#also why is everything from like the past two/three months. i really got the online disease then huh

[2001honda-civic]

I posted 9,258 times in 2022

That's 2,948 more posts than 2021!

42 posts created (0%)

9,216 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@/eggtwerp

@/dingdongyouarewrong

@/its-your-mind

@/elytrians

@/hauntedpearl

I tagged 2,519 of my posts in 2022

#spn - 1,181 posts

#tma - 224 posts

#fav - 208 posts

#ofmd - 200 posts

#star trek - 163 posts

#goncharov - 158 posts

#unreality tw - 58 posts

#wwdits - 56 posts

#unreality - 46 posts

#encanto - 25 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#the love was there and you saw it and they told you all that you were delusional but you werent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you were right !!!!!!!!!!!!

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

day 2 of quezify’s eggtober !! it is a fried egg’s world we’re just living in it

241 notes - Posted October 2, 2022

#4

day 10 of quezify's eggtober !!!!!!!!!! lost in the (soy) sauce,,

255 notes - Posted October 11, 2022

#3

day 7 of quezify's eggtober !!!!!!! two fried eggs.........maybe theyll kiss.....

311 notes - Posted October 7, 2022

#2

its fucking eggtober babey !!!!!!

320 notes - Posted October 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

day 3 of quezify's eggtober !!! oh to be a soft boiled egg......

459 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[beemovieerotica]

if you feel comfortable with sharing, can you explain the process for the psilocybin trial? like what you had to do, who was with you in the room, the people involved, ect.

Oh for sure!

The whole process took about 4 months from the initial screening survey to the first actual treatment. (I still have another treatment scheduled for a couple weeks from now, as of writing this).

To get started, I filled out a survey online, sent an e-mail to their point of contact, did a brief phone interview, and then I was enrolled.

I had 2 big in-person pre-treatment events, and the first was a full 8-hour day of psychological and physical screenings (lots and lots of surveys) - including an in-person sit-down with a psychiatrist going through basically everything in my past. Adverse events, my childhood, life stress, relationships, anything that might come up during the psilocybin session and that plays a part in aggravating OCD.

I also talked with an OCD specialist, another remote psychiatrist, and did a full physical with their medical team, got a complete blood panel done, and an EKG since hallucinogens can cause spikes in blood pressure, and I would have been screened out if I had any cardiac conditions.

Once I got the all-clear on my blood panel and EKG reading, I was able to move on to he second in-person visit. It was a full day of EEG testing to get my baseline brain activity down - they hooked me up to a monitor with electrodes on my head, and I played a lot of very boring video games, did memory tests, and they showed me distressing, neutral, and happy images to see what my reaction was - again, for a full 8-ish hour day.

All of these in-person visits required urine drug screenings - I was not allowed to take THC or any other substance for the duration of the study. Specific prescription medications are also not allowed.

We then set the date for my actual dosing sessions and I was assigned two guides. One of them is an MD + psychiatrist, the other is a psychiatrist. I had three prep sessions with them, going in-depth and basically letting them know who I am and why I want to do all this, and they were there to answer any questions I had and help get me mentally prepared. Overall we wanted to establish trust & safety, because they would be the two people watching over me and interacting with me during my session.

I went in-person two days before my session to see the space where I would be tripping and meet my guides face to face. The space is a very soothing psychiatrist's office type place with a sofa, comfy chairs, nice carpeting, and peaceful pictures on the walls. My guides are awesome - they were selected for me by the point of contact who had helped me through most of the screening, who worked to match participants with study staff. There's always an open line of communication - I've been able to text and call them with concerns, and I was also notified that if I want to change guides at any point (or if I want to drop out of the study altogether) I can do so with no repercussions.

The dosing session was a full 9-5 day: I arrived at 8:30 to do a urine drug screening, fill out surveys, and then I took a blue pill and waited for the effects to kick in. The whole session was recorded for my safety and for accountability of the guides.

The sofa had been converted to a bed - I was asked, as much as possible, to just lie down, put on a sleep mask to block out any vision / light, and wear noise-canceling headphones with a pre-selected playlist of instrumental music on it. I really enjoyed the playlist (lol) I felt like it set the tone for a lot of the revelations I had, and they genuinely did a great job choosing tracks.

The whole point was to minimize outside influences and to have the participants look inward and work on themselves. The guides offered two options for physical reassurance: if I wanted, I could put my hand out and one of them would come over and ask, "Do you want your hand held?" and if I replied affirmatively, they would hold my hand firmly until I asked them to stop. They also offered a "shoulder touch" - firm pressure on the shoulder - but I only took the hand hold for about a half hour on the come-up before sailing off on my own.

They also said that I was completely free to remove the headphones and mask and talk to them at any point if it became overwhelming - they would engage with me as much as I needed to, but they would gently encourage participants to re-enter the "default state" (lying down, eyes closed, music on).

I ended up only talking to them when I needed bathroom breaks - they walked me over to the bathroom (no lock), waited outside, and walked me back to make sure I didn't fall.

They had a medical kit in the room, and I was told that if my blood pressure ever reached a concerning point, they had sub-lingual meds that could lower it and put me back in a safe zone. My BP was fine the whole time, and other than my heart rate being a bit high from initial anxiety, it leveled off as soon as the peak hit.

I was in it, processing and crying for the whole 5 hours of the trip and only responding when they needed to take my blood pressure and heart rate (at first every 5 minutes, then 30 minutes, then every hour - this was done with minimal interruption, I barely noticed it happening). After the trip, I came out of it and talked to them and processed a little bit of what had happened still on the video recording - they were really curious about big first impressions and highlights of the trip. I filled out a bunch of surveys. Spouse came and picked me up, and I was asked to do a full write-up at home capturing everything I'd experienced on the trip.

I'm currently in the "in-between" phase and am doing my check-ins and processing of the first trip before I do my second one next-next week. The full study length is six months long - I'm going to keep doing check-ins and surveys into next year to see if the positive effects actually stick around for that long. Six months is kind of the gold standard for a lot of clinical trials, and I think it's also about as long as they can usually retain people and keep them responding to surveys lol. I'm trying to think if I've missed anything, let me know if you have any other questions!

[raining-tulips]

hi! i just found your blog :) love your commonplace book scans! if you don’t mind me asking, could you give a more in-depth explanation of what commonplacing is exactly and what your process is? i’m intrigued and considering getting into it but i wouldn’t even know where to start! thanks a lot xx

Absolutely! So my commonplace is specifically all movies, qoutes, articles, tumblr/Instagram posts, book excerpts, etc. that either resonated with me or I think I'll want to reference later. That is the heart of what common placing is - saving things for later physically rather than digitally.

Some of these just pop up in my feed, and I'll hit the like or save button. If it's an article, it usually first pops up as a preview on my Instagram and I'll open the full article on my desktop than bookmark it in a specific folder for common placing.

Sometimes, when I want to actively find something out (say, about if perfume is really bad for the environment, or I want to look at author interviews because I just loved a book) I will go out and search for that information.

Then, usually once a week I compile everything I'd like to print - i print the sources bc my handwriting is messy - into a word document formatted for two columns. I try and hold off printing until i have a full page worth, or two full page worth.

For images, I have another word document (these are printed in color, and i usually have to jigsaw to fit as many images on the page as possible, so different word document). Same thing, I try and wait until I have a full page to print. Usually x2 a month. I sometimes will print with an HP sprocket but the quality is really bad and the pictures are thick so, it's for when I'm out of printer ink or I think a photo will look okay with a sorta...uneven look.

I use just a Staples brand journal, TruRed. Cheap and easy. I draw a line at the top so I can write the date, and in the future if I want to tag it with a colored sticker or something, I can. My layouts usually include divided space on either the left or right of a page. The article goes in the bigger open space, and then the source (always write your source!!) and any commentary goes in the smaller margins.

Commentary is usually why I wanted to print it, what it reminds me of or makes me think about, etc. What I think the argument was missing, etc. Can be as little or as much as you like. As emotional and deep or as plain-jane as you like. There are no rules!

I trim printed text and images with a 12 inch trimmer bc I've got wobbly hands, but some people just use a little (blanking on the name) exacto knife? Any 12 inch trimmer will do mine is expensive but I also scrapbook so I use it all the time.

I paste things in using a tape runner (again, because I scrapbook and found a tape runner and my mom sells scrapbook supplies they're very accessible to me). Some people use tape, washi tape, glue sticks (liquid glue I've never seen).

And yeah, then I just decorate and play around. It doesn't have to be pretty. It can be really pretty if you want - I'm motivated by aesthetics, so, I like mine to be a little pretty.

If you'd like to see how I actually put it together and why I print certain things, my YouTube channel is the place to go.

Some people tape in movie tickets, receipts from where they shopped or ate, pictures from daily life. Some people mix common-placing and journaling, so including diary entries about their day or about a topic they love, or their thoughts and feelings (I keep mine in a separate journal, explained in this video). Some people mix common-placing with bullet journal or planning. Some combine all three!

At the end I just use a printer scanner (HP Envy 5500, cheap) and post them online that way bc I love the look.

People who have other styles you might try and look at are @petite-gloom (an OG who inspired me and many others) @fakelavender , @teddybearsticker .

[foster-the-world]

Finished

Spent a few hours shopping today. Needed to get the kids and myself winter things. I think the kids are set. The girls winter coats from last year still fit. Still need to press order on a new winter coat for myself. I've lost about 25 pounds recently enough so all of my old pants didn't fit. I'd like to lose another five or so - so that I can gain it back at Christmas :) Although, generally happy to maintain. Feels good to be more health conscious.

I've been searching for a great pair of comfortable winter shoes. Probably an Ankle boot type that I can dress up or down. Any suggestions of super comfortable shoes are welcome. I'm happy to pay more for something that will last. In the past I've ended up buying things that aren't comfortable and wearing sneakers instead. I already have a food/fashionable pair of Nikes, a pair of snow boots and a pair of rain boots. The snow boots/rain boots will last at least a decade and I get good use of them in NYC. I did order a returnable pair today. Will see if they are comfortable.

The Jewish Community Center offered a mini photo session. I think I have outfits everyone can wear but need to double check. I think I have everything ordered for Halloween.

Sometimes the third kid stuff feels overwhelming. One of baby boys classmates asked us to carve pumpkins with them this weekend. I missed the message so we didn't go. It reminded me that soon enough I'll now have a third kid that wants to have friends over, etc. Now that he's in school I'll need to plan Halloween treats for his class, also. That means 45 bags total and that's only because of our small class size. With most NYC schools I'd be looking at 3 classes times 30 kids in each. Our school doesn't have a room parent situation. I'm not sure why? I generally offer to send in a Halloween craft, cupcakes, juice, etc to help out the teacher. I also make it clear there is no obligation. I figure if I don't do it the teacher will pay themselves. My Aunt always sends the Micheals craft kids - so those are covered. So far, all of the teachers have happily taken it. The PTA also plans a Fall Fest I'm helping organize. The Police Athletic League is offering jumbo games and a blow up football field (not sure what that is??). They are asking for candy donations - so I got a huge bag on sale this weekend. Its a simple event but the kids love it.

I'm thinking of doing a party in baby boys class the day he is adopted. The adoption should be online so it won't have much fan fair. I thought it might be nice to bring cupcakes and read a book about adoption and/or how there are many types of families. The girls will join. I thought about seeing if we could do it in the gym with all three kids class. The party/event will mean more to the girls then baby boy. Previously I had thought about not celebrating at all but have since revisited the idea. I'm hoping its appropriate to celebrate as long as we also acknowledge the loss in the long run. He's three now so none of it means much to him. He does tell us he's adopted. He does understand he has two dads, two mom's, etc. Beyond that who knows what he gets? We will keep talking so he keeps learning more.

Our first foster daughter is 7.5 and lives with her Grandma. Her mom has had three more children. This past weekend the youngest kid (9ish months old) was removed and given to Grandma. I don't really understand how its safe for the other two to stay but not him?? Grandma said "she has them for now"?? Grandma never seems particularly stable to me but I hope it all works out. Poor babies. Poor Grandma. Poor Mom.

[accountingacademic]

New Year, Fresh Start

Daily Reflection Monday, 1 January, 2024

Things I'm Grateful For:

Having my ever-growing to-do list written down in my planner, so I don't have to forget those things I need to do.

Highlights:

Since I was up past midnight with friends, I made a final "fuck it, I'm staying up all night." After everyone logged off, I had a spurt of productivity and got a bunch of little odds and ends taken care of.

Even if it only really amounts to $1 per day, I enjoy the feeling like I'm setting myself up for success when I transfer some money into my investment account each month. Because January has 31 days, I transferred $31 this time. It's in a TFSA so I won't be taxed on what the money earns, and it's a zero-commission account, so everything that is put into that account will be mine when I withdraw it.

I didn't get everything on my to-do list done for the day, but I still managed to do quite a bit! I don't mind carrying over two tasks, especially when one of them is 90% done.

Challenges:

I couldn't get my money stuff taken care of when I first wanted to because my bank's online portal was down for maintenance. Bit of a nuisance, even though it's not really a huge deal--I don't have to deal with my money at 4:00am, it can wait until a more reasonable hour.

I accidentally ended up napping in the middle of the day. I laid down around 11:00am, and then dozed off and slept until about 2:30pm. So that took a chunk of time away from me that I could have used, but after an all-nighter, three and a half hours won't ruin everything.

Emotions:

I feel like an asshole, and a terrible friend. A friend of mine is going through a rough patch because a woman ran a red light the other day and fucked up his car. He's going through the process of trying to get proof for his insurance that he wasn't at fault, and trying to figure out what's going to happen to his car (he spent all his savings on it less than two months ago, and the odds are pretty much 50/50 that it could be written off). I fully understand that he needs to vent, but I just really don't like listening to that kind of thing. I want to just go and tune him out so it feels like a win-win (he gets to vent, I don't have to actually listen), but that also feels like a terrible thing to do.

The shoes I ordered with my Christmas money are supposed to be here tomorrow, according to FedEx. It's hard to say how accurate that is though, as it's been "we have your package" since the 28th, with the order itself placed on the 25th. If it's not in tomorrow, Wednesday would also work. I just want them in before I go back to school on Thursday.

Lessons Learned:

For all that my friends are usually there for me when I need it (even though I will rarely ask for help), I'm not great at doing the same for them. I think that's part of why I don't ask for help; I don't want to be one of those people who ask for help all the time but never offer anything in return. I want it to be fairly balanced, and unfortunately, holding back on my end is how I can help keep it that way.

Today's To-Do List:

Completed

Readjust the cat feeder to dispense at night.

Reorganize phone apps.

Find new wallpapers for my phone and laptop.

Divide my second student loan disbursement into GICs.

Pay board.

Clean out my D&D binder and prepare for the new campaign.

Renew my FitBit Premium membership.

Add $31 to my investment account.

Give the cats baths.

Put together the grocery list.

Uncompleted

Clean out my school binder and prepare for the new semester.

Finish catching up on laundry.

Tomorrow's To-Do List:

Buy a mirror that hangs off the door for my bedroom.

Buy a notebook to start a commonplace book.

Get groceries.

Nana's housework.

[domestikhighway58]

✨ 2022 Writing Year In Review ✨

Thanks to @spencer-reids-adventures for tagging me! Woo!

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 58 (LOL UNINTENTIONAL)

2. Word count posted for the year: 1,099,815

3. Fandoms I wrote for: Criminal Minds, Harry Potter, Parks & Rec (but yo, I don't really count those last two)

4. Pairings: Luke Alvez/Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid, Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid/The BAU Team, couple random outliers in there somewhere. Feel blessed I didn't drop any of my 4 Jeid fics in public.

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: Casimir Pulaski Day with 536

Bookmarks: Casimir Pulaski Day with 262

Comments: And again! Casimir Pulaski Day with 151 comment threads (why is sadness so popular?)

