#like how did you set her up as such a prominent and interesting and deep character in ragnarok !

[elbiotipo]

So when it comes to distance in a fictional setting, is metric king? I wrote some fantasy post-apoc recently where the protagonist measured it in Oranges and Aevums (the latter being their own name), but more generally speaking is it worth it to hash out bespoke measurement systems for fictional cultures, do you think?

Oranges as a measurement unit sounds so funny, and a measurement based in... yourself makes surprising sense, given all the measurements based on body parts. Why not YOURSELF?

Well, I would think in a real post-apoc world metric would be king indeed, scientific and technologic instruments are in metric even in the US and you could always get a ruler from a school or scales from a grocery store, so eventually you could get back on track to reforming the metric system. It would be interesting, though, if every society during isolation had slightly different measurements for the same units because of faulty equipment (say, ohms or amperes or even grays) and they had to make a congress to clear things up.

Returning to your main question. My perspective here is the same as conlangs. It's very, very fun to have them, but it's not fun to force your audience to read them. When I write something set in a fantasy or science fiction setting, in my head I'm assuming the characters are speaking different languages and I DO explain them and even give examples of them, but the story itself is written, for both the reader's and the writer convenience, in a language we can understand (Spanish in my case, and then it can be translated). Same with units of measurement. I seldom use direct units of measurement like writing "the ship was 110.3 meters long" (in science fiction, it's often a trap as they force you to stay true to them), when more descriptive language can be used...

In any case, you could do, for the kind of immersion I love, say something like "she was 14 oranges* tall, rather small for her age" and do an asterisk like "*A.N. : 1.39 meters tall". This is very fun when used sparingly, because it gives the worldbuilding obessed reader something to play with, you can do the conversion yourself and learn more about the world, without interrupting the story. Some understandably dislike this approach, but I think that if you know what you're doing, you can hide some pretty deep lore behind it. In one of my favorite retro games, The Ur-Quan Masters, there is an alien race called the Slylandro who live in a gas giant. When they tell you their ancient history, they use their own system of measurment based on the rotation of their planet with its own names like Dranhasa and Dranh. The game actually provides you with the rotation time on "Earth" time, so some dedicated fans did the conversion, and found out the dates fit with major events in the game's past. I thought that was an awesome bit.

But I digress again. Does this mean you should not talk about measurements in your story? No, it can do for very fun plots and digressions, as well as make things more realistic and beliveable. A fantasy world sharing all the same measurement units can be as unplausible as everybody speaking "Common". Let's remember that the current metric system is a modern invention which took a long time to be adopted (and some, well one, country, still resists it). Just take a look at the many, many historical systems of measurement:

This was especially prominent in places like the Holy Roman Empire, where every statelet, county, principality, free city, prince-bishopric, duchy, archduchy, etc. may and most often did have different measurements from each other. Just take a look at how measurements varied from each German region, it's crazy. The systems of weight where particularily important. Before the introduction of standarized coinage, coins also varied not only between kingdoms, but between regions, and even towns, and coins made at different times with different alloys had different values. Rather than money in our modern sense, you could think of them as some kind of 'asset' that could vary in value depending on the circumstances. What's more, those values had to be checked by people who knew what they were working with. Silver and gold content could be weighed, ah, but you need good scales and weights, and someone who knows how to work them! And these people could easily rip you off, or you could lose value accidentally if those scales weren't done just right or fiddled with on purpose. In fact, this is where the word 'Mark' comes from.

It wasn't as easy to take say a 100 something bill and get the change in 1 something coins. There is a very interesting subplot in the anime Spice and Wolf where Lawrence, the trader character, has been paid in gold coins, and he has to trade them into lesser denominations. However, he has to be REAL careful so that nobody scams him given all I told you above. Even getting 'gold' coins was a gamble before modern coinage and banking (another long topic). How much of that is REALLY gold and not an alloy with silver or other metal? Who can you trust to tell you how much your coins are worth? Are they compatible between borders or even time, is this version worth as much as the others? Things that characters in fantasy who have just plundered a dragon's hoard almost never think about. Except in Spice and Wolf.

(here is a gif of Holo to break the wall of text)

This all of course, as again you can see in Spice and Wolf, can make trade very tedious and even unstable. This was one of the reasons why the metric system was so quickly adopted in Europe and then elsewhere; consistent units just allow for easier trade. Lots of other things involving measurement can have a major impact on your story. For one, you NEED consistent and accurate measurement to create even the most basic industrial and scientific equipment. You can wing it for a time like alchemists (and even they knew their measurements) but eventually, you need to measure things to understand them. To have working steam engines, steel production, chemical industries and more, you need to know your temperature is. If you want to do electricity, you need measurements for current, resistance and charge. If you're doing engineering, you need to have lenght, weight and volume very, very clear, or people will die. They don't necessarily need to be universal like the metric system (though it has lots of advantages, being coherent between units and decimal so it doesn't jump between different denominations) but they need to be standarized and measurable.

Most of the above, unless you're writing some kind of encyclopedia about a fictional scientific revolution (BASED BASED BASED) will not affect your characters directly. But IT IS worth keeping in mind for what kind of world your characters are living in. The standarization of measurement units always means SOMETHING in the state of your society, the strenght of the state and centralized authority, the state of scientific understanding (one could say that trying to measure the world was perhaps THE scientific revolution, "Man as a measure of all things"), the capability for industry and the standarization of coinage and trade.

Even if you don't have your characters interact directly with those things, they will interact with them. It's also, like I've said in the examples, fun to imagine characters having to learn or deal with different units of measurement, just as it is fun to imagine them learning new languages or cultural quirks. It's something I've done in the past, in my space opera setting, the worlds descended from the United States STILL use the imperial system, much to the frustration of the rest of the metric human sphere. There is also an alien character who has a hard time to learn human measurements, and that makes her melancholic about her past, as they can't intuitively see the now-extinct measurements she does. Again, man as a measure of all things... this does include other thinking beings...

There's more I could talk about here regarding time, but I did a post about that, though I'm not satisfied with it and will probably redo it in some time at the future. In any case, there's lot to talk about why every calendar in science fiction has 365 days and 24 hours.

As always, if you found this interesting and helpful, I would be very thankful if you gave a tip to my ko-fi! And feel free to ask about anything you'd like!

[ingravinoveritas]

Something I’ve noticed that interests me is how David & Georgia & Michael refer to Michael as “David’s other wife.” They use ‘partners’ occassionally, but most of the time it’s “other wife,” which reads as feminine and a possessive

Anna (is that her name? She’s so nonessential I forget) is never mentioned & it’s always in the context of a female David “owns,” yet secondary, underneath. It could be interpreted as something silly & innocent but I just think the positoning and delineation is very specific and interesting in the dominance + stability in whatever dynamic they have

Hi there! Oh, yes, this is something I have also noticed and talked about previously on my blog. I agree with you that the positioning/delineation is specific and done for a reason (calling Michael "other wife" instead of David's "husband," for instance).

What's really interesting to me, though, is how many times Michael has done it himself. The first instance was even before the whole "other wife" thing happened, which was on a breakfast show that he and David were interviewed on during the GO season 1 press tour. Georgia was pregnant with Birdie at the time, and the host mentioned that there was "another one on the way," to which Michael said this:

And while I mentioned in my timeline Georgia initially calling Michael David's "other wife" in 2021, what I didn't include was a screenshot of Michael's response, which is just as notable:

So for those who have not seen the movie, Love, Actually is a a very British romcom from 2003. Emma Thompson plays a character who is married to Alan Rickman's character, and he subsequently cheats on his wife with another woman, his secretary.

What makes Michael's tweet above so interesting, however, is that Michael chose to identify with the main spouse, rather than the side piece/mistress. The suggestion here is that Michael views his relationship with David as something deep and meaningful, rather than a cheap affair. He sees himself in a place of prominence in David's life, rather than relegated to the back burner (can we say "Nobody puts Michael in a corner?" I think we can...).

I think for some time now, Georgia has known and seen the place that Michael has in David's life, and setting up these boundaries/demarcations has likely been part of multiple conversations over the last few years (between her and David, and between David and Michael, though I am guessing Michael and Georgia haven't spoken directly very often). If Michael and David did start to become involved during the GO season 1 press tour (which is when Michael said that they got "very, very close"), it would make sense for things to be laid out then, before Georgia started slowly "testing the waters" on social media in 2020 and then more so later on in 2021.

Taking all of this together--"mother," "other wife"--I think there is a deliberateness to this because it reflects the emotional need that David fills in Michael. That is, it seems as if he doesn't feel like he "belongs" to someone, and for Michael, being taken care of is as important as him taking care of others. We've seen Michael be protective/possessive of David in the past, but letting himself be "owned" speaks to a level of vulnerability that he allows himself to have with David that he doesn't have with anyone else, and it shows exactly who Michael belongs to (and vice-versa).

So yes, those are my thoughts on the aforementioned dynamic between Michael, David, and Georgia, and all that it may imply. I do agree that it is very interesting, and it will remain interesting as we see all of this continue to play out...

[pantpisser9000]

Combined together, Chapter 6: Is it a fish? A vegtable? A person? No it's a-

Shellington had begged the Captain that he would let him out during the nighttime to do some research–he just wanted to see the people during the night, not just during the day! It allowed for more through research, in his own words. The Captain was unsure at first, partially because Shellington couldn’t really drive a GUP, (and ESPECIALLY not without supervision!) but Shellington insisted–he just wouldn’t drive one. He knew how to be safe!

The Captain was (understandably) nervous with the whole shark incident that had happened a week prior, but after a whole lot of pestering and maybe a little help with the persuasion from the Professor, he was permitted to go. He got all set up with the oxygen tanks, sealed up his helmet, and dove into the water. It was comforting to be surrounded by it again, and he swam out through the Octo Hatch. He wouldn’t be out long, like he had promised the Captain. Of course, he looked at many things, took notes on his water-proof notebook and pen, (it worked surprisingly well! He was ecstatic at that) and it was intriguing how things acted differently when the darkness encompassed the already deep and dark ocean. 

And, after a little bit of research, he headed back to the Octopod, (he practically had to tear himself away–he did really want to continue) as his oxygen was running low. Not dangerously, of course, (but, in all honesty, he’d totally forget completely and accidentally drown because he got distracted by some creature or something) and as he swam back, he saw something odd. 

On the ‘legs’ of the Octopod, he saw circular things, and so he, slightly confused, swam over. Putting his magnifying glass to his eye, and peered inside of the circular things. They were eggs, as far as he could tell. Looking back, he saw a few shark hybrids circling the ship, and he took it upon himself to take them. Plus, even if those people didn’t eat the (slightly larger than usual) eggs, they would likely fall off as soon as the ship launched, anyways. 

He swam inside, eggs clustered together in his arms. Tweak looked over to him from her games, an eyebrow raised. “...what are those?” she asked, the southern accent as prominent as ever. “Not quite sure,” Shellington said, looking down at the presumed eggs. “They were latched onto the side of the Octopod,” he said. “I didn’t want them to get eaten. Or shaken off when we launch.” he said, and Tweak shrugged. “Fair enough, I ‘pose.” she replied, before returning to her game. 

Shellington headed up, eggs in his arms, and placed them on the table. Given how they were more than likely fish eggs, (even if he wasn’t sure exactly what type) he was sure they’d be okay in open air for a minute while he tugged out the incubator, filling it with the same temperature of water that the sea water had been, (he had obviously taken the temperature during his research) and he placed them all carefully inside. And then, he watched, and eventually, he fell asleep, to his own lament later that day. 

He had been shaken awake that next morning, “five more minutes, mom,” he mumbled sleepily, moving his head to the side sleepily. “Wake up, Shellington,” someone said, shaking him a little more, before Shellington sleepily raised his head. It was the Captain, unsurprisingly. “Oh, hello, Captain. Apologies. Found..” he groggily motioned over to the incubator, “these eggs. They’re really quite..” he yawned, “Fascinating.” 

“I see–where did you find them?” the Captain asked, helping Shellington up. He yawned once more, “On the side of the Octopod. I couldn’t just leave them there!” The Captain nodded as they walked out of the lab and walking over to the chute. “Do you know what type of fish they are?” the Captain questioned. 

“I’m not entirely sure. Couldn’t properly examine them, but they’re bigger than any other eggs I've ever seen or heard of–ever.” he told him, and the Captain nodded, “That’s very interesting, Shellington. Let’s get breakfast though, alright? Then you can figure it out.” 

Shellington agreed at the time, though he couldn’t help himself, every night he just ended up studying and studying these eggs!

It had gotten to the point where the crew was a tad concerned about him. He was sure these eggs belonged to regular fish hybrids at first, but they were huge! Biggest eggs he’s ever seen or even heard of, and they didn’t quite look like any of the eggs Shellington had seen in any textbooks. Very brightly colored, too. That seemed like a survival flaw, though, because if theyw ere bright they might attract predators more easily!

But he supposed they could be poisonous, (like Poison dart frogs) and if a predator were to sink their nasty teeth into the soft eggs that they could get sick. That was his main guess, at least. He couldn’t really test it. They weren’t poisonous to the touch, he knew that, (given how he’d picked them up with no problem whatsoever, although it was risky. He wasn’t really thinking it through) and he couldn’t really test if they were poisonous to the bite without harming them in some way or another. 

So, instead, he waited, eager to see what would hatch out. The Professor hadn’t known either. It was probably a new species! 

And, maybe he was slightly neglecting his own health. Just a little. Maybe he’d fallen asleep at his desk, so Tweak’s contraption couldn’t really launch him out of the bed he wasn’t in, and he’d missed Breakfast. For some reason, no one came to wake him up, but they did bring down some breakfast. He was unsure who, but his running theory was it was either the Professor, the Captain, or Dashi. 

As he awoke once more, dark circles under his eyes, the smell of breakfast greeted him once more. He looked over to the incubator. Nothing, yet. He quietly picked up his food, shoveling it into his mouth as he watched the incubator. Once he was done, it was back to research and notes–he had a stack of books and studies and all of that jazz messily strewn on his desk, and he sifted through it once more. The eggs were so strange–big, round, colorful, some having some minor characteristics of some other fish but clearly not being those eggs because of the colors and size. He hoped that the incubator’s water was at the right temperature, still.

Research, research, and more research and he simply couldn’t find any answers! So, he stayed in his lab the whole day, skipping lunch because he felt he was on the cusp of an answer, but he wasn’t. This absolutely, positively, was a new species. Inkling brought down dinner, (and it was a larger portion because Shellington had refused lunch–”I’ve almost got it, Professor! Can’t stop now!”-- and he needed nutrients) and Shellington hastily ate it like a rabid dog. 

He researched late into the night, and eventually, his eyes got droopy and his hands weak and his head rested in his arms. 

Suddenly, as if he was dreaming, was that singing? He thought, blinking his eyes open, and slowly raising his head. 

(this is a REALLY old drawing, (and plus, low quality!) apologies, but i wanted to chuck it in here anyways for funsies. might start putting art in these chapters more but we'll see).

He looked over to the Incubator, large eggs inside, and plucked one out, holding it to his ear. Yes, it’s certainly coming from the eggs, he thought, fascinated. Suddenly, the egg popped open, and inside…

A small person, with a plant growing from their head and a fishlike tail. It was still singing as it had popped out, and Shellington’s surprise didn’t dwindle as heard a pop, pop, pop, pop and a few more emerged! They were quite small, and Shellington held them all in his arms, and he was so happy because this was a new creature! It looked like they were hybridized with both vegetable and animal, so, “Vegimals. That’s your species!” he said, carrying them over to a tank. “ Jumping Jellyfish! Oh, I’m so excited–this is fascinating. So fascinating!” he cried, and he watched as they all swam around. He grabbed a new notepad, (which he would later slap a piece of tape on and title “Vegimals”) and scrawled down a few things. 

Able to swim straight from hatching–seem to be able to breath underwater

Seem to speak a foreign language from birth

Seem to have plants growing from their head

All of them have different hair colors! 

He put a hand to his chin-names. It looked like they were all different species, and different vegetables, ( which he would later realize was extremely odd-this wasn’t natural, at all ) so he decided–what if, like he had done with the species name, he combined the names of both the fish and the vegetable? 

That yellow one, the first one to hatch, seemed to be part Tuna, part turnip. “You’re Tunip,” Shellington said, pointing to him. The newly named Tunip went up to the glass, part hand-part flipper to his chest proudly, “Chiba Chiba!” and Shellington wondered if it was baby-blabber or actual words. He’d figure it all out eventually. 

The tiniest one, (to the point where he was a little concerned,) though he realized it was so tiny because he was part minnow! And part Tomato, of course, on account of the red and the shape of the greenery growing from his head. Shellington wasn’t the best at fruits and vegetables, but he could tell that! 

In the complete opposite, there was one with purple hair that looked like a ginger plant and a grouper fish! “Purple, your name is… Grouber!” he said, and Grouber did a little circle in the water, before popping back out. “Chiba!” but it was so deep and gravely that it took Shellington by surprise. “I would assume you’re the oldest, but technically Tunip is..” he said, laughing a little. The last two were pink and orange. 

The orange one was obviously a carrot, and what looked like a bass. “Hm, I think.. Barrot, for you!” Shellington said, booping the little guy on the nose. He giggled, kicking back and doing a roll backward before swimming around a little. 

And, last but not least, the pink one. “You look like a coy and.. A- a radish, I think. So,” Shellington thought for a moment, “Codish!” he said. Suddenly, he realized he needed to tell the rest of the crew about this utterly exciting news! Immediately, he rushed over to the glowing orange button, and pressed it. Suddenly, that WOOP, WOOP, sound rang throughout the Octopod, and he said into the small mic, “Everyone, to the Vegibortary! Eer- um, the Laboratory!” he said, and he ran back over to his vegimals. 

“That wasn’t scary, right?” he asked, and while Tomminow looked a little frightened, and the rest surprised, they were all alright. “...chiba.” Tunip said, and suddenly, the Captain came through the door. “Shellington, what’s going on?” he asked, and Shellington grinned. “Look! The eggs hatched!” he said, stepping to the side to allow a clear view. The Captain, adjusting his hat, looked at them, walking over and peering down. 

Tomminow hid behind Tunip, and the Captain stepped back, not wanting to scare them. The rest of the Octonauts filed in after that–Kwazii was next, darting in and frantically asking what happened, and when Shellington explained he looked… disappointed? Did he want something to happen? But Shellington didn’t really dwell on it, as Peso stumbled his way in, medical bag in his hand.Then, Tweak, sleepily walking in, and Dashi, earbuds looped around her neck, and finally the Professor, sitting contently on his hover-chair. “My, I’ve never seen anything like them!” he exclaimed, and Shellington nodded. “I’ve dubbed them the vegimals! ” Shellington excitedly told them, and pointed to each one. “This is Tunip, he’s a tuna and turnip, and he’s the eldest, since he was the first to hatch,” Shellington said, pointing to him. He waved, trilling happily. 

“This tomminow, since he’s a tomato and a minnow, this is grouber, as he’s a ginger plant and a grouper fish, they’re by far the smallest and largest,” he said, tominnow hiding behind grouber briefly as he trilled, “Chiba!” incredulously deeply, and he pointed to the pink and orange ones “and finally, Barrot and Codish!” 

