#even the stoic among us have worked on something

[inkskinned]

oh, i am so enamored with the way the lesson of the velveteen rabbit rings true in our modern life. i love that we name our spaceships and write love poems to old buildings. i love that we all cried about the mars rover, that we made her so real that she was no longer a machine but a friend, a companion, a hero.

i love that we become attached to certain mugs, spoons, mason jars. that we develop a strange protective love-hate of our tablets, that we feel weirdly reverent about our new notebook. we name our cars silly things like the crab shack and call our favorite whisk attachment the one great destroyer.

there's a dog statue at my local park that has a golden back and golden head from how often people have pet it. at my college campus, people love an ugly little pointless sculpture we call bacon pants or bacon legs. we assign personalities to fountains, parks, laptops.

i love that our basic instinct is to include others in our community, even where there isn't a real community to speak of. that we love things, even when they cannot physically love us back - for us, the exchange isn't what's important. we give our heart to things so entirely that the thing begins to, in its own way, have its own heart.

the last transmission from the mars rover was not words; it was data. nevertheless, someone translated for her. my battery is low and it's getting dark. they made her last words a poem. they looked at data and saw a soul, a divine spark.

i keep thinking about the first AI born truly free-thinking. i keep thinking about the way scientists and artists talk about their work. how their eyes light up and their hands start moving, how even when they're flat broke and confused and the coding isn't working - there's this love of the thing. i keep thinking that whatever is being born into this new world will be born here on purpose, over a long time, with great energy. that when it arrives, the first thing it will know is most likely the hands of a creator delighted, overcome.

that we made it in our image. that the image we wrote was one of human compassion within ingenuity. that we couldn't make this thing without it being a labor of real-and-true: love.

[mskenway97]

I had this in mind for some time and some ideas made me think about this story. It takes place during the course of the 'Alpha/Omega' episode of transformers prime after Optimus lost the Star Saber.

Tfp Optimus Prime x Fem!human!reader

I will stay

Words: 1,576

Summary: You haven't heard from your guardian for days, when you got the news from Jack that a new weapon had been discovered. You decided to stop by to see why he wasn't talking to you like before to discover a side of him you didn't know.

Warning: angst, sorrow, g/t content, g/t confort fluff

You knew something wasn't right, ever since he came back with his memory restored. Something was keeping you upset, you felt that he had put up a wall that you couldn't get through. That didn't happen before. You met him by chance bad timing, a detour home several Vehicons and a big robot of almost 30 ft. Since then he had taken care of you, as Ratchet refused to be the guardian, plus you were older than the children on the base to your surprise. You befriended them, but you were always intrigued by Prime, and little by little you were able to talk about various things. Seeing what caught his attention… Apart from the popular culture books of Earth and what I was dedicated to. Partly little by little you began to fall in love with this metallic giant, his kindness, his concern, his dedication to the Earth. To feel safe among his servos, or to sit on his shoulder while he worked, little details that mattered a lot to you. But at the same time they made you feel helpless, helping Miko and Raf was easy. Engaging Ratchet in conversation was a challenge. Understanding Bumblebee was a challenge. But you tried because you wanted to get to know them better. Everything started to change since Unicron showed up, the day Optimus left… Those were the worst days for you, you didn't know how much you needed him… the sound of his voice, the touch of his finger when he stroked your hair…

He came back to you but interactions started to be more limited, he would pick you up from work: Arcee or Bulkhead. Only Ratchet stayed at the base…. That made you feel partly miserable, you knew he had great work, great responsibility but at the same time you wanted to help him. That he just didn't show that stoic side to all the people. But you were only a small human, between a war of enormous titans. You could only stand by and watch, you wished you could do more, could help more. But you were just an ant in comparison…. You wished at least to see him smile, at least just once… If only you could comfort him, do something. You would do anything. This was eating you up more and more. Until the deadline came when Jack started telling you about a new weapon the autobots had found: Star Saber, it seemed they had an advantage to win, at least something that looked like they would win the war once and for all. That day you left work late at night, but you knew Optimus would be at the base, so you called Ratchet for a groundbridge. You watched with all the joy in the world. Until you saw Ratchet's long faces, the others were patrolling. You didn't understand what was going on until you saw a weapon completely destroyed.

-Ratchet, what happened? - you asked as you climbed the stairs. Ratchet sighed as he looked at the command center - Star Saber was destroyed, Megatron found a way to create his own Star Saber with Dark Energon.

-How is this possible? Solus Prime's forge can only be used by one.

-Megatron found a way… Optimus fought against him, with some injury but he will be

-Damage?! - you said as Ratchet tried to calm you down.

-He's fine. You should go home… Something in you jumped, you were sick of having to leave, of having to be pulled back - No, not this time. I'm going to talk to him. Don't even think of stopping me - you said seriously as you walked down the hallway without listening to Ratchet's words to reason with you. You moved quickly down the long hallway to get to Optimus' room, you didn't think, you acted on pure instinct and emotion. You wanted to know how he was doing, he didn't care if he tried to kick you out, he wasn't going to back down too. you weren't going to leave him behind, you weren't going to give up anymore. You tried knocking on the huge door to see that it wasn't locked, which surprised you since Optimus was always careful with his room and his secrets. He hadn't let you in either due to various reasons that the autobot leader always made an excuse for. Then you walked in to see around a room that had a huge desk, next to a bed, what appeared to be a pile of datapads on the desk table. You stood admiring the place, as you looked like a little doll or toy as you walked around. The door behind you closed, you jumped in fright. Then you saw Optimus, he seemed to be leaning on his bed. At least you had a fix on him, the problem was how to get to him.

It was not easy for you to get to the bed but with a lot of patience you climbed up one of the bed spreads, you approached carefully so that he would not crush you when he moved, you were in front of his face about to wake him up but you noticed on his face in his optics rather, there was something blue liquid. Biologically, humans and cybetronians were not so different… He was crying… You approached him carefully as you touched his faceplate, it felt cold but at the same time you heard a small engine noise, you saw that he opened the optics slowly to see your face so close to him. You thought he was going to refuse or push you away, you were about to respond but contrary to what you thought, his servo grabbed you to pull you to his chest and place you close to his spark. He was stroking your back with his other servo, feeling a great warmth but you shook your head at what you initially came for. This bot had great skill in reading your mind, he already knew why you were here.

-You were worried about me… I am sorry for my absence these days, little one. Matters have led me into situations to keep you and the rest safe. You clenched your fist, a little clenched your jaw, I was doing it again….

-Don't do it… Optimus was confused to hear you - Pardon?

-Don't you dare hide how you feel in front of me, I know you're trying to protect me…. But what matters to me is how you feel, don't you dare say it's not important, war is important. You are distancing yourself from everyone…

-Little girl, I…

-Don't you dare do this alone… When Unicron arrived you disappeared. I thought you really left - you said trying to keep your tone of voice without tears - You walked away, I don't care if it's for my protection, I don't care how many times you try to push me away, I will stay… I will not leave here - you said determinedly as you looked at the optics. There was a deafening silence between the two of you, you looked at each other with determination that your words, then you felt his arms around you squeezing you a little you felt him leaning you to his chassis. You looked at his optics to see the tears coming back to him.

The burdens of a leader are something I must keep, I stayed away for your protection. I may win some battles others I may lose them with quite a few consequences: the Star Saber, Raf's life was close too…. If it hadn't been Raf… - he said as he lifted me up to look at you better - and if it had been you, I wouldn't have forgiven myself…. The words the giant had said had hit hard in your heart, as he wrapped his servos around you as if to protect you from the world -… I can't lose you like that - he said in a low voice. That made a little more of a dent in you, but you moved closer to his face, leaned gently to his cheek as you saw that his optics were focused on you.

-I know, that's how I've been feeling these days too…. I don't want to lose you like this either.

You gave her a soft kiss on her cheek, which had the effect of sounding her engines a little as she squeezed you a little closer in her servos, you felt her nuzzle to you. You had missed these interactions so much, you had missed her too much.

-Next time, try talking to me. I know I can't share your burden, but I'll listen to you as long as it takes - you said as she put you back closer to her chassis but closer to her spark.

