#I LOVE my second Cobb okay? okay

[omaano]

The Mandalorian meets Hades AU Pt2 DinCobb edition now with additional little Mando in the background and full collection of little icons, sigils and keepsakes! (click here for BobaDin version)

Because Din is just so damn ship-able (which makes him an even more fitting player character tbh), and because he'd definitely need to help Cobb get rid of the krayt dragon (Lernie) at the end of the hellscape that's level 2 to even be able to meet Boba (and immediately speedrun charming him to the max by handing over the armour) for the first time. Also because they'd grant some real badass duo boons, I imagine ;D

(Backgrounds are screenshots from my latest playthrough where I failed to position Zagreus properly behind the little sigil to hide him)

Boba WIP - Cobb WIP - Din WIP

[the-girl-wh0-cries-w0lf]

You're waiting for a train...(3)

Meeting Your Mark

Robert Fischer x reader

description - Y/n knows the most dangerous move you can make is to fall in love with your mark.

word count - 1.7k

warnings - mentions of death, the sharpness of cillians cheekbones, how piercing his blue eyes are.

a/n - okay so I promise the Robert stuff is coming! The next chapter will be an important one, this was just a filler pretty much. Also I loved writing about y/n and Ariadne cause I felt they would both relish in the other when surrounded by men - specifically y/n.

a/n 2 - We finally have Tom Hardy in this chapter!!

Previous Part Series Master list Master list

If you want to be added to the taglist - here

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I sat on the window ledge, clutching my coffee like a lifeline. It tethered me back to reality. I got out the picture from my jean pocket. I brushed my fingers over the fake braces and then found them stroking the faces of my siblings. Their gleeful smiles frozen in time.

The door creaked open, announcing Arthur’s entrance. I hopped to it and wiped away the tears that had escaped. All morning my mind had been plagued with visions of a man. I wasn’t even dreaming and yet he still remained. He’d nested within my brain, and he wasn’t leaving any time soon. But no matter how much I strained trying to make out the face, I was at a loss. It was almost like I couldn’t create the face because he had already been made. But I was yet to meet him. With how much closer I’d been getting to his figure with each time asleep, I felt our meet was imminent.

“You sleep, okay?”

“Like a log.” Arthur’s eyes drifted to the case I had hurriedly packed up.

“You went under?”

“No.” I lied. But he didn’t breach the topic any further as we were both stopped by Ariadne clearing her throat.

We turned around.

“Cobb said you’d be back.” Arthur remarks.

“Yeah, well, I tried to not come but- “

“There’s nothing quite like it.” I finished for her. She smiled softly at me.

“It’s just—pure creation.” She held her gaze with me. There was a brief silence between us three, waiting for someone to continue the discussion.

“Let’s look at some paradoxical architecture.” Arthur broke the silence and led us both to 3 deck chairs he’d laid out. We lay down and hooked ourselves up. Within seconds we were away.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

We found ourselves in a structured glass office building. Arthur winked at me. It was the first building I’d ever created, and he’d saved it all these years. This is where I’d honed my own paradoxical skills. He led the two of us up a staircase.

“You’re gonna have to master a few tricks, if you’re gonna build three complete dream levels.”

“Excuse me,” I said as we passed a woman who had dropped her files.

“Why three?” She asked.

“Successful inception depends on planting the idea deep enough that the genesis of the idea becomes too foggy for the subject. 3 levels deep, 3 dream levels.”

“Anyways, what kind of tricks do I need?’

“In a dream you can cheat architecture into impossible shapes that lets you create closed loops.” We had been walking the staircase in a circle now, proving one of my favourite closed loops. “Like the Penrose steps.”

“Aka, the infinite staircase.” We passed the woman with the dropped files once again. “See.”

Ariadne suddenly took stock of her surroundings and saw the end of the staircase culminate in a sharp drop.

“Paradox.” We left the staircase and began to walk around the office building so Arthur could explain further. “So, a closed loop like that allows us to disguise the boundaries of the dream.”

“But how big do these levels have to be?”

“Well, it could be anything from the floor of a building to an entire city. But they have to be complicated enough so that we can hide from the projections.”

“A maze.”

“Right, a maze.”

“And the better the maze- “

“The longer we have before the projections catch us.” I smirked at how quickly Ariadne had grasped the concept. She truly put my dad to shame. And having her with us meant I no longer had to work with incompetent male architects. This girl was the real deal.

“Exactly.”

“Well, my subconscious seems polite enough.”

Arthur and I chuckled. “Just wait, they’ll turn ugly.” I answered. “No one likes to feel someone messing around in their mind.”

“Cobb can’t build anymore, can he?” Ariadne questioned. I wanted to argue but she was right. He thought about mum too much where his mind could never be clean enough to build anew.

“Well, I don’t know if he can’t, but he won’t. He thinks it’s safer if he doesn’t know the layout.”

“Why?”

“He won’t tell us.” I lowered my head, Dad might not have told me why, but he told me enough.

“But I think it’s Mal.”

“Yeah, no offence but your mum was a piece of work.” She laughed, gesturing to me. “What does his ex-wife have to do with it.”

“Mal’s not his ex.”

“They’re still together?”

“No,” I spoke up. “She died. What you see in there is just his projection of her.”

Her eyes softened when they looked at me. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“What was she like in real life?”

“She was lovely.” I smiled thinking back in my memories.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Ariadne and I sat talking with our coffees and croissants. Arthur had left to get some supplies, so we decided to have a rest. We’d been drawing and planning all morning, so a break was well earned.

“You have an architecture degree?”

“No, I never got to finish it.”

“Why?”

“My dad needed me here. So, I left.”

“Oh.” She sensed the underlying sadness so left the topic. “But your drawings are amazing, why can’t you build.”

“Oh, I don’t build anymore.” I laughed brushing off her statement.

“Does it have something to do with your mom?”

“We all have our own demons, I guess. And it’s terrifying when they get opened up to the world.”

“She’s still your mom.”

“No, she died. That person in his head, that’s not her.”

“Seems you have a better grasp on that then he does.”

“I guess.” I rose, uncomfortable with the conversation, and she took my tone as her cue to end the conversation.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dad had arrived back from Mombasa. When he entered with Eames I immediately ran into his awaiting arms.

“My favourite little troublemaker! How’re you doing darling?”

“So much better now you’re here!” I cheekily winked at him.

“Oh, I can imagine working with Arthur is the most exciting thing imaginable!” Eames sarcastically said.

“Nice to see you too, Eames.” Arthur huffed as he walked away from us two.

“Don’t insult him or he’ll start going over safety procedures again!”

We both laughed and finished with another hug.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I sit with Eames and Cobb out on the roof. Saito flings a file towards the three of us and it opens out onto the table.

“Robert Fischer. Heir to the Fischer Morrow Energy Conglomerate.” Dad looks at the file and then hands it to me.

My breath catches in my throat as my eyes meet his steely blues. The rest of the world became water that flooded my ears with white noise. I couldn’t grasp onto any sound in the world apart from my beating heart. My finger raised to stroke the picture. He stood there, dressed to the nines. His hair perfectly styled, and his body adorned in riches. But his eyes, as piercing as they were, held a sadness. He was lost. I could feel it through the ink.

“What’s your problem with this Mr Fischer?” I snapped up but failed to notice that my daze had been caught.

“That’s not your concern.” Saito’s tone cut through the air. I scoffed at his brazen attitude.

“Mr Saito, this is not your typical corporate espionage. You asked me for inception, I hope you understand the gravity of that request.”

I couldn’t stand it. This may have been purely business and transactional, but something shifted. This couldn’t be purely business with our skills involved. I decided to speak up.

“The seed we plant in this man’s mind will grow into an idea. This idea will come to define him. It may come to change, well, everything about him. This man is on a course of fate and. We. Will. Alter. It.”

Saito took a moment, considering my words. He relented to my warning.

“We’re the last company standing between them, and total energy dominance and we can no longer compete. Soon they’ll control the energy supply of over half the world. In effect, they become a new superpower.” He pounds the table. “The world needs Robert Fischer to change his mind.”

“And that’s where we come in.” Eames perks up to give his two cents. “How is Robert Fischer’s relationship with his father?”

“Rumour is the relationship is quite complicated.” This tugged at my heart for some reason. My eyes drifted to my own father.

“Well, we can’t work based solely on rumour, can we?”

Eames turned his file around the show us a picture of an obviously esteemed individual.

“Can you get me access to this man? Browning, Fischer seniors right hand man,”

I read my own file. “And Fischer juniors godfather.” I finished.

“It should be possible, if you can get the right references.” I chuckled at how simple this request was for Eames.

“References are something of a speciality for me, Mr Saito.” Eames cheekily stated.

“Then it is done.” All three of us got up.

But I felt changed and Eames noticed my subtle slump.

“I saw how you reacted to the picture.”

“What? He has nice—cheekbones? And blue eyes.” I stumbled through my unsure answer.

“Don’t worry, I’m not your dad.” He laughs at my bad attempt at lying. “How do you fancy a quick internship at Fischer’s house.” He raised his eyebrows, inviting me into another mischievous mission. I smirked and happily agreed to his scheme.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

On the other side of the roof, Saito, who had been looking at y/n intently throughout the meeting, stopped Cobb before he left.

“Your daughter. She is committed to this mission?”

“I don’t doubt my teammates.”

“What about your family?” He probed. Cobb became silent. “I saw her demeanour when she saw that picture. I’d hate to see your one chance disappear because of your daughters schoolgirl crush. Perhaps she is not as reliable as you think?”

Cobb halted his movements and considered Saito’s words as the man left the roof. He looked towards y/n who still had the file open in her hands. In that moment, he saw his daughter for who she truly was, a child without a childhood.

Would she be that impulsive?

Would she be that stupid?

Would she risk it all for him?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Yes. Yes I would risk it all for Cillian Murphy too.

taglist: @jonsncws @h-l-vlovesvintage @theethy @fashionki11a @felicity1994

[second-axis-point]

I just read this fic called “secondhand high” by nightwideopen on ao3 (please go read it 😉) It was a dincobb fic and it has me in a diabolical chokehold. Do you think you could do something similar with male reader in place of Cobb?

