#<- ray brain but mostly feathers

[system-of-a-feather]

DID and Recovery

Honestly, I think something that I don't think I've seen talked about that I've only now really reflected upon and put into words myself, is just how much living DID - or at least DID with heavily elaborated parts and just a general complex / polyfragmented structure - is just how much of your life is Actually Just Internal and its not really something I've noticed until I've begun to operate in a fused manner and more grounded manner

Because growing up, I didn't really exist in the real world. I - in my many different parts and forms - occasionally existed in the real world, engaging in it like it's a job, a video game, a challenge, a maintence task, or what not. Even as a fused whole, I never really lived in this world. Every part of myself only "visited" and "checked in" whether they explicitly were aware that's what they were doing. I was just bouncing between 400 Visas and names. Living in this world never meant anything to me much more than either a place of pain, a place of work, a fun game, a challenge, a hobby, a task, etc.

My childhood was internal. Almost all of my parts, our childhood was internal. Our memories of our childhood relates to how it was internalized internally. Our traumatic memories of childhood relates to how it was recorded internally and the narrative we attributed to it. Our internal experience was more important than our external experience. Our family was not our family as much as our situational family that we existed around - our real family were the parts we were aware of during that time. Riku's siblings weren't their siblings. They were "our" siblings to which "our" didn't really exist. Lucille was Riku's adoptive sibling.

So much of our past and our history is so hard to understand if you try to talk about it in a manner that is grounded only to what was happening externally, because the experiences we had externally mean much much much less to us and how we were shaped than the internal experience. The external facts inform what was happening internally, but if I were to talk about my oldest sister's psychological abuse, it would mean a lot less than if I talked about the internal ramifications and depiction and understanding of it.

And so even now, as we've healed massively, we've really got at least 10 fully elaborated different versions and understandings of our lives. We've lived entirely different narratives and at the same time they are all me, but none of them were really here, in the real world, existing or caring about anything other than either our specific hobbies / interests and our "duties"

The past 8 years was all about us learning to really live and engage in our internal world more intentionally and mindfully and productively, learning one another and learning our overall history; the past 3-4 years has been largely us learning to figure out how to exist in a world we have never genuinely existed in. And I think our fiance played a large rule in helping us with the "culture shock" and keeping faith that we could one day kind of find our place in "this world" that doesn't feel like a fraudulent lie or a forced face.

I think its only been this past year or so since we've been in functional multiplicity, final fusion, and/or living as a fully fused multiple have we ever actually **LIVED** in this world.

And I find that it's kind of hard to explain my own life story to those that don't understand and/or can't fathom what it means to very much not live in "this world" but you know, that's okay. People don't necessarily need to fully understand it, because these days that depth of understanding isn't even really necessary. I think its just important that space is held, respected, and understood as I learn to navigate my life in the real present real world because honestly, I want to live here. I want to be here. I want to be present and exist in the world I HAVE to exist and learn to love it. I've spent most of my life visiting this world and doing maintenance so I could sustain my internal space, but honestly, I really would love to live in both. Find joy in both. Make the maintenance not "maintenance" but just part of living.

That's all just to say that living and existing in the world when your entire understanding of self and history is based on your internal world and experiences that you had in relation to that internal world that no one can really see or even properly fathom, it's all just an interesting, unique, and challenge experience that I don't see talked about much.

[ksantillus]

Playlist inspired by Look Outside. It's mostly experimental electronic music from the 80s/late 70s, with some tracks from other decades and genres that I felt fit the "vibe" or were relevant to the game's motifs of watching & observing, reflections on what it means to be a monster, etc.

Track list and lyric excerpts under the cut

Richard Pinhas — Iceland (Part 3)

Boards of Canada — Roygbiv

Cluster — Avanti

Eno Moebius Roedelius — Broken Head (Automat Rework) Stranded on a world that's dying Never moving, hardly trying I was just a broken head I stole the world that others plundered Now I stumble through the garbage Slide and tumble, slide and stumble

The Fibonaccis — Somnambulist When the sky turns to lead and the TV's gone dead And you've backed off to bed, then I'm stirring When your face turns to porridge and your breath is damp silage And your brain's in cold storage — I rise

Ween — Can U Taste the Waste?

EFF — Another Backroom

Areknuteknyterne — Untitled (harduf edit)

Fever Ray — Concrete Walls I live between concrete walls In my arms she was so warm Eyes are open and mouth cries Haven't slept since summer

Colin Newman — Alone Alone, with too much generosity A theatre mask of hostility attracts

Radiohead — A Wolf at the Door Don't look in the mirror At the face you don't recognize Help me, call the doctor, put me inside Put me inside, put me inside

Cosmic Neighborhood — Elf Door

Neu Electro — Invocation to the Cockroach God Be with us now You who are born miraculously In tent houses and slums

Roar — The Comfort of a Laugh Track When did I become a man Trapped inside a ghost?

Eno Moebius Roedelius — The Belldog All the dark stars Cluster over the bay Then in a certain moment I lose control and at last I am part of the machinery (Where are you?)

Ween — The Argus He closes an eye, which closes another And in sleep, he dreams of watching and looking And feather clouds dancing, he curls up his lid and sleeps Swirling with visions on man's confusion

David Bowie — Oh! You Pretty Things Look out my window, what do I see? A crack in the sky and a hand reaching down to me All the nightmares came today And it looks as though they're here to stay

Quixotic — Dust to Dust

Boards of Canada — Sundown

The Stone Roses — I Wanna Be Adored I don't need to sell my soul He's already in me

[atsadi-shenanigans]

Feeding Alligators 12 - Hustle

You're getting angry. This does not bode well for the party.

Rated M for language and violence.

On AO3.

You’re picking over bodies, again, when you catch sight of its face. Only for a moment and you’re quick to look away, but enough to catch the mouth full of needle teeth.

Goblins. Actual, living (they were), goblins with big eyes and green skin. You squat down to examine one of the less torn apart bodies. Again, very careful not to look at the face, because avoiding faces means its less likely to stick in your brain later.

The cloth is rough—hide, mostly, but with patches of what looks like crude linen. While you don’t know fashion, exactly, you have a basic knowledge of fabric thanks to that stint in cosplay Sasha (that delightful bitch, good god you miss her) got into a couple years back.

This goblin died clutching a staff with some kind of skull—maybe a goat or a sheep—tied to the end with a bundle of feathers. If they hadn’t been so hopped up on ripping those three guys outside the gate apart, you might have tried to talk to them.

A shadow falls over you. Astarion stands there, not a hair out of place despite the fine spatter of blood across his features that he hasn’t bothered wiping off yet. He’d taken a long-range position when Shadowheart and Lae’zel rushed in. Turns out he’s a good shot with a bow he scavenged off a goblin (after he slit her throat, thus the blood).

“Are you going to take that?” he says.

The dead goblin wears a belt, and on that belt, a pouch. Aside from the dead gnome he’d dropped on you, you haven’t touched a dead thing.

“What?” you say.

He flips his knife, kneels next to you, and slices the pouch free. Metal clinks when he gives it a light toss.

“Into my pocket,” he says cheerfully and does just that.

Leaving you, squatting over the body he robbed. You look up to find every other member of your group doing the same to the other dead.

***

So there’s a whole thing going on inside this Grove place. You keep your distance as a tiefling yells at one of the guys you saved (something about a missing druid) and then punches him out. He says something else about goblin raiders, which you don’t really process, and then something about being forced out, which you do.

The man looks scared shitless, as far as someone with a demon face can. The other tieflings do, too. And the people wearing antlers and feathers and shit look both scared and pissed off. Not at the goblins, though. But at the tieflings. Something about “allowing outsiders brought this on us” and “let them deal with it.”

It’s a very “got mine fuck you” attitude that immediately raises your hackles.

“What an unfortunate situation,” Gale says.

“I don’t think these people will survive such a long trip in their condition,” Shadowheart says.

Astarion says nothing, but you catch him slipping something shiny out of an unsealed crate in a wagon.

“Zevlor did say they had a healer,” Gale says. “I suggest we pay them a visit and see if they have a solution to our infestation problem.”

You tag along. This place feels vaguely Celtic, real nature-y. Apparently the guys with the antler hats are druids? But like, with actual magic who can turn into literal animals.

The group stops to barter with what you think is another gnome, except this one’s ears are round. Then Astarion makes a point to lean over to you and whisper (not quietly), “This one is a halfling.”

So…a hobbit. But they’re not actually called that.

You press your palm over your right eye as the ache spikes. Then you skirt around your group and wander further in. You’re in some sort of cavern with multiple openings. You pass through a ray of golden sunlight pouring in from a hole overhead. There’s a big statue of an animal, the top of the head slightly weathered. Around you, tieflings argue, huddle close and mutter, shovel hay. They’re all holding themselves small and guarded. Gazes darting, like startled birds, never landing on one thing for too long. You can almost feel their misery.

Trapped. Trapped and unable to do a damn thing about it.

Your palms are sweating.

A flash of red. A tiefling child stands in front of a cluster of rocks, swinging his arms. He looks at you for less than a second before shifting away. He’s a scrawny thing, wearing half-ragged tunic with only one shoulder strap. He’s got little ridges laddering down his chest.

They have children, these scared tieflings. Trapped children that know something bad is happening, perhaps without knowing what, exactly, it is.

You wave at the kid. Again, that darting glance. It’s not a suspicious movement. He rocks a little as he stands. He reminds you of one of your paternal cousins (fourth cousin, technically; you have more “kin on our side, don’cha ‘sug?”), who your third cousin (her mother) affectionately calls, “Just a little bit different.”

You crouch down. Look over the kid’s shoulder. He gets hoppy, starts making excited noises. Swings his arm like playing a sword fight.

“You saw us fight off those goblins?” you say. Well, the others did. You clubbed one with your stick which distracted it enough for Astarion to put an arrow through its eye.

The kid nods. Swings his arms again, making those happy sounds.

“Is that something you’d want to learn?” you say.

But this seems to stump him. Or maybe he’s just had enough. He starts to nod but stops, ends up clutching his arm against his chest. You open your mouth to change the subject, but he goes all distant.

Your group has caught up to you. The kid scurries off. The others barely glance your way—Astarion with a sneer—except for Gale. He watches the kid scamper off, and then gives you a smile.

There’s another kid up ahead. Gale seems to take this as an opportunity to talk—the kid offers him a ring, and then makes the biggest mistake of his life when he tells Gale it’s magical.

You’re settling in for some prime time zoning out during the forthcoming lecture, when you register a touch. You look down, follow the wrist to the arm to the second kid with her hand in your pocket, frozen and staring up at you in horror.

Huh. In your periphery, the magic ring kid straightens from his bored slump, and then the pickpocket backs away, crying and blubbering. Which grabs everyone’s attention.

“M’sorry, Mattis, I can’t do this,” the pickpocket wails. She cringes away from you. Like she expects you to hit her.

“Easy there, kiddo,” you say. “It’s okay. No blood, no foul, right? You didn’t hurt nobody; nobody’s gonna hurt you.”

She sniffs a few times. Realizes you aren’t lunging for her and makes a break around you. You let her go. Catch Shadowheart’s unimpressed eyebrow raise and Astarion’s audible scoff.

“In a githyanki creche, thieves are severely punished,” Lae’zel says, making hard eye contact with you like she’s trying to prove some point.

Which she can shove up her ass. It seems the only one not annoyed at you is Gale. These people are a bunch of assholes.

“So where’s this healer?” you say.

As Gale leads the group further into the cavern, the floor sloping down and the glare of sunlight shining through another exit, you pause. Lower your head to murmur to the magic ring kid. “Find a partner who doesn’t get caught.”

The kid, being a shit because everyone in Faerun is, you guess, only rolls his eyes and gives you a, “Yeah, yeah. Outta my way, I’ve got a business to run.”

Part of you want to shove his head. But he lives in a place where stepping over ripped over bodies is normal. Where people loot the dead. Where children are forced to be street thieves while waiting to hear if they’ll be expelled into the waiting arms of sharp-toothed goblins. You don’t need to add to his pile of shit.

Especially when you pass another cluster of tieflings clearly retreating from the cavern exit, throwing nasty looks over their shoulder. Two of them are crying. You catch something about a daughter being taken for “discipline” by some psycho bitch, and your stomach drops out. It’s been a while since you felt that particular wave of dread. Since your lungs clutched up inside your chest and the fear hit so strong it made you dizzy.

A devil child taken for discipline.

Astarion eyeballs you as you sidle up behind them all, talking to two druids and a fucking bear. He must see something in your expression. The little nose wrinkle he sported drops off. “Do you always let yourself be robbed?”

You shrug. Hope the gesture appears loose, like your muscles aren’t wound up to a snapping point. “I’m flat ass broke. Wasn’t nothing for the pipsqueak to take.”

“And if you’d owned anything more than the clothes on your back?”

The druids move aside, all glares and belligerence. The fuck kinda place is this? The fuck kind of shitbag runs a place like this?

You don’t answer. You’re too busy moving up on Gale’s ass and finding out who the fuck this Kahga person is.

Previous - Index - Next Chapter

[aria0fgold]

Okay, wait, I'm gonna ramble bout some of my Unknowns cuz my brain needs a refresher and what better way to do that but talk bout my OCs! (That isn't Ray cuz he's in timeout for making me read through an article that gave me confusion damage).

Right I was supposed to talk bout Memoria a bit more and so I finally shall. The other way to write their name is actually like this Memo/ria, cuz well... there's two of em. 2 people in 1 body, a 2 in 1 if you will. And they're aware of that! Which why they decided to share the Memoria name, one is called Memo while the other is Ria.

Okay, so like, I have a proper and more organized info bout their story but it's in my phone (that's still broken aha so I can't get it). I'm gonna give the summary of what I can remember from that.

Memo/ria's physical appearance is that of a 11 year old child with wings too big for their small body but they can change the length luckily! It mostly appears like a long cape, the feathers are different colours arranged in a way that shows an image much like stained glass art. The image changes rather frequently with the wings sometimes getting longer.

That's because of their power. Memo/ria's power involves the memory and an indestructible shield. For the memory portion, they can take or copy a person's memory and turn it into a feather to add on their wings. For the shield part, they can create a barrier that cannot be easily broken.

That's the gist of their powers! But wait... There's more! The specifics! Right after being turned into an Unknown, they escaped the lab and saw an abandoned church at a mountain and decided to make that their home due to some distant nostalgia (they used to go to church with their parents back then). It's also where their powers fully developed.

Basically, there's 3 versions of em but none of those versions knows bout the others so they don't know that there's 3 of em. A traveler found out bout it and decided to give titles to each one!

Remembrance, Exuberance, and Perdition. Each one are different in the way they act, where they're located and how they use their powers.

Memo/ria of Remembrance can be found at the 2nd floor of the church, they're cautious and skittish like a deer who quickly runs from a slight noise. They're docile and hard to befriend. Despite that though the memories they like to copy are happy moments, making their feather colours bright and warm.

Memo/ria of Exuberance can be found at the ground floor, they're cheerful and friendly, often the first one anyone passing by the church can see. The memories they like to copy are sad or melancholic moments, they'll even take those memories if the other person asks them to. It makes their feather colours dull and cold but they cherish and care for it greatly.

Memo/ria of Perdition can be found behind the church, at the graveyard. You do not want to meet them. They're the deadly one, those who meets them often goes missing. Although they are "safe" to be around with at the graveyard, as long as you're there to pay respects to those buried. They can't be "befriended" (very very picky) but they can tolerate you long enough to not want you sealed away. That's how they use their powers, it isn't memories they're taking, but the people. They seal away people on their feathers making it a mixture of warm and cold colours.

Also forgot to mention, in terms of strength, Unknowns are considered as strong or stronger than Celestials. So yeah, these guys are strong and can't easily be killed (For Memo/ria, if you try to kill any of the 3, they'll come back alive again with Perdition angrier than before). The only way to truly kill an Unknown is by their weakness.

[aconstantstateofbladerunner]

Alternate Universe: Wings! (You’ll have to forgive me if you’ve done this one before because I know it’s popular but abdbfneksld it’s one of my favorites so— TT_TT)

A world where quirks come with wings. Izuku doesn't have either. Things are mostly the same as canon until he turns ten, when most kids learn to fly. Infrastructure designed for flight makes him stand out more. On one hand, most of the bullying stops, but it's because all his peers have left him behind. The isolation almost makes him miss it.

All Might's wings are golden and eagle-like. All about power. Without his quick, a direct hit from them is like getting wacked with a metal baseball bat. But thoughts of villain fighting are far away then they shade Izuku on the beach. He even gets to keep a feather, one of the most personal gifts anyone can give. He asks if anyone will take a flightless hero seriously. Maybe they should come up with a cover story as to why he has a quirk without wings. All Might just tells him not to worry about it.

Days after Recovery Girl used her quirk on him, he still feels tired. yet he can't sleep. A dull ache in his back hurts just enough to keep him from being comfortable. And rare moments he does sleep are awoken by cold sweats and random nerve spasms. His mother is worried his has some kid of brain damage, not matter how many times he tells her he didn't hit his head. When he finally goes in for an X-ray, there are nobs growing on the underside of his scapula. The doctor calls it bone cancer. Izuku and his mother cry for three days straight. Before he can work up the courage to tell All Might his hero dreams are over, he has a follow-up appointment. The nobs are three times as large, but growing longer instead of outward.

Good news, it's not cancer. Bad news, Izuku has to finish the last few months of middle school in the hospital. Although, it's not the worst. More people talk to him, even if he is in pain. So much pain he can't think most of the time. The best times are the blissful few hours after surgeries, when he's still on the heavy painkillers and can manage to sleep a little. One day, he wakes up to All Might there, gently rubbing his hands through his hair. He smiles sympathetically, and says something that might be an apology. Izuku is too drugged out of his mind to understand, or feel self-conscious about reaching for his hand. When he tries to reach with his other for the golden feather on the side table, All Might holds up a black and green feather instead.

A month after the start of the school year at UA, a new face joins the class. Midoriya Izuku has to side-step into the classroom to fit his enormous, glossy black wings. They shine in the light like a crow, reflecting the same deep green as his hair. Folded, they sit longer than he is tall. Outstretched, his wingspan is more than double the length of two classrooms. Long and thin like an albatross, but the ends are rounded like a hawk or eagle. Osprey he calls them, but it never quite fits. And when he flaps them along with his quirk, the shockwave knocks people over. Hero's wings if there ever were.

[literalliterature]

my brain is currently made of applesauce so i can't think of any characters, but if you'd still like a palette idea, perhaps 18 or 39?

Sorry for the wait on this! I have not drawn this scrunkly bastard in a hot minute and the palette felt thematically perfect. They angy...

Still taking suggestions for this meme btw!

[ID: A detailed sketch of Yonder in a limited palette of browns, oranges, and yellows. Yonder is a kenku (raven person) with disheveled feathers and a large gem around their neck. They are outlined in red-orange and colored mostly with dark brown, though their eye is yellow. Their head is turned to one side as they scowl at the viewer. Behind them, against a yellow background, is a simplified red-orange sun with large rays, casting their face into shadow. The palette is shown in the top right corner, labeled "#18 Old Town Road." End ID.]

[boldlyvoid]

Amoreena | Chapter two

Chapter Two

summary: Heaven is a real place and it's located exactly 14.6 miles away from the FBI, Quantico Headquarters. Off behind a small park, under a fantastical willow tree surrounded by wildflowers, in every colour young minds can imagine.

Don't forget, heaven also comes with angels.

Warnings: fluff, hurt/comfort, depressed spencer, reader has a daughter, falling in love, strangers to lovers

word count: 6k

a/n: this is set May 2021 in my brain just in case anyone was wondering while reading it !! here is the pinterest board and the spotify playlist for the fic too!

from the beginning <3

They were sitting on the steps of the Smithsonian when he arrived. Y/N was a vision in a yellow blouse and blue jeans, basking in the sun's rays when she looked more like sunshine herself, throwing seed at the birds with Amoreena.

He took a deep breath and smiled, waving to get their attention.

“Spencer!” Amoreena cheered, running down the steps and into his arms. Almost knocking her hat off as she leapt into his arms.

“Oof,” is all he can say as he makes sure to catch her, surprised to get this sort of reaction from someone.

She fixes her hat and leans back in his arms, “do you like my outfit? I’m the old man from Tarzan and mom is Jane!”

