#but with a weird soft spot for Atlas still

[lovingdabeessss]

CAN WE- *trips and falls over literally everything* CAN WE PLEASE

Talk about just how much Yang LOVES Blake

Yang loves this girl SO MUCH she made sure she ate she made sure she relaxed and rested and was feeling ok and was sleeping regularly yangs such a caring person she would’ve done a lot of this just cause they were teammates but she FELL for her and she fell so hard and All she wanted to do with those feelings was to do nice things for Blake with the only thing in return of just being around her

And then Ad*m comes in and fucks with Blake’s head and cuts off her favorite persons arm and Blake leaves Yang in a way she KNOWS Yang will be upset about that she purposely did so Yang would h a t e she says she wants her to hate her because of self destruction and self worth issues trying to punish herself and you know what??? After all that work to get Yang to be angry with her she’s NOT

girl spent two seasons trying to turn her crippling depression about Blake leaving into anger AND FAILED Blake left her after she LoST AN ARM in an attempt to save Blake (not Blake’s fault I love u) and she fully left immediately after with no explanation no note nothing thinking she doesn’t matter to Blake that Blake doesn’t care about her at all and Yang can’t find it anywhere within her to be really truly mad at all she makes eye contact with Blake when they reunite and yangs eyes are just only full of love and surprise

Have y’all- LISTENED TO ALL THAT MATTERS??? I’m im crying I’m crying just thinking about it I AAAAA

ITS JUST A SONG ABOUT HOW BLAKE COULD DO LITERALLY ANYTHING TO HER AND SHED STILL LOVE HER AND SHES SO UPSET ABOUT IT

SHE KNOWS BLAKE IS GOING TO HURT HER AGAIN BUT SHES SO DESPERATE TO JUST BE N E A R HER THAT SHE LETS HER IN SO QUICKLY

andANDAND AND yangs very touchy-feely right? She gives a bunch of hugs and stuff?? Maybe but she like historicity NEVER lets anyone touch her really no one can touch her on her bike not even Neptune in jr’s club she hit anyone who tried to touch her that weird bandit that worked for raven couldn’t she sent him out the door bouncing

But whenever Blake touches Yang like initiates the touch her eyes are immediately like 🥺🥺🥺🥺 like she’s so SOFT it doesn’t matter the situation the barn when fighting Adam whatever she just she MELTSSS on the spot instantly even just EYE CONTACT kills her on sight locking eyes with blake belladonna brings this girl down so quickly she’d do anything she said

Blake says she’s not stoked about arresting Robyn?? You wanna commit a war crime and tell her everything because we can do that if it makes you feel even a tiny itty bit better I love you so much

She cares so much about what Blake thinks of her that when atlas is fully going to hell she goes “you think she thinks less of me🥺🥺🥺” SHES SO WORRIED ABOUT IT she just wants Blake to like her she loves her so much she’s so worried what Blake’s gonna think of her

She’s SO SHOCKED AND NERVOUS AND HESITANT AND SOFT DURING THE CONFESSION I LOVE HER SHE NEVER EVEN THOUGHT IT WAS AN ACTUAL POSSIBILITY THAT BLAKE MIGHT LIKE HER BACK A N D WANT TO BE WITH HER

It’s so late it’s now morning im so sorry rwby fandom if my words make no sense

[quillthrillswriting]

sooo.... anyone else ever wondered how different ATLA would have been if aang had been frozen at age 16 instead of age 12?

yeah... me too 😌 my new fanfic "the teenager in the iceberg" follows the events of the show, but with only aang aged up, while everyone else remains their canon age.

also...cmon....how funny is it to switch zuko and aang's iconic dialogue to "you're just a teenager!" "...so are you?"

this idea was originally inspired by the talented @allgremlinart's aged up aang drawings, so please go show them some love!!:)<3

enjoy the excerpts from chapter three, that just dropped this morning!

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

Katara watched Aang take one last, painful look at the temple, then turn to the sky ahead, lit up in shades of orange, pink, and gold. She swore she could see arrows in every cloud, arrows like the ones inked across Aang’s body, and the gentle breeze that carried the crisp night air towards them seemed to wrap around them like a loving spirit.

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

“...You have no idea where we’re going, do you?” Sokka sighed, turning the map that was held against Appa’s saddle with a couple of rocks toward himself. “I’ve been charting our progress, and it’s starting to look more like a scrap of paper a toddler is practising circles on than a navigational tool.”

“C’mon Sokka, I’m an Air nomad, travel is in my blood. I have a very strong internal compass. Besides, you’ll find that as a nomad, I’m a master of evasive manoeuvring.” Katara raised an eyebrow, looking up from her spot near the back of the saddle as she stitched a rip in Sokka’s pants. “Besides,” Aang continued, typical teenage boy overconfidence emitting from his tone of voice. “I know it’s near water.”

Sokka leaned over the edge of the saddle, eyes scanning the blue expanse below them that stretched as far as the eye could see. “We must be getting close then,” he scoffed, his tone dripping in sarcasm as he slouched back into his spot across from Katara.

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

“Aang,” she said distractedly, “could you hold this for me?” She handed him the mirror. 

“Y-yeah, no problem.”

She tugged out her hair ties, flipping her head upside down for a moment to make sure that it had all gotten loose, then she gingerly tugged a few tendrils of water from the nearby ocean and wrapped tiny streams around her hair, tugging out the crimped braid pattern and reviving her curls. Then, she carefully bent the remaining liquid back out. 

She couldn’t see his face through her thick hair as she stood back up, but from his voice, Aang seemed impressed. “I get that you haven’t been able to learn any big combat moves, but for someone whose bending is self- taught, you sure have a pretty good handle on these smaller things.”

She properly flipped her head up now, curls and waves bouncing around her face. Her dark brown locks shone with honey-toned highlights, all different shades of caramel and chocolate sparkling as they framed her face. She reached up, gently twisting and clipping a few strands out of the way, but a few wayward pieces still fell forward, gently brushing against soft, full lips and smooth skin. Aang awkwardly froze for a moment, caught off guard by how different she looked when her hair was loose and free. He had a weird urge to tell her so, but bit his tongue, instead focusing on her answer. 

“I learned most of the smaller things from helping Gran-Gran.” Katara’s eyes sparkled, clearly caught up in a vision of home as she reached up to brush up her hair. “ As she’s gotten older, her range of mobility has started leaving her. It’s not really comfortable or safe for her to stoop over to wash her hair, so I learned how to bring the water to her and wash it while she was sitting up, then I learned how to dry it for her fast.”

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

Sokka yelped, his voice defensive and offensive all at once. “There is no way a bunch of girls in cutesy makeup and dresses managed to tie me up.”

“Awe, you think our makeup is cutesy? How sweet .” The girl's voice was crooning at first, sweet and gentle, but Katara could see from the way her muscles flexed as she held Sokka by the collar that there was venom hiding behind those words. She was right. “Throw him to the Unagi.”

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

“Katara, c’mon, we’re supposed to be sticking together, where are you going?” Aang tugged at her arm until she was facing him, looking at her earnestly as if he hadn’t basically been flirting with all of those girls back there.

The words came out before she could stop them. “I thought monks weren’t supposed to go around flirting with any random girl, and they’re definitely not supposed to go around catering to a village full of fangirls.”

Aang raised an eyebrow, his expression teasing in a way that made Katara want to splash the smirk off of his face in a wave of water. “You sure have a lot of opinions on what you think monks are supposed to do, considering that I’m the only one you’ve ever met.” He shifted his weight, leaning in a bit closer. “Matter of fact, maybe it's just that you have a lot of opinions on what you think I’m supposed to be doing.”

Katara stiffened at the memory of the words that Sokka had just said minutes before. “Why would I care what you’re doing? I don’t. ”

Aang shrugged, reaching past her to grab a papaya and biting into it. After swallowing, he reached into Katara’s satchel, his hand brushing her waist as he pulled out some coins and quietly thanked the vendor. “Keep telling yourself that, Katara.” Hearing her name from his lips did something to her, but she kept her gaze level, eyes blazing with flame until Aang backed off.

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

♥ check out the three chapters of this (ongoing) fic & my ao3 here! ->

[parental-unit-of-chaos]

Lines drawn in Charcoal : Jason Todd x Male Reader.

This will be the frist writing I've ever posted online, so I hope at least some one enjoys this. @n0cturna1-m3 here ya go!

Cw: mentions of scars, childhood truama, past truama in general, body image issues and self image issues.

Living in a safehouse with Jason has a roommate had it's ups and downs, no matter how many years you've know Jason. It was no secret he had been through a lot, only a small drop of that pain he's shared. Most he keeps in his head, if to remind himself he is still alive or to torture himself to stay in control. You were never sure.

That's what made scenes like this sobering, reminding you that he's still the sweet Jason under all the walls he built up. The Jason that no matter how much he tries to hide it, to cage it, he has a heart bigger than himself. This morning, Jason choose to spend in his favorite reading spot. Slumped in the red padded chair that caught his eye, while walking past the antique store. The thought of leaving the chair or even moving an inch, melted away has soon has your fluff ball decided to join him.

The cat had falling asleep purring hours ago; Jason's attention was only focused on the book that he was half way through. And where were you? You were sat on the couch with your sketchbook and charcoal pencils, capturing each soft and rough line of the handsome man.

Making sure to get every detail and proportion right; his sharp jawline, the soft lines of his lips, his brows knitted in concentration. More importantly how relaxed he was, where he wasn't on edge and paranoid. That the next corner he turns someone will be someone with a gun pointing at him, or worse, someone he cares about.

During one of the times you were looking down at your sketchbook, Jason finally pulled out of the fantasy world he was so engrossed in. Probably from the not so subtle sound of the pencils dragging in short or long strokes on the paper.

' Whatcha drawing now?' he inquired, with his own hypothesis that you were drawing the fluffy croissant in his lap. 'Just my world' you replied causing a sign to leave Jason's lungs at how cryptic the answer was. Sure it still could very well still be the cat, you drew the little whiskered demon everytime she was still. With the vague answer though, it could be a sketch of the city, to your favorite food.

' Ya gonna give me any hints or am I gonna have to geuss on my own?', Jason knew you loved when people tried to geuss what you were drawing. He also loved the weird ass guinea pig like noise that came from your throat, when someone didn't geuss correctly. 'the sketch is of a living thing' now you were intentionally being vague to draw out the game.

' Let me geuss, is it the ball of fluff in my lap? That for some reason, you took one look at, and named spleens??', Jason interrogates with a humored toned. The unique chuckle coming from your vocal cords, was he needed to hear to know he was wrong. 'for the record I explained why I named her spleens, when I first brought her home with me. And Nope! It's a human, a handsome and strong one at that'.