Pairing: Din Djarin x Male!Reader

Warnings: Smoking?

Content: Touch starved!Din, Fluff, Din being generally soft

I absolutely LOVED this fic. Space stoner Cobb has me barking like a dog 🐕‍Thank you for THIS request 🧎‍♂️

First Time for Everything

You had been almost giddy when Cobb had handed you a pack of cigarras. You hadn’t had time to smoke after joining the Mandalorian as his partner and mechanic. Din saw you beaming like the suns, watching you walk back to the small hut the both of you were sharing while on Tatooine. The good Marshal had allowed you to stay in Freetown for as long as you wanted as long as you were okay with sharing.

“What are you so happy about?”

Din kept his tone light. You held up the pack and shook it.

“Got my hands on these.”

You moved through the hut to the back porch while Din followed. You sat back in one of the chairs, laying your head against the wall, and turned your attention to the setting suns. He had already taken off most of his armour, leaving him in his under armour and his helmet. He sat down in the chair next to you and watched as well, only looking away when he heard you digging through the bag.

“Where did you even get those?”

He asked you.

“Our favourite lanky Marshal just happened to come across a few of these. He also just so happened to be in the sharing mood.”

You used to live on Tatooine a while back and you've smoked with Cobb a few times. A lazy smile found its way back onto your face thinking back on fond memories.

“You want one?”

You offered a cigarra to the Mando next to you.

“I can’t really um-”

He cut himself off and awkwardly pointed back towards his helmet. You felt like an idiot.

“Oh shit right. I’m sorry.”

He shook his head and chuckled, the awkwardness dissipating quickly. You retracted your hand and moved your attention back towards the suns. You rifled through your pocket and pulled out your lighter. You place the cigarra into your mouth and light it. Din watches carefully. He watches your fingers as they wrap around the cigarra. He watches your chest rise as you take a long drag. He notices that you turn your head away when you exhale, making sure you blow it away from him. 

The way your body relaxes make him want to take the ciggara from your lips and replace it with himself. The light from the suns made you glow. You looked almost angelic. Rugged and handsome in the setting suns. Once you finished and put it out, you noticed him looking at you and turned your head.

“What’s going on inside that head of yours, Mando?”

Your voice cut through his thoughts, snapping him back to reality. 

“You could have one, I have no problem sharing. I could step inside.”

He appreciated the gesture.

“I would but-”

He cut himself off once again.

“I’ve never actually smoked anything before.”

He looked away, not wanting to face you while you made fun of him. But you didn’t. You hummed quietly and thought for a second.

“I could help you if you want.”

He turned back to you, surprised.

“I can’t take my helmet off.”

You nod.

“I could close my eyes or we could find a blindfold. You don’t have to obviously, but if you do, I have no problem helping you out.”

Din didn’t know how you would help but the way you were smiling at him made him not care quite as much. 

“Alright.”

He nodded, feeling a bit of anxiousness nibble on the very back of his consciousness.

“It’s alright Din, you don’t have to.”

You reminded him, sensing the nervousness in his posture, as you got up to search for something to use as a blindfold.

“No, I want to.”

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, you head back into the hut. You finally find a good piece of cloth to cover your eyes and walk back outside. Din was still sitting, stiff in his chair. You brush your hand on his shoulder as you move next to him.

“Hey, relax. It’s alright.”

You saw him visibly release the tension that was sitting tight in his shoulders, his back hunching slightly. You didn’t sit in the chair, instead you moved it away from the wall and sat down on the wood of the porch. You motioned for Din to do the same. Once he was sitting next to you, you shifted so that you were cross-legged in front of him.

You pulled out another cigarra from the pack and lit it. You grabbed Din’s hand and placed it in his grasp. You pick the cloth back up and tie it tightly around the back of your head. You hold your hand out and he gives the stick back to you. You listen to the slight rustle as he takes his helmet off and places it on the wood next to him.

“Ready?”

You ask him. You were actually a bit excited. You’ve had a weird thing going on with Din for a while. This was the farthest you’ve ever gotten with the Mandalorian.

“I’m not really sure what to do.”

He admits quietly, his voice no longer filtered by the modulator.

“That’s alright.”

A soft smile slid onto your face.

“Just take a deep breath, okay?”

You kept your voice quiet, not wanting to sound forceful or startling.

“Okay.”

Din watches as you bring the cigarra to your lips and take a long drag. His hands shake slightly as he watches you bring a hand up to his cheek and pull him closer. Deep breath. Deep breath. Deep breath. He reminds himself over and over as you lean in. You start exhaling slowly as Din breathes in. His chest is buzzing and his mind is swimming and he’s almost positive it’s not due to the weed. He feels like his whole face is vibrating. Once you start to pull away, he breathes out. It was a lot easier than he thought it was going to be, only coughing slightly.

“You okay Mando?”

You move your hand down to his shoulder. Din’s mind went almost completely blank. The only thing he could think of was how close you had been.

“Can you do that again?”

He asked as soon as the words left your mouth. You looked surprised for a split second before giving him an answer.

“Of course.”

You, once again, took a long drag and ran your hand back up to his face. Only this time, Din did the same. He put both of his hands on either side of your face and pulled you in. His eagerness caused a warmth to radiate up your spine. He pulled you in much closer than before, your lips brushing slightly, almost making you forget to breathe out. But you did. You felt Din breathe out and he didn’t cough this time. Before you could lean back, he closed the distance in between you.

His lips were soft on yours and his hands were brushing across your face. Your cheeks felt hot and you could focus on nothing but the man in front of you. You licked his bottom lip, asking for permission. He opened his mouth and you explored it eagerly. He was the first to pull back, not stopping you as you nibbled down his neck and under his jaw. You revelled in the whine he gave once you pulled away. You both were breathing heavily and his hands were still on your chest. You realised that he was pretty much in your lap.

“What do you think, Din?”

You asked him before bringing the cigarra back to your mouth. He hummed and you felt his eyes on you as you breathed out. He watched the smoke leave your lips as he caught his breath.

“One more.”

Was all he said when you moved to put the cigarra out. You laughed and obliged. This time, he took it from you. You listened to him inhale and felt as his hands ran up your chest and onto your face once again. You opened your mouth and inhaled. His lips were on yours once again and you breathed out of your nose. Din put the cigarra out and climbed fully into your lap. The rest of the night was full of intermittent make-out sessions and teasing.

The next day you walked into the cantina, Cobb saw your laidback posture and waved you over. Once you got closer, he saw the hickies and small bites on your neck. He tossed his head back and laughed at your goofy smile.

“What the hell happened to you? I’ve never seen weed do that before.”

He nudged you with his elbow and ordered you a drink.

“Can’t thank you enough. I gotta drop by here more often.”

You thanked him and took a sip of the drink.

“Well, you and your Mandalorian are always welcome in Freetown, partner.”

Cobb winked, clasped you on the back, and moved to go talk to the other patrons. Your Mandalorian. You could get used to that.

[thenwhatthefukcisthis]

Arthur didn’t miss the militarisation; he chose to omit that information : a word salad

I don’t think there’s a single mistake in movie history that has riled up this many people as arthur darling missing militarisation of Fischer. It’s (beautifully, always) taken as the moment eames shows arthur “it’s okay bb I love you” in all the fics ever (keep doing that please it’s my jam) and over the past 13 years people have been toying different ideas trying to figure out the reason for the best point man in the industry to miss such important detail of the job.

nobody asked, but here’s my two cents on it.

But first, lemme briefly mention the theories I have seen so far in the fandom regarding this

1. Arthur missed it. Just as it’s portrayed in the movie. He’s just human and humans are bound to make mistakes. There’s no mystery/backstory/explanation; he just missed it. cause even tho he strives to be, he isn’t 100% perfect.

(it’s very possible, but where’s the fun in this explanation cmon)

2. Arthur missed it cause he was too burned out by the long two years of babysitting cobb and he was too busy in inception job itself playing mentor to Ariadne while doing his point man duties

(I agree. totally. He needed to be wrapped in a blanket and fed cookies 30 seconds in to the damn movie)

3. Arthur didn’t miss it. He hid the fact intentionally to con the team. He was double crossing cobb/Eames and was actually helping cobol/CIA so he made the job difficult by keeping it a secret

(I’m not overly fond of this explanation, and it’s doesn’t ring true with the canon, but I see the appeal. The whole eames/arthur enemies to lovers extravaganza *chefs kiss*)

4. Arthur didn’t miss anything. Fischer wasn’t militarised. The projections were cobbs, including that giant ass train.

(Im not smart enough to completely understand this explanation but it’s a big brain idea *applause*)

so.. now onto the silly little idea I had.

(this could very well be an already discussed idea, I’m waaaaay late to the party, but I just haven’t come across it so far. Please bear with me if you’ve mentioned/seen someone mention it anywhere)

What if..what if it was arthur himself who militarised Fischer. What if it’s a job he did while running around the world with cobb and he did it from everyone?

in actual, real world, country hopping, funding lawyers, paying for law suits and funding for two kids actually need a truckload of money. While the Miles couple must’ve helped with some of those expenses, there must’ve been a huge amount of balance for cobb to cover, and despite being a runaway dad, cobb must’ve tried his best to make things at home were going smooth at home, taking as much jobs he could get, even the riskier and shadier ones.

however, with his mind falling apart and mal being not so lovely, there must’ve been a moment the efforts just weren’t enough. Cobb wouldn’t have mentioned it or more likely, wouldn’t have even noticed it, cause if the movie is any indication, the tabs must’ve been kept by a certain very meticulous point man.

arthur ,more than anyone else, knew how much cobb wanted to see his children and how hard he was trying to get his name cleared and get back to them. so, letting cobb know that he wasn’t dong enough as a father and a protector was definitely out in arthurs book.

so what if, while pretending for both his and cobbs sake that everything was just fine, arthur started taking up extra work to fill out those gaps? certainly not heavy inception-level work, but the ones which would only require a point man or just an architect. jobs without too much trouble, almost legal and which could be done in between jobs.

and arthur wouldn’t have minded missing a few nights sleep here and there, if it meant the lawyers keeping the feds off cobbs back were paid and happy. he knew his best friend was already beating himself up for mal, both the real life person and the projection and leaving such young kids alone, so even when cobb grumbled about research being completed late, arthur never let cobb know it’s cause he’s also handling another jobs research and add to the staggering weight of guilt his friend carried.

so what if, militarisation of Fisher was one such run-in-the-mill job that was done in super secrecy? Arthur was consulted when fishcer senior fell ill, arthur flew in (stateside), met Robert barely once, did the job and flew back.

when inception came along, arthur was obviously in a nice little pickle and he knew he had to talk cobb out of it (in the movie, we could see arthur being wary of inception from the get go, and while the extreme chance of utter failure could’ve been the reason, this could also be the reason why he didn’t wanna go through with it *cue stabby salad scene*) there was no way arthur could tell this to cobb without hurting him as then he would’ve had to explain all the rest to him as well.

being the point does mean he has to know it all, but it never says the others also have to know as much he does. so arthur keeps it hidden, but takes all the precautions; he makes sure everything is planned well and that everyone is trained in gun combat ( even the first class flight attendant specially the first class flight attendant ), knowing that worse that could happen would be dying in a dream, which for arthur, only meant waking up at that point. arthur was sure they could go thru with it cause as he says in the movie “it’s nothing they haven’t dealt with before”.

