#But I know there are people who’d like to stay up to date with lore without having to encounter content related to a certain green guy

[royalarchivist]

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Tommy: We’re not kids anymore. There’s no Wilbur, there’s no Quackity, there’s no anyone -- there’s no any person that’s older than us. This is up to us. Tubbo: I miss when things were simpler. It makes me sad.

[asterekmess]

Did you ever watch Buffy? The first episode where Anya was introduced was titled "The Wish" and all I can think about is if Scott McCall had ever run into a pure Sidhe where they offered him a wish. Instead of, "I wish Buffy had never come to Sunnydale." It would be more, "I wish I was never bitten to become a werewolf." But just like all feaye tricks, the outcome is more, his Dad ended up with primary custody rather than his Mom and he was forced to leave BH. And then Stiles ended up more friends with Heather and others. And while Scott's life is worse, when he tracks down the others he finds all of theirs are greatly improved.

I think about it a lot and how Scott never really dealt with the consequences of any of his actions, everyone else did, and how an episode or mini-arc could have fixed a flaw in the show's design. I mean, we were already dealing with a lot of Celtic lore, why not someone from the Sidhe courts?

I have no idea why this took me so long to answer, so apologies for that. <3 I did watch buffy! I've seen all of it, and all of Angel as well. XD

I remember 'The Wish' episode, and whoooo boy it gave me chills. I loved how big the butterfly effect was, how something that seemed so small, something that Genuinely seemed to be the cause of a lot of problems in Sunnydale, ended up being so important to how things had progressed. Because, yeah, you would think Buffy not coming to Sunnydale would be a Good Thing, right? Sunnydale didn't have all of these insane issues before she arrived. It was quiet, and nothing big or scary ever happened. Her arrival matches perfectly with when everything started going absolutely nuts, so whatever selfish ideas Cordelia had, her thought that Buffy not coming to Sunnydale would be a good thing, makes sense. Except that, as she finds out, she's entirely wrong. Buffy's arrival was a lucky coincidence, or fate, whatever your taste leans toward. She showed up right as things started going nuts, and she kept it from going SO MUCH MORE NUTS.

Now, moving on to TW, it is a fascinating mix of being the Exact same situation, and the exact Opposite. I'll add a Read More, cus' holy god is this a lot of Rambling.

Because Scott wishing not to have been bitten...yeah, the bite Did improve things. But it improved things for him. He would absolutely regret making the wish, just like Cordelia did, because he would realize how many good things the bite had brought with it. BUT, conversely, he would have to realize how many good things the bite had brought for him, not for other people, and how their lives either wouldn't have been affect, or might've even Improved without him being bitten. Without the bite, Scott wouldn't have gotten on first line, period. His health issues made very clear in the five minutes he had them that any kind of stamina based sport was just out of the question for him. If he is unable to walk through the woods at a moderate pace without needing to grab his inhaler and stop against a tree, he just plain cannot play lacrosse for two or three hours of running at high speeds and working a bunch of muscles in his upper body. He likely wouldn't have gone out with Allison, because he would have no convenient way to get her attention. Furthermore, he wouldn't have the extra senses that both impressed her on the lacrosse field, and told him about her 'family dinner' the night of Lydia's party. (I've discussed this before, but... While it's true, Allison would have still brought him the dog; that dog would likely have attacked him, and his chances with her would have been shot in the foot when they both got in massive trouble and he likely had to go to the ER for stitches or something. Without Allison or first line, he wouldn't have started hanging out with the 'cool kids,' and quite frankly, wouldn't have had anyone to help him study for the classes he was struggling with. It's true that he also wouldn't have had werewolf things to worry about, or even a girlfriend to distract him from homework, so maybe that wouldn't have been such a huge issue, but still.

If we look at other people's lives and how They would have been affected by Scott not getting the bite...well, let's talk about that.

Stiles didn't get on first line because of Scott, or because of a werewolf bite. Or even because of the werewolf bullshittery occurring in town. He was put on first line because of his abilities, and even after being taken OFF first line for missing the game, he was put Right onto the field in the next game, chosen OVER other players who were perfectly viable options. Which means, he still would've ended up on first line. Allison wasn't interested in dating before she met Scott, and part of her draw to him was based on how 'different' he was. He knew things she didn't know how he could know, he had a weird ability to calm a furious, injured dog, and he had charisma that was ALSO gained from the bite, since being on first line made Scott Much more self-confident. If she didn't end up dating him, it's likely she wouldn't have dated at all. Which would mean no hiding from her parents, no strange conflicts of interest, AND, interestingly enough --depending on her involvement in the murders, etc that would still be occurring in town--no night in the school that would scare her bad enough to ask Kate for extra help and tip her headfirst into hunter training. AND, even if she DID still end up getting those lessons from Kate? There would be no bitterness to fuel her behavior at the end of season 1.

Allison was Traumatized after Kate showed her Derek on the grate. She was horrified, and didn't know what to do about it, and while we can ramble all we want about the morality of her not confronting her family (whom she's just discovered is willing to electrocute people) about it, the fact is that she pushed the thoughts aside to stop freaking out and went to that dance. Where she found out Scott was a werewolf, and was So fucking Betrayed that she was willing to help Kate catch him and Derek. No Scott, no betrayal, no willingness to help Kate recapture the miserable man who'd been chained up in a basement.

If we go back to that specific night, and try to unfold the events from there if Scott hadn't been bitten, things get a little complicated, but I'll take a few artistic liberties. Scott isn't bitten. Presumably, he just happens to get out of the woods in time, or he gets caught with Stiles by the sheriff, or doesn't go to the woods in the first place. These all change the possible outcomes of that night. If he hadn't gone in the first place, and Stiles went alone, would he have been bitten instead? Would Scott have been dragged into all of this anyway, but without the protection and boost of being a werewolf and cured of his asthma? If he weren't the one bitten, and he saw everything Stiles gained from it, would he still have such a hatred for the bite? Or would he want it, like Erica did, to cure him and make him powerful and cool? But, let's assume Stiles doesn't get bitten either. The second half of Laura's body still hasn't been found, and Stiles has no reason to fear running back into the preserve the next day, and no real punishment from his father as far as we can tell. So, does he go back to look again? If he did, he would run into Derek, because Derek would still be there after retrieving Laura's body himself. He would see Derek and still recognize him, and from there, things might spiral, still involving Stiles in the supernatural, and it's likely Stiles would try to involve Scott, and Again we get hit with "Would Scott want the bite, if he hadn't gotten forcibly bitten in the first place?" The answer is probably yes. He wanted to be cool, and popular, and on the lacrosse team. He wanted everything being a werewolf gave him. BUT if we're looking at this wish as similar to "The Wish," then no matter what, Scott won't be bitten. He'll be transported to a new world where it just never happened, and he'll be human, and forced to watch everyone around him be just plain different. Scott not being bitten would isolate him from Stiles, if Stiles got involved in the spn anyway. We SAW how Stiles cut off his other friends once the spn starting getting in the way. He and Harley? We have no clue how close they were. They were close enough for her to tease him about his crush on Lydia, for her to wander up comfortably to the locker and talk to them. And he cut her off as soon as the werewolf stuff hit. What if he cut Scott off? To protect him, if nothing else, like he did his own father. Once he realized the danger involved, I doubt he would be willing to put Scott in harm's way.

So, Scott would not only lose first line, lose his girlfriend, lose his popularity, lose his health and strength and heightened abilities, lose his 'importance' to the goings-on of Beacon Hills, but he would also lose Stiles, who seems to have been his only friend, unless he also had a relationship with Harley.

Okay, I've rambled enough about the what if's, so let's talk about the Reason why this wish would go so badly for Scott, in such a different way than it went for Cordelia. Cordelia, first off, wished that someone Else would not have/do something, rather than wishing for herself not to have done something. She watches how fucked up the world gets, and how much worse her life is without Buffy around to save the day. Scott wished for Himself not to have done something (even something passive, like 'get bitten') and would have to watch how fucked up his world gets, and how far behind he would fall. The other's lives might not necessarily get better, because Peter is still on the loose, and the hunters are still there, etc etc, but they would still Progress, while Scott would stay stagnant.

And WHY is that? Because Scott isn't important to the story. It DOESN'T start with him. That's the Whole Point of his character. He is supposed to be the 'everyman' who gets dragged into crazy shit and becomes integral to things that he wasn't ever meant to be a part of. The guy who wanders into becoming King or 'The Hero' that will save the world, even though he's just a small lad from a tiny town, whose highest prospects were "get on first line."

He was NEVER supposed to be Buffy, or if he was, it was done Very Badly.

But Beacon Hills WASN'T a quiet town before Scott was bitten; however much he might've said 'nothing ever happens in this town.' It was FULL of bullshittery and magic from the very beginning. There was the fire, and Paige, and the blinding of Deucalion, and the death of Alexander Argent, and the Nogitsune in the internment camp nearby. All of these things were around So much longer than Scott's bite, and they'd been affecting the world that whole time too. Because yes, in Buffy, the master was There before she was, but he was literally rendered inert by the situations he was in. And the things he'd done happened Centuries before, not six years. There is a difference. Sunnydale was Not Known for the insane number of weird deaths. Beacon Hills was. And aside from the Nogitsune, every single fucking thing that happened in Beacon Hills, was attuned to the Hale family in one way or another. Deucalion's blinding occurred during a meeting on Hale land, because Talia was known as a wise leader, etc, in the area and other wolves flocked to her. Deucalion biting Argent seems unrelated (if you even believe Deucalion did that, despite being a fucking pacifist before Gerard blinded him), but again, it occurs just a couple hours away from Beacon Hills, which is Hale Territory. The one who plays the Buffy role here? Who shows up at just the right time, and launches themself against an endless wave of evil, with slightly enhanced senses and a thorough need to do good and not back away from things that 'aren't they're problem'? The actual hero who is somehow tied to everything going on in ways even they don't understand? Was Derek. The guy who entirely unwittingly allowed Julia Baccari to survive, because he was trying to be merciful to his first love. Who entirely unwittingly was manipulated into giving up information that let a hunter kill his family. Who followed his sister back to town after six years of just trying to survive in New York, fell into a fucking tragedy, and decided to stop the bad guys anyway, even though he knew he didn't stand a fucking chance.

And as annoyed as some might get. The 'everyman' who stumbles onto the set and accidentally becomes integral to the saving of the world? The one whose ambitions are small and who expectations are smaller? Who is misunderstood, and has abilities that aren't recognized or appreciated, that doesn't really fit in, but tries their best anyway? The literal Angel to Derek's Buffy?

Is fucking Stiles. The son of the sheriff who just could not let it go when he discovered there was something funky going on. Who hung around on the edges, even though he wasn't really wanted, because he needed to help. Who ended up saving Derek's life over and over, and becoming so important as to be Derek's anchor? Who literally WENT DARKSIDE and HAD TO BE NEARLY KILLED, even though Derek didn't to kill him???

I know how it sounds, but JD SAID he took inspiration from Buffy. The issue is that his parallels are between DEREK AND STILES, and BUFFY AND ANGEL. Respectively.

Derek might act like the broody bad boy, but it is STILES' mentality that matches Angel's behavior, and it's Derek who matches Buffy.

