#what do you think would happen if they met i think it would be cataclysmic and very uncomfortable for everyone involved | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-modern-typewriter · 10 months

Note

Can you write something about the protagonist being adopted by a family of heroes, but they just want to live a normal life, but the villain finds them? Please and thank you!

"So, you're the super new addition to the family."

Given everything that their new family had told them, the protagonist had been expecting it. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any less horrifying to hear the villain's voice behind them in the empty classroom.

The protagonist's shoulders tensed.

Someone would probably come running if they screamed for help. But what were most people going to do against the villain except die? Besides, the protagonist...

They turned, stomach twisting into a thorny knot, still clutching a paintbrush in hand. "I'm not going to fight you."

The villain raised their eyebrows at that, seeming amused. "Oh?"

The protagonist swallowed. "So if that's why you're here, piss off. With all due respect."

"Piss off with all due respect?"

"I have an art project to finish. It's 20% of my final grade."

The protagonist half expected them to saunter close, fearless and menacing, but the villain stayed where they were - leaned against the closed door in a long black coat and gloves. Everything about them was dark. A shadow come to life. Their smoky gaze roamed the painting over the protagonist's shoulder.

The protagonist was halfway through painting a seascape. Calm. Nice. Possibly twee, they knew that. The sort of thing that felt like it couldn't feasibly be in the same room as a supervillain like them.

"Yeah," the villain said. "If your teacher has beige walls and a puritan sense of right and wrong, they'll love it."

The protagonist's jaw clenched, but they didn't say anything.

The villain's attention fixed on them again, considering. "How is hero life?"

"I'm not a hero."

"No, you're a cataclysm waiting to happen. But I was being polite."

The protagonist flinched.

"That's why they took you in, right?" the villain asked, head tilting. "So they can keep an eye on you? Manage your powers?"

"They're helping me."

"Uhuh." The villain's eyes gleamed. "Do you think they love you? Like a proper little family?"

"I'm not joining you either," the protagonist said, after a winded beat. "So, again, with all due respect-"

"Piss off?"

"Please."

The villain smiled. "I'm not here to fight you. Or recruit you."

"Then why are you here?" The protagonist's voice quivered.

The villain shrugged, too light and careless for it to be true. "Curiosity. They said you wanted a normal life."

The protagonist could only imagine how that conversation had come up and gone down. They managed a small nod.

"You're not normal," the villain said.

The protagonist flinched again, despite themselves.

"Power like yours, destructive power, it wants to be used," the villain said. "Starts eating away at you if you don't channel it. Makes you ill."

The protagonist met the villain's eyes. Because, yeah, they'd noticed that.

"For what it's worth," the villain grimaced, like the very acknowledgement was disgusting. "I do think they're trying their best with you. I think they have good intentions. They always do. And better them, I suppose, then you being with someone who doesn't have any powers if things..." The villain twirled their fingers, and a smoky little mushroom cloud popped up from the tips.

"Yeah," the protagonist said, a little hoarse. That had been exactly their thinking.

"But it won't be enough. Their best won't be enough to contain you."

"We don't know that."

"I know that."

"This doesn't sound like curiosity."

The villain laughed, though it wasn't an entirely joyful sound. They straightened up off the door, finally taking that step closer.

"Curiosity in the sense that I'd like to meet the apocalypse. It's a one time experience. I'd kill you myself, but...you know. No guarantee that all that power inside you won't just go boom when you die. Better to adopt death incarnate, in this instance. Keep you safe. Love you enough that you don't want to end everything prematurely."

The protagonist felt bile, hot and acrid, rising in their throat.

"Piss off," they whispered. It definitely sounded more like please.

"You need to use your powers," the villain said, all laughter gone. "In small chunks. Micro doses. Otherwise you're going to be dead or blow us all up by the time you're thirty, and I would rather avoid that for as long as possible."

The villain reached into their pocket, pulling out an envelope. "A list," they continued. "Of the help you should be asking them for. They won't listen if it comes from me. But love isn't going to be enough, if you're serious about this."

The protagonist's brow furrowed. They hesitated; their family had told them not to take anything the villain offered. They took the envelope.

It struck them, after all, that the villain knew what it was to be a little bit monstrous. The villain hadn't chosen normalcy. But they knew, better than anyone else, didn't they?

The tension left the protagonist's shoulders. They sagged.

"Enjoy your normal life," the villain said, softly. "I hope you get it. And I hope, I truly hope, the rest of us will yet be lucky enough to survive you."

They bought the protagonist's art piece at the end of year presentation. The protagonist didn't know what to do with that information.

#villains and heroes #heroes and villains #writing #story #short story #creative writing #writing snippet #story snippet

722 notes · View notes

qvrcll · 11 months

Note

Hii. I just saw your works and I really love the writing<3. Anyways i saw ur taking requests and i really have one in mind.

So like vendetta leon was some sort of a mission (like something similar to the movie) and he Heard the virus had broken out to the city and the only thing he can think is the reader (I'd really love for the reader (which is a retired agent, to be preggy😭). Then he like straightly went to their house (or apartment) and the zombies have already broken inside.

(no angst pls my heart is too poor to handle angst 😭)

cherry waves

summary: with your retirement from the source of his burden’s and the arrival of your pregnancy, leon almost swears that things will be alright. but worrying intel from hunnigan and the affliction of his worst fears make things worse. make things bloody and gashed with the ultimatum of death — and the one thing on his mind? you.

warning: written with vendetta ! leon in mind, violence, afab reader, use of gun, mention of vomit, intense imagery of death / zombie bites, mention of pregnancy, angst (but happy ending), implication of smut (nothing happens :P)

a/n: firstly, ty so much for ur interest for my works! it always makes me so happy ppl like what i write 🥹 secondly, WOW, i loved this plotline and couldn’t wait to get writing it! thank you so much for requesting this because i had a great time writing it (anything exploring leon’s worst fears is an immediate yes from me!) i hope i did your prompt justice and hope you enjoy :-)

It would start with a mission, something so insanely emblematic in its own course that it made Leon scoff sourly.

Of course they would do this — do this to him, to you, try to rope him back into a hell he had once wished to depart for entirely. You’d done it, excavating all wounds and ties to that little milky tinctured office corner and a chock-full of folders, of late night runs to diners and the semblance of sentience. Leon had admired you, held you in high regard and shunned any and all faces that had locked horns with your decision, dragging them through filth and dirt and nothing but the crud of his hate and the spew of his regrets.

And after you’d promised the two of you this peace, this little hole of your own created in the cataclysmic remnants of what once was, in a tiny apartment stocked away into the city curtained with the foolish promises of a forgotten past, Leon had sworn that it had worked. Had been cut from an entirely different cloth, and woven into something… away from this hell.

But it’s always something other than peace in the end.

And when he’s on his own, cornered against a wall with little to no care for anything lavish, just the bile wedged in his throat from the coalescing pools of worry in his stomach, he tries to think of you.

“Leon, your slippers…” you’d called out from the living room, in his memory, voice soaked with little to no empathy. He’d mumbled something incoherent back, something unintelligible, that had sufficed for a few minutes before you’d thrown a shirt over his head. An injunction, he was sure it was, to his constant habit of doing away with his clothes in the wrong places. Next thing he knows, he was being smothered by your weight as your voice rung clear, a ring of indolence grating your voice, “Leave your shirt on the floor and I swear to god, Leon S. Kennedy—“

“Okay, okay, I promise—“ he’d chuckled, collecting you and your squeals in his broad arms, entrapping you into the planate sheets of the bed he’d laid in since the morning began, “I’ll be mindful of where I keep my shirts. Kiss me?”

And your resistance, your throes of faux fury, the crooning semblance of your squeals and laughter had dissolved into a stimulant, a drug for him to swallow wearily whilst his back was met against some other unfamiliar surface.

He holds his breath. Strengthens his feet against the bounding hard-wood floors as an outburst of flitting groans, cold and doggone with the smell, a reminder of 1998, sound out from beyond the foyer of the abandoned building. And he’s accustomed to the feel of blood between his teeth — god, he’s done this in repeated intervals before, so why did it begin to feel too pervasive in this moment?

His heart clamours in his chest.

His skin bursts with a sheen of cold sweat.

His teeth clatter with a fear he’d known all too well, for a time too long.

So why?

So he rephrases, rewrites this fear in him into something of a catalyst — he thinks of you again.

He thinks of your smell and your smile, your tears and the strength you’d accumulated when you had grinned goodbye to this shit hole. He thinks of your nails digging lines of red against his back, the rows that escaped you when he’d had you pressed against the mattress. He thinks of the day you’d staggered up to him, eyes rimmed with a similar shade as the vermillion he’d worn to some masquerade themed drivel (in the name of work), calling for him like you’d been bitten by the dark, searched for his face in the light — “Leon… Leon, I think I’m pregnant,” and he’d kissed you raw, kissed you like he fought, kissed you through the burn and edge of his tears cracking into the press of your mouths as he had felt grounded for once in his pathetic, penurious life.

He uses that, the glint of that vision, that new beginning, the shade of hope that came as you, to shape an opening — he aims his revolver at a blindsided corpse. Fires a crisp blow at a groaning zombie. Kicks, buckles and flanks against two more and advances with the burn of your memory in his mind.

It’s nearly ten minutes since he’s been stationed into the rubble of the desiccated building and Leon’s throat itches with a certain worry.

How were you? Did you need anything whilst at home? Did you think of him? Did you crave something demonically new? Did your feet hurt, like it often did following your pregnancy? Did you rest enough? Were you up, staring at the crescents and spoons of white dotting the sky, like he was?

And Leon nearly trips, nearly kisses the ground from thinking of you — but he needs to. Needs to allow himself this grace to make sure he’d not shoot himself, surely. Needs the image of your face to bless every corner of his mind so he’d remember what it felt to love you thoroughly, fully, to the point of death and damnation. Needs to feel you, if even in his mind, if even for a second too faltering, if it meant he could mow down another zombie.

“Leon? Leon!”

He cringes, retreats to a gap in the wall as he presses his headset into his ear — Hunnigan.

“Hunnigan?” he whispers, throws his voice to a lower sonority than before, so that he can hear her better. So that the clatter, the dash of undead a few feet up ahead, cannot pick up on his bearings.

He hears a cut from the other end, before the agent’s familiar voice cracks through, “Leon, there’s been new intel.”

He frowns. This can’t be good, if she’s already using his first name instead of a roster of aliases. Still, he needed to figure it out. Keep a locale on his bearings.

“New intel? Go on…” he breathes softly. He picks up the press of footsteps up ahead and smothers further into the tight bite of the space, wincing when his muscles flout back at him with an ounce of pain.

“There’s been reports of a zombie intrusion in the city,” Hunnigan starts, and Leon stops, “and there have been increasing hoards against buildings and apartments.”

And he drops.

His feet move, on pure muscle. On pure fear. On the cut-throat and persistent emotion that is love, of you, of the memory of you, of the promise he’d made and of the shattering grip of his life, as he books it out of there. Hunnigan continues, gathers something about altitude and choppers. Of gunfire and backup. Of something more, but Leon can’t tell.

To Leon, his mouth is already bleeding and his body is already teeming with wounds, with the futility of scars and the loom of death, when he pictures those sick, dead bastards at your door.

Why did he accept this stupid job?

Why didn’t he follow in your footsteps?

Why didn’t he stay?

And as he beats the ground with louder noises, attracts a few undead with the heave of his groans as he breaks for home, for your apartment, he can lay a hand over his chest and feel his heart attempting to splinter into knots as he runs.

He thinks of you, again. He thinks of your smile and the smell of rot. He thinks of your smell and the curl of lips and the gash against your hip. He thinks of your odd habits, your huff, your laughter. He thinks of your body stapled to the floor, marked with messily biten flesh and an aspersion of blood on the counter. On the floor. On your face.

And you and you dead and you dying and you growling and you—

“Fuck!”

Leon chokes, his throat jammed with pathetic cries. His eyes glisten and shed, but he quickly finds himself recanted in front of that familiar apartment, front so idyllic, it was burnt straight from his memory. His skin melts with sweat, with pin pricks and with the threat of throwing up right there, but he soldiers through.

At first, it’s hard. It’s hard to breathe, hard to see past his tears. It’s hard to get a clear grip on his weapon and it’s hard to blur out the mess of their groans, their staggering enumeration. But he finds some messy middle ground, grounds his feet and staples his teeth and shoots against brassy flesh, against bone and blood, barely cares for the splatter of blood against his lip, his chin, his hair.

All he cares is for you to be standing there, as you as you could ever be. As safe, as teeming with hope and the glimmer of tomorrow as you ever were, welcoming him home.

But he’s half delirious, half fucked for thought, as he makes it up the staircase with difficulty. He wants to delude himself and wants to believe the lies he’s almost weaving in his head. But the truth is vibrant, unpleasant as the verdant decay of flesh that hordes your apartment floor.

And he nearly throws up.