The Captain nodded, “This is very interesting, of course, but…” slight concern washed over the Captain’s face. “You need some sleep, Shellington.” he remarked. “What? But Captain-” the Captain shook his head. “No buts,” he put his hand on the sea otter’s shoulder, leading him over to bed. “B-but the Vegimals, Captain-” and before the Captain himself could interject or Shellington could continue, the Professor did. “I’ll take care of them, Shellington. Perhaps I can start to teach them how to read,” he said, putting a hand to his chin. 

Shellington thought for a beat, and then, “Well, alright. Just.. be careful with them? They’re newly hatched.” he said, and the Professor saluted, “Why of course, Shellington. Now, gather round,” he said, tentacles coming out of his back, scooping up all of the vegimals. “I have a tank in the library, don’t fret,” he assured Shellington, who nodded. “Everybody off to bed, then!” the Captain declared, and everyone went their separate ways once more. 

“Let’s get you to bed,” the Captain vocalized, and Shellington, lips pursed, grumbly sat on his bed. The Captain gave him a look. “What is it?” Shellington lamented. “ In bed, Shellington.” the Captain said, handing him his nightcap. “I know otherwise you’ll just go back to researching.” Shellington stayed silent. He couldn’t really dispute that–the Captain had read him like a book. It was 100% true. He would.

So, Shellington clamored under the covers, and the Captain walked off, flicking the light off. And, it felt nice. Truly. 

That next morning, he was launched out of bed, straight into his chair, as always. He rubbed his eyes, shifting his wonderful green nightcap off his head and trading it for his Octo-cap, slid off his slippers in exchange for his bright blue boots. He grabbed his satchel from off his chair, and immediately headed to the library–he wanted to check on the vegimals, of course! 

He noticed the vegimals, all adorable of course, sleeping on the floor. He wondered what they should sleep in? Obviously, they could all sleep in his bed, but he wasn’t sure how that’d work with the launching thing. They were part plant, clearly, so maybe just like…. In the dirt? He was sure he’d figure it out. Either way, he scooped them all up, shaking the Professor awake. “Oh, hello, Shellington!” he said, adjusting his monocle and sitting up straight. 

“Hello, Professor. Just figured I’d wake you, given it’s morning now.” he said. The Professor nodded, hopping out of his comfy armchair. The hoverchair couldn’t be transported from the hq very easily, so instead he just had sitting places everywhere else and he’d have to walk for brief periods. 

The two Octonauts and the five still slumbering vegimals made their way to the kitchen, and the dining room. Since Inkling hadn’t cooked this morning, they were eating previously cooked food. Leftovers, practically. Everyone still seemed to enjoy it. Shellington woke his vegimals up. 

He gave each of them, (still in his arms–they likely were able to get tlegs, but currently, as babies, they only had mermaid-like tails) a fish biscuit. Tomminow only ate half of his, and Grouber demanded three more, and then he seemed satisfied. 

The Captain coughed into his fist. “Shellington,” “Aye, Captain?” he responded. “I don’t mean to be rude, but… What exactly will they do ? We can’t really have them, ahem, what’s the word,” Kwazii immediately butted in, “Freeload!” and the Captain nodded, “ Freeload. Of course, I don’t expect anything from them yet, as they are pretty young, clearly, but it wasn’t planned to have five kids on the ship.” he said. 

Shellington felt that was a little rude–though, to be fair, it wasn’t unfounded. More mouths to feed could make things difficult. “Well, I think.. Maybe they could just, help around, you know? With the cooking, gardening, most things.” he offered. The Captain nodded. 

***

The vegimals only really listened to Shellington. It seemed they could understand English perfectly fine, they just had difficulty learning it themselves. Like most fish hybrids, they were fast learners. Shellington was sure that if they were in the wild, they’d have to fend for themselves completely without mothers so they’d have to learn everything on their own. Therefore, if he was teaching them–they had a guide, that meant that they could learn even faster!

And the fact that they had a language of their own straight from birth was fascinating as well. A series of chirps, trills, and just what would be considered gibberish to most. Not to Dr. Shellington, though! He was already starting to get what they meant, despite the fact that he’d only had them a few days. (He wouldn’t say it aloud, but he’d kill for these guys despite only getting them recently) 

Today, a cooking lesson was in order–mainly directed by Professor Inkling. It was good they were learning these things, they could possibly take over completely one day. Once they’re trained, of course. The Professor was rather old, so it was a bit rude to make him cook everything, anyways (even if he had insisted on it–he just said the others could help at times). 

“How about you two mix this?” Inkling said, handing Codish and Barrot a bowl of unmixed ingredients. Immediately, Codish attempted to dip his face in, but Shellington stopped him. “Nono, not like that. Here, like this ” Shellington said, taking the bowl in his hands and (attempting) stirring the batter, some splashing on his face. He wiped it off with his pointer finger, licking it. “Mmm, tasty. Now, you give it a try.” he requested, handing the bowl back to Codish. 

Codish nodded sharply, stirring it super super faster, and Shellington stopped him again. “Not that fast, Codish… let’s have Barrot give it a try.” he said, handing the bowl to Barrot, who more calmly mixed it. “See? Like that.” Shellington praised. “I’m sure you’ll get it, Codish.” he said, turning back to the others. Grouber was currently trying to lick the spilled batter off the floor, and Shellington scooped him up. “Don’t do that!” he said, placing him on the counter and looking around. He opened the fridge, taking out a fish biscuit. “Here, have that.” he said. Grouber gobbled it up. 

Shellington ruffled his hair. Tunip was now intently listening to Inkling on what to pour in, (they were making multiple batches) and was mimicking him excellently. Shellington figured that he’d probably end up being the most responsible of the five vegimals. Tomminow looked confused, so Shellington picked him up, asking what was wrong. He was met with unintelligible gibberish. “Hm… I think-” Shellington looked over and Grouber was trying to tip the batter bowl to drink it up, hands inside the bowl while Codish and Barrot were incapable of stopping him. “GROUBER!” Shellington scolded, and Grouber nervously got his previously batter-covered hand out of his mouth. Shellington didn’t notice, but Tunip seemed to take note of that. He watched intently as his dad poured the batter, and shaped it into fishy shapes. He tried after him. It was a little wonky, to Tunip’s chagrin, but it was a biscuit. Shellington praised him nonetheless.

Tomminow’s effort, (after he was put down on the counter by Shellington) was worse, and yet Shellington still told him he did good. They were doing a lot better than he was expecting–they really did learn quite fast! 

The others had similar results to Tomminows, (Grouber was banned, at least temporarily from doing it–as the one time he tried he instead just ate it) where it vaguely resembled the fishy shapes, but wasn’t as good as Tunip’s or certainly not the Professor’s. Professor Inkling ended up… assisting with that after all of them had done it. Inkling put the biscuits in the oven, (Shellington said the Vegimals weren’t ready for that yet. That could actually be, you know, dangerous ). 

Once the biscuits were done, the Vegimals excited came with Shellington has he brought around a fourth of them to the hq. The 3/4ths would be saved for a later meal. Of course, all of the other crewmates said they were delicious, (Shellington had no idea how, but they were somehow perfectly tasty in every way) which brightened all five vegimal’s moods immediately. Afterwards, Shellington decided to do a little… studying. 

The whole hybridization thing was never very… conclusive. Everyone responded to it differently. For some people, they were just always completely human, no matter what. For most, they usually stayed primarily or entirely human the entire time, (for example, most of the crew–besides Kwazii, who always had feline ears and a tail, catty eyes, occasionally the nose and whiskers) and it just activated whenever something happened. For example, Peso’s arms had turned into flippers and ears became covered by feathers when he either got nervous/anxious enough or when he was escaping from that tiger shark–flippers were easier to swim with, after all. For Shellington, his hands and feet usually became webbed (or just fully turned into paws), otterish ears out of his head, and the tail to complete whenever he got in water. Same thing for his sister, Pearl, but she was primarily in water at most (if not all) times, anyways. 

It was different for marine life, though. For example, with sharks (and practically all whales) they were basically mermaids, just usually with oddly tinted skin. That tiger shark that had attacked Peso and Kwazii had gray striped skin, after all. That was because the more human they were, the less energy it took up. For smaller creatures, though (and this applies to practically any insect or bug, as well) it takes up a lot less power to be fully animalistic, so they often are either fully animals or almost completely animals. 

Depends on the person, in a lot of cases, though. Just… less so with the majority of sea life. That was what Shellington knew. But the vegimals seemed and were, different. 

For starters, they were combined not only with fish, but also various vegetables! Shellington had never even heard of a non-sentient combo before, let alone three things together. So, therefore–the vegimals were a mysterious, wonderful, anomaly. They didn’t seem dangerous, of course, not what he was getting at, but he had a feeling they were the product of a much more recent experiment. Of course, the whole hybridization thing had been a result from a experience a long time ago, but this? Much different. 

He needed to figure out one thing. At least to learn more about them; 

Were they created by someone on purpose/someone in a lab?

Or were they just (affectionately, of course. Shellington adored the little guys) freaks of nature?

He’d never seen anything like this before, so he was leaning more towards the first option. If that was the case though, who was doing these experiments? Maybe they had left branding of some sort on the vegimals? It wasn’t uncommon for scientists to do so, so he checked all over all five of the vegimal’s bodies, but alas, nothing. Even when putting them in the water, ‘activating’ their fish tails, nothing. 

Shellington was at a loss. There were no clear leads, anywhere. He would ask the vegimals, though for one, he still couldn’t completely understand their language (he couldn’t learn quite as fast as all of them) , and two, he found them as eggs. They wouldn’t remember any of that stuff–they hadn’t hatched yet! 

He closed his newly-titled notebook, ( The Vegimals by Dr. Shellington SeaOtter, as he’d called it. Maybe it’d become an actual book one day–with a little bit of revising and editing, of course. His thoughts were pretty scattered most of the time, and his handwriting wasn’t usually legible to anyone besides him. He lived up to the ‘ Dr ’ in his name) and he looked at the vegimals, who had all fallen asleep on his desk. 

Smiling, he picked all five up, and put them in their tank. He wondered if they needed sunlight like regular plants or if they just ate food? Maybe a mix of both? Grouber certainly had taken a liking to people-food, but maybe sunlight (or at least the artificial version of it that they used in the garden already) would help fill them all up faster? Maybe that was why he was so hungry all the time–he was by far the largest, and not because of his liking for food. He needed sunlight, too. Shellington decided he’d test it in the morning, as he didn’t want to wake them. It’d be rude, he thought. Either way, he took off his work boots and cap (placing down his satchel on the back of his chair) trading them for his nightcap and slippers as he crawled in his bed. 

That next morning, he woke up, dazed after being launched out. He held his head–he still needed to get used to that bit. It was a bit dizzying, still. Even after a little on the Octopod,, he wasn’t completely adapted yet. He got up, and noticed the Vegimals tank was empty. “Vegimals?” he asked, looking around, and he was sent into a panic, and his breathing sped up and he held his chest, and he gripped onto his own wrists, and he found himself scared as all hell, and he looked everywhere, frantically. He might’ve been freaking out, shockingly. Pacing around, head in his hands as he thought, he considered the places they might be; 

The library

The kitchen

The garden

None of those were impossible, running out, frantically looking left and right out the door, and he ran into the library. Empty besides the Professor’s massive collection of books surrounding him, and he considered maybe they were hiding behind the books, but that was silly, obviously. 

Breath in, breath out Shellington, he thought to himself, but he might’ve muttered it. He met his own command, certainly didn’t help though. Where was he going next? Oh, right–the kitchen. He ran down the hallway, jumping in the chute and heading to the chute, and there he was in the hq, and he just needed to take one more to get to the the the – what was it again? The kitchen, oh he hoped the poor vegimals were alright, he prayed to no god that they were okay and in the kitchen with the Professor, and he jumping in, despite the odd look from Dashi, (she checked the weather and everything before heading to breakfast) and he frantically glanced around in the Garden pod, and no, they weren’t there. He was panicking now, his fingers clenching and unclenching and his shoulders up and he buried his fingernails in his palms, and he slid down the ladder into the kitchen, and he sighed of relief. The vegimals (and the Professor) were there, and they were completely fine. He was freaking out over nothing. 

It had been a while since that had happened. A long while. He was often logical, and didn’t freak out often, and if he did, he usually reassured himself quickly. It was perhaps because the vegimals were new, a completely unprecedented (and unpredictable) thing that had happened upon him and now he cared for them deeply. 

He walked over, and he noticed Inkling barely needed to supervise at this point. He was just watching. Shellington glanced over to the Professor, who just shrugged. “I was sleeping comfortably on my armchair, and they woke me up, chittering on about something and led me to the kitchen.” he explained. Shellington nodded. It was great that they’d practically gotten cooks, (and maybe eventually gardeners and just general assistants, given their want to help. They were more than eager to help with Shellington’s research when he mentioned the word) and now everyone could focus on their actual, technical jobs. Even if the Professor didn’t technically have a specific job–he was just the founder, and practically a librarian with his massive collection of books, it’d be nice for him to not worry about that, anyways. Especially given his age. He was, by far, the oldest one on the Octopod. Shellington knew all of their ages because of course he did. 

He was 29, Peso was 27, Nobody (not even Kwazii himself) knew Kwazii’s age, but they guessed he was around 28 or 29, Captain Barnacles was 34, Dashi and Tweak both 28, and the Professor was another unsure one, but around 60-70. 

Either way, he beat out the second oldest, (the Captain) by at least 26 years, (though honestly probably more) and he needed more rest then the rest of them. He wasn’t going on any missions, anyways, but the Professor seemed content with that. 

At the very least, the Professor wouldn’t have to worry about cooking anymore. 

The vegimals continued on with their cooking, then, all dashing around the kitchen. There was a flour spill or two, but it ended up being alright, and the vegimals had finished by the time everyone was up, sitting at the table for breakfast. Shellington wondered if there’d ever be a time where he wouldn't watch them cook. Maybe. He didn’t know yet. Either way, he walked over with the vegimals and their newly prepared breakfast, and everyone sat down to eat. It was really quite nice in all honesty. 

Either way, Shellington ate up the food, as did everyone else as they all chattered. Apparently, from what he could gather from going to the table mid-conversation, Peso, Kwazii, and Barnacles were going to do another brief check-up mission. Since it was still so early, they weren’t doing anything too serious yet. Shellington knew that would change about a month in, though, unless something big happened that they felt they needed to help with. 

And, it was real nice, and Shellington was just happy about the vegimals. Really. 

***

Tweak and Kwazii had some fights. They enjoyed ‘em, an easy way to get energy out. Both of them were often too energetic for their own good before bed, so, they had come up with a.. Routine of sorts. They had come up with it after that first time, they had a little chat, (“Rematch, matey?” “I think you’ll need more than one rematch, Kwaz,” “...Every other day?” “Let’s shake on it, pardner,”) and it had been invented. Both of them knew better than to actually seriously harm each other, at worst Tweak was left with a scratch or two on her arms and legs, Kwazii with a few bruises. 

They were already pretty close–even if Tweak got annoyed at Kwazii, and Kwazii occasionally was a bit more than slightly rude back. Siblings, practically. And they’d known each other for what, a couple weeks or months at best?  It was really nice, in all honesty. Kwazii liked having someone to get out his energy with, and Tweak liked getting out her anger (even if she actually wasn’t a super angry person–just got annoyed at times). 

And today was one of those days. Kwazii had flung himself down the ladder, landing on both feet perfectly, (likely on account of being a cat–they always land on their feet, after all) and Tweak was waiting, popping the rest of her carrot in her mouth. “So?” she asked. Kwazii grinned, and ran towards her,arms outstretched as he tackled her. Now, he was on top of her, and she smiled back, wrestling him so he was on his back and her on top of her, now. 

Kwazii grabbed her shoulders, slamming her on the side onto the ground, quickly jumping up, about to declare himself the winner, (he was a cocky guy) Tweak grabbed his ankle and pulled his leg out from under him, and his shoulder hit the rim of the pool in the launch back, and her groaned. “Yeow..” he muttered, and his eyes fluttered shut. “Ye win, matey…” he grumbled, and Tweak grinned. “You’re never ganna beat me,” she said, but when she wasn’t met with a rebuttal, she grew a little worried. 

“Kwazii?” 

“....eh?” 

“You alright?”

Kwazii tried to get up, but ended up flopping back down. “Yeow–uh, yup, matey,” he said, lying. 

Tweak picked him up from under his armpits, and he mewled, tail still. Huh. That’s… probably not good she thought, and she carried him over to her room, placing him on the edge of it. “....we probably have to tell Peso about this, right?” she said. “Naw, naw, argh, I be fine.” he lied again. “Kwazii.” 

“Yea, matey?” “Don’t lie.” “....mmmmmmkay, maybe it hurts a little or maybe it hurts a lot, but–” “Naw. I don’t think Peso’ll mind. He mentioned at lunch he was ganna stay up tonight, anyways,” she said, and Kwazii groaned, getting up. “I can walk, matey,” he said, standing up straight, hands on his hips, and he groaned again. “...just can’t use me shoulder…” he groaned, and the two of them went up, (using the octo-chute, given how Kwazii couldn’t use the ladder) and Peso was in the infirmary. Both of them, (silently, of course. They wouldn’t admit it outloud.) were glad they weren’t waking Peso up, and he jumped as they entered the room. “Aa!” before blinking, squinting, and widening his eyes again. “Oh, Tweak and Kwazii– um, uh.. What’re…?” he muttered, confused and somewhat tired. “Kwazii, uh, fell.” Tweak said. Peso, in his tiredness, didn’t detect her lie, and Kwazii didn’t correct it. Neither of them wanted a lecturing from the Captain (he hadn’t done anything like that yet, besides when Kwazii ate a few too many cakes and threw up) so it was probably better for them to lie about that, anyways. 

Peso’s eyes widened, though. “Fell? On what?” he asked, rushing over to Kwazii, adjusting his tilted cap. “Me shoulder,” Kwazii said, and Peso led him over to the examination bench. Tweak just stood awkwardly. She felt it’d be rude to leave, given how it was kinda her fault and all. 

Peso looked to him for permission. “Can you remove your shirt?” and Kwazii went as pale as a ghost. Tweak noticed his silence. “I can leave th’ room if–” she started, and Kwazii shook his head. “Tis not that.” he said, and he, –facing away from Tweak– pulled off his shirt, and Tweak saw Peso’s mouth gape wide open. She raised an eyebrow. What was so shocking? She walked over and suddenly, she knew why. 

Across Kwazii’s chest, under and over where breasts would’ve been, were four large arching scars, and some smaller scars around, and it looked like he had gotten stitched up, and Kwazii looked a little nervous. “Shark attack.” he said, and Tweak and Peso looked at eachother, and Peso faced back towards him. “...Kwazii, I’m a medic. I know that’s not from a shark attack.” he said. Tweak (obviously) wasn’t a medic either, but even she knew it wasn’t from that too. 

“Okay, okay, I… well, I had these real annoyin’ lumps of flesh growin on me chest, and they made me feel…. Gross…. and so some people in me pirate crew at the time… chopped ‘em off.” he said, and Peso stared blankly as Tweak’s jaw gaped open. “....that’s what you meant. On the form.” Peso said. Tweak blinked. “I- well, I think I’ll have to check those as well, plus your bruise from falling, just to check that they're not infected. How long ago did that get done?” he asked, and Kwazii shrugged, then winced. “I think… it be about a few years?” he guessed. “We didn’t be good timekeepers on that old ship.” he clarified. 

