#actually scratch that she is no longer a joke character.

[quackshley]

silly lil wizard sketch :)

[theidiotwhowritesthings]

The Asgardian Way

Pairing: Thor Odinson x Reader

Warnings: fluff, pining, cursing

Word Count: 3,072

Summary: When a human hits puberty they get the name of their soulmate written on their wrist. You got the name of a mythological figure and assumed it meant his parents were real big fans of Norse legend. Then aliens fell out of the sky and everything changed.

“Oh, I win this. Hands down.” The girl sitting across the table from you said between bites of her food. It was Saturday morning, which meant brunch with the work crew, and the name of the game was, ‘Who had the weirdest name written on their wrist?’. You were still relatively new, having worked there a couple months now, but the girl across from you had started only a week ago. She held her wrist out, “Robert McDick. McDick. You know this boy got bullied in middle school.”

The table burst out into a round of laughter, and you couldn’t help but shake your head. When it quieted down, you brought attention to yourself, “Actually…”

“Oh, come on.” Hanna, the secretary to your left, chuckled, “She’s gonna be Mrs. McDick one day. You gotta let her have this.”

Joni, your boss’ personal assistant, raised her hand curiously, “You know what, I’m realizing that…you’ve never shown us your name.”

“Because it’s bad.” You chuckled.

“Worse than McDick?!” The girl cried in shock.

You pulled up your sleeve and held your wrist out for the table to see. Everyone leaned in eagerly to see the train wreck that was your soulmate’s name. Hanna narrowed her dark eyes as if she was second guessing what her eyes were seeing, “Does your wrist say… Thor Odinson? Like the fake Norse god dude?”

“Yes. Yes, it does.” You replied with a tight smile. “I assume this means his parents were just super big fans of Norse mythology? Or maybe it’s a common name amongst Scandinavians. I don’t know a lot about over there.”

“You better learn quick because apparently you’ll be Mrs. Scandinavian.” Joni snickered and the others laughed at that as well. The joke wasn’t very clever, you had heard better growing up with this name on your wrist, but enough mimosas had been passed around that everything was deemed funny enough to laugh at.

The conversation drifted back to work drama and you glanced down at your wrist again. The moment it showed up on your wrist at the start of puberty you and your entire family had been thoroughly confused. It definitely pushed you to read up on all that mythology as a kid and you had to admit, if someone was going to be named after a god there seemed no better god to be named after than Thor. He was the god of thunder, lightning, and strength and the fictional character had quite the list of accomplishments.

“Hey, do—do you guys see that?”

You turned in your seat to see what the new girl was pointing at. In the distance, over what looked like Stark Tower, was a bright blue light shooting straight up into the sky. You narrowed your eyes wondering what the hell the billionaire genius was up to now, but the line of thought died as some sort of creature flew out of the spot where the light seemed to end.

“Oh my God!” Someone screamed and you pushed up from your seat in shock as more things poured out of the sky. The first sounds of destruction filled the air, gunfire, explosions, and screaming, and as the crowd around you began to panic you came to the realization that the world would never be the same again.

37 DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK

Your eyes were glued to the television screen while you used a ruler to try and scratch a spot under the cast around your leg. It was supposed to come off two weeks ago, but apparently the break had been worse than doctors initially thought so you were stuck in this damn thing for longer. Hopefully, it’d be off by the end of the week.

“Stop with the ruler, idiot.” Your temporary roommate, Jihyun, slapped the back of your head as they walked by. She was still in her pajamas despite it being past noon, but the building she worked in, just like her own apartment, had been decimated by aliens a little over a month ago so…

“It’s itchy.” You whined without letting your eyes drift from the news channel that was still talking about the Battle of New York. You weren’t entirely sure why they called it a battle. It was more an invasion that New York barely managed to survive. If it weren’t for the Avengers then New York City would be a crater in the ground.

Speaking of the Avengers…

“Are you still stalking your soulmate?” Jihyun came back in the room with her phone. Her dark hair was a mess around her shoulders and her dark eyes were definitely sort of judging you.

“It’s not stalking.” You mumbled.

The Avengers were a group of superheroes, because that was apparently a real-world thing now, and they consisted of six special people. Iron Man, aka the infamous billionaire playboy, two mysterious agents of some organization, the media was still speculating on them, Bruce Banner, who was a doctor and could also apparently turn fucking green, Captain America, who was apparently not dead, and then of course there was the Norse god who was apparently very, very real.

Thor. Thor Odinson. The god of thunder, lightning, and strength. Your motherfucking soulmate.

To be honest, you weren’t sure how on a day where aliens invaded Earth, the biggest surprise you faced was that the name on your wrist had been very literal. It left you in the weird position where you knew who your soulmate was exactly, but you had no way to reach him? Thor Odinson had left the world, if the interviews with Tony Stark were accurate, and you didn’t think an email would reach him out there.

“So, what’s the plan?” Jihyun asked.

“Very good question.” You sighed and went back to trying to scratch your leg with the ruler in your hand.

402 DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK

The next time Thor popped up on the news was the next year. He was in London fighting some other wild thing. Elves? The media definitely used the word elves a lot. It happened so fast that you didn’t even know how to react. By time you heard about it, the next thing you were hearing was that he was gone again. You found yourself actually disappointed.

Early on when you discovered he existed you spent a lot of time in self-doubt. Thor was a god. Literally, not figuratively. You felt comfortable in your skin, but you were very aware that you were human. You were human and technically he was not. What if he didn’t even see humans as like the same as himself? What if humans were the equivalent of like a pet dog?

You didn’t know anything about gods.

When you moved past the ‘does he even see humans as equals’ fear, you moved onto the ‘does he even have a soul mark’ fear. Thor was a god from another world. Humans were given the name of their soulmate on their wrist during puberty, but what if that was just unique to Earth? For all you knew, his kind didn’t even believe in soulmates. Then what?

The worst part of not getting to meet Thor was the not knowing. It left you with a lot of overthinking which was never good for anybody. You were on the fence on whether or not you should try to email someone like Tony Stark. A part of you figured the email wouldn’t ever even get to him.

The world was saved again, but your soulmate was gone as quick as he came.

1132 DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK

Three years had passed from the moment you found out your soulmate was a real person. All the fears you had, all the worries, concerns, reservations, were pushed to the side. Somewhere around year two you had fallen into the ‘fuck it’ mentality. You were not going to be one of those people who never met their soulmate. You refused. So you made it your actual mission in life to get an audience with the god whatever it took.

You sent an email to Tony Stark that, like you assumed, was ignored.

You traveled out to places you knew he had been before in hopes to meet someone that knew him. That’s how you met a woman named Darcy, who was super great and you still texted here every once in a while, but she had no way to get in contact with Thor. She said he kind of came and went whenever he wanted.

You tried and tried and tried, and everything came up as a failure.

Until today that is.

Thor was on Earth, there had been sightings of him, and you knew he would be at a party being hosted by Tony Stark in the tower. The party was Avengers, Avengers families and friends, and then a local Veterans group. Unsurprisingly, you didn’t get an invite, but you did know someone who worked for Stark Industries as an intern and she said her badge would get you to where you wanted to be.

That’s how your night was going. You were standing in an elevator, rising up the skyscraper that was Avengers Tower, wearing an outfit that filled you to the brim with confidence. You literally went out and bought an entire new outfit for tonight in hopes that it would make you brave enough to follow through on the plan and hopefully hot enough to make you stand out.

When the elevators opened, a wall of music and laughter hit you. You slid the badge into your purse and hesitantly stepped out. Nearby eyes looked over at you, but you were dressed nice enough that they assumed you were part of the party. Swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in your throat, you readjusted your clothes and made a beeline for the bar. From there you could look for your soulmate while also maybe taking 3 or 4 shots. Maybe 7. You hadn’t decided yet.

The bartender gave you a bright smile and you quickly ordered your favorite shot. You threw two back before turning around and scanning the room. Avengers Tower was as elaborate and amazing as you assumed it would be. The room was made up of multiple levels and people mingled on every single one. You could see Captain America by the pool tables. Tony Stark was entertaining a crowd of people around him. Bruce Banner was a few steps away talking to a smaller group of people and—

Thor. There he was.

He was sitting on a couch and the way he moved his arms made you think he was telling a story of some kind. His long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and he had on a form fitting red coat that draped past his hips. Thor was… wow. You had seen pictures of him, seen him on the news, and so you knew he was a good-looking guy. That shouldn’t have been a surprise but seeing him in person was different.

You turned around and asked for one more shot. The bartender gave you a curious look but was quick about it. All this time you had pictured various things you’d say, different ways you’d greet him, but none of them seemed right anymore. With your hands on the bar, you closed your eyes and took in a slow breath like a crazy person. The bartender was without a doubt definitely judging you now, but you had bigger issues at the moment.

When you turned back around it seemed like fate was throwing you a bone. Thor had risen from the couch with a bright smile and said a few more words before moving away from the couch. This was it. This was your chance. You grabbed that ‘fuck it’ motto and pushed off the bar to walk in his direction.

You were a couple feet away when he turned his head and noticed you. Don’t get lost in his eyes. Don’t get lost in his eyes. Thor must have realized your path was leading you right to him because he stopped and offered you a curious smile.

“Hi.” You blurted when you stopped in front of him.

“Hello?” Thor replied. God, you could listen to his voice all day.

“This might sound rehearsed and a little crazy, but I’ve kind of been thinking about this moment for the past three years so I apologize in advance.” The words fell out of your mouth and you were too stunned to even be embarrassed by it. Thor raised an eyebrow at you, and it only made you panic more, “You’re…you. I…”

Thor gave you a polite smile, “Have we met before, my lady?”

“I’m your soulmate.” You blurted. Thor’s smile fell and his eyes widened. If he didn’t think you were insane before then he definitely did now. He opened his mouth, and you held your wrist out for him to see. Thor’s mouth snapped close, and his eyes stared down at your wrist. Thor reached out to lightly hold your hand in both of his. His gaze stayed on his name, but yours were now able to see his wrists from the way he held your hand.

His very bare wrists.

You felt your heart drop to your stomach, and you pulled your hand back quick, startling him, “You don’t… Your wrists are…” Your mouth felt dry and a part of you just prayed the floor beneath you would open up and swallow you whole. “I have to go, I’m sorry.”

Without waiting for a reply, you spun on your heel with full intentions to sprint out of this penthouse everyone else be damned. You’d be the weird girl running out a party for half a minute and then they’d never see you again. Your plan failed before it even began though because you only got three steps away until a hot hand grabbed your wrist and stopped you.

Thor spun you back around, but the moment you were facing him again he let go of you and held his hands up, “I apologize. It was not my intentions you grab you like that, but I’d very much appreciate it if you stayed for just a moment.”

“Dude, I kind of feel like my world is imploding.” You replied back quickly. “I just want to drink in shady bar alone right now.”

Thor chuckled, but his smile looked hesitant, “May I ask you for your name?”

You mumbled it out and tried to look for an escape route. What were the chances of you successfully fleeing from a god? They couldn’t be good.

Thor repeated your name and it sounded so good in his voice that you wanted to cry. He held one hand out to you, “I am Thor Odinson, though…I guess you are aware of that.” He chuckled and he almost seemed nervous. “May I see your hand once more?”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why was this moment not ending? Unfortunately, though, looking into his gorgeous blue eyes, you realized it might be physically possible for you to tell this man no. You nodded once and held your hand up for him.

Thor took it into his again, holding it delicately, and gave you a tight smile, “I am going to bring your hand to my chest now.”

“You’re going to what now?” You replied in surprise. He brought your hand to his chest and if you weren’t in shock enough then your brain definitely broke the moment he slipped your hand under the collar of his black, v-neck shirt so you were touching the bare skin on the left side of his chest, “Uh…”

His skin was warm, and if this was anyone else you would’ve punched him by now. The spot under your fingers grew hotter for a moment and you stiffened in surprise. Thor realized your hand, in his own state of shock, and your hand just hovered in the air between the two of you. He took in a shaky breath and pulled the collar of his shirt to the side so you could see his skin.

On his left pec, a few inches under his collarbone, you watched as glowing red symbols began to form on his tan skin. The symbols were Norse, you recognized the shapes from all the research you had done over the years, and slowly the glow faded away to leave black marks there. You lifted your eyes from the spot up to his eyes and found him already staring at you with a soft look on his features.

“Wh—What was that?” You asked, your voice a whisper.

“Asgardians do not have the name of our soulmates on our wrists.” Thor replied. He took a step closer, and you couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath at the motion. “This is our legend. How we find our soulmate.”

Your eyes widened as you motioned between the two of you, “So we are…?”

Thor grinned, his hands lightly reaching out to touch your arms, “Yes. Yes, we are.”

“Cool, cool, cool. Not to sound any crazier than I probably already have, or potentially insult Asgardian culture by skipping steps, but, uh, I’ve been picturing this moment for a while and I’m just gonna ask it.” Your own lips curled up into a broad smile that you couldn’t help. “Can I kiss you? I would love to kiss you right now.”

Thor smirked, one hand traced up your arm to cup your face tenderly, and you pushed forward to meet him halfway and press your lips to his. Your own arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer and words couldn’t describe how it felt to have his warm lips molding to yours. You felt the tip of his tongue trace your lower lip and it brought a laugh bubbling out of you.

“Typically, laughter is not the response I try to gain from this.” Thor mumbled against your lips with a smile of his own. You pecked him on the lip once more and when you pulled back he followed to prevent any space from forming between the two of you. His forehead rested against yours as his thumb traced back and forth on your cheekbone.

“You just have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this.”  

[mss-pit]

some bravern translation snippets from magazine interviews (animage april 2024)

Translated some short comments on Bravern's character designs by KamoKamen and Motomura Kouchi from Animage 2024 April issue + some interview snippets.