Your door is open, three zombies freshly approaching the crack of it. Their heads jitter and steer in the limelight, and Leon nearly breaks, but holds the pieces of himself as he shoots through their corroding skulls.

He shouts your name first, then chokes with grief at the sight of blood — and the image of you dead and dying and —

And he’s trying, yes, he’s trying, as he stumbles through the threshold with his gun quivering in his hold. And yes he’s breathing, but only so little, as he eyes the count of flesh against the tile of your living room. And yes he’s standing, but nearly crumbles with the thought of a repeat. Of a sequence to his worst fears.

“Leon!”

The scream gushes from the bedroom and his heart teems with that familiar feeling, slow but sure, of hope. Of love. He silently cries as he makes a run for your shared bedroom — his calloused palm harshly swings apart the door and sees you cornered atop the bed, bashing the head of a zombie in. It’s managed to corner you far up the bed, but you’re sour with spit and curses as you try to throw it off — but the undead prove to be a challenge.

And yet, Leon is a worse piece of work.

With his shot gun aimed at its head, the zombie flattens to the floor with an animated thud.

And then there’s silence. There’s a heave from you, as you gather your surroundings and make use of something solid to determine Leon actually there — actually standing in the stretch of your bedroom as he looks back at you, face bristling with blood and carnage. With tears.

And with time, comes semblance.

You dart towards him, worry in your hands when you gather him in your palms like life itself — “Fuck—Fuck, I was so worried. Fuck, Leon, are you okay?”

“I’m okay, sweetheart, I’m okay—are you?” he inquires, rushes for thought as he presses a hand into your side, your face and your back. Tries and thrives with the effort of remembering your warmth through his fingers — collected here, in the bloody mess of your apartment.

And you’re breathing and you’re alive and you’re smiling and you’re holding love in your hands when you cry into his arms.

And as he holds you like there’s so much of losing you, crumbles to the floor in the vacancy of your arms, he catches sight of your already swelling belly beneath his nimble fingers as you sigh out a laugh. Beckon his hand atop your stomach closer, say something about ‘knowing how to work a gun, even after all the bullshit I’d left behind.’

And Leon sighs with the thought of tomorrow.

#leon kennedy x reader #leon x reader #leon s kennedy x reader #leon drabble #leon kennedy fanfic #resident evil x reader #resident evil x you #requests

600 notes · View notes

bitimdrake · 1 year

Note

pssssst hey quick question on the dl - who is helena bartinelli??

i cannot answer anon questions on the dl, so answer on the up-high, which she deserves:

HUNTRESS

a.k.a. Helena Bertinelli, a.k.a. Gotham's coolest and most notable antihero, crossbow-wielder, and purple bat-associated vigilante.

Helena was born to an Italian mob family, but spent her childhood blissfully unaware of the family business--until her entire family was slaughtered in front of her when she was eight. She stayed with family overseas for the rest of her childhood, learning how to fight and protect herself.

She came back to Gotham for both vengeance and justice, and became one of Gotham's many vigilantes. Though her focus is on the mob, she'll step in to stop any crime.

She's also a schoolteacher! Good for her.

She is discerning in who she chooses to kill, but she does kill. As you can imagine, this put her at odds with Batman for a long time. Helena is pretty much the premiere example of Bruce trying to claim control over every vigilante in Gotham, no matter how little right he has. The argument on killing/ethics is valid, but his default was basically "do exactly what I say and fall in line under my command, or stop completely," which is why he's an asshole control freak and why I'm constantly mad about how she was treated 👍

She was an absolute mainstay of the Batfamily before Flashpoint (2011) and it is personally hurtful to me that people don't know her. (Like, to be frank? She had far more of a presence than Damian or (living) Jason in the post-crisis era.)

You could count on seeing her in any major Batfamily crossover, from Cataclysm to Battle for the Cowl.

She was central to the biggest Batfamily crossover ever, No Man's Land, where Gotham was locked off from the rest of the country and turned into a lawless wasteland. Bruce left to sulk for the first couple of months and in absence of any other vigilantes in the field (only Oracle having remained in the city), Helena donned the mantle of the Bat for herself to protect the city. And when Batman came back, in return for all she'd done, she got...yelled at, assigned impossible tasks and criticized for not achieving them, her costume stolen and given to someone else, lied to, abandoned in the face of impossible odds, and shot multiple times protecting kids. Absolute fucking hero, honestly.

She also was on the Justice League for a while, though admittedly I have barely touched that run. To my understanding, despite nominating her for the position, Bruce was also the one to revoke her membership there.

Fortunately! things improved!!

In the early/mid 2000s, Helena joined the Birds of Prey, Oracle's team, and found legit friendships and support there with teammates like Dinah Lance/Black Canary. She finally got more respect in the community, and had a much better time.

Additional relationships include:

A big sister/annoying little brother type thing with Tim, who may disapprove of her killing but simply likes making friends too much :)

A great relationship with Vic Sage/the Question

One single issue where she met Steph that presented SUCH interesting potential that I desperately wish had been followed up on

On and off romantic/sexual tension with Dick, depending on the writer, which culminated in a single hook up that apparently most people around here would rather pretend didn't happen, though I really don't think it's that bad

A complicated relationship with Barbara, partially due to clashing personalities and conflicting morals (with Babs being nearly as much of a control freak as Bruce), and partially due to a shared history with Dick because DC loves making women be catty

Surely others from her first solo or time on the JLA that I don't know well enough to list!

She's rad and determined and takes no shit but cares a lot, and I love her. We deserve more stories tying her teaching day job into her night work. We also deserve more stories with her in general.

If you would like additional Helena beyond just cruising my tag, I recommend:

Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood - far more Huntress than Batman, this is a great 6-issue miniseries about Helena reckoning with her past, ft the Question.

Batman: No Man's Land - if you have the time for it, a big storyline but worth it.

Birds of Prey vol 1 (1999) - Helena starts to appear around issue #57 and becomes a central character from there.

#*#ask #anon #*dc #dc #dc ref #helena bertinelli #huntress #batfam #batman #10to2

332 notes · View notes

queenofmistresses · 7 months

Note

comforting chat after a big battle, maybe a reveal that he’s adrien and then lots of cuddling and kissing

A/n well the answer to that was yes apparently! I loved doing this! Please send more fluffy stuff guys! (Btw haven’t proof read so sorry!!)

I hate watching the battles from a distance, never quite sure who’s winning or what’s happening, I promised Chat I wouldn’t put myself in danger. I don’t see how I could help anyway, I don’t have superpowers.

Even though I have complete faith in Chat, and know that Hawkmoth has never come close to winning, I still worry. Hawkmoth is getting better, the battles are getting more brutal.

Chat’s struggling more and more every time, all I want is for this to be over.

This battle is even worse, because ladybug isn’t there. Ladybugs powers means that she can reverse any damage done during the battle, without her or her miraculous, the damage is permanent.

so far they seem to have kept away from the city, I’m watching the live newstream on the edge of my seat, waiting and hoping. Chat doesn’t look good.

After an hour of watching them struggle, Chat wins, using his cataclysm to destroy the miraculous. He doesn’t engage with the news reporters and once he sees the akuma’s victim is safe, he leaves.

He looked terrible.

It’s not long before I hear a knock at my window, I turn and see my kitty there, bleeding. I let him in and sit him down on my bed, grabbing the first aid kit.

When I walk back in the room I see tears streaming down his face. I put the kit down on the floor and pull Chat into me, holding him and trying to soothe him, telling him he’s safe now, he did it, Paris is safe again, it’s okay.

He only sobs harder and clings to me tighter. I would hold him like this forever if I could, knowing he’s safe. The problem though, is that his ring is beeping.

“Chat, sweetheart, your ring is beeping, I have some cheese to recharge Plagg and you can hide in my bathroom?” He shakes his head and leans in impossibly closer to me. “Chat, if you don’t then I’ll know your identity.” Once again he shakes his head, not moving.

“Please, I need to tell someone.” He weeps and grips into my shirt. “I can’t do this alone anymore.” I hold his face gently and lift his chin up to look at me, he looks so scared, and so so alone. No one should have to face this alone.

I ask if he’s sure that’s what he wants, he says he is, so I nod and bring him back into me, letting the timer run its course. I can’t see his face, I want to give him a chance to back out up until the very last moment, just in case.

It’s not long before the suit vanishes, leaving a seemingly ordinary boy in my arms. A black creature that can only really be Plagg, though we’ve never met face to face before.

He looks at me, then down at Chat, he seems as worried as me. “Kid? Are you sure about this?” He flies to him, close to his head. Chat nods and slowly lifts himself up to look at me, really face me for the first time.

Well, it turns out, not for the first time. “Adrien?!” I gasp. He nods again, looking pale and worried and expectant. I throw myself at him and hold him tight. “I didn’t have any guesses to who you are but I’m so glad it’s you.” I say quietly.

I feel him deflate in relief and hold me tighter. I see Plagg sigh and give me what I think is a smile, and fly down to give Adrien a hug against his back.

When Adrien has calmed down enough to be able to let go of me, I help him with his injuries, they’re not nearly as bad as they initially look, thank goodness.

I bring him and Plagg some food, not wanting either of them to be uncomfortable, and then Adrien asks if they could stay the night. Of course I don’t even hesitate before I say yes.

A part of me wants to spend the night asking the mountains of questions that have come to mind since he revealed himself, but I know that this isn’t the right thing for him.

So I give him some of my dads clothes that I stole when i was younger to make him more comfortable and then we lie down for the night.

I don’t know how long it took either of us to fall asleep, but we don’t say anything to each other, we just cling onto each other as much as we can until next thing we know it’s the late morning and we don’t know where the time went.

#adrien agreste #miraculous adrien #adrien x reader #adrien agresete x reader #chat noir #identity reveal #mlb reveal

61 notes · View notes

phyrestartr · 8 months

Text

Our Quiet Beginning | Miguel O'hara x Reader

# SFW, fluff, genderless reader, one-shot drabble, getting together, confessions, anti-climatic start to a relationship lol

Notes: Had this in my drafts and kinda wanted to just post it as-is! This is kind of a precursor/prologue to a different fic I'm poking at, so mayhaps there will be more in the future

--Our Quiet Beginning--

You remembered that first kiss. Every detail of that quiet moment etched into your very being, every touch left stained your heart with loving thoughts.

You were minding your business in your apartment, a shitty thing in the dark corner of the Bronx, puttering around and finally doing the housework you'd put off for too long. He'd come in through your window like he always did, and threw himself on the couch with a sigh.

"Tough day?" You asked with a yawn. You glanced at him over your built shoulder. He looked tired, maybe a bit pent up.

"Somethin' like that." He gazed over at you. "You didn't come to HQ today." Was that a pout on his face?

"Yeah." You walked towards him, arms folding over your chest. "Just one of those days, I guess." There was a reason you could try to give him, but you didn't want to destroy everything you had; Miguel O'hara was the last person standing from your history. He was the last tether you had to Nueva York, to this entire world.

"Yeah?" He asked anyway, voice hoarse and quiet.

"Yeah." You sat down beside him. He lolled his head against the back cushions of the couch to catch your gaze with his.

"I guess I've been lonely," you admitted.

He scoffed. "And hiding away in your apartment is a good way to remedy that?" Always so playful in his patronization. It brought familiar warmth to your chest, emboldening you.

"It's a good way to think, I guess." You stretched your legs across his lap. He hardly reacted.

"To think about what?"

"Everything."

"Oh, that's helpful."

"Yeah, I know." You graced him with the flicker of a smile before smothering the expression whole. You almost swore his body tensed for a fraction of a second.

"You...wanna enlighten me?" He prodded. His voice was lower, mingling with the jazzy bass of the music floating through your apartment. "I'm listening."

"Would you ever want to be with me?" You braved. It wasn't so scary to ask after all, save for the way your heart beat in your palms and in the back of your skull. "Or. Have you ever thought about trying?"

Miguel straightened up. His mouth hung open dumbly, his fangs peeking out from behind full lips. His claws, too, had burst from his fingers, getting him stuck in the fabric of the couch cushions. You almost felt bad, like you'd spooked a cat.

"I thought--you said--" he stammered and stumbled, trying to make words happen.

"It's yes or no, Miggs." You raised your brows, patiently impatient.

Miguel took a second to breathe. He hadn't been in the dating game for a long time. In fact, he'd stuck himself deep into the pining game, and refused to let himself go after you; everything he touched turned to ruin, and you had already glued yourself back together too many times. He couldn't stomach being your next cataclysm. He didn't want to think about losing you.

But how could he lie to you?

"Yeah," he mumbled, looking away. He busied himself with trying to relax and unhook his talons from your cushions.

You hummed softly. "Yeah."

Soft reds dusted his face and ears as he muttered under his breath, probably overwhelmed with being stuck and being needled. You figured you could make it worse.