Handsome and strong? Jason had to think harder with that answer; my world, handsome and strong. Was it a trick answer and you were referring to poetry? 'Atlas??', he replied, perplexed. His answer was met with more of a laugh this time, he assumed he got too far away from the answer. You laughing frustrated him,' Fine, enough of the game. I give up, who are drawing?'. He didn't care about winning anymore, just wanting to know the answer.

' It's you', the answer and smile you gave was so simply, but it cut through Jason deeper and with more weight than of of the League of assassins' blades ever could. Him? Your world? Handsome and strong? Jason couldn't see where you were coming from, or more so his insecurities wouldn't allow him too.

This had to of been a sarcastic answer and you actually drew someone else, it has to be. He's seen himself in the mirror, he knows he's not anything but disgusting. He's not handsome, his body looks like a living corpse, all the damn scars that covered his body. The walls felt like they were closing in, there was ringing in his ears. His image, his face, his body changing in the mirror being distorted. Taunting him, proving that no matter how much he tries to move on from what joker did to him, he'll never be anything more than what Joker made him. The memories of his biological father screaming about how much hates him, Batman -

' Jason!', your worried voice and your gentle hands touching his face, with the other on his arm brought him back to the present. He hadn't realized he had been shaking or the panic that exploded out of his chest. 'Breathe, you're going to past out if you don't. Focus on me, follow my pace of breathing.', he did has you said syncing his breathe with yours.

Once Jason finally calmed down fully you asked why he just had a panic attack, 'You don't have to share all of it, you can just give me the cliff notes'. He doesn't know what he did to deserve someone so understanding. 'When you said those things about me, my thoughts got the better of me. Reminding why I can't be any of those things', he stated still a little shakey.

'Do you want to see what I see you had?', he was hesitant, no he was scared to see it, but your voice sounded so reassuring. He trusted you,' If you think it would help, then yes', you gave him the finished sketch. His mind didn't allow him to believe fully that someone could see him like this, he looked normal, he looked so happy. You held his hand and flinched, like he was still on fight or flight.

'When I see you, I don't see you has your trauma or a victim. I see you has a survivor. You aren't who you are, because of joker or anyone else. You made yourself who you are, despite what happened to you.', you took a breathe giving that chance to look him in the eye.

'I read somewhere that in some Asian cultures, when a plate breaks they mend it back together with gold.', Jason felt like he couldn't breathe, he didn't know what to say. 'You aren't something that needs to be fixed has if you were brand new, that's not how truama works. But if let me, can I help mend those wounds with gold? To help build you back up?' Jason couldn't stop the tears that welded up and fell down his face. He pulled into the strongest hug he could muster, he never knew he need to hear those words, until you said them.

You let him cry has long has needed, he's been holding those emotions in for so long. He finally answers the question in a shaky voice, so small you almost didn't hear it.

'yes'

[the-rogue-that-goes-stab]

HORUS Slaad

The weird fucked up gremlin child of goblin and kobold, the Slaad is a half melting frame referencing the Slaad, the parasitic toad aberrations from DnD. The main theme of the Slaad is being a parasite, as it takes inspiration from Slaad tadpoles.

To begin, the Slaad steals the ignoring engagement aspect of Atlas' Giantkiller but buffs the soft cover when being in the same space as a character to hard cover. Furthermore it also becomes significantly faster and larger sensors while being in the same spot as a character, and whenever it desires, count as adjacent to a character it is sharing a space with.

For its core passive, the Slaad is able to use its endlessly mutating morph-code literally pooling off its hull to harmlessly climb inside a frame, its hull and components moving to the side like a blanket without any detriment to functionality. While jockeyed inside a mech this way it can still be attacked as normal (hard cover due to above) but is able to use full action on subsequent turns to force its host to make a save. Based on v the type of enemy they gain bonuses. Based on the successes and failures, different effects happen as tracked in the ability. After two failed saves, the target becomes controlled by the Slaad until the it scurries away or the host is destroyed. Don't worry,. based on the host they receive different bonus (or detriments) on the saves. For example grunts or remotely piloted vehicles have a harder time resisting the parasite's influence while a ultra can easily shrug off a slaad (and players auto succeed). if a host succeeds 2 times before they fail two times, they kick you out, ready to destroy the poor Fragile tadpole.

For its core power, it dumps its heat into the victim. If the victim overheats or the Slaad is controlling its host, the Slaad can make the host self destruct.

Truly a little fucked up guy.

License:

(LL1) Green-Banded Targeting Array - hey so guess who learned the name of those fucked up eye parasites for snails. Yeah they are called the Green-Banded Broodsack. I hate them. They make my autistic ass squirm with imaging how that would feel;, a thing moving inside your eye, ungulating. Anyway this system takes inspo from that fucked up little guys. It gives a reaction too when an adjacent character loses lock-on to mark them again at the cost of marking yourself. This is meant to embody the fact that the broodsack ungulates to signal birds so its host gets eaten.

(LL1) Morph Mod - wow, using morph code to turn any weapon into a shitty rifle or shitty sword at will. wow. They aren't that bad, just worse versions of non-mushy weapons

(LL2) frame

(LL2) Cable Talon - a grappling hook knife to fill the singular Aux (not aux/aux) mount the slaad has. You can reel it in as a protocol. When thrown, it embeddeds itself into a target, allowing you to pull yourself towards them when you reel it in.

(LL2) Digital Plague - 1/round, when you invade an enemy, you can invade one of your allies near-ish to your target, (ie invade allies synergy, yippee)

(LL3) Beak.ox System - hey so you know Ox Peaker's how some people say they eat bugs off of host animals but other reports say they also dig into the skin to drink blood. Yeah this is based on that. You target an ally as a quick action, they take a whee bit of chip but they clear 2 heat (wow a whole invade's worth).

(LL3) Cuckoo Module - the best system in this license for the Slaad, it allows it to be considered an allied character when adjacent to a hostile character for that characters effects (such as accuracy bonuses, or defense bonuses, or free invisibility, just a great way to be a piece of shit to enemies). You still are hostile to them tho, you just stealing from them

I love Slaad, its a little guy that is like a goblin alt-frame but risky and mall fucked up. Oh also Maximum Threat was a big inspiration from for this frame, the idea of taking an enemy mech is really cool and you should support GeritzDev on their itch page.

Oh also the physical manifestation of code stuff comes from infection in Horus: Thy Hubris Manifest. This was also the inspiration for NIDHOGG's functionality, coating weapons with materialized invade code

[seyaryminamoto]

Leap of Faith: Sokkla Saturdays 2022

Day 4: Sokka dresses Azula

On FF.net//On AO3

And here's the first sequel I've written this year... the sequel to my Dragon Age AU from last year :'D about half as long, so still ridiculously long, but yet again... you can't expect better when adapting such a long game, not even when you're only centering it around secondary characters.

Anyway, it was a wild ride and I was very happy to finally fulfill my main headcanons in that franchise regarding a potential way to save a certain someone from being trapped in the Fade forevermore...

Hope you enjoy it! Read in either link above, since, yet again, Tumblr won't allow me to post the full story here.

Now, as for thoughts you may read after you finish that story...

Regarding the controversial ending... I can't be the only person who finds Aang and Solas can be disturbingly similar x'D There's obvious differences between the two, but even the fact that Bryke described Aang as a "trickster", and the Solas is notoriously known for being the Trickster God? Stuck in an iceberg for 100 years, and dormant for over 1000 years? Both are struck by tragedy when their civilizations were completely wiped out -- and both struggle with guilt over it, though I hold Solas far more responsible for it, in his case. In short... this was a no-brainer. The reason why Aang was never around in the first part of this story, the Prince Sokka and Peasant Azula prompt from last year, was because the minute I wanted to write a Dragon Age AU, I knew Aang would be the ideal Solas if I ever got around writing the Inquisition sequel. I know it was probably weird back then, but I hope it makes some sense this time, especially for people who have played these games.

Regarding Ursa... Flemeth is another big question mark in the future of Dragon Age's franchise as a whole. I recently watched a video with a lot of crazy theories about her being the source of all that's wrong with Thedas, but going by DAI's ending, with that epilogue in which Flemeth/Mythal kind of dies (?) in Solas's arms and Solas takes in her essence? It doesn't feel like Flemeth will be returning as herself in the future, at the very least, hence why Azula is sure she won't see Ursa again. Ursa is such a strange, gray character here because that's what Flemeth is like, but until the universe proves otherwise, I elect to believe that Flemeth's cruel treatment of Morrigan was actually a very twisted way of breaking her own cycle and setting her daughter free from the burden of inheriting Mythal directly... even if, by drinking from the Well of Sorrows, Morrigan is connected to Mythal all over again anyhow. Anyway. Well. I don't know what else is there to be said about this, but the point is Ursa's characterization wasn't so sketchy and strange for no reason, it's all because of the source material.

Regarding Dragon Age 2... I honestly wish I knew who to cast in the place of DA2's cast. I have a soft spot in my heart for most of the DA2 party characters, but unfortunately, I've already used soooo many ATLA and LOK characters, and finding some that correspond really well with the DA2 cast was so difficult it became virtually impossible. I actually thought June would be a perfect Isabela at first. I switched her to Hawke when I realized that I had no Hawke, and I NEEDED a Hawke for this story X'D my personal preference for Hawke is female Hawke too, which helped in that decision, but I couldn't possibly figure out who to turn into Merrill, Fenris, Aveline, let alone Anders (hence why he's not mentioned by name, I really have no idea who he'd be), and so, I chose to just reference a potential physical relationship between Hawke and Zevran (in this case, the old fandom-favorite obscure ship of Jet and June) rather than confirming a more traditional DA2 romance for this Hawke, since I just couldn't sort out who the rest of the DA2 cast would be. I didn't leave them so far out of the story because I wanted to, it's because I kiiind of had no choice, the shortage on characters rendered me helpless.

Regarding the Inquisitor... writing Inquisitor Korra Adaar made me happier than I imagined possible from writing that character. I thought about making her just a warrior, but I suppose she's a kind of physical mage, a warrior-mage hybrid of the sorts I don't think exist in this franchise. In her case, I didn't go all-out to confirm any DAI romances because I honestly didn't want to push a pairing for her, since it was also not exactly important for the story? Therefore, I left it up in the air. If you want to believe Korrasami happened, well, Josephine/Asami is certainly willing to be romanced by any Inquisitor, so that's a valid conclusion to reach X'D I suppose a case of the sort could be made for Mako/Cullen, but I realize Cullen isn't supposed to romance Qunari Inquisitors. Still, eh... it's up to whatever readers would like to imagine in the end, fic writers have been notorious for disregarding all of the canon preferences for characters anyway. Weirder things have been written in fandoms.