I love the level of calmness arthur was exuding when cobb tears him a new one and while it could be simply because arthurs life long experience of dealing with cranky cobb, there was also this hint of resigned “I’ve been expecting this” nature to his demeanour that was too calm, even for arthur. He tries to calm cobb down in the most placating manner cause Arthur must’ve decided that he deserves whatever that’s coming along his way and has been ready to take the blame since day one and tries his damndest to make sure everyone makes it out alive cause he was prepared and was sure. arthur didn’t mind playing the betrayer so that cobb could walk away guilt free out of inception.

however, what arthur never, ever expected was the person he has considered as his closest friend, to betray him and everyone else in the worst possible manner.

[whispering-about-loki]

Hello 😊 I saw you reblog the a "get to know your writer" post and wondered if it was ok for me to ask a few questions? If so, I'd ask 1, 7, 16, 25 and 56?

Absolutely! Let's see....

1 . Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

Honestly, multi-chapter! I actually find it really, really hard to write a one-shot. I mean, I can do it, and certainly have done it... but my plots usually tend to get away from me and branch out here, there, and everywhere! The only problem is, I also don't tend to finish those multi-chapter monsters...

7 . How do you choose which POV to write from?

It depends on what story I am trying to tell. If I want some details to go unknown to a character for mystery's sake, I will write in their POV; or I will write in the POV of the person who has the most emotional stake. When I am writing a ship fic, I often try to write from both POVs (alternating from chapter to chapter) to compare and contrast how they are coping or what they are thinking. The challenge there is to get the "voices" right, though.

16 . How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

Far, far too many to count! In way too many different fandoms! Of the stories I haven't posted a word on yet (as opposed to current WIPs that I have up at AO3), there's at least one Lokius AU, a couple Bagginshield angst pieces, three gen TMNT fics, and a couple of random ideas that I have yet to fix a fandom to.

25 . What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Oh, gosh. It's weird, but although I absolutely love getting comments, I don't often push for them because I don't want to seem... needy, I guess? Back in the late 90s and early naughties, it was actually a lot easier to get responses to fics. The fandoms were smaller and everyone knew everyone, so the stories would be passed between friends online... so now living in the age of kudos is actually a bit disorienting. Of course, the fics that don't get responses are usually about pretty obscure people or situations. Like Afterimage (a short Hobbit thing about Nori as a child), The Touch Of Rain (about Cobb Vanth), and When She Loved Me (an imagined backstory about a character that was only in the TMNT Adventures comics... and when I originally wrote and posted that one twenty-some years ago, it got a much better reception). I do notice that gen stories tend to get swept to the side in favor of ship-fics, though, which always seem to get some kind of response.

56 . What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

Actually, what I mentioned up in #7 about finding the right voices. I think I do okay with getting into characters' heads and making them each sound individual. Again, like I said... it isn't always easy. I'm currently writing a chapter in a story... and in this chapter a character is in medical distress and we are seeing it from their POV. Problem is, two chapters ago there was a different character in medical distress whose POV I was writing from... and in both instances the characters are waking up from being treated. It's taking a bit of juggling to make sure the second one and the first one are different enough so people don't think, "hey... I've read this already!" It helps, I guess, that one of the characters is more skilled in medical concerns, so they are more calm about the whole thing while the other one was in full panic mode.

Anyway, thank you for this! It was fun!

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

Summary: Din lays out some ground rules

A/N: Hello lovelies,

I don't know if you've tried the character.ai yet, but man I've been having so much fun with it. So far, I've talked to Rex, Fives, Alpha-17, Fox, even Quinlan Vos, which gave me an amazing story to work on. So I'll be working on that sometime. I hope you are all having an amazing fall so far. Sending out good thoughts, hugs, and lots of love to everyone.

Love oo.

Due to the past history of the OC there will be discussions alluding to past domestic abuse, please note that as it could be a trigger for some.

Warnings: Brief mention of alcohol and substance abuse, liquor, trust issues, mentions of 'nocturnal' activities, uneasiness, insinuations of domestic abuse, mention of car accident, fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of being imprisoned. I think that's it, if I miss anything please let me know.

AO3 Link |   Words: 1,061 |   Previous -> Next

Main Master List   |  Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

THE RAZOR CREST SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN

There was a nagging voice in the back of his that kept reminding him, he didn’t know who she was, what kind of life she really led or what she was fleeing. However, from what he saw of her so far, he hoped he wasn’t making a mistake and he was right about her character, but it never hurt to take extra precautions.

“One thing I want to say and I won’t be changing my mind about this at all, this is a deal breaker, okay?”

“Alright”

“I don’t care if you drink the occasional glass of liquor here or there, and I’m not going to limit you with a number. You know your limit better than I do. However, please refrain from drinking during working hours. I will also not tolerate having someone in my home who is dealing with some form of addiction. It’s non-negotiable. If I find you drunk or high, especially around my son - you don’t get a second chance, you’re out of here in a heartbeat, understood?”

I nodded in agreement, it made sense, he had a very young impressional son. I completely understood where he was coming from and I couldn’t fault him for making it a condition. I wanted to put his mind at ease as much as possible, especially since he was taking a chance on me.

“I completely understand, so try not to worry, too much. I don’t drink, haven’t for a long time. Same with getting high. The idea of not being aware of my surroundings or cognitive of my situation always leaves me uneasy.”

Din simply nodded, as she held a determined look. There was a finality to her statement that he highly appreciated, whether or not she was telling the truth would only be possible to determine in time. 

“Hmm, okay. I’ll believe you for now, until you give me reason not to.” 

He hoped she would be trustworthy and wouldn’t let him down; but he’d been wrong before. 

“One final rule, don’t be bringing strangers into this house for … well you know. That’s a conversation I do not want to have with my son, yet. So if you could keep all your … nocturnal activities out of my home for the time being, I’d appreciate it. Not that I’m saying you’re the type to … put yourself in that kind of situation, more just letting you know what I expect for my son’s safety.”

The idea of having any sort of ‘activities’ made my skin crawl, I hadn’t been intimate with anyone since my ex. The idea simply made me feel nauseous and uneasy. I wasn’t ready to take on such a huge risk in my life. First and foremost I needed to be able to trust someone, and I wasn’t inclined to really trust anyone, Cobb, Fennec and Din had actually been the first group of people where I had actually let my guard down as quickly as I did. 

“I completely understand. After all this is your place.” I moved around the room trying to think of a new topic, hoping to change the subject, “I forgot to ask what’s the name of your ranch?”

“Sorry?”

“I thought ranches usually had names or something?”

“Some do”

“Then does this place have a name?”

“Razor Crest Ranch”

“Razor Crest, sounds like toothpaste. Get your teeth shiny with Razor Crest toothpaste.” I teased smiling the way actors usually did for toothpaste ads. He didn’t laugh or chuckle, he simply just stared at me, I cleared my throat hoping to move on from that embarrassment, “Anyway, I like it, it’s got a good ring to it”

He simply looked at her without saying anything further, he didn’t really care if she did like it or not. Camilla was the one who’d come up with the name. She always remembered his first car, the one he’d drive her around in, when they were in high school. He loved that car with all his soul, that was until it got into an accident and was completely totalled. She always felt bad about the accident, he remembered he was driving as fast as he could during a particular bad winter storm trying to get her, when she got standard working at the hospital one night. The car her parents had given her for her last year of high school died. He didn’t see the black ice skidded, flipped the car several times. Thankfully, he hadn’t lost his life, but according to her  he did lose his first love. He could still see her smile as she teased him about being his second love. Ashamedly, she wasn’t wrong, and when he bought this place from his grandparents, she decided to rechristen the place and call it the Razor Crest Ranch. So even if Ann had an issue with the name, he couldn’t care less, he wasn’t going to change the name for anything.

He ignored her statement, instead shifting as he moved closer to the door, “You should probably grab whatever stuff you have from the Marshall’s truck before he decides to take off.”

“Right, of course.” I knew the moment he didn’t respond I had somehow messed up, I should’ve just kept my mouth shut. Well there was bound to be some issues we would need to iron out, at least he wasn’t saying anything or doing anything to make me feel worthless. He also didn’t take back the offer, “Thank you again, for the opportunity, it means a lot.”

He nodded, “Well like I said we can try it out for three months, and there is still one more hurdle you have to pass. Oh, before I forget, there is a lock on the door” Din was about to move the door to show her, when he noticed her eyes widened in fear. He held up his hands, hoping she didn’t misunderstand him, “Relax it only locks from the inside,” he pulled the door closer showing her the lock, “if you prefer a key lock, for your own peace of mind and safety I can install that for you. I also want you to know, we would never come into your room without express permission, unless it was an emergency, like house is on fire kind of emergency. We will absolutely respect your privacy, just like I know you’ll respect ours.”