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why):

Honestly? My first ever fic and the thing that got me back into writing. The Eyes Have It literally opened my own eyes to writing again after a decade of not touching a keyboard. I did not think I would make it past 1000 words, let alone the 100,000 words that fic inspired. I had never written dialogue seriously before, never come up with any kind of extended plot, never explored character arcs, or even written creatively past a few lines of poetry. I posted that first chapter assuming I would lose interest or my depression would get the best of me yet again but neither of those things happened. I finished the three-part series three months later and made so many amazing fandom friends through that one fic. Even if it's not my most popular or even best-written work so far, it will always be my favorite.

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why):

OOF. Well, quite a few fit that category but one I'm quite sad about is also just a symptom of my itchy fingers when it comes to writing whatever pops in my head. I deleted it (so sorry) but I plan to return to it one day and make it what I wanted it to be. If you're dying for shitty Highway58 drunkfics, here are these two terrible gems: The Wolf (terrible half-assed attempt at werewolf Spencer, update coming the next time I have whiskey) and my one and only Harry Potter fic, Sequi Mi, where I decided no matter how hard I fangirled on HP in my youth I can't do it anymore now. Maybe one day.

8. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

My very first few comments on my first-ever fic bolstered my confidence like nothing else could. Some were short, some were so long and detailed that they made me cry. I recall two specific commenters who stuck by that crazy story with inspiration and encouragement and they are now in my circle of online friends I never would have found if I didn't keep writing. <3 Every comment I get is an amazing compliment and every single person who decides to take the time to read my bullshit is a goddamned gift.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard:

Several stories I've completed this year spanned a time of my life that I thought was my lowest point. While writing it out through fic was helpful, it was also an outlet that exposed my issues and forced me to face them. The hardest time for me to write was also the time I probably wrote the most, when I was in that lowest space around this time last year. I felt guilty about it when everything else was going to hell but I kept doing it. Ultimately, exploring this side of my creativity allowed me to overcome some of those massive problems I thought were insurmountable.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: 

So many. I think I was somewhat surprised to find how much I enjoy writing the OC protagonist from their warped perspectives. I wrote a sadistically evil Doctor, a psychopathic billionaire heiress, and a Wild West warlord this year all within the context of CM and they were SO MUCH fun, I'm sad I killed them all. I also just think it's interesting to explore the potential depths of OCs within the fanfiction genre. So, that was a pleasant surprise when all I anticipated starting on this journey was a new way to explore the characters I already love.

11. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

Ugh. I dunno. Too many words, but here's this from my first OC I still love and miss: Cheers, Caro, you might be in my first OG novel one day:

"Time to make an offering. 

The clothes and the phone bundled in her hands, she turned to the door. Walked down the narrow stairs, across the empty hall. Pushed the creaking screen door open against a violent night, the storm which had gathered earlier finally unleashing its fury. 

She cradled the phone with the image of those hands frozen, locked against her. Against her. On her. In her. Choking life back into her. 

Edging the rusted gate open she entered the garden. The wildness couldn’t compare with home, but it was something. " The Eyes Have It, Chapter 19

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: 

I think I've expressed this already elsewhere but... I wasn't a writer at all before this year. I dabbled for years in poetry and songwriting before landing at a point where I assumed my creativity was dead beneath the yoke of daily life and responsibility. When I started reading fanfiction, I was more depressed than I have ever been in my life. I buried myself in the words of others and wished I could even come close to that kind of creative expression. So when I finally sat down to write a story, I outlined something that came nowhere close to the story I ultimately wrote--and that's when I learned it's not about planning or hoping to do it, it's just about doing it. So, if anything, I grew comfortable with the idea that I can write and that I should--for myself. Because it helps.

13. How do you hope to grow next year:

I hope to start finishing my WIPs more succinctly and with a bit more regularity. I do think I need to spend less time writing fanfic and more time honing my other skills. It is difficult to find the delicate balance between doing something for fun and doing it because you feel you need to please others. That's the double-edged sword of writing and posting fics--sometimes you feel the guilt weigh heavy when you let. a story lie there for months without relief. So, I want to probably slow down with my writing and be a little more intentional with it going forward. (Though honestly, that pains me to imagine--I love following the faintest whiff of fresh plot wherever it might lead). I do know I have no plans on stopping now that I've started.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): 

This is so hard. I've met so many new people this year who have endlessly encouraged and inspired me. Way too many to list here. I will shout out to @foggyblues-ralvez for being the first person to say Hi to me from the fandom (seriously, my dear Mandy, thank you <3). @masterwords, I love you and writing with you has been a fucking honor (also just hi, you should do this if you haven't yet, ily). @spencer-reids-adventures--endless love for your support and comments and the sprints, literally every step of the way. And then I'll shout out @brillianthijinx because darlin' you bring out a side in me I love and am terrified by lol, in the best way. But again, if I were to personally shout out every single person who has made an impact on me and my writing this year this silly thing would be longer than my ao3 wordcount. No one wants that.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

I won't go into detail here, but, yes. I write Spencer as my comfort character. While I sensationalize his issues to suit the story, the emotions are written from repressed experiences I have never explored. Writing is therapy as much as it is an obsession for me.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Just start writing. Don't think. Write. Share it or don't. Edit or don't. Just write. Every damn day, if you can.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

Good lord, ALL of them. I hope to finish Casimir Pulaski Day by the end of January. I will be bringing back Signed, Sealed, Delivered in January as well. I want to finish up a few short fics soon and then continue my sequel to Silk Road quite soon. I have several A/B/O fics in the works, including the sequel to Old Town Road. @masterwords and I will of course be continuing our soft Hotchreid saga in Missing Pieces of Sleep. And then, you know, in my spare time I plan to start up part 2 of Finding it Out to explore some complicated Moreid/Hotchreid love triangle stuff within the canon. So, I've got a few things going on, ya.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

@masterwords @eldrai @goobzoop @tobias-hankel @pandorasdreamings @fortheloveofwonderland

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

Random Idea junk drawer

So I had a great time doing my Wangxian-centric Breath of the Wild AU last year, and when I finished it I definitely left the epilogue open-ended enough to do more Zelda AU’s/Fusions in the future (I still don’t REALLY know how big the difference is between AU’s and Fusions and which one my other-content-inspired stuff usually counts as but I DIGRESS) because here’s the thing. The Thing(TM). Zelda games are my JAM. They were baby’s first special interest. Literally.

When I was 7 years old my parents bought a GameCube and a game disk that had 4 remastered Classic Zelda games on it (two 2D, two 3D) as well as a 20-minute playable demo for Wind Waker, with three different starting locations to choose from that you could play as many times as you wanted. And you bet my little 7-year-old ass played every bit of it that was within my skill level (which was not much lol), until I got my next Zelda game at 10 (that was Twilight Princess, and it was the first Zelda game I ever finished). I have the Wii walkthrough book for Twilight Princess that I bought used online and it reeked of cigarettes for months after I got it. I chose a screenshot of one of the characters out of it to paint on one of those horrible school industrial ceiling tiles in my 8th grade art class (sadly the photo of it is lost on an old dead phone, but it was really good, I mixed up all my own custom colors of paint and everything which was like. Impressive for 13 year old me :( ). I have and treasure the Hyrule Historia book. I had shitty ill-fitting graphic tees that said things like ‘Good things come to those who break clay pots’ (really funny to me now that I’m a ceramicist and could easily make pots for myself for the purpose of smashing if I were so inclined [I’m totally gonna]). I have massive Zelda tattoos on the insides of both forearms and I’m planning more so that I’ll hopefully end up with two Zelda half-sleeves. Like ZELDA IS MY THING. WHY I’m not writing more Zelda AU’s and playing around in my expanded sandbox of hyperfixations, I have no idea.

But anyway, I’ve started playing Ocarina of Time again, I have no idea how many times I’ve played it at this point within the last 19 years, and I’ve done it on every Nintendo console possible (except, ironically, the N64 as it was originally made for). So obviously I’m playing along and getting lost in the story because it’s a fuckin good story, as one does, and I was like ‘hey what if Wangxian tho’ and thus. Today’s junk drawer was born. Have I already started an outline of the fic plot points as well? Yes. Did I have to stop myself 800 words in and say that no I can’t just write out the entire plot tonight and no it can’t all go into this junk drawer post because I should actually just write the damn thing instead? Yeah. When will that happen? I don’t wanna think about it, so let’s just have fun talking characters and locations and their implications, shall we?

I’m going to post my notes completely unedited and let y’all see the whole ugly process, and I’m gonna put it below the cut because this is already long enough to scroll past but all I’ve done is gush about Zelda and in doing so further cement my well-established status as a huge fuckin nerd lol:

Jiangs/Lotus Pier as Kokiri Forest -- Deku Tree is Jiang Fengmian (Does this make Madam Yu the giant nasty spider inside????? ew)

- Wei Wuxian -- taken into LP/Kokiri Forest as a young child, young enough to fit in with the other children, but he'll soon be old enough for everyone to know that he isn't one of the lake/river children, he's from Elsewhere. - Jiang Cheng as Mido, small and angry and won't let anyone see JFM/YZY without really fucking good reason but also takes the leadership role in LP/Kokiri Forest once JFM/Deku Tree is dead - Jiang Yanli as Saria, gentle and sweet and fond of music and wandering through the woods that keep their lake hidden from the rest of the world. She'll awaken as a Sage in WWX's adulthood.

Cloud Recesses as Hyrule Castle, Lans are the Royal Family and Sheikah combined

- Lan Qiren as the king of Hyrule, though as the second brother he's supposed to be leading the Sheikah, not sitting on the throne - Lan Xichen (already in his 20's) as Impa. He'll awaken as a Sage in WWX's adulthood. Although he's supposed to be in line for the throne, someone has to be the leader of the Sheikah since LQR can't be, which leaves: - Lan Zhan as Princess Zelda -- plagued by dreams and visions of evil coming to take over the world, but no one takes him seriously because he's still so young. People also forget that in the line of succession he's supposed to be the one protecting the royal family as the next leader of the Sheikah, so it's actually his destiny to have these visions, not to be a politician. He sees in Wei Wuxian someone who's willing to break the rules and society's expectations to be the true hero he's been dreaming about. He'll take up the extremely active role of Wangji/Sheik as an adult, having learnt the Sheikah secrets under Lan Xichen's tutelage and taken up his rightful place as one of them since his escape from the palace as a child.

Kakariko Village -- inhabited by average people (akin to Caiyi town, close with the royal Lan family but not directly cultivators?)

Nies as Gorons in Death Mountain/Goron City/Nie Fortress

- Nie Mingjue as Darunia -- hot-tempered and built like the mountain, willing to swear brotherhood with the boy who came to save his people. He'll awaken as a Sage in WWX's adulthood. (NHS as the snot-nosed kid who hero-worships WWX in adulthood? lol)

Jins/Jinlintai as Zora's Domain -- The Zora are a proud people who live high above the rest of Hyrule at the top of their waterfall (tower). (Golden Carp Tower has a lot of water motifs and they decorate things in teal and gold like the zora do too)

- Jin Guangshan as King Zora - Jin Zixuan as Princess Ruto, eaten by their deity god (who is still a giant fuckin fish, I dunno what else he could be lol) and who thinks he has to be engaged to WWX after giving him the Sapphire (maybe because he was told from a young age he'd have to get engaged to one of the lake children anyway and just didn't know who/hint at unrealized Xuanli?) He'll awaken as a Sage in WWX's adulthood. - Jin Guangyao as (????? :( :( :( where will my boy go?? I need my boy for emotional support)

Wen Ruohan as Ganondorf -- a cruel king wreathed in shadow and flame....I mean it writes itself lol

- Baoshan Sanren as Rauru, the Sage of Light -- withdrew from the mortal world an unknowable amount of time ago to protect the Sacred Realm and has watched over WWX these last seven years as he slept. - Jiang Yanli as Saria, the Sage of Forest -- she awakens into her powers to protect her childhood friend/brother(s), though this will mean having to leave Jiang Cheng on his own in Lotus Pier - Nie Mingjue as Darunia, the Sage of Fire -- he awakens as a sage to honor the Brotherhood oath he swore with WWX in the past - Jin Zixuan as Princess Ruto, the Sage of Water -- he 'dumps' WWX because he has to do the more important work of stopping the apocalypse, try to contain your disappointment WWX, you can still be coworkers and save the world or whatever, if you even care. - Lan Xichen as Impa, the Sage of Shadow -- Lan Xichen must leave the mortal world behind to take up his mantle as the Sage of Shadow, leaving Lan Wangji to carry his worldly responsibilities instead (sort of half-retreating into seclusion like canon) - Wen Qing as Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit -- Wen Qing is the leader of the all-female band of Gerudo thieves who in no way endorse Wen Ruohan's domination of the world. When she leaves to take up her role as the Sage of Spirit, she leaves her cousin Wen Yun (my OC Madam Lan) to lead the Gerudo in her stead. (need to find a role for Wen Ning? Except zelda lore is that only one man is born to the Gerudo at a time every hundred years and he’s always their king. Maybe WN is meant to be the new one but WRH has reached immortality/won’t die and let him succeed him?)

Plot would follow Ocarina of Time fairly closely (Unlike my BOTW AU where I tried to make it...relatively more like canon??) because there's a very definite plot there, while BOTW is so much more fluid it was easier to adapt to something else.

[multifandomlover01]

Pancake Art

Skip and Alex (x reader) (platonic pretty much)

Art/baking

I think the reader is pretty gender neutral here

And there’s no real romance

So I kinda cheated bc you fry pancakes, you don’t really bake them, but I don’t care, I do what I want, ok?

Word count: 721

Disclaimer: I don’t own BoB or the character portrayals of the real people or the real people. I only own my writing.

Author’s Note: I don’t know if I liked how this one turned out, it’s shorter than my first one and I don’t think there’s enough interaction with the Bois like…it doesn’t feel like there’s enough here, it feels empty

Tag list that no one on it asked for, but let me know if you want to be on or off of it: @cody-helix02 @georgelust @immrsgeorge-luz

Your alarm clock went off and woke you up at 6:30. You were momentarily confused about why you had set it for so early until you remembered that two of your neighbors (each from either side of you) were coming over today to make and eat breakfast with you, something the three of you tried to do at least once a month.

You got up and got ready before they arrived. You were in the kitchen making sure you had everything you might need when you heard a knock at the door. You excitedly ran to the door to open it. The three of you embraced before you welcomed them into your home.

The three of you entered your kitchen and you offered to get them drinks if they wanted them. Alex requested a water while Skip requested orange juice. While you were getting them those drinks, you discussed what you wanted to do for breakfast.

“I was thinking pancakes. I know we’ve been doing more elaborate stuff the past few months, so I thought it’d be nice to go back to basics.” Skip suggested.

“That sounds great!”

“But, I was also thinking that we could still have some fun with it.”

“Oh?”

“You know those videos of…like people doing art or whatever with pancake batter? Like cats and different shapes.”

“Oh yeah! Those look so cool! I’ve always wanted to try that!”

“What better opportunity to!” Alex pointed out.

“I just hope we don’t screw it up.”

“Hey, the most important thing about us doing this has always been having fun. Do you remember the soufflés?”

You shuddered. Oh the poor chocolate soufflés.

“I don’t want to remember the soufflés. But I get your point. What I do remember from that disaster is you two trying to salvage it, but it just kept getting worse and worse.”

“See! Worst case scenario is it’ll be another amazing memory just like the soufflés!”

“Yeah…just like the soufflés.”

You gave Alex and Skip their drinks and began getting the materials read for pancakes. You got food dye, some shapes that you weren’t sure would work, as well as some squeeze bottles that took you forever to locate.

When you got back from gathering your materials, Skip and Alex were looking up designs online that might be fun to try out. Skip found some really complex ones totally not for beginners that you had to shoot down.

“Why don’t we just try something simple, like a heart. I have some red food dye. That should be easy enough to shape and do.”