“Hm. It should be okay, then, if it hasn’t been yet.” he said. “We used th’ saltwater an the rum t’ make sure, I think,” Kwazii said and Peso looked horrified. Like his whole family had just gotten murdered in front of him. “....Please tell me you were unconscious..” Peso muttered, head in his hands. 

“THAT BE A OPTION!?” Kwazii asked, but in a yell. “Shh– we don’t wanna wake the others up,” Peso said, and Kwazii nodded. “Oh. Right.” Kwazii said, and Peso quickly wrapped up the bruise with some bandages. “Unfortunately, that’s all I can do for now. We’ll need to tell the Captain about this in the morning,” he said, stepping away. Tweak and Kwazii looked at each other nervously. “..aye, matey,” Kwazii agreed, and Tweak guided him back to his room after Peso instructed him to sleep on his other non-bruised side. 

Tweak headed back down, playing some games for a while before heading off to bed herself. 

When Captain Barnacles went to breakfast that morning, he wasn’t expecting to hear that his crewmate, Kwazii, had bruised up his shoulder falling (Though, honestly? He was sure there was more to the story then Kwazii just quote on quote, “slipping” ). 

“Yes, he needs a little to recover. Fortunately, he didn’t b-break anything or anything like that. Unfortunately, the only prescription I can give him is rest…. And some pain medication, if he wants it.” Peso had told him in the hq, right before breakfast. “Hm. How long do you think it’ll take for him to heal?” he asked.  “Usually I’d say a couple days, maybe a week at worst, but with h-him ? Wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow got it, um, worse and had to wait longer. I have a feeling he’s not the patient type.” 

Barnacles nodded, and the two of them headed to breakfast together. Peso seemed to want to tell him something more, but Barnacles wasn’t going to push him to. Could be another thing with Kwazii that Kwazii didn’t want to share, (and Peso couldn’t or at least shouldn’t with doctor-patient confidentiality) could be something unrelated entirely. He simply couldn’t know. 

So, he ate his breakfast, (which was wonderful on account of the vegimals and the Professor) and he adjusted his helmet’s collar. Nothing of value or anything had actually…. Happened, yet. And, Kwazii was hurt anyway, so he couldn’t do any missions (Even the more ‘chill’ ones, as illustrated by the Tiger shark incident, in case it all went wrong). Barnacles knew they were stopping by a reef soon though, and he had a feeling some of them (namely Dashi and Shellington) would want to stop by. For Dashi, to snap a few pictures (her being a photographer was part of the reason she was hired in the first place!) and for Shellington? 

He’d obviously want to study the reef. Maybe bring the vegimals out too, let them.. Breath in? –Barnacles wasn’t entirely sure how those guys functioned– The nice, warm salty sea and look at all the pretty things and creatures.  That was all. Barnacles was curious about exactly when they’d get there, so he stood behind Dashi, “Dashi,” he said. She continued looking at the screen, “Yes Captain?” she asked back, hands intertwined in her lap and looking back at him. “When will we reach the coral reef?” he asked. Dashi turned to her screen once more, tapping on some things. “At our current pace, as long as nothing goes wrong, we should be there in… about 17 hours.” she said, and Barnacles nodded sharply, saying, “Wonderful, Dashi.” he walked away then. 

He honestly wasn’t sure what to do till then, but, miraculously, Kwazii approached him. “Pingpong?” he asked. Barnacles looked to his shoulder. “You sure you can-” “I be fine, matey!” Kwazii said, grabbing Barnacle’s wrist. He let him tug him along, and they went to the game pod. Kwazii picked up his paddle, both his hands clenched around it. 

Barnacles picked his up as well on the other side of the table, tossing it between his hands for a moment before settling on his right. I didn’t know Kwazii was left-handed. He thought, briefly. Kwazii bounced the ball, before sending it soaring across the table. Barnacles reflected it back without a second thought. 

This went on for a little while, Barnacles doing it (somewhat–Kwazii was shockingly good) effortlessly while Kwazii was clearly working up a sweat; even if he denied it, (“you be goin’ too easy on me,” and he panted, “matey”) and eventually, even Kwazii’s cat reflexes acted up, and the ball just barely grazed over the top of the paddle, and it bounced against the wooden floors of the game pod. Kwazii glanced back. And then back to Barnacles, who was grinning. “...It-” he started, then stopped. “...” Barnacles placed his paddle down, “NOPE– re-” he breathed in, “Rematch, matey!” and Barnacles shrugged, “Alright, Kwazii.” and picked up his paddle once more. And they played another game.

And another. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another. 

Kwazii was just good at persuasion, that’s all. Nothing more, nothing less. And, today was a designated “travel day”, so he had nothing to do. Except it was getting late. He checked his octo-compass – 9pm. How did time pass so quickly? “Kwazii, we must head off to bed, it’s very late.” Kwazii glanced around, noticing the darkened water. Did he really not notice that? “Aw, how about one more game, matey?” he asked, pleading with puppy dog eyes (or kitty cat?) but Barnacles just shook his head. 

“No, Kwazii.” he said, walking off, and he looked back, Kwazii wasn’t following. “Kwazii,” he said, “I expect you to follow” he continued. “Naw,” Kwazii said, and Barnacles sighed. He walked over back to Kwazii, throwing Kwazii over his shoulder like a hunted deer. “Hey-” he protested, and the Captain didn’t listen for a second as he kicked at him, pounding on his back. 

He made it to the area between their rooms, opening up Kwaziis, and placing the disgruntled Kwazii on the bed. He picked off his hat, placing it to the side. “Fine..” Kwazii grumbled. Barnacles nodded. “Excellent.” and he headed off into his own room, putting on his pajamas and tucking himself under the covers. He’d more than likely be tired that next morning–he usually headed to bed a lot earlier….and with more food in his stomach. 

And, eventually, Captain Barnacles was able to fall asleep, and soon wake up bright and early once more.

Dashi was excited to stop at the coral reef, she was going to take so many pictures of all of the different creatures and structures and just everything. Shellington had told her that it would be the vegimal’s first time seeing a coral reef, so they were excited too, with his explanations. Of course, he had said it all scientifically, so they didn’t understand much of it; but, they were hyped nonetheless. 

As the Octopod landed, Dashi stood up from her swivel-seat. She stretched, reaching her hands high in the air, bending her elbow and putting the other one through straight, and then swapped. She turned, the vegimal’s little faces plastered against the Octopod’s glass. And, of course ;Shellington was right there with him. He turned back to Dashi. “I’ve never been able to explore a coral reef like this before! Scuba’d a few times, but, nothing like this!” he exclaimed excitedly, and he immediately rounded up all the vegimals, as they followed him. 

They looked like they were trying to go in single file, though they were all wonky and mismatched. It was cute, at the very least. “I think everyone else is waiting in the launch bay,” Dashi said. Shellington nodded, gathering up all the vegimals as they all hopped in after him, and Dashi picked up her camera from the table. She’d grabbed it that night, and she swiftly followed after Shellington and his 17 (5) children. 

Dashi was right–everyone was in the launch bay. “We’ve landed,” she said, and Barnacles nodded. “Alright, Octonauts, head into whichever–” he started, and Kwazii immediately jumped in the GUP B before he could finish. “ Kwazii. ” “Yeah?” “Your shoulder is still hurt.” he said, crossing his arms. Peso, (nervously) made a quick nod. “H-he’s right, Kwazii. You shouldn’t d-drive, um, yet..” and he gulped after he finished. 

Is he still scared of him? I assumed they had become friends after Peso helped him with that injury. Dashi thought to herself. Though, it seemed like Peso was scared of just about everything, so it was entirely possible this was just how he acted around anyone even mildly intimidating. (Even if Dashi herself certainly didn’t find Kwazii like that in the slightest– he, (with no ill intent) just seemed… kinda stupid, honestly. Not scary.) 

Despite Peso’s clearly anxiety-filled reaction, Kwazii groaned, front-flipping out of the GUP. He stood next to the Captain. “Cap, I think y’ should try the GUP D.” Tweak said, pointing to the yellow one–Dashi remembered painting that one. It was bright yellow, and resembled a crab, (but kinda reminded her of a stingray, a little) and the Captain looked slightly confused. 

“Why is that?” Tweak walked over, patting the side of the GUP. “It’s probably one of th’ more… difficult ones to pilot. I figured that I shouldn’t be the only t’ know how t’ drive it,” she said, and the Captain nodded. “I see. I’ll… do that, then.” he responded. He climbed into the GUP D, adjusting his long legs in the flatish GUP, before flashing a grin and a thumbs-up. 

Tweak thumbs-upped back. “Hmm…” she put a hand to her chin. “Dashi and Shellington, are you two good in the GUP E?” she asked. Dashi looked over to Shellington, Perfect! He’s one of the only ones I actually know, and she was going to do that thing where they looked to each other and nodded, but Shellington didn’t get the cue. “Sounds wonderful, Tweak,” Dashi said instead. “Okay, one of the vegimals can come with you guys too.”

“That leaves myself, Kwazii and Peso in the GUP A, plus the rest of the vegimals, of course” Tweak said, and the rest of the five jumped into the GUPS. Dashi lowered both her and Shellington, (who had his notepad at the ready) + the yellow vegimal, (she didn’t know any of their names yet) in the GUP E into deep in the bay. The Octohatch opened, and the Captain (though a little wobbly) piloted the GUP D outside without issue. Tweak, Kwazii, and Peso piloted out easily as well. Then, it was Dashi’s turn. She did it with ease, and Shellington seemed at least a little impressed. Once they actually made it out to the reef though? He practically lit up, hands on his cheeks in excitement. He faced Dashi. “Fascinating, isn’t it? Oh, I’m so excited to examine everything!” he said, and almost jumped out, but Dashi grabbed the collar of his shirt, “Helmet” she simply stated. Shellington blinked in realization. “Ah. Right. Oops.” he said, pressing on his collar, making the bubble-like helmet go up over his entire head. 

He then jumped into the water once more, his veggie children following in after them. Dashi clicked her helmet as well, and she took a deep breath, grabbed her camera, and submerged herself into the deep ocean. 

It was warmer than she was expecting, but still took a little bit of getting used to. She hadn’t swam in a while. Sure, she surfed all the time, though that was all. She swam over, and her eyes widened–it was beautiful. She raised her camera, and click! She lowered it, swimming closer. Shellington was examining some coral, vegimals circling him. “Fascinating..” he mumbled, and Dashi snapped a picture. He frantically looked around before his eyes landed on Dashi. 

“Oh! Dashi, hello!” he greeted, giving her a quick wave, and all five vegimals mimicked it. “Hi, Shellington,” she said back. “You see, this coral-” he started, beginning to ramble. Dashi thought it was sweet how he liked to talk on and on about this stuff–you could really tell how passionate he was. 

Soon enough, the others were there too, Tweak and Peso coming up to Dashi and Shellington. “Hello, Peso,” Shellington said. “We should check around to see if any of the coral is sick,” Shellington stated. Peso seemed a little surprised at the suddenness, but nodded nonetheless. The two swam off together, (along with all of the still amazed vegimals) and now it was just the girls. “I hope y’ don’t mind if I stay with you,” Tweak said, rubbing the back of her neck; and Dashi flashed a thumbs up and a smile. “I don’t mind,” she told her, “I’ll just be taking a lot of photos, speaking of-” she snapped a picture of a surprised Tweak. “Hey! What was that for?” Tweak asked, not actually angry of course. Dashi giggled. “I need some pictures of everyone!” she said, and she heard a whooshing behind her, and she faced back, and she saw a fish hybrid quickly swimming past. “Wonder why that one’s in such a hurry,” she questioned, and then Tweak pointed, bunny ears sprouting from her head in fear, “PROBABLY BECAUSE OF HER–” Dashi spun around, and her eyes widened, and she raised her camera, snapping a picture as Tweak pulled her by her shoulders into a small hole (almost like a mini cave) in the coral.  

Cramped up against each other, the shark hybrid, (Dashi was unsure of the type) looked at them through the hole. She flashed a toothy grin, before quickly swimming off and chasing some other snack. Dashi didn’t notice how her and Tweak’s hands were interlocked. 

“Ah.. well,” Dashi started, fingers pressed against her helmet. Her bracelets moving a little in the water. “I think we should wait a moment.” Tweak said, and Dashi nodded. “Agreed. That shark girl could be faking us out,” she said, and Tweak agreed. They were silent for a moment, before, “...I have somethin’ I want t’ discuss with ya, anyways,” Tweak said. Dashi turned her attention to the rabbit hybrid. (whose ears were pressed against the ceiling)

“Yes, Tweak?” she asked. “Well, I think–I think we should work on a project together, you know?” she suggested. Dashi’s eyes widened. “I’m no engineer, though.” “I know, but y’ obviously know a thing or two about cameras–and computers in general.” Tweak said. Dashi nodded. “That’s true.” 

“You see, I.. I like to take inspiration from nature, you know?” Tweak started. Dashi slowly nodded, unsure of where this was going. “And I’d like t’ study termite mounds. From the inside. Thing is, can’t quite do that given how big i am,” she said. Dashi confusedly nodded once more. “I was wondering if you could help me build a small camera to attach to a lil’ termite bot. Then I could look more easily.” Tweak finished. 

Dashi would’ve put a hand to her chin, but the glass of the helmet prevented that, so she didn’t. She clapped. “I would love to.” She agreed, and Tweak grinned. “Now, let’s get outta here,” Tweak said, and they both clamored out of the coral. 

The rest of the day was spent with them discussing ideas for the little termite-cam, and Dashi snapping picture after picture, and when they headed back, Tweak and Dashi had decided to get to work as soon as they could. 

Soon.

[reblog-house]

The Witch's Alibi

Characters: Pearl, Scar, mentioned Ren

Wc: 800

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt 241, “Hour Of Denial”

Ao3: Here!

Pearl looked down from the tower she built for herself. 

If everyone was so adamant on pushing her away, she might as well run with it. That’s what she told herself what felt like ages ago. Play up the dangerous persona they all claimed she was deep inside.

They never listened to her. Not when she tried to explain what actually happened and tried to defend herself. Nothing that happened was her fault.

Well, except for one thing, but she only did it after they wouldn’t listen.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret her decision.

She would tirelessly waste her time and energy denying those claims until she understood the truth: people only heard what they wanted to hear. Her denial wouldn’t change anything, not if nobody else was on her side, and he had made sure of that. 

Two ‘he’s, actually, but who was counting anymore.

And then, her fate was set when she bit the apple. The flakes of gold stuck to her teeth and she felt something within her break. 

The tether to her soulbound.

There was nothing that could hold her down, now.

People liked having witches to blame.

Why not become the witch they all wanted her to be?

Her wolf laid at her side as she looked at the night sky through the window of her tower. She didn’t know what time it was, just that it was much too late for anyone else but her. She’d never been a stranger to sleepless nights. Ever since she was a child, she would leave her room while everybody else slept just to look at the lights in the sky. 

She liked the moon.

Sometimes, she felt like it beckoned her.

Maybe, she was always meant to be like this.

A call from below broke her out of her stupor.

“Helloooo? Lady witch with the dooogs?”

She straightened her back, alert. Did someone…

“Stay here, Tilly,” she said, patting the wolf’s head, and picked up a bucket of water to cushion her fall.  

Most people weren’t used to magic, not even the most basic of tricks.

Whoever was below wouldn’t see it coming.

And see it coming, they sure didn’t. The wizard crashed backwards with a shriek when she dropped in front of him. She bursted out with delighted laughter.

She bent with her hands on her knees to look closer at the man. “Didn’t think I’d meet somebody this way! Or today. I really scared you? Aww.”

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in,” the wizard said, composing himself.

It was all so… casual. Like they were two equals talking and she wasn’t the self-imposed exile of the town.

Exile of the town. Something was wrong.

She circled him, inspecting. He had large crystals embedded in his purple robes and potions tied around his waist. He had scars scattered along his face, a prominent gash over his hawk-like nose. His eyes shone green against the grey-white of his hair. He smelled like trouble.

“Who sent you here,” she growled. “Was it Ren?” 

“Ren?” The wizard’s eyebrows arched. “Oh, but I’ve never met a Ren!” 

He was a horrible liar. 

He raised his arms to show off his robes, trying to prove he was a wizard, as if that meant anything to her question. Or as if it wasn’t obvious with a single look his way.

“Look, I just want some answers.”

“Ah.”

Answers. How many times had she heard that word, but they never meant it. ‘Answers’ was a euphemism for ‘slip up, give us more dirt to incriminate you with’. She was already thinking of ways to leave the place immediately.

But then, he claimed some things people said didn’t add up, called them lies.

Where exactly was he going?

“You think?” She said sarcastically to mask her actual interest. “Enlighten me.”

“Oh, I don’t know, just— like the enderman thing! You can’t sic them on people, they don’t follow orders!”

Her unease was replaced with frustration in an instant. She grunted just thinking about it. The next time she saw Ren…

“Right? But people don’t listen!”

And like that, her defences were lowered. 

She could still remember how Ren wouldn’t budge, choosing to believe it was her fault that he looked into the creature’s eyes and nearly died. But it wasn’t! She was just there! It was not her—

The wizard grinned. Smart move. Maybe she got the wrong idea of him, like everyone did of her. She could give this man a chance.

When he gave her his hand, calling himself Scar, she took it and said her name back.

Maybe, she could get someone on her side this time. Someone who believed her after everyone refused to listen. Someone to help prove everyone else wrong. 

She’d like that.

[puffin-smoke]

hi, do you ever start a thing, write half of it, find something more interesting, and then slowly chip away at it for a few months? of course you do, you follow me.

Anyway, here's Duarte having a nightmare, or what I have theatrically titled...

and meets a stranger, walking on the road below

The swamps were lonely, this late at night. A fog had settled over the landscape, the rivers and Duarte herself like dust. Moonlight turned their vision silvery, hazy.

Her leg ached vaguely, the pain muted but consuming. Enough to slow her journey, for her limp to become more prominent than usual. She rested a hand against a leafless tree to steady herself, hating how she swayed with the wind. They pawed around, grabbing blindly into the shadows and pulling out a walking stick from where branches should have been. The handle had a beetle etched into it.

She needed to find a way through the forest. So she righted herself and continued down her uneven path, all errant roots and upturned trees. She used the cane to push aside a bush when she came across it, batting away the brambles and thorns. 

On the other side of that bush, the path continued, but gradually becoming more and more treacherous, the woods more and more crowded. Duarte grimaced and continued forward.

They walked for a short while before they began to hear a voice. It was muffled by the thickness of the trees and the flora, but the frustration behind itstill peeked through the leaves like moonlight through clouds. Duarte ignored the voice for the next couple minutes but it followed her, unceasing.

“Crap.” Duarte cursed under her breath. She had to help. For fucks sake. They sighed and walked towards the mound of bushes that seemed to disguise the voice, it getting louder with every step. 

Just help whoever was there be on their way, and then get back to walking. She slowly approached the treeline, her movements deliberate and cautious. She took one deep breath, and threw aside the leaves with a flourish, revealing a figure. 

At first shadows swarmed them, obscuring their features, but then gave way to form a person. Slightly shorter than her with hair hanging loosely around their shoulders. Their skin was unscarred, their eyes bright. A harpoon was strung across their back. 

The person looked up to Duarte. “Are you lost too?” 

“No, I’m not.” Duarte answered curtly, fully intent on going back to walking. They’d be fine; it was easy to find your way in the woods. Walk in a straight line until you’re out. Figure it out from there. They’d be fine.

