks Comp - 16/4

I literally did not know The Baby Is You was a thing. To be welcomed back into the comic like this after four months is very on brand for Homestuck.

... and wow, its outro really does match the end of this song, doesn't it? That's even funnier than if he'd snuck some of Megalovania in there.

Ooh, that's another liveblog I'll want to check out when I'm done! I've never actually seen a Worm liveblog before. Adding it to the list myself!

Nothing's really changed since I've been gone! I make a conscious effort not to do much Homestuck analysis off-blog, since I want my journey to be fully documented here.

It's good to be back! I'm looking forward to a full reread when I'm done.

Would you believe I didn't even know there was a book?

I also didn't know the movie had two (allegedly) terrible sequels, which is very funny. Neverending story indeed.

Thank you! I can't take too much credit, though - most of my tagging system has been crowdsourced from askers!

At some point, before we reach the end of the comic, I'm going to have to formalize my approach to liveblogging Homestuck's side content.

What I'll probably do is give each of them the 'lite' treatment initially, but if they turn out to be more canonical than I thought, or particularly interesting to liveblog, I'll 'zoom in', and analyze them properly. We'll see how we go!

Could you imagine the relationship dynamics in your average troll soap opera? The shipping web for a single season would make our heads explode.

It's a fun question. What sort of object symbolizes everything?

The first thing I'd try would be a star chart, Dave's magnifier and a literal planetful of Grist.

Added to the list! Not until later later on, though - I'd worry that the opinions and theories of another liveblogger could interfere with my own, especially if they're talking about it with someone who's already read it!

I would find it hard to disagree.

Do people think Act 1 is pointless?

I mean, it is the slowest Act in terms of pacing, but slow pacing isn't always a bad thing. You sort of have to take it slow when your readers have this much to get to grips with.

...okay, maybe we didn't need quite as many Sylladex mishaps as we got. But we still needed some. Homestuck has a lot to introduce you to.

I always pictured an English accent for Hass - although, interestingly, I didn't picture one for Jade. As a headcanon, I like the NZ one better.

Where did Grandpa grow up again, actually? He was raised by Fake Mark Twain, who was from Missouri - but I don't have a clue what a Missouri accent sounds like, let alone one from a century ago. I have a funny feeling that it's not the accent I'm imagining coming from Jade.

Now that's a ship I'd never have seen coming. Props to Hussie for coming up with something more controversial than my Feferi<>Equius.

All four kids, with four endgame weapons, might be able to challenge Jack's current incarnation - but they're not going to get the chance. You've hit the nail on the head - he's semi-perfect Jack for a reason.

I have several theories for Jade's prototyping, and every single one of them would make Jack even more dangerous than before. It's just barely possible to challenge him now, but things will only get worse.

Read the room, Serket!

Would Vriska have tried to negotiate? She feels like the type of person who'd rather take a beating than admit they're outclassed. Plus, I'm not sure how much she'd have to offer Aradia, who seemed entirely motivated by revenge (and, possibly, secretly motivated by timeline stuff).

All that said, I would have loved to hear Vriska trying to worm her way out of this.

I love it! Please send in the completed house, if you get the chance. That's going to look so cool with a moving meteor.

And they're both easily distractible! This feels like two people who might actually get on surprisingly well, if they were in, say, the same high school class.

It's hard to say what's a rarepair, since I don't know what ships are rare in the fandom - although I'd have a few guesses about the most common ones.

If we're going for a ship with very tenuous connections, I will submit Rose x Feferi for your appraisal. They're both fans of the Noble Circle, and their signature colors are pretty close.

You know what, I'll just review all of your ships. Tavros/Gamzee - PB&J - is pretty cute. [] I'd recommend Miracle Child for a number of reasons, but it does include a well-written Gamtav. Jack/Droog is more <> to me than it is <3. Like One Sundered Star might be influencing that? I'm not really sure. Somewhere I think I saw a Jack<>Droog. Your pre-shipping chart post isn't in the chrono; also, I'm pretty sure the A6A6I5 ask is one of mine. Gamzee/Eridan is a rarepair; I've seen it, but not often, and it's a <> in the fic I'm referencing. Kanaya<>Terezi and Feferi<>Vriska are strange enough that I've never seen them anywhere, really. [] And finally, Vriska and Tavros. These two are the textbook example of why the ashen quadrant needs to exist, and they're a perfect pair for it. [] ~LOSS (8/1/23)

I don't even know if Carapacians have moirallegiance - but those two would definitely work if they did.

