#it could've come out worse tho

[sunberry-strawflower]

#curtissonweek2023

Well, guess who decided to participate in @blue-fanlady's curtisson week??

I stg this first day was sending me to hell and back😭😭I was almost considering not posting it but I might as well haha

It's a meeting in a dream type beat bcz I feel like we don't have enough of those

(Bit of a TW for derealization? They ask the other if they're real a few times so I'm just being safe)

Word count: 1.1k

Curtisson Week Day 1: First Meet

Sven found himself inside of a small, pretty garden. It was night time and the moon was out, high in the sky with stars twinkling above. Flowers of all kinds were surrounding him and a path made of cobblestone led its way to a nice wood bench. Sven looked around and saw all the different kinds of flowers as he walked down the pathway. Tall sunflowers that towered over him and small daisies and poppies he'd have to crouch down to see properly.

The garden was fairly quiet, nothing but the sound of his own footsteps and the night air. Once he got to the bench, he took a seat on it and looked around a bit more. This felt relaxing. Almost freeing. 

One thing he noticed while looking around was a wood shed, not too far away from the bench. It looked like it was fairly old, but it was still in decent shape as long as you were careful to not lean on anything and get a splinter. 

Another thing he noticed was that, outside of the gate leading to the garden and the fence surrounding it, it was just a black void. No lights, no trees, no grass, not even the night sky to be found out there. Just pitch black. It felt like this garden was the only thing present. He was the only person present here. 

He was so lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice another person approach him and take a seat on the bench next to him. He instinctively turned into this person's direction and jumped a little bit. Guess he wasn't the only person here after all… 

This person looked like a guy around his age, he had a tophat on with headphones that seemed to be an orange-ish sesame color ripping through it. 

Sven found himself staring at him in wonder. How did he get here? Is he even human? Is this some kind of figment of his imagination? 

The other turned to look in his direction. He seemed to have caught Sven staring. "Uhm…"

Sven jumped again and tried to stutter out something. "Oh! Uh, I wasn't..well, I didn't mean to uhh, stare. Sorry."

The other just shrugged. "It's fine."

Well, seems like the pretty atmosphere was a little ruined because all of Sven's thoughts shifted to the guy next to him. He had just about a million questions jogging through his head. 

Who is this guy? Is he a figment of his imagination? Can figments of your imagination talk? Is this a dream? Is he dreaming? Has he seen this person before? 

Sven started to wonder if he should talk to this person or not. He didn't want the silence to become awkward (or at least, more awkward than it's already become) and it feels like the longer he stays quiet, the more confused he feels. 

Sven glanced back at the person next to him and decided to ask him the question he's been wondering about the most. 

"Who are you?"

The other turned to look at him. "Hm? Oh, I'm Burt," he replied. "You are?"

"Sven." he answers, still looking at the other curiously. He was about to drop another question before Burt started to speak again. 

"Well, nice to meet you?" He said, awkwardly. 

"Why'd you end that like it was a question?" Sven asked. 

"I dunno. I'm confused, I guess."

Sven tilted his head. "About what?"

"You ask a lot of questions." Burt deadpanned. 

"Hey!" Sven looked almost offended. "I only asked three! I'm just trying to make an effort to understand what's going on here."

Burt shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry." 

Sven couldn't tell whether that apology was genuine or not, but he decided not to question it this time and sighed. 

They both sat in a silence that was a little less awkward than before. Still though, Sven couldn't help but continue to wonder about this Burt guy. 

Sven leaned closer to the other and started to lightly poke his arm. 'My finger isn't going through him.' 

He poked a little more before Burt glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" 

Sven looked up at him. "Are you real?" He asked suddenly. 

Burt seemed a little confused by the question. "Are you?"

"What kind of question is that?? Of course I am."

"Really?" Burt wondered and started to poke Sven teasingly.

Sven pushed his hand away. "Hey, stop! Yes I am."

Burt obliged and stopped with the poking, leaving them sitting in silence once more. 

"I guess I'm not dreaming then?" Burt mumbled to himself. 

Sven heard it and tilted his head. "Dreaming? You?"

Burt nodded. "It feels like I'm dreaming, but since we can touch each other, maybe I'm not."

Sven hummed. "I can touch things in my dreams, though. Wasn't it pinching that woke you up not poking?"

"Hm…maybe it was. I can't remember."

Sven started to think about what Burt said. Dreaming…well that explains the dreamy setting and the random dude he doesn't know at all yet looks familiar. He does feel a bit like he's dreaming. 

"Now I'm tempted to pinch myself." Sven said. "I feel like I'm dreaming too."

Burt glanced at Sven. "Do you think we're sharing dreams?"

Sven shook his head. "No way! I'm convinced you're a figment of my imagination."

"Well I feel the same about you then." Burt said. 

"Fine." Sven crossed his arms and looked outside of the garden. Silence befall them for a few minutes more. 

"What if we pinched ourselves at the same time?" Burt suggested. 

"Then we'd both wake up at the same time?" Sven questioned. 

Burt nodded. 

Sven was quiet for a few seconds. 

"Alright, fine."

Burt nodded and held two fingers over his arm, hovering over his skin ever so slightly. Sven did the same. 

"Alright, on the count of three." Burt said. 

"One." Burt initiated the countdown. 

"Two." He continued

"Wait!" Sven interrupted him. 

"What?" Burt glanced up at Sven. 

"On three or after?"

Burt hummed in thought. "After."

Sven nodded. "Alright, sorry. Let's restart."

Burt nodded back in response. 

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

Sven pinched his skin and everything went black. 

---------

Sven's eyelids fluttered open, the sun blinding him for a second. Once he adjusted his eyes to the light, he sat up. He was still in his bed, under the covers and in his pajamas. Once his mind woke up a little more, he started to recall the dream he just had. 

He was in a garden…and it was dark out. It was quiet and nice, save for one thing. What was it? A person? Some guy and…was it a tophat he had on or headphones? 

The dream was fairly vivid for someone who doesn't usually remember their dreams well. That was probably the most he's ever remembered from a dream.

He felt a small but noticeable stinging type pain in his left arm. He instinctively moved his hand over to rub over it, hoping to soothe the pain a little. 

What was that about? 

[sysig]

One better (Patreon)

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

i want ike to be in three houses

for science

[vee-da-skee]

Had to try washing some dishes today without running hot water and it was the most uncomfortable sensory experience I've had in my life I think

[nogenderbee]

Could I request Diluc, Kaeya, Childe and Ayato with an s/o who has amazing good fortune and luck?

Sure! I did these in oneshot format because I thought it'll be a bit more interesting ^^ Well hope you like it dear anon!

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝕃𝕦𝕔𝕜𝕪 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕞 ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Diluc, Kaeya, Childe, Ayato x lucky!reader

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ @bleachtheidiot

You visited Diluc in Angel's Share to classically ramble about your day and adventures. He seemed to expect you by now before as soon as you say down, your favorite juice was right under your nose and when you looked at your partner, you noticed his eyes softening. It was like alternative of a smile since he can't let other read: Venti, Kaeya or Rosaria see him like that and risk getting teased to death.

But going back to current time... there was almost no one else close to bar so it was basically just the two of you.

"So how was it? I heard you accepted one of more dangerous missions today."

He gave you the strict look and you knew just by that that he was worried for the whole day even if he didn't wanted to admit it!

"Yeah, but it was easy! My luck never disappoints me~"

"That's great and I don't wish it to be otherwise but you should stop relying on it so much. It's just luck. What it won't be on your side one time?"

"Oh stop worrying so much! I'm all safe and sound!"

"And I couldn't be more glad for that..."

