#i think i actually drew this way back within the first few days i came up with the au

[blaiddraws]

some gunsmoke au stuff from a while ago! Nobori having a crisis and elesa's like. yeah bro whatever we're still besties

[enwoso]

Could you do a leah x child!reader?

ADORE YOU — leah williamson x child!reader

navigation

your mummy for the past five months has had a big ouchie on her knee, meaning she had to have a big operation on her knee and has a big white bandage on it for months.

that had meant she couldn't do most of the things she did before her big ouchie. like she couldn't carry you for long periods of time, she couldn't sit down and play with your toys with you without putting her knee up on a bunch of pillows, she couldn't race you up the stairs when it was bath time or bed time and ultimately she couldn't do the one thing you both adored and that was play kick about.

you could still play but it wasn't the same when your mummy was watching from the side, clapping and shouting your praises and you could still watch it with her but it was never the same as actually playing football with your mummy.

the person you adored, and she adored you just a much if not more. it saddened leah when she did go down with her injury, thinking how she was going to come back from this but also how she was going to still be able to be the best possible mum to you.

your sad little smile of understanding replayed in leah’s mind daily — from the day when she told you it would be awhile before she was back playing football. you while clearly upset putting on a brave smile as you vowed to your mummy that you would help in any way you could to help make her big ouchie knee better.

and while there were things that had to be adjusted, like your small games of races up the stairs, or how she read your bedtime story. leah found herself missing the little bond you had both created over football.

it was obvious since the first day that you were going to be a football fan and an every bigger arsenal fan just like your mum, and from the day you first were pulling yourself up on the furniture leah had a ball at your feet.

teaching you everything you knew to this day, while she would love you to be a little footballer like her she also had to remind herself sometimes with the help of her own mum that one day you may not want to do football always letting you try others sports like gymnastics and swimming.

however nothing came close to playing in your back garden, your arsenal jersey with your name on the back, and your boots on passing the ball to your mum while throwing a few tricks in there.

both leah and you were longing for the day that you could play kick about with your mum again, and to you waiting had felt like a few years already.

however the day was closer than you thought.

"hi bug! did you have fun at nursery?" your mum asked as you ran in her arms a huge grin on her face, your backpack swinging from side to side as you held a piece of paper in your hand which was blowing in the wind.

"yes! i drew dis for you!" you smiled, holding up the picture to your mum as she took it off you admiring you little art work as you walked out of the school gates and following your mummy to wherever she had parked her car.

looking at the photo which she guessed was you and her the background coloured green and a football. some of the lines squiggly as you tried to stay within the lines. your name written at the top neatly most likely by one of the staff members in black marker.

"oh this is beautiful bug, i'll put it onto the fridge when we get home yeah?" leah smiled as you nodded waiting for your mum to open the car. her taking your backpack from you and placing it on the backseat before lifting you into your car seat.

"arms up!" your mum sung out as she leaned over to buckle you in, a small giggle coming from you as your mum kissed your temple. leah shutting your door before getting into the drivers seat, and beginning to drive.

you watching out the window at the surrounding, as you chatted away to your mummy about your day. from what you did the moment that leah had dropped you off this morning to moment that you were putting your coat on to leave.

the drive coming to a stop as you looked our the window, the surroundings very familiar as a puzzled look drew across your face. wondering why you were hear as you never came here after nursery.

"why we here?" you asked innocently, the arsenal training ground building standing tall as you looked at it out of your window. a place which you knew so familiarly.

"just got a couple of jobs to do bug, we'll not be here long" your mum smiled, as she got out of the drivers seat to get you. opening your door, your seatbelt was unbuckled as you jumped the small step from the car to the gravelled ground.

"is the girls here?" you asked finding your mums hand her car keys jingling in the other as you walked through the entrance.

“they should be”

walking in and hearing the familiar buzz of laughter and chat filling the hallway many staff members walking up and down, as well as few of your mummy’s teammates present as the two of you got closer to them.

“oh and we have ourselves williamson squared this afternoon!” beth joked as you giggled and leah rolled her eyes at her comment, as you waved at viv and lia who were a sat down a bit further away from where beth was.

“hi beffy” you grinned as the english girl bent down to hug you.

“how is my favourite little williamson?” beth beamed, making sure to exaggerate the favourite part, leah ignoring beth’s attempt to wind her up instead greeting viv and lia.

“good!” you smiled as beth began to ask you about your day at nursery, you telling her ind depth what you did, you little arms flying around as your told her. the english forward bringing you to the table where lia and viv were sat.

your mummy had been sat getting last minute treatment on her knee before the game at the weekend, talking over with physios about if she was able to play and if so how long she could play for.

you had sat content, you had your colouring book and pens which leah kept in her cubby for when she needed them to keep you entertained and when you weren’t colouring you sat cuddling or playing with winnie, beth coming to join in when she had a free couple of minutes.

“c’mon bug!” your mummy called out as she waited holding the door open which lead to the indoor astro, saying a quick bye to winnie, you left her with her toys as you ran towards where you mum was stood waiting.

going under her arm which was holding the door open with and into the indoor astro. “can you go and get me the football that’s over there?” she asked as you nodded rubbing over to fetch the ball as leah placed her keys and phone down at the side.

you running back towards the blonde with the ball at your feet, stopping just a few inches away from your mum. not really knowing what to do next or why you were even on the astro in the first place.

“pass it to me, please” leah smiled as you bent down to pick it up and pass it to her, “no bug, kick it to me”

you shot back up standing straight again, confusion taking over your small facial features, “but- but what about your knee-“ you stuttered a little, a bigger grin appearing on your mums face, your confused frown only deepening.

“it’s okay bug, just go easy on me, yeah?” your mum asked, your face lighting up as you nodded kicking the ball towards her. leah taking a touch or two before passing it back to you.

the process carrying on as you both moved around the astro, playing how you always would before your mummy got an ouchie on her knee. a grin never leaving your face as you played kick about with her. it warming leah’s heart watching your little smile grow with each touch of the ball back to her.

you were both back doing the one thing you adored. with the person you adored with your whole heart.

[dewsgremlin]

Kevin is absolutely annoyed by ghouls and would like to send them all back to the pit

cw: Kevin hates ghouls

(he would prefer any other demon because ghouls cause so much chaos)

Kevin hates ghouls with a passion.

Not because he's afraid of them, no, on the contrary, you can't have less respect for them than Kevin. He just thinks they're annoying little beasts, like particularly vicious chihuahuas from hell. Dewdrop, Phantom and Rain especially get on his nerves. Phantom because he's always clinging to Kevin like a leech. Dewdrop because he's a little gremlin who just causes chaos that Kevin then has to clean up. And Rain isn't that bad but he isn't good at speaking human language that Kevin usually doesn't understand what the water ghoul is stammering anyway. Well, Kevin could speak ghoulish if he wanted to, but in the end these pests would annoy him even more.

The worst is when he has to fix something in the ghoul wing.

For example, the other day, when he just wanted to clean the clogged drain in the kitchen sink, he was surrounded by ghouls within a few minutes. They reminded him of a bunch of starving cats, the way they stalked around him and cast curious glances over his shoulder.

Phantom was immediately glued to him again, practically tugging at Kevin's hair and clothes. Then Aether, who kept his distance but intermittently gave advice that Kevin hadn't asked for. "You should unscrew the drain pipe first" and "Are you sure you've mixed the cleaning concentrate sufficiently? Otherwise it could damage the pipes."

Kevin wanted to hit Aether in the face. But instead he contented himself with glaring at the sink while he worked.

At one point he accidentally hit Rain's forehead with his knee because Rain was squeezing himself on the floor between him and the bucket that Kevin had used to catch all the muck from the drainpipe. With an annoyed look, Kevin noticed that the water ghoul had started collecting small pieces that had landed in the drainpipe from the bucket.

"Stop that! You're just making everything dirty," he growled as Rain pulled his hands back and placed a marble, dripping with dirt, on the ground.

Rain just babbled incomprehensible things as he began to dig in the muck again.

"Why do you forbid Rain that?", whispered Phantom and came so close to Kevin that he felt the ghoul's warm breath brushing over his ear.

Kevin sighed with the burden of a man who would rather tend a sack full of fleas than a handful of ghouls.

Why couldn't the clergy have chosen other demons? There were many species that were less unruly than ghouls. Kevin even had the feeling that chaos ghouls not only enjoyed themselves, but that they actually drew their energy from it. He had once expressed this thought to Sister Imperator, but she had just laughed at him and said that he just had to learn to assert himself. That could only come from someone who didn't have to deal with these plagues on a daily basis.

Annoyed, Kevin stuck the spiral into the drain to push out the last bit of snot, while at the same time swatting away Rain's fingers that had appeared on the edge of the sink.

Since Copia had risen to the top of the ministry and had a bit more say, Kevin was no longer even allowed to sprinkle holy water on the ghouls to keep them away. After all, that would hurt the ghouls, the youngest Emeritus brother had explained his decision. Simply ridiculous. When Kevin had started working for the clergy, ghouls had just been treated like ghouls. But since Copia had shown up here, Kevin had to treat these creatures as if they had more feelings than lust, hunger and thirst.

Finally, the resistance in the drain was released and with a slap, a pile of mud landed in the bucket.

"Is that...sand?" asked Aether, astonished. Kevin shrugged his shoulders in resignation. "How do I know what kind of crap you always pour down the drain?!" He pulled the spiral back and knelt under the sink to screw the pipe back on.

Phantom also knelt down next to him and grabbed one of Kevin's long strands of hair to chew on.

"I'm clearly not being paid well enough for this," the brown haired growled, shooing back first Phantom and then Rain, whose hand had already disappeared back into the bucket.

Under the curious gaze of the ghouls, Kevin screwed the pipe back on, sat up with his aching back and picked up the bucket.

"It would be nice if you could just stop breaking or clogging anything for more than three days," Kevin grumbled, looking sternly at Aether. The quintessence ghoul had spent the last few minutes watching with his hands on his hips and a critical expression. "I'm doing my best, but you know what they're like." Kevin only snorted in response. He watched as Aether disappeared into the living room before he too turned to leave. The ghoul was talking to Kevin as if they were eye to eye. Kevin shook his head.

Ghouls.

He was about to close the door behind him when Rain slithered through and tugged at his sleeve. His big blue eyes bored into his.

"What?" Kevin asked slightly suprised. Rain's mouth opened and closed a few times without any words coming out. Then, finally, when Kevin's already extremely thin thread of patience was about to snap, Rain managed to say a word.

"Encore."

He had always thought that Rain simply didn't speak human language, but apparently the ghoul was just stupid. In a good-natured tone, as if he was talking to someone particularly retarded, Kevin replied. "I know you did a great job on the ghovie. We're all very proud of you. But I," he pointed to himself, "have to go now," he pointed to the door.

Rain tilted his head, confused. He's probably doing this so that the few brain cells he has will slip into the same corner, Kevin thought spitefully.

The water ghoul tugged at his sleeve again, this time more frantically. "encore, encore, encore Dew."

Confused, Kevin turned around and froze.

Dewdrop stood at the sink and calmly poured a thick liquid into it. Kevin now also noticed the penetrating smell of ammonia. The damned ghoul poured wall paint into the sink. Kevin blinked. The man was too stunned to even utter a word.

He definitely needed a bottle of whiskey tonight. Better yet, two. And brandy. A lot of it.

[fioreofthemarch]

for you, anytime

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Pairing: Link/Sheik Words: 1610 This oneshot was written for @zelinkcommunity's Loftwing Letters 2024 and is a gift for midnightbunnyy on AO3. Please enjoy!

Looking back, the first hint that something was amiss should have been how easy Link found it to trust Sheik. 

His secretive new ally kept his face entirely covered, save for a bright red eye that was almost smiling, if not the gravity of the words he spoke. When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call… 

Sheik’s voice, stern yet calm, gave Link the feeling that not only was saving Hyrule possible, it was their destiny. So it did not bother him that this stranger seemed to know exactly how to defeat the evil Ganondorf and find Princess Zelda, nor did it bother him that Sheik’s idea of goodbye was throwing down a deku nut and disappearing in the haze left behind. The first time it happened Link could only smile at the spectacle. 

How like him, he thought. 

Beyond providing Link with some philosophical musings, Sheik was a man of few words. Still, he was welcome company. The Hyrule to which Link had awoken had changed almost beyond recognition; crushed under the heel of its new King, the land was scoured and the people were scarce. The times that Sheik appeared to teach Link a new song on his ocarina were the only chance he actually had to speak to anyone. 

“Are you feeling better today?” he asked after they had met in the raging underbelly of Death Mountain to play a bolero of fire. 

“Pardon?” 

“A few days ago at the Forest Temple, when you taught me the minuet. You had a cold.” 

“No I didn’t.”

“You were sneezing.”

“Sneezing? I…” Sheik paused, as understanding crossed what little of his face Link could see. “I remember now. Yes, I am better. Thank you Link.” 

“Well, that’s good to hear—“ 

Snap! Down came the deku nut and Sheik was gone. 

It wasn’t exactly a conversation, but it was a start. Link next found Sheik deep in the icy caverns of Zora’s Domain — frozen thanks to Ganondorf’s meddling — but his hopes of further discussion were quickly dashed. 

Sheik’s usual poise was gone. He sat on a large block of ice, slumped and clutching his golden harp to his chest. He explained that Zora’s Domain was lost, except for its princess who had gone in search of the Water Temple to destroy the monster within. He drew his harp forth, preparing with some melancholy to teach Link another song. 

“Time passes, people move,” he sighed. “Like a river’s flow, it never ends, does it? A childish mind will turn to noble ambition. Y-young—“

“Young love will become deep affection,” Link murmured. “The clear water reflects growth.” 

“How did you know what I was going to say?” Sheik’s red eye met his, cold as the ice of the caverns. 