AO3 Link |   Words: 1,061 |   Previous -> Next

Main Master List   |  Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

@littlemisspascal@sprout-fics@liadamerondjarin @badbatch-simp24 @spicymcnuggies @lady-ren @firstofficerwiggles @darkangel4121 @discofern @kavecika @monako-jinn-stories @ladykatakuri @avathebestx @theroguesully @furyhellfire66 @carodealmeida @ciramaris @twinkofthedink @dindjarin-mandalorian @tortor-mcgee @sarcasmismyonlydefense24 @chiyo13

[hideyseek]

3, 29, and 30 for ao3 wrapped please!

craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaab hiiii hi hi hiiii hi hiiii hi hi hi hiii !! :3 hehe of course i love to fucking TALK about writing myself.

putting this under a cut bc it is the longest fucking thing in existence ahahaha. and also um, its moderately pretentious sorry! i sure am a guy who can talk about writing for like, seven bajillion years

ao3 wrapped

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

oooough hmm, kind of a tough one for me since i feel like there's a couple. but i'll go with this arthur/cobb drabble i wrote for wicked inception week 4. i hadn't known prior to this that i could write smut without writing it specifically to like ... be hot in some way. but in the end this was so much more like, emotions / character stuff happening and the sex was just a way to get to that information. that was cool. and secondarily, the process of writing this was one draft of like, technically a fic but genuinely incoherent, and a second draft of, oh, okay, this is different but its way more clear. which is also just like, a really nice reassurance that all the craft book reading and trudging through rough drafts of other projects really has strengthened my ability (for short fics at least) to get to the understanding of what i'm really trying to do in a fic. (it's here on the gdoc w/ everyone else's submissions if ur curious! warnings: semi-explicit sexual content, unequal power dynamics)

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

hmm aha, well. this year i wrote a LOT of not-quite-there rough draft material for a bunch of different projects which mm, if i comb through it all i will explode out of poorly timed insecurity. so, maybe a bit of a cop-out but here's a bit i wrote yesterday night that made me go: ohh okay, this is going to be fujioka's relationship with violence in this fic. so, favorite recent thing, i suppose:

Fujioka reaches over to take the last section of Haiji’s tangerine. Clean hands, trimmed nails. “We got one,” he says, chewing. “One— what?” There’s a bandage on Fujioka’s cheek, bloody at the edge. Haiji looks at it, and something chokes its way up his throat.  “One of their guys, of course.” Fujioka’s face shifts into a grin, boyishly pleased with himself. A stitch breaks under the bandage and the gauze bloodies. “He tried to make a run for it, and you know we couldn’t have that.”  Kakeru, Haiji thinks, and he can’t say a word.

favorite line in ^ is probably "A stitch breaks under the bandage and the gauze bloodies." i just. love VERBS!!!

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

ok truly SO MANY FUCKING SURPRISES while writing this year!!! but here i'll talk about all the smut writing, hehe. like!! the fact that i sat down and went "ok i guess i'll learn to write smut" is still SO surprising to me (crab this is like. 88% your influence i must tell you!!! like i guess the spark was in me all along or whatever but if u didn't run bcsdp this would never have happened to me, or would have taken much longer, etc). which then led to like ... some really wonderful conversations with irl and fandom friends, and then led to me doing wicked inception (smut drabble fest) and developing OPINIONS on how i like my smut written which i had NEVER HAD BEFORE IN MY LIFE (which. idk maybe i will go into later haha, probably i'll end up blogging about it as i write this arthurcobb fic). SPEAKING OF! wicked then got me to unlock a crucial emotional component to this arthurcobb fic that i've been trying to write since like, 2021!!! (this is long to me) and now -- that whole fic is ... WRITABLE. like i still know next to nothing about it except the premise and that there needs to be fucked up sex in there haha, but like. I HAVE ENOUGH SKILLS TO START IT NOW. like bwaaaaa truly it was just this INCREDIBLE domino effect from like, august (???) through to now that i would never have expected in my life whatsoever!!! ah so i guess really, thank you very much, i'm really glad you did that!!!! (<- bit of an understatement)

[shrekgogurt]

Oh by gosh by golly, I miss writing for fun. I listen to my fic playlists and get sad because I do not have time and then I get mean to myself because I do not have time and the reason I do not have time is my own fault. Do you see the blame game happening?

In between writing my god papers, I have been taking the time to draft little thoughts ‘On Loving Being a Woman, as a Cis Woman Desperately Avoiding the TERF Traps’ in my notes app. The TLDR so far is: “I’m a woman because I love being one. It’s a deep knowing; my body feels warm and fuzzy when I think about it. In turn, I’m a cis woman simply because society happened to guess right when I was born.” I have also been working on editing a Captain Von Trapp thirst trap in my enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to lov…Adobe Premiere. I’m going balls to the walls on it. What lovely priorities I have!

I have also been playing around on my guitar more and improving! I’m no star, but it has been a fun break from using my academic brain. It gets my body moving and makes my ADHD sing. I’ve been paired with my COBB writer for my artist responsibilities and I’m excited to get to songwriting! Speaking of songwriting (not fandom related) I have this chorus of a miscellaneous song I haven’t fully written that I am obsessed with:

I have not touched Escape to Space since February 5th and am feeling so incredibly guilty about it. This is sort of a combination of vague writer’s block (I have some ideas and scene fragments but no end goal yet which makes things hard) and no time. I would say if anyone wants to be someone I can bounce ideas off of I am game but it’s not feasible for me to carve out that space right now. Spring break is next week but I have to spend that time drafting the second part of my thesis. Truly, don’t go to grad school friends.

I have been especially missing IKAB, IKAM so very desperately. I might just chug along a little bit a day for an outlet. Oooooop look at me! I did just that!

(flashback, year 11 aka fifth year)

The scent of him hits my nostrils and it’s effort not to make a face. Great. Weed too. We have a bloody match tomorrow and his eyes are fucking bloodshot. I’m fully minging at this point. Only Baz would flaunt his privilege like this. He can afford to lounge on a roof breaking every rule because someone will bail him out. Meanwhile, it’s people like me who will do all the heavy lifting. I briefly consider letting go, watching him stumble off the ledge to the ground five stories below. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, or maybe it’s just the stench.

“We’re both rather tragic, aren’t we?” Baz mutters. I can only hear him because he’s leaning into me. His breath is airy on my ear. It makes me twitchy. I recoil on instinct.

“You think this makes you tragic? Stargazing?”

Alright! I feel like that’s enough for this post! Tagging as a thank you for keeping me in the loop this past month even though I haven’t been active with SSS and WIPsday: @artsyunderstudy @theimpossibledemon @palimpsessed @hushed-chorus @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @larkral @fatalfangirl @letraspal @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ileadacharmedlife @captain-aralias @forabeatofadrum @ivelovedhimthroughworse @blackberrysummerblog @confused-bi-queer @cutestkilla you are much loved! Now, making my rounds and tagging the rest of my beloved mutuals: @gekkoinapeartree @boyinjeans @technetiumai @takenabackbytuesdays @ninemagicks @yeonjunenby @cows4247 @sillyunicorn @upuntil6am @excalisbury @takitalks @foolofabookwyrm-activated @dragoneggos @carryonmylovelies @giishu @messofthejess @aristocratic-otter @ic3-que3n @nausikaaa @thewholelemon @taramemberence @yellobb-old @whogaveyoupermission @moodandmist @asocialpessimist @onepintobean @umdiasujo @erzbethluna @bazzybelle @johnwgrey @raenestee @martsonmars @ebbpettier WHEWWWWWW okay I think that’s everyone! I’m sorry if I missed you!!!!

[sketchy-rosewitch]

Wait for Me: Bobby Cobb x afab!reader

Warnings: a/b/o dynamics, PinV, kinda angsty for like five seconds

A/N: I’m going feral over this stupid man, just fucked with my and probably yours too emotions during the smut though

“Jules I can’t come in today.” You huff and stretch, your cramps start to build up.

“Why?!” She says, in her classic worried motherly tone. You roll your eyes.

“Ran out of suppressants. I’m going through my heat. I probably won’t be back in until Monday.” You explain, you look at your bed and frown at the nest you made. You honestly needed to get more pillows and blankets.

“Do you need one of us to come over?! I know Bobby isn’t that reliable but I think he can help!”

Your eyes almost pop out of your head. “No! No one needs to come over. I got everything handled and- Jules don’t tell me you already texted him…” You whine into the phone.

“I’m sorry but I gotta make sure you’re looked over. I know how hard heats can be on your own.”

You take a deep breath in and out. “You couldn’t have told Ellie to come over?” Your feet start stamping around anxiously.

“No she has Stan and you know how mean she can get. I don’t want her saying something and you take it too…personally.”

You whine louder into the receiver. “Bobby isn’t marked though and I’m not either. You know how much I like him. What if something happens!”

Tears well up.

“Everything is gonna be okay! I promise! No marking or anything will happen! Now I gotta go. Love you!”

You frown. “Love you Jules…”

She ends the call and you furrow your brows at your nest. Huffing you grab everything and move it to the living room. Blankets, pillows, sheets, shirts. All scattered across your rugs. You fix it so it’s the most comfortable. Then you go to your fridge, grabbing all of your waters and then your pantry, unpacking your favorite chips and sweets. You set everything on the outside of your circle.

Your body begins to sweat and you let out a soft whine, feeling a cramp coming in you grip the arm of the couch and start to growl. Slowly, slick leaks out of you and you hit your fist against the couch.

Your doorbell rings and you can smell Bobby’s musk, sage and a smokey scent fill your nostrils. You slam your fist into the sofa one more time, letting out another growl before getting up and marching over to the door.

Bobby stands there with that stupid grin you wanna wipe off his face. He holds multiple T-shirts of his, a sweatshirt, and even one of his tank tops. In his other hand are more waters and some of your favorite snacks. Your heart swells up, you growl slightly and roll your eyes.

“I don’t need you. I can do this alone.”

You stamp your foot on your tile floor.

