#it's kind of reminiscent of that one au we talked about way back when

[hydrachea]

Have you ever noticed the parallels between the nameless child Kunikuzushi took care of pre-Fatui and Nahida and get the feeling that history will repeat Although this time perhaps, bc Nahida is a god, by the time the Wanderer has found her she'd have shrunk down into a tiny leaf, easily blown away, easily crushed underfoot if one was not careful. With shaky breaths, he cups her with one trembling hand while ripping the cloth of the left side of his shirt with the other, creating a hole where the heart should be. The skin on his chest cracks, and a door swings open, revealing a compartment once built for holding the cursed remains of god. The Wanderer, now hunched over like a pilgrim in prayer, brings the leaf close to his chest and gently places it in the compartment. For the first time in his life, he was grateful for his long life, the super resilience of his body made by Irminsul. If there's nothing else he could do, he could wait. He will wait. He will make sure Nahida sees the brilliance of the sun once more. One day, they shall be reunited.

@feroluce babe, there's someone at the door for you!

This hitting every single one of my partner in crime's buttons aside, it also hits a lot of mine so I in fact had not noticed but I will now happily be noticing. I had thought of making use of his gnosis compartment before, but in a much less... Wholesome context. This one, though, I also like.

Especially the bittersweet realization that as the Wanderer finally gets what he's been craving for centuries - the power of a god, feeble as it may have become, hosted within his body - letting him fulfill the very purpose he was created for at last... He feels nothing. None of the satisfaction, of the elation he long thought would come with this moment. Instead, he's alone, and he feels more hollow than ever.

(But he's used to feeling alone, and this is something he's learned to endure. And endure it he will, because the faint thrum of divine energy in his chest beats gently like a promise - this time you know you won't be alone forever.)

[otomiyaa]

The Foreigner

JingRen AU ft. Sampo

A/N: Posting this here after all cuz why not. A fic I wrote for a friend a while ago. I got the request for lee Sampo and lers Jing Yuan and Blade, we brainstormed a little and this was the result. Please note I'm currently still catching up on 2.1 so be careful with talking to me about any Honkai lore/spoilers 😅

Summary: Jing Yuan and Blade confront a mysterious foreigner called Sampo Koski who tried to sneak into the Xianzhou Luofu. Things get quite interesting, for all three of them. (Also on AO3)

Word Count: 2.2K

He was late. Jing Yuan glanced at the door. Usually around this time of the day, Blade would make his entrance. A moment he found himself looking forward to more than he would like to admit. Blade visiting his office like a regular visitor was something he couldn’t have dreamed of for many many years. 

Ever since Blade had come to accept and realize that Dan Feng was truly gone, his waves of mara-caused madness started to reduce significantly. With time, Jing Yuan was delighted to finally see some traces of his trusted old friend, who despite their differences appeared motivated to exchange his Stellaron Hunter missions for regular visits, reporting to Jing Yuan about occurrences in the world, the good and bad. 

As they grew closer through these frequent visits, the feelings of familiarity may have gotten Jing Yuan a little too confident in reconciling with Blade, suggesting him to leave behind the Stellaron Hunters indefinitely and aid him with his duties at the Xianzhou Luofu instead. 

Surely he did not expect Blade would agree. Well, Kafka’s support may have played a vital role. Even if Blade would have said ‘no’, she seemed to insist he should stay behind and find a new role to fulfill, fully supporting the ‘happiness of Bladie’. 

Jing Yuan smiled. He felt comfortable, spending time with Blade who he shared a past with that connected them like no one else at the Xianzhou Luofu. Jing Yuan was just closing his eyes to reminisce about the past some more, when finally the door opened and Blade arrived. 

“Welcome back, Captain. You are quite late,” Jing Yuan said fondly. He nowadays called Blade captain, even though he was never officially assigned to such a position, he often assisted him so much he might as well be one. 

“Jing Yuan. There’s an infiltrant,” was Blade’s short answer. Jing Yuan chuckled. Blade was not the small-talk kind of person. 

“An infiltrant hm? Fine. Send him in.” 

He loved to see how Blade was literally treated as a captain when he merely had to call out “Guards!” and they came in to bring in their… guest.

“We brought the infiltrant,” they reported, shoving the man forward. Blade caught the stranger by the arm.

“Infiltrant? Now now now!” the man responded in a theatrical manner, pulling himself free before spreading his arms and making a full 360 degree twirl. Blade simply caught him again, shaking his head.

“Hello General,” Yanqing said, joining Blade, the foreigner and two guards in Jing Yuan’s office. 

“This man was caught making his way into the Xianzhou ships. We do not know how he boarded, nor what his intentions are. When we demanded him to tell us his identity, he said-” 

“-that I am Sampo Koski, a businessman, chaperon, and problem-solving conversationalist, visiting all the way from Belobog to help boost your economy.” 

“....That,” Yanqing said. Jing Yuan stared at all of them, then at Sampo, and at Blade. He chuckled. 

“Interesting,” he hummed. “Yanqing, please get in touch with our friends from the Astral Express. If this foreigner claims to visit from Jarilo-VI, they might be familiar with him. In the meantime, I will question him here. Blade, if you could assist…” 

Blade nodded and dragged Sampo towards him while Yanqing and the guards left the room. As soon as the door closed, it was silent. 

“So. Sampo Koski,” Jing Yuan said slowly, walking closer to study the man’s remarkable appearance.

“For what reason, may I ask, would you visit the Xianzhou Luofu? Unannounced, uninvited. Startling my men,” Jing Yuan wondered. 

“Business! Business of course. I come in peace, General.” 

Jing Yuan exchanged glances with Sampo. “Did they search him?” he asked. Blade did not answer but while not letting go of Sampo’s arm, instantly began to feel around his pockets. 

“Hehehey! Woohaha, cahahareful!” Sampo laughed, dancing and wiggling under the sudden touch. Jing Yuan noted the funny laugh, and Blade reacted with a low grunt.

“Quit your squirming,” he huffed, continuing to search him. 

“Let me help. Hold him still,” Jing Yuan said. To think Blade had ever been his prisoner before. Back then he would not have appreciated Jing Yuan telling him commands like this. How times had changed. Right now they worked together, and he smiled when Blade held both Sampo’s arms tightly so Jing Yuan could search his pockets. It made him laugh a lot.

“Hehehello! Sohoho inahahapropriate!” he cackled. Jing Yuan glanced at him. Was he that sensitive? Honestly.

“Credits, a lot of them. Not the usual amount you expect one should carry. Where did you get them?” Jing Yuan asked, putting his findings aside.

“Theft! Hey! I earned those, fair and square. Like I said, I’m an innocent fella coming over to do business! Hehehey stohohop!” Sampo yelled when Jing Yuan patted higher to find if anything else was hidden under his clothes.

“What is his problem ?” Blade asked. He sounded so frustrated it made Jing Yuan smile. How amusing.

“Never met a ticklish person before, Blade?” he asked. To demonstrate he pinched Sampo’s lower side, eliciting a loud yelp from the man.

“That’s nohohot okay !” he protested. The pinch was effective though, since Jing Yuan felt something right at that spot. 

“Blade… Hold him tight.” 

He probably didn’t need to tell him that, and Jing Yuan calmly tugged at Sampo’s clothing, fingers digging underneath it to grasp the thing he felt just now. Not without the unnecessary noise though.

“Hehehey! Wahahatch it! Hahaharrassmehehent!” he laughed. It was a crumbled piece of paper. Jing Yuan unfolded it and turned it for Blade and Sampo to see.

“A wanted poster? Yours?” he asked, confused. He looked at it again and frowned to see someone’s signature on it. It was very curly and gracious, but not informative.

“So, you claim to be from… Belobog. Should we rephrase that into: a wanted criminal from Belobog?” he asked, holding up the poster again. Sampo gasped.

“Me, a criminal? Nooo. That signature, you see. It’s from Gepard Landau himself!” 

Jing Yuan and Blade exchanged glances.

“Who?” 

Sampo nodded triumphantly. “Geppie. Captain of Silvermane Guards, very skilled, very handsome. He signed that for me. It’s just a token of our relationship.”

“...Why would he sign this?” Jing Yuan couldn’t help but think this man was wasting his time, but at the same time, he was wasting both his and Blade’s time, which made this situation only more amusing and entertaining. 

“It’s a long story. But you see Gepard likes me. So, I can only suggest you release me. Let’s not jeopardize the diplomatic relationship between Belobog and the Xianzhou Luofu now shall we?” 

“I have no idea what diplomatic relationship he is speaking of. Do you want me toー?” Blade already made a motion to get violent with the poor rambling man, but at that moment Yanqing came in.

“I received word from the Astral Express. Sampo Koski is indeed confirmed to be a mercenary from the Underworld of Belobog,” Yanqing reported. 

Sampo raised his eyebrows. “You see?” he asked.

“They also say he can’t be trusted.” 

Sampo’s jaw dropped. “Wait - t-that’s all they’re saying? Let them demand my release! March 7th and Stelle are my best, best friends!” he rambled. Jing Yuan almost wanted to laugh at the fact that Dan Heng wasn’t mentioned in this context.

“No one is demanding anyone’s release. Thank you, Yanqing. We will deal with him accordingly,” Jing Yuan thanked him, and Yanqing nodded and left them alone again. 

“So, business man from Belobog. Whether you are wanted by Jarilo-VI’s Silvermane Guards or not, one question remains unclear. Why are you here , and how did you slip past the guards on our ship?” 

“I know of ways to make him talk if y-” Blade was cut off by Sampo’s renewed bouts of laughter; Jing Yuan casually tapped his fingers against his lower side, impressed by how much it tickled him.

“I do too, Blade. Trust me,” he said, improvising. If his relation to Belobog was still unclear, he was not going to bring harm to him. However, if this man already proved to be this ticklish from a mere pat-down, then he was more than happy to see how much this certain sensitivity could help them further.

“What are you doing?” Blade hissed, barely hearable through Sampo’s laughter.

“Persuading our guest, Blade. If he’s a friend of this Captain Gepard Landau, it is not my intent to hurt him. However, some persuasion to give us more information will do the trick.” 

Jing Yuan clawed very lightly at Sampo’s lower sides, and the man jerked in Blade’s hold.

“Hehehehey nohohot thahahat!” he shrieked. Oh, this was way too easy. 

“Persuasion? You are playing around,” Blade responded, but Sampo’s arms were still trapped in his grip and he wasn’t letting go. 

Blade’s confusion and frustration only encouraged Jing Yuan more to keep up this silly game with their foreign guest.

“Join me, Blade,” Jing Yuan said, smiling gently at Blade who looked like he was having the worst day ever.

“You have to be kidding me,” he replied angrily. With Sampo Koski’s hysterical laughter in the background, it only sounded funnier.

“I am not,” Jing Yuan said. Blade rolled his eyes.

“You are insufferable,” he said, but still he did let go of Sampo so he could claw viciously all over his ribs, almost looking like he was going to tear the man apart, but the tickling did seem to be working since Sampo flailed his freed arms wildly and screeched.

“WHAHahat ihihis this ahahah! This plahahace is sohoho weheheird!” he laughed. Jing Yuan didn’t care that he was giving the impression that this was the normal way of doing interrogations at the Xianzhou Luofu. He was having fun with Blade here, and he was convincing the mysterious foreigner to speak the truth. Two flies, one stone.

“See? It’s easy,” Jing Yuan said when Blade effortlessly moved his fingers against Sampo’s torso, making him laugh and wheeze as he struggled in between them.

“It’s ridiculous,” Blade argued. And yet, he was cooperating. Jing Yuan smiled. He had switched his tactics to poking Sampo’s tummy relentlessly, and he went back to interrogating him.

“Mr. Koski, if you wish to make the torture stop, I encourage you to confess everything we want to know. Who are you really, why and how are you here. It’s that simple.” 

“AHahahah! I cahahan’t tahahalk like thihiihis!” 

“You are talking now, so I’m sure you’ll-” mid-tickle, Jing Yuan’s hands accidentally touched Blade’s, and for some reason that made him stop talking. Blade immediately pulled his hands back and moved them up all of a sudden, digging his fingers under Sampo’s arms and tickling his armpits viciously.

“You know what you are doing,” Jing Yuan complimented while Sampo’s voice did quite something else.

“AAAHAHahah hahahang on! Ahahaalright - I’ll speheheheak! Nonono not thehehere!” 

“Stop talking,” Blade said. Was he… flustered? Maybe a little. Jing Yuan chuckled. 

“I can’t help it. It makes me happy that perhaps you may remember we used to do this, back in the High-Cloud Quintet days.” 

“Nonsense,” Blade said, but he wasn’t reacting too harshly. 

“Do you remember?” Jing Yuan urged.

“I do not.” 

Jing Yuan smiled fondly. If he was the only one remembering that in a distant past they would get silly and tickle each other - well mostly he would tickle Yingxing and piss him off - then maybe one day he should help Blade remember. 

“I sahahaid I’ll speheheak! Nohohoo !” Jing Yuan only noticed now he had been drilling his fingers into Sampo’s torso while keeping his eyes locked with Blade’s.

Blade also blinked and dug his fingers under Sampo’s arms some more, making him howl. 