He sets her down then, watching her stick a foot out so he can get a good look at her olive-coloured jean shorts, button-up shirt and blue bowtie and brown boots. She went all out for her adventure today, making his heart burst.

“I looked into that Milo guy,” he says, showing off his own outfit. Pushing his glasses up and adjusting his red bowtie.

“You look just like him!!!” She was beyond excited, turning to Y/N who was all smiles on the steps.

She stood as they walked towards her, “mom look, he’s Milo!”

“You look great,” she complimented him, that twinkle in her eyes back as she blushed.

“Thank you, so do you,” he said softly. “Both of you are dressed for the right adventure today.”

“What do you have in store Mr. tour guide?” Y/N teased, taking Amoreena’s hand and walking into the museum.

“Dr. Tour guide,” he corrects her softly, making her smile and shove him lightly.

“Sorry,” she teased him, “Doctor tour guide, what is your plan for today?”

“I bought 3 tickets ahead of time,” Spencer admits, taking three lanyards out of his jacket pocket and handing them each one. “We have special access today, just show the guards these and we can go almost anywhere.”

“Are you sure you don’t work here? Not even undercover?” Amoreena interrogated him, narrowing her eyes as she watched his response.

He laughed, “I promise, I helped them on a case once, and my old boss knows the curator, they owed me a favour.”

“Old boss?” Y/N catches it.

He nods lightly, “he quit a while ago to have a family.”

“Smart man.”

“I sent in my letter of resignation last night,” he adds, “if you’re still looking for a literary historian?”

She beamed at him, reaching out an arm to tuck under his and pull him in close. Following him through the doors with Amoreena’s hand still in hers. “I’ll arrange an interview this week.”

The rotunda was one of the coolest parts of the Smithsonian Museum of National History. A beautiful African Bush Elephant greets them in the centre, tusks extending out towards them as Amoreena gasps.

“Wow,” her small voice whispers.

“Cool, huh?” Spencer leans to look at her expression, she’s absolutely gobsmacked.

It makes him smile, that beautiful glimmer of amazement spreading across her face as her small brain tries to understand what exists in the world outside of her mind's grasp. It was priceless, he loved every moment.

“So, I was thinking you could look around and whenever you’re ready, we have access to the Student Centre. You’re going to get to look at some special bones and fossils, and even dig some up!” He was so excited to share the plans with her.

She let go of her mom's hand to flap her arms wildly, excitement coursing through her veins as she shook, grinding her teeth together as she smiled, it was how he remembered feeling as a child when something good happened. Pure joy, excitement level 1000.

“Sound good?”

“Spencer,” Y/N placed her hand on his shoulder, taking over for the speechless child, “that sounds perfect, thank you.”

“The Dino’s are this way,” he leads them down the corridor, through a set of doors towards a large swirling sign,

“Journey through deep time!” Y/N read the sign, smiling at Amoreena as she ran towards it, touching the swirl as she read all the words to herself.

“It’s so sad they died,” Amoreena says so matter of factly that it makes him bite back a smile.

“Yeah,” he agrees with a small laugh. Y/N's shaking her head with a sigh of pure love. “What kind of dinosaur is your favourite?”

“The Jurassic era,” she responds, standing closer to the sign and reading all the words. “Did you know the earth used to be mostly desert? There was a massive heatwave, that’s why they believe dinosaurs were most likely scaled but thanks to the melting ice caps as we recover from the ice age and move back towards being tropical, we’re discovering dinosaurs frozen in ice with feathers and fur!”

It takes his breath away, seeing someone so much like him with a mother who loves every single word that leaves her mouth. Pride on her face as she looks at her little genius and back towards Spencer, waiting for his response.

“So you’ve been a paleontologist this whole time and you never told me?”

She laughs and swats the air, “no, I just read a lot of books.”

“She can read really fast, like Matilda,” Y/N bragged.

“I do too,” Spencer knelled down in front of her. “It’s a very wonderful thing to have a brain as big and magical as ours, never let anyone tell you otherwise okay?”

“Never, I’m the smartest in the kingdom,” Amoreena smiled.

“Yes, she is,” Y/N smiled again, placing her hand on Spencer's back as they continued to walk around the exhibits.

He felt like he had a family, like one of those couples who would go to Ikea and pretend they lived in the sets. This was the most perfect make-believe day of his life, leading a child just like him through a world of things she loved.

Y/N was quiet most of the day, watching them interact with a soft smile and sad eyes. Spencer noticed it but let it slide, he’d ask her about it later when she could be honest with him. He didn’t want to profile her, it wasn’t fair to judge her before he knew her, nor taint the fantastical thoughts he already had about her.

They had lunch in the butterfly exhibit, sitting at the seat by the fountain, Amoreena asking nicely if Spencer could sit in the middle so they could both talk to him. It was adorable, Amoreena was so intrigued by his mind she couldn’t stop asking him questions.

Y/N made him a sandwich and brought him a water bottle, as well as bringing some apple slices and grapes, goldfish and juice boxes for when Amoreena got hungry on the way home. Like a true mom, her purse was full of napkins and hair ties, random books and toys. Rocks, pine cones, everything a young mind would find exciting.

She was like Marry Poppins, pulling everything and then some out of her purse as she searched for something specific. “I brought you something, I’ve had it sitting around the house just moving it to different spots over the years, and thought you’d like it.”

It made him giddy to know she was thinking about him, he couldn’t sit still as he anticipated what it was. She pulled a small metal pin out of her bag then, taking the backing off and clipping it to his pocket.

“Best tour guide ever,” she whispered, reading the words to him with a smile.

“We haven’t even gotten to the best part yet,” he shrugged, pushing down the butterflies in his stomach as they were swarmed by the beautiful creatures.

“It’s like animal crossing in here,” Amoreena said to herself as she looked around, kicking her feet as she sat on the bench, tilting her head back and forth absentmindedly as she took it all in.

He wasn’t sure when he stopped doing that; when he started to mask his true self so much that he no longer felt free in public, taking a moment to copy her movements and just enjoy the moment. Making her smile as she noticed him copy her with adoration, not to tease her in any way whatsoever.

“Can we talk when she’s looking at the fossils?” He asks Y/N softly, knowing that she’ll be the most open when Amoreena’s tiny ears wouldn’t be there to remember everything she says.

“Yeah,” she nods with a small smile. “How about I throw out our garbage and we head to that surprise?”

Amoreena jumped off the bench, tugging Spencer towards the door as Y/N cleaned up, following them eventually.

—

They had the classroom all to themselves and Amoreena was still for the first time all day. Standing in the middle of the room as the lights adjusted, changing the glow from blue to amber as they warmed.

The walls were filled with posters and informative signs, there were glass cases showcasing all the finest fossils and bones known to man. And a sand table in the middle of the room, smocks and brushes for archaeology all set up and waiting for her.

“Once you get all suited up, and we’ll get you a little mask so you don’t breathe in any of the dirt and dust, you can dig up whatever is hidden in there!” Spencer announced.

Y/N helped her into a smock, handing her the brushes and asking her to be extra careful with the plastic chisel and hammer. She was beaming from ear to ear the most toothy smile he’s ever seen.

Y/N stopped to take a photo of her then, holding her instruments in front of the sand table, “get in, we’ll tell everyone that Milo took us on a special tour today.”

Spencer kneeled close to Amoreena, she leaned in and wrapped an arm around him to get him in closer, always being the one to choose how much contact she made with Spencer. He would never want to overstep with someone else’s child.

“Beautiful!” Y/N cheered, locking her phone and slipping it back into her jeans as Amoreena turned to the table of sand, dirt and clay.

She got right to work, not skipping a beat as she leaned in and started to dig. Spencer stepped back with Y/N, knowing Amoreena was going to be in her own little world for as long as they left her alone.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m great, I’m just a little surprised,” her voice is soft, low enough that it stays with him. “You’re really good with her for a fed.”

He laughed, nodding his head as he registered her joke. “Ex fed, and I have a 12-year-old godson, Henry.”

“Ahh, so no kids of your own?” Her voice was small, she took a look at his hand to avoid eye contact and he understood.

“None, no wife, no love children hiding out there in the world that I know of, it’s just me, I promise,” he tried his best to ease her anxiety about introducing a new man into her child’s life.

She nods slightly, “you seem too good to be true sometimes.”

He huffed out a small laugh, pressing his lips together as he looked at her, “pretty sure I’ve been dreaming since I saw you.”

She shoved him as she laughed, “would you like to come back to our place for dinner? I know it’s a little weird, believe me, I know, but we live on my parent's land and my mom’s making enough shepherds pie to feed an army.”

“Yeah I’d love to, I’ll get a cab home after,” he felt a swirling in his stomach, nervous and excited all at once.

“Okay,” she whispered, “or we can get to know each other, and then you could sleep on the couch and I’ll bring you back into DC in the morning? I have to drive in any way.”

He licked his lips and nodded his head, wondering what other kind of invitation this could be. If it was pure hospitality, wanting him to be safe for the night instead of inside some stranger's car, or was she wanting alone time with him.

The thoughts turned around in his head over and over making him dizzy, “okay, yeah I’d love to,” he managed to slip the words out without falling over them.

She smiled, tight-lipped and small. Looking up at him with a new look he hasn’t seen on her yet, one he’s only seen in a few faces in his time, and yet he believed her’s the most.

She was smitten with him as much as he was with her.

He sighed, smiling back at her just as soft. She reached her hand out to hold his, walking towards the table with him in tow. Leaning over Amoreena’s shoulder as she unearthed her new most prized possessions.

—

Amoreena was the funniest kid to drive with, He sat in the passenger seat of Y/N’s car with her in a car seat directly behind him. She was singing, cheering, pointing out the window to show him all her favourite things on the way to her house.

Telling him stories about the make-believe people she created to live in the houses, the trolls under bridges and the names of every cow in the field along the long driveway of her grandparent's farm.

“Bob and Linda are an interesting pair,” she warned him as they pulled in closer and closer. Dirt flying up behind the wheels as she drove fast, knowing every bump and turn from memory.

“They will be asking you every question in the book and if you’re going to be looking at the animals they will insist on putting you in flannel and a cowboy hat, it’s a tradition for visitors,” she explained it in a way where he knew she wanted him to think she hated it, but actually she looked excited to do it to him.

“I can’t wait,” he smiled.

“Amoreena has already told them all about you at dinner last night, so they are expecting her to drag you here tonight,” she pushed the blame onto Amoreena, downplaying her affection for him in a self-conscious way he could feel.

He didn’t want to profile her, but it wouldn’t turn off. He was desperate to know her more, to know if she felt the weird tugging in her heart that made him think soulmates might be real. A pain so intense that if he had to explain it to a doctor, it was like his heart was a negative charge and he was being drawn to her much more positive one.

“We have 16 cats, 46 cows, 13 chickens, 4 ducks, 50 sheep and 1 horse, her name is buttercup,” Amoreena informed him, stealing the attention once again.

“Wow, who’s your favourite?” Spencer turned to her, watching her kick her feet as she looked out the windows.

“Probably Alfonzo our fluffy show cow, or Rufus, our dog,” she said softly. “Sometimes nanny lets him sleep at our house.”

“That’s so cool, I’ve never had a pet.”

“What?!” Amoreena stopped, pressing her lips together as her eyes shot wide open, thinking it was the most absurd thing anyone has ever said.

“My mom was sick when I was growing up so I spent my time taking care of her, I didn’t have time for a dog,” he said softly, saying it in a way that wouldn’t scare her.

“I’m sorry,” Y/N said softly, reaching her hand out to pat his knee as she kept her eyes on the road.

Then she was pulling in past a big house, around the bend behind it, past the garden and the trail to the barn towards another house. It was big and white, probably big enough to have 4 bedrooms. Many levels, with multiple build-ons from years ago ageing to match eventually.

It was covered in vines, ivy and flowers. It was just like miss honeys. He felt something unspeakable, opening his mouth softly to breathe as his eyes trailed up the siding to the shingles.

He couldn’t believe it.

“Home sweet home,” her wonderful voice brought him back to reality. Saying the word that matched the feeling in his chest.

“Wow,” he whispered. His mouth moved to say words, not a single one slipped through the cracks, his lips touching with fake syllables as he stared at it.

“It was my grandma’s, it’s the house she raised my dad in,” Y/N explained as she put the car in park.

“Mommy had me as a gift for GG,” Amoreena added from the back.

“Her great-grandma,” Y/N nodded with a soft smile, biting the inside of her lip as she fought her feelings. That was a touchy subject that he was going to pry into, later on, wanting to know every single thing about the most exceptional women in the world.

There was a cat sitting on their front step, introduced to him as toothpick because he was the smallest in the last litter. And then the name of every single cat on the way back up to the main house.

Simon and Gar-funk-field twin orange brothers, Alaska the all-white one, strawberry shortcake had a red heart on her butt, oven-mitt for comedic effect obviously as if they others weren’t funny enough, as well as shovel and Catrina… all 16 of them had a name and Spencer was not going to forget a single one.

“Welcome! You must be Doctor Reid,” her father was a very large man, it shocked Spencer slightly.

He was like Santa Clause, it was more than a bit of a shock. Thick grey beard, bald head, red flannel and dirty work jeans, probably in his late 60’s. He was what you imagined Santa to look like outside of Christmas, on holiday with his wife.

He looked like a man who lived a long and happy life, he had a wife who cooked good meals for him, he probably didn’t mind sitting back with a beer most nights. There was definitely going to be sports memorabilia inside and a million photos of Y/N and Amoreena, and the purest energy known to man. Family love.

He hated how fast he profiled it all in his mind, trying to drop that aspect of his inner monologue moving forward.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Sir,” he said softly, nodding lightly as he placed his hands in his pockets. Letting it be known he didn’t touch people, and weirdly being respected.

“Please, it’s Bob or Poppy Clause,” he laughed, shifting his attention to Amoreena as she climbed the stairs towards the porch.

“How is my lovey?” Bob asked her softly, “may I have a welcome home hug?”

“Ah,” he smiled and nodded to himself. He was used to it, asking permission for her sensory issues. Spencer was impressed, and a bit emotional at the fact someone his age was respecting a way of life many didn’t care to understand.

Amoreena gave him a hug, throwing herself into his arms, “no beard tickles,” she instructed, holding onto his shoulders as he kept his face away from her.

Y/N placed her hand on Spencers back, “I told you they were a lot, my mom is worse.”

“I feel very comfortable here, don’t worry,” he assured her.

“I should worry,” she laughed, “you’re one of them, oh god.”

“One of who?”

She tilted her head at him, shaking her head, “eccentric, full of life, bursting with weirdness that would probably be a strange purple goo if I could see it.”

He pressed his lips together as he thought about it, nodding softly in agreement. “There is nothing wrong with that, it just means I’m having fun and living my best life from now on.”

“Welcome to the family,” Bob added, a simple saying that invoked a feeling of pride he long yearned for.

—

Dinner was lovely, he’s never had shepherd’s pie before. Learning it was ground beef, beans and potato casserole, and somehow there was also corn in there… he wasn’t sure why it was so delicious but he enjoyed it a lot.

It might have simply been the ambiance that made it so good.

Her mother was the sweetest woman, she made everything from scratch. Including bread that he was obsessed with and a pie for dessert, she was overjoyed to have an expected yet unexpected guest.

Knowing there was a possibility he’d come, but not setting a place for him at the table unless he showed. She wrapped him up in a big hug when he arrived as well as after dinner when he helped her move the plates to the sink.

Her dad offered him a beer after dinner, taking him to the front porch to talk while the ladies cleaned up for the night. Amoreena had a strict bedtime routine to stick to, and it wasn’t his place to witness nor get in the way.

“So,” her dad started the interrogation easily. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be here if Y/N didn’t trust you. And she doesn’t trust many people.”

“I can promise you I’ll never hurt either of them,” he said with the utmost confidence. “It’s been two days and they’ve brought me more joy than I can explain, and I’m never going to take that for granted.”

“Good answer,” he smiled. “Now, farmhouse rules are as follows; you can roam where ever you please, just ask permission before using any equipment, we’re more of a petting zoo than a farm now so the animals are overly friendly, try and keep them inside the gates.”

He was a bit flustered, computing the fact that he just trusted him like that. Maybe he was Santa Clause, making a list and checking it twice, and Spencer happened to cross off every box to land him on the nice one.

“Sounds good,” he smiled. “Thank you.”

“Believe me, sonny, I know what it’s like to want to impress the old man, but it’s all about Amoreena,” Bob warned him. “If she loves you then so will Y/N, and she falls fast.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle, “I’m the same way.”

“That’s what Y/N was saying, I think it’ll be good for Amoreena to know someone like her, we try our best to get her out there and making friends, she’s smart enough to move up some grades but she’s a kid, y’know?” Her father basically describing his own childhood back to him.

“I graduated high school at 13,” he presses his lips together, hoping it doesn’t come off as a brag. Taking a sip of his beer to take the edge off how awkward he felt.

“Do you regret it?”

“No,” he smiled at Bob, who was smiling right back, “it led me here.”

Bob hummed in response, taking a sip as well as he sat back in his rocking chair, watching over the cows in the field as the sun began to set. It was picture perfect, unbelievable.

Wet feet on the hardwood floor caught his attention then, Amoreena was in her PJ’s as she ran towards the door. Putting on her rubber boots and swinging open the screen door.

Her hair was wet, falling into her eyes as she pushed it out of the way, “are you joining the parade and dance party?”

He acted like he knew what that meant, “sure?”

“Yes!” She cheered, “hurry up mom!!”

Y/N walked down the steps slowly, shaking her head as she laughed. “You are so impatient, the animals aren’t going anywhere.”

“No, but Spencer will!”

It made his heartache, the thought of leaving.

“Come on,” she slipped back into her shoes and joined them on the porch. “Off we go, see you later dad.”

“Be good, make wise choices,” he teased her.

“Okay old fart, sleep well,” they had a friendship that was admirable.

Spencer followed with glee as Amoreena said goodnight to all the animals, parading down the path towards their house as she made sure to talk to everything on the way there.

“Every night we pick 2 songs to dance to, it gets all the sillies out and rewards us for a day well spent so we can bless our bodies with a good sleep,” Y/N explains as she unlocks the front door.

A cottage full of books in the middle of the woods, that dream he always had, coming true as she ushered him inside. The smell of coffee drifting towards him as he noticed the brown candle on the mantle surrounded by photos of Y/N and her family.

She placed her keys beside it, kicking off her shoes and making sure Amoreena did the same. In the living room, she connected her phone to a set of speakers, letting the little one pick out 2 songs, queueing them up to play as she bounced with anticipation.

“Tonight’s selection is today was a fairytale by miss Swift, and Anne Hathaway’s cover of somebody to love, form the cinematic masterpiece that is Ella Enchanted,” Y/N announced like she was hosting the grammies, pretending her phone was the mic before hitting play.

He knew somebody to love, the Elton John version, it was a song that Penelope and Emily sang at karaoke when they reached 11 shots each, so not very often. But enough to have him remember the words, singing along with them as they danced.

It was a better workout than Derek had ever put him through, they held hands and jumped around, he twirled Amoreena around, pretending to do the tango with Y/N. Waving their arms in the air, it was the most carefree he has been in ages.

The songs fit the situation more perfectly than any of them seem to realize, he’s falling head over heels in love with this family that he met yesterday. Something in him saying that he needs to stay, that this is where he was supposed to be.

Getting Amoreena into bed was more difficult than Y/N imagined, she didn’t want to stop talking to Spencer. Only finally agreeing to sleep when she learned he would still be there for breakfast in the morning.

“Can you read me a book from your brain?” Her sleep-deprived eyes blinked as she asked him softly.

He looked at Y/N from the doorway, she nodded, patting the bed for Spencer to sit on the edge.

“Any book?”

“Any book.”

“Bedtime for baby star,” he says softly. Remembering all the late night’s he’s heard JJ whisper it on the back of the plane, in the corner of a police precinct in the middle of nowhere, in a twin bed beside his as they shared a hotel room.

“Once there was a baby star, she lived up by the sun. And every night at bedtime, that baby star wanted to have some fun,” he recited the words in an exciting tone, just low enough to soothe her into sleep. “She would sine and sine and fall and shoot and twinkle, oh so bright, and she said ‘Mommy! I’ll run away if you make me say goodnight.’”

