#I feel like it’s just like ‘my position is that jack shouldn’t be god which makes it the correct position and since cas is a better father

[rivercule]

I simply do not understand the idea that post-series cas would be upset with dean for “letting jack become god”. Cas was the one who was always talking about Jack fulfilling his destiny and bringing paradise, right up until the end. After Jack took Chuck’s powers dean was the one who was like “hey you’re coming back to the bunker right?” and Jack was the one who said “no I’m going to be god now”. It was ultimately Jack’s decision against Dean’s suggestion.

Dean was never a fan of god even just as a concept before he knew there was a god. Cas was always seeking god and a purpose the latter of which he found in being jack’s father but the gods he found were always terrible. Cas had an awful time at the end of his godstiel arc but Cas also has abysmal self worth so I don’t think he would ever even consider Jack would be as much a “failure” as god as cas was. Jack’s the only person I think Cas could accept as Chuck’s replacement and I’m sure the idea that Jack wouldn’t be up to snuff would never cross his mind. He’s been seeking god for his entire endless existence and jack is literally the only person who couldn’t possibly disappoint him. It makes sense as a conclusion to Castiel’s arc that the man he raised would be a better god than Cas’s father.

On the other hand, Dean is and has always been anti god whether in theory (early seasons atheism) or in practice (killing gods for a living) AND he’s got the least amount of faith in Jack and his powers because of Mary. There’s really no reason for him to want there to be a god, let alone for it to be jack. Not putting up a fight when jack became god, if anything, was showing that jack has regained (or finally gained) his trust, but Dean didn’t trust Chuck as god. He didn’t trust Cas as god. There’s no reason for him to trust anyone as god, let alone a young person who has demonstrated less than perfect control of his own powers, let alone infinite cosmic powers (or whatever).

I don’t like Jack as god either but I can’t wrap my head around why the popular dynamic of fics with this premise is like “divorce arc two where cas is mad at Dean for letting his baby become god”. It was jack’s (who isn’t actually a baby) decision and the positions don’t make sense for dean and cas

[celluloidbroomcloset]

Just wanted to let you know that I read your meta and find it so spot-on and enlightening - this message is just me, nodding along.

My gf and I watch OFMD and as a victim of bullying, she sympathises a lot with Stede’s position. My closest friends in school were all bullied as well. To us, it feels natural to conclude that Jack’s a toxic, abusive bully and that his (limited, thank God) role in the narrative is at least in part to show us what that means - for Stede, who refuses to put up with it now that he has a choice and for Ed, who has to learn the hard way that if he sides with Jack, he becomes just another bully, someone who’ll naturally backstab others and limit himself to having ‘fun’ in destructice, toxic ways. It takes courage to step away from, especially if you think that’s all you deserve; it’s easier (in an awful way) to just play along and resign yourself to the fact that you aren’t strong enough to choose better which, I guess, is what many do and one reason why bullying can persist and be so destructive. We watch that episode very rarely, actually, because the bullying behaviour is just too well-portrayed and it’s honestly uncomfortable to watch at times (as it should be). Also, apologies if any of this reads awkwardly, English is not my first language. Thanks for sharing all your insights!

Thank you. Honestly, one of the reasons I dislike Jack and some of the fanonization of him as much as I do is because he seems so obviously a bully to me. He isolates Stede, he mocks him, he gets others to join in mocking him and to make him feel low. He’s there to tell Stede “Ed doesn’t really like you, I know who Ed is, Ed thinks you’re ridiculous, everyone thinks you’re ridiculous.” And he makes it look (to Stede) like that’s what Ed thinks too. And Ed starts to see that and the damage he is causing, and how he really does have to decide to either become Jack or not.

I do know what toxic friendships feel like and how they work and how horrible it is to be manipulated by someone and not have anyone outside believe you. So it does, admittedly, bother me to see how some people have minimized Jack’s harm or argued that his bullying isn’t all really bullying. I find it upsetting, which has definitely fueled my own discourse over the past few days.

This stuff is INTERESTING, though, and I really wish things hadn’t gotten as heated as they did (and some of that is very much on me).

Anyway, thank you. I think most folks are ignoring me on this now, which is fine.

Additional: the hardest part in a lot of ways is how Ed participates. It hurts when someone who is supposed to be your friend seems to side with your bully. Someone said that Ed tries to include Stede, but…maybe Stede really doesn’t want to play and he shouldn’t have to. That moment when he leaves the ship is so heartbreaking from Stede’s perspective because to him it really does say “we were never really friends.”

[pryce0]

For Once In Life (Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader)

WARNING; This fic contains the topic of self harm, including the descriptions of self harm urges and scars.

gif by; prairiemule (no tag due to the nature of this fic.)

word count; 1,245

summary; Even after recovery, urges can surface.

———————————

It’s an odd concept to most people in these times; self-harm, that is. Most people do not understand why someone would purposely harm themselves, even with an explanation they are often left not understanding.

Which is why [name] often gets questioned or stared at when it’s summer time and her sleeves are rolled up to avoid a heatstroke. She makes a point to keep herself covered around the gang, especially around little Jack. Sure, he’s seen some things but he would question the scattered, straight white scars across [name]’s skin and ask why some of them are pink.

How would she even explain that to a small child? [name] already has a hard enough time explaining it to most adults, and even then half the time they don’t understand themselves.

[Name] sighs as she comes back to her senses from dozing off slightly, the crackling of the fire in front of her coming back into her ears, as well as the chatter from the gang nearby. She takes a glance around, seeing everyone else is doing God knows what; drinking, talking, singing or pissing, just away from her. [Name] turns back to the fire, unbuttoning her sleeve cuffs and rolling them up for the first time in hours. The relief is almost immediate; although the air dry and hot for a summer night, it’s better than no breeze at all. She pulls her legs closer, sitting criss cross. [name]’s eyes drift to the scars littering her skin accompanied by beauty marks and bruises from the toughness of her outlaw life in the gang. She lets out a shaky breath as she runs her fingers across some deeper, yet healed scars. [name] starts to tune out the fire and the gang once more, not noticing the sound fading. Her eyes unfocus as she begins to feel a light burning sensation near her arm which makes her heart skip a beat; is it really happening now, of all nights? Tonight should be a night of celebration, drinking and laughing. Not sitting against a tree trying to distract herself from the urges.

“You alright?” He questions curiously, tapping her head lightly. [name] jolts, letting out a little swear as she pulls down her sleeves quickly. “Jesus Christ, you scared the ever living shit out of me, Mister Morgan..!” She laughs nervously, unable to stop the slight wobble to her tone. She glances up at the man who is standing behind her with his hat in his hand. “You don’t hafta call me that, ‘member?” He says slowly. “‘Was wonderin’ if you were alright, that’s all. You’re.. sittin’ here all by your lonesome while everyone else is having a good time.”

The woman sighs quickly and looks back at the fire for a moment. “Yeah, just needed to get my bearings. No need to worry about me, Arthur, I’m doing just fine. Today was just long, that’s all,” She responded quickly, looking up at the man. She wasn’t wrong, today was long; robbing a store and nearly getting shot down was not fun. Arthur’s eyebrows furrow as she responds, he holding onto his belt with one hand. “Hm… Whatever you say, [name]. Make sure you get some water tonight, you’re lookin’ bit pale, there.”

[name] nods automatically as her response, and then she hears his boots crinkle the glass beneath it. She rises from her position once she knows he’s gone and takes a look around; as like it was before, everyone is busy. [name] quickly makes her way into the dark woods surrounding Horseshoe Overlook, rolling up her sleeves. She finds a good, nice tree to lay against and takes out her hunting knife, staring at the blade.

“I know I shouldn’t.” She mutters quietly, turning the knife slightly in the moonlight, making the blade shine. The feeling of heavy sorrow begins to fill her gut, accompanied by guilt.

It’s not like she could talk out her feelings with anyone, either. Not many take time to understand why people turn to self harm, nor can they understand it at all. [name] has thought about telling people; multiple, in fact. John, Dutch, Hosea, Charles, Arthur… But the fear and guilt is too much. John and Dutch likely wouldn’t understand, the guilt would be too much from Hosea’s likely reaction, Charles…

“Charles is a nice man.” She whispers, gripping the handle of her knife tighter. She feels her arm burst with the feeling of fire, causing her to jolt slightly. “Fuck..!” She accidentally says a bit loud.

And the last one.. Arthur. Sweet, empty headed arthur. It seems [name] has tried to find any and all excuses to especially not tell Arthur, almost an amusing checklist. In reality, there’s not many reasons she wouldn’t tell him, it’s mainly the fear of him thinking less of her.

The two aren’t the closest, but it’s getting there and hell with it all if [name] ruins the one good thing she has going right now.

The way Arthur holds himself so confidently yet cautious, the way he tilts his head when something slightly confuses him, his subtle smirks when someone tells a humorous joke, the way he grips his holster with such caution.. There’s a list of things [name] adores about that man that she could never admit to anyone. She’s a closed off gal, although more open than Arthur. He always takes first place with that sort of thing.

“What’re you doin’?” Arthur asks suddenly, causing [name] to jolt. She didn’t even hear him approach, never heard his boots crunching the leaves below him. [name] feels a drop of sweat go down her temple, cold panic running through her veins. The cold blade of the knife is pressed up against her skin, she didn’t even notice. She doesn’t answer but she lets out a quiet whimper which prompts the cowboy to walk over and bend down, carefully removing the knife from her calloused hand. “There we go, gimme the knife, woman..” He murmurs, shoving the sharpened blade into his holster for safe keeping’s.

“I’m sorry,” She says, barely above a whisper. Arthur says nothing, taking his place beside her and hesitantly pulls her close to him; it’s not often he comforts someone out right like this and she will take any chance she can get. There’s just something different about Arthur that makes her feel better, and forget about everything.

“You don’t hafta say anythin’ if you don’t want. I.. I might not understand, but I sure as hell won’t let you do it.” Arthur mutters as she turns and digs her face into the crook of his neck.

[Name] sniffles, carefully wrapping her arms around the cowboy. She absentmindedly notes he smells like sweat and gunpowder, and a bit of pomade, It’s comforting.

“Arthur..” She whispers. In response, he carefully wraps his arms around her, holding her securely. “It’s… it’s hard to explain…”

“That’s alright,” He says softly and quietly, his gruff accent making her relax. “They don’t seem any fresh, m’just glad I found ya.”

[name] can’t help the sob at the warm feeling replacing the cold panic; for once in her life, she doesn’t have to explain herself, and for once in her life, she has someone who won’t question her.

[stranded-labyrinth]

Hi, I find you terrifying to interact with but you're my favorite person on all of tumblr and I love your Hannibal content more than I love to breathe

would you be willing to recommend some hannigram fics you like? I adore everything you write about them, but that also means I read and re-read all of it many times so I wanted to check if maybe you'd share some recs

thank you and I love you're brilliant

first off, i love you SO much for this, and second, i'd be more than happy to provide fic recs!! it's been a while since my last list, so let me go through my bookmarks again :]

Kindness, I Suppose by McRibFarewellTour

"Disturbed by the way his manipulations have panned out, Will decides to abjure both Hannibal's plan and Jack's and invents one of his own. Deep conversations, torturing Hannibal with low-class accommodations, and Will hyperfixating on the history of New Orleans, all with the well-loved backdrop of a forced road trip."

i actually was just finishing this one as i went to answer your ask, and oh my god, i am in love with this fic. McRibFarewellTour is a fairly new AO3 author, but i've loved everything they've made

You're Looking Like I Feel by McRibFarewellTour

"Will’s been out of prison for a week, and Hannibal still hasn’t heard from him. Needless to say, he does not find this acceptable and decides to take action."

one of the best depictions of Will having a perfect idea for revenge on Hannibal that i've seen yet. it combines ideas we've all had for the best way for him to truly hurt Hannibal, with something new that i haven't seen from anything else yet. heed the tags!

That Which Has Been Ignored by virtuous_contract

"Behind him, Hannibal’s breathing is barely audible. Always so damn composed. Or perhaps Hannibal is really asleep? Perhaps the touch is only accidental? It’s the soft pad of a thumb on the back of his neck and the tips of loosely curled fingers stirring his curls more than resting against his skin. Shouldn’t he hate it? Or at the very least, fear it? Deep down he feels something else entirely. Relief of some undefined kind that he fiercely pushes away and refuses to acknowledge. It’s too embarrassing. He can’t be that person. Can’t be that weak."

a delightful touch-starved and maybe even shy post-fall Will on the run with Hannibal, going from hotel to hotel. lots of pining. i shan't say more, just know it's currently one of my favorite one shots.

to swallow smoke by ghostforwhat

"After all that, he had just needed a little release. A quick stop at a gas station on the way here had easily produced what he was searching for; a soft pack of cigarettes now bulging in his shirt pocket, hidden from the downpour as he ducks under the small awning over the office door."

how could i not include this one? part one already had me romanticizing things i should likely never romanticize, and part two extended that tenfold. it's something you need to experience. if you don't fare well with smut, at least read part one.

oh, to be the life and soul will be the death of me by Serindrana

huge fic description that's a passage from the fic, but this is essentially a one shot that combines mutual pining with Will discovering that Hannibal is indeed The Chesapeake Ripper...in the middle of one of Hannibal's dinner parties.

to the victor go the spoils by zipegs

8.9k word smut one shot that follows a dinner at Hannibal's between him, Alana, and Will, in which Alana leaves when she can no longer abide the tension. a very bitter Will ends up taking things in quite some direction, using a very particular sort of power in lieu of revenge, while also ensnaring himself in the very net he attempts to catch Hannibal in.

Small Repairs by Devereauxs_Disease

"It started with a clogged drain. Will put himself in a position to rescue Hannibal's dinner party, hoping to ingratiate himself to the good doctor as he gathered evidence. What he didn't anticipate was how much fun it was to fix things for Hannibal Lecter. In return, Hannibal offered to act as a cooking tutor for Will Graham, talking him through making dinner nearly every night. Are small home repairs really enough to fix what's been broken between these two?"

as always, i love their work. there's a particular scene i love near the end that i won't spoil, but i'll say that it has to do with Will having a very particular way to notice Hannibal's vulnerability, even from afar :]

A Sepulchre in This Kingdom by petrodactyl352

"The first time Hannibal meets Death, he is eight years old."

how could i not include the fic based on my own prompt? a delightful gift <3 i'm still obsessed with this concept even now

Hidden Potential by sourweather

"The first time you make eye contact with your soul mate, you see a vision of their greatest accomplishment. They call it your Peak. Unfortunately for Will Graham, his soul mate's Peak is a vision of blood and horror. Fortunately for Hannibal Lecter, his soul mate's is too."

a very particular kind of soulmate AU, and i was on the edge of my seat nearly every chapter wanting to see where everything would go. as usual, sourweather does NOT disappoint :]

touch me, i'm cold (unable to control) by Naomi_Riddle

"Dr. Hannibal Lecter lacks nothing. He’s definitely not lonely, and he’s certainly not touch-starved. And he absolutely, positively doesn’t have a thing for Will Graham. So when Abigail Hobbs is discharged from the Port Haven Psychiatric Facility, he suggests that she should move in with him - and so should Will. It’s only fair, as they’re both her legal guardians. A domestic, fluffy little fic of touch-starved down bad Hannibal Lecter, oblivious Will Graham, and sassy Abigail Hobbs who conspires to get her gay dads together. Featuring Winston and Company."

this one is still ongoing, and it's the one i look forward to the absolute most currently when it comes to fics updating. i've seen mutual pining domestic vibes with these two, obviously, but placing it so early on and including the adoption of Abigail just scratches an itch i didn't know i had in my brain.

and with that, i think i've met where i ended off last time i recommended stuff from my bookmarks :] hope you enjoy!

[irrealisms]

c!Tommy is annoying (and that’s important)

I have... a lot of feelings about c!Tommy in s2, from the start of the exile conflict through the Green Festival. I also think the fandom tends to mischaracterize him--I know I’m guilty of this, and as a c!Tommy lover I’ll be mostly addressing a thing that I and other people who love his character don’t focus on as much--which makes me sad because the aspects of his character that tend to get glossed over are also some of the ones that are most personally meaningful to me. (rest of the post is /rp, because “c!” gets annoying to type.)

Specifically: Tommy is loud. He’s abrasive. He’s annoying. He threatens, he griefs, he steals. He lies, blatantly, all the time. He tends to be self-centered (despite being deeply selfless). He lashes out at people who are trying to help him.

He is, in short, a bad victim.

And this is precisely what makes him vulnerable. 

Some people on the server were opposed to and sad about exile, sure. But a lot of people? Thought it was funny, that it was natural consequences, that it was deserved. Sapnap came and laughed, Technoblade came and laughed, Lazar came and laughed, Quackity came and laughed. Now, we don’t know what would have happened if Ranboo was the one being isolated and abused; maybe it would be the same. But I don’t think it would have been. A lot of characters have issues with Tommy or simply find him unpleasant to be around, and I would imagine that a significant number of them were probably, on some level, kind of relieved that he wasn’t their problem anymore. To be clear, I don’t entirely blame them for this! Tommy is... a lot, and they (mostly) didn’t know the full extent of what Tommy was going through. Even those of them that tried to visit with good intentions often got their gifts burned and called “pity gifts”, got insulted or yelled at by Tommy, etc.--or in Jack Manifold’s case, actually killed! The first time I watched the leadup to exile arc, I found Tommy difficult to sympathize with at first--he lied to L’Manberg before his trial; he refused to cooperate with probation while he was on it, even though Tubbo was pushing for it as an alternative to exile; at the beginning of exile, he would sometimes log on to visitors, drive them away, and then complain that he was lonely. As much as it’s obviously ultimately Dream’s fault, it’s easy to look at Tommy and not feel much sympathy for his position or feel that it’s partially self-made. It’s easy for outsiders to look at a Tommy who isn’t stealing, isn’t griefing, who is comparatively quieter, who isn’t their problem anymore, and be relieved rather than concerned. 

Exile arc makes it obvious that they’re wrong.

(Incidentally, I have a lot of sympathy for what Dream’s going through in the prison.)

And not only are they wrong, but exile makes the consequences of this painfully, horrifyingly clear: the abuse gets worse, Tommy gets more and more depressed, and at the climax of it all Tommy attempts suicide. 

(Although notably to me, he’s not the stereotypical victim during exile arc, either--he doesn’t cry on stream, he’s still trying to make dumb jokes, he’s not strategic, he refuses to listen to people, he switches wildly between fight and fawn responses without much correlation with who he’s talking to or how he’s being treated.)

Tommy’s recovery arc, after all of this, starts with him stealing valuables from Technoblade, building a secret basement underneath the existing basements, and then loudly asserting that it’s his house and Technoblade is trespassing.

I could talk about how these things are rooted in trauma. I could talk about how his constant eating of golden apples comes after a period of food insecurity, appetite/disordered eating problems, and physical abuse. I could talk about how he’s regained some of his energy after a period of depression but has nowhere to let it out in a small basement room. I could talk about how he repeatedly annoys Technoblade--quite probably the best PVPer on the server--perhaps in part as a test of how far he can go before he gets abused again, and in part as a sign that he feels safe enough to be annoying without being abused.

But that’s... not the heart of it, at least not to me. The heart of it is that before exile, Tommy would have stolen from Technoblade without a second’s thought, and during exile, Tommy didn’t steal from Technoblade because “Dream wouldn’t like it”, and afterwards, he steals from Technoblade again. 