“Well if you wanna go the boring route, sure.” Skip grumbled.

“I want to try it out and see how it goes, ok? This seems like it’ll have a high chance of success even though I’ve never done this before.”

We made the pancake batter in a container and poured some of it into one of the bottles, making a slight mess, but that was all part of the fun. You put the food dye in the bottle and mixed it around until you got a nice color.

Alex had already put the skillet on the stove, turned it on and melted the butter. So you were good to go. You aimed and squeezed the bottle, making a heart outline before you quickly filled it in. Skip flipped the cake after a few seconds so it could cook on the other side. The side he flipped to looked alright, seeing as the batter had solidified fast enough and there was indeed a heart shaped pancake, not an undefined blob.

You all cheered in celebration as Skip put the pancake on a plate after it had cooked enough on the other side.

Skip put some more batter into one of the bother bottles and put blue food dye into it. He put a base of regular batter down into a circle shape, put two blue circles on it and then grabbed the red bottle and drew a smile. Alex flipped it over and the smily face was clear.

You made a few more heart pancakes. Skip made a few more smiley face pancakes. And Alex had colored the last of the batter yellow and made a blue, pink, and yellow rainbow with the different batters.

You were all immensely proud of your art. Not only did they look cute, they tasted great.

[from-me-to-you-unsent-letters]

Unsent Email: August 28 (Wednesday)

Henloo, Jo! 🐳

I've been trying to limit myself in sending you emails na hindi ko naman masesend. Maybe it's an effort to forget, maybe not. I'm not sure. I've been doing a lot of things I'm not really sure of.

I started my masters na sa Mapúa. I told you I applied around June, right? Well, tinuloy ko na rin and this month, nag-start na yung classes namin. Puro online lang naman so, that's good. I have three subjects. One sa Monday, Advanced Theories of Personality, one on Wednesday, Development of Psychological Thought, and one ng Saturday, Advanced Statistics. To be honest, feeling ko matatanggal ako sa program after this term. There is a lot to be read and alot to write. A lot of research involved as well. I don't know. I've been having a hard time trying to keep up with the outputs na hinihingi sa amin for the past two weeks. I've always known, even in college, na to keep up with everything, I have to work twice, maybe even thrice as much as everyone else. Alam ko rin yun nung nag-review ako for boards kaya sobrang disappointing sa akin before na walang pumapasok sa utak ko. Tipong iiyak na lang ako kasi wala talaga. Ewan ko ba. With Mapúa, wala namang residency yung program pero once na magkaroon ka ng grade below 2.00, tanggal ka na. Hirap in fairness. Ilang beses na kaya kong muntik bumagsak nung college kung hindi lang dahil sa curve.

I also signed my JO din with White & Case. I applied as their Learning & Development Admin. I know, it seems like a step down from what I was doing pero when I sent my CV, I was just sending it for the purpose of sending it knowing na I really don't have much funds to go on with. I also thought na baka mas madaling hindi ka isipin if maging busy ako. So, yeah... I got the offer at around second week ng August, the same time na nag-start yung classes. I didn't think I'd get the position nung nag-enroll ako. Plus, even if I did, I didn't have plans to declare it kasi masakit sa ulo. Sa lahat ng interviews na pinagdaanan ko, they would always become "off" kapag sinabi mong mag-mamasters ka eventually. They think na aalis ka kaagad sa company kapag ganon. Sucks but that the reality of applying, I guess. Pero I had to declare it sa White & Case kasi may onsite work ng Wednesday and Thursday and tatamaan yung isa kong class. After I declared it, they became hesitant in pushing through sa JO. They sort of made it seem like I wasn't giving them an answer f whether or not I'll push through sa position but I wanted to push through sa position at the same time as masters. At some point, I actually felt na parang "either this or that" yung offer. If itutuloy ko yung sa kanila, need ko i-drop yung masters. If not, then di sila tutuloy sa offer. I told them I dropped my weekday classes -- which I did for a moment pero I re-enrolled kasi sayang yung nasimulan. Plus, ang daming classmates so pag dinrop ko tapos mag-enroll ako ulit sa susunod, baka mas konti na yung mga tao and mas marami akong need i-report. So ayun, I'll start ng Sept. 18.

Sa dami ng pinapagawa sa masters, I thought it would make it easier not to think about you. I thought it might be easier na hindi ka maalala, hindi maalala yung tayo. I was wrong. You'd pop up, out of nowhere, and I would want to rip my heart out. Despite tons of readings, your voice, memories still linger and I'll find myself having a hard time focusing. I thought this distraction would make it easier. It hasn't.

Lumabas kami nila Rach at Nics nung Saturday. Pumunta kami sa Storya Kitchen + Bar sa may QC. They asked me why I took up masters bigla nung the last time we were together, work lang naman hinahanap ko. I couldn't look at them when I answered -- I know how they'll react when I tell them the reason. But I told the truth, "distraction." As expected, they were disappointed and exasperated na I'm still not over it, I'm still not over you. Well, they're not the only ones disappointed. They tried to keep my mind out of it. We talked about plans na mag-Siargao on October. I guess I'd have to take a leave agad. Making plans was fun. Ang tanong na lang is kung matutuloy ba dahil sa MPox at kung may bagyo ng time na yun. We planned to go ng October 24-27. I hope it coincides when you're gone. May Boracay kayo this October , di ba? Sa 60th birthday ni papa niyo? I hope it coincides with when you're gone para hindi ko maalala na wala ka.

Nung pauwi na ako, I couldn't help but cry. I couldn't tune out the music. Alam mo yung kanta ng December Avenue tsaka Moira? "Kung di rin tayo sa huli, aawatin na ang puso kong ibigin ka." It played loudly sa sasakyan. It's so easy to blame it on the music when truthfully, I've been keeping things bottled up for so long, letting very little out, and I just popped.

I think I am back to anger. Galit nanaman ako kay Lord. Nung nagsimba kami nung Sunday, I told Him na I couldn't understand why I have to get hurt over something I didn't pray for, I didn't ask in the first place. Kasi kaya ng ako naghihintay di ba? Hindi nagmamadali. Para kapag tama na yung oras, tama na yung panahon, tama na rin yung tao. I still don't understand I'm just hurting.

Ang dami kong gustong ikwento sa'yo. Ang dami kong gustong sabihin pero ni-isa wala akong pwedeng gawin. God! I wish you were here, Jo. I wish I could stop missing you and crying kasi andito ka na. Andito ka na ulit.

As I'm writing this, I'm waiting for my class tonight. It's 5:33pm. Baka mamayang 6pm pa mag-start. And instead of preparing myself for the report, here I am, missing you instead.

---

I finished my report. Ang haba lang ng pagsasalita ko. Parang umabot ata ako sa 1 hour na nagsasalita. I had the psychoanalysis and behaviorism schools of thought as discussion and psychoanalysis talaga yung pinaka mahaba. Hindi pa complete yun actually since hindi ko na kinumpleto yung psychodynamic theorists. I even forgot to turn over the floor to my next group mate kasi by the time na natapos na ako, pagod na akong magsalita. Then, I got a message from Maam JM after class asking bakit ang haba daw ng report ko. I don't know if it was just a question or judgment. With her, I never know.

By the way, I haven't told you pero I'm invited for a teaching demo and second level interview sa Cambridge University and Press sa Makati din. I still pushed through sa initial interview ko with them kasi during that time parang hanging sa balance yung offer ko from White & Case. I'm not sure what I should do about the invitation. Like, pupuntahan ko ba or wag na? During the interview kasi, I was really impressed with what they would like the person who'll take the role do. Plus, regular employee ka na kaagad pag-start mo pa lang. The position is HR Advisor on L&D. Mas in line siya with the L&D field na pwede kong pasukin if ever. On the down side, it seems like the position might require a lot of work. The responsibilities ng kukuha ng position would have to work hard para sa L&D part unlike yung admin role ng White & Case. I don't know, I'm just torn. Parang sayang din kasi benefits na meron sa Cambridge and it really seemed like a good opportunity. I'm not sure what to do. Pero kasi, the last time I forgone an offer for another na hindi pa naman sure, hindi naman ako nakuha. Yung dati sa PressReader. Umabot din ako sa final interview stage pero wala... Iniisip ko na baka mamaya, sabihin ko sa White & Case na "no" tapos di din naman ako yung makukuha sa Cambridge. Balik nanaman ako sa simula. I have to think about it and make a decision by tomorrow. The schedule for the demo is supposedly this Friday na. I haven't prepared for anything if I would actually go to the demo.

Nakaaway ko si mama ngayon. It was over a small stuff but I guess nag-explode ako kasi lagi na lang sinisita. It was over food. Habang kumakain ng lunch, I said a remark na bakit parang puro okra yung nasa bowl ko. I was going to transfer some kay Inah kasi hindi naman talaga ako fan ng okra. Tapos, she kept insisting na wag kong ilipat and kainin ko. Alam mo yung sobrang mapilit? Ganon. And then I shouted. I actually can't remember what I said. Probably something along the lines of "kumakain ako pero ang dami lang.' I really can't remember. Anyway, napasigaw ata ako ng malakas and sabi ni mama na wag akong high blood. Don ako lalong nagalit. I don't think I meant it to be something bad, yung sinabi ko na napalakas boses ko. I felt na after I said it, I was going to say na it was a joke or something. Pero nung sinabi ni mama yun, nagalit na ako ng tuluyan. Kasi bakit kapag siya okay lang na mamilit pero hindi ako pwedeng umayaw? Bakit sila pwedeng magalit tapos ako hindi? She kept saying na during her time, hindi niya pwedeng sigawan si nanay ng ganon. Nagalit lang ako lalo kasi hindi niya narerealize, kahit na ilang beses na i-point out sa kanya, na meron din siyang mali. Apparently, sa kanila, kapag magulang ka, hindi ka nagkakamali... or at least that's what it seems to me. I washed my dishes tapos di na ako bumaba. I kept myself isolated sa kwarto hanggang sa mag-class na. Even after class, di pa rin ako bumaba. I'm still kinda pissed and also feels guilty for my part. Alam ko lang na kung bumaba ako at mag-sorry, maiinis lang ako ulit if she insists na she's right. So hahayaan ko na lang for today. I don't know what will happen tomorrow.

Alam mo ba, during class kanina, I keep thinking na you'll suddenly cross sa background. Yes, granted naka-background si Maam JM ng Mapúa related background pero I just thought na baka lang dumaan ka, baka lang magsalita ka. Baka lang nasa kusina or sala siya and it so happened na you were there and makiki-chismiis ka sa class niya. I guess wishing for something makes it more likely na hindi mangyayari sa akin.I wish I could have seen you through that. Or heard your voice. Para kahit na sa ganoong paraan lang, makita at marinig kita.

I try to lie to myself na gusto kong maging okay na lahat, hindi na masakit, hindi ka na namimiss. Maybe if I tell myself that often, it becomes my truth. Maybe not the actual truth pero at least yung truth na panghahawakan ko. But, really, all I want is for things to be okay kasama ka. Hindi ka na mamiss kasi andito ka na. Because the truth is, I would still give up anything, in a blink of an eye, to rearrange the stars in our favor. Cash in my favors and requests sa universe at kay Lord to change fate. In the end, I still want it to be you. I still want it to be us. Maybe it's stupid and foolish to even think na I even have favors and request to cash in, especially with how I've been these past few months.

Bottom line, I still think I'm not good enough. I still think that I did or said something wrong. And I keep thinking of all the what ifs. I keep thinking of memories and a future with you -- one that is never bound to happen. At the end of the day, hindi pa rin ako. Hindi pa rin tayo. No matter how much I wanted it to be.

It's going to be okay... eventually. It's just hard right now. Masakit ng sobra. And I can't seem to hate you. I just miss you. I miss us. 💔

I don't know if I could blame the time (it's 1:41 am ng August 29) for feeling and crying this way tonight. Maybe I could blame it on pent up feelings. I don't know. I just miss you. I still want my happily ever after to be with you.

Do I even stand a chance against supernatural forces, fate, universe, kay Lord, and her? I would have fought for it. I would have tried. Hindi kita sasaktan. So fi I do have free will, I will use it for that. For you and me.

Putangina, Jo. Mahal kita eh. Mahal pa rin kita.

I miss you, Jo. Still. 🐳

Always ✨,

Tine 🐳

[ndragoon]

.

Really love how the past two weeks have played out.

Starts off with me going to the ER because of back pain so severe I couldn't even just sit and watch stuff because every pulse of pain made me physically move in kind

They told me that not only did I have a bad infection, but it had caused sepsis and I needed to stay and be treated for it.

Okay, whatever. I don't know the specifics of it but I know it killed one of my closest friend's mom a few months ago, so I'll put up with it.

While I'm there, I get seen by a urologist (technically I saw four, but the other three were decent) who tells me that actually, the prostate doesn't really have any issues unless you're around 60, so even if this wasn't going on they'd never look at it anyway. It doesn't matter that it hurts to stimulate my prostate because it's "small and perfectly healthy".

She then goes on to tell me that I didn't actually have any shrinkage from the testosterone gel. Sometimes the testicles do reduce in size some. But mine are just small and were small since I was born. The only reason they "seem to sit high" is because I'm just really fat and because of all the fat down there, it hangs around them and obscures them. The only reason I felt any pain in them was because of this infection, since it's all connected.

Doesn't matter that they shrunk down so much I only feel the tubes behind them most of the time. Doesn't matter that I can't even find those sometimes because they pull up inside me. Doesn't matter that they used to hang low enough that if it was warm I had to put in effort to make sure they didn't dunk in the toilet water. Doesn't matter that my penis has shrunk so considerably that it's clearly visible with photo evidence, since I used to take size comparison pics to show just how small it was for the longest time. Clearly I'm just a Manly Man trying to strut my stuff and explain why I'm not packing a summer sausage with two oranges at the moment.

When I finally get told I'm well enough to leave, I'm also told I'm not allowed to drive for some reason until I see my PCP and get cleared. So I'm like whatever, I'll deal with it since I shouldn't be going anywhere anyway.

Finally see my pcp and she tells me that apparently the scans they did found stuff on my liver, some kind of thing alongside fibrosis. What's going on with it is something that just seemingly happens. She told me there really isn't any known cause, it just happens.

The rest of my lifespan is basically going to be dictated by roulette. It doesn't matter if I became *perfectly healthy* by the most ridiculously strict standards. I could see the doctor one day and be told I have 2 to 10 years left anyway.

And now I can't even find anything pleasant online because people are acting like reblogging about Palestine's genocide to the exclusion of everything else is going to help. If anyone posts anything even slightly positive or neutral, they get attacked because they are supposed to be reblogging about it exclusively with no breaks.

So I'm basically stuck being reminded that I'm stuck dying alone because I'm not going to drag someone else into my life when I might have to tell them I have two years left after we just got started, on top of everything else. While also seeing an endless running commentary about how a genocide is going on that is actually okay! Because apparently Jews are the only forbidden people to genocide!

Because people seem to think that the US Army will suddenly start to care about what the people want if they are just annoying enough to the right people, as if they haven't been doing whatever they want longer than I've been alive.

And I'm sitting here being forced to pretend that everything is okay because if I stop to so much as catch my breath, everything will breach my mind and I'll start to spiral badly. But I also can't step away from anything because it's as they say, it makes me selfish putting myself over everyone else who has no choice but to keep dealing with it with no way to get out.

[finsterhund]

I discovered (or rather am finally admitting the problem) that over the course of the past two years my roommate has been gradually but steadily increasing the amount of money he "needs" from me in integral amounts to the point that it is now consistently 80% of my paycheck and that any weird fluff he says as an excuse for why it's so much "this time" isn't accurate or fair.

I have been going insane because even with inflation making the price of everything like food go up I know I haven't been buying more than usual in food or personal items than I have been in the past and it's felt like being gaslit about how even with inflation it shouldn't cost that much more. Turns out this is correct as essentially I am being gaslit about it.