The stranger apparently disagreed. They grinned and set themself next to Duarte, trampling plants and weeds as they went. “Great, I’ll come with you then!”

Duarte backed away from the figure in what they hoped was a subtle way, despite bracing their cane in their hand defensively. The weight of it in their hand was a comfort but did not distract from the pit in her stomach. Now closer, the stranger’s face seemed familiar, but bitterly so. Like an acquaintance she met in passing, who said something that didn’t sit quite right. With each passing moment that feeling became further embedded in her gut.

“I’m not heading anywhere specific.” She lied. She had somewhere to be, which was far away from that grinning face and trampled plants. “There’s no point in following me.”

The figure snorts. “Yeah probably.” 

The forest whispered to fill the silence that followed. The wind ran a hand through Duarte’s hair, trying to coax them onward.

Maybe she could lose them in the woods. They gave up trying to dissuade the stranger and turned away. Dried leaves crackled underfoot as she walked, and nearly distracted from the sound of footsteps behind her. Duarte restrained an annoyed groan as the stranger sped up to keep pace with her. 

“So, you got a name? The stranger asked, trying to catch Duarte’s eye. She focused entirely on putting one foot in front of the other and ignored them entirely. Just waiting for them to tire themself out and go away. 

The silent treatment failed her. The stranger clicked their fingers in front of her face, trying to grab her attention. “You there? Hello?”

Duarte batted their hand away like she was swatting a fly. “It’s Duarte.” She answered, gruff and terse. 

Her answer seemed to catch the stranger off guard. They stumble and fall silent, yet only for a moment. “Huh. Same.”

She glances over to the stranger, expecting their face to be mocking. It was entirely sincere in its surprise and fascination. Duarte silently conceded a point over to them, and actually met their eyes. If she had to walk with them she may as well get to know a little about them.

“Hm. What do you do for a living?” The harpoon on their back; which Duarte had just noticed was identical to their own; suggested they were a hunter, or at least in that sort of field.

The stranger’s grin widened at the question, posturing grandly as they explained and very nearly hitting Duarte in the face as they gestured wildly. Duarte looked on, unflinching and unimpressed, as they spoke.

“I’m a hunter, and a damn fucking good one.” They were beaming. “Better than half the onesI know, anyway.”

Duarte was suddenly hyper aware of her leg, of the layers upon layers of scars, the divots where crocodile teeth had once embedded themself.

She held back a scoff. “You’re sure about that?”

The supposedly esteemed hunter didn’t bother with such niceties. They scowled. “Why the hell wouldn’t I be?”

“No reason.” 

The look the hunter gave them was a familiar one, but not because Duarte had seen it before. But because she had donned it herself long ago. A sneer so deeply set on their features it may as well have been carved in stone.

“You’re a shit liar, you know that?” They spat. “And what’s with the interrogation anyway? You already know all of this.”

“The hell does that mean?” Duarte stopped in her tracks, clouds of dirt billowing around her feet as she skidded to a stop. 

The stranger just rolls their eyes. “I thought you were supposed to be the smart one? I’m not gonna explain it to you, figure it out yourself.” They roll on the balls of their feet, impatient. “Besides, don’t you have somewhere to be? Don’t waste your time talking to me.”

She wouldn’t. Her walking stick hit the ground with a satisfying thud, and she’s back to walking. Her thumb absently traces the dragonfly drawn into the hilt.

The two Duartes walk, the younger lagging behind only slightly, staring daggers into the older’s back. The landscape shifts and expands. The pathway loses its pebbles and sand takes its place. A lake fades into view and seems to stretch on forever. The roots of mangroves winding like mazes beneath the water. 

Duarte immediately sets out scanning the scenery for a way across the lake. There was a boat half-submerged in the lake, she could haul it out and sail that to the other side? There was probably a reason that it was abandoned. She could backtrack and find a different route through the woods? For some reason her memory of the forestry was hazy and dark, a myriad of greys. Something willed her to never look back. She could edge her way across the lakeside? It’d be easy to fall in. She could watch as her stranger walked up to the boat and began to drag it out of the-

Oh goddamnit.

“What are you doing?” She briskly made their way down to the edge of the lake, cursing the uneven terrain under their breath. 

The hunter didn’t look up as they grabbed a hold of a dampened rope attached to the boat. Their features scrunched together in concentration as they heaved the boat forwards. “Getting the boat out.”

“There’s no point.”

With one final tug, the boat was fully on the shore. The hunter looked at them, indignant. “Would you rather swim across?” 

At this point she wondered if drowning the stranger would be the fastest route. “It’s probably got holes in. You’re wasting your time.”

The hunter looked back to the boat, narrowing their eyes. They threw aside the tangled fishing net and the splintered oars. Sure enough it revealed a crack in the base of the boat, rotten wood barely hanging onto what remained. Duarte held back a smirk. “See? Wasting time.” 

Annoyance and shame coloured the hunter’s face as they stepped away from the boat. “Beats not checking at all, you fucking…”

“Oh quit complaining. If you’re still going to follow me, we can just go around the lake.” She was already lumbering away from the shore. She didn’t check to see if the hunter was following her; she unfortunately already knew they would.

“But that’ll take forever!”

“It’d go a lot quicker if you’d left the fucking boat as is.” Duarte sniped back, her head whipping back around.

The hunter kicked up a clump of sand. If Duarte squinted it brought to mind a vision of a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, except minutely more restrained. “Could you get over the boat already? It was a stupid idea, are you happy now?”

“No. Can we go now, or are you still throwing a damn fit?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the mature one? Forgiving and forgetting is a part of that, y’know.”

Duarte looked at them, cocking her head as though seeing the hunter from a different angle would quell the burning in her gut. “The hell are you- nevermind. I don’t need to prove crap to you. You ready to go now?”

The hunter finally stepped away from the boat, dejectedly dropping the rope they’d still been holding. “Fine. You’re still a shit liar though.”

“Always need to have the last word, don’t you.” Duarte knew it was petty, but the hunter deserved petty. 

She chose to ignore the youth mumbling something about irony, taking the high road she had so sorely missed. They continued into the trees. 

The scene quickly shifted into the roots. The hazardous nature of the underbrush and subsequently hidden tree roots forced Duarte to walk slightly slower, to take their time to navigate safely through. This gave time for the hunter to catch up, so the pair were now walking in reluctant tandem. Brambles and thorns Duarte was careful to avoid snagged and ripped at the hunter’s clothes, but the hunter seemed blissfully unaware of that fact. Or maybe they just knew how to sew. Duarte leaned towards the former. 

As Duarte lugged her leg over a fallen tree trunk, the hunter gave them a surveying look, up and down. “So… what’s with the leg?”

Duarte grunted as she landed on the other side, taking a moment to steady herself. “Nothing.”

They gave them another look. “You sure?”

Nature appeared to answer for them. A root decided to appear out of nowhere, making itself known from beneath the twigs and leaves. It snagged her foot and brought her hurtling towards the ground. She braced herself for impact and a sore leg.

The hunter’s hand snapped out in an instant. They grabbed her arm and wrenched her backwards, a haphazard rescue. She flailed around for a moment but didn’t fall, only made an utter embarrassment of herself. Which would have happened even if the hunter hadn’t caught her, but she wouldn’t have had to acknowledge it face down in the mud.

“You alright there?” They asked, hand still wrapped around her forearm. 

Duarte slapped the hand away with more fervour than it probably merited. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

Indignant laughter laced the hunter’s words. “I’m trying to be nice!”

Duarte gripped her cane like a baton and backed away, her knuckles bone white. “I don’t want your pity.”

“It’s not pity!”

“You’re a shit liar.” Duarte pointed towards the hunter’s eyebrows, which were furrowed deeply. “Your brows furrow when you lie.”

“So do yours.”

Duarte spoke without thinking. The impulse disgusted her but she indulged in it anyway. All she could see were the implications behind those three words. “Fuck you.”

“The hell’s your problem with me?” They flinched but then doubled down, like an animal backed into a corner. Nothing to do but fight. “Aren’t you supposed to be the-” 

Duarte’s cane flew and jabbed the hunter in the chest, knocking the wind out of them. She held the cane there, an accusation. “If you fucking call me the mature one or some shit like that, I swear to god-”

“Why do you hate me?” The hunter cut them off with a tone as lethal as the knife within Duarte’s satchel. The venom in their eyes faded into recognition. They smirked and knocked the cane away. “Have you finally figured it out?”

Duarte grinded her teeth together, embarrassment and rage colouring her features. She was being an idiot. She was supposed to be better than this, she should just turn around and run as fast as her leg would let her. 

“That you’re me? I don’t think it matters.”

She should do that, but she doesn’t. And she somehow convinces herself that it's the right thing to do. Because she’s better than this. Better than them.

Her answer only agitated her younger self. And it was their younger self, she couldn’t ignore that fact. Their younger, stupid, worse self. Who she’d been trying to escape from for years. 

She regretted admitting it the moment it left her mouth. She regretted checking on them in the first place. How long ago had that been? How long ago had they been walking for? It felt like a moment or two but that couldn’t be right.

No matter how long it had been, it would be longer if she stayed here. Arguing with someone not even worth her breath. She begins to stalk away, with renewed vigour. The plants and trees seem to part around her to clear a path. 

The kid sprinted to catch up with them, sounding for once shocked. “Is that it?”

Duarte kept walking. This was a mistake. All of this. And she’d made too many mistakes in her life to be afforded one more.

“You don’t have anything to say to me? No sage wisdom? Nothing?” The youth swung themself through and around trees, keeping pace with her the whole time. 

Duarte kept her voice low, any louder and it would run away from them. It was nearly consumed by the trees, whisked away by the breeze. “Nothing you’d fucking listen to.”

“Oh come on! Just say something! “ They gesture vaguely to Duarte’s whole being, as though it were an unfortunate affliction or rash. “Just- Just tell me what screws me up this bad to become- this.”

Duarte inhaled shortly. “Screws you up?”

Laughter rang from the hunter’s throat, akin to that of a hyena’s. “Is that not what you’d call it?” It rumbled through their core and into the ground, the earth itself shaking in kind. “Come on, say something! What forces me to become you?”

The trees scream all around them. The shadows watch. The earth shakes beneath them but Duarte cannot find it within her to care. They whirled around.

“You know what? Fine. Here’s some fucking wisdom.” Her footsteps cut through the screaming wind. “How old are you supposed to be right now? Nineteen? A little older? Well, pretty soon you’re going to have to grow up. You’re gonna be forced to realise what you are-”

The wind tousled Duarte’s hair as they spat, venom on their tongue. The wind grasped their hair, pulling at the roots until they bled. The sensation of blood running down their neck was bone chillingly familiar.

The wind bruised her opponent in kind, lashing out at them with a dozen fists. It did not break that damned smile. “Aw, what am I then-”

If the gale would not shut them up Duarte would. She was in front of them in an instant. She grabbed their jaw, clamped her hand around it, her grip more akin to a chokehold. Her nails sunk into their flesh. She hoped it hurt. She hoped it would knock some sense into them before more people got hurt.

“No, no, you wanted wisdom and you’re fucking getting it.” Duarte hissed.

She continued. “You’re going to go on a hunt. You hear about a half blood with a bounty on his head big enough to fund whatever crap you want to indulge in. So you go to the swamp and start looking.”

She can recount that day from memory. The tranquil forest, the radiant sun baking the landscape, the rush of adrenaline in her veins. The stench of blood and regret to shatter that.

“You never find him. You didn’t have a plan. But you did find a crocodile, as big as that fucking bounty, instead.” Her leg pangs. She remembers teeth sinking into it. The vision of her own flesh being rakes across the grass, sinew hanging from its jaws like saliva. “It nearly fucking kills you.”

She remembers dragging herself home. She remembers puking her guts up and the sun cooking that bile. The smell filling her lungs. She remembers being useless and helpless. 

“And that of all things is what knocks some sense into you. That’s what makes you realise that you’re just a pathetic fucking child who thinks they’re too good to try.”

The child’s hand reaches up and forces Duarte’s away, their own nails scraping bloody paths through her wrist. They got closer to her, stance wide and open, as though they were a hunter trying to scare off a wild animal. A challenge was on their breath. “I don’t think that!”

Laughter bubbled up Duarte’s throat, spiteful, hysterical. Duarte pushed it down. “Bullshit. You’ve always thought that. You think you’re better than everyone else, so you never fucking try with them.”

She began to list examples off her fingers. “You never tried with dad, with mom, with any of the other hunters, you never fucking bothered. Always thought yourself above them.” She pushed the kid away from her. “So they finally realised they were above you.”

The blank face of her father when she told him she was leaving, the cynical gaze of her mother every time they crossed paths, the sad eyes of faces she barely remembered but definitely knew. All made themself known, hanging from trees and lurking behind branches. They were shadows. They watched the hunters with formless wonder.

The stranger bit their tongue, jaw clamping shut as their teeth grinded together for the briefest of moments. Blood hurled from their tongue as she yelled back, wind carrying that blood to mark the ground. “How long until they realise the same about you?”

The shadows chattered and gnashed their teeth, chirping like harpies. 

“Go to hell.” She yells to the wind and the hunter and the shadows. They all seemed to be the same. “You are a narcissistic, entitled little shit. That’s why you drove everyone away. That won’t happen to me.”

The hunter cackled. “You’re such an idiot- of course it will! You’re just like me. You’ve just found something new to applaud yourself for.”

The shadows hummed their approval. They stepped forward, snapping twigs underfoot and drawing them into the ink. 

“I mean why wouldn’t you, since you’re so much better than them.” They continued, plastering a hand to their forehead dramatically and pressing their back against Duarte’s chest, the very picture of a tragic hero. The shadows followed suit, surrounding Duarte, caging her as they feigned horror. One grabbed ahold of her leg, one wrapped its arms around her waist, another clawed at her poncho. Each of them helped build a cage of black, an inky darkness that held Duarte in place. 

“Oh I’m just so much more mature-” the hunter’s words drawled, lilting mockingly- “They should be more like me! It’d do them some good, it’s a miracle they haven't been slaughtered already~”

Duarte scrambles to grab her carving knife from her pocket. She unsheathes it within the second and begins a whirlwind of attacks against the dark mass grounding her. “Shut the fuck up!” The shadows crumpled like rags. “You’re twisting it- I’d never say that shit-”

The shadows slinked away like wounded dogs. They pooled at the hunter’s feet. The hunter spun back around and grinned, leaning an arm against Duarte’s chest to prop themself up. “But you thought it! You’ve always thought it- hell the plan was always to wait until your leg was healed, then strike.”

“Because that’s what a good hunter does, right? Not what I would have done, but you get results right?” They clapped approvingly. The noise danced among the dulled hum of the shadows, who were watching with bated breath. “Taking pity on your prey- interesting tactic.”

“The hell would you have done? Gone in guns blazing? You would have gotten distracted by a squirrel.” Duarte laughed. A squirrel poked its head out of the shadows beneath them, and climbed up the hunter’s ankle. They kicked it off and it disappeared back into the puddle. Duarte watched it disappear. “You would have gotten them all killed.”

The hunter scoffed. “Oh, there’s still time in the day for that. Give yourself a little credit.”

Rage boiled in Duarte’s veins. The shadows bubbled like tar. Duarte bore her teeth. “You remember Natalie?”

The hunter flinched. They answered curtly. “Don’t you fucking dare.” 

“What? I was just asking.” Duarte extended their arms outward grandly. A figure sprung up from the puddle. A girl, with long hair and sad eyes. A scar wrapped around her neck like a snake. She looked from Duarte to the hunter, as though she couldn’t tell who was who. “You nearly got her killed. You left her to die, you fucking ran away-”

“I was scared!” The hunter insisted, almost hissing. 

“You left her to die!” Duarte repeated back. Her voice was rough and raw, every ounce of hatred she had for who she was channelled behind it.

“We left her! Why the hell are you talking like we’re- like we’re two different people?!” The hunter tried to yell over her, their voice fueled by desperation and confusion.

The shadow girl sat down into the shadow, and hung her head. She sunk away into the pool. The shadows bubbled further as she disappeared. Duarte ignored her and kept shouting. “We are! I would never do that shit anymore, I care now! With everything I fucking have.” 

“You still let them get hurt.” The hunter spat back at her. Both of them knew who they were talking about. The bubbles frothed and spilled over what invisible force was holding them in place. They blanketed and flooded the dirt and the mud, swallowing tree roots whole. 

The youth raged on. “It doesn’t matter that you care or you’ve changed, you’re still fucking useless!”

On the last word the shadows turned into geysers. Waves erupted from beneath Duarte’s feet and threw her violently to the ground, the back of her skull cracking against a treeroot as she hit the ground. Blood ran down her neck and fell into the shadows. Her whole world off kilter, her vision blurring, she forced herself to stand. A wave of nausea came crashing over her. Her hands flailed about, useless, trying to maintain balance, trying to keep herself from drowning in the shadows. Her cane was knocked away in the flurry, and was now half sunk beneath the waves, only the handle visible. The etching of a thousand bees glared at her. 

She looked up to find what’s left of the forest. The trees were mostly gone, not even their stumps remained. The shadows were halfway up her calves, holding her down with an iron grip. 

In front of her, four figures formed themselves from shadow. 

Three hunters. One stared them down, his eyes a challenge he knew they couldn’t take. The others didn’t even spare her a glance. 

And then the fourth person. A gator, trapped in a net, expression frozen in permanent fear. In a realisation. That nobody was there to save him. Timmy. 

The youth walked among the statues like a tourist. They glanced at Duarte almost nonchalantly, cocking their head and baring their teeth as they strolled leisurely past Timmy. 

“What was the plan here?” Their voice was crackling, loud, clear over the sound of the forest and the shadows. Like lightning.

“I- I was trying to think of something, to save him, I just-” her fingers twitched erratically, picking roughly at the skin around their nails. Blood ran down her palms. “You would have-”

“I wouldn’t have just stood there gawking!” The hunter motioned to Timmy, to the net he was caught in, to the tears welling up in his eyes and to the tears in the mist of falling. There was an intensity to their gestures that betrayed an absolute disgust. 

“You’re a thousand fucking miles away when people actually need you, and yet I’m the irresponsible one, I’m the bad person-” the shadows rose further as the hunter yelled

“You are!” Duarte thrashed in the invisible grip of the shadows. They had risen to her waist. Her poncho was damp, stained, the blue stripe running across it now as deep a blue as the depths of the ocean. Words got caught in her throat and split forth with twice as much force. “You’re an arrogant little brat- you don’t care so you nearly get people killed-”

“Well, you care and that still happens!” The shadows rose faster and further. The hunters were gone by now, consumed by the ink. The gator was almost submerged as well, and yet his eyes were still trained on Duarte until the very last moment. “You’re just as shit a person as me, just admit it-”

“No!” Duarte didn’t let them finish the goddamn sentence. One foot unstuck itself from the mud. Timmy was gone. Nothing but shadow remained. 

“I am a good person!”

The water began to drain itself. It all collected at one point in the air, shrinking, collapsing, a floating orb of darkness was all that remained. It pulsated wildly, looking akin to a dilated pupil, scanning the environment with a nervous fervour. Not a single drop fell as it bubbled in place, a collapsing star bathed monochrome. 

And like all stars it had to burn. 

It began to expand. It built upon itself. First a torso, long and slender with scars running down the length of its back where cutes and ridges should be, its scales rough, damaged. Limbs then spurted forth from the mass, and then claws from those. A tail followed and then a head. Its teeth gleamed in the dying moonlight, like jagged rocks on the coast, like a dagger kept close to the hand. 

