#but i am pretty sure she'll figure out the story

[infantisimo]

watching moonstruck (1987) directed by norman jewison starring cher nic cage olympia dukakis danny aiello and john mahoney with my grandmother.

[watatsumiis]

Sitting in their lap - part 3

I'm really enjoying writing this series, so here's another part! :D

Content: Gender neutral reader (referred to as 'you'), described/implied to be physically smaller than most of the characters (simply because I am and that's how I project, but if you'd like an alternate version, send me an ask and I'll whip it up!), pre-established platonic relationships (though this may border into romantic if you consider physical affection to be that way, so be warned)

Part 1 - (Ft. Albedo, Al Haitham, Ayato, Arlecchino, Capitano, Childe)

Part 2 - (Ft. Dainsleif, Diluc, Dottore, Gorou, Itto, Kaeya)

Characters in this one: Kaveh, Kazuha, Lisa, Morax, Pantalone, Pierro

Kaveh is a bit of a squirmer - he loves being kept company though and will do anything he can to make sure you're comfortable. If he's particularly absorbed in a project, he may barely acknowledge you, but you'll find that he just absently starts to fidget and toy with you, stroking your hair and touching your face, tugging at your clothes, as if he's just making sure you're still here. Sometimes he may even ask for your opinions on what he's working on and will just absently chatter away to you. You don't have to listen super intently, he doesn't mind either way, it's just like he enjoys hearing the sound of his own voice.

Kazuha tends to get up and move around a lot, even when he seems to be settled. He finds that moving around can help get the creative juices flowing - but he'll still himself for a while if it seems like you're in need of some attention. He mutters to himself a lot and may even be working on more than one thing at once (sometimes even holding pencils in both hands), catching little snippets of inspiration before they're gone with the wind. Sometimes it seems like he's looking for your input on a quote or idea, but he always seems a little shocked/startled when you provide a response - but not at all displeased, he really likes having someone to share his ideas with. You notice that his writing tends to border into softer/fluffier sorts of stuff when you're sitting with him - perhaps the physical touch affects him more than he lets on.

Lisa thinks it's super cute and sweet of you to seek her out this way - she certainly doesn't mind having an excuse not to do her work (though it's not like she was going to do it in the first place). She'll chuckle and tease you a little, then settle in for the long haul. She may disturb every now and then to ask you if you need anything or if you can shift your position just a little, but other than that you're pretty much left alone - except for the odd occasion when she's particularly bored and might prod or poke you to make you squirm or giggle. She really does enjoy the company - it gets rather lonely in the library sometimes, especially when people are just dropping in and out for books.

Morax, despite his spiky, horned exterior, really enjoys some snuggles, regardless of his current temperament. The clashing of cold blooded dragon and warm blooded human can mean he has difficulty regulating his own temperature, so having something warm curled up in his lap is often just what he needs to even himself out. He'll curl his big tail around you and rest his chin atop your head - you swear you can feel some kind of purr resonating from somewhere deep in his chest. It's almost possessive, the way he curls his unnaturally tall form around you, puffing out a little sigh into your hair. If he happens to be in a talkative mood, you cuddling up to him may also prompt him into telling you a story or reciting a poem he heard long ago - his voice sounds different from behind those wickedly sharp fangs inside his mouth, but it's still unmistakably him. He'll always make a point to thank you for keeping him company once you get up to go (or if he has to go for whatever reason).

Pantalone acts aggrieved at first - don't take it as a personal slight, he's just dramatic. He'll quickly figure out how to continue his work around you (though you may get booted off if someone walks into his study) and you'll find that he starts to absently use you as a fidget toy, twirling your hair around gloved fingers and pressing his cheek lightly against you as he lets out a content hum from the back of his throat, so quiet that you almost feel like you imagined it. If it becomes a regular thing between you two, he may eventually organise for his workers to bring up extra snacks, and maybe a book or something to keep you occupied. His work is mind-numbingly boring and he doesn't really have any way to entertain you personally. He may get a little strict (or even downright mean) if you fidget and squirm too much, and will remind you "You're only in here because I'm gracious enough to allow you to occupy both my time and space. That opportunity can be taken back at any time." Meanie :(

Pierro has a bout of initial confusion and shock, but doesn't really let it show. He'll just let you climb into his lap, giving you this stern and vaguely-disapproving look as you do so, but he won't say anything or make any move to discipline or redirect you - that's pretty much him giving you the go-ahead. He'll hardly even acknowledge you, just working around you as he does what he needs to do. If anyone happens to walk in, he'll act like you're not even there, just go about his business as usual. His resting temperature is a little cool, but not to an unpleasant degree. You may find him setting a hand on your hip or back every nod and then so that you don't tumble off as he shifts his weight around or reaches for something on his desk, but other than that it's like you don't exist at all - unless you get too wriggly or start asking questions, in which case he just lifts you off of him and sets you on your feet somewhere off to the side of the chair like a mother cat repositioning a kitten.

Please don't repost, steal, copy or otherwise plagarise my writing! This includes posting translations to other sites.

[nervocat]

hihi!! some platonic aalto hcs with a teen!reader?

“Uncle Aalto! (I am NOT that old!!)” (no cws - wc: 422, platonic/fluff, gn reader)

Nobody exactly knows how you, Aalto and Encore met, but it doesn't really matter anyways. You three get up to a lot of mischief though, that's for sure.

You and Encore both call him “Uncle Aalto” no matter how many times he tells you not to in public. You like to tease him about it and tell Encore to keep doing it. Encore doesn't need to be told though — she'll do it regardless if she forgets or not.

Aalto likes to mess with you too though, like ruffling your hair a whole lot with Encore giggling at the sight of you trying to swat Aaltos hand away. She might help get Aalto off of you if you ask nicely or if she feels like it.

Being a part of the Black Shores together means you probably go on some adventures together, and it's honestly quite fun with Aalto and Encore.

He likes to mess around with you and Encore with his mist abilities, popping out of nowhere to scare you (you could probably scare him back if you wanted).

Despite all the goofing around you guys do, Aalto would get you out of any sticky situations you get yourself into. He'd do a lot for you, and this was just one of the things Aalto would do for you.

If you're feeling down, Aalto’s also there for you. He makes little figures with his mist as an attempt to try and make you laugh or at least feel better. Encore’s also there to cheer you up, letting you hold Wooly as well.

If you want to be left alone though, Aalto will respect you and back off. If Encore's there too, she'll back off as well, but let you borrow one of her sheep plushies for the time being.

“Take good care of Wooly, or Encore is gonna be mad at you!” she gets a little hit to the shoulder from Aalto, him mumbling that it's “Probably not the best thing to say right now, Encore,” which makes you laugh a bit as the Wooly plush looks up at you.

Aalto tells you two stories as well, obviously overexaggerating them a bit. It's fun to see him get all expressive as he tells them, saying he did this and that as Encore cheers.

Aalto's a pretty good guy to you and Encore, letting you two get away with calling him “Uncle Aalto” sometimes. He doesn't mind it as much as he says he does, as long as it's in private.

[ ★ - notes . Aalto is so silly and fun to write for <33 this also did kind of become an Aalto AND Encore fic but yk. They're like. A duo. So.. but yeah it was just a bit of a struggle to write some scenarios, but I like the final product :33 ]

★ — © nervocat || I appreciate any reblogs made, and pls don't repost or translate my works anywhere, ty — ✦

[trick-or-fucking-treat]

The Knife in You Brings Out the Life in Me - Danny Johnson x Reader

Masterlist

Prologue ~

Summary:

Y/n was never close with her cousin Billy and hadn’t seen him in years, but when he shows up at her roadside home, running from the law and with a Stu on his arm, she figures it’s best to let him stay. He wouldn’t.. gut her? Right? Best not take any chances! The real kicker, however, is when their inspiration - the real and original Ghostface - shows up. She has less faith he’ll let her live if she isn’t careful.

"How could this happen? Am I dreaming again? Her body's not moving I'm assuming she's dead"

- The Greatest Story Ever Told, Ice Nine Kills

———

"Fuck, Billy! What'd we do now?" Stu stressed, knife in hand, gesturing wildly.

"Well... our face is on every news station, too many people around here know who we are." Like Stu, Billy still wore his shitty dollar store Ghostface costume, albeit their masks were tossed off to the side. Both were covered in blood, Billy slightly more so, and Billy was trying to keep his cool while Stu made every effort to panic.

"Ok, so.. we need to lie low?"

"Exactly. I have a rich cousin who doesn't live far from here, but still pretty out of the way. She's a recluse, we won't be bothered there... assuming she'll take us in."

After pulling off their first couple murders scot free, Billy and Stu decided they couldn't let the thrill go. Of course it was going to bite them in the ass eventually, but how were they supposed to know karma is a cold hearted bitch? Welp! They sure do now...

Their latest victim managed to get away, and while she didn't see their faces, she was damn sure she knew the killers. The two slash happy teens had taken a hit at another one of their classmates who they weren't too fond of, and they got cocky. Gave a hint hint, wink wink, at who they were behind the masks to scare the poor victim into thinking she was going to get her guts spilled by the guys who sit across the classroom to her in chemistry. It's all part of the thrill!

Except this time the bitch got away and ran to the police.

Stu was quiet for a moment before another thought occurred to him. "What about... you know who..? How will he find us if we drop off the map?"

"For all we know Danny's watching us right now! He's probably laughing about us fucking up.. he'll find us or he won't, that's up to him. Right now we need to get out of dodge."

———

Danny Johnson. The original Ghostface. Billy and Stu thought they were funny copycatting such a famous psycho. He was their role model of sorts.

Things changed when good ol' Jed Olsen started being pally with Billy and Stu, though. He was older. Sort of came out of nowhere. Knew things he shouldn't have known.

At first the pair were worried he knew what they were up to and just needed confirmation before going to the police, but Jed seemed to find it more funny than anything. He had this energy about him that made them cautious.

One night they were getting ready to start stalking another future victim (Miss run-away-and-blab-to-the-police funnily enough) when they got a phone call.

"Do you like scary movies?" The familiar staticky voice had spoken. "Who am I kidding? Of course you do! Why else would you both be starring in one? The question is... are you really the predators? Or are you actually... the prey?" The line had gone dead a moment later.

But when they shared a slightly concerned glance and decided to continue to leave for their midnight hobby, they opened the door to see a matching - though much more pristine mask  - staring back at them.

The Ghostface at the door didn't wear a cheap, scraggly, dollar store Halloween costume like Billy and Stu. He wore thick, black, sturdy material with straps and combat boots. Ohhh fuuuuuck... this guy is serious.

Danny gave them a good scare and let them fear for their lives for a while. Danny's a better killer than them. More experienced. More ruthless, and far more premeditated. But despite planning on killing them at first (they stole his entire thing, they couldn't get away with it, Danny had been planning this for a while) in the moment, he saw potential in them. Also they were a good laugh.

From then on, Danny took them under his wing and turned up when he felt like it to guide them in stalking and nurture their talent for murder.

Danny wasn't typically the kind of guy to help out other killers, especially ones who steal his likeness, but these guys had the same raw psychopathy that Danny sees in himself. And also, what the hell, he gets bored, they buy him free meals, they treat him like a god, what's not love!

And so Billy and Stu met their hero and dedicated their time to someday be as great as him. (Danny knew they'd never live up to him, he can always kill 'em when they get boring).

But now they've fucked up. Their victim got away. Danny's laughing and hiding in a bush somewhere vowing to never let them live it down. And Billy and Stu are hitching a ride to Billy's cousins place, hoping y/n will look past the blood and murder and let them crash for a little while.