Anyway. I think that's basically all the notes I had to give for this particular chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

[itsmoonpeaches]

I posted 2,081 times in 2022

243 posts created (12%)

1,838 posts reblogged (88%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@chocomd

@itsmoonpeaches

@northerngoshawk

@kataang-week

I tagged 1,848 of my posts in 2022

Only 11% of my posts had no tags

#queue - 753 posts

#atla - 431 posts

#kdrama - 250 posts

#extraordinary attorney woo - 143 posts

#ask - 123 posts

#kataang - 115 posts

#eaw - 84 posts

#text post - 80 posts

#ffwf - 59 posts

#aang - 59 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#like tenoch never auditioned. he was handpicked bc they were looking for someone of indigenous descent nd his work history speaks for itself

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Title: Children

Ficlet from Little Moments.

Word count: 361

Read on ao3.

Katara sobbed into her hands, the salt of her tears seeping through her fingers. The warmth of the sun was slight against her bare shoulders as the rays filtered through the rice paper of the window.

The words of the Earth Kingdom aristocrat from earlier that day as she walked through the market throbbed through her head. "Still no airbender child?" they had scoffed. "I do hope your husband isn't neglecting you."

She could not move from her spot by the sill, the devastation of those words like knives into her chest that cut her deep. The baby cooed from his crib, and she knew he would wake soon and needed to be fed, but even Tenzin's sweet face could not bring her out of her thoughts. Her whole body was wracked with her constant cries.

"Katara?" She heard Aang's voice. Just behind her, then a creak and he was beside her. She did not dare look at him. She could not bear to see the disappointment on his face.

"Katara," he repeated, "Please."

She flinched at his touch as she never had. His rough fingers flitted away for a second, before they cupped her face. He pulled her into his chest, and she smelled the soft sandalwood incense of his clothes. He did not say a word. Not for a long while.

"I'm worthless," she said, hiccupping as he pulled her closer. "I can't give you an airbender." She spoke about her woes, her silent place in the world in which people expected things of her she could not control. All Aang did was listen.

It could have been hours later. Her eyes were sticky and sore. Her throat was closed with emotion. Aang's hands were on her back now. Tenzin cried. Somehow Aang coaxed her up to follow after him and he carried their baby boy in between them.

"He's beautiful, don't you think?" Aang whispered.

The door to their bedroom banged open and in came rushing Kya and Bumi, begging for attention because one of them had stolen a toy from the other.

Aang smiled and said, "All our children are."

Katara did not think about the aristocrat again.

ao3 || ko-fi

61 notes - Posted January 7, 2022

#4

Lee Junho is the only man who is allowed to exist goodbye

84 notes - Posted August 3, 2022

#3

yeah i'm not calling the fire nation capital "hari bulkan" lol what a weird direct google translation of "king volcano" from tagalog

96 notes - Posted March 9, 2022

#2

Katara and Aang catching baby otter penguins!

Late entry for @kataang-week 2022 Free Day!

100 notes - Posted August 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

"Love, you never knew me. Betrayal was always a part of who I am. If you knew that, this gun wouldn't be cocked at the back of your head."

- Katya Goncharova

134 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[baebeyza]

If Zone had a proper anime, would it have had another six-changer who goes from evil to good???

[gatheryepens]

It ends with us review

Warning: Small spoilers ⚠️

Trigger warning: mentions of domestic abuse

There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things

About: Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most. Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. And when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true. Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place. As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

Author: Collen Hoover

Rating: 2.44/5 ✨

Overall, I thought the book was okay. I’ve spent a long time mulling this over in my head (like over a month), so I think my opinions are fixed. I think had I written the review, just after reading, my thoughts would be different and the rating possibly higher - I read this book in a day so writing a review immediately would have been a rash decision, but after discussing with a friend and pondering for a month I think my opinions are set. The book starts off with Lily after her father’s funeral, she finds herself on the rooftop. Here she meets Ryle, after a truthful conversation they both go their separate ways. Due to a series of events, they meet again and after a great amount of convincing they end up dating, obviously throughout her relationship with Ryle there are many hardships as well as her fleeting thoughts of her past love – Atlas.

I think this has to be one of my lowest ratings I’ve given a book and a part of the reason is that there were quite a few things I just didn’t like about the book. Firstly, I hated the relationship between Alyssa and Lily, I just felt after she revealed she was dating Ryle there was just a lot of awkwardness and tension between the two, I also felt it was quite odd Lily hired her on the spot like there was no background or qualification checks. I also hated the connection between Ryle and Alyssa like out of every single person in Boston they had to be related, it overall just felt weird. It’s like Alyssa knew Ryle relationship-wise wasn’t going to be that great (it seemed there was a lot of hesitancy between the two) but in the end encouraged her to give him chances. That really annoyed me that one time in the book where Ryle is abusive towards Lily, Alyssa asks from a sisterly perspective for Lily to give him another chance. I do like at the end she did firmly encourage Lily to leave him. The plot point, where they have a 3rd sibling, I felt was a bit irrelevant, like it explains why Ryle is the way he is, but it also just doesn’t. I wish it was developed a bit more, personally for me it felt very surface level. Lilys pregnancy I also didn’t like (then again I’m not that big on pregnancy tropes) just for the simple reason that I felt she left for the baby and not herself. In some ways that is what she wanted her mother to do (to leave for herself), it makes me question well If she didn’t have the child would she have left or not – because she still loved him, but it came to a point where she was sacrificing herself for him which makes the parallel between her and her mother even more evident. All that being said one of my favourite qualities Lily has is that’s she’s bold and compassionate – we see this when she helps Atlas and, in some ways, see her boldness on the rooftop. However, her compassion was one of her downfalls.

Let’s talk about the two love interests Ryle and Atlas. First let’s talk about Ryle, on paper he seems like the perfect boyfriend – career driven, hardworking and family orientated. However, underneath all of that is a man with serious anger issues, at the start I didn’t really see it but when you look back the signs were all there (I mean he literally threw a chair when we first met him). I think what is really interesting with the book is Ryle starts off somewhat as a ‘good’ guy, compared to other books I’ve read from the get-go the abuser is a horrible person so it’s easier for us to see the signs and realise the person is not worth our time. But Hoover does an amazing job by not only making Lily fall in love but also the reader, which makes it infinitely harder to in some ways let go off Ryle, let alone differentiate between the two personas. Now onto Atlas, I’m not going to spend a lot of time discussing Atlas as I haven’t got much I want to say. Atlas as a character I’m not really that attached to, that is mainly due to the fact we only knew him in the past and although the past was important the present was more prominent, so it was hard to have an opinion on present Atlas. Past Atlas I thought was fine, It did though rub me the wrong way when he kept asking for Lily’s age, to me personally he just felt a bit too flat, like I didn’t feel that great of a connection towards him and because of that I didn’t really ship him with Lily. Present Atlas, I felt was better, but I wished he was more prominent as I yet again didn’t feel that connected to him at times, he just felt like a plot device. Atlas would show up, would be gone for some time then 50+ pages later he would come back again, it would have been much better if Atlas’ appearances were more consistent in the present.

Lastly, I would like to touch upon the fact that this isn’t actually a romance book, which is what I first thought the book was. When I first heard about it ends with us, from the blurb, I assumed it would be a romance with a love triangle. Yes, there are themes of love/romance, and you could stretch in some sense that there is a love triangle but, in the end, it is not intended to be one. It ends with us is a story about Lily, who is a person who went through and suffered from domestic abuse and decided to end the intergenerational cycle (‘My mother went through it. I went through it. I’ll be damned if I allow my daughter to go through it.’….  ‘It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us’). To end this review If you are planning on reading the book, I would recommend not reading the epilogue. I just feel like she needs some time alone and I just hate how ambiguous it was – it felt like Hoover was really throwing everything away or the sake of shipping.

Last book review ❤️‍🔥

[marisandini-chu-blog]

How Shadow and Bones Differentiate Villain and Anti-Hero

Alright, first I need to claim the fact that I love dark, edgy, but misunderstood bad boy in stories with the potential of epic redemption. Loki from Marvel. Jason Todd from DC. Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time. Zuko from AtLA. You name them, I simp them.

So when I watched this new show on Netflix and shown a tall, handsome man in dark clothing, both respected and feared for his power. I feel... nothing. 

WHICH IS WEIRD! Like... he’s obviously my type. Complete with the sad backstory and vicious streak. So I kept wondering why I wasn’t enamored by the Darkling, Alexander Kirigan. I wasn’t surprised he was the main villain, I even expected it. But I usually at least have a bit of sympathy for them. This OOC behavior of mine made me introspect myself and the show, trying to find out which part gave me the red flags before Mother Darkling decides to pop the chosen one out halfway in the season. 

That’s when it hit me; there were red flags! The show had been subtly trying to tell us Kirigan is a manipulative boyfriend not just by great acting and good directing, but by comparing him with the actual anti-hero of the story who I actually love; Kaz Brekker. 

Here’s the list of signs you might not notice of why Kirigan is meant to be a Villain instead of an Anti-Hero. 

1. The Eyes

"The eyes are the window to the soul" is a common saying and and the key to good acting for any good show. Eyes tell us a lot about what a person’s character is like and SaB showed us the difference of a sincere man and a man with a hidden agenda.

Look at him! Look at that little smirk. Look at the gaze. That's the look you find when someone's evil little plan is finally coming together. Not one awed by the power or by Alina. A blatant sus move is what I'm saying. Congrat, first flag planted.

Sure he could still fall in love with Alina, but that doesn't stop his agenda either. All it does is potentially create conflict for him to pick either his plan for revenge or life with Alina.

In comparison, look at Kaz when he said this to Inej; "She isn't like you, no one is." Straightforward eyes. Serious grim. No nonsense tone. Inej is one of the most talented and terrifying rogue-assassin and Kaz just blatantly said that he kept her from 'slavery' because of who she is, not what she's capable of. Like... the man has no shame being known to love her while still trying to be professional (or as professional a thief can be). I can respect that.

This is the eye of a man who would abandon everything to make sure she comes out alright in the end. Do not argue with me on this!

2. Leverage and Status

The moment Alina steps into the Little Palace she was treated like a princess. A palace, by the way, that’s managed by the Darkling. She gets favorable treatment; from the food, Zoya displaced when she fought Alina, a horseback ride just the two of them, asking her to call by his name to make them familiar, a black uniform that might as well be claiming???

Dude is desperate is what I’m saying. 