Sure, he’s being annoying. But more importantly, he’s being himself again. Before exile, I might have rolled my eyes, because Technoblade worked for those potions and golden apples and armor and so on, and Tommy’s totally ruining his chest organization system. After exile? I cheered. Tommy’s being Tommy again. And, yeah, that means that he’s being annoying, he’s stealing, he’s ruining dramatic moments. So what? None of that stuff is actually all that bad, in the grand scheme of things. He’s not depressed, he’s not suicidal, he’s not being abused. He’s a teenager and he’s having fun. Technoblade will tease him for it, but he won’t hit Tommy, won’t take his stuff, won’t threaten him, won’t isolate him any further. That’s what a proportionate response to finding Tommy annoying looks like: teasing. 

I’d also like to address one more thing, which... I couldn’t figure out how to fit in the rest of the post, but it felt incomplete without it. Right before the meeting that ends with Tommy pulling out Spirit, Tommy asks everyone what the plan is, and is basically told that the plan is for him to be quiet. He says “you guys, please, for the love of God, you know I’ve watched for this long, I’m not going to be quiet.” He reiterates this throughout the conversation: he can try to be quiet, but it is not, ultimately, as easy for him as “be quiet”. This is also the source of Tubbo’s anger at him-- Tommy can’t do “one simple thing” for him. I’m not claiming Tommy is neurodivergent, but... as a neurodivergent person, Tommy repeatedly saying “I cannot do this thing that is simple for you, I can’t, empirically every time we have tried this in the past it has failed, if you make more plans based on that then they will also fail, have you met me” and having this seen as evidence of me not caring or trying... resonated with me. Which isn’t to say it’s not a flaw--almost all character traits can be flaws in the right (or, well, wrong) situations--but it does show that Tommy has some level of self-awareness about his flaws, which is something I appreciate about him, and it frustrates me when that goes unacknowledged. Tommy knows he’s annoying. He jokes about it. But he can’t actually... turn it off. Whether or not he should (and I would argue that he shouldn’t have to) isn’t even in question: he can’t. This is who he is. The only time we see him less loud and more capable of being obedient is exile, when he’s severely depressed and being abused. That’s fascinating to me, as a character trait!

In my experience, there’s a specific archetype of abuse victims in fiction that is... overrepresented. I can’t quite find the words to talk about it in a way that doesn’t technically include Tommy, but... the ways Tommy is important to me is the ways that (a) he doesn’t fit that archetype (b) not fitting that archetype makes him more vulnerable to abuse. He’s not always easy for other characters to talk to or sympathize with... which makes him uniquely easy to isolate and victim blame. That’s important. I think I tend to downplay Tommy’s annoying tendencies because I want to emphasize his sympathetic traits, and that’s fine, but it’s important to me that... Tommy’s a victim, and he’s annoying. Annoying people can be victims just as much as shy rule-followers can. Not only that: Tommy’s a victim in part because he’s annoying. Him being annoying is a risk factor for abuse, not an excuse for it.

[inkandpen22]

Chaotic as The Sea (3/?)

Pairing: Jack Sparrow x Female!Reader

Word Count: 3k Warning: swearing, violence Part Summary: The Black Pearl arrives in Bimini and as any adventure with Jack Sparrow, there’s chaos

Masterlist

Two days later... 

Will

We arrive at Bimini as the sun begins to set. Y/N and Barbosa argue that we should wait until sunrise to explore the island. I argue that we can't waste another minute without trying to rescue Elizabeth. Jack, to my surprise, agrees that we shouldn't wait. Though, I think his reasoning is because he wants to see the fountain. 

Barbosa, Jack, Gibbs, Ragetti, Pintel, Y/N, and I all hop off the boat to explore the island. Gibbs, Will, and Pintel all carry long torches for us as the only sources of light. 

"Okay, so I know the general direction, but unless you feel like risking the chance of getting lost, which I don't, I suggest we use the compass," Y/N announces. 

"I thought you were certain of the fountain's location," Barbosa remarks a tad agitated. 

"Every tree and speck of white sand look exactly the same. Next trip, I'll drop your ass in a jungle in the middle of the night and tell you to find your way out!" She snaps. 

"Okay, well then let's use the compass." Ragetti takes the compass of Jack's belt and hands it to Y/N. 

The device begins to spin in her hand and Ragetti peeks over her shoulder. Jack quietly moves to stand beside her, wishing to catch a glimpse of himself. 

Abruptly, Y/N shuts the compass and frantically tries to get rid of it. "Oh uh, no it's okay, Jack can take it." She tosses it to him. 

"Me?" He looks at her wide-eyed and panicky. "No, give it to Will! He wants to find the bloody place." He tosses it to me. 

"What's wrong with you two?" Barbosa yells in frustration. 

"The compass doesn't work for them," I state. 

"Seriously!" Y/N huffs. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Barbosa questions. 

"When Jack holds it the arrow points to Y/N," I explain pointing between them. 

"Who told you that!" Jack questions. 

Then, Jack and Y/N both glare at Gibbs. "Gibbs!" They bark in unison. 

The older man holds up his hands in surrender. 

"Well, why can't Y/N do it?" Pintel questions timidly, circling his hands together. 

"Why can't Will just bloody do it and we can move on!" The woman challenges. 

Jack nods. "I'm with her on this one." 

I sigh. "When Y/N holds it, it points toward whatever she wants so bad in New France." 

"But isn't New France North of here?" Ragetti questions. 

"Yes!" The rest of us answer in unison. 

His face scrunches together in confusion. "But uh-" 

Y/N elbows Ragetti in the ribs. "Shut it!" She's quick to change the subject. "Let's go! Will! I'll lead the way, you just act as a checker." 

_______________________________________________

30 minutes later... 

Y/N

As the seven of us continue to march through the thick jungle, Jack appears beside me. "After we're finished in New France. I say you and I pay a visit to Tortuga for old time's sake." 

I laugh. "Ha! Wish to relive our break-up?" 

"Think of it as a celebration of our reunion," he tries to sugarcoat it. 

I roll my eyes, laughing as I move ahead to join Will up front. "In your dreams!" 

Ragetti

I pick up my pace to catch up with Pintel. "I know something you don't know!" 

"What?" He eagerly asks. 

"When Y/N was holding the compass, the arrow was pointing toward her," I whisper. 

His face scrunches together. "Y/N desires herself?" 

"No!" I huff. "Jack was standing next to her!" 

He gasps, putting it all together. "So you mean-" 

"Yes!" 

He grins. "That's kinda sweet actually." 

Y/N

"Now be careful!" I announce to the men, watching my step as we get closer to the mountainside. "The natives made pit traps and other boobytraps-" 

Before I can finish my warning. Jack screams from the back of the group. When I whip my head around, Jack is nowhere to be seen. "For idiots like Jack," I sigh. 

"Does anyone see him?" Will questions, moving his torch around. 

"It's kind of dark!" Gibbs remarks. 

"Thank Jack and Will for that! They refused to wait until morning," I grumble, marching back to where I last saw Jack.  

"Jack!" We all call in a scatter as we search. 

"Captain!" Gibbs shouts. 

We all watch our steps, checking the heavily covered jungle floor and sky for any sign of him. He could be hanging from a tree in a net or in a hole somewhere. If it's deep enough and well covered, it'll be hard to hear him.

"This is ridiculous!" Gibbs huffs. 

"I say we leave him and tell the crew some natives got him," Barbosa suggests.  

"I have an idea," I announce as one pops into my head. "Give me the compass," I ask Will, holding out my head. 

"But how will that help?" He questions with a raised brow. 

I hold the compass in my palm and lift the lid. I watch as the arrow spins. Soon, each of the men are gathered around me in a circle, eager to catch a glimpse. Then, the arrow stops, pointing Southeast. The men break apart, allowing me to follow it. 

"Watch your step," I advise. 

I keep a close eye on the arrow, making sure it doesn't change direction. I'm about to take another step when Will suddenly grabs my arm. I glance ahead and realize there's a massive pit in front of me. Its edges were covered in leaves and brush. 

"Oh, thanks," I exhale deeply. 

"Captain! You down there?" Gibbs shouts down below, holding a torch above the massive pit. 

I kneel down beside the pit and await an answer. 

There's a faint, "Am I dead?" 

I giggle and shout back. "No, you're not dead you idiot!" 

"Pintel! Ragetti! Go fetch a rope from the ship!" Barbosa commands, sending the two off. 

I laugh, relieved that Jack is okay. Based on the distant swooshing sound, the pit is filled with water thankfully, not spikes. This could've been a recovery mission. I sit back on my knees and glance up to find the remaining three men staring at me with knowing grins. 

"What!" I sass, crossing my arms over my chest. 

"Nothing," they all say, breaking apart to roam in different directions. 

I roll my eyes, such nosy people, pirates. 

____________________________________________

The men work together, yanking Jack up from the bottom of the pit. I remained to kneel beside the edge, holding up a torch so we can see Jack when he pops up. 

"Ho!" Barbosa calls out as they tug the robe. "Ho!" 

Soon, Jack appears from within the darkness and I grip his belt, guiding him to safety. The men release the rope and relax, releasing panting breaths. 

"You okay? Captain!" Gibbs questions. 

"Yeah," Jack flips onto his back, catching his breath, "yeah, I should be fine. How did you-" His eyes flicker about until his eyes land on the compass on the ground beside me. 

"Ah, now that's interesting." A cheeky smirk begins to form on his face as he lifts his gaze to meet mine. 

I shove him in the shoulder, frustrated. "I told you to watch where you were going!" He has no idea how worried I was. 

"I was a tad distracted by you, Love," he chuckles. 

My eyes fall shut as I release a sigh of relief. Thank God, he's okay. 

Jack places his hand on my thigh, capturing me by surprise. His dark eyes meet might and I place my hand over his. He flips his over and they interlock in my lap. His eyes soften at the sight. 

Suddenly, there's a series of yells from across the jungle. Each of us tosses our heads to the side and sees small glimmers of light in the distance. Jack flies up beside me from his laid position. 

"Are they with us?" He questions. 

There's the ring of a gunshot and the bullet hits the tree right by Barbosa's head. 

"Don't think so!" Will declares, his voice shaky. 

"Who are they?" I shout. 

"Wait! They're Black Beard's men! I remember one of them. He's the one who took Elizabeth!" Will determines. 

“How did they find the fountain?” Barbosa yells. 

“He knew you’d come and find me!” I comprehend and look over at Jack. “He’s been following us here!” 

Pintel and Ragetti immediately make a run for it. 

“I’m with them, time to go!” Will decides and starts to run back to the ship. 

Jack takes my hand and instantly brings me to my feet. We begin to run too, hand in hand. 

“Cowards!” Barbosa shouts and stands his ground. He whips out his gun and begins to shoot at the mob. “Come and get it you slimy gits! Ha!” He laughs. 

Running utterly blind in the dark jungle, there’s hardly any light other than that that can make it through the tree tops from the moon. We make it through the jungle and see the beach a few yards ahead. Will and the two morons make a bee-line for the ship, when they’re suddenly stopped by a cluster of Blackbeard’s men running from down the beach. Jack pulls me into his side and draws his sword.

 Suddenly, I feel a hand wrap around my wrist and I’m yanked away from Jack. He immediately whips around and his eyes grow wide. My back slams into someone’s chest and I struggle to free myself. More of Blackbeard’s men appear from within the jungle and begin to fight Jack. Two men begin to drag me off and I fling around, trying to break free. 

"Jack!" I scream. “Let me go you bastards!” 

Jack searches for me and when he finally spots me, he screams. "No!" He looks at me pleading and full of guilt. 

As more of Blackbeard’s men appear, we both quickly realize there’s nothing either of us can do. These morons are taking me to their ship, more than likely to see their captain and to be held prisoner. This is yet another reunion I did not request. 

______________________________________

After sailing out to the Queen Anne's Revenge a couple hundred yards from the island, the nasty men take me aboard and immediately drag me off to the captain’s quarters. They swing open the double doors below top deck and we enter a familiar red velvet decorated office. 

A tall man stands behind the desk with his back to us. "And who do we have here?" A familiar voice purrs. When he spins around, his grin falls to confusion. "Y/N?" 

"I told you! Idiots!" I huff and yank my arms free from his buffoons."Hi, Eddie," I offer a fake smile.

"Eddie?" The pair beside me repeat in unison. 

The captain pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "How many times must I tell you?" 

"You could hand me the Templar Treasure yourself, I won't call you Blackbeard. It's stupid," I laugh, approaching him. 

"Leave us," he commands his minions. Once we’re allow, he moves to stand the other side of his desk. He props himself against it with a grin. "So, you and Jack are back together again..." 

"No way in hell," I snicker, taking a look about his office. He’s changed it in the last five years. "He promised me he knew where the Templar Treasure was, I'm simply completing my half of the deal." 

"Which is?" He inquires. 

I stop my admiring of his decor to meet his gaze. "Showing him to the fountain." 

"You would honestly betray me like that?" He acts offended my placing his hand against his chest. 

"If it guaranteed me the Holy Grail? Yes,” I stand firm. 

"Your loyalties still lie with that treasure? You truly are a pirate at heart,” he smirks. He rises from his position on the desk to pour us chalices of wine. As he approaches me, his eyes travel up and down my entirety. "Dare I say, you look amazing." 

I accept the wine, but roll my eyes at his compliment. "Oh save it.” 

He pouts dramatically. "What happened to the spirited eighteen-year-old I first met?” He reaches up and tucks strands of my hair behind my ear. “You're bitter now." 

I lift my arm and knock his hand away from me. "It's called maturing." 

"Have you matured enough to conclude that I'm the better man than Jack?" He smirks, stepping closer to me. 

I move away from him and toward the book case against the far wall behind his desk. "I think I prefer neither of you,” I answer over my shoulder. 

"One point, if I recall correctly, there was a point where you couldn't choose between us." He narrows his eyes, taking a sip of his wine as he creeps closer to me again. "Do you remember those few months in Bermuda?" 

I shift of my heels, allowing my eyes to fall to the Persian rug beneath them. "It was always going to be him, Eddie..." 

Abruptly, he rushes toward me and pins me against the bookcase. My wine falls out of my hand and stains the rug. "I could've had you if I wanted!" He growls. 

I look him dead in the eyes with a clenched jaw. "You dare threaten me!” 

He laughs mockingly. "What? Going to curse me?" 

I grin. "That used to terrify you if I recall correctly." 

"You're all bark and no bite. I happen to know for a fact, you don't practice dark magic!" He challenges. 

"Just because I don't practice it, doesn't mean I don't know how to use it.”  

There’s a commotion outside and soon the double doors swing open to reveal Jack marching in, gun drawn. While Eddie is distracted I pick up a vase off one of the shelves near me and I knock him over the head with it. The vase shatters into a hundred pieces over his head and the man falls to the ground with a thud at my feet. My chest rises and falls rapidly as I meet Jack’s gaze. His eyes flicker away from the man knocked out on the floor and up to me. 

"I hate that I'm relieved to see you," I pant. 

He runs over to me and takes my hand. "Consequence of loving me." He guides me over to one of the windows and swings it open. “Can you jump?” 

I look at him as though he as three heads. “Can you jump? What kind of dumb question is that?” I mock. Then, I ask him a similar dumb question. “I don’t know Jack, can you swim?” I roll my eyes and climb up onto the windowpane and jump out. 

“Jesus, Mary, and the bloody camel sorry for asking!” I hear him grumble under his breath as climbs out the window and jumps in after me. 

___________________________________

Jack

We’re not sure how we’ll get Elizabeth back, but we will. Though, I suspect that he was never after the fountain. No, what he truly wanted was Y/N and the fountain was just a cover-up. I brought her right to him. For now, we just need to create some distance between us so we can form a plan. 

Y/N climbs the ladder above me and Gibbs helps her on board. She offers him a thank you and brushes herself down. The crew is well into their tasks, getting us far from this island as soon as possible. 

“Glad to see you’re safe, Miss,” Gibbs greets. 

“Did everyone make it back okay?” She questions as I climb aboard. 

“Yes, even I,” Barbosa announces with a proud grin. “Not with the help of you lot,” he adds. 

“Don’t exactly have a death wish,” she giggles. 

“There’s a change of clothes for you in the Captain’s office,” Gibbs informs her. 

She offers him thanks and begins toward my quarters. Barbosa and Gibbs break apart to return to their positions. 

“You! Hold it!” I call out. 

The two men glance in my direction, wondering who I’m speaking to. They follow my gaze to Y/N. 

She whips her head around, her gorgeous, long, wavy, Y/H/C flowing in the breeze. She crosses her arms over chest. “Excuse me?” She scoffs with a grin forming on her lips. 

I narrow my gaze at her. “I have one question.” 

Barbosa and Gibbs watch the interaction, their heads tilting back and forth between us with each exchange. The crew too watches as they attempt to multitask with their duties. Her eyes remain on the deck panels and anywhere else but me. 

“Did you know the compass would lead you to me?” I ask. 

There’s a pause and I can tell she’s reluctant to answer despite the amused expression she wears. Then, her eyes rise to meet mine with a sigh. “Yes... maybe...” 

I smirk, approaching her slowly. “Oh see now that’s interesting, don’t you think?” 

“What? Just going to gloat about the ship now?” She rolls her eyes, directing her focus in the distance away from me. 

I bring my hands up to her cup her face and make her meet my gaze. To my surprise and pleasure, she doesn’t move from her spot or shove me away. Instead, brings her fingers to hook through the loops of belt. 

“You stay with me from now on. No more hiding out.” I smirk. “That’s an order,” I tease quietly between us. 

“Whatever you say...” Her eyes fall to my lips and then flicker back to my eyes. She grins. “Captain.” 

One my hands slips behind her head to her neck and I bring my lips to meet hers in a needy kiss. Her arms fling over my shoulders, deepening the kiss. 

“Now they’re going to be insufferable!” I hear Barbosa grumble to Gibbs as he stomps off. 

Five years of searching for her, waiting for, wondering if I’ll ever see her again. What happened between us all those years ago is one of my greatest regrets if not the biggest. Our relationship has never been easy, in fact it’s exceedingly complicated and one giant headache. We haven’t stopped arguing since the moment we met and rarely agree on anything. Yet, we love as we do argue with each other, passionately and with everything we have. Now that I have Y/N back and I know she loves me in return, I’m never letting her go. God help me if I let Blackbeard anywhere near her. 

_______________________________

Masterlist

Tags: @subwonwooagenda @starfire56 @doveygirlkay-blog @dansyberry @dansyberry @meany-marcelini @naturallyathief @oliviamae4193 @xxshoutxx @house-chase465636 @the-clint-barton @lxr1582 @m00ny-stars @lonliest-love @meandmymessyminds @jick-n0nas @biracy @kriimu10 @soxpoprocks @peachyplxm @captainluciabianchin @cannibalistic-cicada @a-e-i-owe-you @velvetsnaiil @mindifislytherin666 @bunkyung @livinglifewithoutbeingseen @ghosts-face @mx-pibbles @bigplaidwinnerparty @greentea121598 @that-eco-bitch

[tommyspeakycap]

Hi love, I adore your writing so much! And as you just asked for some ideas/concepts here’s mine for Jack Grealish from prompts list 2: fluff #11 where he’s asking her (she’s his best friend) to go for a walk cause there’s so much going on in his life and he just needs to talk. fluff #36, angst #31 and a happy ending please? Basically a Best friends to lovers thing as I’m a sap for that…thank you!! xx

Fluff #11; “I know it’s 2 in the morning but do you want to…”

Fluff #36; “because I fell for you, isn’t it obvious?”

hope I did this justice for you!

Fell for you

“Jesus god,” you grumbled with hands aimlessly palming across the mattress for the blaring sound of your phone from its place charging somewhere on the bed. Your next move is an elongated “Ahhhhh,” sound, fatigue still holding tightly onto your body in a way that seals your eyes shut even as you try to shut off the sound your phone was deafening your with. In a wakened state, you might’ve noticed that it was your ringtone that had interrupted your sleep. However as tired as you were you ruled it as your alarm right away and moved yourself into seated position with the duvet still wrapped tight around you and your eyes still shut.