Kamokamen is the original character designer and Motomura is series chief animation director and animation character designer (i.e. the one who adapts the original designs to animation)

Isami Ao:

Keigo Koyanagi (series composition) told me to give him a face that is made for bullying (lol). His request was to give him a face that starts out as cool-looking but is fun to watch crumble little by little. - kamokamen

In the early key visual you see him standing behind Smith, and before the series started people said he seemed like the kind of character who would die right away (lol). Who would have thought he'd become this well liked! - motomura

Lewis Smith: His design was pretty much decided on straight away without much hesitation. Compared to Isami's slim and small physique, he has a sturdy build that matches the common image of an American soldier. - kamokamen

We intentionally tried to give him good looks as contrast to Isami. In addition, all the male characters were to have their muscles emphasised, so I suggested names of pro wrestlers to use as model reference. - motomura

Hibiki and Miyu: I didn't know how to start designing them at first because their personalities and backgrounds weren't decided on early. At first Koyanagi-san adviced me "start by drawing however you like. Then look at their designs and try picturing how they will move and act". I designed them somewhat based on the two policewoman protagonists from a certain anime I love. (*probably You're Under Arrest) - kamokamen

Karen and Nina:

At first it wasn't Nina, but Karen who had droopy eyes. Then I was told she was like a certain female commanding staff from a certain famous anime (*probably Ritsuko from Evangelion), so she ended up with her current design. At first I was told Nina is British, so I thought she must drink whiskey, and Nina who is American loves bourbon and drew them picturing that. After that, they made my ideas of their favorite drinks official. - kamokamen

Snippets of interview with KamoKamen from the same issue:

"Please tell us which characters you were in charge of designing." The seven characters Isami, Smith, Lulu, Miyu, Hibiki, Karen and Nina. Except for Lulu, all characters were paired to be opposites of each other: Smith and Isami, Miyu and Hibiki, Karen and Nina. They were mainly created through back and forth with Takenaka (executive producer) and requests, or less requests and more approval of everything I did by series director Obari. It was to the point where I thought "is this really okay?" […]

"When designing the characters, was there anything that left a lasting impression on you?" Actually, Isami's design. It was the most difficult. I got a request to redesign his facial features from scratch. He was originally drawn with bigger eyes, and slightly longer hair, looking something like a protagonist from the Yuusha series. Picture something like Captain Ryuuji Satake as a high shooler or closer to Hibiki's age looks-wise when placed next to her. From that base we changed his design, and ended up with what people now call his "background character(mob)"-like facial design (lol) . […] "You were allowed to add a suprising number of your own ideas". That is correct. For Smith's 'tricolor' shirt, I thought of what type of clothes he would wear and drew it half as a joke (lol). I didn't think it would end up in the show itself, so I was happy. […]

[valle-de-sombra-de-muerte]

Homestuck Reread: Act 3, Part 3/3 (p. 1027-1153)

Read the previous post here.

At long last, it's time to finish Act 3!

When I first read Homestuck, I had thought PM was a guy until this page. I think it might've been because she was referred to as the "post man" during her rant about the mail.

I dunno it feels like a weird detail that should've been communicated better. It's not like it's a big "twist" or anything.

A lot of these alchemized creations are kinda worthless, but the Remote Ghost Gauntlets might be one of the better ones. I don't think we ever see them get put to much good use, though.

Using a mirror to create a left-handed copy of the gauntlet is a creative detail.

Right, so if Rose's "patron black celebrity" (the term I've invented to describe this incredibly niche running gag) is Charles Barkley, John's is Bill Cosby. This has to be the most poorly aged reference in the whole comic.

For those unaware, this page was uploaded a few days before Christmas. The joke is that all these events are canonically supposed to have taken place within a single day: John's birthday.

Dave returns, evidently no worse for wear after having fallen down the stairs, to finish this final round of the Strider fight. I really like the color composition on this image. If I haven't made it clear enough, these flashes have been the highlight of the Act so far.

The fight ends with Cal destroyed and Dave's shirt permanently scratched, which I'm not sure how that's even possible. Bro's just so precise he's able to do shit like that, I guess.

I'm thinking again of that page where part of John's hair gets sliced by the glass shard. That detail isn't carried over in future pages, but this scratched record is.

Bro gives Dave the Sburb discs because that was never the point of this fight. He never wanted to keep them from Dave in the first place. This whole fight was just for... I dunno, fun I guess. This is just business as usual in the Strider household.

Yeah Hussie, god forbid we extend the Strider fight any longer than necessary. It would've taken precious time away from Jade dicking around in her house!

Rose frames her relationship with John in a similar way to the one with her mother: in a weird, competitive campaign of one-upsmanship. It's a wonder she has any friends at all if she treats them as foes in these mind games where she's the only player.

I know I may sound like I'm knocking on Rose a lot and an anon commented about this, but I actually really like how much of a weirdo she is. She's highfalutin, overconfident, perverse, obsessed with ridiculous things, genuinely does not know how to normally interact with people despite professing an interest in psychoanalysis... all putting her leagues above the likes of John or Jade when it comes to character depth. When she's handled well, she's a fun character. It's only when Hussie uses her as a vehicle for exposition that she becomes a genuine bore.

Kanaya's first appearance! Little known fact, her dialogue can be really entertaining sometimes. Like look at these crazy metaphors she's making. It's easy to forget how funny she can be with how often the fandom portrays her as bland and boring.

Even though she's often portrayed as the "elegant" one, I find Kanaya to be really ungainly and silly, especially in her insults. It helps to read her dialogue as stilted and unnatural, placing emphasis on every word.

With her penchant for using excessive verbiage to get her point across, it's no wonder Rose eventually takes a shine to her. I think it would've been a great idea to have Kanaya be a true intellectual that runs circles around Rose's pretensions, and Rose would've had to struggle to communicate with someone who was actually smart. Alas, that doesn't come to pass.

Much like how Rose was trolled right after opening John's present, the same thing happens to Dave after getting his present.

Oh yeah, Dave's "patron black celebrity" is Snoop Dogg, as seen by his Huggy Bear wallpaper and the rap verse quoted in his "sick heat" passage from Act 2.

I like how both Kanaya and Tavros open with metaphors about people shitting themselves.

Dave using the "ethnic wedding" metaphor Rose previously (or, subsequently, given how this is a flashback) used in her GameFAQs guide. Those two are on the same wavelength.

It's a crying shame that Tavros and Dave don't have many pesterlogs because this one is really good. This sequence of pages establishes very early on that Tavros and Kanaya are parallels in how they communicate with Dave and Rose respectively.

Both trolls initially struggle to communicate with the humans and at first acts as rivals. Kanaya is frustrated with dealing with the "primitive" humans and wages a back and forth "war" of being snarky and condescending toward Rose (something Rose is already familiar with in how she engages with her mother). Tavros wants to prove himself as a competent troll, but is utterly humiliated by Dave. He then later comes back to try and redeem himself and prove himself as a worthy rival in Dave's eyes (something Dave should probably relate to as someone who has lived constantly within Bro's shadow).

But after repeated conversations, eventually both parties learn to crossing that cultural barrier and form a rapport with each other. Except wait, that really only comes to fruition with Kanaya. Tavros's plotline drops off very sharply because Hussie has a weird vendetta against him. Imagine what could've been if Tavros had been allowed to actually develop beyond a walking (or wheeling) punchline. Perhaps DaveTav would've been as big as Rosemary.

AR's big obsession is justice and the law. Though his enforcement of such leads to him often being portrayed as a police officer (and indeed, this was his previous occupation), he really seems to aspire to be a judge. I love his wig made out of bullets.

His second big obsession is guns, even though he's been missing every shot he makes. AR loving guns and being terrible with them despite being a trained officer is a more endearing character trait compared to Jade loving guns and being inexplicably amazing with them.

I love this page.

John says he bought his slime ghost shirt at a "weird Asian store." I don't mean to bring any race discourse here because I honestly don't care about what race anyone headcanons the kids as, but I feel like this would rule out John belonging to any Asian ethnicity.

I'm quite fond of Jack/Slick's trait of delivering one-liners that are more explicitly violent than they are clever.

Nothing to add here except that I love this exchange leading up to the End of Act flash. Dave and Rose making SBaHJ references to each other will never not warm my heart.

And oh boy out of all of these End of Act flashes, [S] Enter is my favorite, hands down. Not only does it have "Sburban Jungle", but it's so action packed. Every time it looks like things are about to wind down, the music picks up again and the action keeps on going. This is what "peak Homestuck" is to me.

Love that Dave is casually drawing some SBaHJ while the game installs. Also shout out to that old MS Paint interface. Oh nostalgia.

It's funny that Rose is now on the receiving end of dealing with a server player's shenanigans. I get that they're on a really tight time limit here, but it makes me wish that we got to see more of her and Dave bickering as he tries to figure out the controls. Dave and Rose navigating Sburb would've been infinitely more entertaining to read than Rose instructing John from Point A to Point B for god knows how many pages.

Kino scene where the raindrops are synced with those weird synth lines in the music.

A leap of faith to grab the bottle

And saved by the very cat she wished to resurrect. This isn't just a top 10 Rose moment, more like a top 10 Homestuck moment entirely.

And oh yeah, John finally makes it to the gate. Jeez, better late than never. If there's one flaw to this flash, it's that it should've ended with Rose smashing the bottle. This whole John part honestly feels so tacked on at the very end and reinforces my belief that the plotline with his gate should've been resolved in the previous Act.

Well that was an incredible way to cap off an otherwise underwhelming Act. This one felt like a big step down compared to Act 2. The highlights included the Strider fight and the insights about Mom Lalonde (even if they're never elaborated on). But everything else was just horsing around with Jade and and the Exiles in the name of establishing convoluted nonsense and "weird plot shit."

You know, it would've been more engaging to just tell a good story instead of trying to pad it out with all this time travel and paradox nonsense. All of this shit could've easily been excised to focus more on the kids' progression in the game, and the plot would've been stronger for it. Hussie is just jangling the keys in front of the reader's face so they don't realize they're being had.

Again, I can't emphasize enough how much better it would've been to see more of Rose and Dave as Sburb partners instead of Jade playing trans-temporal postal carrier.

Man... well now it's time for Act Fo- oh sorry, I mean The Intermission. No skipping here. If you skip the Intermission I'm judging the shit out of you.

Read the next post here.

[neogandw]

Continuing onward, page 2 of 6, the rest of which you can see here.

Honestly this page was a lot of fun, I love recreating areas in gaming a lot, so this was a lot of fun with the whole playing around with multiple universes in smash to give the idea that the Inkling girl just can't hit a shot.

Of note:

I like to think that Inkling Girl's first mistake was skipping Sheldon's explanation. Like, I get it, but his bios do give you a hint of how the thing is supposed to work. Just because you're familiar with a thing it doesn't mean you should skip the manual.

I could have straight up taken a picture of Mementos, but I instead re-drew the whole bit (if anything I just reused a re-draw of the main mementos map which I have done in a previous drawing project). I honestly do not skip steps, if I can recreate a thing for the shot, I'll go out of my way to do it. It makes things look more seamless and in-line with the drawings as a whole if I do everything from scratch, though I'm not above re-using previous drawing assets if I can get away with it (since the mementos map never really changes, I can just reuse that isolated re-draw I have).

If you want it for whatever reason, here it is.

Oh, by the by, I kinda based Joker's render off his appearence in Tactica since that had been recently released by the time I was doing the drawing. I do like the tactica renders so I may base the persona characters off that to simplify them a bit style-wise.

I know WarioWare being used for Samus is a bit of an odd choice, but I figured I could just do a simpler area rather than going with either Norfair (all that lava would get in the way of the ORANGE paint), Brinstar (same, but Yellow) or Frigate Orpheon (I didn't really need the parasite queen in the background). Adding Pikachu in was a later idea just to highlight how much she's missing the shot.

Dedede and a Pikmin laying down was funny enough already, but here's a bit of hilarity I thought about (and I know that explaining the joke ruins it, but you know, this is supposed to be a commentary): this is flat zone, it's entirely 2D, the inkling girl somehow missed the shot even when you only needed to aim left or right.

I like Minecraft a lot, but when DRAWING the universe its a bit dull if everything is just cubes. So while I totally can do that I just choose to make a stylized version that is semi-cubey for most everything. Though Alex I prefer to go full proportions.

Alex being more human proportioned does bring some challenges since I do want her to look like a country bumpkin of sorts, so this comic helped me finalize how I would do it. Honestly its kind of based on how artist Peargor does it. Though I'm gonna go with a longer braid and some freckles.

I do largely prefer Alex over Steve though, so you'll likely see her whenever I involve minecraft on my drawings. If I were to draw steve though? I'd likely make him buff. I tend to think of Alex as the builder/farmer (which is my playstyle) whereas Steve is the adventurer (how my friends play the game).

I didn't actually borrow any textures from Minecraft, they were self made. Which is kind of why they're kind of shit.

Honestly drawing the regular Charger was a bit of a thing. The Splatoon weaponry can be very complex in its detailing so for the first few panels it was kind of traced. Over time I just did it on my own for later panels.

Tracing isn't a bad practice, just as long as you don't pass an entirely traced work as your own. Trace responsibly kids, it helps learn how to do a thing.

[pynkhues]

Hey, just wanted to know your perspective on Shiv's decision. There's a huge discussion going on whether the decision was emotionally driven just to spite Kendall? Was it calculated in any sense considering her children's future or getting any power through Tom? Was she seeking Tom (the powerful man now)'s approval?

What do you think? I personally think it was multi faceted and complex and included all the things a little bit and lead her to the decision.

Would she have taken the same decision if she had no idea that it is infact Tom that Mattson's eyeing?

Hey! Oh man, it’s such a great moment and it’s one I’ve been thinking about a lot. I agree with you in the sense that it was such a multi-faceted and complex choice, and one that had many trigger points both in the sense of Shiv’s reality, her sense of power and control, and the real and mangled emotional root of her place in her own family.