———

A/N: ok this is the prologue for my new fic! Now I know I've written fuck all in a long time, and I apologise to anyone who's been waiting on updates to my other fics if you've read any, but I've got to go where the inspiration takes me!

I hope you enjoyed this little intro and please leave a comment if you have any ideas!

Have a great day/night,

~ trick-or-fucking-treat

[cripplecharacters]

Hello! I am writing a story where the mc's sister got into a car accident prior to the start of the story. She needed to have her left leg and right arm amputated at the elbow/knee, as well as some rib fractures. She was put in a medical coma for a while, and I was wondering how long would it take for her to be able to move around with a crutch, or begin prosthetic fitting? She still has a wheelchair, and her pt was pretty smooth. I know this is different for everyone, but do you have an idea for a rough timeline?

Thank you very much!

Hello,

Something you may want to consider is that the wounds you described alone probably aren't going to require a medical coma. An induced coma is almost always to protect the brain and give the brain time to heal, though it can be used for major injuries to something such as the heart or lungs if the situation is delicate and the patient being awake has a big chance of compromising their recovery. A coma is a last resort. At most, they'll probably only keep her sedated, not in a state as heavy as a coma, for a few days to let her injuries start to heal. But they aren't going to want to do that any longer than they have to.

Muscle wasting is a very real possibility with coma patients. They don't move for long enough and their muscles start degrading due to lack of use. There's also the huge risk of pressure wounds, like bedsores. A comatose patient needs to be moved and shifted as much as medically safe because a deep enough bedsore can be life-threatening and that needs to be avoided. There's a risk of blot clots, because the patient is laying down for a long time and blood clots can happen under those circumstances. Also, a patient in a medical coma will always, no matter what, without fail, be in the intensive care unit because they require a lot of monitoring to make sure they're healing. She will probably need to be intubated, because a medical coma is meant to force the brain to relax as much as possible and that can often mean the patient will struggle to breathe on their own. That intubation will make feeding tubes difficult, too. Not impossible, but difficult. You might also want to consider how long she's kept under. The longer a patient is kept in a medical coma, the longer it takes for them to come out of it once the reversal medications are administered.

The coma is going to put a very long extension on her recovery, just so you know.

As for how long recovery from an amputation takes, generally an amputation will heal in three to four weeks, though it might not scar over completely for as long as twelve to eighteen months. She'll probably spend at least one week in the hospital until her wound is starting to scar, during which time she'll learn base skills like transferring safely. Once it's safe, she'll probably be doing a lot of physical therapy to get used to moving around in a completely different way. That part of the recovery process can take up to four years, if not longer, before the patient has completely adapted. Of course, people can adapt faster than that.

She'll start training with a prototype prosthetic, something that isn't permanent and it just to help her get used to using a prosthetic, once she's out of the hospital. They'll be waiting for her residual limb to reach a stable shape, meaning there's not really a massive risk that her healing is going to require a bunch of different fittings. That will take anywhere between two to six months. Once that happens, she'll be fitted with a long-term prosthetic and then she'll get used to that. At this point she's probably kind of figured out most of how to navigate life, so now she's just getting used to the new leg and continuing to learn how to adapt to her circumstances. I'm not an amputee, so I can't tell you exactly what that would be like or how long it would take. Probably at least three months if she's a very dedicated and fast learner, but that's probably a bare minimum, as in the kind of adaption rate that only happens during clinical trials where doctors are overseeing and helping with everything.

And look, she's probably not going to be all that attached to a prosthetic arm should she chose to get one. The few upper-limb amputees I know if real life will either not bother, only have one because they thought they needed it before they learned how to adapt without it, or they just use it for a few minor things, like keeping people from demanding their medical history on the streets. I can't promise you it would be more practical, but it would probably be more practical for her to have a body-powered prosthetic rather than the new bionic ones that respond to the activity of certain nerves. There's a reason some amputees today still have hooks rather than the fancy ones, because the hook-type prosthetic works and going higher-tech would be kind of pointless because they're going about their lives just fine.

Here is the source I used for the amputee timeline.

Mod Aaron

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana HCs: M6 with an introverted MC

Julian

To this guy, being alone is cruel and unusual punishment, so the first few times you give yourself some alone time he freaks out

Did he make you mad? Did he say something to hurt you? Are you bored with him?

His solution is to glue himself to your side and pull out every charming trick he can think of

Look, he can swordfight! Look, he can sing! Look, he reads big books full of obscure medical terms! Please don't shut him out!

Needless to say this gets irritating after a bit

Once you sit him down and get to the bottom of why he's acting so weird you're able to explain

He's much more understanding now

You'll still need to be very blunt though: "Julian. I love you very much. For the sake of my sanity I am going to spent the next few hours in this room. By myself."

After a few instances of this it's able to settle in his mind that you needing alone time isn't a rejection, so now he takes these opportunities to go get himself in trouble so he has a dashing story to tell you about later

Asra

They've known this already, they've known you further back than your memories go and they spent at least a year being your caretaker

He's also an introvert so this works out great

Loves sitting quietly on opposite ends of the room, dozing and daydreaming and mentally fine tuning a spell or two while you do your thing

If they feel like being around people when you don't they'll leave Faust with you and go exploring

Never stays away for too long, now that he knows what he gets to come back to

Alone time is a lot harder to get when you're traveling though, so they will happily take a day with you to hole up in some B&B or camp out in whatever nature you're passing through

After the events of that disastrous masquerade, you have a lot more friends than you did before and more reasons to be social

So if you're in the mood for human interaction and he isn't, he doesn't feel nearly as guilty taking some time to himself if he knows you'll take that as a chance to pay some visits

Nadia

What else did you think her thinking tower was for? She gets it

As dedicated to you as she is, she's able to pick up your inclinations pretty quickly

She makes sure you have your own chambers next to hers at the palace to use as you see fit

Not that you aren't welcome in hers! But she likes having her tower so much she figured you should have something like that too

Has secret passages installed with a little magical help from your chambers to several important places

Those places are the library, the kitchen, the gardens, and her private bath

Sometimes if it feels like a while since she's seen you, she'll send Chandra with a little love note to check in

If she needs alone space while you're feeling chatty, no worries there. The palace is packed with people

Now that her family visits regularly, you're able to get to know them while she's occupied and learn more about her

Every now and then she'll come downstairs after a quiet afternoon and find you in the drawing room with one of her sisters, sharing the things about her you love most

She'll be blushing for the rest of the evening

Muriel

King of the introverts

If you need a day to yourself, the hut is yours while he goes about his daily routine

The chances of him wanting to be social when you don't are highly, highly unlikely

In fact, unless you are also as extremely introverted as he is, you are more likely to need more company than what he can comfortably provide

Going into town isn't always the best solution either, because after half of Vesuvia camped around his hut for a month everyone recognizes you

Thankfully Nadia built a back entrance into the palace gardens from the forest in case either of you wants to visit

And you have a very convenient glamor spell for when you need to stop by the shop

You always pick up pumpkin bread and something new to sample on your way back

Inanna especially loves it if you bring her a treat or two

It's also not uncommon for somebody to stop by the hut for old time's sake, to invite you to a wedding or birthday or just to check in with a gift

Portia

Oh boy, she does not get it at all

Like in her mind she knows some people are just like that, Nadia's quite the introvert too, but she cannot relate

Mostly she'll just be worried that you're losing your happiness. Everything about being around people brings her joy, why don't you want to have fun??

She loves you though, so she'll leave you in the cottage or garden for a morning with some pastries and a book recommendation while she catches up on palace gossip

If you're traveling it'll look similar, she'll make sure you're set up for a comfortable few hours while she does her ambassador stuff

She draws people to her without thinking about it, she'll never be without company

You're still her favorite company though, so she'll pop her head in pretty regularly to see if you're recharged enough to hang out

She'll also let you know every single place she's going to be in so you can come find her as soon as you're ready

Her smile when you do will light up the room

Lucio

In case it wasn't obvious from the amount of parties he likes to throw, he is an extrovert

Half the time, if he's caught up in something, he doesn't notice if you take a few hours to yourself

The other half the time, he's very concerned and slightly hurt

Why wouldn't you want to spend time with him? What do you mean you want to be alone? Being alone is the worst! You prefer being alone to being around him?!?

You do try to explain it to him, and he does do his best to understand, but the concept is so foreign it just doesn't make sense

Your best bet is to suggest an activity that he enjoys and tell him that you're tired and you're going to rest while he does that (which is basically true)

This actually works really well for the most part

Sometimes something will remind him of you or he'll get bored quickly and come bursting into your quiet space when you least expect it

You can try suggesting a quiet activity, but most likely that's going to be all you get until he finds something else to enjoy that doesn't require your participation

[allwormdiet]

Shell 4.3

In which we finally discuss the locker

Little surprised that Alec is taking the lead on this one, but pleasantly so

And yeah, here we finally get an explanation for powers and triggers and all that, or at least the foundations of it

...Also there's no way that Glory Girl triggered just because of a basketball game, that has to be a crock of shit. What's up with New Wave claiming to be the most open hero team and then coming off the shadiest? How am I trusting these people less than I trust the government capes?

I like that they make a point of reassuring her after her blunder. She couldn't have known, and they know that, and they don't hold it against her. I love these kids.

Brian seems more comfortable smacking Alec around than he does Rachel. I don't think that's a thing of not wanting to hit women, last arc he decked Vista like she owed him money. Maybe it's that Rachel intentionally provokes that reaction and Alec is just kind of a little shit? Idk

Again, I remain utterly fixated on how this is Taylor's one line, the thing she refuses to compromise on ever. I'll buy that she doesn't want outside interference from the Undersiders or other capes when it comes to the bully situation, but it's harder to do that when she never makes a move herself.

This is so. Evil. Like, the false friendship, the rotting tampons, the imprisonment. The fact that nobody who sees this play out even bothers to help her. The fact that she's trapped for hours. If that didn't give someone a trigger event, I'm not sure anything would.

Alec is actually so real for this. Like for all that he was disgusted with the story (which, fair) his disgust isn't with Taylor, it's with the fuckers who did that to her. And Brian agrees with him! Lisa is making a point of not disagreeing, even.

Oh hey, Taylor actually acknowledges her thing with anger and violent retribution. Glad she's cognizant of that, it'd be a whole situation if she wasn't tbh

Actually thank god for Alec keeping up this line of thinking, this might be the most passionate we've seen him get about anything. The runner up is like, him being annoyed he can't keep Kid Win's skateboard, and that's peanuts compared to this. Maybe he's wrong about the revenge thing but I don't know that he is, and he's definitely not wrong about the indignity that Taylor is allowing herself to suffer

I don't think this is half the lie that Taylor thinks it is. For all that she has noble intentions, and I don't doubt she'll do her best with those... I don't think Taylor's drive to be a superhero was entirely selfless. This isn't all truth and justice going on here, this is feeling strong and being appreciated by others and not being looked at like a bottom-feeder.

Wonder when she'll figure that out for herself

Get cared about idiot! Get absolutely blanketed with affection and approval from the people who would absolutely rip your bullies apart if you asked them to!

You know. I think Brian's trigger event is one of the ones I know the least about? I know the broad strokes of almost every other Undersider, but I don't think I know anything about his.

Current Thoughts

Even knowing what's coming, reading through Taylor's ordeal with the locker is so fucking heartbreaking. She could've died in there and the consolation prize she got was not worth the cost of admission, that's for damn sure. Emma Barnes is a fucking maniac for this one.

The stuff about powers and trigger events is a pretty neat concept, and I like how it kind of contextualizes most capes as being fucked up. Like, I'm thirteen years late to the party on this one, but what a fascinating fucking idea to build your superhero setting on.