Sure, this could all be romantic gestures. There’s the problem that Kirigan is superior in status and name, powerful Grisha, and has a vested interest in her power. Pursuing romance while Kirigan has the ability to make her life heaven or hell with a snap of his finger made every single decision be seen with wariness. 

"Beware of powerful men," Genya couldn't put it any better.

Had they pursued romance after they destroy the fold, cementing Alina’s position as a saint more. Then I might have let go of that wariness. 

I’m only proven correct when the moment Alina turned away from him, Kirigan made another leverage by (spoiler!) putting an antler to her collarbone... eeeewwww much?! 

That’s how desperate the Darkling is to be in control of a person and a situation. 

And when no letter came for Alina? That a big red flag because who else in this castle can control the coming of going of letter with the Savior. HMMMMMMMMMMM.....

Then there’s Kaz. My man. There’s no competition. This guy held no leverage on my dear Inej. When she almost decided to leave, Kaz didn't force or convince her to stay but he ask her. Doesn't remind her of her debt whether monetary or life debt to him. In fact, this guy needs money for revenge but instead mortgage his main source of income for her freedom.

HE POSTPONED HIS LIFE GOAL TO FREE HER FROM DEBT ASJHAKFSDJGLDFJ!!!  

What more do I need to say? 

3. Sympathy Card

This is the type of point you want to watch out from your partners, ladies, gents, and others. The sympathy card is the way to go when anyone wants to reach out to you so you can take care of them before they abuse or gaslight you. 

While it’s good to share trauma and eased the burden, sometimes it's healthy to ask yourself whether the person can take advantage of you and to verify whether they lie to you or not.

When Kirigan shared about his past as a sympathetic boy with his secluded fountain and coin. Everything about that scene rang warning bells for me... the part he had requested her to use his color... requesting to horse ride with just them two... sharing sob story that may encourage Alina to help him...

Kudos to Alina to see through the fact she's seen as a means to an end.

It was only when Kirigan showed righteous anger and frustration of a war that's killing his people did Alina finally opened her heart to him.

Kaz however doesn't use the sympathy card. Heck, the man likes to believe he shed away any weakness and threw it in the harbor where it belongs. Kaz hates weaknesses. And garnering sympathy is an admission of weakness for him.

We still know there's a tragic backstory as any decent anti-hero would have... but by not sharing that, this implies that Inej and Jesper stayed because of who he is, and not because of who he was or how he came to be. They don't need a sob story to stay together and that showed a stronger bond between them.

4. Friends

To be frank, I find this the most hilarious because this point is the one that convinced me that Kirigan was secretly an evil bastard.

He doesn’t have any friends!!!

Like... dude had a literal witch army, a wife once, a fuck buddy, and a girlfriend but there wasn’t a single moment in the show where someone, outside of Alina and superior, to speak casually to him. 

You’re telling me this person... the most powerful and influential Grisha in the East Ravka, charming as hell, handsome as fuck, and yet he doesn’t have friends?! 

“I’ve buried good soldiers... friends...” Get the fuck out of here! WHAT FRIENDS?!?! Maybe if you get off your little power trip from your self-made pedestal, you can actually be less of an asshole and make one. 

Sure he excused himself by blaming his ‘ancestor’ for being a shadow summoner. I can see how the fear makes it hard for him to get close to anybody. But all the other characters who are part of his army only ever shown to speak with him respectfully, and the royalty even commend him. No one disrespected him even openly and you’re telling me he doesn’t have one friend amidst all these people?!

In comparison, look at Kaz. He’s brash, crude, and unapologetic. He held true to his moniker ‘Bastard of the Barrel’ and yet this ass has friends. They show Jesper joking with Kaz, and Kaz has shown to banter with him back as well as tolerating his gambling addiction when it could have jeopardized the Job. Inej was shown to actually argue and have disagreement with Kaz when he’s technically her boss. Can you imagine the Darkling doing that? CAN YOU?!

No. Because he's a pretentious ass. That's why.

This is a great example of the use “show not tell” of how Kaz despite his obvious edges has a soft spot shown through his relationship with Inej and Jesper, who have a friendly dynamic. I can attest that while Kaz didn’t create a good first impression, I love Jesper and Inej (they are precious!) so much that I project it to Kaz in extension.

On the other hand, Kirigan’s goodwill had only ever been told by outsiders or himself. None from his inner circle (which he doesn’t have!) other than his mother, who ended up outing him instead. 

So I applaud the writers and showrunners of SaB to actually have subtext signs of a manipulative bastard. The Duckling is a good villain character that's complex but unredeemable. Sometimes, you just have a good ol' charming villain you can't redeem and that's okay.

[stitch1830]

Toph is blind, but how did she do mom things while blind? I'm sure that as capable as she is, it must've been tough bathing babies and changing them and clothing them. Aaaaand it just hit me that Toph had to buy baby clothes for HER baby girls and she dressed them in their clothes and felt them move and breathe and heard them make cute noises. I squeal at the fact that Toph had to buy baby things for her babies when she was pregnant. That sounded weird but mom!toph okay

Hi Anon, thank you for the ask! Mama Toph questions and headcanons for the win :D

I'm no expert on how blind people manage all of their daily tasks, but it's definitely something to consider and research for the best and most accurate stories! Toph has some great abilities to detect when her babies are on the move, awake, or upset by reading their heartbeats and detecting movements with seismic sense, but there are still some things that could be a challenge without her eyesight.

Depending on who/what you ship, I think that would also change how Toph handles some of these tasks because her partner can likely see. But if she's a single mom, there are probably a couple hurdles she has to go over before she feels really comfortable with raising a kid.

I would imagine that prior to the baby being born, she had her friends help set up the nursery and organize clothes in a particular manner. She also probably relied on nannies and other home care services to either clean around the house or do laundry, that kind of stuff. Things that can't be detected with seismic sense would probably have a very specific spot they go in, like bottles/cleaning supplies, and so do clothes. Clothes would probably be organized in a way that they could be paired well with other stuff, and as long as Toph was dressing the girls, she'd know what went together. As the girls get older, I can see Lin and Suyin making a mess of the organization system, so Toph lets them dress themselves and tries to help. Like, despite not knowing what colors are, I feel like her friends would tell her what colors went well together, and when Lin or Su told her that she was holding up a green shirt, then she can say "okay well green goes with..." that kind of thing lol.

Otherwise, I feel like she'd still rely a ton on her other senses to take care of her babies! She checks their bodies for any signs of injuries through touch, she has great hearing and can tell the difference between different cries, and if a diaper needs to be changed, she can smell it! At first, Toph probably takes all these tasks slow, making sure she doesn't accidentally hurt the baby (mostly because of the new mama jitters), but after a few weeks/months of changing and cleaning and feeding her baby, it probably becomes routine. The biggest thing is just setting up the routine, which is something I'm sure Katara and the rest of the Gaang helped her with.

And yes!! Toph doing anything soft like buying clothes or blankets or decorations for her babies is adorable. She probably takes her time buying stuff too, to ensure that it's good quality and stuff! Just imagine her going through all these different onesies and finding the ones that are the softest in her hand just... my heart.

Or finding the music boxes that have the prettiest lullabies, or trying to find the fluffiest stuffed animals and things like that. Absolutely adorable, and you know her friends loved seeing that side of Toph as well!

Oh goodness oh goodness. The Mama Toph feels are in full swing. Thank you again for the ask, Anon! I love me some Mama Toph conversations :) Hope you have a great day!

......

Send me asks about ATLA, or anything, really! :D

[a-song-of-quill-and-feather]

Okay okay okay I HAVE TO KNOW.

How would the Yule Ball go for Atlas and Allison??

Ooh okay so this could go so many ways...

but lets start with basics, they go essentially as friends. Because let's face it these two likely haven't even acknowledged to themselves that they might like the other, so they certainly haven't done so with each other.

Atlas asks Allison, he doesn't do it in any elaborate way. Just finds her one day, asks her, and that's that. Straight and to the point.

He definitely though after that pesters her about her dress, what color what type etc etc. Because he was raised to hold appearances as important, and so he's definitely going to make sure they match and everything works together. He does get her a flower that he then transfigures into a bit of crystal that she can wear around her wrist.

It's probably a night where they are constantly face to face with the fact that "oh i should not be thinking about my friend that way."

Like Atlas sees Allison in her dress when he meets her to go to the ball, and he freezes and can't think for a whole moment. And when they first dance Atlas sweeps her off her feet because he again was raised with certain things held as important and ballroom dancing is important to rich old fashioned families. And she's left out of breath and blushing. And of course they dance and end up so close they could kiss...

it would just be a night full of romantic tension.

If of course you wanted to add a little bit of angst, in Mirror Images during fourth year he's dating Theo Nott secretly. Lets say Allison doesn't know this yet, they still go. All the rest still happens. But then later in the evening she finds out about him and Theo. Maybe spots them kissing. And it's very sad and tragic and the two have a big fight over him not being honest with her/not trusting her. And the night ends with them both sad and away from the other with just a little bit of a broken heart for both of them.

Or on for a happier end the evening, Atlas isn't dating Theo. And so the night ends with Atlas walking Allison back to the Gryffindor tower. They stand a little ways away from the entrance to say their goodbyes. They stand a little close, and then get closer, and closer. And then they kiss. And when they do say goodbye, both are left with hearts a little lighter.

anyways, I love them and they are so perfect.

also hello here's a little bonus snippet I wrote real quick that might not be any good of Atlas asking Allison to the ball

He finds her during lunch. She’s sat squarely between the two other Gryffindors, Finnegan and Thomas, that she spends the majority of her time with.

He sits across from her, shoving aside some third year who sputters over his sandwich before frowning away when Atlas only gives him the barest of glances before looking back to Allison.

“Yes?” she asks, slightly wary over her food.

“The yule ball,” he starts matter-of-factly, “would you like to go?”

Allison blinks, and her mouth starts to open but before any words can escape Finnegan starts to talk, “oi, where’s the presentation!”

“Hardly a decent way to ask girl out, Black.” Thomas chimes in from the other side of Allison. “I mean you could at least have gotten her a flower or something. Or even just said hello first.”

“Was I talking to either of you?” Atlas questions, “no. I don’t believe I was. So if you could kindly keep your commentary to yourself.��

“Well you’re the one who chose to ask her during lunch when the both of us are here.” Thomas remarks.

“Yeah, if you didn’t want our commentary you should have done it privately.” Finnegan nods, arms crossing, “besides who says we’ll let you take her.”

“I believe it’s her choice not yours.” He says, slightly exasperated with the two as he often is when he interacts with them.