Do I think it was strategic? A little, but I think she was passed the point of being able to strategise in part because she was out of time, but also in part because Shiv’s impatience means she’s just not very good at it.

I think one of Shiv’s greatest strengths is also one of her biggest flaws in that she tends not to see the wood for the trees. She’s a big picture thinker, she sees the end result she wants but not the daily machinations to get her there, which we see over and over again. She’s impatient, lives life on the backfoot so is always trying to hurry, overtake, skip steps, take shortcuts to get ahead, and when she’s asked to operate in a system where she’s forced to stop and acknowledge the reality of the moment, I think she can for once see everything for exactly what it is.

Funnily enough, I feel like the telling moment in terms of Shiv in that finale isn’t actually with Kendall or Tom at all, it’s the moment Sandi says yes in the boardroom. It’s the tiniest of beats, which Sarah plays beautifully, and it carries over from Stewy telling Shiv only moments before (after Kendall offers him Chair in their father’s office) that he thinks Shiv can still sway Sandi. We don’t see the scene, and I kind of wish we had, but the outcome is felt all the same. Shiv can’t do it, she doesn’t convince Sandi, the only woman she’s on any sort of equal footing with to vote with them, which means she has no accomplice at that table, no allies, no position, no weight, only brothers who have shown just how quickly they’ll shut her out.

I think its that failure with Sandi that ultimately untethers Shiv, because with that loss comes the loss of any way forwards for Shiv at the company. She’s no longer an heiress of her father’s making or even one of Matsson’s, she’s just a little sister, staring at her big brother, at the best friend he offers Chair to as a joke in his office when she could only play ‘behind the scenes’ so it didn’t look ‘wonky’, the person she’s spent her entire life trying to catch up to and beat, and I think she meant it, what she said to Kendall after.

She can’t stomach it.

If she can’t have it, he sure as hell can’t, and at least with Tom she has some sort of in, she has something. Not an accomplice at the table, but a trap door she could sometimes scratch her way beneath, someone who might not want a relationship with her, might not be loyal, but someone who’s bound to her, if nothing else, and someone who has no use for her brothers anymore.

Shiv would rather break the toy than let Kendall have it, even if she cut her own hands in the process, and honestly, it’s one of the reasons she’s a character of all time to me. She’s a survivor in a way none of her brothers are, but she’s also petty and selfish in the way all three of them absolutely are, and to see her really do what none of them could and cut their strings in the 11th hour was so thrilling to me. She’s kept her in, but she also knows she’s out, but at least Kendall and Roman are too. At least the three of them are locked out of the house together, even if, for a moment, they’re apart.

[jesscrazydoodles]

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! I wanna start 2024 introducing my main penguin oc and finally posting his character card that I had in my gallery for far longer that I’m willing to admit 😅

So, This is Jimmy. I took a page out of @flxr-art book and asked her to describe him and this is what she had to say:

“Jimmy is the type of character that acts mostly because of his love ones instead of for himself, and once he learns how to step outside of what he knows is great. He's so very insecure at first, and still is, but he makes due with what he has and even though he's not confident on himself he takes a step outside of his comfort zone for his friends and is very protective of them”

Jimmy has charisma, but he lacks the confidence to back it up. He “knows” a lot of penguins but had little to no friends before meeting Thunder.

He’s on the inattentive side of ADHD and was definitely considered “gifted” as a kid witch gave him such a self worth crisis that still follows him. Basically if he isn’t giving his 110% he doesn’t feel like he’s doing something right. To him, if things are easy, he’s not putting an effort. This mentality has kept him from perusing many opportunities.

He’s the book’s smart to Thunder’s street smarts in the sense that he does that ADHD thing of picking up information like a magnet and knowing a little bit of everything.

As a kid all to way up to early adulthood he had a blog dedicated to conspiracy theories. Ninjas, secret codes, tipping the iceberg, etc. He still logs into it from time to time but since he became a journalist he’s barely been able to update it. Aunt Arctic had always been a role model to him so, in her honor, his screen name for this blog was “Jimmy Arctic” and it stuck.

His mom is Argentinian and his dad was Puertorican but if you ask him up front he’ll just say he’s Argentinian since his dad passed away before Jimmy could really remember him and he doesn’t feel very connected to that side of himself. He’s very close to his mom though. He was born and raised in Club Penguin but his mom moved away after he grew up.

Jimmy is very adaptable to whomever he is with. He can even the playing field easily or match the energy of the other person. He’s actually on his best when playing off of someone else since it forces him to step out of his comfort zone, and explore different facets of his own personality.

On the down side, he can be a bit egocentric, but not in a “oh look at me, I’m the center of the universe” kinda way. All his life it’s been just him and his mom, so that’s his point of reference. It’s more of a “oh, I’ve been stuck inside my own head for so long that I forget the factor the wide range of reactions from others”

——

Fun facts:

-“Jimmy” was the name of my first ever penguin in CP. The name comes from that one character in the Kratt brother’s cartoon. To this day I have no idea why I choose it, I didn’t even like the character that much, but regardless, I’m glad I did.

-I named him Juaquin because as a kid, I didn’t like the name. I also didn’t know how to spell it. It’s fine, it’s a running joke. (Also to all Juaquins out there, I do like the name now, I’m sorry 🙏)

-He was originally going to be related to Aunt A. but upon revision, yeah first thing I scratched. The name stuck though.

-He also had a cousin named Elsa who was a whole other mess of a character so I scraped her

-All my ocs are adults in their early to mid twenties, but of the main three, Jimmy is the youngest.

-His dad named him.

-His mom calls him “Quino”

-Has a lot of ADHD headaches

-He has an argentine accent when he speaks Spanish, and while he can mask it pretty well in English it occasionally slips.

-He enjoys card-jitsu as a spectator sport and collects the cards.

-He came up with the band name. Thunder only regrets it sometimes.

-just in case it didn’t make sense, he has a blue puffle named Blue.

-💚🤍🩶🖤

—

I still have a lot of this character I could talk about but I want to leave it a little bit brief cause if it was up to me I’d keep going and that’ll just be a nightmare 😵‍💫 if you’ve read this far that probably means a failed to put the “read more” and IM SORRY 🥲 or you actually read all this and just 🥹❤️ thank you!

[calicohyde]

Tagged by @winterandwords to post seven snippets and tag seven people.

[AMNESIA]

"So I think something bad probably happened to me," Richie tells Sandy when he finally realizes that they're something more than people who are sleeping together regularly. Friends, maybe. Like real friends, who know things about each other. "Um," says Sandy, which is a fair response. Richie has kind of sprung this conversion on her out of the blue. He gets nervous, is the thing, and sometimes he can't say what he means unless he can fuck around with something else at the same time. So he's blurted this out while staring at the split screen of a two-player session of Halo 3. "You think?" "Yeah," Richie confirms. "I think. I don't actually remember. You're getting killed." Sandy's head jerks back to the screen, her automatic response, his safety net. She's got a competitive streak, Sandy, and it never sleeps. So she manages, by the very skin of her teeth, to keep her character alive just long enough for Richie to tell her that all his memories from before college have been scooped out of his head like pumpkin seeds out of a Jack-o-Lantern, that he's talked to his parents, and to doctors, and to shrinks, and that the best he can say is - something bad probably happened to him. He doesn't tell her that he has his suspicions about what it must have been, given what he turns into every full moon. (He doesn't tell her that if he's not careful, he'll be the bad thing that happens to somebody else.)

from the idle wilds, currently 4k

"Rough week?" he asks, gently amused at her expense. She nods in agreement, too high strung at the moment to be anything other than earnest. "You wouldn't think learning how to teach classes you literally just graduated from would be so hard," she jokes wanly. He actually laughs and it doesn't even seem fake. His smile and the way the ugly fluorescent lights reflect on his eyes take her breath away. "Expert level major drop," he praises, sardonic now but still as soft as he started. She could compare his cushioned abrasiveness to the plush scratch of wool against her thighs. (She's already that far gone.) "Accounting," he adds, his tone unchanged. "I know, I'm a loser." "I'm wearing a wool skirt to a party I technically wasn't even invited to," Patty counters, feeling a rush at having a way to one-up someone that won't ostracize her. "If you're a loser, so am I." "Well, in that case," he says, with a wide dimpled grin. "I guess we were meant to find each other." Patty gives him the charmed laugh he's looking for. It's easy, comes freely, genuine. Somehow she does feel like she was looking for him. She certainly was looking for someone, after all, and here he is. In his crisp starched shirt and his sweater vest, maybe he was here waiting for her and her sensible flats to walk in.

from summer birds, currently 4k

Sign up here to be tagged when I post IT fanfiction on main.

"You know, my children-" "I'll fucking cut your tongue out," Ed snaps, cutting that shit off as fast and brutal as possible. He's not a child, hasn't been for longer than most his age, and he doesn't want to be compared to one. He doesn't want Stede's understanding, his lenience - given on the condition that Ed will grow out of this or whatever the fuck else he finds pitiable. Stede stirs his tea with significantly more focus than the task requires. Eventually he mumbles, "That's fair. Don't really know where I was going with that anyway." He laughs, one of his weird ones that might be forced or might not and Ed still can't tell even now. "Quite a poor start." The fight goes out of Edward and he disintegrates into a loose pile of limbs and hair on the table. "We don't have to talk about it," he whines into his arms and the wood beneath them. "We can forget it ever happened. Or pretend it was just tea." "Can we?" Stede asks. Unfortunately, it sounds like a genuine question. Ed leaves it sitting there between his head and Stede's cup, unacknowledged. If he ignores it well enough maybe it will go away. "It's just, you don't seem surprised. So I would presume…?" He leaves that assumption dangling, implicit. He doesn't say out loud he's figured as a matter of course that this has happened to Ed before and therefore will probably happen again. Ed doesn't know whether to be insulted again, or grateful. This must be how it feels to be Izzy. It sucks.

from The Drowning, currently 2k

Sign up here to be tagged when I post OFMD fanfiction on main.

Instead he growls, "There's nothing wrong with me." His teeth don't come apart to let the words through. His voice is low again, in a dangerous way now. The blushy pink light that starts creeping in through Keeley's window seems out of place on him. He looks like an entirely different man suddenly. The man he used to be, but the one Keeley herself never quite had to meet face to face. Keeley waits for him to storm out. Or to say something horridly mean she can temporarily hate him for and then storm out. She waits to hear him stomp down the stairs and slam her front door shut behind him, to leave her to collapse into her explosive mixed feelings. But Jamie doesn't go. He stays there like a stone, glaring up at her, with his expression challenging her to just try and move him - if she thinks she can manage it. They stay there in that strange and unexpected stalemate for so long that Jamie's alarm goes off.  Keeley jumps at the sudden noise. Jamie doesn't, but he does look away from her at least, which is an embarrassingly huge relief. Something tells her she wouldn't really like what he was seeing in her right then. She sinks back down into sitting on the bed, letting the alarm go until it stops. It'll go off again in five minutes. "I-" Keeley stutters. Like her voice flipped a switch in him, Jamie's shoulders drop immediately. His face doesn't soften exactly, but it loses that battle-ready edge. "Of course there's nothing wrong with you, I didn't… That's not what I meant." Coolly unimpressed, Jamie folds his arms and raises both eyebrows. It takes Keeley a moment, but not long enough for the alarm to go again, to figure out what he's after. She smiles a little at it, the irony. "I'm sorry, Jamie. I shouldn't have said that."

from take away the glass, currently 45k

Sign up here to be tagged when I post Ted Lasso fanfiction on main.

[ALCOHOL ABUSE]

Eddie wakes naturally, roused more by the growing heat than the light. She breathes deeply. She wipes her face on her pillowcase. She reminds herself she's going to meet with Jessica this morning, and brushes her teeth. On a whim, she grabs her dream journal on her way out. Fred still isn't home, so Eddie makes herself an Irish coffee and eats the leftover macaroni cold. She makes her way up the narrow, enclosed staircase to the Watchtower office, her refilled boozy coffee in one hand and her carabiner in the other. She freezes with her key in the hole. The door is already unlocked. Eddie holds her breath, heart racing. Butch she may be, but she's not tough. She can't fight and she's only as strong as it takes to lug the camera and all its gear around town. The most she could do against an intruder is throw her mug at them. But underneath the fearful spike of adrenaline, an insistent curiosity makes itself hard to ignore. They've never had a break-in before. Most witches never do. Their power sinks into the bones of their houses, making them feel almost aware of their visitors. The sensation usually wards off any would-be intruders, even those of the animal variety. It would take someone with a very strong will indeed to pick this lock. Eddie opens the door.

from Curse The Messenger draft 1.4, currently 30k

Ferris sits just inside and watches her. Impulse and rage carried it all the way here, and the latter hasn't died down one bit from arriving. Camille is dangerous, a fast acting poison to the city that Ferris loves. It's spent a century here and it knows every last corner, knows its spirit. Camille Fay is nothing special. Not unusual, no anomaly. She has always been here, and she is everywhere. But all the same, she does not belong. But Ferris is only barely more than a cat. It can't threaten her, and if it did it would be taken as from his master. A bribe is just the same. Both options are beyond Ferris's abilities, unreliable, and implicate someone else. Ferris needs to figure out some other way to protect this city.

from Feline Retribution, complete at 5k

Sign up here to be tagged when I post about the witch noir universe.

"You could stay," Fiona says after a pause. The suggestion doesn't sound cautious, but she looks over Kieran's shoulder into the middle-distant line of the trees. Kieran hesitates. He hasn't yet done anything to keep him here permanently ‒ at least not as far as the legends he vaguely remembers have told him. He could leave, still, and return to his safe and ordinary human life. His safe, ordinary, boring, underappreciated life hunting to feed a village that doesn't want him. This world is so much more beautiful, so much more alive, and Fiona is here. And she wants him. Kieran can feel in the way she traces the marks she left in his back, opening them up, that she wants him. "Okay," Kieran agrees. "Yes, I'll stay with you. I'll stay with you forever." Almost before he's finished speaking, Fiona is kissing him again. When she pulls back there is an unbelievably plump blackberry pinched between her fingers, looking almost black against the pale pinkness of her skin. Fiona presses the fairy fruit of her land to Kieran's lips, and Kieran eats it from her hand.

from One Feeling Only, complete at 5k

Sign up here to be tagged when I publish erotica short stories.