Slowly, you leaned forward, resting your hand on his strong shoulder. You pressed into his space more, stopping when his surprised, wide gaze met yours. That dumb look came back, all of his charisma and poise gone with his words as your nose brushed his. You were so sure he could hear your heart hammering in your chest. You wanted him to.

"Yeah?" You murmured, seeking permission.

Miguel's expression relaxed, soothing into something sweet and soft when he glanced at your lips and back to your eyes.

"Yeah," he whispered back before closing the gap himself.

#miguel o'hara x reader #miguel x reader #reader insert #atsv imagine #atsv reader insert #miguel ohara x reader

79 notes · View notes

ohbrotherthisblogstinks · 5 months

Text

IN VINO VERITAS

ੈ✩‧₊˚ himeno x fem reader

synopsis: you and your hot new friend, who you’re down cataclysmically for, bump coochies in the woods 👉👌

Warnings: 18+, nsfw, fem bodied reader, praise (use of ‘good girl’), consumption of alcohol, dubcon (since you’re both tipsy), semi-public sex (y’all are at a campsite and it’s implied there are other people nearby), oral (f. receiving), tribbing, edging (kinda), choking (kinda), Himeno is the dominant one but not a dom, gentle biting, mention of masturbation

Other warnings: smoking (cigarettes), Himeno calls Aki an emo twink, age gap (ish, Himeno is about 5-6 years older than reader), there is no puke in this fic even though we have the combination of Himeno and alcohol :), reader is a bit needy and a bit of a perv lol

“You okay?” Himeno’s voice pulled you out of your daydream, and you realized you’d been clutching the armrest by the passenger seat, your knuckles white.

“I’m fine,” you said. “I just zoned out.”

“I was gonna say, I don’t think I’m that bad of a driver.” She flashed you a smile before looking back at the road. “Although come to think of it, I did fail my permit test about four times.”

“That’s reassuring.” You stretched and yawned, glancing at the clock.

“We should be there by six, and that’ll give us enough light to set up the tent. Unless we fuck up and it takes us forever.”

“Which will probably happen, knowing us.”

“That reminds me, if Aki came with us he’d have his shit together and he certainly wouldn’t have gotten us lost.”

“Well, detours are fun.”

“You’re too kind.”

Aki had dipped out of the trip at the last minute, claiming he was feeling under the weather. He urged you and Himeno to go without him, and as a consolation gift, gave you two bottles of wine to sneak into the campsite. They were rather poorly hidden under the back seat, wrapped in one of your old sweatshirts. You glanced back at the contraband to make sure it wasn’t too conspicuous.

“Hey, do me a favor,” Himeno said, tilting her head towards the lighter sticking out of the cup holder. You nodded and reached for it, as she quickly retrieved the cigarette that was behind her ear. Throughout the long drive to the campsite you’d been the one to light her cigarettes for her while she talked your ear off about whatever came to her mind. She liked that you were a good listener, and you liked the sound of her voice, so it was a win-win.

Your crush on Himeno was a little more obvious than you’d like it to be. As she smoked with one hand gripping the wheel, her window rolled down and the wind whipping her hair around, you caught yourself staring. Your mind wandered, making your face grow hot. You wanted to know what the hand around the wheel would feel like around your neck as she feverishly kissed you. It was rather embarrassing to admit, but when you had time alone, thinking about her sometimes resulted in your hand down the front of your pants.

You’d been friends with Himeno for about six months now, after Aki had introduced the two of you, and ever since you met her you’d get butterflies every time you saw her. She sometimes caught you staring and would give you a knowing smirk, making you quickly look away. You had a feeling she was onto you, but you were never confident enough to say anything. After all, she was five or six years your senior, and she was an enigma of a woman. You could never quite figure her out, whether she was flirting with you or just being herself, and it made you far more anxious than you’d like to admit.

After you and Himeno finally reached the campsite and spent an embarrassingly long time pitching your tent, you poked around in the back of her car for the bottles of wine while she set up two lawn chairs by the light of an old lantern she dug out of her trunk.

“We forgot to bring glasses,” you called over to her, clutching the bottles to your chest as you kicked the car door closed.

“One bottle is mine and one is yours, then,” she quipped, and flopped down in her chair. You joined her and muscled open the bottles, passing one to her. She nodded thanks and took a long drink. The two of you sat there for God knows how long, talking and talking until you were almost certain you saw the sun beginning to rise. You curled up in your chair and stifled a yawn, and Himeno noticed and giggled.

“Am I boring you?”

“Not yet.” You tried and failed to hold back another yawn.

“Did I ever tell you about how I cut Aki’s hair that one time?”

“You what?” Your eyes widened, and you started laughing.

“Yup. He fell asleep and I was drunk and found a pair of scissors, and the rest is history. He was so mad at me, I felt terrible, but it was fucking hilarious.”

“He never told me about that.”

“I hurt his pride, that’s why.”

You cocked your head to one side. “Were you guys ever…a thing?”

“Oh, God, no. I wanted us to be at one point, but he made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t interested.”

“You still like him, don’t you?” you teased, prodding her leg with your toe.

“Oh no, that ship has sailed. And it probably sank too.” She laughed heartily and ran a hand through her hair. “I have a bad habit of falling for emo twinks.”

You snorted, making her laugh even harder.

“Honestly, though, don’t worry about me. I’m no competition if you’re trying to get a piece of that.” She sighed and leaned further back in the chair, setting the bottle on the ground.

You suddenly stood up and lurched over to her, gripping her chair for balance, and sat right down on her lap, putting your arms around her neck and laying your head on her shoulder.

“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows, surprised. After a few seconds had passed, she timidly placed her hands on your waist. “Did I say something?”

“No,” you sighed, pulling back to look at her. You absentmindedly twirled a lock of her hair between your thumb and forefinger. “Well, kinda.”

“What is it, then?”

“I have a crush on you.” You hung your head, looking down into your lap. You couldn’t look her in the eyes, you couldn’t stomach it. You heard her sigh, and you prepared yourself for the worst. After a few excruciating seconds, she finally spoke.

“I know,” she said softly, lifting her hand to gently pinch your cheek. “It’s very obvious.” Your eyes widened.

“Is it really?” You looked back up at her, and she nodded. There was a glint in her eye that wasn’t there before.

“Are you gonna do anything about it?” she asked you, that same knowing smirk spreading across her face.

You kissed her without hesitation, making her giggle against your lips. You felt her squeeze your waist and pull you a little closer until you were snug against her. She gently laid her hand on the back of your head and slid her tongue against yours, making a soft moan slip out of your mouth.

She pulled away and looked at you quizzically, still smirking. You stared in disbelief. You’d really done it, you’d kissed her. It could only get so much better or so much worse.

“I’m sorry,” you blurted out, still in a trance.

“Don’t apologize.”

She suddenly snaked an arm underneath your thighs and picked you up bridal style, making you squeal, and you held on tight as she carried you in the direction of the tent. She smelled like sweat and sunscreen and smoke, but in a way that was strangely pleasant to you. She grunted as she struggled with the flap of the tent, and you felt yourself beginning to slip.

“If you drop me, I swear to God,” you giggled.

“Fuckin’ help me, then!”

After a comically long struggle with the tent flap that did indeed involve being dropped by Himeno, she stumbled into the tent and pulled you down onto the cot with her, making you laugh even harder. She zipped the door closed, and crawled over to straddle your waist.

“Are you putting me to bed?” You squinted up at her, your eyes adjusting to the dim light inside the tent.

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Are you gonna kill me or something?” You started laughing again, blindly reaching for her, and you felt her grab your hand and squeeze it. She leaned in closer to you, hovering over you and smiling, her hair brushing against your face. You blinked up at her, doe-eyed.

“You’re so cute,” she marveled.

“You think so?”

“Mmm-hmm. And you’re all mine.” She leaned down to press kisses to your neck, gently nipping your skin every now and then and eliciting whimpers from you. Her fingertips felt cool and soothing brushing against your flushed skin, and you felt her tug at the hem of your shirt. You raised your arms to help her remove it, and she resumed her kisses once she tugged it off you.

“You’re not wearing a bra.”

“Brilliant, Holmes.”

She snort-laughed and poked you in the rib, making you yelp.

“You have pretty tits.”

“Thank you?”

“No, I mean it. They’re cute.” She brushed some hair out of your eyes and smiled at you. “I want them in my mouth.��

You burst out laughing again, thankful that the dim light was hiding the raging blush spreading across your cheeks. Himeno gave your neck one more gentle nip before moving her hand up to cup your left breast. She inched further down and swirled her tongue around your nipple, making you gasp.

“You’re so fucking cute,” she whispered between kisses, and you felt her start to move further down, her fingers slipping under the waistband of your shorts. You almost immediately lifted your hips to help her pull them down, and she chuckled at your eagerness.

Once she’d completely undressed you, she sat back on her heels and ran a hand through her hair, looking down at you with hazy eyes.

“Please touch me more,” you blurted out, reaching out and gripping her arm as she ghosted her fingertips across your bare skin, making you shiver with anticipation.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked you, her lips curling up into a cheeky grin. She continued brushing her fingertips against your skin, just barely touching you and avoiding where you needed her most.

Your breathing had gotten shaky and erratic, and you couldn’t think of anything other than her, the sound of her voice, the intensity of her touch. You looked up at her with pleading eyes, your grip on her arm tightening.

“Please fuck me,” you whispered, and she smiled and leaned down to peck your forehead.

“Good girl. That’s what I wanted to hear.” She gently spread your legs and crawled down to settle in between them. She hooked her arms around your thighs and looked up to you inquisitively, silently asking your consent. You nodded vigorously, making her laugh.

She was so close to you now, her grip on your hips making your skin tingle and her hot breath fanning against your aching pussy. You let out a surprised whimper when she finally flattened her tongue against your pussy, licking a thick stripe all the way up to your clit. She continued, making you squirm and whine and grind against her face each time she flicked her tongue against your clit.

It was close to the best feeling you’d ever felt, the strong grip of her hands on your hips, the sloppy kisses she’d give your clit when your thighs tensed around her head. She pulled away right before you could get your satisfaction, making you huff and whine in frustration.

“You gotta be quiet, baby.” She rested her head on your thigh and smiled up at you, gently rubbing your lower stomach.

“I-I’m sorry, I- fuck!” She resumed going down on you, making you squirm and cry out. You brought a shaky hand up to your mouth, and grabbed a messy handful of her hair with the other. Your thighs shook and your back arched as you came, your eyes rolling back as you tried not to scream from the pleasure. She finally pulled away when you gave her hair a harsh tug, and crawled up to kiss you, silencing your whimpers.

“You okay?” she asked you upon pulling away, brushing some hair away from your sweaty forehead. You nodded, your chest still heaving as you tried to catch your breath. She pecked your forehead and sat back up, straddling your waist.

“I wanna try something,” she whispered, and your eyes grew wide as she peeled off her shirt and started to unhook her bra. “It’ll feel really good. I promise.” You nodded.

“Don’t just stare, help me,” she giggled, noticing your gaze. You quickly propped yourself up and started to unbutton her shorts, which she flung into the corner of the tent along with her underwear after some shuffling around in the dark. After pushing your legs apart, she inched closer to you, and lifted your right leg so your calf rested on her shoulder.

“Stay like this for me, okay?” You nodded obediently, awaiting her next move. She gently ran a hand over your lower stomach and lowered her hips to meet yours.

You gasped and grabbed her hand as she started grinding against you, and she chuckled quietly, giving your hand a tight squeeze.

“I told you.”

She gripped your leg with one hand as the movement of her hips became more rhythmic, letting the other wander over your bare skin. She brushed her fingertips across your stomach, then your tits, then gently placed her hand around your neck and squeezed ever-so-slightly, at which you arched your back and let out a breathy moan. She chuckled and maintained her gentle grip on your throat, her gaze fixed on the way your face contorted in pleasure with each thrust of her hips.

“That feel good?” she asked you breathlessly, knowing you could barely form the words to answer her. You could only nod and whine in response, making her lips curl upwards into a satisfied smile. She could tell you were close by the way you were breathing, the way the muscles of your thighs and calves and stomach tensed as she touched you. She was quite close herself too, sweating and flushed and barely able to control the movement of her hips.

You clawed at her arm, your eyes wide and almost frantic, and she held eye contact with you as you came undone beneath her, firmly pressing her hand over your mouth to muffle your whines. Her own orgasm soon followed, and she let out a low moan, her fingernails digging into your calf and making you whine in pain and pleasure.

She pressed sloppy, open-mouthed kisses to your calf as she rode out her orgasm, then gently pulled away from you and rolled onto your back. You instinctively reached out for her, and she pulled you in, sighing contently. You wrapped your arms around her and snuggled tighter against her.

“You okay?” she whispered, smoothing out your messy hair. You nodded and pulled back a little to look at her, smiling with hazy eyes.

“Can I take you out for breakfast tomorrow?” you asked, resting your forehead against hers.

“I would love that. I’m paying though, you can’t change my mind.”