“Whhaahaht is happeniihihiing aaahahaha!” Sampo cried helplessly, unable to shake both of them off. Jing Yuan figured they had gotten a little lost in their own world, and he snapped out of it. 

“Right. That should do it.” Blade understood him well and also stopped the tickling. Sampo sank on his knees and gasped for air. 

“I can handle it from here. Will I see you at dinner, later?” Jing Yuan asked. Blade looked at him, his expression somehow different than before the strange shared tickle interrogation thing, and he nodded.

“Yes. Later.” He walked away and left the room. Only Sampo was still left, on his hands and knees, shivering as he recovered from his laughing fit.

“Mr. Koski, shall we try again? I ask you a question, and you give me your honest answer.”

“Or else… You’ll tickle me huh?” Sampo said breathlessly. Jing Yuan chuckled. 

“I might.” 

“A-alright then,” Sampo said, and as he started to talk in a less arrogant and theatrical, more serious manner, Jing Yuan listened, but at the same time drifted off as he thought of Blade. 

He wasn’t sure if it was the nostalgia, or the shared action of making a random person laugh. Laughter could be a medicine after all, even if it wasn’t their own? 

Somehow he felt like this encounter with the strange foreigner changed something between them, in a positive way, and he couldn’t wait to improve and rebuild his relationship with Blade more after this. Heh. Thank you. Sampo Koski.

[troutsoup]

my bloodweave escort au

Alternate universe—no illithids, takes place during the same time period as the game's start.

Newly-escaped vampire spawn Astarion flees to Waterdeep; he's always liked cities, and this one is huge, with more than enough space to go into hiding build a new life for himself. Well-practiced in the skill of seduction and hindered by his inability to go out during the day, he starts work as an escort, complete with a cheesy fake name and a regular clientele. Sure, he'd be more successful with a procurer/manager, but he's trying this new thing called governing himself. Besides, he makes plenty enough to get by.

Gale is surrounded by tressyms, crying into a pint of ice cream getting by just fine, thank you very much. He may not get out much, or talk with anyone besides Tara, and he may spend hours each day reminiscing about his past relationship, but he's surviving. Loneliness is easy enough to overcome, with time. And money.

Can you see where this is going?

Maybe it's Tara that encourages it, please, Mr. Dekarios, we both know you could use the companionship, or maybe she wordlessly leaves the flyer she'd ripped from the city's advertising board on his desk for him to find and be terribly offended by—until that night when he's haunted by dreams of Mystra, and, okay, maybe he should do something about this.

Astarion's nights are booked to the hells and back, but after his regular cancels and a new potential client makes himself known with a magically-sent message (dripping with almost-pathetic desperation), his curiosity is piqued—and he's not going to miss out on some coin.

They meet at an inn.

Gale's hands are shaking when they meet. They're shaking when the elf—who is gorgeous and seems to know it—takes them in his own dainty, pale ones and leads him over to sit on the bed, asks him questions about all manners of things and smiles politely, says his own name to him like it's a secret—Gale of Waterdeep—and Gale's not sure if he's being teased or flirted with but it doesn't much matter when they're kissing, suddenly, or when the elf climbs atop him to grind their hips together, or least of all when he gets Gale's robes undone and brings him off with a practiced hand.

"What can I do for you?" Gale asks, gesturing to him, and he shakes his head, kisses Gale's nose and says, "Aren't you tired, darling, shall we sleep?" And he does, holding the elf while he trances.

He starts to get the sense that despite the circumstances of their meeting, the elf might actually like him.

Astarion realizes quickly that this guy's a fucking moron; the kind of lovesick dweeb he'll be able to drain for some serious cash. He collects the night's due from Gale on his way out, giving himself just enough time to get home before the sun rises.

They keep meeting.

One night: Astarion on his knees with Gale against the wall, whimpering into his elbow because (and Astarion's sure of this) he's never had such good head before.

The next: on the bed, Astarion teaching Gale how to fuck him (he's much too gentle—it's not like Astarion's made of glass, and he says so, and Gale whispers in his ear that he just doesn't want to hurt him).

And then, because Gale keeps begging him to, Astarion lets Gale suck his dick, and he doesn't know what the hell he's doing but Astarion talks him through it and Gale's so damn thrilled about it that it ends up being fun for both of them.

Gale is fucking delighted a very normal amount of excited about their meetings. It's nice to have something to look forward to, but mostly just to feel wanted, even if he has to pay for it. The elf reveals himself to be incredibly quick-witted, and oh is he fun to converse with—they spend the first few hours of their nights together just chatting, and as loathe as the elf is to reveal anything about himself, it's still great to be listened to.

In spite of himself, Astarion starts looking forward to their meetings, too. Gale's sweet to him, and the sex is good, and he doesn't ask Astarion to do any of the weird fetish shit he's accustomed to with some of his clients. At some point, they switch from the inn to house calls, and he can't deny liking Gale's cute little living space, the balcony where Gale reads poetry to him while their legs are slung across each other's on the bench, and most of all his darling tressym, Tara—that is until Astarion arises before Gale does one day and sees Tara staring at him through the mirror where his reflection should be.

Astarion whips around, ready to—well, he's not sure exactly. Pull the dagger he keeps in his boot? Stab her? That's a bit extreme, even for him.

Tara flicks her tail at him. "You can't honestly think we hadn't discovered. Your eyes are red as bloodstones."

"He never said anything—"

"He thinks you're insecure about it. The same way you're insecure about that scarring on your back." And then, calm as anything, she starts a walk to the kitchen. "Come, have some tea. The sun won't rise for hours."

So. The fact that Gale knows about his vampirism settles like a heavy weight on Astarion's chest: the knowledge that Gale sees him as he is and cares about him despite, and the guilt that comes with it.

It only gets worse when Gale comes down with a rough case of I-Can-Save-Him Syndrome, also known as Pretty Woman Disorder—and what used to be questions about how Astarion got into the business start to become questions about what he'd like to be doing, otherwise, and encouragements to pursue other lines of work.

The worst part is that Gale's right in his assumptions—Astarion is sick to death of using his body to trap people. But he doesn't know how to do anything else. He doesn't remember how to do anything else.

Astarion snaps at him one night—"You just want me all to yourself, how pathetic you are to think I'd actually like you for something besides your wallet—" and from the way Gale looks at him, he can tell his little outburst does not have the intended effect; Gale doesn't hate Astarion for it, he hates himself.

Whatever. Not his problem to solve.

He cancels all of his appointments indefinitely and spends a week to himself, draining rats and such. Back to his roots. It feels awful. Is there nothing in this life that will fulfill him?

At least he was making coin before.

Gale messages him again. Something something he's sorry, Astarion was right, please come over. He'll pay for his time.

It's the only reason Astarion acquiesces.

It's startlingly easy to fall back into old patterns as soon as Gale opens his door; Astarion is on him at once; kissing his neck, grabbing a fistful of his robes to pull him closer, ignoring Gale's stop, stop, until he gets a hand on Astarion to shove him away.

Astarion's heart pounds hotly in his chest. What the hells?

But Gale's staring hard at him. "I won't bed you tonight."

"Fine, darling, I could bed you."

"No—" Gale runs a hand back through his hair, frustrated, looking for once like he's got nothing to say.

Astarion has a similar problem. He settles on "You really don't want to bed me?"

"Not tonight," Gale says, surging forward to take Astarion's hands in his own. "I like you," he says, "and I think you like me, too."

"You don't know me."

"I'd like to," Gale continues, unfazed. "Let me."

Maybe it's the wide-eyed, unapologetic vulnerability in Gale's eyes that makes him say yes.

Maybe it's that it's time to try something new.

Maybe he figures it's time to make a decision for himself.

"There's a lot we don't know about each other, huh?"

Gale's smile is shy when he traces the lines of his chest tattoo up his own neck. "We've got the whole night ahead of us."

They sit on the balcony where they can hear the waves.

Astarion tells him everything, starting with his name.

[everlasting-rainfall]

I really like your One Piece Crossing Au, could I request more from that Au? Any character or characters would do. I'm just having fun reading what you come up with.

Any character, eh? Well you did say any of them so I’m going to give you a random one that will probably be unexpected but fun nonetheless

Or at least I hope that it will be as much fun for you as it is for me and honestly I am glad that you like the One Piece Crosskng AU, it is quite fun to write for!

Now then before we get into things, I did pick a character that is SPOILER WARNING territory if you are not caught up with One Piece. I won’t say who it is just yet though

I will however warn you that YOU SHOULD NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE ANIME OR MANGA

SPOILER WARNING!!! I’M SERIOUS!!

Okay now that that’s out of the way… Let’s get into it, shall we?

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

Sentient Video Games, Writing Heavily Reminiscent of Old Creepypasta, Stalking, Heavy Manipulation, SPOILER WARNING, Destruction

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

Saying it again just to hammer it home… DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE ANIME OR MANGA

Also… I WILL NEVER AND HAVE NEVER CONDONED THE ACTIONS OFN ANY CELESTIAL DRAGON, THEY ARE ALL DISGUSTING IN THEIR ACTIONS

Okay so imagine that you managed to get your hands on the One Piece Crossing game and how you got your hands on it is irrelevant but when you open up the case

There’s a little piece of paper inside telling you to input a certain code at the character select screen for a secret villager who can only be unlocked with that code, the name of the villager wasn’t on the paper but hey. It’s interesting and you’re curious

So you boot up the game. You make your character and pick your island then you’re brought to the screen that will help you choose what villagers you get, you hit randomize a few times to see if there’s anyone that you’d prefer over this secret character

And although characters like Akainu, Kizaru, Fujitora, Smoker, Tashigi, Sengoku, Garp among others are tempting to take. Curiousity gets the better of you and you input the code causing a text box to pop up once the screen fades to black

“Oh! You’re with them? Why didn’t you say so? They’ve been waiting for you!”

So when the screen fades back in, you’re on the island with an odd looking character as their body is completely blacked out and is only present in silhouette if you could even call it that. The character is downright unnerving too with those big red eyes

Like you’ve heard about what the tutorial is supposed to be but instead of fun little characters telling you how to play in a wholesome little setting, you have a text box telling you exactly what to do which wouldn’t be so unnerving if this weird villager would stop following you

You tried talking to them but the only thing that shows up in their text box is “…” with maybe the occasional “…?” if you keep trying. This is of course too weird and creepy so you turn off the game without saving in hopes of starting a new file without them

But when you reloaded the game, you were right back where you left off with your character laying on the ground like you had fallen unconscious. The character was still there too sitting by you and watching over you with those unblinking red eyes

You tried a few more times but no result so this was your game now… And what were you gonna do? Not play it?

So you continued on with the tutorial going through everything and learning everything until you set down a place for your home, it turned out to be much more extravagant than you expected because as soon as you confirmed that’s where you wanted it to go. The screen faded to black and when it came back in, it was like some kind of mansion

Thinking you would finally be able to get away from this character, you went inside only for them to follow you in and a text box to pop up at the bottom of the screen with your character doing a little animation to show happiness

“Hooray! A new life started with your best friend, Imu! This is gonna be great!”

So Imu was this characters name, at least you knew what to call them and at least they weren’t following you around anymore as they proceeded to make themselves comfortable in your new shared home

Honestly the game wasn’t too bad after that as although it was far from what your friends had told you what their Animal Crossing games were like

Like they had a museum where they would donate their caught fish and bugs to be shown off usually doing a nice animation of some kind to indicate that they were alive while you got a journal to log everything that you found and a wing of the home to show off your findings more like trophies as they would be hung on the walls in frames and placards

Their villagers were friendly and would clap for them when they caught something while you had Imu who needs no explanation further than that and would only acknowledge your catches with a glance in your direction unless you caught a butterfly which appeared to make them mad

They had a shop or two where they could buy things from the cute little NPC’s that ran it while you eventually did unlock a shop but the little NPC’s who ran it seemed more serious and formal like seriously, they would bow to you like you were royalty whenever you entered

They even let you take a sweater for free once saying that Imu told them to allow you to have it… Of course you couldn’t ask them why as any dialogue option that you picked with Imu always resulted in “…” even if it was so much as “Hello!”

It was incredibly different from how your game was and whenever you tried to show your friends just how things were, the battery for your console was always conveniently dead or it just wouldn’t turn on if One Piece Crossing was the game inside of it

As time progressed in the game and you had multiple new villagers move onto your island, which were five old men, you found yourself actually unlocking a few interactions with Imu as you would always talk to them at least once or twice just to see if anything new had occurred in the game

These interactions was the ability to ask if they wanted to do something with you, it would bring up a little menu of “Do you want to fish with me?” or “Do you want to go on a walk with me?” or something to that extent

Typically Imu would follow your character to do whatever you wanted and despite their character model never changing… You could feel an almost… happiness in the air? It was weird as Imu was a video game character…

But regardless, you hung out with Imu now that you had unlocked this but they never did any of the activities with you besides walking or sitting like if you were fishing then Imu would simply stand by you and watch without speaking a word

It was creepy but at least they weren’t just in your house or wandering around your island like a ghost

Plus you weren’t gonna lie, they were turning out to be much better company than the old men who had moved onto your island earlier as lord almighty… They were serious about just about everything…

Imu was creepy and weird but it was better than listening to five old men talk about what sounded like fictional politics…

Eventually when hanging out with your friend one day in real life, they had the suggestion to see if you could visit each others islands in game as the games were incredibly similar

You had a bad feeling about it but you decided to go along with it so when you got home, you booted up your game and headed to the dock. You talked to the NPC there and they seemed reluctant to take you off the island

Asking you so many times if you were sure about this and if Imu knew but eventually they gave in and you were soon heading off

Hanging out with your friend on their island was great fun! Their villagers were cute and friendly, they didn’t even look anything like yours as they were sweet colorful animals. The NPC’s were even way more fun too

You adventured around your friends island together and generally had a great time but all good things must come to an end as suddenly, both of your characters stopped and a notification rolled by saying “Someone has come to visit!”