Out of all my ships you flagged as rare, I think my favorite is Feferi<>Vriska. I just think they'd gel weirdly well together!

#asks #full liveblog #act 5.2

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kierancampire · 6 months

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I just played/beat Sea of Stars! I will start with non-spoiler stuff

So over all I really liked the game! I admit I found it slow and thus took it slow until the third main town/area you go to (not counting where you start), but yeah, once it reached that point I couldn't put the game down! I was playing it at every chance I got! I thought the game was beautiful, I really liked the music, characters, story, and there were so many moments throughout the game that I had my mind blown or just otherwise freaked out! Although if I do have a mild complaint, which I admit this is an odd one for me especially, the game was kinda easy? Like, as you can see I beat it without "dying", I had characters pass out but never a full party death, and although I admittedly has a few close calls, yeah, I never truly died. There are so many campfires, you can always go back to them between fights, you have a few healing options, death was never a huge concern! But yeah, the game is beautiful, the combat is super fun and engaging, there was absolutely awesome enemy design, I just loved the experience so much!

Now onto the spoiler stuff, I'll start from least to most spoilery:

So I have seen people complain about getting the true ending, but I really didn't find it that bad? Like I think I had to use a guide to get 10 or less conches and that was it? I found doing the optional challenges and bosses were super fun! In fact, getting Resh'an's ultimate weapon was the closest I got to a game over on that boss!

I hated wheels. I sorta ended up cheesing everything with the mage and assassin, but it's so luck based and I have awful luck, so I would lose matches as the opponent kept getting constant EXP and such, while I would get nothing! Though weirdly the only opponent I beat on the first try was the Watchmaker haha

An aspect I disliked with combat was, so you build up the combo/ultimate meter and they top out, thus you need to use them to get the most out of it in a battle to rebuild it again. Also you gain MP by attacking normally, and create a thing called "live mana" by doing so. My issue with all of this is though, particularly with the bosses towards the end, I would have a plan in mind about how I wanted to do something, but then the boss would do a certain attack that I had to stop and would be forced to use certain characters/attacks, and as you have no idea how much HP a boss has, you could chance using your ultimate attack and defeating the boss before they heal or use a big attack, or you can break the attack and make the fight take longer when you coulda just killed them, but you have no idea. But beyond that too, sometimes enemies/bosses would do an attack chain that I had no way to break so I'd get screwed over by having no chance to break it, or I'd use Serai, then immediately after using her I'd need to use poison/her disorient ability and be screwed over. Or a boss/enemy would be spamming big attacks so often I ran out of MP and couldn't do anything to stop the attack! But yeah, for me it was kinda frustrating how I'd constantly want to use an ultimate or combo move, but I got stuck chipping away at the boss as they just kept using big attacks I had to break, and sometimes I'd get stuck doing the same attack sequence over and over as the boss kept doing the same thing again and again. There could be careful planning and strategy to how you attack, use live mana, MP, stuff like that. But other times the battle was completely based on the bosses attack patterns, and you'd get screwed over after using a character, mana or whatever because the boss did something you didn't expect

I did find the game a lil formulaic and it kinda forced me to take breaks, as the game is almost boss battle after boss battle, there will be like 10-15 normal encounters or a story break, and then it's another boss, I just found that mentally taxing at times

So I didn't cry (but I almost did) when Garl dies, but I kinda wish I did cry as I had no idea that he was just going to be dead for the rest of the game! I thought he'd be revived but I didn't expect it to go on for as long as it did! Which once you do eventually revive him, again, I almost cried as it had just been so long!