“J-bird wanted me to come help you. So I’m gonna help. Also you’re a friend so you know I gotta or I’ll feel guilty. I brought you a lot of things to help you.” Bobby holds up the bag of food and water before stepping into your house. You slam the door shut and take the water and snacks, setting those too on the outside of your nest.

You stomp back into your room and grab your vibrator and knotted dildo and bring them out, throwing them into the nest.

Bobby has his shoes off and is in a tank top and sweats.

You look at him up at him. Feeling extremely small.

“I hate you.” You sit in your nest, only in underwear and a huge t-shirt.

“I know but I promised I’d help in any way I could. It’s only for a couple of nights and I promise we won’t speak about this to anyone or ever again.”

You nod your head and curl up, your hand pats the spot close to you and Bobby enters your nest and sits next to you.

You turn on the tv and lean your head on his shoulder. He wraps a comforting arm around you as you two watch a movie.

You try and resist but your thighs begin getting hotter and hotter throughout the movie. It’s not until the final fifteen minutes that you start whining and shifting uncomfortably. Bobby’s other hand reaches over and caresses your thigh. A shaky breath leaves your mouth.

Your focus leaves the tv, you look at Bobby and whine louder. Slick soaks your panties completely, you feel Bobby’s fingertips glide along them.

Why won’t he look at you!

You mewl. This time Bobby turns his head, his eyes are hazy, you know yours are too.

“What do you need from me? I’ll give you anything.” The alpha rasps. You almost fall apart. His thumb grazes over your bottom lip. “Talk to me.”

“I want you to knot me. Please knot me.” You lick the tip of his thumb. He groans and nods his head.

“I can do that.” Bobby smiles, you lean in and kiss him aggressively. His calloused hand grazes your scent gland, making you groan into the kiss. Bobby lays you back and places gently kisses all over your body. He takes off your soaked panties and your band tee, then he takes off his own clothes. You stare at his cock and whimper.

“It’s big.”

Bobby chuckles and buries his face between your shoulder and neck. He rubs his cock between your slick. You buck up into him.

“Alpha-“

You silence yourself and feel as he twitches when you say that.

“Sorry.” You almost feel like sobbing. Why did you say that?

“Shhh, S’okay Omega.” Bobby reassures.

He covers the head of his cock in your slick before pushing it slowly in. He peppers you neck with kisses and you start to pant, your tongue sticking out of your mouth. A small moan chokes out of you.

“So pretty. Sound so nice. You like that? Your so tight. Fuck-“ Bobby bucks his hips into you, letting out vulgar groans in your your ear. His cock stretches you out, your back arches and you hold onto the blankets below you. Drool drips down your face and Bobby licks it up, kissing you more after. He pulls out and rams back into you starting a quick and rough fuck. Your mind is swirling as your eyes roll to the back of your head.

Should’ve gotten off of your suppressants sooner.

You knock yourself down a few pegs by coming back to reality. No, you should’ve just gotten them sooner. You can still have sex-

Bobby’s cock hits your cervix and you let out a sob, gripping him harder.

“Sorry, feel so good. I can’t help it. You’re such a good omega. So good. Good dog.”

Your pussy pulsates and you whine loudly. “You like that? I like being called a dog too. Fuck- ‘specially a good one.” Bo kisses and licks your scent gland, you growl lowly.

“Bite it.”

Bobby stops all of a sudden and everything comes flooding back. Your cramps start again and you let out a sob. “Don’t stop. Bobby come back.”

You look into his blue eyes, trying so hard to read him. He purses his lips.

“I can’t.”

“Why? Don’t you love me?” You furrow your brows.

“Now, don’t pull that with me. I’m helpin’ you. Can’t mark you though. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to lick it or even touch it. S’not gonna happen again.”

You let out a soft whimper, you messed everything up. A tear rolls down your cheek.

“Nu-uh. Please don’t cry. I’m sorry.”

He leans down and kisses away the tears that come after that. You roll your hips and Bobby groans, gripping your waist he ruts into you harder. He continues kissing your face.

“Hate when you cry. M’supposed to make ya feel good. Do you feel good?”

You nod your head and grab his face kissing him roughly. His cock pounds into you harder and harder as you pussy tightens. “Gonna cum on me?”

“Mhm!”

“Go ahead. You’re such a good dog.”

Your head lolls back and you squeal as white flashes in your vision. You roll your hips as your thighs shake. Bobby continues thrusting in and out of you and you feel a pop and a groan is heard from the blond above you.

He legs shake and his roll a much as they can. Cum floods your insides and you let out soft whines.

Bobby caresses your face as you two come down from your highs.

“You okay?”

You nod your head.

“Okay I’m gonna lift us up.” Bobby wraps his arms around you and swings you so you’re sitting on his lap. You lean your head on his shoulder and watch as he grabs a water a small thing of fruit snacks.

He brings the water to your face and tilts it, making sure you drink some. He then opens the fruit snacks and feeds you them one at a time.

“I was serious about you marking me.” You whisper. Bobby kisses your head.

“I’m sure you were. But I’m taking care of you. This can wait until after your heat. When your brain isn’t all fuzzy and horny.”

You kiss his shoulder and stare into space. “Give me your tank top.”

Bobby doesn’t hesitate. You take it and bury your face in it, groaning at his scent. You feel his cock twitch in you and giggle.

“I want to mark you so badly. Make sure everyone knows your mine. I’m just scared you’re gonna hate me after awhile.” Bobby wraps his arms around you and you do the same to him.

“I don’t think I could ever hate you Bobby. You’d be a great alpha. Especially to someone as stubborn as me.”

He rubs your back gently and kisses your shoulder.

[angelsfalling16]

Simon's Birthday Sex

a/n: I sat down last night to work on my cobb fic and wrote this instead. It started as an outline, but then I decided to just leave it as a bulletpointed fic bc those are fun!

• They meet up to have sex on Simon's birthday every year

• It started when they were 20 or so and Simon was celebrating a lonely birthday

• They were both drunk as all fuck but clear headed enough to know what they were doing but drunk enough to blame it on the alcohol

• Then they ran into each other again a year later and it became sort of like tradition

• The third year they meet at Simon's flat once his little party is over and they make good use of the leftover cake

• Last year, on Simon's 24th birthday, Simon was sort of seeing someone and it felt like the obvious thing to spend the evening with his sort-of-boyfriend and a little wrong to meet up with Baz even if they weren't explicitly exclusive

• Still, they ran into each other in the bathroom of the restaurant and it was a close call

• Simon couldn't help himself, crowding Baz up against the wall with his body, leaning in until their lips were a breath apart, their breaths intermingling as they both ached to close the distance

• They never touched though

• And they were startled apart when someone else entered the bathroom, and Baz managed to hurry ou while Simon was distracted

• So this year feels awkward. And they hadn't exactly made any plans to meet up, so Simon's drinking at a bar with some friends definitely not look at the door every 5 seconds, hoping Baz will enter

• And then penny's present shows up! And it's Baz!! Because of course she figured it out. Simon wasn't exactly subtle about sneaking off. (Or about how sad he was last year)

• Baz joins them at their cramped table, but neither he nor Simon looks at each other at first. Then the others slowly and not subtly at all make excuses to leave the table

• Penny and Shep decide to dance. Agatha needs a drink and Niamh decides to go with her. And then it's just the two of them, sat on opposite sides of the booth, still refusing to look at each other

• It's Baz who finally breaks the silence with a quiet "Happy birthday"

• "I didn't think I'd see you this year." - simon

• "I didn't think you wanted to. I thought you might be with someone else."

• Simon explains that that relationship didn't last long and he meekly admits that he had regrets about not going home with Baz that night. He was all he could think about after their run in.

• Baz smiles, surprised, and finally the tension breaks. "Maybe we can make up for last year," Baz says. "Want to come back to my place?"

• Simon glances around for his friends who are very obviously watching them while pretending not to.

• "Sure. I would love to."

• Baz takes Simon's hand and they make their way to his flat, not letting go of each other until their inside.

• They definitely make up for the previous year, moving all around Baz's spacious flat, flinging clothes carelessly into corners that will be difficult to find later but neither of them cares about that right now.theyre too caught up in using their hands and mouths to tell each other just how much they missed this.

• Simon can't fathom why they only so this once a year. It feels so good. So right. They should do it more often.

• They should also hang out more often. Get dinner. Dance at bars.

• They should date, Simon realizes as Baz’s mouth envelops his cock.

• He hadn't really thought about it before. Honestly, he tried not to think about Baz until his birthday was getting near because thinking of him usually ended up with Simon feeling frustrated.

• Now he understands why.

• He likes Baz

• Okay, more than likes. And he was stupid not to see it before. Especially after how deeply he missed Baz last year.

• Baz coaxed his orgasm for him while Simon thinks about how much he loves him, then they finally make it to Baz's room for round two where Baz rims him for so long Simon is nearly in tears, begging for more.

• Finally Baz sinks into him, fucking him until he sees stars

• Once they've cleaned up and are wrapped around each other in Baz's bed - something they've never done before; it was always only about the sex - simon decides to bring up how he feels

• "I don't want to keep meeting up once a year."

• "Oh," Baz's dejected tone makes him realize that he could have phrased that before.

• "Wait," Simon says because Baz had started to pull away. "I meant that I want to see you more than that. I want to hang out and g-go on dates and stuff."

• "Oh." Baz's tone is much different this time. "That sounds nice."

• "Really?"

• "Yes, Simon. I thought it was obvious how much I liked you. I mean, I've managed to be single every year on your birthday. That wasnt exactly on accident."

• It Simon's turn to say oh

• He feels stupid. He should have realized it a long time ago. But he's just glad he's finally realized it now.

[stridingseer]

cant say i have any specific asks about inception ships but i am more than happy to hear you talk about rarepairs because there is simply not enough content here <3

Okay this uh, admittedly might get long (I am going to do this in point form for the sheer rambles). Very Long Thoughts Under the cut!!

Eames/Robert Fischer

One thing that keeps on swinging around to me every time I write them or read about them is this one constant theme, aka the idea of Identity.

Who is Robert supposed to be after the inception? How does he reconcile with breaking up his inheritance? Who is he outside of his father? Who is he besides being the son of Maurice Fischer?