I'm so fucking off track. Scott would be miserable if he ever managed to get a wish and used it to keep from having been bitten. And it would be sad. I would feel bad for him, had I watched something like that happen. Seeing him realize that most of the good things he had, he only got because of the bite. That Stiles would still be on first line, that Lydia and Jackson would still be the popular kids. That Allison wouldn't know he existed, or if she did would avoid him entirely. That Jackson would never have been turned into the kanima in the first place. That everyone else would move on and up in life, and he would still be standing at the bottom step. Because it wasn't his actual limitations that were holding him back, it was his refusal to accept them, to work with them, and to just plain stop Envying Everyone Around him, and start living his own fucking life instead of trying to steal other people's.

Scott wishes he were Cordelia, and I promise that would backfire too.

[heraldofzaun]

This is my “Viktor has never been a stereotypical evil villain, you guys are just mean” post.

Hi. Well. That says it all, really, but I guess I should elaborate. I think that Viktor has always been a victim of society [cue Joker meme], it’s just that what society has shifted over the course of his lore update.

With new lore, it’s very clearly Piltover casting him out for his (in my opinion, pretty unethical from the get-go) ideas on free will/worker safety/etc. and that subsequently making him worse. But with his previous lore - what I run off of on this blog - I’ve seen a lot of commentary about how he’s always just been “evil”, or that his motivations weren’t defined, etc. And while I can agree that his old lore certainly has less of a word count (5x less, actually) and doesn’t make his motives crystal-clear, it’s just not true that his original incarnation was just a villainous scientist. (Nor is it true that he was perceived as one by his old fans!) It takes a little bit of looking at Blitzcrank’s lore, and the Journal of Justice (hey, remember that?) to see, but it’s there... So, here goes. I’m sorry for how long this ended up being (2k words!) - it ended up touching on a lot more than just Viktor.

Viktor’s always been stolen from. (Except for Blitzcrank’s newest lores, which contradict Viktor’s new lore, which... That’s a topic for another time.) It’s always been Professor Stanwick Pididly (now Professor Stanwick) who’s done the stealing - originally, he was a professor at Zaun’s “prestigious College of Techmaturgy”. In new lore, he’s a professor at an unnamed academy in Piltover. I think the best way to track the new/old changes is bullet-points, rather than writing this all out. Tumblr doesn’t allow T-charts, sadly.

Professor Pididly in old lore:

Zaunite professor.

Stole Blitzcrank (well, the accolades for developing Blitz’s sentience) from Viktor and Viktor’s doctoral team. (While this is headcanon, I’ve always assumed that Stanwick was Viktor’s (and Viktor’s team’s) doctoral advisor. I can’t quite imagine how else he’d pull off stealing a group project like that.) Viktor subsequently withdrew from the college and “barricaded himself in his private laboratory”. (Which is his house in my personal take, because really - what sort of doctoral student can afford a lab?)

Blitzcrank’s case reached Zaun’s legal system, resulting in a “legal maelstrom” (Blitz’s original lore) that ended with Stanwick presumably being legally declared Blitzcrank’s creator.

Blitzcrank’s lore states that “most now know the truth” in regards to who his creator is. This is important for later, so stick that in your back pocket.

Pididly is referred to as “Professor Pididly” in JoJ issues 3, 18, and 23, which are given the dates of August of 20CLE, March of 21 CLE, and June of 21 CLE.

Side note: According to Orianna’s judgment, which is dated May of 21 CLE - stay with me here, it’ll make sense - Blitzcrank entered the League “years before”. As League at this time was mostly running in time with the real world, this makes sense - Blitzcrank was a 2009 champion and Orianna was released in 2011. Judgments seem to be dated to a few days before a champion’s release, in order to tie with the lore - one had to be “Judged” before made a champion... but I’m rambling. Anyways, years before, back pocket.

Is referred to as “Chairman Pididly” in JoJ issue 27, dated August of 21 CLE. “Chairman” seems to be a title given to those in political power in Zaun. Another example is Chairman Magnus Dunderson, Zaun’s “Chief Executive” (issue 5). (I could’ve sworn that there is canonically a “Board of Executives” in old lore Zaun, but scrubbing through the JoJ on the wiki hasn’t turned it up - just Blitzcrank’s lore mentioning the “Council of Zaun”. Maybe it was fanon? Anyways.) Back pocket!

Also stole some work from Viktor in order to revive Urgot. Urgot’s revival was reported on in issue 3 of the JoJ, and the confirmation that it was from Viktor’s work is in Viktor’s original lore.

Professor Stanwick (Pididly? I feel like they ditched his last name because it was “too silly”, also because Stanwick sounds British-adjacent anyways and that’s Piltover’s “thing” - but anyways) in new lore:

Piltovian professor.

Stole Blitzcrank from Viktor alone, who made the robot to help clean up a specific chemical spill. Viktor went to Zaun for a few weeks and came back to find that Stanwick had “held a symposium on Blitzcrank and presented Viktor's research as his own”. Viktor subsequently continued on his studies, culminating with him later being expelled for “violating basic human dignity”. Viktor returns to a laboratory that he had in Zaun.

Blitzcrank’s case is solely a university matter. Viktor petitions Jayce to help support his claim, but Jayce is Jayce and doesn’t help out. The “matter [is] decided in Professor Stanwick’s favor”.

Blitzcrank’s lore doesn’t really say anything about if people know that Viktor made him (them, technically, but Riot doesn’t get to make the robot non-binary), but I guess it’s implied in the 3rd iteration? (That would be the first new one, after the IoW retcon making most champions’ 2nd lores being the same lore with any reference to the titular League of Legends removed.) He works with Viktor in that one. It doesn’t fit with Viktor’s updated lore at all, actually, because it mentions Stanwick absolutely zero times. (A post for another day...)

Has nothing to do with Urgot, since Urgot’s different now.

So, the general plot of “professor rips off a student” is there, it’s just got an added layer of “professor rips off a foreign/out-group student” in new lore to tie into the overarching idea of Piltover exploiting Zaun. (Is Zaun considered foreign? Yes? No? It’s sort of textually implied sometimes to be another city, but can it actually be when it’s physically underneath Piltover? Is the metaphor in new lore a class thing, then? Is it both? Am I supposed to take Viktor’s Russian accent into account when reading this text? I don’t know.) Anyways, so far so... same, in the broad strokes. Unless Viktor’s villainy in old lore is specifically because someone from his city ripped him off, I don’t know how you can compare new/old lore and say that old painted him as a villain.

But what about the everything else I put there? We’re getting there - that’s part of Viktor’s in-universe stuff. I’m taking a quick detour out of universe, to Jayce’s very first lore...

Which had Viktor stealing a techmaturgical device from Jayce. While I can’t cite this, sadly - thank you, Riot deleting the old forums and me not having the patience to look through archives at the moment - there was a backlash around this on the forums. Why would Viktor, a character who’d been stolen from, steal in turn? So Jayce’s second lore, the one that most people were familiar with before the new lore update, was made. Now Viktor stole a crystal after trying to partner with Jayce, Jayce was less well-established as an inventor, he had a bit more character... All good things. (Also, this is probably where the new lore direction of them being former college colleagues come from.)

Also, as an aside: this is the first use I can see of crystals specifically being described as arcane power sources... The only other discussion of magical crystals was the Brackern... which was then merged into magical crystals having to be from the Brackern... Which means that...

But anyways! Clearly Viktor fans didn’t see him as a villain in 2012, or at least not one that would victimize others in the same way that he’d been hurt. They made such a fuss about it that Jayce’s lore was changed to paint Viktor more sympathetically! (When’s the last time that there’s been that much backl- oh. It’s Seraphine again. Anyways.) So, again, Viktor’s perception as an evil scientist mostly seems to have come from people who weren’t really familiar with his lore. So... case closed?

Except that I also want to talk about in-universe things! Everything that I told you to put in your back pocket! Because this post is already over a thousand words and I have thrown myself firmly into this vortex.

Viktor’s victimization by society [Joker meme] is actually probably worse in old lore, which is a fact that I think has been pretty overlooked. While new lore Viktor gets kicked back down to Zaun and gets his work stolen in academia - with Stanwick presumably never being questioned on whether or not he made Blitzcrank, because there’s that whole “Zaunites are bad” thread that is both in and out of universe... Old lore Viktor sure does get it worse, although I admit that this requires some interpretation of canon. His thing with Blitzcrank was, again, a “legal maelstrom” - and with Blitzcrank being considered a Zaunite celebrity before this court case, it seems relatively easy/logical to infer that this maelstrom was a very public case.

So all of Zaun gets to see Viktor crash and burn in court. I’d say that’s a bit worse than just academia seeing it, as is the case in new lore.

And then there’s Blitzcrank’s lore flat-out saying that “most now know the truth” about who made him. (While this lore does predate Viktor’s existence - isn’t it odd to think about a Blitzcrank made by a faceless team of generic doctoral students, rather than Viktor... and a faceless team of generic doctoral students? - I see no reason not to take it as canonical for Viktor’s original lore. There’d been minor lore touchups before, so if Riot wanted Viktor’s creation of Blitzcrank to be an unknown... they could have edited Blitzcrank’s lore.) But Viktor’s still on the fringes, and nothing in his lore (which, again, was written years after Blitzcrank’s) seems to acknowledge that by the time he enters the League we have confirmation, date-wise, that it’s been years since the truth came out. (Orianna Judgment, etc.) That’s to say: people knowing that Viktor made Blitzcrank does nothing for him - he gets no apologies or anything like that.

Of course, if you take League lore as happening concurrently and nix the Judgments and the League, I guess that this is tenuous - but working within the framework of when he was released, it seems clear to me that the implication of all this lore is (whether it was intended by Riot to be read this way or not) that no one in Zaun cares that Viktor was stolen from. It’s an open secret. No one’s seeking justice for him. But it gets worse...!

So, it’s generally known that Stanwick didn’t make Blitzcrank by the time that the JoJ is running. And he’s just a professor for most of the run of that part of the lore, until... Issue 27. In which he becomes Chairman Pididly, someone who is now implied to have political power. (I have to assume he gets the position due to the political goodwill from Noxus that his revival of Urgot must have brought Zaun, but that’s just interpretation.) But! Even though most people know that Stanwick didn’t make Blitzcrank - that he stole Blitzcrank - he ends up not losing his university job (he’s still Professor Pididly for most of the JoJ, after all) but... gaining political office!

All of this is to say that Zaun is so crooked that you can have the fact that you stole from someone and ruined their life revealed... and get a promotion to government! You can shatter an idealistic man who had a “hope to better society” and make him into someone like the Machine Herald and face absolutely zero repercussions. I think that that is significantly worse than how new lore Viktor’s victimization by Piltover consisted of an academia-only dispute that left him with just some bitterness... New Viktor was, after all, kicked out of Piltovian academia for ethics violations, not for Blitzcrank.

Everything surrounding old lore Viktor is a bit harder to piece together, since you have to look through a few lores and make a few inferences, which is why I think that people don’t realize exactly how bad he had it... (That and time erasing memories, or people being new to the fandom, or people not being interested in Viktor, or...) But he had it bad, and I’m honestly disappointed that we never got to explore much of Zaun’s particular brand of corporate corruption in canon. Now they’re the perpetual underdogs, both victims and villians, and Riot isn’t quite sure how to write them beyond constant exploitation from Piltover. (Even the chem-barons have taken somewhat of a backseat lately in new lore, from what I’ve seen - Piltover seems to be the primary cause of Zaun’s ills, because the combined region is now an upper city/lower city metaphor about class. The chem-barons just seem to be written as a result of Piltover’s ignoring of Zaun - because Zaun seems to be more of an undercity than a sovereign city or state, but that varies depending on whatever piece of lore you’re reading and... Another post, another time.)