“I don’t think she’ll say yes,” Finnegan states, “Dean? Thoughts?”

“I don’t know,” Thomas seems to think on it honestly, “maybe, she’s always had a weird soft spot for the loner Slytherin.”

“I don’t know how she tolerates you to.”

“We’re fun,” Finnegan motions between the two of them, “understandable you don’t have much familiarity with the concept.”

“There is plenty you don’t—“ Atlas starts, feeling his patience wearing to its inevitable end.

“I would like to say something!” Allison interrupts, hands thudding on the table as she looks between the three boys. “First off, I can speak for myself.” She glares, albeit not with too much malice, at the two boys on either side of her. “Second,”she looks across at Atlas now, her eyes studying him a second in her pause before softening. “Yeah, okay.”

“Ah I told you, soft spot.”

“Great,” Atlas smiles slightly, and nods while starting to get up. “Glad that’s settled.”

“Don’t know what she sees in the bloke.”

“Talk to you later then?” Allison asks.

“Course,” he winks at her with just a bit of cheekiness, “got a date to plan don’t we?”

Both boys on either side of her groan loudly while Atlas walks away pleased with both the slight blush he’d gotten on Allison’s cheeks and the answer itself.

[theclassycandy]

The Half Sources - Chp.1

Summary: Anna discovers that her powers and magick are so much more powerful than she could ever imagine. Problem is she hasn’t told anyone

Ships: Beckett x Anna

Rating: PG

Word Count: 1155

A/N: AHHHHHHH I STARTED A SERIES I’M SO EXCITED. I truly hope you guys like it! This has been in my mind for so long but only now I have the time! Please reblog, like and comment, they help me out so much!

Tags: @itsjustwinter @bri1234 @orcsmoocher @zombipickachu @miss-smrxtiee @herarmoredheart @adam-dumortains @mortemersgf  @holystxne @callmehopeless @mm2305

Anna’s POV

In Dean Swan’s Office...

“It feels weird, Evelyn. Like it’s a part of me but it could overpower me any second.” I said, both scared and curious to what my power may hold.  

I examine the golden orb in my hand, created by my sun magick. It resembles the sun but still translucent. While still holding the orb, I look at my hands hovering around it. The veins are glowing with a gold sheen; Evelyn says it’s because my power is starting to change my mortal form. The half source and half human in me, is starting to become one of the same. 

“That’s because it can, Anna. If we’re not careful, you could get engrossed by your power due to fact your only half source. What exactly did you do last night?”

I think back to the night before; how I had been playing around with my sun magick. I was just practising my favorite spells but then, out of nowhere, I felt a surge of power.  My sun magick filled the room, my veins had the golden sheen, my eyes were no longer a soft brown colour but with some sort of golden fire raging inside. You want to know the worse part? I loved every second of it. I felt such extreme amounts of power. And it frightens me. 

To be honest, my magick has felt so much more substantial since Atlas and I brought back our mother. I’m sure that this has something to do with her but I haven’t talked to her about this yet. I haven’t told anyone about this, other than Evelyn. Not even Beckett or Atlas. I know I should but I guess I’m scared that they would see me differently. 

I suddenly feel Dean Swan tapping my shoulder and looking at me, concerned.

“Anna? Are you okay? Exerting that much power could of disoriented you.” 

I guess that I’ve zoned out again. I smile at her and pat her hand that’s on my shoulder. I look at the woman whose practically my 3rd mom.

“I’m fine Evelyn. Thank you for helping me explore this.” I get up from the chair and she gives me a hug. 

“Same time tomorrow?” She asks.

“Of course” I say with a smile as I wave. When I leave, I look both ways before taking waking back to my dorm since it’s the middle of the night. It’s not like I need to though. If someone or a sentry were to report me, they would report me to a professor, who would report me to Evelyn. It’s not like she’d give me detention when she’s the one scheduling the training in the middle of the night.  But I do it nonetheless to practise my stealth, or in case Atlas is running in the middle of the night again. Once I make it to my dorm, I plop on my bed. Except I’m not exhausted or tired one bit. 

I sit up in bed and use my sun magick again. Using it, I materialized an orbs again, only this time, I separate it into tinier orbs all over my room. Each one no bigger than a quarter and the glow of them reflect on the wall, like how an ocean’s water does to cave walls. I observe the small circles around my room, amazed that I even have a power like this. Using my magick, I create a wave of pure energy between my hands. It looks a lot like pure sunshine in more concentrated wisps. I watch as it licks at my hand and I feel so at ease as I close my eyes. As I close my eyes, I feel the warm, tingling sensation, as I usually feel when I call on my magick. The colour variations of magick types appear in the blackness as I focus on the golden one that’s suppose to represent my sun magick. 

I take a deep breath in, feeling the pressure that it brings in my chest. Again, focusing on the golden wisp. And with a breath out, with all of my strength I expand it and it overpowers me and engulfs my entire being. The gold that was once a small tendril is now as intense and powerful as the sun itself. But I’m not burning to a crisp, no. If anything, it’s like the sun energy is protecting me, strengthening me, empowering my magickal core. Hell, I haven’t even noticed that I’m hovering above the ground. I spot myself in my mirror. As I’m floating the gold shine in my veins, eyes and aura around me make me out to look like some sort of god. I’ve gotten used to this, seeing my reflection. Funny part is Evelyn has been helping me control and safely explore my magick but she doesn’t know that it has gotten this powerful. I look like mom when she’s in her source form, with a golden aura around her, like how I look just right now. Last year when Alma was here she said that Atlas and I, since we’re still half mortal and mom gave birth to us when she was in her mortal form, we’ll never be as powerful as a source. Now, I don’t know if that’s even true. 

I let go of my magick, returning back to my normal, not god-like state. And I change my clothes into my sleepwear which is just a tank top and short-shorts. As I turn off the lights and try to sleep, I think about how this power is and how I’m going to explore this. I feel excitement but the same time, guilt. The reason why Swan and I are doing our lessons in the middle of the night and in her office instead of the Sun- and Moon- att classroom is because of Atlas. She can get very intense about expanding our magick and has gotten even more intense about it since mom came along. On top of that since I’m dealing with even more powerful magick, which can possibly lead me to passing out or disorienting me or some other bad side effects when experimenting with magick, I don’t want her to play the “overprotective” sister on me. It’s my magick and I decide the boundaries, not her.

But of course, I still want to tell her.

I also want to tell Beckett and the rest of the Pend Pals. And I know I should. But I can’t, I don’t want them to worry about me. Then again, if I were to tell them, there’s no reason to get mad. I’m not hurt and if anything, they would see that I’m only trying to expand my magick. I shake my head, ridding myself of those thoughts. 

“I can’t. No one should know, not now at least,” I think to myself. 

All I know is; I can’t wait to see how powerful I can be. 

[toweroftickles]

UNCATEGORIZED FILES: Completely Random Ticklish Character Examinations

Exploring the multiverse for ticklish test subjects is surprisingly tedious sometimes. There’s so much data to sift through, tons of organization, and you’re often stuck with the same popular victims.

It’s fun to go after underutilized, unknown, or obscure entities. As of yet these personality profiles cannot properly be sorted within existing folders.

Mary Smith (Mary & The Witch’s Flower)

Most Ticklish Spots: Arches, Belly, Knees

A kind but proud witch student…skillful, protective of own image. Can’t stand being tickled - considers it humiliating and frustrating. Post-release, will immediately curl up into a ball, or cover her stomach with her arms and pout.

Sad-sounding laughter that really lers you know that she hates it. Helplessly begs for it to stop.

Will react with fury, and fight back.

Tickle Talk: Playful teasing with plenty of giggles, if she’s the one who starts it. If enacting revenge, however, she taunts aggressively and angrily to embarrass her playmate as much as possible.

When allowed the use of magic, imaginatively utilizes tickling finger spells, as well as object manipulation and stasis.

Teased about how ticklish she is by her boyfriend Peter. Tickle fights common.

Add. Notes: Comparisons to (her contemporary) Kiki are all but inevitable - not quite as ticklish but much less open to enjoying it. Direct side-by-side comparison may be beneficial for studying the impact of magic on sensitivity.

Razor Lemay (Starlink: Battle for Atlas)

Most Ticklish Spots: Feet, Abs and Belly Button, Upper Ribcage

This no-nonsense metal band pilot is highly resistant - use stronger restraints in future. A violent thrasher. Headbanging skills came in handy when freeing herself.

Never ceased to let me know that I’m a “sick weirdo.” Consider this possibility.

Though toned and muscular, her skin is surprisingly soft. Weak to any kind of tickling.

Most effective tool: backscratchers

Has an airy laugh that is mostly gasps and wheezes; runs out of breath quickly.

Used the phrase “oh my god” more than any other subject studied so far. Offered up nonstop torrent of swearing, violent threats, and begging for mercy.

Jojo McDodd (Horton Hears A Who)

Most Ticklish Spots: Sides, Feet

Hates it. Becomes embarrassed and angry when tickled. Will frustratedly sulk rather than fight back or seek revenge.

Usually groans through teeth but can’t prevent the odd chuckle from slipping out. Skilled at holding his voice in. Press the matter further.

Involuntary reflex - noodly arm flailing if not restrained.

Very responsive to poking and light, fluttery touches.

Often depressed. His mother, Sally O’Malley (who, according to him, is also quite ticklish - investigate) used to tickle him in attempt to cheer him up, but abandoned this years ago upon realizing it bothered him.

When his younger sisters want to pester him, tickling is a go-to option.

Add. Notes: With their long, fuzzy, highly-animated fingers, natural mischievous mirth, and piano-playing aptitude, the Who species has evolved anatomy well-suited for tickling others.

Schell The Spacewitch (Yooka-Laylee)

Most Ticklish Spots: Belly, Armpits

Considers tickling to be her “one true weakness” - doesn’t hate it, but it renders her utterly incapacitated.

Has one of those hearty laughs that carries well over distances.

Feathers are very effective.

Will eagerly return the favor - once used feather tickling as an interrogation method on a fellow spacewitch.

Interplanetary adventures have put her in conflict with various alien plants and monsters, some of which accidentally tickled her with tongues or tentacles or the like - take samples for further lab testing.

Sphinx (Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy)

Most Ticklish Spots: Belly Button, Feet

The adventurous and heroic sort, he’s a little bit cocky….tickling is a good way to make him slightly less so.

A surprisingly effective technique is to tickle his stomach with his own tail. Good results.

He himself occasionally uses his tail this way to flirt with girls.

Not excessively ticklish, but ticklish enough. Will at least squirm and try to pull away.

Doesn’t show much strong emotion…more vaguely weirded out by this than anything else.