“I just did. I…” Link searched for the right words. “We know each other, don’t we? I mean other than meeting like this.” 

Sheik withdrew, reaching yet again for a deku nut to flee with. Link surged forward, grabbing his shoulder. “Wait, answer me!”

“No. Not now. Find the Princess, Link,” Sheik instructed, pulling away. “I need time to think.” 

Reluctantly, Link agreed, and allowed Sheik to teach him the song; a serenade so sweet it made him want to cry. This time, Sheik departed not with a flash but a bow. 

“I’ll see you again,” he said.

To Link, it seemed like an apology.

---

Once the beast within the Water Temple was vanquished, and yet another friend had ascended as a Sage, Sheik met Link on the shores of Lake Hylia. The clear waters sparkled under the high sun as they sat together on the bank, eating a fish that Link had caught and roasted over a fire. 

In order to eat, Sheik had dropped the cowl covering his face, unveiling it for the first time. He was younger than Link had imagined, with unblemished skin and a smattering of fine whiskers on his jaw. But most surprising was the way Sheik smiled when he talked.

“A fine carp, a good catch,” he said lightly. 

“Compliments to the chef?” Link asked. At this Sheik just rolled his eyes. 

“Anyway, I do not know why you feel we have met before,” he said as he picked over a few fish bones. “Perhaps in a past life, we fought a great evil together. That sort of thing leaves a mark on the soul. Trust me.” 

“I do trust you." 

Sheik looked at him for a long moment, and then laughed. The sound of it caught Link off-guard; it had a melodic lilt, like his harp. 

“Don’t let your fiancé hear you say that,” Sheik said. I don’t have a fiancé Link was about to say, when Sheik leaned across and kissed his cheek, running a gentle hand through his hair at the same time. 

“Thank you for this respite, Hero,” he whispered. Then, before Link could even think how to respond, Sheik was dousing the fire and the afternoon was over. 

---

With no clear next destination, Link travelled in a daze from Lake Hylia to Kakariko Village, hoping to hire a room at the inn and stare at the ceiling until he understood his twin feelings of joy and confusion. Except he could do no such thing, because when he arrived the inn was on fire, along with the rest of the town. 

In the midst of it all, as townsfolk scrambled for safety, Sheik stood tall and at the ready by the entrance to the town’s well. 

“Get back,” he called to Link. At that moment the well cover blew clean off, and all hell (or something much worse) broke loose.

A terrible shadow swarmed overhead. It swooped, angling directly for Sheik and knocked him to the ground. Link’s legs had a mind of their own, positioning him between the shadow and Sheik. He raised his shield, but the force of its blow was so great it sucked the air from his lungs. Just as his consciousness faded he was… standing again. By the well. 

“Get back, Link!” Sheik said. The well exploded. The shadow roared. This time it went straight for him, burrowing into his heart, and he felt himself fall and hit— the bricks, as the shadow slammed him into a nearby building. The shadow struck again, throwing Link backward and— into the well itself, falling and falling with no way to—

“Get back, Link, please!” Sheik cried. 

What was happening? Why was he stuck at the well, at this one moment, being hit again and again and being told to—

“Get back!” Sheik shouted, angry now. 

Again the shadow burst forth, knocking Link down harder than all times before. Pain welled in his chest. Then, above him, he saw Sheik take the ocarina from his bag and begin to play. In his last moments of awareness, Link realised he knew the melody: it was a lullaby, once beloved by the Princess of Hyrule. 

---

Looking back, all that had come before now made sense, but Link needed time to be sure. He had braved the Shadow Temple and conquered the Spirit Temple before he was ready to confront Sheik. 

They met once again in the Temple of Time, where it had all begun. Sheik explained to him the legends of the Triforce, saying that Ganondorf had caused it to split into three when he stole it from the Sacred Realm. All this only strengthened Link’s resolve. 

“You hold the final piece,” Link said. “You are the seventh sage.” 

“I—“ Sheik blinked at him. “Yes. How did you know?”

Link took a deep breath. “From the moment we met, you seemed familiar. Then I began to remember things you had forgotten, and finish your sentences.” He took the Ocarina of Time from his bag and held it between them. “Then you used this to save my life in Kakariko Village. You turned back time, more than once. There’s only one person in Hyrule who could do that.” 

Sheik’s eyes welled with tears. He bowed his head. 

“Zelda,” Link said, kind as he could. “I’m not angry. It is Zelda, right?”

Sheik had bowed, but it was the Princess who raised her head. “Yes, it is. You don’t know how happy it makes me to say that.” 

Link handed the ocarina to her. “How many times did you use it?”

With a shrug, “I lost count after fifty.”

Fifty? “I died that many times?!” 

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Zelda said, laughing. “You’re as brave as you are reckless.” Then her face fell. “This is the furthest we’ve ever made it. Each time you fall, I have to send us back to the moment you arrive in the future. At this point, I don’t even know if defeating Ganondorf is possible.” 

She unravelled her long braid, shaking out her golden hair with a sigh. Her eyes seemed a little softer now, the red shade fading to green. This was who she had wanted to be all this time, Link thought. 

“I’m sorry I can’t remember it all,” Link said, realising unhappily that Zelda likely could. “When I face Ganondorf, I’ll make it count.” 

Zelda placed a hand on his cheek and smiled a soft, sad smile. “I know you will.”

She knelt down to kiss his cheek, but Link turned his head and caught her lips with his own; a short, whisper of a kiss, one hopeful of more to follow once peace had returned. 

“I’ll see you again?” Zelda asked. 

“I’ll see you again,” Link affirmed. 

This time around, whether or not this was the last time around, it was nothing short of a vow.

[triforce-of-mischief]

Degrees of Fine

@sicktember day 12, "You're not fine, you're throwing up."

Characters are from @thatbrokenpromise

Summary: Skyloft is fine. He's used to throwing up frequently, after all. He definitely doesn't have toxic shock syndrome.

Warnings: vomiting

Words: 680

AO3

Please reblog to show your support! Likes do nothing.

Everything was supposed to be fine. None of them were injured and they hadn’t seen any monsters before making camp for the night. Chief knew that his bag, and plenty of the others’, were well-stocked with potions and fairies, alongside his own collection of medicines. He sat in his tent as a few of the others retired early, talking with Smith until Hateno came to interrupt them.

“Skyloft’s sick,” Hateno said abruptly, the two words enough to make Chief jump to his feet even as his stomach lurched.

Please, not Skyloft of all of them. Not the man who was so compromised already, who already tried so hard not to look weak in front of them. Chief had training and supplies for common illnesses, minor ailments, but for Skyloft-

He prayed to every spirit he could name as he ran to Skyloft’s tent that whatever was wrong, he could do enough.

The retching was audible first. That was nothing new; they had discovered the hard way that Skyloft’s lungs bled within a few days of their meeting. Then came the smell, and Chief coughed from the shock of it. He had expected the metallic tang of blood, not the sour, acidic stench of pure vomit and bile. He pushed past Hateno and saw Skyloft laying on his side, wheezing as he clutched his sick bucket to his chest. Chief knelt beside him and Skyloft’s eyes cracked open, the other man attempting a weak smile when he saw the medic.

“’S okay, it’ll pass in a minute,” Skyloft rasped. “You didn’t need to come see me, I’m- I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, you’re throwing up,” Chief snapped.

“Happens all the time…”

Chief’s nails dug into his palms. “You’re not throwing up blood. You’re actually sick. Do you think you can try to take something soon or-”

Skyloft rose to vomit again and Chief sighed, unsurprised. He reached to support Skyloft with a hand on his back, and dove to catch him when the man nearly collapsed. Chief carefully lowered him back down and wordlessly handed the bucket to Hateno to be emptied.

“He felt warm,” Outset said, shifting nervously on his own bedroll.

Chief could already see that Skyloft’s normally pale face was flushed red, slick with sweat, but he pressed the back of his hand to his forehead for the sake of it. He flinched at the heat rising from his skin and hissed, “Shit, that’s a bad fever. He seemed fine earlier, how fast did this happen?”

“I can’t say,” Outset admitted.

“I can use the pad if he can’t keep medicine down,” Hateno offered, and Chief took the cue to look through his bag.

“Please. I only have so many syringes and he needs fluids, antibiotics, possibly potion…”

They had discussed this method before, when they had a chance to breathe after the cave in Hateno’s past. Chief drew doses of medicine and Hateno, in turn, placed his hand on Skyloft’s arm and transferred them to the Purah Pad then directly to Skyloft’s bloodstream. Ordon came to see what the fuss was about and Chief immediately sent him back for damp cloths. Skyloft was on the far side of semiconscious, his fever keeping him in discomfort once his insides had nothing left to expell.

The night dragged on as Skyloft’s condition fluctuated repeatedly. Chief asked Outset to hold Skyloft’s hand, monitoring him as the medic prepared more fluids, and ended up rushing to get potion into the sick man as his pulse plummeted. Chief almost feared the worst, that he had been too late, too inadequate to save him… then, just before sunrise, Skyloft stabilized. His pulse held steady, the fever diminished, and Chief assessed whether he could properly take fluids, and even broth after that.

Chief leaned heavily against Hateno, worried and stressed even after the worst had passed. Outset was curled up at Skyloft’s side, one of Skyloft’s hands pressed between both of his. Skyloft was barely awake, mumbling apologies, and Chief shushed him tiredly.

Don’t ever scare us like that again. “It’s not your fault.”

[silverofthunder]

☆ i'll wait for you ☆

Papa Emeritus IV x GN reader || AO3

summary: It was supposed to be only six months intership kind of thing. The original plan had been: go there, do you job and then leave. You weren't ready for any unwanted feelings to blossom. But then you met Copia and something changed. The walls around you started to crack little by little.

content: 3.2k words, gn!reader, hurt/comfort, fluff, romance, friends to lovers (kinda), bad attempt at humor, references to past abusive relationship (just mentioned that past has been difficult, mostly left open to interpretation)

I wasn't supposed to write for this fandom but my brain decided otherwise. 🙈 It's been about three years since I've last written anything so this isn't my best work, obviously. Nonetheless, I had missed writing so much and I really enjoyed writing this so I guess that's all that counts. ♡

”You should go!” your friend said, sounding way too excited. ”You said you wanted a change of scenery so this is your chance!”

You stared at the letter in your hand and then looked up at your friend. They nodded, smiling.

You shook your head, sighing. ”Okay, I guess I’ll do it then.”

And that’s how you found yourself standing in front of the Sister Imperator at the Ministry.

”Is everything clear now?”

”Yes, Sister,” you answered, taking a pile of books and papers from the table. ”One question --”

you were interrupted by the door opening and someone rushing in.

”You’re late,” Sister Imperator remarked, clearly a bit irritated. The man who had come in drew in a long breath, looking a bit apologetic and came to stand beside you.

”Copia, here is your assistant. I have given them short briefing, the rest is yours to decide.”

Your eyes met his mismatched ones and you smiled politely – or at least tried to smile. Copia returned the smile, then taking a slight bow.

”Pleased to meet you.”

The first few weeks were quite hectic as you tried your best to keep up with your assistant chores and stay as far from Sister Imperator as possible. There was something in her that made you feel so uncomfortable.

You were now walking in the garden outside, enjoying the short break you had been granted. It was nice to explore more of the Ministry area, and properly take it all in. You breathed in the fresh air, then slowly releasing it out.

At first you had thought that coming here had been a mistake but now it didn’t seem that bad. Copia had made you feel welcome and it was actually nice to work with him – or for him. He certainly was intriguing, and you couldn’t wait to get to know the man more.

You had also met the ghouls and they were a bit intimidating but also interesting creatures. So human-like but still not human. They hadn’t talked much, only looked at you with curiosity, and you took it that they didn’t mind you being there and working with Copia.

”Would you like to have a dinner with me today?” Copia asked quietly, and you nearly knocked over your ink bottle.

Oh shit, you cursed in your mind. It wasn’t an unusual question, so there was no need to react that way. But still, it had surprised you.

”It’s okay if you--”

”Yes, I would like that very much.”

You were afraid that you might have sounded too eager but Copia didn’t seem to notice anything. The smile was tugging at his lips as nodded slightly before burying himself in his work again. Something inside you jolted but you ignored it as you moved your gaze back to your papers, a small smile still plastered on your lips.

It became a habit, that you two ate dinner together. Soon you even started spending more time together outside of work and you could easily admit that you enjoyed Copia’s company. He was kind, funny and slightly awkward but it only made him more endearing.

You two grew closer day by day, and so grew the feeling somewhere deep within you. At first you you just ignored it, thinking it was just some temporary glitch in your system.

But you knew what it was. And you knew it most likely wouldn’t go away.

Something you weren’t yet ready for had started to blossom.

You couldn’t sleep so you decided to go to the part of the Ministry library that had become your favorite. You sat down on the chair and and switched on the lamp on the table next to it.

For a moment you just sat there and then you unlocked your phone, searching for one secific conversation. You didn’t need to read it again since it all was still clear as a day in your head but you still went through the messages.

It hurt to read them. It always did. Not so much nowadays but the pain was still there, nonetheless. You were pretty sure it would never truly go away, no matter how much time passed.

A few tears fell to your cheeks as you closed the conversation, locking the phone. Sudden rustling startled you and you almost dropped you phone.

”Sorry, tesoro, didn’t mean to scare you,” Copia’s familiar, soothing voice made you relax. You quickly wiped away the tears and turned to look at him.

”Hi,” you said, attempting to smile. ”What are you doing here?”

Copia didn’t answer straight away, he looked at you with concern and you shifted on the chair.

”What’s troubling you, my dear?”

You sighed, looking straight into his eyes. You hadn’t really spoke about your past, especially your painful past, and only a few of your friends and your parents knew what you had gone through. Copia seemed genuinely worried, he pulled another chair closer, sat down and took your hands in his.