He was gently caressing your hand by now. It may seem like normal gesture but you could see he's being a bit mean because he cares about you. Maybe next time you should take some extra stuff just to make him less stressed text time?

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You and Kaeya were just hanging around on Mondstadt's festival. There was game based on luck so of course he encouraged you to try it! And naturally, you win every single one of them~ Eventually it ended with hosts stopping you from playing because you'd win all prizes in this tempo...

"See? I told you it's worth checking out!"

"Did you had something to do with it again?"

"What are you assuming me of? But just maybe I made a bet with host that you won't loose a single round! I'm treating you to dinner tonight, my dear~"

You should've expected it honestly... he will use every opportunity to show how amazing luck his partner has after all. But you can't really complain since he's treating you to dinner!

But he doesn't do it just to use you or so, it's more like showing everyone your amazing talent. And you can see it by the way he always compliments you before even suggesting bets or anything like that.

"Another bet? Really?"

"Well yes but you know it's not me who suggested them... they were just a bit too confident that you can't have those sort or luck."

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Childe brings you everywhere with him. And it's even worse if you know about him being part of the Fatui... he'll always bring you to negotiations, competitions, fights and so on.

Since that one time when you both were just shopping in Liyue Harbor and he won over 3 negatiations with you on his side, he literally started calling you "his lucky charm".

That's how you ended up watching him fight on the sides, like today. It doesn't matter if it'll be whole boss or few slimes, he'd always tell you to give him some of your luck with that grin on his face.

And when he comes back after his win, he'll be a bit flirty, saying how it's all thanks to your luck even tho you both know very well it's thanks to his fighting skills.

"Thanks for cheering for me there! I couldn't have done this without your help~"

"C'mon... these slimes were nothing for you... you said it yourself plenty of time."

"But it could've been your luck this time! You won't mind accompanying me for some time, right?"

"Aren't you just trying to show off by now?"

He definitely does try to only impress you... and you're sure of it by the way he sends you that little grin of his symbolizing he's planning something.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

You came to Ayato rambling about how lucky you got with winning a prize on some festival. He was genuinely happy to see you smile like that and the way you were so sure it's because you're lucky person is making him adore you even more.

"I guess I just have incredible luck! No one won this one before me and it's the one I liked the most anyway!"

"Of course. I'm so proud of you, my love."

It's not immidietly noticible but he doesn't really believe in so called "luck". He's sure it's a simple coincidence but that sparkle in your eyes just makes him go with your thoughts to not accidentally ruin this day for you.

"Well then, why won't we celebrate your another lucky day by going out for dinner?"

"Well I can't say no to that!"

He softly smiled at your reaction. He liked to spoil you in the first place but he adores how childish you could be sometimes.

He'd always listen to you rambling about your newest achievements and how it's all thanks to your luck with a smile. He's saying that he's proud of you and acts as if he's sure that's how it is, but in reality he thinks it was just coincidence. As much as he doesn't want you to ALWAYS rely on your luck, he can't just tell you what he thinks in the face, you're simply too pure in his eyes.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

[thesupernaturalhouse]

Okay, I can't be the only one, who thinks it's kinda ridiculous how people hate Lilith right?

And I think it's even more hypocritical of people to hate Lilith but love Lucifer/Alastor/Adam

Now- I'm not saying you can't dislike a character, no....but we've seen this women ONCE, not counting the story/flashback

And frankly, I don't think she's done anything worthy of, you know, being hated as much as she is

"She took Charlie form lucifer" the fuck she did, im 90% sure that Charlie snuck out of bed and went to find Luci and Lilith(if it was Lilith) jsut went 'no- no. You're supposed to be asleep'

There was no clear context that Charlie was being taken away form Lucifer- not to mention even-

Okay, let's say that they did divorce, which I'm not even sure if they did, and Lilith took Charlie to live with her

She CLEARLY did not keep Charlie AWAY from Luci, we see portraits/pictures of Charlie as a kid young adult, teenager, etc, in her dad's office/home

We even see family portraits with her as a kid and teen/young adult, so the divorce was also probably not until she was already fully grown

Keep in mind, Chalrie is canonically 200 years old, or older, this divorce could've been when she was, like, 180 she probably wasn't a kid when the separated

So even if she was taking Charlie away in that scene, it clearly was not forever and honestly doesn't seem possible with the timeline

"She abandoned charlie" so did....Lucifer??

Like, she mentions him not contacting her for a long time, the one phone call she DOES get from him is about a meeting, not exactly a meaningful conversation

And if he became like this after the 'divorce', then unless lilith divorced him and then left. That probably means Charlie hasn't had a meaningful talk with her dad for longer than 7 years

Or even seen him, I forget if Charlie says that 'this is the first time I'm seeing him in years' or smth

Not to mention Charlie clearly still loves her and views her in a positive light

"Shes in heaven" Okay....we don't know why tho??

I mean, personally, I like to think she's planning war crimes against heaven and is using whatever deal she and Adam had as a cover up

But we don't know the reason, it could be a good one! it could be a shitty one! We don't know!!

We know, like, 4 things about this women and people are already hating her, and I just don't get it

Like why?? What's the reason??

And maybe im overreacting or yall havnt seen the same fans/thing I have

But I've seen people say they hate Lilith but love Lucifer, I've seen people paint her in a bad light to either have a villian/antagonist or to show Adam in a better light, or to victomize/pity Alastor

And I just don't get it, how is she worse then Alastor or Lucifer here?

Which, even if she does own Al's soul, I don't think it'd be a big deal?? Like....Alastor owns souls to, and Lilith isn't abusing her power over him(unlike Al with Husk), I think if she did own his soul, she would've stoped him from suggesting a deal/favor to Charlie

I can't be the only one who thinks like this either right?

i also personally dont want her to be a villian and i also dont want sera to be a villian either; Lute is a good enough villian

Sera ALSO gets hate, which I don't really get. Like this women is trying her best to run heaven by herself and make sure nobody dies under her care

Like this, women clearly has truama/ptsd, just as lucifer does about his falling. And for the exterminations to be fair, if I was told a bunch of rapists and serial killers were coming to my house, I'd grab the gun too!!

Doesn't mean all sinners are like that, I'm sure a lot are in hell for minor crimes, but heaven doesn't know that!

Cut her some slack man, I doubt she's had a nap in 4+ billion years

Also this isn't hate on any of the characters, I absolutely love lucifer, I just think that people needa stop painting lilith and/or sera to be the bad guy

[just-jordie-things]

hello i'm not sure if you take requests i'm sorry If not 😭 but I really love your fics and I was wondering if you could do something like a long distance relationship with megumi? like reader is from kyoto jujutsu high and they met during that competition event, it can be hcs or whatever you like. Thank u in advance 💖

yes yes yes let's do some chunky hcs bc i never do them and they're fun _

when you first meet the tokyo students, you come across as shy. which isn't really who you are, but they'd just lost one of their friends, and you didn't think it was right to mess with them like mai and todo were. so you tucked yourself behind the rest of your classmates and kept your eyes glued to your phone

(when yuuji ends up being alive and you're told that the mission here is to kill the vessel by whatever means necessary, you still keep your eyes down, but you're anything but distracted)

you don't run into megumi directly. you run into a demon dog. at first you brandish your weapon, frowning at the idea of having to defend yourself against such a fluffy creature. but it seemed the dog wasn't focused on you, as if attacking you wasn't the command it had been given. as you approach it, your steps are calculated, slow, just to be sure it wasn't going to catch you off guard.

more peculiar, when you got close enough, and you lowered your weapon to your side, the big puppy sat itself on the ground. you actually laughed, before carefully placing your hand between it's ears for a little scratch. the divine dog seemed to smile as it panted and pushed it's head further into your pleasant scratching.