Pipirika (Magi: Adventure of Sinbad)

Most Ticklish Spots: Toes/Balls of Feet, Ribs, Inner Thighs

Unusual Ticklish Spots: Inner Elbow

Loud and rough, unrefined. But also very friendly, excitable, and loves to laugh.

Like all Imuchakk people, huge in stature and musculature. Between her large size and insistence on always going barefoot, she’s a tempting target.

If you ask if she’s ticklish, or for permission to tickle her, she’ll gladly say yes and volunteer with a big smile on her face.

That said, she frequently seems to find herself much more ticklish than she remembers.

She likes it but she’s a kicker. Hard to pin down and will not hold still. Tough restraints essential.

Will always seek playful vengeance or start a tickle brawl. Loves to tickle her brother and friends. Often giggles and laughs more than the people she tickles.

Hearty, rumbling belly laugh. Very cute.

Can’t keep a secret; will tell others if you like tickling. (Not out of malice - she thinks it’s hilarious.)

Fire (Adventurers: Masters of Time)

Most Ticklish Spots: Feet, Lower Tummy, Belly Button

Self-described as “a total tickler. You better watch out!”

Her default attack when trying to escape an enemy’s grip is to tickle them. Has done it more than once. It’s canon. So there.

Claims to have used her school’s time travel computer specifically to visit and “play tickle pranks” on famous historical figures. Seemed very excited by the multiversal capabilities of the Tower.

Spunky and playful. Very energetic. Tickle Talk: mean, merciless, and will make fun of her victims for being so ticklish and weak.

Apparently aware that her constantly-exposed belly invites tickling. Will dare others to start a tickle fight with her “because you’ll lose.”

Most vulnerable to rough tickles (especially brushes).

Always laughs wildly and tells her tickler to stop, but seems to enjoy it at less-intense levels.

Add. Notes: I like this girl. She could be very useful.

Saki Amamiya & Airan Jo (Sin & Punishment/Smash Bros.)

Most Ticklish Spots (Saki): Feet, Belly, Lower Ribcage

Most Ticklish Spots (Airan): Toes, Sides

Virtually inseparable couple. Could not tickle one without the other.

A highly skilled gymnast and gunner, Saki will jump out of his skin when tickled. Airan will lash out physically or curl up into a defensive ball.

Saki is the more ticklish of the two. He’s a live wire of sensitivity; a poke can cripple him. Has a high-pitched giggle.

Airan has a low, wailing laugh. Quickly tears up and complains about how much her tummy hurts when tickled.

Airan sometimes tickles Saki awake in the morning and teases him when he squirms.

Both hate being tickled: feel it’s a silly, embarrassing vulnerability.

Neither are particularly touchy/physical and never really tickle each other. Don’t think about it often.

Saki eventually develops Ruffian physiology after an experiment with his blood - effects of this on ticklishness unknown.

Tess Darrett (Pole Position)

Most Ticklish Spots: Arches, Armpits

Unusual Ticklish Spots: Upper Back, Under Chin

Rarely far separated from her stunt rally cars and spy technology. Exceptionally difficult to apprehend.

Resourceful and skilled in combat. Exercise caution.

Once captured by a criminal organization and interrogated with feathers to make her reveal the access codes to her stunt car computer AI, Wheels. Strong willpower - laughed and laughed but refused to talk.

Otherwise is only ever tickled by her younger sister Daisy (who reportedly is also very ticklish, and has also been interrogated to force her older siblings’ hands).

Not usually a tickler. Avoids going after her younger brother, because he’s not ticklish and would definitely get her back.

Typical sibling relationship: her brother used to pin her down and tickle her when they were kids. She hates it.

Add. Notes: If a woman who is deeply entrenched in the seedy underworld has big 70s/80s hair and often wears a jumpsuit, just assume that she’s tough but with a soft side and also very ticklish. (See also: Fujiko Mine, Carmen Boom, April O’Neil.)

Conclusions:

I might indeed be a sick weirdo. This merits further study.

Breaking character…yeah, IDK what the hell this is and I’m assuming none of you care. Just kinda wanted to blow off steam. I like weird characters that nobody else really cares about.

And why the hell do I even write some of my blog entries this way? Deliberately making things “less fun” seems kinda like a bad idea.

[pastel-imagines]

Do have any headcanons for what pets certain yansim characters have? :)

Akademi Students with pets

Class 1-1

Efude Nurimono has two playful Exotic Shorthair cats. One orange and one white. Because of her obsession with anime, she named her cats “Miyuki” and “Yamiko” inspired by two of her favorite series: Magical Girl Pretty Miyuki and Life Note.

Kokuma Jutsu has an Atlas Moth that she caught in the forest near her house that she simply named “Atlas”.  Despite being harmless, most of her friends are scared of it due to how big it is (Atlas Moths are the largest moths in the world)

Kokona Haruka has a grey Chartreux kitten she found at the back of Akademi and adopted it. She named it “Mittens” because of the kitten’s soft paws.

Shima Shiya has a black and white Japanese Bobtail and a Dalmatian named “Dice” and “Domino” because of there black and white spotted color schemes. The two animals always seem to be at odds with each other despite Shima trying multiple methods to have them get along.

Shiromi Torayoshi has a Sphynx Cat that she named “Dog” with the sole purpose of confusing people and weirding them out. Sometimes she puts him in the clubroom which always freaks out Kuroko, who isn’t a big fan of Sphynx cats in particular.

Class 1-2

Supana Churu has three black Burmese cats named “Onyx”, “Midnight”, and “Shadow” (how edgy). When she’s at home reading the books she retrieved from the Occult Club’s bookshelves, her cats like to curl up next to her and rub against her.

Tokuko Kitagawa has a white Bichon Frise named “Lily” that she got in an attempt to one up Kizana once again. Unlike Kizana, however, Tokuko genuinely loves her dog and takes great pride and care in her

Ajia Ashitomi has a Siberian Husky named “Buster”. Every time Ajia goes to the dog park, Buster always gets let loose and wreaks havoc on the other dogs much to Ajia’s horror. Thankfully none of the other dogs get injured

Meka Nikaru always wanted to own a Red Crowned Crane as a pet, but raising a crane incredibly difficult and even dangerous. Because of this, she built a robotic crane that behaves almost exactly like its living counterpart except it is not aggressive towards people.

Midori Gurin has a green pet parakeet named “Chirp”. This bird is a massive chatterbox, which for Midori its great, but for everyone else its incredibly annoying.

Yuna Hina has a Holland Lop rabbit named “Marshmallow”. Raising her pet is one of the few things she is able to do successfully on her own.

Class 2-1

Riku Soma has a grey British Shorthair named “Barnaby”. He gets along very well with Mittens, Kokona’s cat and even has a little top hat made for him.

Sakura Hagiwara has a German Shepard named “Stellaluna”. The reason she has her is because her parents gave it to her in the event that she needed a service animal in the future (her dog is a certified service animal).

Gaku Hikitsuri has a white Samoyed dog that’s very affectionate named “Monster” (how ironic). Gaku named him that to try and make him seem intimidating, but he still enjoys his affection. He really wants a cat, but because his mother is allergic to cats he can’t get one.

Ayano Aishi has a white and grey Ragamuffin that was given to her by Kokona. To keep with a theme of Kokona’s cat, she named him “Gloves”

Osana Najimi has an orange and white Snowshoe cat named “Marmalade”. Marmalade always gets out of the house and Osana usually spends a few hours looking for her.

Class 2-2

Oka Ruto has a grey Maine Coon she got from the animal shelter named “Thunder”. She was fascinated by how large the cat was compared to the other cats at the shelter and wanted to study it.

(Warning: Mention of Animal Neglect) Kizana Sunobu has a white Turkish Angora named “Rose”. She only got her in order for her to appear more opulent and wealthy, and doesn’t take care of her at all. Her parents have to to take care of her instead.

Amai Odayaka has a Russian Blue cat named “Sugar”.  Sugar recently gave birth to 7 kittens, and this event caused a big debate in the Odayaka household on whether they should keep the kittens or not.

Hayanari Tsumeato has a Bulldog named “Vesuvius”. He is a very aggressive dog that is known to bite anyone and everyone. The only exception to this is Hayanari

Sakyu Basu and Inkyu Basu have a white Poodle named “Abella”. They like to dress her up in various outfits and accessories for fun. Inkyu once attempted to put lipstick on her, which resulted in Sakyu scolding her.

Class 3-1

Kenko Sukoyaka has a pet turtle named “Jupiter”. He usually feeds him vegetables that he grows in his garden

Borupen Saishiki has a pet Ball Python named “Diablo”. Sometimes he sneaks him in to school to terrorize other people. As a result of this, his bag had to be checked regularly for a month.

Sho Kunin has a Bloodhound named “Copper.” He hopes to train it to become a police dog for when he joins the police when he becomes an adult.

Akane Toriyasu has a pet Cardinal named “Scarlett”. Scarlett tends to sing cute little melodies in order to wake Akane up.

Kashiko Murasaki has a Chow Chow named “Butterscotch”. Sometimes Butterscotch jumps on her to wake her up or before she leaves, which sometimes ends up with her showing up to school covered in dog hair.

Class 3-2

Budo Masuta has a white Bull Terrier named “Rocky”. He often runs with Rocky in the morning in order for both of them to get some exercise

Uekiya Engeika has a pet Siamese Cat named “Poppy.” 85% of the time Poppy is covered in dirt because she tends to roll around in the dirt piles while Uekiya is gardening.

Kuroko Kamenaga has a pet Guinea Pig named “Cookie”. After being constantly pestered about getting a pet by Shiromi, she only wanted a small animal that would be low maintenance.

Musume Ronshaku has a tan pet French Bulldog named “Cashmere”. This is one of the things that Musume whined to her daddy for the most.

WOW this has to be the longest request I did. This was such an interesting and unique request and I hope I didn't dissapoint

[saint-14s-gay-pigeon]

Post-Hunt Nap

Atlas lets his hair down after a long day.

"Nice work, Guardian." Crow's voice crackled to life through the comms, serving as Atlas’s signal that the hunt was finally over. It had become routine by this point to check in after every successful Wrathborn elimination, and the calm cadence of Crow’s words was a welcome relief after the incessant shrieking, wailing, and roaring that the creatures were prone to. 

Atlas merely basked in it a moment while leaning against a rock to catch his breath. This particular hunt had ended up being a much more demanding ordeal than originally anticipated, and his eventual response was weighed down by fatigue despite his best efforts. "Thanks. You, too."

"How are you doing?" He hadn't managed to hide his condition very well, judging by the concern in Crow’s voice.