You were suspended in that space between being asleep and being awake, still sitting up when the offensive sound came screaming through your phone once again.

This time, your eyes snapped open in fright and the fatigue-blurred letters of Jack Grealish’s name popped up across the top of your screen.

“How is it morning already?” You protest down the line, a heavy sigh passing your lips to follow. Jack’s chuckle can be heard through the line, “It’s not.” He replies simply, prompting you to pull your phone away from your ear to hold out in front if your face.

02:17am

“Then why on earth am I up?” You mumble, a question more posed to yourself than the man on the other end. “Wait, why are you up? And why are you calling so early?”

“I’m outside your door.”

“You’re what?!” You throw back your duvet and swing your legs over the side of the bed. You’ve hung up the phone already by the time you reach the front door at a tired shuffle. His hair is tousled when you see him, like he’s been running his hands through it over and over, you imagine that he has. He does that when he’s stressed. You have to squint against the street lights and his car headlights outside, still on as it sits running on the street. “Can we go somewhere?” He asks, his voice as desperate as his eyes look when he speaks, begging you to agree. Not that he would need to beg. You’d do anything for that man. Even if it did mean dragging yourself from your bed at 2 in the morning.

“Course.”

No question, no pressure. He loves that from you. He knows you’ll ask him later and when the time is right you’ll force him to tell you of course. Now is not that time yet and you’re nowhere near awake enough to do so much anyway. “Let me just grab my-“

“I have a hoodie in the car and your shoes in my boot.” He cuts in, tugging your arm gently out the door of your house. He knows you better than any other person in this world, so he knows full and well that there’s not much you are going to do in the way of protesting when you’re so soon out of sleep. He’d often teased with layers of worry deeper beneath that he genuinely worried for you living on your own. You open the door to people far too easily, and he will not fail to bring that up sometime tomorrow. For now, he steps into your doorway where you had stood moments before, grabs your keys from the cabinet and pulls the door closed behind him with a click of the latch locking behind him.

The cold paving stones beneath your feet make you shine in protest, shifting your weight between each one to ease the chill. In was in that cold that you look down and make the realisation, or rather come to remember the fact that you don’t have any pyjama bottoms on. “Jack!” You yelp, “I’m not wearing trousers!” You suddenly feel very exposed and rightly so, standing outside your home suddenly very awake in only a long claret and blue shirt that only extended down to the middle of your thighs. “Eh?” He whips around, “You what?”

It’s only now he really takes you in with rosy cheeks from embarrassment, your hair messed up from your sleep. His frantic eyes soften and his heart stops thundering in his chest finally. The sight of you there calms him. You’re there. Right there. His (y/n) is right there in front of him.

“What’s the rush, Jack? Is everything okay?”

Your gentle words and tired eyes bring him back to the ground, the flurry of his racing thoughts only now finally calmed. He often acts on impulse, but you are always able to slow his brain down a few paces. His sits heavily, "I know it's two am but...do you think we could go somewhere. My heads fuckin'... I don't even know." He dips back down to run that hand through his hair once again. His words stoke a bit of a worry in you, head tilted to the side in question. Jack doesn't tend to be the kind who gets himself panicked and all wound up like he has right now. That's more your half of the friendship. You did the worrying, he did the easygoing.

"It's okay, Jack. Of course. Come on then, let's go." You nod your head and he goes around the back of the car to get the shoes and socks he promised you. You very nearly choked up a lung when he presented you with a brand new Balenciaga box. "What the fuck, Jack?" You all but wheeze out, head whipping towards him climbing into the passenger seat.

"Got you a present 'cause I'm leaving soon." He shrugs with a jaw-dropping ease. You list open the lid and inside sit a pair of sliders that cost nearly £400. You physically gawp. "Oh my god."

"What?" Jack asks, drawing out of his parking spot on the street, "Heard you telling your mum you needed new sliders for the summer, do you not like 'em?"

His nerves would be clear in his voice if you hadn't been in such a ferocious level of shock. You're glad you weren't eating anything because it surely would have choked you to death. Of course you had seen Jack wearing brands like Balenciaga, Gucci, Versace and the likes, but you had never owned such an expensive piece of clothing. "I mean of course I love them, J but I meant from Primark or bloody amazon, you shouldn't have spent al that money on me." You protested, but Jack really pays it no mind. In fact, the suggestion that you don't deserve everything luxurious that this world has to offer offends him more than it does anything else. You should know that you deserve everything good that this world can give and he has the means to actually give that to you. He'd count himself an absolute fool not to.

"Gonna pretend you didn't say that." He mutters, eyes kept carefully on the empty road ahead of his car. Your eyebrows are furrowed, a part of you brain still very much trying to a) wake up and b) process the expensive of the gift he handed to you so casually. "Not arguing about it either." His voice cuts you off the second you open your mouth to speak, shutting down your protest before it even leaves you.

As the fatigue of your sleep wears off, your mind continues to be just as boggled as it had been the moment his name popped up on your screen at 2am, if not more boggled now.

"You're acting so weird, Jack. What the hell is going on with you today?" Your insistence is careful with your pressure. It's enough to try to open him up but not enough to make it sound like a confrontation. Neither you nor Jack like confrontation especially with each other. The words make him chew on his lip as he careens the large white range rover through a turn that leads up a gravel road that crunches beneath his tires. The stops when he's met with a with a large gate that prevents cars but a little slot for people to walk through. Jack leaves his door open when he leaves the car with a curtly mumbled "Stay here" as he does. He pushes open the gate with ease before he gets back in the car and follows the path up the hill further.

He stop abruptly in a very small gravel car park without any parking lines to abide and steps out, slamming his door behind him like he absolutely always does; you swear that man couldn't be quiet if his life depended on it. Which was another reason why you were so surprised by his silence. You clamber out after him with that same fear of falling flat on your face that always fills your mind each and every time you leave his car. But Jack is where he has been every time you step out the Range Rover since the first day he got it; standing by your door to hold your hand so you can jump out without a trip onto the gravel beneath. He shuts the door behind you and hands you a spare pair of his loose fitting track pants.

On an average day you might've teased the reason he hasn't worn them was because they wouldn't have squeezed the life out his legs. Today wasn't one of those days, so you slip them on without a word. Followed up by his way too big for you socks and the brand new black slides. Even wide awake, this confuses you to no end. Jack was never quiet and never elusive. He was boisterous, loud, open and confident.

The second you turn around, you realise why he brought you here.

The view of the stars, the sky completely clear. There wasn't a street lamp in sight. The moon provided the kind of spotlight hue that you kind of thought only existed in the enhancement of Hollywood movies. "Woah," you breathe, words stolen by its beauty.

"Yeah," Jack laughs, "Now you know how I feel every time I look at you."

You head turns to him so fast it sends your head spinning a little, or maybe that's just the shock of his words. You couldn't tell.

"What?"

He shrugs his shoulders, scuffing his feet along the gravel to meet up with where you stand. But he freezes before he gets the chance.

"Why are you wearing that?" He asks, a very sudden cold change in his tone that actually makes your body feel colder. "Wearing what? This?" You gesture to the claret and blue shirt you had thrown on in a haste to get to him standing at your front door a short while ago. You turn to see his unhappy scowl and the firm discontented cross of his strong arms. "Yeah that," he grumbles, "And where'd you even get it." He adds with a flare of his nostrils. He looks adorable angry like this, like he's trying so hard to look angry when his emotions lie truly elsewhere.

You look down at the shirt with furrowed brows, before you shift your shoulder forward, crane your neck and pull the material around to view the back as best you could. "What's wrong with it?" You ask finally, attempts to defy the natural state of your body failing to allow you to see your back.

"It's Ginny's." Jack states as if its the most obvious thing in the world. You just look at him bewildered. "And?"

He huffs as he takes a few more heavy steps up to you, looking like he had a lot of things to say without any way of being able to get them to coordinate from his brain to his lips. "Why do you have Ginny's shirt though?"

You breathe a little bit of laughter at him, shaking your head softly. "it was just a joke. I saw him after a match waiting for you so I jumped out at him and pretended to be a fan for a video and he signed it and gave to me as a joke. I just threw it on when you showed up at my door in the middle of the night. Wasn't exactly a fashion statement."

Jack still grunts in dissatisfaction at your answer, refusing to meet your eyes. "You have plenty of mine to wear though, don't need his." His argues in a disgruntled grumble. You raise and drop your arms down by your side with a sigh. He was really testing your patience now. "Hm, last time I checked you couldn't give me yours anymore because your ex didn't like it." You protest with a wag of your finger, making him turn his head downwards with something like a shudder running through him at the mention of her name. "Yeah well there's a reason she's my ex innit." He mutters under his breath.

"What the hell is the problem with you today Jack?" You exclaim, his eyes jolting to you in surprise. You don't often snap.

"First you show up at my door in the middle of the night and drag me out of my house and then you won't actually speak to me and now you're picking a fight about John M fucking Ginn?" You snap, the anger and confusion he had stirred up showing in your emphatic hand gestures that only come out when you're telling him a passionate story or going off your head at him. "He's your best mate, why would that even bother you?!"

"I'm sorry, I-"

"I'm not done, Jack!" You yell, holding out a hand. "You haven't even spoken to me all week. I found out you made the England call up on fucking twitter Jack, twitter! And your mum told me about you dumping your girl and I can't even get through to you and now you're buying me gifts and bringing me here? I don't know if I'm coming or going here Jack, you have to give me something. We're meant to be friends." You voice breaks on the last syllable and a lump forms in Jack's throat that he can't just swallow away. Any pain, any hurt and any slight sadness of emotion that appears in you shatters his heart. He thought that was a normal reaction until two weeks ago when he realised it only happens to him when its your upset he witnesses.

"I'm sorry." He says, his voice thick and wavering with the same level of emotion. "I really, really am." He stands right in front of you now, so close you're basically chest to chest, faces merely inches apart.

"And I'm scared." He admits, sending a pang through your already aching heart. "Scared because I'm leaving and I can't take you with me." His words tickle your lips as they leave his, clouds of air puffing above the two of you as his hot breath meets the cold night air. "You've done it before, J. It'll be fine." You soothe, hands gently raising to reach up and brush the hair out of his face. His let's forth a content sigh of relief at the feeling of your touch. "That was before though." He confesses with a slight shrug. He watches that furrow sow itself back into your brows.

"Before what?"

"Dance with me?" He suggests, his arms finding their way around you with ease, much less fumbley than you remember from your high school prom. Your head tilts in that adorable confused way that makes a grin form on his cold lips.

"Why?" You query, eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion. He laughs softly. "Because the music is slow and the sky is gorgeous and because I love you."

Before you get the chance to recognise, process or even understand what he said, he's swaying you around the gravel under the stars.

"Because you what?" You squeak, your eyes desperately searching his as you look for any reason this might be some kind of a joke or one of pranks that makes you want to throttle him. He just smiles at you with those crinkled eyes and the love shining right there in his eyes for you to see. Your stomach flutters like the teenager you were when you fell in love with him. His lips dip down to capture yours in the best kiss that your being has ever felt, his hands ringing your hair, stroking down over your cheeks with those warm hands of his.

"Because I've fell for you, isn't it obvious?"

[wiypt-writes]

Guilty As Charged

Guilty As Charged: Bucky Barnes One Shot

Summary: Defence Attorney James ‘Bucky’ Barnes is the absolute bane of your life…

Pairing: Lawyer AU Bucky Barnes x Reader (Frenemies!)

Warnings: Bad language words.

Word Count- Under 2k

A/N:  This was originally posted on my old blog ages ago, but I’ve just given it a little polish and thought, seeing as I’m on the Bucky Train at the moment, I’d bring it back. Also, my knowledge on US Criminal Law is sketchy at best, so humour me…

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this bar reader and any other OCs that may or may not be mentioned. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Bucky Barnes Masterlist // Main Masterlist

*******

In God We Trust, the words set about the Judge’s podium were fixed in your vision, motes of dust moving freely in the rays of sunlight which were streaming through the large, ornate windows of the court room and you took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, concentrating on expelling the nerves you were feeling with the air that left your mouth and lungs.

No matter how many times you were in this position, the reading of the verdict still got to you. Your gaze turned to the jury, as the judge did the same, that all important question ringing across the room, the air stiflingly tense.

“On the charge of murder in the first degree, do you find the defendant or not guilty"

“Not guilty.”

Fuck.

Cheers from the defendants family drowned out your loud groan as you rubbed at your temple. Looking over at your colleague, Sam, you shook your head in utter disbelief.

The judge continued through the remaining charges, second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter, and your despair grew as the same verdict was returned for each.

You’d lost. And it stung, not merely because of your near perfect conviction rate, but for the family of the victim you were one-hundred percent convinced the accused.

"Y/N this wasn't your fault.” Sam stated in a low voice but you simply sighed again and shrugged.

"I was sure they'd see through his lies,” you glanced over to your right where the defence team, headed up by James Buchanan Barnes of Barnes and Rogers Law firm were shaking hand with each other and their defendant. Barnes' face was arranged in the usual smug look that you always had the urge to slap right off it. His partner, Steve, glanced over at you and gave you a genuine, sympathetic smile.

He’s always the most courteous out of the two, the one you actually didn’t mind dealing with when it came to cases.

"He fucking did it Y/N," Sam's voice was almost a growl, "I know he did."

"Well in the eyes of the law he didn’t." You stated, standing up.

The commotion continued behind you, as the defendant was told he was free to go. Making sure to keep your head down, you hastily shuffled your papers back into their respective files and packed your briefcase up. Picking up your jacket, you shrugged it on, smoothing down pencil skirt before you head to leave the courtroom before Barnes can pipe up with his usual smart ass quips. But you're not quite fast enough. "Commiserations Miss Y/LN, can't win em all." The familiar Brooklyn drawl hit your ears.

"Buck," Steve sighed "c'mon pal..."

You grit your teeth. You know you shouldn't rise to it, but you just can’t help it. The man is an utter jack ass in the courtroom. Spinning to face him, you shot him your best contemptuous glare, the one you always reserve for those people you really cannot stand, and looked at him like he was something you'd just trodden in.

"You know Barnes, there is such a thing as being gracious in victory as well as defeat." "Defeat?” He asked, looking at Steve with a puzzled expression on his face, “no, not sure what that is." "Eat shit.” You mumbled before turning to Sam who was stood behind you, watching the exchange. You nod to him and the two of you continued up the aisle towards the exit. The victim's family were congregated outside and all at once the start barraging you with questions.

"How did that happen?"

"You said it was a cert he would go down!”

"What about a private prosecution?”

You sighed and turn to look at them, you were exhausted. "I'm sorry.” You shook your head. “That new evidence that his attorney submitted, it was just threw too much of a doubt into the juries mind..." you held your hand up to gently silence them. “If you're serious about a private prosecution then I can meet you next week to discuss and put you in touch with a few people but I’m sorry, as far as the State’s involvement goes…I can’t do anymore."

Escaping as quickly as you could, you and Sam headed back to your office. After a short meeting with your boss, the District Attorney, who was as pissed as you were that the prosecution had failed, you emerged feeling twice as tired and battered as you had when you’d left the courtroom.

As Sam stated, there was only one thing left you could do. Drink alcohol. A lot of alcohol.

It was a short walk to your preferred bar, having decided to abandon your car and collect it in the morning. You were going to get drunk. Really drunk. "Hey Y/N, hey Sam." Clint, the bar tender greeted you. “I hear it wasn't a great day.” You looked up and saw he was pointing to the TV behind the bar. It was on a news channel, focussing on a report from earlier that afternoon which wasn’t surprising. The case had thrown up huge public interest ever since the body of the teenage girl has been found in the alleyway in Queens. The defendant confessed but somehow, the new evidence submitted was an alleged recording that the defence had gotten their hands on as proof the confession was taken under duress. If you were being totally honest, you had to admit that it didn't sound great, the officer did seem to be leaning heavily on the defendant, but the other evidence was, no, IS overwhelming.

But all it needed was that little seed of doubt, which the defence sowed expertly, and the jury couldn't convict. And now, thanks to Barnes and Rogers, specifically Barnes, in your mind a dangerous killer was walking free. As you stared at the television, you saw Barnes on the screen with the defendant, all smiles and Steve at his side. Barnes greeted the press with a raised hand. "Clint turn it over man." Sam almost pleaded and Clint shot you both a sympathetic look, before he pointed the remote at and flicked the report over to a mundane, late afternoon game show. You ordered 2 beers, and then settled at the bar on one of the tall chairs, crossing your bare, heeled legs as you and Sam began to dissect the case. You couldn’t help it, you always did this, analyse where you went wrong or right.

The pair of you got that enthralled in your discussions, that before you know it, it was an hour lager and you're now four beers deep... and Sam was fielding an angry phone call from his wife, Natasha. "I gotta go, boss." He sighed, apologetically, “it’s my little girl’s dance recital at six and if I miss this one, Nat’s gonna hang me out to dry!” You waved his explanation off. “Its fine, Sam. Oh, and take the morning tomorrow. That case has had us working all hours and I don’t intend on being there till lunch. Clint, gimme a bourbon please?" "Don't let Barnes get to you.” Sam sighed. “You know what he is like" "Smug, arrogant and annoyingly self-righteous.” You nodded. “Yup, I got it.” Sam smiled and dropped a friendly kiss to your cheek. "See you later." Clint slid the glass of bourbon over to you and you smiled before pulling out your phone to check a few emails and your social media. You were just reading through an article about a Billionaire in Manhattan who had designed some kind of metal suit that allowed him to fly (because that's gonna end well), when a familiar voice broke your concentration. "Can I buy you a drink?" You rolled your eyes and looked up at Bucky Barnes as he leaned on the bar, still in his suit, although he had dispensed of his black and white tie, and opened his top button. This was another thing you hated about him. He is utterly gorgeous. Like GQ cover gorgeous, especially in his sharp suits and silk ties.

And he fucking knows it, too. "Depends." You shrugged, throwing back the remainder of your bourbon. "Does it come with a side helping of irritating smugness?" He chuckled. "I'm off duty, Doll so no."

"In that case I'll have another Monkey Shoulder." You slid the empty glass back to Clint. "Take it you're not driving home?" Barnes asked, his azure eyes running over your bare legs. "Well if I do and I get caught, I'm sure you can get me off any charges.” You replied sharply, shooting him a look that made it clear you caught him eyeing you up. And it isn't the first time either. That's another reason you clash so much in the courtroom. Sexual tension. Fucking jerk. He barked out a laugh "You're really not happy with me are you?" "Not particularly." You shook your head, thanking Clint as he pushed the now full glass back to you, with a small wink. It's a double, you noticed. That should set Barnes back a bit. Bucky reached for his beer and after a pull he looked directly at you. "Come work for me." He said and you groaned.