"i can't just sit here all day and pet you you know," you coo to the shikigami, but despite your words you crouch down to get a better look at it's detailed markings. "but a little break couldn't hurt, could it?" you ask with a bright smile.

the dog thumps it's tail against the ground a few times, displaying it's content with your attention. again, you giggle. if only you could've been born with a cursed technique that could bring you such companionship.

"you're such a good boy, aren't you?" you praise. "or girl? i'm sorry. I wonder if you have a name..."

you're not sure how much time had passed, but you know it's not smart to stay in one place for too long. you don't know what would be worse, your opponent finding you, or your own peers.

you figure you'd rather the curses unleashed in the area would be your best bet.

however just as you're about to go back to the task at hand, you're caught. or, found, really.

"what the hell are you doing?"

your weapon in hand again, you whirl around towards the voice, and you even step in front of the shikigami as though you were it's protector.

there stands one of the tokyo students, a sword in hand but it's lowered to his side, and the most perplexed face you've ever seen on anyone.

(it's kind of cute, actually)

"dogs are my weakness" you shrug with you honest answer to his question.

it's then that his eyes shift to you, and you realize he hadn't been talking to you, he'd been talking to the divine dog. you snort.

"so you're his owner?" you think out loud. "does he have a name?"

megumi blinks, bewildered by such a question. shouldn't you be attacking him right now? he supposes he should have used your distraction as an opening to get you out first, but he couldn't help but stop in his tracks when he caught you baby talking his shikigami.

whether that was because you were so pretty and he hadn't seen you before, or he was confused as to why his shikigami wasn't following simple orders, he wasn't sure. (it was definitely both tho)

"uh, totality" he answers, and he doesn't know why, it's not like you need an answer, it's not like he owes you an answer, but it comes out before he can stop himself.

you grin, and turn back to the dog- turning your back completely on your opponent- just to scratch behind his ears and coo again.

"totality," you repeat with a smile, and the shikigami's tail waves back and forth in wide swoops on the ground. "what a good boy, aren't you?"

no, megumi thinks bitterly, he's not a good boy because he was supposed to be taking out the kyoto students, yet here you were, playing with him.

"i'm (y/n)," you say, and megumi isn't sure if you're introducing yourself to him or the shikigami, because your focus remains completely on the latter. "you're megumi, right?"

he doesn't say anything, maybe because he's been at a loss for words since he's stumbled upon this little interaction, or maybe because he's suddenly feeling... shy?

"mai's told me about you," you explain, turning to look at him again. he still has his weapon at his side, and you smile at how unguarded he seems to be. so far, he doesn't seem anything at all like you classmate had explained.

(then again, mai had tried to convince everyone her sister was no threat, but you'd met maki, and you know to keep a distance because you'd like to keep all your teeth intact)

"did you do something to him? why isn't he attacking you?"

you shrug again, before turning to face your opponent once more.

"I dunno," you shrug. "maybe his master doesn't will him to attack me, so he hasn't," you smirk at the insinuation, and your pride only blooms when megumi visibly flusters. even from a few feet away, you can see the tips of his ears go red.

and the truth is megumi is flustered. incredibly so. here you were, a stranger, an opponent, cooing to his shikigami like it were a puppy you saw in a pet store window, and now you were smiling at him and you weren't even lifting your weapon. maybe he didn't want totality to get you out of the event? were you right to assume that?

now that he thinks about it, he hasn't exactly lifted his weapon either. but that's just cause he was shocked, right?

"well, since you're not getting me out, i'll do you a favor too," you say, and suddenly you're approaching him, rapidly so. every instinct tells him to tighten his grip on his weapon and brandish it before you could get too close, but somehow you stand before him and his sword remains at his side.

this is your cursed technique, right? you must be doing something to make him freeze in place, because this was completely out of the ordinary for him.

"itadori is in danger," your voice drops in volume, and it also loses the sweet, cursive melody you'd previously used when speaking to his shikigami like a pet. "the old man wants him dead. you need to make sure your team knows"

a million thoughts and questions race through his head, but megumi remains silent, his eyes wide as he stares at you, trying to decipher if you're even telling the truth. this could be a trap after all, maybe an ambush. you have no reason to show all your cards and confess this to him, after all.

but your features are serious, hardened with genuinity. and megumi realizes you have no reason to lie, either. he swallows a lump in his throat before he nods.

he's not sure why he trusts you, but he just feels like he should. in that moment, it feels like he's known you longer than the past three minutes, like it's been years, like you're his closest confidant and there wasn't a chance in the world you could deceive him.

you nod back at him, before a small smile creeps over your lips, letting yourself indulge in his pretty features before you step away with the intention of getting back to the event.

"you get one pass megumi, i still have a game to win" you tell him with a grin. "but i do hope I can see you again!"

lucky for him your back is turned as you head off into the trees, because the comment makes the rest of his face burn hot and he knows it would be obvious if you were looking his direction.

with you out of sight, he turns his attention towards totality.

"what the hell was that?" he mutters, and for a second, he actually would have appreciated an answer, because whatever your hold on him was, hadn't seemed like cursed energy at all.

i'm loving this i'm gonna make a part two to this in a bit :3

[stillfrownyclownlol]

Just a thing with Aidlyn, he's a little obsessive here tho, so...be warned ":>

They're a bit older, enough to drive/get a driver's license.

Aiden took a long, deep drag of his cigarette, the fumes burning his throat, before letting the smoke billow out of the corners of his mouth, like a dragon, the heat a warning of something worse to come. Of course, it was disgusting. It was rare for him not to find himself disgusting.

Epinephrine

"That's disgusting."

He'd quit, if she asked. But she hadn't used those specific words yet, so. "I know."

Ash tucked a bright red tendril of hair behind her ear- God, he loved her hair, he had a lock of it home, but, she didn't need to know that- while sighing. "So, what? You just came on my porch to smoke like an asshole?"

He let himself frown at that. It was a strange, awkward motion that felt wrong on his face, but, he was trying to be more honest with his emotions around her, because she didn't like his 'mask', as she had bluntly put it. "You weren't picking up my calls."

She groaned, putting her fingers to her temple and the bridge of her nose. It was a gesture he saw a lot of, especially directed at him. His mother, disappointed. His dad, frustrated. Ben, irritated. And now, Ashlyn as well.

What am I doing wrong? Why can't I get it right? What do you want, and how can I give it to you?

"I didn't pick up because I was upset with you."

Duh. He wasn't that stupid.

"I'm sorry. Again." He meant it, too. He was so fucking sorry all the time. He knew he was...difficult, to handle. But he didn't know any other way of being. She was a goddamned Saint for putting up with him, honestly. He genuinely wanted to kill himself whenever she was mad at him. Why even live if she wasn't going to be around him?

St. Ashlyn of Alto, Patron of Patience and Fuck Ups.

For some reason, his apology seemed to have the opposite effect it had intended. "Sorry? Are you joking right now?

It would be a lousy fucking joke if he was. "I'm serious, I'm sorry. I...I messed up- again. I just...I don't know-"

Ash crossed her arms, and he thought for a second how unfair it was that she still looked so pretty when she was so pissed off at him. "Aiden, you can't just go on joyrides after a binge! You could've killed someone!"

He took another drag, his jaw clenching painfully.

"You- You could've killed yourself." There was a note of desperation in her tone, one he was intimately familiar with. She loved him. He could hear it in the nervous tremor in her voice whenever that desperation spilt into her words. His heart skipped a beat, went all aflutter, something sufficiently ridiculous and enamoured.

