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himehomu · 7 months

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With Walpurgisnacht Rising coming in 2024, I want to talk about something that has been bothering me since Rebellion. It was never the “plot twist” of Homura separating Madoka from her godhood nor her taking those godlike powers for herself thus becoming the devil. It was always people's reactions to Homura doing this and the way they based her entire character around this specific moment that really rubbed me the wrong way. Saying she's a selfish monster who's trapping Madoka in a fake world for her own personal gain or that she's taking Madoka's agency away from her and making decisions for her that directly rebel against what Madoka wants... And, to that, I just want to know.... do literally any of you know what Madoka actually wants or are you just basing her character around her sacrifice?

Yes, it was for the benefit of all Magical Girls and yes it freed them from their cycle of selling their souls in the name of hope just to die at the hands of their own grief and despair, but Madoka didn't plan to abruptly cease to exist at the cost of it?? She didn't want to be stuck between life and death only existing as a deity meant to eradicate Witches for all of time. Madoka wished to erase Witches before they are born from the past, present, and future. Going back years upon years in time, destroying Witches and mercy killing Magical Girls; fighting forever, past and future, for all time. Ceasing to exist as an individual, only able to materialize and interact with someone when they're dying of grief and sadness and pain; relieving them of that pain so that their last moments won't be in agony, so they can die in peace, but there's none of that for Madoka. There's no death, no closure, no release, no freedom from this hell of being a weapon and nothing more.

But, Madoka would never voice these struggles and frustrations. Because Madoka isn't that kind of girl. She's the kind of girl who shoves all of her problems down and bases all of her self worth on how much she can do for others, how happy she can make others, and how useful she can be. She forces a smile and masks her pain because she doesn't want to burden anyone with her problems. She puts herself down constantly, risking her life trying to help others because she cares so little for herself. Without being useful, she believes her life has no value. And Homura knows this. Because Homura knows her. I feel like most people take Madoka's bright pink colors and smile at face value and don't realize she's chronically depressed. That's why in the first timeline, she and Homura naturally got along so well: they were both girls who hated themselves and based their self worth on how they made others around them feel, both self-loathing girls who deem themselves worthless if they're not useful in some way. Madoka was just better at hiding it than Homura was. And she still is by the 100th loop.

But, in Rebellion, when her memories of being a god are taken away from her, and she's given a hypothetical scenario of her fate, she says "wow that sounds awful and scary and lonely and I would never do something like that." The Flower Field scene is one of the most brilliant and misunderstood scenes in all of anime. Majority still to this day argue that, since Madoka doesn't have her memories, her words hold little to no weight, and Homura is simply hearing what she wants to hear. So, naturally, they disregard what Madoka is saying, assuming it's just Homura being selfish. And that's where they mess up. Because, the fact that Madoka doesn't have her memories here is the whole point! Homura is already well-aware that if Madoka had her memories, her self loathing would result in her caring so little for herself that she sacrifices herself every time which is why immediately after Madoka's words, she assures Madoka that she is indeed "strong enough to make that decision." Homura just wanted to confirm if Madoka would still miss her life pre-godhood in spite of that, which she outright says she does.

There are also arguments that Homura was somehow influencing Madoka in the labyrinth aside from just not remembering becoming a god, but Shinbou already stated in an interview that this wasn't the case, and that these were Madoka's honest words. In fact, Madoka's true feelings regarding her godhood are revealed for the first time within the lyrics of Madoka's character song (sung by her VA Aoi Yuuki) that played as the ep 1-2 ED titled “Mata Ashita”. The song is about Madoka post-series which consists of Madoka wandering around aimlessly, quietly observing as humanity resumes without her, lamenting on the life she lost after becoming a god and wishing she could have been more honest about her feelings to Homura in ep 12, asking her to realize she's lonely.

[I'm pretending that I'm used to being alone, but I'm not really that strong.

The scenery is the same as always, the city is the same as always.

Even though I think everything will stay unchanged.

I still feel like I'm the only one who's tiny. Instead of "See you later."

I should've said, "I'll stay for a little longer."

I wanted and hoped that you would realize it.

But with the words "See you later,"

I lie to myself again.

And hide my true feelings beneath my usual smile. Saying, "See you later," I wave my hand.

Cracking a smile, yet I'm feeling lonely.

The truth is, I still have more to talk about.

But even my voice saying, "See you later"

is so near yet far from you that it can't reach you.

So let me say this like I always do, just once more: "See you tomorrow"]

This is definitive proof that even BEFORE Rebellion, this was already confirmed to be Madoka's true feelings.

The second time Madoka's true feelings post-godhood are adressed is via Madoka and Homura's concept movie quotes explaining that the God (Madoka) is clearly suffering in her “heaven”, which is more like a prison of isolation. The lizard girl (Homura) takes pity on her and separates her humanity from her godhood, thus making her human once more. Here are also some direct quotes from Magia Record which provides even more context for what Madokami is experiencing:

All of this, with the addition of Madoka's words in the Flower Field scene being confirmed to be her real and honest feelings, puts the whole “pulling madokami down from heaven” scene into a different perspective. Considering the entire reason why Madoka even became powerful enough to become God in the first place was because Homura's 100+ time loops linked multiple parallel universes together with Madoka at their center, and it's confirmed Madoka was suffering as a god, I would think people would be happy to see Homura reverting Madoka back to a human being and rewriting the entire universe to be a world where Madoka is happy and free, surrounded by her friends and family???

The fact that Homura's love for Madoka was so strong throughout 12 years of 100+ time loops, it turned Madoka into a goddess but when Homura was able to see just how isolating and lonely godhood was for her, she took her godlike powers for herself because she loved her and was willing to take on the exhaustion and isolation of immortality as the devil to spare her of anymore pain and sadness. Homura freed Madoka from a nonexistential purgatory prison and a decade later she's still demonized for it, how insane is that??

#pmmm #pmmm rebellion #pmmm walpurgisnacht rising #pmmm walpurgisnacht no kaiten #puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #madoka magica rebellion #madomagi #mahou shoujo madoka magica #madoka kamane #homura akemi #madoka x homura #homura x madoka #madokami #homucifer #akuma homura #ultimate madoka #i dont want to see not ONE “oh but she still shouldn't have done it because it's not her decision to make it's madoka's” argument #what the fuck is madoka meant to do?? she is literally stuck.#“b-but what about all the other magical girls??” what about madoka. it seems like homura is the only person to consider madoka's feelings #and yet ppl villainized her for it. called her a perverted freak who was trapping madoka in a cage like how fucking dare you #for an entire decade homura has been demonized for loving madoka when the entirety of madoka magica is homura's love letter to her #homura did nothing wrong gang this is for you and for me #homura did nothing wrong #and i stand by that idfc #court is adjourned #madohomu #cw long post #not tagging this as an analysis bc this is all material straight from the source and it doesn't get more canon than that

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silverskye13 · 3 months

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(sorry if this got sent twice, internet is very spotty at the moment) Rotating RnS Helsknight in my mind. I keep debating what dnd paladin oath he'd swear. Glory is fitting but also seems TOO obvious. I almost want to say Devotion just for the irony/contrast of it, and since he genuinely wants to make Hels better, and it would make RnS Wels lose his entire mind if he found out

Oooo I have a soft spot for this, because in my Curse of Strahd campaign right now, my paladin Ashborne is just beginning-of-RnS Helsknight. I couldn't think of a good character so I just built Helsknight as a fire genasi, except instead of Tanguish he has a shadow god sitting on his shoulder telling him to kill people, and instead of a crippling fear of death its a crippling fear of never being used to his full potential by his god.

........ Anyway.

DnD Paladin Helsknight rambles under the cut!

In my opinion, I kind of have to agree that Helsknight best matches Oath of Devotion. The oaths especially line up almost perfectly with his knightly tenets:

Courage. Never fear to act, though caution is wise. [May you meet every obstacle with courage, for just as all that emits light must endure burning, all the courageous must make a brother of their fears.]

Honesty. Don't lie or cheat. Let your word be your promise. [May your word be binding as chains.]

Compassion. Aid others, protect the weak, and punish those who threaten them. Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom. [Any sword raised to the innocent or unarmed in cruelty is blackened by its shame.]

Honor. Treat others with fairness, and let your honorable deeds be an example to them. Do as much good as possible while causing the least amount of harm. [May you respect the honor of your fellow helsmet, that none may know you cruel or slave to vice.]

Duty. Be responsible for your actions and their consequences, protect those entrusted to your care, and obey those who have just authority over you. [May you persevere to the end of any enterprise begun, for the folly is theirs that, through unfinished business, never gain wisdom from deeds done.]

There's also stuff that hasn't been breeched in the plot yet that are... Eerily similar to plot points I have planned. Holy Weapon, for example, I think in the Colosseum Helsknight uses a flamed sword, which is functionally the same as enchanting your weapon with holy damage for the coolness factor [Channel Divinity: Sacred Weapon]. And if you outright asked Hels if he was inspiring, he would probably say no. But anyone within 10ft of him probably wouldn't be charmed against him by someone persuasive like the Demon [7th level Aura of Devotion]. Given how handily I think Helsknight fights Welsknight, and how I think he negates Wels's... For the sake of DnDing I'm going to say fey energy and persuasiveness, Purity of Spirit is a good match.

[Don't have a lot to say about the Lvl20 Holy Nimbus, because tbh that's one of the weakest level 20 paladin boons I think there is. Flat 10 radiant damage every round for enemies within 30ft of you is handy, but the saving throws only have advantage if the spellcasters are fiends and undead, and there are many, many big angry critters in DnD that are neither of those two monster types.]

I do think a Helsknight with access to the spell Flamestrike would be absolutely terrifying though lol.

On a more vibes level, when I started the story, I thought Helsknight was a lot closer to Oath of Conquest, with how he treated Welsknight specifically [which is, incidentally, why my CoS paladin Ashborne is Oath of Conquest]. The tenets don't match Helsknight's too terribly well [they're mostly to the effect of "kill all your enemies so dead that everyone is too terrified to stand against you."] However the Channel Divinities of Conquering Presence [everyone you can see is terrified of you now] and Guided Strike [I'm so pissed at you specifically that I will kill you supernaturally easily] align well with angry chapters 1-8 Helsknight. And one could argue every time he's angry, Tanguish is cowering under the Aura of Conquest [anything scared of you is now too scared to move and takes psychic damage.] And I think in text Helsknight does Scornful Rebuke on the regular [anytime something hits you, they are psychically punished for their audacity up to your Charisma modifier.]

[Level 20 Invincible Conquerer basically turns you into a barbarian paladin, which is badass. Helsknight can't do that, but that's so so cool.]

For the spells, Armor of Agythis as Helsknight's thorns armor is compelling to me, and Command, Hold Person and Fear are just things Helsknight can do to people when he's angry enough [also Compelled Dual, but all paladins get that].

If anything, I feel like Helsknight started RnS as Oath of Conquest, and then when he became friends with Tanguish, switched immediately to Oath of Devotion.

[Meanwhile if I had to make Tanguish a paladin, I think he would be Oath of Redemption, but I'll save that rant for some other time.]

#answering asks #recherche-raptor #dnd paladins #redstone and skulk #helsknight #tanguish #unrelated to the above but last session i got to have Ashborne drop the phrase “i was made to be a sword in the hands of a god.”#which i feel like i wrote almost word for word in RnS last chapter XD #if my DnD table only knew #rns asks

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upagainstthesunset · 3 months

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Okay I had saved last rb in my drafts for a time when I was at the computer to type up my own thoughts that this brought up.

It would make sense that if Darkseid/Apokolips is "evil" (read: villain), then the opposite being Highfather/New Genesis is "good" (read: hero). That stands to reason for like 90% of super hero comics in DC. But interestingly, it's not a perfect 1:1 for New Gods. Yes Orion stood against Darkseid and swore to take down his own father if it was the last thing he did, but he would do so with his own hands. Not with weapons or armies. The Fourth World publication history became a bit of a mess, but in-universe that seemed to be the original plan.