I tag @words-after-midnight @second-hand-heaven @drunkkenobi @treesofgreen @ceph-the-ghost-writer @fallenangelontheceiling and @outgridwrites.

[duha54]

Hello hello! If it's not too much to ask I'd like to do a match up with the Haikyuu boys!!

1 & 2: I would like romantic and I go by she/her pronouns! And I would prefer our silly goofball boys!

3: I don't really have any preference as to which characters I don't want. I really love them all so go ham with whoever you think works best with me!!

4: What I usually look in a partner most is someone who can be both my partner and best friend! I'm a friends to lovers girly if that makes sense; someone who is able to be playful with me and mess around while still being the loving partner they are. The second thing would be someone who is affectionate! I'm very touch starved and a hopeless romantic so I wanna do all the cute things you see in romance anime, from dates to the actions the love interest does to our mc! And the third will be more physical, someone who is pretty/handsome. I find a lot of people pretty/handsome though so I'm not sure how much that'll help 🙈🙈.

5: When first meeting me I'm kinda reserved? I usually have this really nice front that most people have but once you're in my circle group I'm very much a gremlin! I like to make the corniest dad jokes e v e r, everyone rolls their eyes but I think they're HILARIOUS (cuz they are 🤨🤨). But I also have a bit of that mom friend in me! I like to check in with others, make sure they're doing alright, if they're having fun, if they need anything, I'm always there to help however I can!

6: I really like to read! My main genres of reading is fantasy plus a sprinkle of romance added to it! Those are the only kind of books I'll ever read. I love to game as well! My main type of game genres are fps and rpgs! I'm also a bit of a singer 😏😏, I like to do small concerts in my rooms with my plushies as my audience!

7: My love language is quality time, physical touch, and words of affirmations! Goes both ways for receiving and giving.

8: I actually don't have a dream date because I haven't really dated anyone before (a girl can dream) 🙈 BUT, maybe just playing video games together? Or going to an aquarium? I just like being with someone, especially if it's with my S/O :]

9: I don't really have an aesthetic..? I just wear very casual or basic things. A simple shirt and jeans and I'm good to go! (I do try and wear something cute with my limited wardrobe but I struggle with finding a style that suits me 😔😔). I'm the tallest person you'll ever meet, not to brag or anything. I stand at a whopping 5'0, I know, that's pretty tall 😏😏. I have black hair and dark brown eyes. My hair stops just below my shoulder blades and I wear glasses! I also have a few moles on me and scars from minor injuries I've obtained or just me simply being clumsy 😔.

10: I actually don't know a lot of quirks I have.. Uhh.. I can wiggle my ears? Lol. I also dabbled in a bit of archery, you can even call me a pro 😉 (I'm mediocre at it lol)

Hopefully this isn't too long! I tried to keep it short but I've realized that I talk a lot 💀 anyways lots of love and I love how you write!! It just scratches something in my brain :] 🫶🫶🫶

Don't worry about it being too long (*^▽^*) In fact for me the longer, the better ! So if there are details you didn't tell me about, I'll be more than glad to hear you out ! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ

Just please can someone tell me how am I supposed to notify an anonymous person that when his match up's ready ?

[the5n00k]

It's been 5 hours since your ask question, but if you'd like to share I'd like to hear your top 5 closest-held headcanons for TGAMM? Can be random or angsty or plot related or none, the sky's the limit! 😊 I hope the movie was good, I haven't seen it yet!

(the movie was good but I feel like if I actually cared about DND I would have enjoyed it more lol still worth a watch)

OK this is such a good ask because ooo boy I got a few headcanons

In no particular order:

1: Autistic Scratch/ADHD Molly

This one's pretty silly but it means a lot to me for some reason. When Scratch gets easily overwhelmed, has a breakdown over something small, and covers his ears/flinches at even the idea of a loud noise, I feel so seen. And Molly's hyperfocus to the point of insomnia and her tendency to sorta steamroll conversations when she's excited is a lot like some ADHD friends I know (you can see me drawing them with happy stims a LOT to make up for how frequently I draw them sad)

2: Molly has a pocket on the inside of her jacket Scratch likes to chill in

This one is self explanatory. It started as a joke but now it won't let go of my brain

(yes this is an adventure time reference)

3: Scratch died anonymously/doesn't have a grave, therefore he doesn't remember his past

His lack of memories has always been so fascinating to me and after listening to Ride the Cyclone and the horrific concept of dying without memories because no one knows who you are? YEAH I'm a little attached to this one—

Can't decide if this one leans too hard into the "theory" category rather than just a headcanon tho

4: The McGees went to the courthouse and got an official adoption paper for Scratch

This. This is just canon. I refuse to believe it isn't. Also any fics that refer to Scratch as Molly and Darryl's brother make me so soft. The siblings ever

5: Molly's box of sadness contains little reminders and memories of past friendships she's left behind

Technically not my headcanon but WOOOOW I'd break so badly if it was true. As someone who's incredibly sentimental about the past people in my life I no longer speak to, I would simply shatter. There's a reason why the "DO NOT OPEN" label is there and I have a feeling it's not just for sad cat posters.

I also have one or two that got disproven by season 2 and some visual/stylistic headcanons for how I draw the characters but it didn't feel worth pointing out lol mostly just named the big ones. I don't really have a ton of headcanons because this show does a pretty good job of giving little character details (looking at you, Scratch's gorgeous handwriting and Molly's hatred of maple syrup)

Thanks for the awesome question tho!

[linkysmommy]

Father and Son

Characters: Lincoln Aquino (main focus), Matthias McQuoid, Silvia McQuoid, Abel Flint Word Count: 5394 Warnings: Emotionally abusive parenting, trauma A/N: For ILAW Day 2, favorite characters, this favorite character being Lincoln Aquino (previously McQuoid). I was planning on doing some more with this fic, but I never got around to it and figured I may as well post what I have. Fun fact, this fic was actually written to explore Lincoln and Matthias's relationship in the past, and inspired the chapter 15 flashback scene! Tagging: @ila-appreciationweek

Hearty laughter echoes throughout the polished dining hall. A chandelier glitters overhead and classy orchestral music plays from a nearby stereo. And the dinner table is occupied by good food, good drink, and four people. A father, a mother, a son, and a friend.

“I love this boy!” Matthias says, his voice booming across the table as he claps Abel on the back. 

Abel smiles sheepishly and scratches behind his ear. “It’s just a historical theory.”

“One that most people don’t even understand when studying it in graduate school,” Matthias says. “You’re an intelligent boy, Abel. Never be ashamed of that.”

“Thank you, I’ll try.”

Abel practically glows as he takes another bite of the pork adobo Silvia prepared for dinner. But across from the table, Lincoln slouches in his seat, looking anything but pleased.

Matthias and Abel don’t seem to notice, but the crease of Silvia’s brow as she looks over at her son shows that she does. She always notices him, even when no one else does.

“So,” Matthias says as he pours himself another glass of wine. “Tell me, Abel. How are your classes going? I trust that you’re making sure Lincoln isn’t getting into much trouble.”

Lincoln rolls his eyes and Silvia, noticing his reaction, shakes her head disapprovingly at her husband. “Matthias.”

“It was a joke,” he says with a chuckle. Silvia looks back at him, unamused, and Abel clears his throat awkwardly.

“Well, uh, yeah, classes are going well,” he says, glancing over at Lincoln. Lincoln just glares down at his plate. Whatever good mood that had once been present is gone, replaced by an uncomfortable tension. “By the way, Mrs. McQuoid, the food is amazing.”

Silvia smiles warmly at Abel. “Thank you, dear. I appreciate that.”

Without warning, Lincoln abruptly stands. “Yeah. Thanks for the food, mom. I’m going upstairs.”

“Oh, I’ll finish then too—“ Abel starts, but Lincoln shakes his head.

“There’s no need to rush, Abel. I’ll be in my room.”

Matthias frowns as he watches his son leave. But really, he only has himself to blame.

***

My mother claims there was a time when my father believed I was perfect. When my tiny baby feet and quiet coos were his pride and joy.

She claims he used to say, “That’s my boy. That’s my beautiful boy who I love.”

She means it as a comfort. But all I hear is that he only loved me before I was actually me. Once I became myself…

I was no longer perfect to him.

***

Ten years ago

Lincoln’s short legs struggled to keep up after his father as he followed him through the forest. At seven years old, he had already seen more and experienced more than many grown men. And tonight, he was going to see more. To do more.

He was finally going to make his father proud.

“We’re almost there, Lincoln,” Matthias said. “We’re almost there.”

Nervous anticipation fluttered in Lincoln’s gut. Today was the day he’d been looking forward to for years. It was the day he was finally going to get a power of his own, just like his father.

They reached a small clearing in the woods and Matthias stopped. A stream ran alongside the clearing and the grass was littered with wildflowers and tree branches.

Matthias turned to Lincoln with a warm smile. “We’re here. Are you ready?”

Lincoln nodded. “I’m ready. What do I do?”

“Don’t worry, son. I’ll show you.” Matthias knelt in front of Lincoln and took his hand. His fingers were long and slender compared to Lincoln’s tiny stubby ones. He pulled a pocket knife from his shirt pocket and flicked out the blade. “Now, this will hurt a little bit, Lincoln. Can you be strong for me?”

Lincoln nodded. “I can be strong.”

Matthias pressed the tip of the knife into Lincoln’s palm, just hard enough for the skin to split. Pain shot through Lincoln’s hand and he bit back a whimper.

Be strong like Dad, he told himself sternly.

Matthias pocketed his knife and patted the top of Lincoln’s hand. “Well done, son. Not a sound. I’m proud of you.”

Lincoln nodded his head proudly. “I’m strong,” he said.

“Yes you are,” Matthias agreed as he got back to his feet. “Now Lincoln, repeat after me. From blood to earth, from shadow to dust, I pledge myself to the Power and the Power pledges itself to me.”

Lincoln took a shaky breath and with his high boy’s voice, repeated after his father. 

“Good,” Matthias said. “Now drip some of your blood into the river.”

Lincoln obediently held out his hand and dropped the blood into the river rushing by the clearing. And the moment his blood touched the water, something strange happened.

The river began to glow cyan; the current became faster. Misty blue tendrils reached out of the water, reaching toward Lincoln.

Nervous sweat trickled down Lincoln’s neck and he backed away from the tendrils. “Dad? What is this?”

“It’s alright, Lincoln!” Matthias said. His voice was laced with excitement as he watched. “The ritual is accepting your offering! Stand still and don’t move.”

It was hard to obey when all he wanted to do was run. The tendrils were terrifying and made him feel sick, but Lincoln forced himself to stand still.

I need to make him proud, Lincoln thought over and over again as the strange Power-fused tendrils wrapped around his body. I need to make him proud! 

His head began to spin and he felt dizzy. Every cell in his body told him to run, but he stayed rooted to the spot. He stayed until the tendrils drew back from him and dissipated once more back into the water.

He felt different. He felt strong, but weak. He felt enlightened, but confused. And when Matthias rushed to his side, pride glowing in his eyes as he said, “Now that’s my boy,” Lincoln couldn’t stop himself from collapsing to the ground from exhaustion.

When Lincoln awoke, it was beneath a wad of blankets on his bed. He sat up too quickly and his head immediately began to spin.

“Ouch,” he mumbled, pressing a hand up against his forehead. When his dizziness settled, he pushed the blankets aside and climbed out of bed. His hand ached and when he went to scratch it, he realized it was wrapped in a white cloth. And suddenly, everything came back to him. The forest, the ritual, the strange tendrils that rose up from the stream…

“That wasn’t actually a dream,” he whispered to himself. A grin split across his face and he ran for the door. He needed to find his father, to ask him what his power was—

But the moment he threw open the door, all he heard were raised voices.

“What do you think you’re doing with him?” Silvia yelled. Lincoln couldn’t see her, but he knew that voice. That was the voice she used when she was very, very angry, and she almost never used it. “He’s seven years old, Matthias. Seven years old! He doesn’t need to be dragged into this Power-obsessed world, not yet. And he’s obviously not ready! Look what happened to him! He’s been unconscious for almost an entire day now. Let him be a child.”

“I’m not going to apologize for giving him the life that I wish I’d had,” Matthias retorted. His voice was softer and smoother, but it was tight. He wasn’t happy either. “Lincoln has a potential I never had. He could someday be greater than me. He could be greater than any witch or Power wielder out there! Don’t you see? I’m doing this for him, Silvia. You should’ve seen how strong and brave he was. He wants this more than anything.”

Silvia sighed in frustration. “You really think this is what he wants? You think that’s what it is, and not that he’s desperate for his father’s approval? Anyone who truly knows you knows how much the Power means to you, Matthias. Your passion is part of what made me love you. But you can’t force that on other people. You can’t mold Lincoln into what you wish you’d been. You need to let him decide for himself who he is.”

Lincoln peeked out around the edge of his door frame and looked down the balcony to where his parents stood in the foyer. 

Matthias shook his head and turned away from Silvia. “I love you, my dear, but I suppose there are some things that even you will never understand.”

“I understand that if you keep trying to form Lincoln into a better version of yourself that you’re going to lose him forever. And when that happens, you won’t be able to say I didn’t tell you, because I’m telling you now.”

Without another word, Silvia turned her back on Matthias and climbed up the stairs. She stopped abruptly when she saw Lincoln standing in his bedroom doorway.

“Lincoln! Oh sweetie, you’re awake!” Silvia fell to her knees in front of him and swept Lincoln up into a warm, engulfing hug. She smelled like she always did, of lavender, citrus, and home. Lincoln hugged her back, because there was absolutely nothing better than hugs from his mother.