Not this again. "I'm a prosecutor." You rolled your eyes. "Not a defence attorney. I told you that last time you asked. And the time before, and the time before that." "I'm nothing if not persistent." He winked, turning in his stool so he was facing you. "Besides, I can teach you the ways of the dark side." "You’d love that wouldn't you?" You snort. "Oh, Sweetheart you have no idea." He leaned forward slightly, his elbow on the bar and this time he is blatantly staring at the flash of skin that was showing above the buttons on your blouse. "My face is up here, ass hole." With a smirk he raised his deep, blue eyes and they locked onto yours. Despite yourself, you feel your breath hitch slightly. Dammed him and his sex appeal. "Why are you always this insufferable?" You eventually tore your gaze away from his and picked up your drink, glancing up at the TV as an excuse not to look at him. "Ah come on Y/N, don’t be like that." He reached out to squeeze your hand which was resting on the back of the tall chair you were sat in. "We could make a great team..." You raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Professionally.” He added, his eyes not leaving yours as he took another large drink of his beer, and you pulled your hand away from under his. "I'd kill you within five minutes of us being in the same office." You glared at him as you took another sip from your drink. He chuckled and eyed you again, “to be fair I'm not sure Stevie would be able to function with a beautiful dame such as yourself in close proximity. He still flusters around any woman that isn’t his Peggy.” "That's because Steve is a happily married man." "So am I." He shot back. Ah yes, Mrs Barnes… "Your wife deserves a medal. She must have the patience of a fucking saint to put up with you." You said into your glass. "I have other hidden qualities which mean she's prepared to overlook my slightly less favourable personality traits." He quipped, and you looked back to see that lopsided grin on his face that flips your stomach. Behave Y/N. "They must be very hidden." You mused, and he let out another loud laugh.   "You're killing me, Doll.” "Good." You drained your glass. The liquid burnt your throat and you could feel the effects of the alcohol from the last few hours as your brain started to hum. You looked at Barnes who was watching you, his eyes shining with all the cheekiness of a teenage boy and you know you need to leave before you do something stupid.

Like snogging his dumb, handsome face off. "I think it's time I got going." You said simply, standing up. Barnes gave a nod, draining his bottle. “Yeah I should be making tracks too. Wife to see to, you know how it is.” You stood and he did the same, and you realised he was holding up your jacket, ready for you to slide your arms into. Narrowing your eyes slightly at his sudden chivalry, you couldn’t help the small smile that flickered across your face as you turned and allowed him to help you into it. His hands dropped to your shoulders and he span you round gently and smiled with those perfect teeth, a smile that lit up his beautiful face, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "Lead the way Mrs Barnes.” He instructed softly, dropping a tender kiss to your lips. "You know it's a good job I love you,” you smiled, sliding your arms up round his neck. "Yeah, I know." "Although right now I'm struggling to remember why." "Well, when we get home I'll just have to show you some of those hidden qualities I was talking about, see if they help jog your memory.” You bit your lip slightly at the dark flash of desire that flit across his eyes, and you leant up to brush your lips across his stubbled jawline. "Unanimous verdict,” your voice drops slightly as you pull back and he smirked again, “guilty as charged.” You tossed Clint a good bye, linked your hand into your husband’s and he walked you outside into the brisk wind, his arm pulling you close, his lips pressed a soft kiss to your temple. Yeah, James Buchanan Barnes might be an insufferable, arrogant ass hole in the courtroom, but outside it he's simply your Bucky.

[ticklishfiend]

Princess (My Hero Academia)

Ships : Lee!Jirou/Ler!Momo

A/N : OKAY!! ITS FINALLY UP!! i’m sorry it took so long lol tumblr was being a lesbophobic hoe 🙄‼️ anyways if it’s still messed up idk what to tell u LMAO i tried 😩 but tysm anons for the prompts!! i love this ship with my whole heart lol <33

Summary : Jirou is desperate for Momo’s attention, and once she finally gets it, she’s not sure if she loves it or hates it (jk they both know the answer to that lol)

Word Count : 1621 (sorry it’s so short!!)

REBLOGS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED!! MWAH <33

. . .

“Momoooo,” Jirou whined, flopping herself down on the pillows next to her girlfriend, who seemed to be lost in a book instead of paying attention to her girlfriend in need. When Momo didn’t respond to her whines, only smirking slightly at the girl’s fussing, Jirou groaned, flipping her body over and dramatically stuffing her face into her pillow.

“Momoo, pleeease,” her gripes were muffled into the fabric of the pretty pink pillowcase, but Momo heard it nonetheless, sighing as she closed her book to finally peer at her girlfriend, who was honestly still mid-tantrum.

“Please what, princess?” Momo smiled as she heard Jirou gasp at the pet name, the violet haired teen whipping her head up to glare at her girlfriend (though the blush on her cheeks did little to intimidate the girl). Momo grinned. “I know you like being called that, stop pretending.”

“Attention?” the raven-haired girl finished for her, finally sitting her book down on her nightstand much to Jirou’s pleasure. Momo opened up the arm closest to Jirou, inviting her into her space. “Y’know, you shouldn’t whine to get what you want.”

“Attention?” the raven-haired girl finished for her, finally sitting her book down on her nightstand much to Jirou’s pleasure. Momo opened up the arm closest to Jirou, inviting her into her space. “Y’know, you shouldn’t whine to get what you want.”

Jirou beamed at the invitation, quickly snuggling herself into her girlfriend’s loving warmth before she could change her mind. “I knowww, but I just really wanted you right now,” Jirou sighed in content as they adjusted their positions for comfort. Momo prompted to lay them both down with their heads against the pillows, Jirou facing Momo’s body with the raven haired girl’s face to snuggle into Jirou’s neck. Momo’s arms were wrapped protectively around Jirou’s waist, pulling her in as close as she could go as if to claim her even with no one around.

Jirou sighed happily as Momo pressed a light kiss to her jaw, the musical teen even subtly stretching her neck out a little further to invite the girl into the vulnerable and sensitive space. Momo just smiled, kissing up the girl’s jaw, her lips travelling closer and closer to Jirou’s ears with every loving peck. Momo didn’t miss the pretty little goosebumps that appeared on the girl’s pale expanse of skin, Jirou even shuddering slightly when Momo would press her lips to particularly sensitive areas along her neck.

“I know it’s kinda weird but...god, I love your neck,” Momo sighed, going in to kiss at the neck with more purpose now that her love for it was out in the open (as if Jirou didn’t know already). Jirou couldn’t help the way her shoulders slowly scrunched upwards instinctually, the corners of her mouth curving up into a bared teeth smile. Momo just pressed forth despite the scrunching, even nuzzling her nose into the skin causing jirou to just barely gasp. “No no no, don’t try hiding it from me now.”

“But it tickles!” Jirou whined, squirming in her girlfriend’s hold as if annoyed by the situation (which they both knew couldn’t be farther from the truth, Jirou was a sucker for almost all kinds of Momo’s attention, and her girlfriend knew it all too well).

Momo just chuckled, nibbling into her neck playfully, eliciting little squeals from the girl pressed closely into her chest. “Oh c’mon, I know you love this,” Momo muffled into the girls neck before continuing her ticklish nibbles, even travelling up far enough to nibble at the space where her earlobes met her earphone jacks. Jirou broke into a crumble of high-pitched giggles and squeaks, her legs kicking softly at the sheets. “Aww, look at you baby, you’re so ticklish~”

“Quhuhit!” Jirou fussed, her hands coming up to push at bat at Momo’s chest area right under her neck, but purposefully not hard enough to truly push the girl away.

While continuing her little feast on the girl’s sensitive neck, Momo started pinching playfully along Jirou’s side. Jirou squealed, curling up into herself as much as she could in their cuddled position, her squirming kicking up a notch as Momo’s fingers curled around towards her ticklish back.

“AHAH! Momohoho! Plehe-HEHEASE!” Jirou screamed when she felt Momo’s fingers slip traitorously underneath the fabric of her shirt. Jirou’s hands took to clutching desperately at the front of Momo’s sweater, laughing gleefully and freely as her girlfriend continued to tickle her silly.

“Please what?” Momo teased with a smile, delighted when she got no further protests from the girl. She couldn't get enough of Jirou’s giggles and squeaks, almost wishing she herself had Jirou’s quirk just so she could hear those beautiful sounds with a heightened sensitivity. No matter, though. She could get easily more giggles out of her little princess with ease. “Hold on, I wanna try something.”

Momo ceased her tickling momentarily to adjust her position. Jirou breathed heavily underneath her with a bright smile on her face, trace giggles still slipping without her meaning to let them. Momo took to straddling the girl, gently taking her hands and placing them under knees with no protests. She looked up to her girlfriend’s face, more than pleased to find the girl had taken to blushing furiously, her eyes averting away from Momo’s as to not embarrass herself even further. “Goodness, you’re adorable,” Momo sighed with a smile, delighted when she saw a wobbly smile creep onto her girl’s face. Momo let her fingers slip teasingly underneath Jirou’s shirt, the girl gasping, her tummy jolting slightly at the sudden sensation. “The safeword is ‘grapefruit,’ okay, princess?” Momo tilted her head, smiling when she received a quick nod from her girlfriend pinned beneath her happily. “I know you like to protest, so I thought it’d be a good idea,” Momo hummed before finally, finally, lightly scribbling her nails all around Jirou’s quivering tummy.

Jirou melted into her giggles, succumbing to the goofy sensations and allowing herself to just feel good, despite how torturously on fire all of her nerves were at the moment. Momo’s fingers tickled at the underside of the girl’s sides, a spot she knew would get Jirou pleading in no time.

“Ohohoho nohoho! Wahahahit! Momohoho!” Jirou’s eyes were squeezed tightly shut as she barely kicked behind Momo, her hands clenching tightly under her girlfriend’s knees. Momo kept one hand on the girl’s sensitive side, her other travelling towards Jirou’s belly button. She circled around the navel teasingly, beaming at the panicked look on Jirou’s blushed face. “Nononono! Nohot thehere! It’s sohohoho bad thehere!” Jirou pleaded, her belly bouncing through her giggles.

“Aww, you too sensitive, princess? Too ticklish to take it?” Momo teased, dipping her finger into the little button and swirling it around. Jirou squealed loudly, arching her back at the sensations before flopping back down on the bed, squirming around vigorously and pleading all the while. Momo took note of how their safeword had yet to be uttered. “I’m barely touching you, sweetheart. Are you suuuure it tickles that bad?”

“YEHEHES! IT DOHOHOES! PLEHEHEASE!” Jirou begged, screaming when she felt a mischievous thumb dig and massage circles into the sides of her tummy. “NAHAHA! NOHOHOT THAHAHAT! PLEHEHEHASE, MOMOHOHO!”

“Whatsa matter, baby? Is your tummy ticklish? Your tummy a really bad spot?” Momo loved teasing her girl like this, she absolutely adored the blush it would paint all over Jirou’s cute little face. She loved the way it made her squirm around, made her plead even though they both knew she loved every last ounce of it.

“NAHAHAHA! I CAHAHAN’T!” Jirou babbled, throwing her head back against the pillows in ticklish mirth. Momo chuckled before finally taking it easy on her baby, slowing her hands down to trace evil little shapes into the girls sensitive sides. Jirou wiggled and squirmed, still giggling helplessly from the sensations.

“Ehehehe! Momohoho!” Jirou squeezed her eyes shut tight during her giggles, like she was trying to shield her vision from the teasing smirk Momo wore every time she tickled her to pieces. “Thihis tickles wohohohorse!”

“Aw, does it really?” Momo cooed genuinely, not even trying to tease this time around. She was just in serious awe of how adorable her girlfriend could be without even trying. She finally slowed her hands down completely, taking her knees off of the girl’s hands. She rubbed soothingly along Jirou’s bare tummy, the girl still twitching every now and then at the fact her most ticklish spot was still being touched. Jirou placed her hands on top of Momo’s thighs, finally looking up into Momo’s eyes with the utmost love plastered all over her face.

“I love you,” Jirou breathed, giving Momo’s thigh a loving squeeze. Momo felt like she could melt, right here, right now, in this exact moment, and she would be perfect with that. Momo continued her soothing rub along one of Jirous sides, moving her other hand up to squeeze onto Jirou’s hand lovingly.

“I love you too, princess,” Momo smiled at the little flustered falter Jirou’s eyebrows gave at the nickname. “So, so much.”

Momo leaned down to cup Jirou’s face with her hand, kissing her softly but with purpose. They kissed for a while, before finally pulling away and snuggling back into one another.

“Thank you,” Jirou muffled into Momo’s chest, curling up into the girl’s warmth. Momo just chuckled, petting at the girl’s head just the way she knew she loved it.

“Of course, love,” Momo kissed the top of her head as they both began dozing off into the most comfortable and warm sleep they’d had in a while.

. . .

A/N : sorry this was so short!! i didn't expect it to take this long to fucking upload so i didn't work rlly hard on it LMAOO but i hope u enjoyed nonetheless haha, much love!! <33

[captain-sodapop]

Lately I've been thinking about the difference between protagonists and main characters, and the place of each in the story, and of course I've applied this to everyone's favorite silly show, Supernatural.

Basically, a work can have several main characters. SPN has four: Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Jack. Each of them are important to the story and the protagonist, they get considerable screen time, and they have their own storylines and personalities. But, as I've said before, a character like Dean - while a main character - is not the protagonist. He's the deuteragonist, meaning he's second in importance to the protagonist. Castiel and Jack also became deuteragonists after initially being more tertiary.

But what is the difference between their function as main characters/deuteragonists, and Sam's position as main character/protagonist? Like I said, just because Dean, Cas, and Jack aren't protagonists doesn't mean that they aren't important to the story, don't have their own storylines, and don't have their own personalities; they have all of that. Ultimately, though, everything they do is going to end up being in service of the protagonist, who is the character whose wants and goals drive us from beginning to end. Think about Hamilton: Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are main characters, and Burr is the one who narrates the entire show and gives us his perspective, but Hamilton is still the protagonist because his desires are what pushes the story.

So, whether you like it or not, whether he's your favorite character or not, Sam Winchester is the protagonist of Supernatural, and everything that happens in the show is in service to his story. But what is the story? I'll admit, this one took some puzzling out on my part, until it hit me squarely in the face while I was in the shower, making me feel like a complete idiot. Because for as much as we like to joke and for as unevenly executed a show as it may be, Supernatural is not a show about nothing, and it's not even really a show about brothers like the people associated with the show like to say - not from a character/plot perspective, anyway.

At its core, Supernatural is a show about the fifteen-year journey Sam takes to getting a life that is his own. And that's it. That's the bare bones. Everything that happens in those fifteen years either helps or hinders (mostly hinder) him in that search for a life he feels comfortable with. When Dean makes a decision for him, when Cas breaks a wall or takes on his trauma, when Jack grapples with his powers...that is all in the service of Sam's story. From the pilot, we know that Sam doesn't necessarily want normal, but he wants safe. In the finale, we see a Sam that is married with a son, with a home: safe - but not normal. He's been through too much to be normal, and he keeps reminders of that life around him as well as seeming to teach his son about the supernatural so that he can be safe as well. Which means, that since Sam got exactly what he wanted, that the story arc is ultimately successful. In episode one we learn what he wanted, and he gets it in episode 327.

But, since Sam is our protagonist, that means - as I said - that everything happens in service of his storyline, which means that every other storyline and character has to aide in that somehow, which means their own separate story arcs are never going to be quite as important overall as Sam's. Dean wants freedom; he gets it. Once he gets that, his story is essentially wrapped, and his death is in service of Sam getting his safer life because Sam never wanted to hunt unless it was with Dean, and since Dean isn't around...well, you get the picture. With Cas, he wanted purpose and love, and he claims he found that in being Jack's father. Story wrapped. For Jack, he wanted to be good and not evil, and by becoming God, he achieved that. Story wrapped. I get that it's frustrating not to see these characters anymore because we care about them, but once they have achieved their (not necessarily thematically smaller, just less central) goals, the story sheds them one by one until we are left with just our protagonist. First Cas, then Jack, then Dean.

And then Sam.

The nature of Supernatural means that two out of three of those deuteragonists die, and all three of them find their so-called "peace" in the afterlife (Jack as God, Cas seemingly as his right hand, and Dean left with no responsibilities). Death can be a lazy plot device, but since it's so expected with this show...well, what did you expect? And since Dean edges out Castiel and Jack in importance to the protagonist, that means that especially with COVID, he's the one we have to see again. The other two would have been great to see again because, again, the story demanded we care about them, but they are off serving their own purpose now, with their own stories - just one that isn't directly important to the story of the protagonist at the time.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that I get why it hurts when you don't get to see Cas and Jack in the finale, and that it hurts like hell to watch Dean die, but there are reasons for this. The show does lose focus, but Sam is the protagonist from day one, and his desires are what drive the story. How many times does he express a want to be out of the hunting life? And when he resigns himself to hunting, it feels like a letdown, like he's lost hope, and the other characters take note of it because that's not what Sam wants. And if he's not going after what he wants, then there's no story, and if there's no story, the other characters certainly don't serve any purpose because they don't have anything to push Sam towards anymore. In seasons 9 and 10, when the writers tried to push Dean into Sam's position, it flopped. That is not Dean's function in the story, and it distracts us from the protagonist - and therefore the entire show's - goal.

So you can hate it all you want, but without Sam, there is no story, and everything that happens is in service to him trying to meet his goals. Doesn't mean you shouldn't care about the others, doesn't mean they aren't important and don't carry weight as individual, unique characters, it just means that at the end of it all, Sam's goals are what drives everything, and that's something the finale - while not perfectly executed - got very, very right.

[redrobin-detective]

give lilies with full hands

“Ghosts at the cemetery, why am I not surprised?” Valerie grumbled under her breath as she glanced at the glowing dots congregating near Heavenly Gates, Amity’s largest cemetery. It was just after 5pm on a Friday; Valerie should be at home getting ready for a fun and relaxing weekend. Instead, she was speeding forward in the dreary pre-rain mist about to tackle a hoard of the undead. Her life was so strange and unfair sometimes it just fueled her hatred for everything ghostly.

As she approached the cemetery, she slowed down and had her ectoweapon up and ready to shoot. Instead of a fire fight, she found an eerie, unsettling quiet that sunk deep into her bones and made her unable to move. She just hovered above the cemetery and took in the full scope of the scene. The Fentons were here, hard as they were to miss but like Valerie, they were also frozen with unease. Mrs. Fenton kept fiddling with her weapons but couldn’t manage to lift it in a meaningful way. 

The fog hung heavily around the cemetery, clinging like wet paint dripping down an unfinished picture. She could make out the unnatural glow of several ghosts, a few of which she recognized. That annoying child pirate ghost none of the adults could ever see was sobbing silently, curled up in a fetal position on the ground as if he were trying to make himself as small as possible. The biker guy and girl were cuddled into each other, leaned up against a grave looked scared and worn, flickering dangerously like static on TV. Val spotted Ember looking frightened and quaking looking like she wanted to run but was unable to. Her soft glow alerted Val that there was another ghost she’d initially missed.

The ghost was more shadow than anything, the fog moving through and from them. They were a swirl of greys and blacks in the approximation of a long cloak covering their face entirely. Pinpricks of bright lights shone from underneath the cloak’s hood. They bore down on Ember as if it were seeing deep into her soul and found her lacking. 

Phantom was there too, he looked almost normal compared to everything else going on so it’s not surprising she’d missed him at first. The fog dampened some of his ghostly glow and he was standing properly instead of floating. Like Val and the Fentons, he seemed unable to move. The heavy drizzle in the air flattened his normally gravity defying hair. If she hadn’t known better, she’d say he was a normal person standing there, albeit one with weird fashion sense who went a little crazy with the bleach. And if Phantom looked human in comparison then just what was this new ghost?

“Amber Jablonski,” The ghost whispered quietly within the cemetery but Valerie could hear perfectly well, as if were being spoken into her ear. From the shivers she saw come from the Fentons, they were experiencing the same thing. Ember moaned, something deep and agonizing. She fell to her knees as more of her glow faded. “An eager musician just making a name for herself in her small town. A performance at a barn had faulty wiring. The building caught fire and Young Amber was trapped by debris and unable to escape.”

The flame in Ember’s hair burst into brilliant blue flames before painfully sputtering out like a candle on the verge of going out. A wisp like ghostly hand reached out and tenderly ran a finger down the side of Ember’s face like a mockery of the tears she could no longer shed. “Cause of death was severe burns across her whole body and smoke suffocation at the age of 22.”