And what's interesting is even that good vs evil thing isn't quite exactly right. It's more that the evil is oppression, and the opposite of oppression is free will. That is what those on New Genesis represent.

[ID: Two comic panels from New Gods (1971) #1. In the first Highfather and Orion bow to a group of children who had been singing. Highfather says, "First we boy to the young -- they are the carriers of life! They must remain free, Orion! Life flowers in freedom!" Orion replies, "In this cause I live as well."

In the second, the two walk through a darkened corridor. Orion says, "There is danger, then! Life and freedom are threatened--" To which Highfather says, "On a scale never before attempted! Come! We go to the chamber of the Source!" /END]

And as OP mentioned, it also wouldn't have been Highfather to fight against Darkseid anyway, because long, long ago Izaya the warrior had already done that. For many years! To the point of tearing apart all the universe around them. He looked at the destruction, the broken life and festering remnants of war, and saw that his actions were no better than Darkseids since in the end it all led to ruin. So he sought to find himself, and he did.

[ID: Two comic panels from New Gods (1971) #7 of Izaya. The first with his face in his hands. He wears gold, red and black armor and says, "We are worse than the old gods! They destroyed themselves!! We destroy everything!! This is Darkseid's way! I am infected by Darkseid!! To save New Genesis -- I must find Izaya!!"

In the second he rips off the shirt of armor and throws his staff. He yells into the sky, "I tear off my armor! I reject this war-staff as a weapon!!! I reject the way of war!!" /END]

That was all back in 1971. Since then several others have written Highfather and Orion, and even more have written Darkseid. Now for comparison, let's jump to 2013 and 2014 to see what New 52 gave us, since that seems to be what a lot of newer canon is based off of, and what many fans are familiar with...

If I recall correctly, the New Gods make an appearance first in Wonder woman. You can see even from a cover from this arc that the Highfather described above doesn't really seem like the one they're portraying. This cover would have you believe he is a dictator.

[ID: Cover of Wonder Woman (2011) #22 with the tagline "For the Glory of New Genesis" written in a blocky font with backwards R's. The image is a giant bust of Highfather with Wonder Woman and Orion flying in front. It is colored red and yellow and highly stylized to look soviet in appearance. /END]

Then In Superman we see Orion acting kind of like a jerk to be honest. In the past he had acted honorably and wanted to protect innocents. Yes he has violence and destruction running deep within him, but the whole point was that he could be something more. I don't remember a single time where he was vying for "the throne", so I really don't know where that line came from.

[ID: Two panels from Superman (2011) #18 of Orion. The first is after defeating a monster. He says with an angry wrinkled face, "But seriously... You can't even muster a 'thank you'?"

In the second he has a smoother face and thinks "Is this why I'm so angry? Because I'm tired of being treated more like an errand boy than an heir to the throne?" /END]

And the last item to point out is from Godhead (my beloathed) where Highfather and all of New Genesis is portrayed as a warring planet that attacked OA (if I remember right, I try not to think of this story as much as possible). Here you can see Highfather is shown as an armored leader of thousands of troops. This to me is the antithesis of what Highfather stands for, and a slap in the face of the character building Jack Kirby did. Was this meant to be before he denounced war? I can only hope so given the armor colors. But it doesn't seem to be the case since this is taking place when Orion is already a full adult.

[ID: A comic panel from Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead #1. Highfather stands on a balcony far above thousands of troops standing in formation. He wears heavy gold, red and black armor. Narration reads, "Every since -- for time beyond measure -- we have readied for the next battle with Darkseid. We know not when the final confrontation will come... only that it will." /END]

So in all of the above you can see how newer readers (if you can call 2014 new), might really think that Highfather is meant to actively fight Darkseid, and that Orion is his warrior son who is next in line for some great throne. And that's really a shame because New Gods was a story about real human emotion and choices, even if it was about gods. Jack Kirby explicitly wanted to make a story for modern audiences where the gods represented the people of today!

Anyway, I've been meaning to express this whole concept of N52 New Gods and why it's such a disservice for a while now, and that last ask/reply gave me the courage to sit down and do it. There's so much more than this that we could go into, so consider this scratching the surface. And like OP of that reply, I too don't really know what tf is going on with New Gods right now, especially if their horribly out of character appearance in Action Comics from just over a year ago is canon. I think once again they're off in limbo and writers don't really know what to do with them. Sadly all too common.

#katetakes #new gods #fourth world #highfather #darkseid #orion #newgodsmeta #wow this post took me literally an hour to put together jeez

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codylabs · 1 year

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Just realized that all my favorite franchises are protaganized by characters that either bypass or ignore how crazy messed up their world's lore is.

Gravity Falls - There's man-eating monsters in the woods, noises in the lake, footprints of things that shouldn't exist, there's cults and shadowy government forces trying to cover it all up, trusted family members are keeping secrets from each other, all while a dark and mysterious future is hanging over both the planet and our hero's impending teenagerhood, and a demon is possessing people, but somehow the genre isn't horror. The kids are just kind of all living their best lives, learning and maturing and growing and making friends, they're having a genuinely good time with the supernatural mysteries, and they're quickly becoming surprisingly adept at dealing with them, violently or by making friend of them. The apocalypse starts and ends on their watch and their takeaway is "Wow, what a great summer." How do you not love that?

Metroid - Samus could fly down out of the sky and land on any planet, in any story, and break (then fix) whatever plot is happening in a matter of hours. In fact I'm pretty sure the Chozo appointed her for that exact destiny in the actual lore. Pirates? Mad science? Demons? Government conspiracies? alien bioweapons? Like 3 different flavors of John Carpenter's The Thing? Ancient sealed evil? Literal magic? All in a days work. She's equipped to handle it, and you better believe she's seen it all before. The lore at the start of the series consists of like 4 concurrent cosmic horror scenarios all brewing at once, the lore at the end of the series consists of a peaceful galaxy with Samus a little worse for wear. My favorite passtime is just imagining her inserted into other franchises just to see how she breaks them, and it's usually in a cool way.

Avatar - An entire century of planet-wide war with no clear good guys. Atrocities are committed by child soldiers. Species and peoples are rendered extinct. A refugee is being forced to invent increasingly devastating weapons of war. Subterfuge, corruption, and duplicity reign in the highest levels of every government. Azula exists. A handful of orphaned, homeless children are the last hope for peace, and NOT ONE of these topics is ever brushed aside or made light of in the text. Yet these homeless children more often than not solve their problems via committing what can only be described as scooby doo shenanigans against dimwitted guards, and spend their time learning kung-fu and getting into side-plots involving cute animals and w-wh-what if wehewd handds aand kisseed?? The comic relief guy dresses up in a giant silly mustache the day before he leads an invasion. Toph decided to tag along, and she forgot to pack her character arc.

Anyway, I don't know if all that has any significance or importance, I just think it's a nice thing.

#gravity falls #metroid #avatar #atla #fandom #Now of course Evangelion has the opposite problem

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toskarin · 1 year

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a few months back i sent an ask asking about extraterrestrial life in vesalblood (here) and the answer was basically "aliens aren't a thing" but 1. i got the impression you were talking specifically about sentient life, so, is there non-sentient alien life, like how it's theorized there might be aquatic creatures on europa? 2. elaborate on the "eldritch things and monsters"

to answer the second question first, that's something that won't really be gotten into for a while, so I can't post an answer for it

as for the first,

so, with alien life in general, it's kind of a grey area. enough time has passed to the point where it's clear that terraforming of certain planets did occur, but it's not clear exactly what it entailed and what might have existed before

this is a pretty lightly detailed aspect of the setting, just by virtue of how little it comes up. all that means is that it's more "islands" of lore than a full setting primer

for a quick slice of the kind of thing that exists, see below the break

mars (called irra at this point) is actually more habitable than earth (kishar, at this point), but has a major downside: it's not actually liveable for the majority of people longterm, outside the major city walls

there isn't really a canon name for the specific phenomenon yet (it's literally noted as "mars predators" in my setting notes) but irra has a problem with how quickly things there seem to adapt. when irra was resettled, a lot of refugees picked up their lives to do it. there now exist several distinct species of (mostly non-flying) avian-like creatures that rapidly evolved against the pressures of high-tech human colonists and high grade military weapons

irra now has a much more sparse population, simply because the wilderness kills most things that go into it. armoured vehicles are quickly pried open like cans of sardines, packs of predators quickly learn how to combat any given firearm, and ambushes regularly take out trade routes that don't travel through orbit

as social animals, they periodically mobilise in enormous flocks to attack smaller settlements. they eat things other than humans, but get a lot of enrichment from pursuing something that intelligent

that being said, the predator problem is still fundamentally just an animal problem. there exist plenty of frontier towns and unofficial cities that seem to be doing well enough, but they're prone to rapidly ceasing to exist. the larger cities, with the full might of their respective subnational entities behind them, fare much better

kishar dynasts find the flightless raptor-like ones, about the size of a small dog, charming. they have beautiful enough plumage to allow one to forgive their horrible teeth, provided you can muzzle one. their ownership is technically prohibited, but like so many other things in kishar, it's largely overlooked if it's not causing problems for the families or their image

that being said, the nobles do castrate their pets. there's not a particular concern around invasive species, given that the only spaceports are in the larger cities. anyone who might have their own means of breaking orbit would be subject to being shot down by the orbital defence arrays

(provided, of course, they couldn't get through on diplomatic privilege)

#boyfriendofsteel #vesalblood

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shadowkat678 · 9 months

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I know there are people here who'll absolutely misconstrue my words, so before I continue, this is NOT a justification for awful actions or choices or beliefs.

HOWEVER! (Yeah I know, always a great start to a post)

It seems very... unhealthy when I stumble across responses or posts in a certain vain talking about groups of bad people in the context, say, of like law enforcement or conservatives or military or whatever where people instantly paint them as "They JUST wanted to do x, y, or z because it lets them feel this or hurt these people or gives them an excuse to give into their darkest impulses".

Like. It's not necessarily always wrong. But I think there's a habit of going "No, they're lying when they say they want to (Insert positive intention here, such as serve their communities, Protect The Children, uphold values they believe help people, whatever), and that is an excuse to hide behind." and turning it into...I don't know.

Cardboard cutouts to put all our grievances and anger and pain on that simplify bad people into things we don't have to have any relation to. Something simple and straightforward and easy to dismiss without being hurt as much by their choices more than you have to already be.

But people often do fall into harmful ideologies and groups fully buying, still even to the end buying, the reasons they give. That's what justification is! People want to feel like they're backing something or doing something that matters! That makes them feel good or vindicated or heroic!

The road to hell IS paved with good intentions, and that's one reason people double down so much! Even with facts shoved right in your face, how do you reconcile everything you built around yourself being a lie? That you hurt people? That you're not even the story's villain often, but a pawn of lackey of a greater evil?

That's why we praise those who escape that, right? It's hard. It hurts. Your entire perceived reality crumbles around you. To face that and accept it anyway, then strive to be better, and find ways to undo the harm is an enormous life altering choice that could lose you so much. And it's terrifying.

And added on to that, you have to do so facing people who may rightfully hate you. It'd be so much easier to continue falling further in, with people who justify your actions and offer you compassion and kindness while everyone else is calling you a monster, but YOU know you're not a monster, right? You're just trying to do what's best. Your beliefs are justified. They have to be.

Of course you're a good cop, you bought that mother who couldn't afford a booster seat one instead of ticketing her, right? I mean maybe you couldn't let everyone off, and some people unfortunately get hurt or can't afford rent because you didn't let them off when you caught them going 10mph over the speed limit but they could control that more so why is that your fault? Yeah you defended the cop that got accused of shooting something wrongly, but it was a mistake. People make mistakes don't they? And you know his family. He's been on patrol with you.

He's a good guy, it was just a mistake. You're a good guy. If you hold him to his mistakes, what about yours?

This isn't, AGAIN, saying not to hold people to their choices. This is not a justification post. But there's a very real fear I have, that if you go too far in forgetting those in the wrong are complex, people who have love, redeeming qualities, and humanity...well, how do we recognize ourselves when we fall down our own holes?