Asking your friend if they invited someone else turned up nothing but soon you found out who was here as it was NPC’s from your island… Saying that they had come to retrieve you…

Shock went through you and they asked you to cooperate as otherwise they would have to take you by force so seeing no other option, you selected the option to return home and you left your friends island

Upon getting back, you were escorted right back to you and Imu’s home where they were waiting for you. You were left with them and honestly you’ve never felt like your character was in so much danger than they were in that moment

Imu got up and started moving to your character, you had a bad feeling so you made your character rush upstairs and go to sleep. Saving the game and turning it off

A few days later, your friend called you in a frenzy as the island that they had spent so much time building and decorating had been destroyed. They couldn’t load their game and every time that they tried, the game would tell them that their save file was corrupted and they needed to delete the entire game and try again

You tried to comfort them over the phone and get your friend to hopefully calm down but as you were doing that, a thought went through your head. Could it have been…?

No, no, no… That would be ridiculous… Imu was a video game character…

Regardless you booted up your game later in the day when you had time and decided to at least try to figure out what happened and if Imu really did have something to do with it

They weren’t home when your character got out of bed so you went outside deciding to ask the villagers as you were sure that heading to the docks would be a bad decision. Plus they were quite knowledgeable about just about everything

you would select the option to ask them a question but when you typed it in. You didn’t get the response of “I’m not sure how to answer that” but instead…

“That island? I’ve never heard of it…”

“Are you feeling alright? Who are you talking about? What friend?”

“You never left this island… We would have known about it…”

“I think you just had a dream… You never visited a place like that…”

It was like the island just stopped existing to them which you supposed it did because your friends save data was corrupted but surely they should remember something… Right?

It wasn’t until you asked the very last member that they sighed and told you something that sent a chill down your spine as the speakers spoke with a voice instead of the typical sound that it usually made when they spoke…

“Stop asking about that island… It never existed… Do you hear me? It never existed, your supposed friend never existed, you never went anywhere… Stop asking questions and go home… Get some rest… You clearly aren’t feeling well…”

Your hands were honestly shaking as you stared at the screen… It almost felt like the character was speaking to you directly, not your character but you like they had finally gotten tired of this…

Your blood ran cold when suddenly the character model looked up at the screen and you could feel cold eyes staring directly into your soul, it made you lean back and you could practically feel your heart stop

“Besides… Imu-sama is looking for you… You shouldn’t worry them so much… They care for you deeply…”

It was after that is when you yelped and shut off the power to your console effectively ending your play session, you threw the console away from you like it had caught fire and stared at it like it was a demon that just crawled up through your floorboards

Honestly you weren’t sure how long you sat there but when you finally moved, you put the console away. Unplugged so it wouldn’t charge and out of sight until you could figure out what to do with the damn thing

You tried to live your life for about a month after that, you told all of your friends exactly what you had seen when they asked to play games with you but they didn’t believe you. “Nice creepypasta!” they would say and “Come on, quit messing around!” was another

Even your friend who had gotten their save file corrupted didn’t seem to quite believe you like they did at least agree that your game was weird but didn’t believe the game was sentient and speaking to you

It wasn’t like you didn’t want to play games with them so after an entire month of being unable to play any games with your friends, you decided that you had to do something

You took the console from where you had put it one night and tried to eject the game from its slot but it wouldn’t come out so you decided on the next best thing besides just buying a new console, you went on your computer and looked up how to completely delete your save file

Chances are with how similar it was to animal crossing, the same rules must apply… Right? That had to be the case

So once you knew exactly how to do it, you booted up your console and took a deep breath to ready yourself before starting the game to completely delete your save and be rid of whatever was going on in there once and for all

It took a long time to load but once it did, your screen turned white and the console sparked in your hands causing you to drop it from surprise

The second that it collided with your lap, a bright was released and once it cleared. You felt so much different, the room that you were in was dark but you were laying on something soft regardless

Your clothes had even felt like they had changed so you opened your eyes and looked about, you saw the shape of a lamp in the room and flicked it on with a click only to immediately wish you hadn’t

You were in your in-game home sitting on the bed underneath the covers except it was different as the bed was bigger and Imu’s bed which would be on the opposite side of the room was gone

Of course you tried to wake yourself up but it wasn’t a dream, you were here for real and it was horrible

Considering the feeling of dread about Imu that you got when the NPC’s dragged you home from your friend’s island, you decided that you needed to find a way off of the island. Maybe you could head to the docks and input a random code to get away?

It was safe enough to say that you were panicking and desperate so you slipped out of bed and carefully walked downstairs, the house looked much different indicating that Imu had redecorated which made you uneasy

You snuck out of the house and ran to the docks as fast as your legs would carry you, you ran past about two of the old men villagers who attempted to stop you. Calling out your name when they saw you, your real name

Once you had made it to the docks, you were panting and out of breath. The NPC there looked shocked to see you as “You’re supposed to be in bed! Imu-sama told us you weren’t feeling well!”

Despite your attempts to demand to be taken off of the island and away from here, the NPC didn’t listen and kept refusing until “I think that you need some rest… You really aren’t feeling well… Don’t worry, we’ll get you home…”

When you tried to ask why they wouldn’t let you leave, they informed you that Imu was in charge of the island now and that they decided everything for it. Who left, who came, how it looked, what it was named, etc, etc

You didn’t need to worry about a single thing anymore as Imu would take care of absolutely everything allowing you to get better and relax! Besides they had been great while you were resting!

Upon returning you home, they stood in front of the door so you couldn’t leave before announcing that they returned you. Imu quickly appeared from one of the rooms and you couldn’t stop the feeling of dread that came over you when you saw them as they were far scarier in person

They dismissed the guards standing behind you and approached you, they took you by the arm with a cold hand and dragged you upstairs

They forced you to sit on the bed all the while remaining completely silent, they laid down next to you and held you close to them almost as if they were trying to cuddle you

The rest of your life would be spent in the game with Imu as despite your many, many escape attempts. None of them worked and when one managed to get you off the island, it wasn’t long before you found yourself being chased down by what reminded you of an Umi Bozu

Imu would force you to remain within the house usually in what you had come to find out was your now shared bed, no one was allowed to see you or speak to you

Not even the five old men living on the island as whenever Imu needed to meet with them, you were locked in the bedroom and forced to listen to them talk downstairs about things that you didn’t entirely understand

And no matter how much you screamed and pleaded to be let go, to please return to your normal life. Imu would simply stare at you like they had always done with the most response that they ever gave you was to get down to your level and look you directly in the eye

Eventually as time passed as well, you began to accept that this was your life. There was no escape from this game, this was your new home and this is where you were going to grow old and eventually die

But of course, this is a video game and no one ages inside of a video game… The years would pass by but you would never change, Imu would never change, the five old men would never change… The only thing that ever changed was the scenery…

The constant isolation and lack of change started to get to you and slowly you started believing… Maybe you were a video game character and maybe you truly weren’t feeling well so that’s why you believed otherwise

This was your home… Right? You had never lived in the real world that you remembered because this was the real world… This is where you belonged… With Imu…

The one who had been so nice and caring to you as they made absolutely sure that you would recover…

Yes… You were sick… And you had been so ungrateful to Imu…

The next time that Imu came to check on you, they were pleasantly surprised to see you in bed for once instead of trying to wander about…

They came over and sat on the edge of the bed to look at you, you looked back at them and an apology escaped your lips…

An apology for trying to leave them, an apology for not believing that this was the real world, an apology for having been so ungrateful to them, an apology for not realizing how unwell you truly were to believe that you were someone else

They actually reacted to this as they extended a hand that no longer felt cold yet oddly warm as it took yours, they gently lifted your hand and began to slide something onto your finger. It was a ring

You should be grateful you know… Imu forgave you and loves you…

It was after admiring the ring for a bit, the blacked out figure leaned in and pressed their lips onto yours in a kiss that you happily returned and when Imu pulled away, you heard them speak for the first time

“You are mine, my love…”

“I am yours…”

It was after that, that Imu held you close and rested with you on the bed… Meanwhile in the real world, you were slowly erased from existence…

All of your friends forgot about you, they didn’t remember a single thing about you let alone your name and every missing persons poster faded away into nothing

It was truly like you were never even a real person in the first place as everything about you vanished except for one thing… Your old console was left sitting on the floor of what used to be your home with the game cartridge disappearing to find its way into some other poor souls possession

You would never know this of course, you were completely under the impression that you were simply a person living your sweet and caring partner on a nice island where no one ever aged

You would never even entertain the thought that you were a real person stuck inside of a video game and if you did then Imu would shoot those ideas down as soon as they sprung up

And as the days passed by living with you as their spouse, Imu honestly knew that leaving that code for you to find was a good decision

(Couldn’t find any good gifs of Imu that weren’t really jittery or had heavy spoilers, sorry…)

[jake-whatthefisgoingon-kiszka]

This was so fun to write! I hope you enjoy part 2!

Pairings: Jake Kiszka X Danny Wagner *ssslash

Warnings and tags: 18+ only, no minors! Adult themes including: partner death (past tense), fatal illness, brief mentions of depressive attitudes, some drinking, little bit of flirting, dad Jake AU, uncle Danny AU

Word count: 4k

Another end to a week and soon it was Saturday. Jake was back on the field with the kids, jogging backwards alongside them as he taught them how to attempt making passes with the balls. It wasn’t exactly going well, but he didn’t expect much from only the second day of practice.

The kids were having fun and that was all that really mattered so he wasn’t hard on them at all. He was having a good time watching their little feet and legs try to maneuver the checkered balls, giggling himself when one of them would trip up and he’d have to quickly catch them before they surly ate some grass.

There was to be no crying on the field under his watch.

A few parents had come to see their kids learn the sport, though most just sat in their folding lawn chairs and clapped from the sidelines. Emma’s mom was here. She’d made it a point to come up to Jake before practice started and invite him over for lunch afterwards, to which he said he’d consider it.

Honestly, he hadn’t had much time to think about Danny since the other day, but he’d suddenly gotten a strange feeling in his gut when walking over to the field this afternoon. He had no idea if Danny would be there today, and he wasn’t sure if he’d mentally prepared himself to deal with any antics today. It was a relief to see he wasn’t there, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be at the house for lunch.

“Can I go play at Emma’s house? Pleeease?” Luna asked in her sweetest, trying to pull on her dad’s heartstrings, voice.

“Michael has been outside grilling all afternoon. We’ve got plenty of food” Emma’s mom sweetened the deal with the promise of barbecue, and after that little cardio workout Jake had to admit he was pretty hungry.

“Oh all right, just for a little while” Jake finally agreed and both kids squealed with excitement.

“So how’s it going with the foundation?” She casually made small talk as they all started their walk back towards the houses.

“It’s been going. We hit a few snags with securing some donations out on the west coast. Thought for a second I was going to have to go out there myself to get it all sorted out, but my team came through in the end”.

“That’s good to hear. It’s great what you guys do for musical education”. She almost always asked Jake about his job when she got the chance to chat with him. Jake didn’t mind, he loved his job, a legacy left behind.

“By the way, I’ve been thinking about putting Emma in some piano lessons” she continued, “you wouldn’t happen to know anyone would you?” Though she didn’t come right out and ask him, the look she gave him and the tone in her voice suggested what she really meant was would he teach her. “I’ve seen that beautiful piano in your house”.

“That was June’s” Jake informed her that the piano she mentioned wasn’t exactly his, but his late wife’s. “I could teach her how to play guitar” he chuckled nervously, fidgeting with the strap of his backpack, “but piano might be a little out of my expertise”.

“Oh, I see” she trailed off, almost sorry she’d unintentionally brought up a possibly sensitive subject.

Jake offered her a warm smile in return, trying to show her he didn’t mind at all. He liked talking about her, and actually he kind of wished people would ask about her more often so he could feel free and happy to reminisce instead of everyone just trying to tiptoe around it.

“I really wish I could’ve met her. I bet she was an amazing woman”.

She was the most amazing woman he’d ever met, Jake thought to himself. They had met at an event for the foundation he now worked for. He was only nineteen at the time, still just a kid in the eyes of the seasoned professionals he was so anxious to be getting a chance to mingle with.

Being a freelance musician, Jake was just trying to book whatever he could with the help of his manager, who happened to be friends with some people also invited to this party. Jake hadn’t expected much of anything to come from that night. Maybe have a few (nonalcoholic) drinks with some like natured musicians, learn some tips of the industry, if he was lucky and smooth talked enough maybe score his next gig. What he never expected was meeting June.