”It’s a long story,” you stated. ”And not a pretty story.”

Copia’s brows furrowed as he squeezed your hands.

”We have all night.”

The plan had been very clear: go to the Ministry, do your job and then leave. There wasn’t supposed to be any unwanted feelings involved. Your love life had been a bitch in the past and you had sworn that you had no time for crushes or anything like that.

But it seemed that dear Satan had another plan for you and now you had to deal with an undeniable crush on Copia. The sweetest man you had ever met. Who, despite now knowing about your past, had not run as far as he could or had not called the whole internship thing off. Who still treated you with the same respect as he had done straight from the start.

Basically it seemed like nothing had changed – maybe there hadn’t on his side. But what came to you… Everything had changed.

And it scared the hell out of you.

”Keep your eyes closed,” Copia instructed and you kept your eyes closed, excitement bubbling at the bottom of your stomach. You could hear Copia moving in front of you, mumbling something and letting out some quiet funny noices every once in a while.

”Now it’s all set, open your eyes.”

You did as was told and the sight before you took you by surprise. On the ground there was a blanket with plates, wine glasses and a basket full of food on it. The lights on the trees casted a faint glow upon it and before them opened up a lovely lake view. For a moment you couldn’t do anything but stare at the whole setting.

”It might be too much but I--”

”No, it’s beautiful, I…” you trailed off and took a hold of Copia’s hands, your gaze meeting his. Copia shifted slightly, and you pulled him closer, freeing your other hand and lifting it up to brush you fingers along his cheek.

The look in Copia’s eyes softened as he leaned into your touch.

”I just want to know. Why? Why all of this?” your voice was barely a whisper.

”You really haven’t realized it yet?” Copia sounded almost hurt and you shook you head, a knot forming in your stomach.

Of course you had your suspicions. The way Copia had acted around you, the slight touches, the softness in his gaze, the moments you had caught him staring at you and the faintest of red had started to adorn his cheeks and ears.

You weren’t ready for this, voicing the feelings part. It was too hard.

”Can we just… not talk about it now?” you pleaded, cupping Copia’s face. The look in Copia’s eyes was devastating and it made your heart break a little. But you knew he understood.

”Let’s just enjoy this now,” you suggested, caressing Copia’s cheeks with your thumbs. ”I need more time.”

Copia offered you a sad smile, nodding. You really hadn’t much time since the internship was about to end in two months. But for now, you didn’t want anything to change.

”I really don’t deserve you.”

Sighing Copia wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in a hug. It felt a like comforting blanket but also like you were letting something huge go.

Why were feelings so hard?

”You did what?!” your friend basically screeched at the other end of the line. ”Oh god, you’re such an idiot!”

”Thanks, that really made me feel better,” you remarked while pacing in your room.

”Oh, sorry, but honestly, what’s the problem?”

”You know what’s this all about.”

Your friend let out an angry sigh and you tried not to laugh. They were so dramatic sometimes.

”You can’t let your past define your future. From what you’ve told, it seems like he really likes you and you definitely like him back. He’s a good man, right?”

”Yes, he seems to be. Too good even,” you answered, a small smile tugging at your lips. Your friend let out a little laugh.

”I can hear you smiling.”

”I’m not,” you tried, knowing well your friend wouldn’t buy it.

”Sure you’re not. Honestly, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”

That was a good question and you really had no sensible answer.

”He could break my heart?”

You could hear your friend try to keep it together. They drew in a long breath, slowly releasing it.

”That’s the risk you’ve got to take when it comes to love.”

”Yeah...” you said quietly, knowing that your friend was right.

For the past few weeks hadn’t been easy. Copia seemed to avoid you – or at least keep more distance – and your conversations had shortened greatly. He still seemed to be a bit hurt by your rejection, though you didn’t count it as a proper rejection. Now, whenever you two were on the same room, he looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself and it made your heart ache. A part of you wanted to just go and comfort him and the other part was holding onto the walls around you that had started to crack.

You had around six weeks left and everything was a mess. The ghouls were sending very intimidating and hard glances at you when you happened to pass them by. They were pretty protective of Copia and now you basically had given them a reason to be on the alert. They hadn’t seemed to mind about you at first and you didn’t see them that often but now a few of them seemed to keep a closer eye on you.

It was just your luck that everything had gone to south. You kicked a stone in the ground while walking on the yard and cursed in your mind.

”What did that stone do to you?”

The question made you jump and you turned around fast, meeting Copia’s slightly amused gaze. Your brain short-circuited and for a moment you just stared at him.

”Nothing”, you answer after a while, now mentally kicking yourself. Copia hummed, stepping closer to you until he was standing right in front of you. Your heart rate sped up a bit and you could feel the warmth on your cheeks.

”Tesoro mio…” Copia started quietly. ”I’m sorry I’ve been a bit distant lately.”

”It’s my fault. I…” you trailed off, shaking your head.

”I never meant to scare you. It was too much and too soon.”

Copia’s eyes were filled with emotion and your heart stung.

”It’s just… My past… I’m afraid I get hurt again.”

Copia seemed to hold back tears and it made you tear up.

”I could never hurt you. Not like that.”

You closed your eyes, tears starting to flow. Hands took a hold of yours but you didn’t dare to open your eyes.

”I’ll wait for you.”

For now, that was all you needed to hear and you took a step forward, wrapping your arms around Copia.

You were going through papers, reading some parts here and there but the text seemed blurred. It was no wonder as you had slept badly for the past few nights as the nightmares had plagued you.

”It’s third time you go through the same pile”, Copia stated, worry evident in his voice. ”You seem tired. Have you not slept at all?”

You checked the papers again and he was right, you had already organized them. No wonder everything had looked so alike. With a loud sigh you dropped your head onto the table.

”The nightmares have started again so no, I haven’t really slept.”

”Again?”

”They come and go. Usually they bother me for a few nights and then it might be several weeks before they come again”, you explained, lifting your head up and meeting Copia’s eyes. The look in them was filled with worry.

”Is it…?” Copia didn’t finish the question, he didn’t need to. You just nodded.

”Can I help somehow?”

”Maybe…” you started, hesitating a bit. ”...if you could stay the next night with me?”

The look in Copia’s eyes softened, a small smile tugging at his lips.

”I can do that, though I’m not sure if that actually helps.”

You shrugged, flashing Copia a slight grin. ”Well, we won’t know if we don’t try it, right?”

Copia laughed.

”I guess the floor is mine, then.”

Your eyes widened as Copia grinned and you grabbed some trash from the table and threw it at him. He pretended to be offended by that.

”You… old man! You’re definitely sleeping on the floor.”

Copia shook his head in amusement before standing up and coming to you. You had no time to react as he pulled you up and lifted you up. You grabbed onto his shoulders as he spun you two around, your laughter echoing in the room.

This was it. This was how you wanted everything to be. Or at least a part of you wanted.

As Copia finally let you down, your eyes met again. The warmth in his eyes made your heart soar, awakening the part you had wanted to keep asleep.

The part that wanted to kiss him so badly.

You stepped away from him, still smiling, and the moment was gone.

Even thought it wasn’t supposed to happen, that night you still ended up sleeping in the same bed. Copia’s arms where wrapped around you, his breath tickling the sensitive skin of your neck.

There was no nightmares that night, only cozy warmth, peace and safety.

”So are you two now together or what?” your friend sounded confused on the phone.

”No, we’re not together,” you said. ”It’s complicated but everything is well now. We can have fun and just be us like we used to be before… you know.”

”Okay… But you just said that you have been sharing a bed with him? And you’re just friends?”

”Yes and yes.”

”Alright… That’s really confusing,” your friend stated. ”But I’m happy that you seem to be doing better now.”

”Me too.”

There was a short moment of silence before your friend spoke again.

”Have you thought about what’s gonna happen when your internship ends? There’s only like… three weeks left, right?”

”Three weeks, yes,” you confirmed. ”No, I haven’t really thought about it.”

Your friend let out a long sigh.

”You should think about it. And goddammit, make your move already or I will come there and kick your stupid asses!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that threat.

”I was about to make a move some time ago,” you admitted and your friend screeched so loud your ear hurt.

”What?! What do you mean?”

”We had a… moment and we were pretty close and I almost… kissed him. I mean I wanted to kiss him, but didn’t.”

”Dammit, you oaf! Oh god, I’m probably gonna get a heart attack before anything happens between you two.”

”That’s possible,” you laughed. ”Okay, I need to go now, I will call you again at some point.”

”Yeah, go to your man! Bye!”

Shaking your head smiling you said your goodbyes and hung up.

The days went by fast and ending of the internship had now come. You had spent as much time with Copia as possible and it had been amazing. It was hard to explain how you felt with him. Even though you hadn’t been easy to be with, he had stayed. If something would have made people run away from you, it would have been your past.

But not Copia. He had taken your past as a part of you, understanding the weight of it on your shoulders.

Falling in love was supposed to be a beatiful thing but to you it had been one of the greatest fears for several years. And now you had had to face that fear, try to open your heart and break the walls around you.

It wasn’t easy when your heart wanted one thing and the head told the opposite. But maybe, just maybe, you had started to see the beauty of falling in love again.

I’ll wait for you.

That had been a promise you never expected to hear. And it might have changed the course of everything.

As you now stood outside the Ministry, all your luggages beside your feet, waiting for your ride to arrive, you felt sad and like you were doing something you shouldn’t do. You had to admit that you really didn’t want to leave. Even though it hadn’t been easy, you still had enjoyed being there. It had been quite an experience, opening pages in your book you thought would never be opened again.

The car pulled over and the driver came to help you with the luggages.

”Trying to leave without saying goodbye?”

A small smile rose to your lips as you turned around, seeing Copia standing by the Ministry doors hands behind his back. Your heart ached as this was it.

The moment you had dreaded.

You asked the driver to wait for a moment and walked over to Copia, noticing the hint of sadness in his gaze. You two hadn’t still spoken about what you were and you knew that now was the time to make some things clear.

”Copia…” you started, cupping his face gently. He leaned into your touch, the look in his eyes changing hopeful as he set his hands on your waist, pulling you closer. You breathed slowly in, the mild, familiar scent of Copia filling your senses, comforting you.

You lingered in the moment because you didn’t want to let go. And neither did Copia, it seemed, as he just tightened his hold of you and rested his forehead against yours.

”Please…” he whispered.

Your heart made a little jump in your chest as you knew what he wanted. You pulled slightly back so you could look at him in the eyes. And that was the moment when all your doubts seemed to vanish and you let your heart make the decision.

With a fluttering heart you finally leaned in and kissed him. You felt Copia basically melt against you, his arms sliding around you, and it made you smile into the kiss.

A sudden clearing of throat broke your moment and you parted, both smiling in awe. Unfortunately it was time for you to go.

”I’ll come back”, you promised as you started to walk backwards towards the car.

Copia nodded, his face radiating happiness.

”I’ll wait for you.”

[kuzann]

Just finished writing this segment for the next chapter of Paradigm Shift and I'm actually liking it a lot. It's still raw and needs to be cleaned up but I wanted to share. Have some Danny panicking over his mom potentially getting hurt. :p Current word count: 11.2k words

Danny’s head swam as Valerie flew out of the arena on her board. He drifted back a bit, for what little good it would do him when the fight started.

“Alright, you ectoplasmic menace,” Maddie said as she widened her stance. “Impress me.”

“I’ll do my best,” Danny managed.

“Begin!” Kara cried.

Maddie whipped an ecto-blaster out of her belt pouch and fired on Danny the moment Kara’s voice rang out over the arena.

Danny distorted his body to dodge the attack. She’d already caught him flat-footed. If he could just pin her down with ice maybe he could pull off a win without hurting her too much… And without getting too hurt himself.

A chill gathered as his power forced the heat from the air around him.

Maddie paused and pulled a shield-like device around from where it hung on her back and slipped it onto her right arm.

Danny flung a wave of chill at the ground at her feet, the ice already forming as it drew near.

Maddie flung her arm in a backhand, and the wave exploded into billowing steam.

Shock overwhelmed him for a few vital moments—when had she made that one!? He’d never seen it before, but it had clearly been designed for countering his ice. Danny flew back, but it was already too late.

An ecto-blast blitzed out of the steam cloud and hit him dead in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Danny hit the floor hard and struggled to get his bearings as Maddie stepped out of the steam.

Maddie paused only to swipe the mist off her goggles with one forearm, then took a grenade-like device from her belt pouch and tossed it after Danny.

He scuttled away, having temporarily forgotten about his ability to fly in his panic. Danny covered his eyes and went intangible, figuring it might be a sort of flashbang as he jumped away—

The assumption was only partially correct.

With a sharp bang the grenade exploded. Danny saw the sickly green flash through his arm and eyelids a split-second before the wave of energy washed over his body. He fell back and rolled as if trapped in the surf on a stormy day, battered and stunned when he finally came to a stop some distance away.

The beam of the Fenton Thermos caught him before he got the chance to stand.

A cacophony of sound started up, audible even through the walls of the Fenton Thermos: cheers and shouts of surprise, as well as calls of “Let him go!” and “Leave Phantom alone!”

Danny’s senses finally returned to him in full as the thermos began to move.

“What do you think you’re doing?” said Kara’s voice, muffled slightly by the metal walls. Even with the barrier between them Danny could feel the lurking threat in her tone.

Panic set in as he realized what his mom was trying to do. He trusted Jazz and his friends to bail him out of the thermos when his mom got home, but that wasn’t the problem—his mom was trying to break Kara’s rules, and that was sure to draw her ire. If Maddie ended up fighting Kara she might not—

“Phantom’s a menace. He puts the city in jeopardy almost weekly just so he can fight other ghosts,” Maddie replied calmly. “If you want me to take my role as protector seriously then you must let me remove him.”