-I will try for you. And I will never leave you alone again - he said as you felt a big pulse of sparkle warm you up a little. That was all you needed to hear, you stayed like that for a while longer as words were not needed at that moment. Maybe when things calmed down you would tell him how you really felt about him. Just feeling his company, though, was all you needed. Maybe one day you would manage to get a smile out of him. But little by little, you felt him close your eyes to fall asleep near his chassis. Feeling at peace at last… Next to him.

[i-cant-sing]

when are you gonna update the concubine dabi fic that you made😚 you dont even have to write the nsfw i just need to see the drama between hawks an dabi

The DRAMA is in the nsfw 😔😔😔 but I'm working on making it less NSFW and still keep the drama.

Let me give u an example of one of the scenes I plan on writing for the concubine story-

Dabi is feeling a little jealous ever since you allowed that winged whore into your harem. Obviously, Keigo had piqued your interest, and Dabi didn't like that. He never liked it when your attention deviated from him.

He made his way to your chambers. It was routine, he always came by to help you... "relieve" your stress.

But as he went to knock on your door, the guards outside blocked his way.

Dabi gave them a quizzical look. What?

"You can't go in, concubine Dabi."

"Why the hell not?" Dabi asked, slighted that the guard had the nerve to stop him.

"The Sultana is engaged with someone."

"Who?" Dabi looked at the two of them. "I said, who is she talking to?" They kept their heads bowed, the guards weren't allowed to look at the sultanas harem, especially not her favourite concubine.

The sound of your laughter came from the room, and Dabi narrowed his eyes at them again.

"You don't get to keep things from me, because if you keep things from me, I start bringing things to light. How is your mistress these days? Still pregnant like your wife is?" Dabi threatened.

The guard sighed in defeat before whispering his name.

"Concubine Keigo is in there."

"Was he summoned by the sultana?" Dabi interrogated. The guard shook his head in negative.

"No. He just walked up to us and before we could stop him, he loudly knocked on the door. The sultana asked who was there and again, he announced himself very loudly. The Sultana let him in, and he's been in there for the past 2 hours."

2 hours? And without being summoned? What kind of fucking nerve he has to think he can just barge in there?

"Announce me." He nodded at tge guard, who didn't bother arguing because he knew he would be threatened again.

Very gently, the guard knocked. The room became silent.

"Pardon the interruption, Sultana. Concubine Dabi is here." The guard called from outside.

A few more moments of silence. Then footsteps.

They weren't yours. Dabi knows.

The door opened just enough for Keigo to poke his head outside. His hair was dishevelled, his eyes half lidded, and his rosy cheeks were gracing a lustful smile.

"Uh- Dabi! How are you?" Slighted at the moment for dropping his honorific, but more jealous than ever when he caught the glimpse of his shiny, bare chest. "The Sultana says that she'll meet you later. She's a... very busy at the moment, if you know what I mean." He winked as he wiped something off his lip before licking his thumb.

Dabi remained stoic before turning around and leaving. But he knew .... he knew Keigo could see the absolute rage and jealousy that was coursing through his body.

As he was returning to his Chambers, passing by the harem, he could feel the other concubines staring at him from above, giggling among themselves and whispering something about "a new favourite" being in town.

Dabi lifted his head up, throwing one murderous glance at them was enough to have them courtesying and running away with their tails tucked between their legs.

A new favourite?

Impossible.

[sinisterexaggerator]

Uncharted Territory

Hunter x Gen! Reader

Warnings: None. Fluff and a kiss. A little bit of angst in relation to wartime and heartfelt goodbyes.

686 words

Notes: I decided to write a series of "goodbye" ficlets where the reader takes / removes something from each of CF99 as they part ways.

Crosshair || Echo || Wrecker || Tech

---

War was rampant; your situation was not special, yet guardian angels had been delivered to your doorstep. They were clones, though unique in comparison to all the others, tools of the Republic who had come to save the day.

Even so, their stay was short. You had offered them your home and an open hearth. The leader of the pack had expressed his gratitude for your hospitality, those men who had been stationed on your planet the last few weeks finally packing up their things in preparation to vacate your humble village.

Hunter came for one last visit, alone, wanting to privately address you and the time you had spent together. He was used to hard goodbyes, though this was uncharted territory.

You were sure he could hear the pounding of your heart, the stoic sergeant pausing before your open door. Managing to keep your grace, you ushered him inside, somehow fighting off the deep-seated ache that had taken root behind your ribs.

“Off so soon?” you asked, attempting to relieve a bit of tension, knowing good and well he had come to bid you a fond farewell. You were not sure your eyes would ever again meet his, so warm and brown, taking this time to commit to memory his tawny, tatted face.

“Unfortunately,” Hunter replied, making a motion with his hand. “We have to be on our way,” he stated, bringing attention to the fact he did not have much time to spare.

You would sigh, giving him the best smile you could muster. You were easily betrayed by your emotions, stepping forward toward the man who carefully studied your every move.

“You could always stay,” you proposed, knowing he would never leave his squad behind. It was wishful thinking, even if naïve to entertain.

“I can’t,” he breathed. He did not enjoy having to disappoint you. “Listen—” he started, but you would interrupt him by leaning forward to undo the knot of his bandana.

“One more time?” you asked; Hunter only nodded. Gently, you sifted your fingers through his chestnut locks.

Hunter closed his eyes, letting the sensation overwhelm him, nerve-endings tingling by way of your gentle caress. Plush lips parted as you ran the full course of his curls, this action repeated thrice when your hand finally came to rest along the bend of his strong jaw.

He would open them again just as you kissed him, settling into the soft flesh of your lips. He scooped you forward, pressing your body against his, firm and strong, and clad in that damned armor.

You surrendered in totality, sweetly moaning this clone’s name. “Hunter.”

As if ravenous, his tongue found yours, his embrace enveloping your form. He was a soldier; he was destined for battle. You could only give him this small reprieve.

And yet, it was too much, Hunter pulling back to keep himself in check. Everything about this felt too good, too right. It had to end before it could properly begin; he would be unable to find the motivation to leave this place or your cozy house.

You felt a brush against your other hand; Hunter softly squeezed your fingers around the bit of fabric in your possession. “You can keep it,” he offered, though you could only smile again.

You shook your head and moved to refit the bandana to its rightful place; you cinched the back and stood a pace away, admiring your work - more than that. He was worthy, a hero among his kind.

“No,” you started, “I have all I need to remember you by,” you promised, lightly resting your hand atop your chest.

Hunter’s own smile was subdued in return, bittersweet. “Stay safe; make sure I don’t have to rescue you again,” he playfully asserted.

“Don’t give me any ideas,” you muttered, gifting to him one final kiss; the feeling lingered, dying slowly, Hunter trusting that you would be all right.

Nothing more was to transpire. With that, he turned to rejoin his squad. Even if he was planning to depart from your muggy, Mid Rim world, Hunter would never leave your heart.

[yeetmeoffjueyunkarst]

Consider this: Ganyu, Keqing and Lynette with a reader that loves to cuddle them.

Also: WELCOME BACK!

Ty anon! Waiting for approval to use a certain user's gifs for headers in the meantime, but I will write this for now.

Lynette, Keqing, Ganyu x gn!reader, essentially fluff

Starting off with our beloved Yuheng Keqing, in all this time in Genshin, she strikes me as a tsundere at the core of it all.

She's responsible, and is often busy working, so she would be very surprised with a reader that would suddenly cuddle them a lot.

She may also find it... time-consuming at first, since she is held in place by you when she wants to do work, but I believe that over time she will adapt your love for cuddles into her timetable?

Paperwork? Fine, she will sit on your lap and do her work, but don't do anything funny. And don't get caught, or else Ningguang will tease her about it

On a more personal context, I believe that she will greatly enjoy such cuddles. She is still a young lady who would desire affection from her lover, and she is secretly clingy in private.

Which is much welcomed by you, since you also love cuddles.

She's a terrible mess at home and wants to drop that stoic look of hers

And I do hope that she'll be all over you at home, holding you all around throughout the house, not wanting to be apart from you.

She does not mind being the big spoon or the small spoon, though she has a preference for being the big spoon unless she wants to feel small and comforted

And, everytime I think of her nudging you to just cuddle her, I would burst out in laughter. It's very her style to be like. "Come on. Hug me. I want cuddles." In a deadpan and serious manner in my opinion

Do give her lots of cuddles and kisses and affection, she's worked very hard as Yuheng.