You huffed in protest. “Fine, as long as you let me be big spoon.”

She grinned.

“Deal.”

#himeno x reader #himeno chainsaw man #chainsaw man x reader #chainsaw man smut #himeno smut

40 notes · View notes

eulaties · 2 years

Text

THE ELEVEN FATUI HARBINGERS & THEIR NATIONS

After watching the new PV, I started thinking: what if every nation had at least one corresponding Harbinger? Given what we already know about La Signora, Tartaglia, Scaramouche, etc. I think that this theory may have substance.

So, which nation is each Harbinger from? I’m going to try and compile what we know from canon, my own understandings of each character, and some of Tartaglia’s voicelines from 2.8 (not released yet, so those are technically leaks). Although there will be some speculation and wild guesses on my part, I hope that more generally, this post can serve as a comprehensive guide for the Fatui Harbingers :)

Let’s get started!

(last updated 7/11/22)

HARBINGER NO. 6, THE BALLADEER: SCARAMOUCHE

Tartaglia’s voiceline about him: "After he took the Gnosis, we lost all contact with him. Now comes the task of trying to hunt it down and get it back...I actually don't mind it—it means I get to travel all over. Wonder if I'll run into you somewhere along the way?" (Source)

Nation: Inazuma

Background: He was a puppet created by Ei herself, but because he shed tears upon his creation, he was deemed too gentle to serve as a vessel for Ei’s Gnosis. His power was sealed and Ei allowed him to take control of his own life, causing him to wander Inazuma until he met the Fatui.

HARBINGER NO. 8, THE FAIR LADY: LA SIGNORA

Tartaglia’s voiceline about her: “I never got along with her, you know that. I guess there's not much more worth saying about her at this point. When you're a harbinger, you have to accept that death could come at any time...But don't worry about me. No matter what happens, I'll do whatever it takes to keep myself alive.” (Source)

Nation: Mondstadt

Background: Five hundred years ago, she was a regular woman from Mondstadt who left to study in Sumeru. Though separated from her lover, she always treasured the hydro timepiece he gave her, as it reminded her of him. But disaster soon struck during her time abroad—when the Cataclysm claimed the life of her lover, her grief consumed her to the point where she no longer had control over her powers. So, with her rage fueling her sorrow, she decided to use "her life's flame" to cleanse "the world's crookedness,” and thus became the Crimson Witch of Fire. Before she could be fully devoured by her own flames, though, Pierro encountered her and convinced her to join the Fatui.

HARBINGER NO. 11, TARTAGLIA: CHILDE

Nation: Snezhnaya

Background: As a child, he was known to be easily frightened and hesitant, causing his father to dote on him. After all, to survive Snezhnaya’s cruel winters, you must persist, and to persist, you must have strength; Ajax had none of that. That remained the case until one day, he fled his suffocating life at home and went into the forest to prove that, like his siblings, he was just as worthy. But that was easier said than done. After encountering a pack of wolves, he ran and made it further and further into the forest, eventually losing his footing and falling into the deep darkness of the Abyss. It was there that he met Skirk, the mysterious swordswoman that taught him all he needed to know to survive against the grisly horrors of the Abyssal creatures. So, Ajax was forced to become stronger, more tenacious. After three months had passed, he somehow made his way out of the Abyss. To his family, though, it was not three months that passed, but rather three days. And it was clear that he had changed drastically. Compared to the way he was before, he was more frivolous and confident, and with his newfound thirst for battle, he quickly gained a reputation of being a “nexus of strife.” His father, no longer doting on him, had no choice but to send him off to the military; he only hoped that its strict regiments would temper this unpredictable nature of his. Yet this was done to no avail. This disappointed his father, but it caught the eye of Pulcinella. Under the guise of punishment, Pulcinella ordered him to start from the bottom and work his way up to the top. If he managed to do so, then he could personally serve the Tsaritsa. Naturally, Childe succeeded at this, and in turn, he became the youngest and newest member of the Fatui.

HARBINGER NO. ??, THE DOCTOR: IL DOTTORE

Tartaglia’s voiceline about him: “I heard that he took segments of himself at different ages, made prostheses out of them, and assigned different tasks to each one. I know...all my comrades are a little weird. Come to think of it, if I met my own prosthesis...hah, we'd have to fight then and there to decide which one of us gets to survive.” (Source)

Nation: Sumeru

Background: Denounced as a heretic and chased out of his hometown because of his inhumane scientific ideas, Dottore eventually wound up at the Sumeru Academia. While still having the reputation of being a monster and madman, he restrained himself enough to not be expelled, because—after all—he still needed an environment “conducive to research.” During his time at the Academia, he was approached by Pierro, who asked for his loyalty to the Tsaritsa in exchange for resources and funding for his research. Since he could only stand to benefit, Dottore naturally agreed.

HARBINGER NO. 9, REGRATOR: PANTALONE

Tartaglia’s voiceline about him: “Oh, now that guy has a head full of grandiose plans fueled by raw ambition. I don't understand a word he says once he starts talking about his theories...Eh, but as long as he keeps our cash reserves stocked up, I'm not complaining.” (Source)

Nation (speculative): Liyue, maybe? From what we know about him, he appears to be very strategic/logical. Moreover, his surface-level obsession with wealth may indicate something deeper, such as how he closely values stability and giving as much as one takes (which then hearkens back to Liyue’s emphasis on equal contracts).

Background: He was born into poverty and never received a vision. This led him to question the nature of the world, and whether or not Celestia deserved to control humanity to this extent. Thus, he struggled his way to the top and, at some point, became recruited into the Fatui. Currently, he is the wealthiest Harbinger and is in control of Snezhnaya’s economic policies.

HARBINGER NO. 5, THE ROOSTER: PULCINELLA

Tartaglia’s voiceline about him: “I don't know what his motivations could be, but he seems genuine about wanting to help me. He treats me just like family. Oh, and speaking of family—Tonia and Teucer are always telling me about the pastries and other gifts he brings them when they write. So while I've been away from Snezhnaya, he's kept his promise to take care of my family.” (Source)

Nation (speculative): Snezhnaya, most likely. Along with Pierro, he is able to recruit Harbingers, so I’m guessing he has some sort of seniority. Looking at his clothes/general sense of style, too, no other nation stands out to me for him. He gives off very wintry vibes!

Background: Not much is known about him, but from the quote above, he appears to be compassionate towards Tartaglia. But at the same time, when he talks about him in Secrets From the Depths of Winter, he says that Tartaglia is trustworthy but then warns against “growing attached to him.” So what’s up with this contrast? It could be that he has ulterior motives or, you know. Maybe he really is just a family man. Either way, I want this little goblin man to be playable in the future.

HARBINGER NO. 3, THE DAMSELETTE: COLUMBINA

Tartaglia’s voiceline about her: “The Harbingers are ranked by strength, and I have no idea why that girl is No. 3. I'd test my skills with every Harbinger who ranks above me if I had the chance, but when it comes to her...something just doesn't feel right. Anyway, you should be careful around her.” (Source)

Nation (speculative): I’m not sure of which one yet, but going purely off of design, she might be from Snezhnaya or Fontaine. Personally, I’m thinking more Snezhnaya.

HARBINGER NO. ??, THE PUPPET: SANDRONE

Tartaglia’s voiceline about her: “She always seems engrossed in her research. Hmm.. I wonder if those machines have anything to do with her? Anyway, I've only met her a few times, but every time she looked like she wanted to murder me. I have no idea what I possibly could have done to annoy her.” (Source)

Nation (speculative): Same as the Damselette, I’m thinking either Fontaine or Snezhnaya. But she seems more likely to be from Fontaine, judging by her clothing/general sense of style; she looks pretty aristocratic to me. Also, we know that Fontaine has a steampunk/machine theme, so that lends credence to my assumption.

HARBINGER NO. ??, THE KNAVE: ARLECCHINO

Tartaglia’s voiceline about her: “Look, I've got nothing against people who have their own agendas—I myself joined the Fatui to get more experience in combat. But I don't like her at all. If she stood to benefit from betraying others, she'd turn against the Tsaritsa in a heartbeat. There isn't a sane bone in her body.” (Source)

Nation (speculative): Like the last two, she gives me Fontaine or Snezhnaya vibes. However, her quote in the PV makes me unsure on which one she leans towards: “Rosalyne died in a foreign land...But you heartless businessmen and dignitaries, always with a convenient excuse to remain in the comfort of your homeland...You couldn't hope to understand.” So for now, it’s ambiguous.

Background: She runs the orphanage House of Hearth, which takes in orphans and raises them as members of the Fatui. Based on the Harbinger PV, we know she cares about her “children” to some extent (she states, “We don't want to make the children cry”).

HARBINGER NO. ??, THE CAPTAIN: IL CAPITANO

Tartaglia’s voiceline about him: “I've seen him in battle before, and oh what a sight it was. Perhaps I'm ranked too low for him to notice me right now. Well, he may not recognize my strengths yet, but one day, I'll show him what I'm made of.” (Source)

Nation (speculative): The previous Harbingers are already from 6 of 7 nations: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, and Snezhnaya. The only one left is Natlan, and I think that makes a lot of sense once we consider what we already know about the nation. First, from the manhua, we know that the clans of Natlan used to hold tournaments in Murata’s honor, who is the God of War. Second, from Vennessa, we know that the Natlan people “pass down the art of war to their descendants.” Therefore, Natlan probably has the most skilled and capable fighters in all of Tevyat. This knowledge, combined with Tartaglia’s voiceline, makes it seem very likely that Capitano is from Natlan.

HARBINGER NO. 1, THE JESTER: PIERRO

Tartaglia’s voiceline about him: “He was the first ever Fatui Harbinger, and today he is our leader. He only appears on important occasions. As for his accomplishments...To be honest, I don't really care. I owe my loyalty and devotion to the Tsaritsa, no one else.“ (Source)

Nation: Khaenri’ah

Background: Before the Cataclysm occurred, he warned the Khaenri'ah sages that "tearing away at the veil of sin” would bring severe consequences. Yet this was done to no avail—because he was not perceived as trustworthy by the sages, nor by the ruler of Khaenri'ah, he was forced to stand aside and watch as they flew too close to the sun and singlehandedly brought destruction to the homeland. Even more, he witnessed Celestia’s cruelty firsthand and quickly became embittered by the truth of the world. And so, with his wish to burn away the Old World, he aligned with the Tsaritsa’s cause and became the very first Fatui Harbinger.

569 notes · View notes

nevertheless-moving · 2 months

Note

For au 8: what extremely awkward joke about said severed leg are they in the middle of (too tired to move, out of Stormlight, have moved on to camadere stage of the fight) when the bridge comes for them?

Stormlight AU Number 8: Kaladin slightly further along in powers during initial szeth fight. Could happen due to other au concepts. Epic windrunner battle across camp, rooftops, clouds, onto shattered plains. Szeth and Kaladin end up running out of stormlight, stranded on the plains together. Sanderson incredible battle of Champions gradually fading to exhausted delirious slap fight. eventually they both have to get rescued. (of course the bridgemen would search for him after the battle). Comedic scenes with Kaladin’s chopped off leg.

Hello! Thank you for asking! You know, to be completely honest, it actually didn't occur to me that Kaladin might manage to use his incredibly potent Power Of Friendshipᵀᴹ to get all the way to camaraderie that early on. I was mostly imagining Szeth dissociating wildly at one edge of the plateau while Kaladin clutches a dagger half awake on the other side. Syl has to keep chasing Szeth away. Occasionally they might shuffle around and yell extremely hinged things at each other.

Kaladin manages to get a very small fire going that night, hoping that one of the sentries might see it. They don't. but fortunately, all the bridge crews are out looking for him, and Renarin decides to tag along with bridge four for some reason, insisting that he had a feeling they would be found that direction, because of, um. math. second sons are allowed to math, alright?

My inital reaction to this ask was

to gently shoot down the idea of them having a funny conversation as one that I couldn't personally make work. They kind of need a third person to lighten the mood, otherwise their default common language right now is dead serious warrior guy. HOWEVER you raise an excellent comedic concept and that is 75% of my motivation for writing so perhaps...

let's say Kaladin and Szeth did manage to have a whole conversation at this point, again this is right after they met and promptly tried to fight to the death in a brilliant cataclysmic battle the likes of which hadn't been seen in millennia.

Kaladin was still hiding his powers from the warcamps (though, he realizes with tired dread, considering how many walls they slammed eachother through, that swordcat is probably out of the bag). He just figured out wall walking (and subsequently flying) a few days ago, motivated by a security briefing on the latest Assassin in White attack in Azir. He wasn't expecting to have to use his powers this soon, this publicly, but when the Assassin showed up...what else was he supposed to do?