Y/N looked at her with a fake stern look, leaning in enough to rub their noses together. “And then her mommy kissed her sparkly nose and said, no matter where you go,”

Y/N kissed her on the nose, “no matter where you go,” she repeated.

“No matter where you are, no matter how big you grow and even if you stray far,” to which Y/N repeated. “I’ll love you forever because you’ll always be my baby star.”

“Goodnight my sweet Amoreena,” Y/N kissed her head softly and stood, Spencer, joined her by the door.

“Can I have a hug?” She asked him softly, he looked at Y/N for approval once again.

She placed a hand on his back as she nodded, watching him lean in and hold Amoreena softly, “goodnight, I had a fun day today.”

“See you tomorrow,” she smiled, closing her eyes for the night.

Y/N replaced her lamp light with a night light, closing the door on the way out of her room as she blew a kiss towards her baby, “love you.”

“Love you more,” Amoreena whispered back.

Spencer was nothing but smiles in the hall as she looked at him, “I’m going to pour myself some wine and sit in the garden, are you interested?”

“Ecstatic actually,” he replied, following her towards the kitchen and letting her pour him a glass.

Behind her house, she had an overgrown garden, every area of her life had a reference to a book somewhere, a story someone else told that she’s now claimed as her own. Living in the world she always wanted, inviting Spencer to stay a while.

She let out a deep sigh as she sat down on the outdoor couch beside him, dropping her head on his shoulder softly, it was more contact than he was expecting. She had barely touched him.

“You should know that I like you a lot,” Spencer spoke softly. “I don’t want you to think I’m just some creep trying to get close to you and your kid, I genuinely think you’re wonderful and Amoreena is magnificent.”

“I trust you, I googled you and everything, don’t worry,” she laughs. “I wouldn’t invite you to the museum and let you give my kid a hug without doing research.”

“Not everything is on there you know.”

“I think you are very wonderful as well,” she said softly, “but I know it’s just the fact that you’re so darn cute that’s making me feel like I should drop everything and invite you into our life.”

“I understand,” he replied. Waiting for her to tell him that this was the last time she’d see him, it was inevitable at this point in his life. Nothing good lasted for long.

“So I need you to know all about me and I need to know all about you before you decide you want to stay because I can’t handle bringing you into Amoreena’s life for you to just leave her,” another deflection.

“You might want to hear mine first before you decide if you want me to stay around her,” it sounded scarier than he planned.

“Alright then, you go first,” she insisted with a small smile, eyes darting past him towards the cows in the field. Not ready to be vulnerable with him.

“I worked with the FBI for 15 years, I’ve helped catch some of the worst people in America, and some of them have vendetta’s against me. As far fetched and insane as that sounds,” he pre-warned her, watching her face drop as she understood the weight of his words.

“I have been framed and sent to prison for three months, I was kidnaped, tortured, drugged, and assaulted, not to mention shot a few times. I have more trauma than you can imagine. So that’s something you have to consider in a future with me,” he whispered so she wouldn’t hear how ashamed he was of himself.

“And the fact know that I can’t always keep myself or you safe, no matter how far disconnected I am from the FBI. It doesn’t matter if I change my name and hide here for the rest of my life off the grid. There are some fucked up minds out there that don’t want to let me experience true happiness. But in all honesty,” he finally stops his long-winded rant. He bites his bottom lip as if he is holding back someone worse than all the things he just said.

“I’m willing to die tomorrow if it means my last day on earth was this fucking perfect.” Tears welled in his eyes, “I am so tired.”

“It’s okay to cry, I would be too,” she says softly, a frog in her throat as she nodded. Tears welling in her eyes as her face scrunched.

He blinked and a tear escaped, slipping down his cheek and being swiped off by her thumb in an instant. She kept her hand on his cheek softly, he leaned into it.

“I’ve been running for so long,” he whispers because then the words don’t really exist. They’re secrets only for her to hear and then they’re gone. “I was basically groomed for the FBI, I was their personal computer and they didn’t give a single shit about the wear and tear on me.”

He started to sob. She cradled his head against her chest in one swift motion, holding him close and rubbing his back. Shushing him softly as he cried into her shoulder.

“You know that Katy Perry song?” she changed the subject as he calmed down, understanding his pain and accepting his warnings, but continuing down the path anyway.

“Summer after high school when we first met,” she sang like an angel. “It was like that, I thought I met the love of my life after I graduated, we got engaged a year later, then he died in a car crash and I was single for a very long time.”

“Then my grandma got sick and she made a bucket list. Number one was to become a great grandma,” her words became whispers as she tried to stop the tears, following Spencer’s tactic even though it failed so miserably.

“I said fuck it. I’m going to have a baby and make my own family, one person I can truly care for and never lose. She’s my world, she was the light of my grandma’s life until it burnt out, she has changed my world in ways I can’t even explain.”

It fell silent as they absorbed each other’s explanations of their issues. The root of their problems, the core of their soul were the most hurt was kept locked away, opening the doors and swapping scrapbook snapshots of terrible memories.

“I think,” she says, finally, like music to his ears. “I think that I’m okay, I’m positive actually that I want you in my life like this. All of you is fine with me, you’re not that scary, and I’m tired of waiting for the right moments because it means losing the people over time missed. I want to live my life fully, I’m at peace with the unknown and with you.”

Peace.

“Not to quote Taylor Swift at you or anything, but she does have a point in that song,” she laughed lightly and he felt her chest jump. Life bursting through her as she made light of an incredibly touchy subject.

“I don’t know the song,” he whispers.

She gasps, “oh that’s the line, I finally found it. Our first fight can be whether or not you like Taylor Swift, don’t even think about how upset Amoreena will be if you’re not, I’ll kick you out.”

He can't stop laughing then, digging his face into her neck as he holds her closer to his chest. Breathing her in as she finishes his laugh in a giggle, rubbing her hands down his back as she presses her cheek to his head.

“I haven’t had the time to listen to her this year I know she’s been busy releasing music,” he admits, “but I’m sure I’ll love it.”

She shifts awkwardly on the couch to take her phone out of her pocket, opening her music and playing the song she was speaking of.

He simply rests his head on her chest, both of them laying back onto the cushions together, finding a comforting spot for their arms as they listened to the words, silently.

He absorbed it all, every word she said bringing forth a feeling he’s never felt before. True understanding, like someone, gets him. Gasping audibly when she says ‘robbers to the east clowns to the west, give you my sunshine, give you my best.’

He wasn’t alone.

[jaskiersvalley]

The Wild Hunt was coming, they were racing to seize Geralt and Ciri, and with each passing day their net got tighter. Naturally there was a lot of bickering about what to do next. Oddly though, it wasn't Geralt or Ciri getting into fights. It was Jaskier and Cahir.

"Look, you overgrown lizard, Vicovaro is safer!" Cahir spat as he huddled close to the camp fire. Something about being from Vicovaro meant he felt the cold more keenly. Some days Geralt was convinced he was going to wake to find Cahir had managed to huddle in the embers of the fire.

The only one who was likely to ever fight Cahir for a place in the remains of the fire was Jaskier, who was snapping and snarling. "Safer? Nothing is safe from the Wild Hunt! Lettenhove and Oxenfurt both offer resources beyond what a backwater swap like Vicovaro can offer. Safer my ass, bird brain."

It had been going on like that for long enough that Geralt and Ciri were exchanging more and more exasperated looks. In the end Geralt snapped.

"Nice you both think you have a say in where we go. Ciri and I are going to Kaer Morhen."

The squawking and hissing of exclamations was a bit discordant and Geralt winced. There was something about it being certain death there and dooming them all to a miserable, cold end to existence.

"At least you'll get to see the others, feathers." Jaskier muttered to Cahir.

"And you'll have your nest."

Sometimes Geralt wondered just what language those two spoke. The words were in Common but it sure as shit made zero sense. The trudge up to Kaer Morhen was cold. Winter was chasing their heels, made all the colder by the worry that the Wild Hunt was just behind them. It wasn't the warm welcome of getting home. Their bedraggled little group stumbled through the doors, worry etched on their faces. The others were around them in a heartbeat, greeting them and fussing.

There wasn't much time to plan. The temperature dropped and they all slept with their weapons and armour to hand and easy to sling on. Such preparedness was proven to be necessary. As the first rays of the sun crested the treetops, the horn of the Wild Hunt woke them. Despite knowing it was coming, firm in the fact that it was inevitable, that nobody outran the Wild Hunt, it was still a shock that they had finally arrived.

Armed to the teeth, they marched out of the keep, well aware that this was possibly the last time some of them did so. Nobody went up against the Wild Hunt and won. But they were going to try.

Battles were never long, especially not when it was such a small group fighting. Winning was never really a probable outcome. Despite their skills, their endurance, their mutations and determination, fatigue set in. It was difficult to keep an eye on each other, mostly hearing the grunts, the sharp cry as a hit went through and something hurt. Vesemir was cornered, outnumbered and overwhelmed with the others too far away to help until a cry of "regroup!" rang out. The army term had to come from Cahir and Geralt managed to drag an injured Vesemir away. They formed a circle around him, swords raised. Except the Wild Hunt showed no mercy, they waited for no man and they advanced.

"Fuck this," Cahir growled and his sword clattered to the ground. The next moment he was pulling his shirt over his head and shoving it at Lambert. "Keep it safe for me, I actually like that shirt. Quens at the ready. Scales, you know your job."

With that, Cahir charged. The others were helpless to watch was arrows thudded into Cahir's body but he pushed out through sheer force of will, slamming into the middle of the Wild Hunt. A sword glinted in the early morning light as the sun finally appeared over the trees, casting everything in a golden glow. The sword fell, skewered Cahir with unerring accuracy.

"Quen!" Jaskier screamed as the world exploded in light and heat. It lasted way too long, the quens trembled under the force of the fiery blast, even as something else was wrapped around the group to keep them safe.

There was silence.

Once by one, the group dropped their guard and watched as leathery wings opened up to reveal a charred and smoking patch where the Wild Hunt and Cahir had been. In the centre of it was a pile of ash in a lump.

"What the fuck?" Eskel was the first to speak, watching as a dragon lumbered from their group towards the pile of glowing ash.

"Jaskier?" The fact Geralt's voice broke over the name spoke volumes about his general state.

Looking over his shoulder, Jaskier let out a smoky snort. "Don't you Jaskier me, young man."

That seemed to break the tension and Lambert burst out laughing, soon joined by the others until they were all but crying. Curiously, Jaskier curled up around the ash pile, rumbling deep in his chest and blowing a small mouthful of fire at it. Some of the ash cleared to show a black mound lined by gold. Almost like an-

"Is that an egg?" Eskel stepped closer and was growled at by Jaskier until he hastily backed up.

"Unfortunately." Another burst of fire and the egg quivered.

Almost horrified, the group watched it crack, a fragment of shell falling into the nest of ash to reveal a beak. From the back Vesemir let out a groan.

"A fucking phoenix, right?"

The hum of agreement from Jaskier brought forth another medley of disbelief and outcries.

"I never wanted to be responsible for one," he rumbled darkly. "I'm not the nesting kind."

"Wait," Lambert clutched at Eskel's arm as he peered at the hatching egg. "What are you saying?"

The world's ugliest hatchling stuck its head out and screeched at Jaskier who rolled his eyes. "You watch that filthy mouth of yours. This is your doing, not mine."

"Please tell me that's not Cahir," Eskel whispered, eyes glued to the chick in horror.

Far too cheery, Jaskier nodded his huge head. "Yep. That's your boyfriend. You'd better build a nice warm fire to keep him in because I am not babysitting for you."

At the confused sound caught in Eskel's throat Vesemir finally took pity. "Dragons are nannies to phoenix families. They're one of the few creatures capable and willing to keep a chick safe while the parents do their thing."

"Don't worry," Jaskier cut in. "He'll remember how to shift in a week or two. You'll have your boyfriend back."

The soft, wet "oh thank fuck" from Eskel was buried in Lambert's neck. Much more gently, Jaskier added.

"It's over. He took care of the Wild Hunt. You're safe now."

[all-might-can-smash-me]

Homestay 2

@darlingely​

Part 1

You are on part 2

Part 3

Taishiro Toyomitsu / Fatgum x Reader!

Summary: after developing a relationship from his time as a guest in your home, the two of you have been surviving on text messages and phone calls ever since he left to go back to the city. The both of you missed each other terribly...so a little surprise wouldn’t hurt....

Sorry for typos

Masterlist / request info in masterlist

Ever since those three heroes had left at the end of the week, your semi large home had become painfully quiet. Without Taishiro though? It had become painfully lonesome. Every night you expected his figure to appear in the door way to your room to cuddle the night away like the two of you had done the week that he, Suneater and Red Riot had been guest in your home, but every night you were left disappointed. After a week or so the feeling had slowly faded away, but you still yearned for Taishiro. You wanted to see that grin, be in those arms, and listen to those laughs rumble through his chest as your head would be rested upon it. Instead, you were left to impatiently check your phone every second it was in your hands or listen for the telltale signal of your obnoxiously loud ringtone whenever you would be tending to your garden are bothering the chickens for their eggs or to toss out their feed. The times you did receive a text message and did hear that loud text tone, your heart would drop down in your chest and end up in a ball of flutters and fast heart beats. A blush would always manage to find it’s way onto your cheeks, even if it were to be a simple text that would be wishing you a great day, good morning, night, and or jus a plain hello. That man always kept your heart in a flutter and your cheeks hotter than the rays of a summer sun. What really made your hear go boom was the calls the two of you would had, mostly at night. The two of you could spend the moment the sun goes down and when the sun goes back up talking and giggling over the phone, but the two of you didn’t care if your heads were an exhausted haze throughout the next day. Spending the whole night talking and laughing was worth it, but sometimes he would have to sadly skip the phone call of end it early since he is a pro hero after all. As the months went on, that feeling had crawled it’s way into your core. That bitter loneliness and yearning for that man that made you swoon. So, having a neighbor agree to watch your home, you made the hike along those dirt and gravel roads with your suitcase in hand, the straps to your stray hat adjusted to keep it snug upon your head and away from the ghostly grasp of the wind the fluttered along beside, whipping the train ticket in your hand playfully as if it were a cat teasing a feather. 

Now you had a bit of experience when it came to the city, you didn’t live under a rock and you surely never just decided to never leave the area of sparse farming towns and villages either, but when the city had come into view through the window that was situated next to your seat on the train...you couldn’t help but let a childlike excitement creep up within you. The city still was quite amazing! The roads always zipped and zoomed with vehicles, people would move from one side of the street to the other in a HUGE heard, and then the city always had heroes patrolling and dashing by to keep the streets safe. And the buildings! You couldn’t help but always feel that they might just fall on top of you as you shuffled past people, eyes darting to the directions that was open on your phone, gushing out apologies if your suit case would have accidentally wacked a passerby’s legs. Your footsteps had soon came to a stop once your phone chimed a pleasant ‘your destination is to your left’ up to you. 

“Fatgum...” you muttered out as you read the huge letters that were upon the face of the building. You couldn’t help but let out a giggle once you finally got a good look at the hero agency. “Hey...it looks like him!” you spoke out to yourself with a grin upon the revelation. Your amusement was soon mellowed out as you took in a deep intake of air, now beginning to make your way up to those glass doors, not pushing through, a blast of air pressing past your face and pushing the small little hairs around your face. “Whoa...” you mumbled out as you let your eyes scan the area. It was your very first time in a hero agency, so yes of course it was going to bring a childlike excitement to accompany the new experience. 

“Can I help you?” A voice asked from the reception desk, snapping yourself out from your star struck haze. Now looking to the woman at the front desk, you quickly offered a smile before lugging up your suitcase to now lean up onto the reception desk gently, though just as you were about to say something, the woman was already speaking again as she looked up to you from her seat. “I’m sure I can help you find your way to your hotel in no time! What is the address ma’am?” You were kind of caught up in your own confusion for a second before giving a little shake of your head and a laugh to go along with it.

“Oh, no! I’m here to see Fatgum!” You spoke out once you had regained your composure from your little moment of hazy confusion. The other woman only gave you a confused look as she had began to type and click away at the computer that sat off to the side, eyes quickly scanning the screen before looking to you. 

“I’m sorry...but I’m positive you aren’t on the schedule, but I can try and get you a time to meet with him. Either call the agency later or leave your contact information so that someone will be able to contact you..” She professionally explained as she was already handing off a business card towards you across the desk, but you only looked to the card, eyebrows scrunched together. 

“Look...I traveled here from the Niigata area to come and visit him, so you can just tell me where his office is, that would be all I need.” You said with a sheepish smile as the woman seemed to only grow agitated and suspicious of you. “And I was hoping to not let him know I’m here since it is a surprise and all..” you continued on, but your voice seemed to lose it’s up beat tone the more the receptionist casted that cold gaze to you. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, but you can still leave your contact information in order for us to contact you or try contacting us tomorrow or the next day in order to schedule a meeting, have a nice day.” she curtly spoke once more, her attention now the phone hat run upon he desk, her fingers now rapidly typing away at the keyboard with the iconic loud clicks. You of course only let your smile fall down in a small frown, backing away from the desk with the feeling of embarrassment tearing at your insides as you turned away from the reception desk. 

“Now what...” you mumbled out as you had began to slowly make your way to the glass doors. 

“Boo!” Shouted a voice, hands jabbing at your sides which caused you to give a little yelp, now whipping around to face the culprit. One of your hands were raised to give a good smack to them too, but you only gasped with a grin upon your face. “Did I scare you with how spooky that sounded or what?” chuckled the familiar figure before you

“Red Riot!” You exclaimed, now offering the other a tight hug with your suitcase set at your feet, now pulling back to look a him. “You look so cool! I didn’t get to see you in your costume whenever you, Suneater, and Fatgum stayed!” You pointed as you admired the young, future hero in front of you. 

“Yeah! Must be kind of weird, but what is weirder is that you are here! For a second I thought I was hallucinating or someone else just had that some beat up straw hat..” He teased as he let a finger tap the brim of your hat, you only rolling your eyes and pushing his hand away. “Thank goodness it was you, it would have been embarrassing if I did that to someone I didn’t know” he said with a sigh of relief. 

“Then maybe you shouldn’t do that!” you scolded him, but it was in a joking manor as you leaned down to grab your suitcase again. “But...where is Fatgum? I came to see him, but I wanted to surprise him, ya know? Along with Suneater!” You quickly added with a little laugh. “But I didn’t have much luck with doing that...” you said with a little frown, casting a glance to the reception desk “I should have figured that much, it being a hero agency and all...”

“Hey! She’s with me!” Shouted out Kirishima towards the woman at the desk, now taking the suitcase from your hands as he soon motioned for you to follow as he led you up the stairs. “Suneater is out on patrol, along with Fatgum and I was just about to head out for my own patrol hours” He explained as he looked over his shoulder and at you, now pushing open a door and ushering you in. “So you can just wait in here for Fatgum and Suneater, it shouldn’t be long” Kirishima now set down the suitcase at the large desk. “I really gotta go, but I’ll probably catch you later if you are staying for a few days, catch ya later!” He called out as he was already rushing out the office, door closed to leave you in the silence, eyes scanning the room. At first you hesitantly walked about the room, freezing at every trick sound that your brain teased your ears with. Soon you were now letting your hands touch everything! The chairs in front of the desk, the desk itself, the shelves, filing cabinets, everything that you could reach to glide your fingertips across. Your eyes had finally landed to the chair the sat behind the desk. With a little excited squeal, you let yourself flop down onto the massive chair, letting our a laugh as you let the chair spin, now facing the windows that looked down the streets. The same windows that made up Fatgum’s iconic grin on the outside of the building.

“That’s funny, I don’t remember leaving my chair facing that way. Red Riot must have sat in it again..” Muttered at a voice from the now opened door of the office. That is when you quickly spun around to now face the other within the room. “Holy crap! When did you get here!” Exclaimed Fatgum as he quickly rushed forward, you now standing up from the huge office chair to allow him to lift you up with a tight hug.

“I bought a train ticket to come and visit for a few days! I wanted it to be a surprise, so Red Riot let me up here” You muttered out as you pulled your face back too look down at him. “But look at you! You’re so cute and you look really cool too!” You exclaimed excitedly as you let your eyes admire him once he set you down, hands still gently holding onto his. “And I thought you were tall when the three of you stayed for the week....you’re taller now...” You spoke as you finally looked up to him with your shocked expression, the large grin stretching across him face and just the smallest blush crawling just a tad bit out from under the mask that covered the majority of his face.