He did a lot of things that could get himself killed.

It was always just for fun. But nothing beat the high he felt when she looked at him with those eyes, wide and pleading. Adoring. For a few, heartache inducing seconds, it almost seemed to him that she loved him the way he loved her.

But always after, she pulled away. Cold and guarded like when they'd first met. It was horrible, if that look was like hitting a high, that cold-shoulder was like the worst kind of crash. Worse than a hangover, worse than detoxing, worse than any pain he'd gone through in his life.

The closest word he could compare it to was soul-crushing. And even then, he didn't think it quite measured up to how he felt.

"Forgive me, please." Abruptly, he pulled her into his arms, sinking his nose into her hair. She smelled nice, he didn't know like what exactly, but it was nice.

He felt her body stiffen uncomfortably for a moment, before relaxing into his touch, a long, drawn-out sigh escaping her lips. It was a tired sigh, the sigh of somebody burdened heavily, but completely resigned. "...Give me some time."

But she still wrapped her hands around his waist, and already warmth rushed through his veins, her fingers causing goosebumps to rise over his skin. A shiver crawled slowly up his spine, both delighted and disturbed. He hugged her a little tighter, dug his nails into the fabric of her shirt, like she'd slip through his hands if he wasn't careful.

She will, if you aren't careful. Get it together.

"We have all the time in the world," he murmured, soft and still, but he knew she would hear him.

She leaned up towards him, balancing gracefully on the tip of her toes, and fixed him with a hard, angry stare. "Seriously, if you do that again, I'll kill you myself."

His heart stuttered, erratic and unsteady. He thought of her pinning him to the cold ground, a knife to his throat, her eyes as dark as the sky above them. And she looked beautiful back-lit by the stars, the blade gleaming.

You could. You could, and I would let you.

"I'll behave, scout's honor." He crossed an X over his heart and cracked a smile at her. To his relief, she smiled back at him.

(Well, it wasn't really a smile, but at least she wasn't scowling anymore.)

"I doubt it," she answered, but there was no malice in her voice. Only something ironic.

"Maybe I need an incentive?" He was probably pushing his luck, but it didn't hurt to try-

Ash looked at him strangely, in a way he couldn't read. "...Alright."

She rested her hands on his shoulders and pulled him towards her, their mouths meeting clumsily, uncoordinated. Inexplicably, she tasted like candy.

Heart palpitations. Arrhythmia. Dizziness. Accelerated breathing. What are these the symptoms of?

He kissed her a little more forcefully, a gnawing hunger growing in the pit of his stomach, and he waited for the sugar-rush to hit him.

[lacyscabinet]

General Natalie headcanon (post-crash)

A/N: Hi there! This is a quick headcanon I made for Nat, it's set during the summer so I'll probably write another one for the winter (or multiple even)!! Requests are always open soooooo feel free to send me your ideas!

MASTERLIST

Warnings: none! (At least I think, if you find anything triggering let me know and I'll add it in the warnings!!)

Natalie is not the most affectionate person

BUT

After the crash girlie became ATTACHED TO YOUR HIP

Honestly she herself doesn't even know why but she can't physically stand not knowing where you are

Probably because it reminds her of the day the plane crashed

She couldn't find you anywhere and she was terrified that the worse could've happened

She even cried at some point

Until she heard your screams coming from the plane

And she RAN

Faster than ever

She didn't care about the flames that were burning through the whole plane, she just wanted you out

She found you with your hoodie stuck under a heavy piece of the plane

With a lot of struggle she pushed it off and carried you out

The hug she gave you after that was bone crushing

And she even shed a couple of tears with you in her arms

Now she likes to spend as much time as she can with you

Letting you join her and Travis when they are hunting

Or even just watching you chop wood or helping Shauna rationing food

Late night talks around the fire while everyone is asleep is a routine now

Even tho she got a bit softer after the plane crash, she's still the same old Nat, and sometimes too much pda in front of her teammates makes her uncomfortable

So when everyone is asleep she just pulls you in and cuddles you by the warm fire in the middle of the room

She's a softie deep down, we all know that

Trying to take turns with Tai and Van for who gets to sleep in the attic

Travis being an asshole to you because he likes Nat

Nat being an asshole to him because he is an asshole to you :3

[rainbowonice]

I'm barely hanging by a thread with this show.

The amount of PR that Oliver has done about Bucks storyline and Buddie has been overkill. To the point, where of Buddie doesn't happen after talking about it so much that headlines and clickbait have been created, they're going to look like they've just been shipbaiting to pull in the viewers!

Tommy and the homophobe/transphobe need to go. Lou's weird "thriving" video gives me the impression they're deffo not thriving! And the other one needs to go for obvious fucking reasons!

The whole Bi storyline would've been better coming from Eddie. They could've had Buck single and Eddie discovering himself like it was originally going to be. It would've been so much more interesting to watch!

But I do think the fact that the season only has 10 episodes has put a damper on things, too!

oh i agree with everything!!! it's definitely giving shipbait (for now) i feel like Oliver is saying unhinged Buddie stuff because, in his prospective, they can't really call him out for queerbaiting anymore, since Buck is canon bi now. But I really hope I'm wrong and that he actually knows that Buddie is endgame or something!

I'm still conflicted about Lou video to be honest, I'd rather if he wasn't there at all lmao but if he's there just to make things awkward and they are really NOT thriving then i Could be ok with it. for the Edy situation... idk how she even got in s7 to begin with, i know it's because Natalia actress wasn't available and Tim didn't want both of them to start off as single but they could have just went with a replacement and no one would have noticed 💀 big hope is that she will be bones before the season finale tho! No one likes her and the foreshadowing about them breaking up has been crazy (never date someone you met on a call, bobby convo etc)

Anon you have no idea I've been terrorizing my bestie about EddieTommy for WEEKS i still wouldn't like Tommy as a character but it would have made so much more sense and it would have been way more groundbreaking than BuckTommy! if episode 100 have zero haters I'm dead I REALLY HATE the whole execution and how they switched characters and keep making Buck and Eddie interchangeable cuz that will never be right and it will never sit well with me for various reasons (racism is the racism). And I've been wanting Buck to be single for the longest time let the man be alone and get to know himself for the love of God!

This season worst problem is that they are writing it as they go and they are really rushing things and you can really tell that they have no idea where the plot is going and the season being only 10 episodes make it so much worse :( hope season 8 will save us from this hell but if the last 5 episodes of the season don't get any better idk if i will survive to watch season 8 they are really making it hard for me and I've been watching the show since 2019!

Also i want to thank you for sending me your thoughts! I got so excited when i saw an ask in my inbox 🥰 this is a safe space for hating! I'm a yapper and a hater!!

[xolliwritez]

Cackly Cords || Ninjago Tk Fic

A/N: aaaa thank the amazing @jettorii for collabing with me!! this is my first ever collab, and it was insanely fun!! hope you enjoy!!♡

collab right here

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

"Zane, stay still, I need too make sure your circuits aren't fried!" Pixal said, sighing as she looked up to see her boyfriend near the ceiling like a cartoon cat, "Or you could do that also.." She huffed.

Zane was usually really laid back and really good when it came to examinations... as a human, but ever since he became a cyborg, the examinations got a little more hectic.

"I promise to make it quick, Zanny!" Pixal swore, only to frown as her now stubborn boyfriend refused too leave his hiding spot. She tried all the best solutions to bring him down, yet he continued to deny her any agreement to come down for his appointment.

"Fine then, I'll just go." She said, walking out the room, Zane thought he had been victorious, but little did he know the trick she had up her sleeve. As Pixal had walked out, she had gone up and asked if anyone could help her get Zane too take his appointment, and with that, she had back-up.