They spent practically the whole night standing at a high top table at the corner of the room together, just getting to know each other. He told her he played the guitar and she modestly revealed that she was a singer who also played a few instruments of her own. She was twenty-one at the time so she was drinking sparkling wine and Jake couldn’t tell if the flush in her cheeks was from him, or the glass in her hand. Either way he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

At the end of the night he gave her his number, praying she would give him a call. After two long days of beating himself up for not just asking for her number instead, she called him and they set up a lunch date.

It was then he found out she was the only daughter of the owners of the foundation who’s party they’d met at. She had spent most of the past two years traveling around with them going to events like the night before, meeting musicians and trying to fundraise money for musical programs in schools.

She had decided now that she wanted to settle down for a bit, write some pieces and even possibly work on an album. Jake was extremely excited when she invited him to the studio with her, and before he knew it they were collaborating and eventually dating as well.

Two years of hard work and their album was finally hitting the market. The combination of Jake’s crafty acoustic and effortlessly executed electric guitar riffs, with her smooth powering vocals and elegant instrumentals made for popular reviews. They toured together for a while, most of their shows profits giving back to her family’s foundation.

Jake and June never denied the dating rumors. It was blatantly obvious with the palpable chemistry between them both on and off stage, and as soon as touring was over they were eloping up in the mountains of her family home.

It seemed so unreal looking back on the way it all happened. Jake was crying tears of happiness when he found out she was pregnant with Luna, but the tears soon turned sorrowful when all the blood testing along with early pregnancy confirmed June’s worst nightmare, her diagnosis.

The doctors assured them that the pregnancy didn’t put her or the baby at risk, but Jake could tell when she started getting sick because she didn’t sing anymore. She just didn’t have the strength in her lungs to do so.

Thankfully Luna did arrive perfectly fine, and they’d had nearly a full year together before June took a turn for the worst. She was bedridden on their daughter’s first birthday, and Jake couldn’t stand to see the pain it caused her to not be able to be the mother she always wanted to be.

The next thing he knew, she was gone and he was navigating life as a parent alone. He decided making music and playing shows couldn’t be a stable job for a toddler, so he inherited his wife’s shares of the foundation where he started to work full time.

“She would’ve loved you guys, especially Emma and Luna getting so close. She always wanted a big family since she was an only child”. Jake smiled again as he watched the kids chase each other through the yard once they finally reached the house. “Are you an Michael thinking about having anymore?”

She turned quiet herself this time, shrugging her shoulders as she held the door open for him after the kids plowed through to get to playing in the backyard. “We’ll see” she replied, absently like it wasn’t a topic she really preferred to get into right now.

Jake followed her through their home to the French doors that opened up onto their back patio. Emma’s dad was finishing up at the grill so they started setting up the table with napkins, cups and utensils, some chips, everything you’d need for an afternoon barbecue.

“Is there anything I can help with?” Jake asked, feeling awkward about just standing there as they worked. He’d had plenty of meals at their house, and shared his dining room with them as well, so he wasn’t uncomfortable but he still considered himself a guest and offered his assistance.

“Oh I’ve got some potato salad in the fridge, would you mind grabbing that and some ice from the kitchen?”

Without hesitation Jake made his way back inside, easily navigating his way to his destination, stopping dead in his tracks when he rounded the corner and saw the kitchen wasn’t as empty as he’d expected it to be.

“Looking for this?” Danny smirked as he held what looked like the bowl of potato salad he’d been sent for.

“No” Jake blurted out, his mind too preoccupied with trying, and failing, to look away from the man standing in front of him. He was in black jeans again, maybe even the same ones from their first encounter, and another t-shirt. Only this t-shirt instead of having the sleeves cut off had the last two inches chopped away so that the hem hung just above his belted waistband.

All he had to do was shift a bit and Jake was getting a peak at his navel, decorated with a patch of dark hair. There was something else too, something silver just barely hidden underneath the cotton. A belly button piercing? He couldn’t be sure, but he absolutely was not getting any closer to get a better look or letting himself get caught staring.

“Ice” he spoke in another one word sentence, but didn’t move a muscle to retrieve said ice.

“Here, I got it” Danny set the bowl down on the island that separated them and stepped over to the cabinets. He had his back facing Jake now, but as he opened the cabinet and reached onto the top shelf for a metal container for the ice Jake could see how far the shirt rose with the stretch, exposing smooth tanned skin and a pair of back dimples.

Jake continued to watch in silence as Danny filled the bucket up before turning back around. “Want to take that and I’ll take this?” He raised his eyebrows and nodded his head slightly towards the bowl on the counter.

“Okay” Jake approached the island like a skittish cat. One wrong move from Danny and he’d be scurrying off. Danny only waited patiently for Jake to reach over and slide the bowl across the granite then he wrapped his arm around it and held it close to his body.

“Your hair looks nice by the way” Danny muttered quietly when Jake was closer.

Jake brows furrowed in confusion before he could catch himself. He’d let his hair down from the clip he’d thrown it up in at practice, but all he’d had was his fingers to haphazardly comb through it. He couldn’t imagine that it looked ‘nice’ right now.

“It looks good down is what I mean” Danny elaborated, moving past him to head outside before someone came looking for them.

“There you are! I was sure you didn’t get lost just going to the kitchen” his sister called them over to the table when she spotted them through the door.

She had the kids already rounded up, sitting together at one end with a plate each and barbecue sauce already smeared on their faces. Practice must’ve made them just as hungry as Jake was.

Jake took a seat next to Luna, Michael sat at the end of the table and his wife to his right. That left the seat across from Jake open, and the seat next to him on Michael’s left. Great, either he’d be trying to avoid looking at Danny while he ate, or he’d be sitting right next to him.

He turned to check on Luna making sure she had a napkin and enough water before he planned to get back up and make a plate for himself. The seat next to him was drug across the concrete as Danny pulled it out to take a seat, but then the sound of a plate sliding across the table made Jake look over.

Danny sent him a smile as the plate ended up right in front of Jake, setting his own plate down in front of his chair next then leaving to get drinks.

“Thanks” Jake mumbled when Danny handed him a water as well.

“You know Danny plays the guitar too” his sister commented as she watched their little interaction, stabbing her fork into some of the potato salad.

“Really?” Jake replied, too polite to ignore her conversation. “Is he any good?” What he could do though was talk to her like their subject wasn’t nearly brushing shoulders with him as he picked up his fork.

“He is. At least from what I can remember he hasn’t played in a while”.

“That’s because my Gibson got stolen” Danny interjected.

“I don’t see how that’s anyone’s fault but your own” she scolded him.

Jake was able to get a few bites in as they argued back and forth for a moment when he noticed Michael was being unusually quiet. He chalked it up to letting Danny and his sister have their moment. He himself knew how family bickering could go.

“I’m thinking about getting a new one though. Maybe when I do I could come over and we could jam”.

Jake nearly choked on his water at Danny’s bold suggestion, but he somehow managed to swallow it down and look his way. “Umm, yeah that could be cool”. Shit, why did he agree?

“Cool” Danny flashed another smile and Jake focused on his plate again, already thinking of excuses he could use to get out of that.

“Daddy, I’m done” Luna tugged on Jake’s arm to get his attention after a little while of eating and chatting. “Can we go play in Emma’s room?”

“Ask Emma’s mom if she can be excused from the table” he answered her as he gathered up her mess.

“Of course, you kids run along and play, I’ll be right back” she quickly replied as she got up to grab something from inside. Danny jumped up to help Jake clear the kids plates, stacking them and all the trash together and carrying it to be thrown away, the kids following behind him.

“Have any interesting cases right now?” Jake asked Michael when it was just the two of them left outside.

“Nothing really interesting, just a lot” he replied simply.

“I hear you’ve been having to stay late quite a bit, I’m always happy to help with Emma”. He watched as Michael nodded, though his attention seemed to be focused behind Jake. Looking over his shoulder just barely in view behind the glass doors Danny and his sister seemed to be deep in discussion again.

Like she could sense their eyes on her, she quickly came back out, carrying a wine bottle and two glasses. “A client gave this to us, you have to try it at least once” she insisted as she poured herself and Jake a glass.

They talked for a while longer, one glass turning into two before Jake had to cut himself off, but she went ahead and finished the bottle with her third. At some point Michael had gotten up and went inside. Jake found it odd he wasn’t socializing at all today, but maybe he was just overworked and needed a break. God knows he knew what it was like to need a break.

“Well I better get Luna and head home. We still have homework she didn’t want to do last night”.

“Go ahead, I’m going to clean up a little bit out here. It was good catching up”.

“It’s always a pleasure” he replied, then got up feeling his head rush a little bit with the motion. It’s a good thing they only had a short walk home because that wine was potent, three glasses would’ve definitely gotten him into some trouble.

When he was back inside he could already hear the giggling of the children coming from the living room instead of the hallway with the bedrooms. “Luna? Time to go sweetheart” he called out.

He was right, they were in the living room, and so was Danny who looked up at him from where he sat on the floor in front of a kids play desk. He had about a dozen rainbow butterfly clips fixed in his curls, and his hands were spread across the tiny desk while Emma painted them silver with sparkles.

“Daddy! Can I see your phone?” Luna jumped up from the couch that had hair accessories scattered across its cushions, no doubt the next pieces to be added to Danny’s look.

“What for?” He asked, letting her grab onto his hand and pull him further into the room.

“Danny said we can add him as a friend on TikTok” she answered him, already trying to pry his phone from his front pocket.

“Is that so?” Jake retrieved his phone first, looking over at Danny in question.

“Only if you send me those slime scooping videos. Those are my favorite” he told her to which she jumped up and down giggling.

Jake reluctantly unlocked his phone and opened the app he’d only installed so that he and Luna could watch cute farm animal videos on and such, she loved those. He let Danny tell him his username and added him as a friend. “Alright can we go now?”

“Bye Emma! I’ll see you at school on Monday!” Luna waved to her, then to Danny.

“Careful!” Emma scolded him when he tried to wave back, checking his nails for smudges when he quickly obeyed and put his hand back down.

Later that night Jake laid in bed getting caught up on some reading and waiting for Josh’s call when he got a notification on his phone. He’d almost forgotten about the TikTok add when he saw that Danny followed him back, and shortly after sent him a video. He debated ignoring it, but ended up deciding to check and make sure he wasn’t sending anything weird where Luna could see.

A pleasant little tune came across the speaker when it started with a title to the video on the screen that said ‘rating the scoopability of this week's slimes’. He actually watches this? Jake thought as he let the video play on, an orange ‘slush’ slime, whatever that was, up first. Next was a deep blue one with purple flash and gold stars. Wait, he kind of liked that one, and why was this kind of relaxing? Finally there was a green translucent slime, this one had lots of tiny little charms in it which Jake had to squint his eyes at to see that some of the charms were tiny soccer balls.

Was Danny thinking about him when he sent this video?

Jake closed the video and stared at the white background of the nearly empty inbox before he curiously clicked on the bubble that took him to Danny’s profile. He didn’t have anything posted, but there was a link to his instagram account.

The link took him immediately to the other app, and Jake lied to himself saying he hoped his account was private. It wasn’t.

A grid of pictures of Danny flooded Jake’s screen in the usual instagram manner. Being nosey he scrolled a little bit, finding one interesting enough to click on and enlarge. He looked like he was in a tattoo shop, and he was in a position that showed off his forearm while he pretended to flex- not that he had to try very hard.

What looked like brand new ink by the irritation of his skin banded around his arm in bold black lines. How had he missed this when they met? He could remember what Danny was wearing, but clearly he’d been trying to avoid looking at him too much if he’d not seen the tattoo.

He stared at the picture for a bit longer, studying the marking and the unfamiliar symbol they made when he was interrupted by his awaited phone call.

“Hey” he answered, trying to sound normal- like he wasn’t just creeping on someone's social media.

“What were you doing?” Josh asked, too intuitive to not notice he’d caught Jake off guard.

“Nothing” Jake replied, his voice turning up a bit at the end.

“What were you watching porn or something?”

“What? No! I absolutely was not” Jake groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose at his brother's brazen questioning.

“I wouldn’t judge you if you were. How else are you supposed to release some stress without getting a little… well, release?”

“Please stop talking. The only thing stressing me out right now is you”.

“How was practice today?” Josh asked instead, sounding a little too eager to get the updates about ‘practice’.

“Really good” Jake replied, only adding to Josh’s delusion of what really good meant.

“So you got to see a certain someone again?”

Of course, this conversation was actually about that.

“Not at practice. We had lunch at Emma’s house”.

“Wait…” Josh stopped him in confusion. “So the person who hit on you is?”

Jake debated for a moment about telling Josh about Danny. Besides he was just some random guy he had to put up with right now since his family was close with Emma’s, right? He figured Danny’s living situation with his sister wasn’t permanent, so eventually he’d leave and everything would go back to normal, right?

“Jake, come on if you don’t tell me I’m just going to imagine what I want to then” Josh read his mind.

Knowing leaving it up to Josh’s imagination was not the best course of action- that could get out of hand fast, Jake gave in. “His name is Danny. He’s Emma’s uncle”.