When she finally pulled away, Lincoln shot her a goofy grin. “Did you know that I have special powers now?” he said. “Dad got them for me!”

Silvia’s smile faded. “Yes. I heard. How do you feel about that?”

“Excited! Maybe I’ll be like Superman now. Or Dad! We could fight bad guys together I bet. You think Dad will be really proud of me?”

Silvia brushed the hair out of Lincoln’s eyes. “I think that Dad will always be proud of you no matter what you do, honey. Powers or no powers, your daddy and I love you so much. You’re our perfect little boy, okay?”

“Oh. Okay!” Lincoln shrugged and then pushed past her to run downstairs. “Love you Mom I gotta talk to Dad!”

“Careful, Lincoln! You were just sick. Take it easy.”

“I will. Hey Dad!” Lincoln waved at Matthias who was still standing in the entryway. “Do I have powers now?”

Matthias shot Lincoln a crooked smile. “That’s my boy. And yes. Yes, you do. Once you’re feeling better, we’ll find out what they are, alright? But for now I need you to take it easy so you can feel better. And Lincoln? Know that I am so very proud of you.”

And those simple words made Lincoln’s heart swell.

***

The Present

Lincoln lies sprawled out on his bed as he stares at the lazily spinning fan above him. A family dinner shouldn’t have to be like this, he thinks. But every single goddamn word that man says seems like it’s specifically targeted at me, to make me feel like absolute shit.

It’s not an uncommon way for Lincoln to spend his evenings. Because Abel is over tonight, Lincoln has refrained from blasting angry metal music from his bedroom speakers, but the rest is typical: brooding in his room, thinking about how awful Matthias makes him feel, wishing he hadn’t ever gotten this stupid power in the first place.

Tap tap. Knuckles rapping against his door pull him out of his thoughts.

“Who is it?” Lincoln calls out, a bit more testily than he intended.

“Now is that any way to talk to your mother?”

“Sorry, Mom. Yeah, you can come in.”

The door creaks open and Silvia steps into the room. She looks more like Lincoln than Matthias does, with her warm brown skin and straight black hair. And she understands him more than Matthias does, too.

She crosses the room and pulls out Lincoln’s desk chair to take a seat. “So,” she starts with a cheeky smile, “your art teacher called me today.”

“What? Why?”

“She wanted to tell me how talented you are and she thinks you should submit some of your art to an Oregon state art show. She thinks you have a good chance of having your art accepted. That kind of thing looks good on college applications, you know.”

For a moment, excitement bubbles up inside of Lincoln. But almost as soon as it’s there, his excitement fizzles out.

“You know dad doesn’t give a damn about this art stuff. If it’s not about the Power it’s not important,” Lincoln says. He turns away from his mom to stare despondently at the Nirvana poster hanging above the foot of his bed.

“That’s simply not true, sweetie,” Silvia says. “Now, I know your father can get a little… one-track minded about the Power, but he and I will always support you no matter what you choose to do.”

Lincoln snorts. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

“Lincoln…”

“Dad barely has anything to say to me since I told him I refused to use my power anymore. And the way he talks to Abel makes it obvious he wishes I were like him. Not some screwup who can’t do anything useful with the Power and who gets Bs and Cs in school and whose greatest dream is to work at a tattoo shop.”

“Hey.” Silvia’s tone is serious and firm. “Don’t ever call yourself a screwup again, understood?” At Lincoln’s silence, Silvia repeats herself even more firmly. “Lincoln, do you understand?”

“Yeah,” Lincoln says quietly. “I understand.”

“You are not your father. You’re Lincoln McQuoid. And you’re the only person who can decide what path in life will make you happy. Maybe it’s true that Dad wishes you cared more about the things he’s passionate about, but regardless of any of that, he loves you Lincoln. And I do too.”

At Silvia’s words, Lincoln can’t help but smile. “You’re a pretty kickass mom. You know that, right?”

“Oh, I know.” Silvia reaches out and gives Lincoln’s shoulder a soft squeeze. “Where do you think you get your kickass-ness from?”

Lincoln laughs. “That’s so not a word. But to answer your question… I definitely get it from you.”

***

Ten years ago

“It’s not working,” Lincoln said miserably. “Maybe the ritual didn’t work. I don’t have any powers like Superman or Wonder Woman.”

They’d been working nonstop since the ritual and Lincoln missed an entire week of first grade, yet Lincoln’s power still hadn’t decided to reveal itself. Lincoln was starting to think he wasn’t strong enough after all, that somehow the fact that this wasn’t working was his fault.

They were standing behind the garage. Forests and trees expanded in all directions behind them and birds chirped overhead. The mansion rose high above the ground, its stony exterior seeming cold and foreboding today. The pool cleaner hummed nearby, and the home’s generators buzzed in the distance.

All of these sounds, all of these sights, were a distraction to Lincoln’s young mind. Anxiety weighed down on him. He was never going to get this to work, was he?

Beside him, Matthias ran a frustrated hand over his face. “Don’t compare yourself to those childish superheroes, Lincoln. You’ll be far greater than them.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Let’s try this one more time.” Matthias squatted in front of Lincoln so they were the same height. “We don’t know what you can do yet, but the Power obviously blessed you with something. So I need you to focus.”

“I’ve been focusing.”

“Well obviously not hard enough!” Matthias’s voice was suddenly rough and his mask of patience shattered to reveal swirling anger beneath it. Lincoln flinched back a step, but almost as soon as it was there, his father’s anger was gone. Matthias sighed and reached out, taking Lincoln’s hand. “I’m sorry, son. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. But I know you can do this, alright? I know you can.”

Lincoln nodded warily, but his little hands trembled ever so slightly with uneasiness.

Matthias ruffled Lincoln’s hair. “Close your eyes. Feel the warmth of the air. Listen to the sounds surrounding you. Focus inward. Try to feel the Power deep within you. I know it’s there, Lincoln. You just have to find it.”

So Lincoln did as he was told. He closed his eyes… he focused on the warm sun beating down on him… he focused on the sounds of birds chirping and tree leaves rustling and the pool cleaner whirring… and then he tried to feel whatever power was hidden somewhere inside him. He thought about how he felt hungry, because he was supposed to have eaten lunch an hour ago but Matthias had been so focused on the Power that he seemed to have forgotten about it. He thought about how his toes felt hot and stuffy inside the socks and tennis shoes he was wearing. 

He thought about how he wished he could find his power already so that he could stop doing this and go watch some cartoons. And then he thought about how guilty he was that he was thinking that instead of focusing, like his father had told him to.

Lincoln squeezed his eyes shut tighter and ground his teeth together. Focus… he told himself. Focus…

And he did focus. He focused for so long that he lost track of time. He focused until all he could think about was how loud his stomach grumbled. Finally, he felt a hand on top of his head.

“Alright, that’s enough, Lincoln,” Matthias said. His voice was thick with disappointment.

Lincoln looked up at him hopefully. “Did it work?”

Matthias shook his head with a frown, and Lincoln’s heart sank. “Don’t worry,” Matthias said. “We’ll try something else. I won’t give up on you.”

In that moment, the words were a comfort to Lincoln. He hadn’t failed his father, not completely. But within a few years, those words would come to mean something else to Lincoln.

I won’t give up on you is what his father had said. I won’t give up on me is what he’d meant.

A few hours later, Lincoln was splashing about in the pool while Silvia reclined on one of the poolside armchairs.

“Look at what I can do, Mom!” Lincoln yelled before giving a rather unimpressive attempt at an underwater backflip.

Nonetheless, Silvia smiled and clapped when Lincoln’s head popped up out of the water. “That was wonderful, sweetheart!”

Lincoln grinned from ear to ear and began to backstroke across the pool. As he swam, the door to the pool yard swung open and Matthias stepped out onto the deck. Silvia’s smile faded and she looked away from him.

“You’re rewarding him with pool time?” Matthias asked as he took the chair beside Silvia.

“Yes. He’s having a great time. Can’t you see?” Silvia gestured at Lincoln who had reached the opposite wall. His excitement dimmed when his eyes landed on Matthias.

“Hi Dad,” he said with an uncertain wave.

Matthias nodded at him in acknowledgement. “Hello, son.” He turned back to Silvia. “He still hasn’t gotten in touch with the Power. I know it’s there, Silvia.”

“You’ve kept him out of school for a week, Matthias. I know you love the Power, and I know you’re passionate about it, but there’s more to life than this! He needs to go to school. He needs to learn and to make friends. I’m not against him learning to use the Power but if that becomes more important than everything else in his life? If that weakens your relationship with him? Then yes, I’ll be opposed to it.”

Lincoln was pretending to not listen as he threw a water-soaked squishy ball up into the air over and over again, but he was. That was the thing about parents. For some reason they always thought that whenever they talked about adult things, kids wouldn’t hear it. But Lincoln always heard, and he always listened.

“This is the most important thing in my life,” Matthias said. “It should be the most important thing in all our lives, Silvia. You may not fully understand now, but someday, I promise you that you will, my love.”

“Will I?”

“Yes. You know what my dream is. For the three of us to always be together. And I promise, that’s what I’m going to make happen.” He stood and leaned down to kiss Silvia on the top of her head. “I love you and Lincoln with my entire being.”

A reluctant smile pulled at Silvia’s lips. “I know you do. And I love you too.”

“Then you’ll trust me to do what’s best for us?”

Silvia looked up at Matthias in consideration. After a long moment, she nodded. “I trust you, Matthias.”

Matthias smiled at her in relief, and then turned to Lincoln in the pool. “Lincoln?”

Lincoln immediately dropped the ball into the water and looked over at his father.

“Would you mind getting dressed and coming with me? I want to try one more thing with you to awaken the Power. If it doesn’t work, we’ll take a break from it, alright?”

“You don’t have to do this,” Silvia cut in. “But if you want to, then you should.”

Lincoln looked between his parents and then finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll go with Dad. I want to have powers anyway.”

Matthias grinned. “Perfect. Now hurry and get cleaned up.”

Soon, Lincoln was dressed in pajamas and sitting cross-legged on the dirt ground beside the stream that he’d dropped his blood into in return for power. Matthias was sitting beside him, seemingly unbothered by the way his expensive custom-made suit pants were getting dirtied and stained from the ground.

“So… now what do I do? The same thing as before?” Lincoln asked.

Matthias shook his head. “No, Lincoln. We’re going to try something else. It’s something that some… old friends of mine used to do when their power wasn’t awakening the way it was supposed to.”

“Okay.”

“It’s going to be a little uncomfortable, and it might hurt a little bit. But I promise you that you’ll be okay and this is all just so you can have the best, alright?”

Lincoln’s stomach twisted with nervousness. “It might hurt? Like when I had to cut open my hand?”

“Not exactly,” Matthias said. “It’s more in your head. Maybe you’ll feel some pressure there. Do you trust me?”

Lincoln immediately nodded. “Of course I do.”

“Good,” Matthias said with a warm smile. “Now do what I usually have you do. I’m going to provide some outside assistance.”

So Lincoln did as he was told. He did what he always tried to do—sense the Power inside him. He closed his eyes and focused on the world around him, he tried to become one with it. And as he did, a strange feeling crept into the base of his skull. At first it was nothing more than a distant pressure, but after a few moments the feeling began to spread from his head to his fingers to the very tips of his toes.

Lincoln groaned as the pressure spread, becoming more and more uncomfortable. Perhaps this was the Power? He cracked one eye open to see his father kneeling across from him, an ancient-looking book open in his lap as a light glowing light emanated from his fingers.

“What—what’s that?” Lincoln asked, his voice shrill with fear.

Matthias’s gaze jerked up from the book and his eyes narrowed. “Don’t think about me! Focus on what you’re supposed to be doing.”

“But it hurts, Dad. It hurts!”

“I told you that it would hurt,” Matthias snapped impatiently. “You told me you could handle it. Can you handle it?”

Lincoln sniffled and wiped at his watering eyes. “I… I think so.”

“Good. Because I know you can do this, and I’m not letting up until you have your power.”

Lincoln closed his eyes again, trying his best to ignore the painful pressure that was spreading through his entire body. He tried to focus on the power—whatever that even meant—so he could make his father proud. That was all he wanted… wasn’t it?

“AHHH!” Pain shot through him and he fell forward, his elbows digging into the dirt. His breath was ragged and labored. It felt like his entire body was compressing, like his arms and legs were being ripped apart.

“It’s all in your head, Lincoln,” came Matthias’s voice. “I know it hurts, but you can pull through! People have gone through this dozens of times before and it always makes them stronger.”

“I can’t…” Lincoln whimpered as tears squeezed from his eyes.

“Yes you can! I know you can.”

All Lincoln wanted was to go home, to curl up in bed, for his mother to hold him and tell him everything was alright. He wanted his father to stop doing whatever he was doing, to leave him alone. But as the fragmented thoughts started to float around his head, a new sensation awoke within him.

It was something that buzzed warm and strong in his core. The new feeling seemed to chase away the pain until Lincoln felt like he was floating. Lincoln sat up slowly. He held his hands up in front of himself and cautiously placed one hand against a rock that was resting in the dirt beside him.

The moment his hand made contact with the rock, something strange happened. It was like a million different intersecting stories were all making their way into his mind all at once. There was so much information, so much history, it was too much for his child’s mind to handle. The rock slipped from Lincoln’s hand and his hands flew to his head, gripping on either side as he screamed as if that could force the pain away.

“Lincoln? Lincoln!” Matthias tossed the book aside and knelt in front of his son. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”

“No no no no no…” Lincoln repeated over and over again. It was too much, it was far too much…

Matthias wrapped Lincoln up in his arms and held him close against his chest. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into Lincoln’s hair. “I shouldn’t have pushed you. I’m sorry.”

When Lincoln’s head was clear and he could finally speak, he pulled out of his father’s embrace. “I think it worked,” he said softly.