Alec really shone through for me in this chapter. Maybe I relate as someone who finds it easier to get angry on others' behalf than to be angry for myself, or maybe it's just nice to see him get fired up about something. I like this kid.

...Got work and a family thing today, but I'll see if I can't slip some more updates in. I'll probably read some at least and double back with my thoughts if nothing else

[slocumjoe]

Do you have any random headcanons about any of the comapnions that you want to get off your chest?

Oh, 100%. A lot of this is mostly inter-personal headcanons, how they react to each other. Very found-family based, heavily pushing my "Hancock and Danse become besties" agenda. Less based on the individual. Oh, and follows the "all move to Sanctuary" thing, so people who don't like that might not buy in to this.

Companion Headcanon Grab-bag

Cait; Really confused about her sexuality internally. Has changed her mind on her labels so many times. Is she gay? Bi? Pan? Straight? Ace? Sex-repulsed? Hypersexual? She likes sex sometimes and other times she hates the concept. What's her type of person, if any? What does she want out of a relationship? Just sex? What would she need in a partner? Tries to not think about it, so damn confusing. Just follows her whims. Would get on great with an elder queer person, really needs some guidance there. Also, has a fear of monkeys, apes, etc. Jangle toys and those cymbal monkeys. Fucking horrifying.

Codsworth; Babies the other companions like a mom. Putters around the bunkhouse making sure Piper eats something before she's out the door, cleaning up after Hancock's midnight snack, picking MacCready's coat off the back of a chair, hovering to block Danse's view of the coffee pot as Nick adds honey and sugar for him specifically. It's one house with a dozen adults of questionable emotional and mental stability. It's a robot butler's Olympics. Outside of the others...has spent two centuries trying to kill one single radroach. Its the same one, he's sure of it. It lives under the bridge and appears only under a full moon. It is his mortal enemy.

Curie; The most intimidating girl in the bunkhouse, not Cait. Because Curie doesn't put up with any bullshit. You look pale, come here and let—come here and let her feel your forehead. Too hot, you're taking the day off. She'll make you some tea—no, Danse, she doesn't care if that one joint on your Power Armor is bugging you. Bed. Does she need to go get Nick? She'll get Nick. Excellent! What kind of tea would you like? Curie is very sweet and caring, but she’s a hardass when it comes to the health of her compatriots. And you can't just...refuse. Maybe you could, but...no one's ever tried. Even Gage gives up once she smiles and tilts her head, but narrows her eyes. Fucking Gage.

Danse; You can tell he's feeling under the weather, be it mental or physical, if he hides from Curie. Danse ends up getting on pretty well with Hancock, Nick, Cait, and Preston once he's better from BB. Hancock reminds him a lot of Cutler, in some ways. Cait reminds him of many Initiates, hotheaded and eager but lost on their place in the world. Nick mentors him on the synth thing, and he and Preston are very similar. Once he's mostly adjusted from everything, adopts a...questionable wardrobe, things he would have worn in the Brotherhood if not for the uniform. Adores gaudy, odd-patterned shirts, bright colors.

Deacon; After the Institute is dealt with, by any means, and he has something of a support group with Sole and the others...goes back to Deacon. Its hard, it takes a lot of time, but he stops the home-grown identity crisis. He grows his hair out again, gets a charming grey-red stubble. Still likes costumes and such, but he tries to stay the one person, not fake anything. Again, very difficult. But he tries. Has an odd kinship with X6-88. X6-88 tries to figure out his identity, Deacon tries to relearn his. Also gets along better with Danse and Hancock, understands the "who am I" thing. But the real pals? Deacon and Jun Long. Jun's hype man. Gets what he went through; University Point was destroyed long after Deacon left, but that was still his home. And losing his son...Deacon respects that Jun kept chugging. Tries to help him regain his confidence.

Gage; This is a domesticated Gage, as much as Gage can be domesticated. Always has a horrific story that he likes to pepper into conversations. Deacon tries to one-up him, but Gage always wins, partially because Gage is telling the whole-ass truth. Never says anything about himself, though. Socially hovers around Longfellow, really curious about all of his stories. But Gage keeps his distance far, faaaar from everyone else. Marcy Long swung a folding chair at him, his first day visiting Sanctuary. Thinks little of Preston at first, but the moment he notices that they're almost the same person, just on the other side of the coin, has a crisis. Catches himself not criticizing Preston at one point, when he could have, and has to start a fistfight with him to feel better. Gets along great with Shaun and other local kids, who are into his raider stories. Marcy keeps hunting him for sport, though, so he only has a few minutes to talk before a rake goes for the other eye.

Hancock; Opinion of Danse does a complete flip the very second Danse apologizes. Hancock rubbed it all in his face, took schadenfreude in it. Then Danse's mental health dissolved into goo, and it stopped being funny. And then Hancock felt like fucking shit when the racist technofacist was the bigger man who felt terrible looking back on everything. It took time for their relationship to go from hostile, to civil, to friendly, but Hancock is basically a sphinx cat that wants to drape himself over Danse and cuddle all day. Danse, for his part, is grateful that Hancock could forgive him at all. Also, considers MacCready a brother, no exaggeration. Bobby is his little brother, Duncan is his nephew, blood be damned. It's good for him, after what happened with McDonough. Still refuses to process that. He never was on good terms with him, anyway, but...nope, not thinking about it. Doesn't do chems around Duncan, knows Bobby is iffy about it.

MacCready; Really didn't want to introduce Hancock to Duncan, for fear of Duncan having some...lingering memories about Ghouls. Nope. Duncan loves Uncle John to the moon and back. If Hancock isn't hugging on Danse, he's hugging on Duncan. Also befriends Jun, though he feels some guilt at his baby having survived. MacCready spends a lot of his downtime trying to educate himself, reads. Does those school workbooks if he can find them. Is really entertained by the notes left from the students using them, then gets miserable when he thinks about what happened to them. Incredible at any accuracy-based game. Don't challenge this man to ping-pong.

Nick; Resident therapist. Has, in earnest, considered installing a confessions box in the bunkhouse. Just when he thinks he's heard the worst of their lives, Hancock will remember that his brother buried him alive, or Piper mentions that her dad kept twitching at the funeral as they burned him, or Gage says one sentence about an ex-boyfriend. Then he reminds himself, yeah, these kids are Traumatized with a capital T. Wishes he could drink. Has a list of people to check on in order of priority, every week. Preston is first, Gage is last. Both reasons being, both have so many issues, but won't talk about them. Bangs his head on a wall when he notices this. Sits with Codsworth some afternoons and they share a private nervous breakdown. Has considered getting a gen 3 body, but...he'd want a custom, not someone else's, like Curie's situation. And not like OG Nick, either. Himself. Whatever that looks like.

Piper; Not over her parents dying and never will be. She was 14 when her dad died. Mom died giving birth to Nat. Had to be a mom, and then a mom and a dad, when she herself was a kid, still. Clings to the newspaper because it was all she had, her only power as a little girl alone in the Commonwealth with a toddler. Things get easier, but never less painful. Relocating to Sanctuary made things a bit better, especially since McDonough couldn't threaten to throw them out anymore. Jumped and screamed in place when she was proven right about him. Stopped when she noticed Hancock upset. Continued when she was out of his view, but quieter. Befriends everyone to some extent, but Gage. Gage has some...irritating opinions on the press, chief being, "Hey, you got everyone to kill each other, sounds like. What, that weren't the goal?"

No. What kind of name is Porter, anyway? Ugh.

Preston; So much pent up anger and frustration. Will never let it out. The restraint it takes to keep from maiming Gage like a fucking alligator could hold up the Prydwen if made a physical force. Very confused on what Gage thinks of him, though. Seems to change daily. But hey, he's always down to throw Gage out of a window. 10/10 way to spend an afternoon, eagerly looking forward to next time. Goes drinking with Danse often. Keeps an eye on Nick, sends Sturges his way if he starts making odd noises when he moves. Tries to keep some distance from the others. He lost people he thought family on Quincy...and some them, they didn't die. That was the bitterest thing of all, that they lived before anyone else.

X6-88; Has an interest in art but loathe to act on it. Very attached to his coat. Had a father figure in the Institute, was his personal servant. That man was killed by a rogue synth. X6-88 joined the courser program after the funeral. Protective of Shaun, ends up being popular with his child friends/classmates, who are all curious about the tall, dark man who doesn't speak much but holds Shaun's hand. Privately, X6-88 considered himself a child, young, once. Shaun is literally a child synth. That has to be confusing, being the ghost of dead man, made for his living parent. Dislikes Gage the most, dislikes Piper and Danse the least. Learns to respect Preston, even if he disagrees on his philosophies; at least someone on the top was trying to restore the world, even if it wasn't quite working. Has a fondness for sour apple candy.

[mintasa]

CIRCUS ~ CHAPTER 12

Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x OC

Genre: Circus AU, murder mystery, slowburn, enemies to lovers?

Warnings: Blood, injuries, mental problems

Word count: 3k

Synopsis: A series of murders in a successful circus disturbs the life of a young stylist. With no place to go, she is keen on saving the circus, even if that means risking her own life to do so. As if things cannot go worse, a group of newbies join the hawock, seemingly not knowing what they're getting themselves into. Can she figure out the motives of the murderer and keep her crew together? Can the circus survive under the growing pressure and distrust?

Note: This is the first story I am publicly sharing. It is a work of fiction, although it may not fit the criteria of a traditional fanfic (I physically cannot write in the second-person narrative). Therefore, English is not my first language, and while I'm pretty fluent, I still make grammar errors, so apologies in advance.

The story is vaguely inspired by Circus MV

Since the birthday party, Nadya hasn't talked to Hyunjin unless it's necessary. They got into the first plane in the morning and arrived safely while the sun was still high.

The wagons are here, and Jun is arguing with Misha about something. It's a funny sight that greets them. It feels like home.

Hyunjin surpasses Nadya and approaches the guys first. She watches them with curiosity, studying how they interact. Chan is aside, just looking at him fondly. Han is attacking him with questions, and Changbin and the rest are just bothering him. One is ruffling his hair. Another poking him.

Jun's eyes wander until they meet Nadyas. He grins like an idiot, and the girl opens her arms wide. He hugs her fondly, but not for too long. Hes curious. "How did it go?"

"I underestimated my sister. She tricked my mother into believing she's getting married." Nadya attempts to explain long story short. She'll have to inform him in full detail later. He's too giddy to listen right now.

"I'm glad she's alright. You two too. It's been hell," Jun shakes his head. What is that supposed to mean? Nadya raises an eyebrow at her friend. "I forgot you don't know. They found Melissa dead. A knife in the back just like her brother."

Well, that's surprising. She was still high on Nadya's suspect's list. She could have hired the guys as a way to redirect the blame. Unfortunately, another owner died. "Wait, whose property is the circus now?"

"Allen's because he was the only relative they knew of his. It is no one for now until he gets out and signs the contract," Jun explains. Well, that's a surprising turn of events.

"Are we trespassing right now?"

"Seems like it," he shrugs.

"Fun," Nadya mumbles sarcastically. "Anything I should be aware of besides that?"

"No. You just came back. Go rest," Jun mumbles and nods towards a wagon. His wagon.

She left for a couple of days. Can the killer give it a rest?

"What do you mean Allen is dead?" Taraji gasps.

They were all woken up this morning early. With shocking news by Nadya's least favorite cop. "He was found this morning in his cell with a stab wound," explains Orion. How do you even get stabbed in jail? Don't they have security?

"Well, who did it? It's a jail isn't it being watched continuously?" Misha throws her hands in the air. Exactly. Nadya doesn't get this either. How would someone sneak in a knife? Don't they get taken away? This is absurd.

"Sadly, we are still going through expertise; I can't tell you anything right now," Orion sighs.