“Enough,” Phantom announced suddenly, stepping forward through the ghostly arm putting himself squarely between Ember and the wisp ghost. The dead rockstar barely noticed, her whole form trembling as she looked down at the cold earth with absolute horror. Val wondered if she was feeling the cold of the cemetery or the burning heat of an out of control fire. “You’re killing her.”

“She is already dead,” the ghost answered, “as are they all. They are but echoes of lives come and gone.”

“That doesn’t mean you have the right to remind them,” Phantom said, looking more ghostly again. His aura flared suddenly and his eyes lit up like angry lightning bugs in a jar. “Death is sacred, it’s private and you’re using it to hurt them.”

“It is my duty, I am the Mortem Obire. I make the restless dead confront their own mortality, remind them of what they lost.” The ghost stared down Phantom who flinched but overwise stood his ground. “It is because of you, Danny Phantom, that I have been summoned to this realm. Your life essence has made these ghosts forget what they were. They flock to you, drawn to your vibrancy, seeking what they’d lost. The dead were straying from their existence, emboldened by your example, they were forging new purposes. I am merely correcting their assumptions to preserve the delicate balance that maintains the two worlds.”

“But death shouldn’t have to define them, I mean us,” Phantom pleaded. “They can grow if they want, experience new things. The end of life isn’t the end.”

“How very human of you,” the other ghost said breathily, an unnatural imitation of a chuckle. “Your death, if we can call it that,” the ghost said, “was born out of innocence and ignorance. Nature demanded the experiment fail but your naivety allowed for the flow of life and death to be disrupted. You looked at a machine you could neither understand or control and made the attempt anyway. Your hubris consumed you in the form of electricity, pain firing through your whole body as you screamed for a relief that never came. Your old body was obliterated and remade into the abomination you are now.”

Oh god, Phantom was electrocuted. He had lived his last moments as a human screaming and in pain. She knew he was vaguely around her age but it was one thing to know a kid her age had gone through that and another to hear it described. Without thinking, she lowered her weapons. 

“Yeah I know that,” Phantom said weakly. “I took out the power in the whole city for a few hours which I felt bad about afterwards. What’s your point?” His glow was completely gone, the wet humidity of the air clinging to him much like how it fogged up Valerie’s suit. The shadow of the sinking sun made his white hair look dark and the greens of his eyes had faded into a less unnatural blue/green. 

The only think remotely otherworldly about him was a faint pulsing glow coming from the center of his chest. It beat like a heart, a soft brightness that seemed to dispel the overwhelming feeling of death. Ember looked up from the ground, the pirate kid uncurled himself a little, biker guy and his girlfriend became a little more solid. They looked at Phantom with such awe and envy and grief it was almost painful to watch them stare at what they clearly lacked. 

“My words hold no domain over your heart now, child of two worlds,” the ghost wheezed, floating past Phantom. “But someday you will greet death properly, be made humble by it, and I will be there to remind you of how fickle and fleeting that precious life of yours is.” 

“I-” Phantom defended, glowing slightly with his eyes once more an ectoplasmic green. But now it was obvious to see how much more lively and present he was compared to the others. She still hates him, will probably still hunt him but while she knew Phantom was a ghost she knew, whatever he was, she couldn’t call him dead. Not with eyes so sympathetic and expressive and alive.   

“Be gone, all of you mortals, this is a place for the dead,” the ghost commanded. The ghost hovered over to the Box Ghost who had been shivering behind a tombstone the whole time and suddenly went still as stone. “Your compassion for them does them no favors. This is the price for their existence, the dead cannot and should not forget. That is their purpose and this is mine. This is not an end to their existence, merely a reminder.”

Valerie never thoughts she’d see the Fentons flee from a fight but still she watched as Jack and Maddie slowly backed up until they reached their garish assault vehicle. They fumbled for the handles, not willing to tear their eyes off the ghosts before climbing in and driving off. Phantom looked torn, grief stricken as he watched the mist ghost, the Mortem Obire, speak softly to the Box Ghost. He looked like he wanted to interfere, to place himself in-between again but his shoulders slumped as he realized the futility of the action. This was the nature of death and memory and the living were not to interfere.

He glanced up at her, wary and saddened before disappearing from view, going off to wherever it was he lived his life when he wasn’t causing her problems. Valerie swiftly turned her board around and sped quickly in the direction of home. This had left her a lot of things to think about, about Phantom, about ghosts, about what it meant to stick around once your number was up. 

But that was for later, for now she wanted to get out of chill before the rain started in earnest. She wanted to drink something warm, sit close with her father and feel their hearts beating in time. Valerie Grey wanted nothing more, in that moment, to simply breathe in and appreciate her life before it was taken and those happy memories used against her. She would not die full of regret for what she had missed.

[cryonme]

ɪɴ ʜɪꜱ ᴀʀᴍꜱ

PART ONE. aaron hotchner x reader

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

There’s a serial killer going after women that look just like you, and when you find yourself at the Unsub’s address long before the rest of the team, you go in alone. Despite Hotch’s orders.

word count- 1.9k

tw- implied sexual assault, violent themes, guns, blood, LOTS of tears

a/n- hi babies! this is my first criminal minds imagine ahh. I've been watching the show ever since I was like 14, but I’ve been really binging it lately and I got the push to write for it! I’m really excited about this and I hope you all love it! There is going to be a part two, which is gonna focus on (Y/N)’s recovery and her getting back into the field! I always appreciate reblogs and feedback xx

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

“(Y/L/N), the Unsub is going after women that look just like you, you are not to go in there alone, do I make myself clear?”

“Hotch-”

“DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?”

You flinched and pulled your phone away from your ear, pursing your lips in annoyance.

“Crystal.” You hung up the phone and threw into the passenger seat, your body raging with annoyance for your boss. Him and the team wouldn’t be there for another 20 minutes and you were running out of time. The latest victim went missing yesterday, and according to the pattern, her body would be found in just a couple of hours, at the crack of dawn.

You cracked your fingers and your neck, growing impatient. You knew Hotch trusted you, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was the two of you had gotten involved and now he’s holding you back. You tried to tell yourself he only cared, that he was only concerned, that he loved you, and on one hand, he did have a point. This man was going after women who have the exact same build and features as you, but you had a job to do. Both of you agreed to not let your feelings get in the way, and here he was, holding you back, and potentially putting an innocent woman in danger.

You sighed and rested your head on the steering wheel, when you heard a blood curdling scream. Your head shot up and you immediately adjusted your vest and pulled out your gun and flashlight, wasting no time storming into the house.

+

“We’re down the street, are you ready?” Hotch asked, not turning his head toward Emily in the passenger seat next to him. He was rushing, he told you not to go into the house but something in his gut is telling him that you did anyway. You had separated from Derek when there were two possible leads presented at the same time, both of you agreeing it would be faster to split up. You were alone when Garcia called with an address, and a lot closer than everyone else.

“Ready.”

The team pulled up to the house and Hotch felt every muscle in his body tense when he saw your car door open. You had gone into the house.

He wasted no time, not even bothering to turn off the car or close the door.

“(Y/N)’s in there with no back up.” He said frantically.

No one said a word, just all shared worried glances and immediately made their way to the front door, Hotch taking the lead and kicking the door down.

“FBI!” He yelled out, pointing his gun and flashlight in all directions.

“Morgan, Prentiss, take the upstairs. Reid, Rossi, and I will cover downstairs.

Everyone nodded before dispersing to their assigned areas of the house.

Hotch’s mind was wandering to places it shouldn’t be. What if you were dead? He couldn’t see it. He wasn’t ready-

“FBI, put the gun down!”

Morgan.

They were upstairs.

The three men downstairs rushed to the stairs, running up with guns drawn, coming up behind their teammates. The Unsub had his gun pointed to the head of a woman who looked just like you, but you weren’t in sight. Hotch let his eyes wander around the poorly lit, dirty room, until they stopped on you, and he had to hold back a sob.

He wasn’t listening as Reid talked down the Unsub, he wasn’t listening when Emily fired off a gunshot to his shoulder, letting the woman go. He wasn’t listening when Derek yanked him off the floor in handcuffs, handing him over to Rossi so he could escort him to the police. He wasn't listening when Reid and Emily ran toward the girl checking her over for injuries and handing her into the care of the paramedics. All he could hear was the ringing in his ears, and all he could see was you.

Once the Unsub waa gone, he fell to his knees in front of you.

You were tied to a pole, duct tape over your mouth and your hands and feet restrained, there was blood trickling down your face and you were beaten badly. The Unsub must have focused all of his attention on you when you entered the house.

His hands fumbled to untie your restraints, but he was shaking too much and couldn’t do it. Spencer kneeled down next to him and got to work on your restraints, letting his hands rest on your face. His eyes raked over your body, checking for any other serious injuries, when they froze on your torso, soaked in blood.

“Wake up, baby. Please. God, please wake up!”

As soon as you were untied your limp body slumped against him and he laid you down, your head resting on his lap, his shaking hands reaching for your neck, checking for a pulse.

“She- she’s alive!” He yelled, throwing off his jacket to press against your torso, not bothering to thank Emily when she rushed over to hold it for him. He stroked your hair and your face gently, trying his best to wake you up but not startle you.

Your eyes fluttered and you groaned, turning your head to the side, closer to him.

“Hey, baby. I need you to keep your eyes open for me, okay?”

Your eyes were still fluttering, and you tried your best to keep them open for more than a second.

“M’so tired.”

“I know, sweetheart. I know but you have to stay awake just a little bit longer for me, yeah? I can’t lose you, please.”

The team watched helplessly, Emily decided you needed more encouragement, and spoke up from her position next to you, still applying pressure to your abdomen, her tears falling freely from her eyes.

“Hey, girl. You gotta hold on for us, alright? We need you.”

Reid felt a tear fall down his cheek, and he turned his face to watch the window for the ambulance, not being able to watch any longer.

Derek couldn’t contain his anger with himself, he had let you go alone. Knowing that sick bastard was going after women just like you, and he let you go alone. He turned and slammed his fists into the wall, letting out a cry. You had to be okay.

Rossi was downstairs with the police, he had helped the first girl in the ambulance, but they had only been prepared for one person. His heart was aching as he could hear the cries of his team upstairs.

“(Y/N), can I carry you downstairs to get to the ambulance faster?” Derek asked as he calmed himself down, he didn’t think Hotch’s body would make it far without collapsing in worry and sadness.

Your eyes were wide and you grabbed Hotch’s arm, “Don’t” You sucked in a breath, “Don’t leave-”

“It’s okay, I’m not leaving you, okay? Morgan’s gonna take you downstairs, I’ll be right behind you.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to your head.

“I love- I love you.”

Hotch continued to sob, “I love you, but you’re gonna be okay.”

Derek gently took you from his arms, hoisting you up and hurrying you down the stairs as he could begin to hear the distant sirens. “I’m so sorry, babygirl. I’m so sorry.”

+

If you’ve ever wondered how much a psychopathic killer can do to you in 20!minutes, the answer is a lot.

It’s been one week since you went into the house alone, and you were cleared to go home today. The team came to see you every day, and Hotch never left your side. He cried when you woke up, burying his face into your neck and leaving soft kisses. You didn’t want him to stop touching you, but you felt empty, you couldn’t reciprocate, you couldn’t speak, you just laid there as the love of your life cried tears of relief over you, holding you close to him.

You didn’t speak when Derek cried and apologized for leaving you alone, you couldn’t tell him it wasn’t his fault.

You didn’t speak when Dave kissed your head and told you he was happy you were still with them.

You didn’t speak when Reid smiled and grabbed your hand, stray tears falling down his face.

You didn’t speak when Garcia rushed into the room and held your face.

You didn’t speak when JJ threw her arms around you.

You didn’t speak when Emily held you, telling you she didn’t know what she’d do if you didn’t make it.

You didn’t speak on the ride home with Hotch, despite him telling you Jack couldn’t wait to see you.

When Aaron caught on that you weren’t going to show emotion for a long time, he called Jessica to tell her it was best that Jack stayed with her for a while, he didn’t want him seeing you that way.

Once you arrived home, you let him help you out of the car and inside. He led you up the stairs into your bedroom. He decided it was best for him to stay with you at your place, not wanting you to be alone, but also wanting you to be in your own home. Once you were showered and in a clean pair of pajamas, tucked away in bed, your cat jumped up on the bed rubbing her face against yours and purring, before flopping down and falling asleep at your side.

Hotch watched as you just laid there, propped up against your pillows, staring at the wall.

“(Y/N).”

“I can still feel his hands.” You whimpered and his heart squeezed in his chest.

“Everywhere.” You finally let out the sob you had been holding in since you first woke up and saw Hotch fast asleep in the uncomfortable hospital chair next to you.

He was by your side immediately, pulling you close to him, and you wrapped your arms around him, finally receiving the comfort you’ve been desperately craving.

“I’m sorry.” You cried, choking on your own breath and sobs. “I’m so sorry. It’s n-not Derek’s fault, it’s mine. It’s my fault.”

Hotch shut his eyes in pain, this was no one’s fault but the sick man who did this to you.

“It’s not your fault either, (Y/N).”

“I didn’t listen, I should’ve listened to you.” Your muffled voice cried against his chest.

“You did what any of us would’ve done. Yes, it ended badly, and I will tell you to never do that again, but we’re here now. Don’t dwell on it, sweetheart.”

You just continued to cry and inch impossibly closer to him.

“I’m not going to lie to you and say that you’re okay. You’re not, and you probably won’t be for a long time. But you’re safe, and I am here for you every step of the way. There won’t be one second that you’re alone. You’re gonna get through this baby, I promise.”

You continued to cry and hold onto him as you fell asleep, your breaths starting to even out until your body relaxed against his. He situated the both of you so you both were more comfortable, but still in each other’s embrace. Your cat purred and resituated herself in between your legs. The road to recovery was going to be long, but all he could think about right now was how relieved he was to have you home, in his arms.

[thisisgonnafuxkinkillme]

My Yellow (18+ EraserMight)

NSFW Aizawa Shouta x Yagi Toshinori

Warnings: Established relationship, nsfw

They’d been together for quite some time now, and even though both of them had been in relationships before, neither were bold enough to go all the way.

On one hand, Toshinori instantly turned pink at the thought of even mentioning sex to his boyfriend, and on the other, Aizawa would die if he ever made his lover uncomfortable.

So, neither of them said a word about what they truly wanted to do to each other.

Or, in Toshi’s case, what he wanted him to do to him.

But that was neither here nor there as long as they kept quiet.

The thing is, when you deprive yourself of what you want, tension rises.

A lot.

Toshinori came into work early, as usual. To his surprise, Aizawa was already in his seat, casually sitting comfortably with his legs spread wide open. It wasn’t a conscious choice, and he wouldn’t have ever sat in such a suggestive position if anyone else was around.

Another thing, though, was that Aizawa was never one to come into work early. Maybe he’d been working on something all night? 

So when he saw Toshi come into the room and make eye contact with his groin, he instantly shot up and crossed his legs, typing aggressively. The ‘w’ key nearly flew off as Toshi took his seat next to him quietly.

Though Aizawa did his best to ignore him, he could hear how Toshi was breathing just a little harder than usual.

Of course, that could just be chalked up to his condition. So, that’s what Aizawa repeated to himself until the thoughts of him on his knees looking up at him went away.

A few nights later, Toshi was relaxing in the living room, drinking his nightly tea and staring out the window and into the darkened sky. All he was wearing was a pair of red flannel boxers.

“Hey, sunshine, whatcha-“ Aizawa gulped as he noticed what he was wearing.

Toshi turned around, blushing from hearing that cute little nickname. It was rare that Aizawa ever used honorifics, and even rarer that those honorifics would be so... adorable.

Aizawa took a few moments to eye his boyfriend, tracing even his scar with his eyes.

God, he’s so fucking hot. Even doing nothing, he’s just perfect. I wish I could-

Before he could stammer out a compliment, though, Toshi had already began talking about something totally benign.

Another opportunity lost.

It was Friday evening when Toshi finally snapped. He was lying in bed, assuming he was alone. He figured that Aizawa had taken the night shift, and was dealing with patrolling the neighborhood. So, he took this opportunity to relieve himself.

He scrolled through various porn sites, trying to find something, anything that’d interest him.

But none did.

So, he had to resort to the old fashioned way: just imagining.

Boring, I know.

But hey, what else can a horny guy do in desperate times like these?

So, he got to work. He pulled out the lube he stashed deep under his mattress, in a silly attempt to hide his libido from his boyfriend as if he were a teenager afraid of being scolded.

His thumbs locked onto his boxers, pulling them down just enough so his tool was accessible.

He spread his legs apart, saturating his cock with the lube. As it made contact, he flinched at the cold, but the warmth from his hands and body helped ease the momentary discomfort. He sighed as he wrapped his fingers around himself. Instantly, tension that had been building inside of him began to ease just a little.

When was the last time he’d had time for himself like this?

Once he and Aizawa moved in together, he never really had much alone time. He preferred going to bed early and being an early riser, while Aizawa was either working all day and sleeping all night, or working all night and sleeping all day.

Thus, whenever he had time off, Aizawa was always just a room away.

Not that he didn’t like being with him constantly, it’s just... he didn’t want to make things weird. He just wanted to keep this relationship full of love.

Toshi had been in a couple relationships. I mean, of course he has. He’s all might, after all.

But what made those different was that none were really centered around what mattered most to him: love.

Usually, it was just women who thought he was attractive, or wanted him for his money, or just wanted to be friends with benefits.

Well, that was another thing. Toshinori had never been intimate with a man before. Or even been in a relationship with one.

Frankly, the thought of actually doing it with him was sort of intimidating.

But still, he couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d look down at him, running his fingers through his hair as he bobbed on his cock.

He pumped slowly but steadily, not needing much to excite his neglected member. He was touch starved for so long that just pleasuring himself was nearly too much for him.

So, he kept it simple.

Meanwhile, Aizawa was on his laptop in the living room, which was one door away. He’d decided to teach today’s class virtually, and he was free from his patrol duties for the night.

This was far from usual for him. He enjoyed to keep busy, staying active and feeling productive sort of gave him a purpose. Funny, isn’t it? You’d think that Aizawa was a lazy man, but in fact, he loved his job, and often overworked himself into oblivion.

Class was over, and he was now totally free to hang out with his boyfriend. He allowed himself a little smirk at the thought of that.

The lanky man stood and stretched, sighing as his joints popped. He’d been sitting down for a little too long.

As he approached the bedroom door to greet Toshinori, he heard it.

It was Toshi’s voice.

Now, Aizawa barely recognized the sounds and mumbling as his lover’s. None were familiar to him. That being said, though, the little, muffled moans leaked with the essence of him.

He knew he shouldn’t listen, but...

fuck, it’s hot.

Toshi, from inside the bedroom, didn’t even notice Aizawa’s footsteps. All he cared about was the Aizawa in his mind that was endlessly praising him for being a good boy for him. How he’d gently suck him off as a reward for serving him so well.

Seeing as he was seemingly home alone, Toshinori had no issue letting himself go, embracing the lewd sounds that escaped him and echoed back into his ears from the walls. There were no neighbors to speak of, no thin walls. Just him, his hand, and his imagination.

Aizawa pressed his ear against the door, listening intently. He was getting hard just by imagining what Toshi could be doing in there.

God, it’d be great if he’d just whimper out my name...

He thought shamelessly. By now, lust had completely taken over any semblance of logic and reason he had left. All he wanted was to bust the door down and-

The door opened.

Toshi had just his boxers on, paired with wide blue eyes and a slightly parted lips.

Aizawa’s face morphed into the same expression when he realized what he’d just done.

