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killuasghost · 10 days

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SLICES OF LIFE # ！︎

↠︎ plot + warnings: hcs on college!jjk men with f!reader roommate and their many adventures with one another!

↠︎ featuring: nanami, toji, choso, gojo, and geto

↠︎ continuing my college!jjk series and we're starting with this! i love the idea of reader having her own relationship with the boys and vice versa!

➞︎ it isn't often that you guys get to go on adventures together.

➞︎ most of the time its a bunch of mini side quests with one another at different times.

➞︎ when you have afternoon classes, gojo and geto are usually finishing up their day as well.

➞︎ which turns into the three of you taking the train into tokyo, blowing gojo's money on sweets and food.

➞︎ sometimes you guys catch a car meet on the off chance y'all end up on that side of town when its happening (a/n: i hc the group to be into cars but geto, toji, and choso are the biggest gear heads)

➞︎ some days, you and nanami spend mornings together.

➞︎ mostly spent in the nooks and crannies of libraries or by the window in a bakery/cafe.

➞︎ sometimes, when you guys have book club, he'll put together a picnic for the two of you.

➞︎ there's a garden with a bunch of Japanese maple trees that the two of you found once.

➞︎ it's y'all's secret third spot. 🤫

➞︎ surprisingly, choso started tagging along with you to toji's practices/matches after a couple months of you doing it.

➞︎ while you were focused on the 'pr' side of things for the boxer, choso took on the role of sparring partner.

➞︎ so now, you had not one, but two gym bros on your hands as choso started hitting the gym srsly.

➞︎ don't worry, it's not always a fist fight with those guys.

➞︎ choso is always finding some new spot to try, mostly art or herbal shops, and toji drives while you tag along for the ride.

➞︎ meanwhile, toji's always finding some mountain to hike! gd its exhausting keeping up with him sometimes!

➞︎ but they're the only two to stick around for when you have your 'bring it on' marathon, so you endure :)

➞︎ geto is in the tattoo shop late at night some weekends and whenever you're available, you pop a squat on the comfy futon he has in his space and chill.

➞︎ he appreciates the company whenever he's working on a client after hours or working hard on designing a new piece.

➞︎ he uses you as a gauge for when he's been working too long. if you've been silent for more than an hour, he knows it's time to wrap it up.

➞︎ gojo is a slut for his monthly massages. he got you one as a birthday gift one year and y'all have been going together ever since.

➞︎ he's always the one you're trying bazaar shit with. cos why tf did he fire up the private jet just so the two of you could visit the blue lagoon.

➞︎ in ICELAND btw

➞︎ toji secretly likes to cook.

➞︎ like loves to cook actually.

➞︎ you only found out when it was just the two of you at home one weekend (nanami on a business retreat with geto, gojo visiting his family (begrudgingly he says), and choso went camping with his brother's) and toji threw down after the joint sesh y'all had.

➞︎ i mean the spread was spreadin'

➞︎ he swore you to secrecy, cooking was smth he didn't want the other's taking advantage of (he's just scared of rejection ((that wouldn't happen)) 🙄).

➞︎ one time y'all took a dessert class and learned to make matcha swiss rolls 🤤

➞︎ toji looked cute in his lil apron and hat ;)

➞︎ choso invites you to art exhibits with him and drags you along to the newest infrastructure being built in the city

➞︎ there's a local pottery/glass blowing shop in downtown Sendai, that the two of you frequent to make clay pottery.

➞︎ at some point, choso designs the most beautiful sculpture out of clay and all of you show up for he showcases it at his first art show!

➞︎ you were the sculpture

➞︎ every once in awhile you guys link up for a group activity.

➞︎ its usually toji's fights but most recently you guys went to the opera!!!

➞︎ geto somehow ended up on stage for a brief moment but that's a story for another time cause 😅

FREE PALESTINE, CONGO, SUDAN, EVERYWHERE !!!!

#storms.treasures #choso kamo #college!jjk #college!nanami #college!geto #college!gojo #college!toji #college!choso #college!jjk x reader #nanami x reader #geto x reader #gojo x reader #choso x reader #jjk x black!reader #anime x black!reader #anime

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teecupangel · 5 months

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Have you ever played the game Transistor? If you haven’t it’s basically a guy gets killed protecting a girl, he is uploaded into the sword that killed him and she is able to hear him. The bad guys are basically templars and are trying to take away power from the masses for the greater good (by making a super powerful tool - the sword). She then goes on a revenge quest with the sword with him encouraging her the whole time. It is an extremely romantic revenge quest.

There is one point, while he is in the sword, where he says something like, ‘when I look up to where the sky should be, all I see is you.’

And I just sort of went, oh dear, that is SUCH a Desmond thing. So yeah lol what if Desmond is in Altair’s sword/hidden blade. Or maybe even the reverse?

Oh god, yeeessss.

That does sound like something they would say XD

Both of them could work as the sword in this scenario but, since we’ve been making Desmond into so many things (mostly animal), let’s make Altaïr the sword for this one.

To be more exact, his consciousness was placed in the Sword of Altaïr after his death.

He doesn’t know how it happened.

He remembered giving the sword to Darim years back, when his hands had gone weak and trembled at times that wielding a sword was simply too dangerous for him and those around him.

And being in the sword made him lethargic. Too weak to do anything but hear what was happening around him.

He heard Darim be with his family.

He heard Darim gifting him to his oldest daughter, his successor.

Not as a mentor but as the successor to the will of the Ibn-La'Ahad, the will to see what lies beyond the unknown.

The sword changes hands for every generation.

Parent to child until…

One of his descendants gave it to his pupil for he did not have any child of his own.

Later on, he fell to the hands of the Auditores.

To Ezio Auditore.

The one they call the prophet.

He was there when Ezio heard Minerva’s message.

He was there when Ezio found his remains.

He was there when Ezio gifted him to the next mentor of the Italian Brotherhood.

Time passed on and he continued to stay in that half-conscious state.

Only hearing.

Even when he tries to speak…

No one heard him.

The world evolves.

People moved forward.

And he soon found himself ‘worthless’ in this world of firearms and heavy machinery.

He was left to rot in a case, cared for with the love of an antiquity with historical value.

He would much preferred to be considered as a tool for death.

At least a tool had a tangible purpose.

As a display, he felt… empty.

One day, the case shattered and a hand gripped him tightly.

And brought him to the Templars.

Daniel Cross.

An Assassin that had been a Templar from the very beginning.

Altaïr knew there was more to it than what he knows but he knows nothing for that was all he heard when Cross gave him to a man named Vidic.

He was placed in an office as a decoration.

No.

A trophy.

All he could do was hear and watch as they killed Assassins and their families.

To purge the Assassins, not caring if they were the elderly or the children.

The Templars had grown more brutal and cold as time passed on.

Some of them cling to their ideology.

Others were blind with their greed for power and riches.

And Altaïr was powerless to stop them.

Powerless to stop the cruelty he hears.

Powerless to stop even just the cruelty in front of him as more and more people fell prey to the torture of the Animus.

Powerless to stop as Clay Kaczmarek stained his blade with blood, whispering to him breathlessly, “It’s okay… soon… you’ll meet him…”

Powerless as they brought the next man, his own descendant, and forced him to watch Altaïr’s own memories.

He had enough.

He had thought he would never feel such rage ever again.

But this…

All of these…

Forgiveness is a kindness Altaïr would never show them.

But he was powerless.

All he could was watch as they find the map in Altaïr’s memories.

All he could was watch as they left Desmond alive and Desmond didn’t even know it was because they plan to use him once more.

To make him trust Lucy Stillman enough to continue to play to their tune.

He watched as Lucy Stillman pretended to be his ally and took him out of his prison. Instead of taking Desmond away as quickly as they could, she orders him to lie down on the Animus once more.

But Desmond…

Desmond stared at him.

Lucy couldn’t stop him. No matter how much she tells him that they have no time and they need to be quick, Desmond didn’t listen.

Desmond walked towards him and placed his hand on his hilt.

And Altaïr…

Altaïr woke for the first time.

“Desmond…”

Lucy didn’t react.

She did not hear him.

But Desmond…

“Altaïr…” Desmond held him close and Altaïr felt his blade sharpened as it glowed lightly. The metal he had used, the very same metals that he had used in his Armor as his Apple instructed…

It hums.

No.

It sings.

“My Desmond…” Altaïr whispered back.

He knew it in what remains in him, trapped in this prison of metal and death.

Desmond was his.