But its eyes held no malice. They were blank. They did not care who lived or died; this would all just be another thing the crocodile had seen. 

It turned to the kid. The hunter. The stranger. Who had been knocked down as the shadows receded. They lay there, paralysed, terrified. There was a small gash just above their eyebrow. 

Duarte watched as she was torn apart and consumed into the mass. There was no gore, no blood. It was as though they had never existed. 

It was over. No it wasn’t. Please let them pretend. 

The beast turned to Duarte. Its eyes were changed. Shame now coloured them a deep crimson. 

Kill the ego and what remains? 

Duarte’s face fell. Her heart was in her throat and fighting to get out. She couldn’t breathe. A whisper falls from her lips. 

“I hope.”

The crocodile lunges. 

Duarte jumps out of her bed and slams her head into a wall. A dull pain reverberates through her skull, a bruise undoubtedly forming where it begins. Tears prick her eyes like knife points. She groans as the pain sets in, the memory of what she had seen following suit. The world is made of grey painstrokes, all placed with reckless abandon. 

The world blurs as she fights to breathe, choking down air like a starving man devours food. Her heart pounds in her ears and echoes through the room like thunder. Her every limb is shaking as she sinks to the ground. 

Her breaths remain shallow as she forces herself to her feet. That wasn’t real. That wasn’t real. It shouldn’t matter so stop panicking. 

The world feels far away, the pain in her skull feels like a memory. The soft panging in her leg feels like an old regret. This room feels like a cardboard box; easily torn, easily broken. 

She’s not sure when she dressed herself. But she knows the feeling of her poncho on her back. She knows the harsh cool of the night air as she stares out the back door. 

Footsteps echo from behind her. Bleary eyes stare at her. 

She turns to see a friend. Their friend. Looking at them confused, concerned, something else they don't deserve. She doesn’t have time for this; she can’t be here right now. There was danger here, nothing mattered her, nothing made sense. All she could see were shadows. She needed to go until they were gone, until sunlight drowned all of that out. She wouldn’t be gone long. 

“You should go back to bed. I’m fine, I just- I’ll be back soon. Don’t wait up.” 

And with that she leaves, slamming the door and walking off into the night. 

She’s not sure what she does next. Where she goes. 

She just keeps walking. And walking. The solidity of dirt under foot is something she missed. The stars in the sky shine down at her with a kindness she does not recognize. 

She just keeps walking. Until either the shadows stop following her or at least become easier to see through. Whatever comes first.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

hello Blair 👋 I saw you mentioned Alanza and I’m showing up bc despite jc completely fumbling her, I still like her

I think the two biggest issues is when she’s introduced and that the game does not know what to do with her. She should have been introduced before Rowan’s death. That way we get to know her as her own character instead of “Rowan’s replacement.”

Since she’d be the new student for the year, I’m pretty sure people would still suspect her of being the mole. My guess is that jc dropped her because so many people seem to dislike her. There’s a whole can of worms on how hphm handles its numerous characters. I will have to save that for another day.

Alanza was set to be an interesting character and I do wish we had learned more about her days at Castelobruxo. I’m ignoring my own numerous headcanons to flesh her out. Main things that stick out to me is her time surviving in the rainforest as a first year. She has this very cheerful demeanor but surely that must have had an impact on her eleven year old self. Then she’s supposed to be from a prominent Brazilian wizarding family. What are they like? How do people treat her as a member of an at least somewhat famous family? She seems to enjoy adventuring so of all the characters to join the vault hunt, she should’ve been included. Then the wiki says she was part of a band back at Castelobruxo (it also says she can play nine instruments which I do not remember.) What if we saw her bonding with the Weird Sisters over music?

Jumping into headcanon territory: I’ve headcanoned that Alanza’s upbeat demeanor contrasts with her parents’ more serious selves. When her grandmother was alive, she was able to mediate between Alanza and her parents. However after she died, things became more tense at home. It also didn’t help that their fame meant Alanza was constantly being compared to her family. She decided to become an exchange student partly to get a fresh start where people will judge her as her own person and also bc like I mentioned earlier, she likes an adventure.

to be nice to hphm, Alanza’s design is my favorite from this game. I don’t have some deep analysis on it; I just think she’s cute. Plus I like the mole she has.

Oh, I like her too. She just...feels like a one-off, like a character introduced in a TLSQ who then slides into the background.

Instead, like you talked about, the story drops everything to introduce her - right after Rowan dies and The Circle is formed, no less - and not long before The Mole is first mentioned. They had to know, right? The writers had to realize the circumstances surrounding Alanza were suspicious, so I think she was a deliberate red herring. Especially giving her a loose connection to Rakepick. But she's a red herring who never gets herring'd, because the characters never outright suspect her.

I didn't even realize she was widely disliked, is that true? Because I liked her just fine. I was suspicious of her past and her motives, and it wasn't lost on me how the story tried to insert her into a "Rowan" like role (which it later did more directly with Corey) but hey, that wasn't exactly her fault, and assuming she was totally genuine in her nature, then she was a good person, right?

The Rain Forest Incident is so telling. I've always had the headcanon that Rakepick rescued her from that bit of trouble. Because despite what Alanza says, despite what the writers might want us to believe, there is no way she could have known Rakepick smelled like cinnamon without having gotten close to her. MC didn't even know that.

As far as her time in Castelobruxo, I'm getting...Weasley twin vibes. Popular with the students, nightmare for the staff. If she comes from a prominent family, that's already easy mode for popularity like it was for Draco. Not to mention she's in a band and is apparently multi-faceted? Nah, this girl had friends. But then again, none of them write to her when she moves out to the U.K, so maybe it was all just surface level? Sad to say...

Oh man. What you're describing is...so familiar. It reminds me a lot of Tulip and her situation with her own family, right down to having grandparents who mediate. The idea that Alanza joined the exchange program to get away from - at least part of - her family is devastating, but it makes sense. She chose to remain at Hogwarts for another year, and neglected to mention why. But she would have been 17 by that point, so, it would be her choice, right?

The Casteobruxo robes look superb, they really do. They're one of the few costumes that genuinely look like something people in this world would wear, because yes I'm still hung up on how none of them wear robes in the movies. As far as her face goes, she is adorable, that's for sure!

[stylin-knight]

Another dull day with paperwork means another long night for Loury. She never knew just how much paperwork came with dying and even more when the person was even slightly too bad for Heaven. It was frustrating beyond belief and she hasn't even gotten halfway through the pile of folders on her desk. Well, her father's old desk repurposed into a functional work space. He should have done these, they were from hundreds of years ago and have been neglected since. To top it off, the files he did manage to look at were organized wrong or improperly stored so they had to be redone from scratch.

Loury hung her head in defeat and groaned. She's not making it home tonight, maybe not even tomorrow will everything piled up. Her tail twitched, restlessness making her body ache.

"I just want to go home." She whined drawing out the last syllable for dramatic effect, though only she was there to witness such theatrics. She closed her eyes tight and scrunched her face to snap herself right back into a blank expression. She could do this, she hadn't needed to sleep in years and skipping a few meals couldn't hurt too bad. Staying and finishing the work was more important anyway. Sacrifices had to be made. Just as Loury was getting back to the task at hand a small knock came at the door.

"Come in." Loury commanded loud enough to be heard but not shouting. She made herself look far more interested in her work than she was. Her eyes locked on a file of a woman who died during the French Revolution. Not terribly uncommon but it still caught her genuine curiosity about it. There's no name but just a photo of a pale woman with green eyes and white hair.

"I knew her."

Loury snapped out of her focus to the other occupant in the room. She guessed that looking busy had the negative side effect of losing your attention to what was happening around you. Which meant that Loury did not hear the door open, did not hear the clicking of footsteps coming near, and definitely did not notice the presence of a very familiar aura right in front of her.

"Hi Cupid." Loury responded lamely. Looking up from the mess of papers gave her a view of her most trusted advisor when it came to running and ruling Hell. She had a frown on her face but that was standard, there isn't much to be happy about when you work in Hell. Though Loury noted that her eyes gave more to her true emotions, there was a glint in them and she could sense that the older woman had something on her mind. "You knew her?" she asked, handing the file over. Perhaps she'll get some insight on what's got her more down than usual.

"I knew of her. She was a prominent figure when I was alive. I do not recall her name however but that shouldn't be an issue to find." Cupid recalled numbly. It seems like she's in no mood to speak of her past.

"I'm sorry."

Cupid looked confused, "Whatever for?" she responded carefully.

"The reminders, I'll try and take care of these ones when they come up." the clarification seemed to only confuse her more.

Cupid tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brows, her pale skin never wrinkling even when streched and folded together. She opened her mouth but the words died on her tounge. She sucked in a deep breath and placed the file back on the desk.

Loury looked on with anxious energy. This is her office. Loury is the one who should be in charge here. But Cupid is her friend first, roles can be set aside to comfort those who need it. But she's not used to how Cupid acts, hasn't had enough interactions with her to gauge how to approach this. So she just looks on and waits for a move to be made.

"Go home." was what broke the unwritten tension in the room.

"What?"

"Go home Loury. It's late, and Rochelle has called twice already." Cupid looked pained, like it was hurting her to dismiss someone like this.

Loury shrugged, eyes downcast once again. She wants to leave but then the work will just be there tomorrow like a looming threat. She shook her head, "I'm fine Cupid. I'll call Rochelle and tell her I'll be a bit late." *or not home at all*, she thought with a stab of guilt.

"You're not a convincing liar like he used to be."

Those words stung, they shouldn't but they did.

Like he used to be.

Of course he was a great liar. He fooled everyone into thinking he was capable of being a good person.

"I didn't mean to upset you. You just remind me of him in times like this." Cupid averted her gaze to a framed painting of the man in question. Loury thought that she should burn that evil painting when she had the time.

"You mean working? I'm not so sure." she spat. Not even entertaining the thought of him more than she has to.

"No." a pause, "I meant" another pause, this one lasted far longer than the first. Cupid sighed, "You look so much like him. I am very aware that you two are vastly different, but I can not tell you how many times I've had to come in here and tell him to leave." she was frustrated and her tone left no room to argue that. "Please Loury, go home. Your family is more important than all this."

"But I-"

"I can take care of it." she put up her hand to stop the interjection. "Now, get up and let me finish these and you can come in tomorrow morning and start on the rest." it's not a question, it's a command and one that Loury can't bring herself to argue with.

With one last look at the ocean of papers and folders Loury stood and walked around the large desk. Cupid stood with caution still but with a slight air of power that is rarely seen on her. Loury smiled and surged to hug the older woman, careful not to hit her with her horns.

"Thanks mom." was all that was said as Loury squeezed Cupid tight.

"You're welcome dear." was softly whispered in her ear as Cupid patted her back lightly.

[carebearbro]

I think it'd be nice if we get more Good Luck focused episodes so that he can be a bit more fleshed out imo. The focus episodes he has involve his good luck powers and that's an interesting thing when it comes to the Silver Lining setting but it'd be nice if he had to deal with a different kind of problem. If you'd write an episode of GL what would it be about?

So I’m probably not the best person to ask since I’m not very creative when it comes to coming up with new plot ideas.

You do make a good point that all of the Good Luck focused episodes do center around his luck….The Great Giggle, Valley if the Shamrocks and Some Luck all deal with his luck and his desire to prove himself beyond his luck.

So that makes it tricky because apart from his navigation, there’s not a whole lot of deep stuff to the character.

however, you could make a similar argument with Share. The ice cream episode is really the only one that centers around her.

However, one cool thing they did with Share is make her the biggest part of other eps without it having to be directly about her. After the Klatterknack, Say What and Sorry Not Sorry prominently feature Share, and the Petunias episode does too.

So they could do a similar thing with Good Luvk. They did a little bit of that in Funshien’s Unfun day where he plays a big role with Funshine. Kind of like how Sorry Not Sorry is really about Grumpy, but Share plays a big part.

A few other things they could do is just have an ep of Good Luck going on an adventure without it having to deal with his character too deeply. The Last Laugh kind of does that with Funshine…it’s mainly about thr LaffinPuff.

the other idea is there could be more episodes that focus on duos. You see that some in Where oh Where has our Funshine gone, where Good luck and Funshine go on a mini adventure.

so I would love to see more eps of Funshine and Good Luck going on an adventure.

but you could see the same thing with any duo if Bears. I would love. A Grumpy and Good Luck ep.

you have a ton of eps with all five bears being involved while not centering around one. But you don’t have any with a trio of Bears. I would love that…seeing an ep where three of them go on some kind of adventure.

so that’s a way you could get more Good Luck involvement without needing to force a plot to center around him. It’s hard right now because they haven’t come up with any other main things about who he really is yet.

[primeministerofantarctica]

If you don't mind me asking (and if you do plz ignore <3) but is there any autistic rep that you personally would like to see in media?

ohh good question! hmm... personally I'd like to see more explicit rep in children's and family media that's not "word of god" or "character that shows up for one episode to teach the main character about autism" (I don't mind the former but your average ten-year-old disney liker doesn't have twitter so it'd be lost on them.)

for example, one of my favorite canon autistic characters is aj gadgets from the pbs kids show hero elementary. while they don't outright say it until season 2, it's pretty obvious if you know what you're looking for? he flaps his hands when stressed out, he hates the feeling of wet clothes, he has a clear special interest in other superheros, he doesn't get sarcasm, he has noise-canceling headphones as part of his costume and he's shown putting them on when things get too loud. and MOST importantly, he's one of the main characters! appearing in almost every single episode!

on that note, I don't care how realistic it is, more stuff where the autistic character is actually liked by the other characters. I like entrapta and the guy from the good doctor well enough, but the way the other characters treated them was sooo :(. "oh noo how can he be a surgeon are you sure it's safe" bro i'm not an expert but i don't think it's within the realm of physical impossibility that autistic surgeons exist irl.

more characters in genres that aren't realistic coming-of-age stories. more fantasy/ sci fi/ mysteries/ etc. and yes, make the speculative fiction characters explicit too. you don't have to use the same word if it's a non-earth setting and you don't want to break the illusion, but plenty of other languages have descriptions you can pull from! like in japanese, the kanji for 自閉症 is "oneself, closed, illness". or in te reo māori, the word they use means "in their own time and space". make up your own name if you want, get creative!

other stuff, in general - more nonverbal/ aac using characters in prominent roles. more characters who are intellectually disabled or even just have average intelligence, less "savants". more characters with "useless" special interests instead of maths or science disciplines (more autistics that can't do math, please im dying here /lh). characters that are love interests, or best friends, or main characters. characters that have personalities outside of being a walking DSM manual.

this is already long af but some other characters I like-

renee from pixar's loop.

woo young-woo from extraordinary attorney woo. (i've only seen a few episodes so far but i like what i saw.)

matilda from everything's gonna be okay.

hikaru azuma from the manga with the light: raising an autistic child. yes it's from the point of view of the neurotypical mother but if you manage to get past the first volume and it's "oh no my child is autistic how can this be :(" it's...pretty sweet? the mom isn't portrayed as a saint for "putting up" with her kid, she does love him but the narrative isn't afraid to call her out when she makes a mistake.

ester from daughter of the deep. am i biased since this is a rick riordan book? well yes but still i'll be the first in line to watch the movie adaptation.

also more characters that are definitely autistic but the writers are either cowards or somehow, inexplicably, didn't put two and two together until someone else told them and understandably were pretty nervous about messing up to actually make it canon (they're just undiagnosed /j)

nonny from bubble guppies. stop saying he's depressed reddit edgebros it's just flat affect ToT

huey duck from ducktales. you had two episodes focused on how "being weird isn't bad" and "it's okay if you're wired differently". did the...did the writers just not pick up on the implications. i refuse to believe they did.

twilight sparkle from mlp:fim. pretty obvious to headcanon but i read somewhere (albeit through secondhand sources) that it was initially supposed to be canon and if that is true, that's cool af.

[riddikulus-writings]

Born To Run

FRISAL; 3ABY

DAY 3; Late Afternoon

“I think he’s fucking following us.”

Anaya’s tension made Cal bristle, “I don’t doubt that.”

“Why?” Anaya’s hiss was prominent in his ear. She hooked their elbows together and pulled him closer – pulled him down to her level, “Stop here, let me pretend to window shop. Is he still back there?”

Cal stopped with her outside a clothing shop. While she was eyeing up a decent looking men’s outfit – saying something about how he would look in it – Cal made casual work of scanning the busy street. Dusk was setting, the street lamps beginning to light themselves as the sky melted from pink to deep purple.

Sure enough, a few shops to the right on the opposite side of the street stood Javal, wearing something that looked like a pajama set, “Naya, I think he’s in his pajamas.”

“Well shit, if I knew it was socially acceptable, I would’ve been, too,” she snorted, following where Cal was looking, “This pair of shorts aren’t my favorite, they don’t have front pockets. I like the other ones better.”

The black shorts she had on now hugged her better than the blue ones from yesterday, but they indeed did not have front pockets; he’d been listening to her fret about that all day, “Naya, focus. We’re being followed.”

“Slice him to bits and be done with it,” she said it so simply as she tugged his elbow.

“Naya, I can’t just slice him to bits. We’re in public”

“Oh, so now you want to play the waiting game? Let’s go get something to eat, I’m starving.”

They’d been able to get a table in the back with a full view of the rest of the restaurant [and Cal silently thanked himself for leaving the droids at Anaya’s apartment that day]. Their conversations were sparse as they ate, keeping more focus on watching the door, instead. Her aura was distracting, to say the least; fluctuating between a soft, dark green and a green so dark it was damn near black; no matter how many times she closed her eyes to collect her feelings, the fear was always creeping around the edges.

“Think he’ll follow us here?”

“I hope not.” Cal took a drink from his wine glass – the glass that Anaya insisted he have.

She took a gulp from hers too, making a face as she swallowed, “As far as I know, he’s a pretty respectable man. Whatever he wants, he won’t make a scene of it in a busy eatery. He can follow, but he has to be civilized about it at least.”

“I guess that’s a slight improvement.”

“And that’s why my ideas are good.” she beamed at him.

“How are we going to… y’know,” Cal glanced around, making sure none of the surrounding tables seemed interested in them – they weren’t, “Deal with him?”

“Give it time, Kestis,” her tone was almost admonishing as Anaya busied herself with… fluttering her eyelashes at him…? “Not everything is a two-day-deal. Do as I’ve been doing; trail him, find his patterns. Maybe you’ll find something I’ve missed and find a better window than I’ve been able to. Short of busting into his house in the middle of the night, the man is almost never alone.”

Cal bit off the end of a breadstick, “He needs to be gone.”

“And I need to be dicked down,” she muttered it to herself – just barely audible in the way she does whenever she makes a lewd comment – but then met her gaze with Cal’s as if he hadn’t just heard her say that, “He needs to do something where we can get at hiiiiiii–” she cut off and changed to a drawn out greeting, her entire expression changing as she looked over Cal’s shoulder.

He did a double take and followed her gaze to find Kolphi standing directly behind him, “Evening.” Cal’s greeting was far more cool and collected than he felt.

“Evening,” Javal’s smile was predator-like, despite having an overall kind appearance and soft-spoken voice, “Mind if I join you guys?”

Cal turned back to face Anaya, making a face at her that hopefully screamed no way in hell to her. She quirked a quick eyebrow back at him; can’t avoid it, “Yes, of course,” she smiled warmly at Javal and motioned for him to drag a chair from a nearby table.