Matthias’s eyes widened. “Your power awoke?”

“Yeah, but…” Lincoln’s lips tugged downward and once more he felt like he was on the brink of tears. “It hurts, Dad. It hurts so much.”

“What hurts?”

“Seeing everything. It hurts.”

Matthias’s eyebrows lifted. “Seeing… everything?”

Lincoln nodded solemnly. “When I touch things, I can see where they’ve been. I can see what they’ve seen. But they see too much. I can’t do it, Dad, I can’t.”

“I understand,” Matthias said, but something dangerous sparkled in his eyes. “So you can see the histories of objects by touching them? That’s the gift the Power gave you?”

Lincoln gave an uneasy shrug. “I guess?”

“Then it would appear that you are blessed after. Yes, you are very blessed indeed.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re going to master this power, Lincoln,” Matthias said. “You’re going to learn what makes this family so special.”

Lincoln’s stomach tightened with fear and he suddenly felt sick. “But I told you. It hurt. It was too much. I don’t want to do that ever again.”

“You say that now, my boy, but once you get through the worst of it, I promise you that it’ll be worth it. A gift from the Power is a rare thing. You must be grateful for it.”

Lincoln nodded, but he wasn’t so certain. And as his father held his hand and walked him back to the car, Lincoln felt unsure. Unsure that he was grateful for this power, unsure that he wanted to strengthen it, and unsure that his father was right.

***

After that day, some things were forever changed.

“Do you trust me?” he had asked. In that moment, I truthfully answered yes. He was my father, the man I looked up to more than anyone, the person I wanted to become. Of course I trusted him.

But after that day, that trust was gone.

For good.

***

The Present

A few minutes after Silvia leaves, Abel joins Lincoln inside his room. He takes the seat at Lincoln’s desk, which is littered with pens and piles of papers covered in artsy designs.

“Hey, Linc,” Abel says.

“Hi.”

Silence blankest the room, the only sound the soft whirring of the fan overhead. After a long moment, Abel finally speaks. “So. That was an interesting dinner, I guess.”

“Sure,” Lincoln says.

“Can I ask you something?”

“You can do whatever you want, Abel.”

“Okay.” Abel leans back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling as he contemplates his next words. “I know you’ve had… issues with your dad. I mean, it’s obvious and I’ve known for a long time. But the thing is, I don’t know why.”

“Because he’s an asshole, man.”

Abel chuckles. “I mean, I’ve gotten that much. But like, don’t hate me for saying it, but every time I talk to him he seems really nice.” Lincoln’s eyes narrow and he throws Abel a glance verging on furious. Abel quickly adds, “Not that I think he’s a nice guy! I’m just saying, I obviously don’t see the same side of him that you do.”

Lincoln lets out a humorless laugh. “I’ll say.”

“Look, Linc. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. But in case you do ever feel like you need to talk to someone about anything… you know I’m here, right?”

A small smile pulls at Lincoln’s lips. “Yeah. I know. It’s just, my dad and I don’t get along. We haven’t for years. He wants me to be someone I’m not, and he can’t accept that I’m not that person. So when I see him treating you like a son…”

“Oh god…” Abel says, his brow furrowed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“I know you didn’t. I’m not mad at you.”

“What exactly did he do?”

Lincoln sighs and turns to look at the posters on his wall. “It’s complicated and weird. But all you need to know is that I hate that man, and I have good reason to.”

“Okay. I believe you. So do—”

“Abel,” Lincoln interrupts. “Can we talk about something else? I’d rather not have that bastard on my mind right now, you know?”

Abel nods. “Okay, yeah. No problem. Let’s talk about something else. Um, are you excited for the senior prank this weekend?”

A grin stretches across Lincoln’s face. “Hell yeah I am. Your idea for turning the entire school into a beach party was pretty genius.”

“I just got it online, but thanks for saying so anyway.”

“Now the real question is if you think Avery will be impressed by all of your preparations,” Lincoln says with a smirk, and Abel’s face flushes pink.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do.”

“I don’t!”

“Do too.”

“Okay, maybe I do know a little bit.”

Lincoln sits up, grateful to have something else to think about, even if it’s just for a moment. “Then we’d better knock this thing out of the park.”

[mioyeo]

I’m a Dad ?! : 1# MEETING HIM

Just to be left with a baby all of the sudden when your just a growing teenager yourself isn’t easy

Pairing : player!Choi San x Ateez

Warnings : this chapter includes Meantions of illnesses , Slight fat shaming without knowledge, breakdowns,arguments, mentions of sexual inter course , character dead

Word count: 1,7k

He laid down exhausted from another night with one of his toys , the girls where all annoying so they ended up having to leave before he reached his limit

Everyone knew him as the player " Choi " , every girl in town had a crush on him because of his amazing looks and flirtatious ways of speaking to them

San stood up going to his balcony as he starred at the busy night time in Seoul letting the wind blow through his hair as he closed his eyes

Sometimes the question was , did he really want to keep being a player ? what type of future would he have if he kept his ways ?

" San come out dinner is ready ! "

One of his roommates called out for him making the male step out the balcony and go out the room just to be attacked with the delicious smell coming from the kitchen

" It smells so good in here "

He sat down smiling as the other roommates came out and sat down as well

“Wooyoung’s skills ain’t no joke ”

" Glad you guys like my food, but let's eat before it gets cold "

They paced each other's plates and started digging in

" So how was your hook up ? I saw her ran out crying  as I was coming in "

Yunho asked as he held in the urge to laugh

" Horrible I yelled at her for scratching me hard on the back , they don't satisfy me anymore it was all fun at first but now it's just plain irritating with these dumb ass girls "

" I mean all you want is to get laid so it really shouldn't be a problem to bear with them ? "

Hongjoong laughed as he took a sip of his water looking at San

" What do you mean bear with it ? , she dug her long ass nails on my back it hurts "

" So what type of s3x do you like since the aggressive one is not for you ? "

" He likes the gentle one where the girls whisper sweet things to him as he moans softly for more , and he has a neck kiss kink "

Everyone looked at Jongho surprised

" What ? He was talking about it to her "

" Jongho did you spy on me ?! "

He shook his head scooping the food into his mouth

" Yeah I heard it too, let's say you where kinda loud when that happened "

Seonghwa and Mingi laughed clearly amused by the look on San’s face

" Wait are we talking about that one girl San incredibly dated for months almost a year ? "

" Yeah , where is she actually ? It's been a while since I saw  her at the flower "

Yunho asked looking for an answer

" She actually left San and said he deserved someone who'd last longer than she would whatever that meant and just left him standing in the rain "

Wooyoung said sighing seeing  San gripping his cup hard

" Is that why he became like this ? "

" I'd say yes , it was his way of handling the pain and heartbreak "

He scoffed at the way they talked about him as if he wasn't even there in the first place

" I almost forgot to say I actually saw her last week , she looked really pale and horrible let alone she seemed to have gained weight "

Hongjoong said looking at San

" That's her problem I don't care , and can we please stop talking about her ? I'm over it "

San said almost slamming his hands on the table

" Chill dude , since your over it why do you care if we talk about her  ? "

Yeosang said pouring juice into his cup

" Yeah why do you care you guys broke up "

" Because she fucking left me ! Do you like talking about people who hurt you ?! "

He yelled at Mingi with anger filled in his voice

" San calm down he didn't mean it to sound that w-"

" No Seonghwa I meant what I said, why does he care ? They clearly broke up "

Mingi stopped the elder from defending him as he crossed his arms looking at San

" Why do you care ? , I can talk as much as I want about her she's not yours anymore you said you've moved on so what's the deal? "

" Nobody talks to their friends about their ex "

San yelled again

" San ! Stop yelling and Mingi drop it "

Wooyoung yelled at both of them to stop

" Wooyoung's right stop yelling it's late already so stop making  unnecessary drama "

Hongjoong held Mingi back who had a frown on his face

" You guys really are some- "

Seonghwa was cut off by their house phone ringing

" Hello who's there ? "

" Good evening, This is Seouls hospital am I perhaps talking to  Choi San ? "

" Ah , no it's his friend but why is the hospital calling him for and this late ? "

Everyone looked at him confused when he said hospital

" Well we tried to reach for any  relatives of the deceased but just found this number on a peace of paper saying Choi San , and we need him to come and get something "

" Ok we'll be there shortly ..... thank you bye "

Seonghwa looked at the confused boys

" San you need to go to the hospital urgently someone you apparently know passed away and they need you to get something "

San's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, he didn't understand what Seonghwa meant

" San ! you need to go to the hospital now hurry and let's go don't just stand there ! "

Seonghwa snapped his fingers at him

" Let's go ! "

..........

San was still dumbfounded by everything that was happening but still dragged himself inside the hospital and walked to the receptionist

" Excuse me miss , I was called suddenly to be here because someone I apparently knew passed away and they want me to get som-"

" Choi San ?! "

" Yeah that's my na- "

" We have been waiting for you follow me ! "

The nurse rushed towards the baby station making him confused  to why he was there

" Why are we in the Baby section ? "

" Sir , as you see that tiny one with the Shiba-Inu onesie is your son his mom just passed away after birth , we have tried to get her to stay strong but she gave up the battle in the end "

" But I don't have a child and I wasn't expecting a child this must be a mistake I'm not the only Choi San that exits "

The nurse checked him out to be sure before saying anything else

" But you are the guy in the picture thought see "

She pulled out a mini picture

The picture

" So are you really going to tell me that this isn't really you either sir ? "

He looked at the picture feeling strange

" And there is a message behind it too , I feel bad for you having to loose a loved one "

" I want a DNA test , this isn't enough to prove that I'm related to that child in there "

The nurse signaled him to follow her towards the lab

" Here , they will take your Saliva or even blood for a test so wait outside "

"Here , they will take your Saliva or even blood for a test so wait outside "

" San what is all this ? "

Hongjoong asked as he looked at the younger who had a frown on his face

" I don't know , their are telling me that I am father of  some random child I don't know "

San looked up to him feeling some type of uneasiness rush throughout his whole body

" And are you waiting for the results? "

" No , the results will come in some days "

He sighed sitting down as he flipped the photo and started reading the message , the hand writing seemed very familiar too

The message

𝘏𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘣𝘴 ,  𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘐'𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘐𝘯 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 , 𝘴𝘰 𝘐'𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 . 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦  𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 , 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯  𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦  𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 way to 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 , 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯  𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱  𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 , 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 ,  𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰u

“ J-Jasmine ”

He stuttered her name choking on his tears as he fell to his knees

" Choi San the results will be available in s-"

" I'll take my son with me "

" Oh... ok , we will get him ready to leave with you so please wait at the baby station "

San started throwing the chairs around angrily

" Why did you lie to me ?! "

Seonghwa who had read the message behind the picture held him tight into his embrace

" San it's ok , let's get the little one and go home so you can rest i under- "

" You don't fucking understand me Seonghwa ?! I was left with a child and sh-he is dead how will I get over it , all this time I’ve been blaming her ! "

He shed tears hiccuping without an end

" What if I'll be a bad dad ? I'm still a child myself , I barely finished college "

" San please it's never to late for you to grow up and be someone for your child , you know we are here we will help you through this "

Yunho hugged him patting his back

" Guys look how cute and tiny he is "

Wooyoung whispered smiling at the baby carrier

" He indeed looks like his dad "

Yeosang teased making San smile with tears

" Really ? Can I see him "

San asked wiping his tears , all his worries suddenly gone as he starred at his son

" He-e is so adorable and beautiful an-nd looks just like his mom "

He sucked in his tears smiling at the tiny baby that grabbed his finger smiling with his closed eyes

" See your already bonding with him "

Mingi said patting his back

" Guys let's leave its so depressing here with all these machines beeping "

Hongjoong said making everyone go out towards the family van

" Now that you've become a dad San you should really stop sleeping around "

Seonghwa said and San nodded unable to stop staring at the little one that he grew to love

I'll protect you will all my strength my Sanie~

[spidersmiceandeverythingnice]

Thinking about Morally Gray characters.

...

A good example of a morally gray hero is Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho. He's an ancient, immortal fox demon who turned to thievery out of boredom with his long life. A remorseless killer who has no true friends or loved ones, he winds up on the wrong side of the law and winds up hiding his soul in a human body after he's injured; knowing that he'll need at least sixteen years in the human world to recover, he chooses a newborn baby as his vessel.

This human woman, Mrs Minamino, dutifully raises her son even though it is clear to everyone that there is Something Weird about this kid. He's unnaturally smart - a genius! They say - and Kurama is barely able to disguise his apathy and hate for humans in this form. He is actively planning his escape to the demon world at every moment.

Until one day, Mrs. Minamino rescues her son from a falling tree.

There was no danger to Kurama - even in the body of a human child, he has unnaturally fast reflexes and would have walked away without so much as a scratch - but Mrs. Minamino still put herself in mortal danger to protect him. Because he's her son.

Kurama realizes that his "mother" truly does love him. And through her selfless love, he grows a conscious.

Those sixteen years pass and Kurama no longer has any intention of leaving the human world; he's completely devoted to caring for his mother as she battles a life-threatening illness. He even intends to sacrifice his life to restore her health and protects the protagonist from demons who want to harm him. As he joins the main team, he acts as the wise guy, the hypercompetent strategist who has a plan for everything.

And then we actually see him fight - and it becomes extremely clear how DANGEROUS Kurama still is.

His magic extends to all plant life, so he can grow poisonous flowers in an opponent's bloodstream by inflicting simple wounds. He has an arsenal of carnivorous plants which gleefully would eat him alive along with his opponents. When he fears he no longer has enough power in his human body to keep up his win streak, he resorts to taking dubious magical medicines to boost his strength temporarily. Its all for a good cause, of course. They're saving Human World! Kurama really is so self-sacrificing, huh.