Next up would be Keqing's coworker, General Secretary Ganyu.

Ganyu, Ganyu, Ganyu. I will bet all my mora that she is the one who loves cuddles among the 3 of them outwardly.

Initially... she may not be as welcoming as you think.

Ganyu is very conscious about her weight, and may find herself too... unflattering for anyone to hug, much less cuddle

Though I must heavily disagree with the above

Ganyu would be more open to cuddling in the public, since she... is not that self-conscious

She doesn't have a lot of time with you, since you are a mortal. Why be shy about cuddling in public if one day, you won't even be around to cuddle her anymore?

Do join her for her naps in the afternoon, I do believe that with you cuddling her in her sleep, she will be more refreshed and ready to tackle her work.

But of course, make sure that she does not stay up too late, lest you end up in bed cold and alone.

Oh, and! Do not touch her horns without permission. She will be upset if you touch her horns without her permission or unless... you two have grown closer over time.

Sometimes she'll find you to cuddle first, sometimes you'll have to be the one who initiates.

Our Ganyu is not as shy as you think. That's all I will say *wink*

And lastly... *cough* the girl who has caught my eye, after the endless number of girls genshin keeps spamming, Lynette.

I would believe in her younger years, when she was more innocent, she would be very cuddly. Very innocent, very trusting of those around her.

I think I can imagine her with a happy smile as she hugs you close as a child.

But, as we all know, her childhood isn't all sparkles and rainbows.

Becoming orphans, nearly being abducted, having to grow up in the House of the Hearth... which isn't exactly having pure intentions but better than what she previously faced with her brother...

I personally suspect that for the reason why she is rather stoic unless it is regarding those she cares about eg Lyney and Freminet.

And as a result is rather... not used to being touched by most people.

But you... You have a lot of work to do to make her feel comfortable.

I think the first time she would hug you is when she sees that you're sad over something. Maybe you would be friends, or lovers by then.

And over time... she would definitely accept your cuddles.

She is not one to initiate, but she definitely enjoys them.

And who knows? If you're perceptive enough, you can see the soft blush on her face when you two cuddle. Though, the relaxation of her body against you is good enough.

It's good for her to know she's in good hands with someone safe.

Likes and reblogs appreciated. Yours, J

[icarustypicalfall]

rear view

rudy parra x reader

prompt by the beautiful @glitterypirateduck from her head canons right here <3

summary: your husband takes it on his behalf to fix your car, and mayne teach you a thing or two.

warnings: none, sfw, pure fluff, writer knows nothing about cars and used a YouTube video for names cuz i forget them a lot 💀

note: I couldn't spare time to write the other second parts to my other fics because much stuff is on mind (i blame courses but you didn't hear it from me) bare w me pook :0

"give me some morphine"

Summer felt ethereal, with cool nights spent in the warm embrace of your husband's hometown, reveling in each other's presence.

The majority of your time was devoted to hosting delightful gatherings, inviting friends over for barbecues. Among these occasions, you had the pleasure of encountering Rudy's colleagues, his brothers who held his utmost trust. You did enjoy these moments, but being alone with Rudy was an entirely different euphoria. He possessed a tender nature, a resolute man who wore his heart on his sleeve. This charismatic gentleman enchanted you effortlessly.

"mi cielo.. I have never witnessed a beauty like you before.. If heaven is real, your eyes are the windows"

Rudy was an enigma, a puzzle whose depths you could only admire, never fully decipher. How could the stoic sergeant, known for barking commands and battling cartels, be utterly captivated by you? He yearned for your attention, effortlessly remembering every tiny detail about you. Nevertheless, you had no complaints; he was a gift, a gracious blessing from Mother Nature to those less fortunate.

"Amor, it's burning out here. Please, avoid the sun," Rudy exclaimed, raising his gaze from the car hood, his brows furrowed in concern. Undeniably, it was a sweltering evening, a usual summer day in Las Almas.

You gracefully retreated, opting to perch on the doorstep, observing your husband as he toiled on your car.

Earlier, you had complained about the vehicle's malfunction, making Rudy take it upon himself to adress the issue.

He toiled shirtless, leaning against the imposing car. His bare back flexed with each forward motion, droplets of sweat adorning his scarred skin imparting an alluring radiance beneath the scorching Mexican sun. With a sigh, Rudy set aside the wrench and rested his hand upon the car's hood. He leaned slightly against the grille, inspecting something intently.

You smiled, sighing contentedly as you drew your knees closer to your chest, tenderly caressing your leg while tilting your head to the side. Observing your husband as he worked was your favorite activity, his focused traits and calm demeanor made you chuckle slightly. He was your beloved man.

Rudy glanced up, chuckling warmly as he motioned for you to approach. Curiosity piqued, you peeked beneath the hood, raising an eyebrow. Although you possessed some knowledge about cars (less than minimum, you have no clue how you got a driver license), you preferred leaving repairs to professionals.

Rudy gently clasped your hand, his calloused and now soiled palm enveloping yours as he whispered in your ear, "Well, amor, I believe I found the problem."

Guiding your hand, his fingers led yours to rest upon a yellowish handle. "Give it a pull," he instructed.

Confusion clouded your mind as you obediently complied. The handle swiftly detached, revealing a metallic rod coated with a residue akin to the oil that stained Rudy's hands. He held the object delicately, presenting it to you with a tender smile.

"This, amor, is a dipstick. We use it to monitor the oil level in the engine," Rudy explained, his dark eyes penetrating yours. Gripping the end of the dipstick, he pointed out the small perforations and minuscule markings.

"It is prefered to regularly check the fluids in the engine, imbalance, whether too little or too much oil, can lead to problems.

In your case, it seems there was insufficient oil. Do you see these maximum and minimum marks? They indicate the acceptable oil level."

His tone exuded confidence and playfulness as he explained. Rudy was surely quite advanced and had more knowledge than you did. He smiled, wipping the stick with a small cloth.

A faint blush tinted your cheeks as you nodded, acknowledging your negligence. Rudy erupted in laughter, his bright personality and humor filling the air. He returned the dipstick to its rightful place before turning his attention back to you.

"Well, amor, no need to panick. Now you know what to inspect before assuming the worst. Sì?"

Once again, you nodded, this time intertwining your fingers with his warm hand and tenderly caressing his cheek.

"Thank you Ru'... You waited so long to show off these skills, didn't you?"

"What skills?" he playfully queried.

"Fixing cars... You must be quite proud," you teased.

He chuckled, encircling his arm around your waist and drawing you closer for a kiss. His voice carried a mischievous undertone as he whispered, "Surely, I deserve a kiss after all, don't you think?"

*dying from how cute he is*

𓆩♡𓆪 kindly like and rebelog 𓆩♡𓆪

MASTERPOST

[crazylittlejester]

THEYRE (the chain) ALL AUTISTIC ESPECIALLY THE ERAS WAR TRIO!! IN THIS TEDTALK I WILL-

mask was, ironically, very low masking

warriors was (and still kinda is) VERY high masking

(Tune is somewhere in the middle + ADHD)

mask really struggled at first on the battlefield because of his extreme lack of social skills (dude was raised in the woods with a bunch of other autistic fairy kids), lack of danger awareness, and poor understanding of war/battlefield (he’s used to 1-1 boss fights not war), and the fact that as a kid, he was already much much higher support needs, not even mentioning how traumatized he must’ve been.

warriors was drowning in stress, a literally TEENAGER (I hc him being 16-20 during the war) severely masking and like, PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO STOP. Among all the other non-neurodivergent stressors (cia, A WAR, parenting two kids in battle, food issues)

warriors helped mask learn tips for surviving the neurotypical world** (TM) and made sure he was 100% accommodated, since warriors knew he, himself would never have that.

Mask subtly (and probably accidentally) pushed warriors to mask less, creating a safe space where the three bros could all be them selves. He’d throw the biggoron sword if someone so much as looked NEAR where warriors was when he was stimming, ready to fight the h8ters if necessary.

later on, the trio (and now 6 more!) rejoin, and time is pleasantly surprised to see that warriors has kept some of the mentality. Granted, he’s not made any progress since then, but he’s not gotten worse, so that’s something.