I also noticed that he has stopped physically writing in discord how much money it is every time despite me always asking because it helps me keep track of and remember things with my learning disability and it seems that past months where I know for a fact he did are absent in chat logs despite me really thinking that I for sure remembered that he did in the past. I'm only able to check in my bank itself back like three months worth but this has been steadily going on.

My point being is I do not have enough to pay him for the ludicrous amount he wants this month. I do not want to outright tell him this because he'll yell at me for buying things even though that is literally not my fault.

I have no fucking clue how I'm even going to proceed now. I can't go out on my own, I would also have to fight to keep Scott, and at this point even if I immediately got the farmhouse I don't have enough money to actually move right now.

The least thing I need right now is a fight with him and to make the living situation even more emotionally worse so please don't go to bat for me directly if you know who this is.

I just have no clue what the fuck to even do. I hate that I have to keep begging my friends online for money because so much of that money is literally getting sucked into this goddamn void.

There is no escape. I'm just losing my fucking mind.

So now my course of action is to hold it off as long as I can because when I get my taxes back on the 5th I will be able to give him all this fucking shit (and have nothing left over) I'm losing my fucking mind.

[mrsstruggle]

The Lost Child - Chapter 32 // Teen Wolf x Marvel AU

Summary: Y/N Stark was taken from her family when she was three years old. It's fifteen years later and her family believes she is dead. Then how is she living in Beacon Hills?

Warnings: Language, Mentions of Death/Injury/Grief/Torture, Mentions of Past Grooming, Possible Grammar Mistakes (please let me know if there is anything else)

Pairings: Derek Hale x Reader, Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner x Natasha Romanoff, Vision x Wanda Maximoff, & More To Come

Previous Pairings: Tony Stark x Pepper Potts, Scott McCall x Allison Argent

Words: 4.6k

Note: I'm sorry this is so late. I've had zero motivation to do anything for months now but I'm trying to get back into everything. To everyone who messaged me, thank you for checking up on me and I'm sorry I didn't respond!

Additional Note: While this is a Teen Wolf x Marvel AU, not everything is true to the shows/movies/comics. I had to change things for the story. This also loosely follows Teen Wolf Season 4.

One Last Note: Y/N was adopted by Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. I did this so more people can see themselves in this story.

***I do not own Teen Wolf or Marvel or any related characters. This is a work of fanfiction and is meant for entertainment only.***

Masterlist

The Lost Child Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

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"What the fuck?" Y/N stares at Kate in anger and confusion.

Kate smirks back at Y/N and leans against the doorframe, "We haven't seen each other in months. I see the two love birds have moved in together."

"Why are you here?" Scott moves to stand beside Derek. He glances down at the wolf before training his eyes back on Kate.

"Well, I had an interesting phone call with my dad the other day. He was telling me about how my information was right. He told me that the Stilinski daughter was really the lost Stark daughter." Kate pushes herself off the doorframe and takes a few steps into the loft. "The first time I saw you I knew you looked familiar. It wasn't until our last meeting that I started to do a little digging. I always wondered where you got some of your power from and it didn't take me long to find out who you really are."

"I'm surprised you didn't tell Hydra yourself," Y/N rolls her eyes.

"I know all about Hydra. I knew that there was no way that a few tricks with shadows was all you can do. I wasn't about to be there when you found out what you are truly capable of."

"I'd be more than happy to show you now."

"I almost forgot how funny you are."

"Why wait?" Stiles asks. "If you knew that she was even more powerful, why did you wait until she had it under control?"

Kate scoffs, "It's been what, like a day? I'm sure if I piss her off enough, she'll kill all of you for me."

"I think you'd be surprised. I mean I've somehow been able to control the urge to kill you for a few years now." Y/N smirks at her.

"You still haven't explained why you're here." Scott points out. "You're stupid but you're not stupid enough to attack us right now. You're outnumbered."

"Leave. Now." Everyone whips their head around to see Derek staring at Kate with a murderous glare. He now stands naked in the place he was a wolf a moment before.

Kate lets out a low whistle as she looks Derek up and down, "You've grown since the last time I saw you like this. You're...bigger."

"Wasn't he a child the last time you saw him like this?" Y/N takes a step in front of Derek to block him from Kate's view.

"He was old enough to make his own decisions. I didn't force him to do anything he didn't want to do."

"He was still a child."

"You will never let this go, will you? I was just coming to see how you're doing and to let you know that you might look yourself up online. Hell, you might want to look outside your window." Kate winks before walking out of the loft and shutting the door behind her.

"Should one of us follow her?" Stiles questions. He looks at the others before quickly shutting his eyes after they land on Derek, "Dude, put some clothes on!"

Derek rolls his eyes and grabs a blanket off the couch, wrapping it around his waist, "Happy?"

"We will come back to how you went from recovering in bed to a wolf and I know I'm going to regret this, but should we look out the window? Or probably we should look off the balcony if we want to see anything." Y/N points towards the large window with a questioning look.

"Why do you think she wants us to?" Scott asks.

"I don't know but we might as well do it. It's not like we have anything else to do." Y/N murmurs before walking towards the balcony door. She opens the door and walks out onto the balcony as the others follow.

They slowly look over the balcony to see a large group of people gathered on the sidewalk outside of the apartment building. Some of them are older people who are holding large cameras and the rest appear to be teenagers and college students. They seem to be waiting for someone.

"I'm so confused," Scott mumbles.

"Well, she also said to look you up online so let's do that," Stiles pulls his phone out of his pocket and looks up Y/N Stilinski. His face visibly falls as he scrolls and clicks deeper into his online search.

"What is it?" Y/N asks.

Stiles sighs and looks up at Y/N, "Everyone knows."

"Everyone knows what?"

"Everyone knows that you're Y/N Stark."

---

"Tony!"

Tony sighs as he hears someone call for him. He decides to ignore them as he doesn't want to talk about Y/N anymore. He doesn't want to think about the situation they are in right now. He just wants to stay in bed for a week and then go talk to Y/N and figure out what's going to happen next.

"Tony!"

Tony groans before slowly getting out of bed. He grabs the robe thrown across the chair near his bed and slips it on as he makes his way downstairs. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he turns to see the rest of the Avengers gathered in the living room. Some of them look angry while others look worried. The TV is quietly playing some gossip channel. "What?"

"See for yourself." Bruce turns up the volume on the tv.

"Sources tell us she had no idea of her true identity, but the real question is how did she end up in Beacon Hills? It was only a few years ago that the discovery of her supposed death rocked the Avengers. The official report was that her remains were discovered and identified in a secret Hydra facility. Now, thanks to a leaked report, we have DNA test results that prove that Y/N Stilinski is actually Y/N Stark. We will keep you upda–" Bruce turns the tv off.

"Wh...How?" Tony stutters as he stares at the tv in disbelief. DNA test? Leaked report? Sources? They just found out who she was a few days ago. How do other people know? Did someone sell her out or did someone sell them out?

"It's not just that, it's also all over every social media platform there is," Peter states, not looking up from his phone from his spot on the floor.

"Her identity has been leaked and most of what people are saying isn't even true. Some people are claiming that the Sheriff has ties with Hydra and that's why he's had her this whole time. Some are saying that he's actually a relative and we sent her to live with him and faked the whole kidnapping thing because we were 'falling off' and needed more attention on us." Natasha lets out an annoyed huff as she scrolls through more news articles on her laptop.

"People on Twitter have come to the conclusion that she's not the real Y/N Stark, she's the 'source' and that she's lying to exploit money from you. I guess people have decided to completely dig into her life in every way possible and found out that the sheriff is a bit late on hospital bills for something and that's why she needs your money. They also think she just wants attention and that she doctored these supposed DNA tests by using her hospital connections from being a nurse. Right now, the hashtag '#SABRINASTILINSKIISALIAR' is trending."

"How do people even know about her in the first place?" Tony asks. He still can't seem to wrap his head around what's happening. They don't really know anything about her themselves but how have people just decided that she's using them for money?

"The first article that leaked said they received this information from a reliable source who provided pictures proving that the information they were given was true. The source told them that Y/N has been living in Beacon Hills for the last several years after she was taken from a Hydra facility. The source didn't reveal any other information besides Y/N's name and pictures from when she was held by Hydra." Steve informs him.

Tony runs his hand through his hair in a stressed manner. How has something so great turned out to be such a mess? They can't even have a moment to celebrate the fact that they found his daughter alive. They find out she's alive, but she has a whole other family, they found out Pepper was the one who gave her to Hydra, Y/N will never be the same Y/N they remember, and now the world has decided to chime in with their thoughts, opinions, and assumptions about who she is.

He wanted to until they were in a good spot before they said anything about finding her. Being the Avengers, they are used to people saying things about them or the whole viewing them in a certain way. He wanted time to prepare Y/N for the fallout of what would happen when they told the world they found her. He wanted to do it on their own terms so there wasn't any room for assumptions.

"Now the hashtag '#JUSTICEFORPETER' is trending because everyone now feels sorry for me because they think Y/N manipulated me first because someone said they saw me injured at the hospital and she's the one who took care of me. They think that's when she decided to pretend to be the lost Stark child." Peter states.

"How do people come up with this stuff?" Wanda questions.

"Well since the Avengers are the people who announced to the world that they found her dead in a Hydra facility years ago, it makes sense why no one believes this."

"Someone on YouTube apparently has already posted an hour-long conspiracy video about what they think happened," Natasha mutters.

"People are posting their conspiracies on TikTok as well."

"What are they saying?" Wanda asks.

Peter turns up the volume on his phone as he scoots closer to Wanda to show her the TikTok currently playing on his phone, "–hy I believe the Winter Soldier sold Y/N to Hydra and why I also believe that the sheriff works for Hydra as well.

"We all know the story of how Bucky Barnes famously became the Winter Soldier and was a major asset for Hydra. We also know how he was eventually freed from Hydra's hold and soon became an Avenger. But what if that was all a lie? What if he was never brainwashed by Hydra? What if he actually just worked for Hydra? What if he's still working for them?

"Out of everyone in the Avengers and out of everyone who was there the night Y/N was taken, he is the one with the biggest connection to Hydra. While the Scarlet Witch also has connections to Hydra, Barnes' connection runs a lot deeper. He knows the compound and he easily could've handed Y/N off to Hydra and returned back to the party before anyone could notice anything suspicious is going on.

"He also was the one who led a lot of the Hydra searches for Y/N. We all know they tore every Hydra facility they could find apart while they searched for her. With his connection to Hydra and his knowledge of them, it makes sense why he would've been a leader or at least a major player in these searches. We also know how several of these facilities would be completely empty when they were searched. Someone must have tipped them off. And if Y/N Stilinski really is Y/N Stark, someone on one of those searches had to say they found Y/N dead in order to get the Avengers to stop looking for her. Follow for part tw–" Peter turns off his phone and looks to where Bucky is standing.

Bucky can almost feel himself shaking from anger and sadness. Do people think he played a part in Y/N ending up in Hydra's grip? He's used to hearing things all the time about him and about his time under Hydra's control. He's gotten to the point where it doesn't really affect him any more thanks to Steve and time in therapy. But this? They can say whatever they want to about him but how dare they think that he would give Y/N to Hydra. To the people who have caused him and so many others so much pain. To some of the worst people on the planet.

Bucky is so upset that he doesn't notice Steve approaching him. Steve grabs the metal hand that is clenched tightly into a fist and lowly whispers to him, "Ignore it. That's just one person. We knew that conspiracies were going to happen when the truth came out. Once we figure this out, everyone will know the truth."

Bucky looks at Steve with unshed tears in his eyes, "How could they think I would ever do anything to hurt her?" The Avengers look away from Steve and Bucky as Steve whispers reassuring things to Bucky.

"They aren't just digging into her life and our lives but the people around her as well." Peter states. "People are posting about the death of Claudia Stilinski, her brother's history of staying at a mental health treatment facility, and the fact that practically her boyfriend's entire family died in a house fire years ago. Why are people doing this? We don't even know these things!"

"It's because we didn't want to know these things. If we wanted to know, we could've found everything out about her in minutes, but we decided she should be the one to tell us these things." Bruce states.

"What do we do?" Thor looks to Tony for an answer.

"We should probably all go over to her apartment and decide what we want to do there. As much as I would love to set the record straight right now, we aren't the only people affected by this." Tony states.

"Who are you and what did you do with Tony?" Wanda asks.

"Should one of us call her and let her know that we are going over?" Sam asks.

"I'll text her that we are going over. Do I need to tell her why?" Peter asks.

"She probably already knows why."

---

"What do you mean everyone knows I'm Y/N Stark?" Y/N looks at Stiles with a confused look on her face.

Stiles turns his phone around to show her the article he has pulled up on his phone. Y/N quickly snatches the phone out of his hands and starts angrily scrolling through the article titled 'Y/N Stark Found Alive in Beacon Hills.’

"Kate must have sold you out just like she did to Hydra," Scott mumbles as he scrolls through his own online search on his phone.

"We should go inside," Derek states, ushering them inside the loft as he sees more people gathering outside.

"Scott, will you please go get my phone from mine and Derek's room? I need to call dad and let him know what's going on since people have decided to make up lies about him." Y/N grumbles, not looking up from Stiles' phone.

"What are they saying?" Stiles asks as Scott runs up the stairs in the loft to grab Y/N's phone.

"Some people have decided that he secretly works for Hydra and that's why I've been living with him almost my whole life. He's apparently the person they decided I would live with because no one would ever suspect him to be harboring a stolen child. There's also some other bullshit theories that are even dumber than that."

"What does Kate gain from telling people who you are?" Derek questions.

"It's probably a distraction. With us having to deal with this, it gives her time to do whatever it is she plans on doing. All eyes are on us right now as well. She wants to make sure we don't have time to be looking at her."

Y/N hands Stiles his phone back as Scott hands her hers. "When I grabbed your phone, a text came in saying Peter and them are coming over. It didn't say why but I'm sure they saw the news."

"Why would Peter care?" Derek asks, confused.

"Not your uncle Peter, Avengers Peter."

"I should probably call him and tell them not to come over. We should probably meet them where they're staying. If they come here, it's just going to make it worse." Y/N quickly calls Peter to let him know to stay where he is and they will meet up with them.

After she hangs up, she plops down on the couch and continues to scroll through articles online. She huffs in frustration as she reads through another article speculating on her life. Another article wondering if she's known this whole time who she is and if her dad is involved with a terrorist group. Another article wondering if she is 'saying something now' because she needs money. She had no idea that her dad still owed money to Eichen House. If she did, she would've helped him out.

She's so caught up in scrolling through more articles and posts that she doesn't notice Derek, now fully clothed, sitting down next to her. Derek nudges her a little to get her attention, "I've called your dad and let him know what's going on."

"Did you let him know that the world thinks he's a part of a terrorist organization and that he's brainwashed me into believing I'm someone else?"

"Stiles is currently on the phone with him explaining everything to him. I just told him that your identity had been leaked and to keep an eye out for Kate or any unusual activity." Y/N grumbles in acknowledgment, not looking up from her phone. Derek slowly reaches over and turns off her phone before she can get more sucked in than she already is. "You shouldn't be reading any of this."

"How can I not?" Y/N looks at him with tears in her eyes. "Have you seen any of this? It's not just me they're talking about. They are talking about you as well. There was a tweet that said you probably work with Hydra as well and that you killed your family for the money. It had like 10k likes!"

"I don't care what they think about me. I only care about what you think about me."

"How are you so calm right now? How are you not angry?"

"After my family died, I became this boy who no one could look at anymore. If they did, it was always with looks of pity or sometimes with fear. People started coming up with their own scenarios to make the story of my family burning to death more interesting for them. Our house became a scary attraction that kids would make bets with their friends that they wouldn't even touch the front door. No one cared about how that made me feel. They only cared about the story they preferred. It's why I left before coming back for Laura."

Y/N wipes away the tears that had fallen from her eyes, "What does that have to do with this? Shouldn't this make you more angry?"