“It kind of slipped my mind that you really haven’t seen me like this, sorry” He said as he let out an almost nervous laugh as he looked down at you. The words he was going to speak got trapped in his throat thought as he looked down at you. That giant thud and flutter of his heart was the culprit as he finally got a good look at you, but someone clearing their throat off to the side caught you and Taishiro’s attention, hands now separating and a step taken away from each other.

“And you Suneater! You were cute before, but you are even cuter now!” You giggled out as you were now hugging Tamaki tightly, of course flustering the young adult, but he simply gave the tiniest of hugs back in return. 

“Hey Suneater, you can head home now, since your completed your patrol hours for today, don’t forget to clock in your hours though” Taishiro spoke out after clearing his throat, Amajiki only nodding his head before bidding a quiet ‘nice seeing you’ to you before leaving the office, but once that door closed, Taishiro had you back in his arms, holding you tight and smothering your face with kisses. “You sneaky little thing...” he muttered out with a little laugh before setting you down, though you only rolled your eyes as you let yourself set at the edge of his desk as he sat down upon the huge chair that you once sat in. 

“I probably should have let you know, I kind of made a fool of myself at the front desk..” you said with a small laugh as you swung you feet a little, holding onto Taishiro’s hands that were now rested upon your lap. “She was kind of really suspicious of me...” You said as you let your thumb gently rub upon his hand. One of his hands had slithered out from your grasp to gently pull down the hat from your head, hand soon smoothing the flyaway hairs from your face. The time was spent with of course him explaining a few things about his agency and what not. The time was also spent with laughter, a few blushed and a kiss here and there that the two of you couldn’t resist sharing. He was also elated over the fact that you also planned to stay at his apartment as well. Apparently sleeping alone wasn’t really the same for only you. Once the hours got late and he could head home now, he took hold of your suitcase, your straw hat now jokingly upon his head as he lead you down to the main floor, your hand holding onto his arm as you followed beside his towering figure. 

“Hey, this is my girlfriend, so next time just let her head up to my office, ok? Have a nice night!” Taishiro said with a grin to the receptionist as he had pushed past the doors, holding them open for you. The term ‘girlfriend’ left a grin upon your lips that was being supressed by a bit from your teeth, a blush crawling upon your cheeks. Now you hugged onto the parts of his arm that you could reach as the keys to his apartment jingled around in the lock to his door, finally givin that knob a twist before opening it. “This is my apartment.” He said as he allowed you in first, following after you to close the door shut and lock it to then slip off his shoes and begin removing his protective gear and other parts of his costume such as his mask and along with tugging down the hood to his jacket. Though you were already roaming around the apartment, shoes of course left behind at the front door. You let yourself give a quick walk around the kitchen, then you sprawled out upon the couch in the livingroom, but you quickly got up to continued your self directed tour. Taishiro only laughed as he watched you, announcing he was having food delivered which you only gave a little nod of your head as you continued on.

“Bingo!” You cheered as you opened a door to reveal his bedroom, now already tossing yourself onto the massive bed, letting yourself get lost and buried deep within the covers. You squealed though when the blanket was pulled back, you laughing as Taishiro was down beside you, now pulled up and snuggled against him. “I missed you so much...” you hummed out against his chest.

“Me too....” he spoke out quietly in agreement as he let his hand gently play with your hair, enjoying the sound of your rhythmic breathing against himself. “Maybe you should just move out here, live with me...” Taishiro said, now moving to look down at your face, but couldn’t help but let his his lips press those soft kisses against any available space upon your face.

“As much as I would love to do that, I can’t just give up the house I have....it means a lot to me...” you hummed out with closed eyes as you let those kisses continued to pepper your face, but your eyes soon opened with the disappointment of not feeling those soft kisses anymore.

“Who said you have to get rid of the house? I’ll help you keep it up, you know? When I get weekends off or recovery periods we can just go over there, away from the world to be by ourselves...” he said with a little wink, you only blushing and giving an eye roll, but you couldn’t help the smile upon your face.

“We’ll see about that, now come down here and give me a proper kiss.” You said with a giggle as you leaned up to press your lips against his, but the two of your were interrupted by a knock upon the door.

“The food...I’ll get it...” he said with a disappointed groan as he got up, footsteps lead down the hall and the the front door. The next couple days went a little like this. You would show up to the agency after sleeping in just a little bit which couldn’t be helped, his bed smelt like him and it was EXTREMELY comfortable. Then you would head straight to his office to visit with Tiashiro or maybe Red Riot and Suneater. One night the four of you were back at Fatgum’s apartment enjoying dinner together, Red Riot now speaking up.

“Hey....the receptionist said that she’s your girlfriend, Fatgum...” Kirishima spoke out with a raised brow, looking to the pro hero expectantly how only looked up from his plate with wide eyes, glancing over to you before back to Kirishima.

“Well...she is...” he finally said, small blushes already staining you and his own cheeks. “We have been for a while actually, but you know, it’s mostly just been over the phone and phonecalls.” He said as he looked over and down to you. “I just haven’t told you guys yet or really anyone.”

“Pay up...” came out a hushed voice, Kirishima cursing as he handed over money to Tamaki who quietly took it from him and pushed it away into the depths of his pocket.

“You two were betting cash on this or something?” Taishiro asked in bewilderment as he gawked at the two teens before him. Kirishima was the one to quickly explain himself.

“Well I thought that the receptionist just assumed that the two of you were dating, but Tamaki said that it was so obvious though since you always texted her, called her, talked about her.....and he also mentioned seeing you sneak into her room while we were staying at her place...ow!” He growled out in pain, Tamaki casting him a fearful glance that told him to just ‘shut up now!’ after giving a kick to his shin carefully.

“Wow....and I thought I was being discreet about it.” He said with a laugh as he continued to eat, you only shaking your head as you watched him continue eating.

“Well...we probably really weren’t now looking back at it...”

[system-of-a-feather]

Hiya! Umm... I saw your long AAPI/cultural appropriation essay, and you seem to know what you're talking about. Way more than I do.

I'm in a tricky spot and I don't know what to do about it. (I know you may not be the right person but I don't know who else to ask)

So. I'm a traumagenic system. I was lonely, and anime was there for me. I have introjects, sure. But we're polyfrag and it's fuzzy, and for the whole system it feels more than just a source media thing.

We grew up DREAMING about Japan. We studied japanese and tried to sing the original lyrics of songs and search up their meanings as a kid. I'd sometimes try to make english versions of them. Not to hide the original, but because my family couldn't understand the beauty I saw. And I felt such a connection to it...

Now I'm rambling... 😅

I've always wanted to teach Japanese, to use Japanese every day in my life. When I wrote stories I would go search through all the Japanese to english dictionaries and search for the perfect name with the perfect meaning. I thought all the names were gorgeous and appreciated how special they were.

I try and bring Japanese culture into my life every day, even. I listen to Japanese idol groups and pop. I'm still trying to learn japanese, and further more I want to teach it to my community, to create a place where we can come together and learn this language together, as a small country community. To learn and embrace some of their cultures and try new things along the way.

I know that I am not Japanese. I don't want to appropriate them. But I find them so... or not them. But the language and culture and almost everything I find out has me entranced and wanting to learn more. It almost feels like my purpose, or a huge part of my life. My goal. My mission.

I live on the disability pension. I will probably never see Japan in person, and I've heard disability is frowned upon there anyway, to some degree. I don't know if I could even live there, especially if my workability was low. I'm not so young anymore. Even then there are stories of all the people who aim for their dreams and don't make it there. So I dropped it from my cards. I decided if I couldn't do it there... maybe I could do it where I am.

If I'm culturally appropriating Japan and it's cultures I'm happy to give them all the credit. I'm proud of where I found what I have. I adore it and would lift it up any day. But I also adore what I'm doing, what I'm bringing to life. I'm making some Japanese-Aussie vibe culture hybrid or something. I don't know!

But I wouldn't give it up for anyone. If a Japanese person asked me too... I'd prefer to start life over in Japan with no money or resources to my name. I'd probably prefer to live their homeless. I couldn't organise it myself. But I'd take a harsher punishment rather than let it go. I'd prefer to embrace it entirely than ever give it up.

But people online keep saying that nobody should use the names, the language, the cultures... I don't know what to do. I... don't have an answer.

I don't want to be for something so harmful. But I've posted about how names are beyond something that could be taken away. I've disagreed with people of colour about Japanese examples. I've never met a truly Japanese people, beyond watching lessons and shows and blogs and cultural breakdowns. I don't know what they'd say. I've heard that Japanese people praise other cultures for trying to learn their language, from articles online detailing what foreigners should expect. But I know Japan is big on honour culture, so they might just think it and not say their true thoughts to be polite.

Idk what to do!! I want to uplift everyone around me. To build villages for people who I come in contact with. To create openness and to be respectful and create fond memories. I don't want to go down as someone oppressive. But I want to go down as me.

I have no Japanese heritage, no japanese blood or family. I have no rights except for years with nothing else.

I know the answer some people would give is to embrace my own culture. But well... Aussie culture is sort of memes and culture-mix-soup. Beyond white man capitalism and conquering and the white people bible. Aussie culture is "it's hot here and we're like smart, funky, weird sounding bogans". I sort of want more than that.

I want to preserve their (Japans) culture how I found it, if I can. If I accidentally tamper with it, I want to say that, to let it be known. But I like how it is too mostly.

There are some negatives to it too, I know. Like, LGBT rights in Japan, the mental illness stuff, and more. But I'm not willing to leave because of those bad things.

Sometimes moving forward means taking aspects of different places and furthering them together to make something new. Is that cultural appropriation? Will I get in trouble for doing that? And how can I progress it/myself, how can I aspire and dream of a better world if all the jigzaw blocks are forced down to the table and unmovable. What do I do?

I don't understand it. And I don't know what to do about it.

Help.

(sorry it is so long. Sorry 😅😥)

Reading this back, I feel like the indignant child. "I don't want the other one, I want that one." Is that bad? Idk.

I'll just leave this here. What is your take? What do you& think?

Yeah thats a complex situation that I don't really have any kneejerk direct opinions on it towards. I might actually leave this in my drafts for a bit to think about it some cause theres a multi-dimensional aspect to it and a lot to consider that even I don't think I'm entirely all that knowledgable to comment on

(Especially regarding Japanese culture as I am Not Japanese and while there are similar dynamics in how western / white perspectives influence it, the dynamics are different and the histories are different; additionally, of a lot of the 'main big' Asian groups, Japanese is honestly the one I've had some of the least engagement with as the places I've lived have been heavily Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, and Korean; we have a couple Japanese marketplaces near but beyond community, I don't have too much personal insight into the intricracies of Japanese culture and their opinions on these matters, so do understand ANYTHING from this post is coming from a Indo-Chinese perspective and anything I say on this topic, is to be taken second / less than any Japanese person that might want to key in on it as well)

I do have to say - from what I can tell from this ask alone (which is not necessarily a best sample, a lot of judgement of respect is best seen in Action and not words which asks are limited to) - I do have to say I really think you have a good intent and a better understanding / concern to the complexities of things than a lot of people I've seen who "really like Japan and Japanese culture" so in my more optimistic, generally wanting-to-give-best-faith and progressive culture-sharing perspective, I would like to encourage the dream and intent cause I think the vision is really great and amazing honestly.

The issue I have is that the practical application is pragmatically difficult and a bit uneasy because, as much as I think you have a lot of good intent and probably more than the average person, you aren't the first nor last white person who found themselves enamored and emotionally bonded with an Eastern Culture and with a full heart and chest wanted to help preserve and care for the culture. I don't say it in a means to be accusatory or aggressive, but more so a thing to be cautious if you want to try both holding your dreams and joys in the most respectful manner - but the rhetoric does sound a bit white savior / white knight adjacent. That is just to say that it's important to remember that, in the end of the day, Japanese people don't need you (a white person) to advocate for them or to save them and the culture doesn't need you to spread or preserve it for them.

I don't like to say it because I think with a lot of caution, respect, and passion, people who really love something can do a lot of good in the world; but (and I don't know if this is the case or just my past experience with white people who want to help Eastern cultures making be a bit cautious) inherently if there is any part of you that feels as though you will be a hero or leader in any way or form towards the Japanese / Japanese culture, I think one of the first things you'd need to make sure you do is to toss that dream of heroics out and take a massively more "follower" and "aid" mindset out.

In the end of the day, if you want to help any eastern culture be preserved and what not, its important that you - someone who has never been raised or lived the life - are never the end point of people reaching to it; the best place your role would and should be is a means of connection and resource provision, because in the end of the day, you are going to always be a student compared to those that have lived their life in the environment

With that in mind, I am a person who really likes the idea of healthy and productive sharing of cultures and respectful interactions between them and I also know that in some places - which I assume Australia might be as well - there is not as an abundant AAPI populace and probably not much of a pre-existing environment / people to engage with so the complexities of "leave it to the people of the culture" is not entirely practical.

So with all that in mind, first thing I'd say is - as I said above - listen to Japanese voices over mine. I'm speaking largely from theoretics on what I've seen in trends in other eastern cultures and my own experiences as well as being a relatively more idealistic and open perspective.

Second thing, I would see if there is any pre-existing niches where there might be at least an AAPI center around where you live - see if there are any events or classes or something that you may realistically be able to get involved in. If there aren't any of those, consider seeing if there are any direct cultural derivatives from that to participate (as in arts, crafts, hobbies, etc) - cause in my experience, stuff like martial arts are open things to engage in and they can help you connect with people more familiar and more engaged with the genuine culture.

The main reason I say this is because - other than the risk of falling into the white savior complex - one of the largest obstacles to doing this respectfully and healthily is putting time and effort into getting around how white / western culture has already distorted your understanding of Japanese culture in ways you probably don't know about. (And this isn't only you, cause I also am 100% sure I don't see Japanese culture correctly due to white / western influences; I'm not particularly qualified to talk about it as a result; its a very hard and very long journey for any not-Japanese person to do to get as untainted, genuine, and complete understanding of the culture as possible)

One of the best ways to navigate working on that is to find people and environments that are less-tainted by white / western lenses and influences and to take a more student lens and approach to it; very much a "sit and listen and reflect and do your unpacking homework"

If none of those are available or reasonably possible due to disability and/or financial things, I would strongly recommend reaching out to Japanese communities online (reddit probably has a good community) and getting advice from them as they will have more insight and ideas than I could think up.

I will say, they might be a lot more hesitant and wary than I am, cause again - from what I've seen, I think I'm considered pretty idealistic and a bit of a dreamer when it comes to including non-AAPI people in cultures (some are even uncomfortable with married-in-white people getting involved; my bestie is married to a Chinese person and he's been derogatorily and regularly considered a 'gweilo'; ie derogatory term meaning "Westerner" / "white man" / "ghost man") so you will probably face a lot of people nay-saying it, but I would hope maybe someone shares a little of the optimism / appreciation for the vision that I do, even if it's a minority.

That said, I think if you do want to honestly go forward with this and try to do so with the most respect and healthiest lens, I think it is important that you inevitably face the amount of distrust a lot of AAPI have towards white / western involvement in their culture face on and deeply develop a very complex and nuanced understanding to your place and position in the overall roles, history, and participation in it. Cause if you do want to help and do want to be a part of it, it's important to understand where YOUR culture comes into play with all of this. Cause you aren't Japanese and you will never be Japanese, even if you were an expect PhD holding person living in Japan. Inherently you will always be the white person engaging with Japanese culture, and so its important to remember that with you, you bring your own culture into this and that is something that has to be dissected in relationship to it all.

Third, and (less important but relevant) I do not at all mean this to diss on the culture or anything, but a lot of Eastern cultures have something of bad blood towards Japan and I don't honestly know the details enough nor have the energy to Properly Get Into It in a way that won't be misread without nuance by White Piss on the Poor Tumblr, but if you don't know what or why that bad blood exists, it'd be good to try to read into it and look into non-Japanese AAPI voices about it. This isn't to say that "its a bad culture", but more so that if we are talking about seeing the history as a whole, its important to know the impacts Japan and Japanese cultures have had on related cultures which, unfortunately, Japan has been a large part of. (China, Phillipines, Korea, etc)

Overall, it'd probably be an unpopular opinion among other AAPI, but I like the vision and passion you have for it and while I'm a bit hesitant to give support because I know how many people say similar things then fail to do all the work it takes to Do It Right ((ie, I honestly haven't really seen it ever, that said I haven't put the effort into trying to see it happen ever)), if you are willing to do all the tedious and life long homework of understanding your culture, Japanese culture, the ways your and Japanese culture interact to impact your understanding of BOTH cultures, white / western history, white / western history with AAPI cultures and Japan's culture, Japan's history within overall AAPI history, etc and are willing to do your due diligence to network, get involved, and engage with less white-tainted and warped parts of the culture AND navigate a lot of the inherent (fair, earned and justified) distrust to white / western involvement in culture, then I don't think you might have some merit to the dream.

Like it's going to be a LOT of work, a life long thing of work and admittedly, you will likely never be the expert or the advocate or the person you idealistically dream to be and that sounds negative, but in Buddhist philosophy, you are never meant to actually obtain perfection and its considered near impossible to reach "true enlightenment", but we aim for it anyways because the ideal is 1) worth aiming for and 2) we do it because it is good to try and do it anyways as the ideal is not necessary to enjoy the good that genuine and good work towards the ideal.

I guess the last parting thing I'd put out is that a really helpful concept and lens I'd recommend sitting on and thinking about is one of my favorite Buddhist lines of thoughts from Shunryu Suzuki here as it might be helpful in persisting against a lot of the inherent obstacles you will face should you genuinely intend to do it right, cause you are going to probably inherently - due to being white, western and not around any actual japanese culture - "the bad horse".

In general, I think in the end, one of the things that also would be really helpful is that I mention a lot of being a student to the Japanese culture and whether or not you want to take the writing in the Zen Buddhist idea of Zen behavior or just generally keeping a very respectful and chronic student lens to any really insurmountably large and complex topic that you are inherently disadvantaged in (such as learning and respecting a culture that you have no inherent place in), I recommend giving Shunryu Suzuki's book on "The Beginner's Mind" a read / listen.

Overall, that book has helped me so much in both mental health, goal seeking, system management, and overall my perspective on people and culture beyond a simple "buddhist" lens so I really really strongly recommend it.

[thepringlesofblood]

heroforge hoes pt 3

the adventure starts zoning.

i’m going to do the 5 taz PCs i made. I went DEEP in the paint on the details and specifics with these hoes and I’m pretty proud with how they turned out.

as always, I will not be taking criticism of any kind at this time (compliments welcome), and understand that if I complain about heroforge not having something, I am doing it with the utmost love and respect for this free, ad-free service that has so many options for players of many different abilities, cultures, genders, play styles, campaign arcs, etc. they also have 21 kinds of eyebrow scars. both of these things can be true at once.

lets get crack-a-lackin

So. Magnus.

y’know what that is on his face? that’s right. one of the 21 kinds of eyebrow scars. i mean i will say that hf knows its audience though thats exactly the kind of shit dnd people love.

magnus was hard. mostly because you will not believe how many objects one man can have. pictured here are

the feathered cuirass (i just put him in scalemail)

the shield of heroic memories (I could only do one decal so I chose a bear :D)

Railsplitter (it’s actually described as a fireman’s axe, did you know that? my brain totally threw out that information and pictured just a normal silver battle-axe for 70+ episodes. oops)

the Chance Lance (I was really worried I wasn’t going to be able to find a clock hand looking spear, but hf really came through)

his rapier

ring of the Giant Slayer (I was re-listening to lunar interlude 3 and he says when he gets it that it goes on his left pointer finger and I had already made the character and was like SHIT. NOW I HAVE TO CHANGE IT)

Phantom Fist (just a cool gauntlet I found)

Fletcher’s mitt

his wedding ring (which you can’t see bc of the fletcher’s mitt)

pocket workshop (the battered toolbox)

it’s not really the defender’s dial, but I did make sure to put him in pants with a round belt buckle

Stephen the Goldfish (I’m as surprised as you are that this specific blood splatter decal kinda looks like a fish! grateful though ^v^)

a carved wooden duck (for Fisher)

WHEW!

now you may ask - where’s his bracer of balance?

you can only have one “glove” item on each hand at a time (very reasonable) so I chose fletcher’s mitt over bracer of balance since I was worried about the bracer clipping through the shield.