“H-h...how... long have... oh,God...fuck...” Toshi whimpered. His face was pink before, but now was tinted a bright crimson.

“I...um...fuck...” Aizawa mumbled, rubbing his forehead and looking away.

Toshi took a shakey breath, gathering up every ounce of courage he had, pushing down the last of his embarrassment. He had to for what he was about to pull next.

He mumbled a “fuck it,” gently taking the shorter man’s face in his hands and placing a kiss on his lips. It was sweet, tender, and most of all, passionate.

Aizawa pulled away, grabbing one of Toshi’s wrists.

“You don’t have to,” he stated, looking up into his eyes.

“Neither do you,” replied the blond.

“I mean, do you want to?” He added shyly. His confidence was all used up by his first little stunt. Luckily, Aizawa could take it from here.

“Well, duh,” he smirked. Before he could even get to the bed, Toshi was already playing out his fantasy to the best he could.

He kneeled on the hardwood floor, looking up at the ravenette as he tugged at his waistband as if asking for permission.

Aizawa tossed a pillow at him.

“Not without putting this under your knees. You’ll get bruises,” he instructed, keeping his boyfriend’s much frailer state in mind.

The tiny caring action didn’t help to stop his bulge from returning.

So, he did as he was told, and positioned himself on top of the pillow. Truthfully, it was much more comfortable, and a lot less stress on his achey bones.

Aizawa watched as Toshi gently unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, pulling them down to reveal his now fully erect cock.

Aizawa never wore underwear anyways, but hell, it definitely worked out for him this time.

Toshi wasted no time in taking it into his mouth, trying frantically to remember all the things pornstars usually did.

Um, shit, do they usually do it like... this? Oh no, I’m going to mess this up... fuck...

He then tried to deepthroat him. Huge mistake.

Instantly, he pulled away, gagging and coughing.

“You alright down there?” Aizawa asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Toshi nodded, wiping his mouth.

“Just do what feels right. You’re doing good. Just don’t get caught up on what’s ‘correct’, alright?” Aizawa comforted. It was as if he knew exactly what Toshi was thinking about. He nodded, twirling one of his forelocks on a finger.

He gently took it back in, trying his best to push out any expectations he had for himself.

Now, he just wanted to have fun.

He took his time exploring every inch of his partner, dragging his tongue from the base all the way up to his tip, taking a moment to swirl and suckle once he got there. Aizawa was absolutely eating it up, smirking down at him and placing his hand against his head to gently encourage him.

“God, just like that, baby... fuck,” he mumbled. His voice warbled under the intense pleasure. It really sank in at this point that this was really happening, and that he wasn’t just lazily jacking himself off in his car in an empty parking lot like he usually did.

Toshi squeezed his balls, gently, but confidently. He smiled to himself when Aizawa bucked and whimpered in response.

“I-I’m close, Toshi...ahh... you... might wanna...ng...” he moaned, being cut off by Toshi pulling away with a small pop.

He continued to jack him off, looking up at him as he did so.

“Perfect.... oh... so perfect for me...” he murmured as he came. 

Toshi’s cock throbbed at that praise. He lived for it. 

Fuck, it was just like he’d always imagined it.

Better, even.

Aizawa took a moment to recover from his orgasm, his eyelids closed peacefully. Toshi gently received a tissue, cleaning his lover off carefully.

"oh, you...you don't need to do that," Aizawa said breathily, sitting up. Toshi was silent as he proceeded. He didn't care about what he 'needed' to do for him. It was what he wanted to do for him.

Knowing this, Aizawa didn't protest. Instead, he kept this extra tiny favor in mind, piled up high along all the other countless acts of care that Toshi always left in his life. He was going to make it up to him, somehow.

And he just had an idea of how.

As Toshi gently laid next to Aizawa on the bed, running his hand over his clothed chest, Aizawa scooted off of the bed and positioned himself in between his boyfriend's legs.

"Your turn," he smirked, unbuckling his pants. Toshi blushed, looking away shyly.

Now, unlike Toshinori, this was far from Aizawa's first rodeo. He'd had a couple boyfriends, and he knew his way around a cock.

So he knew how to make him go absolutely wild. And he did.

He achingly teased Toshi's tip, rolling his tounge over it over and over, all while looking up at him cockily.

Toshi couldn't hold back his lewd sounds as much as he wanted to. He covered his mouth, trying to trap the whimpers eminating from his chest, but to no avail.

Aizawa was fully aware of the fact that Toshi was putty in his hands.

Just as he began to reach orgasm, Aizawa pulled away. He whined from the loss of stimulation. Luckily for him, Aizawa was far from finished with him. He rushed off to his side of the bed, grabbing a small bottle of lube that he'd often used for himself (and secretly hoped he'd be able to use on him), popping it open.

Toshi flinched as he felt Aizawa slathering the slick liquid onto his opening.

"is...is it gonna be...okay?" He asked, his voice pitched up a little from his usual tone.

"It'll be alright. I'll be gentle with you," Aizawa assured gently while tracing his finger around his rim.

This was yet another part of himself that Toshi never explored before. Frankly, he was always scared of it.

But being so gently eased into it by the person he loved most made things just a little less terrifying.

Aizawa gently pressed his index finger into his enterence, easing it in slowly while carefully gauging Toshinori's reactions.

What Toshi didn't know was how terrified Aizawa was of doing this, too. He'd be horrifically guilt ridden if he even slightly made his boyfriend uncomfortable, God forbid being in actual pain. He'd simply die then and there.

But, Toshi never saw that part of him. As far as he, or anyone else, knew, Aizawa was always as chill as ice in lemonade on a summer day.

Toshi was tense. He always was, but that tension simply wouldn't do for this.

"Relax," ordered Aizawa.

"Ah, sorry..."

"Don't be. I know you're nervous. You're doing great," he encouraged.

Toshinori’s heart fluttered at such gentle praise.

And just like that, Aizawa had a digit inside of him, gently pumping it in and out, caressing him from the inside out. 

After a small while, a second finger made its way inside.

And a third. 

By now, Toshi was trying his best not to come apart. He bashfully covered his mouth to stifle the embarrasing sounds, all while Aizawa longed for him to let it all out. 

However, that isn’t to say that Aizawa didn’t find his boyfriend’s shyness absolutely adorable. 

While he was doing his best to make his boyfriend into a little mess, he himself was absolutely falling apart at how hot this was. His cock was absolutely rock hard and neglected.  That wouldn’t be for too long, though. 

“Toshi, do you think you’re ready?” he rasped as he took his fingers out of him. 

“I...I’m scared,” he whimpered weakly. Aizawa quickly took him into his arms.

“If you don’t want to do this with me, please know that you do not have to. I want you to feel good,” he whispered gently. Toshinori was absolutely taken aback by his overwhelmingly gentle touch and caring tone of voice that his boyfriend rarely allowed anyone else to see. 

“I want to, it’s just...I mean, you know...” 

“I understand. Do you want to continue?” 

Toshi nodded, squeezing Aizawa’s arm.

Aizawa instructed Toshi on everything: how to lay properly to be most comfortable, how to breathe, and how to relax his muscles for easier entry. He gave him a pillow to rest his head on, and did everything humanly possible to ensure that he would be comfortable before beginning.

Finally, the time came. Aizawa throughly lubed himself up, positioning himself at Toshi’s enterence.

“Let me know if anything hurts, or if you want me to stop, okay?” he ordered, his palm resting on the small of his lover’s back. Toshi nodded. With that affirmation, he slowly began to ease himself inside. Toshi winced at the burning and ache that came with his first time, but he was okay. He sighed as Aizawa layed comforting kisses along his back and neck.

“You’re taking me so well,” the ravenette whimpered. He struggled to not completely let in on his urges: just to let go and fuck him like he’d always dreamed.

For now, he just...couldn’t.  Really, fantasies were one thing. But in real life, where someone could actually get hurt, it’s not as appealing. 

Aizawa would much rather have this slow, gentle penetration than the rough stuff he’d planned any day if it meant that Toshi would be more comfortable. 

And God, he was more than comfortable. 

Once Aizawa’s full length was inside of him, the tip of his cock hit the absolute perfect spot, sending waves of pleasure through his body, radiating to the tip of his own cock. 

“C-can you...mmph, could you start to move a little?” he whimpered.  “Are you sure you’re ready?” Aizawa asked one last time.

Toshi nodded. 

Aizawa never realized how...stressful this would really be. He knew what to do, and he’d definately been in this position more than once before, but he was paralyzed with the fear that he’d somehow break this fragile human being that he loved so dearly. 

But he also knew that if he did nothing, that’d break him as well, just in a different way. 

So, slowly and rhythmically, he began to hesitantly pump himself in and out. 

Toshi was instantly a mess. He did his very best to confine his moans and whimpers to a nearby pillow, but despite his efforts, Aizawa was well aware of how he was effecting him. 

Slowly, he picked up the pace, encouraged by those sounds of helpless pleasure. 

“Let me hear you, sunshine,” Aizawa groaned sweetly. Obidiently, his boyfriend abandoned the pillow, allowing his lover to hear all the sounds he was determined mere moments ago to hide. 

As a reward, Aizawa stroked Toshi’s neglected cock while still keeping up the pace he’d set. 

“Ahh! Sho...If...ugh...if you keep that up, I’m gonna...”

“I know, go ahead. Let me see it.”

He didn’t need his permission. Good thing, too, because with one final thrust, his already leaking cock throbbed as he released across the sheets.

Soon after, Aizawa did the same, all while inside his boyfriend. Toshinori reveled in the warmth that entered his belly from the inside out, and the gentle words of praise that surrounded him that poured so easily out of Aizawa’s lips.

He gently pulled out. Toshi sighed at the loss of him, but took this opportunity to relax into the bed and allow the soft sheets to cradle his tired body.

And he really was tired. Exhausted, even.

This was another reason Aizawa was so hesitant to do anything with Toshinori. He didn’t want to overexert him like this.

He was so tired, in fact, that he didn’t even notice when Aizawa left. He scarcely had a chance to before he returned with a bottle of water and a warm washcloth.

“Drink this while I clean you up, sunshine,” he instructed. Toshi nodded, his peacefully closed eyes fluttering open. He shuddered as the cloth made contact with his skin.

“I wasn’t too hard on you, right?” asked Aizawa softly.

“Of course not. I would’ve imagined harder from you, if I’m being entirely honest.”

“Is that so?” He teased, smacking his ass playfully with a small giggle.

“Maybe next time. Maybe. I don’t want to hurt you,” he added. His serious tone was back as he caressed the now pink handprint.

“I’ll be fine, Sho. You know I’ve been through worse.”

“I’m aware. I just don’t want you to have to compare what you’ve been through to what I’m going to put you through.”

Toshi laughed.

“You must be kinkier than I thought, if that’s the case.”

[tigerkirby215]

5e Sona, the Maven of the Strings build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Shilin Huang. Made for Riot Games.)

(Shit meme by yours truly.)

Revealing my Champion Mastery just to say that I play a lot of Sona. Don’t flame me for playing Seraphine and Yuumi I swear to god, and I have no idea why Teemo is in my top 10 highest mastery champs ngl.

Anyways you have no idea how happy I am as a Sona main that my girl is now top tier. I came to League of Legends from Overwatch (yes really) and I used to main Lucio in OW along with some of the more “techy” characters like Symmetra and Torbjorn. (Came to OW from TF2 where I mained Engineer and Medic.) Sona was a natural fit for me as a champion who was both easy to play and very similar to Lucio. It also helps that I joined the Rift during the single most engaging meta to ever grace this game. I was kinda too shit to play Janna but the Ardent Censer meta is also why I have such a high mastery on Lulu tbh.

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But enough about my history with League: Sona! Honestly when I think of an archetypical support Sona pops into my head a lot sooner than Soraka: a champion based on empowering their teammates in as many ways as possible with heals, shields, movement speed, and CC to hold the enemy team down. I’ve always loved playing her because she feels like much more of a macro oriented character than other supports, with team-wide support as opposed to keeping one person alive like Soraka or Yuumi or focusing on CC like Morgana and Nami.

I’m going to build most if not all the champions eventually but man I am happy to tackle Sona now. She’s always been on my mind as my main but it was pretty difficult to think of how to make her. I think this build is good enough though!

Wow that was much longer of an intro than I’m used to. You can really tell which champions I’m excited for lol.

GOALS

Everything in harmony - Sona boosts everyone on her team with her songs as they fill the air.

Triple time! - Sona’s ability to boost her whole team into a good position is always beneficial.

Crescendo! - Fun fact: Sona’s ultimate is canonically extremely painful as she forces you to contort your limbs against your will. Why is Sona needlessly macabre? Well remember that Riot also wrote Volibear as an Eldritch old god.

RACE

Sona is Human but if you want to be cool you can make her a Kalashtar for resistance to Psychic damage and advantage on Wisdom saves. Regardless we’re going to be making what’s known as a dollar store Kalashtar with Variant Human. Increase your Charisma by 1 as well as your Constitution because we kinda don’t need much else. You also get proficiency in one skill of your choice which will of course be Performance, and a language which you can pick as you fancy: you won’t be speaking it anyways lmfao.

That’s because “Only you can hear me summoner; what masterpiece shall we play today?” Grab the Telepathic feat to complete this dollar store Kalashtar package. Increase your Charisma score by 1 and get a 60 foot telepathy to speak while being mute. You also learn the Detect Thoughts spell and can cast it once without using a spell slot. "Did he want... four autographs? I don't understand."

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - Charisma is tied to performance and all the other stuff a Demacian noblewoman is expected to be good at.

14; DEXTERITY - Something something medium armor; even if you wear a dress there’s no reason you can’t have some padding beneath it!

13; STRENGTH - Hey this isn’t something something medium armor!

12; CONSTITUTION - Sona may be squishy in League but I value not dying more than good skill checks honestly.

10; WISDOM - Speaking of not dying: Wisdom saves are more common, and Insight is more useful than most Intelligence skills.

8; INTELLIGENCE - We had to dump something so unfortunately Intelligence gets the short end of the stick. You may have studied under the illustrious Buvelle family but most of those lessons were music classes.

If you want a better stat array going 13 / 14 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 14 with Point Buy is perfectly viable, and if your DM is cool enough to let you multiclass without Strength then you’re more than welcome to dump it.

BACKGROUND

There’s two obvious backgrounds that fit Sona: the first is Entertainer for proficiency with Acrobatics and a skill of your choice (since we already took Performance lol.) You also get proficiency with Disguise Kits and your Etwahl! (That’s what Sona’s instrument is called btw.) Your background feature By Popular Demand allows you to play any stage once. "Some, just the once.” You can perform in exchange for a place to stay, and when you do so the local people will remember your wonderful performance!

But making an Entertainer Bard is kinda cliché, no? If you want to lean into Sona’s Demacian heritage go for the Noble background. This gives you proficiency with Persuasion and History as well as a gaming set of your choice: unfortunately Tellstones isn’t an option (unless your DM decides otherwise!) so a Dragonchess Set will do well enough. Oh and you get another language that you won’t speak: fun! Your Position of Privilege makes it easy for you to arrange meetings with other important people, and the commonfolk will be kind and cordial with you.

(Screenshot from the Tellstones: King’s Gambit trailer by Riot Games.)

I personally opted to go for Noble when making this build, but if you want to choose Entertainer go right ahead! Backgrounds don’t affect too much overall and it’s up to you (and your DM) to make your own Sona!

(Artwork from League of Legends Wild Rift. Made for Riot Games. RIOT PLEASE UPDATE MUSE SONA ON PC I’M BEGGING YOU!)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - BARD 1

I mean what else did you expect? Bards get proficiency in three musical instruments of their choice: a Lyre is the closest you’ll get to Sona’s Etwahl, though a Dulcimer is also pretty close. I’d also recommend grabbing a Lute since most magical instruments come in Lute variety.

You also get proficiency in 3 skills of your choice like Perception to watch wards, Insight to watch people, and Athletics for a bit of Tenacity to break out of grapples. (As well as potentially grab some people yourself! Although Acrobatics is also perfectly fine for escaping grapples.)

As a Bard you can boost your ADC with Bardic Inspiration, letting them add a d6 to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. You have a number of these equal to your Charisma modifier and they come back after a Long Rest.

But of course the main reason to play a Bard is to do Demacian-banned Spellcasting! You learn two cantrips from the Bard list like Vicious Mockery for some diminuendo, making it harder for the enemy to hurt your allies while also cutting them down to size. (I don’t know if your DM will let you slap your Etwahl angrily and then point at them judgingly, but you may have to break your vow of silence every now and then.) You can also learn Prestidigitation for all sorts of general magic stuff that you really shouldn’t do in front of anyone important.

You of course also learn 4 Bard spells like Cure Wounds and Healing Word for the atypical healing spells, Dissonant Whispers for some Hymn of Valor damage, and Detect Magic which you’ll likely be expected to cast as the designated support. *Sigh* Always gotta buy wards.

LEVEL 2 - BARD 2

Second level Bards could be called a Jack of All Trades, as you get to add half your proficiency bonus to any skill you aren’t proficient in. This means even if your ability scores are bad the skills you don’t have proficiency in are still good enough! You also get Song of Rest, letting your allies recover an extra d6 of health during Short Rests. And if you have Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything  Magical Inspiration will let your allies add their Bardic Inspiration to the damage or healing of a spell they cast!

And finally you can learn another spell: against as the designated support you’re expected to take Identify.

LEVEL 3 - BARD 3

Third level Bards get Expertise in two skills: Performance is an obvious must and Persuasion would probably be good as well.

But more importantly you get to choose your Bardic College and if you want to both shield your allies and speed them up look no further than the College of Glamour! That’s because Mantle of Inspiration grants 5 temporary hitpoints to a number of creatures within 60 feet of you equal to your Charisma modifier (which can include yourself by the way!) Additionally those creatures can move up to their movement speed as a reaction without provoking opportunity attacks, making this a great tool to reposition an ally who’s caught in a dangerous position!

You’re also capable of creating an Enthralling Performance: if you perform for at least 1 minute, you can attempt to inspire wonder in your audience. At the end of the performance you can choose a number of humanoids within 60 feet of you who watched and listened to all of it, up to a maximum equal to your Charisma modifier. Each target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you.

While charmed in this way, the target idolizes you, and speaks glowingly of you to anyone who talks to them. They also hinder anyone who opposes you, although they avoid violence unless it was already inclined to fight for you. This effect ends on a target after 1 hour unless they take any damage, you attack it, or it witnesses you attacking or damaging any of its allies. If a target succeeds on its saving throw the target has no hint that you tried to charm it, and you can use this ability once per Short or Long Rest.

Finally you can learn second level spells like Hold Person, for a one-man version of your ultimate.

LEVEL 4 - BARD 4

Ah the first of many Ability Score Improvements. You may have noticed our deliberately uneven Charisma modifier: that’s because I’m going to be taking the Fey Touched feat for +1 to your Charisma, the Misty Step spell (for Flash, of course), and the Gift of Alacrity spell from Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount for a Song of Celerity! Accelerated movement? I concur.

You can also learn another spell as well as another cantrip! For your cantrip take Mage Hand for help warding those hard-to-reach areas, and for your spell take Lesser Restoration, because yeah it’s also your job to buy Mikael’s. *Sigh.*

LEVEL 5 - BARD 5

5th level Bards get a Font of Inspiration that lets their Bardic Inspiration come back after a Short Rest as well as a Long Rest. That’s good because your Bardic Inspiration increases to a d8, which also boosts your Mantle of Inspiration to grant 8 temporary hitpoints!

You can also learn another spell like Hypnotic Pattern: while it won’t do any damage and your allies can’t hit the dancing enemies it’ll still be the best recreation of your ultimate for now.