"I am angry. I'm angry that you have to go through this. I'm angry that Kate is trying to ruin my family again. I'm angry that people don't seem to care about us and only care about the story. But I'm more worried about you. You don't deserve any of this and neither does your dad and whoever else they're talking about. Right now, I'd rather comfort you and then take my anger out when I rip Kate to shreds later." Derek playfully nudges her a little as she snorts at his last sentence.

"If you keep saying things like this, people might think you have a heart." Y/N playfully nudges him back.

"Only for you."

They quickly turn their heads when they hear a retching sound beside them. "That was probably one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard." Stiles looks at them with disgust.

"Do you have to ruin all of our moments?" Y/N rolls her eyes at her brother.

"Yes."

"We should go before more people show up downstairs. I can hear them all talking about how the lost Stark girl lives here and how more people are on their way to catch a first glimpse." Scott informs them.

"I can take us in the jeep. I know where we're going and there's enough room for Y/N to duck down in the back."

"Why do I have to duck down in the back?" Y/N asks.

"People are outside ready to take a million pictures of you. If you duck down in the back, then they won't get any pictures, and maybe we can get out of here without anyone noticing."

"Fine. Let me change and then let's go." Y/N quickly runs upstairs and changes into some comfortable clothes before running back downstairs ready to go.

They quietly leave the apartment and make their way down to the parking garage. They quickly get into the jeep and are somehow able to leave without anyone noticing them. "That was so much easier than I thought it was going to be," Scott mutters.

"How do they know where I live?" Y/N sits up from her crouched position in the back seat.

"You can find anything on the internet." Stiles states.

"But everything's in Derek's name?"

"And people in town know who your boyfriend is and where he lives. I'm pretty sure most people know you live with him too." Scott informs her.

"People need to get a life." Derek mumbles.

"Your address is probably one of the least invasive things people have already dug up on you," Stiles says, gripping the steering wheel a little longer as he speeds towards the Avenger's cabin. "They've dug up mom's death, every death that's happened in Derek's family, your adoption records, and more. If they're willing to dig that up, they're willing to dig up your address."

They sit in silence for the rest of the car ride. All of them lost in their own thoughts.

Y/N watches as the scenery changes as they drive out of the middle of town and into the woods. Her mind is racing with a million thoughts. She just wishes her life could go back to the way it was a week ago. Back to when she was just Y/N Stilinski. She feels bad for thinking like that because she's had time to do some research about the Avengers and she knows how hard her disappearance affected all of them.

After spending a few years on Earth searching for her, Thor eventually left and disappeared for two years. No one knows where he went or what he did. He completely disappeared. There are rumors that he drank until even his godly liver could barely take it anymore.

Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff pushed themselves to the brink while trying to find her. There are rumors that all they did was channel their anger into searching for her. Other than the raid where they supposedly found her body, they both went on every mission that was involved in the search for her. No one knows why Bucky wasn't on that raid. After her funeral, they started going on more missions. They pushed themselves until they couldn't be pushed anymore.

Tony Stark was affected the most. His marriage fell apart, he drank a lot, he stopped focusing on the Avengers and his businesses, and he became a person no one recognized. After a few years of hurting himself and the people around him, he checked himself into rehab and got himself the help that he needed. There wasn't much online about what exactly happened after that, but from what she was able to find, it helped him with his destructive habits, but it didn't help him with his pain.

She couldn't find anything on the rest of the Avengers. Everyone else seemed to either keep to themselves or disappear from the public view for a while. While they all came back together at some point and became the Avengers again, it's clear that it was never the same. It's clear that her disappearance, and eventual 'death', affected them a lot.

She's shaken from her thoughts when Stiles' jeep comes to a halt in front of the cabin. Peter is standing on the porch waiting for them to come in.

"I'm assuming you've seen the news," Stiles states looking at Peter.

"We've seen it all." Peter answers. "Right now, we are trying to figure out who told the press in the first place."

"Well, you can stop your search because we already know who did it," Scott states, following Peter inside the cabin.

"You know who leaked this?" Sam asks as they enter the living room.

"It was Kate who told them."

"Who's Kate?"

"She's a hunter. She's Gerard's daughter."

"She's also Derek's ex-girlfriend," Stiles adds.

"I wouldn't call her that," Y/N mutters under her breath.

"Why wouldn't you call her that?" Natasha questions, barely catching what Y/N said.

"Would you call a grown woman who preyed on you as a teenager after your first love died and then burned your entire family alive in a house fire your ex-girlfriend?" The room goes silent as Y/N quietly looks around the cabin. There's something about it that feels so familiar to her, but she doesn't know what.

"Why would she leak this to the press and why did she not leak much? No one seems to know about your abilities or anything else. They only really know your name and whatever they can find about you on the internet. Why didn't she tell them anything else?" Sam questions.

"We think it's a distraction." Scott states.

"A distraction from what?" Steve asks.

"We don't know but it has to be something big."

"Like what?"

"She's building an army." Everyone's heads whip towards Stiles. He's looking down at his phone.

"Why do you say that?" Scott questions.

"I just got a text from Chris. She's building an army to rid the world of supernatural beings."

"But she's one herself?" Y/N doesn't understand why Kate would do this.

"Yeah well, this time it isn't assassins working separately to kill all of you. Now it's a collective army that is gathering outside of town and getting ready to take over Beacon Hills. They start storming in in two hours."

"That means her telling the press wasn't a distraction." Scott states.

"Why do you think that?" Peter asks.

"If she needed a distraction, she wouldn't already have an army in place. She told the press because that means all eyes are on Y/N and on us. She plans on exposing who Y/N really is. She's waiting for all the news and press people to come into Beacon Hills so they can show the world the kind of person Y/N. She wants the world to be afraid of her and to be afraid of us. She wants to turn everyone against us."

"She wants to expose me being a werewolf and expose what Hydra did to me." Y/N mumbles. "She knows that she'll never beat us on her own or even with a small army, but if she makes the whole world fear us, we will lose. Fear can make people do horrible things. If people start to look at us as the villains instead of the heroes, we won't survive for long."

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I'm going to put this on Wattpad for more people to see and I've created two possible covers for it (they aren't great but whatever). If y'all have an opinion on which on you like better, please let me know!

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@vicmc624 @mrspetxrs @freyathehuntress @fheresm @stefans-wife @llamaproblem @taketimeandappreciate @youralphawolf72 @ornella0910 @shedsblood @ts1mp0ne @beautifulgrungekid @emily-roberts @danielle-leah1997 @itmejado @me-unitentionally @ivettt @james-bucky-barnes-bitch @learning-howto-be-myselfx3 @darkenwolfie @inyourmomsworld @lokiandbuckywife @xx-narcissa @elite4cekalyma @thecrazytealady @ladyjenjay @misshale21 @cevans-winchester @fayhay14 @wtfcas @spencerreidsbookclub @depressedsleepysloth @hinata7346 @randomhoex @mirakeul @n1ght5h4d3-24 @allthingsavenger-y @belovacc @speedy-object-dream @pepelachanel @dark-night-sky-99 @missnyxsblog @xoxoloverb @ilearnedthatfromethepizzaman @kingshitonly @isnt-itstrange @twsssmlmaa @navs-bhat @zealouspostwitch @saahmi @distantsighs @jayxxace @a--1--1--3 @cutelittlepurplesouls @mermaid--dreamer @maliagurl @peterpangirl21 @kneelforloki @slutformaddyperez @teenybean @small-town-wayward-daughter @labellapeaky @dabria14 @geeksareunique

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[absolutepokemontrash]

MC’s half Demon, and they look AWFULLY familiar...

‘Kay guys, I got a different kind of stupid Headcanon to throw at you. Get ready!

Part 2 Lessons 1-5 Part 2.5 Group Retreat Lessons 10-12 Lessons 13-15 Part 3 Part 4

*ahem* picture if you will, it’s the day the exchange program is set to start. The student council (nix Mr. Kill All Humans, Weeb-supreme, and our Scummy Sweetheart) have assembled to welcome the new human student. All is going according to schedule, the portal opens up at eight am sharp, they hear the pitiful screams of the selected human who was not given a heads up about the whole thing, and the poor little human falls straight onto the marble floor.

There’s something a tad... off about this human don’t you think? After they’ve peeled their sorry ass off the floor they observed the assembled student council with an air of sophistication and self importance that no one expected. Their posture was perfect, their eyes sharp and calculating... they bared a striking resemblance to-

“Lucifer,” Diavolo looked to his right hand man, then back to the human. “The human kind of looks like you!”

And out popped four pitch black wings from the human’s back and two small horns out of the sides of their head, one horn was a bit bigger than the other. They even still had some of their down feathers! How cute!

((Content warning: Swearing (I have a potty mouth, forgive me), but that’s it.))

Luci-dad

So, the MC is Lucifer’s kid! Of course Mr. Prideypants immediately tries to recall exactly what little romp in the human world uh... spawned this half-human half-demon child of his. Good thing MC’s got the other parent on speed-dial.

“Please note, MC,” Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose upon hearing Asmo take even more pictures of his newly discovered hellspawn. “I was not aware of your existence, if I was I’d-”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not upset.”

Lucifer blinked a few times in surprise. “P...pardon? You aren’t upset?”

“No, my parent told me that my father was a high ranking demon, and they bare no ill will against you. Though, I am looking forward to this whole... exchange program thing.”

Oh wow, that was easier than Lucifer thought. Damn. Well, he was a father... (let’s be real, he’s been parenting his brothers for thousands of years, and a good chunk of you sinners call him daddy)

MC is probably the most protected student at RAD, despite the fact that they have no visible security detail whatsoever. They didn’t want to be seen as... weak and pathetic.

Something about this human just... set the lesser demons on edge. Any talk of eating them was stamped out on the first day when they walked by. It’s like Lucifer himself was staring at them, daring the demons to try and bother the human. MC’s powerful presence kept them protected and feared.

...at least until dear uncle Asmo decided to do their hair one morning. All those ribbons may have looked adorable but they kind of ruined the intimidation factor.

MC loved to mess with the other students, keeping their lineage a secret for the first little while just made it so much funnier when the other demons tried to scramble out of MC’s way without looking like they were running from the ‘weak little human exchange student’.

Oh wow, what a sadist. Like father like child

Flying lessons are a must. Poor MC isn’t terribly good at controlling their wings, and their horns are still growing in so when they pop into their demon form the first thing they get is a sore skull. Ow... it sucks that Lucifer isn’t outwardly very sympathetic.

“Ow!” MC crashed face first into the grass in the backyard of the House of Lamentation. “Father! My wings are cramping! Can’t we practice this tomorrow?”

The sight of seeing his dear child crash face first into the ground had lost its hilarity after the first three times. Lucifer slowly lowered himself to the ground and crossed his arms as he stood over his incredibly grass-stained kid.

“MC, we’ve been ‘practicing this tomorrow’ for the past month. If you want to learn to fly you’re going to have to actually manage to stay in the air for more than three minutes.”

MC shot Lucifer a withering glare that only preteens were capable of, Lucifer matched it with his own much more sophisticated glare.

“You’ve been flying for over a thousand years! Don’t you have any tips that can actually help other than ‘don’t panic, you’ll look ridiculous’?”

Lucifer dragged a gloved hand down his face and looked around, the two were alone as far as he could see.

“MC,” Lucifer began. “When I was a young angel, I needed to learn how to fly with someone else.”

MC perked up. “Who?”

“Michael. The smug bastard picked up flying quicker than I did.”

“What’d you do?!”

Lucifer smiled at his child’s intense investment. “I practiced flying every day for five extra hours until I could do everything that Michael could do, just better.”

MC’s starry eyed interest died almost instantly upon hearing about the extra five hours of practice. “Humph, I bet I could outfly younger you and Michael with only two hours of practice a day.”

“Really now?”

“Yes! Watch!” MC shook off their wings and took off in a running start before shakily making it into the air. Their form was decent enough, and they weren’t shaking as much as the previous attempts. “SEE?!”

“Yes MC,” Lucifer smiled. “I can see.”

You know what else Lucifer could see? MC crashing right into a tree.

“Ouch...”

Okay... maybe they could halt practice a little early and order a treat from Madame Scream’s. A little sugar to refuel is needed when the end goal is crushing a mutual rival beneath their heels. Just some good old fashioned father/child bonding time!

MC has a smaller seat right next to Lucifer’s seat in the Assembly Hall. I will not compromise on this one.

For all your fluff needs, I give you: Lucifer teaching MC how to play the piano. He has a proud little smile on his face when his kid finally starts getting it. That’s all. Enjoy the image.

That one Uncle who gives you Alcohol at Family Gatherings (Mammon)

Yeah, when Mammon burst in late to the party and whining about everyone’s spamming him with texts to haul his scummy ass to the Assembly Hall, the last thing he expected was to see a mini-Lucifer.

“What the fuck am I lookin’ at?!”

The glare the two Lucifers gave the poor Avatar of Greed was enough to make him want to turn tail (uh, wing) and book it down the hall.

“Mammon, this is MC. They’re my child.”

“Hello.”

“...whaaaa..?” Mammon looked between the two, same glare, same intimidating aura, same annoyingly good posture.

Mammon scratched the back of his neck and looked over at his older brother. “Do I uh... still gotta babysit em’ if they’re not human?”

“The lake of Cocytus will melt the day I let you babysit without supervision.” Lucifer grumbled.

“I don’t need a babysitter!”

Despite Lucifer’s initial denial, Mammon and MC ended up spending a lot of time hanging out when Lucifer was busy with paperwork. Of course Mammon’s first thought was ‘how do I profit off this situation?’

MC is now Mammon’s designated babysitter after they caught him picking up their feathers that had fallen off with the intention of painting them white and claiming they were Lucifer’s from back in the Celestial Realm.

Mammon does end up spoiling MC a little. Just a smidge. They’re the kid of his totally not his favourite brother after all! How could he not? Whether or not these gifts are obtained legally or are legal at all is subject to scrutiny.

“Mammon, I can’t drink this!” MC placed the bottle of Demonus back on the counter of the kitchen.

“Why not? That’s a bottle of the good stuff! We gotta celebrate you gettin’ an A on that test somehow!”

“I’m underage! Incredibly underage. I’m not legally allowed to drink.”

Mammon wordlessly plopped a silly straw into the bottle. “...does that help?”

“No.” MC then inclined their head to the bottle. “And I don’t want to get hung from the ceiling, that bottle was in my father’s study yesterday, I’m above theft.”

“How old are you s’posed to be anyway? Never mind... uh...” Mammon wracked his brain for something else he could do for MC that didn’t cost anything (don’t judge him, the poor bastard was flat broke!). “I could... teach you to drive!”

“Driving?”

“Yeah! Drivin’ is awesome! We can take my car!”

The bills for the damages done to the car and the Devildom were mailed to Lucifer the next day, and MC and Mammon got to keep each other company as they hung from the ceiling. Ah well! At least MC wasn’t upside down!

Mammon wasn’t that good of a flight teacher either, he also crashed into a tree (the same tree MC crashed into, actually) when he was cheering for MC. They were finally able to do a loopdy loop! He was proud and distracted! Okay?! Lucifer! Stop smirkin’ at him! It’s not that funny!

At least the vantage point from the tree was decent and the branches didn’t scratch him up too badly. Oh hey... that person walking by was wearing a very nice watch... he’d be right back-

That Uncle That is Always Absent From Family Gatherings and When He is Present He Leaves Early (Levi)

He missed everything. That is not an exaggeration. He was in the middle of an online raid battle and couldn’t look at his phone! No Lucifer he can’t pause an online game! That’s not how it works!

Okay, the human exchange student is half demon? WOAH! THAT’S JUST LIKE THAT ONE ANIME- W A I T. THE LITTLE NORMIE IS LUCIFER’S KID?!

Okie doke, he was fully convinced that MC just had to be an anime protagonist.