He did, and Javal sat and folded his hands on the tabletop, “I’ve seen you around a lot lately, are you new?”

“I am not, no,” Anaya shook her head, chewing through a mouthful of her dinner, “I’ve lived here a few months already.”

Shit, he’s noticed Anaya trailing him, “I’m new to town,” Cal chimed in, “My lovely–” he hesitated. Cleared his throat, trying to think, “--wife, here, has been showing me around the last couple days. It’s most likely why you’ve seen her out and about.”

Kolphi smiled – legitimately gave Cal a warm, welcoming smile – and offered his hand, “Welcome to Frisal! I’m Kolphi Javal. And you are?”

Cal shook his hand, trying to think of a quick alibi, “Jaxskyl Windral. I’ve been on Japeal the last few months, away on business. I’m glad to finally be back with my love.” he flashed his new wife a big, toothy grin from across the table.

Fuck. He was really hoping Anaya wasn’t upset that they were married now.

“Congrats to the both of you,” Kolphi nodded at them, “Mrs. Windral, you are absolutely beautiful, your husband is a lucky man.”

“Miss Valena Duvessa, actually,” she corrected lightly, pouring Kolphi his own glass of wine, “We’re not quite married, yet. A few more months. Jax just gets ahead of himself. He’s excited, is all. But thank you, I think I’ve caught quite the man, myself.”

Kolphi accepted the wine and raised his glass, “A toast to the soon-to-be newlyweds, then.” Cal raised his glass in unison with Anaya. The three of them tapped their glasses together and each glass was quickly drained just as fast. When the three of them lowered, Kolphi wiped his chin off with a napkin, “My wife, Iavys, wishes to take our son out on the water tomorrow afternoon. It’s one of Orron’s favourite family activities. Why don’t the two of you come along? We can show Jax the true beauty of Frisal,” Kolphi half laughed, nudging Anaya with his elbow.

She laughed along with him, “The city is truly beautiful, especially at night. The brick walkways are such a nice touch. Easy on the feet, too.”

“I love seeing the street lanterns lit up in the evenings,” Javal told her, “Especially when you see the skyline from the water. The two of you absolutely need to come out tomorrow.”

Cal nodded, “We accept, thank you Mr. Javal.”

“Please,” he began standing, “Call me Kolphi. Mr. Javal was my father, may he rest in peace.”

“Thank you for your kind invitation, Kolphi,” Anaya stood, too – she almost stood taller than Javal – and reached her arms out to him, embracing him in a half hug. She gave Cal a desperate help me look over the man’s shoulder, “Bright and early in the morning, meet out at the docks?”

“Absolutely,” Kolphi agreed.

Cal stood, now, too, and reached to shake Javal’s hand, again, “Thank you, Kolphi. We look forward to spending the day with you and your family.”

They bid him goodnight outside the doors of the restaurant and they went their separate ways. Once they knew they were out of earshot, Cal let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, “Shit, what just happened?”

Anaya blew a raspberry, “I’m not sure, but I guess I’ve got a fiance, now.”

Cal’s ears turned as red as his hair, “About that, I am so sorry–”

“Don’t be,” she hooked her elbow through his, “I think this is going to be fun. Good preparation for if your sorry ass ever finds a woman.”

Painfully, Cal remembered Merrin, “I’ll have you know that I’ve dipped my toes in the dating pool, thank you very much.”

Anaya placed a hand over her heart, “You’ve been cheating on me? How dare you. I can’t believe you, Jax.”

“Oh, be quiet,” he bumped his hip into hers, “I’m sure you’ve been just as unfaithful these past few years.”

“Not really,” she fell into seriousness again, leading him blindly through the streets, “Kind of hard to dip your toes in the dating pool, as you put it, when you’re busy as all get-up with the Rebellion. Now that we’ve kind of won the war a bit, though, maybe I can get out there.”

“Back to cheating on me, I see.”

“If you get a freebie, so do I,” she declared, “Now c’mon, the droids are probably wondering what’s taking us so long.”

[oflgtfol]

literally my main complaints with thor 4 and the main complaints im seeing elsewhere (but maybe i just follow sane people. idk) is that valkyrie was fucking sidelined . for some girl who literally has not appeared in the franchise for EIGHT YEARS !!!!! add on the fact that valkyrie is black and the woman she was sidelined over is white its like. its bad dude ! its fucking bad. it fucking sucks. i dont understand how thor ragnarok set everything up so great and then thor 4 just went down the dumpster

[babyboibucky]

Nasty

Pairing: TFATWS!Bucky x Reader

Summary: You discover that Bucky, a black shirt and a wrist watch is a dangerous combination.

Word Count: 1,957

Warnings: TFATWS SPOILERS!!! Bucky in THAT tight black shirt, fingering, fucking on the counter, a lil’ bit of choking, very tiny hint at pain kink???

A/N: Like I said, I will never shut up about Bucky in that black shirt and the veins on his fucking arm!!!!!!! Dedicated to my nasty boo and wifey @bitchassbucky @sarge-barnes-sir because I know how thirsty we are for episode 4 Bucky 🥰🥰🥰

MAIN MASTERLIST

gif by @mcavoys tysm for this wonderful treasure that I may or may not have saved on my phone for research purposes 😌

All your thoughts flew right outside the window the moment Bucky barged into the mansion, his footsteps heavy and a scowl etched on his face. Shrugging off his jacket, it was revealed that he was merely sporting a tight black shirt which showed off his body perfectly.

The sleeves were so tight around his bicep that you couldn’t even comprehend whatever it was that Bucky was talking about. And those veins on his right arm? You had to bite the inside of your cheek to prevent a needy whine from escaping your throat.

Bucky looked ravishing in that simple outfit and the watch wrapped around his wrist did nothing to alleviate your thirst for the man.

You and Bucky have been dancing around each other since the two of you met. A little bit of flirting here and there, a few innuendos in between conversations— it was pretty obvious that there was a mutual attraction involved. However, no one seemed to be bold enough to actually do something about the spark.

But with how Bucky was unconsciously flexing his right arm as he poured himself a drink or crossed his arms over his broad chest, you weren’t sure for how long you would be able to to hold back.

“You listening still or have we lost you halfway through this discussion?” Bucky asked, eyeing you suspiciously before taking a sip from his drink.

“Huh?” You blinked in confusion, your eyes landing on his arm yet again and taking in how prominent his veins were.

What you wouldn’t do to run your fingers against that arm or to have your tongue trace that particular vein. Majority of people often paid attention to Bucky’s vibranium arm and you had to admit, you used to have nasty thoughts about it as well.

But Bucky’s flesh arm? It stirred something in you, something filthy and primal and you badly needed to do something to address it.

“I don’t think we had her attention in the first place. Since you arrived, at least.”

You turned to Sam with a glare, “Sam.” You warned.

He merely shrugged with a teasing grin before standing up, “Just saying.” He defended before excusing himself, disappearing into one of the many rooms in the mansion.

Bucky took another sip from his drink as he watched you react to his arm, your lips parting as you followed its every movement. You imagined clawing at that arm, nails scratching at his skin as you grabbed onto it while Bucky pounds into you. Or how that arm would reach around to hold your back against his chest, keeping you in place with his hand wrapped around your throat while he fucks you from behind.

“You’re thinking of something.” Bucky said.

“Want to guess?” You asked breathlessly when you noticed the look Bucky was giving you.

Oh, he knows what you were thinking about, probably because he was thinking about it too. The harmless flirting had been going on for far too long, building up the tension between you both until it reached its boiling point.

The only question was, who’s going to snap first?

“If I guess correctly, what’s in it for me?” Bucky curiously asked, raising a brow at you.

“I’ll do anything you ask of me.” You answered quickly before leaning against the countertop using your forearms.

“Anything, huh? That’s interesting.” Bucky said, mimicking your stance on the other side of the counter.

Bucky’s nose almost brushed against yours at the close proximity and that alone made your pussy throb. Fuck, you were going to snap first and Zemo be damned, you were going to get down and dirty with Bucky even if he was in the same room.

“So, any guesses?” You asked as you stared at Bucky’s lips.

“You want to take me to bed.” Bucky responded so casually, but his voice was an octave lower, raspier.

A quick shuffle followed by an emphasized cough interrupted the moment. You turned your neck and saw Zemo dusting off his coat.

“I better go and give the both of you some privacy.” He awkwardly said before slipping into a room, closing the doors immediately.

When you turned back to Bucky, his eyes were darker than before and his breathing heavier. “Gotta say, that man knows how to read the room.”

Bucky snapped first. And thank the horny gods he did because you couldn’t wait until tonight to show him how much you wanted him.

He grabbed you by the back of your head and kissed you, a moan slipping past your lips when he pulled you closer ignoring the counter that was separating you both. The edge was digging against your chest and albeit uncomfortable, you pushed yourself further to return Bucky’s kiss with the same fervor. He took it as an opportunity to slide his tongue into your mouth, entangling it with yours as he deepened the kiss.

Bucky was leaving you breathless with his kiss, only pulling away to let you climb up the counter until you were seated right in front of him with your legs on either side of his hips.

“Fuck me, Bucky. God, please.” You begged and grabbed his arms, moaning when you felt his right bicep flex beneath your fingers.

Bucky bit your lower lip and tugged at it, grunting as he popped the button of your jeans with his right hand. He literally popped off the button and sent it flying somewhere. The display of his strength just turned you on even more and you grabbed Bucky by the neck to kiss him again.

You squeaked into his mouth when he wrapped his vibranium arm around your lower back, pulling you down from the counter and then spinning you around.

“I’ll fuck you so good you’ll feel me in between your legs for weeks.” He growled into your ear as he harshly pulled down your jeans until it reached your thighs.

Your hands gripped the edge of the counter, your back arching when you feel Bucky’s metal hand reach around to part your pussy lips, spreading your wetness around using his middle finger.

“All this for me?” Bucky rasped into your ear.

A whine came out as a respond as you eagerly nodded your head, “All for you.” You managed to whimper.

Bucky began to rub your cunt, making you press your ass against his crotch. His right hand moved to grip your shirt in the middle, literally tearing it apart. It wasn’t a secret that Bucky had super strength and that his vibranium arm was an advantage. Seeing him show what strength his right arm had, by shredding your shirt into pieces, it made your entire body buzz from pure unadulterated need.

You needed Bucky to manhandle you, to use his brute strength to ruin you.

“You’re so turned on right now, aren’t you? Fuck, you enjoy it when I’m rough with you.” Bucky darkly chuckled before unclasping your bra, setting your breasts free for him to grope.

Bucky then moved back but only to shove down his jeans until his hard cock bobbed free, hitting your ass in the process. He wasted no time to spread your cheeks apart and you bent down willingly, sticking your ass out invitingly.

“You want this so bad, you’re fucking dripping.” Bucky groaned at the sight of your glistening pussy.

He held his cock and slowly pushed it in, letting out a growl at how easily he slid in from how wet you were. Inch by inch, you felt his cock drag along your channel until he was fully seated within your warmth.

“Bucky...” you elicited a moan. “You fill me up so good...” you breathed out, pushing back to feel more of him.

The way you clenched around his cock drove Bucky wild, his right arm immediately wrapping around you to grip your throat. Bucky pulled you upright as he started pistoling his hips against yours, fucking you hard and fast against the counter.

You grabbed his arm with both hands, nails finally digging onto his skin as you focused on how Bucky was fucking you so good. It was even better than you had imagined. His metal hand on your hip, fingers gripping you hard enough to leave you with bruises; his right arm keeping you flush against his hard chest, holding onto you so tight you could actually feel the band of his watch digging against the skin on your chest.

Only Bucky’s grunts together with your moans and the sound of skin slapping against skin was heard from then on. You were deep into your pleasure to even speak or call out his name.

Bucky wasn’t even done fucking you but you were already out of it, close to delirious even.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head when Bucky bit your earlobe at the same time his metal fingers pressed your clit.

Choking on a moan, your body trembled as you violently came on Bucky’s cock, your fingers scratching at his right arm as you rode out your orgasm wave after wave.

“God, so fucking tight. Can I cum inside you, baby?” Bucky moaned and pressed an open-mouthed kiss on your jaw, sucking the skin just beneath your ear.

You nod enthusiastically, humming in approval as you moved your hips to match Bucky’s brutal thrusts.

“Gonna cum, baby. Fuck!”

Warm ropes of Bucky’s release filled you up, his hips continuing to thrust into you as he let your pulsating cunt milk his cock dry. Bucky fell forward, supporting his weight with his hands on the countertop to prevent his huge body from crushing you.

Bucky pressed a kiss on the back of your head as he let go of your neck, pulling his softening member out of your pussy and tucking it back into his jeans.

He rubbed your back and allowed you to catch your breath, taking your rest as a chance to look down at your pussy as his cum seeped out of it. Bucky licked his lips at the sight and used two of his flesh fingers to push back his release into your cunt before lifting your underwear and jeans up.

“Am I dead?” You asked when Bucky spun you around again.

He chuckled and kissed you, fixing your bra and clasping it back on. Bucky wrapped his jacket around your body, apologizing for ripping your shirt apart.

“You back, baby?” Bucky asked as he moved your hair away from your face.

You looked spent and well-fucked. He could see the mark that his watch left on your chest and felt bad because it obviously caused you pain.

“Sorry for this...” he mumbled as his fingers reluctantly traced the mark.

You let out a breathy laugh, “It’s okay. I like it.” You admitted, reaching out to hold Bucky’s right arm.

“I like this too.” You said, letting a finger trace the prominent vein on his arm.

Sliding your finger upwards, you reached the sleeve of Bucky’s shirt and tug at it. “And this one as well.” You smirked.

Bucky nuzzled your nose with his, “I guessed what’s on your mind correctly, didn’t I?” He asked with a grin.

You’d almost forgotten about the little game from earlier. Truth to be told, you sort of forgot everything that took place before Bucky fucked your brains out.

“You didn’t just guess it, you actually showed it.” You said with a chuckle.

“Yeah well, it wasn’t that hard to figure out when you’ve been shamelessly eye-fucking me since I took off my jacket.” Bucky gloated teasingly.

You groaned in embarrassment, “That obvious, huh?”

“Yup and you know what? I think I’d like it too if I saw you wearing my shirt. Just my shirt.”

-

Everything Bucky Tag List:

@ddowii @jessou893 @stealapizzamyheart @bagelofthelord @mxnt @dontputyourfckingdrinkonmytable @jeeperky @ohladymacbeth @wildflowergubler @supraveng @twinerd14 @buckysmar @bakugouswh0r3 @sweetcoldharmony @wintersfilm @charminivy @amelia-song-pond @iamvalentinaconstanza @mcubqrnes @i’m-squished @tcc-gizmachine @sipsteacasually @prettyintopeerpressure @weloveyasmin @est19xxshit @bloodhon3yx @dressed-in-prada @lizette50 @thatfangirl42 @sunflowerbunny2​ @unmagically​ @okiegirl24 @sugarpunch-princess @enlyume @vvipgotbb @slimeyderp @lyoongx @just-deka @nobody-will @jaziona92 @elisebuitron @dpaccione @suvikamahes98blr @buckybarneshairpullingkink @earthtonav @x-judyjude-x @nani-kenobi @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @belladonnabarnes​ @iloveangstposts @weenersoldierr @asemistablehundredyearoldman​ @reidbuck​ @lizzarooni @girlfriday007​ @5-seconds-of-mendes​​ @whoth3hellisbucky​​ @bonkywobble​ @lost-in-the-stars03

[writer-monster]

11 reasons why cap 4 should reintroduce Bucky Barnes as the love interest, an essay

to start this off, i am not writing this essay from a shipping place nor do i believe that this would have any influence at all over the upcoming movie. i expect nothing. this is simply something that i would personally like to see. (of course no hate to anybody who thinks differently)

here are 11 reasons why i think making Bucky into Sam Wilson's love interest in Cap 4 would be a good move for Disney.

-

1. on the Chinese film market - and why it's an irrelevant argument against the inclusion of homosexual themes in Cap 4

the Chinese film market is something that has been blamed for a lack of diversity in Hollywood films a lot lately. many people claim that this market with a lot of buying power has been responsible for the lack of gay and black representation in particular within Hollywood films.

and we have certainly seen Hollywood treating it as such, going so far as to cut gay scenes from movies for their Chinese releases, and vastly minimising John Boyega's (a black actor's) presence in the Chinese poster of Star Wars The Force Awakens.

[image ID: on the left is an image of the American poster for Star Wars The Force Awakens, featuring John Boyega prominently on the right-hand side. And on the right is the Chinese poster for the same movie, in which John Boyega is barely visible.]

so we know at the very least that Disney believes this through their own actions and efforts to self-censor for the different markets.

but Captain America 4 is a black-led movie, don't you forget. and Disney can't minimise Sam Wilson/Anthony Mackie in the movie or the poster because it's his movie and his poster. and no amount of creativity in the editing room can change that (thank God!).

so if by their own argument the film is already going to be either banned, panned or slammed in China... then what do they have to fear from making it a gay movie too?

-

2. oh, the queerbaiting

queerbaiting is an unusual cultural idea. and sometimes i find myself thinking that the term is far too easily used, but then all of a sudden i will stumble upon a movie or show that is so quintessentially cruel and overt in it's... well... queerbaiting that i will start to wonder what the hell kind of a bizarre relationship all these straight people seem to have with their friends. take Troy and Abed from Community or John and Sherlock from Sherlock as the perfect examples of this. (in which my reaction to the show's creators saying the show wasn't gay was to ask so then why did you make it so gay?!)

i felt that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes in tfatws were getting quite close to this level of queerbaiting.

there was the field scene, the couple's counselling scene, the boat scene, the couple's counselling scene, Bucky going with Sam to face Karli when she told Sam to come alone, the couple's counselling scene, ALL the staring scenes, Sam checking out Bucky's ass here as they said goodbye, the "i would move in with him but" hidden scene, "Uncle Bucky" showing up at the cookout scene, the romantic walking off together into the sunset together ending scene, and the couple's counselling scene. did i forget anything? but i mean seriously, the couple's counselling scene!!! that thing they did with their legs and their crotches while staring deep into each other's eyes, would any straight guy willingly do that? do straight guys crotch-snuggle now?

[image ID: an image of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes during the therapy scene with the quote, "Isn't anybody going to drag me into impromptu couple's therapy and slot my legs firmly between theirs before staring deeply into my eyes?"]

(yeah i stole this image from a buzzfeed article on the fan reactions to the couple's therapy scene. but given that they stole 80% of the content of that article from fandom tumblr, i think it's pretty even-steven.)

there's also the fact that people started talking about bisexual Bucky Barnes a lot after the tiger pictures line, and the lead writer Malcom Spellman responded to the talk of Bucky's bisexuality with "just keep watching". well we watched, Malcolm. but it's beginning to feel like you were just jerking us around.

-

3. the writing

seriously though, what else is Bucky Barnes doing right now in the MCU? his only remaining connection to anything going on right now is through Sam. there is literally nothing else established that's left for him to do that doesn't involve Sam. he moved to Louisiana to be closer to Sam (canonically), he hangs out with Sam's family (canonically), and Steve is presumably gone and is definitely not coming back for more adventures.

he has no villains or loose ends left. he has no other superheroes that he appears to be in contact with. he has no girlfriend or potential love interest, or even other friends or family. he is living in a tent that he has secretly set up in Sam's backyard and is mysteriously appearing from the bushes when it's time for dinner like a stray cat.

in my opinion there is no other meaningful and pre-established progression for Bucky's character that wouldn't just feel cheap.

plus, i don't think the general audience would be all that surprised if they kissed. i think a LOT of people picked up on all that tension. i think a lot of straight people picked up on all that tension too.