When we justify our own actions. Because we're good people, right? Isn't that how exclusionists happen, leaning so hard into doing this to PROTECT other vulnerable populations from infiltration and abuse, for example? How The Good Feminists justify turning their pain and honing it as a weapon against sex workers, men as a whole always being a dangerous force to constantly guard against (specifically referencing the harm done by ignoring intersectional struggles and the way the patriarchy hurts literally everyone, which by the way I fell into for a while too), etc etc etc etc etc

It's easy to other those who've hurt us and paint them as monsters. But in forgetting the complexity of those who hurt us, we open ourselves to blindspots, and also further push away those who might be on the fence to turn away from these harmful choices and beliefs.

I think we do ourselves a disservice in not understanding the more scary evil of those we fight against. That they're just people, and we could very well fall into our own traps. That evil is often not that of cackling villains fooling everyone around them while enjoying the harm they cause, but individuals justifying their actions through their own fear, anger, distrust, misplaced intent, or prideful arrogance.

You can hate them just as much! Their actions are just as reprehensible!

You don't need to flatten the complexity of your enemies as fully fledged people to oppose them and what they've done!

#note that I'm very tired and I did not proof read #I hope my actual intentions come across here #and that it's coherent #but this IS the Piss On The Poor website #anyway inspired by a few things lately #I do not condon any of these people or examples I just think not distancing ourselves to the truth of evil is pretty important #and also believe very strongly that at core most people strive to do good things but many get those intentions poisoned #I am a nuance enjoyer and think even painting those I DESPISE through a 2-D lens is ultimately an act that completely warps your perception #of how real life people get to be this way #thus also impacting your ability to counteract them.#anyway

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wrenegadeone · 2 years

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Waking up (to you)

I have an idea for a vol 2 rewrite but make it steddie. (I really wanna write it but I already have 3 WIPs ;0; )

so the basic idea is that eddie and steve are in charge of killing vecna, like i haven't made the actual plan so skip to the important part of when they land the killing blow on vecna there is like this aftershock or blast of kinetic and psychic energy. so eddie and steve wake up in the upside down with no memory of much of anything.

they think they're in a post apocalyptic world. so the story follows them traveling, trying to get their memories back, etc. along the way they start to think maybe they are in a relationship, they feel drawn to each other. so they are fighting creatures of the upside down and traversing this place, every night is dangerous, and soon there is also intimacy and kissing and sex etc.

until they stumble upon something that gets them back to the real world and El helps them get their memories back.

then they feel this weird. like we shouldn't be together because we weren't before. but we fell in love. but it wasn't us, it was these other versions of us

fuck it. I want to be with you anyway.

them holed up in a house, there's creatures outside, Eddie is having a moment of like, I feel as if we are looking for something and I don't know what, but if we don't find it soon, it's just going to be really really bad."

"whatever it is, good or bad, we'll do it together."

"Don't say that, man. you don't know if we're going to live or die tomorrow."

Steve, who has been working on digging through cabinets, looking for weapons and other tools or useful items, stops and looks at him for a minute and then says "We're gonna get through this, all right? We'll do it together."

Eddie is slowly looking into drawers for knives and stuff. "I'll hold you to that. you better not leave me behind one of these days." it's supposed to be joking but the unease and fear in his voice is obvious.

steve is suddenly fully paying attention to eddie and he says "I'd never do that."

Eddie doesn't look up or even respond. it's clear he's still worried and steve crosses the room. "Hey, look at me. I said I'd never do that. I'm not going to leave you."

Eddie looks up at him, because Steve has kind of crowded him against the counter. Even in the dim lighting of the upside down, the intense look in his eyes is clear as day.

"Promise?" Eddie's voice is soft, too soft. he clears his throat and tries to say it with more force, "cuz if you mean that, I mean like, you're for real stuck with me, man--"

and then steve is kissing him, and Eddie has been wanting it for so long and he immediately is throwing his arms over Steve's shoulders, leaning into him and kissing back.

I was thinking they stumble upon a gate and like. they have a moment before they go through and they have this passionate, I love you confession and kiss because it looks like another world but it could be unsafe

and then steve goes through first because that's who he is

they get through the gate and it's daytime and the light is blinding and everything is so colorful and it feels so bright and... right.

If they kill vecna I don't think that would seal the gates, I Think el would need to manually seal them

I am thinking they don't remember at all until el gets into their minds and helps them

so they are attached to each other when they are found. and the others are freaking out and like. they are super confused but they don't want to be separated, even when they are at the hospital. I'm thinking that upside-down creatures have taken a few bites out of them somewhat recently when this happens.

I want steve's pov when they get separated at the hospital. the look eddie gives him when they are forced to be apart for the first time since they've met. and steve has never felt more helpless, even against monsters from the upside down

it's this wide eyed, uncertain look of like 'I don't want to leave you.' but they are being told everything is going to be okay so there's no REAL reason to fight it. but steve still feels somewhat... off.. about just letting them cart eddie away.

because even though this other world feels right, they still only actually know the upside down. and this world is a lot brighter, louder and faster moving

overwhelming

steve waking up in the hospital bed to eddie climbing into his bed. he snuck out of his room because the beeping machines kept him up

he wishes he could forget again and go back to just him and steve

el doesn't fix their memories until they get out of the hospital.

maybe steve's pov when they discuss it but like. eddie seems to not want his memories back. he's convinced it's not necessary and dustin and the others are super distraught. it's clearly eddie's subconscious protecting him. steve is on the fence. he feels unease. something tells him things won't be the same. but eddie, he's begging steve to agree, that they don't need their memories. but the kids are all looking at them so sad and he's like 'we're not going to forget anything, we're just.. remembering more stuff. we'll be fine. we're in this together, right?"

but the look on eddie's face, it doesn't make steve feel better. it makes him feel like he's bullying eddie into agreeing to this.

. I can see steve being stunned into silence when they get their memories back and eddie has tears on his face, even though he's not audibly crying. he looks heartbroken

ldkfajdsf they are holding hands when they start the memory trip. when they finish, steve looks over to see eddie just, he doesn't look good ok. and he feels... like he's losing him very very quickly. there's this hollowness in Eddie's eyes. he's pulling his hand away from steve and steve is standing as Eddie moves to leave the room

"Eddie-"

"Don't," Eddie says and it's so, raw and pained that Steve feels frozen in place. and then suddenly Eddie is leaving, and Steve feels the first real crack starting to form in this little world of his that he'd started to build with eddie.

god and when they find steve and eddie. they're acting like they know them but steve and eddie don't know these people. and then eddie is holding steve's hand because it's super intense and then one of the boys is like WOAH why are you holding steve's hand?

the way he says it, both steve and eddie are so startled and taken aback that they jerk their hands apart because now they are worried that something is wrong about their relationship

esp because they don't know or remember these guys

robin probably reprimands and then is like 'it's just new, that's all. you guys are good. hand holding is cool'

eddie getting his memories back and being just so blindsided by this depressive bout. and he doesn't have steve as support. he has his uncle it feels like he hasn't seen his uncle in so long that they're almost strangers. he doesn't like the others, he resents them for giving his memories back. he wants to go back to the upside down and pretend they never found the gates. he hates having to remember to eat and he's withdrawing and losing weight because of it.

he won't see steve. he turned him away and he broke steve's heart in the process because he was too self-loathing and pushed steve away so steve could go back to his perfect hetero life in hawkins and his reputation wouldn't have a black tar mark on it known as eddie munson.

I feel like it would come to a head with steve drunkenly banging on the door yelling for eddie. and eddie is horrified because steve definitely drove himself and when the door opens, Steve's eyes are red and bloodshot and his face is streaked with tears and when he sees eddie, it's like eddie's heart forgets how to work, like something is squeezing it into stillness. steve wobbles a little and he's just... he's heartbroken because eddie broke up with him ok. his boyfriend just, left him. and yeah they weren't official by the rightside up standards but they were together for months and he told eddie he loved him and he was so sure eddie loved him too but then eddie remembered everything and eddie left him and Steve doesn't know what he did wrong but he's sorry, Eddie. he's so fucking sorry.

and eddie feels like absolute shit. like he's the worst person in the world because he made Steve Harrington cry. he feels like he's burning up from the inside with shame and guilt and he just rasps out, "I don't want to," and then he's clutching the door and Steve is staring at him bleary eyed and in confusion and he has to keep talking and he says "I don't want to do any of that shit. I'm.. I'm a freak here, remember? This isn't that apocalyptic hellscape anymore, there's other people here, people who think that I'm this... evil thing or something. I can't drag you down with me, I can-"

"Do you think I give a shit?" Steve cries, Eddie can't tell if he's mad or if he's about to burst into tears again and then he says "drag me anywhere, I don't give a shit, Eddie. I just want it to be with you"

"Don't say that," Eddie begs, "Please don't say that-- I can't.. I --"

"Can't what? Be with me?” steve drunkenly crying out, "you won’t talk to me!" and the way he says it, it's clear that he literally just craved that connection with eddie, like he missed one of his best friends, and it's not even about anything other than that steve can't stand his world without eddie in it and eddie has been withering away because steve has somehow become his whole world and he's terrified.

“Tell me Eddie."

"I can't say no when you talk to me like that," Eddie blurts and then Steve is advancing and they're kissing. It's wet from the tears still trapped in the corners of Steve's lips, and it's a little bit sloppy from Steve's drunk desperation, but Eddie is pulling him inside, shutting the door and he's pinned up against it in second, kissing twice as frantic because he missed this so much, he missed Steve like a part of his own body and he no longer feels like he's wasting away, waiting for life to be over.

When they do have sex again, it's Steve clinging to eddie as he's inside him whispering "I missed you so much," into the skin of his neck.

eddie is shaking and he just says "I'm sorry," and then he says it again and it's this half broken word because he almost lost this. steve kisses him into silence because it doesn't matter anymore, they're together now and they're not going to fuck it up again

#stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steveeddie #steve eddie #fic idea #I really love this idea ok

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draayder · 2 years

Note

fmk candor tendaji and bite

oh boy more exalted except this time people I am not in a campaign with and therefore have second-hand information on

The Candor That Draws the Horseman's Blade

this freak's @skarchomp 's abyssal. facts I know about him: -talks like Scout TF2 -not allowed to make friends -hasn't fucked since ghoulify-ing -kind of awful but everyone likes her in the end -becoming a better person after being told "girls don't like it when you kill people"

Candor is probably the most my type of these three in terms of fucking. I think that could work. at minimum it might get her to stop being so pent up and maybe fix some of the myriad issues he's working through

marriage on the other hand is.......... I think not a good idea

Tendaji Greenwich

@moonstar-mush 's sweet bureaucracy solar Tennie my friend Tennie. she killed a guy. her factsheet: -sounds british -the only one of any of us who wants to tackle exalted's crafting system, and xe makes sweet gifts for her friends -locked in the arduous struggle that is attempting to navigate a relationship with a lunar -has fucked possibly even multiple times during the Legion's Road campaign -did very much limit break and kill a guy -has a fucked up first age self

all that being said, Tennie is cute but I don't think I'm that interested in banging her. They're definitely not the worst choice for it, but I don't think I'm going for it

marriage on the other hand seems obvious out of this group. she can cook (crafting) and make thoughtful gifts (crafting) and cool weapons (crafting) and is just generally a nice person. as long as I know what xer limit trigger is, things should be smooth sailing! (this is a pun because they made an anchor for one of their friends)

I Bite the Feet of Kings

and finally @heedra 's ant spirit shape lunar Bite. she's very cool. here's the facts: -had leprosy before exalting, hence the fucked up eye which is also her tell -spent a whole year as an ant after exalting because she thought it was the best and didn't even realize she could turn back into a human -against most societal trappings like government and marriage, borderline anprim -had a hot first age self who was doing sexy activities with her solar mate's first age self. the reincarnations of both are decidedly not doing sexy things -carries around a gourd full of ants like gaara except instead of sand its ants (and also sand because the ants need something to live in) and Bite retreats into it if things get too annoying/emotional/etc -tsundere (which might make Tendaji deredere and Candor yandere comparatively lol)

I do love Bite a whole whole lot but she is against the concept of marriage and not particularly dtf. she's got a big scary ant-taur monster form that I could probably get down with but I have a feeling that it is not for sexual. so unfortunately Bite I must kill you. I promise I will take care of your ants

also as a bonus here's everyone as bugs also drawn by @moonstar-mush because the two lunars in the group both turn into bugs already

#fmk #exalted #heedra #skarchomp #moonstar-mush #I do really love every peek I get of those guys running around #I should really sit in on a session at some point so I can hear how everyone sounds #or we need to have a crossover episode lol

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luimagines · 1 year

Note

(( hes not really a hero!! imagine ))

The chain and Ethan end up in ethan hyrule and drop in a full blown battle of monster attack against the small group of Zora guards as they got they're weapons out to help out the a small group of Zora guards to get rid of the monsters but once the monsters are taken care of but leaves wild,hyrule, warrior and twilight injuries and what's left of the group give their health portions to help the injured links amd the book using healing magic to help the injured links recover but the strangest thing is the zoras are very hassle to Ethan til.