They binged every series that Levi compared them to. Sure MC might have missed a few assignments because of late night anime binges, but they were too good for this school crap anyway, right?

Nope. Lucifer put a ban on the two watching anime until both their grades improved. Surviving that hell brought the two together.

“Ugh!”

The sound of a pencil case being haphazardly thrown across the room made Levi peek out of his bed-tub. If his figurines got knocked over so HELP HIM-

“This is stupid!!I shouldn’t have to catch up with this!” MC crossed their arms and gave their Demonology textbook their best disapproving glare.

Lucifer Lite (tm) was having a hell of a time trying to claw through their missed work, and Levi sympathized, he really did, it’s just... he was playing Animal Crossing-

Levi paused the game to placate his anime-buddy when their wings popped out and he feared for his rare merch’s safety.

“H-hey, MC? Do you need help?” Levi’s offer was met with a bone chilling glare that lived rent free in his nightmares ever since. He had pulled a Mammon and forgotten he was talking to Lucifer’s child. Lucifer’s allergy to help must have passed down to MC.

“No! I don’t! It’s just... dumb!” MC hissed, she turned and looked over at the fish tank. “Right Henry 2.0?”

Henry 2.0 did not respond.

“MC, you need to finish your homework or we can’t watch anything together,” Levi sighed, he had finished his work over an hour earlier. He had mastered the art of all night anime binges and managing to do most of his work in the fifteen minutes between the time he woke up and the time school was supposed to begin. “We haven’t even binged all of volume 4 of TSL yet!”

“Mmm...” MC grumbled. “Fine...”

MC picked up their pencil case and began continued their work. Levi breathed a sigh of relief and went back to Animal Crossing.

The tiny normie did in fact finish their work, only after they caved and asked Levi for help. Swore him to secrecy, they did... very intimidating, they were.

Just saying, he most definitely sent that one Keanu Reeves meme with big Keanu and little Keanu but with Lucifer and MC to the wrong group chat. Poor bastard.

Flying lessons? No. Levi hadn’t flown since his time in the Celestial Realm, he had no advice to give other than: “Flap your wings!”

“THAT’S WHAT I’M DOING YOU-”

MC didn’t get to finish that thought, they lost their balance and fell right into RAD’s fountain. Ah well, Levi had a head start on running for his life that he squandered by laughing at MC. RIP.

The Uncle/brother/whatever the fuck that Starts a Fight With Your Dad at the Family Reunion. (Satan)

Oh... another Lucifer? Eugh. Gross.

Satan gave the kid a wide berth when they first met. Everything the kid said or did ticked him off. “Tsk. Look at MC. Making an omelette. So annoying.” “Oh wow, MC vacuumed? Roll out the red carpet, we need to celebrate their existence!” “Look at them. Breathing. Disgusting.”

MC’s pride wouldn’t ever let them admit it but... they knew Satan didn’t like them, and it hurt their feelings.

“Shhhh,” Satan whispered into his backpack.

“Meow.” The backpack replied.

“I said shhhhh.”

The backpack did not reply after that, which was a good thing considering the little princet of the HOL was nearby.

“Satan?” They asked. “Who are you talking to?”

Satan coldly brushed past them as he made his way to his room. “No one you need to concern yourself with.”

When the little calico kitten was safe in his room, Satan quickly realized a mistake in his foolproof ‘sneak a cat into the house’ plan. He didn’t have any toys for the kitten, and he didn’t want his books getting scratched...

It was alright, he’d just rush out to the a store that sold cat things and rush back! Five minute trip tops!

Well when Satan got back the cat was no longer in the room. Oh dear. He discreetly tore apart the house looking for the poor little thing until he ended up finding it in the library, happily chasing around a loose feather being held up by MC.

“Oh, hello Satan.” MC chirped as the kitten batted it’s adorable little paws at the feather.

“My... my door was closed. Did you let the cat out?”

MC shrugged. “I heard meowing.”

Satan ran a hand through his hair and grumbled. Stupid smaller Lucifer. Stupid original Lucifer. Everyone sucked.

“Let me guess, you’re going to run to Lucifer and tell him all about the meowing and the rule breaking.”

MC shook their head and glared at Satan. “Of course not. I’ve already gotten way too attached to this little guy anyway. We’re co-parenting this kitten like mature adults.”

With some coaxing, Satan did sit down and play with the kitten, maybe MC wasn’t... so terrible.

The two watch Unsolved Mysteries together, that’s their show. “This guy did it.” “Satan, we’re two minutes into the episode-” “Trust me.”

Thirty minutes later.

“He did it.” “See MC, what’d I tell you?”

Lucifer did find out about the cat, but with enough pleading, MC and Satan managed to warm up the cold spot in Lucifer’s chest where his heart should have been. The cat’s name is Detective Toe Beans (or just Bean).

Satan can’t fly, he has a tail, but he did read up on wing anatomy and how flight actually works in demons, his advice would be good in theory, but it’s full of so much technical jargon that MC can’t understand it.

At least MC didn’t crash into something, they barrel rolled through one of the HOL’s windows. Good thing it was the window to their room. The broken arm still hurt like hell.

The Best Dressed Bitch Who Brings The Booze to The Reunion. (Asmo)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Lucifer’s kid was SO CUTE! A thousand pictures commemorating that adorable moment needed to be taken! Wait- Lucifer- GIVE BACK THE PHONE-

Asmo, surprise surprise, absolutely adores little MC! So cute! So small! He was just so excited to announce to all his Devilgram followers that Lucifer was finally a certified DILF.

That post disappeared five minutes after it was made but the damage had already been done.

Asmo made sure MC looked their best at all times, if they needed help talking to anyone? Asmo’s got their back!

Sure, maybe he’s a little pushy, but pushy’s a good thing sometimes, right?

“Asmodeus-”

“No, these shoes wouldn’t fit you...”

“Asmo-”

“No, not these ones either...”

“ASMODEUS.”

Asmo squeaked and jumped upwards, Geez Louise... little MC’s voice could sure be scary when they wanted it to be...

“I don’t need any fancy new shoes.” MC huffed, sitting up straighter in one of the chairs in Asmo’s room. “I thought this was supposed to be a sleepover.”

“Hmmm...” Asmo pouted. “Makeovers are an essential part of sleepovers... what’d you do with your human friends up in the human world that could possibly be better than a make-over?!”

MC began to list things off. “Ordered junk food, talked about people we hated, watched movies,”

“Greasy food is so bad for your skin...” Asmo cringed and shook his head violently. “But I’m totally down to watch a movie and bitch about people I hate!”

“Ah yes, human sleepovers, a tradition I never quite had the chance to enjoy.” Solomon said from Asmo’s bed. “Who are we bitching about?”

“Remind me what Solomon is doing here.” MC muttered as they sat down in front of Asmo’s TV.

“Because, I wanted to hang out with my two favourite humans.” Asmo cooed, reaching over and trying to pinch MC’s cheek, which they awkwardly dodged.

“Can we watch The Exorcist?” Solomon asked, propping his head up with his hands.

“Ew, no.” Asmo made a face at him. “That scene with the vomit? Hell NO.”

“Mm.” MC mumbled. Asmo turned to look at them.

“MC? Are you doing okay? You don’t look like you’re having any fun...”

“I’m fine.” MC grumbled.

Asmo pursed his lips, as much as it made his little narcissistic heart break, he nudged MC. “Why don’t you pick the movie, sweetie. I’m sure Solomon and I will like anything you pick!”

MC noticeably brightened. “Let’s watch Scream!”

The strangled noise that came from Asmo was... concerning, but to his credit, The Avatar of Lust held his tongue about his distaste for the movie, and the three slumber-party goers had quite the lovely time.

After the movie ended, MC went back to their room, sure it was a sleepover but their bed was right down the hall.

Good for Asmo and Solomon. Horny fuckers. We stan.

Asmo just claps and tries to cheer MC on when it comes to their flying lessons. (The idea that Asmo came up with to wear his cheerleader costume from the previous Halloween was immediately shot down by Lucifer)

“You’re doing wonderful, MC- WATCH OUT FOR THE POWER LINE!”

MC didn’t hit the power line, but Asmo’s scream of terror caused them to fall butt-first into a dumpster. Their injured tailbone served as a tragic memory of the incident.

Oh well, good thing Asmo had nice smelling soap to give that could mask dumpster-stink.

The Uncle that eats everything and tells you to eat your veggies while you angrily pick at your broccoli at the kid’s table. (Beel)

Lucifer... has a kid?! Beel choked on the cheetos he had snuck into the Assembly Hall when the kid’s wings popped out.

Oh wow, that’s nice :) maybe they can eat together. Belphie would probably like them.

Wait what is the gender neutral term for Niece or Nephew?

...Nibling? Uh... let’s not say that around Beel. We don’t need him to get hungrier and begin associating MC with nibbling on things.

The Underground Tomb incident probably went a little differently, but after all that nonsense, the two are closer than two peas in a pod!

Mmm... peas...

“Beel?” MC stepped into the Avatar of Gluttony’s room.

“Hi MC.” Beel was doing push-ups in the middle of the room, on the ground right beneath his head was a massive bowl of spaghetti that he bit into every time he completed a push-up. “Can you come stand on my back? I need the extra weight.”

“On your back?” MC padded closer. “Are you sure? It’s not going to hurt?”

“No, it’ll be okay.” Beel assured them. “Belphie and I did this all the time. Except Belphie is normally asleep.”

MC tentatively stepped onto Beel’s back. It was a balancing act to say the least, they eventually gave up on standing and ended up sitting cross legged between Beel’s shoulder blades.

“You did this with Belphegor?” MC asked.

“Yeah,” Beel sighed. “He was always too tired to exercise, but he’d let me bench press him sometimes...”

MC frowned and hugged their knees to their chest. Knowing full well that Beel’s twin wasn’t in the human world like Lucifer said was absolutely ripping them apart from the inside. Guilt felt just as rotten as their pride did when they were being belittled...

“Maybe you’ll see him again sometime soon.” MC whispered. “Maybe my father’ll come to his senses and let him come back down to the Devildom.”

Beel paused his push-ups for a brief moment, then nodded and went back to his eating exercising combo. “I hope so. He’ll like you, MC. I’m sure of it.”

MC nodded. “I... hope so.”

Beel’s a pretty decent flight teacher, but his wings are just so different from MC’s that it renders any tips he had next to useless.

“MC, maybe your wings aren’t flapping fast enough.”

“Beel, I appreciate the thought, but I’m not a hummingbird. Or a fly. I don’t need to flap my wings a million times a minute to stay afloat.”

Ah well, MC tried to take some of Beel’s advice, but their lower right wing cramped up and they ended up flying in circles until Beel was able to catch them. Ah well, better than the dumpster incident the previous week.

The Uncle That Passes Out in The Basement and You’re Not Allowed to Wake Him Up Even Though All Your Toys and Video Games Are Down There. He Also Picks a Fight With Your Dad’s New S/O Before He Passes Out. (Belphie)

Sitting in the attic was quite a drag, and this supposedly weak little human was quite the annoyance to try and call out to. It took a lot longer than expected, but when he heard little footsteps coming towards his prison, Belphegor nearly jumped with joy.

Oh... it... looked like Lucifer. Smelled like Lucifer. Stood like Lucifer. Quacked like Lucifer. Or... trilled..? Whatever sound a peacock made, this brat sounded an awful lot like Lucifer.

A... half-demon. Hmph. Belphie honestly thought Lucifer had actual standards. Not anymore, he guessed.

(Man I could fill a whole-ass fic with the Belphie betrayal thing, but for now let’s skip to post attic nonsense)

Okay so maybe MC wasn’t disgusting. They made a good nap buddy. It was cute when their wings came out when they were sleeping sometimes. Well... it was cute when they didn’t hit him in the face and make him wake up with his mouth full of feathers.

What Beel said had been true, Belphie made a good substitute when weights weren’t available, but Beel didn’t want MC to feel left out, so Belphie and MC ended up sitting on his back while he did push ups. MC once got bored and started playing Go Fish with Belphie on Beel’s back while he exercised.

Yes. MC is still a member of the Formerly-Anti-Lucifer League.

“Are you sure he’s not going to be too mad at us?” MC asked for the dozenth time that day. Detective Toe Beans was wrapped around their neck like a scarf (he had gotten so big!!!) while MC nervously sat in one of the Library chairs.

“Positive.” Belphie said with a toothy grin. “Besides, he’s like putty when it comes to you. Just give him your best puppy eyes and we’re not guilty on all charges.”

Putty..? Really..? Lucifer..? How strict was he before MC got there... they wondered.

“Sh! He’s coming!” Satan stuck his nose into a random book, it was the Oxford English Dictionary... and it was upside down.

Belphie pretended to pass out and MC decided that the best course of action was to stare deeply into their cat’s eyes. Yeah... that looked casual and not weird.

“Satan, MC, Belphie.” Lucifer nodded to the three of them as he walked towards the entrance to his study.

“Lucifer.”

“Afternoon, father.”

Belphie let out a cartoonishly loud fake snore that nearly caused both MC and Satan to break cover and start laughing.

Side note, Bean had adorable widdle eyes! That cute little face was just to die for-

“You three..!”

Belphie, Satan, and MC peeked their heads into Lucifer’s study, their handiwork was perfect. Everything was covered in red post it notes. Perfectly not harmful, but SO inconvenient!

“You’re all cleaning this up or so help me-”

“GO!” Belphie and Satan each grabbed one of MC’s arms (Satan also grabbed Bean) and sprinted out of the House of Lamentation. Maybe they’d move back there in twenty years... they hoped that Solomon and The Angels would let them crash at Purgatory Hall...

Belphie had used up his physical energy supply for the next four years. He passed out the moment they stepped into sanctuary. Time for a nap...

Flight practice? Ha. Belphie’s napping. Though, he was suspiciously awake and filming whenever MC did something stupid.

“Try not to suck so bad.”

“GO TO HELL BELPHIE!”

“I’m already there. Hell is every second I’m stuck here watching you fail.”

“YOU’RE GOING TO GET IT FOR THAT!”

Well... MC mastered the dive bomb that day. Lucifer bought them a cake.

Bonus! Your Dad’s New Husband! That Has Managed to Somehow Make Everyone Hate Him Despite the Fact That He’s A Cinnamon Roll. (Diavolo)

A mini Lucifer? A mini Lucifer!

Diavolo dotes on MC like he’d dote on his own kid. MC wants a crown? They’re getting a crown! A damn nice one too! MC wants a title? Here! MC is now... idk Ruler of the area between Majolish and Hell’s Kitchen.

Poor Uncle Mammon’s got some financial insecurity, he’s still the cool uncle... right?!

He is very much that ‘how do you do fellow kids?’ Meme.

He tries to do stereotypical ‘dad’ things but he’s not very good at them. Once he tried to host a barbecue...

Barbatos saved the day, but Mammon’s hair was still singed, Solomon’s cooking still gave Beel food poisoning (SOLOMON EATS TOXIC WASTE I SWEAR-), Luke still got hit in the face with a frisbee, and Simeon got an unhealthy dose of DAD NERVES and got so stressed everyone was almost blinded by the holy light he suddenly started blasting. We do not mention the water guns.

(Seriously whose bright idea was it to give Belphie and Satan water guns while they were in Lucifer’s presence?)

Praise Barbie. He’s too good for them.

“Um...” MC awkwardly held up the baseball, trying to look at it from all angles like it was a completely alien object. “Lord Diavolo... are you sure you want to play catch?”

Diavolo clapped his hands and bounced on the balls of his feet. “Yes! It’s a thing human fathers do with their children, correct? We must make up for lost time between you and Lucifer, right?”

Lucifer massaged his temples and nodded. “If you two would like to play catch...” Lucifer grimaced. “I will too.”

“Okay! MC, throw the ball to Lucifer!” Diavolo instructed.