Thank Taln that Teft had started double checking if he was carrying extra spheres after learning his captain might be fighting an evil radiant. Thank Syl that enough stormlight let him heal from shardblade injuries. Unfortunate that the Assassin had apparently trained to double strike at someone with an ability as absurd as that. Fortunate that he didn't really need most of his left leg while fighting in the air, considering his body and mind agreed he couldn't spare the stormlight to heal it entirely.

Probably wasn't much talking at all during the battle, on Kaladin's end at least — outmatched in practice and weaponry, his only hope during the new most terrifying fight of his life was letting the Assassin burn through his stormlight first. Let him recklessly scream while Kaladin held his breath and tried to push the man away from new sources of light.

But once they were both grounded... He probably wouldn't do the whole 'yes all the radiants are back' bluff. Why bother? It was just him, as far as he knew, and he didn't understand why. Maybe the Assassin had answers? Szeth — his name was Szeth, come to think of it, how was the man's name a mystery up to this point, he screamed it often enough — though usually he killed the people who would have...ok that...probably explained it.

Anyway if Kaladin managed to coherently get through to Szeth that yes I'm a radiant, or close enough anyway, what does truthless mean, no I guess this means you were never really truthless, and somehow managed to keep the man from jumping into a chasm, I think this would end with Szeth swearing his undying fealty to Kaladin because that's kind of his only trick, and Kaladin has that affect on people. So.

Szeth: It will grow back, my lord. Kaladin: Please — Can you not call me that? Szeth: Your leg will grow back, your brilliance. Kaladin: How about Kaladin? Can you call me Kaladin. And how do you know that, for sure? Szeth: The blades are used in my village for healing such things, and your natural powers are derived from the same source. As an honorblade holder, I was required to train to withstand and keep fighting through such injuries, Brightlord Kaladin. Kaladin: That's horrifying. And Almighty above, definitely DO NOT call me brightlord. What about Captain? I can live with captain. Just — anything but Brightlord, alright? Szeth: Yes, My Lord Captain. Kaladin: I... if you're up for it, please go see if you can find any more rockbuds for water, alright? Szeth: Yes, My Lord Captain. Kaladin: Kaladin: Kelek's breath, the guys are never going to let this one go.

And they don't.

the original comedic scene i was imagining happens after they rescued Kaladin from the plateaus and bring him enough stormlight (no one was allowed to bring spheres on the manhunt) for him to regrow his leg. there are variations. i'll make a separate post.

#my au #stormlight archive #ask #stormlight au no 8 #nevertheless cosmere #words of radiance au

17 notes · View notes

soleminisanction · 11 months

Note

Hi :D i loved your sticks and stones work! Amazing! Anyways id been going back through the robin 1993 and other era-related comics and realized what was bugging me about some fanon characterization of steph being the 'popular social one'. They get her's and tim's social life completely swapped. Steph isn't a team player and the one willing to work with everyone. Could just be because Steph's a supporting member but I realized she focused mostly on crime fighting and was much more of a loner. She didn't do team ups pretty much till she was Batgirl. Tim, however, had an active civilian social life and constantly teamed with other vigilantes. Idk if thats just my interpretation though. Anyways :)))

God yes! You are so right! That has frustrated me for years, especially in the recent canon when they've been having every teenager with a cape suddenly go "OMG haiiiii Stephanie :) :)" for no fucking reason when it makes ZERO sense! She's a weird loner who does not know any of these people!!

And that's doubly true when it comes to her civilian friends. Steph's civilian life as a whole is weirdly under-developed given how much attention she's gotten over the years, especially since she, y'know, had her own series. Yet they still couldn't be bothered to give her much of anything to work with. It's so frustrating.

Seriously, here is, I'm pretty sure, a full list of the friends Steph was shown having pre-Flashpoint who aren't members of the Bat-clan:

These two Black girls from Robin #61 who only exist so Stephanie can yell at them about how stupid their friend is for keeping her baby and how stupid they are for thinking it's cute of her to do that, and then later she talks about how dumb and immature they are compared to her, and they're never seen again.

Her baby-daddy Dean, who's only shown once outside of Robin during the Cataclysm event, and then only shows up again 2 years after her pregnancy has been resolved so Stephanie can beat him up for no reason. (Seriously, this is the only page he's on before she kicks him in the nuts and knocks him around, he doesn't say or do anything else to her, she just wails on him for no reason)

Two randos from the Robin/Spoiler Special who exist to make a plot happen by inviting her to a warehouse party that she drags Tim to and are never seen again. Their existence also makes no sense in Steph's personal timeline because she's been "dead" for a year and will be in college in like two months so why the hell would she enroll in high school again??

Effa, the little African girl also from the Robin/Spoiler Special, who only exists to make Stephanie look good by sucking up to her.

Jordanna Spence and Francisco Garcia from her Batgirl run, supposedly. In practice they're actually just two people that Stephanie doesn't like and whom she calls "friends" in quotation marks and has no idea why she keeps hanging around them, and yet she keeps bothering them because the plot said she's gotta.

Supergirl, as forced and one-sided as that relationship was.

Wendy Harris, even though "Proxy" only really lasted for a grand total of 5 issues.

A nameless rando she's shown playing ping-pong with, once.

...and that's it! That's all the friends Stephanie has ever had who weren't members of the same extended anti-crime family, and two of them are people she only met because of those connections.

Compare that to Tim, who has dozens of civilian friends and at least twice as many caped ones, and yeah, it's absolutely ridiculous that people pretend Stephanie is the """social""" one.

But y'know, she's the perky-happy blonde girl, so people just assume she must be popular. Because she's written almost entirely in stereotypes and cliches since 2008.

#dc comics asks #stephanie brown #stephanie brown critical #batgirl 2009 critical #robin 1993 #tried to add image descriptions in the alt text hope it worked

41 notes · View notes

the-travelling-witch · 3 months

Note

HOLLY HATES GRANDPAS (zhongli) CONFIRMED/j

I actually really like the thought of Xiao and his relationship being a bit darker I mean didn’t Xiao kill thousands of “people” and creatures for him? I’m not educated on his lore but I know Xiao was some type of warrior to Morax when he was a god? Archon?

Holly I would love to hear your thoughts on it

okay where do i start with this… no seriously where do i start

You said you don’t know much about Xiao, so let’s start there (coming from someone who might know a little too much about him jshsh).

Basically, yes, you are correct that Xiao was fighting for Morax alongside the other Yaksha and Adepti during the Archon War after Morax saved him from his enslavement to an ancient god and gave him the name “Xiao”. Because of his gratitude to Morax, Xiao took on the duty to protect Liyue, something he still does to this day.

Now, what I think is important to mention here is that Xiao is still referred to as a “young adeptus” even in present times, so during the Archon War approximately 2700 years ago, he was much younger still, meaning he was enslaved from a very very young age. (My personal headcanon is that he had golden wings originally and that they have been cut off/ clipped/ ripped out by the ancient god when he was first enslaved.)

But Xiao was not alone in protecting Liyue. He had four fellow guardian yaksha, who were all very dear to him, but who tragically passed after succumbing to what is known as “karmic debt”. Karmic debt is the residual wrath of slain gods, whose hatred and power remain after being defeated due to them being immortal. It causes a physical and mental toll on those who are subjected to it, especially continuously over long periods of time, like the yaksha.

(There were more than these five yaksha, of course, like Pervases, but I’m talking mostly about the five guardian yaksha.)

In the perilous trail quest line we learn more in depth about what happened to the four other yaksha; Indarias succumbed to madness and fear, Bonanus and Menogias killed each other in battle and Bosacius fought in the Chasm during the cataclysm after even forgetting his own name.

Xiao wasn’t unaffected either. Had he not heard Venti play the flute, he would have lost himself to his karmic debt too, which is not unsurprising considering he has been fighting the remnants of gods from the Archon War all this time.

(I feel we are now leaving hoyo’s plane of storytelling and entering my plane of angst, so everything from here on out is interpreted through the messenger that is me… but you guys love my angst right)

And Zhongli isn’t the harmless, senile grandpa who forgets his wallet all the time (which he totally does on purpose) as he makes himself out to be. When Xiao first met him he was the Warrior God, Morax.

Surely, during a war, for someone like him, the first thought on his mind wasn’t how the people around him felt but how he could best utilise the weapons at his disposal to ensure victory.

And Xiao happened to be one of those weapons.

If you look at what Xiao did during and after his enslavement, it’s not much different, is it? He still, as you said, slaughtered and slayed countlessly, just under a different leader.

And sure, the difference here is that Xiao accepted it willingly this time around, yet, as I explained earlier, I think that he was still very much within his formative years (decades? centuries?) back then, where he, for one, learnt that apparently killing is what he was good for. But also, of course, he would perceive Morax as this “good” person who freed him and who he wants to support; and at first glance, there’s nothing wrong with that.

We also see, however, that Xiao holds Zhongli in a higher regard than pretty much anyone else. Even nowadays he still refers to him as Rex Lapis and dares anyone to speak ill about him (or Morax for that matter) though Zhongli has retired both of those names already. Yet Xiao of all people clings to it.

Also what kind of (good) father would let his son literally work away to the brink of insanity?

Yes, I’m aware that Zhongli inquires about how Xiao is doing and that he has medicine made for him (which he doesn’t deliver himself), which is fine and all but also… too little too late huh? It also means that Zhongli is aware of the state Xiao is in and he never bothers to walk his old ass over to Wangshuu Inn and tell the guy to stop? We went over how loyal Xiao is to Zhongli; you’d think he’d listen if he earnestly told him to rest, the old geezer is the reason Xiao does all this protecting in the first place.

And don’t think I forgot about the chasm quest, oh no. I know Zhongli saved Xiao just in the nick of time and we all cried at the cutscene, and I cried so much but also… why does this retired grandpa have to show up so late? He couldn’t have stopped looking at silk flowers two minutes earlier, before Xiao took on the physical and mental toll of sacrificing himself? Sure… if you say so…

(Though probably not his intention, you could read it as another sign of “You are still here because of me” or Xiao could be encouraged in feeling like he once again owes his life to Morax.)

But, what is even more heartbreaking, is how Xiao had been ready to make the ultimate sacrifice this entire time (shown by how he asked Yanfei about what a will is and if anyone could make one). Where do you think that mindset came from?

(Okay, Holly, calm down. Don’t throw hands with the geo grandpa… leave some for Neuvillette.)

And I’m not saying that Zhongli would still make the same decisions today that he made back then or that he is proud of what he has done. Actually, I think he’d feel quite guilty now that peaceful times have been established and he is in the position to take a step back and reevaluate, which is probably where his attempts at healing come from. I’m not saying he is a fundamentally bad person.

(Zhongli: “We did not measure right and wrong during the days of the Archon War in the same manner as we do today.”)

I’m saying that the circumstances of their first meeting lastingly formed the base and nature of their relationship.

I don’t think Zhongli has bad intentions, yet he also doesn’t address their past dynamic either and after what we established, we can assume Xiao wouldn’t either, which is probably why Zhongli reckons it is okay to let the topic rest.

(comment by @watatsumiis: “i feel like xiao literally isnt equipped to bring up these sorts of conversations. he just thinks how hes living is totally normal. like if you were to really twist it, YEAH their relationship could be like a father and son dynamic but in the way that like.. zhongli is a more mature and well rounded person than xiao is and because of his emotional experience he should be the one taking the lead and helping to guide xiao in these situations, even if that means starting the hard conversations.” Thank you for putting into words what my 1am brain couldn’t <3)

When he tells Xiao to go and make and meet friends he probably has very good intentions and there is care there. But we also know making connections is something Xiao is very afraid of, no matter how much he craves having a connection to someone, because he is scared to taint them with his karmic debt.

I also want to reiterate that the god who helped Xiao most with fighting against his karmic debt was Venti, who Zhongli labels as a useless drunk… just saying.

You could say that Zhongli tries to move their relationship from master and weapon to something more familial but his attempts are a little clumsy, probably because their history just runs very deep and old roles are hard to let go of.

To me, Xiao is a character with childlike curiosity but also the resoluteness and stoicism of someone who was forced to grow up too fast. And in a happier ending, someone close and dear to him (me, it’s me) can help him reevaluate his purpose and bring more nuance into a pretty black and white view on things.

However, @/watataumiis and I have been moving into a completely different direction ofc and I won’t spoil what it is here but I’ve been thinking about it a lot since then (and naturally I immediately started self shipping shenanigans bc I can’t not insert myself when Xiao is involved :])

And with that I conclude my crazed ramblings <3

(Again, not saying Zhongli is a bad person or anything, and this also not necessarily the basis on which I write him in x reader fics; you know me, I just like exploring avenues like this. Also I feel like I’m forgetting half of what I wanted to say, but that’s kinda typical; just know that I feel like there are more angsty thoughts under the smooth surface of my late night brain.