The one he was waiting for…

The one who would understand Altaïr’s centuries of loneliness…

… and his thirst for vengeance…

Unorganized Notes:

Desmond and Altaïr bonds immediately and deeply because (Desmond) Bleeding Effect and (Altaïr) lack of connection and desire for vengeance. They’re very protective of one another.

Yeah, the Sword of Altaïr is a man-made POE like the Armor of Altaïr. Unlike the Armor of Altaïr, Altaïr’s conscious serves as the ‘master unit’ to unlock the metal’s more advanced functions that makes the Sword of Altaïr very similar to the Sword of Eden. The Armor of Altaïr could have served as a lite Shroud of Eden but it didn’t have a ‘master unit’ so it’s just very durable.

This is actually Minerva’s final attempts to change the Calculations after she saw Desmond die and she picked Altaïr because Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton are both being watched by Juno and Altaïr (with Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton) had the highest percentage of connecting with Desmond.

The sword is made of the same metal as an Isu weaponry so it doesn’t alarm any metal detector.

This would be more like Altaïr and Desmond going rogue and starting to destroy Abstergo facilities while taking out Templars without contacting the Assassins. It’s personal for both of them as they both have reasons to want vengeance against the Templars.

Along the way, they start to fall in love.

It is ‘muddied’ if their feelings for one another are their own or if Minerva’s hastily edited Calculations had a hand on it to keep them loyal to one another.

Regardless, Altaïr would probably say “Even if this was fate, what I feel is real. My love for you is real to me. You are all that matters to me, Desmond.” or something similar XD

Lucy would probably die in this one because Altaïr knows she betrayed the Assassins and is part of the reason why a lot of Assassins died (either directly like Clay or indirectly by giving the Templars information).

It’s because of Lucy’s death that Shaun and Rebecca (and the Assassins) would take a more antagonistic role in this one. They don’t know Desmond personally but they know he killed their friends so they might have been ordered to find and ‘capture’ him but they see him as a murdered (even though they also believe that Desmond believes her to be a Templar).

#ask and answer #teecup writes/has a plot #fic idea: assassin's creed #no usual tags because #altdes #transistor altdes au

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dewdrop-writes · 2 years

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Love your Xiao x God!reader fanfic and was wondering if--- since you're continuing Venti's x Reader's into a multi-series like Zhongli's already is--- if you could make another part with Xiao and Reader living that cottagecore life and telling everyone else who dissed her she wanted nothing to do with them. I just kept thinking about how there are Rubedo x Rejected!Reader fics like that and thought... "But what if it were with Xiao???"

Of warm breezes and softened hearts

oh my god yessss cottagecore life with Xiao would be so nice....like he isn't very social so he wouldn't mind the distance but one on one he can be really nice to be with??? And since I'm in a Xiao meed due to the recent archon quest, here comes the boy

This is a spiritual part 2 to THIS

Length: 1k words

The gentle hum of a warm breeze grazed across the lush green blades of grass, rustling them in it's gentle hold. The humming of birds hovered around - carried on by the wind and wrapping the quaint meadow in a beautiful melody.

You hummed along with the birds, a soft smile on your features as you delicately plucked ripe, spongey sunsettias from the branches of a looming cuihua tree. The branches themselves seemed to reach out to you - making picking the fruits an easy task. With a happy hum, you stroked the bark of the tree after clearing it of fruit.

It seemed to make the winds surrounding you excited - as it picked up speed and washed over you in a gust of warm air.

You chuckled and shook your head, already used to such strange antics of the nature around you.

You set out meat and pellets for the wildlife to enjoy, before moving to the little garden outside your small dwelling - pulling out weeds and harvesting carrots, radishes and potatoes. Soon enough, your little basket was filled to the brim with fresh ingredients.

You rounded the corner of your cottage, peeking at the Adeptus who was dutifully grinding wheat into flour and sweet flowers to sugar on your stone mill. You leaned against the wall of your abode, smiling.

He seemed to sense your presence, glancing over his shoulder at you. The warm sun cast a lovely halo of light upon his darkened crown of hair. The corners of his lips twitched upwards into a gentle smile.

"Any progress?" you asked, pushing yourself away from the wall and setting down the basket weighing in your arms. He nodded, motioning towards the canvas bags he'd already filled. You grinned, approaching him.

"Looks like we're set for a while," you spoke softly, looping your arms around his frame from behind. He leaned into the touch.

"I still have some ingredients left," he spoke, "I can grind them all down, if you'd like."

You shook your head, pulling him closer to yourself.

"I think you've done more than enough. How about we head inside and get the oven warm?"

He nodded.

"Anything for you, your grace."

You rolled your eyes playfully.

"It's (Y/n). I've told you hundreds of times to stop calling me by that silly title," you chided, finding enjoyment in the teasing manner his lips quirked upwards.

"Of course, anything for you, (Y/n)."

You ruffled his hair and pecked his cheek, before retreating.

"Come on then, my vigilant Yaksha," you spoke, grabbing a few of the bags off the ground and making your way over to your discarded basket.

With a soft grunt, the man picked up the rest, following you dutifully.

You strained the solids from the creamy almond milk mixture with the help of a cheesecloth, gently pouting the mixture into a ceramic clay bowl you'd made. It was a little lumpy - but did the job well. You poured out a little bit of milk in addition to that and reached for one of the bags of sugar. Digging in with a perfectly shaped ceramic spoon - one Xiao himself had made, you scooped sugar into the mixture. Happily humming to yourself, you mixed the ingredients up, unaware of the silent presence stepping into the room and coming to a halt in the doorway.

You left the ingredients to simmer, as you poured water onto your dirtied hands, shaking off the stray water before wiping them dry with a small towel.

"It smells good," Xiao spoke quietly, yet still managing to startle you.

You whipped around to face the adeptus.

"My apologies - I didn't mean to scare you."

You smiled nervously.

"It's not your fault. It's just a...learned reaction."

You saw irritation flash in his teal eyes briefly.

The two of you rarely spoke of the events prior to your lovely living situation. The hunt for your head, or the time you nearly lost Xiao. It was a sore topic. Thankfully, your abode was situated neatly in a tucked away meadow, with various monsters patrolling the area to keep away intruders. Truthfully, you didn't know if there were any intruders at this point. None had gotten to you, at the very least.

At first, before you'd installed safety measures, the archons and the various citizens of Teyvat had tried to contact you, though. Bringing forth offerings and long winded apologies.

"Your grace, I know what I and my people have done is unforgivable-"

"It is. There's no buts about it," you replied, your shoulders tensed.

The geo archon lowered his gaze.

"Take your stupid gifts and get out of my sight."

You grimaced as the memory refurfaced.

Xiao rushed forward, his gaze searching yours in concern.

"(Y/n)?"

You shot him another shaky smile.

"Bad memories. Nothing more."

He sighed, and hesitantly reached out, caressing your cheek with a calloused hand. You leaned into the touch, closing your eyes.

The sweet scent of almonds, and the ever so faint smell of herbs lingered in your nose, soothing your senses. You cupped Xiao's hand in your own.

"I love you," you whispered softly, opening your eyes.

Xiao looked a little flustered.

"I love you too," he spoke, gently pressing his forehead against yours and placing a chaste kiss upon the tip of your nose. You exhaled in a soft laugh.

Later, that night, you ate almond tofu together in comfortable silence. You watched with proud joy as the adeptus who had first been so keen on not eating - not showing any signs of weakness around you - was lowering his guard and settling into this blissful domesticity you had created.

"It tastes perfect, as expected," he told you after finishing his final bite.

You rolled your eyes.

"I doubt it beats the one served at Wangshu Inn."

He shook his head.

"It tastes much better than theirs."

You smirked.

"Maybe because the main ingredient is love," you cringed inwardly at the cheesiness of the statement.

Xiao, however, seemed taken aback in a pleasant manner.

"Maybe so."

As night dawned upon the two of you, you changed into nightwear, as Xiao prepared himself to go out.

"You know, I doubt you need to go patrolling every night. We should be safe here," you sighed, your brows creasing.

He smiled at you sadly.

"I want to make sure you sleep safe and sound."

You strode over to him, placing a gentle hand on his chest and pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Be safe out there, Xiao."

He nodded.

"I will."

"I better not see a scratch on you tomorrow."

His lips quirked upwards. "You won't."

With that promise lingering in the air, you finally made your way back to bed, slipping under the covers. A final glance exchanged between the two of you, and Xiao was gone, donning his mask.