I was going a little off the graphic novels bc I’m well aware that the magnus I picture in my head is Not Accurate (again, I got the attention span of an iguana, so I will miss big details like “magnus has a beard” and “magnus has reddish-brown hair” and then go and imagine him looking a different way for 70+ episodes and over two years).

ok. next up - Taako (from TV!)

now. look. there is an outfit that I personally own that I think taako would look great in. this is inspired by that outfit. I especially love the teal + purple for him, and the blue eyeshadow. I may one day make a copy of him to put in a more dnd outfit, but probably not. I like this look. 

for some reason, theres like a popular headcanon of taako having buck teeth and i’ve always liked it, so i gave him rabbit teeth to simulate the look.

checklist of cool items (rip hole thrower slingshots are only for pro members rn :/ )

umbrastaff (duh) (you can’t point an umbrella or hold it normally in hf so I put it at his side)

flaming raging poisoning sword of doom (I tried to balance fire with sword and I think it worked out alright. the green is for poison.)

mockingbird gum (the blue box. always been one of my fav items)

band of projected thought (red bracelet. a latecomer but still dope)

arcane tricksters glove

cloak of the manta ray

ring of frost

and again you ask, where’s his bracer of balance?

I think it’s a stronger character choice for taako post-finale to take it off. I like to imagine he still has it, squirreled away somewhere in his room where no one will find it, but I don’t think he wears it anymore. also again, one glove thing per hand, and the band of projected thought is right there

also I gave him earrings bc he deserves them. as a treat.

the copper pan is to represent That Part in the finale, and then once I saw the wooden spoon I thought they’d go perfectly together

ok.

Merle time!

(https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D502522389/ just in case tumblr’s been a bit hinky lately and I don’t see the underline)

so. no hawaiian shirts in hf. what I wound up doing was choosing “asymmetric powder splatter” in decals and then coloring each stain a different color to try and give a tie-dye effect. Not bad but it did get on some of his stuff. I didn’t go too hard on the items with this one, I wanted to go more for the aesthetic. like, the slippies of haste just don’t vibe with the vines (which are of course 100% necessary). he’s got

his warhammer

his handaxe

the vroom broom

the ring of the grammarian

the ring of recall

idk if you can call it the extreme teen bible but it is a book!

his eyepatch

now he does have his bracer of balance, bc a. he has no glove-adjacent items or at least none I could represent in hf, and b. i can’t see him taking it off post-finale, i think he’d keep it as a souvenir

i would’ve wanted flowers in the beard, but alas, some dreams are simply not meant to be.

ok thats it for taz balance.

now. get ready for.

taz amnesty!

aubrey!!!

y’all. i fucking struggled with whether to give her eyeliner or not, but I think it adds to the punk vibe. I don’t think she wears it every day but this is a Nice look for her, like maybe date night w Dani look ^v^

thank FUCK amnesty PCs don’t have half as many items as balance PCs. she’s got her vest, snitch, the flamebright pendant, and the closest approximation to dr. harris bonkers I could swing. the other option was a badger. hf, you have a fucking badger familiar, but bunny? snake? dog??? nothing. 21 eyebrow scars.

i wanted to give the vibe of fishnets under jorts but no fishnets so i approximated w some layers of leg decals.

idk if aubrey having tattoos is canon but it. is for me!

DUCK!

(https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D502851467/)

i have no words. he is perfect. my duck has always been a flavor of ‘justin but in a park ranger outfit’ and i think i captured that well. beacon has to be a whip with no mouth bc like. he is an incredibly specific weapon.

I was able to make him decently fat, mostly without the weirdass thigh gap that agnes had (i think the pants help a lot), probably bc he’s human (and a man...c’mon hf), but the knees, lads. the knees. when you scale up a guy in any respect in hf, the knees stay the same, even if the meat around em gets bigger. exhibit a (and also showing off the jetpack!)

look at those pants. something happened there. its like he put rubber bands around his knees. its weird. pls make knees get bigger hf. ily ;)

all in all, I am very satisfied with these guys. You’ll notice I didn’t make Ned. that’s because it’s been almost half a decade and I STILL have not recovered from the later episodes of amnesty.

also, like, I know what ned looks like, and it’s just not a look I think will translate well to heroforge. same w thacker, though his appearance is a little more nebulous in my head, and I don’t have a super concrete image, like I do w duck or aubrey.

ok. i send these beautiful babies out into the world. they are complete, and no longer need to take up space in my mind. they are fully realized creations. I can clear up that brainspace for other things. like finals week.

hope you enjoyed these lil guys - more taz to come!

[themurphyzone]

Nova Ch 10

AN: I think that reunion with Snowball went pretty well!

Ch 10: White Dwarves

AO3 Link, FFN Link

Terran Date 2015.4.26

I’m stuck in a backwater lab with an idiot who believes you can transform a rock into gold by spray painting it. Nothing else worth reporting. 

o-o-o-o-o

Pinky winced as Brain slammed his hand against the computer mouse, saving the oddly brief recording to the computer. He didn’t bother with his usual sign-off either. Just buried his face between his hands and growled to himself. 

Brain had been in a foul mood ever since the tea party, snapping whenever Pinky tried to ask a question and making messes without bothering to clean up after himself. He wasn’t the only one affected by Snowball suddenly leaving. Madame Daisy was still pretty miffed about Snowball’s lack of etiquette when he didn’t say goodbye to the other guests or say thank you to the host. And Brain hadn’t done those either. 

Maybe Pinky should’ve warned them about Madame Daisy being a stickler for tea party etiquette. 

But more importantly, the deadline for RSVPing was tomorrow at 8 pm and they still hadn’t called Lamont Manor. More than once, Pinky brought it up in conversation and left post-it notes as reminders, but Brain always shut the topic down and shredded the notes into confetti. 

It stung when he did that, but Pinky shook it off and saved the itty-bitty scraps. One never knew when they’d need good confetti. 

Pinky’s ears twitched towards the cage at the sound of Brain’s groan. Brain had already drained a full water bottle and was steadily working his way through a second. While Pinky was happy his alien friend had gotten used to water, mostly so they could play Marco Polo and waterski with popsicle sticks, maybe there was such a thing as too much water. 

“Brain?” Pinky called, nearly slipping on a puddle. He frowned. There were several puddles and no sign of Brain at least trying to keep this side of the cage neat. “Er, don’t you think that’s enough? Awfully hard to sleep if you have to keep getting up for the bathroom.”

“Just leave me alone,” Brain muttered. He sipped from the tube again without taking his glare off Pinky. Water dribbled down his chin. 

No, he was absolutely not leaving Brain alone! Pinky stomped his foot, startling Brain when he tried to sneak another drink. 

“That’s it!” Pinky shouted. He tugged his ears and released them with a sharp snap. “I’m gonna give you tough love whether you like it or not, mistah!” 

Before Brain could react, Pinky snatched him away from the water bottle and tucked him under one arm like he was cradling a football. Brain kicked and squirmed in his grip, trying to smack him with his tail, but Pinky had a firm hold. With his free hand, he pulled a fedora off the coat rack as he marched out of the cage and over to the stereo. 

It was a little worn from age, but it still worked alright. 

He dropped Brain, who let out a little oomph when his stomach hit the counter. Smacking the play button with his foot, Pinky kept one hand on his fedora as he counted the beats until the main melody began. 

“Just say narf! Just say narf!

Don’t you know to be glad? Just say narf!

Every day is a joy and so-” 

The music shut off. 

Surprised by the lack of background music, Pinky checked behind him, arms still thrown above his head with the fedora hanging from one hand. 

Brain stood in front of the stereo, his hand over the stop button. “Just what in Orion’s belt are you trying to accomplish with this display?” he snapped, crossing his arms. 

“You’ve been a grumpasaurus rex ever since the tea party! So I’m cheering you up with one of my favorite songs!” Pinky protested.

“You can’t cheer me up by manhandling me and saying nonsense!” Brain yelled.

“I said narf, not nonsense!” 

“They’re synonymous!” 

“No, they’re not! They agreed they could date other people and they still have a trusting relationship! And you wanna know what else? They actually clean up after themselves too!” 

“GAH!” 

“TROZ!” 

Their noses were just a few inches apart, chests huffing and puffing like they were about to blow the Three Little Pigs’ houses down. Brain broke away from the staredown first, clasping his hands behind his back as he sulked.

Pinky counted one Mississippi, five Mississippis, and seventeen Mississippi’s, his hand against his racing heart as he breathed in and out to calm down. And why did they only count Mississippi? Why not Alabama, Georgia, or Papua New Guinea? 

Brain was a closed book at the best of times, it seemed. One of those heavy textbooks with lots of big words, not a happy, colorful picture book like Pat the Bunny. 

But he wasn’t a good actor, though he pretended to be above happiness, fear, and sorrow.

“You know you can talk to me, right? About your feelings or world domination or secret crushes. Anything you want,” Pinky said, wringing his tail in his hands. It looked like a very sad, wiggling worm under his fingers. The smooth surface under his fingers helped a little, but it didn’t replace a full snout hug from Pharfignewton. “I...I was just trying to help.” 

“World domination is the only topic worth discussing out of everything you said. Emotions are irrelevant,” Brain said. There was still a bite in his tone, but not much. He rubbed his arm, feet shuffling uncomfortably. “So you were truthful about wanting to...assist during my period of inactivity?” 

Pinky tilted his head. “Why would I lie about wanting to help? That would be mean, Brain.”

“Helping is just another way of ensuring someone owes a favor. Or it would be mutually beneficial to all parties involved,” Brain replied. His sharp gaze snapped back to Pinky. “Our deal is just one example out of many.” 

“What about helping you cause I wanted you to feel better?” 

Didn’t that count? He didn’t know why Brain was making it all so complicated. 

“As I stated before, your song was nonsense and your method was invasive.” Brain shot a disdainful glare at the stereo. “But I can’t entirely fault you for your intentions, however misguided, though I suggest having a concrete reward in mind next time.” 

Pinky grinned and let go of his tail. “Oh, that’s easy! Lemme grab a chunk of concrete off the street!” 

Brain sighed, stomping over to a top drawer, perching on the edge of the counter as he slid it open. “That won’t be necessary, Pinky.” 

“Looking for something, Brain?” Pinky asked. 

“I can find it on my own!” Brain tried to wave him off, but overbalanced and fell into the open drawer, landing on his stomach with a muffled oomph. He spat a scrap of paper out of his mouth, kicking a red pen aside as he rolled onto his back.

Pinky’s fingers drummed on the counter as he peered down at Brain. A light cherry color coated his sagging cheeks. 

“I’d rather direct my focus somewhere else for the time being.” Brain wasn’t making eye contact with Pinky. Which was a shame, because his eyes were the prettiest shade of pink. “I don’t require anything else after you point me to the cleaning supplies.” 

Pinky blinked at him in surprise, but they were getting somewhere now! He could do a cartwheel, kiss a cockatoo, and dance the Macarena! Maybe not in that order, or all at once, but there’s a first time for everything! 

A smile spread across Pinky’s face, and he couldn’t help but laugh when Brain’s head began to resemble a lumpy tomato.   

o-o-o-o-o

Several hours later, Pinky yawned as the first rays of sunlight gently crept across the bed. The distant sounds of cars caught in traffic on the nearby bridge combined with the gentle thrum of lab technology formed the usual background noises, greeting him with a new day. Freeing his legs and tail from the blanket, he dipped into a luxurious, catlike stretch, arching his back and raising his rear end and tail as high as they would go.

“Wakey-wakey, Brain! Narf!” Pinky exclaimed as he shook Brain’s shoulder.

Brain mumbled to himself and buried his head into his pillow, curling into a very tight cocoon to block out the light. If Brain wanted to hatch into a pretty butterfly, he needed all the rest he could get, so Pinky left him alone.

But it was worth a shot, even if Brain wasn’t a morning mouse.

Pinky ate a plateful of food pellets for a quick breakfast, then washed it down with water. The area around the water bottle was puddle-free and mostly clean, save for a stubborn stain on a cage bar by the floor. But that spot gave Pinky plenty of trouble too, so he didn’t hold it against Brain.

He coaxed a drop of water out of the tubing and splashed it on his face, then squeezed through the cage bars, hands behind his back as he strolled over to the cap Snowball had given him.

He’d spent most of his time decorating it with whatever he could find for the past few days. Glittery, colorful letters that spelled Pharfignewton were glued across the brim, give or take a few letters. Her name was so long that it didn’t fit and the ‘ewton’ was on a separate row beneath the rest. Feathers, ribbons, and encouraging messages on sticky notes covered the blue fabric.

It was coming along nicely. Pinky backed up a few steps, sticking out his tongue and placing his fingers together like he was taking a picture.

“Just needs a little something,” Pinky murmured, tapping his chin to get the idea muscle in his head working. It usually worked best after he ate, so coming up with something should be a cinch!

Then he snapped his fingers together, a little lightbulb flickering overhead with a satisfying click. Wait, no, no. That was just the light turning on cause a sleepy scientist trudged in, dragging his feet to the kitchen. He didn’t see Pinky waving good morning to him.  

Hopefully the man liked decaf, because they were all out of regular coffee.

Pinky folded red tissue paper into a rose, then repeated the step with purple tissue paper. “Thank you, DIY craft videos on Youtube!” he hummed.

He needed more roses to go all the way around. Kentucky Derby hats were always decked out with pretty roses. Oh, he could arrange the roses into a pretty red-purple-red-purple pattern!

And toss some glitter onto the roses too! Can’t go wrong with glitter!

He dumped a generous amount of pink glitter on his rose and glued it to the hat.

More scientists trickled in, shuffling off to the kitchen in search of coffee and once again ignoring Pinky and his pretty hat. They didn’t seem too keen on coming today. He couldn’t imagine why. Monday was such a lovely day and it never got the appreciation it deserved.  

Since they had a bad habit of moving items around so Pinky could never find them, he hid his unfinished hat in the back of a large drawer. Nobody ever looked there anyway.

He hauled himself out of the drawer. As he climbed back to the counter, he paused to admire the calendar picture of Mickey Mouse giving flowers to Minnie. Beneath it, the box for April 27 was circled in glittery blue.

Right, wasn’t there something they were supposed to do today?

RSVP BY 8 PM! NARF!

Right, they still had stuff to do if they were gonna have the best weekend ever! They still had to find costumes for the masquerade ball! Especially the masks! Masks were the most important part!

And they had to call soon, or they wouldn’t be able to go.

“Brain!” Pinky shouted as he ran inside the cage, snatching up the invitation card from the corner. Brain was out of bed and trying to eat a food pellet, though his expression was pinched from the dryness of his breakfast. “Oh, that brand is pretty dry. That’s why I saute it in three-and-one oil first. Anyway, you’re already up?”

Brain scowled and swallowed his morsel with difficulty. “How can I possibly sleep with all this racket?”

A cupboard slammed down the hall, followed by loud profanity that would’ve made Pinky’s grandmother clutch her pearls and faint.

Apparently, nobody wanted decaf.

Pinky held the invitation close to a scowling Brain. “See? We’ve gotta call now or they won’t let us in! Then we won’t be able to swim in the chocolate fountain or admire the ice sculptures!”

Brain shoved the card away from his face. “Heaven forbid we miss those banal activities,” he replied, pressing two hands to his cheeks.

“Exactly!” Pinky’s tail twitched in anticipation. “And we still need fancy outfits and masks!”

Brain took another food pellet, grimaced, and tossed it back into the bowl. Then he sighed and rubbed his temples. “This is a rather asinine plan, Snowball,” he muttered. “Come again?” Pinky asked. He could’ve sworn Brain said Snowball’s name.

Which was weird, because Snowball wasn’t even here. Unless Brain named the food bowl Snowball. That made more sense.

“Never mind, Pinky,” Brain sighed. “Forgive me for my reservations.”

“But we haven’t made those reservations yet,” Pinky said. Brain didn’t reply, too focused on valiantly keeping his breakfast down. Then Brain drank from the water bottle, careful not to splash too much. Once he finished, he headed to the cage door, and Pinky dutifully followed. He hopped from toe to toe as Brain unlocked the door with a bent paper clip. “Can I place the call, Brain?”

“This is a delicate operation, Pinky,” Brain replied. “We must use our given aliases so that we won’t be found out prematurely. I can’t risk you blabbing our true identities, so I’ll speak to our less than gracious host myself. Now, hand over the card.”

It was true.

He wasn’t a good liar at all.

Pinky held out the card, but before Brain could take it, a balding man with a bad combover and rumpled labcoat tried to yank him out of the cage by his crooked tail. The scientist yelped in pain as the orb sparked in his hand, leaving red marks on his skin. Startled, Freed from his grip, Brain leapt forward and tripped over himself. Pinky dropped the card and caught Brain by the shoulders before he could slam nose-first into the metal floor.

The red orbs on Brain’s antennae glowed for several seconds before fading away. Then Brain regained his footing and gave Pinky a brief nod as thanks, quickly pulling away to recollect himself.

The contact ended all too soon.

The man flicked his hand to get rid of the shock, muttering to himself as he pulled on a pair of rubber gloves.

“What’s going on?” Brain snapped. “We have important business to conduct!”

“Don’t worry, Brain. It’s just Maze Monday!” Pinky said, fixing his messy tuft as best he could without a mirror. He had to look his best for maze running! “We’ll call afterward!”

The scientist reached in again. Though Brain defiantly stood in the corner away from him, it was no use and he was pulled out of the cage. He dangled in the scientist’s gloved hand by the tail, grumpy at his current position.

Pinky was next. He swung from the scientist’s other hand as he was lifted into the air, pumping his legs back and forth like he was on an upside down swing. Giggling, he reached out and tried to touch Brain’s ears, though he was several inches short.  

With one mouse dangling from each hand, the scientist walked out of the room and carried them down the hallway. They passed the college interns who were more interested in selfies than work, the security guard who was always shouting about evil rodents and their master plan to hoard the world’s entire cheese supply for themselves, and a bored female scientist who looked like she’d rather be anywhere else but here.

The scientist entered a room on his left. Along the wall, several guinea pigs rested in their cages. Pinky waved to them, but since he didn’t have any food, the guinea pigs weren’t interested.

They were dropped at the start of a large cardboard maze. The scientist adjusted the cameras mounted above the maze, then left the room.

Just him and Brain now.

“Your scientists display a disturbing lack of regard for our tails,” Brain grumbled, rubbing the soreness out of one zigzagged bend. “Not that Selenians were any better.”

“But if they hold the tip just right, you can swing around like a little monkey!” Pinky said. “I mean, my rear gets a bit sore too, and sometimes you might crash into a wall, but it’s still loads of fun! Haven’t you ever tried it, Brain?”

“While that activity is suitable for inane creatures, it doesn’t befit a future world emperor to behave in such an embarrassing manner.” Brain dusted off his jumpsuit, though it was recently washed and wasn’t particularly dirty. “But I digress. We must focus on surviving this perilous maze so that we may RSVP to the event in time.”

Perilous?

But he didn’t see any pearls anywhere. It was just cardboard and metal as far as the eye could see. Pearls would’ve brightened this drab maze a lot.

There were four directions to pick from. Pinky scratched his head. Which one?

The left path looked fun, but the one behind and in front were dimly lit. Which left the right path. And since it was right, that meant it was the right way!

“Let’s go! The right path is always right! Zort!” Pinky exclaimed. He walked to the right path, but Brain hauled him back by the elbow.

“Don’t assume the direction and the certainty of success are one and the same, Pinky,” Brain said firmly. “We have to take precautions.”

Pinky didn’t think they had to be careful though. There wasn’t anyone else here. Unless the guinea pigs counted, but they weren’t in the maze.

His usual strategy was to run around silly-willy until he found the snack at the end. But in all his years, he’d never actually found the snack. Usually he just ran into walls and daydreamed about cheese until a nice scientist got him out.

And cheese kept the spookiness away.

“There’s nobody here but us,” Pinky said.

“There’s nobody visible in this maze but us,” Brain corrected. “If we’re not careful, we could fall victim to traps. Enough arguing, Pinky. We’re taking the left fork.”

There weren’t any forks to take, nor anything to eat using a fork, but at least Brain was nice enough to drag Pinky down his second choice instead of the dimly lit paths.