If Crow already knew, there was no point in lying. "Well, I'm exhausted and covered in Wrathborn gunk," Atlas admitted with a short laugh, trying to keep his complaining lighthearted. He scrunched his nose in distaste. "What is this stuff, anyway?"

There was a pause. "If you're covered in it, you probably don't want me to answer that."

"I second that," Glint chimed in.

Atlas sighed. "Lovely. Can I borrow your shower before I head out again?"

Crow wasn't entirely sure the Titan would fit inside what passed for a shower in his quarters considering even he found it cramped, but he wasn't about to say no. "Sure. Drop by the workshop when you can."

-----------------------------------------------

The water was cold and probably not much cleaner than the gunk it was washing away, and it was indeed cramped, but to Atlas it was the most refreshing shower he’d had in ages. He emerged a short time later in his civilian clothes to find Crow absentmindedly munching on a Bittersweet Biscotti while looking over the Cryptolith Lure.

"I'll admit," Atlas chuckled as he toweled at his hair with an old rag, "I thought you were lying when you said you liked them."

"They're not that bad," objected Crow, joining in the laughter as he finished his examination of the Lure. When he finally looked up at Atlas, however, he stopped short.

"Something wrong?" Atlas asked, setting the rag to the side.

Crow shook his head and swallowed, quickly coming back to himself. "I've just... never seen you with your hair down. Didn't realise how long it was." Did that sound weird? That sounded weird.

"And what do you think?" Atlas asked with a teasing grin. 

"Ah… You look good. It suits you." Crow was thankful the dim light of the workshop would likely obscure the faint purple blush dusting his cheeks. He considered it a personal favour that Glint had refrained from commenting, although he could practically feel the little Ghost’s eye on him. It was probably better to change the subject before he had the chance to change his mind.

“So… that was a hell of a hunt, huh?” 

To Crow’s relief, Atlas readily nodded, letting the prior conversation go without a fuss. “That’s putting it mildly. Didn’t expect two of them to show up at once,” he agreed. “At least the lure’s definitely working.”

“You did well,” Crow said, and Atlas fought through the fatigue to offer a grin in return, preening slightly at the praise. Crow couldn’t help but chuckle at the display; he hadn’t expected his words to carry that much weight.

With a tired but content sigh, Atlas slowly lowered himself to the floor of the workshop, leaning carefully against the most solid-looking of the walls. The shower was refreshing, but after so many hours of hunting, he was still thoroughly spent. He gestured to his side with a pat of the floor, beckoning Crow to join him. “Don’t sell yourself short, either,” he told Crow, smiling up at him. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

Now it was Crow’s turn to be proud of himself. A grin bloomed across his face as he accepted the invitation, taking a seat next to the Titan and enjoying the grounding sense of calm that the subtle contact between their knees imparted. The workshop, for all its faults, was always better with company. 

“Always happy to help,” Crow replied, casually resting his elbows on his legs. And it was true; even on days when securing the perimeter ended up being uneventful, he still enjoyed getting to see the Guardian in action. “Although you caught me by surprise today,” he admitted, thinking back on Atlas’s earlier performance. “I don’t often see you use void Light.” 

“It doesn’t come naturally to me like arc does,” Atlas agreed, picking up on the unspoken question. Even now, he could feel the current of energy buzzing just beneath his skin. “I needed something more defensive, though, and Saint’s been teaching me some things. Figured it was worth a shot.”

“Saint?” Crow asked, tilting his head.

“Saint-14, Osiris’s partner,” Atlas explained. “They call him the greatest Titan who ever lived.”

“Atlas is gunning for his title,” Achilles half-joked, chiming in with an excited twirl. He never missed a chance to hype up his Guardian.

Crow laughed softly at the Ghost’s interjection, then nodded thoughtfully. “I didn’t know Osiris was in a relationship; he’s never mentioned him.”

Compared to Crow’s laugh, Atlas’s was a bright, rich sound. “That’s not surprising. Getting Osiris to share personal details is like asking Spider to donate Glimmer to charity. Hell, it took me ages to figure out he and Saint were together and I’d met both of them.” The Titan’s mouth skewed into a silly, lopsided grin of self-deprecation. “Although truth be told, I probably should’ve picked up on it sooner.”

The room fell silent after that save for the rhythmic rattling of the pipes, the conversation hanging in the air until Glint eventually spoke up.

“What about you?” he asked, dipping his shell toward Atlas. He knew what Crow was thinking, and he had no problem taking matters into his own metaphorical hands if Crow wasn’t going to say it himself. “Are you seeing anyone?” 

Crow’s eyes immediately widened. “Glint!” he hissed, his gaze snapping to the Ghost.

Glint responded by shifting the sides of his shell as though shrugging. “No harm in being curious.”

Atlas merely laughed again, seemingly oblivious to the exchange. “Not these days, no. I’d like to be, but…” He tilted his head to the side as he considered how to elaborate. “This lifestyle,” he eventually settled, “is demanding, of both your time and attention. It can be hard to find someone who’s willing to live with that.” 

Not that he could blame anyone for feeling that way. He thought back to his last relationship: a Hunter and fellow Awoken with pink hair and boundless optimism. The two of them were still good friends, but had mutually agreed that trying to forge a romance on top of saving a broken world had been too great an ask, even for them. He hoped she was doing well. 

Crow nodded slowly, his brows knitting together in an expression of sympathy. Glint had refused to give him the full rundown of Atlas’s accomplishments, but it was his understanding that there were many, and Atlas specifically was a big deal even among other Guardians. It wasn’t surprising to hear he’d given himself entirely to the cause and left little room for his own personal happiness. 

Unsure of how else to respond, Crow eventually spoke in a soft voice while staring at his hands. “I... hope you find them soon.” 

Atlas replied with a small smile of gratitude. It wasn’t a subject he’d given much thought recently, nor was he in any particular rush to find a partner of his own, but he appreciated the sentiment regardless. When he opened his mouth to say as much however, he was instead interrupted by a powerful yawn. 

The distant melancholy of Crow’s expression quickly gave way to a concerned frown as he noticed how the Titan was now struggling to keep his eyes open. “You shouldn’t fly like this,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. The calm of the conversation had finally provided a chance for the adrenaline to wear off, it seemed.

Atlas nodded and yawned again. As rich as it was to be receiving flying advice from Crow of all people, he was right, of course, and not even Atlas was stubborn enough to try to argue it. “I’ll get some rest before I head out,” he promised.

“Good. You can stay here, if you’d like. I don’t have much in the way of bedding but I can…” Crow’s voice slowly trailed off as he registered a gentle weight on his shoulder. Atlas’s head had fallen to the side and was now resting against him, navy blue hair cascading down his arm. 

One look at Atlas’s face confirmed he was already dozing off.

“Should I wake him up?” Achilles asked, hovering at a short distance. He made to approach Atlas, but Crow reached out his free hand to stop him.

Maybe he was getting used to supporting Atlas in his work, and this was somehow an extension of that. Or maybe he just enjoyed the physical contact with another Lightbearer. Whatever the reason, he found he wasn’t in any rush to chase Atlas off.

Crow chuckled quietly as he shifted on the spot, careful not to disturb the Titan as he adjusted his position to be comfortable enough to remain seated for a while. “It’s okay,” he assured the Ghost. “I’m happy to help.”

[musings-from-mars]

@nuts-and-dolts-week - Day 8: Bonus Day!

For Bonus Day, with some inspiration from the FS discord, I gave myself a little challenge to create a story that somehow integrates every prompt for Nuts and Dolts Week! And this is the result!

This has been such a fun event to be a part of, and not only that, this is the first ship week I’ve ever completed! That may not be a huge accomplishment but I’m still super happy 🥰 Thank you to Bio for running this event and to everyone who created content for it, you’re all so talented and sensational!

You can read all my other NnD Week submissions on AO3, maybe kudo and comment if you are so inclined~ Hope you enjoy, thank you so much for reading!

Nuts and Dolts Week 2021 Stories - MusingsFromMars on AO3

Tomorrow they would graduate from Beacon, but tonight, they would have one more picnic in the Emerald Forest.

With a basket full of food and treats in the crook of her elbow, Ruby walked along with Penny down the familiar hillside trail, hiking into the forest towards what they had begun to call Their Spot. The sun at this point was almost set, bathing the partly cloudy sky with a bright orange hue. An evening picnic might have been unusual to most, but to the couple of soon-to-be huntresses, it was perfect.

Since this would be the last time they’d have a picnic like this together, they both went all-out with their preparations. Penny had dressed in her favorite white flowery dress and sun hat, and even had cute sparkly pink lip gloss, eyeliner, and green eyeshadow (all courtesy of Belladonna Cosmetic Services). Ruby had gone even more formal, wearing a white button-up, black suspenders and bow tie, and a red skirt. Weiss had remarked to her that this was a bit much for a picnic, but Ruby assured her that this was perfect for the occasion. Weiss couldn’t be blamed for not knowing all of her plans, after all. In fact, no one else knew what Ruby was planning for this evening.

Tucked securely in her shirt pocket was a small velvet drawstring pouch. Inside it was a ring, Penny’s ring. Ruby had made it herself. Even though her area of expertise was weapons crafting and not jewelry design, she was happy with how it turned out. She even felt confident that Penny would love it, too. Ruby had made it with her in mind, after all. And tonight would be the night that she would give it to Penny and ask her to marry her.

Ruby felt oddly calm about her plan right now. She had imagined herself being really nervous and unable to keep quiet about her plan for long, but now that they were on their way to the very spot she would propose, Ruby felt confident and at ease. Maybe that was the effect Penny had on her. Ruby always felt more comfortable whenever Penny was nearby. It was as if seeing her happy and safe was enough to put everything in perspective. How bad could a problem be if Penny were there for her?

Once they arrived at Their Spot, Penny unfurled the blanket she’d had tucked under her arm, spreading it out over the grass. From here, the thick treeline blocked out the setting sun, leaving them surrounded by soft shadows and gentle warm hues from the dusk sky. 

This was all routine by this point. Penny would lay out the blanket, they’d both sit down and open the basket, and Ruby would start munching away at a sandwich while Penny made some tea (using a kettle, the water they packed, and her ability to hold anything in her hand and superheat it, of course). Penny enjoyed making tea this way because it made it easy to smell the complex aromas. While Penny’s tech advancements still didn’t allow her to taste, she at least had made a breakthrough and could now smell things, and tea was one of her favorites. “I am brewing lavender chamomile,” Penny said to Ruby. “It is the tea we had together the first time we had a picnic here.”

Ruby finished her bite of sandwich and smiled. “I love how you can remember little details like that.”