You allowed your head to hit the pillow below it with a sigh.

You only hoped he would keep that promise.

#genshin impact #genshin #genshin x reader #sagau #genshin sagau #genshin cult au #sagau villain au #self aware genshin #xiao #xiao x reader #xiao x gn reader #xiao x gender neutral reader #alatus

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eldritcmor · 1 year

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more blurbs!

Storm hummed.

"Clarisse can you answer a question for me?"

Clarisse stiffened but nodded anyway.

"How many Greek demigods are in one generation?"

"About one thousand."

"And how many make it to camp?"

"Four hundred spread throughout a few years."

"How many make it past puberty?"

"One hundred."

"How many live long enough to have children?"

Clarisse snorts.

"If they're lucky. Maybe fifty."

"And why is that?"

Clarisse hummed a moment as if in thought.

"Because we are continuously hunted throughout our entire lives. Mind you, that's not factoring in the other things."

"Like?"

"Three is a sacred number for quests, cause anymore and someone is nearly guaranteed to die. Sometimes parents aren't always understanding of the fact that their children are different and well the baby drowned in the bathtub. Other times, we fight wars for the gods. Run errands for the gods. Or we simply notice the monsters too late. Mostly, we find out what we are and die running for a camp that may not be able to take us."

Storm continued to hammer away at the billet of hot metal on their anvil. Price looked on, a grim set to his jaw.

"Kid."

"Don't captain, just don't. If I wanted to throw my life away, I would walk out those doors and simply stop fighting."

Storm took a deep breath and lunged forward. They hadn't seen them yet and now was the time. They quickly scaled the wall nearest to them and slid out the busted window. Glancing back, they briefly made eye contact with what seemed to be the hit squad's captain. A man with some serious facial hair. Someone to watch out for then.

Storm desperately pressed their head into ghost's shoulder, breath coming in harsh pants. Their eyes were wide with panic. Their nails drew blood, as they dug into ghost's forearm. Ghost made a quiet noise of pain as he attempted to calm Storm down.

"Storm! Storm!" A quiet whimpered phrase reaches his ears. A continuous chant "trahere eum." Storm kept attempting to curl over their stomach.

Storm smiled, a sad bittersweet thing as they watched "they" stalk closer. They tasted blood on the back of their tongue and the iron pipe to the gut certainly wasn't helping. They cooed as "they" leered over them.

"Hello [REDACTED]. It's good to see you again." Storm spoke the forbidden name with a dying man's confidence. They reached up, swiping a thumb along "they"s jaw. Leaving a trail of crimson blood.

"They" no longer looked the part of a healthy human. The illusion that had been so carefully constructed by storm stripped into nothingness. Instead a corpse walked on tree branch limbs. Skin grey from decay and stained a bright red with Oklahoma clay. Their chest cavity was open to the wind, sternum split and guts missing, save for a lump of rotted black flesh that served as a heart.

Storm felt their heart slowing from blood loss, pain becoming a distant haze. Tears trickled down their cheeks in a slow stream.

"I'm sorry [REDACTED], I'm sorry I was such a lousy sibling. But at least now, two will leave instead of one."

The funeral was a quiet affair. Just taskforce 141, Laswell, and a few friends of storm.

Gaz hummed as he shuffled a few cards into the deck.

"Question. What exactly do we know about storm?"

Soap cocked his head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"Like outside of their military career, what do we know about them?"

"Well they probably have family, right? I mean they're never on base when we go on leave."

Ghost rumbled.

"Depends on the leave. Anything longer than five days and they're off base. Shorter and they stick around."

"Oh right, LT you usually stick to base. What do they do?"

"They train and cook mostly."

"Train? Like in the gym? I thought they mostly used the trails around base to train."

"Don't remind me, training with them is brutal. I still don't know where they got a cow that fuckin angry."

"They stick to the gym a little bit. Mostly using the sparring mats."

Soap snorts.

"To what? Roll around by themselves?"

"No, they use them for sword drills."

"Sword drills? Where the fuck did they get a sword?"

"Never asked."

"So you didn't question why they have a sword?"

"Nope. They usually go till they drop though."

"Drop?"

"Till they can't hold the sword up anymore. Sometimes past that."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"They don't complain about it, even if we have a mission the next day."

"Oh, what do they cook? Cause you said they train and cook?"

"Johnny, who do you think makes those baked apples you like so much?"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. They cook a variety mostly and there's always extra portions."

Storm stared down at the tiny pair of gossamer wings they had just coughed up. This couldn't be here. It couldn't have infected them again! And yet, they could feel it building under their skin. The pulsing rush of heat and power riding along their nerves. They had to leave. They had to leave now! Storm rushed out of the bathroom and to their room. Yanking on clothes and swiping an empty duffle from under their bed. Basic first aid kit, a couple of knives, a few changes of clothes, a canteen, and any non-perishable food they had on hand. All of it went into the bag. They threw the bag on their back and started walking. A glance at the clock in the common room said it was somewhere around 3:00am. Good, no one would see them go. Probably. They left their phone and wallet on their bunk. No need for them anymore, the power humming under their skin would probably fry them immediately anyways. They climbed into their car and got the fuck off base.

Storm pulled to a stop. The sun was peeking over the horizon now. Their watch said 6am. They had been driving for three hours straight. Taking a mix of back roads and country lanes. They had one goal in mind and one destination. Get the fuck away before the horrible power built too fast and exploded and the reserve lands for the well more human hungry side of things. They could feel the power writhing under their skin. Storm knew their control was slipping and slipping fast. They rested a hand on the hood of their car and released their hold on that burning power. The car crunched under their touch. The frame warped, twisted, and folded inward. The windows imploded under the force. The body crumpled with a horrible screech of metal. The car looked like something had twisted it till it had juiced like an orange. It was barely enough to take the edge off of the power building in Storm's body but it would do for now. Storm booked it into the thick forest around them immediately after. The power rebuilt with each step, until it was too much. Way too much, and the world exploded in a blinding flash of searing lightning. Storm screamed.

Price was staring down at his phone. Soap peeked over the captains shoulder to see what was holding his attention for so long.

It was a video. A video of storm in a faded orange T-shirt and jeans pinning someone to the dirt as they fought like animals. There was a big crowd around them, and even others fighting in the background.

A voice comes through the speaker.

"Hi, uh storm kinda just shoved the phone in my hands. I'm uh well just call me spoon. Anyway, yeah we just made into the reunion's grievance portion." The audio is briefly overtaken by someone screaming Storm's full name as they practically tackle them off of the other person. Storm switches to fighting them. "KICK THAT ARES KID ASS STORM! Anyway, yeah uhm I don't know what to say here. How do I stop recording anyway? STORM!"

Storm briefly looks up. "YEAH! WHAT IS IT?"

"HOW DO I STOP RECORDING?"

Storm hollers as they are pinned in the dirt. "RED BUTTON."

"Ah, okay. Red button...red button. There you are." The video cuts off.

Soap Snickers.

"Wait is that why they requested like two weeks of leave? For that?"

Price snorted. "Their reasoning was family reunion. And I guess yeah that checks out."

Fingers carded through storm's hair as they slowly come to. Their brain felt fuzzy and their awareness was narrowed down to the fingers scratching and tugging at their scalp. Their eyes felt heavy. Oh so heavy. They don't think they can open them fully right now. The fingers briefly pause before resuming their motions as they grunt in effort from cracking their eyes open.

"Easy Corporal, your safe. Your okay." Everything is fuzzy indistinct shape but that rumble is familiar. Ghost. Guess the team had made it in time after all. Storm relaxes back into sleep, reassured that their team came for them.

Storm grinned as they looked Philip Graves dead in the face with a very happy grin.

"You have a very punchable face."

Grave's just blinked in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

Storm just grinned.

"You have a punchable face."

Grave's chuckled nervously.

"What does that even mean?"

"It means I would start running." Soap laughed as he walked by, a cup of tea in hand.

Graves stared.

Storm stared.

Graves sighed and looked storm dead in the eyes.

"Okie?" He asked and already Price could see Graves tense.

Storm grinned, something sharp and feral.

"Tex." They stayed. "Good to see ya, man."

Graves sighed with relief. "Good to see ya too, okie. Why ya here?"

Storm hummed as they rocked back on their heels. "Laswell sent me, said somethin' bout a taskforce might be dealin' with what I handle. That and I didn't forget whatcha said bout my ma."

Graves tensed immediately, raising his hands in a surrender motion. "Now now, okie. That was a long time ago."