-

4. the chemistry between the actors & the chemistry between the characters

the original pitch for tfatws was essentially just this, it was the chemistry between Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie and their respective MCU characters of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson.

now obviously Anthony and Sebastian are simply friends, and i wouldn't mean to imply anything more. but they are also not their characters.

Sam and Bucky's scenes together before tfatws were both limited and short, and yet audiences still fell in love with the dynamic between the two characters.

in interviews, these two actors are constantly slipping into character and flirting with each other and frankly it's adorable. plus it's really entertaining. i'd love to see that dynamic, unfiltered, in a movie.

because believe it or not the flirting is actually even more open in their interviews than it was in tfatws. and i'm leaving some links as proof.

this here is known as the "married" compilation

and here's a "lucky dip" selection of interviews - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

and here's Anthony trying to get Seb to take his jacket off.

i'm just saying, why not let their chemistry shine? these two are so talented and so entertaining, especially when you put them in a room together. and can you imagine how absolutely hilarious and brilliant it would be to watch them navigate being a couple?

(and for those who bring up the "friends would be uncomfortable pretending to be dating" argument, i'm not here asking for a sex scene or anything. i don't think anyone would expect them to show any more intimacy (physical or emotional) while playing a couple than what they've already shown together in say... tfatws or in their own interviews. not that i actually expect anything regardless.)

-

5. if they were a man and a woman they would've gotten together in tfatws

i have no more to add here. just that... yeah, they would've.

-

6. and i'm not talking about the comics here, i'm talking about the MCU.

i understand fully that none of what i'm saying here falls in line with these characters from the comics. but the mcu itself doesn't fall much in line with the comics either, and these two characters especially are very different from their comics counterparts.

i'm not asking for these two to get together in the comics. tbh i don't think that it would work.

but the mcu Sam and Bucky are different and closer than their comics counterparts. they've got different histories, different backstories, and a very different dynamic. please rest assured that i am only talking about them in the mcu.

-

7. Bucky Barnes is believably bisexual. and Sam Wilson has never been proven to be straight in the mcu, nor has he had a love interest.

(now please continue to keep in mind that these points only stand for the mcu versions of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson, and not at all for their comics counterparts.)

Sam Wilson has never had a love interest, which is crazy because have you seen that man! he has had two blink and you'll miss it moments of verbal expression of attraction to women, both in TWS. and that's the extent of it, through his entire history in the mcu.

Bucky Barnes has had a number of surface-level female love interests, but none of them even came close to the level of connection and chemistry that Bucky shares with Sam.

and i'm sorry SarahBucky fans, but i just don't think there's very much to their relationship either. i love Sarah, i really do. but it's Sam who shares all the meaningful moments and history and chemistry with Bucky. and i don't see what making her into a love interest would do for Sarah's character either, what would that add to her story?

[Picture ID: Bucky at the cookout with Sam, Sarah, Cass and AJ. Bucky and Sam are looking at each other and smiling.]

and also there is the whole tiger pictures thing... again. which does strongly suggest that Bucky is bisexual whether this was intentional on behalf of the writers or not.

-

8. it's representation... AND it feels natural

marvel hasn't had a lot of queer representation that's been noticeably present in the MCU at the time of writing this.

there have been a lot of failures so far, from the bisexual erasure of Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok to the wlw erasure in Black Panther.

there was queerbaiting almost identical to the bisexual Bucky baiting for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. when asked if he had considered featuring a gay hero in gotg2, director James Gunn stated that "We might have already done that. I say, watch the movie." after the movie's release audiences were understandably confused about the lack of queer representation. To which the director followed up his comments with, "But we don't really know who's gay and who's not. It could be any of them."

there is also Loki, considered by most fans after the airing of his six episode series on Disney+ to be both a poor attempt at both genderfluid representation and bisexual representation. with both attempts being summed up fairly well by the term "blink-and-you'll-miss-it". (also it's just terribly written and Loki doesn't wear any interesting clothes! fanficcers are a Goddamn blessing in this hard time!)

and let us not forget that Andrew Garfield was apparently FIRED for pushing for a bisexual spiderman. a bisexual spiderman within an interracial mlm relationship no less.

so for all these failures, marvel, why not allow us queer fans this? two brilliant and heroic men in a loving interracial relationship. two heroes that we can look up to.

now, one of the biggest detractions from the argument for representation is the idea of "forced diversity". and some poorly written characters certainly do end up feeling forced into the narrative. take Iceman in the comics for example, with Jean Grey just straight up suddenly telling him he's gay. like, marvel, sweetie, that's not how this works! and i don't know a lot of queer people who thought much of that "representation".

but the crux of the "forced diversity" argument is almost always that it feels unnatural within the story, right? and i don't think that anyone could say that about MCU Sam and Bucky ending up together, given these characters' existing chemistry and their history. they've both played characters in gay relationships before so we know that it's not outside of either actor's wheelhouse. and y'all know that Anthony and Seb can act, people. if it's in the script i believe that they'll make it seem like the most natural thing on earth.

-

9. it'd be a nice change

there's been an ongoing meme lately about "Disney's first gay character", the joke being that they continually announce gay characters without really ever including gay characters in their films.

this is to the point where Disney has formed a reputation amongst queer audiences of being homophobic.

if Sam and Bucky were to become a couple, then Disney could have its first actual gay character within a gay relationship. AND have him be in the lead of his own movie, no less.

it's also worth keeping in mind that there's likely an overlap between the people who were outraged by a Sam Wilson Captain America, and the people who'd be outraged by a gay Captain America. and if they were already not seeing the film, then i don't think much is gonna change that.

queer audiences would definitely love it, and the media attention would be guaranteed to be huge. i mean, simply look at the amount of media attention mere rumours of a character's queerness gets you and multiply that by a canon confirmation of said rumours.

but i'm pretty sure that Disney already knows this.

-

10. and yet, in truth, it's not about the representation

in truth i've never felt that i had any trouble relating to characters of any sexual orientation, race, gender, sex, body type, etc. (although that is not to throw any shade at all on people who do wish to see themselves represented) but for me, i think it's more about the story than the packaging.

and yet, a love story is still just a story. straight or queer, monoethnic or interracial. when two characters have chemistry and history and have sacrificed for each other time and time again, and they also can't keep their hands or their eyes off each other, then i'm pretty sure that that's a love story.

straight or queer, monoethnic or interracial, it shouldn't be about these simple labels. it should be about how well written the relationship is. it should be about chemistry, and history, and sacrifice.

because i'm fucking sick of all the hollow, forced romances in media no matter the genders of the participants. i'm sick of lazily written, shallow relationships where any two people sharing the same space for any extended period of time will simply fall in love. it's boring, it's repetitive, and as a writer myself it drives me up the wall!

romance stories suck! and everyone knows that romance stories suck. between twilight, and most of the entire YA genre, and love triangles (so boring), and romance used as poorly-written throwaway subplots in Hollywood movies, the world is in agreement that the romance in western media is simply dreadful. and yet we still want love stories. it's an entire genre that sits at the heart of the human experience (<3), and yet one which so few of today's best known writers seem truly able to capture.

i don't think that i'm the only one who feels this way, either. i suspect it's actually a large part of why fandom is so romance-centred in the first place, that we're all just starving for a good love story.

(btw i think fandom has a reputation for being something that as a whole that it is not. it has this reputation for straight up demanding things and harassing people until they get their way. while unfortunately there are a few people who do this, they're fucking annoying and i swear that they're far from the majority.

in my experience fandom is mostly about writing a five thousand word story at three am while drunk off your ass because it might make someone whom you've never met smile, editing it in the cold light of day, and then posting it. expecting nothing. sometimes getting nothing. and sometimes getting someone send you kudos or a comment so heartbreakingly wonderful that it makes you smile in return.)

-

11. so once again, it is all about the writing.

i want to see Sam and Bucky get together in the mcu, not because they would be a gay couple but because i genuinely believe that their story has potential to be an amazing love story.

and i know the mcu isn't about the romance. it's why in my personal opinion we haven't gotten a lot of good canon romances besides Peter Quill and Gamora. and i don't think that the mcu should be all about the romance either. i fucking love the action and the fighting scenes. i love the comedy. Captain America: The Winter Soldier had no romance and it was a fucking treasure, it was an amazing spy-action-thriller and it made my little gay heart dance. Thor Ragnarok had no romance, and it was an utterly brilliant comedic spectacle action film. not every movie needs romance.

but mcu Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes were doing couple's therapy and fixing a boat and walking off into the sunset together in tfatws. they were inseparable on the battlefield. they've got a dynamic. it's beautiful, it's romantic, and it's gold.

a budding relationship between them in the next movie would be a good way to explore both characters more without the narrative feeling too stilted and separate. at the end of tfatws, both Sam and Bucky fans found that their respective fave felt somewhat underutilised and that their characters were underexplored.

now, that problem would be even more difficult to remedy in a movie, because the plotline of a movie needs to be really tight to work (giggity). and we know that the central conflict of the movie is gonna be action-based (which is good), but we still need each character's personal journey and growth to tie into the main conflict. (which is another issue that some fans found with tfatws, that these characters didn't really feel connected to the action-based plot on a more personal level.)

if Sam and Bucky are already in a relationship, however, this whole dynamic changes. first, their relationship has already been set up for nicely since TWS and through tfatws and they would officially be the best-fleshed-out couple in the mcu. but most importantly, a relationship gives them a perfect vehicle to explore both of their pasts comparatively and connect them personally to the action-based plot.

do you want to establish that Sam is a little too trusting and naïve? then establish this through his relationship with Bucky, and through showing his placing his trust in Bucky. (rather than through having him sympathise with a villain who threatened to murder his sister and his nephews).

perhaps you want to show Bucky recovering from his trauma? show us how comfortable he is with Sam. they get along, they're enjoying each other's presence, we see more of Sam's life and of his family, and then let Bucky tell Sam something that's raw and dark and honest about his life as The Winter Soldier. something about a memory, one that he only just recalled. he's opening up. and maybe what he tells Sam is even something that sets up the future action-based conflict, to ground that in something real.

you want to explore that Sam has trauma too? do this through Bucky. he tells Bucky a story about his time in the military. in the form of a flashback, he shares his own story of loss to evoke before the audience the shared theme of feeling at fault even when you're simply a helpless bystander to an act of pure destruction.

then, action sequence! and it's directly connected to Bucky's time as the Winter Soldier. explore the grief of someone whose life the Winter Soldier tore apart manifesting into a villain perpetuating the cycle of pain. establish your villain.

Later, Sam is dragged into battle against this villain for protecting Bucky. But Bucky doesn't want Sam to protect him. He feels guilt for what he can't control and he doesn't want Sam getting hurt because of him. Bucky reminds Sam that he has a family, one who needs him and who loves him. He tells him to go home.

Sam reminds Bucky that he's a part of that family. And that sure Sam's a hero and his job is to protect anyone and everyone, but that he's doing it because he wants to. It's not simply to prove that he can, or to prove that he's not a bystander (this connects to Sam's trauma here), but that he's doing it to help people.

and this gets Bucky thinking about who he is and what he's doing here. is he a hero who stands by Sam's side? or is he an ordinary man who stands aside? or perhaps, does he stand alone? what does he stand for? Maybe Sam knows. But does Bucky?

Sam and Bucky fight off the villain again, and for the first time Bucky meets this adversary face to face. And Bucky recognises this villain, and has a flashback to the genuine pain that he inflicted upon them in the form of the Winter Soldier. Bucky freezes mid-fight, he almost dies, and Sam has to save him.

Sam chews Bucky out for almost getting killed because he was afraid for him. but Bucky takes this the wrong way and goes off to fight the villain alone, or perhaps to die alone, he's not quite sure.

He puts up a half-hearted fight. He apologises for what the Winter Soldier has done, and he waits for the killing blow, when Sam swoops down and he saves him. He asks Sam why he saved him and Sam calls him a moron. And then, Sam asks him what sacrificing himself would solve. He tells him that you can't choose your past but you can choose your future (connecting to his own experience of loss and guilt and grief). And that no matter what Bucky Barnes still has a future, whether that's as the Winter Soldier or the White Wolf or just some dork with a day job. And that he has a future as a part of Sam's family too.

Sam fights the villain, and it's toe to toe. He delivers a few good blows, but receives a fair few himself. And then the villain tears off his wings, first one and then the other, in a manner reminiscent of what the Winter Soldier did to him in TWS. Through Bucky's eyes there's a flashback to highlight the parallels. Sam gets back on his feet and he fights his best fight, but is now losing.

And then the heavily injured Bucky steps up and fights by Sam's side, and only together do they take down the villain.

"So... I inspired you, huh?" Sam teases with a smile, utterly exhausted. "With my heroism and-"

"You inspired me." Bucky said, equally exhausted. "Let's leave it at that."

Together, Sam and Bucky go back to the safety and warmth of their family. Sam fixes his wings. Sam goes back to being Captain America. And Bucky... he's around, but it's unclear what he's doing.

That is, until the very end. When Sam is in a fight, and suddenly Bucky shows up and helps him out.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asks.

"I've made up my mind." Bucky says. "I'm the Winter Soldier. But now I'll save lives, Sam. Now, like you, I'll be a hero."

Sam smirks. "So does this make you my sidekick, then?"

Bucky smiles. "C'mon, at least make me a partner." He says.

"How about co-workers." Sam says (in flashback, he remembers back to the death of his last on-the-job partner).

"How about friends." Bucky says, with a wry look.

"Bucky... I don't want to see you put your dumbass self in danger." Sam says.

"Oh, and it's ok for you to go running off into danger on your own all the time?" Bucky asks.

"Yes." Sam says stubbornly. "Absolutely it is."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not a dumbass?!"

"Sam, if you think I'm not gonna be watching your back for the rest of time... then you're the biggest dumbass I know. And I don't care if you need me or not, I will be there for you."

"Because Sam, you're more than Captain America. You're more than a good soldier. You're a good man. And I think sometimes, the world forgets what the difference is."

-

...or something like that.

(i only spent like 15 minutes on that. you know if i were actually writing this movie i would come up with something much better. and if anyone from marvel is seeing this, yes i can come work for you. i will make the time, let's do this thing right!)

-

finale

at the end of the day, whether or not the mcu chooses to make Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes a couple, it's their decision. and they don't owe me anything.

i'm just some random person on the internet. who thinks that Captain America 4 should #givecaptainamericaaboyfriend

[hotwings0203]

Guys I’m having another Bakugo brainrot

Tw: bullying, noncon, nonconsensual peeping, manipulation

Remember that one episode of MHA where the class goes to the sauna and M*neta tries to check da girls out over the wall?

Imagine the same scenario, but years later when they’re all older

The class wanted a reunion, just to relax and blow off some steam

You’re with the girls, and you all lay back in the hot water reminiscing about the older days when everyone was still getting the hang of their own quirks

Mina brings up this exact same scene but years ago.

“Ohmigosh, do you guys remember the last time we came in our first year here and Mineta totally tried to get a peek at us?”

“Ugh, I hope Iida is keeping a good hold on him right now,” Ochacko giggles, kicking her feet up to rest on a rock

You hum in agreement, tilting your head back to rest against the wooden wall separating you and the boys.

As it was, Uraraka was almost spot on with her hopes. Except, Iida and Tokoyami were out getting refreshments for the rest of the boys, leaving the remaining group to their own plot.

Which was lead by Mineta, of course, who had the brilliant idea to spy on the girls, just like they almost did years back.

“Guys, come on, please they’re right there!” He practically salivates, wildly gesturing to the tall wooden wall in front of them.

Most of them shift uncomfortably and groan about him being a creep as usual, but the rest stay silent.

Mineta takes their lack of outright refusal as fuel to keep blabbering.

“Look, we almost got away with it back then-“

“-You mean you got away with it, we didn’t do shit. And you didn’t exactly get off scot-free, Kota completely demolished your attempts and you landed ass down on Four-Eyes’ face,” Bakugo drawls, leaning his head backwards and looking up at the obsidian sky. The boys laugh, remembering the ridiculous event.

The night is cool, the stars littering the inky atmosphere take the pressure off of Bakugo’s lungs. For weeks now they’ve been training like dogs, battling each other and even minor villains for extra practice of their quirks. This trip was supposed to be a leisure getaway, not a free porno.

But the grape-headed perv is insistent, scoffing and waving the blond’s quip off like some annoying fly.

“You know, there’s something in it for you too, Bakugo. I’ve seen the way you look at Y/N.”

This causes a murmur and a couple of light beers towards the blond, who in turn snarls and ignites his hand to quell the commotion. All of them had an inkling that Katsuki Bakugo had finally set his sights on some poor girl, and that was you. It was such a rare sight to see his face flush slightly when you walked past him, the way he stuttered over his words a bit when you two would be conversing amongst the same group, and best of all, when they would see how he would excuse himself to the bathroom or locker room occasionally when your hero suit would tear in certain places after battles.

“Shut the fuck up 3’2, unlike you I don’t need to ogle at those brain dead bimbos.”

“Oh? I didn’t realize you thought of Y/N as a ‘brain dead bimbo’, Bakugo, I’ll be sure to let her know how you feel” Mineta grinned maliciously, and the boys ‘oooo’ed at the jab.

Bakugo’s voice caught in his throat.

“You wouldn’t,” he growled, rising slightly out of the water.

“I already know you’ll kill me afterwards, but I’m prepared for the repercussions if you don’t help...cooperate here,” Grapehead inspected a cuticle and feigned a yawn.

“Come on Bakugo, it’s not like it’s gonna hurt anyone! Well keep this to ourselves,” Denki chimed in a little too eagerly.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re only asking for your and everyone’s support so that we can focus better on training y’know? A little fun never killed anyone.” Sero threw his arm over Kirishima’s shoulder, who blushed at the whole ordeal but kept silent all the while.

Katsuki looked around. Slowly, others were starting to really listen in and look interested at the outcome of Mineta’s plan. Surely a little peeping wouldn’t be too bad would it? And plus, it was only a one time thing.

Shoto was faring the same way as Kirishima, quiet and maybe embarrassed at what they were planning on doing, but no outright refusal. Even Deku had a weird longing glint in his eye, the same kind he would get when he used to fawn over All Might.

He thought about it for a minute more, a chance to see you, naked, honest, and pure, splashing around with your friends as you let your femininity dangle as it pleased.

“Do whatever the hell you want. I’m not taking blame if the bird and glasses come back, though.”

Hushed cheers and excited murmurs erupt from around the spring, and they huddle together to form a plan.

A couple minutes later, the boys were grouping around the wooden panels. Todoroki had burned a hole into the soft wood, and sero had used his transparent tape to cover it up so that the girls couldn’t see it from their side.

And there they were, completely bare, hair flowing, curves showing, voices mature and high pitched giggles emanating from around the water and bank.

Bakugo seeks you out immediately after the hole is made, shoving his way through the crowded bodies much to the amusement of others. But he doesn’t care, all he wants at the moment is to see you in your most honest element.