The other end was silent for a moment as his brother took in this information. Jake knew that Josh didn’t care that this crush was someone of the same sex, having been with his boyfriend for nearly a decade now. “This is… interesting”. Jake could hear Josh’s grin, knowing he was probably planning out how he could meet Danny as soon as possible.

“Don’t be weird about it. It’s nothing”.

“Yeah, just a crush” Josh giggled mischievously. “Jake has a crush”.

“Shut up I don’t”.

“Oh, wait till Sam gets a hold of this”. Jake knew Josh wouldn’t actually tell him if he didn’t want him to, but it was also fun to tease him with it.

“I’m hanging up now”.

With a chuckle still in his tone Josh wished him a good night. When the call ended Danny’s instagram pulled back up and Jake gave it one last scroll through before he sighed and closed all his tabs before plugging his phone back in and saving his place in his book. Setting them both on his night stand he turned out his light and settled into bed, one question left on his mind.

Did he have a crush?

Before today he would’ve said no, absolutely not, but he had to admit seeing Danny playing with the kids had done something to him.

A crush might’ve been a strong word at this point, but if he saw Danny again he didn’t think he’d mind it so much anymore.

Coming to grips with that Jake was able to easily fall asleep, knowing that he probably would be seeing him again.

Tags: @lyndz2names @gracev0609 @lipstickitty @sanguinebats

[teecupangel]

Just saw the Yu Gi Oh post where you gave Desmond a deck based around Ezio being one of his main cards and it reminded me that when i finished reading Esama's Loose Ends, i wrote down an idea i got. XD

Basically, Desmond gets sent to the Yu Gi Oh verse as a card and in a fun twist, we can send Shaun, Rebecca and Bill after him some months later. In this AU, Abstergo never got Desmonds body, there was just some blood stains near the Eye(enough for Sample 17). This leads Bill to desperatly search for his son and in the beginning Shaun and Rebecca help him, but as the months go by and nothing comes up, they start losing hope.

Not Bill though. He is adamant that his son is still alive, the Apple told him so. Eventually the Brotherhood send Shaun and Rebecca after him to get the Apple back and to stop this madness. Bill though, has found out that his son is in an alternate reality and there is a PoE that can get him there. Just as he activatesthe device, Shaun and co. catch up to him and gets transported too.

All of them wake up to a world where children fight multi million dollar tournaments with real monsters summoned from cards... WTF??? Bill is still adamantly searching for Desmond and when asking around, he hears people talk about "hoping to see Desmond in action" at the next tournament. When they get there though, it is not just Desmond he sees, but a bunch of Assassins... as the monsters controlled by people. All their eyes are a soulless white and then everyone goes wild as Desmond gets summonee to the field... Bill found his son. Now he needs to free him.

.

So yeah, the idea is that Desmond and his ancestors are being controlled by whatever evil corporation rules in the Yu Gi Oh verse(sorry, my knowledge about this series is very limited XD) and it's up to Bill, Shaun and Rebecca to save Desmond and stop the evil guys, with the help of these random children that insist they can help.

"Do you guys even know how to play Dual Monsters?"

"... Fiiiiine, you can help"

Heres's the wall of text i wrote down in a flurry of words about Desmond as the card. XD

Yu gi oh x AC crossover idea: After the Eye Desmond ends up in the Yu Gi Oh verse as a card. He has multiple stages to his card and his theme is that at first he can't attack and monsters are forced to defend him until a certain number has been met and he transforms into a form that can attack. His first form is a chained up ball of golden feathers called Desmond The Chained One. His 2nd form is called Desmond The Free One and has him sever his chains and fly free, but the chains remain on him(he is in simple clothes reminiscent of his hoodie and jeans). His 3rd form is called Desmond The Awakened One and has him hold an Apple of Eden and his clothes become the robes of the Assassins. His last form is Desmond The Sacrificed One and along with the Apple, he has the Eye in front if him. In this form his chains are finally gone and the player can choose to either sacrifice him to protect every card on the battle field from a spell or effect that would destroy a monster or they can sacrifice everything and let Desmond remain. In his 2nd form he gains the ability to summon other Assassin cards(Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad The Eagle, Ezio Auditore The Hunter, Ratonhnhaké:ton The Furious, Edward Kenway The Pirate, Haytham Kenway The Leader etc) to aid him. His 3rd also gains the ability to sacrifice a card to take control of an enemy until the end of the turn.

Here’s the link to the Altaïr possesses Desmond ala Yami Yugi idea and my idea for Desmond’s OP deck for those curious

I only fully watched the series with Yugi in it so I’ll suggest that, instead of an evil corporation, we just have Desmond be part of the new cards that are part of some kind of ‘promotional tournament’. This way we can put this in any of the series/season you want and it’ll become more or less a ‘filler arc’ XD

Okay, my suggestion is for the criteria to change forms is that ‘discarding’ or ‘losing’ a number of cards to ‘evolve’ Desmond.

For Desmond to become Desmond The Free One, 3 cards must be discarded or lose regardless of who lost it (the player or the opponent). BUT Desmond must already be in the field for those cards to count. Any cards lost before Desmond is in the field is not part of the count. This includes magic and trap cards.

To get Desmond the Awakened One, the player must discard or lose 3 cards (this includes the cards that the player has already sacrificed for Desmond’s 2nd form).

And for Desmond to become the Desmond The Sacrificed One, it’s more specific: the cards Altaïr, Ezio, and Ratonhnhaké:ton must be discarded or defeated in the field. Of course, if they have already been sacrificed, that still counts. But here’s the thing though…

Desmond the Sacrificed One doesn’t summon any Assassin cards. He forces the players to summon them as long as they are in the player’s hand and there is a free spot in the field. Any time he summons an Assassin, he can no longer attack or use his control skill and he prioritizes summoning Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton.

AND he has a special ‘passive skill’ with the Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton cards. He will always take the first hit of those cards per turn. This means that, the opponent could easily whittle down Desmond’s health by attacking Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton only once.

This is mitigated by:

Desmond cannot be directly attacked or removed from the field as long as there is an Assassin card in the field

He heals 10% of his total HP for every Altaïr, Ezio and Ratonhnhaké:ton cards in the field per start of the player's turn.

The Aegis shield can be equipped to Desmond and it will take 50% of any damages that is aimed at Desmond until its shield is depleted.

Edward’s passive skill “Protecting the Future” where Edward can take the damage that would prove to be a killing blow for the cards Ratonhnhaké:ton, Haytham Kenway and Jennifer Scott also applies to Desmond.

The magic card “You are an Auditore” which heals 30% of the health of any Auditore cards in the field and that includes any ‘Kenway’ on the field also affects Desmond.

Equipping Altaïr or Ezio with the Armor of Altaïr (there’s also two copies of them in the deck) halves all damages they take and Desmond only receives 1/3 of the damage when his passive activates.

Keeping Desmond the Sacrificed One also heralds a permanent field effect. All monsters other than Desmond take damage every start of the turn. The field is called ‘Remnants of the Sun’s Wrath”.

[nova--spark]

i'm gonna be deranged and incite au shenanigans, so lets say that an accident with a spacebridge has transported Rachet into the strayverse (if he's already existent in the strayverse, no he isn't), and of course the first he does is yell at thea, asking where he is and being belligerent about it. (plot hole if you asked how he knows thea but not her world, I imagine thea to be a dimensional traveler and thats why she exist in your other continuities.) Plasmaclaw's overprotectiveness would kick in and he'd yell at Ratchet saying how he's the only one who can talk to anthea like that, but he's gonna end up teasing anthea with ratchet lol.

Addi my dear, please know this idea has beyond brought me joy and hilariousness.

Because I had in fact been tempted to mess with multiversal shenanigans of all kinds so, mind reader??

Anyway Ratchet does indeed exist in the Astray-Verse! Actually you can take my recent redesign of him as the version in Thea's Verse--

Anywho~

We shall say that, in this scenario, shenanigans with a TFP Space Bridge, perhaps attempting to amplify it with say, Cybermatter? Resulted in the following discovery:

Multiversal Bridges.

As Ratchet found out, when he was dropped in the middle of a military base, almost reminiscent of his own familiar quarters on Jasper, and--

Wait, where was everyone. Where is the bridge!? And why can he not contact any of them!?

He was gonna kill Wheeljack and Knockout for whatever they probably did. [Spoiler Alert: None were at fault]

After a week without finding anyone, or having issues contacting his team, Ratchet finally managed to hotwire a way to contact at least someone.

It just so happened to be the same private frequency the Strays used when rescuing Decepticon deserters.

Unaware of this fact, Ratchet just went to the coordinates sent, grumbling at the fact he could not bridge to them.

Safe to say, the meeting of Stray-Anthea with her team and TFP Ratchet were a chaotic 20 minutes, as the medic recognized her quite quickly, and scolded her for not sending everyone else, or why they even had to meet here and--

S!Thea: I'm sorry, but how do you know me?

TFP!Ratchet: I beg your pardon? I am your medic, how would I not!?

S!Thea:Uh, no, my medic is Ratchet and Cloud, not--

TFP!Ratchet: I would hope I certainly am! I highly doubt many others could handle a human who bleeds Energon!!

At that, Thea was quick to grab a scanner, frowning as she, Cloud and Proxy got the necessary information, while an agitated Ratchet watched, arms crossed and confused.

Plasma stood 5 feet from his ward, a growl of his engines as he looked at the familiar-yet-unfamiliar mech.

After a few more minutes of confusion, the scans confirmed it.

This was Ratchet. But not their Ratchet.

Oh boy. This was gonna be interesting to explain at base.

It was in fact, not as easy to explain, but it was clear at the very least: This Ratchet was from a world where the war had ended fairly recently, knew Anthea [and her antics], and had arrived here by a space-bridge mishap.

Plasma's overprotectiveness was justified, I mean, in the few horus they'd known THIS Ratchet, they knew that...well, an Anthea existed in his world, one who'd gone through a similar ordeal to the one of this world.

So, more than a few times, Ratchet received a warning growl from the former assassin, when he would get a bit frustrated with the young woman. Said overprotectiveness faded with time however, as they bonded or rather, found one common thread:

Returning the attitude Anthea gave them, tenfold.

Research into multiversal bridging could not come faster, she thought, now that she has 2 Ratchets checking on her vitals, and sassing her back for the bullshit shenanigans she would pull on missions and more.

-------

And also, now I got Dimensional Traveler Strays in my head, wtf that's such a cool idea???

[alloftheimagines]

billy hargrove | yours

masterlist | tag list | ko-fi

words: 2.2k

warnings: 18+

jealous!billy, s4 spoilers, mentions of billy's abusive household, brief references to sex, mentions of eddie hiding from jason after the murders, mentions of death, au where billy survived starcourt and is helping reader hide eddie, smoking, strong language, angst and fluff, casual lovers to relationship

prompt: billy but jealous of eddie? thinking reader and billy stay back to guard/watch over eddie and Eddie’s encounters with reader is like Eddie and Chrissy level of giggling and reminiscing, something billy gets a little jealous of 

tags: @whiskeypowder @lil-stark @m0rning-st4r @findleynovadachs111

Billy Hargrove had just about gotten used to babysitting his sister and friends this year after the events of Starcourt Mall. He’d just about gotten used to the bullshit that is Hawkins’ tiny little monster problem after, well, having one possess his mind for a short time. 

 But as he props himself against the wall with his arms crossed in Reefer Rick’s house-slash-shack, he doesn’t think he’ll ever quite get used to babysitting a grown-ass man. Least of all Eddie fucking Munson, dungeon-whatsit and oldest high-schooler ever. 

You, Billy’s girlfriend, on the other hand, don’t seem to have a problem with it. As Eddie tucks into a box of cereal, eyes wide with a terror Billy knows well, you squat in front of the metalhead, placing a hand over his. 

“Hey. It’s gonna be alright, you know?” you reassure him. “We’ll figure it out.”

Billy’s stomach clenches with something hot and vicious, because that soft voice is supposed to be for him. Supposed to be saved for your midnight talks or car conversations. Hearing you use it with someone else, for someone else…

It’s selfish. He knows it is. Your compassion knows no bounds, and it’s one of the things he loves about you. But he’s jealous — of Eddie “the freak” Munson. He didn’t even know the two of you were close, but judging by the way Eddie softens with your words, it seems you are. 

“They think I killed Chrissy, y/n. How the hell will this ever be okay?”

You tilt your head carefully, eyes fixed on Eddie’s. Billy can’t stand to look. He clenches his jaw, averting his attention to the window instead. 

“Anyone who knows you knows you aren’t capable of this. God, remember when you tried to free all the frogs in the science lab in middle school before they could get dissected?” Your giggle leaves Billy burning, and he clenches his hands into fists. “Or what about when you forced the bus driver to stop so you could help that old lady cross the road?”

Eddie snorts as though sufficiently comforted. “I forgot about that shit. How’d you remember?”

“I just do,” you say. “I guess I never expected you to be half as kind as you were. But you’re a good person, Eddie. People know that. You’re, like, one of the best people in town.”

“Oh, come on…” Eddie shakes his head, though he smirks slightly at you. 

Billy is going to combust if Eddie looks at you like that again. He swears he is. 