Storm snorted. "Sure it was. But unfortunately for you, I don't take kindly to shit like that so plain and simple, start runnin' Tex."

*141 is trapped in a building that is on lockdown and the lights have shut off completely*

"Have you eaten today?"

"No, why?"

"Damn. Here eat this granola bar."

"Oh. Oh sweet, it's the good granola."

*Storm Munching noises*

"Great, now hold still."

"Wha?"

*A loud slap echos throughout the space and a soft orangey glow eminates from one person.*

"Did you forget that your gift was dubbed glow stick?"

"Little bit yeah."

Storm is dead. STORM is dead. Storm IS dead. Storm is DEAD. Simon could feel the anger and panic rushing under his skin. STORM IS DEAD! Their blank eyes stared at him as he attempted to break his restraints. Unfortunately these weren't amateurs who had captured them. Wrists behind him and separated, ankles trapped against the legs, chest secured under several winds of rope, and Storm. Was. Dead. No longer would someone sharpen his combat knives to a razor's edge as they relaxed on their bunk. No longer would someone be on base with him when the rest of the team went on short periods of leave. No longer would food appear at his elbow when he was knee deep in paperwork because they didn't know how to Express themselves with words. No longer would someone intentionally seek him out when he was on the roof to smoke and chat about anything under the sun. Ghost flinched back as Storm's killer crossed into his line of sight. His teeth ached to bite of the fuckers throat. To make the bastard pay for putting a bullet in Storm's head. To pull Storm across his shoulder and make sure they at least still got a funeral.

#call of duty x reader #cod mw2 #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #141 x reader #kyle gaz garrick #taskforce 141 #captain john price #Eld writes

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kookaburra1701 · 10 months

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WIP Wednesday - Aristeia

tagged by @mareenavee, @sylvienerevarine,@paraparadigm, @saltymaplesyrup, tyty friends!

I am tagging @skyrim-forever @gilgamish @greyborn2 @dirty-bosmer @thana-topsy @nientedenada @totally-not-deacon

Fandom: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Rating: T (blood and violence) Category: gen Genre(s): Adventure, Homer retelling Main characters: Borgakh the Steel Heart, the orcs of Mor Khazgur

Summary: Borgakh is a dutiful daughter of Mor Khazgur, an orc stronghold in a remote corner of the Reach that has existed since the Merethic era. Expected to someday become the shield-wife of a distant chieftain, Borgakh tries to uphold the Code of Malacath as best she can. But when her father, the chief of their stronghold, goes missing while on a quest for vengeance, the suitors that show up to vie for his place cause no end of trouble and threaten the strength of Mor Khazgur. Borgakh soon finds herself traveling far from home across the Druadach Mountains to find her father and save the stronghold.

The first chapter is here on AO3.

Here's a bit for chapter 2!

Borgakh left Gul and Olur in the meadow, and continued along the base of the slope. She followed a faint track, barely more than a deer trail, as she kept her eyes on the familiar landmarks that told her she was choosing the correct path to reach the sheltered winter pasture.

Clink.

The butt of her staff struck something metal as she placed it on the ground while navigating a rocky outcropping. Borgakh frowned and knelt to clear away the fresh, wet pine needles that littered the trail.

A small silver-colored brooch glinted in the sun. The overall shape was that of a diamond formed by two wings flanking a stylized dragon. She had only seen that symbol once before - on the armor Olur was wearing when he had returned from the Legion to take his place in the stronghold.

The brooch was pressed into the dirt in the middle of a large boot print, the dimples from hobnails pockmarking the crushed grass. Borgakh stood and looked further up the trail.

The path ahead was torn, fresh red clay visible where turf had been cut by heavy feet. A breeze brought her the sharp, clean scent of a crushed juniper bush. There was a scrap of red wool caught on a tree branch.

Borgakh broke into a run, climbing as fast as she could. This trail led to only one place.

“Cario, you oaf!” The shout rang out ahead, the deep male voice followed quickly by the sound of bells and panicked bleating. Then laughter.

Borgakh burst into the clearing where Mor Khazgur’s goats were kept on pasture through the winter. It was a sheltered place, large enough to sustain Mor Khazgur’s small and hardy herd, and surrounded on three sides by sheltering arms of rock. There was too little grass to keep a grazing flock of sheep, but enough shrubs, brambles, and trees to satisfy the goats. It was high enough up the mountains that predators rarely bothered them, but low enough that forage was rarely covered by snow.

But now there were three men- human men- arms outstretched and turned away from her as they moved in a line towards the half-dozen or so goats huddled against one of the rock walls that now trapped them.

Rage bubbled up in Borgakh’s throat, and before she was conscious of doing so the battle cry her mother had taught her ripped from her throat as she charged at the men.

“What in the-” the man closest to her turned and she had only a split second of satisfaction seeing the confusion in his face as she brought her crook down hard on his bare head. He dropped like a stone.

#mor khazgur #fic: aristeia #borgakh the steel heart #skyrim fanfiction #skyrim #tesblr #wip wednesday #kb writes #orc posting hours #it's not easy being green #orc #hot orc summer

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tavtiers · 3 months

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requesting for a rogue of blood classpect analysis pls :]

The Rogue of Blood [symbols: domino mask, bleeding cut]

The Rogue class is based on Robin Hood.

The Blood aspect’s main theme is connection. You can find its official description here.

A Rogue of Blood is among those who use paths, drive, and passion. This is the “classpect group” they belong to. Members include: the Knight, Page, Thief, and Rogue of Breath/Blood. These classes are all opposites or inverses of each other that use the Breath/Blood dichotomy (paths, drive, and passion). A description of classpect groupings can be found here.

The Rogue of Blood passively steals the Blood aspect. Passive classes are guided by others or act for the benefit of others. They are more likely to be kind, but less likely to stand up for themselves. Thieves and Rogues steal their aspect and everything it symbolizes to grant it to someone else. Simplified, the Rogue of Blood is motivated by others to steal connection.

In personality, the Rogue of Blood lacks self control and has a strong sense of responsibility. Personality descriptions can be found here.

Their archetype is the Free Spirit Promised, defined by reckless connection. Archetypes are explained here.

Their opposite is the Thief of Breath, who actively steals freedom.

Their inverse is the Knight of Breath, who actively utilizes freedom.

A classpect or “god tier” is an individual’s best self. All classpects go through a journey from unrealized, to struggle, to realized. When a character is unrealized, they neutrally exist as their inverse. On their struggle, they will wildly flip back and forth between their inverse and true classpect. In their worst moments they will act as their inverse, in their best their true classpect. When realized, they will stabilize as their true classpect. They will still have room to grow, but will become happier, more successful people.

This means that the Rogue of Blood begins life motivated by themselves to utilize freedom. When their struggle arrives and they are at their worst, they will continue this behavior in negative extremes. However, when at their best, they will find purpose in instead stealing connection for others. When realized, they will stabilize and continue to steal the Blood aspect passively, in a positive way.

They share their archetype with the Prince of Heart, the Promised Free Spirit.

The Rogue of Blood would quest on a planet similar to the Land of Cubes [Rogue] and Blood [Aspect]. An example would be the Land of Clay and Golems. An explanation of planet naming conventions can be found here.

Two possible gods, or denizens, to reign over their planet would be Hera (Goddess of Marriage Vows) or Prometheus (Deliverer of Civilization). Other Blood aspect denizens can be found here.

When the Rogue of Blood completes their planet quests and dies on their quest bed, they would rise to ascension on the wings of mosquitoes (symbols of blood). A list of soul animals can be found here.

The characters that I have currently classpected as Rogues of Blood are: Bard from Lord of the Rings and The Warden from Dragon Age.

If any of the links not connected to my blog break, the content can be found on my Google Drive.

Official Aspect Descriptions Personality Descriptions Aspect Denizens

#rogue of blood #classpecting #god tier analysis #homestuck #my post #ask #bard the bowman #hero of ferelden #lotr #dragon age

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cafalla · 5 months

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Pokémon BW Rival Destinies: Wrath of the Legends (2013) Comic Storybook Scans

The second book (here is a link to the first!) is titled "Wrath of the Legends", and is adapted from parts one and two of the episode "Stopping the Rage of Legends!" This book is about Ash and crew going to the Island of Legends, where they get caught up in a battle between the Forces of Nature.

Ash tries to battle Clay for the Driftveil gym badge, but instead is given a fetch quest to refill the revival herb stock at the gym.