Warriors is also quietly content that time has retained the social skills he taught him, in fact, he’s picked up even more! Though he finds it hard to find time at all scary, intimidating, or powerful, because warriors knows EXACTLY what is going through time’s head when he makes that face, I mean, he taught his brother himself!

warriors now has to face the living proof that he’s not weird or broken, lest he tell that to his eight brothers who are nowhere near as masking as he is, culture shock!

**DISCLAIMER!!

I know that the idea of “normalizing” autistic kids via teaching them neurotypical behaviors is a very complex and nuanced conversation to be had, and I’m not trying to parade around supporting ABA. (not to make this about me or anything,) but this pov/head cannon/prompt (?) is inspired from the perspective of me and my lower masking/much higher support needs sibling (both are autistic) :)

Your favorite,

-MANDARIN WARRIORS

I love you for this oh my god

To me, one of the things Mask struggles with the most besides social cues is controlling his facial expressions when especially when talking to others, which is why the other Links just automatically assumed he was the stoic silent type, because they saw this serious looking older guy who rarely smiles and were like “oh he means business-” but really he just has very flat expressions. Similarly I think he’s very dry when he speaks, it was worse when he was younger, and he’d gotten better at making himself sound more excited/happy, but occasionally the others (not including Wars) think he’s being sarcastic when he isn’t. And this is part of why they can never tell if he’s joking about having fought the moon.

With how chaotic his childhood was (and also because of the autism), to me he’s someone who really needs stability and predictably, which is why ranch work is sooo good for him. Like yeah unexpected things happen, but he can also sit there and take care of the animals and know he will be taking care of the animals the next day (also I think braiding Epona’s mane would be both comforting for him AND the horse)

Warriors is someone I can see stressing out so much about how people view him and he’s so scared of being anything less than perfect that he ends up getting trapped masking and everything just builds up until he explodes. He certainly was not coping well during the war, with everything that was going on, but I totally agree that Mask helped him mask less. Those two absolutely helped each other, both intentionally and completely by accident. By the time he’s in his mid/late twenties, he’s gotten a lot better about not letting everything build up, and also at unmasking every once in a while when he feels safe. (you’re so right, time/mask would fight ANY haters on wars’s behalf)

Everything you said was so perfect and I love it!! I’ve written one fic centering around these two being autistic (although I didn’t explicitly state that because I don’t know if they’d have like, the medical diagnosis for that in hyrule), and i really need to write more. I myself am autistic and good autism rep is really important to me because I never saw it as a kid

You’re literally my favorite at this point, mandarin wars anon, I hope you’re having a good day 🫶

[barelytolerabled]

Unexpected Tension

Connor DBH x fem!Reader

Summary: Gavin teases Connor once again but this time you stood up for him

Warnings: mature language

WC: 973

The bustling atmosphere of the Detroit Police Department filled the air as you made your way through the precinct. As a detective working closely with Connor and Hank, you were no stranger to the occasional banter and friendly jabs exchanged among the officers. However, today seemed to be different, and Gavin Reed was at the center of it all.

You walked into the station, noticing a group gathered near the coffee machine. Hank stood among them, his arms crossed, and a smirk played on his lips. Connor, ever the picture of stoic professionalism, was enduring Gavin's typical snarky remarks about his personal life.

Gavin's voice carried across the room, "Come on, Connor, admit it. You've never had a good time in bed. Just look at you, all stiff and robotic. I bet you've never even been laid!"

You watched as Connor's LED flickered yellow momentarily, an indication of slight discomfort. His face remained impassive, but you could sense the tension building within him. You couldn't stand by and let Gavin's taunts go unchallenged.

With a confident stride, you approached the group, your presence commanding attention. Your reputation as the femme fatale of the station was well-known, and you were more than willing to use it to your advantage in this situation.

"Is there a problem here, gentlemen?" you asked, your voice laced with a hint of mischief.

Gavin's eyes widened as he turned his attention towards you. "Well, well, if it isn't our very own vixen detective. What brings you here?"

You locked eyes with him, a smirk playing on your lips. "Just couldn't resist the chance to defend Connor's honor, Gavin. You know how rumors spread around here. And let me tell you, I happen to know firsthand that he's quite the impressive lover."

The room fell into an instant hush. Hank's eyebrows shot up, a mix of surprise and amusement evident on his face. Connor's LED turned a deep blue, betraying his astonishment. You had his complete attention, and you could see a flicker of something in his eyes, a hint of curiosity and perhaps even appreciation.

Gavin's face contorted into an expression of disbelief and jealousy. "You're full of shit. There's no way you and Connor have ever..."

"Oh, Gavin, dear," you interrupted, leaning in closer, your voice dripping with mock seduction. "Let's just say I've had the pleasure of experiencing Connor's unique... talents, and it was absolutely incredible."

Connor's LED turned a vivid shade of red as his programming attempted to process the unexpected turn of events. He glanced at you, searching for any sign of deception, but your poker face remained intact.

Gavin's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. He knew you were teasing, but the seed of doubt had been planted, and it was driving him mad. His competitive nature wouldn't let him back down so easily.

"Oh, really?" Gavin sneered. "Prove it."

A mischievous smile curled on your lips as you took a step back, crossing your arms. "Oh, I would love to, Gavin, but that would be unprofessional. You'll just have to take my word for it."

The room erupted into laughter, the tension diffusing as everyone realized the absurdity of the situation. Even Connor managed a small smile, a trace of warmth in his eyes.

Gavin huffed, his pride wounded. "Whatever. Just keep your wild fantasies to yourself. We've got work to do."

With that, Gavin stormed off, leaving you, Connor, and Hank in a cloud of lingering amusement. Hank chuckled, clapping a hand on Connor's shoulder.

"Well, Connor, looks like you've got yourself a reputation," Hank teased, a twinkle in his eye.

Connor's cheeks tinted with a touch of color, but he met your gaze, a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you, agent. I appreciate you standing up for me, even if it was... unconventional."

You winked at him, your playful demeanor still intact. "Consider it a small payback for all the times you've saved my ass in the field, Connor. Besides, it's always fun to see Gavin squirm."

As the laughter and banter filled the room once more, you couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie between you and Connor. Perhaps this unexpected turn of events would bring you closer, and who knows what other adventures awaited you in the future.

A few days later, you found yourself alone with Connor in the break room during lunchtime. The air was thick with anticipation as you caught his gaze, your voice dropping to a low, suggestive tone.

"So, Connor," you began, your tone teasing, "about that little fib I told Gavin…"

Connor's eyes widened slightly, his cheeks flushing a soft shade of blue. "You want to… make it come true?"

A mischievous grin played on your lips as you stepped closer, the atmosphere charged with unspoken desire. "If you're up for it."

Without hesitation, Connor closed the distance between you, his lips meeting yours in a hungry, passionate kiss. In that moment, the boundary between fiction and reality blurred as the electric connection between you intensified.

The days that followed were filled with stolen moments and secret rendezvous, where you and Connor explored the depths of your desires. The lie that had ignited it all had transformed into something real and intoxicating, a connection that went far beyond anything either of you had anticipated.

As for Detective Gavin Reed, he remained oblivious to the truth, his jealousy fueling his determination to prove himself. But in the end, it didn't matter. The bond you shared with Connor was a flame that burned brightly, casting aside the doubts and insecurities that once lingered.

Together, you and Connor forged a path of passion and companionship, navigating the intricacies of human emotions and discovering the true meaning of love in a world that was still learning to accept the androids who sought to understand it.