Eventually, we see how far he's actually willing to go in the Chapter Black arc. Chapter Black is a legendary video tape which is said to record all of the worst atrocities that humankind has ever committed. Most demons want to get their hands on it to justify their hate of humans - but we learn that it's fallen into the hands of a human named Sensui, who has now started a genocidal death cult dedicated to ending the human world forever.

Kurama has no interest in watching Chapter Black - anymore. After all, his mother is human and he loves her. He wants to protect her, and the world that she lives in. He's grown to care for his human friends, too.

So, eventually Sensui engineers a situation where the gang may have to kill a child - this child was groomed into joining Sensui's cult and doesn't really understand what he's signed up to do.

Kurama kills the child without hesitation once he understands Sensui's purpose. He even volunteers to do it so no one else has to.

He then immediately goes on to trap one of their enemies in an eternal mental prison of anguish, where they won't be allowed to expire and die - just out of anger, that he was put in that situation to begin with.

And THAT is how you do morally gray. We understand that Kurama is one of our heroes, a good guy who loves his mom, values his friends, who makes jokes and offers advice. But every time the gang has to make a tough choice, Kurama is the one to suggest the most ruthless and cutthroat option - which sometimes means sacrificing himself, to save the others, yes, but Kurama also has one of the highest kill counts of our characters. He habitually is the one to kill his opponents in ways that are tailor-made to torment them and cause pain. He's so dangerous that even our Token Evil Teammate who calls murder a hobby respects and admires him for his violence. (At one point in the story, both Kurama and the Evil Teammate guy are trying to tough up one of their human friends and Kurama says, "Your weakness and his honor cause him to hold back [in training you] - but I will not.") Kurama often feels guilty about his choices - but he never accepts pity from the others. He's always fully aware of what he's doing and why. The fact that he has morals now is just another layer to the character's psyche.

Anyway this post was about Rhysand and the type of character he COULD have been if SJM was a good writer.

[princess-unipeg]

I got around this watching the series finale today. I didn’t feel like watching it as soon as the official Disney Channel YouTube channel posted the episode. It was overcome with a lot of feels and I wanted to spend my Easter eating candy and watching funny feel good easter specials. It felt overwhelming enough watching some of the tidbits with a belly full of sweets. Anyway for the amount we got, I thought the last episode was grand.

My only real gripe about it was the complete absence of Caleb and his witch wife Evelyn. Their love story set in motion of Belos and his grip on the Boiling Isles. No flashback, no discovery by our main characters and no one who was there to tell their story to our heroes. I want to see confirmation of Evelyn being a Clawthorne ancestor. Hopefully Disney will grant the show some supplementary tie-in books to grant us the information not provided by the show like they did with Amphibia with Marcy’s journal.

Anyway I got some theories right and wrong about the finale. I was right that Luz would be granted a temporary power-up. That form of her looks awesome and I can’t wait for the cosplay.

I was also right Luz would have her obligatory “sorry my sacrifice means you’ll lose me” scene albeit with an actual death. I at least got it right that the Titan themself would be the one to revive Luz. Though Luz died before her power up which I didn’t expect. The ones who witnessed her death was Belos, The Collector, King and Eda. The rest merely felt her death with the glowing lights. Thankfully it was only Eda and King since right after they went absolutely feral on Belos. The rest of her friends and family wouldn’t have survived had they known and just charged at Belos without thinking. Still I hope Luz showed off her form either in drawings or her memory pictures.

The Titan was not what I expected when they appeared. Looked more like a dad lounging for the weekend rather then a god of grand elegance. Though the confirmation of being bigender does explain how he laid that egg by himself. The Titan did eventually became more godlike after sending Luz back though.

As it turns out he did feel bad that he chose to lock the Collector away. I can only imagine what it was like for his soul to be trapped in the InBetween dimension and being alive enough to feel the pain. At least he had the comfort of knowing King was being treated well and being loved by his found family. It’s sad though that he couldn’t relay his first and last dad joke to King in person. The Titan being dead dead meant the glyphs that Luz took the entire series to learn stopped working. Which means she can no longer “speak to him” so to speak.

It was nice to see everyone reunite with their families for real and see Hunter realize he’s had family in the Boiling Isles all along. Especially when Camilla outright accepts Eda and King as family.

It was great that The Collector was reformed thanks to Eda, King and Luz’s friendship. The millennium years old child was able to learn empathy for the first time and through his efforts everyone on the Boiling Isles was spared. Too bad The Collector had to go so soon. But considering the most of the Boiling Isles had suffered their playtime, it was for the best that he keeps his distance. Though they get to have The Owl House to visit every time they need a break from being in the stars. With Francois keeping them company in the meantime.

With the Titan now in a different position most of the landscape in Bonesborough has shifted which means having to rebuild everything from scratch. Though the environment and surrounding nature was revived thanks to Luz’s Titan magic.

Eda and Lilith are still cursed but from the looks of it they made peace. It hasn’t hindered their lives and only flourished now that Belos is no more.

The prediction I was definitely wrong on was the fact that Luz needed King’s blood to make a new portal door. Turns out The Collector gave them a new portal door for them to use. Though I was glad that the theory that Luz doesn’t have to leave the Boiling Isles behind turned out to be true!

You know with the fact that Luz spoke to the Titan personally and was blessed with his magic, it did make me wonder if during the timeskip Luz was revered as the “chosen one” like she’s alway wished to be? I mean the citizens of the Boiling Isles had to have someone to follow with Belos gone and their homeland shifted. She probably was their ruler temporarily but she needed to get back to her own life back on earth and only took charge of the rebuilding and left the rest to the more experienced adults.

I’m overall glad to see everyone get their redemptions/happily ever afters after everything. This was my say on the series finale.

[novamirmirsblog]

I posted 499 times in 2022

172 posts created (34%)

327 posts reblogged (66%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@novamirmirsblog

@simpfornatasharomanoff

@just-a-torn-up-masterpiece

@missmonsters2

I tagged 182 of my posts in 2022

#natasha romanoff x reader - 13 posts

#natasha romanoff - 13 posts

#natasha romanoff imagine - 11 posts

#natasha x y/n - 10 posts

#black widow - 9 posts

#natasha x you - 9 posts

#natasha x reader - 9 posts

#natasha romanov x reader - 9 posts

#black widow x reader - 9 posts

#natasha romanoff x you - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#sometimes i’m shocked when anons send me messages that include details about my life but then i remember i literally use this app as a diary

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Fading Memories

Word count: 1839

Request: Yes

Genre: angst

Warnings: possible tears, sad nat

A/N: y'all got a fluffy Loki fic, now have an angsty Natasha fic. Also, I cried while writing this and then realised I'm on my period so just know that I wont be rereading this anytime soon so any mistakes are just gonna have to stay for a while :) also blame @simpfornatasharomanoff for the sad ending. She had a choice and two of the three choices were happy but bestie chose the angsty one <3

Something was wrong.

"Morning Y/n." You snapped out of whatever daze you were in, smiling and greeting Steve. "You ready to train some new recruits?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." That one sentence bought everything back. How could you have forgotten something as important as training potential future SHIELD agents? No matter. You remembered now and that was what was important.

The thought scratched inside your brain, growing stronger each time you tried to ignore it. It took hold of you like a slow cough. It was a tickling sensation first, barely enough to pop up on your radar, but the tickle grew. It grew until you weren't just forgetting names, but faces too. They grew blurry in your mind.

~~~~~

"Babe can you pass me the salt?"

You were sitting in a restaurant opposite... damn it Y/n. You remembered that you loved her. You remembered all the holidays you went on, telling her you loved her for the first time, all the risky missions the two of you had pulled off and yet you had no idea what her name was.

"Sure." You smiled at her and continued your meal.

The conversation washed over you. You worked out that this was clearly a thing the two of you did regularly and the intimate lighting reaffirmed your thoughts that you loved this woman. She really was stunning and you sat there trying to recall how the two of you met.

At first, you knew the names and faces were wrong but as the scratching of 'something is wrong' got louder, the worry caused by these mishaps faded away until you didn't remember what was wrong in the first place.

~~~~~

"Y/n you really need to remember to put the milk back in the fridge."

"What do you mean? I di-" you stopped as Tony held a bottle of room temperature milk, waggling it at you.

"I might be a billionaire who made profits from wars but we have to reduce our waste!" He teased playfully. All you could do was try to retrace your steps as you thought back to how you could have forgotten.

"Damn Y/n, maybe this is a sign to cut back on using the milk." Sam laughed joining in on the joke.

"Leave her alone. Like you don't constantly leave cereal out or the toilet seat up." Natasha came and stood next to you defensively, wrapping her arms around your waist and nuzzling into your neck.

You relaxed instantly but that niggling thought of something being wrong wormed its way back.

~~~~~

You were getting worse. You knew you were but you held on to the hope that because you knew you were getting worse, there was still time. You were sure Natasha had noticed. She was constantly waiting behind you when you cooked, pretending to be reading when in actuality she was making sure you didn't leave anything burning. You thought Steve picked up on it too, always berating the team if they made fun of you for forgetting things. You were no longer allowed out on missions. The excuse was that you were more valuable left behind to work on intel or mission planning. You didn't remember to question it.

"We need to talk about Y/n."

"Not now Steve." Natasha bit back. She didn't want him breaking the delicately created lie she was living.

"Natasha surely you can see it. Sometimes it's like she's not even in the room."

"I'm not talking about this." Natasha got up, refusing to acknowledge your worsening condition, convinced that you would be fine.

~~~~~

See the full post

190 notes - Posted January 24, 2022

#4

Wings - n.r

Word count: 2565

Genre: comfort/hurt

Request: yes

Warnings: self harm (kinda. like it's with wings but read at your own discretion)

A/n: It's been a hot min since I wrote anything 😬 Might make this into a lil AU. I kinda wanna explore more of Natasha and angel!r's relationship. Like meeting R's parents etc. WE WILL SEE THO XD Also, I changed it slightlyyyyyy I hope that's okay!

Pride wasn't something your species lacked. With wingspans that are easily double your height and reflexes that would make a panther jealous, there was next to nothing that could harm you. The pride each of you had wasn't cockiness but the natural confidence that comes with the knowledge that you are the top of the food chain. Being the apex predator meant you possessed both the deadly ability of a lion and the brain that would rival even the smartest of humans. If charming your way out of a situation was looking increasingly unlikely, then throats would be slit. Despite what people may think, your culture was not one of savages. It was rich and detailed and varied from clan to clan. There was one common tradition that everyone partook in and that was The Leaving. Once a youngling's feathers lose their fluff and gain their silky perfection, they are to leave their family and seek out new blood; be it territory, foods, cultures or people.

You were expected to leave and come back bloodied with victories and new territories to show for it. Each clan had a balance of specialties that were dictated by what your parents did. While a few were lucky enough to have a choice between two paths if their parents had differing roles, most didn't have a choice. You had never been close with your parents although this was a common occurrence. It was the grandparents who raised the young while the parents were off traveling the world to find the resources they needed. How were parents expected to contribute towards the clan's survival if they had to stop to raise children? It made much more sense for those whose wings could no longer carry them the great distances needed to look after the young.

Your parents had reached that age. Their wings were now nothing more than brilliant decorations, marked with each one of their victories. Unfortunately, this meant they now lived vicariously through you. When your beautifully glossy wings reached maturity, your parents all but shoved you from the comfort of your own home, eager for you to make your mark on the world and come back with grandchildren for them to mould.

Something you parents hadn't accounted for was that the world was vastly more populated than it was when they had set out. You could no longer just fly down, intimidate or charm the locals, and claim their land as yours. The weapons had become more developed and they had seen too many otherworldly creatures to fall for the usual tactics. This may have looked like a problem, but for your opportunistic ass, this was the dream.

You were finally free to eat as much as you wanted, drink as much as you wanted and lay with as many people as you wanted.

~~~~~

Your binge of freedom lasted a day.

You were promptly captured by some kind of new technology you absolutely had to bring back with you.

"You thought we didn't notice you?" A man called Fury, asked.

"I thought you were too feeble minded to realise."

"We keep tags on all life not from this planet."

You let out a short bark of laughter. "If you were here first then why are we all over your history? Hell we predate your history." Your large wings bristled, managing to overpower the technology just briefly "I have to ask, where on earth did you manage to get this?"

"Get what?"

"The contraption keeping me here?"

"I am not a contraption." A third voice entered the conversation, thick with an accent that didn't match Fury's.

The woman moved in front of you, her eyes glowing a shade of red you had only seen one other time. The time your grandmother died.

"Want to see some real magic sweetheart? Come with me and I'll show you everything."

You couldn't tell if the red flush on her face was from anger, exertion of keeping you there, or lust. Turns out you never got to find out as a sharp bolt of electricity knocked you out.

That was three years ago and since then you had fought with the Avengers and even become one of them. Your favourite battle was with Thanos. It was positively delicious to rip his slimy little arm off before Thor swung his axe through his head.

There was no real reason for you to stay other than you liked their company. Your parents were eager for you to come back and begin mating so you could head back out again but you had grown to like the humans you called your family. You had learnt many things while being here such as your wings were in fact retractable. Well, they weren't completely retractable but they could almost slide in on themselves, making them a practical size for walking around hallways and sleeping on beds. The downside however, was that you weren't very good at remembering to keep them in. That, and when certain people made you flustered, they just popped right back out again.

Your time with the Avengers had also changed you a little. You had a nickname - something the old you would have cut tongues out of mouths if she had been given one. It was created when Tony Stark had seen you smuggle an interesting looking spoon into your sleeve.

"Damn magpie, anything else of mine you want?"

You didn't know how to react at first. You didn't know he was talking to you and you certainly didn't know how you were anything like the pitiful creatures. Tony then explained the similarities and from that day, the nickname stuck.

~~~~~

See the full post

346 notes - Posted February 28, 2022

#3

Steven's Mom

Genre: fluff/angst/smut +18

Pairing: Natasha x reader

Word count: 3874

Request: no

Warnings: poorly written smut, cheating

A/n: This literally took me a good month to write, so I think it's safe to say this may be a little bit shit. If the punctuation seems off, it's cause Grammarly keeps being weird and making suggestions -_- BUT ENJOY! Cause I'm not sure when the next fic will be finished XD Yes, smoking is bad but holy shit is it hot when the right people do it.