They set out for Milos island and meet a guy named Lewis, who says the revival herbs are drying out and the grass Pokémon of Milos island are falling ill.

They learn that the island has a legend involving the revival herbs and the legendary Pokémon Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus.

The crew attempt to summon Landorus, who is the peacekeeper of the three, and instead Tornadus shows up.

Tornadus is here and it is not happy. Apparently an obelisk that protects the island from Tornadus and Thundurus has been destroyed. Thundurus also shows up, and it too, is not happy.

And of course, these two are both not happy at all to see each other, thus making them each more unhappy. Quite the unhappy bunch we have here.

Turns out Team Rocket is behind the destroyed obelisks, and all is going according to keikaku for them. And yes, I'm putting this panel out of sequence because it literally says "according to Team Rocket's evil plan…".

All according to keikaku.

The gang try to fight the feuding legendary Pokémon to no avail.

For some reason, Lewis is sure Landorus will show up if it is summoned by a shrine maiden. He just decides to appoint Iris as a shrine maiden…I guess because she is a girl?

Apparently any girl dressed up in shrine maiden clothing will work.

You look great, sweetie! Also just love how Iris looks like she is indoors while the guys reacting to her are outside? Lewis, it already looks like you are back at the shrine. Also love Ash's singular "Wow!" and Cilan's dead open mouth stare.

Iris does look cute in her shrine maiden outfit. Here are a couple more pics of her.

I'm a sucker for characters getting interesting alternative outfits for plot.

So the gang summon Landorus - Pokémon battles and Team Rocket shenanigans ensue. All that's really important is that the gang defeat Team Rocket, save the legendary Pokémon, and Landorus stops the fighting between Thundurus and Tornadus.

Now I'm going to share some panels of that are meant to be very serious, but are just downright (Darius) hilarious to me.

I love when there is supposed to be a serious moment between powerful Pokémon and they aren't saying anything besides their names! It's so comical, I love it.

They have such a way with words.

The legendary Pokémon calm down and work together to give life back to the island. The revival herbs and grass Pokémon flourish and heal from their illness while Ash and gang continue on their journey.

And yeah! That's basically it for this book.

I did forget to mention Lewis has a partner Pokémon, Gothorita. Just like Palpitoad in Book #1, Gothorita steals the show for me with her expressions.

We stan a goth(orita) queen.

。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°

That's all I have for now, it was quite fun going through these books. My Pokémon anime experience ends with Pokémon Advance, which took place in Generation 3. I enjoyed revisiting the anime art style!

I'm not sure if there are more books in this series, as I only found these two (link again to the first one!) at the store.

As always, you can read the whole book(s) and view higher quality scans on my Internet Archive account.

Thanks for reading!

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doubleddenden · 5 months

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Enough time has passed that I think I can do an accurate full scale review for Indigo Disk.

My initial first impressions review of 6/10 was spot on, even with the post game mechanics and additional story.

More under the cut, beware of major spoilers

Story

What's here is fine, but flawed. It is way too short, even with the extra doodads, and not enough time and energy went into it.

Since this is a continuation of Teal Mask, I was expecting to run into some of Kieran's former bullies or to meet a certain Pokémon on his team, or at least see more instances of him being a jerk to other students, but besides a couple of instances there's not really a lot going on here to build him up.

Same with Carmine. You battle her once and that's it. I was hoping to have some kind of introspection with her, maybe she's a victim of a Mean Girls scenario and that's why she became a tad bitchy, but at best she's just worried about her brother and along for the ride.

Terapagos is supposed to be the star of the DLC- literally named The Treasure of Area Zero, but he barely had screen time besides 1 very amazing boss battle. I fear this is another anime Zygarde situation.

Briar basically did nothing besides be a little reckless. Literally if she were removed from the plot, nothing of value would have been lost. She's essentially just a red herring they through out thinking they were clever for tricking us into thinking she was the big bad or at least a bit more important, but in actuality she was just a let down all around. I can't help but feel like they had something bigger planned but scrapped it.

Not to mention the loose ends still left behind regarding Area Zero and the book. Yes I did that extra scene, and honestly it just confuses me further, so I assume we have to wait until the "epilog" is released.

Still, a half assed "paradoxes are from other timelines" was the only answer we got about how Paradox Pokémon got to Area Zero before the time machine. Not the professor or someone else bootstrap looping by sending Pokémon to the past to purposely plant seeds to ensure they come to AZ, just a very tissue paper strength answer.

We still get nothing about the mysterious symbols, the strange metals, the crystal tree, nothing is really answered and it's probably just the result of a room of writers at Game Freak patting themselves on the back and saying "we like mystery :) we did good!" Well, sorry, no you didn't.

This gives me Lost vibes and The Promised Nederland vibes. The Promised Nederland vibes in the sense they built this amazing potential in the base game- season 1 of you will- filled with mystery and intrigue, but then tried to either ignore or half ass things in Season 2- The dlc. Lost comes into play because I honestly think they had no intention of truly explaining anything and had no real clear cut end game in mind except to get people hooked. Like I'm nor asking for a Legends Paldea where we explore the depths with Heath- okay I do want that but I'm not asking right now- I would have been very, very satisfied if there were at least more journals and entries or pages that explained things. As it is now, though, it just won't happen.

And maybe I'm wrong and the epilog will fix everything and give us the answers I seek, but I sincerely doubt it.

At least what's here is passable enough. I like the BBE4 and Drayton is a loveable piece of shit. I still hate that Lacey confirms Clay fucked though. No Elesa is not her mom, that's fake info.

I miss Carmine and Kieran and hate that they're just gone as of now.

BBQ quests

Tedious. Tedious and monotonous. I don't want to play multi-player and I don't have friends with Nintendo Online and DLC to play with, nor the bandwidth. Why am I being punished for that? The quests are fine but you have to do them for several fucking hours to get anything worth it out of the deal.

Coaches

I like the idea and love all the different interactions here and there. The rematch teams are updated, too, but unfortunately remain single battles, so they're pretty easy in comparison to the rest of Indigo Disk. I did have trouble with some after changing out my party for weaker pokemon, but it was never a critical danger moment except for Hassel.

I will say, I love the implications of some of the dialog. Tulip and the school nurse are just very lesbians for Dendra, Saguro and Kofu radiate General Armstrong and Sig handshake energy, and Geeta is trying to recruit everything with a pulse to join the Elite 4.

It's this level of heart I wish they bothered to put into the base DLC.

What I hate is that it costs so much to rotate them around to get gold borders. It's necessary to do something special apparently- but btw the last 3 slots are story locked until the Epilog drops. Yaya future content, boo withholding content.

Oh and they fixed Geeta's team. Her new ace is actually terrifying.

New Pokémon

Fantastic all around. Archaludon is fun af to use, Hydrapplin fixes what I dislike about Dipplin, the paradoxes are all neat, Terapagos's Stellar form is beautiful and powerful as hell, great all around.

Music

I think we're in Sonic territory where the quality of games goes down but the music just keeps getting better and better. No flaws, love the Unova love! It even fixes Ed Sheeran's Celestial imo- a song kinda shoved in that has nothing to do with Pokémon except maybe to trigger content flags on YouTube.

The remix by Toby Fox actually has elements of music from Scarlet and Violet, it's chill overall, and the lyrics actually sort of kinda have context now? Rinse and Repeat makes it sound relevant to the cycles of bullying and the paradox plots as a whole, and Kieran's spiral actually fits it. Overall a vast improvement.

Difficulty

Guys, it is refreshingly difficult. It's like a dip into Colosseum again with the strategies the BBE4 uses. Drayton actually beat me TWICE. I NEVER lose. The rest were easier, but still required a bit more thinking than "press A to win."

The only downside is that it is sort of a snowball effect. Initially it might be difficult to overcome, but you will gain levels very quickly, which of course diminishes challenge. I'm not joking when I say that the team I went in with, roughly late 60s to 70 by the time I caught them all, are now ALL level 100, which is the quickest I've ever gotten a completely fresh team to it.

Customization

I said it before but it's just lacking. The new uniforms look better than most of the others, come in more varieties, and I'll be honest? Feel less fetishy in the l*li and sh*ta direction. I'm still not completely satisfied but I can make it work. New hair still sucks but I do like the new Star glasses and uniform.

I'm just going to say it though, this was definitely a way to cut corners on customization and they should just let us dress how we want again. Too much limitation makes me look like everyone else playing the game. It was dumb but excusable this time, but it won't fly again in the future. Just saying.