There were a few things I found a lil disappointing, like, One, Two, Three, and Four, they just sorta disappear at the end. Unless I am blanking on it I wondered where the good witch was as you never see/hear about her, at least not in memory, but it's Moyara who died before the game starts? Also in the "true" ending, you Erlina reunite with what I assume was Brugaves, but again, he also disappeared and their ending is sorta sad no matter what version you get, they still end up as deformed monsters when their feelings were sorta understandable, even if they agreed to an inexcusable thing

I also must admit I was a tad disappointed with what happened with Resh'an and Aerophul, like the fact that they both walk off, after everything Aerophul did, the fact that he just walks off, after what he did to Serai's people and the pain he inflicted on so many worlds, it just kinda sucked that he walked away

But yeah, it was a really beautiful and fun game, and over all I really did enjoy it! I ended up finishing on it at level 21, I didn't have to do any grinding minus a bit of gold grinding around the final third of the game, and it was just a really fun experience!

#personal #sea of stars #game #gaming

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faundlydreaming · 4 months

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Get to Know my Tav!

I found this through @mistercrowbar! Love their art and characters!

Fianna "Fi" Astara || Asmodeus Tiefling || Beastmaster Ranger-Bard || She/they || 26

((The bard part of Fi is still new to me in game so I'll have more details as I level them up :P)) favorite weapon: Bow and violin. Fi likes to keep a distance by using her bow for various attacks/aoe's or use her violin for bardic spells to buff or occasionally go on the offense by being sassy(viscous mockery). She also likes being a bit sadistic by using dissonant whispers to instill terror in her enemies.

style of combat: She likes to play it safe from far away (though occasionally delights in up close combat when given the chance.) She tends to use spike growth when she can funnel enemies through it while others utilize spells to slow them down even further or keep them within the spikes. Her bear, Ranka, uses goading roar to distract enemies from her and her allies while Kilbern (raven) flies in to blind enemies and then flies out of reach.

most prized possession: A painting of her old companion, Sebastien, as well as his collar. Sebastien had been with Fi ever since she was a child and was the only creature keeping her alive who truly cared for her. They were inseparable.

deepest desire: For a true home and family (aside from her animal companions). Her blood family and old friends betrayed her trust and treated her awfully. When she meets the bg3 companions, she ends up forming a found family as their adventure goes on but it takes quite awhile for her to open up her heart to them. When she finds Astarion and they eventually get together, she finds that they have a bit in common and that she can be completely vulnerable with him after some trials and tribulations. She first befriends Karlach though, and they go through lots of shenanigans.

guilty pleasure: Cuddling. She is touch starved and has trouble with physical contact, but she really just wants all of the cuddles and hugs from her favorite people.

best-kept secret: Her past full of bullying that evolved to torturous levels, as well as other events in her past. Eventually she opens up to others aside from her animal companions.

greatest strength: Her unwillingness to give up and continue striving to believe in others even when she has lived through otherwise. She knows its cheesy, but its what keeps her going nonetheless.

fatal flaw: She has an awful habit of deflecting her vulnerabilities to others, feeling more comfortable having more knowledge on others than they have on herself. She doesn't outright lie, but she does feel as though her issues are minimal.

favorite smell: The scent of her wolf companion who she considers her daughter, Sasha.

favorite spell or cantrip: Spike Growth. Try running through that to chuck an axe through her head while she takes cover behind her more bash-bash-stabby-slicey friends.

pet peeve: She's surrounded by animals who she feels are family. Sasha, her wolf (daughter), Ranka, her bear (brother), and Kilbern her raven (son). She constantly has to pick out fur and feather off of her clothes and food.

bad habit: Any lost animal she finds who needs a home she will bring back to camp, whether the others like it or not. "But they neeeed ussss. Look at how sad they are!"

hidden talent: She can learn things quickly, but if she doesn't use that knowledge, forgets just as quickly.

leisure activity: Playing various instruments and attempting to sing (can hold a tune but that's about it) and dance (while occasionally tripping over her own tail).

favorite drink: Honeyed Ale. So much ale.

comfort food: Shark Coochie boards or cheese/meat in general.

favorite person: From the non animal companions, Astarion (partner), Karlach (bestie), and Wyll (brother figure). Her animals plus Scratch and Roary (owl bear). From her past, Terran (ranger mentor).

favored display of affection (platonic and/or romantic): Hugs and laying on one another. Once she gets over her touch issues and feels trusting towards others, she loves long hugs or just snuggling up to someone. She's constantly snuggling her animals or lounging on them.

fondest childhood memory: Meeting Sebastien for the first time <3

I have no one to tag :'D But feel free to have at it if you'd like to.