[shepherds-of-haven]

BOOM—personality swap between the shepherds! how would that go down?? (i’m envisioning briony having blade’s stoic exterior or chase acting sophisticated like lavi and it’s killing me)

I wish I could draw, because I feel like this would be so much funnier with illustrations! 🤣

I used a random generator to generate the personality swaps:

Halek ↔️ Ayla

Halek is loud, mouthy, aggressive, and wants to fight you all the time. He has a bunch of pent-up rage from being forced to be leader of his people and he responded by acting as delinquent as possible, except instead of being a slacker and shirking his duties, now it's like some Hunter Guy questions his decision and he gets all up in his face and is like, "Huh? You wanna repeat that before I beat your fucking ass?" He is a surprisingly effective leader because everyone perceives him as tough and passionate. However, as a Shepherd, you can't get him to do anything unless you ask him nicely. He has no fear but also no chill... that fight with Ayla about the witch's bane soup would have gone soooo differently if he wasn't naturally quite laidback lol! His partnership with Moonsilk might be more compatible because she'd be the one to seemingly "hold him back" or calm him down... or he'd have told her to fuck off right from the get-go LMAO "I'm not marrying her! Either I'm the leader around here or I'm not, *I* pick who I'm gonna marry! Pack your shit and go!!"

Ayla is just a sleepy lil Wind-Mage. "Ayla, could you, maybe, you know, blast this demon to kingdom come?" "Hm? Oh, yeah, sure... 🥱" Everybody thinks Jalis people must be a buncha hippies because she's sooo lazy and chill. She's the force of calm in the group, the port in the storm: when Briony and Trouble start brawling with some rude assholes in a tavern, Ayla is just waiting on standby, vibing until they're done so she can clean them up and take them home. It probably makes her a vastly less effective fighter because she doesn't summon the energy and passion to send opponents flying, it's probably just a gentle puff of wind LOL

Riel ↔️ Lavinet

Honestly, I don't think they're that different, I feel like Riel is just more vain, fashionable, charismatic, and flirtatious. But their skillsets, backgrounds, and interests are still fairly similar! Still... imagine him lounging in like a flame-red tailored suit with, like, a peacock feather tucked into his breast pocket, the trailblazer of fashion for all of Haven... fanning himself idly while he flirts and flatters courtiers of all stripes shamelessly! "Darling, I realize you have reservations about our business agreement, but haven't you learned you can trust me? 🖤" Oh my god. He would be a menace. Imagine him with an ojou-sama laugh I'm dying

Lavinet is considerably less popular among the nobility because of her various eccentricities... She's neurotic, uptight, fastidious, cutting! She's no entertainer of grand balls and parties, but still a fearsome political opponent all the same... The new Iron Lady! She's known as something of a terror and will snap out a biting retort to just about anyone, whether it's people who don't show her the proper respect or someone who carelessly offset her carefully-arranged tea tray, annoying her to no end! She's known as something of an introvert and recluse and would just rather be left alone to read her books and manage her father's financial affairs. The young men of the Iron Court are so terrified of her that she doesn't even have to worry about being married off against her will LOL, they wouldn't dare to propose!

Chase ↔️ Shery

GOD THIS ONE IS SO CURSED GRLGJKRGJKL There's just no way... The thief-lord of Haven is actually a shy, mousy sweetheart... There's no way that could work, right?? Maybe he has an alter ego where he acts ruthless and cunning, and then he walks into another room and melts into a puddle on the ground like 🥹🥹 "that was so hard... I'm sweating haha...! 😭" Some rival guild leader flirts with him (dangerously) like "well, I was thinking of killing you... but now that I see you in person... I could think of other things I'd like better..." Chase internally is like nooooooo please stop this 😭 while outwardly he blushes and stammers something like "yeah uh th-that sounds like a better option than... being killed..." 🫠 Someone steals from him and Trouble finds him like crying dramatically on the ground an hour later like "why would they do that, that's so mean!!" 😭

I can only imagine Shery as this like vaguely evil, chaotic quartermaster, which doesn't make any sense lmao, her occupation requires her to be extremely orderly, organized, tidy, and on top of her business, and throwing Chase's lackadaisical, unpredictable, "I'm allergic to plans" personality at her is just crazy lol. Imagine trying to run an order when your quartermaster is actually your biggest prankster! YOU CAN'T DO IT, IT WON'T WORK. Every recruit who gets assigned a new room or handed new blankets or puts in a requisition order for a training dummy gets surprised by 8,000 fake spiders. Or a bucket of flour dumped on their head. The Order would collapse into dysfunction within a month. Not to mention the quartermaster's habit of flirting and chatting up the new recruits outrageously! 😭 On the flip side, Vivek would not have given her any shit after the first few minutes of meeting her...

Tallys ↔️ Briony

Tallys is bubbly, cheerful, energetic, and an emotional chatterbox, lol! That's so weird to picture lol imagine Trouble walking into a room and Tallys looking up brightly, her face lighting up in a big smile, and saying something like, "Hi, Trubs, I was just looking for you! The laundresses are throwing a fit because you keep getting the smell of gunpowder in your drapes--how do I know? Oh, well, you see, I'm friends with that nice silver-haired girl on Pelinel Squad, you know, the Weather-Mage, and she said--" I don't think she commands half the dignity or respect she receives now as Third this way lol because she's trying to be everyone's friend... probably the Elves of the Elven Quarter like Ashaniel and them low-key all hate her because she's such a little ball of sunshine, she probably comes off as quite immature and cutesy to them, so imagine her asking Ashaniel to trust her with Quel-Qanaeon, it'd be like asking an 80-year-old war veteran to trust someone whom he just saw getting distracted by a butterfly or something, like "Oh my god, look at the pretty flowers! :D It's such a nice day today, isn't it?" The irony of it being that she's an excellent Keeper and fearsome archer, just no one really listens to her advice or takes her seriously because she's so

Briony is this calm, composed warrior who likes to keep to her own solitude and comes off as quite mysterious and enigmatic. Everyone attributes this to her amnesia and past as a gladiator (surely she must have seen and done such dark things, but look at her resilience of spirit to stay so quiet and dignified!) and is basically looked at as some kind of like wise, martial monk-like figure whom you can always look to for sage advice. However, she comes off as a bit aloof, as she prefers to meditate at dawn by herself and gather herbs to make healing salves (she must have learned these rituals from her Elvish friend at the arena). She's far more meditative, contemplative, and serious... but if you take Tallys's cautious, "observe from a distance" ranged fighter behavior and apply it to what should be the destructive charger/bruiser who runs into the fray headlong, you get a Briony who's probably vastly less effective as the Battle-Mage tank she's supposed to be! She lacks her signature recklessness, so she's probably not punching down walls!

Mimir ↔️ Blade

GOD LOL I HATE THIS well Blade becomes even more quiet than he already is, and he has the charisma of a dead shrimp. He's always silently preoccupied with ✨ mysterious thoughts ✨, and his effectiveness as a commander drops drastically because everything he says is extremely cryptic and makes everyone go like ??? 🙂 What did that mean?? so nothing would get done LMAO instead of barking very straightforward, blunt commands as he is known to, he'd just sort of mumble something extremely enigmatic. This would drive Trouble crazy and he'd probably have to become acting commander. At first people would think the mysterious aura is part of his whole "formerly the greatest assassin" shtick, and his martial prowess and ability in combat couldn't be denied, so at first people would see this dark, unknowable swordsman and be like 'oh yeah, that makes sense why the Autarch picked him, he seems like he's... not of this world...' Very god of death, very ethereal... but then eventually people would start to get annoyed by the lack of clarity LOL and realize it's less "brooding darkness" and more "vague absent-mindedness" or something LMAO

Mimir's this traveling Seer who can not only see the future, but envision 900 different ways for her to kill you?? This makes her an incredibly effective fighter and she's always carrying dozens of weapons on her person... She's survived multiple assassination attempts because of people fearing/hating her predictions about their futures and considered her to be a heretic and a threat, so she's paranoid, abrupt, brusque, and finds it hard to get along with people. She prefers sleeping in a tent outside because she doesn't trust the others not to try and sneak into her room to try and kill her in her sleep! She comes off as a bit unpleasant, but her skills are so valuable that everyone ends up respecting her need for space...