“I remember most everything,” Penny said. “Though our first picnic is certainly easy to recall. It was a lovely occasion.”

“Besides us starting a minor forest fire with Weiss’ electric kettle,” Ruby recounted with a laugh.

“And that is why we use this method now.” Penny nodded to the kettle, holding its underside. “It is much less dangerous.”

“Yeah, I shouldn’t be trusted around hot surfaces,” Ruby said with a giggle, then took another bite of sandwich. “Do you…” She began, but recalled her manners and swallowed her food before continuing. “Do you remember our first date?”

“Of course,” Penny said with a grin. “The one you essentially had to force me to go on.”

“I didn’t force you, did I?” Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“I was certainly nervous about raising the ire of General Ironwood,” she recalled. “But I am quite thankful you did convince me to go to the arcade with you, even if the General was cross with me.”

“You got so many tickets!” Ruby remembered.

“The patterns and rhythms of those arcade machines were not very sophisticated. They were easily exploited for maximum payout.”

“I still have that big plush frog we got as a prize somewhere,” Ruby remembered. “What did we call him?”

“Mister Bumpy Butt.”

“Mister Bumpy Butt!” Ruby said with a grin. “Because he had—”

“—bumps on his butt!” Penny finished for her.

“I still say he should talk to his frog doctor about that,” Ruby joked. 

“Indeed, butt bumps could be a sign of underlying illness.”

Ruby snorted and laughed, leaning over and lying her head on Penny’s shoulder. “Gods, we’re so weird.”

“Yes, but I enjoy being weird with you,” Penny replied, smiling as she leaned her cheek against the top of Ruby’s head. 

“As do I,” Ruby agreed. 

As Ruby took another bite of sandwich, Penny’s kettle began to whistle, and she retrieved two mugs from the basket. One mug already had a few sugar cubes sitting in the bottom. That was Ruby’s mug, of course. Penny filled both with hot tea and handed one to her. No matter what kind of tea it was, Ruby always had to drink it with sugar (much to Weiss’ and Blake’s horror). She took a careful sip and hummed happily. “Perfect as always, Penny.”

“Why thank you,” Penny beamed and set the empty kettle aside. She cradled her mug with both hands and enjoyed the smell of the tea as steam floated from the mug and into the air. She watched as Ruby sipped her tea, then asked, “Do you remember about a couple years before we met properly in Vale, you had accidentally met me when I was still in development at Atlas Academy?”

Ruby’s eyes went wide, and she had to make sure to swallow her tea lest she choke on it before answering, “I almost forgot all about that!”

Penny grinned and nodded. “You know, my father almost deleted that conversation from my memory for fear of ‘contamination,’ but then figured he had advanced my software far enough to the point that my interaction with you might be beneficial. And it turns out it was!”

“How so?” Ruby asked curiously, sipping her tea a bit more carefully.

“I think back to that meeting, and the way I remember it, from that day forward I had so much confidence when meeting new people. I admit, it took me a while to really understand that I might have been, well...forward with new acquaintances, but I think because you, the first ‘stranger’ I ever met, were so nice to me, it made me so optimistic about meeting new people.” She smiled at Ruby. “And that’s why I have so many friends now. All thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me and my insatiable curiosity,” Ruby added with a giggle. “But that’s honestly really sweet. I’m glad I ran into laptop you all those years ago.”

“That laptop was not the most aesthetically pleasing chassis to inhabit. I mean, I had very little physical self-awareness at that point, but looking back on it…”

“Yeah, you’re way sexier now,” Ruby joked.

“Precisely!” Penny agreed wholeheartedly, once again making Ruby laugh.

The sun had fully set by now, and stars began to dot the dark blue sky. The daytime warmth still lingered, but a gentle breeze began to slowly whisk it away.

“Ruby, look at me.”

Ruby blinked and looked her way, surprised by the suddenness of her request. “Huh?”

Penny only stared at her in the face, not offering an explanation. A few seconds later, she smiled and nodded. “Yep. Quite similar indeed.”

“What?” Ruby asked.

“Your eyes,” Penny said. “They look so similar to the moon when it is dark out.” She looked over Ruby’s shoulder. “But I have never gotten to make a side-by-side comparison until now.”

Ruby turned and looked the same way and saw the shattered moon. It had been just behind her head from Penny’s view. Ruby giggled and looked back at her girlfriend. “You’re so sweet.” 

Penny smiled wide, her green eyes practically glowing with happiness. 

“You know,” Ruby began, leaning a bit closer to Penny. “I don’t think I could compare your eyes to anything.”

Penny tilted her head to the side a bit. “Oh? How come?”

“I’ve never seen anything like them. They’re just so bright and shiny and green.”

Penny blinked, then her cheeks glowed a faint green. “You mean my eyes are incomparable?”

Ruby hadn’t realized her own romantic turn of phrase, but she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, exactly! There’s nothing in the world quite like your pretty eyes.”

Penny smiled, then leaned forward and kissed Ruby’s cheek. “You are so sweet.” Then her eyes went wide, noticing something else behind Ruby. “Oh, the fireflies!”

Ruby gasped and turned her head quickly, and sure enough, the night’s first lightning bugs were beginning to emerge, darting about and glowing. More and more appeared, blinking in a constant array of light like a visual symphony. 

“It has been so long since we have seen so many,” Penny said with delight. “Oh, I am so happy they appeared tonight. You know it is almost as if they knew this was our last picnic here, because at this time of year their numbers typically begin to dwindle due to the changes in weather…”

Penny was once again infodumping about insects and Ruby’s heart swelled with a familiar adoration. She wanted to kiss her so bad, but that would mean interrupting Penny as she talked about the temperature preferences of flying bugs. She held off her desire to tackle her into the grass and pepper her face with kisses until later. In the meantime, she set her tea aside and propped her elbows on her knees, all while watching those aforementioned incomparable eyes as they followed the flights of nearby fireflies as she continued. 

It wasn’t until a few minutes later that Penny’s voice began to trail away, and she turned to look at Ruby. “Oh, I have been talking for quite some time, huh?”

“Yeah, but I like listening to you talk about fireflies, Firefly,” Ruby said softly with a smile, still with her hands under her chin, still resting her elbows on her knees. 

Penny chuckled bashfully. “They are just such fascinating creatures.”

“Hey Penny?”

“Hm?” Penny turned, her eyes meeting Ruby’s again. With the moon reflecting off her eyes, they almost seemed to shine. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Penny smiled gently.

Ruby reached out and took Penny’s hand in hers, then took a moment to look around. “Uhm, here.” She got to her feet, still holding Penny’s hand. “This way.”

Penny stood and followed as Ruby led her off the picnic blanket and onto the grass. They walked through the grass a few steps, fireflies floating about them as if used to their presence. Ruby stopped and faced Penny.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, and despite the slowly falling temperatures outside, she was beginning to feel a little hot under her button-up. Here was the nervousness she expected to feel earlier, springing up just as she was about to do what this entire evening was leading to. She took a breath and fidgeted a bit with her bow tie.

“Are you okay?” Penny asked quietly, still holding one of Ruby’s hands. 

“I’m...great,” Ruby said. It sounded like a lie, but it wasn’t. She felt anxious, sweaty, and absolutely fantastic all at once. “Penny, I… I have something to ask you. It’s important.”

Penny nodded, giving her her full attention. 

Ruby took a breath and nodded. “Penny, when I told you that you are a real girl, I meant it. That day in that alleyway in Vale, I could see how unsure you were, how scared you were. And yet, when I assured you that you’re as real to me as I am to you, you believed me. I could definitely tell how happy that moment made you feel from how hard you hugged me, but...it made me happy, too. To know that I had said something to make you feel real…” Oh no, tears. Not now, tears. “And you believed me.”

Penny stepped a little closer and nodded. “Of course I believed you.”

Ruby smiled, but she willed herself to continue. “Then that day when I thought you were going back to Atlas. I was so scared because I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get to see you again. I ran to find you, and I confessed to you right then and there that I loved you, that I couldn’t let you leave because I knew that you wanted to stay just as much as I wanted you to stay. And…” She was losing her fight against her tears, one escaping and running down her cheek as a smile grew on her face. “I said I love you. And...you believed me.”

“Of course I believed you,” Penny said again with a soft chuckle. She lifted her hand and gently wiped away Ruby’s tears. “I have loved you since the day we became friends.”

Ruby nodded and sniffed. “So have I.” She wiped at her own face, doing her best to compose herself. She wanted to get this moment exactly right. “And now we’re here tonight, for like the hundred-dozenth time. And…” She stared at Penny for a second, taking in a deep breath. She let it out slowly, then reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out the pouch. Penny’s eyes followed as Ruby loosened the drawstring, flipped the pouch over, and let a ring roll from the bag and into her hand. It was a shiny bronze color, with red and green gems embedded in a zigzag configuration all around the circumference. Ruby pocketed the pouch and held the ring between her thumb and index finger. She looked up at Penny and saw her eyes were wide, as if she were slowly beginning to understand. 

“Ruby…?”

“And now I’m asking you to marry me,” Ruby said, chuckling with a grin. “Can you believe that?”

“Ruby…” Penny covered her mouth with her hand.

Ruby got down on one knee, holding the ring up to her. Her nerves were gone, replaced only with a blooming joy in her chest. She will never forget the look on Penny’s face at this very moment. “Penny, will you marry me?”

Penny proceeded to tackle hug her to the ground. Ruby grunted and laughed as her back hit the grass. “Yes!” Penny lied on top of Ruby and smiled down at her. “Yes, I will marry you, Ruby!” She kissed her, and Ruby hummed softly and wrapped her arms around Penny’s neck, deepening the kiss. Her nerves were a distant memory now. Now she felt like she was floating just like the fireflies around them, with the love of her life in her arms.

After their kiss, they both found their way back to their feet. Ruby was glad to have held tight to the ring both during and after getting tackled, and she smiled at Penny as she took her hand. “Well then,” she slipped the ring onto her, a perfect fit. “Just call me fiancée.”

Penny grinned and hugged her again, not tackling her but still squeezing tight. “I love you.”

Ruby hugged her back, happily sinking deeper into the embrace. “I love you too,” she whispered. 

After reveling in this embrace for a while longer, Ruby opened her eyes and looked up, seeing the Beacon tower in the distance. In a lot of ways, this place had changed her life. She had fulfilled her dream of becoming a huntress and had made friends that she’d forever consider family. But at this very moment, she felt the most thankful for having met Penny. If coming to Beacon had changed her life, then meeting Penny was what made it brighter. She would never forget the years she spent here, but when it came to her and Penny, they had countless more memories to make in the future, together as real girls, as wives.