“I didn’t know you two were such great friends.” A hint of sarcasm colours Billy’s gravelly voice as he pushes off the wall, motioning between the two of you.

You only shrug. “Not so much in high school. But, god, in middle school? Everyone else was terrified of you and I thought you were so fucking cool.”

The fact you aren’t even talking to Billy, but still to Eddie, only pushes the knife in. 

Eddie scoffs again. “No way.”

“Yeah, way. Hey, remember…” You sink into another fit of laughter, face turning red. Billy rakes his hair back, shaking his head. Are you flirting with Eddie right in front of his fucking face now? “Remember when we tried to skip sex ed by climbing out of Miss Wainwright’s window?”

“You fell straight into the janitor’s mop bucket,” Eddie adds, snapping his fingers with the memory. And then he did an impression of the janitor, which only made you laugh more. Which, of course, made Billy want to shove his fist down Eddie’s throat. 

Billy shakes his head as his patience finally frays. “I’m keeping a lookout outside. Let me know when you two are done reminiscing.” With that, he marches out, slamming the door shut behind him. He never thought you’d make him feel like this: a third wheel, forgotten, invisible. It’s like you didn’t even care he was there. You only cared about making Eddie laugh. 

As the door opens and you step outside, Billy examines his rings in an attempt at feigning nonchalance. 

“Hey,” you say carefully. “What was that about?”

Billy shakes his head, squinting out onto Lover’s Lake. He couldn’t remember why he was here. Why he was supposed to care about some guy while another threat loomed over the town. “Nothin’.” 

“Oh, come on. I thought we were past the whole thing where you get pissed and don’t talk to me about it.” You raise your eyebrows expectantly, but Billy keeps his lips clamped. If you want to flirt with other guys, then he has no choice but to put his walls back up. If you can stop caring, so can he. 

“I don’t know what to tell you.” He pulls out a cigarette, dangling it between his lips and lighting it slowly because he knows how much you hate every moment of it: both the suspended conversation and the fact he hasn’t quit smoking yet. After a long drag that does nothing to calm his unease, he continues, “I’m not pissed.”

You roll your eyes. “You didn’t like that I was talking to a friend. Is that it?”

“I don’t give a damn who you talk to, sweetheart. You should get back in there. Keep your old pal company, seeing as he's so fuckin' great.”

You let out an aggravated sigh, teeth gritted as you watch the smoke curl from his mouth. “That’s all he is. An old friend. And he’s going through shit, okay? Excuse me for trying to lighten the mood.”

“We’re all going through shit.” Billy narrows his eyes as he flicks the cigarette. 

Your silence speaks volumes. Finally, you shake your head in disbelief, disgust curling across your features as though Billy’s the one being an ass. Which, admittedly, he is, but you started it with your fucking flirting and giggling and oh, Eddie, you’re so kind and cool. 

You and Billy have never had the chance to be steady. It took Billy a long time to convince you to go on a date with him, and you only caved after watching him almost die at Starcourt. Though you spend most of your free time together, neither of you has made it exclusive. You don’t trust him, and maybe he doesn’t quite trust himself. He’s never been in a real relationship, and maybe he’s a little scared it’ll change him. Scared you’ll hold more expectations of him than he can live up to. Your interaction with Eddie just proved it. You’ve never called Billy kind or a good person. You don’t have old memories to laugh about. Sometimes it feels like the only thing weaving you together is that one night. July 4th. The day Billy’s world changed. 

“I guess I wouldn’t know. You never talk to me. When you’re done being a jealous asshole, feel free to let me know.” you mutter finally, sourly. It makes him want to wince. He’s pushed you too far, just like he always knew he would. Maybe he’s been waiting for the day you’d give up, see his true colours. The darkness in him, put there by a shitty dad and a whole lot of anger issues. If he was accused of murder, everyone would believe it, not just a few pious jocks looking to pick a fight with a supposed Satan-worshipper. That’s who he is. 

That’s what’s at the root of this sudden, inescapable, ugly jealousy. Because when it comes down to it, you should be with someone good. Someone kind. Someone a little less lame than Eddie, perhaps, but someone far nicer than Billy.

Billy presses his thumb to the corner of his eye, trying to push aside his pride. It isn’t easy. He wouldn’t do it for just anyone. But you’re not just anyone, so before you step back into the house, he calls you back. “Alright, fine. I’m being a jealous asshole.”

Surprise crumples your features. He rarely admits his mistakes, mending your non-relationship with kisses and plenty of foreplay that leaves you weak-kneed and forgetting what you were arguing about in the first place. But he knows this is different. This is a sign of his brokenness, and if he doesn’t attempt to fix it, he’s certain you’ll walk away. You put up with a lot of his shit already. He doesn’t want to see if this is your breaking point. The thought alone leaves him empty and nauseous, a reminder of all the reasons why this was supposed to stay casual.

But it didn’t. He cares about you. You’re under his skin, and it’s driving him mad. 

“Why, exactly, are you being a jealous asshole?” you ask carefully. “Eddie and I are just friends — or we were, years ago. We have a couple memories. Besides, it’s not like we ever said this was a relationship. I’m sure you’ve flirted with hundreds of girls behind my back.”

“Why would you think that?” Angrily, Billy stubs out his cigarette.

“Because I went to high school with you. I saw the way you were. I’m not arrogant enough to believe I’ll be the one who you settle for. That I'll be the one who tames the most notorious lady's man in Hawkins.”

He almost pulls out another cigarette, another bout of rage rolling through him. “If that’s how you feel, what are we even doing here?”

“You tell me,” you say quietly. 

Billy licks his lips, nostrils flaring. He’s speechless. “Damned if I fucking know.”

“Right. Okay. Good to know.” Disappointment leaves your expression to wilt, eyes glistening with hurt. It isn’t fair, he thinks, that you’re the one who gets to be upset when you just told him you don’t trust him and accused him of fooling around with half of the town.

“Don’t pretend you’re the victim right now. Not after what you just said to me. Not after you just sat in there,” one hand on his hip, he points to the house, “and flirted with another guy in front of me.”

You roll your eyes. “I wasn’t flirting with anyone. Jesus Christ.” Flustered, you sweep your hair back. “I don’t even know what you want me to say. If it isn’t obvious already, the only person I want to fucking flirt with is you.” You jab a finger into his chest, leaving him to rock on his heels. 

Billy’s brows furrow, still tight with ire. “Yeah? Well, the only person I want is you, but apparently I’m fucking with every woman in town, so what now?”

“I don’t know!” you snap, and then, as though the words have just sunk in: “Wait, really?”

He would rather be anywhere else than having this conversation right now. He feels too raw, too vulnerable. But he knows he’ll lose you if he doesn’t open up. Sooner or later, you’ll want something more. And he wants to be the one to give it to you. He never wants to stand in a room and doubt his importance to you again. He wants to be yours, and he wants everyone to fucking know it. 

“Yes,” he answers steadily. “Really.”

“You… you only want me?” You say it as though the idea is preposterous. As though Billy Hargrove could ever be monogamous. But fuck, he’s only ever felt anything for you. Nobody else has ever meant a damn thing to him. 

“That’s what I said, didn’t I?”

You swallow, inching closer to him and cupping his jaw in your hands. “I just didn’t think you wanted things to be… exclusive. After last year, I thought I was just your way of blowing off steam. I didn’t know…”

He glances at his boots, brows knitted together and hands heavy around your waist. “I thought I wasn’t good enough for you. Good enough to ask you to make this thing serious. I’m not good like him, you know? I’m out of my depth here. I’ve never wanted this before. Fuck, I’ve never felt like this before. You make me crazy, you know that?”

“Billy…” Your eyes glisten with tears. “You are good. I know you. In here,” you place a hand over his heart, “I know you’re a good man. The best man. You’ve just spent a lot of time pretending not to feel anything.”

He hates how much you see him. How well. Because you’re right. His attitude, his anger… they were taught. They were symptoms of his broken family. But he was certain his heart was already tainted. Now, he thinks maybe not, because nobody born evil could feel the way he feels for you. You make him want to believe he’s something more. Even when he’s an ass, you’re here, sticking around, telling him he’s good. 

He never knew how much he needed that. 

He catches your hand, lifting his gaze back to you. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want all of you,” you admit without missing a beat. “I want to be with you. Properly. I want to be more than just your way of blowing off steam. And I want you to trust that what I feel for you is real. That you’re who I want. Nobody else. I want you to stop closing yourself off when things get hard. I want you, Billy. I want you. Even the bad parts. Even when you’re acting like an asshole.”

He’s lost for words. Nobody has ever offered him that. Unconditional love. A steady, unwavering relationship. A promise to take his bad and still see his good. 

He’d be a fucking fool to push it all away. 

He rests his head against yours, closing his eyes to prevent tears. “You have me. I’m yours, sweetheart. Fuck, I’ve always been yours.”

You kiss him softly, sealing a silent promise. You’re his, too, and you don’t need to say it aloud for him to know anymore.

[localplaguenurse]

Hey so I was thinking about Zhongli and the kind of shenanigans and mischief he would do now that he’s free from his duties and it got me thinking

Morax’s words would be written off as a uneducated ramblings because Zhongli doesn’t have any form of paperwork that would prove he is highly educated in any form of specialty he’s in

Like we know he’s right cause we know he literally shaped Liyue from nothing like a potter who makes vases from lumps of clay, but can you imagine historians hundreds of years in the future reading about how Mr Zhongli would just go “Nuh uh that’s not what happened” to the most respected people of the time with literally nothing but source: trust me bro

Anyways all I’m saying is the museum would totally have an exhibition about “Ramblings of the illustrious Mr Zhong Li, from the Wang Sheng Funeral Parlour” and it’s just transcripts of his writings with future historians talking about how none of his words can be proven so they can’t be taken seriously as historical fact 😭

I'm gonna be honest I almost forgot the museum AU was a thing-

I love him. He's so knowledgeable about literally anything else so it's hard to definitively say he's wrong, but he can also be a bastard and just say shit and again, you can't prove he's wrong either. We love a king who has no sources to back up his claims, yet has no sources that disprove them, either.

His favourite though? When he starts sharing embarrassing stories about the ginkgo kids growing up and the children just glare at him like "if it wouldn't prove the story was true I would Slaughter You." Fortunately, no sources exist stating the stories are true, so no one really believes that Yaling continued to bite people way past the childhood years up until her teen years. Still, Zhongli shares that story with an odd amount of... reminiscence? That's probably just dramatic flair to make the story funnier, though.

[naminethewriter]

Reminiscence

Let's have a Blast from the Past for @loceitweek Day 6, both in the story and as a callback! Because this is set in my AU where Logan and Remus are Janus' fathers! The other stories related to this - but not necessary to have read to understand this - are Today's Topic: Snakes, The Third Snake Plan and As Long As You Try Your Best. (I would make them into a series, I just don't have a good name for it...)

Masterpost | Loceit Week 2023 Masterpost | Ao3

Summary: Janus is about to move to college. It's a big change for both him and his fathers.

Content Warnings: mentions of snakes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janus sighed as he looked around the room. It was so weird seeing so empty. This had been his room, his safe haven his entire life but now it was time to leave for college. It still felt unreal to him.

A knock on his open door pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked over to see his father leaning against the frame. He was smiling but it seemed not quite genuine.

“How is the packing coming along?”

“I’m mostly done,” Janus hummed, again surveying the room. “This feels really weird though.”

“It does, doesn’t it? I always thought that the tearful goodbyes as the child heads off to college in movies were very overexaggerated but now that I’m faced with the reality myself? I can see where they are coming from.”

“Well, I didn’t think you would be the emotional one about my move and not Dad.”

“Oh, believe me, he will be more emotional than me when you actually get in the car. These kinds of things hit him more in the moment than during the built-up.”

“Yeah, I know.” Janus smiled sadly. He was excited to go to college, to stand on his own two feet and meet new people while also having Virgil around still (he said that he agreed to go to the same college as his cousin because of his anxiety but secretly he’s very happy to have Virgil as a constant himself. Also removes the issue about having to get along with a stranger as his roommate,) but he would miss his dads.

“Repurposing this room will take some time to get used to as well,” his father added, finally walking inside and towards Janus’ desk on which some mementos were gathered.

“You didn’t need to do that right away, by the way. I will come to visit during breaks, you know,” Janus snorted, joining his father as he leafed through a photo album.

“It wasn’t needed in the sense that we needed the space, but I think it is better for both your Dad’s and my headspace to do so. Maintaining this room just for you to eventually visit us is not the kind of parent I want to be. There will be a place to sleep for you here, always, of course but it won’t just be yours anymore unless you move back in at some point. Which you are free to do for any reason, of course.”

“Thanks, Papa,” Janus laughed, leaning against his father’s side as they looked at the pictures together. “Oh, look, it’s Jake, John and Joey!” He pointed to a picture of himself around seven years old with three snakes wrapped around his arms and neck. “I miss those three.”

“I imagine you would. You were devastated when they passed.” Logan laid a hand on his son’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

“Yeah, they were my best friends for so long,” Janus whispered, thumbing over the photo once. “Did Dad ever tell you I took Jake to great-aunt Cathy’s funeral?” Logan let go of his shoulder and faced him with a raised brow.