#i dont know if i'm doing this right #i'm still not used to tumblr despite being on here for years :')#sorry if i shouldn't have tagged you!#baldurs gate 3 tav #baldurs gate tav #baldurs gate oc #bg3 oc #my tav #tav #bg3 tav #tav oc #fi #get to know my tav

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arecaceae175 · 1 year

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Febuwhump Day 26: Alt. 1: Rope Burns (Hyrule)

AO3 link. Warnings: blood, injury, loss of consciousness, graphic descriptions of violence

Continuation of Knife Wound (Sky) and Presumed Dead (Hyrule). The final part of this storyline will come tomorrow, so stay tuned!

@wildsage00 WOO here we are. This is completely unedited, like not even a solid read through. I'll come back and edit tomorrow probably, but for now I hope it's good!

Part 3/5. Part 1. Part 2. Part 4. Part 5.

After seemingly endless hours of following Hyrule’s trail, they finally reached a building. It was half underground and covered in vines. It was not easy to spot.

It was even harder to figure out how to get inside. Sky felt like they were wasting precious minutes and was ready to go along with Wild’ plan of ‘bomb it until we get inside,’ but Warriors insisted they keep the element of surprise. Somewhere deep inside his mind Sky knew that was the right call, but every second that passed by made his anxiety spike even further.

Four was the one to find the way inside. He didn’t admit how he did it, but he opened a hidden door from the inside. Without a word, they all rushed in. They were silent save for the clanking of their armor and swords, but even that was dampened by strategically placed cloths.

Twilight remained in his wolf form to follow Hyrule’s scent. Sky could feel the distress rolling off him in waves. Twilight’s nose was scrunched like there was an overwhelming smell. Sky refused to entertain the implications of that thought.

A scream ripped through the air. Sky flinched violently, barely resisting the urge to clamp his hands over his ears. Once the initial shock went down, Sky realized exactly what he had heard. That was Hyrule’s scream.

That was Hyrule screaming in pain.

Sky broke into a sprint. He vaguely heard Warriors hiss his name, but Sky didn’t stop. His chest heaved as he sprinted down the hall until he reached a wooden door. He could hear monsters’ yells and cheers loudly through the door.

Sky had enough presence of mind left to wait for backup. Wild, Legend, and Twilight were just barely behind him, and as soon as they caught up Sky burst through the door.

There were dozens of monsters crowded into the room. Sky didn’t recognize any of them, but he could tell they were the strongest of their type. There were countless weapons leaning against the walls, but only the ones in the center of the room were holding any.

A large stone slab was elevated in the center of the room. Sky could barely see through the thick crowd of monsters, but he could make out Hyrule’s upper body tied to the table. There were ropes around both arms pulling them taut towards the corners of the slab. Another rope was tied tightly around his neck, digging deep into his skin. Hyrule’s eyes were closed, his skin was pale, and his head was lolled to the side.

Underneath the table, a large basin caught the blood dripping from Hyrule’s wounds.

Sky saw red.

The spell of silence was broken by six arrows flying in quick succession. The three monsters closest to Hyrule were his with two arrows each, one in the eye and one in the throat. Blood spurted wildly, coating in red the little unblemished skin Hyrule had left.

Sky yelled and leapt into the crowd. The world slowed around him, and all that there was became him and his sword. He swung with deadly accuracy. He never missed, and nothing ever got close enough to hit him.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sky registered his side flaring in pain, and his lungs heaving to keep up. He pushed the pain down and ignored any other sensations. Hyrule needed him, and he wouldn’t let his brother down again.

The battle passed in a blur of blood and guts and metal striking bone. Sky tore through the crowd of monsters until he was by Hyrule’s side. Sky forced himself to look away long enough to survey his surroundings. The others had joined and were quickly taking down the horde, thinning it from the inside out. Wild was on a perch on the wall taking down any stray monsters that got too close to Hyrule.