“All combatants are under my protection during the tournament. If you wish to take one home as a prize then you must defeat me in the arena first.”

“Don’t!” Danny screamed, his voice echoing back at him within the thermos. His breaths came out as pained wheezes as dread squeezed his lungs.

“Quiet, Phantom,” Maddie snapped. “You don’t have a say here.”

“You can’t fight her! I watched her demolish a ghost who’s way stronger than me before the tournament even started!” Danny yelled, desperation working its way into his voice. “You can’t win!” It didn’t matter how much stronger than Vlad his mom might be, Kara was magnitudes stronger than him. A vision of his mom on the ground, beaten and burned, forced its way to the front of his mind.

“I’ll take my chances, Phantom.”

“You can’t...” Danny said weakly. All Kara had to do was land one solid blow on Maddie and it would be over... Possibly forever. Vlad had only withstood as much as he had because he was far more durable than a typical human.

“Mom!” Jazz’s voice rang out, just loud enough to carry through the wall of the Thermos despite the distance.

There was a pause, apparently as Jazz scrambled down into the arena.

“Jazz, go back to your seat,” their mom said, her voice gentler but still firm.

“Mom, you saw the news earlier! You saw what that ghost did to Vlad!” Jazz said, her voice wobbling. Even without seeing her face Danny knew she was on the verge of tears. “You can’t fight her! What am I gonna tell Danny and dad if you get hurt?”

Tears gathered in Danny’s eyes as Jazz started crying. His mom could be teetering on the brink of mortal danger and he was powerless to do anything about it. She would never listen to Phantom, and he couldn’t reveal his identity now even if he wanted to—the arena was being filmed, if he revealed his identity to her here everyone would know, and his entire family would be in danger as a result. All he could do was wait and hope.

“Jazz, sweetheart...” The thermos swung as their mom pulled Jazz into a hug.

Please listen to her! Please, please, please! Danny covered his face in both hands, hoping that their mom would listen now that Jazz was crying; Jazz cried so rarely, it always made their parents pay attention when she actually did.

At last their mom sighed. “Alright, I’ll settle things with Phantom some other time.”

[dgdraws]

My art year in review!

I learned so much this year and made a ton of cool stuff! These are my favorites from each month, but it was so hard to choose. A lot of stuff didn't even get posted--I'll be sure to at least post the ones that made it to this list!

It's amazing to see how much I've changed and learned over this year, and to see the things that are emerging as part of "my style."

Here's to another year of delight, creation, connection and fun!

Some monthly reflections beneath the cut, but here's the highlights:

I participated in 3 art challenges, Artfight, OC-tober and Huevember.

I made fanart for the first time!

I created a piece I conceived of before I started drawing

Made some big breakthroughs in techniques and skills in April, July and November

January: My first branch into full character design, Rodd is the culmination of training on Hero Forge renders to make dnd portraits! I was doing this cool thing with neon rim lighting, I should bring that back!

February: I saw a piece on here with this amazing glowing effect, so I color picked it and experimented to figure out what relationship between the colors was making it do that! The answer was saturation. This rose is meant to be glowing from within, and I think I did a good job for my knowledge level at the time! As Chuck Tingle would tell us, it's beautiful because only I could have made it in that moment on the timeline.

March: I spent a million years on every detail of this one, it has at least 5 clipping overlay/saturation layers for lighting, multiple line work groups and I want to rework that background but! I never felt more accomplished than I did when I finished this one. I learned a lot, especially about things I could skip or simplify. And the symbolism really pops off ngl

April: I read Gideon the Ninth for the first time this month and I immediately needed to draw Jeannemary Chatur, Cavalier of the Fourth House, the worst teen to do it. She's the first fanart I ever made and posted! I also discovered a new pen tool with this one, which CHANGED THE GAME.

May: This one is an idea I had written down before I ever picked up the tablet and stylus. I thought I might commission someone to make it, the image of it came to me so clearly during our VTM session I just had to make it real somehow. Well I did it! This is one I will come back to redraw in like 5 years bc I love the concept so much. Also rife with symbolism and inside nods to the Low Kings.

June: I made a bunch of ref sheets in the run-up to Artfight in July. Caleb hadn't even been in my plans to upload, but I had time and inspiration! I will be uploading this and a few more of him <3

July: This is one of my faves from Artfight! This character is Blueberry, by way of OrchidEatsBread on artfight. I have still never played... rainworld? But I love me a slug cat. In July I drew a TON of people, it really drilled anatomy basics into me and how to get clothes looking like actual clothes a bit more. Also solidified some things I would consider "my style" at the moment, like no irises, and my approach to noses and mouths and fingers!

August: Another fanart for the Locked Tomb series, I never posted this!!! Will be rectifying that soon.

September: I got really into javascript and css this month, and I made this to be a landing page image on my neocities website XD I'll get back around to that eventually...

October: At the last minute, I discovered OC-tober and the prompts from @/bweirdart, a worthy follow up to the rush of Artfight two months previous. I developed so much stuff for the Low Kings, including this drawing/character, Amayah/Girl-Z, who has been a figment of my pintrest board for 2+ years.

Huevember: Chasing that OC-tober high, I found Huevember! I did not expect to actually do every day, but it proved to be an amazing exercise! I learned so, so much about color, discovered amazing new brushes and techniques and found I really enjoy working in those one day capsules! I loved a lot of the stuff that came out of this month, including my highest note post ever!!!, but this one is still my phone background and I'm maybe developing an OC world around it. We'll see what happens in 2024.

December: I got hit HARD with the writing bug this month, so this was my only choice for this month but I WOULDA CHOSEN IT ANYWAY. I unlocked something here that I'm really excited to visit again, in fact I'm working on a companion piece rn! This is also fanart btw, prepare for me to get even weirder about this guy in the coming months.

If you've read this far, thank you so much! I have so much fun writing these little reflections and making my posts on here.

xoxo, wren

[sullustangin]

Fluffy February Day 22: Remember

Fandom: SWTOR

Time:  between Chapters 15 and 16 of KotFE (3631/22 ATC)

Pairing:  Theron Shan/Smuggler

Words: ~1030

~~

For Eva, it was just another day.  It wasn’t weird at all.

Theron had successfully extracted himself from her bed before dawn, but he did leave her a cup of caf on her bedside table.  That was a little disappointing, but not entirely out of character yet; if he had the urge to work at some ungodly hour, he tried to go without waking her.  

Eva flipped through her messages on her commlink in the galley as she scrounged up some leftover pastries from when Bowie was over and baking this past weekend.  

It was when she almost deleted a message labeled “Ceremony of Remembrance” that suddenly, it got weird for Eva.

She read through the message twice.

Oh yeah.

She’d been iced for five years.

Everyone else that had engaged the Eternal Fleet that one night – a lot of them were dead.  Their deaths had driven many people here, to Odessen, to serve one of the few survivors.  Eva Corolastor, alias the Voidhound.  

It wasn’t a shock that the Alliance was having a commemorative ceremony.  And it wasn’t even a surprise that it hadn’t been mentioned to Eva: what could she do that wouldn’t be seen as manipulative or capitalizing upon the dead?

No, it was best if Eva wasn’t seen at the center of it all today, out of respect.  Don’t rub her survival in the face of those still grieving – those who always would grieve for a life, a lifestyle, a life partner.  

What was weird… what threw her off – was how close this was to Theron’s birthday.

That had been the last time she’d seen him.  Then came Eternal Fleet.

Then she’d woken up, five years, two months and some change later.  

They’d just celebrated his 35th birthday about three weeks ago, their first together and safe.  

So his 29th birthday – the one where her romantic overture went flat … and then she was gone, for what he thought was forever.

That…actually went a long way in explaining how he was, now.  

Eva got dressed for the day and headed out of the ship, across the catwalk to the military hangar, and then tried to blend in with the walls as she made her way to the war room.

Some of the enlisted noticed and saluted.  Others just bowed their heads until she gave them the nod.  

…they seemed to understand why she wasn’t demanding the attention that a leader of a splinter cell faction normally did.  

The war room was empty today.  Except for one man.

Everyone else was going to be upstairs at that ceremony – Theron had organized it, put it on the schedule, but… it seemed like Lana would be the one running the show.  Theron, as ever, worked in the shadows, far from the sun or any touch of light this day had.

Eva took the time to watch him for long minutes.  She’d loved watching Theron work, seeing his brain orchestrate everything, modeling efficiency…but adding those human scowls and smirks and raised eyebrows.  

“You’re not going?” she finally asked, and he smoothly turned to look at her.  It was as if he knew she’d find him here, inevitably.

“No,” he answered, voice quiet but echoing in the emptiness of the war room.  “Attended five of them…that’s enough for me.”  

“Do you think I should go?”

“I think you should be seen in a back row,” he advised her, turning back to his work.  “But you already know…what you shouldn’t do.”

Eva tilted her head. “Sense of duty.  Sense of obligation to the people who follow me.” Then she came closer to Theron. “Why aren’t you going?”

Same question, different phrasing, another response.  “Someone has to keep watch.  In case Arcann decides to use a day of mourning as a day to make a point.”  His eyes darted to look at her, briefly. “Usually there was some sort of… repercussion for public ceremonies.  We did them anyway.”

Eva drew closer to Theron yet, resting her hand on his work console and standing well within his personal space.  “We got droids we can trust – T7, C2, 2V – forget SCORPIO and her kids or whatever. And you know C2 can throw down, even as a Hollis.”   Then one more time: “Why aren’t you going?”

Theron gave a small sigh. He didn’t look up from his work right away. “The stubborn wasn’t tempered a bit in there.”

“Nope.”  

Theron bowed his head slightly, the harsh light of the screen spilling over his features.  He let his hands drift away from the controls and braced himself on the frame.  “They… found the remains of Havoc Squad’s commander, Damasa Quo… a few weeks before the second Eternal Fleet Remembrance Day.  So her funeral was a part of those public acts of defiance.” Then Theron look over at Eva, and his expression was devastatingly sad.  “Today, I’d have to stand next to men like Aric Jorgan, who didn’t get their girl back.”

…

Of course, there was the flipside to Eva’s dilemma.

She came back, unlike everyone who died –

And Theron put voice to the rest of her thoughts.  “I have to stand there as the one man whose life came back together again after the Eternal Fleet shattered it.  I might have had a rough five years, but I can make the argument I got a hell of a promotion and my personal life got a big upgrade,” he finished, voice a little rough at the end.  “And unlike everyone else up there, I get one more hour, one more day with you – more than they’ll ever have again.”

Her arms ached for him, and Eva had crossed the last little space between them before she could worry over being found out.  

Given the ferocity of his embrace, Theron didn’t care right now either.  

Right now, all that mattered was Theron and breaking every rule about public affection in the war room.

“…spend the day with me. Upstairs.”

There was a weighty pause.

Then he relented.

Theron and Eva sat in the back row, hands clasped tightly where no one could see them.  They sat through the whole commemoration, unnoticed, as they should have been.

~~

@fluffyfebruary @ayresis @starlightcleric @ermingarden @bluephoenix1347

[jezmmart]

Chamomile Comic Trivia #22

#112 - Certain

Pretty simple comic based on a thought that popped into my head after I had the same experience Cammie describes.  Can’t remember if the punchline of Layla’s response just came to me or if I had to squeeze it out of the premise! 

#113 - Weird

The second edition of “I came up with a punny joke and just decided to use it completely unorganically as comic fodder instead of just posting it on my personal twitter when I thought of it”.

Also god I wanna slap my past self around the head for thinking I somehow didn’t need to use reference for profile views what is going on with Cammie’s face/neck/hairline here argh!

#114 - Music

The first album the customer holds up here is a doodly little version of the Team Sonic Racing soundtrack, which I guess I was listening to a lot at the time!  The other two albums he holds up were, I think, just random original doodles.  The third might’ve been someone on TV at the time or something, not sure!  I should really start writing these trivia posts as I make the comics rather than several years after, maybe!

#115 - Girl

A long while back I decided to make Chamomile’s canonical birthday the same day as the day I first drew her, which happened to be June 30th.  Since this was the first year the comic update fell on that day, I decided to make it a comic!

Here she turns 28, and sure enough, two years earlier, Brianna said she was 26. However... since then, I’ve kinda quietly switched over to a floaty timeline.  Webcomic time moves slowly, and thus the characters felt like they would age too quickly for the amount of life events I have time to cover in the comic.  So for the time being, Cammie remains 28 canonically, Layla and Brianna remain definitely within the same year as her on account of being school friends, and Vienna and Samantha remain... whatever they are (they’re older than the other three, but not by much).

Brianna’s worn this outfit a few times over the years since this comic, but if I recall you never actually get a really good look at it due to the poses/framing I needed in all those comics.  It says “NO CAUSE FOR A...” and has a Llama underneath.

The final note of trivia on this one... as previously mentioned, on platforms where I provide a title for the comic, it’s always just a single word from as early in the dialogue as possible, regardless of whether that word is a decent title for the comic’s subject or not (so as to not spoil or raise any expectations for the subject of the gag).  I also never repeat the same word twice... except in this case, where for literally years, this comic was named “Birthday”, same as #109, not even ten comics ago!  At time of writing (September 2022) I think it was only within this year that I noticed and corrected this (utterly pedantic that I only I care about) mistake.

#116 - Laundry

Not much to say about this one, if I recall this was just one of those divine gifts my brain figured out on automatic for me.  To this day it remains one of my favourite silly Cammie visual gag comics and I can’t see myself ever removing it from the new reader/sample comic selection on the comic’s home page.  Naturally you can spot a bunch of familiar colours (and a couple patterns) from existing outfits in Cammie’s laundry basket such as her signature outfit, the rose pattern skirt and her designed coffee t-shirt.