Trouble ↔️ Red

Trouble's abilities as a sniper vastly diminish because, while he's lying on a rooftop or in the bush, waiting to snipe a target, he's sneaking secret reading sessions of his latest book and getting so engrossed that he forgets to keep track of them entirely! He's extremely enthusiastic about arcana and historical discoveries, partially because he's done so much research about magic to understand what was done to him by the Equalists: now he's the Order's resident "obscure magic" expert. Fist-fighting in taverns? No thank you, he prefers reading with a good cup of tea by his elbow. He's a polite, friendly young man who's adored by the neighborhood residents ("such a good, upstanding boy! ever since he was a young man he would come over every year to re-thatch my roof for me!") but has a bad habit of inadvertently making people fall in love with him. He would think he and Lazu Reen are good buddies and that the guy's insults are "just his way of joking around" LOL Lazu Reen: "you're a pig fucker" Trouble: "haha okay buddy, have a good day 🙂" Kind, optimistic, honest, and thoughtful... I feel like he would be sort of like Clark Kent, original good boy himbo with nerd flavor LMAO

Red is his sisters' biggest source of stress in life. Not only is he an UNAPOLOGETIC playboy, he's always going around, carousing in taverns, getting drunk, and then swinging that warhammer around and causing massive destruction!! They've tried to put a rein on his temper from a young age, but he's always been so mutinous and impulsive, sullenly taking their lectures and then immediately going back out and causing more trouble! Everyone in the Circle would have known him and Pan as the class clowns (Neon, like Hermione, was just there to make sure they didn't get killed). He certainly wouldn't have been named Archmage (I think people would have argued that Archmage Tevanti must have been senile at that point: you can't put that hammer-bashing barbarian in charge!!), but that's okay, he's mostly only interested in traveling around and experiencing his youth! Catch him smoking charch in the back and getting into arm-wrestling matches with Halek in bars for fun LOL. He probably wouldn't take any care of his hair and it would just be carelessly lopped off whenever it got too long! 😭

[yandere-daydreams]

Arlecchino is one of the more difficult Harbingers to please.

It's a balancing act few of her subordinates ever perfect, a performance that needs one to be as contrary as the Knave herself. To gain her favor, you must divorce yourself from your loyalty to the Tsaritsa, but not be so faithless as to give her the idea that you'd ever betray her. You must be skilled, cunning, a wolf among sheep, but not so strong and not so vicious as to make her think you'd ever act without her explicit permission. You must be out for blood, but not so barbaric that you'd make her seem tame, in comparison, lest you dull the sharpened blade that is her reputation.

Admittedly, you might've had it easier than most. You'd been one of Signora's favorites before her untimely death at the hands of the Electro Archon, and Arlecchino seems to think of you as an inheritance, of sorts, as much as you loathed to think of yourself as some possession meant to be passed from one hand to another. The trust your last general placed in you speaks louder than anything you'd ever be able to do for her, and thus, she's deemed you worthy of a place at her side, perched you atop a pedestal of thin ice and maintained the expectation that you tread carefully.

She seeks your counsel, but the hours you spend alone in her many war rooms feel more akin to interrogations, her questions prying and rarely ever remaining on the topic of your mutual work. It might be the dark glint you catch in her eyes from time to time, the way her lips quirk when you say something that should be completely innocuous, but she has a way of making every little thing feel like a test - from your choice of whether to start your morning debrief with the latest news of the Captain's exploration or the abridged contents of Pierro's most recent letter to which oil you use to polish the cross-guard of her sword.

The final results are never shared, your successes never differentiated from your failures, but there have been some minute changes in the way she treats you. Her cutting voice has softened over time, her touch allowed to linger for a few seconds longer when she fixed the collar of your uniform or accepts something from your hand. You're not sure if you should take it as preference or condescension - a hint of some fondness she might have towards you or a sign that she thinks you're so incompetent, you need to be treated like some bumbling child, praised for completing even the most inconsequential task. Sometimes, there's a patronizing lull to her stoic expression, something more than cold rationality in her gaze as she stares you down from the other side of her ever-expanding armory.

You don't think she's cross with you, Arlecchino has never been very patient with those who provoked her ire, but you couldn't imagine what other sentiment she might hold towards you. You don't think you've failed to please her.

Rather, you think she may have taken a liking to the idea of pleasing you.

[boku-no-anime-phase]

It takes me a few watch throughs and some time to simmer in order to "get" surreal movies. I've only seen this one once.

That said, here are some of my initial thoughts about The Boy and the Heron. Spoilers below the gif!

Stacking blocks

The moment that's stuck with me the most was when great grand-uncle had gathered all those pure stones and asked Mahito to stack them, and Mahito refuses. Given the opportunity to build a better world, Mahito recognizes himself as unworthy.

In and of itself, that's a pretty significant moment. But then that's immediately followed by the evil parakeet coming in and trying to do it himself, failing immediately, and destroying everything in his frustration.

Which, to me, seems like it's saying that yeah you may not be worthy or feel capable of building a better world, but if you don't take action, someone worse will.

In the end, Mahito rejected the opportunity to be in charge of this constructed world. He let it die. But I don't think he rejected the responsibility to make his world a better place; and he brought a block with him, to remember.

Delivery room

The delivery room scene was one of the most puzzling to me. But the one thing I think I'm picking up (maybe I'm way off base? But I think I'm picking this up?) Is that the delivery room is where Natsuko becomes Mahito's mother. He calls her "mother" there for the first time as she "pushes him out" (of the room, with magic(?)). She doesn't deliver her baby there but she does become a mother. And maybe it's significant that Himi brought him there: a sort of symbolic hand-off.

Noble pelican

Several people have pointed out that Mahito starts the movie with some violent tendencies. Between fighting with his classmates, harming himself, trying to kill the heron etc, even though his face is super stoic I think his trauma comes out that way. When he sees the pelican outside, he takes a shovel with him, apparently to kill it. But it explains to him that it didn't have a choice in what it did, and it had tried everything, and at this point was only trying to survive, not liking what it had to do to stay alive.

Besides being a compelling commentary on living in the modern age (who among us can feel completely morally justified in everything we do to stay alive?), I thought that was such an interesting turning point for Mahito. By the end of the story, he's learned to be gentle. I wonder (I really need to watch it again) if that conversation affected the way he thought about his father (who makes war planes), and the people who bombed the hospital where his mother worked, and the parakeets, and Natsuko: everyone around him just doing whatever they had to to survive, even if they didn't like it, and even if they harmed others despite their best efforts.

Overall

I don't think I really "get" it yet, and I'm not sure when I will, but I feel like one of the themes has got to be, forge ahead even when things aren't perfect. Do your best rather than doing nothing, even if doing your best means risking making a mistake. You don't have to stack the blocks, but you've got to do something, or someone bad will inevitably come along and ruin everything. You may miss the past, but you must forge ahead into the future. You may not always like the situations you find yourself in, but you must make the best choices you can even when none of your options leave you with pure hands.

How do you live? There's only one right way: by doing the best you can.

[weepinwriter]

Hello~ I was wondering if the character creation is going to be diverse, in the sense of our MC's personality. Because all the characters seem so tragic, erotic and stoic to me in a cruel and dark world (I may be wrong), and then we have my MC, a social misfit with anxiety, with mood problems and making jokes at the worst times (similar to Jack Sparrow) XD hahahaha. And I thought: the characters are going to hate my MC.

So, my two questions are: are we going to have the opportunity to develop an MC with a varied personality with stats that give us various reactions (extroverted, stoic, adorable, joking, etc)? Or will it be something more default? And what kind of reaction or impression could the RO's have with such a different MC?

Nikita and Gael definitely have a good grip on me at this point ajsjdhdjsj AHHHH I can't not fall into the arms of a walking red flag and an anarchist who wants to kill me. XD

I keep having this scene in mind where Nikita asks my MC to wear this cute necklace around her neck, nothing suspicious, obviously...and my MC responds like: Uh~ kinky, I like it.

Or being with Gael and he pointed a gun at my MC, for some reason, and my MC was like: you know? I charge for having a gun pointed at me, but since you're so hot, I'll let you have it for free.