"So the case is active again?" Nadya questions.

Orion frowns. "It is."

That's a good thing. They are not being put off again. Maybe soon everything will end. There is nothing impossible, right? They can regrow the circus. Buy a few wagons and hire some new people. It shouldn't be too hard.

"Nadya," Hyunjin catches up to her walking out of the kitchen. He is avoiding her eyes. Unusual. "I was meaning to talk to you," he mutters, finally looking up.

He is acting odd. Nadya hesitates. "Sure. About what?"

"Remember at the-" he starts, but gets cut off by Azara.

"Come to the kitchen. Important news," she tells the pair before rushing towards the dining room. Can they get a break? They just came back.

Nadya watched her disappear behind the door, then she turned to Hyunjin once again. "What were you saying?"

"It can wait. Let's go," the guy gestures with his head and moves in front.

There's a man Nadya hasn't seen before. A stoic one. A lawyer, she assumes. He has papers spread out on the table. Nadya walks over to Jun, and he leans into her ear. "Amir has financially supported the circus before. Now he's the only person with the rights towards it."

That's great news. Ever since the first death, Amir has been their leader. He has been keeping everything in control. He is a good boss, but at what cost? "Doesn't that make him the next target?"

"Possibly," Jun shrugs.

"The police has to provide like some extra security to him," Nadya complains. "I mean, there's a clear pattern."

"Have they ever cared about your safety?" Hyunjin comes from nearby. He had been listening. Does he listen to their other conversations too? She had noticed that he's light on his feet. She often doesn't hear him come in.

"Don't play a saint. You only experienced a change of heart recently," Nadya squints her eyes at him. That's a fact he cannot argue with.

He raises his hands in defense.

"Don't you think it's odd?" Azara questions.

Nadya raises her head at her coworker, sparing a second to look away from her magazine. Azara has been yapping endlessly, and she hasn't been paying attention. "Huh?"

"That it's so silent right now?"

It is silent. "I guess. I've been enjoying that," Nadya ponders. How come everything is so silent? First two murders one after another, and now it's been a week without any accidents. It's not like she wants them to happen, but it's odd.

"I don't get that," Azara fumes and leans back in the chair. "Does that mean it's over?"

"I don't think we should let down our guard," Nadya comments. Most of the attacks were unsuspected; she couldn't have dreamed about being shot at.

At that moment, Amir walks inside the room. "Good morning, girls," he mumbles. He looks tired. Probably with working on all those papers.

Azara answers, and Nadya simply nods at him. She's drinking her coffee; she's not going to spit it out. Amir pours himself a cup of tea and walks out. A boring life. Without shows, their lives are boring.

Then the rest goes in. Amir and Azara have always been early birds. Nadya as well lately. She cannot sleep as well as she used to.

Suddenly the cup is snatched out of her hands. Hyunjin. He does look like he needs that coffee more than Nadya does, but still. "Hey!"

Ge glances at the girl lazily, "I just want a sip," he shrugs. After a sip, he places the cup back in front of her. "That's nasty. How do you drink it?"

"The only thing that keeps me awake. I guess the taste is part of the effect too," Nadya utters and takes a sip. The taste is not that bad when you get used to it.

Chan walks inside without his shirt. She's used to that at this point. It's more rare to see him actually wearing one. She doesn't get him. Although she cannot complain.

Nadya is used to the guys. It's strange in a way. They will leave sooner or later. Everything is chill right now. They don't have anything to keep safe and nothing to investigate. They don't even get paid more, although they've been paid plenty in advance.

Nadya opens the fridge to find some fast snacks, but it is empty. They haven't been out for groceries since somebody attacked Amir. There's just Changbin protein powder and some of Minho's leftovers. She closes the fridge.

Changbins protein powder isn't going to feed them. Neitherhis dumbells. She tripped over one some morning and almost broke everything that was still healthy.

Later, the girl runs into Han on her way back to the vagon. He is belting out some songs in Korean. He does that a lot. Once he got used to the crew, he didn't shut up. And Seungmin never fails to make fun of her hair in the morning. They're all annoying.

Felix is a saint, though. A bit out of pocket, but he's a saint. He offers to help clean and cook. He just randomly asks about your day. He's a nice guy.

Jeongin is interested in clothes; that's why Nadya often finds him in her supply wagon. Just flipping through her magazines. Sometimes he asks for her thoughts as a stylist, and sometimes he's a menace just like Seungmin.

And Chan. Chan is just Chan. He is helpful and often the first one to initiate conversation. He's easy to talk to and available at all times. Nadya is not sure if he ever sleeps.

Minho is a tough nut to crack. He is usually really reliable and a bit closed off, but on some days he is a total wreck. She saw him trying to stuff Hyunjin with tissues one day. That was something.

And Hyunjin is still Hyunjin. He spends a lot of time in his wagon. She only recently found out he paints since he has been stealing her brushes. He thought she wouldn't notice, but she did. She just lets him.

Nadya is so used to them that she's sure it will be lonely without them. For supersecret agents, they are laid back. They're just guys. They know how to have fun.

Jun stirs beside Nadya, waking her up. Then she hears it too. The banging on their door. There's Amir. He looks panicked. "We can't find Azara," he announces. Nadya feels her heart drop. Not again.

Nadya fidgets with her phone to call her, but the ringtone rings in the distance of her wagon. She didn't take her phone with her. Maybe she just went for a walk and got lost. Not everything has to be a worst-case scenario.

Nadya sees Jihyun with Minho. He is trying to calm the little girl down. He has been rooming with Azara and her for a while. Because Jihyun was afraid to sleep alone in a bed. Poor girl.

Nadya feels a presence behind her. Hyunjin. She turns to him, and he awkwardly scratches his scalp. "We were planning to pair up and go look for her in the woods," he tells her and pauses. "Do you maybe want to go with me?"

"Sure, if you can keep up," Nadya tells him half-jokingly. He has long legs, though she's sure that's not the reason he walks much faster than her. Nadya looks down at her feet. Damn, shes in slippers. "I'll change first."

"Sure."

It takes Nadya a few seconds to throw on a sweater and sneakers and head out. Soon it's just the two of them. In the woods. Alone. Sounds like a bad horror movie, right? Other voices are distant somewhere everyone went out to look.

"Everyone! Here!" She hears somewhere in the distance. Or was it her imagination? She glances at Hyunjin for confirmation but he just starts dragging the girl along.

Soon they find Misha along with Changbin, and there is Azara. Hanging on a branch with a rope around her neck. Lifeless. Her body is limp.

Nadya's mind goes blank, although she can still feel Hyunjin squeezing her hand.

A few hours pass, the cops leave, and Nadya lets herself wander around the premises. "It's you," Hyunjin mumbles as he walks into the kitchen. She had come back for a second to rest.

"Me, unfortunately," Nadya chimes.

Hyunjin grabs a glass and pours himself some water. Then he sits down in front of her and squints his eyes. "You shouldn't be alone," he points out.

"I'm testing my luck."

"Third time is the charm. The fourth time is the real deal," he mumbles.

"Are you telling me I'm going to die?"

"God no! I'm telling you you shouldn't be alone," he says, looking flabbergasted at the idea. Nadya has always been straight-forward; she has that kind of effect on people.

"I can't sleep and do not want to bother anyone," she explains to him shortly.

He nods and pauses. "We could talk in my wagon. I go to sleep late too," Hyunjin mumbles finally.

"Fine," Nadyasighs and walks out before he can react. "Are you coming?"

"I am," he snaps out of whatever haze he is in and catches up to her.

"Anything specific you want to talk about?"

"Actually yes, but alone," he pushes her forward. Nadya simply rolls her eyes at him before moving. What's the big secret he can't tell her here?

"You're planning to kill me?"

He gives Nadya an annoyed look. She raises her hands in the air and gets into his vagon. Then she sits down on his bed, and he joins. "Someone out of us killed Azara. She was more careful than anyone. Somebody used her trust," Hyunjin states. Yes, Azara was careful. She was one of the first people to assume that we were being attacked. Nadya talked to her about it multiple times.

"Why are you telling me this?"

She can see the inner conflict happening inside of him. "Because I can't trust anyone from the crew besides you," he finally reveals. Now was it that hard?

"What about Jun?"

"He's a great guy for sure, but I don't want you to stay in the same room as him," Hyunjin announces. He's once again acting like her mother. Trying to suck her soul out.

"That's absurd," Nadya scoffs.

"It isn't. What if he decides to suffocate you with a pillow?" he argues. A childish argument.

"Look, I agree that it's someone from here," she pauses, "but not Jun."

"Then who?"

Should she tell him? "A day before Azara's death, we were talking about how it's odd that it's so silent. She was digging into the case. I think somebody found out. Maybe she even figured out who is behind that."

He pauses, "Did anybody hear you two talk?"

"Anyone could have to be honest," Nadya replies.

"Shit. That makes you possibly in danger as well."

"Everyone is a potential victim at this point," Nadya pauses and sighs. "I am not special."

"Text Jun, you staying with me," Hyunjin orders.

Hold up. "I am not planning to." Nadya laughs in his face. He is seriously stepping over the line. Just because he trusts her doesn't mean she's his puppet.

"That's an order. Text him," he points at Nadya's phone in her pocket.

"How about, no?" Nadya smiles at him sweetly.

He grins at her and then suddenly tackles her in an attempt to get her phone. He is sprayed out on top of her while she is holding her phone under her back. Not even his long fingers help.

Just as he is about to snatch it Nadya pulld it out and sticks it under her shirt. He won't try to get it out of there. His eyes fall to her chest. Then they travel back to her eyes. He rushes to get off the girl. He was straddling her and must have only just noticed.

"Bold of you to assume I won't get it out of there," he mumbles. Nadya opens her mouth to argue. To say something about privacy and personal space, yet he simply smacks her hand, making her drop her phone. It tumbles to the floor, and Hyunjin grabs it.

Nadya hits him multiple times, although not harshly. "You could've broken it," she groans.

He opens her phone with ease. Since when does he know her password? Why is she even wondering? They must know everyone. "How long have you known my password?"

"Long enough, you're not good at hiding it," he mumbles as he texts Jun. With her phone. Dumbass.

"Do you know everyone's?"

"No, but other guys know," he shrugs. "When we came here, we divided the people we are investigating. You're one of mine."

"Is that why you're such an ass to me?"

"Part of the reason."

There's hair in Nadya's mouth, and she's trapped between a pair of wrong arms. Shes caged. It's odd. Sure, they used to dance together and sleep in the same bed, but this is different. He is pressing into her. Hyunjins is breathing into her neck while his hands are securely wrapped around her waist.

He is holding on to her like a goddamn koala. Like his life depends on it. She almost feels bad about leaving. She can tell he needs a hug. It's not just something that happened by accident. He was seeking warmth. What is okay is that Nadya is not pulling back. She's letting him touch her. She's letting herself enjoy the touch. It's stupid. Shes once again jumping at the first opportunity at affection. Maybe not affection but human touch. They can barely hold a conversation.

It's stupid. She should get up. Nadya starts with Hyunjins leg which is trapped between hers. Then she attempts to push at his chest, but he doesn't budge. If anything, his grip just gets tighter. What now? She doesn't want to wake him up. It will be awkward.

She pushes him once again more firmly. That stirs him a bit. He rubs his face against her shoulder and turns to lie on another side. Shes free. He grumbles something and turns back to her, keeping some distance this time.

Hyunjin doesn't usually look intimidating. But right now he looks more vulnerable than ever. She barely gets to look at him, not scowling at her presence. His face is relaxed. He looks soft. His hair falls over his face, and Nadya unintentionally reaches out to move it. His hair looks soft. What is she on? She pulls her hand away.