I also think I was VERY well-behaved to not clutter up the experience with fanservice even though the scenario was ripe for it.  I’m sure that’ll get me a few heckles and boos from the audience but I say if you can’t enjoy Cammie at her [funny comic] you don’t deserve her at her [sexy pinup]!!

#117 - Hair

This was a fun old one to do, I’ve definitely had a few snapped hairbands over the years and my lucious locks are nowhere near Cammie’s level!  I remember drawing the vice was really tricky because there was little in the way of references at the precise angle I needed for maximum comedic effect and sense-making (as much as it ever could).

As usual for when I need to draw a bunch of CDs from the shop, I put my iTunes library on shuffle, set album artwork to display and just drew little 5 second doodles of what came up because coming up with like 40 original ideas, even at this low fidelity, is a nightmare for something that isn’t really going to be paid attention to.  I can Childish Gambino’s "Awaken, My Love!", Lazlo Bane’s All the Time in the World, and Ryan Roth’s The Beginner’s Guide Soundtrack here, but several others look specific enough to definitely be something.  Seems I randomised the colours though and doodled the designs on after, mind.

Drawing a comic sequence of someone tying hair is really tricky to break down into key poses!  It was also a fun challenge to find a way to imply significantly more failed attempts than I had time to show in the comic (with the panel above being my solution).

[More Chamomile Comic Trivia] (Above link may not work correctly on tumblr app)  

[elecman108]

It’s finally done. I’m... feeling a little emotional, honestly. All my D&D character references are now “recovered”, as in redrawn completely, from my broken SSD whose files were all lost.

I... I just want to sit back and put my head in my hands. [Cont’d]

This... It’s every character I have made for D&D since I started playing. The first two I designed - Miri Evenwood and Cecillia - down to the most recent two - Zarris and Joy - all together, all forms, all types, all everything, all at once. I’m just... This was so much work and effort.

When I lost the original file with all these guys in it, I thought that was it. Nothing. But I do post my art here and on Twitter, no? I saved what I could off here and there, and the quality of these guys was... bad. Like, really bad. Most of the pictures I downloaded looked like this:

Fuzzy, illegible, and most details lost. Some were better quality, but...

...the image compression of being uploaded to Tumblr or Twitter was... difficult to contend with. I did have some I shared on Discord, however, those were a little more to work from.

I had some sketches, linearts, in-progress images, and some poor-quality finished works. All out of order, all wildly differing in quality. I sat back and had to think, what could I even do here? My character references, all lost to an SSD that Windows Recovery corrupted the data off of. That was probably the end of the story.

But I am stubborn.

I started to redraw them. Why did I start with Ezra, Axel, and Blaze? I don’t know why, but I’ve held these three close to me. And then I started making the basic line art for each other character, either completely by scratch (see Verda here) or with a crunchy, fuzzy, off-my-twitter-or-tumblr reference to work from.

With each new character I drew the lines for, with each finished reference, I felt like the task ahead of me was monumental - impossible at times. Work got stressful, life got in the way, and whenever I had a few minutes to myself, I was putting character after character through the redux machine and redrawing them by hand.

Some stayed incomplete for a while. Some were started and finished within a... week, reluctantly. I spent a lot of time looking at what I’d done so far, and then back at the ones I had yet to finish or start. At a certain point, I felt like I had given myself a task that I would never complete - a problem I could never solve. Maybe I would’ve given up after a certain point.

But then I didn’t. I refused to give up. I made notes for myself, I reviewed old notes saved to my old phone that barely worked that told me which of my unsaved list I had later dropped or redone. I kept drawing these characters, and about at this time I realized something.

I had been making D&D characters for almost a decade. Some of these guys are from that time - Miri and Cecillia, namely - and some had been in-progress for years before I actually ended up using them - Blaze and Axel came to mind - and here they were. Again. After I had initially lost them.

This was something that gradually made me better at drawing. This was history - my own personal brain’s history, at least - and I was doing everything I could to ensure I kept it. Not only was I determined to have at least one single full-body reference of each character I could ever use in D&D, I remembered my original goal when I was drawing these guys.

One of each race and class combination. Of course, a silly goal, but it allowed my creativity to flow and make some genuinely cool characters. I would always look back on these guys and smile, and now I can do that again - and add more.

And the satisfaction of lining them all up in a colour order was so good.

--

So yeah, from October to December. So much work, and the payoff was absolutely worth the effort and time that went into it. Through every burnt-out evening, from days I spent stuck on the couch unable to move through the pain to days I spent here and there and back again. Through each hour worked at my job, to each our I worked at home and doodled these guys. They’re here again, and they’ll see me through.

And I encourage you to design your own characters. I use D&D as inspiration for these, but I have others, after all...

But at least these references are more stuck towards their names than their full outfits, fuck’s sake. These were my May-August project of recovering files so... This year’s been certainly interesting.

[theravenlover115]

I rise again!

Yeah about time I came back, sorry I keep disappearing and reappearing every year. It's just just Discord and Twitter have been massive distractions for me. Thankfully because of a few friends of mine, I have done private stories for them that helped me refine my writing skills.

As some of you may know, my birthday is August 26th, which already passed making me 21 years old now! Best part is that a friend called DragonSnake9989 decide to redo the main cast of my story in the design department, meaning that they have a complete make over.

Right, so a reminder of Factory of Darkness. It had some few changes, it's still about the tales of humanoid corvids that are inside a factory full of monsters and strange occurrences. This time it actually jumps around on different characters on each chapter. And the most biggest change is that Allen the messenger crow is not longer the main character as the one who got the role is Amelia the witch magpie with Allen being her sidekick in a way, despite her seeing him as her equal.

Now to the characters, first let's go with the characters that got drawn before my birthday.

Huginn Chogan, the raven of the woods.

The first character he drew for me. Huginn has been around for years and just last year I decided to include him as one of the main characters for Factory of Darkness. He is raven who is stuck in between the normal and astral plane because of his soul being fused with the Astral Flame, a special item that was used by the gods in order to create both souls and the afterlife. Huginn was part of cult that wanted to utilize the power for their own needs, but a monster who guarded it attacked and killed Huginn. His soul was fused to the Astral flame and was transported to the realm of gods to make audience with them. After a while, they decided to make him a beacon of hope in a world shrouded in darkness. He is now guide of the dead who leds souls to the after life and help the living follow the rightful path. He has the ability to control blue flames and great combatant with a crossbow. He came to the factory to deal with a monster dwelling within.

Raven the Trickster. The raven who tricked the gods and stole the sun.

This one is interesting. The character has been around since 2011, but DragonSnake9989 didn't do much with him so I asked him if I could keep him. He said yes and drew this ref. He is based of many myths about a raven trickster, one including how he stole the sun from the gods. He is funny, kind and gentle raven who wants to have fun, but is willing to help those in need. He has the ability to shapeshift into any creature and item he can think thanks to a the mask he is wearing. He befriended Huginn before, only wanting to mess with him but ultimately saw him as good friend. He came to the factory just to see what's up, not expecting he'll meet troubled people who became his friends!

Allen the Messenger crow.

Allen was drawn as part of a art trade with DragonSnake9989 (DS for now on.) Allen was gonna be the main character until I changed it to Amelia. Allen is a quite messenger crow is cursed in a way how everything he delivers a message, something awful happens to the receiver. Even though this discourages home to continue his job, he is still devoted on doing anything just to deliver the message no matter what. He also a book lover and hopes he gets his own library one day, but despite his weak looking appearance, he is actually a quite formidable foe for he is quite dexterous in his wings and talons. A great friend to Huginn and Amelia. Came to the factory to deliver the message to the owner and ended up getting dragged in the the factory's shenanigans.

Singledy, the voice of the woods.

This character belongs to a friend of mine who is gonna include her in his own story, where she is a spix macaw belly dancer goddess of music and nature. I decided to share him my character Walther, (Whom i am getting into later) and just a month back decided to do the same with Singledy with me. I decided to include her in, and even my friend says he likes the path I am taking with her. In the story, she is a bard that uses dance and music as a catalyst for magic, meaning she can cast spells by singing, dancing or playing music, or all three for the more powerful stuff. She came the factory as her home village was destroyed by the company, and she has the sole intention of killing the owner as revenge, thankfully Huginn and friends snapped her out of it. She is kind, wise and motherly to the group, even wishing she could take in a place away from the dark of the world.

Ok, now we get to the new pics.

Amelia The Witch Magpie of Sapphire Woods.

Amelia is arrogant, stubborn, but heroic witch who devoted her life in studying magic. She took this path as a way to rebel against her zealous parents. She studied under her mentor, a wise old owl who was rumored to be warrior of the moon, soldiers chosen by the Lady of the Moon to punish those who harm her children, ei witches and mages. When she died, Amelia took on her scarf and started training to be one of the greatest. She takes it quite seriously and has proven herself to be quite a warrior even if sometimes her spells backfire spectacularly. Her spells are based of the light of the moon and plant life, she also has tarot reading as a hobby. She views Huginn, Allen and others as her only family and her equals. Her reason to come to the factory is because she noticed monsters coming out of it and knows she has to put a stop to this.

Muninn Chogan, The Violet Moon Ghost.

Huginn's envious and sneaky sister. She is the reason why Huginn is the way he is now. Unlike Huginn who only wanted to live a normal life (at least try considering he was a child soldier before) Muninn was super interested in the paranormal ever since she learned that ravens with white feathers are close tp the paranormal. She did vowed that her and Huginn will never separate, but deep inside she was envious of him getting the Astral flame and getting to be around the paranormal stuff. At least the gods are kind to her as she was given a flame that gives the ability ro use moonlight powers and poison clouds. She is the brains of the operation, telling Huginn what his objectives are and occasionally doing some stealth missions herself, she is a master at knife throwing and feared for having weapons no one can see until its too late. Despite her angelic appearance, she is narcissist who hates being wrong, deep inside both her and her brother are deeply broken souls. At least she is as wise as Singledy though, as the macaw views her and Amelia as her favorites.

Esther, the warrior rook medic.

Viewing herself as the normal one ofthe group despite internally being as crazy as the rest, Esther didn't have much happened to that was considering abnormal or traumatic like her compatriots. She was born from a family of soldiers and doctors, which she herself wanted to continue the tradition by enlisting in the army and studying medicine. Her aunt is well known doctor for creating new forms of medicine and Esther views her as a role model. Unfortunately she was put in the factory to help the owner with his experiments, which is where her life stopped being normal as she saw some horrible stuff. She is normally pretty head strong and no nonsense taking, even acting like a soldier. She finds everyone obnoxious, but stays are around as they aren't just idiots, they are her idiots! When in combat, she is no different than the others, as she is merciless and even psychotic. She has a crush on Ruben.

Ruben, the jackdaw knight.

Ruben had it rough, he came from a family that abused him so much that they treated him less like a person. He got so many scars from all the times he was punched, whipped and even stabbed. It got bad tp the point of him running away from them and hopping that if he survives, he'll get his revenge. He ended befriending a snake like monster who took care of him because of how isolated the beast was. Their friendship was deep that Ruben gave the beast a name, Walther. The snake was taken over by a company to be used on research, while Ruben was put in a orphanage and eventually elected on the army. Because of his trauma, he started working out so much that became the powerful mass of muscle you see. When Walther was give the factory, Ruben was appointed to be his guard. Walther even made him a set of armor made out of scrap metal. He is quite serious, but has a pretty strange sense of humor regarding food and is rather smart for a brute.

Walther, The Red King of Spades.

Walther, the son of Quetzalcoatl, owner of a great factory, well known scientist and inventor, great warrior, and caring friend.

Master swordsman, marksman, and escape artist. Able to change his colors to blend in his surroundings, hypnosis, and shape shifting. His spit is acidic while his venom will put in people in pain of they lie. He can regenerate lost limbs and wounds from any attacks in a fast pace.

He has long and strange life. He came to this world from a ritual this cult was conducting, but absolutely hated it and their teachings so he abandoned it. He spend years on the world just collecting scrap and studying about science, engineering and astrology. He took in Ruben as he was the only one who wasn't scared of him, for he is a snake in a world of bird people. The government found out about him and took him in order to dissect him, until they found he was a gifted inventor. They eventually took advantage of him by helping him in his projects and soon he brought a new age of technology to the corvids. He was trusted enough to be made owner of the factory. He was happy, but deep inside he didn't want to live his life like this. So when the monsters took over and he accidentally awoken a monster that turned his factory into a monster, he knew his time was up.

That is until he met Huginn and his friends. He ended growing attached to them, and after the events of the story, he came along with them, finally finding the thing they all equally wanted.

Family.

Here is his factory owner outfit.

Ok! Done! Oof... this took a while to write. There are more characters, these are just the main ones. I'll see if can get DS if he could draw the villains and secondary characters.

[asshlyyyy]

Look Deep Within Pt. 2 (Dylan Lenivy x reader)

I want to try and post these every other day... I have no idea how long I will keep that up. There will also be a master list for this story as well. Yes, it is indeed a story. I hope you guys enjoy this! My requests are open. So you could always hit them up with your ideas and maybe just maybe I’ll be able to do them justice. 

Sorry for any weird mistakes... I am pretty sure I got them all, but I might’ve missed something in there...? God I hope not. I write, I don’t go back to read. Ew.

Masterlist

warnings: some mild sexual jokes?          wc: 2k

15:04 | June 27 Hackett's Quarry Camp Radio Hut

"Alright, Lenivy, here's the menu for the week," you said while handing the piece of paper to Dylan.

"Hm? Let's see what we have here then," he took the paper out of your hand. You looked around the hut while he reviewed your meal ideas. His chair would make a squeaky sound every so often as he spun around.

Over the many years, you've been here... You haven't actually ever been in the hut. Chris often did the announcements and you would just hand him the menu at breakfast. Sure, you could've done that here, but Dylan was quite popular... with himself that is.