I don't know, it may not be at all what I think, but if possible, I'm going to create my Jack Sparrow in this wonderful IF just to annoy everyone. Hahaha

PS: Sorry for all the babbling, but this IF has so much potential and so much love in its creation that I can't help but applaud your work in progress. Take care of yourself and sleep well. ✨

Awwww your MC sounds so adorable! They would stick out like a sore thumb among the dark crowd of the ROs 😞 but yes! The character creation is going to be diverse, with options like STOIC vs EMOTIONAL, CAREFUL vs RECKLESS and many more to be included as it goes! So you needn't worry about character diversity 😊

For your first question, yes the MC will have a varied range of personality stats that will range from stoic to reckless to extroverted and etc. there will be no default settings as according to the story the MC will have lost all their memories and therefore they will not be acting the same way they did before. Secondly, the RO’s reactions will range from pleasant surprise to maybe even disgust? Depending on your choices ofcourse. The ROs who have known the MC before, like Nikita and E. will be quite surprised by the new change, the former will be more welcoming to it meanwhile the latter will have some mixed feelings on it. Leo on the other hand will be disgusted, they quite liked the previous MC and their sassy attitude. Caesar and V. who don't know the MC will be more or less welcome it as they don't know who MC was or how they acted earlier. Meanwhile, Twenty and G. will be originally disgusted thinking that the MC is faking it, but soon realise that they aren't so they'll slowly grow used to this new MC, albeit being a little wary.

And OH HO looks like my favourite babies have got you quite on the chokehold 🤭 I'm not complaining tho I love it when people like the ROs ehe-

Though that necklace scene tho- I can't get it out of my head now, curse you! 😭 And lmao 🤣 the way your MC reacts, Nikita will be taken aback for a while! (Not that he's complaining lol) Meanwhile G. trying not to kill the MC out of frustration because of their new attitude. Like c'mon they're crying to kill you for crying out loud! Stop making it so sexual! 😂

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHOWING YOUR LOVE FOR MY LITTLE PET PROJECT 😻 I SHALL DEFINITELY GET SOME GOOD SLEEP AND PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AS WELL ❤️

[apphiarothowrites]

A sneak peek

High Noon on the Summit is not dead, it's just fighting me with everything it's got. I am Struggling hard with it, but the first two chapters are (mostly) done. The other four are.....there.

Anyway, I know that @mangyraccooon @xamaxenta @lerya-fanfic and @itsthefandommash have been interested in how it's going. So I'm gunna post a sneak peak from the first chapter. Hopefully I can make more progress before the new year (the whole fic will go up next year, probably starting in late february sometime), so this will have to tide people over while I wrestle this monster into submission.

“Dragon’s son, is it?” Crocodile says, something weird about his voice. 

Ace turns his head back once more. Crocodile’s face is still expressionless, stoic as stone. He sighs, chains clinking as he shifts around. “You know him? Luffy never did, that I know of. Or his mom.”

“I knew him briefly. He’s not really the type to have a kid.” Crocodile says quietly, voice still a little strange. Ace squints, but the other man still isn’t really giving him an expression to work with. 

“Well yeah, he dumped Luffy with Garp who dumped him on the same mountain bandits that he also dumped me with!” Ace says with a snort. “Nobody in the Monkey family is really suited to raising a kid. Those bandits were better parents to us than anybody could have ever been!”

Talking about it makes him think of Dadan. He raises his free hand up, the chain clinking, and runs his fingers over the beads around his neck. He knows that Dadan never took off the one he made for her, she probably still wears the damn thing. He’d made it just after his eleventh birthday, because Sabo told him that her birthday was close to his own. He’d left it on her pillow and even though she never said a word about it, once she’d seen him wearing the exact same one she never took it off that he saw. 

Crocodile grunts in his cell and shifts around, shadows falling over his shoulders. “I don’t doubt that. Dragon is dedicated to what he does, a kid would have been an unnecessary and unwanted distraction for him.”

“Huh.” Ace hums, trying to think on that. His hand falls back down to his lap next to the one gripping the feathers. “What does he do? What’s so important that he’d give up his own son to focus on instead?”

“The Revolutionary Army.” Crocodile says simply, leaning his own head back against the wall of his cell. Darkness shadows him once more, reducing him to an outline and a bright pair of eyes again.

Ace jolts a little, sitting forward. “No shit!?”

Crocodile just nods slowly, the outline bobbing up and down.

Ace leans back again, looking up at the ceiling once more. Luffy’s dad works for the Revolutionary Army? No fucking wonder he didn’t want Luffy around. He thinks on the strangeness of it-how Luffy’s dad is among the most wanted in the world while his grandfather is one of the Navy’s biggest heroes and mascots. How much shame did Garp carry around, that his son and grandson are both failures and that the boy he was charged to protect against explicit execution orders also became a failure? How did Garp bear it?

Another thought pops into his mind. One that’s lingered in the darkened background of his life a few times, hidden in the shadow cast by his own… “Did you ever meet Luffy’s mom?”

When no answer comes, Ace turns his head to look. Crocodile is staring at him again, eyes sharp and cold and piercing. The shadow has fallen away. He looks almost angry, with a slight downward clench between his eyebrows and his mouth tugged down at the edges. There’s something weirdly familiar about it, a familiar chill runs up his spine-different from before-but he can’t place why.

“Yikes, what a glare.” He can’t help but say. “Sorry I asked!”

The silence drags on and on. Down the hall, the Marines’ movements start getting louder. Then, after a pause so long that Ace begins to think that Crocodile isn’t ever going to answer:

“I might have known her. If she’s who I think she is, she’s long gone.” And with that, his eyes close and he tilts his head back. The shadow comes back, swallowing Crocodile’s upper body and hiding him from view once more. Done with the conversation and checking out.

“So she’s like my mom, then.” Ace says, not expecting Crocodile to keep engaging. “Mine apparently died right after giving birth to me.”

Crocodile hums lightly under his breath, barely audible to Ace, but says nothing.

[nqmonarch]

There is Nothing We Can Do

WARNING: Major spoilers for High Cloud Quintet Lore+Jing Liu story quest, Angst

You knew the day would come. Standing out at a singular tree, orange leaves standing cheerfully among the solitude.

Your memories were fuzzy amongst the smell of blood, and the pain. You were far away from it, burdened to only look on. Baiheng had sacrificed herself, still smiling in the wake of her destruction leaving nothing but a tuft of fur behind. Dan Feng and Yingxing struck with despair made quick work to try and bring her back. Then it happened, you'd never seen mara take a hold of someone so suddenly before. The pain it could bring out in a person's expressions.

Jing Liu had struck down Dan Feng by stabbing the top of his head yet Yingxing was struck over and over again. Jing Yuan had been at the front lines, had he even known what was happening? And you laid motionless, aside from the slow blink of your eyes, in a pool of your blood.

The three were dealt punishments. You didn't have it as bad as any of them. You'd only known Jing Liu as she'd taught you the sword, you'd followed along foolishly. You weren't even as talented as the few other students she'd taken, you truly were a fool. And now Jing Yuan, the last member and youngest of the High Cloud Quintet, stood next to you motionless.

"I knew something like this would happen. I should've said something," He spoke with more emotion then you'd ever heard him speak with. Normally he was more stoic, but now he was forcibly ripped open exposed to the horrors of the world.

"It's not your responsibility," Even you were older than him, but he didn't seem to like that answer only scowling further so you continued hoping you'd be able to say something to help, "It's in the past there is nothing we can do, other than move forward" You smiled at Jing Yuan feeling tears brim along your eyes as your throat began to ache from holding in its cries.

Jing Yuan cried first.

Now, how many hundreds of years later you stood before the tree you used as a makeshift burial site for everyone lost. Not just the High Cloud Quintet, but everyone. Not just those who'd died but those who'd lost themselves beyond repair.

Blade had appeared on the Xianzhou Luofu recently, and had escaped capture. At the news you'd rushed to Jing Yuan partially out of hope. You weren't sure why you cared so much for someone you'd never met, perhaps because you'd been witness to the darkest moments in their life?

You and Jing Yuan became close after the incident, not talking much but simply staying by each other's side, watching as they slowly changed. You watched as Jing Yuan put on more of an easy going, and enthusiastic mask. And he watched as you became more withdrawn and meticulous, refusing to mess up a single detail for the worries it would lead to unspeakable loss.

That lead you to where you were now, gazing from far away at the ongoing battle between Jing Liu and Blade. You didn't want to meet Jing Liu again, you knew the reunion would only be full of pain. Jing Yuan onlooking the battle and behind him, the reincarnation of Dan Feng looking away.

You waited, hating the finesse and perfection in every move Jing Liu made. A killing machine, and a person unable to be killed. A tragedy every time the story repeated itself, whether it be 700 years ago or now.