Brain stuck close to the walls, grabbing Pinky’s wrist to ensure he did the same. As they came upon a T-section where they could either turn left or right, Brain carefully held his antennae back with his free hand and poked his head around the corner. Pinky tried to lean over Brain to see what was so interesting, but a sharp nudge kept him back.  

“Whatcha looking for?” Pinky asked. “Besides cardboard.”

“Bright, confined areas are the safest,” Brain said. “It’s not a complete guarantee, but you can at least watch for disturbances on the floor or wall. We’ll head right. I can’t see the end of the left corridor from here.”

He let go of Pinky’s wrist, but gave him stern instructions to stay along the wall. It was just like giving the wall a really long hug, and Pinky licked the wall to thank it for hugging back.

Huh. So cardboard tastes like cardboard then. Not bad, but it could definitely use some parsley.

Halfway down the corridor, Brain’s breath suddenly hitched. He stared at the floor in front of them, where one edge of the cardboard was a little higher than the other. The line spanned the entire length between the two walls.

“Don’t get too close,” Brain said, pushing Pinky back before he could step on it. “Remember, strange patterns in the structure might reveal the location of a trap.”

It looked like a normal ledge though. Completely harmless.

But if the trap only worked when they stepped on it...then the trick was to not step on it!

Brain let go of Pinky’s wrist as he pondered their next course of action. Taking his chances, Pinky backed up several paces, keeping his eye on the line he couldn’t touch.

Then he sprinted forward, ignoring Brain’s shout for him to stop.

Pinky leapt as high as he could, easily clearing the line. Though he couldn’t quite stick the landing and toppled forward as soon as he touched the ground.

Still had to work on his weak ankles.

Hopping to his feet, Pinky turned to a flabbergasted Brain. Ha! He loved that word. Flabbergasted! Too bad it was a bit long for a catchphrase.

Instead of being impressed, Brain glared at him.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous your stunt was?” Brain shouted. “You could’ve been severely incapacitated!”  

Pinky stretched his legs to test his ankles, but they felt alright. No harm done.

“Narf! But my ankles are fine! See?” Pinky shook his ankles so Brain could see they weren’t hurt.

“And if there was a motion sensor?” Brain snapped. “Did you consider the possibility of spikes, projectiles, or electrocution?”

“Um…”

The scientists wouldn’t be mean enough to put those in a maze. Of course, sometimes they’d forget to take him out when he couldn’t find the exit, and he’d lay in the maze alone and listen to the lab’s scary nighttime noises, but he’d never seen spikes during these tests before.

“Thought so,” Brain said. There was something odd about the way his hand twitched towards his tail.

Like he had personal experience.

“Have you ever been caught in a trap before?” Pinky asked before he could stop himself.

Too much?

Brain folded his arms and lifted his chin, pink eyes narrowing at Pinky. Probably not then. Brain was too smart for that.

And definitely clever enough to find his way to the exit and not get stuck overnight.

Then Brain turned around so Pinky could see all the zigzags in his tail.

“Electrocution trap,” Brain said, his ears lowering. “An overload of electricity can be fatal for my species, though we’re naturally resistant to smaller shocks. I was...less experienced back then.”

There was more. Brain wasn’t telling him how much it hurt.

But Brain tensed, a silent warning not to push any further.

“They didn’t leave you in the maze overnight, did they?” Pinky asked. Brain went dangerously still.

Oh, there he went running his mouth again! Why couldn’t his mouth be good and stay zipped?

“Sorry, Brain. You don’t have to answer. It’s fine, really!” Pinky hastily corrected himself. “But if they did-”

"No, they didn't," Brain said, surprising Pinky with how much he was revealing. "They kept a strict count of all their test subjects, and preserving them was far more preferable to losing a valuable limited resource. Small mercies, I suppose.”

“Oh. Well...that’s good.” Pinky rubbed the back of his neck. He was glad Brain never had to deal with that. He wouldn’t wish it on anybody, not even that stubborn stain he could never rub out from the cage bars. “Poit.”

Brain turned back to Pinky and looked at the line between them. Then he hopped over it, bracing himself for a shock. When no electricity appeared, he seemed surprised, though he immediately tried to school his expression into a neutral one. He walked past Pinky and refused an invitation to hug it out.

They had to turn left at the next intersection since the right led to a dead end. Then they reached an open room with a cardboard path and a metal path. Brain chose the metal path, but stopped where the rough paper met cool metal. Pinky stopped behind him.

“Pinky?” Brain said. He didn’t turn around. “Were you left in a maze overnight?”

“Sometimes,” Pinky admitted. Was he worrying Brain? He didn’t want Brain to worry! “But it’s not so bad when you imagine all the cheese you’ll eat at the end, even if you never reach it. But cheese keeps the ghosts away, you know. They don’t like the smell.”

If he imagined cheese, he wouldn’t imagine long, crooked witch fingers trying to pluck him out. Or the loud air conditioning system which clicked on and off every few minutes, the ghostly breeze echoing down the hallway. Or how he called for his parents and Sis to come share a yummy feast with him, though they never came.  

“That’s horribly negligent on the humans’ end.”

And that was all the talk Brain allowed on the matter.

o-o-o-o-o

The maze was a lot longer than they thought. Just when Pinky believed they’d reached the cheese, there was always some new twist that set them back.

What time was it? Though he couldn’t see the clock, it had to be around lunchtime right now. Pinky’s stomach growled, sounding a lot like Brain in one of his moods.

He’d give an arm and a leg for a few food pellets. Or some cheese. Even a leaf.

Brain was tiring out too. His footsteps were heavier and slower. But he kept at it.

Right, focus on the goal. Focus on the yummy cheese.

What kind would they get? Moldy? Blue? Provolone? All of those sounded pretty good, but Pinky thought his stomach was calling for pepperjack. Oh wait, no, maybe it was gorgonzola.

His stomach grumbled again. Okay, it was definitely muenster this time.

They came across a path with a thick sheet of metal on top. So dark that they couldn’t see a thing in front of them. Brain took a deep breath and stuck a hand in the darkness. They only saw his wrist.

His fingers were completely swallowed by the inky, hungry darkness.

Brain took his hand out.

Oh. Not swallowed then. All his fingers were still there.

“We’ve exhausted all our options,” Brain said, pounding his fist into his hand in determination. But even that gesture couldn’t hide how he stuck to the wall like glue. Pinky didn’t blame him. It was awfully dark in there. What if they went in and were never found again? “Taking this path is absolutely necessary if we’re to make it out of this labyrinth in time.”

But they couldn’t see the traps. It wasn’t safe.

Unless…

“Brain, your orbs!” Pinky exclaimed, gently tapping an antenna. “If you make ‘em glow, we won’t get lost or fall into a trap!”

Brain didn’t look so sure. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Not a terrible suggestion for once, Pinky. Unfortunately, it’s not something I have voluntary control over. It’s a hormonal response that occurs when I’m...well, happy.”

“So we’ll just have to make you happy enough for your orbs to glow,” Pinky said.

With what? Brain raised an eyebrow, the silent question obvious. 

Then Pinky snapped his fingers. He knew what to do! He'd sing Just Say Narf! 

Except he was trying to make Brain happy, not himself. 

A no-go then.

Cream cheese and blueberry bagels? Out of reach. 

Pinky tapped his chin. This was harder than he thought. 

Brain sat against the wall, eyes squeezed shut and hands rubbing circles into his large forehead. “Statues, parades, my jewel-encrusted cummerbund…” he murmured.

He was doing one of those smartypants things. Too smart for Pinky to understand. 

Brain growled and opened his eyes in irritation. “Cease your staring at once, Pinky. I’m trying to concentrate.” 

“On what?” Pinky asked. 

“World domination of course,” Brain said, smacking his ear like he was dumping extra thoughts out of his chubby head. “Accomplishing a goal would naturally bring anyone contentment.” 

Pinky zipped his lip and threw away the key, then sat against the wall across from Brain and waited. 

Yet Brain’s orbs didn’t glow. 

Pinky drummed his fingers against his leg. When he drummed all the songs he knew, he tried to lick his elbow. Except his elbow didn’t want to be licked. He leaned in and stuck his tongue out as far as he could, but it was a very stubborn elbow.

After an eternity, Brain finally spoke, his voice full of cautious hope. “Are they glowing now?” 

Pinky shook his head, and Brain slumped against the wall in defeat. 

The clock ticked on.

“There’s gotta be other things you like besides world domination,” Pinky said. It made sense to have a lot of likes and favorites, and not just on social media. 

“Those ‘other things’ are frivolous at best and distractions at worst,” Brain replied. “Taking over this world would make me happy, so there’s no logical reason as to why it’s not working.” 

Maybe it was happy, but they had to think happier. No, they had to think happiest! 

Brain said ‘this world’. Right, he was a Selenian. Funny how it seemed like he’d been here forever instead of just a few days. 

A Selenian. Brain never revealed much about where he came from. Just that he wanted to leave it all behind. And he only spoke about their technology. But there was more than that, right? 

“Narf! It’s funny, Brain,” Pinky said, holding his toes as he rocked back and forth. Brain looked at him, confused. “You’ve gotten to know a lot about this planet, but I don’t know much about yours! There’s gotta be something about New Selene that makes you happy!” 

“Nothing about that desolate wasteland sparks any joyful feelings,” Brain retorted. “Snowball and I are much better off here. Terra’s knowledge of space is much less advanced than Selene’s, but once we’re co-rulers that’s a problem easily rectified.” 

“But there has to be something you did for fun.” 

Brain looked away. “You’re prying. But if you’re truly interested…” 

“I am!” Pinky exclaimed, nodding eagerly. “Please tell me!” 

Brain’s ear twitched as he listened for signs of anyone coming. But none appeared. “I’m going to regret this...but fine. However, everything I’m about to tell you does not leave this maze. Promise me.” 

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-ow!” Pinky jabbed his eye a little too hard. 

Brain watched him for a moment longer, so Pinky tried to make himself look like a captivated audience. Finally, he gave in with a sigh. 

“Selenians have an oral storytelling tradition called Lor Altal. The loose translation to your language is ‘swapping hearts’, and given their predisposition to sordid, melodramatic affairs, I’d say it’s an accurate name,” Brain explained. “On the mother planet, it’s normally performed on the last day of the month. But explorers and scientists, including those of New Selene, often turned it into a weekly session as a way to remind them of home.” 

“Didja hear any Lor Altals on New Selene?” Pinky asked. He laid on his stomach, propped his head on his elbows, and kicked his feet in the air. 

“...yes.” 

Why so hesitant though? 

“Snowball and I...we used to sneak out of our cages for the weekly Lor Altal. When we were younger. Before they abandoned New Selene. The ones we’d listened to were...well, they could become very elaborate with song, dance, and costume. New Selene’s were more basic, but interesting.” 

“Ooooooh,” Pinky said. This definitely sounded fun fun silly-willy! “You know any good stories, Brain? Can you tell me? Please please please?” 

Brain scratched his head. “Well, there’s one that I...no, perhaps I shouldn’t be thinking about these things. Lor Altals don’t matter in the pursuit of world domination.” 

“I don’t mind!” Pinky said. Brain was so silly, insisting that he couldn’t like stuff outside his goal. He liked cream cheese and blueberry bagels, didn’t he? “I wanna know your favoritest out of the lot!” 

“You do?” Brain asked in surprise. He didn’t seem to believe Pinky. 

“Of course!” Pinky grinned. 

Brain’s cheeks flushed, but he accepted that they weren’t going anywhere. Besides, if Brain really liked these Lor Altal stories, then his orbs would glow and they wouldn’t have to be scared of the dark!

“...alright. This Lor Altal tale is called Heikro var Silda. It’s one of the most well-known stories, starring Selene’s historical figures,” Brain said, gaining more confidence with every word. “The characters were embellished from real life, but the background is mostly the same.”

There was a spark in Brain’s pink eyes now. It intrigued Pinky. 

“Three thousand years ago, before Selene’s industrial and technological revolutions, the entire planet was embroiled in a long and bitter civil war, spearheaded by two rival households, alike in prestige and influence.” 

“If they add honey, maybe it wouldn’t be so bitter?” Pinky suggested.

“Try not to interrupt, Pinky. Setting the mood is important in these stories,” Brain said, breaking out of his narrator voice. And boy did he have a lovely narrator voice! 

Pinky rezipped his lip and let Brain continue. 

“The eastern hemisphere was the domain of the House of Syar'i, of which the fair maiden Silda belonged. The western half was controlled by the House of Alkair, of which the handsome lad Heikro was selected to rule. Caught between the two powerful households, the Selenians were fearful of the violence that ensued whenever they clashed, for both commanded large networks of armies, assassins, and spies. Now, on one fateful day…” 

Soon Brain was completely engrossed in the story, just as Pinky was enthralled to hear Brain give the performance of his life. Well, Brain wasn’t the best actor Pinky had ever seen. Sometimes he was a bit flat and sometimes he was a bit hammy, but the passion in his voice made the story absolutely thrilling.

It was the type of passion someone only had when they truly loved something. 

Some breaks were necessary for Brain to rest his voice for a few minutes, others so Pinky could get a translation for the Selenian language when Brain accidentally used a different tongue after getting caught up in the story. 

Brain’s voice grew softer as he laid out Heikro’s plan to sneak into a banquet thrown by the House of Syar’i to scope out their plans for an invasion of an Akair-controlled port city. And poor Silda, having to marry someone she didn’t love but doing it for the sake of her parents! That poor girl oughta be happy! 

Pinky clasped his hands together at the moment Heikro laid eyes on Silda’s beauty and was instantly smitten, forgetting that he needed to report his findings to his council. And Silda was taken in by Heikro’s broad shoulders and sturdy build. It was love at first sight! How romantic!

“Then Silda bid her parents and their guests good night, and retired to her chambers. But Heikro, who longed to see more of the maiden’s ethereal charm, could not bear to stay away for long. Under the cover of darkness, he crept around her residence, where he found a restless Silda on her balcony. She couldn’t slumber peacefully, for her maidservant revealed the man she kissed was none other than an esteemed member of the House of Akair.” 

Pinky pounded his fist against his knee. “She needs to elope with him, that’s what! Narf!”  

“‘Nova suprhi li ihmin var altal’, he called to her.” 

“Oh, there’s that altal word again. He’s saying something about hearts, I think. That’s so sweet!” Pinky exclaimed. Realizing his mistake, he covered his mouth. “Sorry, Brain! Continue!” 

But instead of continuing, Brain leaned against the wall. Oh. He must’ve gotten tired.

“I’ll let it pass this time, Pinky,” Brain said as he rubbed his throat. “I might’ve overdone it anyway. Next time, I’ll pick a better stopping point.”  

His voice sounded a little raspy. Though Pinky really wanted to know what happened next, keeping Brain’s voice in working order so they could make the phone call was more important. 

“What did that last sentence mean?” Pinky asked. 

Brain regarded Pinky for a long moment. “It’s a favorite quote among many Selenians. But it’s rather saccharine, I’m afraid.”

“I’m not,” Pinky said. 

“If you must know, it means ‘new stars shall be born from our minds and hearts’.” Brain’s voice was so soft, Pinky had to strain to hear it. “As I said, it’s saccharine.” 

“It sounds so poetic!” Pinky smiled. And romantic too!

Brain didn’t say anything. His orbs cast a gentle red glow over his shining pink eyes.  

Egad, his orbs! They were glowing now! Even the one on his tail!

“Brain, you did it!” Pinky cheered, trying to do a cartwheel. But he landed flat on his face instead, though he popped right back up. “You found what made you happy!” 

Brain touched the orbs on his antennae, awed by their appearance. Then he turned towards the dark pathway, gesturing for Pinky to follow.

They didn’t have to worry about traps or getting stuck anymore! Pinky skipped along behind Brain, who walked at a brisk pace.

A soft red glow lit up the metal walls around them as they plunged deeper into the maze. But there were no lefts, rights, or confusing turns. Just straight ahead.

“Thanks for being here with me, Brain. It’s not scary anymore,” Pinky said gratefully, taking Brain’s hand in his own.

“Keep walking, Pinky,” Brain replied, keeping his eyes forward. If anything, the light grew a little brighter. “We should be nearing the end of the maze.”

Pinky sniffed the air. He could’ve sworn he smelled cheese.

Hold the phone! He smelled cheese!

And there was an opening ahead of them!

Pinky’s stomach growled as they stepped into the light, and lo and behold, there were two lumps of cheddar right in front of them!

Even Brain was smiling as he chomped down on the cheese.

Pinky dug in. And it was the best cheese he’d ever tasted in his life!

o-o-o-o-o

It took a long time for the lab to clear out after they finished the maze. The scientists were shocked by Pinky clearing the maze for the first time. He couldn’t blame them. 

He astounded himself too. 

Brain’s light had dimmed long before the lab closed, annoyed by the constant poking and prodding. They wanted to know who spliced him with butterfly DNA because of his antennae, though multiple people thought he was spliced with a mosquito since he bit any curious fingers that strayed close to his face. 

“Those ignorant fools will be bowing to me soon enough, Pinky,” Brain proclaimed as he dialed the number on the invitation. “Hold the card up.”

“Hurry, Brain!” Pinky urged, shooting a fearful glance at the clock. They only had thirty minutes left! 

Brain punched the number into the phone, then hit the call button. 

“Please work!” Pinky begged the phone as it rang. He wanted to wear fancy clothes and mingle and swim in the chocolate fountain so much! 

The phone rang once, twice, then the call finally went through. 

“Hello, this is Harold, butler of Lamont Manor,” a voice with a charming British accent said. “May I ask who I’m speaking with?” 

Pinky bounced from toe to toe in excitement, though he tried to curb it when Brain held up a hand for him to stop. But he couldn’t help his tail twitchies. 

“This is Mr. Clarke,” Brain said, using the name on the card. “My spouse and I will be coming to the ball on Sunday.” 

“I see,” Harold said, his tone changing into one of disgust. That was a little odd. “Another new spouse then, Anthony?” 

New spouse? Brain mouthed in confusion. 

Pinky shrugged. 

“Mrs. Clarke is on the invitation. She’s allowed inside too, correct?” Brain asked.  

“Assuming she’s still your wife by Sunday, yes,” Harold said. “I’ll put your names on the guest list. Try to do something about that awful rasp of yours, will you? Good night.” 

The call ended. 

“The real Mr. Clarke sounds like a delightful fellow,” Brain muttered. 

“I’m sure it won’t be so bad, Brain!” Pinky grinned. Now all they had to do was find fancy stuff for the ball! “You’re gonna be wearing a mask anyway!” 

“I suppose,” Brain sighed. 

“No supposing!” Pinky shook his finger at him. “Besides, you haven’t finished your Lor Altal story yet! You know, it’s funny how it reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. With the feuding families and star-crossed lovers and all! Except much happier, cause Reikro and Silda will help bring about peace to the planet of Selene and live happily ever after!” 

Brain didn’t make eye contact with Pinky for the next few hours.

My original plan was to have them mistaken for feeder mice after they finished the maze, and they would’ve been plopped into a snake enclosure with a snake named Gladys. Pinky would’ve been caught in the coils (Gladys is nonvenomous and would kill by constricting rather than venom), and Brain would rescue him. 

Ultimately, I decided to cut this idea out and have them run a maze instead, which is tedious but not life-threatening. Since the maze is light on danger, I decided to focus more on Pinky and Brain interactions here, and include the Lor Altal oral storytelling tradition, which has been mentioned in previous chapters as an aside. Plus, I believe this story would benefit from Pinky learning more about where Brain came from, since previous chapters have placed the focus on Brain learning about Earth. 

The storytelling is an aspect of Selenian culture Brain likes but never got to fully enjoy. Since Brain seems to have a hidden interest in acting and theatre, given the number of his schemes that involve cinema, broadcasting, and in one case, Broadway, I decided to incorporate that bit of his character here.  

Brain’s story is just an abridged Romeo and Juliet IN SPACE!

[iloveyou3thousand]

Not sure if you're still doing fluff prompts, bit I'd love something where Peter is the new boy in school and Tony is immediately attracted, and goes out his way to make Peter feel welcome.

I am always doing fluff prompts. Need me that good shit !!

—————————————————————————————

Tony doesn’t usually notice when a new boy starts attending his school. He doesn’t usually care. The school is too big to discern a new face in the crowds of people that walk in and out of those double doors every day, not to mention his attention is in a far too high demand for him to even think of taking note of however many others surround him day by day.