As Zane hopped down in his false victory, he didn't expect for Cole to have tackled him, this caught the ice ninja off guard completely, "Gotcha now buddy! You know it's not good to skip appointments!" Cole said with a slightly amused tone to his voice.

"Cole, let go! You don't understand!" Zane panicked as he tried to pry his fellow spinjitsu friend to release him, only to gasp as Pixal emerged infront of him, "It's okay, Zane, it'll be quick." She said as she plopped her gloves on, makingthe ice ninja squirm more.

"C-Cole! I think I would prefer if you'd let me go!" Zane said in a panic, his feet kicking around as he thrashed in his friend's hold to no avail, his face flushing as Cole grinned, "What? I can't hear you over your nonsense!" He smirked, chuckling as his friend whined.

Zane turned his attention back too Pixal as she inched closer, "S-Stay back you fiend!" He said, making her roll her eye's playfully, as she cleared her throat, "Work with me, love." As she went towards him, she smiled, "Now, for the first procedure I'll-"

"GYAHAHAH!?"

"Oh right, you're really ticklish here, ahem, as I was saying." She held back a smirk as she had squeezed and prodded around at his side's for any loose wires or any signs of danger, as she then looked up and giggled as she saw Cole sneakily blow against his friend's ear. "Cole, stop messing with him, you know how sensitive he is." She chuckled, Cole playfully pouting, "Party pooper." He muffled, making Pixal roll her eye's again as she kept up at Zane's side's, before crawling up to his ribs, making him hitch and mix some static in with his laughter. "Gahahahah! P-Pixal, hurry uhuhup! I c-cahan't tahake this!" Zane whined out.

"Funny, you didn't ask me too stop tho-"

"PIHIHIXAL!"

"Okay okay!" She laughed, as she quickly finished up with the area, gping down and checking his stomach, "You could've broken some gears by how hard you're laughing." She teased, placing a kiss on his neck, making him snort, as she then heard a raddle in his stomach, "PIHIHIXAL STOHOHOP!" He said, as he immediately fell too the ground as Pixal and Cole let go, the two high fiving, "See Zane? You had some loose gears, without your appointments you could get worse!" She scolded, flicking his forehead as he rubbed the area.

"I guess your right.." He said, smiling as he and Pixal exchanged kisses on the cheek. "Good boy." She praised, hopefully now Zane would know appointments weren't so bad.

[cassiopeia-core]

Reyna with a s/o who loves playing with her dogs

they (i) love you

reyna x apollolegacy!reader

warning(s): kind of oc reyna, blood from injury, octavian mention, not proofread

a/n: kind of turned into dating reyna hcs (this plot literally came to me in a dream) idk if camp jupiter has an infirmary like camp half-blood but for the sake of this lets just pretend there is, also pretend reyna doesn't become a hunter :)

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

when reyna first met you, she thought you were too good to be true. the sunny apollo medic with an equally sunny personality, who always greeted people with a warm smile and a sweet saccharine voice. you charmed everyone you met and all the little kids in new rome loved you. reyna couldn't deny that there was something about you that made her heart flutter and her mouth go dry whenever she saw you.

even so, after a particularly rough war games, when reyna limped into the infirmary with aurum and argentum hot on her heels, she hadn't expected her loyal guard dogs to warm up to you so quick.

"hey y/n", she grimaced at you, unwrapping her blood soaked cloak from around her wounded upper arm.

you glanced up from where you where rearranging your medical supplies, not expecting patients this late into the night. "why didn't you come earlier? it could've gotten a lot worse" you scolded gently, leading her to one of the sickbeds. aurum and argentum wagged their tails as you passed by them, whining and yapping happily.

"um well, you know, praetor duties and all i was really busy and octavian wouldn't stop pestering me and - " she was rambling now, flushing from the proximity between the both of you. you were just so gentle with her, fingers dancing lightly over her injured arm.

"octavian is a bum and you know that," you tutted. "everything that comes out of his mouth belongs in the bin." you moved your fingers delicately over reyna's arm, applying a soothing ointment of sorts before wrapping a bandage around it. "there, all done."

"aurum and argentum seem to like you very much." reyna noted, nodding towards her metal dogs, who were basking in the attention you were giving them. "they usually have a hard time warming up to strangers."

you laughed. "oh, i don't think i'm a stranger. sometimes when it gets lonely in here, they like to bring me presents and just sit here for a bit while i go about my business." you scratched aurum under the chin and he thumped his tail happily against the ground.

reyna frowned. she was definitely going to be having a word with her dogs later. but right now the focus was you. she took in how you hummed happily as you flitted around the infirmary, seeming to be in your element and decided that today was the day where she would finally build up the courage to ask you out.

"so, um, y/n, would you like to grab a coffee or something sometime? i mean, youre really pretty and aurum and argentum seem to really like you and i really like you too and oh gods, im rambling - " reyna gulped at the proximity as you stepped closer to her, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

"of course reyna, i would love to."

***

from that moment on, people would often see her smile more when she was around you

aurum and argentum prefer hanging out in the infirmary with you rather than accompany reyna

whine and whinge when reyna summons them away

you love having aurum and argentum around

they help calm injured legionnaires as you and the medics patch them up

reyna's dogs also helped her ask you to be her girlfriend, fetching shiny things and flowers that you would like

they were also there for you and reyna's first "i love you"s

she kinda messed up at first tho lol

("y/n, i think i really love you" you two were out stargazing, aurum and argentum playfully fighting over a stick theyd found

"sorry?" you hummed, turning to face your girlfriend.

"i- um, they really love you," reyna managed. "aurum and argentum, i mean. oh look, the moon is beautiful tonight."

you give her a knowing look. "i love you too."

as if knowing what it meant aurum and argentum stopped fighting over the stick and bounded over to where you were snuggled up on the picnic mat)

whenever octavian tries to bribe or bully reyna into something, youre always there to stand up for her, backed by aurum and argentum ofc

you two are the ultimate power couple fr

[moonlight-tmd]

Continuing on Bee having chronic phantom pains.

So Bee has several medications to deal with this on top of his normal antidepressants and adhd meds. It kinda sucks for him, but it could've been worse...

The worst part about having those pains is that even tho he's taken meds he'll often get these sudden flare ups that'll leave him unable to do anything for an hour or so. When that happens (which is like 2-3 times a week), he has little bottle of medical grade on him to soothe the pain faster.

It definitelly limited his options to do fun stuff cuz if he goes somewhere alone there's more of a chance he'll become stuck in that place for a long while unable to do anything. He still can go skating or do donuts, exercise is good for him but it also sucks cuz most bots can't keep up with him or he can get the flare up during whatever he's doing and hurt himselft of accident.

After the accident, Bee has been mostly going out with other bots- Bulkhead most often gives up his free time to go somewhere with Bee, if he can't do that cuz of something important then Prowl will go.

In other post i said that Ratchet takes some of his medical supplies from Swindle bcuz the usual supplier either won't give certain stuff or doesn't have them. Therefore, the medication for Bumblebee's issues are being supplied by Swindle. And we know how this guy is- snooping into private information to find out what whoever needs so he can have them spend more money on him.

And this is exactly what he did with Ratchet. Old docbot made the supply orders with Swindle in secret. One time Swindle asked why he was getting so many medications, Ratchet declined to tell anything besides what he needs but Swindle's silver tongue turned the conversation in the right direction...

It was nearing christmas at that time and everyone tried to get gifts for one another. They had the usual family party and gift giving. At some point Optimus gave a look to Ratchet who nodded and slipped out to get something.