“He did not. Why would he allow you to do that?”

“Oh, he didn’t,” Janus laughed. “I just told him about it when I convinced him to buy me John.”

“I see. You have always been very good at wrapping Remus around your finger. He just never learned how to say no to you.”

“Oh, please, I could wrap you around my finger just as well.”

“I can’t truly deny that,” Logan laughed.

“What are you two talking about without me?” Janus’ other father suddenly called from the door, making the other two turn around to face him.

“Just reminiscing a bit, dear,” Logan explained and held out a hand to Remus as an invitation to join them. “Want to take some time to just look at some pictures together?”

“Hell yeah! Anything that gets me out of carrying me stuff to the garage!”

Janus chuckled as he watched his Dad’s antics. He was going to miss both of his fathers so much but as strange as that may sound, he kinda looked forward to it.

[claudiajcregg]

i'd love to hear any behind the scenes you have on 'say it's here where our pieces fall in place' bc i read it and loved it and i want to know about it 💜

Welp, I've been thinking about this since you sent it and I feel I won't do it justice! I feel like I could say a lot if I went chapter by chapter, but many tabs of unread fics stare back at me. I'll skim and try to say something, though.

Some commentary on say it's here where our pieces fall in place under the cut! I am sick and rambly. And lbr I can never shut up anyway, but this might be too incoherent even for me. (Original ask post here)

It was sort of an unofficial NaNoWriMo project, in that I set myself a goal to tackle “longer fics” or ideas I wanted to cover but hadn't. From my notes, I had this idea to write a ficlet per year because I always enjoy this kind of story, and I know I'd tried to approach different ones in the past. I started writing in late October/finished in Nov 2021. (The other fic I started was never finished, even if dammit, it hits.) I posted it in January, so it wasn't that bad, considering I'll often take months.

It's maybe important to note that I had only finished writing “The Monster (affectionate)” (aka the 148k-ish word IM AU) in early September and I felt a bit burned out after spending five months writing that (would’ve been less but the struggle was real for the last third of the story. Oddly reminiscing of you-know-what story these days). This arbitrary deadline helped me get back into writing. Granted, I wrote a couple of fics in those five months, but I wanted to try another multichapter.

Anyway. I picked some random, perhaps not obvious choices for the vignettes. It was partly to avoid writing something I might have potentially covered at one point, and also a challenge. Some are also strange (the dream!), but I kinda loved it? (Fun fact: the fic references the Sherry-Netherland, whose exterior is the establishing shot in Internal Displacement. I swear there is some thought put into my writing.) And as the A/N I wrote to myself, I definitely wrote and rewrote bits and pieces of this on my way to and from therapy, haha.

Let me find a fun fact about each of the chapters, if I can think of any.

1998: actually repurposed some campaign fic idea I distinctly remember writing in spring 2018, while I was still in uni. It also has GLOVES. I live for that.

1999: I like the idea of exploring Danny and Abbey's relationship! They presumably have a good one and yet, I don't think we ever see them interact. (And god. Danny's recent, pre-campaign breakup is a recurring theme in my campaign stories too, loool.)

2000: Danny and Josh are an underrated friendship, and I like the references to Rosslyn. There was so much in those months in Midterms that we didn't see, and I like thinking Danny visited his friend.

We also got two back-to-back chapters focused on Danny - I remember trying to make it even, so that the focus was more or less evenly split.

2001: the Manchester fuckup! And it's one of the dream chapters! There were two of them? (We're 3 out of 4 in which I was surprised by the focus, but now I kinda want to re-read it all properly?) I'll say that I can see some vague, unconscious inspo from Freefall by KadeeFalls in this chapter (esp since I was just talking to you about it)... But I'm mostly obsessed with the magical realism (there's another term that my foggy brain cannot think of rn) of dreams, and how it can help us clear our heads.

2002: I remembered this was set after Simon! I know it's probably an odd, controversial choice but they both tried to move on (at least, we know CJ did), and it felt disingenuous not to include it. There are moments when she almost admits to her previous (?) feelings for Danny, but stops.

As with most thus far, there were fluffier and probably better choices for 2002 (Christmas!!), but... My brain wanted it to appear like CJ couldn't really bring herself to think about Danny.

2003: Aw, the specialty store is inspired by a franchise over here that had Goldfish (not many flavors) and I took a dramatic license and added it over there. I also added a small flashback because I love thinking Danny doesn't think they're all that but likes them. (But will tease CJ about it.) Plus, some more resolution to moving on!

2004: Yeah, the formatting is weird. (This is one I'd have to go back and do a blockquote or something.) Danny winning a Pulitzer for the Shareef stuff is a mostly accepted headcanon. CJ seeing his picture on the paper and having feels is just something I love, especially if he mentions someone else. (Look. I'm all for letting him pine, but he deserves to move on and fail too.) Plus Josh teasing her!

2005: The Sherry-Netherland! fwiw, I'm sure I had finally figured out this was the place and decided it would be so cheeky to add it here. I'm so sMaRt. Flowers when she gets promoted! And my spin (in this story) of CJ vaguely shunning him. This is the angst before the fluff.

2006: I remembered this one was a dream at some restaurant! (Again the formatting is not great, but I didn't want to tip my obvious hand.) The same way I think CJ's dream in 2001 was about her wondering how Danny would have reacted, this is about Danny realizing he needs to reach out to her... But with the added family ~tale~. Def inspired by that lyric in "Sad Beautiful Tragic."

2007: I feel like having it at some random dinner with Josh and Donna was an odd choice, but I loved the idea of a double date! The scarf scene is just so! And the chaos siblings energy is great. It was a reprieve from the angst.

Meeting at LAX was right there! I had written a story or two trying to do it justice, so I'm guessing that's why it's not. And fwiw the airport story I wrote shortly after that is the one being posted ~soon~. (A rewritten, slightly expanded version.)

2008: Pregnancy mood swings! It hurt to make them fight, but it's so fluffy otherwise. From what I remember, it has various references to things that happen in the story (particularly from the first two chapters) but it still manages to close it rather nicely, showing how strong their marriage is. I hope.

Okay. This has gotten way too long and it's probably useless.

I've always said I could have written another 11 chapters using different scenes, because there are just so many, even outside the obvious ones... Though I feel I wouldn't be able to recapture the magic.

I do definitely want to reread this for real. As with many fics, it's one of those I used to reread often before posting it (especially the last quarter/third) and then just ignored after. See some other recent examples, such as memoir fic, Portland fic.

Thank you for asking, Ally! God, I used to be a good writer. What happened?!??!

[theclaravoyant]

AN ~ The Heartstopper/GOmens double feature is doing a number on me ok, I loathe to think what will happen to my sanity when OFMD hits (Oct?). This is inspired by, but a little saucier than, "Do You Like It When I Speak French?" ... because this is adult man-shaped ethereal beings we're dealing with here.

Read on AO3

The Louvre is always busy, but it’s also huge. It gives them plenty to talk about - not least squabbling with each other, and with the notecards on the art, but there’s also plenty of reminiscing and waxing poetic about the artists, their subjects, and this place. It feels kind of timeless here, especially once they’ve surpassed the crowded halls and taken themselves out to those less traveled.

Crowley’s enthusiasm for the museum itself is soon flagging, but he trails Aziraphale with a sense of contentedness he’s still getting a handle on. He’s happy drinking in the experience, watching his Angel animatedly recount a tale about Catherine de Medici, the wariness that’s stalked him for centuries just barely prickling the back of his mind. 

He damn near jumps out of his skin when his phone rings, and all but throws it on the floor in an effort to pick it up as fast as possible. But the violent stab of fear and rage soothes quickly. It’s just the restaurant, confirming their booking and any special requests. He makes his notes and bids them au revoir, and hangs up to find Aziraphale.

Staring. It’s not unusual to find Aziraphale staring, especially as they venture down this path of being together-in-a-new-but-not-at-all-new-way. It makes him feel flattered. Flustered. This one even makes a little bit of heat creep in behind his ears, especially when Aziraphale’s tongue just ever so slightly touches his lip, like he doesn’t even know he’s doing it. Christ, it’s positively -

Crowley clears his throat.

“Sorry,” he says, tucking the phone away. “I’m listening. Just tonight’s reservations.”

“You made reservations?”

That’s not why he’s staring. Why he hasn’t put those hungry eyes away.

It starts to sink in, and Crowley almost, almost laughs.

“Angel. We can both speak French,” he reminds him.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Aziraphale blushes, but he’s in too deep, he can’t hide the sparkle of lust in his eyes. He turns away, trying to dredge up whatever he’d been talking about before. What’s a Medici? (It doesn’t help that he can feel Crowley’s eyes tracking his every move, with a lot more nerve endings all of a sudden than he could before.)

“I mean…” Crowley clarifies, and scoops him into an embrace from behind. And maybe with just a little tiny flicker of snake tongue against his Angel’s ear, he murmurs deep and low; “You like it when I speak French.”

“Oh, come now, Crowley-”

“Buy me dinner first?”

Aziraphale damn near trips over his own feet. He catches himself half on Crowley and half on the wall, and finds himself face to face with his Demon smiling, looking at once mischievous and ravenous and like he wants nothing more than to drink him slowly and sweetly like a rich cherry port. The feeling is very much mutual, and so he wraps a hand in Crowley’s lapel, pulling himself forward for a kiss even as Crowley begins to recite;

“L’espoir divin qu’à deux on parvient à former

Et qu’à deux on part–”

He knows it. It’s a poem about longing and timeless love. It rolls off Crowley’s tongue like he was born to speak it into existence - or like the words came into being to be spoken by none other than him - and yet Aziraphale can’t bring himself to feel bad that said tongue is too busy now to entertain itself with such beauty. Crowley takes his invitation to heart, kissing back with such care and passion, flooding them both with such a wave of unbridled sensation, that they don’t even hear the footsteps.

It takes a bit of shouting for them to register, they’re being told off like randy teenagers by a very irritated, probably long-suffering guard.

Crowley looks at Aziraphale. Aziraphale looks at Crowley. Each kind of expecting the other to reel it in and apologise, or at least smooth things over and serruptiously make an exit, but neither do. Aziraphale laughs, grabs Crowley’s hand and pulls until they’re running and the guard shakes his head and lets them go, with a sloppy Nous Sommes Desoles! shouted in their wake.

[lunaryrs]

🎵 cora and sienna

team / lorde

call all the ladies out, they're in their finery. a hundred jewels on throats, a hundred jewels between teeth. now bring my boys in, their skin in craters like the moon. the moon we love like a brother while he glows through the room. dancing around the lies we tell, dancing around big eyes as well. even the comatose, they don't dance and tell.

this one representing the entire friend group... i think they're so early lorde coded because they're so small town punk bitch royalty, skateboard wheels on cracked asphalt, slurpees in the parking lot, the gaggle of them with bruised knees and scuffed converse feeling on top of the world cuz their little hole-in-the-wall bar doesn't look too hard at their fake IDs when its otherwise dead on tuesday nights.

youth / troye sivan what if we run away? what if we left today? ... what if we start to drive? what if we close our eyes? what if we're speeding through red lights into paradise? 'cause we've no time for getting old, mortal bodies, timeless souls. cross your fingers, here we go. ... my youth is yours.

ummm why do i need ot explain this one just read the words. no i'm kidding i had a whole thought out thing for this one but i prioritized writing out other ones and then jake called me in the middle of doing that and i forgot about everything and this whole meme went to shit and here we are. but i know that you have a big brain and honestly? even if you didn't this one is pretty self explanatory.

16 / sadie jean

your old room, these walls look different. nothing's new, just days and distance. and i'm freaked out the more i realize it's gone now, but sometimes i want to be 16 at the park, parked in your dad's car. ... best friends, wanna get drunk in a backyard. so cool hanging out in the backyard. girl talk, talk about boys like it's business. mom's mad, gotta get home this instant. 16, bittersweet.

bram is only a baby and all but fuck that guy for coming between them like this............ i don't know i just picture cora in that little apartment with the baby reminiscing on the youth that she had/should still have rly and seeing her friendship w sienna at the center of it all. reflecting on the passing of time and all that's been lost and gained. they're still in each other's lives they'll just never have that version of themselves back and i think cora wishes she recognized how good those moments were when she was in them

"slut!" / taylor swift

flamingo pink, sunrise boulevard. clink clink, being this young is art. aquamarine moonlit swimming pool. what if all i need is you? ... adorned with smoke on my clothes, lovelorn and nobody knows. love thorns all over this rose. ... but if i'm all dressed up, they might as well be looking at us. and if they call me a slut, you know it might be worth it for once.

my little lesbianism au... i love it because it conjures up images of like the neighborhood pools they'd hop the fence into, them attached by their pinkies floating side by side on tacky pool floats they got prior raiding walmart with full intent to trespass bc they knew someone was on vacation or whatever. i know i told you i never really had a reason for cora's general sense of discontent until i thought of this and everything kind of clicked. very clear on sienna being all she could ever need but hadn't considered it in the romantic sense and i couldn't unthink of it that way ever since. in terms again of the greater friend group given how a few of the guys treat mollie it's like ok... perhaps not the biggest leap to think there's some misogyny there, surely some criticism from the skeevier guys that would feel like yknow the hot girls in the friend group are obliged to them somehow (and of course being romantically involved w some of them already as well). so i like this idea that they have this sensual secret thing going on and just kind of weighing the pros and cons of being like fuck it lets abandon this charade

[alesieben]

Director and General Index

Final Fantasy VII AU (takes into account Crisis Core and Advent Children, started before the remake dropped).