Shes stupid. All of it is stupid. She wants to go back to June. That way she won't have to deal with this. She won't project stuff into her head. Out of all people, she cannot seek closure from Hyunjin. They aren't exactly enemies anymore, but they are barely friends as well.

He is pretty though. It's hard not to look at him. It's stupid. Nadya is stupid to get distracted like this. She really shouldn't be watching him while he is asleep. Its creepy. She should look away, but part of her wants to reach out towards him. Brush his hair off his pretty face. Her eyes drop to his lips.

They have kissed. He had kissed her. Although she's not sure if that counts. She froze. It wasn't even a kiss. He just pressed his lips against hers as a distraction. Now she is distracted. Hyunjin has kissable lips. Plump, soft.

Nope, she's going to hit her head against the pavement. Her caffeine intake is messing with her head. Shes sick. She should get her head checked out. Nadya finally makes a move to get out of bed. She needs to stay away. She'll have to get the guys to get her bed into the room so she doesn't have to sleep with Hyunjin anymore.

[nocandnc]

Since you're a hardcore shipper for both Yuriloe and Fionky... what if the two couples bumped into each other and had themselves a double date~?

Hi there~ Am I hardcore?! I suppose I do love my shipping outbursts...! Hmm, a double date huh... although I love their potential, I don't see Fionky becoming a couple until much later in the story - not for years even. Yuriloe on the other hand (Yurichlo? Chluri? SSSx2!? The fanbase needs to come to a consensuses!!) I can see happening much sooner.

With that in mind, here is my proposed scenario:

Yuri and Chloe start dating for real, abet tentatively. Eager to meet her brother's girlfriend, Yor gets Loid to arrange a group date between the four of them. However! Something comes up that prevents the Forgers from going. Yor is dismayed at losing a chance to learn about her potential sister-in-law and ruining the double date Yuri was surely looking forward to! (He wasn't.)

In an attempt to cheer Yor up For The Mission Twilight calls on Franky and Fiona to pose as a couple and join Yuri and Chloe instead. He insists it's a good opportunity to probe two SSS officers for info while sussing out the status of their relationship for Operation Strix.

So the group go on their double date. Fiona is less than enthused but it was a direct request from Twilight and she'll do her job damn it. Franky is mildly terrified but hey, it's a date with a pretty lady! Two ladies in fact, and the second one is unexpectedly cute for an SSS officer...? Franky gets distracted by Chloe's (polite, obligatory) friendliness all too soon into the evening. Now Fiona is mad all over again because here she is putting on her very best Girlfriend act and this scouring pad of a man is ignoring her for the enemy? Really? Right in front of her salad??

Yuri meanwhile is still a little unsure about this whole romance thing, but Yor sounded so happy when he accidentally mentioned going on a late night stakeout coffee date the other week, so maybe Chloe was on to something? But Yor wasn't even here, so what was the point? Not even that damn Loidy came! He'd sent a "family friend" over instead, who was currently making eyes at his girlfriend of all things. His girlfriend! Suddenly Yuri is very sure indeed, taking every opportunity to make physical contact with Chloe for rest of the evening while glaring daggers at Franky Franklin.

Chloe hides her disappointment at not getting to meet Yuri's sister and infamous brother-in-law, exchanging pleasantries with the peculiar couple across from her through a well-crafted smile. The other woman at the table has quite the poker face herself, but with all of Fiona's questions rounding back to the topic of work Chloe figures she must be the nervous type. Fiona's... husband? Franky, is much more talkative. So much so that Chloe is troubled to keep up. She glances at her date now and again for assistance, but the young man is still stuck sulking over his sister's absence - or so Chloe thinks before Yuri abruptly takes her hand in his, squeezing tightly.

The two couples claw their way through dinner and part ways with no lives lost, somehow. Yuri's aggression fades exponentially as he drives Chloe home. By the time they reach her doorstep he's clear headed and embarrassingly aware of how touchy he'd been with her out of the blue. He sputters a quick farewell while turning to leave, but a gentle grip on his coat sleeve stops him dead. The goodnight kiss Chloe gives him is even gentler. Fiona's at peak aggression when she slows her car to a crawl along Franky's street. She contemplates telling him to tuck and roll before coming to a complete stop instead. Franky is mentally in shambles - he's convinced Yuri Briar has some kind of ESP with the amount of psychic damage his glares dealt. And even worse, the relationship between the two SSS agents seemed totally lovey-dovey!! Franky heaves a sigh and mumbles to his frosty accomplice about writing a report for Twilight before moving to exit the vehicle. He gets one foot out the door before he's suddenly yanked back towards the driver's seat by his lapel. Franky locks eyes with Fiona as she tells him in the iciest tone possible that he'll be looking at no one but her on their next date - she'll make sure of it.

Mission failed successfully?

...

I think this turned into a shoddy fanfic halfway through sorry 'bout that.

[vioartemis]

Close your eyes and trust me

(Max Mayfield x fem reader)

Summary: One day, the party find you in the woods, fighting for your life. When you wake up, you meet a beautiful redhead that catch your attention... || request here Warnings: none a/n: Wow it took me so long I'm sorry really TvT (English isn't my first language, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense TvT)

Living alone was hard when you didn't know much about the world. That was not a choice though, you didn't want to be alone, really.

Since you escaped the lab, you lived with an old lady that found you in the woods and brought you home with her. She treated you as if you were part of her family. She even gave you a name: Y/n.

That sounded better than Twelve, and was more normal. She also taught you how to read and write, and helped you improve your social (talking) skills.

But she passed away 3 weeks ago.

You had to call anonymously whoever you were supposed to call so she could have proper funerals, to which you were the only one to attend as she had no family left.

Since then you were on your own, trying to buy "good food", as you called it, with the money she left for you. You now lived in a little cabin close to her house.

Until that night.

You were disturbed by weird noises not far away from the cabin. You had a bad feeling about that, but you still went out to check.

The party was on the track of what they thought was a demodog. The track led them into the forest.

"Are we even sure it was a demodog?" Max asked

"No, that's why we're here. To kill it if it's one, and.. not kill it if it's not one" Dustin replied

They were walking for more than an hour when they heard fight noises. They ran in that direction, only to find a h/c girl, you, fighting the demodog.

Growing up in the lab gave you abilities similar to El's, thanks to which you managed to kill the creature without being hurt too much.

Th fight was still exhausting. You weren't used to use your powers that much, and it was visible; your nose and your ears were bleeding, and it didn't take long until you faint.

You woke up in a room that wasn't yours, still exhausted because of your fight with the demodog. You propped yourself onto your elbows, looking around, until your eyes fell on a redhead girl sitting beside you.

She was reading a magazine (or something like that). She looked up, probably alerted by your movements, and planted her gaze into yours.

She was so pretty.. stunning, actually. Her blue eyes, her freckles, her red hair... She was the prettiest human being you had ever seen.

Not that you had seen many, but you were sure she was prettier than every other girl on this planet.

You stared at each other for a little time without a word being said, until someone opened the door.

"Okay you can rest, it's my turn to watch her.. I even babysit strangers now, great.."

The boy stopped when he saw you were up.

"She's up? Why didn't you say anything??"

"I- I just- I don't know.."

Her voice was amazing.

"Where am I?" you asked

"Oh uh.. let me just-" he exited the room and came back with a brunette "She'll explain better than us"

He then gestured to the redhead to follow him out of the room, which she did after one more look in your direction.

The brunette sat beside you on the bed.

"Hi" she said

".. Do I know you?"

She had something familiar, but you couldn't figure out what.

She rolled up one of her sleeves to show you something on her wrist: a 011 tattoo. Now that you saw it, you started to remember her.

"Oh.." you said, not knowing if she was with Papa or not

"We don't want to hurt you Twelve-"

"I go by Y/n now. Are you with Papa? If you think I'm going to come back-"

"We're not with him. Quite the contrary actually. You can trust us.."

With that, she explained to you everything that happened to her and the party lately, before asking you your own story since you escaped.

The two of you talked for one more hour, until you finally asked the question.

"Who was the other girl?"

"Max? She's a friend"

" A friend..?"

"Someone you can trust"

"Like... you and I?"

She nodded with a smile.

"You have other friends?"

"Let me introduce them to you"

<><><><> ♡ <><><><>

A month or two had passed since you met Max, and your feelings toward her were confusing and confused. You didn't understand why you didn't feel the same way around her and around others, so you decided to ask Joyce, with who you lived since the party found you, as no one else had room for you.

"Can I talk to you about something..?"

"Of course!"

"It's about Max.."

"Did something happened? Did you have a fight?"

"No no! I- it's just that- I don't understand why I feel weird around her.."

"Weird?"

"Yeah.. I overthink everything I say or do, my heart beats faster, my stomach feels weird.." you explained

Her lips turned into a big smile.

"What? Why are you smiling like that?"

"Y/n, dear, you're in love with her" she told you

"In love..?"

When you really really like someone, more than a friend. Someone with whom you can picture yourself in the future, for example"

"Like... you and Hopper?"

"U-uh... let's say like El and Mike"

"And um... H-how do I know if she feels the same..?"

"Confess to her, tell her how you feel. Maybe invite her to do something, only the two of you. And tell her"

"I'm going to do that, yeah! Thank you!"

You quickly pulled her into a hug before going out to find Max, who was at the skatepark.

"Max!"

"Y/n, hey! What are you doing here? Finally ready to try a skateboard?" she joked, a bright smile on her face

You felt you heart missing a beat. Her smile was so pretty and she was so beautiful...

"I- uh- I found a great spot to um.. watch the stars.. Do you.. do you want to go there with me one day..?"

"Yeah sure! Would tonight be okay?"

"Y-yeah of course!"

"Cool" her smile got wider "Let's meet around 10 at the edge of the woods?"

"Okay, see you tonight then!"

"Can't wait to be there" she said, before going back to skating with a smile.

You stood there a little while. You were a blushing mess.

<><><><> ♡ <><><><>

You were waiting at the spot you were supposed to meet Max, all stressed out. It didn't take her long to arrive though. Her smile made your cheeks redden a bit.

After greeting her, you started to walk toward your secret spot, when she took your hand in hers. I got you all flustered. Her hand was warm. It was somewhat comforting and nice.

"Is this like... a date?" she suddenly asked

"A.. date?"

"It's- uh.. when you go out with someone you really like.. in a more-than-friends way"

"Oh.. then yeah, it's like a date!"

You smiled softly, even though you weren't sure to fully understand what it meant.

"So.. you really like me?" the redhead asked

"Well- yes"

"Cool.. because I really like you too.. since day one. I- it might be cheesy and all but- the moment I laid my eyes on you I felt something.. something good of course! What I'm trying to say is... I'm in love with you, Y/n"

You were new to that concept, but according to what Joyce told you earlier, you felt the same way.

"I- I don't totally understand feelings and all but.. but I think I am in love with you too.. I- you make me feel things I don't feel for others.."

Thanks to the pale light of the moon, you would see her blush at your words. She seemed happy to hear you say that; her smile was brighter than before, and she squeezed your hand softly.

"Can I- can I kiss you..?" then, seeing you slightly confused expression "It's something that you do with your lover, to show affection in a special way"

You nodded, as she stopped walking, turning around to face you.

"Close your eyes and trust me" she said, almost in a whisper

You did as she told you, your heart pounding in your chest in anticipation. When her lips finally met yours, it just felt so right, making butterflies grow in your stomach, fireworks in your head, and heart beating faster than ever.

When she pulled away, you could see her eyes sparkling.

"Can you do that again..?"

[izar-tarazed]

Welcome!