And while it’s not my cup of tea, I’m not trying to put down anyone who does see them as a functional father/son dynamic; there is nothing wrong with wanting that fluffy found family comfort ^^)

#┊✩彡 divine correspondence ♡#┊✩彡 unsigned letter ♡#i have a draft somewhere where this is somewhat topical #but i scraped it lol / didn’t finish the other characters #anyway #an ask where i get to be angsty and a hater? sign me up #also didn’t really proofread this #don’t @ me #/lh #genshin impact #genshin xiao #genshin zhongli #zhongli #xiao

11 notes · View notes

olympeline · 4 months

Text

FrUK hanahaki AU, part 2! (Part 1)

So, Arthur tried a mysterious spell to get rid of his love crush infatuation unfortunate mental affliction for Francis and it’s left him with a good dose of the blooming cough. How does the land of Shakespeare, Milton, and Keats react to this?

Arthur:………………..FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!! *Coughing fit*

Seems about right 👍

Anyway, the writing’s on the wall now. Arthur is a brave nation who likes to solve his problems alone and hates to show weakness, but even he has his limits. Swallowing his pride (and a few petals) he goes to talk to Norway and Romania. Arthur doesn’t admit outright why he’s there (he’s not that desperate yet!) and instead shows them Atlantis’s spell. He hopes his friends might have a way to reverse it, but no luck. The magic looks too old and unstable. Norway says an antidote could take years of study or even decades. Arthur feels his heart sink. He knows he doesn’t have years. As he is now, one year might be pushing it.

Arthur swallows more pride (and petals) and goes to talk to his last hope: Yao. China isn’t a wizard himself, but he is one of the most magically attuned nations (can still see his dragons and the like). He’s also the only remaining nation who met Atlantis. Yao was a fresh faced youth during Plato’s “Single day and night of misfortune” when Atlantis sunk into the sea and was lost forever. They have tea and Arthur relies on a millennia of diplomacy to bring up the subject delicately: nothing gets Yao to shut up like a box faster than mentioning Atlantis. Arthur can’t afford to be kicked out. He needs detail that only Yao can give.

It’s not easy. The moment Yao sees the book and realises what Arthur wants, the atmosphere in the room turns arctic. Yao tells Arthur to drop it. Arthur won’t. Yao angrily tells Arthur to leave. Arthur won’t. Yao is about to try and throw Arthut out, when pain burns Arthur’s throat and chest and he doubles up, coughing. He can’t catch every petal and one flutters down to Yao’s feet. Yao picks it up, hand shaking.

“Oh, England,” he whispers. “Oh, you fool…”

It’s a long time before the fit subsides and Arthur can speak. China helps him to a chair and brings more tea. There’s no point pretending now: Yao knows. Arthur looks at the sheer, crushing pity on his face and is furious, mortified, and terrified all at once. Just from that look, he has his answer he came for: Atlantis cursed himself with hanahaki while trying to get rid of unwanted romantic feelings for someone. The curse won out, and Atlantis was doomed. Arthur asks who it was that Atlantis loved. Yao says it was Ancient Rome, or Grandpa Rome as the young nations knew him. Atlantis fell for the great empire in his early days when he was just a small city state. But the feelings weren’t returned and Atlantis, who was a master sorcerer, took drastic measures. Then all the other ancients could do was watch in horror as the disease consumed his entire being - land, people, culture - body and soul, until the cataclysm.

Now the same will happen to Arthur, to Britain, unless they do something. Arthur says there must be a cure, they just have to find it! He’s been through worse than this. He’s not beaten yet. A reversal of the spell would take too long but, there must be another cure out there. There must be! (Cope, Arthur, cope)

Then Yao sends him into another choking fit by demanding to know why he doesn’t just confess to Francis already

Once he calms down, Arthur asks WTF mate and Yao gives him the biggest “I am four thousand years old are you shitting me” look in existence. Did Arthur think he was being subtle about his feelings for Francis or something? Nope! Nope! So much nope! So just confess already, Arthur! Confess and get cured before it’s too late

Arthur is thunderstruck - he thought he hid his affliction masterfully! - but he recovers and retorts that Yao is wrong, it’s not Francis. It’s totally someone else! Totally absolutely! Someone else. Yao doesn’t know him (he lives in Canada). Yao gives him the look again. Arthur ignores it and says thank you very much for the tea but now he must leave immediately, goodbye forever. Yao calls after him that he can deny as much as he likes, but confessing is his only hope at this point. So don’t be a coward, Arthur! Your people need you. Confess!

Arthur pretends not to hear

Confessing would do no good anyway. Not when Francis doesn’t love him back

No confession! He’ll find a cure instead

When he gets home, the next fit brings up the first full flower

(I’m cutting it here for now, but I hope you’re enjoying my rambles! Stay tuned for part 3 at some point.

Should also mention that just for this AU, Arthur represents the British Isles rather than just England. So this is an alternate history where the Republic of Ireland never split from the United Kingdom. Also, UK bros Wales, Scotty, and N. Ireland don’t exist, like in early Hetalia. I call Arthur “England” a few times just because I’m used to it, but, in reality, he’s either “Britain” or “British Isles.” Otherwise what I have planned wouldn’t work (´ε｀ )♡)

#hetalia #fruk #hws england #hws france #aph england #aph france #my posts #hanahaki

9 notes · View notes

askdeoxys · 1 year

Text

An Alien Arrives

An ever expanding abyss was laid out ahead- an eerie sensation bubbling into wrought feelings, something was amiss. Though the spacescape was void of sound as it always has been, there was a particular silence to it this day. Perhaps, it was a visual silence. It was as if the space around the planet was causing them to see static, and with the static, a cold itch crept up the spine of the legendary pokemon…

Much like all the myriad of times there was a disturbance above the planet, Rayquaza departed from their home in the ozone layer to ascend and to access. More often than not, it was simple rubble for the legendary to deal with- worse than child’s play. Other times, there were the stray or few, but it was never anything they could not handle. At the end of their days, their territory was always true.

However, today.. Something was amiss.

What were mere minutes felt like hours, for Rayquaza scoured through space- flying far above the planet to the edges of their borders. This was unlike anything they had felt before, and simply could not shake it. Something had to be here. They had no doubt in their mind.

And, then, just like that, it was all revealed.

“You, dragon,” a cold voice echoed in the back of the legendary’s mind, “I think you can help me.”

A storm of ire quickly erupted within Rayquaza, for how dare a creature of perversion not only enter this territory but assault their mind. With a roar of rage, Rayquaza ripped around in flight to speed at whatever stray had wandered far too close, and as they dashed, the legendary assessed the stray.

It was humanoid.., and it was unlike anything the ancient being had seen before. In all their time, there was never a creature quite as.. unnatural as the one that laid before it in this empty space. It was alien in nature, of course, and it gave the legendary a sickening feeling in their stomach. A virus. Rayquaza had met similar beings before, but nothing had this eerie aura to it. The ancient legendary was not going to take any chances- not this time. As it flew with haste, Rayquaza immediately transformed into a Mega state, bellowing with newfound power. This strange virus would learn a difficult lesson today.

“I’m looking for someone,” the alien transmitted, unbothered by the assault on transit, “You’ve met him.”

Rayquaza- the towering beast, the crown of the winds, the abyssal guardian- stopped. The alien emitted an energy that burdened them with a shiver through their nerves. There was not a second to lose- there was not a moment to spare to this intruder. There were no chances they could take. Amassing every fiber of their being, Rayquaza’s entire body quaked- the mere fabric of space around them twisting and siphoning into their gullet. With their maw opened and glowing, they summoned their most devastating attack without a moment’s hesitation, the attack coming in the blink of an eye: Hyper Beam erupted from Rayquaza.

The cataclysmic ray of destruction tore through the space swifter than Rayquaza could blink, erasing any mere spec of existence on its path. This was a similar sight- this exact moment. In the fraction of a second that this interaction transpired, Rayquaza remembered. The creature was previously too far- obscured. In this moment, Rayquaza recognized their shape, though this was an individual they had never met, yet this moment had happened before. Yes, there was another individual just like this whom Rayquaza had Hyped Beamed- a Deoxys- one who fell to the planet after the blast.

Regardless of the familiar memory, the Hyper Beam arrived at its destination, the massive blast from the ancient legendary that could level entire cities exploded against the frame of the intruder- lasting for several seconds as the blast grew in power with time elapsed. But, as all things do, it came to an end. Energy having tapered off, the Hyper Beam ended as Rayquaza huffed with anger.. and fear. This was over, and that fact was a relief.

Or, so Rayquaza thought.

As the blast cleared and space returned to normal from the bending beam, the intruder stood unbothered. “I’m looking for Deoxys. You know him,” the yellow invader pointedly remarked.

Fright replaced rage and horror filled their veins- Rayquaza was stunned. Never in its ancient lifetime had a creature simply.. ignored their attack. As they already knew, this was not a being they could waste time on, and they acted swift. With greater haste- ignoring their fear- Rayquaza roared to a soundless space, summoning another attack for this creature. With a blast to call, hundreds if not thousands of meteors suddenly erupted onto the scene.

“Very well. I have traveled for a long time. I suppose I can allow myself this moment to enjoy myself. We will play your game.”

Rayquaza ignored the telepathic voice. Instead, they watched their hail storm of asteroids explode on the creature like a gatling barrage of burning rock and debris, and they knew they needed more. Amassing another full body amount of power, Rayquaza reeled back before unleashing a purple blast of nuclear energy. Resembling that of a flying dragon itself, a Devastating Drake arrived with unmatchable speed into the meteor swarm, and on arrival, an unmatchable blast of nuclear proportions interrupted the storm into absolute decimation. There was nothing left of the storm but dissipating energy… and the intruder.

Maw open, Rayquaza was running out of options. There was no way this creature could take attack after attack, and they would wear them down. With another Hyper Beam, this creature MUST falter.

However, as Rayquaza’s mouth was extended open to prepare for the swift blast, they would instead find themself interrupted as a hand was suddenly extended between their jaws. They could not see it happen, but the yellow invader was in front of the legendary without warning. Instinctually, they bite their jaws down as hard as they could in hopes of severing the invader’s hand from their arm. Instead, they felt their teeth crack.

“You are powerful,” the alien transmitted with a dull tone.

The ancient legendary tried to shake vigorously and whip away, but they were locked in place. Though they released the invader’s arm, the invader was holding tightly onto Rayquaza- holding them in place by the gums of their teeth.

“But, you are arrogant- territorial. You are like all others legendaries.. You are very assuming.”

With a snap, a handful of teeth were easily retracted from the legendary’s mouth to the pained yet silent screams of the dragon. However, the pain was far from over, for with a reeled back fist of rage, the alien sent a furious attack in response to Rayquaza’s previous offense. A skull cracked, the dragon was sent buckling back from the simple punch against their head, and the legendary flew off from an impact that would have blasted any debris miles away if there was any left.

But, just as quick as the punch arrived, the intruder extended their other hand in horrendous psychic power- Rayquaza’s flight path from the punch interrupted as if they were just grabbed by an invisible force. They were not quite sure what was happening, though, as they were barely conscious at this point, but they had to regain their strength quickly. They had to lest they welcome their death.

Unfortunately for Rayquaza, any gathered strength mattered not. Just as swift as they were knocked away, they were flown right back to the intruder by this psychic force.

Palming Rayquaza’s face, the alien grabbed the massive dragon by the skin between their eyes, making sure to hold the creature’s mouth away to not allow any further beams. “I would stop if I were you.”

The ancient being ignored the command, of course, whether out of injudiciousness or pride, it mattered not. They fought and fought to try and break free from this grappling grasp. Unfortunately, they would only find their nerves shocked and burning.

Out of annoyance of a stray arm striking him, the alien emitted some sort of psychic wave that shattered the bones of the arm that struck him. “Are you going to stop?” And, as if to capitalize their point, the alien raised his free hand as another psychic force moved to the horns of the ancient pokemon. If the sound could be heard in space, a massive snap would be created. With ease, the invader’s force snapped the horns from the top of the legendary’s head to the silent cries and whines of Rayquaza.

“Good. You seem to have become amicable. Tell me everything you know about Deoxys.”

#askdeoxys

43 notes · View notes

pareparebear · 2 years

Text

My Sunshine, chapter 4

Paul x Reader 1.8k words

Y/n hurried to catch up to Emily on the way out the door. She reached the scarred woman and latched onto her arm to carry her a little farther away from everyone so she could squeeze every detail about Paul that she could from her best friend. Announcing that the two were going to walk by the shore for a little while, Y/n dragged Emily away. The closer they got to the water the more questions Y/n thought of to ask.

“That was weird right?” Y/n spoke first. There wasn’t any other way she could think to describe that meeting. It was like the most intense staring contest she had ever been in.

“Yeah um… It was definitely something,” Emily replied. What else was she supposed to say? Oh! By the way Y/n, all of your friends and almost everyone you’ve met tonight can turn into wolves almost twice the size of bears so they can protect us, and you’ve been chosen to be the fated soulmate of one of these shifters. No. It wasn’t her place to say anything at all. This was Paul’s choice.