So. TL;DR: Viktor’s always been a character who was victimized by a city, be it Zaun or Piltover. Viktor’s always been a character more complex than just a maniacal villain, although it takes more work to see that in his old lore as compared to his new. (His new pretty much screams “we are trying to make him and Jayce morally grey”, after all.) This victimization is arguably worse in old lore, as it’s implied that he went through a very public legal case that ended with Stanwick taking credit for Blitzcrank. In addition to that, Stanwick’s subsequent shift to politics implies that Zaun is so corrupt that most everyone knowing that he’s a thief isn’t an issue at all. He’s untouchable.

Viktor’s always been the result of an idealistic man being crushed by a society that doesn’t care for him and his dreams. That’s nothing new.

[monomonomagines]

Drp3 boys when there S/o is sick or hurt there leg si badly, also i love You blog x9 OxOx 🧁

Thanks so much for enjoying our blog anon! I’m always happy to hear that you guys are getting as much satisfaction as I am making content. 

Since you requested for either the boys to react to S/o being sick or having a hurt leg I thought that I'd have it vary depending on the boy. That way four deal with a sick S/o and the rest deal with a hurt S/o. If that isn't to your liking feel free to tell me though! Thanks so much for requesting, I hope you enjoy this!

Rantaro

It had been when the two of you went on a hike that you ended up hurting your leg.

You didn't know what had happened at first but the reality that stepping on a rock the wrong way caused you to twist your ankle would soon set in for the both of you.

You were bested by a stone and now your boyfriend needed to help carry you home.

He would gladly of course, but he isn't like Gonta who'd have an easy time with this.

By the time you're both back in his house though he's pretty sweaty and tired but none to worry! He's more worried about you than anything else and will make sure that he can get you into a bed comfortably before leaving to get some medical supplies.

He isn't the best at dressing injuries but he's got enough experience and enough effort to make up for it.

Now he'll wait on you as though he's a worried parent watching over a sick child.

He'll get you anything you want and anything you could need at the drop of a hat.

He wants you to recover as soon as possible and is willing to do whatever it takes to help you out.

Ryoma

Ryoma's always been an anxious person underneath his icy exterior. That much was obvious to you once you were dating.

You had grown to read him pretty well and normally he could do the same with you which is why he gets pretty upset when he doesn't realize you're sick until you end up leaning on him after complaining all day about having a stomach ache.

No wonder you didn't feel good. You were burning up!

As soon as he's able to he'll slip away from your spot in bed or on the coach to get quickly go grab some sick people stuff like a thermometer, medicine, and lots of food that's easy on the tummy.

He'd immediately need to make sure you weren't dying or anything with his nerves so he quickly forces you to let him take your temperature and give you some medicine.

And he'd be willing to do whatever you want to get you to listen. If you want him to do that thing where someone gives you medicine in a kiss, he wouldn't even care as long as he could make sure you're not going anywhere.

Then like with Rantaro he's just waiting on you, making sure you're not doing too badly.

In the end, he might get sick as well though.

Korekiyo

Korekiyo was always particular about practicing some new ritual or seance with you but he never expected one to go so awry.

One moment everything was perfect, you were set up balancing on a small set up he had set down when he turned away and soon heard you come crashing down.

Immediately he whips around and tries to catch you, but he's just too late.

Now not only is his seance ruined but he also hurt you too.

He'll be super bummed out about his seance all day but don't worry! He'll focus on you first. You're his priority in this situation since it was his structure that was unstable.

For now, he was going to help you to a nearby bed to rest before he'd leave to come back with medical supplies and lots of books to read you.

There are a few questionable items he brings that are supposed to help injuries like this according to certain lore but he means well and will spend time with you as though you're holed up in the hospital and not his house.

He does have some experience though, as sad as it is.

Gonta

This sweet baby boy tries his best with being a gentleman but he just couldn't believe he didn't put it together that you were sick until you ended up having a fainting spell.

Gonta knew you felt pretty bad all day and thought that maybe if he took you with him to go bug hunting it'd cheer you.

Only, you can't cheer someone up to get rid of their cold.

He knew that so he felt so guilty and would want to make it up to you.

He'd carry you home, forgetting about meeting any new bug friends, and sets you down in a bed once you're back to his place.

Then he'd ask for advice from his friends before acting. Once he knows what to do he does a great job thanks to all the effort he puts into it.

He's surprisingly more attentive to you than even Ryoma as he never leaves your side other than to get you something.

He'd even sleep next to you just to make sure you don't need him in the night.

Unlike Ryoma though, he somehow by some miracle doesn't get sick from helping out.

Kokichi

It isn't unlikely that dating Kokichi would possibly get you hurt but he never expected it to be from something as simple as missing a step.

Now he's stuck helping you. Tsk tsk, look what you went and did.

As much as he'd love teasing you immediately he isn't that cruel. He couldn't carry you but he's got plenty of people he can contact that can so expect to be carried off back to your place.

Then once you're situated in bed he'd go to tend to your injuries and would be surprisingly good at it.

As soon as he's sure you're all good and patched up though let the teasing commence.

He'd care for you as much as anyone else would but as usual with him, everything would be equally as endearing as annoying.

Maybe try to not get hurt with this one, or else you'll just subject yourself to his ridicule again.

Kaito

To say Kaito is loud is an understatement. Kaito can get so passionate and loud that he can give anyone a headache after enough time.

Normally that didn't bother you in the slightest. You were used to your boyfriend and his loud mouth but today was just not tolerable.

Your head was pounding and by the time you had complained he could tell something was up.

He immediately placed a hand to your head as though to mend your headache when he realized you had an entirely different issue.

Then Kaito's going to tote you off and complain all the way about how you're not taking care of yourself.

He'll plop you down on the couch or bed at your whoever's place is closer and then go to grab some stuff for you from the store.

He wasn't prepared for this at all but he doesn't do half bad attending to you when he's back.

He'll stay by your side as much as Ryoma would out of worry and probably would fall asleep with you without realizing.

Eventually, you'd be better Kaito wouldn't be lucky, coming down with the same sickness himself.

Now it's time for him to act like he's a big baby or he's dying.

At least you can tell him that he didn't take care of himself now.

Kiibo

Kiibo would never intentionally hurt you. He's way too sweet and too weak to possibly pose that much of a threat in the first place but he would blame himself so much just for you tripping over his foot and hurting your leg.

How could he do such a thing!?

He'd try his hardest to guide you to the nearest place to sit while researching the best course of action for your injuries.

Once he's decided on what is the best for you that's when he's frantically leaving to get all the required materials and as equally franticly coming back to start to attend to your injuries.

As soon as he's done with that, then he'll remain by your side as closely as Ryoma and Kaito just not sleeping with you.

He doesn't want to possibly hurt you anymore and would be prepared to do anything to help you feel better.

Shuichi

A lot of the time Shuichi tries to ignore his better intuition due to self-doubt so it's not surprising that he pushed the possibility of you being sick to the back of his mind even after you told him you were having stomach pains.

He just thought maybe it was something way more minor than what he suspected and didn't want to alarm you.

However, as soon as you proceeded to get sick that same day he soon regretted that decision.

He'd be the most distant physically speaking but that doesn't mean he's less attentive than Rantaro or Kiibo.

He's just trying not to catch it so that he doesn't give it back to you. He'd owe you that at least after flubbing things up earlier.

He'd be very attentive the whole time you're bedridden, bringing you whatever you need whenever you need it and offering to go to the store whenever you need more and it'd be pretty effective.

He might not believe in himself but he does know what he's doing would work well for the two of you. You're feeling better and he's not sick either. It’s a win-win situation.

[profoundnet]

Profound Member Post - January 2020

Header by @cryptomoon​ and is available on merch from her redbubble store. You can use all those fancy emojis (and more!) on our Discord server!

The Masterpost is open for all creations by ProfoundBond members which are posted in their entirety during that month.

This months round up is extra special as PB celebrated its 2 year anniversary with a creation birthday bash. You will find submissions for this monumental occasion marked with a 🎂 emoji! Happy Birthday PB and thank you to everyone who makes this server, and our corner of the fandom so great!

MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS FOR JANUARY 2020!

Featuring works by @nox-lee​, @nickelkeep​, @maleyah-givemetomorrow​, @banshee1013​, ArielAquarial, @castielslostwings​, @butterflydreaming-writes-fic​, @goldenraeofsun​, @jemariel​, @surlybobbies​, @blueeyesandpie​, @rauko-creates​, @foxymoley​, @maggiemaybe160​, and, @andimeantittosting​!

Masterpost below the cut.

noxlee - @nox-lee​ - noxlee - (Pillowfort)

Soft (E, 1.7k)

15x10 coda. Dean discovers that his new "normal" extends to his sex life as well. 

Tags: coda, established relationship, mediocre sex

 nickelkeep - @nickelkeep​ - nickelkeep

Tupelo Honey (E, 5.5k) 🎂

When one of his co-workers fall through on a photo shoot, Dean steps up to help out and cover it. Who knew that there was a such thing as a beekeeper's society? And who knew that a gorgeous blue-eyed man would be a beekeeper?

Tags: AU - Modern, Photographer!Dean, Beekeeper!Cas, Nude Photoshoot, Pinups, Cas acts like Endverse!Cas, Semi-Public Sex

Time Alone  (T, 1.9k) 🎂

Dean wants some alone time with Cas. The best way to do that? Find a case and tell Sam and Jack to stay behind.

Tags: Canonverse, Casefic, Salt and Burn, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship, Impala Kisses. 

‘Til I Found Salvation (M, 14k)

Finding your soulmate isn't hard when almost everyone has multiple soulmates; four, five even upwards of seven. It's rare to have only three soul marks and people who only have two? Sucks to be them. And the poor sons of bitches who only have one? They're the unluckiest of all. Dean Winchester knows a thing or two about being unlucky.

Tags: Canonverse, Canon Divergent, Soulmate Marks, Angst with a Happy Ending, Temp. MCD, Whump, Hurt/Comfort

Something to Talk About (T, 5.6k)

Charlie pointed up at her ear. "You don't hear that?"

"Hear what?" Dean closed his eyes and rested for a moment. He realized that music played in the background and started searching for the source immediately. "Wait, is that... Is that Zeppelin playing?

"Bunker, play 'Houses of the Holy,'" Charlie replied, a smirk on her face.

The first few haunting notes of the Zeppelin classic started playing, and Dean's head whipped around in surprise. "Where's that coming from? Did you buy one of those damned Alexa Despacito things for the bunker?"

Tags: Canonverse, AU - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Charlie & Sam ship Destiel, Home Automation, Domesticity in the Bunker, Pranks and Practical Jokes

Balance to the Force (E, 7.5k)

When needing their privacy in open areas, Charlie and Dean have no problem switching to an uncommon language - Sindarin, from Lord of the Rings. But when they start speaking it at Nerd Convention, does Dean bite off more than he can chew?