But when, during first period, a new boy comes strolling hesitantly into his first biology class of the day, Tony’s head perks up.

He’s got the cutest mop of curls he’s ever seen, and although he would never, ever dress someone with a physique like that in clothes like those, they kind of…suit him, actually. All in all, he doesn’t look half bad, which is what catches his eye first before he even notices the Star Wars pin on his backpack as the boy starts making his way toward the back of the classroom past where Tony usually prefers to sit.

Tony’s head actually turns, too, to watch him. That must have been quite the sight for anyone involved. Tony is usually the person who turns others’ heads, not the other way around. But clearly, this boy is an exception.

He goes and sits right behind Tony, which gives him an opportunity to twist in his seat and give him his most charming smile.

“Hey, new guy. Nice badge,” he says, one corner of his mouth turning up until a hint of teeth is revealed. That usually works on the ladies around. Tony has yet to figure out if it works on the guys, too, but that’s a program already in progress.

The boy looks a little bewildered at first, as if he can’t really believe he’s being addressed. He blinks at Tony, who silently notes that he has the most lovely brown eyes he’s ever seen, and the cutest frown too, when his brows knit together for a moment.

It sinks in quickly enough and he realizes that he is, indeed, ‘new guy’, and he flashes Tony a nervous but enthusiastic smile, probably catching up to the fact that Tony is talking about the Star Wars pin on his backpack strap.

“Thanks!” He beams, then his eyes are searching for a moment, and Tony tilts his head, unsure what the boy is searching for exactly.

“I like your…” He starts, hesitates, and then seems to find something, “Sunglasses.”

Tony casts his eyes up toward his hair where he knows his Ray-Bans rest on top of his head. He reaches up, tips them down with a single finger, and then pushes them down his nose further so he can look over the rim and send the new boy a quick wink.

“Thanks, geek.” He makes sure he says it fondly, to get across that he does not think of the word as something derogative.

Hopefully the boy will soon find out just how much of a compliment it is in reality.

Class starts and as the lesson progresses Tony finds out that Peter – that’s his name, as their teacher introduced him in the first few minutes, which seemed to make Peter very nervous, and it was the most endearing thing as he stumbled through the forced introduction – is not just a geek, but an actual, proper nerd. It’s like he harbors knowledge or something, with how effortlessly he seems to make it through their first class. And that’s something coming from Tony, who spends so very little time actually studying and yet he still always manages to get near-perfect grades.

He only fails, or gets below average, when he wants to annoy his family or grab the attention of his father. It’s warped, because it should be the good grades that do the trick – but instead it’s always the bad, and nothing else.

It doesn’t matter. Peter is clever. He’s bright, intelligent, knows how to keep up in class even though any time Tony glances over his own shoulder to catch sight of him for a moment, he sees he’s drifting off, mind clearly somewhere else. Like he’s a bit of a scatterbrain.

More than once does Tony wonder what he’s thinking about. He kind of hopes that somewhere in that clever brain of his, he makes an appearance. A positive appearance, of course. First impressions are everything, and Tony thinks that he’s nailed it when it comes to Peter, but there is only one way to really find out, and he starts the second the bell rings and he stands to turn to Peter to extend his hand.

“I’m Tony,” he introduces himself candidly. Peter looks surprised again, although this time it’s mostly directed at the hand that Tony is holding out. Nevertheless, much to Tony’s delight, the boy takes the offer, and they briefly shake hands.

“I’m Peter,” he says, “But you already knew that, thanks to Mr. Cower’s embarrassing introduction.”

Tony chuckles. There is something about the way Peter looks genuinely humiliated that kind of makes him want to slap a hand on his back and tell him he’ll be alright, and that no one will think any worse of him because of it. And if anything, he’ll make sure that Peter is welcomed at their school like no one else ever has been.

He’ll get the whole VIP treatment, from the one and only Tony Stark, and if anyone has a problem with that then obviously they’ll have to go through Tony first. But hopefully it won’t get that far. He’ll just need to make sure that everybody knows that Tony has taken Peter under his wing and there is one way of getting that across, and that’s by walking Peter to his next class.

“It’s fine, honestly. Don’t worry about it. Mr. Cower is always like that, I’m sure people forgot the second they walked out of here.” Tony gives Peter an encouraging little smile and is glad to see that the boy actually looks slightly more relaxed at the reassurance. And when their hands retreat at the same time, Tony sticks his into the pocket of his jeans while he waits for Peter to pack up his backpack.

He’s already packed up himself. He only had one book out and he shoved that into his bag seconds before the bell rang so he’d be able to make a quick escape like he normally does, but obviously his plan has changed quite drastically now.

“Thanks. Still really hope I won’t have to do that in any of my other classes,” Peter smirks.

Tony waves the hand that’s not in his pocket with gentle dismissal, pushing that worry away.

“That’s just the first day. After that is when the real stuff begins.”

“I hope you mean the real school stuff, not the real humiliating stuff.”

Tony laughs, and can’t help but think that Peter’s smile is just the cutest thing he’s seen all day.

They walk toward the door together, and Tony asks Peter what class he has next, and where. He pretends that it’s on his way to his own next class, and walks Peter there, asking him about himself and why he’d transferred to his school halfway through the year.

He finds out pretty quickly that Peter lives with his aunt, and that a few weeks ago his uncle was murdered, and with the life insurance money his aunt had moved them to a slightly better part of town, where he’d be able to attend a better school. And hopefully avoid getting snuffed himself, although that’s not something that Peter said – Tony just assumes that it’s a part of the whole moving thing.

Tony, in turn, tells Peter a little bit about himself, although it’s mostly shallow. He lives nearby, used to go to a private school but didn’t want that anymore and convinced his parents to let him go here. It’s nothing particularly exciting, but Peter listens to his every word, and seems interested.

It’s strange, but pleasant. Tony doesn’t think anyone has ever showed such genuine interest before. He has plenty of friends, and if he threw a party then it is guaranteed to be popular, and kids in the halls usually say something when he walks past them – but other than that, he supposes he doesn’t really have any true friends at the school.

But Peter is so open, and so welcoming, and he’s so sweet and genuine, and Tony can’t help but think that maybe, if he does his best and plays this right, Peter might be the kind of person who could actually be his friend.

And hey, if he can somehow get a little bit more than that, then Tony will consider himself the luckiest boy at their school. But it’s too early for that, and Peter flusters easily. When they get to Peter’s next class and Tony touches his arm, he can see the boy go red around the neck, and he bustles through a timid goodbye when the bell rings before Tony is off in the opposite direction to make his way to History.

“See you at lunch?” Tony calls before Peter has the time to duck into the classroom. Tony walks backwards to watch Peter turn, and give him a shy smile.

“Sure. I’ll meet you at the cafeteria. If I can find it.”

Tony doesn’t usually go to the cafeteria, but for Peter, he’ll make an exception.

.

The cafeteria hall is bursting with kids, freshmen running around and screaming to be heard over the cacophony of voices, sophomores a little quieter but still just about as energetic, as if they have yet to shed their downy feathers. Juniors and seniors are mostly outside on the football field, hanging out on the bleachers or taking advantage of what little sun they’ve had lately on the grass.

Peter sheepishly admits that he forgot to bring lunch, which is why he wanted to meet up here. Tony doesn’t hesitate in paying for Peter’s lunch when the boy is digging around in his wallet for the right amount, and he can see, over his shoulder, that he’s going to be short.

“Let me cover it this once, as a welcome present.”

And when Peter protests, it gives him an excuse to offer for him to pay him back on the weekend, maybe with a coffee somewhere. Peter looks so sweetly flustered again and Tony can’t help but adore him a little bit more for it. Jesus, what’s wrong with him? What is he doing, asking out a guy who, up until a few hours ago, didn’t even exist for him?

Tony doesn’t know why he even noticed him in the first place. Maybe it was the ugly button down, maybe it was the curls, maybe it was the way he moved that suggested he really didn’t want anyone to notice he was there in the first place. Maybe that’s why Tony saw him more than he had ever seen anyone else.

Whatever the case, whatever the cause, Tony knows that he’s done for even before Peter coyly agrees to get coffee with him on the weekend.

They sit down outside to have their lunch, and are soon swarmed by peers, but Tony’s attention keeps going back to Peter – who sits, mostly quietly, eating his lunch as he tries to remain invisible for the most part. But Tony notices him. He sees him. His new favorite thing might be when Peter looks up and catches his eye and subsequently smiles. He does it a few times throughout their break, and Tony loves it more and more every single time it happens.

He walks Peter back inside after, and to his next class. Peter comments on how many friends Tony seems to have, and Tony kind of shrugs it off.

“It’s nice to have someone to hang out with,” Peter insists, giving Tony a meaningful look, “Thank you. For kind of like…taking me under your wing today. I was really freaking out about the first day, this morning. Thought it would be… I dunno. Kind of lonely, I guess.”

Tony smirks. “Trust me, you’ll be so sick of me by the end of the week that you’ll wish you were lonely.”

Peter connects his knuckles to Tony’s upper arm at that, and quite firmly too. Tony flinches and wraps his hand around the assaulted spot, giving the other boy an affronted look and “hey!”.

“Serves you right,” Peter says, even though he looks torn between standing his ground and making sure that Tony is alright, “I know I won’t be sick of you. I actually think you’re really nice. And I’d like to spend more time with you.”

No one’s ever really said that to Tony before, not in those exact words. It’s usually the opposite, so it takes him a little bit by surprise. Clearly, Peter notices.

“Why are you surprised? We have the same interests, we’re both similarly intelligent, and—y’know…” Peter trails off with a shrug. Tony doesn’t, in fact, ‘know’, but the dozen or so options to fill that in that Tony can think of are all positive. “Besides,” Peter unexpectedly continues, “We have a date this weekend.”

Tony is now well and truly stunned into silence. If he wasn’t before, he is now. A date. While it’s what Tony intended for it to be when he offered back in the cafeteria, he knew he’d do best not to fool himself into thinking of it as such, since he was convinced that it would never come across that way. But now it seems that Peter thought of it the same way as him all along, and he’s pleased. Beyond pleased.

He realizes he hasn’t said anything yet when Peter’s expression changes into something disheartened and ashamed, and he’s about to say something when Tony quickly cuts in.

“If you’re not sick of me by then, that is,” he says, as if correcting Peter. The boy looks privately relieved.

“Like I said,” Peter says softly as they approach his next classroom, “I know I won’t be.”

Tony leaves him in the door opening, and he doesn’t see him a lot the rest of the day. He only catches up to him briefly on his way out of the building and toward his bicycle. Tony offers him a ride, but Peter declines with a fond laugh.

It doesn’t matter anyway.

Tony gets to watch Peter ride off and twist around on his bike to wave at him one more time before he turns down the street. He heads off in the direction of his car with a skip in his step.

He has a date. But moreover, he thinks he’s made a friend. And he doesn’t believe he’s ever really had one of those before.

[ladymiseria]

Smut Alphabet - Satan

Here is another one for one of the more underappreciated Obey Me boys.  I just love Satan a lot, okay.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

-You are his priority after sex, plain and simple.  He knows how delicate the human body is compared to a demon’s so he has to make sure that you’re okay, physically and emotionally.  He’ll do whatever you need to relax and loves holding you and stroking your hair and just coming back to earth (the Devildom? lol) together.

In terms of aftercare he needs/wants, affirmations of love and reassurance are big for him.  It makes him feel better to know that you’re still happy with him and want to continue on together, learning and growing along the way.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

-Satan loves your neck: kissing it, touching it, biting it, sucking on it, marking it up.  It means a lot to him that you trust him enough to allow him to get close so he makes sure to lavish such an important part of your body with as much attention as he can.

While he ultimately doesn’t pay much mind to his own physical attributes (he values his brains more than his braun), he does enjoy his arms and how he’s able to use them for displays of both softness (hugging, holding, etc) and strength (picking you up, pinning you down, etc).

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

-He’s down to come anywhere pretty much, but the real winner is when you swallow/clean up after him with your mouth and then kiss him afterwards.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

-He goes absolutely feral when you look/act like a little slut in front of him (teasing, flirting, showing a lot of skin, etc).  He has a bit of a jealousy streak and you being too saucy~ really brings it out of him.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

-Satan has had his fair share of experience (he’s very popular with the witches).  That said, he also reads a lot of romance novels so he had to find the real-world balance of how sexual encounters actually work once he met someone he really cared about.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

-Satan looooves to hit it from behind: hands on your hips, your face in the pillows, pulling your hair.  Any position that puts him in control is A+ in his mind.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

-He can be very serious, but he’ll still laugh with you (especially if you surprise him with a kiss or something like that).  He’s a fairly serious person in general, but he allows himself to let go of the facade a bit when you’re together.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

-Satan takes his grooming and personal hygiene very seriously.  He’s always shaved and conditioned and overall just very clean.  He smells really nice, too.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

-Satan is a hopeless romantic.  He always wants to take you on dates and buy you gifts and do little things here and there for you to show how much he cares and how much you mean to him.  This often carries over into any sexual encounters you have, as well.  He very near worships your body and wants to make you feel good and, more importantly, loved.  Even if he’s going hard, he never forgets to check in with you and balance it out with some tenderness.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

-He’s actually not big on masturbating: if he wanted to get off, he could just go find a willing participant with relative ease.  He also sometimes feels a bit guilty and dirty after masturbating, though he can’t quite place his finger on why.  And if he’s turned on and you’re not in the immediate vicinity, he would honestly rather just let his lust build as he searches for you and then unleash it while you’re together.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

-Dom/sub, bondage, biting, collaring, blindfolds, a bit of bloodplay if you’re down

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

-His room, because he can have you all to himself without the risk of interruption.  That said, he’s had you in the library and the archives, as well, which was exceptionally thrilling.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

-Satan is a big ol’ nerd and any display of your intelligence or expertise (in any subject) is a huge turn on for him.  He could listen to you talk for hours about your interests and he’s even more enthralled when it’s an interest the two of you share.  You are unbelievably sexy to him when you show off your smarts.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

-He doesn’t care to be dominated due to always wanting to be in control, but it’s something you’ve been working on together and he’s much more receptive to letting go of the reins on occasion now.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

-Satan is infuriatingly good at giving oral.  He has no idea why you say this but he accepts the compliment.  Receiving feels exceptionally dirty to him, but he gets off on it.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

-Fast and rough is the general default for Satan given his title, but being the romantic he is, he can get very sensual, focusing solely on you and fulfilling your every wish until you’re completely spent.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

-Satan can be a jealous, possessive boy so it’s not uncommon for him to have his way with you when the mood strikes him.  Quickies aren’t his preferred engagement (at least with you), but sometimes he’s simply incapable of waiting.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

-He’s the most logical and level-headed of the brothers so his knee-jerk reaction to a risk is hesitance, but his passion for you wins out more often than not.  He’s certainly down to experiment and is always eager to hear your ideas and what you’d like to try and, if allowed the time, he nerds out and does all the research he can to make sure he’s doing things correctly (and safely, should it apply).

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

-As long as you need him to/as long as he wants.  He is a demon and that has its advantages.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

-Satan had always been intrigued by toys, but had never explored with them until the two of you got together.  He loves to use them on you now, though.  He likes the variety and all the new sensations and scenarios he can use them for: it’s almost like studying.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

-It varies depending on his mood.  He likes to tease until he’s convinced that you want him as much as he wants you.  He doesn’t prolong it, though; he mostly does it to see all of your cute reactions.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

-Not very loud, but there’s still a lot of vocal expression on his part.  Growls, moans, groans, whispers, and the occasional chuckle are all part of the encounter with him.  He likes to talk to you during and likes when you talk to him.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

-He likes pulling you close to him with the feather boa from his demon form and kissing you while he wraps you both up in it.  He also likes tying your wrists together with it.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

-Satan’s dick has similar coloration to his tail, but the texture isn’t as rough or severe.  It has a distinct but not uncomfortable upward curve to it, as well.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

-He never knew he could want someone as much as he wants you.  He still likes having his own space from time to time, but just thinking about you for long enough usually leads him down the path of lust and he’s not one to sit around and do nothing about it.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

-Not very quickly.  He’d prefer to spend time with you relaxing afterward.  Even if you fall asleep, he’s content to hold you and read until you wake up or he feels tired, as well.

[tahnex]

Road to Graduation Chapter 6

So chapter 6 of my fic and it keeps rolling on.

Yang and Ruby were coming back from a late breakfast, although “Closer to an early lunch” is how Weiss had described it. They were just opening their door when team JNPR’s door opposite flew open and Jaune and Penny were shoved out into the corridor by a very insistent Nora. “Just come back at dinner time alright? I want some time for me and Ren to be ALONE. We haven’t had any time since Atlas three months ago, so I’m kicking you both out for the entire afternoon. Oh, hi guys!” She waved to Ruby and Yang who waved back weakly, very confused by the whole situation. Nora grinned and slammed the door shut in a very final way.

 Penny looked confused as well, “Can someone explain to me what just happened?”

 Jaune sighed, “Well Penny, Nora and Ren are...well...” he gave up, “it’s complicated.”

 Yang grinned and threw an arm around Penny’s shoulders, “Let me explain my dear innocent Penny. You see, when a boy and a girl love each other...”

 “Yang Xiao Long you are NOT to corrupt her brain with nonsense.” Weiss’ was standing in the doorway, having clearly heard the commotion and got up wondering what was happening, her arms crossed, and one eyebrow raised at Yang, a stern look on her face. Blake had leant round and was also looking at Yang, just less sternly.

 “...they like to spend lots of time together on their own and stuff. Happy Ice Queen?” Yang pouted and crossed her arms, whilst Weiss smiled thinly in response, and Blake held back a giggle at Yang’s obvious annoyance.

 Spotting an opportunity, Ruby piped up “Hey Jaune and Penny, seeing as Nora’s banned you both for the rest of the day, you could play Super Grimm Fight Ultimate with me and Yang if you want?”

 Yang’s face lit up, “Yeah, that would be awesome! Blake doesn’t like playing it and Weiss doesn’t like that she’s terrible at it.”

 “Hey!”

 “Sorry Weiss, but you always get in a bad mood when you lose...” Ruby’s voice trailed off as she started agreeing with Yang and then faced Weiss’s icy stare.

 “No, I don’t like that Yang always picks the easiest character to play as and cheats to win.”

 “I do not cheat! It’s just a good strategy to use a Nevermore and the feathers to keep everyone at bay!” Yang put a hand to her mouth and leaned back, acting appalled at the very suggestion of cheating.

 “Fine it’s not cheating, but it’s still bad sportsmanship.” Weiss narrowed her eyes at Yang, hands on hips.

 “Good thing I’m a sportswoman then not a man,” Yang winked at Weiss, who threw her hands up in the air and walked off. Blake sat back in her bed cross legged and hid a grin behind her book. “Well you two, whaddya say? Fancy taking on the undisputed champion of Grimm Fight Ultimate?” Yang grinned, flexing her bicep at Jaune and Penny.

 “Eh, what the heck. Better than walking round campus bored all day. Penny?” Jaune shrugged and turned his head to his partner.

 “I am up for the challenge!” Penny smiled widely and nodded her head. The four of them went in and sat on the floor, making a semi-circle with Yang near Blake’s bed, Ruby by Weiss’, and with Jaune and Penny in the middle of the two. Yang was lounging, one leg stretched out in front of her, the other knee lifted up slightly. Jaune was in a similar position but both legs stretched out, whilst Penny and Ruby were both sat cross legged. Yang loaded the game up on the holo screen and directed everyone to set up their scrolls to connect and be a controller. The screen filled with the character select options, showing a dozen various Grimm. Yang immediately selected the Nevermore, and Ruby a Beowolf. Jaune flicked around before settling on an Ursa, whilst Penny hovered over a few before selecting a Lancer. Once everyone had confirmed their selections, the screen switched to show various wilderness stages and a couple of ruins.

 The first match kicked off with Yang immediately taking to the air and using various moves to keep the others at bay. Ruby groaned and decided to focus on taking out Jaune, whilst Penny’s Lancer...well…Ruby was a little confused by the Lancer. It flicked in each direction and used a couple of basic moves and one or two specials, but each in turn. Almost as if...nah Penny must have played before. The Lancer suddenly sped towards the Nevermore only to be immediately taken down, Yang swooping above the Lancer and charging down, slamming Penny into the ground. Ruby disengaged from Jaune and dashed to Yang’s Nevermore to attack, but only got a couple of swipes off before Yang took flight again.