For Eames, it's a bit funkier but Eames is a forger. His identity is anything that the job needs him to be. But then, who is he really? Is he a combination of his forges? Yes he plays a role for the others but what are his thoughts about it?

(I recently got a reply back from another writer for this ship that pointed out that Eames got to deal with the psychological aspect of the inception and I can't help but wonder: how does he feel about having to do this to Fischer in the first place?)

What happens post canon between these two is SUCH an oasis for writing ideas. Have them meet years later at a bar! Maybe Robert chooses to break up his empire and then go AWOL before running into Eames (maybe Eames steals his wallet for the THIRD FUCKING time, admittedly it'd be funny)

Similarly: what did Eames see at Fischer-Marrow while he was there? The two of them probably did meet which means the first meeting is one of infinite possibilities. I just love the idea of Eames introducing himself, calls Robert by Fischer, and then Robert corrects him to use his first name. (names as intimacy and trust!! NAMES AS INTIMACY AND TRUST)

I do have this headcanon that Eames also has like similar-esque issues as Robert which is why he's the one who more or less starts digging in from the angle of the father-son relationship. In a way it's him getting his own catharsis when Robert gets his but again, it can get really messy. It's also why he keeps on bringing it up. Anyways they both have family issues and they're foils your honor.

Would like to thank This Fic for getting me into the pairing though there are som Very Good Ones in the tag. I love them all dearly.

Anyways I have a cannibal + shapeshifter roadtrip fic in my drafts and it's actually an exploration on identity. And also a second person fic from Robert's POV that tackles his relationship w/ his father like my relationship with both of my parents. Consider it an alternative reading of sorts

Arthur/Dom Cobb

Basically they're inception's reasonable right hand man/mastermind who has Big Ideas (aka Rusty and Danny from Ocean's 11 though admittedly their dynamic is way different)

Read them as exes who can't leave each other alone and it suddenly becomes quite funny to watch the movie in that way. Cuz then it makes Arthur's constant :/ funnier but he's STILL hanging around.

I like the idea of the two of them living together to take care of Cobb's kids at the end of inception! Arthur comes to visit and ends up staying way longer. They are now common in laws.

And given his logical brain, if any of the kids needs him w/ history or math or geography, Arthur is There because his whole job

One thing that does rotate in my head is just the sheer loyalty that Arthur has for Cobb? Like the Fischer job goes wrong on the first layer in and he, like Eames, can say that he can voice that he's walking off the job. The Thing is his choice to Not to. Tiny thing but it speaks volumes. Also if they go to hotels, these two basically live together even on the job.

So Arthur 100% knew Mal which means that I imagine that it's Cobb who first dragged him into dreamsharing. I just like the idea of the three of them testing limits and whatnot (it's very Ocean's 11 in its parallels but it also gives more depth and food to think about. Of course Mal and Cobb get married and Arthur is not bitter about it, not at all)

I also raise you the idea of Eames calling Arthur a 'nanny' for watching over Cobb's kids. And then Eames gets called 'gold digger' for getting with Robert. Neither of them are wrong about it technically but it could be that it's a fun in joke/dig at each other.

MORE FICS ABOUT THEIR FIRST EXTRACTIONS TOGETHER AND WHATNOT!! There is so much food for thought about how they managed to find their place in their extraction world.

On a similar note: their first adventures in the dreamscape. Basically the question of 'how many times has Cobb shot Arthur to wake him up'.

[cody-helix02]

4, 9, and 17 for the BoB ask game!

Hey! Thanks for the asks bud 😐🤍

4. If you could pick three characters to be on your zombie apocalypse team, who would they be and why ?

Listen...that is a fuckin mean question BUT definitly Speirs cause he is just an absolute unit in the field. That man would mad dash through a hord of zombies just to find a path to a safer location or somethin! 💀 My second person is Spina cause we need a fuckin medic on board and yes I could've picked Roe but bruh Spina is our BOI. How could I not pick him. The last one iiiis Bull I guess cause also absolute unit in the field. And he would keep us level headed and have some folksy wisdom for us if we need it. Lol.

9. Is there a character you think is very underrated or that you think people should show more love to ? Who and Why ?

COBB.

People his portrail in the fuckin show was not the fuckin yellow from the egg okay ?! That man in rl was one of the oldest members of easy. He was in the military and fought BEFORE ww2. Many said he was a good natured guy and yes maybe that thing with Foley wasn't...ya know a good thing...BUT COME ON. If you put it all into perspective IN THE SHOW he could just be tired and a lil grumpy. He doesn't want to see those fuckin kids die okay ?! He loves them as much as Winters and Bull do. SO STOP MAKING HIM A FUCKIN VILLAIN. HE AIN'T ONE. That is me being fuckin nice about it. Lol. I have big feelings about this man cause many people do him so fuckin wrong. But oh well.

17. Did the 101st Airborne need saving in Bastogne ?

Listen they didn't need to get fuckin rescued by Patton alright. 😐 That's all I am gonna say to that lol

[wily-one24]

X: 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms.

Did you just ask me for three different OTPs? When the entire premise of OTP is ONE True Pairing? :p

I'll play, in the spirit of the game:

Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles - Rizzoli and Isles.

Emma Swan and Regina Mills - Once Upon A Time.

Look, I'm going to be real here. I don't think I have another. I have many different preferred pairings. But do I think they're true? Do I think they're made for each other and/or healthy? Not really. I certainly like drama and chemistry.

Rizzles is absolutely healthy, they adore each other and they bolster each other, and I honestly cannot see them within anyone else. Despite how many penises the show kept trying to throw their way. They belong together and nothing you tell me will change my mind on this.

Swan Queen, that dynamic might not be the healthiest, but it definitely has the potential to grow. And their stories are so mirrored and vital and parallel, and they share a son. Again, you can throw penises at them all willy nilly, but nobody ever matched their chemistry or care for each other.

Ok, in Veronica Mars, I wrote a lot of Logan/Veronica, and they are good together, but they are also very toxic for each other too. Their relationship had lots of ups and downs and was full of pain. Yeah, that's the drama of it, but still, you can have drama without tearing each other down. True love does not equal healthy love. And I can pair Veronica with anyone, to be honest. She works with so many different characters. Probably several would have been healthier for her than Logan.

I am currently watching Law & Order: SVU. I don't really have a preferred pairing in that show. Yes, I am writing Olivia/Elliot, and I think they care about each other, but jesus, that is not a healthy dynamic. It's not. Part of what I like writing about these two is the potential for such codepency and emotional abuse. This is drama. Frankly, if we were going for healthy dynamics, Rafa/Olivia is better than Elliot/Olivia. The chemistry is there, but the drama is not and, honestly, Olivia would eat that poor boy alive in three seconds. I can also pair Olivia with just about anyone (except Tucker and don't get me started on that emotionless train wreck of a relationship).

Going back further in fandoms, I wrote a lot of Jayne/Kaylee for Firefly and, okay, sure. Yep.

3. Jayne Cobb and Kaylee Frye - Firefly (caveat - IF done properly).

There you go, 3 different OTPs for 3 different fandoms.

Now that I've angered a bunch of you with my inane ramblings, I shall leave it there.

[make-me-imagine]

fic tag game

rules - recommend 3 of YOUR fics: 1 that is “most popular” and 2 that are “hidden gems!”

Tagged by @fanboygarcia - thank you!

Most Popular: 'Torture' (Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Gn!Reader)

This is the second Top Gun fic I ever wrote, and it one of my fave fics I've ever written so I am so glad it did so well <3

Hidden Gems:

I have so many fics I wrote that I really love, that didn't get much attention (mainly because they are for smaller fandoms so this was very hard to narrow down - I've also written so many fics in general lol)

1: 'Wanted' (Cobb Vanth x Gn!Reader)

This was the first fic I wrote for Cobb. It was an original idea, and I loved writing it so much. It did okay note wise, but not as well as I wanted.

2: 'Change of Heart' (Warren Worthington III aka Angel x Gn!Reader)

I wrote this over the course of a week, also an original idea, really loving how it was coming out. But it took it so long to even reach 100 notes, that it bummed me out. I really enjoy it still, and wish it reached more people.

xx

Tagging (no pressure): @starfleetimagines (feel free to do for either or both blogs); @gaitwae, @thefallenbibliophilequote, @trashywritestrash, @witchygagirlwrites, @magravenwrites, @marvelouslyme96, @cosplayingwitch, @thranduilsperkybutt - and Open Tag for those I may have forgotten or those who just want to do it :)

[vvitchering]

For your character bingo:

1) Rose Tyler (Dr. Who)

2) Crowley (Good Omens)

3) Cobb Vanth (Mandalorian)

:D

:D all good blorbos!!! Answers under the cut because knowing me this is going to be ✨more detailed than necessary✨

No bingos for Rose, but I do have many feelings about her. She was my favorite companion (Donna is a very close second) and despite the weird end to her run, I think she's one of the best companions in the parts of the show I've personally seen. She was so ordinary!!! And kind!!! in the face of so much weirdness and drama. She was just some kid who got mixed up in something absolutely crazy and instead of letting it scare her, she ran with it. I think it was her positive influence on the Ninth Doctor that made the Tenth the character that so many people, including me, love. Where Nine was bitter and angry, Rose's friendship (and eventually her love) helped him see the good and worth in the universe on a personal level again. Her kindness always stands out to me when I rewatch the show. It doesn't matter how weird the alien being is, she's right there trying to learn about them and help them if she can. I just.....loved Rose a lot.... ;___;

So the thing about Good Omens is that I will always default to the characters from the books, rather than the show. So when I talk about Crowley, I'm not talking about Tennant!Crowley. I'm talking about the Crowley I imagined in my head, tall, dark, handsome, always stylishly dressed, a little bit scary but in that weird "can't put your finger on why he's freaking you out" way. As with most characters that become super mega popular within fandom, I think fans do tend to woobie him a little bit. And something that bothered me more than it should have about the show in regards to him: his wings are white in the book, they look exactly the same as Aziraphale's. The whole point of that was to show that demons and angels come from the same stock, their respective group's animosity towards each other was pointless, and Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship was one of equals.