Guard zoras: why the hell are your still alive?! Just died so the real hero can be here!

The chain are shock to hear the words the zoras say and their still being hassle to Ethan but Ethan stay slient since he's mute and is mainly help his friends out not listening to the small guard zoras til something hard hit his head that he reacted to it by touch his head to see his own blood and the chain get up to protect him.

Wind: what the heck is wrong with you?! He saved your lives!!

Guard zora: what's wrong with us?! He's a-

Time cut the guard zora spear in half to cut him off from talking and that scared the guard zoras since this never happened before but look to see very mad older man and a guarded group.

Time: say anything about him again and I'll cut you all down. Time spit out with a tone that make anyone regret their life choices but the guard zora leave quickly as Ethan mute sign to use his small scarf hands to heal his head but see the chain looks and look to the book for help.

Book: best for you to tell them.

Warrior: tell us what?

Ethan look to the others and use his other scarf hands to sign language the chain that in order for the hero of courage to be born or appear is.....*points to himself * .....I have to died so link and.......my father is the Fierce deity, he disappeared-

The chain star at Ethan to the information drop of there's no link here in Ethan hyrule onless Ethan is killed or died and he's the son of a war god!!!God!!!!

Time having a exe. Crushing with few of the boys, wind eyes widen nearly pop out with twilight and warrior as sky and four just star at Ethan as hyrule is trying to talk but came out as jabbering.

Ethan wait for the chain to clam themselves but he's secrets is out....he look to the book with worry that the possibility his chance of friendship with the chain maybe broken and je ready himself of judgment.

Ethan sign language: im sorry..I keep this a secrets.......your...my first friends...i-

Legend and Wild share a nervous look. Would it be weird to admit they they cosplayed as his dad?

Warrior and Time are stuck. They know his dad. They fought side by side with his dad. this dad is a literal beast on the battle field. They were even aware he was capable of having children- and yet!

Twilight and Sky share a mildly concerned look. Sky steps forward. "Why do you have to die for The Link to appear?... That's... not how the curse was uttered. None of us knew we were even the hero is begin with... It just kind of... happened. Ganon's appearance is easier to calculate than the appearance of the hero."

Twilight nods. "The hero has always been some guy. Why does it have anything to do with you?"

Wind and Hyrule don't know anything and thus, couldn't care less. Wind huffs and crosses his arms. "It's not like it matters. I say we leave. They shouldn't talk to Ethan like that."

"Agreed." Hyrule side eyes them all. He's nervous around zora as it is. the less time they're around them, the better.

#pinky replies #armless! ethan

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uefunderneatharchive · 1 year

Text

The Underneath Exploration Federation

Tristan here! I figured it would be a good idea to explain a little bit about the UEF.

The Underneath Exploration Federation is an internationally-funded organization tasked with the daunting feat of... well, exploring the Underneath. We do more than that, of course; besides cataloging the various levels, creatures, and cultures found in the Underneath, we're also tasked with maintaining good relations with the friendly denizens of the Underneath, such as the willos and artifactlings.

According to the custodians and friendly denizens we've been able to establish contact with, our world both isn't the first to come in contact with the Underneath, and is welcome to try and "tame" the chaos; according to them, "worse cultures have tried" and if we're at least civil and not exploitative of the Underneath and its people, we're allowed to try and make friends.

We've found remains of those cultures that weren't so civil.

So! You'll have seen references to LT Orchard as well as my own MAJ rank. Because of the unique circumstances of the organization, international law does require us to be labeled as a military organization in order to get the funding and resources required. Unfortunately, research grants don't account for armaments, so they kinda stuck a military organization around a research team, gave that research team the funding for actually researching, and gave the military around it the funding for the weapons and armor.

Hey, if it works, it works. Even if we're labeled as a military organization, we're not actually expected to be waging wars. That's kind of the opposite idea of what we're trying to do, anyway. And, because it's a federation, there's multiple smaller groups within the UEF, such as the research teams (also known as the Underneath Research Foundation) and the teams that scout for people who slipped accidentally into the Underneath (the Recovery Technical Team, aka the "Retroactive Traction Team" since they're anti-slip after the slip happens).

The UEF is... strange. Like, eccentric to a fault. I certainly don't help, but there's a lot of stuff that you wouldn't ever see in a military organization like this. For example, the standard armors here might be made of military-grade aramids, but they're all made in the style of "adventurely" tunics and robes like it's something out of a fantasy story. Hell, LT Orchard wears a full-ass set of plate armor, and some of the explorers opt to go for brigandine-style armor and jack-of-plates with metal plates too. It's, of course, all a response to the Underneath itself; you aren't likely to find monsters that fire bullets at you, so the safety of steel is just as good if not better against rending claws than combat vests and fatigues.

We've also been going back to melee weaponry! It's a weird feeling: after decades of guns, artillery, tanks and planes, and military-grade ritual casting, we're picking up swords and spears again and fighting small-scale. We still have some people using guns, but it's way easier to enchant melee weapons... guns are too complicated to carry enchantments, you have to do things like mass bless a box of bullets, and that gets expensive. The magic that we have access to is so good too, like, not only do we get some choice samples of spells from every manufacturer that donates to us, but the Underneath straight-up spawns new spells, basically. That's all I can describe it as, Lordedge discs and Gravitas tapes will just appear in dungeons and contain the weirdest and coolest bootleg spells that no one's ever heard of.

Anyway, I'm rambling on a bit too much. You've got a good slice of what the UEF is and how it works, so if you're interested in more, there's that shiny ask button to click on. I think. Did Mal set that up right? I think he did.

Well, this has been Tristan, signing off!

#the underneath #original setting #UEF #Mal here: I can confirm #the Underneath spells are WILD #and they aren't even limited to combat spells!#have you ever wanted a spell that uses your mana to create chocolate bars from the air?#because the Underneath made one! no one knows how the hell its code works!#and the chocolate's about as good as store-bought stuff!#i'm sure the big brands would try to stamp out that tome's existence if word ever got out

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the-firebird69 · 2 years

Text

Watch "Ghostbusters Afterlife: Testing the Proton Packs (HD CLIP) | With Captions" on YouTube

https://youtu.be/yw9Gtyp-AWs

This is Anne Frank whom I saved from world war II and Hera saved her husband BG. And she was going to be killed and she thanks me every once in awhile she knew dad and knew that he was a trooper and a friend of hers and a friend of her people and she wants to go up there and make it better for them. She's a very brave woman but I can't help her on this mission because of technology is a secret and sensitive and very powerful and my people might suffer if I released it but she went up anyways and knew it cuz I'm saying it now and she's pleased with what I'm saying because it's true he's not cutting she says, or BG but we have to have our own protection and team and method but she sees a difficulty and she's the very moment in which I feel the power and it's enormous I can see my face I'm surprised it in shock and I don't really show it too much but people say they assume in and I'm almost in horror especially after I see what it did and after hitting concrete I was ecstatic and they can see my face Brighton I love the thing and your parents are greatness CAA and so are you so don't forget it my people need this in order to survive but I hear what you're saying equivalent has to stop the infighting has to stop and we need to do this or we're going to end up in concentration camps I don't plan to go up there soon and I love it I've taken over the conversation but that's my superpower everyone says I'm rallying support and with our women and regular women too we're going to have a good time here and get it done but he says it's a momentous occasion it's the first time someone outside of the clan has used that weapon ever and there are several of them like that weapon systems and will and Bill have developed some but they're not the weapons you see discharging from the saucers no saucers were found and I think they were found by Jason recently and they say no those are different those are taken from Tommy f this house is a question or an Antarctica and I'm correct and they were brought there from Will and Bill and retrofitted and will and Bill don't know it and they're going there now and there's some in Greenland and none on Iceland it's going to be a war over them too and he said the last three lines I'm really impressed he's a little boy and he's doing a decent job and announcing all this and what a series of movies and this is first not last. He said who would know. But we said that in westborough and it's funny because it means something else but everyone starts saying it straight and it started laughing their asses off cuz no I can tell when I'm saying except him he said both all the time he's not supposed to understand anything. And that's what it sounds like too we had a good time because we're having fun and enjoying life he's trying to fix things down here and nobody wants it no we do today was awesome everyone everywhere was driving and he says we need it for sensing for the tunnels against clones and we need to protect the system if you get it he says and we shall we'll do our best hand it off the back if we have to but you can't lose it to these people they're going to destroy us and he says it might be happening in this movie but my friend says it's something different than these monsters just tech they hold it pretty close and they're kind of clan and Mom is laughing no that was Azog she says, and The Rock says he's going to be in the movie soon run down and he sees why because the guy is screwing around and he screwed around his neck and for some reason Trump will go down there to Brazil and says after diamonds okay and uses Jason's people which is horrible. He can't believe it these negative mutants will take it but their clan so it's not way out there but the way he says it's quite horrible and it might be the mega computers and it could be the claim itself so we're going up there and we're going to do that

Wish me luck everyone and he says good luck test pilot number one and maybe it'll be successful and I hear him and I wish I will be

Anne Frank

Okay okay this is Frank and I'm going to go up there too you see me in the flick have we ever recognize me this is terrible

Stan

Thanks Stan no really I need help

Anne Frank

We're going to place your poem in the method that our friend said to in freedom Park and we're doing that tonight in honor of your mission

Mac daddy

I'm going to beat you too it already made one instead of came out all right and he asked who's he said it came out right she did it says it's pretty good Max side and approved it I'm going to go up there together he says and it's my version because I'm family and family with him anyways but you'll see and he does that's me

We're all going to go up there to the park and we need to exclude clones we need a big group this is how it's going to be hell but wow what a weapon. I can't imagine anything more prophetic he rescued her from the Holocaust it's his dad's weapon can save us all from these nasty clones and Stalin who's also Hitler. You pulled her out and was very serious back then he was in ethereal form but we couldn't tell he looked like Hogan from Hogan's heroes he said he was young and that's what he kind of looked like so we watched him do it almost and some people didn't see him moving around doing it it's the weirdest experience you'll ever have may God bless him for doing it

Trump

You sound better then worse than better but we see that he's using the matrix on you and we need the system so we can disable robots it looks like we get some stuff like the Nebuchadnezzar and an EMP our friend says is tough and it's a way of manipulating The shield and we do understand that we've seen it before and Bill can do it and they can so we need that we need their help and we're going up there and we want to see this what an amazing scene we know the little friend is it's bja and he likes her a lot it's just not good but okay he does a good job and it's turning into a goober it's just much better

It says stick around for Christmas at least bja I got to see you sit on Santa's lap when Peter audette is down he'll have to work there he says you're on buddy you got to pay me for it it's by then I should have somebody I'll get something that's appropriate not mean like Peter I did is Jesus he's really mean you got that right she was rescued from death and so was I and Mama's starting to remember it what it shithead sometimes

bja

Come on...let's roll

Mac

And our friend says he helped them say it he said just starsky and your hutch and they did it we heard them say it too and they framed the two she's been in trouble I've got the information I've got to give it to you all so I'm bringing it with me he framed Trump and cheeseman I'm bringing it with me

Bha

This message is approved to go out

Olympus

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astro-rain · 3 years

Text

delicate; b.barnes

chapter twelve - “it’s hovercraft time, bucky barnes”

delicate masterlist

word count: 2.4k

synopsis: neither bucky nor y/n can sleep... until they do. and the next day brings them an unexpected, but pleasant surprise.

pairings: bucky barnes x fem!reader

It was four in the morning when the psychologist and the super soldier got in their respective beds after the nightmare. Y/N laid on her side in the bunk across from Bucky, facing away from him and staring at the wall. Her body wanted to sleep but her mind kept whirring on and on, worrying about him.