Sky released a breath and turned to Hyrule, just as he heard Legend reach his side. Sky grabbed Hyrule’s wrist to check the pulse as he cast a glance over Hyrule’s body to assess the damage. For the first time since they arrived, Sky’s hands faltered.

Hyrule was a mess. He had multiple stab wounds in his thighs and shoulders, and long, deep cuts across his abdomen. His shirt had been completely ripped off and his pants were in shreds. Although Sky could feel a pulse, Hyrule’s skin was pale and cold. He breathed in shuttering gasps, and his pulse was far too erratic to be sustained for long.

Before Sky could work through the fog in his thoughts, Legend’s voice cut in. “Get the ropes,” he ordered.

His sharp tone cut into Sky’s mind and spurred him back into action. Hesitation wouldn’t help, and Sky would not allow himself to be too slow to save someone. Not again.

Sky didn’t bother pulling out a smaller knife; he sliced through the ropes with the Master Sword. He cut the ropes around Hyrule’s arms and neck, then sheathed the sword and carefully untangled them. The ropes left deep gashes in Hyrule’s skin. Sky felt himself muttering near-silent apologies as he pulled the ropes away and the wounds oozed fresh blood.

It was blood Hyrule didn’t have left to lose. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Legend was by his side again. He had two red potions in hand. He thrust one at Sky, which Sky had to fumble to grasp in time, and quickly uncorked the other bottle.

Legend lifted Hyrule’s head with gentle hands and let the potion trickle into his throat. Sky massaged Hyrule’s throat until he swallowed. They kept at it until Hyrule had gotten down two full health potions. The wounds on his abdomen and thighs began to stitch themselves back together. It would be enough to get them to safety, but Hyrule would need proper medical care to recover from this.

Sky tore his focus from Hyrule and glanced around the room. The battle was still raging. More monsters were flooding into the room from side corridors. The other heroes were keeping them at bay, but the battle was not going to be over anytime soon.

Sky turned back to Hyrule and carefully, carefully lifted the smaller hero into his arms. Hyrule flinched and whimpered, the first movement they’d seen since his earlier scream. Sky felt the noise slice through his heart.

“We have to go,” Sky said. Legend nodded, determination glinting in his eyes.

“I’ll cover you,” Legend said. He quickly glanced around the room and saw Four fighting close by.

“Smithy! We need you with us,” Legend yelled. As soon as Four felled his monster, Legend broke away towards Warriors and Time. “We’re getting ‘Rulie out of here! Meet back at camp!”

“Go!” Warriors yelled, not even turning to reply as he sliced clean through a monster’s throat.

Legend ran back to Sky’s side, fire rod drawn and ready. Four dashed ahead, easily clearing a path. Sky clutched Hyrule closer to his chest, feeling Hyrule’s uneven breaths on his neck. Sky ducked his head down to whisper in Hyrule’s ear.

“We’re here,” Sky said. “We’re getting you out.”

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genshingorlsrevengeance · 10 months

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This world's evil god sucks, I'LL SHOW YOU HOW IT'S DONE! (Chapter 3)

A Warhammer Fantasy Isekai

Chapter List

A group of adventurers ride into the peaceful village Pran, only to find it had come under attack...

=====

Word Count: 2.5K Warnings: Descriptions of Violence, bad training, and lack of common sense.

Chapter 3 - Run of the Mill

A group of four rode into the ruined village of Pran on horseback, only slowing down when they realised that it had come under attack by the Dark Lord.

The party consisted of a male human with short brown hair with a sword and shield on his back, a tall male elf with a staff, a female human with only a cloak visible, and lastly a dwarf with a massive axe. All were equipped with leather armour and boots looking relatively unscathed, but a single glance of their weapons and faces would tell anyone that their group was not new to fighting.

They said nothing to each other as they cantered along the dirt path. The male human held up a hand as the group came to a stop, their attention being brought to a smashed cart.

He got off his horse and approached the cart before wincing at what he saw. The cart had toppled over- No. That was putting it mildly. It was more like the cart exploded on top of three soldiers, with one of their chests completely obliterated and scattered across the ground with bits of wood and metal. The other two were strangely intact, barring the one.

“Aedan, what’s wrong?” The female human asked as she walked up to him.

“Emelyse, don’t get close!” Aedan said as he put a hand up.