Tags: AU - Modern Setting, AU - ComicCons, Gratuitous Nerdiness, Polygot!Cas, Language/Accent Kink, Strangers to Lovers

Space Oddity (SFW) 🎂

Art for @maggiemaybe160​‘s fic Space Oddity

Maleyah - @maleyah-givemetomorrow​ - Maleyah

Where the Corporeal and Poetry Meet (E, 3.6k)

Part one of a series of ficlets exploring a season 9 divergence, where Cas is brought back to the Bunker and explores his humanity with Dean. "Straddling him as they make out, Dean whispers the suggestion that night. He binds Castiel’s hands with his own tie, which spikes Castiel’s breathing. He’s sure that if he still possessed his grace, his eyes would light up the dimly lit room in pale blue. His eventual orgasm knocks the breath out of him and it takes a long time to come back down into the safe circle of Dean’s arms.

They take it from there."

Tags: Human!Cas, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, Soft Dom!Dean, Soft sub!Cas, Poetry, Idiots in Love, Domestic Fluff

Where Kinks and Breakfast Meet (M, 3k)

Part two of a season 9 divergence series where Cas gets brought back to the Bunker and explores his humanity with Dean. "But he still wants to engage Cas. Fully. He’s only unwilling to put Cas at a similar risk, despite Cas’ persistent reassurances that his drop was related to the realisation that hit him mid-play. They do further research together. Into shibari. Into bondage. Into subspace. Drops. Both on the Dom and sub’s end. So he realises he suffered one in the wake of their moment and that he went about handling it the wrong way. A few days ago, Dean found a promising list, which he insisted they fill in to avoid a repeat performance. With everything they have been up to, Dean has faith (who knew?) they are compatible, but he wants clarity. He smiles at the feelings that loosens up inside his chest and huffs, rolling his eyes at himself."

Tags: Human!Cas, Kink Negotiation, Domestic Fluff, Soft Dom!Dean, Soft sub!Cas, switching implied, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester

Banshee1013 - @banshee1013​ - Banshee1013

Texas Sun (M, 4k) 🎂

Ever since Cas and Dean tied the knot, they have been driving Sam *insane* with their inappropriately located and utterly spontaneous make-out suggestions. So when he finds them looking at filming locations for the movie "Tombstone" in Arizona, he suggests they take some time (and give him a break!) and road-trip it. Dean plans the route and takes the long way 'round through Texas - all the more time to spend with his angel, and show him some sights along the way.

Tags: Fluff, Road Trips, Sam Winchester is Not Amused, Honeymoon, Grinding, Canon Related, Established Relationship

ArielAquariel - ArielAquariel

Your hand in mine, we walk the miles (E, 11.5k)

With the big day finally there, Dean is more than ready to walk down that aisle and marry Cas.

Tags: Wedding Fluff, Honeymoon, Established Relationship, Alternate Universe, Castiel is Claire Novak's Parent, Fluff, Domestic Fluff

castielslostwings - @castielslostwings​ - castielslostwings

Slide Away (E, 51k)

Since meeting and falling in love in front of the camera a decade ago, movie star Dean Winchester and his husband, celebrity photographer Castiel, have been the media’s darlings. From the outside, it truly appears as if the couple has it all: fame, fortune, fans and most of all, a profound and unshakeable bond that sees them through all the highs and lows. Behind the scenes, everything is not as it seems. Beyond carefully-curated sets of photos and filters, Dean and Castiel have been falling apart for years. Their marriage is essentially over, the latest victim in Hollywood’s merciless grinder. As a last-ditch effort to punch out some positive PR before news of their split breaks, the boys agree to do one last PR stunt—a recreation of the photos that made the world fall in love with them (while they were falling for each other). Will this plan drive their relationship over the edge permanently? Or will Dean and Castiel finally realize that their fans aren’t the only ones who have been fooled by all the smoke and mirrors? Misunderstandings, miscommunication, and mistrust are only the beginning. But if our heroes can push past those mistakes, perhaps they can learn that it's never too late to start all over again.

Tags: Miscommunication, Misunderstanding, Fake Relationship, Idiots back to lovers, Movie Star Dean, Photographer Castiel, Accidental sex tape, divorce, mutual pining, angst with a happy ending. 

looks_clear (chrysalisdreams) - @butterflydreaming-writes-fic​ - looks_clear (chrysalisdreams)

White Light // Black Water (T, 7k)

In 2019, the Baozhu, a pearl that granted the desire of Dean’s heart, changed the timeline from a particular moment in 2003. Dean is hunting alone when events set in motion before that year catch up to him.

Tags: Drowning, Temporary Character Death, Car Accidents, Baby Gets Hurt, Time Travel, Episode Related, Episode S8e12: As Time Goes By, Episode S14e300: Lebanon, Kale!Sam, Alternate Angel Lore

goldenraeofsun - @goldenraeofsun​ - goldenraeofsun

Dean Winchester and the Patron Saint of Blind Dates (T, 18k)

Dean Winchester's friends are a bunch of traitors. So he had a bad breakup two years ago and hasn't gotten back on the horse. Their intervention - a series of blind dates - can't be the solution. But if this'll get his friends to stop, Dean can choke down over-priced spaghetti, make forced conversation, and drink whatever random cocktail the weirdo behind the bar makes for him next. At least Cas has Dean's back. One word from Dean, and he'll make excuses for Dean to bail like a super awkward knight in shining armor.

Tags: Human AU, Bartender Cas, Dean has self-worth issues, minor angst, Benny & Dean friendship, minor Sam/Ruby

jemariel - @jemariel​ - jemariel

Spit-Polish and Shine (E, 1.5k)  🎂

You know how Dean Winchester doesn't wear shorts? Well. Sometimes he does. Unredeemed filthy porn on a car. Prompted by a PB botstat.

Tags:  Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Sex on a Car, Exhibitionism, Masturbation, Anal Sex, Established Relationship, Sam Winchester is Scarred For Life

surlybobbies - @surlybobbies​ - surlybobbies

I Like the Sound of That (T, 1k)

In mid-December, Gabe hangs a sprig of mistletoe in Cas’s foyer. Cas, resisting the temptation to strangle his brother, snaps a picture and sends it to Dean. Take it down or leave it up? Idk dude. U trying to catch someone under there? Cas hedges. I don’t want to kiss anyone who’d only do it because of a plant. Fair enough. Just leave it up tho. U’ll break an ankle climbing up ur rickety ladder. Dw u don’t have to kiss me Cas puts his phone down and doesn’t reply. He indulges in two glasses of wine and valiantly tries to avoid thinking about kissing Dean.

Tags: friends to lovers, christmas fic, fluff, mistletoe, au

Lucky Enough (T, 2.5k)

Dean opened his mouth, ready to argue, but then closed it just as suddenly, deflating. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. “Cas, I don’t mean to be a dick.” “Then stop being one,” Cas said simply, adjusting the blankets around Dean a little more securely. There was a pause. Dean blinked. “You’re supposed to say that I wasn’t being a dick in the first place.” “I dislike lying to you.” Dean scowled. “Why am I your friend?” “Because I spend my holidays looking after you when you’re sick,” Cas said matter-of-factly, reaching out to touch Dean’s forehead. [Dean's sick over the New Year's Eve holiday, but it's fine because Cas has got a bed to share.]

Tags: holiday fic, bed sharing, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, new year's kiss, cuddling

blueeyesandpie - @blueeyesandpie​ - blueeyesandpie

Beginnings (SFW) 🎂

The door to Dean's room in the Bunker, with Cas's tie on the doorknob

Tags: the bunker, pb100, we all know what's happening in there

In the California Sun (SFW)

A commissioned painting for Slide Away of Dean and Cas standing in a pool.

Tags: slide away, commissions, the tension amirite

Commission for Slide Away (SFW)

A commission for Slide Away of Cas running into Dean's arms along a corridor lined with photos of their rekindled romance.

Tags: commission, yay they happy

The Kiss Cam (E, 8k) 🎂

Dean's excited about the tickets he got for the OSU/UofM football match, but his boyfriend Crowley seems intent on ruining the day (and possibly his life) for him. When the kiss cam settles on them and Crowley pushes Dean away, a blue-eyed man they'd met in line is more than happy to fill the void. Loosely based on the headline/prompt "Woman Kisses Man Next to Her on Kiss Cam After Date Snubs Her."

Tags: manipulative crowley, non-explicit dean/crowley, minor sabriel, strangers to lovers, angst and fluff and e-rated shenanigans, NOT a sports story, pb birthday bash, collaboration

Say It Straight (T, 1.7k) 🎂

Something went wrong in that milk run to Kentucky, but neither Dean nor Cas want to explain what happened. When the truth does come out, it isn't at all what Sam expected...though really, why should he be surprised? 

Tags: PoV: Sam Winchester, Sam ships it, Idiots to Lovers, Canonverse, drinking to cope, PB Bot Prompts, first time, no spoilers past season 13

rauko-creates - @rauko-creates​ - FeaRauko

Sing Love (T, 2.7k)

Castiel comes back from a grocery run with Sam and overhears Dean singing in the shower. ***or*** That one where Castiel finds out that Dean might love him too.

Tags: canonverse, singing, idiots in love, first kiss, fluff, some angst, love confessions

foxymoley - @foxymoley​ - foxymoley

Hell’s Companion (G, 350 words)

This is for saltnhalo's birthday!

It's hard to write for someone so talented but I scoured PB for any prompts she had shown an interest in and apparently she 'needed this'! Lol So here we are!

Prompt by Sky: You’ve heard of witch!cas and familiar!dean now consider this upgrade to demon!cas and hellhound!dean - hellhounds, of course, having a secret human form in this au.

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Demon Castiel, Hellhound Dean, non-explicit/implied torture of random unnamed demon, mention of Boy King Sam

Roll for Dragons (T, 2.8k) 🎂

Dean is offered up as a sacrifice by his corrupt hometown. Written for jdragon as part of the Profoundbond birthday bash.

Tags: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury, Jo Harvelle, Dragons, Alternate Universe - Historical

Mithril (G, 1k) 🎂

Dean makes an interesting discovery in a bunker storeroom so he and Sam perform some experiments.

Tags: Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Weapons, The Lord of the Rings References, Men of Letters, Bunker, Soft!Dean

MaggieMaybe160 - @maggiemaybe160​ - MaggieMaybe160

Birthday Wishes (M, 3.5k)

Dean recalls his past birthdays before going out to celebrate his 41st.

Tags: Graphic Violence Warning. Heavy Angst. Anti-John Winchester.

Broken (M, 700 words)

Dean snaps out of a dreamlike state and found he's made a huge mistake and it's Zachariah's fault. All part of a plan to get him to say yes to Michael.

Tags: Graphic Violence Warning. Major Character Death Warning. Heavy Angst.

Demon Deals and Prayers to Angels (T, 4.5k) 🎂

Dean makes a deal with a demon so he can go back in time and change the future.

Tags: Major Character Death Warning. Heavy Angst.

Sleep Oddity (T, 1.5k) 🎂

Based on a prompt: "I just want to go home," said the astronaut. "So come home," said Ground Control. "So come home," said a voice from the stars.