(Artwork by Katie “TeaTime” De Sousa. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 6 - PALADIN 1

I hope you weren’t expecting this to be a pure Bard build, because then I’d just be building Seraphine again! Grab your something something Medium Armor as well as a shield (well technically you need both hands free to play a musical instrument) it’s Paladin time, master of auras! 

Paladins get a Lay on Hands pool equal to 5 times their Paladin level for some more healing. You can touch a creature to give them any amount of health from your Lay on Hands, or use 5 hitpoints from your Lay on Hands pool to neutralize a poison or disease affecting them. You also get Divine Sense to locate any Celestial, Fiend, or Undead as long as they’re within 60 feet of you and not behind total cover. Don’t worry it gets a lot more exciting later.

LEVEL 7 - PALADIN 2

Second level Paladins can choose their Fighting Style and you’re still more of a mage than a warrior, so Blessed Warrior will give you two cantrips from the Cleric list that use your Charisma! Guidance is an obvious must for a support and Toll the Dead is a great option if you want to go full AP.

Should you have options for attacks to target enemies who have high Wisdom? Yeah probably: Sacred Flame might be a good choice.

Of course cantrips also imply more Spellcasting! You can prepare a number of spells equal to your Charisma modifier plus half your Paladin level (rounded down) which is currently a freaking lot of spells. Let’s just go down the list, shall we?

Bless is great to buff your team and make them harder, better, faster, and stronger.

Command is a mostly harmless Enchantment spell that will force your foes to do as you, well, command. I’d argue “dance” is a reasonable Command.

Protection from Evil and Good is never bad to have in your back pocket in case you’re fighting either Kayle or Fiddlesticks.

And Shield of Faith will let you boost your ADC’s survivability with Ardent Censer!

I know you can prepare more spells but there isn’t much I want from first level of Paladin. I am contractually obligated to mention that you can also turn your spell slots into a Divine Smite if you hit an enemy with a melee weapon, but you aren’t really going to be using weapons in this build. That’s right boys hop aboard the caster Paladin train!

LEVEL 8 - PALADIN 3

Third level Paladins get to choose their Sacred Oath and Oath of the Watchers may seem weird but it’s really good at defending your allies. That’s because you get two different Channel Divinity options: Abjure the Extraplanar works similarly to the Cleric’s Turn Undead feature except it affects Aberrations, Celestials, Elementals, Fey, and Fiends.

Watcher’s Will meanwhile lets you choose a number of creatures you can see within 30 feet of you, up to your Charisma modifier. For 1 minute, you and the chosen creatures have advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws. This means that in a party of 6 this ability can give your whole party advantage on all mental saves, which is huge for keeping everyone alive against nasty casters! See? Demacia can use your magic!

Speaking of magic you get Alarm and Detect Magic as Oath spells. (Might want to swap Detect Magic from your Bard list with Mass Healing Word ty Tasha’s.) You can also use Harness Divine Power to regain a spell slot equal to half your proficiency bonus a number of times per Long Rest. And you get Divine Health, because you don’t take a sick day to stop complaining about Seraphine.

LEVEL 9 - PALADIN 4

4th level Paladins get another Ability Score Improvement: cap off that Charisma for maximum AP scaling!

(Artwork by Kelly Aleshire & Esben Lash Rasmussen. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 10 - PALADIN 5

5th level Paladins can finally prepare second level spells! As a Watchers Paladin you get access to Moonbeam as well as See Invisibility, both of which are very good for dealing with incoming gankers.

You can also prepare spells like Aid to boost your allies’ HP, Prayer of Healing (ty Tasha’s) for some out-of-combat healing, and Warding Bond for a Knight’s Vow.

Oh and you get an Extra Attack, which sure would matter if you were actually using weapons.

LEVEL 11 - PALADIN 6

6th level reasons get the main reason Sona’s a Paladin: Aura of Protection! All your saving throws are increased by an amount equal to your Charisma modifier, which is a full +5 currently! But what’s special about this ability is that it also applies to your allies within 10 feet of you, letting you give out auras a plenty to keep your allies safe!

You can also prepare another spell but again: not much I really want. So we’re going to be waiting a little while longer once again.

LEVEL 12 - PALADIN 7

7th level Watchers Paladins get Aura of the Sentinel, or as I like to call it: Song of Celerity. When you or any creature of your choice within 10 feet of you roll for initiative, they gain a bonus to initiative equal to your proficiency bonus. While this may make positioning a little difficult (everyone’s going to have to huddle around you) this ability guarantees that you can speed up all your important allies to make sure they get their powerful abilities off!

LEVEL 13 - PALADIN 8

8th level Paladins get another Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. You may have noticed your uneven Constitution score: grab good ol’ Resilient Constitution for a boost to your health and even more insurance on your Concentration checks. With your Paladin aura and proficiency you’d have a +12 total to your Constitution checks currently, meaning that if you take 24 damage or less you won’t even have to roll for Concentration!

LEVEL 14 - PALADIN 9

You are probably the only Paladin who cares about spells, so it’s nice that you get 3rd level spells now! Watchers Paladins get two very strong third level spells: Nondetection will help you deward and keep your allies safe from enemies that may try to sneak a peak at you, but Counterspell is the true best choice to stop danger from befalling your allies. What’s very good about Counterspell is that as a Bard you get to add Jack of All Trades to the skill check, meaning it’s far easier for you to deny an incomming spell than any other spellcaster! “Mages have enough problems without you.”

Of course you can prepare some more spells like Aura of Vitality for Aria of Perseverance, and Revivify for an ADC’s Guardian Angel. But having access to spells like Remove Curse, Dispel Magic, Crusader’s Mantle, and even Daylight on the Paladin spell list are all extremely useful to be able to prepare. Remember that you are doing yourself a disservice by not taking time to think about what the best spells to prepare would be for your current quest. "Every note is important."

(Artwork by Kelly Aleshire & Esben Lash Rasmussen. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 15 - BARD 6

Now that we’ve got all our auras it’s time to go back to Bard for Mantle of Majesty! As a bonus action, you cast Command without expending a spell slot as you take on an appearance of unearthly beauty for 1 minute. During that minute you can cast Command as a bonus action on each of your turns without expending a spell slot. Additionally any creature charmed by you automatically fails its saving throw against the command you cast with this feature. You do have to concentrate on this feature (like a spell), and once you use it you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

You can also learn another spell but there isn’t much I want from the third level of Bard, really. Oh and you get Countercharm which is awful and I hate it, but since you didn’t take a 10th level in Paladin I suppose you have to use it. Spend an action to give allies advantage on their saving throws against charms and fears, I guess.

LEVEL 16 - BARD 7

7th level Bard; 4th level spells. Freedom of Movement will let you help either yourself or an ally with Mikael’s Crucible, and Dimension Door is great to get into lane fast, or back to base fast!

LEVEL 17 - BARD 8

8th level Bards get another Ability Score Improvement, and if you don’t like the look of something something Medium Armor then the Eldritch Adept feat might be able to help. Take the Mask of Many Faces invocation to be able to cast Disguise Self at will to change your skins as you please.

Could you have taken this earlier? Absolutely. Are there better invocations? Yeah probably, but by level 17 you can make some of your own choices. Build your own Sona: this is merely a guide and you can make your own choices.

Speaking of own choices: take whichever spell you want at this level. There’s plenty of great ones for a 4th level Bard and I can’t recommend anything in particular to you. Every musician has their own style, and it’s up to you to find your own!

(Artwork by Yan Li. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 18 - BARD 9

9th level Bards get to pretend that increasing Song of Rest from a d6 to a d8 by total level 18 is helpful.

You do get access to 5th level spells like Mass Cure Wounds, which is like Mass Healing Word but better! "Harmoniously."

LEVEL 19 - BARD 10

10th level Bards get Expertise in two more skills: Perception is an obvious must to watch over your wards but beyond that? Honestly pick your poison with whatever skill you want since by level 19 you can make your own choices. (Though my personal choice would be Athletics to hopefully give some more safety against grapples.)

But of course the main boon of reaching level 10 in Bard is the Magical Secrets! ...I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you again: there honestly aren’t any spells in particular I want as Magical Secrets. Sure I could recommend spells like Haste or whatever but are they really going to be that great by total level 20? To be honest even the spells on the Bard list like Animate Objects, Greater Restoration, Hold Monster, Rary's Telepathic Bond, Scrying, and Synaptic Static are very good (although I’d sooner replace some of your old spells with them.)

Again I know this is supposed to be a “guide” but most people won’t hit level 19 anyways, so I don’t think it’s that bad for me to recommend you take your own steps to make your own Sona. Hell, build some AP if you want! I know I would!

LEVEL 20 - BARD 11

Our final level is the 11th level of Bard and I’ll be honest: it’s just to add Otto's Irresistible Dance to your spell list. It can only affect one person but it’s still your ultimate by total level 20.

Oh and you were supposed to get a cantrip last level. Uhhhhh I dunno take Mending lol.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

The rhythm connects us all - You have dozens of spells to keep your team alive and active during a fight, not to mention that all your Paladin auras and abilities really help them give 110%. It’s worth mentioning that Gift of Alacrity combined with Aura of the Sentinel is a d8 + 6 to an Initiative roll, which will almost always guarantee that whoever you want to go first will be going first!

A true masterpiece should celebrate living - Despite your somewhat weird level split you maxed out the only stat which matters for you: Charisma. And woah holy shit turns out Paladins are really good with maxed out Charisma! +5 to all saves means even your lowest save is a +4, and the saves your proficient in vary between +13 for Dexterity and Constitution (both very common!) and a whopping +16 save on Charisma!

Curtains up; I'm ready - Jack of All Trades also does quite nicely to help your middling skills. Even though I dumped most of your mental skills you’re still proficient enough that you won’t be completely helpless when caught off guard. And when you’re in the zone with Persuasion or Performance you are easily the best girl around!

CONS

Don't make me get off stage - It was my intention to recreate Sona’s positional gameplay with this build but it does present some gameplay issues when trying to maximize your effectiveness. Where do you position yourself as a character who’s still primarily a squishy caster despite your good saving throws and AC? Can you give everyone in your party support, or are they too spread out to get value out of your 10 foot range auras?

Quiet, please! - You have a damn good concentration check, but what do you concentrate on? Not only do you have a ton of spells but they all scale very good with levels and you have spell slots that go far higher than your maximum level spell. It can be hard to choose what to do with those 7th and 8th level slots.

The world is cruel... Until that changes, I'll never stop playing - One of many “meta” problems with this build was my choice to focus almost entirely on support. Sure Toll the Dead is a great damaging cantrip but your only two damaging spells are Moonbeam and Dissonant Whispers. Again: you don’t have to follow my build point-for-point and while you’ll be flamed in League for building Sona full AP I don’t think your friends will mind if you take some damaging spells.

But if you can’t tell it was really hard for me to come up with those downsides. With the exception of the positional requirements a Bardadin is a very strong build and Sona is a very strong support. Boost your teammates with your own amazing power and make sure everyone’s alive and jamming! Your power may have been forgotten over the years but no one’s ever upset to have a great support at their side. And remember: Seraphine may be in K/DA but you’re in Pentakill, and you have your own label! No one can replace DJ Sona!

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[lovee-infected]

Hi there! How would the twst boys react to their s/o being slapped by Eliza 😂. Thanks for feeding us the wonderful headcanons! 💜

I love writing for such brilliant ideas , enjoy !

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle goes blank for a second , unsure what to say or how to react : Half of him wanted to act in and condemn ghosts for their arrogance to lay a hand on you but on the other hand , he knew that he didn't have the right to ; It was their brides choice and she did have the right to do it - which wasn't really pleasant -

You give him a sad look , expecting a show of mercy of sympathy , but he didn't move an eyebrow

You run to a silent corner to cry , and he comes after you . Riddle gives you a hug and apologizes that he couldn't help anything back then

He criticizes your movements as well , how you didn't present yourself properly and why Eliza could've changed her mind

But in the end ; he gives you a small reminder : " Perfect or not , know that you're enough for me ,"

Trey Clover

He got slapped himself so he understands how the world flashed before your eyes for a second

You look a bit down about failing so easily while you were trying to help ; but so did Trey . You get each other on that point

He barely notices it but he literally doesn't know how to flirt , but he tries his best to cheer you up "Ah don't give me that face ! At least you were waaay better than me,"

Well , maybe you weren't such an overly perfect being but neither was Trey , he was just an ordinary guy you'll get to see everyday ; not a stunning prince . It seems like the two of you come from a rather similar level

Perhaps that's why the two of you get along pretty well

Cater Diamond

You didn't expect him to even put his phone down for you but he eventually did ; you find it pretty odd to see him this eager about anything without wanting to share it via Internet , but it also means that he does care for you

He doesn't bother touching your cheek and asking if it hurts

He plants a small kiss on your blushing face and then goes salty again : " So glad that she didn't get you , means you're still all mine ! "

He brings up his phone and before you could've recognized , takes a selfie of him kissing an all shocked you . You beg him to delete it but he isn't listening , but he insures you that this one's a private issue so he won't post it ; perhaps the first selfie he isn't going to share anywhere

Ace Trappola

Trey and Riddle grab his body and mouth before he could do something stupid , how dare she , how dare she slaps you !?

Ace ws already tired of this drama with the hopelessly romantic bride , and you were the final shock .

" SHE IS A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER THAN Y-" Ace tries to shout at Eliza but Riddle grabs him by collar and puts a hand on his mouth : "YOU IDIOT WHAT ARE YOU..."

You come to calm him down , insisting that it's really nothing important , you didn't care . He still seems to be really pissed off at Eliza : " Huh , does she really think that she's any big deal ? My- girls are really crappy sometimes ,-"

Ace refuses to believe that you don't feel any offended so he pulls you to his embrace and keeps on sending you positive vibes non-stop : " You're gorgeous (y/n)! I mean it ! You're smart , talented , dignified ..."

Deuce Spade

He is low-key happy that you two join him at the losers bench . At least you won't now see him as the awkward loser he was in front of Eliza ; not too much to say

"So you too got slapped ?" he tells you he has no idea how to start the conversation

He knows that he is supposed to do something better but he is just blank about it

One half of him wants to hug you and tell that it's fine , then ask if you think he's awkward or something . But the other half just doesn't know what to say

He says that you two must learn some social skills together , that's the most he can do to flirt now : He soft boy

Leona Kingscholar

He actually doesn't mind insulting you a little for getting slapped . He's pissed off himself so he appreciates teasing you

From putting on a cocky smile and smirking to playing with you using sarcastic words

His very last sarcasm seems to be the worst : " I can say that you are way lower than royal standards ,"

But he puts a different end to his words : "...But since I as well got rejected , I guess we're now rejected mates ,"

Is it his sarcastic way of saying a small "I love you" ? Yes it is

Ruggie Bucchi

He didn't bother to come and try proposing , but wasn't expecting for you to try either . He lets out one of his Hyena-like giggles and comes to you

" Was that bride this savage ? Then I'm thankful that I didn't show up ! " he sneakers

He disappears for a second and comes back with an ice-pack : " Geez , it's my third time doing it today . Come over ," he tells you

He already did it for Leona and Jack because he was told to , but he is all ready to give you all those services and more to you

He does enjoy teasing you , but nursing you in situations like this is another hubby of him , after all you're an exception

Jack Howl

He kinda feels guilty about you getting slapped ; he shouldn't have let you tried it anyway . The possibility of you making it was low and you weren't a NRC student anyway

He knows that everyone else were the same but when it was you who got slapped right in front of everyone , he fears it being an issue

He quickly checks on you to see if you're fine and or need a doctor

He is a bit worried about your face swelling so he takes you school's nurse

On your way back , you thank him because of caring for you and he starts to blush and denies it all : " What do you mean ? It was nothing important . No need to thank ,"

Azul Ashengrotto

Azul grabs your hand , wishes Idia a happy marriage and the two of you leave the rest in the middle of chaos

He nags under the lips , telling how he wished others to let him turn her into a little clam

He telles you what an unfortunate soul Eliza is , not only did she die on her marriage day but she also lost perfect lover such as you

He doesn't care about the rest now , so he decides to leave them on their own and instead , have some free time with you

While you wear having some tea at mostrolounge , he shakes head and insults Eliza : " You are surely too much for her , my dear (y/n) . Ghosts always envy humans ; specially when it comes to someone as great as you ~"

Jade Leech

Eliza is now pretty odd to him , first she dislikes the flowers , and now , she rejects you ? Ghosts seem to be even weirder than surface creatures , he thinks

He understands the high standards required while choosing a partner , but you don't seem to lack anything ? How strange

He even cares to ask Eliza about what she might have disliked about you since you don't seem to have any problems , but he avoids it anyway because he isn't ready to get secondly slapped

He offers you a short walk with a bright smile , and you accept

" Miss Eliza surely has weird standards , (y/n) sweetie . You were perfect enough to win ,"

Too bad Crowley insists on them respecting their ghost visitors as long as the stay , Jade is really encouraged to give them a lesson . But uh , he has to have a hold of himself as Octavinelle's vice dorm leader

" Too bad she is dead , flowers would have had an interesting effect if she weren't ," he sighs

Floyd Leech

This bride is getting on his nerves , loud , dumb , in love with a blue , awkward chicken and finds silly excuses to reject everyone proposing to her. If she weren't dead , Floyd would wish her to be . Some brats are better dead

He doesn't see any need to spoil you , but he decides to spill somevtea since it was you " Don't worry shrimpy . You may not be perfect , but she's worse than you , " he flirts .He gives you a tight hug and squeezes you , rambling that it's because Eliza didn't let him do that

He actually finds the red mark on your face cute , saying that it makes your skin color just similar to a shrimp .

He can't help loving your -shrimp-like face - and so , he lowers his head and gives it a small kiss

Vil Schoenheit

If Eliza were alive , Vil would love it now to burn her alive in a huge dig of poison . Or maybe feed him to the dogs , both seem nice

He gently holds your face within his hands and carefully looks at the mark Eliza left behind

He curses under the lips and then pulls you into a soft hug : " Don't mind her love , lowly creatures are unworthy of true beauty , don't let their though bring you down," he mumbles

He absolutely hates being disrespected like this , so he leaves it to Rook and Epel ; though he doubts them being any helpful

He takes you to Pomefiore for firstly , making sure that your slapped face won't swell and then , giving you a full day spa . From extreme showers to putting on your makeup

When you're done , he stares at you through the mirror and smiles : " What an idiot she was to lose this stunning beauty of yours ,"

Rook Hunt

This bride keeps fascinating him , first Vil and now you ? Good god , she is pathetic

Rook really looks up to both of you as a symbol of beauty , grace and in general , perfection . Seeing the two of you being insulted like this is a real pitty

He is being relied on as one of the only four guys who didn't get slapped so he sadly doesn't have much time to comfort you now ; so he comes up with a new idea :

He asks you to give him the pleasure and be his : Bride model ; he has got plenty of tricks up his sleeve , but he still needs to practice them on someone

His long and beautiful poem which was hiding an I love you within its words , and his brilliance ways of winning one's heart leave you speechless ; not ever imagining that he might be this much of a romance man

He practices literally anything he was planning to do with you , and then comes up with the final words : " Dearest (y/n) , would you give me the honor of being your servant of love for eternity ? "

Epel Felmier

You got...what ? Epel was a normal guy at least in his own opinion , Vil senpai was surely beautiful but...not perfect either . But why you ? You didn't seem to have any specific problems . He doesn't like this thing with proposing anyways , so he was hoping someone , specially you , to succeed before he has to...