“Okay so why did he stare at me so long? And why did I feel so weirdly attached to him? Like that shouldn’t be possible. We literally just met. And why was everyone just watching us like that? And–”

“Let’s start with something a little more simple Y/n. Some of the things you want to know, only Paul can tell you. It’s really not my place,” Emily interrupted her friend.

“Alright. Who were the two people who walked in? With snacks?” Y/n decided it would be easier to start with super simple questions. Anything else she could ask Paul later. For some reason she was positive that they would be seeing a lot of each other very soon.

“Well the boy was Seth Clearwater and the girl was his Sister, Leah,” Emily responded.

“Okay, can you tell me a little more about Paul?” Y/n asked. She really wanted to know more about him.

“Now that is something I can tell you,” Emily giggled slightly before going into a rant about Paul and all his quirks. You know, minus the wolf thing.

. . .

Over on the other side of the beach; Embry, Jake, and Seth were working on the bonfire. Sam and Paul were off to the side discussing what happened. Everyone was shocked, but it was nothing compared to how Paul feels. He couldn’t put into words how imprinting feels. Overwhelming is the closest word he can think of at the moment. He feels antsy. He’s trying so hard to listen to everything Sam is saying, he really is, but it’s so hard at the moment.

“Paul, I need you to calm down. This is a huge change and I need you to have a clear head before we really dive into this,” Sam said. He didn’t really enjoy using his alpha voice on his friends, but if Paul didn’t calm down soon, Sam was afraid he would shift. Then it would be really hard to explain everything to Y/n.

“Okay okay I’m calm,” Paul replied. His hands stopped shaking and his eyes stopped darting in Y/n’s direction every five seconds, so Sam took that as a sign he was better and started trying to help Paul figure out what he was going to do next.

“How are you feeling about all of this?” Sam inquired. He knew what imprinting was like. How cataclysmic the feeling is. The world falls out from under you, but she’s there so you can’t plummet with the rest of the world.

“I feel scared. And so incredibly happy. Like my stomach is twisting into a giant knot. But I want to go to her, like right now. My heart is pounding and I feel restless. And I really don't like how far she is. What if something happens? How do you let Emily walk so far away from you?” Paul was just spewing everything he could think of. The filter between his brain and his mouth no longer existed. Sam continued listening to him babble for a minute with a knowing smile.

“It’s not easy. But before you start attaching yourself to her hip, you need to talk to her. Take it slow. Don’t bombard her with everything immediately. It would probably be better to get to know her first before telling her all of our secrets,” Sam told him.

Right as their conversation ended Emily and Y/n walked back up to the bonfire and joined the rest of the group. Emily officially introduced her to Seth and Leah. Seth very energetically shook Y/n’s hand while Leah simply grunted in acknowledgement then walked away. Y/n looked forlorn at Leah’s attitude and Paul could see the disappointment tracing her features. Paul wanted to see her smile again, so he swiftly walked up to her from behind then whispered in her ear.

“Don’t worry about her. She hates everyone,” his breath brushed against Y/n’s ear. She jumped in fright, spun quickly on her heels, and was suddenly swept up in those magnificent chocolate brown eyes again. Paul. His presence was like a drug. Her head felt light and a little fuzzy with him being so close.

“Oh hi you scared the shit out of me,” Y/n stammered nervously in reply.

“Sorry. I’m Paul.”

“I know. Sam told me earlier,” Y/n replied.

“Right,” He chuckled before continuing, “So are you new around here? I don’t remember ever seeing you before.”

“No, I've lived in Forks all my life. Sam is my cousin actually. I go to the highschool in town and I haven’t been around the reservation recently.”

“Ah that explains why I haven’t seen you. I definitely would have remembered someone like you around,” Paul stated smoothly. In contrast, his heart hasn’t stopped palpitating since he walked over here. He couldn’t believe she had been so close his whole life and he never even accidentally ran into her. ‘Oh god did she just giggle… I might throw up,’ Paul's inner monologue often finds ways to ruin his flirtatious rhythm and it seems like it is in full swing tonight.

“Sorry for staring so hard when we first met, Sam mentioned that his cousin was coming but I had envisioned a snot-nosed brat not… you,” Paul tried to explain.

“Why? were my gorgeous features simply too much for you to bear,” Y/n asked jokingly while placing a comedic, disbelieving hand across her chest and looking shocked at the 6 foot man.

“Something like that…” Paul replied while smirking. ‘Yes…exactly that actually… I’ve never seen anyone who could compare to you.’ Paul thought.

Right as the two were breaking the tension that had been growing a voice cut through to call them over to the bonfire.

“Hey guys! They are about to tell the stories!” It was Seth jumping around like he had a sugar high, rounding up everyone in attendance as the elders, who Y/n hadn’t even noticed showed up, began to sit and gain everyone's attention.

“After you, M’lady,” Paul smiled sweetly, showing his perfectly white teeth, and gently placing his hand on her lower back to guide her towards one of the logs circling the burning wood.

“Why thank you kind sir,” Y/n replied humorously before taking her seat. His hand was really warm against her back. It felt like the sun on one of the rare days that Forks wasn’t covered with clouds. She subconsciously leaned towards Paul when he sat next to her, but she just blamed it on the crisp night air and her lack of layers. Definitely not because he was the most charming, handsome man she had come across in a very long time. No. Definitely not. In fact, it was ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

Paul was a wreck. His palms were sweating and his heart was thumping in his throat, but sitting close to her felt like something out of a fairytale. He couldn’t get enough. He just knew this– she– would be his new addiction.

Suddenly the chatter from the small group around the fire died and everyone was waiting in anticipation staring at Billy Black and waiting for him to begin speaking. Billy Black, even as a man forever in his wheelchair, commands respect and attentiveness with his presence alone. Growing up Y/n was very close with the Black family. She could remember how grief stricken they were when Jacob's mom, Sarah, had passed away. Y/n, Quil, and Embry were there to help Jacob heal from the tragedy. They saw how it affected him, his sisters, and his father. Billy Black always treated Y/n as if she was his own daughter, so to see him in such despair was awful. Seeing him now reminded Y/n of just how strong the truly is. As he spoke it was as if Y/n could see the stories dancing in the flames of the fire to illustrate Billy’s alluring voice. She could see Taha Aki and Utlapa, feel the heat of their argument and the anger that Utlapa held. When Taha Aki shared the wolf’s body Y/n swore she could see the great animals eyes staring at her through the dancing light. Y/n has heard the tribe's stories before (She and the boys would bug Billy all the time to tell them the stories when they were small) but for some reason she felt more connected to them this time. She couldn’t explain it.

There was a reflective silence after Billy finished with the legend. No one dared to move. Suddenly all of the young boys of the group turned their heads with a swiftness that Y/n was sure had to have been painful. Whatever had gained all of their attention must have been urgent because Sam began speaking in hushed tones to Billy while resting a protective arm around Emily. Y/n couldn’t hear what was being said but in the next moment everyone began packing up their things very quickly and heading back towards Emily’s place.

“Paul? What’s going on?” Y/n asked the man next to her. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of the treeline and the only indication that he was in fact aware of what was going on was the arm he placed defensively in front of her like a shield. He acted as if something was about to lunge at her throat.

“You need to go with Emily right now. Go back to her house and I promise I’ll explain everything when I get back,” Paul spoke with a rush and gently grasped onto her upper arms in order to look her directly in her eyes as he spoke.

Still in the dark about what was happening Y/n simply nodded with a pinched brow and followed Emily back to the house. Before she made it off the beach all the hairs on her body raised at the same time and Y/n felt as if she was being watched. This couldn’t be good.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey guys! School started a little over a week ago and I already managed to get covid : ( But! I did push through to get this chapter out to you guys. I am flabbergasted at the amount of insane support you have shown me and I am so excited to see where this story takes me. Also I want to learn how to shift, any tips? Anyways, Happy Reading!

Taglist :

@randomstory56 @hauntedfunbouquetsposts-blog -blog @blueshoelacess @adaydreamaway08 @lendeluxe @gabxbyr @rottenstyx @livieweasley @sunsetevergreen @yourwonkywriter @avis15

#twilight #Twilight New Moon #Twilight wolf pack #twilight vampires #twilight werewolves #wolf pack #paul lahote #paul x reader #paul lahote x reader #jacob black #embry call #emily young #sam uley #seth clearwater #leah clearwater #billy black #twilight x y/n #x reader #my sunshine

144 notes · View notes

justrandomfanfictionskh · 1 year

Text

Mary Todd pt 8

ao3 Beginning Previous

Marinette set her phone down with a click, as she gazed out at the Gotham skyline from her balcony. It really was a beautiful city. The gothic architecture was both intimidating and comforting, like soldiers standing outside the door protecting the treasure within. Marinette considered how this dark and commanding city, was filled with dark and commanding energy, being protected by a dark and commanding guardian. A guardian who was her only connection to her brother.

Marinette closed her eyes as she felt her mind begin to spiral. She groaned as she turned from the skyline and slunk inside. She had been spiraling on and off ever since she had met Batman and Red Hood on the Watchtower. One minute she was eating breakfast, and then the next minute she was fighting the strange storm of anger and self-deprecation that swirled inside with increased vigor every time she thought about her brother and him being here in Gotham.

She was angry. 15 years, and she had never heard a word from either of them. They, both of them, most definitely had the resources to find her and connect with her. They had found her! And they had decided to hide her and hide from her. Marinette began to pace in frustration as Tikki and Plagg shared looks of concern.

She was worried. The brother that existed on the very edges of her memory would have never let their separation stretch this long. And yet he had. And the rumors and whispers that surrounded Red Hood…Something had happened to him. Something that had shaken him to the core and had changed him. Something had made him want to forget about her.

She was confused. Logically, mentally, Marinette knew that she couldn’t have done anything to drive Jay-Jay away. She had been three years old when they had been separated, and he had loved her then. She didn’t remember much of anything from back then. But she did remember that. She remembered that her brother had loved her. But at some point, between then and now, that had changed. Jay-Jay had decided that she no longer needed to be in his life, and all Marinette could think was, “What did I do wrong? How did I drive him away? What did I do wrong?”

Marinette flung herself on the couch and groaned into the cushions as the kwamii came to hover in the air around her. She had left most of the Miraculous in Paris, distributed amongst her allies just in case something went wrong either in Paris or in Gotham. That left Marinette with Kaalki, Tikki, Plagg, and Longg since Kagami was in Japan for a family gathering. The little gods exchanged varying looks before they flew down to comfort their Guardian and friend.

“It’s going to be ok Marinette,” Tikki said, “I’m sure its all going to work out just fine!”

Marinette groaned and turned to look at her oldest ally. “The moment he realized I was Ladybug; he ran from the room as fast as possible.”

“That wasn’t your fault Pigtails,” Plagg said casually, “I think his chaos energy was acting up!” Marinette furrowed her brow and sat up to look at the Kwamii, as he explained, “That brother of yours is practically soaked in chaos energy. It’s practically in his bones. I’m not surprised you didn’t sense it. It’s latent energy, but it was starting to become active when he ran from the room.”

“And you’re only telling me this now?” Marinette groaned.

Plagg shrugged. “You were busy. Besides it’s not the point here. The point is, that your brother is going to love you. Or else I will cataclysm him and the whole city in the process.”

“But Plagg,” Marinette said, “This is your city! You wouldn’t destroy your city, would you?”

“For you,” Plagg said seriously, “I would destroy the world.”

“Plagg!” Tikki admonished, but Marinette and Plagg burst into laughter. Marinette had no doubts that the kwamii loved her and would doing anything for her. But when he said things like that, she couldn’t help but laugh for the pure absurdity of it. No one would destroy the world for her. Not even the god of destruction.

“Come now,” Kaalki said primly. “Now we are just talking in circles. Our strategy for reconnecting with your kin is in place. Now all there is to do is wait. Besides you really should be focusing your commission. The Wayne’s are a very important family, and it would pure idiocy to neglect their connections.”

Marinette smiled and stood with a huff. “You’re right,” she said with a smile that was slowly becoming more genuine. “It’s their move, and there’s nothing I can do until they make it. I need a distraction…Tikki how many hours of sunlight are left?”

“Three hours thirty minutes and twenty-eight seconds,” the goddess said with complete accuracy.

Marinette nodded and grabbed her sketchbook. “The Botanical Gardens are across the street; I think that will be the best place to find inspiration. Don’t you?” The kwami buzzed with excitement, as they each shouted their opinions on the matter as Marinette made her way to the door.

----

Roy signed deeply as he listened to Dick freaking out over the phone. “Well that certainly puts things into perspective.”

“Seriously Roy!” Dick cried, “That’s all you have to say! Jason has a sister! She’s Ladybug! She’s here! And it’s all B and I can do just to keep him in the city, not to mention meeting with her!”

Roy rubbed his temple, as Lian ran through the roses. He smiled at her smile, letting her happy noises calm and ground him to what was happening at that moment. “Look, does Jay know you’re telling me?”