Tags: Major Character Death Warning

Falling (T, 2k) 🎂  

Cas remembers all of the times that Heaven was against he and Dean getting together, and the repeated times he didn't care.

Tags: Graphic Violence Warning. Happy Ending. 

Memories on Display (T, 2k) 🎂

Cas is in shock after a battle and is going through memories to try to cope with loss.

Tags: Major Character Death. Grief.

andimeantittosting - @andimeantittosting​ - andimeantittosting

On a Breath of Snow (G, 4.5k)

Once, Castiel, Duke of Rexford, gave up the love of his life in the name of duty and honour. He has dedicated his life to raising his son Jack. Now, a fierce snowstorm brings Dean, Viscount Winchester back into his life on Christmas Eve. And as North Cove Castle's fires burn warm and festive, so do Dean and Castiel’s feelings of hope.

Tags: Regency AU, Getting back together, Christmas, Alternate history

[captainsuke]

had to make a choice that was not mine (had to say goodbye for the last time)

The first thing he finds, when he’s finally stopped, no more flights no more buses, taxis or any sort of movement, just him and an empty cheap hotel room, what he finds is two hundred grand packed into the bottom of his backpack and he is so mad.

That’s so illegal, he thinks wildly before laughing himself sick. Like he’s not in a foreign country traveling under a passport that’s definitely not bearing his name, like he’s not on the run from the law, like what is one more law broken?

Still. Jesus Christ Deran.

He finds the phone eventually, underneath it all. Stares at it for a long time after. Has to stop himself from hurling it against a wall.

The first time Deran calls, the first time the phone rings, he almost doesn’t answer it.

But he does. Presses the little green button, puts it to his ear and hangs up at the sound of Deran’s voice.

Then immediately regrets it. Then doesn’t. Then does again. Adrian doesn’t know.

The phone sits quiet for an hour, for two. It’s just past lunch time which makes it late in the night yesterday back in Oceanside, Adrian can picture the scene vividly. Deran keeping his insomnia company, smoking and holding his phone tight. Then it rings again.

This time he picks up.

Adrian doesn’t give him time to talk, says some things he doesn’t mean, a lot of things, says all the words that have been brewing in his chest, and Deran stays silent through out his entire tirade.

When he’s done, angrily heaving breaths, Deran just asks are you okay?

“Can you do anything if I’m not?”

Deran’s silent for a long time, long enough that Adrian thinks maybe he’s going to hang up. That he’s finally said the thing that makes him hang up.

But he does answer. Eventually. A quiet broken no.

The truth doesn’t make him feel any better. But it does make him feel something.

He doesn’t hang up next time Deran calls.

The third, fourth, fifth calls go like that, Deran listening to Adrian’s words, Adrian listening to the sound of Deran’s breathing,

The change of breath when something he says lands particularly hard.

The next call, he’s tired, he misses home and his sister and Deran, their house on the beach, their main surfboards leaning up next to each other, Deran’s pile of stupidly expensive skate shoes that they would both trip over at the door.

He’s lonely and tired and he just doesn’t have any stories to tell, can’t think of anything to say, doesn’t want to be the one talking today.

“What’s up with you?”

He swears he can hear Deran shrug even as he says nothing.

“No, come on man, this doesn’t work if it’s just me. It’s not just me, right?”

Deran makes a noise that Adrian hopes is him agreeing, then, finally, he speaks.

“Right, okay, okay, uhh, Pope and J are getting along? I think?”

“That’s… good?” Adrian never had much to do with Julia’s kid; doesn’t have many memories of him from when they were kids and J was toddling around the Cody house, has just the handful of times he’s been around since he came back, since Adrian and Deran got together.

(and fell apart, fuck, they’d never had any time, Adrian thinks, like star crossed lovers if he’s feeling melodramatic, cursed if he’s feeling worse. Their timing sucked from day one but sometimes it seemed like the entire universe was conspiring to make everything turn to shit, to make little mistakes and minor problems into fleeing the country and losing everything. It’s not fair.)

“Man, I don’t even know.” Deran says, but he kind of chuckles afterwards. Like maybe it wasn’t all that bad. Or maybe he’s just laughing because it doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, everything just keeps happening and they’re just trying to keep above water now.

After that it’s easier. Or something like easy. Some days Adrian talks about shit he sees, the tourists he’s overcharging to learn how to surf, the little kids that he borrows boards to when the weather gone bad and business is slow. The grandmother a couple of houses down that is always pushing food on him. She calls him Silly Boy with a fond voice, but Adrian doesn’t tell Deran that.

Other days Deran talks around stuff at home. Meanders around topics like he can’t keep his attention on any one thing. Like maybe he’s avoiding topics he thinks Adrian doesn’t want to hear about. Or things he doesn’t know how to talk about.

He says Craig’s gotta dad now, then talks about Renn introducing Nic to the ocean for an hour.

Smurf’s shrine keeps coming back he says, and Adrian remembers the pile of flowers and candles that Deran had stared long and hard at with red rimmed eyes, sitting uninvited on the side walk outside The Drop. Then he spends the rest of the phone call talking about two of his bartenders trying to pretend they’re not dating, when everyone knows they totally are.

“What do people think happened?” He asks one time, what do his friends think, his sister? The guys they’d surf with, Adrian’s regular customers, the random people who’d come up to him sometimes, who liked having a pro surfer give them advice on surfboards. What do they think happened to him?

“Ah. Ha,” It’s a weird laugh, amused, but not in a good way. “Most people think I killed you.”

Oh.

“Wow,” is what he ends up saying. Very carefully doesn’t say you did.

Which.

He doesn’t know how he feels about that. Maybe a week ago he would have said it. When he first got here he definitely would have, would have yelled it, and maybe would have found other words to throw, to hurt.

He’s not sure how he feels about the change. It’s not bad, he thinks. Maybe it’s not bad that he’s not so angry anymore. Even if it leaves only sadness behind.

He misses Deran.

Misses the quiet shyness that only he got to see. Misses the way he’d hold his head, mouth twisting into a cocky grin, eyes searching for Adrian’s because Deran always wanted Adrian to be watching. Fuck, he misses his quiet frustrated sighs. God, how can Adrian miss the look on Deran’s face when things got too much? The careful blank expression and forced stillness, fuck, he misses the bad as much as the good.

“Today is the worst.” Deran announces at the start of one call, sounding funny, like he’s speaking face down on a bed, but there’s the sound of him shifting constantly, his breath making small noises of hurt.

“You okay?”

“Some asshole prepper named Thor broke like half my ribs, so congratulations I hate those movies now too.”

“I don’t know, I kind of liked those movies,” Adrian retorts just to hear Deran make an offended noise. “All that long blond hair.”

“Yeah, well this guy was a cueball, plus he’s my cousin, well, Pope’s cousin, so there’s that.”

“Wow, okay, what?” The Cody’s don’t have family. It’s one of the weirdest thing about their fucked up family lore. Old lady Smurf just appearing out of no where, all of her sons without fathers, just another way to keep them stuck to her. (She’s dead, he tells himself, like crossing himself, sometimes he just has to say it out loud. Smurf is dead. It still doesn’t feel real.)

“Yeah they’re fitting right in, they might actually have shittier genes than us.”

“What happened?”

“Hit me with his fucking car.”

“Are you okay?” Adrian worries and Deran laughs with a hitching breath.

“Hey, you know me, I hood surfed that bitch easy.”

“Yeah? How’d you break the ribs then?”

Silence

“Didn’t stick the landing?” Adrian teases.

“Not even a good attempt man.” There’s humor in Deran’s voice at least.

“Gotta work on that.”

Deran laughs his wounded laugh and Adrian’s hands ache where they’re wrapped around the phone.

Adrian can hear a baby crying in the background, making it hard to hear the words Deran’s mumbling in his ear.

“Deran where are you?”

He doesn’t answer but there’s the sound of a door sliding open, then closed, and Adrian can hear the ocean in the background instead of a baby’s cry.

Deran doesn’t say anything.

“You should go home.”

Deran clears his throat with a swallow that sounds wet and Adrian hates that he made that happen. He’s not an idiot. Adrian didn’t look back when he walked away from Deran leaving him at the pier. But he did when he was in the car, when they drove away and all that was in the rear view was a man curled in on himself on the ground with shaking shoulders. He knows he’s not the only one that died a little that last night in Oceanside. No matter how angry he is at Deran at any time Adrian hates when he cries. Probably hates it more than Deran himself hates it. And fuck he hated crying. When he’d been a kid he’d hold his breath til he was red in the face just trying to stop hiccuping breaths from exposing him. Not that it mattered, Deran’s face is the type that all but shouted from the rooftops if he was even adjacent to tears.

“I’m making Craig pay for all the big brother bullshit I’ve had to do for the last ten years.” Deran says instead.

Adrian lets him have his deflection. Tries not to think about their house sitting empty and abandoned, while Deran couch surfs or – god forbid – moves back into his bar’s crawl space.

Not often, but sometimes it’s a lot of silence and very few words. But those words carry a lot more weight.

Adrian watches the waves rolling in, brightly colored swimsuits bobbing in the blue, phone to his ear as he listens to that familiar breathing, the wind and the crashing of waves half a world away.

“I miss you.” It’s said now, out loud with no chance of taking it back. “Even when I hate you, I miss you.”

Adrian can hear the slosh of liquid, Deran swallowing, the clink of glass against glass.

“I know I tried to say it, but I never said it.” Adrian says, even now skirting around the real words. (I love you)

Deran doesn’t say anything for a very long time, just the two of them listening to each other’s wet breathing, pretending that they’re both holding it together. When Deran does speak his voice cracks.

“I want you here, I don’t, I can’t -” Deran cuts off like he’s choking. “I keep forgetting you’re not coming back.”

Adrian doesn’t think that’s what he was going to originally say, but he lets it go. There’s things he’s tried to say, words that circle around in his head but catch in his throat. They’ve never been much good at talking, these past months is probably the most they’ve spoken since they were idiot kids wanting to spill every thought and secret to the other. As though if nothing was between them, nothing could tear them apart.

Their style of comfort - their type of communications - has nearly always been in presence and touch; Adrian with his never ending patience, his ready comfort that tied no strings, and Deran always in Adrian’s corner, always standing behind him, ready with words and fists.. They really had made a great pair, even if time had torn them apart, turned those kids into something almost unrecognizable.

Adrian leans back in his deck chair, bites into brightly colored fruit that’s even sweeter than it’s bright skin would suggest. Juice runs down his fingers and in the background kids scream and squeal as waves break against them. He’ll have to go back to work soon, feeling drained and washed out, conversations like this don’t belong in a bright day, with the heavy air and warm sun. Adrian would kill to be back on his shitty couch, Deran’s head in his lap, but the thought just makes him ache.

He has to go back to work.

There’s still questions he tries to ask.

When-? Will-? Can I ever come home?

But not everything is easier to say like this. So, yet again, things go unsaid.

He rings Deran one night – his night – when the walls are closing in, when the noises of tourists get drunk in the streets makes him want to curl up and die, or go out there and get drunker and do something real fucking stupid.

“I’m sorry, you know? I know, I, I fucked up this time.”