He is supposed to be practicing dos and don'ts of being a perfect groom , but he just can't do it without checking on you

He comes to you and gives you a tight hug , asking if you're alright

He confesses that he as well is now really scared since he has never even kissed a girl before , but he's going to try his best and put an end into this

He isn't the best of his own , but if a prince on a white horse is what this Ghost needed , he is going to make it , and prove it to you that he can

Kalim al asim

He doesn't know what is going on when you face him with your half red face , he gasps and worriedly starts asking questions : was there a fight ? Did you get hurt ? Was someone trying to bully you ? Who on earth had dared to do this to you !?

You explain the whole issue with he ghost bride and how almost everyone got slapped , making him calm down a bit

He now wants to have a word with this bride , it's rude to slap people just because you don't like them and that really bugs Kalim

Jamil stops him by reminding that it's none of Scarabia's business and as the dorm leader , he has to stay here taking care of more important stuff

Kalim has to agree but he isn't quite satisfied , but he comes up with another way to cheer you up :

" Imagine you're the bride and I'm proposing to you , let's see if I get slapped or not ! "

Jamil Viper

Just as Kalim , he can't imagine why you got slapped for at first but when you explain , he chills a bit

Most of the brides Jamil know gave in to marriage after being given tons of gold and jewelry , but since it is with a ghost , he wondered what might actually attract her. Princesses have to marry people from the same level as themselves , probably a prince or someone pretty rich ; so he isn't really fascinated that you and others all got slapped

He can't help it much , but perhaps insulting all other guys losing their chance is something he would appreciate talking about . It isn't clear if he wants you to feel better by neglecting every other guy or is just trying to chill a bit ; anyways it's joyful for you to talk and having him spending some time with you alone

Idia Shroud

Idia is locked inside the room ,, but he hears sound of you trying to propose to Eliza . His feeling are a bit complicated , both hopeful that Eliza would give up on him because of you and jealous of Eliza , whom you proposed to. No one's here to see him can freely admire your beautiful words coming one after one , and then an unexpected sound : You got slapped

Idia now has lost both his very last hope to get freed and his temper : His hair is slightly turning read . This crazy bride made him lose the global championship league of his favorite video game (since he was tied up by her ) and now slaps you !?

His thoughts are really wild now , especially because of how he can't do anything at all . He wishes he could see you and tell how beautiful and great he thinks your proposal was , hopeful that it'll make you smile

You still went out of his way and tried to free him , and that was more than enough for Idia . All he wishes is to see one more time and get to tell how he feels for you♥

Ortho Shroud

This ghost : Kidnapped his brother and now , slaps you

Who says robots can't feel anything ? Because now , Ortho is mad

He really does want to hack all of NRC's servers and share pictures of ghosts who dare kidnapping and insulting students without the principal doing anything . That'd be an end to Mr Crowley's career but since he isn't doing anything serious , he deserves it

You apologize him because of failing to save his brother , but he just gives you a hug telling how scared he is

You and Idia are the most important people in his life , he just can't stand having you hurt . Not even imagining what he might do if he loses any of you

Malleus Draconia

He wasn't there to recognize this any sooner , but Lilia and Sebek did tell him everything .He shouldn't show up in front of any other students (because they might spoil his real name ) and shouldn't show up in front of any ghosts (because they may catch him and force him to propose ). He was thinking of meeting you in front of ramshackle drom ; your regular corner but since there as well is haunted by the ghosts , he can't help but to wait for this drama to cool down

When you finally return to Ramshackle dorm in the middle of the night , your unexpected guest , tsuno-tarou , is waiting for you

You are suspicious that you didn't see him at all today , so he explains that due to some reasons he couldn't make it . He says hat he doesn't really know what had happened since he stayed in dorm all day , so you go on telling everything from the very beginning . He already knows everything but wants to hear it all from you one more time . He likes to see what they all might've looked like into your eyes . When you're done telling him the story , he giggles and asks one more question ; just curious to see how you'll answer : " So didn't you try proposing , or did you as well get slapped...?"

Lilia Vanrouge

This day was getting more and more complicated... First getting rejected for being too cute and having his 500+ year reputation ruined like this and now , you being the second to get slapped ; this isn't fair

He can help but to let his tears fall , if he's too cute then it's fine for him to cry . Sebek and you freak out in fear of him being through some sort of serious pain or injury , then he just laughs and tells you that he's alright . He just needed to comfort himself but freeing those tears

He doesn't see any need of today getting worse , so he doesn't mind flirting a bit . He jokes on whatever you rejected for not being more frustrating than being too cute and laughs

He thinks that you may like to talk more , so he brings up a more interesting issue : His hundred years experience with women

You are fascinated at how many times he has joined ladies for dances or drinking , yet has never been on a serious relationship

He's actually trying to spill more tea of his low experiements with relationships , hopeful that you get his point

Silver

You return along with Lilia and Sebek. , all of having half of your face red . Silver wasn't there to know what was going on or why Sebek is shouting at him for being a coward not trying to propose like a real man . Poor boy is just blank

Lilia takes Sebek along with him and leaves the two of you alone , so you start telling everything over . He tries his best to hide his laugh at the point where Sebek got slapped but he failed , then Lilia and finally , you

You tell him that you really feel frustrated about failing others and not being good enough , but it makes Silver gently laugh : " Well , from Leona Senpai to Mr . Vil , they all got slapped one by one , doesn't it sound a bit weird ? "

You surely don't get hos point so he continues : " When someone keeps rejecting everyone one by one , it means that they don't really know what they want. They're seeking perfection ; but no one's ever perfect enough for them . Through lovers would still love each other aside lacking too much on their own , and that's what makes their love last : They complete each other "

His words really move you and make you ask how he can tell all these words so beautifully

He gives you small smile and adds : " Well , it's because I've experienced it all with you "

Sebek Zigvolt

Having both master Malleus and you insulted on the same day : This is too much !

You shouldn't have been the one forced propose while others like Silver were laying comfortably on a sofa dreaming of rainforests and colorful birds , it wasn't your right !

He doesn't even ask , he immediately takes you to the nurse office to put a stick on your slapped face . You insist that it's be too much but he isn't listening

He then , apologizes for about an hour for not talking you out of something that wasn't even your duty and promises that there won't be a next time on it

You really get concerned at how stressed out this boy suddenly gets over nothing , so you cut him off by pulling yourself to his embrace and giving him a hug . He freezes at first , but then relaxes and hugs back

" Promise that I'll never let you down (y/n) , never"

♦♥♠♣

Tagging : @lilyholo @yourlittlerunt @minteasketches @epher-posts @takumipineapplexd @yandere-of-your-dreams

[hiccanna-tidbits]

okay, okay but hear me out!

Hiccanna, Moanida and Jackunzel (and maybe someone else if u want) going on a holiday trip together (it could be sea or lake or just swimming pool).

And that three couples playing "chicken fight game"~ When u have to sit on partner shoulder or ridding piggy-back and knock down or separate the other couple!

sksksks just imagine the fun and the chaos!! hahaha

Okay SO I recently watched Palm Springs so I’m just imagining The Gang going to like…a fancy pool resort in like Arizona??? SURE LET’S GO WITH THAT

I’m imagining the only resort the gang could afford to stay at is someplace out in the middle of Arizona or something

It takes a LOT of persuading to get Jack to go, because he haaaaates deserts. Rapunzel basically has to beg. Moana finally managed to bribe him with really good homemade ice slushies. (She’s used to making smoothies for Merida, so how hard can slushies be??? Just throw in some ice!)

Rapunzel offers to help Moana with the slushies, since she gave Jack SO many puppy dog eyes to get him to come. Since they’ve got two people working on them, they’re REALLY good slushies. Jack approves.

Anna also tries to convince Elsa to go, but the perpetually-single Elsa is just like “Um, deserts? Sunburns? Being indefinitely stuck with gross couples doing gross couple stuff?!? Yeah no thank you”

Hiccup tries to wake everyone up at like 6 am to go hiking because "that's when the desert iguanas are out guys!!! C'mon, we have to go!!!" Anna is only persuaded to go after Hiccup makes her coffee--she really wants to make her bf happy, but also mornings can suck her dick. Rapunzel is more than happy to go, because she loves mornings anyways!!! And oh my god, IGUANAS!!! Jack, Merida, and Moana are like "oh FUCK no" and put the pillow back over their head, shoo Hiccup away, and go back to sleep.

On their hike, Hiccup just goes "!!!!!!!" about every reptile he sees. Snake, lizard, horny toad, literally anything with scales will send the boy into an excited frenzy. Rapunzel has similar reactions. Anna could not love both of them more.

At one point, they stumble across a gila monster sunbathing, and Rapunzel is overtaken with the unwavering desire to adopt him. She gets Hiccup on board, and he tries to lure the lizard over with a dusty piece of a snake carcass he found (Anna tried to tell him he really shouldn't touch that, but he was not to be swayed and Anna ended up figuring he could just wash his hands really well when they got back). Anna finds herself in the unusual position of having to be the Voice of Reason, having to be like “hey uh I think this might be illegal and stuff??? Also aren't they poisonous???”

(I know what you're thinking. Bold of you to assume Anna knows the difference between poisonous and venomous.)

Rapunzel literally CANNOT stop gushing to Jack about all the wildlife she saw when she gets back! Jackrabbits! Kangaroo rats! Roadrunners! Peccaries! Centipedes! Jack has only mild to moderate interest in desert ecology, but loves hearing his gf gush so he listens attentively anyways. 

Anna and Rapunzel definitely hit up the gift shops in the resort town at some point, and go ABSOLUTELY BATSHIT HOGWILD buying gifts for everyone. They probably max out their credit cards. It's embarrassing, really. But Anna gets Hiccup an absolute shitton of those little wall lizard things and he nearly cries tears of joy when he sees them, so it's all worth it, really.

Moana will not leave the pool like. The entire time. The girl is just obsessed with being in the water, honestly. She gets restless, though, and can't just stand in the pool and vibe--she needs to constantly be moving and swimming around or she'll explode. Merida is more than happy to indulge her by hanging out in the poor with her, but Merida is also constantly challenging her to swim races--a very dumb idea, considering Moana is on the high school swim team and water polo team. Merida, naturally, is an extremely sore loser and is not above excessive pouting, splashing, yelling in angry Scottish, and dunking her girlfriend in revenge. It's at least entertaining for all of their friends to watch.

Jack keeps fucking taking huge buckets of ice from the ice machine and dumping them in the pool. At first he only does this because he keeps griping about the pool not being cold enough (this boy will accept nothing less than sitting in the goddamn arctic ocean), but after her figures out that it pisses off his friends, he takes to pouring said ice directly over their heads. Merida has threatened to murder him several times for this.

Hiccup and Anna's main pool activity is just lazing around on their pool floaties (Anna has a duck one, Hicccup has a dragon one because obviously), sipping cocktails, and just generally vibing. Through some ungodly mixture of pure charisma and a fake ID that Rapunzel helped photoshop, Jack manages to talk his way into getting the whole group access to alcohol. Hiccup is a sangria or Moscow Mule kinda guy while Anna usually gets a Pina Colada or a Sex on the Beach (she's aspec, so she literally will not stop joking about the irony of this). Merida makes a game out of attempting to tip over their floaties and dunk them. Jack, chaos gremlin that he is, puts aside his usual rivalry with Merida to join in. They have a surprisingly strong dunking alliance.

Hiccup and Anna try to form a syndicate of their own, and try to lounge on the same floatie so that they can protect each other while fighting off Jack and Merida together. Unfortunately neither of their floaties were made to hold 2 peoples' weight, so the one they're on ends up tipping over, spilling their cocktails everywhere and dunking them anyways. Jack and Merida consider this a Win By Default.

Moana of course loops everyone into playing water polo at some point. Unfortunately some idiot decided it would be a good idea to let Merida of all people pick the teams, which means of course that they are incredibly rigged. It's Moana, Merida and Anna vs. Jack, Rapunzel, and Hiccup, so basically The Jocks vs. The Nerds (although admittedly Anna is more of a softcore jock--she's nowhere near on Moana or Merida's level, but she's still more naturally athletic than Hiccup, Rapunzel, or Jack). Naturally, Jock Team absolutely whoops Nerd Team's ass. Jack gets salty and demands a rematch. ...Jock Team kicks Nerd Team's ass again.

Throughout all of this, no one thinks to just...rearrange the teams a little. Merida was counting on this. All according to plan.

In the titular chicken game (yes, I remembered, don't worry!), it's Merida on Moana's shoulders (Moana swims and has a lot of upper body strength, what can I say?), Hiccup on Anna's shoulders (I mean...Hiccup's a twig, and Anna HAS to have a fair amount of upper body strength from throwing busts around and punching men off boats and such), and Punz on Jack's shoulders (Jack's pretty lithe and good at keeping his balance while jumping around, so he's their best candidate for not just falling over).

Jack and Rapunzel actually manage to stay in the game longer than anyone expects--their primary strategy is “be good at dodging and staying out of the way while Merida and Hiccup duke it out.” And it works! As limber as Hiccup is, Anna's not nearly as coordinated as Jack and is no match for Moana's sturdy footing. Also, neither Anna nor Hiccup are prepared for how goddamn ruthless and determined to win Merida is. Even though they really, really should have been. I mean...have you met Merida???

When it comes down to Merida-Moana and Rapunzel-Jack, Mer feels a little bad for having to go up against Pure Sweet Punzie. Unfortunately, Rapunzel turns out to be a very hardcore fighter when she puts her mind to it, and Merida is much more evenly matched than she initially thought and realizes she must use her Full Power. It definitely helps her snap out of Going Soft when Jack starts brutally roasting Merida in particular (as per usual). Merida gets a rage-fueled Second Wave, and finally manages to knock Rapunzel over in one foul swoop. Merida and Moana are victorious!

Moana and Merida basically always shower together after a day at the pool. They claim it's because they both know how to handle curly hair in chlorine, and just like to wash each other's hair, but the rest of the gang is pretty sure that's not all that's going on in there.

One day, Anna hits up the resort town alone to buy some kind of secret gifts for her friends with what little money she has left (this girl seriously has no chill when it comes to buying presents).  She goes past this huge, fancy ice cream shop and she's like “!!!! OMG!!! I'm gonna surprise all my buddies with pints of their faves!!!” She just gets super hyped and buys everyone ice cream, getting so caught up in the thrill of it that she forgets that she'll have to like. Drive all this back all the way back to the resort in the rental car. In like. You know. 110+ degree weather.

By the time she gets back to the resort, the ice cream is, of course, goop. Poor Anna, feeling incredibly dumb and like an utter failure of a friend, just kind of bursts into tears. Like damn. This is too much. She was gonna make all her pals so happy, and all for naught! Jack just kinda shrugs and throws all the melted ice cream cartons in the freezer anyways. Once they're (partially) re-frozen, Rapunzel and Moana make slushies with them. They actually come out pretty decent. Anna is substantially cheered up.

Moana prepares some tropical fruit platters for everyone to snack on. Rapunzel tries to “improve” them by adding chocolate sauce and nutella to half of them. Sometimes it works (I mean...bananas and strawberries with chocolate and/or nutella is pretty solid). Other times it just tastes...very weird. Merida gest frustrated and yells at Rapunzel for “ruining all of her girlfriend's good mangoes.”

Jack just thinks this whole thing is so funny, and decides to swap the chocolate sauce with barbecue sauce to cause further chaos. Absolute mayhem ensures. Everyone has a bad time. Except for Anna, who apparently is just a freak who enjoys eating pineapple slices dipped in barbecue sauce.

At some point, Merida gets really drunk on appletinis or some shit and signs the entire group up for a local archery competition. Much to everyone's chagrin, it's no refunds. Naturally, basically everyone sans Merida does terrible. Rapunzel and Hiccup very nearly shoot themselves, while Jack and Anna come very close to  accidentally shooting a group of referees (although Jack might have done this on purpose). Moana gets the farthest, if only because Merida's taught her how to shoot a bow at some point. Merida actually ends up winning--although unfortunately, the prize is $20 and a very cheap plastic trophy (which Merida STILL manages to find a way to break before the trip is even over).

The rest of the group is much more amicable to the concept of going on hikes when said hikes are in the evening. Hiccup and Rapunzel are still excitedly chattering about the local ecosystems the entire time, and Jack and Anna are just kind of looking at their nerdy SOs like “<3 <3 <3″ Moana and Merida, meanwhile, are just kinda vibing in the back, passively listening in and watching the desert sunset.

Rapunzel manages to capture Mer and Mo's interest and gets them to participate more with geology, of all things. Merida just thinks rocks are cool (especially when they can be thrown at people bothering her!), while Moana likes learning about the physical history of places--how water can carve out landscapes, and all that. Hiccup and Jack just kind of exchange a look like “I had no idea that they were into rocks, but...the more you know, I guess???”

Jack makes fun of every reptile they see, mainly to piss Hiccup off. Unfortunately it has the opposite effect, and Hiccup can't help but be entertained--mainly because Jack's insults are so weirdly specific and over-the-top that they loop around to being hilarious. Seriously, he keeps saying shit like “Those are the lamest scales I've ever seen. Absolutely drab, and not nearly shiny enough to prove that nature is beautiful. 0/10.” and “Ohhhh, this fucking rattlesnake think's he's so scary, with his dumb percussion instrument tail!!! I could be more intimidating with a mean look and a large pair of maracas!”

At some point, a bunch of tourists riding donkeys pass them. Anna, Rapunzel, and Merida just absolutely lose their shit fangirling over how cute the donkeys are, thus exposing all three of them as the unabashed Horse Girls they are. Hiccup, Jack, and Moana find this extremely amusing, and definitely aren't above teasing their girlfriends about it. Hiccup asks if next time they take a couples' vacation, the Horse Gang (as Moana insists on nicknaming them) would like to go to a ranch instead.

Anna gets like. Obsessed with palm trees. Like they're just so pretty and exotic and tropical!!! OMG!!! And they definitely don't have them wherever the gang is from in this AU. (Also if griping about Elsa not having "tropical powers" is anything to go by, she DOES canonically like the tropics!) She has to take a picture of like...every palm tree on her phone. And considering the gang is in Arizona, that means Anna is stopping to take a picture like...every 2 minutes. Rapunzel catches onto the fact that Anna likes them, and paints her a picture with some when Punz has the time. Anna definitely cries when she sees it. Hiccup can't do nearly that good, but he does buy her some little plastic figurine ones in a gift shop that she can put in her room. Anna also cries about this. She just cries whenever any of her friends indulge her random fixation on palm trees. Surely she doesn't deserve such niceties!!!

Rapunzel is just. In love with the desert landscape tbh. Like the huge funky cacti!!! The shrubs!!! The desert wildflowers!!! The mesas!!! All of it!!! So of course she needs to pull out her easel and paint it. Jack walks by one day and sees her working on it and, partly just to troll her, he's like “put some snow in it!” As he walks away, Rapunzel just stops like “wait...that'd actually be such a great idea for a surrealist-type fantasy piece!!!” After she finishes the main landscape, she adds an overcoat of little puffs of snow on top of everything, and has some clumps falling off of the cacti. When she shows Jack, he just about cries tears of joy, but frantically tries to hide it. She gives the painting to him as a present at the end of the trip. He hangs that shit front-in-center in his room and cherishes it forever and ever.

At some point, Jack gets the ingenious idea that he's going to prank Merida by catching a tarantula and leaving it in her room. It's one of the harmless ones--Jack fact-checks this by offhandedly asking Hiccup and framing it as a casual interest in local etymology. Still, Merida screams far louder than is at all dignified, and also probably loud enough to wake a neighboring country. Rapunzel later has to physically hold Merida back to keep her from absolutely beating Jack into a pulp. Rapunzel also manages to get the World's Largest Sheet of Cardboard and the World's Largest Cup and somehow manages to get the damn thing back outside.