Graphics and performance

Let's do it like this:

The good: graphics in some areas, when loaded in, genuinely look up to date and beautiful to look at. The tropical area, savanna, and under depths are very beautiful locations, the classrooms look extremely polished, lots of gorgeous visuals all around, and even older Pokémon have some updated visuals.

I'll also say the Terrarium is just better visually than Kitakami and Paldea.

The bad: performance still sucks ass and Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, and Game Freak should all be fucking ashamed for charging $95 for what is essentially a stuttering mess that struggles not to shit itself at times. Like the GAUL to leave in map flickering in the first cutscene meant to show you how beautiful and vast the Terarium is is astounding. Give back your Award for Excellence until you actually deserve it, you're no longer an indie company and it's time you behaved like it, Game Freak. Absolute shame on you. You've had over a year to fix this and still haven't.

World's richest franchise, people.

Overall

There's plenty to salvage here that makes it fun and engaging, but the same issues have yet to be fixed and the story just refuses to tie up some loose ends that NEEDED to be explored. It's also just CRIMINALLY short, and I actually took my time. What we got is okay but it's not the same quality of story we got for Arven or Team Star, and honestly I feel like it would have been better to save these characters for another game. They padded it out with tedious quests that just get annoying after a while and feel like a punishment, especially for single players.

While I love the idea of old style event Pokémon coming back, I hate that we have to wait to experience something that- heads up- is ALREADY IN THE GAME. That's just stupid imo and would have really helped keep things going.

So yeah, just barely passing at 6/10. Depending on the epilog, that may go between a 4 or 7.

#pokemon #pokemon scarlet and violet #the indigo disk #indigo disk #pokemon scarlet and violet spoilers #Indigo disk spoilers #doubled plays games #den reviews stuff

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lorillee · 10 months

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ok. ace attorney 5 final case thoughts. briefly.

the phantom twist SUCKEDDDD there was absolutely no buildup no foreshadowing no anything like truly embarrassing for this series. its ace attorney and they give you absolutely no hints on who the final antagonist is gonna be? cringe. like the thing is im not even opposed to the idea of it - having the detective we've been running around with for the past 5 cases actually being a traitor and an awful person is like. a fun twist. thats fun. however the execution was embarrassingly uncompelling and sooooo lazy. like his entire plot was very standard lazy writing "ooooooh the phantom just magically predicted that all these things that he couldnt possibly have been counting on were going to happen and pulled off this incredibly insane convoluted plot bceause he was just sooooo smart" like . cringe and lame and boring etc. his relationship with simon had like an incredibly interesting premise and clearly simon did actually trust him to some degree having told him about his epic revenge quest but then when its revealed that bobby is the phantom he's been searching for hes just like. normal about it. its so boring like COME ON let him be at least a little upset about this.

the end of the game had a less intense version of ace attorney 4's central problem - namely that the writers were afraid of actually committing to a second gen. like the core of this case should be focusing on the blackquills and the cykes and apollo & clay but i feel like none of that was really as explored as it ought to have been? like edgeworth and pearl get dragged into this for some reason even though frankly you could cut them out pretty easily without issue and it wouldve made the entire thing flow a lot better.

simon & auras relationship doesnt get fleshed out nearly as much as it should have been - apparently shes been working for the past 7 years to get simon a retrial but also just . isnt in contact with him? she has an incredible amount of resentment of the courts, defense attorneys, and particularly prosecutors, but we get no exploration of how that affects her perception of simon who continues to act as prosecutor even after his false indictment. the relationship between the cykes & the blackquills also doesnt really get much in depth exploration as i feel like it ought to have - simon & athena's relationship, which is like half the heart of this case, kind of gets oddly skimmed over? like athena becomes a lawyer for him and he gets the death penalty to prevent the possibility that athena would get arrested for a crime she didnt commit, but they get like no heart to hearts and very few interactions reflecting this relationship. its so bizarre and it kills me because i am so interested in this.

athena's relationship with aura too also i feel like shouldve gotten more development - we know aura blames her for metis' death and the whole mess that ensues afterwards, but like. after she gets cleared aura is just normal again. like shes fine and happy about athena getting released and apparently harbors absolutely 0 resentment now despite having dedicated the past 7 years to hating her guts. also, they had to have known each other before the whole incident, but that relationship gets absolutely no exploration or mention or anything. metis & auras relationship ALSO gets incredibly brushed over but im not sure if thats because they implied that aura had a thing for her and didnt want to get into it for censorship reasons or what. still, for a relationship that caused half the drama in this episode its woefully underexplored. simon's relationship with metis is ALSO, frankly, woefully underexplored as well. like we get basically nothing with them and its just. AUUGHUGHG we were so close to something great here. truly

for the other core relationship that this case hinges on - namely, apollo & clay - im honestly a bit disappointed in how that entire thing played out. like i wanted my epic apollo gets consumed by his desire for revenge a bit arc. hes absolutely torn apart with anger and frustration and grief over this and runs off with the implication that he may end up doing some Questionable And Unethical Things because sometimes thats how it goes but then that never like. goes anywhere really. like yeah he accuses athena but thats because theres a reason to be suspicious of her and then its immediately resolved with 0 problems. they never actually take that plot thread anywhere and it KILLS MEEEE i wanted them to actually really dig into apollos character and motivations and so on and so forth and they did a little bit but not as much as i wouldve liked. but that seems to be the main problem with this case. they had a lot of cool and interesting ideas but lacked the time or resources or budget to flesh them out appropriately and the entire thing kind of falls flat for it. SIGH. oh well at least next game i get to see maya again

#lorillee liveblogs aa5 #but first. ITS TIME FOR THE DLC !!!!!!!!!!!!!! and also i need to check something out first

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violet27writes · 4 months

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The Storms of Shipwreck Island

AO3

---

-Spoiler Warnings For The Unwanteds Quests Series! Stop reading now if you don't want spoilers! I mean it, this is your only warning!-

(But this fic is Aaron-Centric, so… I would disregard the warning in favor of Aaron and Daniel)

Summary: The missing scene of what Aaron experienced following Alex's death.

- - -

Aaron Stowe sat in the sand, waves lapping up and reaching for his ankles. It was so peaceful now, this place called Shipwreck Island. And he had claimed the only edge of the island that was a sand-covered beach rather than a jagged edge of rock and debris.

His hands worked on repairing a fishnet, wondering if it would be stronger after this, or if his attempts would simply tear it more. It was usually the latter, although he was slowly getting better at it.

Yes, he seemed to be relaxed, at peace, with not a care in the world- But the exact opposite was his reality.

His wife -His beloved, beautiful wife- Kaylee, his brother, Alex, and his friends, his only true friends, were on a dangerous quest: To save his sisters. Somehow that entailed journeying to ‘the end of the world.’ Possibly the most dangerous thing they’ve ever done because of how much they didn’t know going into it.

Of course Aaron wished he had gone with them. Sure, he wasn’t that great with a sword, or very strong in hand-to-hand combat, or was even really qualified for a quest like theirs. However, he was good with magical components and he could take a hit or two (Or four or five).

But for now, all he hoped was that they were safe. The unthinkable was if they weren’t.

The wind gently blew through his hair and clothes as he closed his eyes, the scent of the sea wafting over him in a comforting way. Maybe Aaron wasn’t without a care, but he wouldn’t deny that he was surrounded by tranquility. By the gentle waves crashing against the meager little shore. By-

His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp tug of his hair. A little grunt escaped his lips as he gently grabbed the hand that held his brown locks captive.

The little hand was that of his son, Daniel.

His head and neck craned uncomfortably toward his son, trying to pry his fingers apart to make him let go. “Okay, please let go of daddy’s-” Daniel pulled again, exclaiming his joy with a yell. “Ow. Please let go?”

The toddler continued to smile, even as Aarom finally released himself from Daniel’s grasp.

“Ow, bud. That’s not how to get my attention.” Aaron said, rubbing his head.

“Up?” Daniel asked, holding his arms out.

Aaron smiled and exchanged the fishnet for his son, bringing him into his arms.

The toddler just smiled and grabbed the end of his father’s sleeve, pulling it towards his mouth.

“No,” Aaron said lightheartedly, “That’s yucky!”

Daniel moved the sleeve away from his mouth, but continued to hold it tightly in his chubby little hands, “Uck!”

Aaron smiled again at his son, “Where did your ball go?”