“Don’t, you know, just don’t with that shit.” Deran’s voice starts sharp then goes thin and small. “If anything, you know it was me, I fucked up. “

It’s easier, which is fucked up Adrian knows – he knows – but it’s easier to talk like this, where the only hard part is the days when things have gone wrong, when Deran’s voice is strained and hurt, Adrian aches with loneliness so hard that he feels physically destroyed, and Adrian has to curl around the phone in his hand to stop himself from buying a plane ticket and forcing Deran to come be with him.

“You’re not the only one that fucked up this time.”

He wonders where Deran is, the nights Deran rings he can hear the bar, or a brother, or something that he can recognize. All he can hear now is the generic sound of traffic, Deran’s shoe scuffing against the ground in a continuous rhythmic noise, maybe the murmur of voices in the distance.

“I think you’ve got some credit in the fucking up department.” Deran’s tone goes dry, like he thinks the idea that Adrian should take any of the blame is hilarious.

“That’s not how it works, Deran.”

Adrian hears the distinct bark of Pope’s voice, the words lost though the angry tone remains. Deran sighs but doesn’t answer his brother.

“Try and get some sleep Adrian,” he says.

As Deran hangs up, Adrian can hear the snarl of words not meant for him, the maybe sound of a scuffle. He doesn’t sleep for a long time, but he doesn’t go out. Doesn’t do anything stupid. That’s got to count for something.

Sometimes it’s just Deran talking shit, half formed sentences and thoughts and all Adrian needs to do is make the occasional hum and Deran will keep talking, and for awhile Adrian gets to feel like maybe it’s not all bad. But sometimes he says something important in the constant stream of words.

“Wait, did you, are you saying I could come home?”

Deran’s silent for a very long time. Like maybe he didn’t mean to say anything.

“Deran. Talk to me. Tell me.” Adrian takes a deep breath, tries not to feel anything. “Even if it sucks, you gotta tell me.”

Deran stays silent for a little while longer, but Adrian knows Deran needs time; he doesn’t know how to say things sometimes, it’s half their problems, their inability to say the things they think.

“Okay,” Deran finally says with a shuddering breath. “You’re right. It’s weird, Oceansides weird now, man. A whole lotta Smurf’s old contacts have been coming out. Since she, you know, since she’s been gone.”

Adrian makes a noise to let him know he’s still listening, hating the way Deran’s voice hesitates unsure talking about his mother. He doesn’t know what exactly went down when Smurf died. Not exactly. Knows just enough to know it was bad. Really bad. That Smurf had gone out of her way to fuck up her kids just that little bit more on her way out. Part of him wants Deran to feel like he can talk about anything with him. The rest of him wants to never hear her mentioned again, unless its a plan to dig her up and set her on fire for all the shit she’s put all them all through. For the shit that’s still tearing them apart even now she’s gone.

“People we never even knew existed. And they want, you know, the usual bullshit, money, favors, chance to say they screwed over the Cody’s.” He sounds bitter as he says it, like he’s continuously disappointed by the criminals he deals with.

“Deran.” Adrian says, trying to pull him back to focus, Deran will bitch about assholes for hours if he got started.

“There’s this fed.” Deran blurts out. “Crooked as fuck, dirty, you know? But he says. He says your deal should have stuck, like you held your end, feds should have held up theirs.”

“What’s he want?” Adrian asks, because they always want something, and he might not be able stop Deran from doing something stupid, but he can at least know what the cost was.

“Same shit, I guess.” Deran answers.

“Deran…”

“I didn’t want to get your hopes up. I don’t know what he wants. How long it’ll take.” Deran says it like he doesn’t care, like it doesn’t matter what the crooked fed asks for, like it was a done deal as soon as he knew what sort of currency was required.

It reminds Adrian of a conversation weeks ago, a short one where Deran’s voice had been half slurred with alcohol or lack of sleep (or both)

You don’t know what I’ve done, I’ve done things. Way I am now, you don’t want me anywhere near you.

And he didn’t have anything to say to it back then, doesn’t know what to say now. He doesn’t know how he feels about the fact that part of him screams I don’t care! that whatever Deran’s done doesn’t matter to him.

He’s fucked, he’s known that since he was fifteen and the two of them had nursed bloody noses and black eyes behind the bleachers at school, fucked since Deran had leaned over his bar and said you made it clear you didn’t want to hear from me with a smile on his face, like it was okay if the past was all they ever got to have.

It’s been half a year and Deran left him to fend for himself in a foreign country and Adrian still wants to know how he’s doing, still wants nothing bad for the idiot, wants to go back to those nights when Deran was relaxed enough to let Adrian wrap his arms around him, to curl around him til there wasn’t any space between the two of them.

Something that feels like it could be hope starts growing, like the unfurling petals of a flower slowly blossoming in his chest.

Adrian’s so fucking gone on this idiot that the only thing that makes all of this remotely okay, is that maybe – just maybe – Deran’s just as lost on him.

[boozergray]

Okay so I finished Assassin’s Creed II yesterday in the wee hours of the morning (and reminded myself that I’m officially too old to be staying up till like 3 in the morning playing video games when I have to work the next day) and I have some thoughts.

tldr: AC2 was really good, I loved the story even though some of the game mechanics made me want throw my controller across the room, Ezio is a total babe and I love him, Leonardo is his boyfriend don’t @ me, I had Federico for five minutes and fell in love and immediately got my heart broken when he was killed, all of the lore with the Pieces of Eden and the First Civilization was super cool, I love Desmond with all my heart (partly because it’s Nolan North and he’s a gem), and Lucy’s smile haunts my nightmares (I’m sorry but with the graphics for the game her mouth just looks kind of weird on her face like it’s disproportionate and it’s bad and I cringe so hard).

A little background (because if I’m going to ramble, I’m gonna make it thorough) I don’t have a ton of experience with the whole Assassin’s Creed franchise. Eons ago I played a tiny bit of Black Flag when I was dating some guy who’d just gotten the game. And then when I got my PS4 in 2018 I picked up a copy of Syndicate because it was on sale at GameStop and I love me some Victorian England and the guy who worked there said I didn’t need to have played the others to play that one. And then when Odyssey came out, the part of me that’s been obsessed with Greek mythology for the past seventeen years went crazy. I have owned these three games and played them sporadically but had never beaten any of them. Then I hopped on eBay the other night looking for used copies of games to buy and somehow I wound up buying just about every game in the franchise that I didn’t already have (except for the first game because I don’t have a PS3 or an Xbox 360 and I’m garbage at playing games on the computer and also I didn’t get Rogue because for some reason it was like still hella expensive compared to the others). But so I got all the others games and decided to go back to the beginning and play everything in release order. Which obviously makes a lot of sense for the Desmond storyline because those definitely should be played in order in my opinion. And yes, I have gone on YouTube and like watched all the story stuff for the first game and Altaïr’s history and how Desmond wound up at Abstergo because I know how important it is to that whole arc.

Okay into the actual opinions and all that jazz.

POSITIVES: The whole Italian Renaissance setting is just *chef’s kiss* perfection. I love it – the architecture and the atmosphere and the art you can buy and the historical figures you can meet. It’s all so much fun. Leonardo DaVinci was my fave because he’s obviously a total cutie and gets so excited over every little thing you bring him. (Also, I 100% believe Mama Auditore made Ezio tag along to meet him because she knew they’d be adorable together and you can’t convince me otherwise.) I love how the game follows Ezio’s life and all the ups and downs over the span of like twenty years. I’m pretty sure this is the first game I’ve played where you get that much of a character’s life in one game. You get to see him start off as this dumbass fun loving teen who just wants to have fun and then watch him grow to the man who could take on one of the most powerful figures of the time. The entire Auditore family is too precious and I love them all. I was extremely bummed out with how quickly we lost Federico considering how quickly I fell in love with him. The whole story of vengeance and wanting to make everyone who hurt your family pay is something that just hits so many emotional points and watching Ezio go from his initial blind fury to piecing together this bigger conspiracy that he’s thrown into and then having that desire to be done with all his anger and rage that’s been fueling him for so long is just such a rollercoaster. The modern day sections with Desmond and the team are just as interesting and I love how we get to see the effects he’s dealing with from spending so much time in the Animus. The way they did the bleeding effect and the whole dilemma of just how this is going to affect his mental stability in the long run is kind of scary.

NEGATIVES: The parkour got incredibly frustrating at times. Maybe I’m just a bad gamer, maybe it’s just the age of the game really showing, but there were times when I wanted to throw my controller across the room. The assassin tombs were particularly frustrating not to mention any mission that involved having to chase a character who was going up and down to different levels. It took me a while to get a handle of the hidden gun but even once I did it still was more frustrating than helpful a lot of times. The lack of a real stealth mechanic outside of just getting out of the line of sight or blending in with a group of people was super annoying the more stealth missions they threw my way. A lot of the graphics haven’t aged well as far as character design goes – basically every woman looked kind of cringey to me when you got up close and personal.

There’s probably a million more things that I could say but that’s it for now. I’ve started playing Brotherhood which I’m enjoying so far and I’m looking forward to going through all of Ezio’s story.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Wan High Weeping (Part 24)

Aang threw a sheet over his head. Toph had told him to go to the party without her, but he didn’t anticipate going so he didn’t have a costume. So sheet ghost it was. Haru, Teo, and Long-Shot would be there so he wouldn’t be totally alone. He removed the sheet once more, frowned, and flopped into a sitting position on the edge of his bed. On one hand, this party would be an opportunity to meet hot, hopefully caring and accepting guys. On the other hand, he was supposed to be tag-teaming it with Toph wearing the most kick-ass costumes they could. That would have really helped considering he was a marshmallow the rest of the year.

 More than that he worried about Toph. Over the phone she made it sound like she was never going to see again. He hoped that she was just being uncharacteristically dramatic. But he had that feeling in his tummy. The uneasy one. He swore that he had some type of sixth sense.

Evidently. he also got the same feeling when thinking about the party.

 But he already promised Katara and Suki that he would tag along, and from the sound of it Sokka would be there too. He didn’t want to miss a chance to catch up with Sokka. He looked at the sheet again. Maybe, just maybe, if he searched the basement hard enough, he would find a costume worth wearing.

 Hopefully it would go better than the last party he had attended. If it didn’t, he vowed to never go to another party again. He twiddled his thumbs nervously; this would be the first time he would ever sneak out of his home. He couldn’t afford to think about it too much, he was already feeling guilty and he hadn’t even done it yet. His foster family had been so nice to him, his foster mom especially and he was about to go behind her back for a stupid party.

 He tried to rationalize; he wasn’t actually sneaking out. He had told her that he would be going out. But he had told her that he’d be trick-or-treating with Toph and Katara.

He wasn’t sneaking he was…fibbing.

A small, teeny, little fib.

That was all.

 He sends Katara a quick text. ‘Are we still meeting up for the party?’

 She took a little while to respond. ‘I guess, but only because Sokka and Suki are going.’ The dots disappear and reappear. ‘I probably won’t stay long though.’ That was find by him, he hadn’t exactly planned on staying long, himself. He’d probably just say hi to Sokka and Suki, have a few Halloween treats, and head home.

 .oOo.

 He had nothing even remotely worth wearing to the party so he stuck with the sheet. He flung it over his head and heads out, at the very least he could hide under it and pretend to be anyone but him. He paused and ran back inside to dress himself in a festive shirt—a simple t-shirt with a friendly looking ghost. He wanted to wear a Halloween-themed shirt, just in case he got tired of wandering around in a sheet.