Anyway, he's a grade A blorbo. Didn't get a bingo again but that's okay. I should reread the book again.

Cool cowboy space man :) King of wasted potential. Cobb was TOO GOOD to have only been in one episode of The Mandalorian. Seeing him pop back up in TBOBF was cool but they immediately did him dirty again!!!! The ending of that show gave me hope we'll see him again and hopefully the writers give him a bigger role. He's absolutely fascinating and his dynamic with Din is even more so. Granted I do think a lot of my love for this character does tend to stem from fan work, as we have so little to go off of in the shows he's been in. But then again I think the fandom does a pretty good job characterizing him in a way that feels true to the canon content we do have. No bingo again, sorry cowboy.

[helenaheissner]

Love During Robot Fighting Time: Chapter 16

Hello, lovelies! Hope y'all are doing well :)

Don't forget you can read three chapters ahead on this story, twenty chapters ahead on "A Dream of Summer Rain", and two chapters ahead on "Magical Girl Exorcist Squad", by becoming a paid subscriber on my Substack or my Patreon!

If that's too steep for you but you'd still like to support my work, consider making a one-time donation via Ko-Fi:

Thank you so much for your continued support of my work! Every little bit helps me to keep going :)

And now, back to our regularly scheduled nerdy romcom shenanigans!

***

Kate

Zeke and I ate dinner together again the next night, and the next night, and the next, and the next. Our second dinner we just went and got pizza, then took in a movie. Our third saw us eating at my place, while my parents playfully interrogated the young man as to his intentions towards me. Our fourth was at his place, and Faith was in attendance- mostly because she was the one who cooked for us. It was a delicious meal of grilled chicken sandwiches with a homemade cobb salad on the side. I didn’t realize she was the one doing that for us until I arrived and the food had already been prepared, and I was wracked with guilt at the realization. The poor girl was bending over backwards to help me, and being nothing but nice to me… I tried to invite her to stay, but she slipped off somewhere before I could even finish the offer. 

We all had the week off from our respective fights, and none of us felt like going out, so we wound up spending Friday night all watching the fights together at my place. Jolly Roger, Tooth Fairy, Sparky-Sparky-Boom, and Ultimate Frisbee all took home victories. 

At the end of the night, as Zeke and Faith were getting ready to leave, Faith was scrolling on her phone and then paused with what looked to be a panicked expression all over her face. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked. Zeke was standing in the doorway, me at the base of the stairs, and Faith between us. 

“Um,” Faith said. “You’re trending on social media.”

“How’s that possible? I don’t have any social media accounts.”

“Well, um, someone tagged Zeke and I’s shared account with a photo that got posted,” she said. “And you’re in it.”

“What?” Zeke and I said simultaneously. 

She showed us, revealing a picture of Zeke and I leaving the Indian restaurant together that past Monday. Revealing me in all my trans glory to the entire internet without my consent. “Who the hell-”

“Olivia,” Zeke growled. 

“Let’s not jump to any conclusions,” Faith said. 

“Who tagged us in the photo?” Zeke said. 

“Let’s see here,” Faith said. “Who the heck is Eileen Portman?”

“Team Sparky-Sparky-Boom!” I said, grinding my teeth together. “They were at the restaurant on Monday night!”

“Goddammit,” Zeke said. 

“Okay, let’s not freak out,” Faith said. 

“Not freak out? Are you kidding me? This is the perfect time to freak out! That-that bitch! She’s my next opponent, she must have done this on purpose to rattle me! I’ll show her. I’ll crush her, I’ll-”

“Kate,” Zeke said. 

“What?!”

“You’re doing it again.”

“What do you mean?”

“It,” Faith said. “You’re doing it. Your hands are bunched together.”

I looked down, to see my hands had indeed balled into fists. “Oh.”

Zeke walked over to me, putting his hands on my shoulders. “It’s okay. I know you’re upset. I know this feels awful. But you’re better than this. You don’t have to play the game on their terms.”

I looked up at this man, at my man, and the anger evaporated, replaced by a cool serenity and simple clarity. “You’re right. I still have a week to figure out my response. That’s plenty of time.”

“Exactly,” Zeke said. “You can get out in front of this.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Faith said. “Own your narrative. There’s got to be some way for you to respond to this without slipping back into your old persona.”

I breathed in deep through my nose. “I think I have one idea.”

***

I popped my first Estradiol pill when I woke up on Monday morning, letting the blue-green tablet melt under my tongue. It had a curious texture to it as it slowly dissolved, and I wanted to say it tasted like sugar, but it didn’t really taste like anything. I wanted to say I could feel it changing me right away, but that was ridiculous. What it did make me feel right away, though, was relief. And… Joy. A clean, pure joy that sang through my entire being, every fiber grateful as I took my first step towards changing my body to what I wanted it to be.

I was on my way, physically and mentally. 

Now for the hard part. 

I did my makeup, put on a blue and white sundress and a pair of strappy sandals, put in my four hours at the store, and then climbed in my car and headed to Gaines Auto Body and Bodybuilding. 

I’d emailed Gaines’ social media publicists, Nadine, on Saturday morning, and we’d set up a meeting for the following Monday. I parked in the back of the shop and made my way in through the front, conscious of the dozens of ridiculously buff guys staring at me as I walked through the gym. Some were staring at me with recognition and contempt, others with bemusement, others with confusion, and one or two with naked lust. I wasn’t really sure what to do with it all, so I just kept my head down and powered through. 

I reached the back of the gym and knocked on a closed door, and when it opened, a young black woman with long, luscious braids and bold makeup stood on the other side. She was tall and slender, and wore big, horn-rimmed glasses over her brown eyes. She wore an orange shawl over a light blue tank top and darker blue jeans, while red converse all-stars adorned her feet. A diamond engagement ring rested on her finger, shining proudly even in the cheap, artificial radiance of the overhead light. “Hi!” she exclaimed, effortless enthusiasm pouring out of her. 

“Uh… Hi!” I said, doing my best to match her immense energy. 

“You’re Katherine, right?” she said, opening the door wider and gesturing me into the office. 

“Uh, Kate, but yeah, that’s me,” I said. Her office was carpeted, with teal-painted walls and sleek metal desk in the corner. A bi pride flag hung over the wall, along with a framed copy of a college diploma from CSU Long Beach that read ‘Nadine Palmer.’

“So, I got your email, and first off, I wanna say, I am so, so sorry that happened to you,” Nadine said, gesturing to the bean bag chair that sat in front of her desk as she traipsed over to the regular chair on the other side. Seriously, what was with this place and weird seating arrangements?

I sat down in the bean bag chair, surprised by how soft and comfy it was. “Thank you. I… I gotta be honest, I have no idea what to do now. I’ve never really been a social media person, but I know I want a new image going forward.”

“Tired of the whole ‘macho bravado’ thing, I take it?” She said, offering me a sympathetic look. 

“Yeah, it, uh… Well, it served its purpose,” I said. “And now it doesn’t, anymore.”

“I completely understand. My fiance, Greg, went through the opposite version of it.”

“How do you mean?”

She looked at me for a second. 

“Oh, he’s-”

“Yes, exactly,” she said. “Used to have no idea how to stand up for himself, the poor man. But people can change.”

“Absolutely,” I nodded. 

“So, I think we should start by building an Insta profile for you, something that makes you seem friendly and approachable, and take it from there. Sounds good?”

“Sounds great!”

“More broadly, though, do you have any idea what kind of gimmick you’d like to go for?” Nadine asked. 

“I… I don’t know yet,” I said. “Do you think… For now, we could just focus on the bare bones stuff, get me ready for my first big public appearance as myself?”

“Totally fine,” Nadine said. “Mind if I ask you a personal, transition related question?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Have you started HRT yet?”

“Just took the first pill this morning,” I said. 

“Good, good. Here’s my pitch then: transition timeline. One photo of you every week, dolled up and looking gorgeous like you are now,” Nadine said.

I smiled. 

“Then we compile the timeline while the hormones work their magic slowly.”

“I like this plan!” I said. 

“Thought you would. Once you’re further along, we can decide on a more specific gimmick for you going forward. For now, though, who’s ready for a photo shoot?”

I mustered up my best smile. “I am.”

“That’s the spirit!” she said. 

***

The shoot flew by faster than expected, and so did the rest of the week as I finished repairs on Polyphemus in preparation for my fight. The bot was finished, ready inside my truck, and I sat in the driver’s seat in the parking lot, that damn parking lot where so much had happened to me, clutching the steering wheel with my seatbelt still fastened and the door still locked. 

“You okay?” Zeke said from the passenger’s side. He’d ridden in with me, while Faith and my parents were meeting us there. Zeke was originally going to do the same, but… He’d offered to keep me company on the ride over, and my heart freaking sang when he did. He’d been at my side through so much of this… Part of me wondered if I really deserved him. Part of me wondered if Faith deserved him more. 

But he wanted to be with me. He’d said as much. Granted, we’d both agreed to keep our relationship on the down-low at work, at least for the time being, but still… That he was there with me, to help prop me up, was amazing. “I’ve… Been better. Nervous, mostly. But I’ll be fine. Got all my repairs done before the match, got my outfit already-”

“You look gorgeous, by the way,” he said, gesturing to my black skirt and pink hoodie combination.

“Oh, stop,” I said, smiling bashfully and playfully waving my hand at him.

“Hey, just being honest,” he said. “My girlfriend looks gorgeous, I’m gonna tell her as much.”

My jaw dropped, but my lips slowly curved upwards into a smile as his words sank in. We both sat there a moment, a change in the atmosphere between us making itself readily apparent. “D-did… Did you just use the g-word?”

“Heh. I think so,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. 

“I mean I just… We’ve been seeing each other pretty much nonstop for a few weeks now, we’ve made out a bunch of times, your dad even gave me the whole speech-”

“Yeah,” I said, warmth and giddiness exploding in me like a Fourth of July fireworks display. Girlfriend, I thought as euphoria and attraction swirled together. 