Lucifer half heartedly held up his baseball glove as MC tossed him the ball. He caught it, and looked over at Diavolo, who was applauding like he just witnessed the greatest feat in sports history.

“Okay! Throw it to me!” Diavolo waved his glove in the air, Lucifer rolled his eyes and smiled. He threw the ball at Diavolo with... a lot of force. Enough force to probably dent steel... Diavolo caught it like it was nothing.

MC suddenly feared for their safety.

“Okay MC, catch!”

Diavolo threw the ball with enough force to break the god damn sound barrier. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but the ball sailed way over MC’s head and crashed right through a window.

“Oh my...” Diavolo put a hand on his hip and surveyed the damage to the window. “This isn’t so bad, I believe in human world TV shows this happens quite often. Look! The glass broke in a perfect circle!”

“Yay... property damage...” MC murmured.

Lucifer sighed and pulled out his DDD. “I’ll phone someone to replace the win-”

“Lucifer no! Now according to human world customs we must,” Diavolo took a deep breath, rushed forward, grabbed both Lucifer and MC’s hands and started sprinting away from the Demon Lord’s Castle. “RUN FOR IT!”

“Di- Diavolo!” Lucifer gasped.

“Who are we running from?! That’s your castle!” MC squeaked.

“I don’t know! Just run! That’s what the human TV show says to do!”

Weirdly enough, Diavolo was the best flight instructor. MC’s ability to fly increased tenfold after Diavolo found out that MC was learning to fly.

“You’re doing amazing MC! That was a perfect turn!”

“Thanks Lord Diavolo, I’m surprised I haven’t crashed into anyone or fallen yet!”

“Well, I highly doubt you’ll be crashing into anyone anymore, your flying is practically perfect now!”

Mammon proceeded to fly past them holding what looked like Lucifer’s wallet.

“M-mammon?!”

“Oh... I wonder what he’s doing. Look, MC! It’s Lucifer! Hello Lucifer dea-”

Lucifer ended up colliding with the two of them and sending them all crashing to the floor.

That was the last time MC fell during flying practice.

(We currently have a Go Fund Me set up for Mammon to get the funds necessary to flee the Devildom after that incident. Please donate to save- oh shit hi Lucifer-)

[she-who-fights-and-writes]

Hello! I’m writing a buddy movie type script where I want two main characters (aged within two years of each other) to develop a close bond with each other, but I also want to make it very clear that they are more like sisters than lovers. How do I write a deep, close platonic relationship like that without it sounding romantic?

How to Write a Close Platonic Relationship 

Writing romantic relationships are tough, but do you know what’s even tougher? Writing close friendships. 

Friendships can run deeper than any romance ever could, and vary widely from person to person; this variation can sometimes make it difficult to pin down how exactly to write a close friendship, but hopefully this post will clear things up a bit. 

1. Accept that there are going to be people who ship them no matter what

It’s just the way things are. People who are fans of your work are going to ship whichever characters they feel have a connection, and close friendship does count as a connection.

If fans can ship two characters who’ve never even met or exchanged more than three words to each other, then they most definitely can ship people who’ve forged strong bonds like your characters have. 

Putting in too much effort into emphasizing how much they platonically love each other in an attempt to make sure NO ONE ships them is just going to be a waste of your time. 

The sooner you accept that with close friendships comes readers/watchers who will interpret such a friendship in a romantic way, the better.

2. Give them history

A majority of today’s extremely close platonic relationships were either forged under stressful extenuating circumstances (i.e. comrades in arms, apocalypse survivors, etc.) or have taken a lot of time to build. 

You don’t just meet someone and automatically become best friends with them. There’s a slow progression from strangers to acquaintances to friends to best friends that may take weeks, months, or years. 

How did they meet? Why did they first make a connection? Have they had their ups and downs throughout their friendship or were they always pretty good at sorting out their differences?

One way to tell your audience how close your characters are references to past events that they’ve gone through/struggles they’ve faced together, and you can’t do that without showing that they have a deep intertwined history with one another.

3. Show their bond instead of talking about their bond

Instead of reiterating over and over about how they spend every moment of every day together and would trust each other with their lives, show it! 

If you have them hanging out in every scene and doing everything together, then you don’t really have to tell everyone how close they are because they’ll be able to figure it out for themselves. 

Things that close friends can do together:

Spa days

Netflix binges

Fast food/coffee runs

Long drives to nowhere

Hanging out at the park/taking walks around town

Celebrating holidays together (Friendsgiving, secret santa, etc.)

Sleepovers

Deep, philosophical conversations at 3am

FaceTiming/Texting each other any time something remotely interesting happens

Hiking

Going to the mall

Video games

Sticking together at parties

Board games

Bike rides/skateboarding

Going to the beach

Talking about their shared interests (TV shows that they got each other into, books they’ve both read, movies they’ve watched, etc.)

But it’s not just hanging out that can show their bond, it’s also the little things, too:

Sending each other memes/things online that pertain to their interests

Knowing the password to their phone/garage/computer/etc.

Being close with each others’ families

Knowing exactly what they’d order at a fast food/coffee place

Comforting them when they’re upset

Sending answers to homework/always finding a way to be paired up on group projects

Having funny names for each other on their phones and a plethora of ugly photos of the both of them

There’s a whole lot more to this, but I think I covered most of it!

Hope this helped, and happy writing!

[ifmywishescametrue]

omg now im jealous about all of the breaking up and making up stories!!! they're all so wonderful but is it okay to ask for a steve/tony one? i know you've made one inspired by ts (amazing) and this time, maybe they meet/bump in a coffee shop? idk angst potential but also hopeful/happy ending aahhh. your stories are amazing esp ivy!!! thank you! <3

thank you so much!! it ended up being more cute than angsty, but I hope you like it!

Steve's pencil drifts idly across the page of his sketchbook with no end vision in mind. He's killing time until Nat shows up, which could be anywhere between the next five minutes and the next two hours with her vague text that simply said running late. When he looks up to reach for his near empty coffee cup, he freezes with his hand in the middle of the air.

At first he thinks it might not even actually be him. Tony's hair was never quite this well styled before, always a tangled mop on his head that sometimes fell into his eyes. Steve used to spend hours sometimes running his fingers through those wild curls while Tony slept on his chest. It's been tamed since then, cut shorter and held into place by some type of product. The facial hair is new, too. He remembers a time when it would always come in patchy and uneven, and Tony would pout as he shaved away the latest attempt at looking older than he was. The eighteen year old boy in oversized hoodies and stained jeans he met years ago has been replaced by a man in a well-pressed, expensive looking suit with a leather briefcase, like he just stepped out of a boardroom a minute ago. From what Steve has read about his life since they broke up, he probably did.

Steve stares without fully meaning to and for much longer than he would have if it was intentional. He watches him order his drink and smiles when the barista’s eyes widen at what he knows is an overly complicated order, wondering if Tony ever did finish his quest to find that perfect combination of syrup flavors, sugar, and cream that only he would ever like.

He catches the double take when Tony notices him there, right as he’s taking his first sip of the iced drink, and the cough when he chokes on it is anything but subtle. Steve looks away with red cheeks and tries to pretend he wasn’t staring, but it’s a futile effort. He can’t say he minds, though. Not when it means Tony walks over to him and unceremoniously drops himself into the chair across from him.

His mouth forms a familiar smirk, and he says, “You seem to have a staring problem, Rogers.”

Suddenly, Steve is nineteen again, falling hopelessly in love with the boy in his introductory chemistry class. It felt sort of like fate at first when they were paired together for the final project, and Steve remembers thinking that his chances were shot to hell when Tony sat down next to him and said those exact words. He never was any good at being discreet.

Back then, for that first time, all he could manage was a stuttered apology in response. But eventually it became their thing. Something just for them that no one else could ever understand. When Steve would watch him from across the room at parties, because he knew how much Tony loved having his eyes on him, and Tony would saunter over with that same smirk and those same words, there was only ever one reply.

“Guess I just really like what I see,” Steve says, and Tony’s face splits into a grin that matches Steve’s own. He’s still beautiful, even if it’s different now. Less softness to his appearance and more defined edges and sharp lines, but heart stoppingly beautiful nonetheless. He doesn’t quite say as much, but he does comment, “You do look good, by the way. Different, but good.”

Tony’s smile softens into another familiar one. It’s his smile for compliments, when he’s thinking self-deprecating thoughts that he won’t voice. Instead he’ll turn the attention back around, shifting the spotlight.

“So do you. The good part, but not really the different part.”

Steve runs a hand through his hair, contemplating if not looking different contributes to the good or not. He should look different somehow, shouldn’t he? After two and a half years not seeing each other in person and what feels like a lifetime’s worth of heartbreak in between then and now, he should look as changed as he feels. As changed as Tony looks now, like he’s someone new entirely. He’s pretty sure the t-shirt he’s wearing now is one he owned back then.

“Thanks,” Steve says anyway, for lack of anything better.

Just before it has the chance to fall into awkward silence, Tony says, “I didn’t know you were in New York these days. I would’ve called or something if I’d known.”

Steve raises an eyebrow. “Would you have?”

“I don’t know, maybe. I would’ve thought about it, at least. You know, stalked you online, found your number, dialed and hung up a few times.”

Steve laughs, fiddling with the straw wrapper from earlier to give himself something to look at other than Tony. “I moved back last year. Thought about calling, but I figured you were busy. Didn’t want to waste your time.”

It’s only a partial truth. He did think about calling when he came to Brooklyn after his year-long internship in London ended, but he didn’t want to know what Tony would say if he did. If he would have some sort of transparent excuse to avoid seeing him or if it would be an outright rejection.

“I would’ve made time for you,” Tony says, so painfully sincere that Steve has to look up again to meet his eyes.

He wonders if Tony is thinking of that last fight, if it’s a purposeful or coincidental reference to some of what Steve said. It was by far the worst fight they’d ever had, all over the phone with an ocean between them and so many things that Steve still wishes he could take back. Accusations flew on both sides until the entire thing was blown so completely out of proportion, yet impossible to reel back in. He should have just hung up the phone before it went that far. Before he could tell Tony that he always felt unimportant compared to everything else in his life, which was sometimes true but entirely unfair. Before Tony could say that Steve talked about Peggy in the same way he used to talk about him, and he didn’t have to finish the thought for Steve to understand the implication.

“Are we talking about it?” Steve asks.

Tony shrugs, feigning casual, but just the corner of his lip is between his teeth in that way that means he’s nervous and trying to hide it. “I guess that depends on what this is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we said back then that maybe it was just bad timing. You were in London, and I was in Boston until graduation, and it was always going to be a bit of a mess, but there was always that someday chance, right? So maybe this is someday, and we talk about it, and try to get it right this time,” Tony says. “Or maybe that was just something we said and didn’t mean, and I ask you about your life, and you ask about mine, and we talk and laugh and pretend that we’re friends again for the next half hour or so before we go our separate ways.”

It’s an easy choice, really. If there’s one thing that Steve’s sure of, it’s that it’s always been him and always will be.

“I don’t want to go separate ways,” Steve says. “The first time was hard enough, and I never really moved on. I got better, but I don’t think I’ve been more than just fine in a long time.”

Tony nods slowly, “I kept thinking you would call, you know. Back then. I thought you would call and tell me that it was a mistake and it would be okay again, but you never did. Although, I guess I could’ve called, too.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“For the same reason as you, probably. I couldn’t risk it if you didn’t want me again. Couldn’t risk getting back together just to break up again, either. We weren’t exactly the poster children for making long distance work.”

“We were terrible at it, weren’t we?”

Tony’s smile is tinged with the pain of the past. “It’s kind of funny because I remember thinking that it might be a good thing for us when you told me about London. Can’t get sick of somebody if they’re not always around.”

“You thought I would get sick of you? You never told me that.”

“Why would I?” Tony laughs. “Just put all my insecurities on display like that? Come on, Steve, that doesn’t sound like me, does it?”

Steve laughs with him briefly, “No, but I could’ve told you back then that it wasn’t possible. Told you that I wanted you around all the time and I missed you every second you were gone. I might’ve even stayed if you had told me. I was thinking about it, you know? I almost turned the internship down. Probably would’ve if you’d asked even once for me not to go.”

“It was your career. I never would’ve asked you to give that up for me.”

“There would have been something else. Another job somewhere closer to you.”

“I still wouldn’t have asked,” Tony says. “And I would have told you to go if you’d said you were staying.”

Steve knows that, which is why they never talked about it much before he left. Tony pretended to be happy for him, and Steve pretended to be happy for himself, when really it already felt like the beginning of the end. A year apart is longer than it seems, and it didn’t take more than a few months to realize it.

“I never…” Steve starts, trailing off when he doesn’t quite know how to finish the sentence. “There was never anyone else. Not while we were together, and never with Peggy.”

“I know. I knew back then, too, that you were never that kind of person. Jealousy’s just a real bitch sometimes.”

“There’s really not been anyone since, either,” Steve adds, and Tony’s mouth quirks into a half smile. “I mean, a couple of people here and there, but nothing like what we were.”

“There’s not a whole lot out there like what we were, is there?”

Steve smiles, leaning back in his chair, “No, there’s really not. But I do remember reading a rumor that you got engaged.”

Tony groans, and it’s so much like he used to sound when he was nine pages deep into a ten page essay at three in the morning that Steve has to laugh.

“Don’t you dare laugh. That rumor haunts me, Steven,” Tony says, belied by a grin that he seemingly can’t control. “Do you know how I found out about my supposed engagement? When my mother called and asked why I hadn’t told her I was planning on proposing.”

“So I’m still the only person you’ve ever proposed to,” Steve teases, just for the way he knows Tony will get indignant about it.

“How many times do I have to tell you that one didn’t count?”

“You were on one knee, you asked a question, and you had a ring. All the boxes are checked, sweetheart.”

“It was a blue raspberry ring pop, and you ate it,” Tony argues. “Not to mention that I actually asked you to marry me someday in the distant future. That’s not a proposal.”

Steve laughs again, thinking about that day in the middle of their living room, just a few weeks before Steve got the call that would take him to London and change everything. It was almost like a joke, and for anyone else it would have been. Not for them, though, because Steve remembers the look in Tony’s eyes when he dropped down in front of him, spur of the moment and impulsive like almost everything was back then. He remembers how it still felt like a promise, even if it wasn’t the real thing.

“But I said yes, which I think technically means we’re still engaged.”

“Absolutely not,” Tony scoffs. “It’s going to be a production when we get engaged. Elaborate and planned and romantic as hell.”

“When, huh?” Steve grins.

Tony’s cheeks pinken a touch, but he doesn’t take it back. He reaches for Steve’s hand on the table. “Yeah, when. Is that alright with you?”

Steve threads their fingers together, holding on tight. “That’s alright with me.”

[neoculturetravesty]

We met in online class - Last Part

Image adapted from here.

Pairing: Renjun x Reader Genre: College AU, romance, angst, fluff Warnings: Strong language Word Count: 3.4k

Navigation: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | You are on the Last Part

A/N: And so it comes to an end, and let me tell you guys, I am not okay 😔 This is going to be a bit of a longer A/N, so please bear with me. If you’d like to get straight to the story, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND, so feel free to click Keep Reading!

Lowkey, I had a bit of a meltdown as I typed the final words on this fic because I hadn’t realized how attached I had grown to the characters. This is the first time I wrote three different chapter openers before deciding on one, because I simply couldn’t believe it was goodbye after this.

These mofos had constantly been on my mind for the past two months and a half. I would spend most days thinking about where to take them and then bringing them to life at night, after my entire day was over. When I wasn’t writing, I’d make little notes about thoughts I had into the night about them so that I wouldn’t forget them when morning comes. 