 It would seem that he had good timing because his foster mother called up, “Aang, your friend is here!”

 He rushed down to greet Katara. She looked perfectly stunning, her hair was braided and beaded with shells and faux pearls woven into it. She wore a skirt that billowed out like mermaid fins and shimmered when caught in the light. “Where are the other two?” He paused before deciding to add, “you look nice today!”

 “Thanks.” She smiled. “They’re going to meet us there.” And then with a chuckle she said, “I think that the sheet ghost get up really suits you, it’s cute and a classic.”

 .oOo.

 He had to admit, the party scene was already rather overwhelming, it was only just started and the house was brimming to the ceiling with people, most of whom he’d never seen before. The entire block must have been invited and then some. No wonder he and Wan High’s other nerds were so easily able to get in. But then, even if the place wasn’t over-crowded he couldn’t see Chan passing on an opportunity to humiliate or mock them. And a party was the perfect place to watch the socially inapt stumble around.

People aside, the music was already much too loud. Granted, he was a fan of the Monster Mash, so he might be able to get used to it. It certainly was better than the overly sexual or overly violent themes of rap and pop. It was also better than the fury and volume of rock and metal.

 Next to him, Katara sighed. “What am I doing here?” She was preaching to the choir. “I can’t believe I let Suki talk me into this. We could have been at home watching Halloween specials.”

 “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind going trick-or-treating with my foster siblings.”

 “Oh, Aang, I wish you would have told me that! I totally would have ditched the love birds to help you watch the kids.”

 Aang gave a lopsided smile. “Sorry, Kat, I didn’t think about it.” Truth be told he was thinking more with his manhood than anything else. He was tired of being one of Wan High’s only students who’d never had a date.

One way or another, tonight would be a game changer for him.

 Aang did a sweep of the party crowd, he spotted the usual attendees; Usha and her clique were dressed as sexy kitties. Jet and his posse took the zombie route. Though, he thought that jailbird costumes would suit them much better. And of course, Chan and his team. Chan himself was a suave vampire in an elaborate tuxedo. It was a little cliché, but at least it wasn’t downright offensive like the rest of his group’s were.  Each and every one of them was dressed in drag; horribly stereotyped and poorly rendered parodies of it anyways.

The three groups gathered in the center of the room.

 Aang averted his attention and spied TyLee in a cute bumblebee costume standing near the concession stand with Mai. He couldn’t tell what she was supposed to be, but he thought that it might have been some sort of Victorian noble. No less, he couldn’t help but smile at the apparent re-connection. It took him a while to pick out more familiar faces amid the crowd. But then, with an ounce of overwhelming dread, he noticed Hide standing by the DJ stand—likely requesting an awful hip-hop number that wouldn’t fit the holiday at all. He cringed, it would seem that there would be a road block after all and suddenly is thankful for his generic ghost costume.

 He spotted Azula too. She was standing on the side of the room opposite to the concession stand. Despite it all, he was curious about her costume. Usually she had the best one. But this year was different. There was nothing elaborate about it and he was left to assume that she had thrown it together just as last minute as he had selected his sheet ghost costume. This year she was dressed as a demon, it was cool enough, but it was missing the flare she usually added.

What truly caught his eye was who she had come to the party with. Teo smiled up at her. Aang thought that his costume was rather creative; he was an aviator and his wheel chair was made to look like an airplane.

 But what Aang didn’t see the person he had come there for. Suddenly, it occurred to him that he was looking in the wrong places. Moo-Chee liked hanging out in the corner, mostly alone, but sometimes with Mai or some of the other goth kids.

 He shifted his gaze to the corner in question. There he was. Dark, brooding, alluring Moo-Chee. He stood there with his arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face. No one could possibly be cooler than Moo-Chee. If he could score even one point with him tonight, his place on the social ladder could change.

He wasn’t sure if Moo-Chee liked guys, but if school lore was to be listened to, then Aang just might have a chance.

 “You find Suki and Sokka?” Katara asked.

 Aang jumped. “What? Oh! No, not yet.”

 To his dismay, Katara followed his line of sight. “Him? He’s the guy you’re shooting for tonight? What about Haru? Haru is a good guy. Long Shot?”

 “They’re nice, but I don’t know, I think that they’re just friends. I wouldn’t want to make things weird between us.”

 “I guess. But, ‘The Dark One’? Oooo.” She wriggled her fingers.

 Aang nudged her, “I want to give him a chance.”

 “Sorry, I just didn’t realize you were into bad boys.”

 “I had a little crush on Zuko, remember?”

 “We all remember that.” Chan remarked as he passed by. “Why aren’t you dressed as a fairy?”

 “Because it’s Halloween!” Hide shouts from afar. “You’re supposed to dress up as something you aren’t already.”

 “Don’t listen to them, you’re going to find a great guy tonight. Even if Moo-Chee doesn’t work out.” Katara quietly reassured him.

 He sure hoped so, because his night certainly wasn’t starting right. He let Katara lead him over to the chocolate fountain. “We can wait here, Sokka usually goes right to the food.” She remarked. She picked up a pretzel and dipped it into the chocolate. “Suki is going to love these.”

 Aang picked his way through the table until he found the fruits and vegetables until he acquired himself a healthy platter of them. A task made harder by the drag of his sheet, every now and again he’d accidently knock something to the floor.

 Out of nowhere Katara jerked and grabbed his arm, “come on Aang, lets go see if we can catch Sokka and Suki before they get into the house. Might be easier, ya know?” She asked.

 “Oh, yeah, sure.” He didn’t particularly want to risk losing sight of Moo-Chee, but then again, he couldn’t imagine Moo-Chee actually leaving the corner.  He looked over Katara’s shoulder, nothing seemed amiss. He wondered if the spookiness of the season was finally getting to her. He gave the crowd another look and caught sight of a certain zombie merging himself back into it. “Are you sure it’s safe to be here?”

 “I’ll be fine. I have…I’m going to have Sokka and there are so many people here.” Katara promised, but the way she wrapped her arms around herself wasn’t even slightly reassuring. “Besides, I can’t just let him scare me away from everything, right? I have to live my life. If I let him take over every part of my life, then he wins.”

 Aang shifted nervously, he wasn’t so sure. But she sounded so confident…and he was known for being timid and shying away from things. “If you say so.” Trying to break the tension he offered her a cupcake.

 “No thanks, I’m not in the mood for sweets right now.”

 Aang shrugged and scarfed it down.

 He heard a soft tsking. “I come all the way back here from college and you don’t even offer me a cupcake!” Sokka shook his head. Immediately he burst out laughing and slung an arm over Aang’s shoulder and he had to laugh too. Soon Katara and Suki were snickering as well. “Good to see you again, Aang!”

 “How’s the party going?” Suki asked.

 “I guess it’s okay as far as a Chan party goes.” Aang said, trying to push Hide’s petty remark out of his mind.

 “Jet is here.” Katara noted and Sokka’s expression darkened.

 “Don’t worry, he’s been keeping his distance.” Katara stated. “Anyways, Aang, tell them who you’re making a move for.”

 Aang’s face flushed.

 .oOo.

 “No really, I’ll be alright, I’ll just stick close to Sokka and TyLee.” Katara smiled. “Go get him, Aang.”

 Aang blushed, had she really caught him staring? A moment of thinking told him that he had made it pretty obvious. “You sure, Katara?”

 “Yes, Aang!” She urged. “I don’t want to ruin your shot because I’m being paranoid. I haven’t seen a sign of Jet since we spotted him by the concessions. Maybe he finally found a hobby.”

 That sounded like wishful thinking to him. But then again, Jet might be taking a break from his antics to enjoy the party scene. “Are you sure you’re sure?”

 Katara rolled her eyes. “Are you stalling?”

“What!? No!”

 She gave him another nudge. “Then go get him.”

 He hesitated for a moment before shooting her a beaming smile. Now that he had her go ahead, he could take a shot. He took a deep breath and headed towards Moo-Chee’s corner. It was the very same one he had inhabited at the last party. But the closer he got to Moo-Chee, the queasier his stomach felt. He almost wished that Katara hadn’t granted him permission.

 “Hi, how’s the corner?” He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

 “Who are you?”

 Aang chuckled nervously. “Oh, right, forgot…” He pulled the sheet off of his head.

 “Oh. Aang.” Moo-Chee muttered. “You having a good time?” Aang was almost certain that he was only asking out of courtesy alone.

 “It would be better if Toph were here.” He replied. “But, I guess this has been one of Chan’s better parties so far.”

 “That’s true.” Moo-Chee agreed. “This one isn’t as noisy.”

 Aang begged to differ but he agreed anyhow. “So uh…your name is Moo-Chee, right? I’m Aang.”

 “That’s, The Dark One’, to you.” Moo-Chee corrected with an edge. “Never. Call. Me. Moo-Chee.”

 Aang flushed, he wished that he hadn’t removed the sheet. How had he forgotten to use Moo-Chee’s nickname? “S-sorry. I’m uh. I’m just a little nervous because I. Because I haven’t been to a party like this in a while. And Toph was kinda, sorta, supposed to help me through this.” Now he was rambling.

 Moo-Chee sighed. “Forgiven, just don’t do it again.”

 “So, how does bobbing for apples sound?” Aang asked.

 “Perfectly awful.”

 “Oh. Okay. How about, the pinata?”

 “I hate candy.”

 “We can join the costume party.”

 That time Moo-Chee scoffed. “This isn’t a costume, this is my lifestyle.”

 “Oh really? Because it could be a really cool vampire hunter costume. Or that steampunk stuff.” Frankly, Aang thought that he was going for the industrial metal look. Moo-Chee frowned so Aang attempted to save himself. “It’s a cool lifestyle.”

 “I know.” Moo-Chee replied.

 “Do you want to leave the corner?”

 “Not, at all.” He grumbled. “But I will

 .oOo.

 Aang did another sweep of the room. He caught sight of Katara conversing with Mai and TyLee. He couldn’t seem to find Suki and Sokka anywhere. He supposed that they would have to meet up after the party. If he were being honest, he kind of wanted to reunite right then. Moo-Chee was sucking the life out of him. He was undeniably hot, but he was so bleak.

 He had been trying to make conversation with him for well over an hour and it seemed that he kept stumbling upon all of the wrong things. He learned the hard way that, ‘goths don’t cut themselves, that’s what emo’s do’ and ‘no goth and emo are not the same, emos are whiney and give the scene a bad rep’. Shortly after he learned that all of the bands he thought Moo-Chee would be into were ‘poser favorites’.

 But for some reason Moo-Chee still engaged in conversation. Aang took a breath and then a sip of his vampire’s brew, the fruit punch was sweet on his tongue. Maybe he was overthinking things, maybe he was just trying to teach Aang about his lifestyle in his own Moo-Chee way.

 Eventually, Aang decided to take a different approach and talk about his interests. All of his favorite indie artists and his favorite incense scents, healing gems, and songs to meditate to. This was going much better.

 “So like, if you drink the right tea you can transcend?” Moo-Chee asked. “Is it like, drugs?”  

 “Not drugs,” Aang emphasizes, “a deeper, calmer meditation.”

 “And you guys don’t really like the mainstream?”