Dick was silent for a beat before glumly admitting, “No.”

“Then me offering my two cents is only going to close him off more. What’s B stance on the whole thing?”

“He wants them to meet. At least once. And Alfred’s giving them both the ‘I told you so’ look, so I reckon he’s been advocating for this ever since they found out.”

“Why doesn’t he want to meet her?”

“Something ridiculous about protecting her, or something, I don’t know, just…I’m worried that if he doesn’t act soon then he’ll lose her forever.”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Roy said. He sighed trying to wrap his own mind around the fact that he had been flirting with Jason’s sister. And he had not killed him immediately. But that was not the issue at hand. Right now, it wasn’t about him and Marinette, it was about Jason and Marinette. Their relationship came first, so he put his own feelings aside and focused on the problem at hand.

Finally, he said, “Right now, we need to convince him that this isn’t going away. Now that you and I know, we’re not just going to sweep it under the rug like B and A. I don’t think that he doesn’t want to meet her. I think he’s scared. And the only way he’s going to get past that is to get him to face this head on. You need to convince him, that the only way to ensure her safety is to meet her and answer her questions. If he really wants to be out of her life, then he needs to give her closure. And use those exact words Dick, he needs to give her closure, so she will stay away.”

“But we don’t want her to stay away!” Dick exclaimed.

“You want Jason at that meeting!” Roy said purposefully, “Then. Do. As. I. Say…Look I got to go. Lian and I are at the Botanical Gardens and they’re about to close so…”

“Yeah, ok Roy,” Dick said with a sigh. “And thanks, I’ll…I’ll do what I can. And I’ll try to get Jason to talk to you, just in case and all that.”

“Thanks Dick,” Roy said, “We’ll talk later…Ok, bye.”

Roy groaned and ran a hand over his face as he tried to comprehend everything that had just happened. He shook himself, and then turned back to the garden shouting, “Lian time to go…Lian?”

Roy quickly scanned the garden. Lian wasn’t there. She had just been there! How could she just vanish! He dashed through the rows of roses shouting her name. She wasn’t there! She had vanished! There wasn’t a sound. Suddenly, Roy understood why B had put trackers in all of his kids, as he dashed through the flowers and hedges shouting in desperation. His eyes began to sting, as his heartbeat became so strong it hurt. He couldn’t find her. He couldn’t find his daughter in the most dangerous city in the world.

Roy froze in a dazed panic surrounded by the hydrangeas. He panted as he stared vacantly at the blue and pink flowers. His brain had stopped functioning, as he just stood and stared in mindless worry. What was he supposed to do? Who was he supposed to call? What did any of this mean? How…

“Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq! Cinq, quatre, trois, deux, un!” A clear beautiful voice sang through the garden. The simple children’s tune cut through the silence in Roy’s head and drew him towards it. The tune repeated, as the voice continued to count and soon it was joined by a second voice. A child’s voice. A little girl’s voice. Lian’s voice!

Roy almost took the corner too fast, and he turned to find the most miraculous sight he had ever seen. Lian was sitting in the dirt under the hydrangeas, with tears drying on her face, as Marinette Dupain-Cheng knelt on the path singing gently in French. It was such a welcome and sudden relief, that Roy couldn’t stop the loud breath that escaped him.

Both girls turned to look at him, and with in the second, Lian was running to him and jumping into his arms. Roy laughed and cried a little as Lian rambled out how she had run to see the tulips and had gotten lost in the hedges when she had turned around to see that he wasn’t there. Roy lightly admonished her, telling her to never do that again, as he smoothed her hair and whispered reassurances.

The crunch of gravel turned his attention away from Lian and to the other woman. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, designer to the stars, Ladybug, hero of Paris, and Jason’s sister, was standing before him with a gentle smile and joyous eyes.

“Hi,” she said softly. And Roy laughed.

----

“Daddy,” Lian said brightly, “Can I learn French? Can Miss. Mari teach me? Can she stay with us forever?!”

Marinette tried to hide her giggles, as a clearly very happy but very tired Roy tried to placate his daughter as he cleaned the hot chocolate stains from around her mouth. Who knew this was how her day was going to go? She had just been sitting among the hydrangeas sketching the beginnings of a new dress for Clara Nightingale when she had heard a child crying.

Concerned, she had gone in search for the noise, and found this adorable little girl, sitting in the dirt, half hidden by the large leaves and larger flowers as she cried for her father. Marinette stayed out of reach of the little girl, so as not to frighten her, but with gentle words, and quiet reassurances, she had managed to get the child to laugh, and even start singing with her. Next thing she knew the man she had flirted with at the Gala had barreled through the garden, with a desperate and panicked look in his eyes. If Lian had not immediately run to him, Marinette would have attempted to block the girl from view. But as it was, she was genuinely pleased at such a heartwarming sight as a father and daughter reunited.

Now all three of them were enjoying some hot chocolate and coffee at a near by café. “So,” Marinette said, once Lian was distracted by her dad’s phone, “Why Gotham? Why not Star City?”

Roy took a deep breath as he shifted in his seat. “I…couldn’t stay there. Oliver…well we’re not on the best terms. But I can’t just start over! Lian and I…We need to be surrounded by people we trust. People who can keep me accountable. Unfortunately, those people are either in Star City or Gotham and well…”

“You can’t stay in Star City,” Marinette nodded her understanding.

Roy sighed, “It’s not ideal. But it’s what I can afford. And I refuse to accept charity! From Bruce or Oliver. Besides I like being close to my friends. Me and the Wayne’s we’re practically family.”

Marinette furrowed her brow in confusion, “Then what were you doing at the Gala.”

“Doing Jay, a solid. Bruce needed him there for one reason or another. And Oliver was trying to reconnect but…it’s complicated. But someone needed to keep Jason in line. But enough about me, what brings you to Gotham?”

Marinette looked at Roy over her coffee mug. After five years of living under an emotional terrorist, Marinette had become an expert at reading body language. When the slightest spark of anger could get you brain washed, it was important to know when someone was being pushed too far or needed to be deescalated. And for some reason, Roy’s own question had him nervous. It was as if he was looking for something that he was afraid of. Marinette set her cup down and chose her words carefully.

“Business. I finally decided to except a commission from WE. I’ll be designing the family’s Winter Gala attire.”

“Wow!” Roy said clearly impressed, but he did not seem to be actually surprised. “I mean, I kind of already new that since, Tim’s been bouncing off the walls since you accepted, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s super impressive.”

Marinette smiled at the compliment but had to ask, “If you already knew why I was here, then why did you ask? And why didn’t you say anything before?”

Roy blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, I was trying to be polite and not be a stalker. Be honest, if I had just come out randomly and said I knew when and why you were coming here, you would have been a little creeped out.”

Marinette smiled and shrugged in response, and Roy took her silent answer as permission to continue. “Besides,” he said a touch more seriously. “I’m a little confused. I mean, you built your brand on anonymity, right? Which meant all of this could have been done online. So why come to the crime capitol of the world three months in advance, just for a family of rich assholes?”

“And here I thought they were your friends,” Marinette teased.

“That’s how I know they’re assholes,” Roy said.

“Assholes!” Lian cheered, and Roy’s face turned as red as his hair as he groaned into his hands.

Marinette laughed and sipped her coffee before answering Roy’s question. “If I’m being honest, I’m also here for personal reasons. I think I was adopted from Gotham, and so I’m trying to learn more about that side of myself.”

Roy nodded, still flustered by his daughter, but clearly still looking for something in Marinette’s words when he said, “Wow, well…Good luck with that, and I mean it! Bio families can get complicated especially in a city like this.”

Marinette laughed without humor, “Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. But I’m not afraid of complicated. If my life was a play then the tag line would be, ‘It’s Complicated!’”

Roy chuckled, “Well, then—if you don’t mind me asking, what are you afraid of?”

Marinette paused as she considered Roy and the question. She liked him, and Lian. But she didn’t know if she could trust him. Still, there was an easy genuineness about him that made her smile and relax. He reminded her of Luka and how he always seemed to put her at ease, but he had energy and passion like Adrian. Marinette briefly considered the irony of finding someone who had the best qualities of both of her exes who were currently dating each other.

With all this taken into account, Marinette couldn’t really be surprised when she found herself saying softly, “I’m afraid of rejection. I just…I have this…desire for the truth. And it drives me to some pretty crazy and sometimes embarrassing things! But, I face it. The good the bad, the earth shattering, and heartbreaking, I face all of it. I face the truth. So, when I think about the fact that I have family out there…family I have been kept from for my entire life! I need the truth. But if the truth is that they hate me…that they reject me…I don’t want to face that truth. But I must, because that’s who I am. I find the truth, whatever it is, and make beauty out of it.”

Marinette watched Roy’s expressions throughout her speech. Whatever was going on his head, Marinette couldn’t comprehend it. But she did recognize the three emotions that had been shifting over his face almost the entire time. They were guilt, anger, and appreciation. Marinette was 90% sure that the guilt and anger was not aimed at her, but that didn’t lesson her own anxieties on the matter. And then there was that other part of her brain the one that never stopped working, filing, and cataloguing everything around her. And it whispered a single question, “Does he know?”

Finally, Roy turned to her and said, “Well, anyone crazy enough to abandon you, doesn’t deserve you. But if worse comes to worse…, can I have your number? I think Lian wants you to teacher French, and I’d rather not have you vanish on me again.”

Marinette smiled at his smile and turned to Lian who had jumped at the mention of her name. “What do you say Lian? Would you like me to teach you French?”

“Yes!” Lian exclaimed. “You can be my real-life Knitting Fairy!”

Marinette’s eyes bulged at that comment, and she did her best to play it off. A new thought reeled in her mind, in that distant part of her brain. “Lian knows Jay-Jay. Roy knows Jay-Jay! He called his friend Jay! Jay, Jay-Jay, Jason! Jason Todd is my brother! Jason Todd is Red Hood! Wait…does that mean…”

Marinette met Roy’s eyes and an understanding passed between them. They knew. They both knew. How was this possible? How had this happened? Her mission to connect with her brother, was going far to easily. The coincidences, and random encounters, and verbal slips were just too many! Something was happening. She put the puzzle to the back of her mind as she gave Roy her number and attempted to leave as gracefully as she could. But before she did, Roy reached out and gently took her hand saying, “You should know, that whatever happens while you’re in Gotham, you have people here who are on your side. And if your family is too pigheaded to give you the love, respect, and acceptance you deserve, then I will personally kick their asses three times over.”

“Thank you, Roy,” Marinette said with a smile. “That means a lot.” Still, she didn’t look back as she returned to her borrowed apartment. Her brain was too full of swirling thoughts and spiraling contradictions. But before she could steep in her anxiety, she collapsed onto the floor and began to meditate.

Suddenly she could feel it. The darkness of Gotham, the pure chaos and misfortune that spilled out of the ley lines and attempted to infect every crevice of the city. A bright and pure bubble of creation protected her from it, but it didn’t stop her from feeling it, and understanding it. But Marinette ignored the ley lines for now and focused on what was beyond them…the forces of Balance. The strings of fate and the winds of destiny mixed with the energy of Gotham and dispersed out into the world purposefully and intentionally.

And those same strings of fate were guiding her. They had always been. The moment she had begun to learn to differentiate between the energies of the world, she could sense fate swirling around her like a whirlpool, dragging her to whatever came next. Sometimes she thanked them. Sometimes she hated them. But now she could feel the energies pulling and pushing her in one direction, towards her brother.

Marinette opened her eyes and addressed the confused kwamii before her. “It appears that our mission isn’t just personal.”

“What do you mean?” Longg asked quietly.

“I mean,” Marinette said in exhaustion. “That our relationship is important, not just to me, but to fate itself.” She sighed and rubbed her temple, “If I were to guess, then I’d say that there is something, Jay-Jay and I need to do together. Something important, so fate is making sure that we are reunited.”

“But that’s a good thing, right?” Plagg exclaimed, “I mean if fate is on your side, then I’m sure you will get what you want. Right! Right?”

Marinette shook her head. “I don’t know Plagg. I just don’t know.”

They sat in silence for ten whole minutes, contemplating why fate, destiny, or providence had decided that Marinette was their go-to girl for being anything from a leader to a punching bag. But in the end, it didn’t matter. For not even a god could defeat time and fate together. And once the ten minutes were up, Marinette’s phone rang. Marinette opened it and read the text, with growing apprehension.

Meeting scheduled for 11 pm, on top of WE building. -Batman.

Taglist: @laurcad123 @craftgremlin @toodaloo-kangaroo @blackroserelina @maanae @kitsun369 @idkamt @aksartisticlife @its-maemain @iglowinggemma28 @officiallydarkgeek @meira-3919 @crazylittlemunchkin @read-fantasy-to-escape-reality @raven-ette

#maribat #dc x mlb #mlb x dc #marinettexroy #marinette dupen chang #miraculous ladybug #batfam #batman #big brother jason

57 notes · View notes