This was my first ever (and as of right now, my only) chaptered fic. I had no idea parting with it would be as emotional as it was. When I think back to when I first received the prompt for this, I had never even imagined I could write Renjun, let alone a series. But there was something in the prompt that had gotten my wheels turning. And I am so immensely glad that it did. There were days when I thought “Oh man, what have I gotten myself into.” Some days, the story would just flow. Other days, I’d keep staring at the blinking cursor not knowing what to type. But when I did, I found my emotions so deeply connected with the characters. I was happy when they were happy. I was sad when they were sad. So, parting with them is very hard to say the least.

But through this journey, I got to experience the joy of reading all of your reviews and comments and honestly, it made it all worth it. THANK YOU to every single one of you that read this story and waited on it and laughed and cried with it. You have made my life better in more ways than you can imagine.

In this moment, I want to thank 🍙 anon, because it was their prompt that put me in this mess in the first place. And so, it is only fitting that I dedicate the final part to them 💛

“Oh, we definitely need a picture together. How about here? I think this place would fit everyone.” Kim Doyoung looks about, finding a spot best suited for the photo he wanted.

“I think right there on the platform would be better. We could get everyone in two tiers.” his assistant suggests.

“You’re a genius. Let’s gather everyone. It’s not often that so many NCTU grads and students come to Midnight Arthouse,” Doyoung nods.

“How many of us are here, anyway?” Renjun muses. The assistant looks at her iPad, checking once again.

“I think there’s 23 of you. So, let’s definitely go for the platform.” she nods.

“Okay, then.” Doyoung claps his hands together once, “Gather everyone,” he says to no one in particular and walks ahead with purpose. Renjun and the assistant’s eyes meet and they smirk. Of course this was directed to the both of them. So, they set about to work.

As it would turn out, gathering 23 people from a charity event with art and food and drinks would be a bit of a task. But somehow, they manage to gather all alumni and current students on the platform in three tiers instead of two for a somewhat chaotic picture. There must’ve been something in the water at NCTU because none of it’s students could stand still for very long. They get maybe one decent picture and several in which someone or the other was moving or pulling a face.

His friends aside, looking around at the group, Renjun realized that he recognized nearly all of them. Yangyang and Hendery and the rest of their frat were here. As were the 127s, old and new. Renjun recognized them all, except maybe two boys, who didn’t seem to know a lot of the others either. When the pictures were done and the main events were over and the crowd had started to dissipate, Renjun finally walked over to the artwork to observe it up close.

Honestly speaking, watching the work with his own two eyes left no doubt in his mind that this artist deserved to be spotlighted like this. This work was in a league of its own. Watching it makes Renjun smile; because looking at it makes him think back to a few months ago when he was sitting in Kim Doyoung’s office, thinking of himself as some sort of a big shot. But the truth is, there was no way he had that caliber then, and there is no way he has that caliber now, though he was sure as hell working on it.

“This is the piece I lost the bid on.” Renjun hears a voice and he turns around to see Zhong Chenle’s father observing the art with him. Renjun bows politely and smiles under his mask,

“I mean, this is a remarkable piece. You have good taste.” Renjun acknowledges.

“What about you? Why isn’t any of your artwork displayed here?” he asks and for a while, Renjun smiles a bit nostalgically. He could’ve been here, had he made something for the Annuale. Had he just selfishly taken that shot. Then again, there would’ve been no real guarantees. Because Kim Doyoung was pretty particular in the people he chose, whether they were recommended by his family or not. Working with him closely in the last couple of months had taught Renjun that. It had also taught him how underdeveloped his skill was in the real world context.

“I guess I still have a long way to go.” Renjun replies humbly.

“Don’t we all?” Chenle’s father nods, “Are you working here at this establishment?” 

“Um, I… I suppose I am. I am Kim Doyoung’s apprentice. He is my mentor.” Renjun nods.

“So I might see your work here soon enough, eh?” Renjun assumes the kind man is smiling under his mask because his eyes seem to be making the same shape as Chenle’s do when he smiles. So Renjun grins back.

“I mean… if I work really hard, I might get to shoot my shot in the next Midnight Arthouse Annuale.” Renjun fantasizes.

“Or maybe you’d get lucky like this young artist,” he points his chin towards the artwork.

Renjun smiles, “I would credit her luck, too if I hadn’t seen her work. But her talent is… it kinda speaks for itself.”

“Oh, no, you should definitely credit her luck. Talent isn’t enough. The stars have to align. Luck, talent, the right place, the right time. It all has to come together.” he says nodding. 

Renjun considers his words. They seem to be coming from the wisdom of experience. 

What if Renjun hadn’t received the phone call about his grandma back then? Well, then he probably would’ve made something lackluster and gotten rejected. Working with Kim Doyoung has taught him as much. It didn’t matter who had put a word in for him. At the end of the day, his work had to be outclass.

What if he had received the phone call and then still had enough time to submit something for the Annuale? Then he still probably wouldn’t have because… well, because of you.

What if he had gone ahead, regardless of you or his grandma and just made something and submitted it? Then he still would’ve been rejected. Because the truth of the matter is, he just didn’t have the caliber that artists associated with Midnight Arthouse did.

In that sense, Renjun supposes everything was in fact happening at the right place and right time now. Doyoung was mentoring him and he was getting better by the day. The stars were aligning for him. He knew it in his heart.

“Then I would wish that it all comes together for me, too.” Renjun says.

“When it does, young man, I’ll be the first one to bid on your work.” he says and Renjun doesn’t even have the time to react when he feels a presence breeze in his direction and invade his personal space.

Renjun doesn’t even have to look up to know who it is. He can tell by the way this body fits perfectly into his side. He can tell by how naturally his own body responds and just puts his arm around it’s waist.

“Oh man, I missed all of it, didn’t I?” you lament, as you loop your arms around his neck from the side instead of a hello.

“Not all of it. The guys just left but your brother and his friends are still here. Besides, you had work.” Renjun turns his head and looks into your eyes to reassure you. “Y/N, this is Chenle’s father.”

“Oh, hello!” you say cheerfully and respectfully bow and give you greetings. “It is so nice to meet you. Chenle looks just like you!”

“Yes, I’ve been told I’m a more handsome version of him,” he smiles then turns to Renjun, “And who might this young lady be?”

“This is my girlfriend, Y/N. She goes to NCTU with us.” Renjun introduces you and you bow again. Oh, the thrill he got every time he got to introduce you as his girlfriend. Fuck, he’s pretty sure he’d never tire of it, even if it had just been a few months. The serotonin boost in his veins is strong and he gets the urge to squeeze you and hold you forever.

“Oh, that’s very nice. Come have a meal with us before we have to catch a plane back home, okay?” Chenle’s father invites the two of you. 

“Oh, I would love to!” you say in your chipper tone before your eyes start darting around “I’m going to have to excuse myself for a little bit, I just wanna say hi to my brother.” you say and you politely bow before you start moving away.

“Babe, hang on…” Renjun says, holding you back by your hand. He brings his fingers delicately to the bridge of your nose and softly pinches down the mask over it so it sits more snugly on you. “There, it’s much safer now.” Renjun nods and watches the affectionate smile your eyes give before you move away. You looked so pretty today, even if you were just coming back from a four-hour internship. You were easily the most beautiful girl in this room, though Renjun suspected that you’d be the most beautiful girl in any room you entered. 

Albeit sometimes, Renjun had to wonder if your talent or your beauty was greater. Because you had become the only junior in NCTU to land an internship at the SMK Trainee Drive. And now that you were a senior, you were somehow managing to keep your grades up alongside it. 

Renjun, on the other hand, would find himself struggling with balancing his apprenticeship with his school work. So he knew firsthand how your discipline was something else altogether. Recently though, he had experienced a rise in his grades because you had been taking him on so many study dates that your organizational skills and motivation had started to rub off on him.

Renjun walks around the studio and the party and feels like it’s been too long till you’re finally back by his side. 

“Love in the Time of Corona,” you read the title of an art piece displayed in front of you. “That was supposed to be our thing.”

Renjun laughs and has no qualms in looping his arms around your waist and finally pulling you into himself.

“I guess we should’ve realized then how un-novel the idea would become in a few months.” he comments. 

“Un-novel is not a word, Huang Renjun.” you narrow your eyes at him.

Renjun laughs. “It is now,” he says and lets out a long exhale, “I missed you today.” he complains, though he looks down at you with warmth.

“Well, you’ve got me now. And you have me for the entire weekend.” you reassure him, your palms on his chest.

“Mhmm.” Renjun smiles and he wants to lean in to kiss you. But Kim Doyoung specifically had people assigned to walk around and make sure that everyone had their masks on when inside. “Also, we already have a thing.” he reminds you and winks.

You laugh, and say “I guess we do,” then let out a happy sigh as your eyes avert from his for a moment, taking in your surroundings. “Our Couple Thing should give you some ideas on what you can make when your work is displayed here in the 2022 Annuale. I won’t be late to that, I promise. I’ll take a day off from everything else in my life.”

Renjun's heart grows warmer still, and he’s sure his eyes reflect what he feels, “How can you be so sure my work will be displayed in the 2022 Annuale?”

“I don’t know, Huang Renjun. I just have a feeling about you.” you say and Renjun can see you smile even if your lips are covered by a mask. Your eyes always smiled before your mouth did, anyway.

“Y/N L/N, I have a feeling about you, too.” he retorts. 

“And what feeling would that be?” you raise an eyebrow.

“It’s a secret.” he says, but now he sees your pout, even if he can’t see your mouth because your cheeks have puffed up over the mask. It makes him laugh.

“You’re no fun.” you protest.

“I’ll tell you once we get out of here.” Renjun offers.

“Well, I’m ready to leave.” you jut your chin up. Renjun grins and offers you his arm. You grab it with your entire body and the two of you start walking out together.

You had plans for the weekend, after all. And Renjun was determined to keep you all to himself for once, with no one else demanding your time. Not your internship, not your assignments, not any of your friends, and especially not Lee fucking Donghyuck. He was finally going to take you away where it could just be you and him and nobody else.

This moment felt way too surreal to Renjun.

The campfire had simmered down from a glorious roar to a comfortable burn, giving off just enough heat in the cool of an early winter evening. The sky was in it’s fading moments, where the pink of the light was slowly turning to violets and the violets were slowly merging into darks. 

Renjun remembered suggesting to you all that time ago that maybe you could go somewhere together. But now that he was here, he hadn’t imagined that the moment would feel as surreal as it did. 

Because now the two of you are sitting in front of your tent by the fire, entwined in one another. You’re sitting between his legs, arms around his neck, nuzzling your cheek inside his padded jacket while he supports your head on his arm and kisses you.

He’s holding you in his arms and kissing you and everything seems so perfect that for a moment, he has to pull away to watch your face and wonder if all of this was real. And though there is a gentle smile on your face, you’re not opening your eyes much. Because you know full well that Renjun’s lips would be back on yours in no time. So you play with his hair as they fall to his forehead and when he kisses you again, you press up into him so he would wrap his arms around you and hold you tighter. He does and he rubs his hands up and down your back and attempts to close his jacket around you.

“Are you cold?” he asks lovingly. You shake your head.

“No. I just want to crawl inside you.” you say, like it’s the most logical thing to be said.

“Creepy.” Renjun remarks but holds you closer still.

“You should be happy you haven’t seen my collection of your hair clippings.” you quip as you nip into the skin of his neck.

“Oh, sweet. That rivals all your used tissues I’ve kept in my shrine at home.”

“Aww, you shouldn’t have.” you coo at him and then lean up to kiss him some more and he laughs. But soon, he pushes the arm that you were using like a pillow up so your face would be closer to his and he could kiss you as deeply as he was truly craving. 

The two of you keep kissing like that till the sky is dark. It was an odd sort of trance, being so lost in one another that neither of you cared about what time it was or how long you had been sitting here, wrapped up in one another. Your phones were zipped away in your bags and you hadn’t checked them even once since you had parked your camping van and set up your tent. It was a slow, peaceful sort of bliss, just sitting by the fire and kissing and kissing with nothing else on your minds but being here like this with one another.

“Renjun?” you say, your voice sounding like it was returning from a deep thought.

“Hmm?” Renjun asks as he combs your hair away from your pretty face.

“You know, I learnt today that a cactus can live anywhere between 10 and 200 years.” you tell him, idly tracing the birthmark on the back of his hand.

Renjun leans in and presses long into your lips. “Yeah?” he replies and watches your face. It seemed hazily focused, like it was trying to catch onto a faraway thought.

“I also learnt that it can take up to 30 years for a cactus to bear flowers.” you say in an introspective, wistful tone.

Renjun looks away to hide his smile. Oh God, you were so cute. “Yeah?” he says again, but it’s getting more and more difficult to keep a serious face.

“Sometimes, a cactus doesn’t flower at all.” you say and then you turn your head to look at him like you’ve resurfaced from your thoughts and are now in the moment. Renjun’s grin grows wider. “Renjunnn…” you whine and so he has no choice but to tenderly hold your cheeks in his palms and stroke your hair.

“What?” he chuckles.

“You said you’d think you’re worthy of my forgiveness when the cactus bears flowers.” you whine again and Renjun has to plant a loving kiss to your forehead.

“Is that what I said?” he chuckles some more and then leans in to kiss the anxious realization away from your lips. 

“Renjun.” you pout and Renjun laughs and takes his beautiful, whiny, kindhearted girlfriend in his arms and hopes that his hold could chase away all the worries from her pretty, brilliant mind.

He kisses you because his heart can’t bear it any longer. How did he manage to hold a heart like yours in his hand?

Renjun feels an indescribable amount of happiness. Like he wasn’t sure that you were really here with him, in his arms, all for him to hold, with no worry or burden afflicting him. The happiness is so immense and so incredible and so heavy that for a moment, he feels it suffocating him. He wonders if he deserved this kind of happiness.

But right in the next moment, he stops himself. He knew how easy it was to relapse into those tempting, lonesome thoughts. But if there was anything that therapy was teaching him, it was that of course he deserved happiness. 

Though right now, holding you in his arms, this happiness was choking him. He felt like his heart was swelling and pressing against his lungs and his chest couldn’t bear it and he could no longer breathe. 

“Y/N…” he exhales, holding you back so he can look at your face and you could look up into his. He pauses to gather another breath. Then, he just says it. “I love you.”

And doing so does the trick. He feels his chest slowly getting lighter, because this is what it had been bursting with. Now, he’s told you. Now, it can be unburdened.

You look up at him and there is nothing but a sparkle in your eye, and tenderness in your smile. For a while, you say nothing, just looking upon his eyes like that. “Thank you.” you finally whisper back at him.

Renjun pauses for a moment. But then, he relaxes. This was okay. You didn’t have to say it back right away. Renjun was ready to give you as much time as you needed. So he presses his lips into your forehead once again till he feels you laughing against him. He pulls back in confusion and you grab at the lapel of his parka.

“Huang Renjun…” you say and he looks back at you with uncertainty, “... I love you, too.”

And Renjun can’t help it if he kisses you too hard. He can’t help it that he’s squeezing you too tight. He wouldn’t care if the night brightens back into morning and the morning fades back into night. He was going to hold you just like this for the rest of his life. 

So he lays you down and kisses you deeper, like he wanted to make up for all the time he had lost. All the time in his life when he hadn’t known you. All the time he had known you and didn’t let himself have you. He was going to make up for it all. And as he zips the tent up and shields you from the rest of the world, he wonders if he could spend all of his days just like this. Holding you and loving you and knowing that you loved him back; and if he could, today was a damn good day to start.

The fire slows to a simmer till all that’s left are embers that keep being carried away by the breeze. But the two of you remain inside, in your own world, happy that you had found one another, happy that you could finally have one another. Happy that you could hold one another and say that you loved each other and have nothing in the world hold you back, not now, not ever.

You were Y/N and Renjun, Renjun and Y/N, two names that were forever intertwined because that’s how people would call you now. You were the couple that belonged so perfectly with one another that people would wonder if you’d been together for years. And any time someone with a burning curiosity would come up to you and ask,

“So, where did you guys meet?” you would just look at one another, smile and say, “Well, we met in online class.”

~THE END

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