What this is: This blog is mostly dedicated to my Elden Ring OC Izar (and well, her companion Ensha – more about them below). There might also be other content (other games, DnD 5e, writing) unless I’ll feel the need to create specific sideblogs for that (unlikely, I lack the energy).

What I do: I’ll mostly share screenshots, headcanons, storytelling, and writing snippets. (Here's my tag list!) While this is not a pure RP blog I very much enjoy RPing, so feel free to shoot me a prompt/starter whenever you like! (For more information regarding RP, flip through the Stargazer's Cookbook over here!)

Who I am: You can call me Zari. I’m over 30, she/her. Not a native English speaker, so bear with me if I say strange things. Expect occasional ramblings about the glory of freelance life, and know that there is never enough coffee.

Izar Tarazed, Tarnished Astrologer

Izar barely remembers anything from the time before her awakening in the Lands Between – just her name and what she knew of the stars. However, the stars above the Lands Between are different, their lore mostly lost to her, so she gathers stories and bits of information wherever she can.

Her most treasured possessions are her telescope and her map-making tools.

Whenever she gets the chance, Izar will sit and work on her celestial maps, preferably beneath the golden light of grace, trying to figure out constellations and their possible meanings. Working on her maps also calms her down and helps her focus.

She’s often more driven by her astrological curiosity than by the ambition to become Elden Lord – she’ll confront Rennala mainly because she wants access to the library of Raya Lucaria, and Radahn because she wishes to set the stars back in motion.

Izar relies mostly on her sorceries – the Comet and Night Comet are her favorites – and only starts improving her skills with melee weapons and a shield when Ensha insists on teaching her.

Personality

Izar is a little geek when it comes to astrology and will talk about it with neverending enthusiasm. At a new place, its (potential) view of the night sky is usually the first thing she’ll check.

She values the friendships and alliances she makes, being protective of those she cares about; that might be both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.

Upon meeting someone for the first time, she'll rather be calm and cautious, but much more confident, cheeky and bubbly once she feels comfortable.

The fact that she doesn’t remember who she was before bothers her more than she lets on.

Izar soon realizes that she isn't as ambitious about taking the Elden Throne as she maybe should be. Her true dream is running the Academy of Raya Lucaria and turning it into a welcoming place where knowledge is not hoarded but shared.

When upset, she can be pretty defiant, sarcastic and snappy.

Sir, That’s My Emotional Support Skeleton

Izar spares Ensha’s life when he attacks her at the Roundtable Hold. This leads to them being sent out on a mission together to track down Latenna (which, of course, doesn’t go as planned). While they start out deeply suspicious of each other, teaming up only reluctantly, they eventually come to trust each other and, despite some challenges, become close friends. (I’m not entirely sure what Ensha is, but I’m leaning way more into the headcanons of the somehow animated armor/actual skeleton with some kind of relation to the ancient king mentioned in the description of the Royal Remains set, rather than just being some guy with a skull mask.)

Ensha will often travel with Izar, having her back and finding picturesque dungeon walls to lean against and ponder how on earth this careless astrologer can still be alive. (He's exaggerating, of course. Izar can definitely handle herself ... most of the time.)

Ensha tends to be more wary of others than Izar is. He's extremely perceptive and quite good at reading people (and finding things). He often encourages Izar toput in t he work to improve her skills, and be more disciplined about her goals. However, he's also surprisingly fine with engaging in all kinds of mischievous shenanigans with her.

Since Ensha doesn’t speak, their communication process is a little rocky at first but improves once Izar gets better (and eventually good) at understanding his sign language. From then on, they'll often have some partially silent banter going on, and are able to communicate subtly if the situation calls for it.

Izar is also able to sense Ensha's emotions to a certain extent (more on that headcanon here).

[neverwalka1one]

Magnus Protocol 27

Yes I skipped making one of these for 26, it was a week and a half and mostly it consisted of me going 'plz stop poking the Spiral Lady she might eat you' at Celia, so.

Kidnapping/consumption, there is no way that classification can mean good things, nope.

Sam just kind of... sucks at grunt work. Like. I know he never meant to do a busywork type of job, this was a fallback, but... look. If Lena wasn't bound and determined to Not Have To Hire More People, Sam would be out on his ass in a week. You don't get that sassy with an overbearing manager and not eat asphalt. Sam, that's a clue, take it, please, omg.

Lena is tidying away Colin's files. Can someone get us proof of life on Colin?

$10 says Lena's planning on feeding Sam to one of the externals.

Oh Gwen, living down to middle manager tropes are we?

Hi Augustus, horrible to hear you, what ye olde times horror do you have for us you utter psychopath?

Strong alchemy vibes, gotta love it

So the institute is instituting (Magnussing?) by committee, I think I'm seeing why the Institute didn't overpower this world.

.... this is Jonah Magnus. THIS IS JONAH MAGNUS HI JONAH YOU ASS WHERE DID YOU PUT JON AND MARTIN

The eeeeeeeeeeeeeeye [snork] dude, stahp.

... uh. That coach ate a dude.

Hey Magnus. Magnus. Go get et by a coach.

Boyle! I got that reference. And Boyle is from the same time as Newton, so like... what, is this a committee you get to join because you inherited a seat? What, my daddy's rich and in this secret society I am too? .... actually nm that's pretty on point.

So if Boyle and Newton are from late 1600's (ish), and these letters are from nearly 200 years later... were there earlier Magnuses? It sounds like the institute is being named after him personally, so if there were, why is he so special? If there weren't, how did he get into the >200 year old rich boy's club? Why is it still a committee? Or was Newton more part of what the government bit is, that wipes Institute-esque things off the map when they get too powerful? Halp.

Jonah Magnus magnussing over here feeding his colleague to a coach with very little to no remorse I applaud Archibald (who tragically does not appear to be a real person) for spending his last moments cussing out Jonah Magnus.

Jonah has figured out about the Fears. Smirke's coming up next, isn't he? Oh no.

'Do you ever get weird emails' '[deadpan] I'm openly trans on the internet.' Read her to filth, Alice. Get her ass.

'We're not doing this now.' Doing whaaaat, Gwen? Sorta hate-flirting? Approaching romance sidelong like it might bite? C'mon, you were having fun.

Nooooooooo not the breakrooooooooooooooooooom FINE I'll break out the transcripts.

'What was that?' 'That was sex, Sam.' OOF. Sam, my shrimp king, never let Alice know Celia said that, even in jest, she'll roast you forever. Also 'pretty decent' sex? Damned by faint praise much? Or is this one of those 'if I vaguely praise it it was awesome, but if I'm very enthusiastic I think it was trash' British things?

Trevor Herbert is the MP????? That hobo-ass vampire slayer? Oh god, at least he'll get on with Lady Mowbrey.

Nope, still hung up on TREVOR being an elected official, I can't, help.

Whoop, Celia is spooked by the Archivist, what, you didn't clue in... ohhhh. oh no. She didn't hear the story last week. With the eyes. hahaha oh no.

Oh sure Celia, you just 'happen' to find the Hilltop Road property, just coinkidink, yup, just got a 'feeling' about it, yah-huh. If there are spiders there I'm going to be yelling so loud.

[monaownsmyass]

Reunion

Book: Ride-or-Die (2)

Pairing: Mona x MC (Ellie Wheeler)

Genre: ANGST (and just some general fluff)

Rating: PG13, Mona has a colourful vocabulary

Word Count: 3,930

A/N: So since we now know what was supposed to happen in Book 2, I HAD to write Mona reuniting with MC again for the first time in 5 years. The idea of them seeing each other after so long, the tension, mhmm! Since I'm working with the bare bones, I'm only guessing how most of the plot was suppose to go down. So if there's any plot holes in my own story, just ignore it :3

I never thought I'd be posting a fic again. And yet, here I am, years later writing for Mona cuz we were ROBBED of Book 2. I feel like I've come full circle cuz my very first fic was for Mona and I'm pretty sure this is gonna be my last. At least for a while. The last fic I posted was the last time I think I properly wrote anything so forgive me if I'm rusty, but anything for my baby Mona <3 Lmk whatcha think of this fic!

Ellie stared unblinkingly at the still face looking back at her from the screen. Her jaw clenched as her mind raced. Five years, it's been five years since she had seen her, five years since she's heard anything about her and there she was. And tomorrow, if everything goes to plan, she'll be right in front of Ellie. She'll actually be there, with her in the same physical space and not the one she had shared with her in her mind over the past half decade.

Just the thought alone was enough to make Ellie want to throw up, either from excitement or nervousness or both, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had been imagining this moment constantly ever since she last saw her. Ellie always thought about what she would say, what she would do, but she could never quite figure out what that would be. And for the longest time, she thought it wouldn't matter. She thought she would never see her again.

Until now, that is.

Ellie inhaled deeply and let out a shaky breath, trying to get her thoughts in order. But she never seemed to be able to whenever she looked into those sly brown eyes and at that infuriating smirk on that gorgeous face. It was no different now, apparently.

She slammed her laptop shut. She'll worry about it when she's there.

~.~

Ellie was hyperaware of everything around her. The heat emanating from her coffee into her palms, the espresso machine whirring, the music in the background, the grains of the wooden table.

Suddenly, she heard the shop doorbell ring and her heart fell to her stomach.

She just knew.

Ellie didn't turn to look, she just couldn't bear the weight of it. Instead, she heard, she felt.

She heard the familiar footsteps of boots walking towards her that awoke distant memories. She felt her eyes shut on its own accord. She heard a soft sound of curiosity coming from where the footsteps had stopped. She felt her heart drumming so hard in her chest, she could hear it in her ears. She felt a presence looming over her. She heard a hand slap against the metal backing of the chair across from her.

And then nothing.

Ellie slowly opened her eyes and gulped. When did her throat get so dry?

The first thing she saw was a perfectly manicured hand gripping the chair in front of her that lead up to a familiar fully tattooed arm. She forced her gaze upwards, finding it exceedingly difficult, feeling as if she was fighting against an invisible force, as if the more she dare to look up, the more her own eyes were denying her.

She took in the other hand resting against the waistband of dark pants. She noticed a black tank top covered by a black leather jacket and the way the necklaces worn rested against it. Her breath hitched and her heart stopped when her gaze finally met the one of the woman she had been dreaming of for 5 years now.

And goddamn, was she just as stunning as Ellie had remembered, even more so maybe.

"Mona," she softly breath out as if she was hoping it was true. The name sounded foreign yet familiar against her lips. Oh, how she had missed saying that name.

There Mona was, a hand on her hip and the other propping herself up by the chair, a brow raised and the corner of her lips quirked upwards, as if fighting a smile back. Her pretty brown eyes gazed down deeply into Ellie's and Ellie felt as if she was losing an unspoken uphill battle.

"Well, well, well," Mona whispered and Ellie nearly laughed in relief at being able to listen to her voice again. It was surreal. "If it isn't Ellie fucking Wheeler. Hello, princess."

~.~

The entire situation was so overwhelming for Ellie, she didn't know what to do with herself. She was between a constant push and pull state of fidgety and paralyzed. It was like a dream and a nightmare come true and Ellie wasn't even sure if she wanted to be woken up if it was one.

But it wasn't, and Ellie still wasn't sure what she'd say or do now that she was face to face with the woman that had been haunting her thoughts since she met her.

Ellie took in Mona who was now sitting opposite her. She was leaned back with her arms crossed and her lips pursed. Everything about her posture would suggest to Ellie that Mona was being standoffish. The only thing that was making her second guess herself were those damn eyes. Mona made no effort to hide the fact that her eyes were blatantly flickering up and down Ellie's form. They finally settled back on Ellie's and she swore she saw Mona's gaze soften just the tiniest bit. Ellie had no clue if she was assessing her as well or checking her out.