“If you’re not comfortable putting labels on it yet-”

I unbuckled my seatbelt, reached over, grabbed his face and kissed him. Our lips pressed together, his stubble scratching and tickling my carefully made-up face. I opened my mouth up further, pushing my tongue towards him, and after a nanosecond’s hesitation, he let it in. We Frenched for a few minutes, only the utmost willpower pulling me away from the magnetic connection that held the two of us together. I didn’t want to stop, but I knew if I didn’t, I’d be inviting him to tear off all my clothes. And putting aside the part where I wasn’t sure either of us were ready for that, it was a work night. 

“Okay,” I said, my voice breathy and girly, half-purr and half-whisper, my nose pressed against his. “I’m your girlfriend. You’re my boyfriend.” The euphoria and the giddiness tripled, quadrupled, quintupled. Everything felt clear and simple and right, as if I’d unlocked some higher sense of understanding myself and him and the both of us together. Of how we were more together than we were apart. 

“Okay,” he smiled. 

I kissed him one more time for luck, and said, “Let’s light this candle.”

Zeke helped me wheel Polyphemus into the arena. The first two fights of the evening had already gone down, and I handed my intro monologue card to the appropriate person. They read off my speech and introduced me, with Derek and Marty making note of a few adjustments I’d made. 

“Well, it seems this is a season of change, Derek,” Marty said into the microphone. “First Faith Watanabe, and now Kate Calloway as well.”

“Exciting times we live in, Marty,” Derek said. “Wonder what other surprises Team Polyphemus has in store for us tonight. 

“AND IN THE RED CORNER,” came the next monologue, roared to life by our glorious master of ceremonies, “This bot, is DA BOMB! It’s got an EXPLOSIVE PERSONALITY, and it’ll spin your head RIGHT ROUND RIGHT ROUND! It’s SPARKY-SPARKY-BOOM!”

Mr. and Mrs. Portman stood across from me, both clapping along to their own applause. Their bot was… An interesting design. 

A bomb. It looked like a big black bomb, mostly spherical, but with a rotating horizontal spinner consisting of a massive saw blade wrapped around it. The nub at the top of it looked like a wick but was, in reality, a spout that shot fire. 

Fire-breather against fire-breather it was. 

We were led into our respective boxes while our bots were wheeled onto the floor of the arena. “Hey there!” Mrs. Portman called out to me from her box, a smile I couldn’t decide on the veracity of gleaming across her face. Her husband, for his part, had adopted a smug smirk. 

“Hi,” I said awkwardly. 

“Good luck tonight!” 

“Thanks, you too,” I said, my voice dipping low.

“Oops, be careful about that voice,” Mrs. Portman said. “There’s cameras and microphones everywhere, you know.”

“Yeah, I picked up on that when you posted me on Insta without my consent,” I snapped. 

“Oh please, I did you a favor- you had no exposure on any socials, it was time you made your big high society debut,” Mrs. Portman said. 

White hot anger flashed inside me like a lightning bolt. “Lady, where the hell do you get off-”

“ROBOTS! ACTIVATE!” screamed the mechanical announcer. 

Mrs. Portman punched her button and then gave me a mocking wave. 

“We’re finishing this conversation later,” I said. 

“I sure hope we are!” she smiled. 

I grunted. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm. I punched the button, and the bot battle began. 

The thing with horizontal spinners was that they had a built-in defense system, provided they didn’t take any major hits before they achieved full speed. Which meant there was a limited amount of time before my attacks would stop being as effective. Normally, a simple weapon like my katana would be able to jam the spinning blades before they could get to full power. 

But I hadn’t brought my katana that night. For tonight, I’d gone with a throwback and attached the ax Polyphemus. It would slow me down, but coming at this opponent from above made more sense to me than an attempted shot to the proverbial heart. 

Sparky-Sparky-Boom was faster than it looked- it came charging at me right out the gate, Mr. Portman stoic and stern as he piloted the bot. I didn’t move, didn’t even attempt to pivot. I just waited, waited, waited-

I slammed the trigger on my ax as SSB closed the gap, and my ax pile-drived into my opponent’s spinning hacksaw. Their weapon shattered, sliced down the middle and torn off its axis. 

“OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! KATE CALLOWAY HAS MADE A BRUTAL OPENING STATEMENT WITH A CRUSHING BLOW, DISABLING SPARKY-SPARKY-BOOM’S PRIMARY WEAPON WITH A SWING OF THE AX!” Marty screamed. 

“Nice shot, ‘girly,’” Mrs. Portman said, adding air quotes to the final word. Jerk. “Can you handle the heat, though?”

With that, her husband barrelled forward and rammed me the second I’d withdrawn my ax, pouring on the heat from its fire-spout as it used its greater weight to simply push me towards the screws. 

Dammit!

I slammed the trigger on my ax again, hoping to power it up quickly, all while trying to get myself out of SSB’s terrible momentum, but it none of my controls moved fast enough, and the next thing I knew I was shoved directly into the rotating screws as the blades took chunks out of Poly’s backside. Dammit! 

Ten seconds elapsed, and SSB was forced to back off. 

Mrs. Portman said something, with that smug grin plastered to her face as she worked the controls on her flamethrower, but I didn’t hear it. I didn’t care what it was. I couldn’t tell if she was being serious or if she was just playing the heel like I always had. And I didn’t care about that, either. I just knew I wanted to win. 

I flanked left around the bomb-shaped bot, taking advantage of its weight and slow turn time, bathing it in flames from both my flamethrowers while my ax got itself ready. SSB kept trying to turn, and I let myself slow down just an instant. 

SSB shot straight for me, and I pivoted Poly and brought the ax down on them again, slamming it directly into their flamethrower and setting loose a small explosion as a spark lit against the leaking fuel. I pried my ax free and went on the retreat, while SSB, wobbling on its axis, crawled towards me, hoping to ram me again. 

I tried the same trick again, but my ax wasn’t working- dammit, the fire must have disabled the controls! SSB rammed me, pushing me towards the rising kill saws in the center of the box, and all I could do was pour on the fire as the larger bot shoved me around like a ragdoll. 

I spewed fire, fire, fire, until finally, SSB started to smoke in all the wrong places and its engine gave off a sickly, wheezing, sputtering sound. It slowed down, slower, slower, slower. Half an inch from the kill saw behind it, Poly managed to stop SSB in its tracks, bringing the bomb-shaped bot to a halt entirely. 

Once the kill saws went down, I drove out of the way, and the countdown started as SSB found itself entirely stationary. 

“-3, 2, 1- that’s the fight!” the ref decreed as the alarm sounded and the crowd went wild. 

I was half-tempted to do my usual fist-pump, to scream and jeer, to make a big stupid macho display of myself… But I didn’t want that. So instead, I gave a simple curtsey and then ambled over to the interview. 

“So, Kate Calloway, two wins in a row, and this the first one as the new you,” Derek Benes said into the microphone. “Did everything go according to plan tonight?”

“Oh, there was no plan,” I admitted, scratching the back of my head and laughing awkwardly. “I’d never faced the Portmans before, I was mostly just winging it. Except for the ax, that was planned, but even then I had to improvise.”

“Anything to say to your upcoming opponents now that you have a winning record? The regular season is winding down, and you’re still gonna need another win to make it into the tournament.”

I looked for words within, looked for a version of my usual bullshit that wouldn’t give me dysphoria. Maybe… Maybe I should just try to do the opposite of what I would normally do. What was the worst that could happen?

“Just that I’m really looking forward to fighting each and every one of you,” I said with the sincerest smile I could muster. “May the best bot win!”

Derek bid me farewell, and I pulled the sledge carrying my bot into the pits. Half of the wires were fried, and the ax was gonna need sharpening, and I’d gone through a month’s worth of flamethrower fuel in the span of three minutes, but… But dammit, I’d won, and I hadn’t made an ass of myself for a change. I was proud of myself. 

It was a new feeling. 

“Hey there,” Mrs. Portman said as she walked up to me. 

Crap. This was gonna be difficult. 

“Hi,” I managed. 

“Good fight,” she said.  “It was.”

“Don’t think you’ll win a second time, though,” she said, that passive-aggressive smile never leaving her face. “I underestimated you tonight. It won’t happen again.”

“Well, hopefully you trying to dox someone on social media won’t happen again either,” I said, planting my feet and putting my hands on my hips.

“I’d hardly call what I did doxxing-”

“Maybe not, but I wouldn’t call it a good thing to do, either.”

“Oh please, I did you a favor.”

I scowled. “A favor? You call that a favor?”

“Yeah,” she said, folding her arms behind her back. “Forced your hand and made you think about how you present yourself, carry yourself. Given that you’ve clearly never spared a moment’s thought to that before this past week, I’d say I did you a favor.”

I gritted my teeth. Unbelievable; this jerk was trying to turn this around on me. I bunched my fists together, feeling the screams coming from deep within my belly. 

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder from behind. “I think what she’s trying to say is that she would have appreciated you asking her before you did something like that,” Zeke said, putting his arm around me and standing by my side. 

A fluttering joy sang through me as I stood with him, as he protected me, as he helped me protect the person I wanted to be. 

“Hm. Well, agree to disagree,” Mrs. Portman said as her husband came over and stood beside her. 

The four of us all glared at each other, until finally, I started laughing. The Portmans stared at me in confusion and irritation for a moment, and then Zeke started laughing too. The Portmans left while Zeke and I kept standing there laughing like idiots.

Faith approached us from the back entrance and said, “Uh, what are you two laughing about?”

“Oh, just how ridiculous this all is,” I said. 

“And how ridiculous those two are,” Zeke said. 

“And how ridiculous I am,” I said. 

“Hey now, come on, what did you say about being mean to yourself?”

I exhaled heavily. “That I’d do it less?”

“Yes, exactly. You won tonight, and you had a successful debut. We should celebrate.”

“Sounds great!” I said. I turned to Faith and said, “You wanna come with?”

She hesitated, but finally said, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Are you sure?” Zeke asked. 

“I’m sure,” she said, heading for the exit. “I’m gonna go home and get some sleep. You two have fun though!”

She smiled, and she waved, but as she left, I couldn’t help but notice the sadness in her eyes.