Masterlist Natasha Romanoff masterlist

Relationships.

That word has always scared you.

Your friends would talk about their recent boyfriends and how they were going on cute group dates and where was your boyfriend Y/n?

Your answer was always that there was no point in settling down with one person when you were yet to try them all. Especially seeing as you had only just reached your 23rd birthday.

Sure, some may have seen that as 'flighty behaviour' and yes, perhaps you should have gotten a therapist when you were a lot younger - but you were always told you were going to be a heartbreaker and the long trail of flings you left in your wake was testimony to this.

Perhaps heartbreaker was a strong word. You were sure that only going on a few dates with a guy hardly led to their hearts being broken but you were pretty and could accentuate your almost forgotten accent which made all the boys fall into a line.

You had moved to America with your family when you were 16 but due to your desire to fit in, you had worked extremely hard on switching your native accent for an American one. It felt as if you were betraying your family but it was too late to break that habit 7 years on.

Using people as a means to an end is never a good plan. Especially when that person was a friend but when Steven had asked you out, you couldn't help but see a goldmine of opportunities.

Steven was sweet. He was the kind of all-American guy that was shoved down the western media consumer's throats. He played baseball throughout his school career and taught the little leagues on weekends. He had the body of a god and the heart of a saint.

For all intended purposes, Steven was perfect.

Steven would be your salvation.

~~~~~

After 3 weeks of non-stop dating, your university friends wanted to see the boy who had managed to keep the notorious serial dater interested for more than one date. You decided to introduce them all, telling your university friends that Steven was a friend from high school.

Obviously they all swooned.

You truly were living the 'American dream'. However your American dream all came crashing down one Tuesday night.

It had been two months since the first date and Steven had invited you over to his house after seeing a movie. You took your shoes off and hung up your jackets before you both made your way to the kitchen. Steven backed you up to the kitchen counter, kissing along your neck using too much tongue. You were a strong believer that neck kisses should be mostly teeth. The tongue was reserved for other acts. The sound of heels filled you with relief. You liked Steven but he needed to work on his game. It seemed that Steven was too engrossed to realise his mother was standing in the doorway.

You locked eyes with her and let out a soft gasp. You thought you saw her left eyebrow twitch but you couldn't be sure because as she took a step towards you, the trance broke and you pushed Steven away.

"Babe?"

She cleared her throat and Steven spun on the spot, his jaw dropping in a comical way before closing again as his face went red. "I can explain..."

"No need to explain Stevie, just don't do it in my kitchen please."

"T-this is Y/n, Y/n, this is my mom."

"Natasha." She extended her hand for you to shake.

See the full post

394 notes - Posted October 19, 2022

#2

Room 501

Genre: fluff 

Pairing: Natasha x reader

Word count: 1674

warnings: none <3

A/n: My lovelies I have been ~struggling mentally~ Nah I'm kidding I promise I'm fine. But I have been suffering with a major block and my personal life has been questionable which is why you've had little to no fics recently. I can't lie, the lack of interaction on these fics is disheartening but I know my lack of writing is also partly to blame. If I'm being honest, the dopamine I get from your interactions is what keeps me motivated to think up new scenarios and write them down. On another note, I have more fish.

Your day had been going relatively well. You were driving back from a good day at work with the radio blasting and the windows rolled down. You were too engrossed with singing along to Adele to realise there was a motorbike weaving through the cars at a breakneck speed. You only realised when there was a sickening screech of metal on metal that the bike had spun underneath your car. A few moments after that the world turned to black.

When you awoke, you were in hospital with a minor concussion and a broken arm. The doctors asked a series of questions that you breezed through before declaring you well enough to go home. You asked them what had happened with the motorcyclist and the nurse and doctor shared a look before letting you know she hadn't woken up yet. You asked for her room in order to apologise but they refused, stating that they couldn't give you her room number but could leave a message with her. You asked for a pen and quickly wrote down a message on a used napkin.

It was 3 days after you had left the hospital when you received a text from an unknown number. All it said was 'floor 2, room 501'. You assumed it was the woman you had run over. The relief and guilt flooded your system simultaneously as you put your shoes and jumper on to go to the hospital. The whole way over you were battling with yourself - pleased that she had contacted you but embarrassed and upset about the circumstances. You told the front desk where you wanted to go and they directed you towards a flight of stairs. You hesitated before turning the doorknob of the room containing the woman you ran over. You gingerly stepped in, not wanting to wake her if she was asleep.

"I didn't know you'd be cute." Her voice was raspy - whether it was from staying in hospital or was just her natural voice you weren't sure.

Your cheeks heated up at her compliment. "Same here. I was worried you were old or something..." You trailed off, shifting your feet a little as an awkward silence filled the room.

"Come sit. I promise I don't bite." She had a look in her eye that told you she most definitely would bite but you sat in the chair next to her bed nonetheless.

She studied you intently before extending her non-broken hand to you "Natasha."

You shook it. "Y/n."

"At least now I know what name to sue." She winked at you and you let out a shocked laugh.

"Actually, we should probably exchange details so I can pay for the damage"

"No." Her answer was short and to the point. You barely knew the woman but you knew there was no point arguing and yet you did anyway.

"I literally ran you over. At least let me buy you a new bike."

"I'll let you buy me a drink." Her mouth curled up into a smirk.

"Sure. When are you out of here?"

"Not for a while. You have to sneak us out."

You looked at her, unimpressed. "I'm pretty sure that's against the rules."

"Against what rules?"

"The rules of life or something."

"Obey all the rules and you're going to miss out on the fun parts of life."

You glanced around the room, looking for a possible way out. Natasha looked pretty badly injured so you assumed walking all the way down the stairs and out the door would be out of the question. The windows were those suicide proof windows that didn't open all the way out which left only one other option.

"I decide where we're going and I take you right back here as soon as you finished your drink okay?"

Natasha thought it over "...fine."

You exited the room and asked for a wheelchair, claiming it was for your sick, old, aunt. You grabbed a scarf you saw on a chair and headed back to Natasha's room.

"Okay put this on your head." You handed her the scarf, positioning the wheelchair so she could slide into it.

See the full post

441 notes - Posted July 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Two little lines

Genre: angst/fluff

Pairing: Natasha x reader

Word count: 2752

warnings: swearing, unhealthy relationships, abusive relationships, pregnancy, suggestions of abortion - I think that's it.

A/n: omg have I posted a fic?? I think hell froze over. utter madness. NOW, enjoy this because I have 0 creative juice atm and this literally took a miracle to write XD This is a lil bit depressing but it has a good ending I promise. If you don't like abortion, don't read. We're pro-choice here.

xoxo

In real life, accidents aren't happy.

You're learning that the hard way. You are pregnant. Your stomach dropped and all you could hear was blood rushing through your veins. How could two lines ruin your life?

You didn't want this.

You couldn't do it. Not with him.

You were on birth control.

Natasha was going to kill you.

Your thoughts rushed just as quickly as your blood did. Your boyfriend's grin made you feel even more ill. Nothing about this whole situation was right. You didn't want children. Mark did, but you didn't. Mark thought you had stopped taking birth control a year ago and in some ways you did. You no longer took the pill but instead had an implant fitted. An implant that was 99% effective.

You wanted to cry.

Mark had been making you take a pregnancy test twice a month. He controlled your diet so there was the greatest chance of you getting pregnant and cut all alcohol. He still enjoyed a cold beer though. You had seen the horrors of pregnancy and wanted nothing to do with it. When you began dating Mark two years ago, you made it clear that children, unless from either a surrogate or adoption, would not be in your future. He nodded and told you he respected your decision.

How were you to know he still wanted a baby?

There were numerous red flags that you should have seen but didn't. If any of your friend's partners treated them the way Mark treated you, you would have gone ballistic. Unfortunately for you, Mark was extremely good at making those red flags look green. He slowly cut you off from your family, arguing that you were in a different country now with completely different time zones so of course talking to them would become difficult. Then it was your friends. He said he overheard them talking shit about the two of you, about how they only wanted to use you for your connections. He cried in your arms and the display of vulnerability from usually such a stoic man was the final nail in the coffin.

He had you hook line and sinker.

When he finally left for work, you knocked on your neighbours door. Natasha took one look at you, with your eyes full of unshed tears, and immediately let you inside. She sat you down in her living room and went about her apartment to make you a hot drink.

"I'm pregnant." Your tongue was thick in your mouth and your throat tight as Natasha handed you a mug of what looked like hot chocolate.

She didn't say anything.

"I don't want to be pregnant Natasha."

"There are... options."

"Mark would kill me."

"Mark is killing you Y/n."

And there it was. The same argument you had almost every time you spoke to Natasha. The two of you had gotten close when you had first moved in. She was there before Mark and she was determined to be there after Mark - because there would be an after Mark. Natasha was about the only person you could be completely yourself with.

Mark and Natasha hated each other.

Mark was convinced she had a crush on you and would tear the two of you apart and Natasha was convinced Mark was a monster.

You suppose, logically, Natasha was right. She had known you when you first moved to America and had watched as your smile became less genuine.

See the full post

441 notes - Posted April 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[aradiabotism]

Aradiabotism’s Awful No Good Very Bad Pinned

REQUESTS ARE : OPEN! 0/5 SLOTS FILLED!

Hello! My name is Bethel, but you can also call me Aradia or Aradiabot if you like. I use a variety of pronouns, including zhe/zheyr, xai/xhyn, shx/hxr, ey/em, and zey/zem as my personal favorites. It may be unconventional or whatever, but I do not use she/her, he/him, it/its, or they/them. I will provide a guide on how to use my two favorite pronoun sets below the cut :)

I’m a mean angry man-hating feminist lesbian. /half joke. My style of making collages is actually inspired by some riot grrrl zines, fun fact. Oh, yeah. That’s what I do on this blog. I make collages. I make collages for fandoms, OCs, ships, aesthetics, movements, basically anything! Even pride flags*!

*as of now, I will do pretty much any queer identity as long as you send me a link to the flag or a picture of the flag. As long as it doesn’t fit in my DNI!

I don’t wanna overwhelm your senses so more rambling + DNI + pronoun guide beneath the cut :)

current to-do list : aradiabot collage (personal), godcat collage (personal), transfem erivris <3< collage (personal), tavnep <3 collage (personal), evan redditstuck collage (personal)

DO NOT INTERACT : radqueers/TransIDs, discourse accounts of any kind (syscourse included), proshippers, anti-religion (I get the concept but I’m personally religious and it just feels weird to talk with someone who I know doesn’t respect that), basic criteria ofc, transphobic radfems/TERFs, exclusionists, and uhh idk man please just be Normal Respectful People.

BEFORE YOU FOLLOW : I will not share my stance on *any* discourse other than shipcourse, I am avidly anti-ship but I also stand for anti-harassment. I support most good faith identities (aside from TransIDs/radqueer shit, but I don’t even know if that qualifies as good faith) including mspec lesbians/gays! I draw all the art for my collages so requests will take longer than you’re expecting. I do not typically draw the art for pfps/icons unless requested to do so (I will happily do so btw I just usually don’t). YES, I will include your niche headcanons in my art! I love niche headcanons! You want me to draw Vriska Serket using crutches decorated with stickers? Done. Your blorbo with a nose ring? You got it! Your favorite ship wearing a really ugly pair of matching sweaters? ABSOLUTELY! Give me ALLLLL your weird and hyper specific headcanons >:)

BEFORE YOU REQUEST: Egbert will automatically be transfem in any request involving her, im sorry guys but I’m a June truther forever. I was debating on allowing other headcanons of her but I just can’t my June heart can’t handle her being male.

DO NOT REQUEST :

apart from my DNI, I have some ships/characters/fandoms im not comfortable making collages for. As a whole, my blog accepts collage requests for *any* fandom except the ones listed below!

Hetalia

Countryhumans/statehumans/etc

Most creepypastas (I have a weak stomach yall)

Real People (including Minecraft YouTubers im sorry gays 😭)

Menhera Chan characters

I also won’t do requests involving certain characters!

Haiji from Danganronpa Ultra Despair Girls

The Ancestor from Homestuck (ex, The Grand Highblood)

Doc Scratch from Homestuck

Dottore/The Doctor from Genshin Impact

As for ships, I will not do these:

Romantic/Flushed/<3 meowrails/nepquius. They are qpps in my heart forever.

ANY form of Tavros x Vriska

Meenah x Vriska ( a lot of people forget that Vris was a MINOR when they started dating

Davejade (including davejadekat) (I’ll do jadekat by itself tho)

Saioma/Saiouma/however u spell it

Kanaya Maryam x Men (unless it’s <> I guess)

Rose Lalonde x Men

Honestly any dancestor x troll ship, there’s massive age gaps there that I don’t feel comfortable with.

ANY proship. Including abusive/toxic.

finally here’s the promised guide for how to use my two favorite pronoun sets, zhe/zheyr and xai/xhyn.

FORMAT : NOMINATIVE / ACCUSATIVE / PRONOMINAL POSSESSIVE / PREDICATIVE POSSESSIVE / REFLEXIVE (example : she/her/her/hers/herself)

Zhe/Zheyr/Zheyr/Zheyrs/Zheyrself

Have you met Bethel? Zhe runs a tumblr blog. Yeah, aradiabots? That’s zheyr blog! All the art zhe posts is zheyrs. Zhe’re cool, I guess, but zhe talks way too much about zheyrself.

Xai/Xhyn/Xhyn/Xais/Xaiself

Hey, isn’t that Bethel? Xai is probably writing something to post on xais blog. Xai really never shut up xhyn blog. It’s all xhyn talk about lately. Xai must be really proud of xaiself.

okay that’s it you should follow me while you’re here :)