Despite her many psychology classes on body language and facial expressions, she still couldn't read Mona. She never had been able to. It was something that Ellie had appreciated every now and then, she liked that Mona kept her on her toes. But now wasn't one of those times.

"I didn't think you'd come," Ellie blurted out and finally broke the silence, not being able to stand the way Mona was looking at her anymore.

Mona cocked an eyebrow at her and shrugged a little. "It's not everyday I get a letter from a girl I took a bullet for 5 years ago. Had to see for myself." Ellie had no idea how to respond but she didn't need to because almost immediately after, Mona leaned in forward and glowered at her. "How did you find me?"

Mona was so near, Ellie could smell her perfume and she'd be lying if she said it didn't make her a bit heady. Ellie leaned back into her chair, feeling the need to put some space between the two of them. She saw the corners of Mona's lips twitch in a flash as she did.

Unlike Ellie, Mona always could've read Ellie very much easily, probably even a bit too easily.

Ellie shut her eyes tight, trying to think of an easy, gentle way to break the news to Mona. There was no easy, gentle way.

"Look, Mona," she sighed and looked up at her. "I was hoping to warm you up a little before I jump into it but since you asked...," Ellie drifted off and paused for a moment to try and figure out the best way to phrase her next sentence. "I'm working with the FBI and I need your help."

Just as Ellie had predicted, Mona was mad. Her hands gripped the armrests of her chair and leaned in even closer to Ellie, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"What the fuck, Ellie?!" Mona whispered angrily, her voice low. "If you're working with the cops, then you know that I fucking broke out of prison, right? You're basically leading them back to me!"

"Mona, listen," Ellie leaned forward and placed a hand on Mona's, not knowing how else to reassure her. It was a mistake, Ellie's breath hitched being so close to her. Both their eyes flickered down at their hands before meeting each other's again. Mona jaw unclenched just the slightest bit and didn't pull away so Ellie continued. "They agreed to clear your remaining offenses and even your criminal record if you cooperate with them."

Mona finally pulled her hand away and she folded her arms again, leaning back into her seat. Ellie leaned back as well, thankful for a way out. She knew she was on the verge of doing something stupid.

Mona considered what Ellie had told her. "What makes you think I want that? If you're working for the pigs you'd know that I'm still involved."

"I'm working with them, not for them," Ellie corrected. "And from what rumors I heard, your current situation is more of a necessity than a want, it's transactional."

Ellie looked at Mona expectantly. If she was honest, she was hoping Mona would fill in the gaps for her because that was all she knew. She hadn't gotten any details. Instead, Mona asked, "Why are you working with them, anyway?"

"There's a heist crew that Logan was in that obtained list of important informants and the FBI thinks I can help 'cuz I have ties with him."

"And where do I fit into this?" Mona questioned, unamused.

"Your current... involvement... appears to have connections to them, so we need your help to gather intel," Ellie put it plainly, no point sugarcoating it and wrapping it up in a pretty bow, especially since she knew Mona would appreciate the directness more.

"Hm," Mona squinted at Ellie and Ellie tried her best to maintain composure which was proving to be very hard in Mona's presence. "Very bold of you to assume I'd risk my neck by going behind the backs of one of the most dangerous crime families just to helps out a bunch of cops. Very stupid, but very bold too. I'm not sure if I'm impressed or disappointed."

Ellie couldn't help but grin. It was the most Mona-like thing she had said and just for a little while, it felt like old times. She decided to push her luck a little further. "Can you... is it okay if you explain to me why you're with them?"

Mona glared at Ellie and then let out a huff, running her fingers through her hair, clearly frustrated. Ellie just watched in silence, unsure what to make of it.

"After all this time and you still can make me want to talk, it's embarrassing," she mumbled and Ellie had to strain to listen to her. Ellie felt her heartbeat start to pick up again at Mona's words. "I'll make it quick. Escaped prison, cops chased, crime family protect, work for them, safe from cops." She gestured with her hand lazily, explaining with complete disinterest as if she's told this story a million times which was ironic since this was probably the first time she told this to anyone.

"Well, think about it this way," Ellie had offered in response after taking some time to ponder. "If you help the FBI, you'll help bust them and clear your offenses, which means you'll be free, Mona."

Ellie could practically see the gears turning in Mona's head, or more like, she could practically see her weighing out the pros and cons on a scale. Mona's eyes flitted from staring at her table up to meet Ellie's and Ellie forced herself not too look away, daring to challenge Mona to accept her offer.

Mona sighed and unfolded her arms to gesture with her hands. "It's a very tempting offer, believe me."

"But?"

"But there's a reason they're the biggest crime family," Mona said in a hushed yet hurried tone. "If they haven't gotten caught for this long, I doubt me throwing a wrench in their plans and schemes would do jackshit!"

Mona was frustrated, but Ellie could tell it was more so about her situation than at Ellie which kept Ellie at least a little calm for now.

"Not to mention, law enforcement fucking sucks, I don't exactly trust them to catch every single member."

Mona's eyebrows furrowed and her lips were set in a displeased line, the wrinkles at the corners of her mouth prominent with her scowling. Ellie found herself missing it.

"I know, I know you're not their biggest fan and I know what I'm asking of you-"

"NO!" Mona slammed her palm against the table, not loud enough to attract unwanted attention but that didn't stop Ellie from jumping in her seat at her sudden outburst. "I don't think you realise exactly what you're asking me to do, princess," she spat out the nickname venomously and Ellie fought hard not to flinch.

"Mona-"

"Listen, I took a bullet for you, I went to fucking prison for you. You get in touch with me again after all this years only to ask me to die for you." Mona paused and closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. Ellie watched in silence for a moment, her heart beating a mile a minute in realisation.

"You're right, I didn't think of it like that, I'm sorry." Mona snorted but Ellie continued. "But that's not the only reason I wanted to get in touch with you, I promise."

Mona opened her eyes and looked at Ellie. Ellie could sense she was trying to read her expression, decide if she was being sincere. She was.

It was quiet for a moment.

Mona crossed her legs at the knees and leaned forward. Ellie could see the anger in her expression dissipate into subtle smugness. Mona whispered, "What's the other reason then?"

There it was. Ellie knew Mona knew just from the slight pull of her upper lip and the way she was gazing at her with such intent. Over the past 5 years, Ellie had so much she wanted to say to Mona. Far too much to condense into a one sentence answer, but she tried anyway by saying, "I missed you, Mona."

"After all this time, and you still haven't learnt to save yourself." Mona let out a short, soft chuckle and shook her head. She stood up and tugged at the collars of her jacket, fixing it before shoving her hands in her pockets and turning around.

"Where are you going?" Ellie stood up in alarm, dumbfounded by Mona's actions.

Mona turned to face Ellie again, shrugging slightly. "I have to go, I came here on borrowed time."

"Will you consider it? At least?" Ellie was pleading at this point, but mostly because she knew if Mona said no, this would be the last time she saw her. She was very desperate for it to not be.

"I'll find you," Mona said and started to walk away again.

Ellie sighed softly, relieved that she's got Mona's word that she'll at least hear from her. But Ellie couldn't help herself, she had to ask, she had to know.

"Did you miss me?"

Mona stopped and and turned her head to the side to quickly glance at Ellie at the corner of her eye over her shoulder. She faced head on again and exhaled, as if the question itself exhausted her.

"I haven't learnt either. If I did, I wouldn't be here."

Mona walked away and left Ellie standing there speechless, mind and heart racing.

~~TIME CUT~~

Ellie looked around cautiously as she walked down the dingy back alley. Only a singular, dim streetlamp illuminated the street. Every small sound or movement caused Ellie to whip her head around in it's direction.

Leave it to Mona to pick the most unsavoury, suspicious place at the darkest hour of the night to want to meet up.

All of a sudden, she spotted a car headed in her direction. The headlights so bright, it temporarily blinded Ellie. She would've ran if she didn't catch a glimpse of the familiar purple of the car in the midst of being rendered sightless.

The car stopped right beside her and the door popped open to reveal Mona looking expectedly at her.

"Well, c'mon, get in."

"Mona! You still have your car?"

She rolled her eyes. "Questions later, get in now."

Ellie silently obeyed. As soon as she slammed the door shut, Mona sped off, leaving Ellie clumsily grabbling for her seatbelt. She managed to click it into place before turning to Mona who had a smirk on her face.

Mona looked at ease as always behind the wheel. Leaned back in her seat with one hand on the steering and the other on the shift stick, Mona was definitely in her element. And definitely looked hotter driving than Ellie remembered.

"Not used to the speed anymore, princess?"

"It's been a while," Ellie reminded and looked out the passenger's window, watching the buildings whip past them. "Some things never change though."

Mona drove in silence, not even humming along to the hip-hop music she had playing on the radio. Ellie cleared her throat and decided to speak up. "So, are you accepting the offer?"

"We'll talk later." Mona looked at Ellie briefly before averting her eyes back on the road.

Ellie looked around outside, roughly recognising their surroundings but not exactly being able to place her finger on it.

"Mona, where are we going?"

"You don't remember?" Mona quirked an eyebrow at her as they pull into an open area where a bunch of cars were parked. A video was projected onto a huge display screen right at the front. Ellie's eyes lit up in realisation.

"The drive-in theatre! The one we came to with Mercy Park Crew!"

"The one and only," Mona confirmed as she put her car into park and pulled the hand break up. "Literally."

She pulled the lever of her chair and leaned so far back, she was almost laying down. She raised both hands behind her head and stared at the projection in front of them.

Bewildered at Mona, Ellie's brows furrowed in confusion as she looked at her. "What are you doing? What are we doing?"

"We're watching a movie, duh," Mona replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mona was being difficult, Ellie had enough experience with her to at least know that. And lucky for her, she also had enough experience to know how to annoy Mona into talking.

Mustering up the most gushy and enthusiastic voice she could, she said, "Aww, Monaaaa!" Ellie grabbed Mona's knee and Mona looked at her, with both brows raised, clearly confused and maybe even looking a little weirded out by her sudden change in tone. "If you wanted to take me on a date you could've just said so!"

"Pft! A date?" Mona sputtered, taken aback. "You wish, princess."

"What is it then? Are you feeling sentimental?" Ellie cooed and Mona lightly slapped her hand away, the one that was on her knee.

"Hah! Definitely not."

"It's okay if you are, it's actually so cute of you."

Mona gasped and sat up straight as if it was the most offensive thing to mankind.

"I am not cute," she glared at Ellie and Ellie fought hard to hide her bubbling laughter.

"Then what is it?"

"Fine!" Mona threw her hands up in defeat. "I just wanted to relax before we got down to business but since this is so much more stressful let's just talk now." Mona leaned back against her seat and motioned Ellie to copy her seat position.

Ellie smiled to herself as she adjusted her seat lever. "Why are we leaning back?"

"'Cuz it's less suspicious. Also it's more comfortable."

"So," Ellie turned to face Mona. "Why are we here?"

"Because, we needed a private place to talk in public at 9 p.m. and this was what I thought of. They have eyes and ears everywhere, this is the safest bet." Mona looked at Ellie. "I need to know the exact terms of this agreement before I give my answer."

"Yes, yes, of course," Ellie replied eagerly, hopefully that Mona was considering the offer.

"I will be exempted for all my crimes, correct?"

"Yes."

"And my record will be a clean slate?"

Ellie nodded.

"The leak must be anonymous, the gang won't know the mole was me. And I don't want the FBI to be tailing my every move either."

"Okay, that can be done."

"While working with them, I want the FBI's word that I'm under their protection and I get full immunity. I know it'll get messy. I need all of it in writing."