It wouldn't be that bad if she could just ignore it. It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't wide awake also thinking about how it would be utterly impossible for him to have any eye color other than blue.

She sighed. Christ almighty, just go to sleep.

About twenty minutes passed before she heard it.

"Why are you still up?" he mumbled.

She turned over to her other side, dramatically, staring at his silhouette in the dark.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I'm a trained assassin," he said, as a matter of fact. "I can recognize breath patterns."

"Yeah, well I know for a fact that you aren't even trying to fall back asleep."

"How could you possibly know that?" he repeated her question.

"I just do," she stated before turning on her back and staring straight up.

He scoffed playfully.

"What?" she asked.

Her tone wasn't as playful. It wasn't angry or annoyed; she could never be with him. But, it was void of emotion and her usual sarcastic cadence. She didn't enjoy people reading her like that. She knew he wasn't, but it felt like she was being called out for caring so much. She wanted to rein in her own compassion, but she couldn't help the way he softened her.

"That's just code for 'I'm a trained psychologist and I know how you're gonna react to nightmares.'"

She replied with silence, desperately trying to end the conversation so she could try to sleep and leave this night behind.

"Sorry, did I- did I say something?" he asked.

"No, you're good."

Part of her felt bad for being short with him, but she needed it to be over. She needed to somehow distance herself from her own feelings.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up with the nightmare and messed with you being able to fall back asleep. I know it's... a lot."

He's sorry. He's sorry?

"Don't you dare apologize. It's not your fault, and it's not even why I can't fall back asleep."

"What's the problem then?"

"It's nothing. Just try and get some sleep."

"Yeah... about that..."

"Will you have another?"

"Not sure. I don't wanna find out."

"I know. And I'm sorry. Sleep shouldn't be this menacing, but you should still try anyway. Your body needs it."

"So does yours."

Y/N let out an exasperated sigh. There she went caring again and he kept deflecting. Her frustrations about her own emotions came out in stubborn defiance.

"I'm not sleeping until you do."

"Guess we're both stayin' up then."

"Bucky," she gently admonished.

"Y/N I can't- that... was the worst one I've had in a while."

That was it. Any and all aggravation faded to nothing, and her cheeks were hot with guilt. To hell with it; she refused to leave him to pain. She then got out of her bunk. Carefully, she maneuvered out and kneeled on the floor, facing him. She felt bad; she didn't mean to push him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry, I should know better."

He mirrored her actions, slipping out of his own bunk and kneeling on the floor in front of her

"It's okay," he didn't miss a beat. His voice was as soft of hers. "Thank you."

He was closer now, so she could see a more detailed outline of him. She never really noticed just how large he was. Just his arm looked as big as her head. He was supposed to look frightening, but... she just couldn't see it.

"If you don't wanna sleep that's okay. I'll stay up with you so you don't have to be alone."

"Y/N..."

"I'm already up, I don't mind," she countered. "Seriously. I'm wide awake now. Honestly, I don't even know if I could fall back asleep if I tried."

"I can't ask you to stay up and babysit just 'cause you feel bad."

She scooted forward, determined not to lose to deflection again. Babysit? and Cause you feel bad? How could he truly think so little of himself?

"I am definitely not babysitting. I just happened to be awake at the same time you are... and not because I feel bad."

He scooted forward a couple inches, squinting, trying to decipher her facial expressions. "I can't tell if you're joking or not just from your tone of voice."

In the very back of her head it returned: that hazy enchantment feeling that swelled from her lungs through her brain stem every time she was this close to him. It is important to note - it was in the very back of her brain, and if you ignore something long enough, you can convince yourself it's not there.

"James Buchanan, I am awake and there's not a thing you can do about it."

"Alright," he sighed. "I don't know if you're expecting some kind of entertainment, but I can't really juggle with one arm..."

"I can't juggle with two."

"Ever been to the circus?"

"No."

He laughed. "Oh man, you're missin' out."

"No, I got the clown right here."

"Wow, is that how it is?"

"Depends. You got face paint and a rainbow wig?"

"Smartass."

The air was quiet after their breathy laughs fizzled out. A few moments of awkwardness quietly passed, both unsure of what to say next.

"You know when you're in the dark, your pupils dilate to take in as much light as they can in order to see better?" Y/N asked.

"I think I knew that? I'm not sure, I might've heard it somewhere. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I can't see your face super well, so it made me think of it. I can barely even see your eyes."

"Maybe that's better," he chuckled. "I don't know if they're still blood shot from earlier."

"Like I'd care."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"What?"

"Why wouldn't you care? I feel like seeing someone's puffy face and post-cry eyes would be kinda gross."

"You really think I care if your eyes are red or puffy?" she questioned. "Buck, I know I'm probably not supposed to say this because technically I'm your doctor, but I honestly consider you a really good friend. I'd be more worried to see that you've been crying than be aversive to it."

He scoffed in honest disbelief.

"What?"

"I just can't wrap my head around the fact that you think that way about me..."

"What do you mean?"

"...the person I am, the things I've done, the..." he shook his head, "the horrors I've committed..."

"The horrors you've committed are not who you are. I know you see yourself in a lot of different ways because it's hard to un-learn what other people have decided you are: a monster, a ghost, an asset, a machine, an assassin, a weapon, whatever. But have you ever considered that you're just human after all? You're a man who got dealt a shit hand in life. But there is still light in him... light that never left, no matter how hard they tried to beat it out of you. You're a survivor, Buck."

Bucky took a deep breath in, contemplating, before turning and laying on his back. They both remained on the floor, Y/N kneeling a few inches away from the side of Bucky's supine figure. He stared straight up at the ceiling.

"Sometimes I think I'm a better 'ghost' than I am a human being. My mind's a mess, and even though I'm trying, I still can't help but feel like I've lost who I am."

"You haven't lost who you are. You're just different now, and that's okay."

He looked up at her. "How do you always know what to say?"

"I know everything."

Y/N smiled, following Bucky's laugh, allowing the somber atmosphere to lighten up a bit. They so easily slipped in and out of the therapy dynamic, but now it seemed more like a heartfelt conversation between friends rather than treatment between doctor and patient.

"I consider you a really good friend too by the way - closest one I've had since Steve."

"Wow, really? That's an honor."

"Not really," he chuckled. "Steve's a punk."

And there she went laughing again. In one way or another she always found herself laughing around him.

However, she found it more confusing than funny when she woke up the following morning to find herself sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the beds with Bucky's head in her lap. She found her hands resting on his head protectively, fingers slightly carded through his long hair. She woke up before him... That's a first.

Y/N looked down at him. He was fast asleep; he looked peaceful and so relaxed. It was such a rare state to see him in, so she gave herself a few more seconds to study how his face looked when it was completely tranquil before she smoothed her hand along the back of his head and replaced her lap with a pillow.

"Hey," a raspy voice called out.

Y/N turned around from her seat at the table, hands still wrapped around the cup of tea she made herself a few minutes prior.

Bucky was awake, sitting up, but still in his previous spot on the floor.

"Hey. You want some tea?"

He stood up, nodding and stretching his back. "Did I fall back asleep?"

"You did," she smiled. "I'm pleased. I told you you needed the rest."

He seemed pleasantly surprised. "And on the floor too. Very classy."

She raised her mug to him, as if to make a toast. "Classiest man I know."

He laughed before grabbing the kettle and realizing it was empty.

"Shoot. We're outta water."

"It's alright. We know where to find the waterfall. You want to go get more?"

"Mm hm."

"Alright, I'll just finish my tea and go out in a few minutes."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm coming too."

"You sure? You just woke up. You can take some time to just relax if you want."

"No. I'm going."

"Stubborn. I can go myself, you know. I know the way."

"Would you let me go by myself?"

Y/N was silent for a moment before sighing.

"Get your shoes."

"You know, there was really no reason to almost push me into the water," Bucky commented as they were making their way back to the shelter after restocking their water supply.

"I wasn't actually going to!"

"You might as well have! My life flashed before my eyes!"

"Bet that took forever. You wanna backtrack? I can do it for real this time."

"I'm throwin' you in next time."

"You couldn't throw me," she challenged.

"Like a football," he countered, smirking.

"I don't wanna test that theory."

Their banter continued as they continued walking, making sure they were in the tree line and not out in the open. Bucky was always cautious. He was able to laugh with her while still making sure they were safe. That was until his arm was suddenly around the front of her shoulders, and holding her against his chest as his back was flush against a tree, effectively hiding them both from sight. She just stared forward, barely registering how fast he swiveled both of them around.

"There's someone at the bunker. I'm sorry- didn't want us to be seen."

He removed his arm, but her feet were stuck. She had never been close to him like this before; she didn't know what to think of it. She stepped forward a bit, breaking the contact but still facing away from him. She was hyperaware of their proximity but that quickly dissipated as she registered what he said.

"What did you see?"

"There were a couple people, but I didn't get a great look 'cause I moved out of sight fast. One woman, two men? I think."

His tone and demeanor reminded her of that day Shuri told them they had to go in hiding. He was so calm and collected. She forgot situations like these were practically muscle memory to him.

"Do you think someone found us? What were they doing?"

"I only saw 'em for a second, I'm not sure. Stay still, I'm gonna look."

As soon as his head peaked around the tree, so did Y/N's, ignoring his order.

"Wait, I think that's Shuri."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. I don't know if I'd bet my life on it."

"What's that other thing?"

"The hovercraft?"

"Hovercraft? God, I love this place."

"Wait, see the crest on the hovercraft - that's the one only Shuri can unlock."

"Alright, just... stay behind me. Okay?"

"Okay."

The two slowly made their way towards the three Wakandans. Y/N actually listened this time and stayed behind Bucky. As soon as they were in sight, Shuri came running up to them.

"Y/N!" she exclaimed, immediately throwing herself into the psychologist, embracing her.

She was startled at first, arms awkwardly hanging by her sides before her brain finally caught up to her and she brought her arms up lightly, returning the hug.

"Shuri! What happened?"

"We won!" Shuri grinned. "It's a long and complicated story, but the rightful King never died. My brother has reclaimed his place on the throne. Wakanda is ours once again!"

A monumental weight was lifted from Y/N's shoulders. She sighed in relief, knowing she was no longer in danger, knowing Bucky was no longer in danger.

"That's incredible. I'm so glad everything's okay, and I'm so glad to see you."

"I'm glad to see you too, my partner," Shuri hugged her once more before addressing Bucky. "Sergeant Barnes. I'm sorry for all the trouble. I hope everything was alright?"

"We've been getting along just fine," he nodded. "Thank you."

Shuri called over the two other men - royal guards that came with her - before turning back to Y/N and Bucky.

"You've been camped out here in hiding long enough. Let us go home."

As they walked behind the Wakandan princess, Y/N nudged Bucky with her elbow.

"It's hovercraft time, Bucky Barnes," she managed to say through a face numbing smile.

delicate taglist: @bakugouswh0r3 @thefridgeismybestie @strivingforelegance

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spam-1997 · 2 years

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@sanguinehaven sent: ❝ It's one of their rare breaks, and they decided to visit Spaz. He's good company, he's nice, and hey, maybe they'll see him dealing with some weirdos. How did he do that anyways? They probably wouldn't be able to handle the constant weirdness he apparently attracts. Although...seems like this time that weirdness was a little more on the aggressive side. *Don't talk to him like that. They say, speaking up after someone rather questionable, bombarding their friend with odd requests and rather personal questions. Doesn't seem like that stranger appreciated it, immediately getting in Cerise's face, and it seems like they were going to try and deescalate the situation until....They were hit. Taking a few steps back, Cerise seems a bit lost for words... ❞

The weirdos. The strange puppet's equally freaky faceless, unknown customers, always jumping between excessively kind to cruel and sadistic on a moment's notice. Cerise was welcome in the glitched little store front, to watch his silly conversations, watch him try to sell random items he found in the dump, and answer... degrading questions.