"Actually, there is one more gift for you, Bumblebee." Bossbot said with a smile. Bee was sitting on the floor with Sari and Prowl, trying out some board game they just unpacked.

"Really? What is it!?" Bee was excited.

"You need to close your optics first." Bee was quick to oblige and slap with servos on his faceplate, he loved surprises! Then Optimus gave Ratchet a signal to come into the room... what the others didn't expect was him leading a small-sized cyberhound in. Optimus quickly gave a signal for the others to stay quiet as Ratchet made it sit in front of Bee.

Bee was both very confused and excited when he was allowed to look. Ratchet explained that this was a service hound for him; her name was Murk and apparently she could sense when the flare ups are gonna start and help him get thru them. This was so cool! And it got confirmed rather quickly; while Bee was petting his new companion she suddenly pulled away and started pushing into him. Bee leaned back to sit on his aft instead of knees and Murk quickly climbed onto his lap and pressed herself into his chassis, she started making this quiet hum similar to a cat's purr. The vibrations and odd feeling seeped into Bee just as the sharp pain hit him. But it wasn't as bad as it was the other times- this time the pain was bearable and most of it was replaced with this odd numbness. He could actually speak and move some while it was happening. Both Sari and Prowl were trying their best to not pet this cute robot dog while it was working.

Swindle had prompted Ratchet into telling him Bee's condition and he gave him contacts to the places with Service Creatures. He also helped him get a hound that will be an good match for Bee. It was a lot of credits spend but definitelly worth it. Who knew Swindle could be actually kind and helpful.

Murk was a little above Bee's knee height and similar to a doberman, all black with red optics. She had a special blue paint on her chest armor- a painted-on jacket with white cybertronian writing "Service Hound". She looked quite intimidating... and for a reason.

Turns out, she was also a defence hound on top of being a service hound. Sentinel got to discover that when he came to close to Bee(despite the hound growling) and roughly poked him while arguing. Ratchet almost refused to put his ripped servo back in place, he asked for it.

Bee could once again go back to his usual stuff. Murk was very friendly and tolerated most of folks, she was also playful when it was time for it- although she never played catch with him, Ratchet explained cuz that her job to stay close to him.

She was also trained to bring him stuff like fuel or meds. If Bee can't get out of his berth in the morning then he'll tell Murk to bring him fuel (a can of oil). It sometimes ends up in her bringing Optimus with a tray of oil and freshly baked goods when he's doing his baking in the morning. (I imagine Murk has this thing where she can play back commands that were said to her when some other bot asks why she's alone. She played back Bee saying "Murk, bring me fuel." to OP and that's how he knew.)

Bee also has more leeway like before, he doesn't need another bot to come with him in case something happens. When he's driving somewhere, Murk sits in his backseat and barks when something is gonna happen so Bee has time to drive off the road and take a break.

Of course, Bee is not really allowed to go fighting anymore. But i suppose it won't be long until they catch Megs and put him in jail so they can live a peaceful life.

[nanagloom55]

Sabtja; Sabine came back after the altercation with the Soul Riders and MC. (she grumpy guys) I'm so sorry I struggle with drawings recently, so uh... Have this little food, I may draw them soon tho <3 (happy bday lesbians, have two lesbians) --- Katja was lazily running her hand over her violin, the clouds passing and Mortifa peacefully grazing making a good distraction as she patiently waited for Sabine to come back with the fireworks. Katja wasn't really reassured when Sabine told her about MC, her blatant flirting with them, it was... Unusual. She knew Sabine, she'd never have thought of the Dark Rider Malumi being openly flirting with someone, like this. It's after two hours of long wait and battle of thoughts that she finally saw Khaan and Sabine approaching her. "Took you long enough-" She started, a scowl on her face. But she quickly noticed that something was off. Sabine looked a bit... Off, exhausted maybe ? "What in the world were you doing ?!" The Ice Witch suddenly said, standing up from her spot in the grass to force Sabine to get down from that horse. "Hey, hey, calm lil weasel." Sabine snorted, dismounting Khaan gracefully. She quickly took care of the fireworks before making a disgusted face as she touched the sticky cardboard. "Fucking- Those Soul Riders..." She growled, throwing the box away, now totally useless. Katja tried to grab it but quickly understood what was the problem, seeing the soda spill everywhere in the grass near them. "Good job ! I waited 2 hours for you, only because you were flirting with that-" "I wasn't flirting." Sabine cut her immediately, giving her her most intimidating look. And even if it didn't work on Katja anymore, she knew she'd say the truth, at least. "Well, we don't even have the fireworks ! Good job Miss 'I think I can handle everything alone' !" There was a silence before Sabine reached for her saddlebag, rummaging for a few seconds before taking out multiple small bricks of juice, tossing one at Katja. "Shut up and drink, it could've been worse." She rolled her eyes, sitting near the grass spot where Katja was seated a few minutes ago. The other Dark Rider quickly followed and sat besides her, too busy opening her juice to be mad. "I wasn't flirting." Sabine repeated, in a much softer voice, laying in the grass. She had the straw at the corner of her mouth, mindlessly chewing on it. "Does it bother you ?" "... Nah" Katja replied without much hesitation, sipping her juice like a small bird. "Who am I to be concerned about your love life ?" She mumbled, laying besides her. "Who you are..." It actually made Sabine think, her red eyes shifting from the clouds to Katja's face. That damn face, she could pinch those cheeks for hours. She stared at her for a few seconds before looking back at the sky. "Maybe more than a friend." "A best friend ?" The other woman asked. Sabine shook her head, letting out a sigh she didn't know she was holding in. "Do you even believe in love ?" Katja asked curiously. "Dunno" The muscled woman started, but quickly noticed that it wouldn't be enough of an answer. "I did everything, everything that led us to this, that was for you." Malumi added, Katja fell silent, sipping her juice. "So you love me ?" "Mhm" Katja let out a little laugh before finishing her juice, satisfied. She won, again.

--- (plaise forgive ma bad enlissh :c)

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

THE FACT THAT EPISODE 4 HAS LUCIUS AND IZZY DEMONSTRATE THE EXACT SAME LEVEL OF SAILING SKILL AND SEAFARING KNOWLEDGE

before i really dive into that tho i just want to quick point out how perfectly the show sets up this comparison:

so when ed asks izzy, "What've we got here?" izzy gives his summary of the situation. the ship is damaged, and the crew is "bottom of the barrel." what's interesting about this is how, as izzy's saying this, the camera pans from roach and frenchie picking up wood and debris off the deck (which is actually useful work) to lucius absentmindedly tapping the railing with a hammer while he listens to pete talk, not even looking at what he's doing. and in case we missed it, the next time that the camera cuts away from izzy and ed's conversation it brings us to lucius and pete, and the audience clearly sees how lucius is putting minimal effort into fixing the ship. he has one hand on his cocked hip, the other one loosely holding the hammer, and he's not so much hitting the railing as he is letting the hammer bob around in his loose wrist, occasionally knocking against the railing. so clearly the show wants us to know that lucius is not one for manual labor, and it wants us to know that izzy knows this about him, and that's why izzy considers lucius to be "bottom of the barrel"

now, getting into how this episode shows us that Izzy Is Not That Great At Sailing:

FIRSTLY we have the frankfurter cloud conversation. ive already discussed how this scene serves as proof of izzy's sailing incompetence so im not gonna get into that in depth here (if you read that post i recommend also looking through the notes, there are a lot of good takes there). the short version: izzy should've known that the weather matters in sailing. i'm not saying he should've been able to figure out ed's whole plan, or that he should've known that the cloud shape meant that the fog would roll in, but he should've at LEAST realized that when his pirate captain asked him a question about the clouds, he wasn't just commenting on the shape of the clouds for the hell of it. izzy should've wondered if the shape of the clouds meant anything to ed, and he should've asked ed about it.