Ellie saw a flicker of emotions pass Mona's face. They both knew how dangerous this proposition was for Mona. Ellie gentle placed her hand on Mona's thigh and Mona stiffen at the soft contact, not daring to even look at it.

"I'll be with you the whole way, Mona. I promise, I-"

"Don't," Mona interrupted, sounding pained almost. "How many times must I tell you. We don't do promises, we don't do loyalty. It's each man for themselves, if you need to run, you run."

Ellie was quiet, letting out a shaky breath and squeezing Mona's thigh. Mona finally looked down at the contact and winced as if she was hurt, as if she could tell what Ellie was going to say next.

"And yet, you're still here."

Mona stared deep into Ellie's eyes, her gaze so intense it was hypnotising.

"I'll do it," Mona said softly. "I'm in."

Relief washed over her. Ellie smiled a little a nodded. As she did, a strand of hair came loose and fell in her face. As if on reflex, Mona's hand came up to brush the hair away, tucking it behind Ellie's ear. The gentle touch of Mona's fingers against her face made her sigh in contentment. Ellie had missed Mona's touch so much, she thought she could cry. It felt like an oasis after years of being parched.

Ellie thought Mona would pull her hand away, but she didn't. Instead, she let it rest on Ellie's cheek. Mona's warm hand cupped Ellie's cheek and Ellie leaned into it. She closed her eyes, reveling in the comfort and familiarity of it after 5 years. She moved her hand that was resting on Mona's thigh up her wrist, holding Mona's hand there, afraid Mona will move, afraid of missing the contact. But she didn't move. Instead, she whispered her name.

"Ellie."

Ellie's name coming out of Mona's mouth sounded so intimate, so precious. Ellie opened her eyes and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Mona staring back at her. She had never seen Mona look at her like that before. She looked soft, conflicted, as if she was fighting back. Ellie's lips parted and she noticed Mona's gaze look down at her mouth.

"Mona."

Ellie breathe her name out slowly, a praise, a hope, a gift. Silently wishing Mona would do what she'd been dreaming of for the past half decade. She was so close to getting what she wanted- no, what she needed. The touch, the gaze, the shallow breathes, it was all too much to handle. Ellie was ready to burst out of her skin, it was all too overwhelming.

"Fuck," Mona cursed, her resolve crumbling. She leaned into Ellie while pulling her closer as well. Their lips met halfway in a gasp and Ellie arms immediately wrapped around Mona's neck, her fingers playing with the baby hair on the nape of her neck. Mona moved her free arm around Ellie's waist and securely held her close.

Ellie could help but whimper at how good it felt to be in Mona's arms again, to be kissing her and holding her and savouring her. She had waited years to be able to do this again and it was beyond what she had hoped. She had forgotten how good Mona felt, she almost laughed at how she ever wondered why no one else could make her feel even a fraction of what Mona did. How could they when Mona made her feel like this.

Their lips moved in tandem and their grips on each other tightened. Even though Ellie had been waiting for so long for this, it was hard to believe any time had even passed between them with how in sync they were with each other.

Mona moaned softly into Ellie's mouth when she grabbed Mona's hair in her fist. Mona reluctantly pulled away and rested her forehead against Ellie's. Their hold on each other never ceasing as they tried to catch their breath.

Ellie felt delirious, she thought she would ascend at any moment. Mona softly brushed her thumb against her cheek. Ellie hummed softly at the touch and turned just the slightest bit to kiss the palm of Mona's hand. Mona sighed.

"I can't believe I'm still here."

[thegeminisage]

oooh envesseled, please!!

HI wow thank you for asking, because i love talking about this, and i promise no one is obligated to read the whole answer lol. envesseled (partially, but only partially, up on ao3...) is part of cambionverse, which is a sort of spin-off about some EXTREMELY minor characters in s*pernatural that my buddy @callowyn and i have been chipping away at since 2011 or so.

for anyone with a passing familiarity with the show: we were so sure they were going to kill lisa braeden at the end of season 6 (can you blame us?), we whipped up a little scenario where her son ben was partially raised by sam, dean, and bobby instead...until sam and dean go mysteriously missing, a la john winchester, and now ben has to go and look for them the same way they once searched for their own dad.

but since supernatural has those big 3 characters (sam dean cas) and ben is our dean-character (he is sort of like a dean who broke the cycle of abuse and is also a huge lovable dork), we also needed a sam-character and a cas-character. for our sam we picked jesse (a one-episode wonder, the antichrist kid who turned cas into an action figure), and claire novak, the daughter of acstiel's vessel, who at that point was also a one-episode wonder and also had a collective total of less than 50 words of dialogue. we made her up on our own, essentially. jesse struggles with anxiety and controlling his demonic half and trusting hunters/himself after doing so has burned him in the past (or...gotten other people burned, i guess), and claire struggles with trusting anyone at all and the total emotional unavailability/other after-effects that come from being possessed by something with a thousand eyes at age 11.

in the first two "big" stories (one for jesse, one for ben, though there's a shit ton of additional content) they battle meg (my beloved, don't worry, she'll NEVER die), find the missing sam and dean, resolve various other personal traumas, be mentally ill together, and flirt ever closer to a three-person situationship that would make dean actively long for death if he ever found out about it. meanwhile cally and i kind of throw tomatoes at various things in the show proper that annoyed us, such as how much they hate women, how often they forget their own canon, or the double standard of sometimes letting monsters live when they're dangerous and sometimes killing them when they've done nothing wrong.

envesseled is the third "big" story, for claire, and it takes a significant turn because at the very beginning of it, while she and ben are in the middle of a huge argument, he dies (fridged a la MARY winchester), debatably because of something claire did, and the only way to resurrect him is to ask castiel for help. except he can't help because his various misadventures have left him broken into a thousand pieces and his current jimmy-vessel has no soul to put them back together. and so she's still dealing with this castiel trauma, and the grief/guilt over ben, and the grief /guilt over her dad she never processed, while going around collecting all the broken pieces of castiel in her own body so he can envessel HER (hence the title), bring ben back to life--except the catch is the more grace she takes into her body, the sicker she gets, so it's a question of whether or not she has enough time to finish collecting the pieces, and whether or not she can actually bear to be in castiel's presence and also say yes to him in order to allow him to do this.

as one might guess from the summary it is. an INCREDIBLY niche fanfic series with like a dozen fans worldwide, though i am proud to say pretty much everyone who's tried it has liked it, probably because it's diverged so heavily at this point it aaalmost reads like original fiction. like, i wish there were words to convey how deeply you do not need to have seen the show to read it. we are still writing "envesseled" which is why it's on the wip list (it is fighting with us SO MUCH) but we really really really hope we get it finished in time for "cambion day," which is march 29 (jesse's birthday). i tried very, very hard to find an excerpt from what we haven't posted that isn't full of giant spoilers, but i can't, so i'll post an excerpt from what we have on ao3 instead that i really like. this happens right after claire absorbs the first of many of castiel's broken pieces and is kind of a microcosm of the dynamic in general:

Castiel stands, not far enough away, watching her like a crow inspecting carrion. "How do you feel?" Claire takes a deep breath, assessing. There's no apparent difference between the new grace and the old—after all, both are pieces of the same angel—but she feels their presence more keenly, a stronger heat than the one she's been accustomed to for so many years. Apparently she's more sensitive to the powers of the Antichrist, too. "I've stopped feeling like there's a stab wound in my side, if that's what you mean." "Hm." Two fingers brush across her forehead. Claire's entire body thrums, and then she's grabbing Castiel's wrist, crushing it in her grip as she pulls his hand away. "Don't touch me." Her heartbeat is wild, squeezing the bones under her hand with all her strength, knowing she can't damage him but too angry to care. "Don't you ever touch me." Castiel holds motionless in a way no human could ever achieve, lights flickering over his head. "Let go of me, then." He could break free of her grasp with a fraction of effort, but it's still satisfying to throw his hand aside. Claire catches Jesse's eyes, and sees just a moment of ink-black there before he blinks and the light fixtures stop shaking. "Very well," says Castiel, after a long tense silence. He leaves the kitchen, giving Claire a wide berth, and moves to stand in the center of the dusty library. "Try this one."

let people send you an ask with the WIP title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!

[nkn0va]

Hello Chef anon here. I had an idea about Celica introducing her S/O to her friends and family because I feel like S/O would lose their mind. Like "Here they are!": The most wanted terrorist in the world Immortal eldritch horror samurai My sister, the strongest mage in the world Her husband, a samurai cat And their daughter, a nuke stockpiling drug addict

I am befuddled that of all the Blazblue waifus that had to be requested last it was Celica. Holy shit.

Also I've been told that apparently people are blocking me because they don't wanna see x reader shit in the general blazblue tag. I think I've already reached everyone here on Tumblr by this point who knows Blazblue considering how small the community is so I can stop tagging blazblue on it all. If you wanna find my stuff without searching for me, use the blazblue x reader tag.

-Celica likely brings up the idea first to meet her family and friends. You hadn't really met them for yourself though she has mentioned them here and there. Anyone would be nervous to meet their partner's family but you figured it'd be best to do it sooner than later.

-Regardless of that, she reassures you with a smile that it'll be completely fine, you'll love them. Even though Minerva's body language seems to be telling you a different story, you still wanna have at least some faith in your girlfriend so you go along with it.

-The first person you meet is supposedly her niece once she leads you to the NOL branch nearby. A half-beastkin with a serious attitude/sweets addiction, albeit clearly a very intelligent one. She's probably a lot older than she looks, and you shiver at the idea of her becoming your niece despite the fact she could very well be old enough to be your great-grandma. She doesn't really give a shit about Celica's love life, though she does pity you for dating someone whose existence is on a rather short clock without knowing it. She doesn't really tell you that though, she'll leave it up to Celica to break the news when the time comes, Kokonoe has more important things to be doing.

-Next up is...

-IS THAT THE GRIM REAPER!?!?

-...Yup, it is. That wanted poster is complete ass, but the hair and jacket match up, at least. The Grim Reaper, or...Ragna, is actually a surprisingly chill guy, clear temper problems notwithstanding. He didn't try to slice you in half immediately which was nice, though he made it pretty clear what he'd do if you ever hurt Celica.

-Oh shit, is that one of the Six Heroes?

-Oh shit, is that another one of the Six Heroes!?

-Yes, on both accounts. You're really starting to feel the pressure, especially from Hakumen. He does still care about Celica beneath the cold, hard exterior, literally and metaphorically. Jubei's at least much more amiable, happy for Celica to have that special someone like he did. Honestly he's the only one other than Celica herself that's trying to alleviate the pressure you're feeling, which you very much appreciate.

-He trusts Celica's better judgment and is sure you're a good fit for her, especially if you managed to win Minerva's trust as well. More than anything though he's glad to have someone else to keep her from getting lost all the damn time, much to her chagrin when he brings it up.

-More importantly though that leaves just her sister you haven't met, though Celica says you'll get the chance to when you and a bunch of other people visit her workshop, seemingly on a mission to destroy something.

-Oh shit, is that another one of the Six Heroes!?

-Yes, and she is not happy with the fact that Celica has found an S/O, god forbid if you're a guy. She would immediately go for the kill on you if it weren't for Ragna intervening and fighting her first.

-When Nine has no choice but sacrifice herself to give everyone else time to stop Izanami, she gives you one last request in particular. She hates the idea of having to trust her dear sister in the hands of a romantic partner she doesn't even know, but she's otherwise out of options.

-You recognize that deep down she was only zeroing in on you because she loved Celica, which was only reinforced by the way Celica worried so much for her when Ragna ran her through and was then attacked by Izanami. She didn't really make the best first impression on you, but you respected her for her achievements and the dedication she had toward her family. Maybe under better circumstances you would've gotten off on the right foot more.