But then they interject. He frowns and raises his hands to mime that they should stop from over the customer's shoulder, a panicked grin tight on his face, too tongue tied-- as always-- to get out a coherent thought as the taller stranger-- everyone was always taller than him, bigger than him-- stands between him and his friend. One of his so few friends. He wants to tell them to back off, tell them they're too close! Don't touch them, don't touch them, don't--

But they did. And he sees Cerise's health go down.

And he starts seeing... red. Faster than he can think to realize it, like flood gates opened in his head, his temper shatters wherever he kept it inside like a pressure valve burst. It was enough to turn not just his face but his whole body that vibrant shade of devil crimson. And the very next thing the other addison would see... is a black phone receiver rocketing from below and wrapping itself around the customer's neck.

" * ITS FOR YOU [ its for you ] ITSFORITSFOR-- I T S F O R Y O U... "

The sound of his increasingly distorted and deepening voice is followed by the sight of his blacked out eyes on his blood red face, wildly grimacing, shoes perched against their back as he practically climbed and reigned them-- just by the throat and not the teeth. Yank. Yank! Until the taller one falls down, knocked to their face. He pulls tighter, letting up for only three briefest jolts as he yanks and wraps his mechanical knuckles in the wire, tighter and tighter, a better grip to pull with. " * DO YOU WANT TO [ HURT ] PEOPLE-- PE oPLE-- HURT PEOPLE? DO YOU? " Every movement of his teeth forces steam from his mouth. Worn, white business shoes stomp their heel into the back of their head-- again and again-- an act of pure frustration. All of this, not a skill he had, just what the anger wanted to do in the moment.

" * 1S IT FUN? " Do you have any idea how easy it is to lose someone? A monster, especially? " * ARE!! YOu !! [ having fun yet? ] !? " A few numbers, ticked away, and suddenly nothing's left! Do they know what they'd be taking from him if they went just a little too far? Hit them one too many times? One of the only people patient and kind enough to care for him in this whole damned city? Do they want to send him back to nothing? Do they want him alone again-- is that it?

... He realizes the feeling of struggle in his wire has long disappeared. He lets go. No movement, no breath in. They've... died. He's killed them. With his whole body shaking, he retracts the phone weapon-- if that's what it was now, instead of just the magic he used to make calls on the go-- back into himself, staring at the floor as his eyes flicker back to color. Though he's still deep red.

" ....... ARE you ... OK, [ pal ]? " He tries to smile but its crooked, and he doesn't look at them, of course, how could he? But he was talking to Cerise, not the customer.

#(( hee hee hoo i have officially written spaz killing someone #and it was in the most unhinged way possible and right in front of cerise so. fantastic-- ))#$$$ ⇨ check your [ spam mail ] ! || ask.#$$$ ⇨ in the need for [hyperlink blocked] ! || i.c.#tw strangulation #sanguinehaven

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cocastyle · 4 years

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Robin — ONE

Pairing - Joel Dawson x reader

Word Count - 5,047

A/N - this chapter was so much fun getting to write! I wanted to introduce you guys to the dynamic of our two characters before they take off into the world. they are just a super close pair which is definitely going to cause some interesting scenes throughout this movie, especially with Joel being in love Aimee at the moment and Y/N being in love with Joel. but no matter what, it’s their friendship that makes them Y/N and Joel and it’s just the cutest thing.

also, I just want to say, take note of the little letters Joel writes to Aimee. they are definitely going to show growth in Joel’s character as the story goes on :))

if you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

R O B I N

Robin Series Masterlist

⭒❃.✮:▹ ONE ◃:✮.❃⭒

Dear Aimee,

I am wide awake. I've just gotten good at not really moving or breathing.

Being stuck in a survival bunker with a bunch of people who have all found their soul mate is less than ideal.

Karen and Ray got together a few months ago, so they're still kinda in their honeymoon phase. It is super physical. Good for them, you know. They're both very attractive and apparently quite flexible.

Hey, life's short. Especially down here.

After Tim's parents were eaten by a warm of termites, he and Ava became inseparable. In every way.

So pretty much everyone's coupled up down here besides me and Y/N. We're the singles of the bunker and I don't know how I would survive by myself without her. Having your best friend stuck down here with you helps a lot.

Our first baby was born last winter. It was super emotional. Welcome to the apocalypse, kid. The food sucks. At least you'll never know what you're missing.

Kala and Connor got together after Carol died. Carol was a cow who ate a box of laundry detergent and now we only have one cow. Her name's Gertie. Gertie is great. Y/N named her actually and every time someone uses the name she gets this goofy grin on her face that's hard for anyone to not smile back at.

Gertie's not our only food source. We actually have a hunting party that brings back whatever they can from the surface. It was easier in the beginning, you know, before we ran out of bullets. Facing down one of those things with a hanky handmade weapon is no walk in the park. Or that's what Robin tells me. I-I don't go on the hunting parties. They need me in the kitchen. I'm kinda the, uh. . .the chef of the bunker. Everyone likes my minestrone.

Me and Y/N being the only single people in the bunker has its perks too. We get to hang out with Mav1s. Of course, she's not much for conversation anymore. Her core battery's shot, just like every other Mav1s, I'd imagine. Actually never seen a working one.

Other than that, it's become our favorite pass time to mess with the other couples. Or at least that's what Robin does. I kind of just cheer her on.

Sure wish you were here, Aimee. I'd love for you to meet everyone and become closer with Y/N. Maybe we could do a little target practice together.

It's kinda my thing.

- - -

Y/N had been in the middle of dreaming about killing a monster when something began poking her face and pulled her from her slumber. Letting out a groan, the girl turned her head towards her pillow in an attempt to hide her face, but the person was persistent and instead began poking the back of her head instead.

"Joel," Y/N whined in annoyance earning a soft chuckle from the boy as he continued to poke her head. "Joel, I swear if you don't stop poking me right now I'm going to drag you out of this bunker and feed you to the nearest cold-blooded creature."

The poking stopped instantly and she slowly turned her face and let her eyes flutter open for a second to see Joel smiling at her in amusement. "Seven years underground and you still aren't a morning person," he mused.

Y/N groaned and fell further into her pillow as she closed her eyes once again. "I don't think I'll ever be," she muttered, her voice trailing off a bit at the end as sleep tried to take over once again.

"Hey, I just woke you up. Don't go back to sleep," Joel insisted as he reached out to poke her again. However, Y/N was quick to grab ahold of his finger and stop him without even having to open an eye.

"Don't poke me," she told him before letting go of the boy. "I'm tired, Joel. I don't have to see the sun to know it's still shining on the other side of the world. It's too early."

"Actually, it's not too far away from dawn," Joel said earning a groan from the girl because it was in fact too early. The boy frowned and gently nudged her as he rested his head on the edge of her bed. "Come on, Robin. I can't sleep and as my best friend it is your job to keep me from doing anything stupid while I'm awake. You can't exactly do that while sleeping, can you?"

"Joel," Y/N complained.

"Y/N," Joel mimicked. Y/N frowned slightly and Joel sighed before looking away as he got lost in thought. Finally he let out a small gasp and nudged the girl again, a smile appearing on his face, "I'll make you breakfast."

Y/N peeled open an eye at that, flickering her gaze over the boy's eager face before hesitantly saying, "Throw in a piggyback ride all the way to the kitchen and you've got yourself a deal.”

"Deal!" Joel exclaimed as he reached out to grab her hand and shake it. Y/N let out a soft sigh, knowing she was going to regret waking up, but pulled herself up out of bed and let out a yawn. Joel was practically bouncing from foot to foot due to his impatience and Y/N just ignored it as she sat up for a moment longer before looking to Joel.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said and the boy quickly turned around. Y/N lazily got out of bed before slowly getting onto Joel's back. He made sure she was on securely and waited until she had her arms wrapped around his neck and her head tucked into the crook of his neck before he was practically running out of the room.

"Woah! Slow down!" Y/N exclaimed as she almost went toppling off of his back from how bumpy the ride was. Joel slowed to a walk and looked back to her with an apologetic smile while she just rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you're my best friend," she muttered, propping her elbow against the boy's shoulder in order to keep herself up right.

"You know you love me," Joel retorted and Y/N let out a soft sigh for she knew the boy was right. He just didn't understand the kind of love she had for him.

The two were about halfway down the hallway when they suddenly passed a door that was wide open. "Hey, Joel! Hey, Y/N!" a fellow colony member of theirs named Ava greeted.

The best friends turned their heads and instantly looked away, their faces red while Y/N hid her face against Joel's neck once again. "Oh. Hey, Ava," Joel said, coughing awkwardly as he held onto Y/N a bit tighter and tried to ignore the fact that he just saw Ava and her boyfriend Tim being intimate.

"Ava," Y/N greeted.

"Joel. Y/N. How's it going?" Tim asked.

"It's going good, Tim," Joel responded, attempting to hide his small smile as Y/N just shook her head, obviously embarrassed. "How are you. . .How are you doing?"

"Yeah, good," Tim replied.

"Good," Y/N muttered as she sat up a little more and just leaned against Joel's shoulder. "Uh, we were just. . .um. . .heading to the kitchen. Joel here couldn't sleep, so now here we are." She let out an awkward laugh and Ava and Tim returned it.

"Yeah, we know the feeling," Ava told her and both Joel and Y/N made a face.

"Yeah. Probably not for the same reasons," Joel muttered. "Y-You guys's, uh, door's open. Is that. . .did you know that?"

"Yeah," Ava admitted at the same time Tim said, "Yeah, we know."

Both Y/N and Joel didn't move before Joel muttered awkwardly, "Okay." A silence fell among the group after that and Y/N could just feel herself growing more uncomfortable by the second and it was obvious Joel was too.

"Batman, away!" Y/N exclaimed, pointing towards the direction of the kitchens in hopes that they could get away from this situation as quick as possible. Joel chuckled softly and shook his head before bolting off down the hallway making the girl yell at him.

Joel didn't slow down until they were in the kitchen, setting the girl down in a chair before moving across the room. "This better be the best breakfast you have ever created after putting me in that sort of position," Y/N told him. "This is why you sleep at night, so you don't have to see or hear what the others are doing when the lights are out."

Joel just waved her off with his hand and Y/N craned her neck in an attempt to see just what he was doing, but the boy merely moved his body each time so that she couldn't see. "Joel!" Y/N complained, but the boy was already turning around, his hands behind his back as he grinned at her.

She fell silent almost instantly, the grin making her heart skip a beat while she watched him stop on the other side of the counter. "You ready?" he asked and Y/N nodded her head eagerly, her stomach growling at the thought of food. Joel's smile widened and he quickly took his hand out from around his back and slammed an apple onto the table in front of her.

Y/N stared at the apple with a blank look on her face before scowling up at her friend. Joel just smiled and leaned his arms on the counter before he shrugged, "I never said what I was making you for breakfast."

"You didn't make anything," she pointed out, grumbling softly to herself as she grabbed the apple and took a bite out of it. "You tricked me."

"Hey, but look on the bright side," Joel told her and the girl raised an eyebrow. "Now that you're up, we can spend more time together and I don't have to be alone!"

Y/N made a face before looking to her apple and chuckling as she took another bite. "Well, joke's on you because today's planning day," she said, her words making Joel frown because he knew that planning day meant she would be with the hunting crew all day and not him.

"But planning day was last week," Joel complained.

"It was actually last month, but nice try," she replied with a smug smile on her face.

"Can't you skip it? I was wanting you to help me with my aim. I'm using the tips that you said, but it would be different if you were actually there to help," Joel said.