She looked confused before seeing how pale Aedan had become, her eyes widening as she realised there were pairs of legs underneath the cart. The elf and the dwarf got off their horse as well and joined Aedan and had similar reactions.

“Ancestor’s beards!” The dwarf shouted loudly, annoying the elf.

“No need to shout, we’re all right next to you.” The elf snarkily commented.

“H-How bad is it?” Emelyse asked while looking at the dwarf. Though from just the tone of his voice, she could infer what they were looking at.

“It’s as if a bear tore open the man! No amount of your healing will patch him up,” the dwarf replied, shaking his head. “But ‘twas no animal that caused this…”

“...Aedan, look at the tracks.” The elf pointed out to the ground as he knelt to examine it closer.

The tracks leading into town were heavy, extremely heavy by the looks of it. The forces of the Dark Lord were known to possess cumbersome armour, but not so much that it’d leave such a distinct footprint on the ground. Not to mention that there have never been reports of their own attacking one another.

“They lead into town,” Aedan said. Once he spoke aloud, his heart dropped. “Goddess, the townspeople!”

Emelyse clenched her fists as she began sprinting for the town, the other three quickly following behind without another word. When they arrived at the centre of town, Emelyse gasped in absolute horror. Everyone arrived shortly after she did, and saw the aftermath of the worst raid they’d ever seen. Many of the houses were burnt down, bodies of the townspeople were scattered alongside the Dark Lord’s forces.

But most shockingly was the way some of the Dark Lord’s soldiers died. Bodies without heads littered the dirt paths and most of their upper halves were barely intact. Some corpses were just legs with undecipherable parts mixed into pools of blood. Aedan then noticed that the dead townsfolk were barely touched. A single slash here, a fireball mark there. Whatever attacked Pran clearly only targeted the soldiers, much to everyone’s surprise and relief.

"I-Is everyone…?" Emelyse spoke, her eyes darting back and forth, fearing the worst.

"No," the elf replied as he shut his eyes in concentration. Opening them revealed his irises were glowing a bright blue as he turned to continue. "I'm not detecting any other living beings. But there are too few bodies here to indicate the entire town was wiped out."

"I see some tracks over here!" The dwarf shouted as he stared at the ground.

He was joined by the other three as they all stared at the heavy footprints. It seemed to be accompanied by dozens of other footprints, indicating these were the Dark Lord's soldiers.

"Think they were chasin' the bastard who did this?" The dwarf asked, turning to Aedan.

Aedan shook his head. "No. They're too evenly spaced. It looks like they're marching rather than pursuing."

"And it leads into the plains towards the human settlement…" the elf grimly spoke.

"We need to find out where the people of Pran went as well. They could have information of what attacked the soldiers." Emelyse said as she clenched her cloak.

Aedan put a finger to his chin before nodding and looking to the group.

"Emelyse, Cheng, you two will find the townspeople and get them to safety. Luri and I will go after whatever did this and try to warn the surrounding towns. Meet up with us in Dalelry as soon as you can.”

“Aye, ancestors watch you both. Let’s go, Emelyse!” The dwarf said in reply.

“Right. Be careful!” Emelyse nodded to the two before leaving with Cheng.

Luri turned to Aedan as his eyes glanced over to the tracks.

“You sure this is a good idea?”

“Honestly, no. But we can’t just leave whatever did this unchecked. What kind of monster could pulverise the elites of the Dark Lord so easily…?”

…

“A gods-damned idiot, that’s who could end these 'soldiers'…” Varxus mumbled to himself.

They had stopped to rest after a few days of marching to the next town. The only reason they did so was due to their incessant whining on how they couldn't go on any longer. Even the most barebones marauder back in his world could march for nearly a week before succumbing to the elements. Then again, they were usually babbling savages under the mark of Khorne, so that'd explain their superhuman endurance.

Regardless, Varxus was even more angry that these soldiers dared to call themselves the 'Royal Elite' of the Dark Lord. This Dark Lord wouldn't know what a real elite soldier was if they bit him on the arse. Not wanting to waste this opportunity while resting, Varxus ordered them to show him their training regimen, and it was no surprise he found that lacklustre as well. He sat upon a flat tree stump, spinning the head of his Soul-Splitter hammer as he blankly stared at the new soldiers under his command.