It had only been a few days since you guys got here, and you have gotten closer with some people. While on the outside people would say you got close to Dylan... you believed you got further away.

He often teased you for little things. Maybe a seed was left in the fruit that you served at breakfast... Maybe you had some food or stains on your clothes from making food. While there were moments where he was nice... you questioned everything.

You became quick friends with Nick. He often time showed up in the kitchen to help. More times than Dylan did, but you appreciated both of their help nonetheless.

"Mac n Cheese tomorrow? Do you really think that's the best idea?" Dylan questioned. You looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What's wrong with it? Kids love mac n cheese," you pointed out, "hell, I love mac n cheese."

"I just think that maybe it's a bit much for the first day that the kids are here," he commented while he put his feet up on the desk. He was niches relaxed in his radio hut.

"How is it a bit much? Its literary mac n cheese." You tried to understand his reasoning, but there wasn't anything you could figure out. It's easy and simple. It's Mac n cheese...

"I just think... we should change that mac n cheese.... to chicken nuggies and fries. That will make the kids extremely happy, and myself of course." He smiles innocently.

"Do you plan on helping me? Kitchen helper," you asked him. He let out an 'eehhhh' face as he thought about it.

"I guesss,"

"You're a pain in my ass," you commented with a roll of your eyes.  You grabbed the paper from him and drew an arrow between Monday and Wednesday.

The original day you had planned for chicken nuggets was Wednesday along with dessert. Now you had to do double the work tomorrow when you wanted an easy day.

"There you happy, you big baby?" You said as you shoved the paper back to him. He looked at the menu and gasped.

"I am not a pain in the ass," he commented as he saw what I wrote. I sent him an innocent smile."I'm leaving now," you commented and started to walk away.

"I hate to see you go... but I love to watch you leave!" Dylan called out as you stepped out the door. You stopped in your step.

"Stop looking at my ass, Lenivy!"

"Never!"

8:26 | June 28 Hackett's Quarry Camp Lodge

"Chsuuhhh, good morning Hacketters," Dylan's voice came from the speakers around you. "Today is a big day if I do say so myself. I have a note here from Mr. H himself that he wants me to read... sadly it's boring."

You rolled your eyes playfully as you continued to put the food out for the other counselors and of course Mr. H himself. You had just finished making breakfast just a couple of moments ago. Dylan had a way of timing things you had to say.

"So, let's do this Dylan's way. The kids will be arriving around ten am sharp. So I expect you all to be in the lodge around that time. That being said, you should hurry your butts to the lodge for some yummy breakfast. Made by yours truly of course. The menu says French toast and some fruit. Doesn't that sound yummy? Of course, it does. And if that doesn't rumble your tummy, we're having some chicken nuggies for lunch, of course, made by yours truly."

As you finished putting out the last of the food you went ahead and grabbed yourself a dish. Minus well eat it while it's hot instead of cold like you usually would do. It didn't even bother you that Dylan wasn't giving you any credit. It was in his nature and humor.

"And for dinner, we're having... let's see here," you heard some rustling on his side. "Right! We're having some spaghetti and meatballs. Yes, the perfect messy food for kids. Watch out, you might have to clean some kids up."

"And lastly for right now, counselors are reminded to be careful with their wording in front of kids. Along with that~ blah blah blah boring words. No getting in cahoots with each other in front of kids. Wow, kind of lame Mr. H. Am I not allowed to dip someone and kiss them?"

"Disappointing. There's also the fact that we're not allowed to sneak out. Lllaammmmeeeeeeee."

"Something along the lines of Hackett summer camp song blah blah. Let's get this day started! I'm gonna get some grub now." And with that, his voice disappeared and it got quiet. You let out a satisfied sigh and continued to eat your food.

Your once pulled back hair now laid out to its original length. Your head finally felt like it had a break from the pressure of the hair tie. The h/c locks that you had to keep back to avoid it getting into any kind of food. No matter if your hair was short… medium… or long. You had to find a way to keep it up.

"Good morning, Y/n," Nick said as he came into view. You looked over at him and sent him a smile.

"Morning, Nick," you said as he walked over to where the food was laid out.

"This all looks amazing," he complimented and started to make himself a dish. "Also, I know you made it. Dylan was just trying to take credit where it wasn't due."

"Thanks," you chuckled lightly, "I have to deal with that idiot later."

"Don't we all," he chuckled and came to sit with you.

"Yup, he wanted the chicken nuggets, so he's helping out." You explained to Nick.

"Are you going to need my help?" He then asked. He honestly was such a sweet man.

"Um... hopefully not, but with Lenivy who knows," you chuckled lightly. You picked your fork into your food slightly. Dylan has maybe been in the kitchen with you twice. Once early in the morning and the other around lunch. Two completely different people, but he was extremely helpful both times.

"Well, if you need me, you can just call me on the walkie," he smiled gently. I nodded and returned his smile. I appreciated this cinnamon roll. You let out a light breath and looked around. No one else has made their way into the lodge yet.

It was a calm scene. A smile on your face as you remembered back to when you were a child. The way you ran around this place, playing with your friends... whom you remember none of. You never stayed in touch with any of them. You were a child so... You remember one, but can't remember anything about them or even what their name was.

You just remember spending a lot of your time with them. Even though the two of you were in different groups and cabins... you two always found a way to hang out and have fun.

You even remembered when Chris would light the fireplace in the middle. Of course, that hasn't happened in some years due to the building being so old.

You leaned your check against your hand and smiled to yourself. As a kid, this place was so magical. You always felt like it was a place written out of a book. A place that only so many can experience correctly. The magic aspects it held...

The stories your friend would tell to try and scare you off. Which resulted in you pushing them into the lake and laughing. Which soon turned into them pulling you in as well. You shook that memory out of your head and turned towards Nick.

"So, I have a question," you pointed your fork at Nick.

"Yeah?" He replied and started to eat his food.

"What's the deal with you and Abi? I mean, from day one you guys were sitting next to each other... There has to be something? Am I right, or am I right?" You smiled deviously.

"Dylan is in the house!" Dylan announced as he entered the lodge. You rolled your eyes lightly and put your attention back on Nick.

"W-what do you mean? There is nothing between Abi and I. We- Were just friends." Nick tried to cover up the red that started to appear on his cheeks.

"Just friends," you brought your hands up to make quotation marks. "If you like her, I totally ship it and will gladly help you get together with her."

"I don't know... I don't even know if she likes me," he frowned gently.

"I can find out," you said as you looked at him, "and if I know, will you go and make a move?"

"I don't know... I just... I don't want to rush anything We only have two months here, don't you think that's a bit fast?" He questioned.

"Absolutely not. If you guys click, then it means it's meant to be," you smiled. He looked around and let out a worried look as all the counselors started to pile in.

"Fine, maybe, I don't know. You can't tell anyone about this."

"Are you guys keeping secrets from me?" Dylan said as he sat down at the table we were sitting at.

"I don't think you can even call it a secret," you commented as you poked your fork into a strawberry and popped it into your mouth.

"Are we talking about how Nick likes Abi?" He asked as he started to eat.

"I-" Nick was lost for words. I let out a giggle and nodded. "Does everyone know???"

"Abi, doesn't know," you pointed out.

"Because she is just as blind as Nick here," Dylan pointed out.

"You act like you never liked anyone and kept it to yourself," Nick rolled his eyes lightly.

"Nope," he shook his head, "even when I did make a move the girl didn't even acknowledge it.”

"Oh, I have to hear this story," You said interested. Dylan looked over at you surprised. His eyes quickly found your e/c ones. It wasn’t like he was shocked... it was more... ‘this wasn’t the plan’

"It's a pretty bad story, I doubt you'd want to hear it," he chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck.

"I actually kind of want to hear it as well," Nick spoke up.

"Ha! Now you have to tell us," you smiled deviously as you finished off the last of your food. Dylan let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but no laughing," Dylan warned.

"I will promise no such thing," You said. Nick nodded in agreement. Dylan let out another annoyed sigh and looked down at his food.

"It was roughly six years ago or so. I was a young tall boy. I was running around Hackett's Quarry summer camp. I was friends with quite a lot of people, but one stood out to me. The one who I spent most of my time with. The one I pushed into the lake multiple times. I used to call them munchkin-"

Your eyes widen at that name. It was all coming back to you- the way you two instantly clicked... the stubborn teasing and not hating him... It all made sense.

[nineteenninety-six]

A Little Bit of Sunshine

↳ Hector x Reader

↳ Word Count: 3.09k

↳ Requested by @shadechu​

A/N: I have never written for Castlevania before but I really enjoyed writing this, it flowed so easily. Hector is probably OOC but who cares lol. 

Anyway, enjoy :D

Hector had moved to a small town after everything had gone down with Lenore. After she died he realised how much damage she caused him, the lasting marks of her abuse and manipulation still scarred his body and mind and he could no longer stay in a place where they had lived and she had died.

The fact that he managed to escape the bond she had on him and that he was able to deceive her was only able to sustain him for a short while before everything fell apart and Hector was no longer able to act as if everything was okay, so he left and started anew.

The new town was on the smaller side but not small to the point where he would stand out. He easily blended into bustling crowds in the town centre and the residents treated him like any other local. For the first time in a long time, he felt normal, as working for Dracula was an experience that words couldn't explain.

He had his own little cabin in the woods where he could be at peace and the distance to the town centre was far but long enough for him to enjoy the sights as he walked past. All in all, he liked this new path of his life, it was almost completely different than it used to be and he expected to miss it but he enjoyed the calmness and serenity of this new path of his life.

On his usual weekly trip to town, someone called out to him, trying to catch his attention. it was a young woman, probably the same age as him and she was calling for his attention, waving him over to her stall.

"Sir! Sir!"

Hector looked up in surprise and as soon as the woman realised she had his attention a bright smile overtook over her face before she eagerly began to wave him over, swinging her arms back and forth over her head, gathering the attention of the other people around them.

Hector quickly shuffled over to them not wanting her to cause an even bigger scene and pull more attention their way.

"You're new aren't you?" Was the first thing out of her mouth.

Hector flinched in shock at her words, not expecting them. No one else knew he was new and that put him on edge.

"Oh don't look so surprised, I just know everyone that comes here."

Hector raises a brow at her words, " ... That's weird. You do realise that right?"

The woman shrugs, "Maybe but it makes for good business. People are more likely to buy something if I remember them from just previously meeting."

Hector realises that he's standing in front of a stall filled with baked goods, "You're a baker?"

"Family business," She clarifies, “I mostly do the selling due to my - "

"Charm?" Hector cuts in with a sarcastic tone.

"Actually, I was going to say my good looks but yes charm too." The woman grins.

Hector couldn't help but bark out a laugh, the woman never missed a beat.

"I'm (Y/N) in case you wanted to know" (Y/N) informed him with a wink.

Hector had to twist his lips so that the smile that so desperately wanted to escape, couldn't.

"Hector" He introduced himself.

"Well Hector, what can I get you? " (Y/N) asked, gesturing to the spread of baked goods in front of her.

Oh, she was smart. Catching his attention, making him come over to his stall and

converse with her in front of everyone and now he could surely not been seen walking away with nothing after taking up her time. While he didn't really care about the local’s opinions about him, he didn't want to be outcasted more than he already was.

"I'll have a loaf and a sweet pie please"

(Y/N) shoots him a bright smile and packs up his items, then collects his money.

"Thank you, Hector. I hope to see you again soon"

"I'll see you again" Hector responded

As he began to walk back home, Hector thought back on how easily (Y/N) made him feel at ease, how he brought a smile to his face and drew laughter from and he got scared.

This is how Lenore got her claws in him, she manipulated and lied to him before tricking him into servitude and he never wanted something like that to ever happen again.

He decided for the health of his mind, he would keep his distance from (Y/N). He couldn't find it in himself to completely ghost her and ignore her so he'll keep cordial. He'll be friendly but he couldn't let himself become close to her.

.•° ✿ °•.

His plan worked well, every time he went up to town he stopped by her stall and bought what ended up being his usual order of a loaf and a sweet pie, engaged in small talk with (Y/N) before leaving and it worked well for weeks until he had a dream about Lenore one night.

A mere dream had knocked him off-kilter. He had awoken a mess and fell out of his bed in his confused and frantic attempt to escape his blankets. He only managed to crawl a few paces before collapsing on the cold floor, his remaining energy only enough to let him roll onto his back. Hector blinked lazily up at the ceiling as everything he had locked away came rushing back. He relived the moment when he fell for her, the moment he realised that she had tricked him, the moment when she realised he betrayed her and then when she had died by her own will.

Everything that had occurred over the last few years played in front of his eyes and he hated every part of it. He could never forgive himself for being so naive and trusting yet he missed those traits of his.

When he 'awoke' again, the sun was moving low, signifying sunset wasn't far away. He pulled himself up and washed his face at the basin before he left his cabin, his feet taking him into town. The town centre was still busy despite the late hour and so was she, the woman who he came to see.

Despite the other stall owners who had either left or were in the process of doing so, her stall was still set up with what remaining items she had left. She was sitting on a stall with a book on her lap in a different world and Hector felt bad about disturbing her but he needed her.

He didn't even have to call her name, as soon as he was a few feet away, she looked up at him with a smile and closed her book shut, though when she got a proper look at him, her smile faltered.

"Hector?" She made her way over to him, brow furrowed in concern, "Is everything okay?"

He must look like a mess. He certainly felt it on the inside and he had been in a trance since he woke up, not paying any attention to his looks.

"I... um, I -" Hector stumbled over his words, his tongue suddenly heavy.

"Why don't you take a seat" (Y/N) guided Hector to her stall and offered him some water from the pouch at her side.