"I'm sorry, Joel, but I have to go. I have to pull my weight somehow," Y/N reminded him.

"Then at least let me help out. I don't do anything around here except make shitty minestrone," Joel sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration and not noticing the way Y/N’s eyes seemed to follow the action.

Y/N set the apple down, rolling her eyes slightly when Joel picked it up and angrily took a bite out of the other side. "First of all, your minestrone is heaven, so never refer to it as shitty ever again," she told him. Joel just looked away and Y/N sighed before reaching out and setting a hand on top of the boy's arm. He hesitantly looked her way and she offered him a small smile. "I know you may think you don't do anything to help out around here, but you do, Joel. You help out in more ways than you may think."

Joel looked away and bit into the apple again. "You're just trying to make me feel better and I appreciate it, but we both know I don't do anything," he muttered. "Not anything important anyways."

"Joel," Y/N began but the sound of someone yelling her name made her fall short. She glanced in the direction of the voice, putting together who was calling for her and why. It was planning day after all and those days always started at dawn so that they could get some training out of the way before mapping out their next hunting trip.

Sighing, Y/N looked back at Joel and gave his arm one more squeeze. "That's my cue to leave," she said, pulling herself up out of her chair. The girl began to make her way towards the door before pausing and looking back at Joel who was just staring at the table with the half eaten apple in hand.

Before Joel knew what was happening, Y/N was jumping on him from behind, her arms wrapping around his frame for a quick hug as she kissed his cheek and said, "Have a great day, Joel. I'll see you later for lunch, okay? Love you." She then slyly stole the apple from him and winked in his direction before running out of the room as her name was yelled out once again.

Joel couldn't help but smile as he watched the girl leave, ignoring the way his heart seemed to skip a beat which was unusual for him.

"Love you too," he whispered.

- - -

Y/N stared at the map in front of them with a contemplating look upon her face. She was resting her head on her hand and gently tapped her finger against her cheek while her eyes flickered over the marks they had already made.

"Why don't we try over here?" Y/N suggested, pointing towards the section that they had already marked off as 'Do Not Enter.'

All eyes turned to her almost immediately and Connor shook his head. "Y/N, you know why we don't go over there," he told her, referencing the incident where half of their hunting squad got killed, but the girl was persistent.

"That was back when we were just beginning our second year down here. We're more prepared now," Y/N told them. "Every time we go hunting, we stay close enough that we can run back to the bunker if needed. We can't keep living like this. I mean, aren't you guys a little bit curious as to what it's like out there?"

There was a unanimous, "No."

Y/N frowned and looked back down at the map, her fingers now brushing across the small area she had been pointing at while the others all watched her. “Y/N," Anna Lucia sighed, walking over to the girl's side and placing a hand on her shoulder. "There are so many unknowns out there and you know that. What if we go out there and our whole hunting party gets eaten by those monsters? What would the others do?"

"Live off Joel's minestrone," Y/N suggested before sighing and looking towards her friend. "But what if we don't die? What if this opens up a whole new world for us?"

Anna Lucia squeezed the girl's shoulder before whispering, "We can't risk it."

Y/N frowned and looked away while Anna Lucia let her hand fall back down to her side. "Anna Lucia's right except for the being able to live off Joel's minestrone thing. I'm pretty sure he'd be out there trying to avenge you before even thinking about making minestrone," Tim spoke up.

"He wouldn't be stupid enough to do that," Y/N assured them.

"He'd be reckless enough," Connor retorted. Y/N gave him a look and the man sighed, "Seriously, Y/N? When are you two just going to grow a pair and tell each other how you feel?"

Y/N blinked in surprise, a light blush taking over her features as she looked around at her friends who were all smirking. "W-What?" she whispered.

"Gosh, you're insufferable sometimes," Anna Lucia muttered jokingly. "It's obvious that you like him and he is your best friend who is also the only one that's still single down here."

"Joel and I—" Y/N hesitated, the thought of actually being with Joel like that making her heart flutter. "We're just friends," she insisted before giving them all a sad smile. "We won't be getting together."

"It's only a matter of time," Anderson smirked making the girl glare in his direction. However, she didn't get a chance to say or do anything because they all were frozen in place as the lights to the bunker flickered on and off before turning on once again.

"What was—" Anna Lucia began, but Y/N could already feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end and had a sneaking suspicion of what was happening.

"Breach," she muttered at the same time someone yelled out from another room, "There's been a breach!"

They all ran out of the room, a few of them scanning the perimeter before they made their way to the main room where everyone was waiting to help them get ready. They hurriedly put what armor they did have on their bodies and Y/N was pulling her hair back into a ponytail when she noticed Joel stumbling into the room with all the weapons in hand.

"Guys! Guys! I got the weapons," Joel announced before proceeding to hand them out to the hunters that walked by.

"Stay," Anderson told him as he took a crossbow.

Joel blinked in surprise, "What? What's happening? What's going on?"

"We've been breached," Y/N explained while she waited for Anna Lucia to grab her weapon so that she could finally reach Joel.

"Breached?" Joel asked. "What do you mean? Like, inside the bunker breached?"

"That's what 'breached' means, kiddo. Y/N, come on," Connor demanded causing the girl to sigh in frustration as him and all the hunters left the room. She turned to Joel who was still trying to process what was happening.

"Joel," she said and he quickly turned to her.

"Right. Right. Here," he muttered as he held out a back holster with two katanas strapped in. She had taken them off of a guy back when the apocalypse had first begun. He had been dead and it wasn't like he planned on using them anyways, so she had taken them in order to keep herself alive. They were her weapon of choice, but she was also one of the best shooters they had so she tended to use a crossbow when necessary. "And here's this," he told her before handing her a crossbow as well.

"Thanks," Y/N told him before nodding her head at him and running out of the room.

"Wait!" Joel yelled, but the girl was already gone. "Breached," he muttered to himself in shock before running after his best friend. By the time he made it to where everyone was, Y/N was already inspecting the gate to the sewers with a frown on her face and her crossbow at the ready while some others worked on getting it open.

"Anna Lucia, Y/N and I will engage," Connor directed. "Anderson and Tim, flank us."

"Flank 'em, yeah, okay. Where do you guys need me? The rear, or. . ." Joel trailed off causing them all to look his way, including Y/N.

"I thought we were past this, Joel," Tim told him as they all looked back to gate.

"Past what? You need help. I can help," Joel insisted. "In case you've forgotten, Robin and I are a duo and I know she goes on the hunting trips and I don't, but this I can help with. Let me help."

"You gonna make me say it?" Connor asked.

"Say what?" Joel questioned.

"You can't handle it, Joel," Connor told him.

"You're shook," Tim added.

"Okay, yeah. So, you guys don't get scared ever?" Joel asked them.

"We get scared."

"We all get scared, Joel, but you get really scared."

"We're not trying to make you feel bad."

"We love you, Joel."

"But you're unsafe."

"You're a liability."

"Even on supply runs."

"Guys!" Y/N exclaimed glaring at the men while Joel looked between them a bit confused.

"Okay, why did that speech feel so rehearsed?" Joel questioned.

"He's got a point," Y/N muttered, turning back around while she nervously fidgeted her hands against the crossbow. "If you're going to tell him something like that at least be sincere instead of rehearsing in your mirror beforehand."

"We did not—" Tim began, but the sound of a growl and something banging against metal made them all tense while Joel jumped back a good foot from where he originally was.

"Connor, Y/N," Karen said as she handed a device to the man. Y/N quickly stood up and hurried over, her eyes flickering over the screen where she could see a blue dot making its way through the sewers towards them.

"Shit," she muttered before standing up more and cracking her neck. She got an arrow ready in the crossbow and jumped in place for a moment to get her nerves out. "Let's do this."

"Okay, 30 meters out. Let's move," Connor directed.

The sewer door was pulled down before the hunters began making their way inside. Y/N was about to follow when someone grabbed ahold of her wrist. She looked back, her eyes locking with Joel's as he held on tightly and whispered, "I can help, Robin."

Y/N let her eyes flicker over his face while her mouth opened up to say something. However, she found herself unable to. All she could imagine was Joel getting attacked by whatever creature was in the sewers at that very moment. She couldn't let him go in there, no matter how badly he wanted to. This was the first time a breach like this had ever happened. Who knew what awaited them down there?

The girl rushed forward, hugging the boy tightly and making him stumble back a bit in surprise. She didn't give him time to react before she was pulling away. "I'm sorry," she whispered, quickly turning around and climbing into the sewers. However, she didn't disappear before she yelled out, "No one let Joel follow!"

Joel's eyes widened. "What?" he exclaimed before attempting to rush forward, but Tim was already there to stand in his way. "Tim, you got to let me go with her. I can't let her go alone. I-I can help."

"She'll be fine, Joel. Y/N’s a survivor. She won't let whatever creature this is take her down," Tim assured him before reaching out to grab the curtain. "You heard what she said. Now go with them." He then pulled the curtain between the two, effectively blocking Joel's view of the tunnel and leaving the boy standing there with a numb feeling coursing through his body.

"Robin," he muttered in frustration before turning on his heels and running to the room everyone was in. The door was locked behind him and Joel quickly shoved his way to the front so that he could watch the monitor with Karen and Kala.

They could all see five yellow dots moving through the tunnels near a bigger blue dot in the center of the screen. "They're getting close," Karen muttered, a silence falling upon them all as they noticed the five dots stop not too far away from the creature. Before anyone knew what was happening, the blue dot lunged out and grabbed ahold of one of the yellow dots.

"Shit."

"Oh, my God."

"It's got one of 'em."

"What about the others?"

The lights began to flicker while Joel felt his heart drop to his stomach. "Y/N," he whispered, his voice making everyone look his way. He was pale, his hands shakily holding onto the crossbow in his hands.

"We don't know if that's her, Joel," Karen tried to tell him. "She could be fine. She—"

"I'm going after her," he said before turning and running for the door. Everyone's eyes widened as people began to make a move towards him, by the boy was quick and already had the door open.

"Joel!" Kala yelled.

"They need help. My best friend needs help. I'm going," Joel insisted before running out the door and slamming in shut behind him.

Joel spun around quickly, crossbow in the air while he nervously looked around the bunker. It was like he was walking into a foreign place, the usual warm feeling of the bunker being replaced with nothing but an eerie feeling and a coldness that shook him to his very core.

His breathing was shaky as he began to walk forward, his eyes flickering around his surroundings while Joel tried to keep himself calm. The only thing keeping him from collapsing in fear was the knowledge that Y/N was out there possibly hurt. He had to get to her. He had to.

The lights flickered as he slowly made his way back towards the tunnels where he knew he had his best access to the others. It was a deafening silent as he walked into the room, so quiet in fact that his ears were ringing.

He nervously looked around and adjusted his hands on the crossbow. As he grew closer to the curtain Tim had pulled out earlier, a new sound filled his ears while his feet slowly stepped in the new puddles of water and blood that were on the ground. The sight made him feel sick to his stomach, so Joel did his best to keep his eyes staring straight ahead.

A lightbulb exploding behind him made the boy jump and spin around, his eyes wide in fear before he realized what had happened and turned back around. He could hear Tim and Connor's words replaying over and over in his head.

We all get scared, Joel, but you get really scared.

You're unsafe.

You're a liability.

Joel walked forward and took in a shaky breath as he attempted to push the voices from his head. His eyes continued to survey the area and he hesitated at the sight of a figure on the other side of the curtain. It almost looked like—

"Connor?" Joel questioned, his voice barely above a whisper. When there was no response, Joel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and lowered his crossbow just a bit. "Connor?"

It was at that moment that a loud hissing sound came from the other side of the curtain and Connor's body limply flew across the room before being shoved into the mouth of whatever creature was over there with him. Lights from the other side shinned their shadows against the curtain and Joel's eyes widened in fear as he slowly took a step back.

Joel's whole body was shaking, his eyes tearing up a little as he feared for not only his life, but Y/N’s as well. If the creature had done what it did to Connor with Y/N. . .well, Joel didn't even want to think about what he would do.