"Sloppy, all of them. That group over there is attacking that singular soldier one at a time instead of ganging up. And their shields are STILL on their backs! What is the bloody point of a shield if you don't use it!" Varxus grumbled. He didn't expect anyone to answer, but got one regardless.

"U-Um," Lena nervously spoke up. Varxus's helmet turned to her as his chin rested upon the palm of his gauntlet. "Father told me they've always fought like this."

"Hmph. And they have terrorised your lands for so long? Your soldiers should be ashamed of themselves! How can anyone be afraid of them if these fools can't even fight a village without taking casualties?"

Lena's mouth opened to say something, but chose to remain silent as she looked awkwardly at the soldiers training. Varxus had yet to turn his gaze from her and realised how nervous she was.

"...Tell me, girl: do you know how to fight?" Varxus asked.

"...N-No. Father didn't want me to. He wanted me to become a farmer instead."

"If you are to have vengeance upon this Dark Lord, it will do no good to stay idle. Even if these whoresons don't know how to fight properly, they still know more than you." Varxus stood up as he sheathed his Soul-Splitter hammer on his back.

"Cease your pathetic training and fetch me a sword for the girl!" Varxus barked. His commanding voice stopped everyone instantly in their tracks and scrambled to find a sword.

Lena looked at Varxus as her legs began to tremble. Meanwhile, Varxus waited impatiently as one of the soldiers finally came up to him.

"H-Here you are, milord!" The man said.

Judging from his voice, he seemed to be extremely young. Possibly in his twenties. The youngest age Varxus had seen the Warriors of Chaos was either their thirties or forties, going by mortal human years. When serving the ruinous powers, the young don't tend to survive. Which begs the question, if these were the royal elites, what in the seven hells are the rest of the worlds' armies like? He shuddered at the very thought. Not wanting to be lost in thought, Varxus grabbed the blade from him and almost shoved it into Lena's face.

"A short sword. Perfect for a mortal your size." Varxus blankly stated. He turned back to the soldier.

"Tell me your name."

"M-Mason, milord."

"Tch, even your names are horribly mundane. M-Mason, you will demonstrate your combat to the girl firsthand."

"My name doesn't have the extra…Er, yes milord."

Varxus took a step back and crossed his arms, watching Lena fumble with the sword's grip. Mason and the other soldiers stared at each other in confusion. When Lena finally held the sword firmly, both her and Mason looked at Varxus expectantly. Varxus stood silent for a moment before speaking up.

“...Well?” Varxus asked impatiently.

“What are your orders, milord?” Mason questioned, looking as lost as Lena.

“By the dark gods, JUST!-...Ugh…” Varxus facepalmed, slowly dragging the hand down in disbelief. “Let the girl take a swing, and you block it.”

Mason grabbed a solid-looking steel shield and held it in front of him as Lena took a broad swing against it, predictably bouncing off. Lena’s technique was sloppy, looking as if she were swinging a toy around rather than a weapon. But that was to be expected.

“Again.” Varxus said.

Lena took another swing, in almost the exact same way. Varxus continued to silently examine her swinging as the other soldiers looked at each other in confusion. Mason remained in place, barely budging as Lena continued to bounce off his shields in frustration.

“Stop,” Varxus commanded. Lena stepped away, almost out of breath. They turned to Varxus as he looked at one of the soldiers in the crowd. “You, step forward. Attack his shield.”

The soldier he was staring at hesitated before taking Lena’s place and attacking, the same events playing out. After a minute, Varxus motioned for them to stop and shook his head.

“Lena, that was your first time wielding a sword, correct?”

Lena silently nodded. Varxus then turned to Mason and the other soldier.

“And how long have you two been under the service of this Dark Lord?"

"I…think a little over ten years, milord."

"Hm," Varxus grunted as he calmly put a hand to the lower part of his helmet as if he were stroking his chin. "I see."

Mason was about to speak again before Varxus suddenly unsheathed his Soul-Splitter and slammed it into the log he was sitting on, scaring everyone.