Seeing that he was in no position to talk about what happened, (Y/N) changed the topic slightly, "I thought you were not coming today. I got so used to seeing you, it would be a shame if I did not see you."

"But do not fret, I set aside your usual order for you," She said as she showed him a little wrapped up basket.

Hector nodded, the change in conversation took the pressure off his shoulders and he felt more at ease to speak.

"What do you do with the ones you do not sell? "He asked

"Today these are going to the homeless. I usually alternate between them, the orphanage and poor families"

"That is kind of you. Nobody did anything like that when I was young"

"I think the world is horrible enough with the wars and death and it costs nothing to do a little good within your own community" (Y/N) then looked up at the sky and noticed the changing colours, “Do you want to come with me as I give these out?”

Desperate for more of a distraction, Hector agrees and he helps her clear up her stan before they set off to a different part of town, him carrying the basket of baked goods for the homeless.

“Do you have any family, Hector?” (Y/N) asked.

Hector shook his head, his grey hair swishing around his chin as he did so, “Just me”

“Hm, well if you want any annoying younger siblings, I’ll eagerly give you all of mine”

“Surely they’re not that bad-”

(Y/N) lets out a laugh, “One day I’ll take you to meet them. You’ll regret your words!”

As they walked around, handing the food to the less fortunate, Hector noticed the strange way (Y/N) behaved. Her head constantly twitched one way to the other, as if someone was calling for her attention but she stopped herself before fully turning around to see and her eyes were flickering about like seeing things that weren’t there.

“(Y/N)? Is everything okay?” Hector asked

(Y/N) froze when he spoke, looking at him with wide eyes, she twisted her head around to make sure no one was nearby before she grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hidden alcove.

There was fear in her eyes as she gripped his hands tightly, “I am telling you this because I trust you but you cannot tell anyone or they will kill me.”

“(Y/N)...?”

(Y/N) casts one more precautionary look around her before speaking, “I can speak to animals”

Hector blinked in surprise, that was the last thing he expected.

“You...speak to animals?”

“Speak, understand, you know the whole thing”

“...The whole thing?” Hector repeated after her.

(Y/N)’s shoulder slumped in disappointment at his words, “You do not believe me. Of course, you don’t, I sound like a crazy woman.”

“No, no!” Hector was quick to reassure her, “I don’t think you’re crazy, of course not.”

(Y/N) gripped Hector’s hands tighter in relief and he suddenly realised that they had not stopped holding hands since she had dragged him. Her hands were soft but strong and steady and they fit perfectly in his, he never wanted to let go.

“I could do since I was a child and I told my parents but they thought I was a child with a large imagination so they ignored me,” (Y/N) began to elaborate on her talent, “And when I was ten there was a witch-burning in our old town, an older woman was accused of conjuring spirits and setting against the people of the village but in reality, she was just a sick old woman who needed help. After that, I knew I couldn’t let anyone know about you know what”

“Why did you tell me?” Hector asked.

“...I don’t know. There’s something about you, so understanding, empathetic, trustworthy. I know I can trust you.”

(Y/N) had revealed her deepest secret to him, made herself vulnerable yet he could not do the same to her, though the ability to communicate with animals was much different than being a forgemaster.

“You can trust me, I promise I will not tell anyone.”

(Y/N)’s shoulders relaxed and she gave him a brief smile, “Your belief in me means more than you know.”

“Now,” Hector lifted the basket up, “Should we finish what we started?”

It had progressively gotten darker, the sun only moments away from going down completely.

“Of course! We must finish before it gets too dark.” (Y/N) stepped out of the alcove and hurried down the street, dragging Hector behind her, still holding on to his hand.

-

It was dark by the time they began to walk home, Hector insisting on walking her home so that she wasn’t alone at night. She stopped in front of a little cabin, not unlike his, it also wasn’t that far away from his.

“You don’t live with your family?” Hector asked.

(Y/N) shook her head, “It is better for me this way. I love my family, truly but the chance of them finding out about me is something I can’t risk. I cannot truly say that they wouldn’t expose me… there are some things that are beyond even family ties.”

“Anyway,” (Y/N) spoke with a sigh, “It is late, I need to sleep. Thank you for today, Hector. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Hector waited until (Y/N) had reached her door and spoke again, “Can we...meet again soon?”

(Y/N) gave him a toothy smile, “Of course. In two days by the lake? I can bring a picnic for lunch.”

Hector nodded, “I’ll see you then.”

He waited until her door closed before he made his way home, his heart feeling happy. He had forgotten how he felt earlier that day and (Y/N) had completely turned his day around. He did feel guilt though, he went to for help, a distraction which she provided and then she revealed a deep secret of hers yet he couldn’t even tell her about his nor his past with Lenore or history with Dracula and being a forgemaster. The things he carried were heavy yet (Y/N) had already been so understanding and kink that he didn’t fear telling them to her, he knew she would understand.

In two days at the picnic, he would tell her.

.•° ✿ °•.

(Y/N) was already by the lake by the time he arrived, speaking out loud to someone he couldn’t see but when he heard the responding barks and yelps, he realised that she was talking to a dog. He hurried his pace to catch up to her, excited to see her communicate to animals in person.

“Is that a dog you’re speaking to?” He shouted as he jogged over to her.

(Y/N) spun around with a smile, “Yes! I’ll introduce you to him!”

She crouched down and took the dog into her arms before turning towards him after he finally reached her,

“Hector this is- Cezar”

“-Cezar”

Hector and (Y/N) spoke at the same time. Hector stared at the dog he had not seen since Carmilla had dragged him away after Dracula died and (Y/N) stared at Hector, surprised he knew the little mongrel dog.

Cezar eagerly barked at Hector, his tiny body wriggling in excitement as he tried to escape (Y/N)’s hold, so she let him down and watched as he raced over to Hector barking like mad and when Hector kneeled down, the door jumped into his arms and wiggled some more.

“...So I guess you know each other then?” (Y/N) asked.

“Cezar is my dog,” Hector explained, giving the small dog rubs and pats, “I got separated from him a while ago but how did you meet him?”

“We stumbled across each other last year and then we became close companions...but I’ve always been curious about something about him.”

“Is it that he looks like he should be dead?”

(Y/N) laughed, “Yes, Hector. Don’t get me wrong, I love the little dog but he looks a bit beyond his years.”

Hector put Cezar down and together they began walking towards the lake so they could set up their picnic.

He took a deep breath before he began to explain what he could do, “I’m a forgemaster.”

“Forgemaster? What’s that?”

Of course, she wouldn’t know what that was, her world was not the same as his.

“I can bring back animals and humans from the dead and call demons from hell.”

“Wow...that’s uh...wow”

“I’m sorry for dumping this on you, I know it’s quite heavy stuff.”

“I did not know that was possible”

“Many don’t. It’s beyond comprehension.”

“If I wasn’t looking at proof right now” (Y/N) pointed towards Cezar who was trotting ahead of them, “I wouldn’t believe it either.”

“Is that what caused you such distress the other day?” (Y/N) asked as they found a place to sit down.

“No, no, that was about Lenore.”

(Y/N) kept quiet allowing Hector to speak at his own pace.

“I was taken captive, stuck in a cell and Lenore gained my trust, pretending that she was someone that I could trust only to betray me and me her slave to her and her sisters. I was under their or more specifically her control for over a year until I managed to trick her and end the ‘bond’.”

“Where’s she now?”

“Dead. She was a vampire and decided it was her time to go.”

“Did you love her?” (Y/N) asked

“No, I don’t think I did. After I realised what she had done to me any feelings that I may have had disappeared, they were not formed authentically. I still feel incredibly stupid about the whole thing, I was foolish to believe someone who was involved in sisterhood with the person who captured me would genuinely care for me.”

“You were not foolish, you were human Hector '' (Y/N) comforted him, “You were vulnerable and she took advantage of that, you should not feel ashamed. You are strong that’s why you’re here with me right now and Lenore is no longer alive. You will never be proud of yourself if you keep on diminishing what you’ve achieved so far. You’ll never be happy and I want you to be happy”

Hector takes her hand in his, “I want to be happy.”

(Y/N) smiles at him, “You will be, I know you will.”

“I want to be happy with you”

“Oh-” (Y/N) smile changes into a softer one that tickles Hector’s heart, “I want to be happy with you too.”

“Imagine it,” Hector falls onto his back and tugs (Y/N) down with him, “You, me, Cezar in a cabin in the woods and all the animals you wish to speak to”

(Y/N) laughs, “You wouldn’t believe how chatting animals are, I’m fine with just being me you and Cezar for the moment.”

Cezar jumps up on Hector’s chest with a bark before settling down with a huff.

“Sounds like he agrees”

[roscgcld]

RYOMEN SUKUNA || my little flower

anime: jujutsu kaisen

characters: ryomen sukuna

pronouns: she/her 

notes: historical!sukuna x reader, slightly sexual (no smexy time involved lol - maybe another day ;)), quite fluffy towards the end

also - I’ve been reading so many sukuna hcs and imagines of him when he’s in his prime or during the historical era - so like excuse me as I politely simp for the man that is ryomen sukuna >< thank you 

references: https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/literature/Ryomen-sukuna.html 

Sukuna leans back into the futon with a tired sigh, two of his arms folded behind his head while the other two held you against him securely. His ruby red eyes glanced away from the ceiling to look down at the woman curled up in his embrace, sleeping peacefully against him whilst her own soft arms were wrapped around his muscular torso. He admired your peaceful features at first, but soon his eyes started to travel down your delicate neck and cleavage, your soft skin marked by dark splotches where he had marked you up for the world to see.

Just the sight of the hickeys and bite marks caused Sukuna to smirk once more, the feeling of pride traveling through him at the sight of the hickeys, both new and old, marring your skin. It was a sight he would never get bored of seeing, since it was a constant reminder to you that you were his and no one else’s. 

Many would question just how did this happen - how did a simple human manage to ‘tame’ the infamous Sukuna - the King of Curses, who spreads chaos and bloodshed in his wake? How did you, a mere human woman who looked far too kind hearted and warm, ended up with such a fearsome man? 

Well, how this came to be was actually a cute story.

You grew up in a small village in Hida province, where many cities treated Sukuna as their patron deity. He was what people would call quite a cold ruler - one who would not hesitate to bring terror and bloodshed down on a town that had angered him. But at the same time, he was quite the generous man as well. He protects the people of the Hida and Mino Provinces, and many towns had florish and grow under his careful guidance.

Your town was one of the may towns that worshipped the Cursed Spirit, preparing offerings on special celebrations and always paying your respects whenever you go up to the ichinomiya on the weekends with your parents. It was because of one of these special celebrations that drew Sukusa to you.

It was one of the many days where offerings were given to him by townspeople, in hopes that they will still continue to get some form of protection from the unknown. He was their patron deity, after all. Even though many times he does all the things he does for his own benefit, it was nice to know that there are some who are gullible enough to think he does it for them. But he it’s one to complain - many of the offerings are things he does not mind indulging in. The best crops from the harvest, women for his ever growing harem, beautifully crafted weapons and clothes are the few he can keep in mind

Many times, he does not care to go through the offerings himself - Uraume goes through all of them and then gives him a general overview of everything. However, as he was walking past one of the neat piles of offerings, a particular garment box caught his eye; causing him to pause before he unwraps it curiously. 

Sitting inside the carefully wrapped package was a beautiful dark blue kinomo made of the finest silk, the fabric so smooth that it almost felt like water slipping through his fingers. Packed along with the kinomo was a beautifully crafted haori, a simple yet beautiful crane woven into the haori in white, the details done so carefully that when worn, the crane moves with the shifting of the fabric. The packet also came with a matching hakama made from the luxurious fabric, and a beautiful kaku obi made from navy blue, white and silver carefully weaved together into in a beautiful talent.

It was because of the level of craftsman ship that had Sukuna curious - who was the mastermind of something so beautiful?

He had went to the town where the garment was from and after some digging about, discovered about you. A daughter to a family of tailors, you were quite well known for your talents in embroidery and your mastery of the loom. Having gotten such talents, you crafted many beautiful pieces, and one of them was gifted to Sukuna himself recently. 

When he first saw you, he was struck by your beauty; how you had such a warm smile no matter who you were referring to. How your movements were graceful yet swift, your needle and threat embroidering the most beautiful depections of animals and flowers without a single mistake. How your voice was so sweet and calming that he can physically feel the tension from his body starting to unwind ever so slightly. If he could, he’d love to listen to your voice forever - which was what he intended to do. 

The first time you two met was actually in the dead of the night; you had stayed up later then usual, carefully embroidering a water lily onto a long fabric for a personal tapestry you wanted to hang in your room. A candle was burning by your work table, casting the engawa of your home in a soft but comforting glow; enough for you to do your work without straining too much. You were so fucsed on your work that you didn’t notice how the flames of your candle started to flicker in the glass holder; even though there was the air was still. Your eyes didn’t trail up from your tapestry even as a large figure quietly entered the hallway you were in; only pausing when you felt a huge presence looming over you.

Your bright eyes flickered upwards and met with four pairs of ruby red ones staring right back at you; all four of them shining in amusement. “You are quite oblivious, little one.” Sukuna hummed out with a soft grin, to which you just gave him a confused look as you tilted your head ever so slightly. “How did you get into my house?” You asked quietly, not even acknowledging how the man before you looked very different from what you’re used to; from the four muscular arms sprouting out from underneath the dark blue haori, the very same one that you had made for him. to the extra pair of eyes he sported on his face. Or how the top of his head was clearly brushing against the simple weed roofing of your family home.

“Is that really the first thing you’re going to ask, little one?”

From that day onwards, things definitely went a lot smoother then Sukuna could have imagined. At first the lack of reaction from you confused him, but he found it quite amusing nonetheless. Even after finding out that he was the same deity that you had heard stories of since you were in diapers, you acted no differently around him. You still talked and laughed with him like he was any other human. which for some reason made his heart feel warm and fuzzy. It makes him want to gather you up in his arms, protecting you from the horrors of the world.