SECONDLY. so this one's a small one but when lucius walks in on ed staring at stede, presumably he's doing it to try and get his captain to help with The Situation. it's unclear if lucius wants help with the fact that they're currently being occupied by blackbeard's crew, or if he's referring to the fact that the scene right before this one is buttons pointing out the approaching spanish ships. the way lucius says "things have taken a very-" makes me think he was gonna talk about "things" taking a turn for the worse, meaning that lucius is seeking out his captain to get his help avoiding Death By Spanish. aka The Thing Izzy Spends The Whole Episode Doing

so lucius, who izzy considers to be a "bottom of the barrel" and "absolutely useless" crew member, has the same strategy for trying to escape the spanish that izzy does: he asks his boss to do something about it. izzy doesnt come up with a plan until it's too late for anything except "fight to the death," which is a terrible idea and would definitely get them all killed.

THIRDLY, FOURTHLY, AND SO ON: ok so. izzy shouldve thought about the cloud conversation a bit more. he and lucius both had the same Ask The Boss approach to problem solving. but it's the reveal of ed's genius plan where things get really interesting.

at the reveal of The Fog, everyone thinks ed's solved everything with his sheer genius, including izzy. he says "i don't believe it" because how ed could've predicted the weather down to the minute like this, but ed fixes him with this stare and izzy decides not to question ed any further

interestingly enough, stede does question further by asking ed how he knew this would happen, and that's how we end up getting an actual explanation of how ed knew this fog was coming. it makes me wonder if izzy ever asks ed to explain how ed comes up with his plans, or if he just lets himself be impressed and amazed (which would further reinforce izzy's image of ed as the most brilliant sailor he’s ever met and also half-insane). i also think it's worth pointing out that it's not just the clouds that helped ed predict the weather. ed says, "the color of this morning's sky coupled with the brisk westerly wind made me think we'd be safe." and notice how izzy is paying attention. just like stede, izzy also needs an explanation to understand how ed knew this would happen. ed's plan is just as mystifying and brilliant to izzy as it is to the rest of the crew. (and that's not a diss on izzy, more a remark on how ed is written to be a Literal Genius)

and when ed says, "and then the shape of the clouds confirmed it," that's when izzy realizes that ed's been planning for this the whole time. and crucially, izzy isn't mad at ed for not being upfront with him. muttering "fuck me" under his breath implies that izzy's mad at himself for not realizing ed had a plan. izzy HIMSELF recognizes that he should've been able to pick up ed's hint about the frankfurters

but do you know what izzy doesn't realize?? another crucial piece of ed's plan that izzy doesn't question, and that izzy most likely wouldn't have questioned even if ed had told him outright that he knew a fog was going to roll in once dusk fell and they'd be hidden from the spanish??

the Revenge is right in their path

izzy hands, alleged "only competent sailor on the Revenge," did not think about this fact. nobody thought of this fact except for ed, who thought he'd successfully planned around it, and buttons. buttons, who is implied to be the only person on stede's crew with actual significant sailing experience, who can spot ships without a telescope and is implied to have some level of magical ability. and this tells me that even if ed had actually told izzy "fog's gonna roll in at dusk, we'll be fine" it is a goddamn reach to say that izzy would've had anything to say aside from "good plan, boss."

then, and ONLY then, does ed mention the date. and another important detail: ed also says that tonight's a full moon, and that's not what izzy contests. ed could've said tonight was a full moon without saying it was september 2nd, and it's very possible that izzy wouldn't have realized ed was wrong. izzy doesn't deny that it's a full moon. the only thing izzy denies is the calendar date. and he's not the only one who does that

LUCIUS. COMPLETELY USELESS, BOTTOM OF THE BARREL, CANT EVEN HOLD A HAMMER RIGHT LUCIUS. IZZY WAS NOT ESSENTIAL TO ED'S ABILITY TO COME UP WITH A PLAN. THE INFORMATION THAT IZZY PROVIDED WAS NOT SOMETHING ONLY IZZY COULD PROVIDE.

one of the very first things izzy does this episode is call stede's crew shitty, but the the only skill or expertise that izzy demonstrates this entire episode is poor management skills and the ability to read Ye Olde Calendar. the one piece of relevant information izzy provides the whole episode is something that the ship's Laziest Gay also knew. the camera pans to lucius when izzy's calling stede's crew useless, but izzy ends up being ends up being exactly as useful to ed this episode as lucius is. less, if you remember that ed used lucius as a timer!!!!

[orbdotexe]

Under pressure and request from both Osiris and Shin Malphur, Drifter seeks out the Young Wolf early in their exile. He's not sure he'd say it went well, but it certainly could've gone much, much worse. And hey; Shin was right, new friends are new friends. Alternatively: Two rogue Guardians play horse plinko with each other before agreeing to an exchange of favors.

I finally did it- A Questionably Fortunate Encounter's rewrite. I have no idea how I got the motivation to finish this, it wasn't even half done when I picked it back up, but here it is in time for TFE's (concept's) 2nd birthday! I am significantly happier with this than the original, you have no idea. It wasn't even a thousand words and now it's like 20 words from being 2k, and overall? Everything just has more character + an extra page of interaction and the end note being from Ghost instead of Drifter. and being accurate to more story details! I kept a lot of the parts i thought were funny tho, if moved them around-

[old ver. ao3] --- [new ver. ao3]

-

The Sundial. A ballsy idea from a mad warlock.

Knocking a few times on the side, he can’t help the chills down his spine at the whispers ringing in his ears.  “If you short-circuit the universe, you’re on your own.” He snips, his already uneasy grin wavering.

“If I make a mistake here, you might cease to exist,” the old Warlock says simply, though there’s a questioning edge to it.

Drifter only shrugs. “Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.”

Osiris squints at him as Drifter moves around the machine, checking the stability. “We haven’t talked about payment.” 

Drifter’s grin smooths out some, sly now. “If you live through this little experiment, you can be sure I’ll be back to collect.”

A simple ‘hm’ is the only response he gets for a few seconds, before Osiris starts again.

“There’s a Guardian you should meet.”

“Yeah, yeah, so I’ve heard. Some bigshot—Can’t wait.”

"Drifter."

—

The Warlock and that old Hunter had their points—The Young Wolf needed people on their side, and it's not like Drifter couldn't use the opportunity. He figured, if worst comes to worst, just say Osiris sent him. It seemed the best bet; he heard the two of them had been on good terms, and Osiris wouldn’t have sent him without reason.

This was, regardless, a horrible idea.

Which was very quickly weighing him down as he waited just inside their most recent hideout; a willing, sitting duck in the path of a hellhound. Then again, Shin would be waiting for him, just the same, to see if he really went through with it. A rock and a hard place, if both were unmovable walls.

—

Eventually, the Kingbreaker did show up—and they looked pissed—but they didn't seem to quite notice him, yet. 

Their Ghost, on the other hand, had stopped at the door, and was switching between glaring at him, and watching its Guardian. It was a bare hope, but he almost prayed for the Little Light to let the Guardian notice him by themself—for what good it would do.

Drifter had to admit, though, they looked like Hell—In both the shit way and the eternal punishment way—And he'd quite like to keep them from being his punishment, thanks.

They were never in the same place for long, constantly tapping their fingers or wringing their hands. He'd almost call it a nervous habit; if the jerky, almost corpse-twitching movements didn't make him feel like they'd pounce on him at any given moment. It gave the distinct impression of a Taken, a fact he took no comfort in. He had told Shin they would be unpredictable, but recordings didn’t capture just how much.