Daniel started looking around, and the fact that he didn’t immediately see his ball made him pout. Aaron glanced up and spotted the hollowed out clay ball laying discarded a few feet away. He set his son down and stood up, shaking the loose sand of his clothing. Then he took Daniel’s hand and they walked over to retrieve the ball, Daniel toddling and cooing on the short way over.

The toddler let go of his father’s hand and gently grabbed the ball, squealing with glee.

Aaron’s gaze drifted to the blue waves that were slowly rising and falling at the island’s edge. He started thinking about his family again, and wondered how much longer it would be until they arrived home.

Daniel toddled back and showed off the ball to his father, exclaiming with another squeal of delight.

“Yeah,” Aaron replied gently, “And what a nice ball that is.” He picked up his son and started heading back to the scientists. To their little home.

But Daniel squirmed to get put back down, so Aaron put him back down and he started walking beside his father. Aaron smiled a sad smile, at his young age, Daniel was already becoming more independent. More so than he remembered any other toddlers of Artimé being. The boy was hardly nine months and already walking with wobbly steps.

It always brought some sort of sadness to think that he would soon become an independent ten-year-old, then a reckless teenager, which leads to a fully-fledged adult. He would cherish every one of those moments, though. The way his parents never had with him.

It had been five years since their passing, and he still wasn’t sure what to think of them. Yes, they had raised him and his brother, Alex, the only way they could, but whether that was with any love or just obligation, he might never know. They had more or less discarded his brother when Alex had been declared an Unwanted, never saying his name after the Purge. There had been no sadness, no regret. They simply moved on, getting back to work, their faces always lacking emotions.

And then they had two more children. Daughters. His younger sisters, Fifer and Thisbe. Would they have suffered the same fate as him and Alex? No one would ever know. Had it been purposeful? Did they really want to bring more children into such a broken world? Or was it that obligation to produce more Wanteds?

With a sigh, Aaron glanced down at his son, grateful that his sisters didn’t have to be raised the way he was -With that fear, with all the walls that no one ever dared to knock down- Though it had come with the price of their parents, who they would never know, and whom no one could really tell them about. Because there had been nothing to tell.

That gratitude, he felt the same way with his son. And he would do it with both parents at his side, perhaps some little siblings there too. Now that seemed like bliss.

If Daniel never had to endure the danger that had plagued Aaron in his entire life… Well, it was a wonderful thought.

He glanced at the advancing tide, a sign that nap time was coming up, although Daniel was a little too riled up to go down easily. A bit of downtime should help with that. Though he’d have to keep the scientists away. Yes, they were like the parents he never had, so kind and patient with him even at his worst- But they always riled him up even more, and then he wouldn’t sleep, and a tired Daniel isn’t fun for anyone.

The scientists. That reminded him of the fishnet, prompting him to turn around and retrieve it.

The moment he turned on his heel was when the pain hit.

Aaron had been struck. Shot. Or run through, maybe. His chest blossomed in pain, right next to his heart. His knees instantly bucked as he cried out in pain. When his body hit the sand, both hands went to his wound, reaching for whatever was there. Only, his hands came away clean and empty, and a quick glance revealed that there was not even an indention in his shirt. Well, other than one of his fists, still groping at it in disbelief.

Another shock of pain racked him, causing him to whimper. What was this? Some sort of spell? Multiple heart attack spells? It was possible- But also impossible. No one on this island would purposely cause him harm. And he hadn’t heard the verbal incantation to go with it.

For a moment, he waited, fully expecting the pain to fade, as maybe he just strained himself. Instead, it got worse, shifting from the stab-like pain to what felt like fire, burning from the inside out. His fist tightened around his shirt.

Was he dying? Was he not really unkillable like he believed? If he was, why now- What was causing it?

His vision went dim, a dark contrast to the sunny afternoon it had been a moment ago.

Wait, no, it wasn’t just him. He regained his bearings enough to look up at the sky above, where dark clouds rose, seeming to appear from nowhere. A storm was brewing.

The storm.

‘Alex.’ He thought, a pang of sadness running through him, the pain almost equal to that of his physical pain.

He knew that there was only one reason why the storm was returning…

His next thought was of his son. If the storm -The hurricane- came back at its full force and velocity -Which Aaron knew full well that it would- Then... He had to get to his son. The son that stood less than ten feet away.

But as he tried to move, he found that his arms felt like they were tied down to millstones. He was in no condition to save anyone, least of all himself. And definitely not his son. ‘No.’ It wouldn’t end like this. It couldn’t.

He tried to think -He’d always been good at that- And immediately his mind supplied to him that there was no solution. The cave was on the other side of the island, the only place that could withstand this storm was far out of reach.

But what if he could use one of the old ships as some sort of protection? There should be plenty of them. However, it wasn’t called ‘The Island Of Shipwrecks’ because those things were in good condition. That wouldn’t be enough. Were there really no options? There had to be.

“Daniel!” He cried out, his throat sounding weak and scratchy, even though it hadn’t been longer than a minute or so since he’d fallen on the sand.

His son stood, wide eyed and mouth agape, staring up at the dark clouds that had begun circling around the island. He didn’t understand the oncoming danger. Instead, Daniel raised a hand to the sky, pointing at it with curiosity, letting out a string of babbles that had an undeniable lilt that was asking a question.

For a moment, the sky flashed white, and Daniel brought his hands together to start clapping. Supposedly he liked the light show. Until lightning thundered after it, startling the toddler as he immediately burst into tears, stumbling backwards. He had never seen or heard anything like it.

Aaron grimaced, trying to force his unwilling body onto his hands and knees. He didn’t have to try too hard, however, as Daniel came running into his father’s arms for comfort. Aaron pulled the boy into his arms, gathering just enough strength to wrap around him. They were still as heavy as a lead.

Another round of thunder and lightning came through, followed by a heavy downpour, like someone had overturned a tarp on their heads. Clothes were instantly soaked through, and a chill-biting cold would be soon to follow.

Daniel’s wailing seemed to become nearly non-existent as the harsh rain, mixed with thunder and crashing waves drowned him out. Aaron tried to draw him closer to himself, and his son clutching onto the front side of his shirt with those insanely powerful fists of a toddler.

The wind -Which had been a slight breeze not so long ago- Was now hard and fast, almost turning him over by the sheer force of it.

During another flash of white, something barreled into Aaron’s right side- He screamed due to the pain, due to all of it, as it continued to accumulate. That arm went numb, and he tried curling into both himself and Daniel.

Had he gotten struck by lightning? That thunder had sounded awfully close, and if really still couldn’t die, it would surprise him now. Everything was out to hurt him. That fear retreated slightly as whatever had hit him crashed to the ground a little further out, splintering into pieces the second it hit the ground.

Water dripped down his bangs, onto his face and into his eyes, making it impossible to see anything even if there had been anything to see. That thing had most likely been a machine he’d haphazardly let outside.

At least it hadn’t hit Daniel.

His son continued crying, holding on still even as the storm slowly took his senses away. He still couldn’t hear him. He could barely see him through the rain and darkness. And now, with his right arm devoid of feeling, he could only feel him with the other arm, and with the slight warmth and weight up against his chest.

But Aaron would never let go.

Moving to shift onto his injured side was hard, but it would be easier to shield him with his working arm, even as the opposite one bled out beneath him.

Wait, blood?

He could feel it now, unmistakably his, warm and pulsing on his side- The machine that had hit him definitely left its mark. Aaron wondered how he hadn’t noticed that until now. A strong possibility was that the cold rain had been washing it away.

Maybe his wound was already closing -The physical one, at least- It was hard to tell, although his arm stayed limp and foreign, no tingling sensation or even pain.

How long would they be here, trying to weather the storm? The hurricane? How long until the hour of calm? Would it be soon? Or since the storm just started, would he have to wait an entire day?

Could they last that long?

It was a terrible thought- Of course they would, nothing would happen. It wasn’t like others had died trying to get on or off the island. Sure, they got really close, but it wasn’t skill. It was chance. They simply got lucky.

Would they find his body, huddled over his son? Would he be able to protect him, even after a dying breath?

All the what ifs, and no assurances.

Aaron finally closed his eyes- It wasn’t like he could see anyway. Another flash of lightning shone from behind his eyelids. Another roar of lightning.

He leaned over to kiss his son on the forehead.

Then something struck the back of his head and everything went silent.

---

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please comment if you made it to the end- Where are all my Unwanteds people at?