When it was over Jing Yuan approached you, the two of you held eye contact, and with no words spoken Jing Yuan closed his eyes. He had a bad habit of sleeping in any position. Something some would find funny but you found miserable. If the nightmares in your dreams are less scary than the nightmares in real life, than surely there is a problem. You'd talk to him about it if there were a solution.

You lifted Jing Yuan up onto your shoulders, and left, walking away from the scene where you'd seen people torn apart.

Now, there were only two of you.

One day only one of you would be left, holding with them the memories of these events.

But until then, and even after then, the battle would rage onward. There was nothing else you could but continue on.

Wonderful line from Jing Yuan's stories that hits hard: "Only the truly wise can stand proud in front of the undefeated enemy called time."

[dailydamnation]

They Were Roommates... Eventually

An X-Addendum fanfic (The start of a story five nights long.) (This one is for Tyramir, who once also dedicated an X-fic to me.) (Also posted on AO3.) (Banner art by Chris Sprouse.)

THE FIRST NIGHT

Katherine Anne Pryde had been in advanced classes for as long as she could remember. (Figuratively, because her memory, even of her youngest years, was quite good.) So often in her life when not among grownups, she’d been surrounded by older kids. Even then she was used to being one of the smartest people in the room.

And there was nothing... nothing... that got on her nerves worse than when the older kids—by only one or two years—had treated her like a child.

Among the X-Men, she was once again the youngest, but she’d earned their respect as a teammate and an equal. Mostly. There were a couple of them who she was still working on. And Ororo mothering her didn’t count, no rational being could possibly object to that. The point was, they sometimes forgot how young Kitty still was.

And secretly... secretly one of her favorite things about living at the school in Professor Xavier’s mansion was the fact that nobody here ever thought to wonder if young Kitty Pryde ought to have a bedtime.

That’s how she found herself wandering the dark halls to fetch some soda she probably shouldn’t be having past 2 AM. She wasn’t the only night owl on the team, but perhaps the only one who hung around indoors. Logan was weird. And sometimes a li’l scary, if you innocently asked what he did outside all night. Kitty rubbed her eyes, bleary from staring at her computer screen for what even she admitted was too long. Let the Wolverine roam the grounds all he wanted—she was happy to have these halls all to hers—

“Yaaah!” she shrieked.

A figure had appeared in the doorway to the lounge, silent as... as Logan, but much slimmer.

“Hello, Cat.” The moonlight reflected in blue eyes as the figure stepped forward. “Tch. Kitty. Hello, Kitty.”

“Illyana!” Kitty said calmly and not at all in a shrill and terrified voice. “Still up? Couldn’t sleep?”

“No,” Illyana said without further explanation. She regarded Kitty with equally bleary eyes, staring through her as if looking for someone else.

Her teammate’s sister was not scary in the way that Logan was, but she was... unsettling. That was the best way to put it. And Kitty honestly wasn’t sure if she felt that way because Illyana genuinely did unsettling things, or because she was so different. A week ago, Illyana had been six years old (“almost nearly seven!” if you’d asked her, in Russian because that was the only language she used to speak) and now she and Kitty were of an age, or close enough. Seven years of her life lost to... another dimension, where time moved differently.

“Oh... all right, then.”

Neither of them moved. That definitely counted as unsettling, right? The way Illyana just quietly watched people now, with something like suspicion in her eyes, or... sadness? Longing?

Kitty shook herself and rubbed her eyes. Living with telepaths was giving her ideas—she couldn’t read this girl’s mind. Not even Professor Xavier could, he’d let slip as much. And Kitty wasn’t sure how she felt about him trying that sort of thing without a body knowing, but she couldn’t say it wasn’t warranted. Unsettling.

Then, because it was very late at night, she yawned.

Illyana yawned back. Kitty almost laughed. No matter how stoic or weird the other girl came across, she was human enough not to be able to stop herself from doing that, even if she briefly looked cross with herself for it.

“It’s getting way too late,” Kitty said. “I’m gonna go to bed. You really should too, y’know?” Great, now she was trying to enforce other people’s bedtimes.

From a moment, Illyana looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t, so Kitty turned around and started walking back to her room, holding herself back from glancing over her shoulder.

Halfway there she remembered she’d been on her way to fetch a soda. Eh, that had been a bad idea anyway. She’d get a glass of water from the bathroom and lie awake with her brain buzzing for another two hours anyway, whether she had any soda or not.

That night, though she couldn’t figure out why, she spent most of those two hours wondering whether Illyana had followed her advice and whether she was getting any sleep at all...

(Part two.)

[cryptidcola]

Reflections (of the Past)

>> Somewhere in Jubilife City, there’s a large monument celebrating the Hero of Hisui— it doesn’t depict their face, or any distinguishable features at all— but 5 days a week, a young person passes it on their commute. They pay little mind to it, a mundane part of their daily routine, until 200 years ago in ancient Hisui, when they reflect on their past in the future and they realize it was for them.

>> A set of identical twins in their high school days, idly flipping through a world history book when something catches both their eyes: a black and white photo of a group of people taking up the bottom half of a page. Their eyes scan the picture, and Emmet points out an older gentleman in the crowd, his hat tipped to reveal a balding head; “He looks like you, Ingo,” Emmet says, his voice teasing. “Like us,” his brother quickly corrects, adjusting the hat on his own head that he wears to cover the hairline that’s been slowly creeping backwards ever since he turned 16. They spare one more glance at the photo before turning the page.

>> Cyllene is a national hero— her sword is displayed proudly in a plexiglass container in Jubilife City Hall beneath a regal portrait. She is a celebrated figure, her name spoken with respect all throughout the region.

Somewhere in Sinnoh a boy grows up— the youngest member of a most prestigious bloodline. He has her face; her aloof, stoic demeanor; lacks her physical strength but has all of her ambition. It’s never enough. His parents are wealthy enough to buy him everything he could want but give nothing he needs. “Why can’t you be more like your cousins?” “Why aren’t you top of your class?” He can’t connect with his peers. He can’t even connect with most Pokemon. One night, a Zubat flies into his room through an open window. He guides the small, blind creature back out; eventually over the course of weeks it becomes routine. “I’ll show them someday,” Cyrus whispers to the Pokemon, now clinging to the ceiling above his bed, “I’ll create something perfect.”

>> The name Laventon synonymous with scientific achievement— he is held up as one of the first great minds in the study of Pokemon. His work viewed as the foundation upon which most of the knowledge of Pokemon biology is built even to this day. Scholars of all ages, from the youngest elementary school children to graduate students study his work on the first ever Pokedex. Dozens of universities all over the world have buildings bearing his name where researchers continue his life’s work— his legacy.

In the town of Postwick in the Galar Region, an 8-year old, purple haired future Champion beams with pride when his class opens their science textbooks to chapter 2 and a photo of his ancestor is among one of the first things they see.

>> Champion Cynthia wanders the stacks of Canalave Library— it’s late, and she is restless. Normally it wouldn’t be open to visitors at this hour, “But for you, Champion, I’ll make an exception,” the librarian had said, sensing the urgency in her voice, before asking her to lock up when she finished and wishing her a good night. The ancient floors creak below her feet as she walks across them— it was her own kin who had put them down, building this library in an attempt at penance for his ultimate betrayal— to educate future generations so that perhaps they would not make his same mistake.

Finally, the Champion approaches a nondescript door at the back of the building; and as she turns the key, Cynthia is greeted by a dark, long-disused office. A large, wooden desk sits at the center of it, sprinkled in a light coating of dust. She scans the bookshelves lining the room for a moment before she finds what she’s looking for— gathering the old, handbound tome in her arms; and as she sets On Giratina And The Distortion World down on the desk, her grey eyes are reflected back at her by an old picture of her ancestor, grinning mirthfully with his Togepi.

A/N: Whaddup, I normally don’t write anything to share but I had some Thoughts™️… and my dear @shmothman convinced me to post them here.

Speaking of! The Volo + Cynthia part of this fic takes place in the same canon as their masterpiece Judgement | Forgiveness where after battling him, Volo gets sent to eeby deeby the Distortion World and earns redemption for himself, in case anyone was confused!! If reader-insert fic is your jam I definitely recommend checking it out!!

UPDATE: Now cross-posted to AO3!