Summary: Vincent wakes up nearly thirty years after being locked up in a coffin by Hojo and Lucrecia to find that they’re both dead and Sephiroth, against all odds, is alive and well—or as well as a genetic experiment can be. After a bit of coercion and emotional blackmail from Rufus and Veld, Vincent decides to rejoin the Turks as Head of the Department. Things go rather well until Vincent starts getting hot flashes and, almost at the same time, Sephiroth approaches him with a desire to be friends.

Language: English 

Chapters: 17/?

Rating: M

Main pairing: Vincent/Sephiroth

Other pairings: Vincent/Turks/Rufus, Genesis/Angeal, Cloud/Tifa, Zack/Aerith

Part 1 of Tangled Ties universe

AO3 / FanFiction.net

Latest update: June 3rd, 2023

Chapter 1: Reminiscence

Overwhelmed with the plans for security for the upcoming energy summit at Modeoheim, Vincent remembers how he got to where he is right now. Way out from left field, Sephiroth invites him for drinks and strange hot flashes begin to bother the otherwise cool Director of the Turks.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Chapter 2: Dinner and a Shock

Sephiroth wants to be friends but Vincent doesn't think he can have those anymore. To make matters worse, Chaos finds out what the hot flashes are about. Hint: it's all Galian's fault.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Chapter 3: Limit Break

Finding out the creatures you play grudging host to are in heat is never fun. Being forced to let a not-so-mad-scientist poke you with needles and request all kinds of samples from you is even less amusing. It can always get worse, though.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Chapter 4: Cell-Deep Connections

The General finds out that his connection to the Director of the Turks runs deeper than anyone imagined . Dealing with this won't come easy to a man that can hardly understand his own emotions, let alone those of the man who's been avoiding him for the last four years. Luckily, Sephiroth has a sister that can talk to the Planet and a friend who knows Loveless backwards and forwards. That out to help… right?

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 5: All (Turks) For One

"Once a Turk, always a Turk is not just a cute motto--it's a pledge we live by."

When one spent their days and nights chasing after rebel factions, catching spies and turncoats, carrying out assassinations and generally being the shady shield of the most powerful corporation on the planet, while at the same time trying to avoid getting killed by loathsome executives in the aforementioned company, one tended to dance dangerously over the line between heartlessness and despair. Only someone in the same position would understand; only a fellow Turk would know what it felt like to crave the reassurance that your humanity had not disappeared along with that last bullet fire, that last detonation, the last lie filtered ot the right people.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 6: Hojo's Horror Show

Refusing to let Gast use him or Sephiroth and his friends as guinea pigs, Vincent embarks on a journey to Nibelheim to look for answers in Hojo's hidden laboratory. The gruesome secrets he and his team find there are enough to make their blood boil, but they have little time to delve into the information they found. In their absence, a crisis has emerged inside Shinra, forcing them to rush back and leave their research behind for the time being.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 7: Whack-A-Mole

Planning a rescue mission, dealing with fidgety executives and Soldiers, executing the aforementioned rescue mission, and dealing with its aftershocks--all within the span of eighteen hours. All to receive on more gut-wrenching call from Gast claiming to be as important as looking after an injured family member. Vincent can't help but wonder when will the storm centred around himself will end.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 8: Fail-Safe

Hojo had a lot of fingers in a lot of pies, and he wasn't afraid to mix and match now and then. Not only that, but the man's ego drove him to record every little thing he did in one way or another. Thanks to this, Vincent as some answers as to why Hojo and Lucretia used him as Chaos and Galian's hots, as well as how his existence became tangled with those in the Jenova Project. Not only that, but he also finds out the role his father played in the whole thing. In the end, will the truth be too much for Vincent to bear?

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 9: Sun Showers

In the wake of the discovery of Fail-Safe, Genesis starts treatment for his cellular degradation and Gast is forced to do more tests on Sephiroth. Vincent has gone missing, leaving Tseng in charge. Nothing out of the ordinary, except Galian has taken over Vincent's body and is threatening to put an end to Jenova. Now it's up to Tseng and the Turks to deal with this crisis without Vincent's leadership.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 10: Family

Needing comfort and support, Vincent decides to explain his recent behaviour to the Turks and Rufus. Dinner turns to something else and Vincent's adopted family gains a new member.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 11: Back in Business

A day in the life of Vincent Valentine, Head of the Turks, after he returns to work following the Avalanche raid and the Fail-Safe debacle.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 12: Machinations

In order for Vincent and Sephiroth to sit down and have lunch (Galian permitting, that is), many preparations must be made. Said preparations are the start of a series of schemes aimed at bringing the Director and the General closer. But will they work…?

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 13: (Un)Disclosed Desires

Sephiroth takes every chance he gets to spend more time with Vincent. When his feelings and desires finally get the better of him, he forces Vincent's hand and the gunman explains his complicated situation to the swordsman. How will Sephiroth react to the news?

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 14: Silent Jealousy

Genesis and the Turks are left trying to build bridges between Sephiroth and Vincent after the General's disastrous nighttime visit to the gunman. As their relationship becomes even more tense, complications arising from the enhancement session for the new Firsts threaten to shoot holes in their personal lives and at work.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 15: Let It Sink In

Sephiroth returns to Midgar seeking answers after Jenova threw a fit in his head. After getting an explanation (and a scolding) from Genesis, he gets to witness just how much Vincent needs and relies on Chaos. This leads the General to reassess his behavior and sets him on a path to make amends with Vincent and the Turks.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 16: All Apologies

After much deliberation and consultations, Sephiroth decides to leave his ruffled pride aside and start mending the many bridges he scorched along the way.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Chapter 17: Belated

Amidst the turmoil preceding the energy summit, Vincent receives a belated present from a rather surprising source. To top it all off, Sephiroth finally catches up to him to apologize. Without Chaos and Galian around, Vincent has to face not only the swordsman but some of his past on his own.

AO3 / FanFiction.net

[karamfilmare]

Hello my darling love! I hope the world is treating you kindly 💛💛

I am very much in a self-ship mood, so if would be so kind as to share a little thought with me! It can be whatever your heart desires to share -like perhaps what do weekends look like for the pair of you? Where would you go on a date? What does a Wednesday night look like? Do you go shopping together? What does a cleaning day consist of?

Anything at all, I just want to see you gush about them and enjoy the love you share with them 💛

My dear Patchy!! My love!! I hope you're doing well!!

I'm putting the selfship stuff below the cut because I accidentally made it long ofsmkvajjg

Hmmm good question! Lately I've been reminiscing on Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare, specifically Beatrice and Benedick and their dynamic. And I just have to say that dynamic is probably my fave one? And how much I wish I could be in a relationship with someone like that? It's my dream fisknvoajt.

So, in my college AU with Alhaitham, I can only imagine in the beginning with Alhaitham, we don't exactly vibe. Obviously, I found him attractive -- it's impossible not to, not when he looks like he's sculpted by the divine. But when he opened his mouth and said something, my eye would twitch. I thought I understood what kind of person he was right after our first conversation: he is logical, rational, he does not let his feelings/heart affect his decision making, and he likes being right.

So I hold that impression for a while. And due to the nature of our mutual friends basically being one giant circle in the Venn Diagram, we met each other a lot. Each time we met, we bickered and quipped and the people around us would roll their eyes and just watch the show. Light hearted insults, really, nothing too mean--okay, saying I'd rather watch paint dry on a wall than spend time with him alone is probably a bit mean, but ya know, he dished what he took.

But I think slowly, I started seeing things about him that were ... Not matching with my first impression. Maybe it's the way he sits back and listens to his roommate or how he actually doesn't go 'I told you so' to every person. Maybe it's the way he seems to actually listen to a person speaking. And when he doesn't demean me or belittle me when I speak of my convictions.

I think when we get paired up in a gen ed class we have together, I definitely see more of him... alone. And I actually find him more pleasant to be around than being alone watching paint dry. We meet up at the coffee shop on campus and *yes* he does mock my drinks of choice, but not everyone grew up drinking Arabic coffee at home and I like sweet drinks! Don't worry, I get back at him when I see him dump sugar into his black coffee as well as put cream in. And of course, he pays—despite my protests.

I don't know when it starts–the feelings and all that. I do remember noticing the way his green eyes have a ring of amber, and that his hair looks soft. I do remember observing his face when he's reading versus studying. And perhaps I do realize that whenever we look at each other, the glances are just a tad too long. But I still... can't bring myself to be too vulnerable nor can I give up. If things change between us, then... what else is going to stand.

Our friends though? They definitely try to pull off some shenanigans. They're plotting, trying to find ways to get us together so that they might have some peace. If you know Much Ado About Nothing, then you know how it goes: the groups separate to talk within the vicinity of one of the victims while talking loudly about how the other victim is "pining" and my what a plot that is.

Well...if Alhaitham is pining, I guess I should try to put him out of my misery, I think. Though I don't know how he's pining since he rarely expresses his emotions. Typical Aquarius guy.

I guess I should have realized whenever we met for our project planning during the semester that my heart would skip a beat around him. Or that he would hold onto me a little longer after he'd catch me from falling onto the crosswalk while cars go by. Maybe it's how we start to understand each other a little without talking. Of course, neither of us have thought about kissing the other whatsoever, don't listen to any of what Kaveh or Cyno or Dehya have said.

I guess I finally put him out of his misery when we are at a small holiday party and we find ourselves beneath holly—"mistletoe is white, Kaveh" "too bad, I couldn't find any"— and we look at each other. Okay, so maybe I have considered kissing his lips, sue me. And with the ambience and the chanting of Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! in the background, we finally do. And it really does feel like in the movies. And when I try to defend myself saying "if you want more, we would probably have to date," he pulls me in for another kiss, chuckling against my lips while saying "I thought you'd never ask." I didn't ask, but semantics.

I think Saturday mornings are quiet days, where we lie in bed and maybe read together after we get coffee. His morning voice is to die for, but I don't tell him that. I just rest my head against his shoulder and take in the moment. And I know he is, too.

I'll stop here because fosnkfojat it's gotten so long, but I hope you enjoyed it hehe

[gaeldricge]

Hi 👋 going to be greedy and ask multiple 😊

Bending au, book of love, Kya and Katara

💚💙

No problem dear 😍

Bending AU is a crossover in which several characters from Arcane, especially Grayson, exist in avatar-verse. Grayson is of course an earth bender who works for the RCPD. In fact, she’s a chief between Toph and Lin. And she has a relationship with Kya. At first it’s just a sporadic fling thing, but they really like each other and it turns to fwb. Kya even stays in the city for a while. There are two possible scenarios I see happening from then on: 1. They start dating, but eventually break up; 2. They stay together and manage to work around a long distance relationship.

Book Of Love is a songfic and features scenes from all my otps. Still in the early planning stages with this one, but it’s centred around musical settings - especially dancing but also concerts etc. Mel is playing the cello for Grayson; Kya/Lin dancing at the beach; Minerva/Poppy wedding dance... 

Kya and Katara is about the two of them bonding over love stories. I always wanted to explore a storyline in which Katara only begins talking to Kya about romance and women at a later stage in life. It's not that she didn't support or accept her sexuality, but during Kya's youth she was more neutral maybe even passive, about it. This thought is based on what Tonraq says to Korra in Turf Wars, about the SWT people preferring not to talk about (homo)sexuality. Katara is different of course, but this is about me exploring different kinds of different. So, maybe there was a time in Kya's youth when their connection wasn't as strong - because, honestly, Kya was a handful as a teenager, and talking to her Mum wasn’t always high on the list - and before it could change Kya left and Katara never found a way to approach the topic with her - also because Kya didn't bring many women back home with her and even when they settle at SWT she keeps her romantic life to herself pretty much, Katara only notices things from afar. But then one day after Korra's training they sit together and start talking. Katara is reminiscing about her childhood adventures after discovering Aang and Kya dares to make a remark about how many boys she was smitten with and vice versa and suddenly Katara starts asking her about her affairs and it's not at all as awkward as either would've assumed. And of course this will lead to Kya asking: 

"Why did you never talk to me like this when I was younger? You did with Bumi, even Tenzin, a little. Why not me? Did I make you uncomfortable?"to which Katara reacted with: "NO! My sweet girl, never! I just... I felt like I might be making you uncomfortable. If you remember we butted heads quite often back then. And I just didn't know how to talk to you, I felt ashamed by it to be honest. Especially since your father had such an easy time with the subject. Then you were gone and it seemed like you didn't want me to know much about you and your women-" "But only because I thought you'd be displeased! There were quite a few, you know..." "Never, sweetling! It isn't the path I chose, but it is still a good path. Your right path." PAUSE Kya: "Do you ever regret choosing your path?" "Hm, no. Of course I wonder from time to time what else I could have been. But I would always want my path to end with your father by my side."