It seemed he wouldn't have to because at that moment the monster finished up eating Connor and turned its attention towards the curtain. It made a noise that Joel swore was able to rattle his bones. The crossbow was back up in position once again, but his hands were shaking so badly that he knew if he didn't get his fear together he was going to be the monster's dessert to the meal it just ate.

The monster began to stand up on the other side of the curtain, its shadow growing bigger and making Joel gulp. He shakily got the crossbow ready to fire before freezing at the sight of the monster appearing over the top of the curtain.

There were tears in his eyes at this point and Joel couldn't even move as he watched the monster tear the curtain down before moving towards him. A few tears slid down his face and Joel felt the fear and panic coursing through his veins.

He closed his eyes as the monster grew nearer, his face confronting in pain and fear as he felt the monster's breath fanning his face and heard the growls rattling in his head.

Then before he knew what had happened, he heard the sound of something flying through the air and then the monster cried out in agony. He felt someone rush by him and opened his eyes to find Y/N standing above the monster's dead body, one katana dripping with blood in one hand while the other protruded from the center of the monster's face.

"D-Did I kill it, or did you?" Joel whispered, her eyes flickering between Y/N who still had yet to turn around and look at him, Tim, and Anna Lucia.

"What do you think?" Anna Lucia asked.

"Robin," he muttered for he knew she had been the one to save him, his eyes flickering back over to his best friend. It was then that she turned to look at him, her whole body shaking as she breathed heavily and attempted to calm herself down. Joel inhaled sharply at the sight of her, her face covered in dirt and blood while a scratch ran down the length of her arm from where the monster had no doubt tried to grab ahold of her.

Joel began to break at that, tears rolling down his face even more while Y/N pulled the other katana out of the monster's head before shoving them both into their sheaths. She moved forward in an instant, her hands grabbing ahold of Joel's arms while she looked to him with a worried gaze.

"Joel, are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked earning a slow shake of his head in response. "What were you doing? What were you thinking? You could've gotten killed!"

Joel slowly lifted his gaze to her, his whole body still shaking as he whispered, "You-You were in trouble, Robin. I—"

Joel was unable to finish what he was saying, his words being cut off as he closed his eyes and more tears fell. It was obvious he was holding back a sob due to the fact they were in front of other people and Y/N felt herself soften almost immediately.

She was wrapping her arms around his neck without a second thought, pulling him in for a hug which Joel quickly accepted. His arms were around her waist and he held onto her tightly while he shook, his tear filled eyes flickering to the ground where the monster that had been seconds away from killing him laid dead on the ground.

- - -

Oh, and I have a pretty severe freezing problem.

But I am working on it.

- - -

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#love and monsters #love #and #monsters #dylan o’brien x reader #dylan o'brien #joel dawson #joel dawson imagine #joel dawson x reader #joel #Dawson #Aimee #Clyde #minnow #boy #apocalypse

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thewidowsghost · 3 years

Text

The Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 9

(Y/n)'s POV

It doesn't take me long to pack. I decide to leave the Minotaur horn in the cabin, which leaves me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me.

The camp store loans me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. The coins are as big as Girl Scout cookies and have images of various Greek Gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron had told us, but Olympins never used less than pure gold. Chiron said the coins might come in for non-mortal transactions - whatever that might mean. He gives Annabeth, Percy, and me canteens of nectar and Ziploc bags full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It is god food, Chiron reminds us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it is lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally, Fun.

Annabeth is bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she tells me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She is also bringing a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she gets bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I'm sure the knife is going to get us busted the first time we go through a metal detector.

Grover is wearing his fake feet and his pants to pass as a human. He wears a green rasta-style cap, because when it rains his curly hair flattened and you can just see the tips of his horns. Grover's bright orange backpack is full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket is a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knows two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto Number 12 and Hilary Duff's 'So Yesterday,' both of which sound pretty bad on reed pipes.

We wave good-bye to the other campers, take one last look at eh strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hike up the Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, the Daughter of Zeus.

Chiron is waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stands the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy is the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he's wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I can only see the extra eyes on his hands, face, and neck.

"This is Argus," Chiron tells me. "He'll drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

I hear footsteps behind us.

Luke comes running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes. "Hey!" he pants. "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushes, the way she always does when Luke is around.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke tells us. "And I thought . . . um, maybe you could use these."

He hands Percy a pair of sneakers, which look pretty normal.

Then, Luke says, "Maia!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels. The shoes flap around on the ground until the wings fold up and disappear.

"Awesome!" Grover exclaims.

Luke smiles. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days...." His expression turns sad.

Annabeth stomps down the other side of the hill, after arguing with Percy, where a white SUV waits on the shoulder of the road. Argus follows, jingling his car kees.

Percy picks up the flying shoes and then looks up at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

Chiron shakes his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air...that would not be wise for you."

I nod, getting an idea, "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"

His eyes light up. "Me?"

Pretty soon, we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy is ready for launch.

"Maia!" Grover shouts. He gets off the ground, okay, but then falls over sideways so his backpack drags through the grass. The winged shoes keep bucking up and down like tiny broncos.

"Practice," Chiron calls after him. "You just need practice."

"Aaaaa!" Grover goes flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawnmower, heading towards the can.

But before I can follow, Chiron catches my arm. "I should have trained you two better, Percy, (Y/n)," he says. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason - they all got more training."

"That's okay. I just -" I stop myself.

"What am I thinking?" Chiron cries. "I can't let the two of you get away without these." He pulls two pens out of his coat pocket and hands one to me and one to Percy.

Looking down at it, I see a teal-colored gel pen. Maybe cost thirty cents.

"Gee," Percy says. "Thanks."

"Percy, those are gifts from your father. I've been keeping them for years, not knowing you two were the ones I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You two are the ones."

Instinctively I take off the cap, and the pen grows longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I am holding a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a teal and silver leather-wrapped grip. This is the first weapon that feels balanced in my hand.

"That sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron tells Percy. "Its name is Anaklusmos."

"Riptide," Percy translates.

"I have never seen anyone use that sword that I'm aware of," Chiron says, turning to me. "Yours is named Τυφώνας."

"Hurricane," I translate, surprised that the Ancient Greek came so easily to me.

"Use them only for emergencies," Chiron says, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but neither sword would hurt them in any case."

I look down at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"

"Those swords are celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blades will pass through morals like an illusion. They simply are not important for the blade to kill. And I should warn you two: as demigods, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Good to know," Percy says.

"Now recap the pens," Chiron says.

Percy and I touch the pen cap to the sword tips and instantly Riptide and Hurricane shrink to ballpoint pens again. I tuck it in my pocket, a little nervous because it's pretty easy to lose a pen.

"You can't," Chiron says.

"Can't what?" I ask, slightly confused.

"Lose the pens," he says. "They're enchanted. They'll always reappear in your pockets. Try it."

Warily, I throw the pen as far as I can down the hill and watch it disappear in the grass.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron tells us. "Now check your pocket."

Sure enough, the pen is there.

"Okay, that is extremely cool," I admit.

"But what if a mortal sees one of us pulling out a sword?" Percy asks.

Chiron smiles. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist?" I ask.

"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whatever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go fit things into their version of reality.

I put Hurricane back into my pocket.

For the first time, the quest feels real. I'm leaving Half-Blood Hill. I'm heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone - Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be no worse than sending up a flare. I have no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.

"Chiron . . ." Percy says. "When you say the gods are immortal . . . I mean, there was a time before them, right?"

"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."

"So what was it like...before the gods?"

Chiron purses his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually, the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."

"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So...even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?" I ask, feeling rather uncertain.

Chiron gives me a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, (Y/n). The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."

"Our destiny...assuming we know what that is," I say grimly.

"Relax," Chiron tells me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, the two of you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

"Relax," I say. "I'm very relaxed."

When Percy and I get to the bottom of the hill, I look back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron is now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur."

Argus drives us out of the countryside and into western Long Island, It feels weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Grover sitting next to me, Percy on the other side of Grover, as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seems like a fantasy. I find myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parent's car, every billboard and shopping mall.

"So far so good," Percy tells Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

She gives Percy an irritated loo. "It's bad luck to talk that way."

"Remind me again - why do you hate us so much?" Percy asks.

"I don't hate you two."

"Could've fooled me."

Annabeth folds her cap of invisibility. "Look...we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

"Why?" Percy asks.

Annabeth sighs. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"They must really like olives," Percy comments, and I stifle a snort of laughter.

"Oh, forget it," Annabeth grumbles.

"Now, if she invented pizza - that I could understand," I add, in a slightly teasing tone.

"I said, forget it!" Annabeth says, hitting me lightly on the arm.

In the front seat, Argus smiles. He doesn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winks at me.

Traffic slows down in Queens. By the time we get into Manhattan, it is sunset and starting to rain.

Argus drops us at the greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment. Taped to a mailbox is a soggy flyer with mine and Percy's picture on it: Have you seen these children?

Percy rips it down before Annabeth and Grover can notice.

Argus unloads our bags, makes sure we get our bus tickets, then drives away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulls out of the parking lot.

I think about how close I am to the apartment. On a normal day, Mom would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe is probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her.

Grover shoulders his backpack. He gazes down the street in the direction I am looking. "You want to know why she married him, (Y/n)?"

I stare at him. "Were you reading my mind?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Just your emotions," Grover shrugs. "You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"

I nod.

"Your mom married Gabe for you and Percy," Grover tells me. "You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. This guy has this aura . . . Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him o you, and you haven't been near him in a week."

"Thanks," Percy grimaces from Grover's other side. "Where's the nearest shower?"

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy—if that makes you feel any better."

I soften, looking down a the ground. I'll see her again, I think. She isn't gone.

You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispers in my mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end.

The rain keeps coming down.

We get restless waiting for the bus and decide to play some Hacky Sack with one of Groer's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable at it. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Percy wasn't too bad either, but I found that I wasn't that great at it.

The game ends when I toss the apple towards Grover and it gets too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappears - core, stem, and all.

Grover blushes. He tries to apologize, but Annabeth, Percy, and I are too busy cracking up.

Finally, the bus comes.

I am relieved when we finally get on board and find seats together in the back of the bus, Me and Annabeth in one row, and Percy and Grover across from us. The four of us stow our backpacks.

I glance over at Annabeth beside me, who keeps slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.

As the last passengers get on, Annabeth claps her hand onto my knee. "Look!"

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She is wearing a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadows her face and she is carrying a big paisley purse. When she tilts her head up, her black eyes glitter.

I see Percy slump down in his seat.

Behind her comes two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise, they look exactly like Mrs. Dodds - same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dress. Triple demon grandmothers.

They sit in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle cross their legs over the walkway, making an X. It is casual enough, but it sends a clear message: Nobody leaves.

The bus pulls out of the station, and we head through the slick streets of Manhattan.

"She didn't stay dead long," Percy says, his voice quavering a little. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth murmurs. "You're obviously not."

"All three of them," Grover whimpers. "Di immortales!"

"It's okay," Annabeth says, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moans.

"A back exit?" she suggests.

There isn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we are on Ninth Avenue heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," I say. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminds me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" Percy asks.

She thinks about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof . . . ?"

We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus goes dark except for the running lights down teh aisle. It is eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

"I need to use the rest-room."

"So do I."

All three demons start coming down the aisle.

"I've got it," Annabeth says. "Percy, take my hat."

"What?" he says with disbelief.

"You're the one they want. You killed one of them. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

"But you guys -"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth says as she glances over at me. "You're a son of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."

"I can't just leave you," Percy says, looking desperately at me.

"Go," I say, frowning and Annabeth hands him the cap.

The old ladies are not old ladies anymore. Their faces are still the same - I guessed they couldn't get any uglier - but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws; their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surround me, Grover, and Annabeth, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"

The other people on the bus are screaming, cowering in their seats. They see something, all right.

"He's not here!" Annabeth yells. "He's gone!"

The Furies raise their whips.

Annabeth draws her bronze knife. Grover grabs a tin can from his snack bag and prepares to throw it.

Word Count: 3222 words

#percy jackson x sister reader #percy jackson reader insert #female reader #reader insert #fem reader

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