The two of you will continue to meet up in the night like secret lovers; many nights he’d just lean against one of the pillars of your family home, with you perched in his lap as you work on different projects every night; talking about things that happen that day, or the funny stories that the townsfolk would share with you whenever they drop by to mend and purchase clothes, or when they dropped off freshly dyed fabrics. During a few of these nights Sukuna had suggested if you can help him mend a few of his kimonos, which you agreed to without hesitation. Some days you’d ever create new kimonos for him as well, which he would wear quite proudly. 

Soon these innocent nights of talking and laughter, him watching you do your work under the moonlight, to having you gasping and crying out for him as he took you over and over again in his grand bedroom; watching quite gleefully as he corrupted your innocence, ruining you for any other man. Ever since the first night you two shared in his bed, he knew that there was no turning back - there was no one else for him but you. 

And there was no way he was going to let some puny human even try to get in between the both of you.

With that he whisked you away from the somewhat mundane and boring life in your town, making you his entire world. He showered you with the finest gifts and opened the more human side of him to you; one that he thought he had lost the moment he had decided to go down the path he did. But you pulled these emotions out from him with ease, making him realise that he can chase all the power he want till the end of time and that will never satisfy him completely. 

All he needed was you, and everything feels right in the world.

“I’ve lost you again, haven’t I?”

Sukuna’s eyes snapped towards the direction of your sleepy voice, watching how you gave him the most beautiful yet sleepy smile as you carefully shifted your body so it was pressed against his. He marveled how your naked bodies clicked together seamlessly, even with the clear size difference between the two of you. “You will always have my attention, flower.”

The sound of the simple nickname cause a small smile tug against the corner of your lips, remembering how that nickname came about. You have always love studying flowers, since you enjoyed embroidering different sorts of flora and fauna onto different tapestries that now adorned the walls of the home you two share. You had once told him about your love of flowers, and because of that, you had came home one day to the courtyard in your shared home turned into your private garden; with flowers from all across the country planted at every nook and cranny. 

When you had asked Sukuna about it, he just shrugs and gave you an indulge smile - as if asking were you really shocked by his gift to you. When he realised just how deep your love for nature was, he had started to call you ‘his flower’, and the name has stuck since then. “What a sweet talker.”

A chuckle rumbled deep within his chest as one of his hands found purchase along your back, starting to massage what he was sure were your sore muscles; watching in satisfaction as you melted more into his chest. “Only for you.” He admitted quietly, to which you just gave him a loving smile as you rest your cheek against his chest once more; a soft finger started to trace along the tattoos on his skin. This action caused him to relax further into the futon, sighing softly in content. “Sukuna? Can we take a bath?”

“I’m lazy.” Sukuna stated with a soft groan as he glanced down at you once more, only to be met by the soft pout that you just know gets him to give in. This caused him to scowl as he cupped your face in one of his hands, gently squishing your cheeks between his fingers as he pushes himself up into a seated position. “You little minx.” He growls playfully whilst you just gave him a teasing smile, straddling his lap with your legs on either side of his whilst one of your hands wrapped around his wrist; causing him to loosen his grip on you whilst letting out a loud sigh. “How annoying.”

His arms suddenly wrapped around you before he got up from the comfort of the warm futon, causing you to giggle as you wrap your arms around his neck. “Let’s go, flower.” He sighs dramatically before he walked you both to the bathroom, causing you to perk up before you lean over to press a loving kiss against his cheek; ignoring his soft eyeroll at your act of affection. As if he didn’t enjoy it whenever you do so. “I love you.”

“Of course you do.” He teases before he started to walk you two towards the bathroom, one of his hands skimming down to the small of your pack where a beautiful black tattoo rested against your soft skin; a tattoo that looks similar to the black lines that adorned his own skin. “You’re mine, after all.” He stated simply, causing you to roll your eyes at him playfully as he carefully sat you down on the wooden steps leading to the opening of the ofuro; watching as Sukuna started to prepare the bath for the both of you. “Wouldn’t it kill for you to just be a little nicer to me?”

Your teasing tone clearly didn’t win any points with him, who narrowed his eyes at you and before you know it you were suddenly pinned down against the wooden steps. A soft giggle left your lips at the narrowed eyes that stared back at you, causing Sukuna to scowl softly at your reaction. “Now you’re just asking for it, flower.” He growled before diving down to meet your lips in a passionate kiss; not being able to mask his smile at the sound of your soft laughter just as you wrapped your arms around him once more.

"My little flower..”

© roscgcld — all rights reserved to me, rose, the author and creator of these works. do not repost/translate/claim my work as yours on any platform

[all-might-can-smash-me]

Dad/Family headconons

Masterlist

Aizawa, Taishiro, Toshinori, Sir Nighteye, and Hawks

Aizawa Shouta/Eraserhead

Despite him being that kind of nonchalant, I don’t give a shit about anything kind of person.....he’s a family guy

Loves kids

He just wants you to have a huge army of kids following alongside you hand in hand to visit him at work.

Looks forward to being able to relate to someone else with his quirk

Doesn’t care if they are all girls, all boys, a mixture of both, or even fostering or adopting, he’s for everything

Was kind of afraid to open up about that side of himself when you two got married, but you are all for it too

Feels that he can handle it with your help thanks to having some experience with dealing with his students

Is slapped in the face with shock when you two have your first 2 or 3 kids because infants are, you guessed it, nothing like teens who are all emotional about becoming a prohero

Guess he would be prepared for whenever they would get to their teenage years

Except for periods because he didn’t know anything about them but he’ll probably take the time to learn about it from you

Still happy over his growing army though

Still loves the chaos of it all, plus it’s good to have Aizawa to control their quirks when they start to develop

The chaos also reminds him of his own time in school with his few friends he had....they were always so vibrant and loud unlike him and he kind of envied it (secretly)

Yamada and Kayama (Present Mic and Midnight) loves to visit his little army and spoil them with toys and snacks even if Aizawa disapproved of it

You helped hand out the toys and snacks.....Aizawa could suck it up

Napping piles are normal in this household, so don’t be freaked when you see all of your children curled up or around Aizawa under a pillow fort in the living room.

It breaks his heart everytime though when his kids beg to take a stray cat home and he has to say no....but he’ll end up going back on patrol to feed it and then probably cave in and bring it home anyway

He’ll just shrug off his children’s accusations of him being a ‘hypocrite’ for saying no to their pleas earlier and say something like ‘Well I said you couldn’t do it, nothing about me though’

The tea parties are lit and he’ll crush anyone at a video game

Taishiro Toyomistu/Fatgum

Really never thought about having his own kids until meeting Kirishima and Tamaki

Life was changed FOREVER since meeting them, now he would like to have his own family

It was kind of confusing to finally have the talk of having kids a couple of years into your marriage, but your views on having kids were changed too after meeting the two UA students

He let you on thinking just one or two kids were great, but you didn’t know if you should have been surprised that you were in the hospital room pushing out your 5th child

It was kind of funny to see Taishiro freaking out even if it was his 5th time next to you in labor

Your kids were so use to it they just sat out in the hallway doing their schoolwork or playing games on their iPads as Kirishima and Tamaki watched over them (your labor would always catch them while they were out on patrol)

I picture that all his kids are girls

He uses the excuse “just one more kid, maybe this time it’ll be a boy”, It’s NEVER a boy

I feel that he’s the dad to sneak home McDonald’s fries or ice cream to his kids despite you not liking it

Will take the blame when you catch one of your daughters munching on fries on the way back to her room (daughters will also try to take the blame, but how the heck could girls 13 and younger sneak out all the way to McDonalds)

He’ll also get all his daughters together to bake a cake and also decorate it. The creativity shown by his daughters will always amaze him.

He and his daughters would even clean up the kitchen together...mostly so that you wouldn’t get mad upon seeing the kitchen as a disaster

Gets way into watching Barbie’s Life in the Dream House and secretly really loves our queen Raquelle

All Might/Toshinori Yagi

Just wants one little girl

To spoil her ROTTEN!

Seeing his friend David Sheild’s daughter Melissa grow up and look so happy always made him envious. Young Midoriya also played a huge role in his desire for at least one kid

One child was enough for the two of you and thankfully your first and only child was a girl

Gran Torino will also spoil her rotten along with Sir Nighteye

Will not be embarrassed to be caught sprawled out on the ground with your daughter playing with dolls

He’s actually quite proud of the fact that he doesn’t mind getting down and dirty when it comes to playing with ‘girly’ things with his young daughter unlike other dads

Loves to play Studio Ghibli movies for your daughter.....but Yagi is way more into it

I say this because Toshinori will try to hide his tears while watching My Neighbor Totoro as your daughter is fast asleep on his lap.

He will also sneak in a rated pg-13 hero movie from the United States in when your gone too....and then he’ll act surprise when your daughter would repeat the fowl language she heard in the movie

He would and WILL spend hours on YouTube to learn how to braid hair and put bows in and ribbons

He would bring her to work a lot too to see class 1A in action

Daughter will forever be his ‘baby’, so he HATES the thought of her starting to date and get married.

So when she admitted that the boy ‘Todoroki’ in his class was handsome while heading home one day from his work, he swore off boys....

He wasn’t surprised though, she was always managing to get Todoroki to hold her hand while Toshinori would have class 1A doing scenarios in teams and showing off her hair to him and asking if he noticed anything different.

Todoroki is a good sport, he held her hand and always complimented her hair...

Yeah she was mad at Toshinori and you made him unswear off boys, especially Todoroki

Brings your daughter to work just to brag about how he did her hair to EVERYONE

Mirai Sasaki/Sir Nighteye

Eh....he didn’t want kids, never had the desire tbh

Though something about UA students’ charming personalities making these heroes want families. Mirio got him thinking one kid couldn’t be so bad

You were shocked when he asked to have a kid, but you agreed....after discussing it for awhile to make sure he wanted this

I picture him having one cute, little shy boy

Like the cute little boy with glasses who wears those cute shorts with a bug related shirt that just wants to search for roly-poly in the dirt and grass in the back yard

Very quiet and a bit shy around new people, but is literally the most polite little boy in the WORLD

Nighteye will use his quirk on his son when out looking for bugs to just see if he missed something in the grass or dirt, but that’s as far as he’ll use it

The reason why Nighteye thinks he’s so funny is because your son (and you of course along with mirio) are the only ones who laugh at his jokes, especially your son

Your son finds ANYTHING his dad says or does hilarious. His dad made a gasp of excitement along side his son upon finding a millipede? Instant laughter will follow

Those bouts of laughter from his son is the best feeling in the world to him

Tried to make your son an expert on All Might, but gave up when he came to his conclusion that your son just wasn’t into it.

It was kind of weird at first to find out his son was just simply NOT into heroes, but now he just loves the fact that his son likes what he likes and doesn’t let himself get swayed by others, even his own mom and dad

If you can’t make his little boy, his pride and joy, laugh? Sorry, but don’t talk to Nighteye or his son ever again

He will sit and listen to his little boy go on and on and on and ON about anything and never get bored (or show it). He will sit and listen intently about the cool facts about the bug he found or a plant.

He’d even listen to the longest explanation about a tiny little squiggle on a piece of paper that he drew on if it was being told by his little boy.

Will even put a meeting on hold just to answer a FaceTime from his son from your phone just to listen to him talk about a leaf he made a pressing of....and will sit there with the volume all the way up on his phone too so the others in the room can hear as well.

Will spend all night pinning bugs to a board to frame and label just for your son

Keigo Takami/Hawks

He didn’t even want to date tbh

Though when he met you? The cliche ‘love at first sight’ happened and soon the two of you were married pretty quickly and boy was he a happy man

He didn’t really even want kids either. He just didn’t want to have kids and somehow they end up with a childhood like his that’s not the greatest or most normal, plus he was happy with the little domestic life with you.

But then IT happened. You know, when a mommy and daddy love each other very much and poof, a baby? Yeah....

He was TERRIFIED, but once your first child came into the world, a new sense of happiness sparked within him, like his own eyes opened for the first time to the world

This happened twice more, ending up with his happy family consisting of you, his two boys, and his little girl.

He’s the kind of dad to have his wallet FILLED with pictures of his kids and you. He will shamelessly show them off to fans while on patrol and also to Endeavor....even if he’s seen them a trillion times. Also his office is filled with framed pictures too

He also gets in trouble a lot along with his two boys for playing to rough and loudly within the house by you, especially for flying and being too competitive with video games and ANY activity he would take part in with them.

What can he say? His sons were like the best friends he was never able to have as a kid, he wanted to take in the beauties of having an energetic family

He doesn’t play favorites, but when it comes to his little girl? Sometimes he’ll catch a feeling of her feeling like she’s the odd one out when it comes to her two older brothers and he can relate to that feeling.

So he’ll set aside some dad and daughter time to do the things she likes, like read, color, and draw

He would even let her do his hair with tiny braids and color pieces of clip in hair and many butterfly clips. Keigo would also then wear it out proudly on patrol and check his reflection MULTIPLE times to make sure everything was in place.

He would then shout to the press and paparazzi that his daughter did his hair, showing it off in the process

When the picture would come out with the headliner ‘Hawks’ New Look Thanks to Daughter’ for the news the next day, the look of pride and awe on your daughters face upon looking at the front cover of the magazines and newspapers at the store you and his family would shop at would absolutely melt his heart melt

He’s the first one to pull back the covers to let his children climb in when scared by a thunderstorm or the spooky shadow in their room even if they may be getting ‘too old’ to be doing that...according to Endeavor however, so that information might be wrong

Bribes his kids not to tell you that he entered the house through the window and not the front door