The Guardian’s posture was rather slumped, in spite of their twitchiness, but he was rather certain he was a pinch taller than them; though it could be their hunch. That dead-eyed and bone-deep tiredness that seeped off of them… The Guardian stumbled whenever they walked, off-balance. Injured, maybe.

They looked as unstable on their feet as he imagined they were mentally.

He rapped his fingers on the tabletop he was leaning against, a slight knot in his stomach building on the question of ‘How to get their attention without getting pinned as a threat?’

Questionably fortunate enough, and probably should’ve been expected; the tapping made them pause, and he'd almost compare the frozen movement to their namesake freezing to listen. They nearly looked like they'd been caught doing something they shouldn't be, or as if a sudden red dot (or dozen) had appeared on their chest. 

The Young Wolf then snapped to look at him, eyes narrowed and hand beginning to raise to their sword. Their Ghost noticed, and took it as a sign to speak up; "What do you think you’re doing here? Who are you?" For being the Ghost of an exile, its voice was strikingly uptight. Drifter had expected an edge to the voice, but not for it to be pedant.

"Mind your business, Ghost," he drawled. Their head jolted up a fraction. "Just want a talk with your Guardian, is all-"

Their Ghost flicked back a bit, only to be replaced by its Guardian stepping up close to him. Well… he got their attention, at least.

His gut twisted in knots as the seconds passed like that—far, far too close for comfort. "How about we just… back up for a moment, yeah? Think this all through?" Like he hadn’t. He should have told that Warlock and Shin to shove their requests back down their throats.

The Guardian tilted their head, the action more unnerving than anything else, reminding Drifter of a certain other Hunter, and he was unsure if it was an acknowledgement or a threat. They refused to look anywhere but his eyes, and he swore they leaned a bit closer.

He raises his hands to push them back a bit, but thinks better of touching them. He opts to just slide back a bit, instead– except they match his step. He does not take another one. That definitely wasn't good.

"I'll ask again: Who are you?" The Ghost hovers over its Guardian’s shoulder as they tilt their head to allow it to take the center of Drifter’s vision. Their dynamic is clear, but he tries to focus on them.

"Your old man Osiris didn't mention me?” Drifter tries to say, “I’m hurt–”

"You will be hurt–" the Ghost starts, just as the Guardian grips his collar. There’s a moment the Drifter is almost certain they were going to slam him into the wall.

"Alright, alright—” he tries to interrupt, “Just back up.”

It takes them a moment, and a couple glances between him and the Ghost, but they do back up, if not letting go of his collar. He tries to quietly let out the breath he’d been holding, nerves a bit strung. Their emotions are as on-a-dime as he thought. Damn this plan. The Ghost eyes him expectantly.

"You can call me Drifter; I run a little… operation outta the Tower." Their face somehow pulls even further in a grimace. “Now, I know how that sounds, but I’m not working with the Vanguard—Trust. Wouldn’t be here if I was: Heard about your… dislike of ‘em.”

He gives them a grin when they don’t make another move, though not optimistic. Watching every little change in their expression doesn’t give him much hope, either, given the hard line in their brow now. 

"That old Phoenix of yours pointed me your way, and I figured we both could make use of the others'... skills. I've got the connections, and you've guts enough to attack your own–”

The Drifter hardly has time to blink before his back is against the wall again, this time with a knife to his throat, sharp eyes glaring down at him—So it's like that. Osiris might've downplayed the sore spot; Drifter can’t even get away with a tease. He’s good at pushing buttons, but their reservations broke immediately.

He counts by the seconds as the Young Wolf silently dares him to say it again. 

While he decidedly opts not to and tries to think of a way to de-escalate his mistake, he has… an inane thought: They’re taller than him… Not by too much, but the thought gives him an idea potentially worse than even the meeting itself was; something mischievous glinting in his eye and, as an added bonus, giving the Guardian pause.

"...Kinky." Feeling their hold loosen somewhat and seeing their brow twitch, Drifter pushes the joke with a sly grin and a cant to the side. “I didn’t realize you swung like that, Killer…”

Drifter’s eyes flick towards the Ghost at the undoubtably horrified, near-static chiming it makes as it rapidly recoils. “Are you… trying to flirt your way out of this–”

The Guardian’s expression seems of someone entirely bewildered by a puzzle in front of them. As they loosened their hold in what he could only assume was disbelief, Drifter had to stop himself from laughing—in relief, at the absurdity, or at their reaction.

“Nahh… Just seizing an opportunity, you’d understand,” he says, as nonchalantly as he can manage. There’s a moment of silence, the Guardian and their Ghost both searching his face, and it's everything he can do not to break—Either into a sweat or into a fit of laughter.

"...what the hell is wrong with you?" is the only response he got from the Ghost, the top fold of its shell covering half its eye. Drifter can only assume it's meant to be a mimicry of a dead-stare.

"Many things!” He gives a toothy grin that splits his face as he chuckles, “Next question."

The Ghost makes a show of rolling its eye, while the Guardian still looks like their mind has shattered, eyes seeming to search the wall through him for answers. The Ghost seems to take notice of its Guardian’s… inoperable state, and pipes up again, terse, “So what do you want?”

He’s really going to have to cut a deal with the Ghost, instead, isn’t he? As Drifter slowly tugs the Guardian’s hand from his collar—which they thankfully do not resist—he gives the Ghost the greasiest side-eye he can manage. “Well, as I was saying before your Guardian interrupted me,” it mimics narrowing its eye as he speaks. “I hear you two need friends, and, well, I’m always looking for more of those.”

“Just get to the point,” the Ghost pushes, tone flat. The Guardian seems to only vaguely be paying attention.

“Them and I could both use the support, so I suggest an… exchange.”

“An exchange? What is that– You mean, glimmer?” The Ghost interrupts itself with flicking its shell around itself and letting out a short chirr. “Information? We have nothing you’d want in that.”

“Nah, I don’t want any of that. If anything, I’m offering—You two just gotta do some favors for me in return. How’s that sound?” At the mention of favors, the Guardian refocuses; eyes widening some before narrowing and scanning him in search of some catch. “Just a job or two; you scratch my back, I scratch yours, yeah? Nothing you wouldn’t already do, of course.”

At the skeptical, almost blank looks from both of them, Drifter’s grin tightens some. “Favor for favor make sense to you?” He’s tempted to ask if they’ve got cotton in their ears. The pair take a long glance at each other, and he can only see the slight twitching in both’s expressions. 

“...And how do we know we can trust you?” Finally comes an answer, again from the Ghost, but one that’s more assuring than it probably should be.

“Your old man asked me here, didn’t I say? I wouldn't risk this without a good word.” That, or without Shin over his shoulder. He turns his eye back to its Guardian and offers them a hand, “So, whaddya say? Give it a shot, hotshot?”

The Ghost trills in some semblance of worry as the Guardian cautiously eyes him and his hand, body canted away from him, before hesitantly taking his hand. Their hold is slight and feels like they would rather writhe away from him, but they hold just long enough to shake his hand.

“Heyy, don’t be like that, now. Friends take care of friends, yeah? Trust.” The Guardian grimaces at his words. Maybe that odd adage of insects had a bit more truth to it than he realized. 

They’re more scared of you than you are of them?

—

Hours later, the Drifter far gone, and his Guardian was still kind of distracted. Honestly, Ghost would be lying if he said he wasn’t mind-broke by that as well. Who, in any sane state of mind, would do any of that? Sneak into an ill exile’s hideout, startle and piss them off, and then try to make a deal? 

And why did it… actually work?

Ghost must be losing it.