 “That Nevermore is really overpowered.” Yang’s head twitched slightly, turning enough to see Blake switch positions so she was at the foot of her bed and could watch the screen, making her closer to Yang. Yang looked back at the screen in time to see Ruby’s Beowolf use a special and shoot up to grapple the Nevermore in the air, Jaune’s Ursa dazed on the ground. Yang grunted under her breath, she’d been distracted by Blake, and so hadn’t noticed Ruby get close enough to strike. Ruby whooped as she landed and rushed over to finish Jaune off.

 Ruby was still whooping as the screen flashed Round Two up, and the second round began. Ruby squealed and panicked as the second round started. Whilst Yang won the second round easily, having decided to not get distracted by her partner, and the third round went a similar way, giving Yang the first proper win.

 Ruby looked to Penny, having noticed quite an intense look of concentration on her face during the second and third rounds. “Penny...?”

 “Yes Ruby?” Penny turned to her, her eyes wide and innocent.

 “Have you played this game before?” The others turned to look at Penny too, who quickly averted her eyes from Ruby’s.

 “Of course I have!“ She smiled widely. Then hiccupped.

 Jaune raised his eyebrows, clearly he also knew about Penny’s particular tic when lying, “Have you actually played ANY video games before Penny?”

 Penny managed to fake a shocked gasp really well, “Of course I have! I’m just being deliberately bad as it would not be as fun for you all if I was as good as I could be, as being an Android gives me an unfair advantage...hic.” The last hiccup slipped out behind her mouth before Penny could stop it.

 Even Weiss turned around at that, “You’ve never played any video games?”

 “Erm. Yes. I have. Hic.” Penny looked around, nervously.

 Yang threw her arms around Penny, “You poor girl! We‘ll have to fix that for you.” She buried her head in Penny’s hair. “Whoa! Your hair is super soft!” She leaned back looking really surprised.

 Penny reached up to her hair and brushed it slightly, “My father updated it a while back so that it looks and feels like real hair, I do prefer it like this, but washing it can be interesting at times, I have to be careful not to spend too long in a shower.”

 “Back to the important topic though, it’s ok if you’ve never played a video game before.” Ruby smiled softly at Penny, who finally relented.

 “I...just never really had time. I always had something to be doing, whether that was in Mantle for my father, or in Atlas for General Ironwood.” She looked a little awkward explaining it.

 “Don’t worry, like Yang said, we can help out with that, and we can start now.” Jaune smiled at Penny, who beamed in response. Ruby smiled to herself, after her team Penny was her best friend, and whilst she knew Jaune would never deliberately be horrible to her, she had worried that he would take much longer to warm up and treat Penny like a friend.

 The rest of the afternoon was spent playing various rounds of Super Grimm Fight Ultimate, an X-Ray and Vav game that Jaune had, as well as various other games Yang or Ruby had downloaded at some point. Weiss and Blake even joined in at various points, Weiss insisting that she would join into a multiplayer game only if she didn’t have to fight against Yang, as Yang always knew how to do the best in every game where they had to go against one another.

 “I reckon that’s given the two lovebirds enough time alone by now, and I’ll be honest, I am genuinely surprised we didn’t hear anything.” Yang grinned and winked at Blake, who slapped Yang on the shoulder.

 “I don’t fully understand, why would we hear anything from the room? We’re across the hall.” Penny’s head tilted slightly, looking confused again.

 Weiss shot daggers at Yang again, whilst Ruby and Jaune looked uncomfortable, and Blake rolled her eyes. Yang suddenly remembered the previous conversation at the beginning of the afternoon. “Erm, well...You know how loud Nora gets when she’s happy or excited. So, she’d probably be very happy at spending so much time with Ren!” She finished with a grin; happy she’d managed to avoid the topic whilst still making sure the others knew exactly what she meant.

 “Oh. That makes sense. I thought you meant they would be doing some kind of sexual activity.” Penny deadpanned her response.

 The others gasped in shock and Weiss nearly spat water all over the wall having just taken a swig of her drink. 

 “Wait, what?!” Weiss was clearly the most shocked of all. Yang, meanwhile, once she had got over the shock, fell over cackling with laughter.

 “Of course you understand stuff. Why wouldn’t you?” Yang managed to squeeze out between laughs.

 “I understand that sort of stuff, my father had a talk with me before I left! I was mostly confused because I thought Ren was not interested in it.” Penny’s reply made everyone look up in surprise.

 “What do you mean? It’s kinda obvious him and Nora are together,” Jaune’s brow creased in confusion.

 “Oh, I know they’re together, but I thought Ren wasn’t interested in sexual activities?” Penny looked at Jaune directly, “Did I read the situation wrong?”

 “Erm. I don’t really know. I mean I’ve seen them hold hands and give each other kisses, but...“ Jaune leant back on his hands thinking, trying to run through memories in his head, trying to think of a time he’d either walked in on them doing something or about to, hands where they shouldn’t be, and realised the most he’d seen them do, or even attempt to do, was give each other a kiss. “I dunno. Not really my place to talk about it with them really, it’s their relationship.” The others all shrugged and agreed. “Wait why were you confused Nora shoved us out earlier?”

 “That was because she didn’t say anything other than when she pushed us out,” Penny explained, “if she had said why she wanted us out earlier, then I would have left voluntarily.”

 Jaune nodded in agreement. 

 “Oh yeah, why did Goodwitch want to talk to you the other day? You never did get a chance to explain to us.” Yang asked, changing the subject.

 “Professor Goodwitch wanted to let us know about our mission for this year. We are on bodyguard duty!” Penny smiled broadly and nodded.

 “Bodyguard duty? For who?” Blake sounded wary, there wasn’t many people she could think of that needed a bodyguard.

 “For Oscar of course. He’s coming to Beacon in the spring.” 

 Ruby’s jaw dropped so far it nearly hit the floor, “He’s coming here?! Has he woken up then?”

 “No, he’s still asleep, but there’s not much more Atlas can do for him apparently. So, Professor Goodwitch suggested he transfer here to stay in the medical bay, as Beacon will be able to keep him alive and under observation until he does wake up. Plus, we will be here to protect him!”

 Ruby leant back against her bed thinking back to their fight against Salem and shuddered. It had been horrific and absolutely nightmare worthy. They’d all been beaten down and had barely any energy left, when Ozpin took over Oscar completely, had a very awkward conversation with Salem that everyone wished they had not been there to hear, even after seeing the visions from Jinn. Then Ozpin had got Ruby to use her silver eyes as strongly as she could, which she did. The effort had knocked her out because the next thing she knew she was waking up in Atlas’ medical wing, everyone around her, her team nearly crying with happiness. She’d been unconscious for five days, even longer than after Beacon had fallen.

 She found out what happened after she’d fallen unconscious, and she’d been amazed. Ozpin had managed to harness the energy of her eyes, amplify it, and throw Salem into the Winter vault, then helped Penny shut the doors, sealing her in. He’d dropped to his knees, managed to say “Never. Open. Any. Vault. Again.” Before he’d passed out as well. Unlike Ruby however, he hadn’t woken up. One of the first things Winter had done when communication was restored was to send a message to the headmaster of Shade explaining what she could of the situation. Fortunately, they agreed to keep the vault closed. At least until the whole situation, and how Winter knew about it, could be discussed in person. 

 Atlas doctors managed to find out that Ozpin had expanded nearly Oscar’s entire aura, and then even more aura from somewhere else, which they didn’t really explain (Blake said that was because they didn’t understand it and just didn’t want to admit it), and his body hadn’t been able to take it so he just shut down. He was still alive, but whether he would wake up again was a different matter. And what state he’d be in if he woke up would also be unknown. 

 If he woke up.

 “When is he coming here?” Ruby brought herself back to the present as Weiss asked the question.

 “They’re going to keep working on him and trying different things for the next couple of months, but it’ll probably be sometime in early Spring. Professor Goodwitch says it won’t affect our classes at all, we’ll be a little restricted on what missions we choose to do, and that during the Summer and Winter breaks until we graduate, we won’t be able to go home, which is fine for our team anyway.” Jaune replied shrugging, clearly not too fussed about the whole situation, “That’s why we can’t go to the Vytal Festival in Mistral next year. We’ve got to stay here to keep an eye on him.”

 “So instead of full professional Huntsmen and Huntresses, Goodwitch has put you four in charge of his protection?” Blake seemed surprised, “Not putting you down, but still…”

 “Yeah, I get that, we were just as surprised as you, but Professor Goodwitch said we were pretty much full Huntsmen anyway, we’re only back at the school to officially graduate, plus there’s Penny who is technically a part of Atlas Military, is the former Protector of Mantle, and she’s one of the Maidens. Kinda made a lot more sense when she put it like that.” Jaune looked a little bit sheepish, “She also said she’s got plans for you four later, which is why she didn’t ask you to do it as well but didn’t say anything else.”

 The others agreed that it did make sense (although privately they were wondering what those plans were) and, with Yang and Ruby swapped out for Blake and Weiss, who were both worse than the two sisters, they decided to play another couple of rounds on the game, to see if Penny had improved much, and then head down for some dinner. As it turned out, Penny had improved. Whilst she was still the first one to lose each round, she actually got a few hits in before she did lose, which everyone cheered at, making her beam with happiness. 

 When they headed down to the hall to get some food, they found Ren and Nora already halfway through their food, Nora chatting away at high speed, Ren listening and occasionally adding something. They all grabbed food and went to sit next to the pair, Nora looking up as they arrived and waving madly. Taking it as approval to go near them again, the group sat down and started eating. Penny had brought over a very small plate of food, and they’d learnt early on that she could eat, but preferred not to. Whilst it was possible to use food as energy for her, it usually used up more energy than she gained, and it only worked on certain foods, but she had explained that it was important to her to fit in with the others, so she usually ate a small plate of food with her team.

 “So, what did you guys get up to?” Nora had switched away from her previous topic.

 Penny’s face grew into a massive smile “I learnt how to play video games. It was immensely enjoyable!” Nora was clearly happy at that response and gave Penny a massive hug. Ruby had noticed that the excitable ginger girl with more strength than most had taken the excitable ginger girl with much more strength than most under her wing, showing her various things, praising, and helping her out where she could. It had clearly made Penny feel much more comfortable as whilst she nearly always tried to appear happy, she definitely hadn’t been happy when she’d come to her for advice over a month ago. Jaune had clearly warmed up to her more and was feeling better about the situation on the surface at least, Nora was genuinely happy to have Penny around, and Ren...well most people struggled to know what Ren was thinking so who knows, but he’d never actually said anything mean about her. Although Ruby didn’t think she’d ever heard him be mean about anyone, so she wasn’t sure, but he went along with Nora on most things, so he was probably alright with Penny if nothing else.

 Whilst Penny explained to Nora about the games she’d played, and Nora gave her some ‘tips’, although Yang discounted over half of them as either cheats or things that just straight up didn’t work, the others ate their dinner. Right up until Penny asked, “So what did you and Ren get up to?”

 Everyone other than Nora and Ren looked at each other out the corner of their eyes, waiting to hear the response.

 Nora didn’t even blink, “We went Grimm hunting and took down a dozen Beringels all on our own!”

 “I read a book and Nora laid next to me listening to music.” Ren’s deadpan response was the one they believed, even Penny had come to realise after a month that anytime Nora said she did something, and Ren said it was something else entirely, Ren was the one to believe.

 “Aww that’s adorable!” Weiss raised an eyebrow at Yang’s outburst, “What? It is. It’s really nice to just spend time with your other half doing absolutely nothing, just enjoying each other’s presence...” Her voice got a little quieter to the end and trailed off a little.

 “It’s not that I disagree, I just didn’t realise you had such a romantic inclination.” Weiss was being honest, whilst she knew Yang had a much more complicated character than it first appeared to most people, she hadn’t realised Yang had a romantic streak.

 “Thank you, Yang.” Ren nodded at her.

 Nobody mentioned Penny’s assertion earlier that Ren wasn’t interested in sexual activities, although upon hearing that the two of them had just relaxed together, they all now seemed to agree with it, and they made small talk as they finished dinner and headed back to their rooms.

 Later that week team RWBY walked into combat class with the rest of their year and noticed that there were quite a lot of younger students sat in the seats in the auditorium section. That...was interesting. And unexpected. From the looks on everyone else’s face they weren’t expecting it either. Once everyone had lined up in front of Professor Goodwitch, she started the lesson.

 “Today is going to be solely based around one on one fights against each other. The time limit is five minutes per fight and highest aura wins, or below 20% aura, whichever happens first. Weapons and semblances are allowed; however, it goes without saying that you are to control them both properly and NOT go for any seriously damaging moves.” As usual she skipped any pleasantries and got down to business, “I will decide who the fighters will be. And yes, these fights will be marked.” She paused to let it all sink in before continuing, “As some of you have no doubt noticed, the students you see sat to your right are some of our first years. They will be observing one of your combat lessons each week until the Beacon tournament starts in the Spring. This is to give them an advantage over you, as you have all had two years more combat experience than they have. The second years will have the same arrangement with the fourth years.”

 She ran her eyes over each of the third-year students in turn. “What they will not have access to, but you will, is the video recordings for each of your fights in these observed sessions.” Everyone noticed that statement, usually it was just the fourth years who were allowed access to fight recordings outside of sparring and the practice they had set up themselves, as anyone who had done sparring could access their own recordings. However, sparring was never allowed with weapons unless a teacher was present, which was rare, so getting videos of fights where they could actually use their weapons was worth the first years getting knowledge on them. “This, coupled with your extra combat experience, will help level the playing field for all. Now, Blake Belladonna and Lie Ren, you will be the first two to fight.”

 Blake nodded to her team, Yang put her hand on her shoulder briefly, and they walked off to sit in the lower rows of the seats on the left, opposite the first years. Jaune did the same to Ren, Nora squeezed his hand before skipping off, and Penny smiled and said, “Best of luck Ren!” Before following her team. Ren walked to face Blake and blinked slowly, calming his nerves and breathing, holding his weapon Stormflower in each hand. Opposite him Blake also split her weapon in two, slipped the scabbard on her back first, and set the rest of Gambol Shroud into the pistol mode.

 “Start!”

[sleepfight]

[fic] caught in your tangles

Fandom: Greedfall Rating: G

Chapter Warnings: None

Pairing/Characters: Kurt/Percy De Sardet, some cats

Six days out of the week, they camp on the road. But on Sundays, when the rare occasion arises where there is nothing to do, they lie in bed together.

Kurt is never awake when Percy makes his way home and slips into bed on Saturday nights. Their schedules are unpredictable and chaotic and the unrest on Tir Fradi often separates them for days at a time. So it is an indulgence when they are allowed to rest together in the mornings, quiet and still with the curtains drawn shut, trying to avoid the tiny sliver of golden sunlight that they can never quite block out. 

Sometimes, they share a pillow. Mostly, they do not, though, because Percy does not sleep, Percy nests, and if Kurt does not have his own pillow, he won’t have one at all. The covers are rarely shared either—they can never agree on how many are necessary. They are both big men and the heat can tip into the unbearable, particularly under the feather comforters that Percy prefers over Kurt’s more practical collection of cotton sheets.

Not that either of them minds. Better to be too-warm together than too-cold alone.

Kurt, most of the time, is awake first, but not by much. It’s in that half-awake state that he can appreciate how silent the house is and how comfortable he is in those precious seconds before he opens his eyes to what will inevitably be Percy drooling against his shoulder or their cats sensing that someone is conscious. Many of Kurt’s mornings have started with claws walking up and down the length of his chest, demanding breakfast. He prides himself on the fact that his cat is better about this than Percy’s. Percy’s one-eyed tortoiseshell is the most excitable hairball Kurt has ever had to live with other than its owner.

He’s more attached to them both than he’s capable of admitting yet, though.

If there is enough light, Kurt will sometimes turn Percy over onto his side, halting his low snores, and just look at him until he wakes. Somehow, Percy’s face never changes, even when at rest; he always has the same dopey grin, the same perplexed crease between his eyebrows. He’ll often talk in his sleep, sometimes in ways that make Kurt feel small and helpless, but the midnight debates he has with his dreams can be amusing when they aren’t keeping Kurt awake, which is more common. 

Kurt has been a light sleeper his whole life, which should make them utterly incompatible bed partners. Percy huffs, he squirms, he clings, he kicks, he does every annoying thing that a person shouldn’t be capable of doing while unconscious.

And yet.

He’s kind of cute when he has his face buried in Kurt’s armpit.

On the last Sunday of January, as snow blankets the streets of New Serene, an unusual event occurs: Percy wakes up first.

Kurt is tugged from the depths of his dreams by a tingling sensation in his fingertips. It takes his brain a moment to process it—he isn’t sure if it’s real or not until the feeling spreads to his knuckles, accompanied by a very, very gentle pressure. He hesitates, lingering on the bridge between sleep and awareness, too comfortable to want to be up but curious enough to crack his eyes open. 

He blinks, groggy, still not all there, and manages to register that the room is dark and the cats are silent, wedged in the crack of space between his and Percy’s legs. He’s bitter for half a second; they are still curled all over each other and dead to the world. Unfair.

Slowly, he turns his face out of the pillow and exhales through his nose. His fingers twitch—the tingling has turned into small circles in his palm.  It would seem that the source of the odd feeling is coming from Percy.

“Greenblood,” he murmurs. “What’re y’doin’?”

From somewhere in the darkness under the covers, Percy makes a bleary, non-committal sound. “I’m awake.”

“Can tell.” There is a shifting in the sheets and warmth envelopes his hand as it slides between both of Percy’s palms. “Asked what you’re doing.”

“Admiring you.” The tip of his thumb presses down on the top of Kurt’s wrist and slips down in a long line, straight to the tip of his index finger so he can hook it around his own. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

Kurt does his best to suppress the crop of goosebumps that shoots up his arms in the wake of Percy’s careful touches. He isn’t sure he’ll ever get used to this kind of attention, no matter how much he enjoys it. 

“You did.” Kurt breathes in slowly. “S’alright.”

“I didn’t say I was sorry.”

“Implied it.”

“Did not.” 

Percy scrapes his fingernails in a light pattern down Kurt’s forearm, mindless little swirls over hardened scars and ticklish flesh alike that make Kurt shiver and smile. He slides his other arm out so he can slip it under Percy’s neck, prompting him to come closer. 

“What time is it?” He asks.

Percy wriggles into the embrace and wraps around Kurt, scooting over until he has Kurt beneath him. “Early.” He yawns. 

He laces their fingers together and rests his head on Kurt’s shoulder, breath tickling the hair on Kurt’s chest when he starts to drop a line of kisses along the cut of Kurt’s collarbone.

“How early?”

“Too early.” He mumbles. Kurt can feel Percy’s eyelashes pat against his neck as he starts to doze off again. “To be awake anyway.”

Kurt rolls them both over, ignoring Percy’s half-hearted protest, and drops an arm over his soft belly so he can spoon up behind him, pressing his lips into Percy’s tangled, brown hair. 

“Should go back to sleep,” he says. “Nowhere to be today.”

Percy hums in agreement and from between them, the cats begin to stir. Percy’s cat--Dolly-- pushes herself into a big stretch and pads across the bed, bumping her forehead against Percy’s ear from where she settles expectantly on top of Kurt’s neck. 

Percy groans. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” he grumbles. He brings a heavy palm up to stroke her head. “Did we disturb you?”

Dolly chirps and forcibly plops herself into the minute space between their heads, balling up so that she can nose at Percy’s cheek and flap the dense tuft of her tail all over Kurt’s face.

Kurt mentally congratulates his cat on being the more mature animal.

Still, when she begins to purr, Kurt can’t help himself and reaches out to join Percy in petting her. “Gonna have to feed them soon.”

Percy groans. He hides his face in her fur. “I did it yesterday, it’s your turn.”

“Cat’s lying on me, love,”  Kurt sighs. “Can’t get up now.”

“That’s playing dirty.” Percy yawns in perfect unison with his pet. “Besides, your cat is on my legs. I can’t get up either.” He burrows deeper into the covers and sighs, slow and even. “So I suppose we’re trapped.”

Kurt squints as the first rays of morning begin to filter through the crack in the curtains and splays his fingers out on Percy’s back, stroking gently. He lets his head sink back into the pillow. It’s still early. There is no rush.

“Guess so.”

end