"GAAAAAAH! WHAT KIND OF ELITE WARRIORS OF A DARKER POWER ARE YOU?! YOUR SKILLS RIVAL THAT OF A LITERAL CHILD WHO HAS NEVER PICKED UP A SWORD! YOUR SORRY ARSES WOULD BE MASSACRED BY THE LOWLIEST HUMAN MILITIA IN MY REALM!"

Everyone remained still, not sure how to answer. Mason was wearing a helmet that didn't show his eyes, yet he and Lena made awkward eye contact, unsure of how to calm Varxus's rage. Mason attempted to clear his throat but the soldier who trained with him stepped forward.

"M-Milord, this is all we know! The Dark Lord just sends us out to do his bidding-"

"PRAY TELL, IS IT HIS BIDDING TO MAKE MY BLOOD BOIL IN RAGE, BECAUSE BY SIGMAR'S GOLDEN BALLS IT'S WORKING!"

"...W-Who's Sigm-"

"YOU DIE FIRST!"

The Soul-Splitter was immediately about to connect to the soldier's upper half before Lena suddenly shouted out.

"W-Wait!"

Varxus stopped inches before the soldier's demise as he immediately turned to Lena, still shouting.

"WHAT?!"

"U-Um…! Why…are you about to kill him?"

"Because child, if I don't put a hole in something, I'm about to impale myself upon that tree JUST TO END THIS NEVER ENDING PARADE OF STUPIDITY!"

"Would…that even kill you?-"

"I'M ABOUT TO TRY!"

Lena hesitated for a moment but stood her ground as her legs trembled.

"Don't you need people working for you? If you kill someone every time you got angry, wouldn't there be no one left?"

Varxus pointed his finger at Lena to say something, but said nothing. He stood there for a few moments before taking a deep breath. Mason had the soldier stand behind him as he answered Varxus properly.

"We've never had formal training, milord. We picked up our skills on the go from our head knight, who is an Elite."

Varxus continued to regain his composure as he turned to Mason.

"...That is not too dissimilar to how our marauders rose in rank. But how is it that your combat prowess is even less than theirs?"

"We are just given our gear and told to fight the enemy."

"No cunning scheme or plan? No temptations to falter your enemy, disease or stench to make their stomachs churn, or even a fight pit to hone your skills?"

Everyone looked at each other and said nothing. Varxus turned back to Lena, more confused than annoyed now.

"You and the cat-man have said these soldiers have terrorised your lands. How have they done so, and for how long?"

"Um…From what my father told me, they've been around for centuries. They're constantly sending their forces to neighbouring kingdoms. The Elves and Dwarves have always pushed them back."

Varxus turned back to the soldiers and examined them closely, their body language revealing that they were horribly confused by everything happening. It was then Varxus had felt pity for the first time ever since he became a warrior of Chaos. He was right, these weren't elite soldiers, they were even worse. Run of the mill bandits. That was no way for soldiers to live, even for ones as low as these.

Varxus then realised what Lena had done and turned to her.

"...These are the men who killed your father. Why did you bother speaking up for them?"

Even Lena was taken aback by her actions when Varxus had said it aloud. Lena looked at them with an expression mixed with anger and confusion. Varxus decided to pay it no mind, at least for right now. There were bigger problems to focus on. For starters, if they were to encounter any competent fighting force, they’d get obliterated. Varxus had no doubt he’d survive, but he couldn’t fight a world and its gods alone. As much as he wanted to. He’d need to find some way to enhance their fighting. Or rather, someone. Finding a way to restore his magical prowess would be helpful as well.

"No matter. Lena, Mason. You two are to accompany me to this town. Having a roaming band of soldiers infamous to these lands will bring us trouble. Hone whatever skills your meagre training can provide until our return. You will be made true warriors in time."

The soldiers all nodded and began to set up a temporary camp as Varxus waited for his chosen two to retrieve their gear. Lena awkwardly held her sword as Mason grabbed a shield.

Varxus continued the march, Lena at his right and Mason on his left. If they did not know how to fight, then the only way to let them learn was to find a worthy adversary.

Assuming they'd survive, anyway.

To be continued in Chapter 4

#original #fanfic #warhammer fanfic #crack fic #TWEGSISYHID

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