#the unwanteds #aaron stowe #Daniel Stowe #island of shipwrecks #although it takes place during Unwanteds quests #whump writing #whump #just because #why not #idk how tags work

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bereft-of-frogs · 1 year

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1, 4, 5, 14 for the reading asks

1. What are 2-5 already published fiction books you think you want to read in 2023?

Well, the #Tome I’m picking up for this year is Moby-Dick, so I will get through the whale book this year if it kills me. (I’m dividing it up by month - not as neat as chapter-a-day Les Miserables but I actually think that will be easier to keep up with.) I got Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman on Kindle from a BookRiot daily deal a couple weeks ago so I’ll probably read that next. I’d really like to finally read I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, which I meant to do before watching the HBO series but I didn’t get around to it, watched the series last year anyways.

I also really, really want to read Found: An Anthology of Found Footage Horror Stories but I have yet to find a non-Amazon place to acquire it so my quest must continue.

4. Do you plan to read any genres you haven’t read much before?

Not really? I feel like I’m pretty entrenched genre-wise. The only ones I really don’t read very much of is romance and I don’t really have any plans to start.

5. What 2023 new releases are you most looking forward to?

Looking forward to Alecto, obviously (screaming sounds start in brain) but until we get a solid release date and cover art, I’m not going to trust it’s going to come out in 2023 lol. In case it does, I already plan to take the day off work in anticipation.

Hell Bent, the sequel to Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House, comes out next week, and I’m definitely going to read it, but I’m excited mixed with wary since the last sequel by Leigh Bardugo I read was really disappointing. But I don’t necessarily think she’s bad at sequels or anything, Crooked Kingdom was a good follow up to Six of Crows, I just think that the Grishaverse was getting a little too busy and it seems like she’s kind of done with it? Idk, hoping that won’t happen with this series.

That’s kind of it? I’m more of a backlist person lol, I just don’t follow many new releases.

14. Do you plan to mostly buy or borrow your books?

In theory, borrow. I really have to cut down on book buying for budget and space reasons. I did also find out that I qualify for a city library card, so I have access to a much bigger collection than just the tiny local library. But I will probably still buy books, especially if I am deserving of a little treat. (We just have to maybe reevaluate what counts as ‘deserving a little treat’ because for a while it was literally just like ‘got out of bed and went to work, wow looks like I deserve a little treat for that.’) I do have a couple gift certificates to use that I got for Christmas and I will probably still check the BookRiot daily deals on occasion.

[reading asks]

#thanks for asking!

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tigressaofkanjis · 1 year

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Dreamlight Valley Toy Story Shenanigans

Since the update, I've been procrastinating in getting it up and running. Rest assured, I need only one slime sock to summon Stitch, Buzz is on friendship level 10 while Woody's at 9. Been playing the whole day and...

Woody's a brick wall - this son of a bitch trapped me six times and wouldn't move, couldn't walk past him no matter how hard I tried like he suddenly changed his density. I had to restart the game four of those times because he trapped me basically in a corner!

Scar's a Space Ranger, space zebra be damned. Fan art, please!

If Stitch is coming here, I want Gantu to be in this game really bad...also I want AUTO from WALL-E goddammit!

Buzz is a cockblock, my god. Like no one can even start a relationship with this guy around. His AI just wants to screw up any roll you have with the other villagers.

Woody destroys everything he touches, not just in his own quests. He destroyed a balloon arch I'm supposed to make for Buzz by crashing the game sliding everywhere and the game believes I already made it when it's not in my inventory. Thankfully, the arch can be remade unlike specific potions and such but it'll take a while. Damn you, Woody!

Minnie kind of scares me because she knows how to make red dye and she has one of the hardest quests by the clock tower. How many people died trying to get the clay for that thing, Minnie?!

Apparently, this update is not a continuation of the main story...aw.

The game doesn't like Remy for some reason. Remy is either nowhere to be found or I find him but he always looks downtrodden. I don't know if that's a glitch on my end or it's a glitch to everyone.

Kristoff's stand no longer sells infinite shit like fabric or stone. Now it has a set amount you can buy total. Fuck you, whoever changed that.

And that concludes my rant.

#dreamlight valley #woody pride #buzz lightyear #scar #remy #toy story #minnie mouse #kristoff

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luminousvision · 10 months

Text

Sky

I sat on the worn sofas in my freshman college dorm, arms braced, heels dug, ready for the onslaught.

I don’t like trying new things. I think that’s a perfectly fine way to live.

I debated a budding politician, an eclectic consequentialist, and a chill engineer who was mostly there to watch the show. We debated for almost two hours. We waged war over broad plains of intellectual territory, through rivers of thought and the oceans of history. Ultimately, I relented. I could not defend the quest for enlightenment.

Today, I try again.

—

Have you ever attained the position of first, finest, best, most capable? At any skill. There are “normal” firsts, like best soccer player (Lionel Messi?), fastest runner (Usain Bolt?), best chess player (Magnus Carlsen?), but also the less obvious ones. Someone has crafted the finest clay pot. Someone has held their breath longer than anyone else. Someone has written the best poem.

I’ve attained two firsts. One was in a video game but it’s difficult to relate that experience. I’ll discuss the other one: a 6-month Kaggle competition (you can find me with a bit of Googling. I’m Miranda on The Reverse Game of Life).

By my sophomore year of college, I had lost interest in the theoretical concepts taught in my computer science classes. I wanted to escape the bubble of textbooks and go punch something real. So, I found Kaggle, a site for competitive programming, open to anyone with an internet connection. I sank my teeth into this aptly named Game of Life.

I forgot my schoolwork and sometimes forgot to eat. I wrote reams of code, debugged it, optimized it, replacing the hashing algorithm with six other variants, each a bit faster than the one before. My poor computer churned through calculations overnight, every night. I wrote it in Java and then translated it to C to speed it up. I ran out of memory and asked my dad to help me buy new computer. He told me to just write better code. Even with one hand behind my back, I continued to fight, determined to win.

After four months, I submitted my answers. I scored first place out of a hundred. The previous leader, no doubt shocked by this dark horse, sent in new answers. He almost caught up, nipping at my heels, but still held in second place. I submitted once more. I was now ahead of second place as much as second place was ahead of third. The competition would end in the middle of a physics lecture. I spammed the refresh button on the leaderboard. 11:58. 11:59. 12:00. I had won.

For anyone with a basic computer science background this Kaggle puzzle is actually extremely simple to understand. Its solution is also extremely simple to understand. This whole affair is about as complicated as holding your breath. Try to hold your breath for a minute. That’s about the difficulty of making a submission. But winning it? Try holding your breath for longer than anyone else in the history of humanity.

I’m not here to brag. I’m not here to celebrate. This isn’t about winning. This is about being the best.

This is about setting up camp at the top of Mt. Everest. I’m talking about the nod you exchange with the stranger you meet at the summit. You didn’t know him. He didn’t know you. But you each know exactly what it took to climb up to the top. And now you know each other better than anyone else who has yet to reach it.

After the Kaggle competition ended, the second place guy posted his solution. I posted mine. He gave me a nod. I nodded back. I didn’t know him. He didn’t know me. But we each thought back on the previous half year and realized we probably now knew each other better than anyone else did.

Some bow to statues. Others worship pictures and symbols. I have no God. I have only those who reach the top. I admire only the pinnacle of mortal accomplishment. I need nothing else.

Some describe the human condition as the shared experience of billions past and present. Really, billions of people? If I want to learn something about the human condition, I want to ask the guys at the top of Everest. They seem like the kind of people who have earned the privilege of defining humanity.

Some count the number of countries they’ve traveled to, as though there is intrinsic value in diverse experiences. I admire those who put in the effort to learn new languages and cultures, which is itself an endeavor. But compare the two people. One visits every country in the world. The other never leaves Nepal, but climbs to the top of Mt. Everest.

Who experienced more of humanity? It’s not even close.

—

Do you see it now?

I don’t like trying new things. I think that’s a perfectly fine way to live.

Some probably find the experience of crafting pottery and writing poetry very different. Running for local office probably appears very different from running a marathon. Sure, if you spend a few hours, or even a few months trying these things, they are probably quite different.

But I don’t care. I don’t care about the difference between your week in Spain and your week in Indonesia.

I care about the poet of five decades and the potter of five decades who quietly share a secret few of us can understand. That secret doesn’t change one bit if the poet never touches clay or the potter never holds a pen. The experienced Senator and career marathoner also carry that same secret.

I’m after that secret. It sits at the top, waiting for us.

Do you see it now? I don’t travel much. I climb. I reach for the sky.

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