 Aang doesn’t exactly know what Moo-Chee means by ‘you guys’, but he replied anyhow. “Well, I think pop and rap don’t fit my morals. So I guess you can say I don’t like the mainstream stuff. I’d rather listen to white noise and do some crafts.”

 Moo-Chee nodded. “That’s fascinating…”

 “Really!?” Aang perked up. So far Moo-Chee was the only person save for Katara, Suki, Sokka, and Toph who didn’t think that it was anything but wimpy.

 Moo-Chee snorted, “No. That’s some of the lamest shit I’ve heard all night. Right?”

 Hide slapped his knee. “I told you he was a real fag, Moo-Chee.”

 Aang felt his face grow hot. He made a mental note to never mention making dream catchers and doing yoga again.

 “Real men don’t meditate and make dream catchers.” Moo-Chee remarked. “Even I know that and I wear eyeliner and nail polish.”

 Hide turned to Moo-Chee and gave him a high five. “I didn’t realize that you were so witty. Who knew that making you leave the corner was such a good idea.”

 Moo-Chee shrugged. “Don’t take it the wrong way. He has been stereotyping the goth community all night, I had to pay him back.”

 “Pay me back?” Aang asked. “I thought that you were…”

 “What? Into you?” Moo-Chee rolled his eyes. “Gross. I don’t swing like that.”

 “But…”

 “Rumors, I thought that a dweeb like you would know about those.” He faced Hide again. “I helped you uncover his ridiculous hobbies and went along with his hipster bullshit, now lets talk about getting rid of those rumors I mentioned.”

 “Deal.” Hide shook his hand. “Just do one last thing for me.”

 “Oh right.” He turned his attention back to Aang. “As great as our yoga date sounded, I’m going to have to cancel.”

 .oOo.

 Aang groaned, how had he fallen for that one? He should have known that a pretty guy like Moo-Chee was going to lead him on. He was a nerd. A dork.  A zero. A complete loser.  Of course he wouldn’t get lucky on his first try.

 He wanted to cry but he knew that it would be exactly what Hide had been waiting for. It would be even more ammo, God knew that Aang had given him a supply of that to last a lifetime and then some. He ran his hands over his face. This wouldn’t have happened if Toph were here. How was he supposed to go back to school now?

 Laughter echoed around the room. They were laughing at him weren’t they?

Everyone was laughing at him.

The school priss.

The gay virgin.

 He had to get out of there.

 “Aang!” Katara called. But he wasn’t in the mood for one of her bright-eyed, optimistic pep talks. “Aang, please!” She sounded almost desperate. But he would listen to her motherly speeches later. Right now he had to get some air.

 He rushed for the door, not expecting a race. Azula shoved past him at a pace that would leave the school’s track team in aw. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one having a miserable time. This party was a disaster through and through.

 He made it to the patio when it struck him that he couldn’t go home just yet. Trick-Or-Treating was still in full swing and his foster mother would have a lot of questions if he showed up early. Especially if he did so with neither Toph nor Katara.

 He sat on one of the empty chairs and sulked. This night was going so dreadful and he couldn’t even run home this time. Instead, he had to sit there and hold back tears.

 “Aang?” He looked up to see Haru in the most ridiculous pirate costume. Long-Shot in an equally ridiculous Robin Hood costume trailed behind. Aang could have sworn he saw the boy shoot Haru a thumbs up.

 “Hey, Haru…”

 “What’s going on?”

 “You mean you didn’t hear?”

 Haru winces. “Moo-Chee isn’t that special. I mean come on, he calls himself The Dark One. Everyone knows that he’s a big loser too, he was just trying to impress everyone…”

 “It worked.” Aang frowned.

 “You want to have some real fun tonight?” Haru offered.

 “Depends, what is ‘fun’?”

 “I was thinking, an overload Halloween candy and some spooky, scary movies. Courtesy of Long-Shot and I.”

 “We were going to invite Teo…” Long-Shot trailed off.

 “But he has a date.” Haru finished. “What do you say, Aang?”

 “Where’d you get the candy?” Aang asked.

 Haru motioned to the rest of the block. “Duh.”

 “I thought you were at the party.”

 Haru nearly doubled over in laugher. “What, hell no! I thought about it for a while and we decide to skip it. A good choice, from the looks of it.”

 “A very good choice.” Aang nodded. “Yeah, candy and movies sound great right now.”

[crazyfangarlady]

Sildy I know like little of the windy son I drew for you please ramble about him to me 💙 also how's the green bean

my boy my man my love ZACH I’m calling it right now this is going to take me the night if I don’t try to keep it short.

Imiel is doing good!! Kind of in a lore pause while he waits for his boss’s new dragon to be born. Jeez, Ono.

nOW for proper rambles under the cut~

Most of that can probably already be found in his tag on my blog, but honestly I don’t even remember what’s in there anymore or how accurate it is. Though it’s probably still mostly good, if you wanna check it out for details I might skip here~(sidenote: after checking out his tag myself I realized there are interactions with some people you do Not like in there so. While the info is good and there is no connected lore, be wary some not-nice names are included. ;v;)

I am tORN though because there’s this huge shift between how he’s been for most of the time I had him and his current state due to Recent Lore Happenings. So whiCH ZACH DO I TALK ABOUT?? …the answer is probably to start from the beginning. More rambles for your soul. This will be too long and I am slightly sorry

Zach’s a wind mage, and part of my pirate crew, as the helmsdragon - basically, he makes the ship fly, up to creating artificial winds when needed to steer it where they want to go. That’s basically all he does- he doesn’t even take part in any of the the fighting or plundering (when the rest of the crew’s busy doing That, he’s still flying the airship). Our man doesn’t much like fighting, you see.

…which might sound weird coming from a pirate, but he’s not always been one. It’s quite a recent thing, even. He was born to a family of very rich merchants from the Cloudsong, and lived most of his life basically free from trouble. Good living environment, a family that loved him more than anything - he has a twin sister, named Adara, and they grew up real close. Best sibs.

The only thing that sets him apart from the rest of his fam is his proficiency at magic. And the man is crazy good at it. It’s innate. Heck, he could make things around him and himself as well fly before he even knew how to walk or how to speak. He was quite a handful as a child. Thankfully he was well-behaved.His parents tried to hire confirmed mages to teach him to make the best out of his powers, but it???? didn’t yield anything. Mostly because he didn’t understand the methods they wanted him to apply, and also because he didn’t want to try much… So he just kept on going with whatever he could do on his own, and not much understanding why or how it worked. Why would he?? It felt more natural to him than so many other things that were already effortless. 

(People who know his powers like to joke that to be this talented, he must be the windsinger’s own son. But they’re not that far from the truth… His sister was an only egg, and a fragile one- the others had been created lifeless. Their parents prayed to the Windsinger that she’d live, and Winddad heard them. He also heard how sad they were that their other eggs did not live, and so he was like. “Yknow what, I’m gonna do y’all a favor”, and while strengthening Adara’s own egg, created a perfect copy of it from his own magic, out of which Zach would be born.)(An identical copy of his sister, created from pure magic, by his god’s own hands. Come on, he’s made of the stuff, of course it’d flow naturally to him.)

ANYWAY. Sadly, good times have an end, he has to end up on that pirate ship somehow.

See, his family’s business was well-established, making lot of money and all. But some people didn’t like that, or certain new decisions they’d made. And one rousing scandal and some carefully planted ‘evidence’ later, their name was that of traitors, and the heads of the family, imprisoned. So our man Zach, who’d been enjoying life half doing his own thing, half helping out with said business, found himself homeless, money-less, and with everyone he used to know turning his back on him, either believing the lies or not wanting to associate with him to save face. 

I think he left the Cloudsong for a little while, maybe went to his sister’s… But eventually he came back, because it was all that he knew. Maybe to see if things had changed? He’s a stubborn one. Well, they had not, and he ended up finishing his day in some random tavern in the not-so-well-frequented area. By which I mean, most of the patrons being outlaws of some sort. The only place where people would serve him anymore without at least a handful of people giving him weird looks.

That’s where he happened upon my pirate crew, and most specifically its captain, Eydis. They’d met once before, but in very different circumstances (still good though). But all that Eyds remembered basically boiled down to “this guy is a good mage, and I need a new one of those, hEY GUY OVER THERE WANNA WORK FOR ME?”

(She’s not very subtle)

(And he was kind of in a reckless mood so he was like “A friendly face? Sign me up”)(…he just did not remember that she was a pirate. Only that he didn’t associate any negative things with her, and in that moment, that was all he needed.)(...he still has trouble explaining his reasoning from back then now. If someone asks him, he say he just followed his instinct- maybe it was a little push of fate? But hey, things turned out for the better!)

So he became a member of my pirate crew. Befriended most everyone quite easily, tbh, he’s a very sympathetic guy, and a very valuable asset to the crew too. Things went so well he ended up falling in love with Eydis, they even had some kids... At some point down the line my man Cenric comes back to the crew too, falls hard for Zach, who also loves him quite a lot, and Eydis is like “if you don’t both confess I will personally make this happen” and now they’re dating too. Its generally just Chill for a good, long time period. Happiness up on a (pirate) airship.

THEN Carver, his son, happens to die. That’s hard blow #1. He kind of bottles it up, because he’s not good at dealing with things and if he just stays positive he can do as if nothing happened, right? right??TheN, within only a few months, some heck happens over with his other two children. That’s hard blow #2. This one is a little harder to shake off. On top of Carver’s death, the emotional toll becomes kind of heavy. He’s having a bit of trouble right now tbh, not to mention that Eyds is not doing her best either- and with their captain in a bad spot, the entire crew can feel it. That’s two of their most energetic people down. The mood is just Not That Great..

AND THEN more stuff happens but this is hella long so imma cut it there bc it is Not Official Yet (and once it is it’ll probs come out in a pseudo-update that’s just Bad Writing: Discord Update Edition bc i Cannot Hecking Write)

BUT!!!!! Some Bulletpoint Zach Facts for you still, in no particular order:

When I say he was born an identical copy of his sister aside from the magic powers, I mean it. He’s a trans man~

He “befriended” a Crowned Roc once. Which is to say, it tolerates him. He gets to ried on its back sometimes. By sitting on it and keeping himself stable with magic. 

Said Roc is the one he got almost all his Windbound feathers from. Blessed them himself. In my lore, they are good luck charms and magic catalysts popular among wind flight mages

I’d talk about his approach to magic more but I found some posts instead

The jade jewelry he wears means a lot to him, and he gifted some to both his SOs, so have some very short things I wrote about those bc im a sappy shit

He almost never sleeps full nights, instead taking several short naps throughout the day. It takes a little while for other people to get used to it.

He’s, as of now, probably the most powerful dragon of my lair. And he doesn’t even realize it. This man is all potential... but almost only that.

He loves his family so much it is literally The Most Important thing to him ever. Family goes before anything else

His hair looks so ridiculously good all the time, he takes good care of it. He enjoys doing other people’s hair, too

He can’t fight to save his life

He’s almost killed a man once, though. Without even lifting a finger. I’ll need to tell that story someday. It was terrifying.

I’m cutting his hair off in future lore. It will be missed.

I love him so much but don’t do enough with him and also it’s sUPER LATE so I might stop here?

Oh wait look its theme songs time

That’s all I think?

If you have any more questions feel free to ask

Thank you so much for reading QvQ ♥