He doesn’t have to look long, because you’re right there, you’re right in front of them, only a few meters away. Your back is facing them, but the sight of your smooth, naked back and the round curve of your ass squishing against the rocks underneath you is enough to make Bakugo’s cock bob painfully above the water. It’s not too hard to hide his erection since the boys’s attention is elsewhere at the moment.

Your hair is open, and he wants nothing more than to feel it in his hands, run his fingers though your scalp and pull so hard that your neck is snapped back, he wants to know what kind of noises you’ll make for him, would you sound shrill and high pitched or would you wail and bellow for him to let go?

They can hear the girls talking amongst themselves, the hole in the wall makes their voices more audible and clear.

“Quit playing coy, Jirou, we know you’ve got your eye on someone,” Hagakure’s body is nowhere to be found as usual, but her chipper voice rings out from the middle of the hot spring.

Jirou is a few feet away from where you sit, her body also being shown for everyone to see. Bakugo glances at Kaminari to confirm his suspicion, but gags and quickly looks away when he gets an eyeful of his friends’ erect cock.

Not that Bakugo himself has room to talk, though.

“I mean, not really, it’s not a big deal.” The ravenette shifts and hides her head from the rest of girls’ cooing.

“Uh huh, sure. You’re not fooling anyone Kiyoka, I’ve seen the way you look at Denki. You two can’t keep your eyes off each other, it’s cute,” you purr, and Bakugo holds himself back from shoving the other guys out of the way just so that he can hear your voice the best.

Squeals and sounds of splashing fill the air, and Sero and Kirishima whisper excitedly and clap their red-faced friend on the back. Denki can’t keep the 50K watt smile off his face, and even Bakugo grunts and knocks shoulders with him, letting him know that he was happy for the human charger.

But then Jirou claps back with her own snarky observation, and the boys fall hush at the new revelation.

“Alright, you wanna talk about ogling Y/N? Then tell me, how’s Deku doing?”

“Or Bakugo, too,” Mina adds slyly, and now all the girls’ attention, as well as the boys’, is on you.

Bakugo felt like he had whiplash. He would’ve been elated, on Cloud 9 even to hear that maybe you had something for him too, had shitty Deku’s name not have been thrown in there too.

And he looks around wildly for the green haired freak, the freckles dusted across the expanse of his face even more prominent from the deep blush quickly forming, his scarred hands holding the sides of his face shaking in awe and gleeful shock.

But the rest of the boys aren’t as oblivious to how Bakugo seethes at his rival’s joy, from the way the water gets hotter from his quirk sparking underneath the rippling waves. Kirishima scoots closer to his friend and gently lays a hand on his shoulder as if to say, calm down, man. Not right now.

And so the hothead leaves it for the time being, opting to hear your response.

“I-it’s really nothing, they’re both just good classmates like the rest of the guys,” and although your back is turned to them, it doesn’t take a genius to know that you’re embarrassed too, your leg skittishly bouncing in front of you is making your ass jiggle from the back, much to the delight of the salivating boys.

Bakugo wants to spill blood when he suddenly realizes your body is being shown for the rest of these dogs to see

The girls start teasing you, your splutters being drowned out by their playful accusations.

“Come on L/N, whose cuter?”

“Dont act all coy now, I know how nervous you get when you’re all close to Bakugo. I mean I don’t blame you, have you seen his muscles? He could crush someone’s head with those things!”

“Yeah, but have you seen the way she giggles when Deku starts his mumbling tangents? That’s a classic crush right there.”

Bakugo is getting desperate to hear your answer now, some of the boys have left, feeling like they had their full of excitement for the night. They saw some tits and ass, heard some gossip, end of story.

The only ones remaining were Bakugo and his gang, as well as IcyHot and Shitty Deku.

Shitty Deku, who seemed equally eager to hear your response.

It pissed him off that he wasn’t getting the message to fuck off, even after all the growling and death stares he was receiving from his childhood friend.

But he guesses after a lifetime of dealing with it, it doesn’t scare Deku as much as it does anymore.

Maybe he’ll have to amp it up, later

“W-well I mean both of them have their own respective...flaws and strengths I guess..sometimes Deku can be kinda hard to talk to ‘cuz he’s so shy, but Bakugo can be a real jerk at times, too.”

You trail off, and Bakugo scoffs to himself. Him? Flaws? Those two words didn’t go well in one sentence together, but nonetheless he continues to listen. He wouldn’t refute the notion of him being an asshole, he wasnt that delusional.

“And yeah, I mean Bakugo definitely intimidates me sometimes with how aggressive he can be, but Deku is definitely getting up there in terms of physical prowess. But in terms of who I like, I’d have to say-“

“Midoriya! Bakugo! What are you two doing over there?”

Iidas voice booms across the water, and all 6 of the boys jump back, startled at the intrusion.

“No, wait-“ Bakugo hisses, clawing his way towards the hole to hear the rest of what you had to say, but Sero and Todoroki shove him back and patch the hole up with fire and tape, shutting off your confession.

Deku waves his arms around wildly, stammering some excuse of dropping his towel in the spot where they all were sheepishly gathered. They eventually waded their way over to where Tokoyami had set the drinks down, but the blond was shaking with hot rage despite the cool refreshment that was shoved into his hand by a wary Kirishima.

“Don’t sweat it dude, it’s not like her and Midoriya are gonna da-“

“Finish that sentence and I’ll blast both your and his head off,” he glowers at the redhead, shorting a dark look to where an all-too-happy Deku was chatting with Todoroki, as if they hadn’t been drooling over their naked classmates merely a couple minutes ago.

Kirishima backs off with raised hands in surrender, leaving Katsuki to mull over the situation by himself.

You couldn’t seriously be interested in that green haired freak, right? I mean he could barely talk to a girl without tripping over his own damn tongue, for fucks sake.

Not that he was any better himself. He failed to acknowledge the times where you had merely asked him for an extra pencil, when he snapped at you for being such a fuckin’ dumbass that you couldn’t even remember to bring your own shit. He had done that out of pure impulse, but he regretted it the moment he saw your face fall, his heart clenching at the sight

He’d have to show you that he was the better option, regardless of if you wanted it or not.

And so when they had all gotten out of the water and gotten ready for food, Bakugo already knew what he had to do.

You were all eating outside in the camp pavilion, each at their own separate tables. He was sitting with the boys, all of them joking around and throwing food at each other while he was staring you down.

He couldn’t keep his eyes off you. How could you expect him to, after he had seen half of you bare already? It was sinful almost, the way you were completely in the dark about what he had seen and heard, while he himself was fantasizing about what you looked like and felt like on the front.

So when Deku came by your table, no doubt also having the same conversation of the springs in mind, wanting to get closer to you, Bakugo felt his sanity snap.

The fork he held in his hand started melting in his ignited hand, steam curling from his palm. He watched as the green-eyed fuck made successful shitty attempts to make you laugh, his eyes trained on where you gently laid a hand on his shoulder after something he said that made you throw your head back and howl with glee.

“Hey man, your fork-!” Kaminari yelped, pointing at the disfigured mess of metal in his friend’s steaming hand.

“Huh?” Bakugo was pulled out of his irate daze, and he quickly dropped the fork when he saw what he unconsciously did.

They all looked at him for an uneasy minute after noticing the expression on his face, no doubt understanding he was furious about being compared to Deku once again in front of you.

“Look, Bakugo, don’t really take what Y/N said to heart. We don’t know who she actually likes, and Midoriya’s just her friend...” but Sero trails off hesitantly after glancing in your direction, seeing Deku’s dreamy expression as your hand still continues to rest on his shoulder.

“Just let her come to you, yeah? You don’t wanna force anything on her, that’ll make her really uncomfortable-“

-“Shut the fuck up Shitty Hair, and mind your own damn business,” Bakugo interjects, abruptly unscrewing his drink and standing up, unable to lose you to some broccoli- headed bug-eyed fuck.

He stiffly walks across the pavilion to where you two sit, and feigns a swig from his bottle. Your focus is still on Deku, so you don’t notice him approach until he comes up behind you two and ‘trip’s, falling forward and strategically spilling the liquid all over Deku’s back and your front.

You squeal as your blouse is drenched, and Deku shoots up from his seat to grab some napkins while searching for the perpetrator.

“What the- Kacchan?”

“Oops.”

Bewildered, you look at the two while dabbing the wet splotches on your shirt, Mina and Tsu jumping into action to help you.

The boys exchange a weird look, and although Bakugo gave his version of an apology, he doesn’t look very sorry. In fact, if you saw it right he looked almost...smug? With a bit of anger?

Deku wasn’t any easier to understand either. His voice was lilted as usual while he grabbed napkins, but his gaze never left his childhood friends’ and his eyes weren’t exactly the big doe-eyes you had grown fond of.

They were darkened, and narrowed as they bored into Bakugo’s eyes. Neither one of them was looking away from each other, and there was a weird tension in the air that everyone could sense.

But you couldn’t focus on that right now, you had to go and wash up.

“I gotta change and maybe take a shower, I can feel it sticking to my skin,” you scrunch your nose in disgust and tell Mina as you stand to leave. Deku offers to walk you, but you wave him off kindly.

As you pass by Bakugo, you can feel his eyes rove up and down your body, very obviously staring at the way your white shirt clings to your chest from the liquid, sending chills up your spine.

But he doesn’t come after you, not yet.

It’s only after everyone has finished up from their dinner and headed off to bed almost 20 minutes later that the showers finally, finally warm up enough for you to dip a hesitant toe in.

Curse the old pipes.

*******

He watches you from the dark, the only light you’re provided with is the dim emergency light from the rusty bulb, the camp counselors having been shut the facility’s lights off merely a half hour ago. But you were stubborn in waiting for the water to warm up so you were left alone in the showers, shifting uncomfortably in your sticky wet clothes.

And then miraculously you get up for the umpteenth time to check the temperature of the water, and it’s finally deemed appropriate for you when you sigh in relief and start taking your shoes off.

He hides in the door partition, his cock hardening slowly as he thinks of you alone with just him and his mercy. You were going to pay for almost breaking his heart and prancing around with stupid fucking Deku instead.

But asides from his rage, he still liked you, a lot. He wanted you to want him as much as he wanted you, so he decided to try and attempt to make your first time with him as gentle and as special as he could in the dirty cabin showers.

Bakugo waits with bated breath for the right moment, and the second your hands grip the end of your shirt to pull it up, he slowly emerges from the dark.

“You know, I’m glad you came here alone, at night. It’s almost like you wanted this.”

You jump violently at the low voice coming from seemingly nowhere, and you wildly look around for the source until you see him...coming at you slow from the inky abyss of the room, like a predator stalking his prey.

His figure seems to loom even larger than he actually is, the shadows of his tall body bouncing off the walls and grazing over the top of your head. He seems to be in no rush, taking his time with his hands in his pockets, eyes flashing dangerously at you as he stalks forward until he’s backed you up against the deteriorating wall, chest to chest with you.

“W-what the hell, Bakugo,” you stammer nervously. “This is the girls room, you can’t be here-“

And the hand you raise to push him away is caught in his calloused ones, your other wrist is quickly seized as well and slammed above your head. You cry out in pain and try kicking out, but he wedges a bulky knee in between your thigh and shoves his face mere millimeters away from yours, a mean leer adorning his normally-attractive face.

“What, I can’t be here? And here I was thinking that you almost liked me. But oh, I forgot, Deku’s your favorite, right?” The grip on your wrist tigthens and his leg flexes from in between your thighs.

You squirm and sob, about to ask what the hell he was talking about-

Oh.

Oh no.

He sees the understanding pass over your face, and he laughs cruelly at the horror that comes with it.

“You heard me? How?”

“Not just heard. I saw you, too.”

He lets his eyes drop from your neck, to your chest, and then to the juncture between your legs which was being massaged by his knee.

Tears well up in your eyes as you realize he was watching you this entire evening in the springs. How he got away with it, you didn’t want to even know.

“I saw your hair open for the first time, and not in that stupid hairdo you always do for school.”

He trails his hand softly up the sides of your body and up your neck until he reaches his big hand into your scalp. You whimper and gasp as he laces his fingers through your locks, seeming to caress you but then harshly yanking your head back so you had no choice but to look at him head on.

“I saw your ass pressed up against the rocks, and I wished it was up against my cock instead.”

He removes his hand from your hair and snakes it down to your bottom, kneading and slapping it lightly. You writhe even harder now, too scared to make a noise in case he hurts you even worse, just wanting him to get the hell off of you.

“But I didn’t see the front of you. I imagined what you would look like with tears streaming down your face while I was stuffing you full of me”

He plays with the edge of your shirt, a dark look in his eye as he plays with you. You try to budge your hands but to now avail, only serving in annoying him and shoving his knee up further into your crotch. The pressure on your clit is immense, and your legs start shaking as you’re forced to be suspended almost midair on his knee.

“Take this off,” he says softly, the rasp catching in his voice.

“Bakugo, please. You don’t have to do this, I swear I won’t tell anyone-“

“You think I’m worried about if you’ll tell anyone? Hah! I already know you won’t, wanna know why?”

He leans in, inhaling the scent of your hair and grazing his nose along the side of your neck. You force yourself to breath in and out, feeling an impending heart attack.

“‘Cause if you do, I’ll make sure to fuck you in front of everyone, especially on Deku’s broken body.”

And then you can’t stop them, the tears fall from your body shaking in pure fear at his threat.

You knew he wouldn’t actually do something like that, but hearing it snarled in your ear so softly made you believe it all the same, the power he held while you were fucked, literally and metaphorically.

“Now I’m not gonna ask you again. Take this shit off before I burn it, bitch.”

You don’t want to piss him off further, so with trembling hands you lift the edge of your sticky uniform and start to pull it off, but he stops you with a frustrated grunt.

“Slowly. I wanna savor this while no ones here.”

You bite your lip and suppress a scream as you do what he says.

And oh, does he ever savor it. The shirt clings deliciously to your breasts, and he licks his lips as it ruffles up and over your head. Your skin is perspiring from the humid air, a sheen of sweat lightly decorating your collarbones. Bakugo can’t hold himself back any longer, and you yelp when he comes at you suddenly.

He lunges at your face and pins your arms down by your side again as his lips mesh against yours, his kiss filled with clacking teeth and a thrashing tongue against your lips. The knee you’re straddling is bouncing lightly up and down, jostling you on it and causing your cunt to pulsate with heat.

You let out a distressed moan, and he swallows it greedily, using the advantage of your open mouth to delve deeper into your wet cavern. You open bleary eyes and flinch when you find his already wide open, staring back into unforgiving vermillion orbs.

He pulls back slightly, panting. “I bet Deku didn’t get this kind of treatment, huh? It’s all for me right?”

You don’t know if he’s genuinely asking you or just being insane, so you don’t answer him. Fortunately and unfortunately for you, he doesn’t care for your response, rather more focusing on dragging you by your neck towards the hot showers.

You slip and stumble as he shoves you in a stall, gaining your balance only too late when he turns and locks the door.

“Look, I’m sorry okay? I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, just forget you saw or heard anything at the springs, it was just girl talk, stupid stuff that didn’t mean anything-“

“-even if it didn’t mean anything to you I’ll make sure you believe what you’ll feel after I fuck you senseless.”

And with that, he tugs off his clothes and licks his lips at the sight of you cowering against the wall, naked and oh so vulnerable.

He slowly shifts towards you, pressing his body flush against your trembling one. You can feel the outline of his erection on your thigh, and you swallow at how big it is.

“I don’t wanna have to close your mouth or restrain you when I’m balls deep in that tight cunt. So don’t do anything stupid and this’ll be a whole lot easier for you.”

He reaches a hand down and lightly strokes your labia, relishing in how you whimper and jerk against him, but don’t dare try to stop his hand.

Smart girl

Another hand finds its way to your tits, tugging and pulling at your hardened nipples. You gasp and arch into his touch, slowly coming undone from his ministrations. He humps against your leg like a teenage kid, grunting while he does so.

His mouth is attacking yours once again, but now you’re too tired from the constant surge of adrenaline coursing through your veins to even move your head. You just let him play with your body, your heart, your soul.

“I think the princess is wet enough for me now,” he leers at you when he pulls his fingers away, scissoring his digits to show the strings of wetness he pulled from your pussy.

You squeal and grab onto his chiseled arms as he suddenly hikes his hands underneath your upper thighs and picks you up, forcing your legs to wrap around his middle for support.

He slams you against the wall, the water cascading down your head is making your hair stick to your face, and in a strange and sudden show of intimacy Bakugo softly moves your locks away from your eyes. Your gazes lock, yours desperate and tear filled while his scarlet hues show no signs of mercy, but rather a strange predatory hunger.

Your arms scrabble behind his head and on his shoulders for balance as he slowly sinks you down on his length. You hiss and throw your head back at the sensation of being filled, and he eats it up.

He watches the way your mouth opens, your eyes widen, as every sinful sound your body can make escapes you.

As if he needed more of an ego boost

You wail as the last inches are sucked into your dripping hole, and he lets out a mean breathy laugh.

“Fuck, you really were ready huh? I should’ve taken you weeks ago, little slut.”

Your brows furrow and you try to turn your face away but he snatches your chin in a hardened grip.

“Uh-uh, none of that shit. You were doing so well, don’t turn away from me now.”

He slowly starts to roll his hips minutely into yours, not exactly thrusting but enough movement to make your cunt flutter and throb.

“What do you want me to say? You got what you wanted!” You whisper to him, more tears falling down freely down your cheeks.

He can’t help himself, he groans and surges forward to lick the salty rivers up, gripping your ass tightly when you flinch.

“Tell me you love me. Tell me how much you want me, how much better I am than that green-haired bastard and I won’t shove it up your ass.”

You can feel his abdomen clench and shake from the effort he’s making not to completely batter your cervix so you give in quickly, afraid of what he’s like when his thin strands of self restraint snap.

“I...I love you Bakugo. I really want y-ooh!”

The last bit of your sentence is choked off as he lifts you up all the way to his tip and slams your hips down his length. You gasp and weave your hands through his hair for support, your legs violently shaking at the pain.

He grunts and starts really giving it to you, setting a fast pace as he bounces you on his cock. Your head is bobbing around, you’re fairly certain there’s drool coming down your lips but you can’t find it in you to care as he fucks you into oblivion.

After a couple of more painful thrusts he pushes you against the wall and removes your hands from his hair, holding them above your head against the wall. You’re trapped with your upper half plastered against the dingy tile while your lower half is wrapped his dick.

Your cunt swallowing him down is the only leverage you have, so your whole body weight presses down on his shaft. He moans loudly at the pressure on his tip, your gooey hot walls clamping around him from every angle and you yourself can’t help it when your eyes roll back at the sensation.

He rocks his hips up, and up you go as well, whining and clawing at the wall behind you, desperately grappling onto your sanity as well. Your tits bounce with each thrust, and his glinting eyes take perverse joy in their obscene movements.

Bakugo starts moving in earnst now, deeming the slow strokes enough prep for you. He batters your womb, reaching places not even your fingers could access, making you go cross eyed.

He sees this and snickers at your pathetic state.

“Fuck yeah you little whore. You’re gonna learn no one else can satisfy this slutty pussy like I can.”

You give him nothing but a choked gasp in response. You head moves like a bobblehead, you can’t even see clearly from the water cascading into your eyes. He’s just a towering blob of ashy blond hair and large muscles.

His hips start stuttering in their rhythm, drawing to a close from his contrasting pounding minutes earlier. Your nails rake over his forearms, holding on for dear life as he pants and groans into your ear like an animal. His dick spasms inside you for a second or two, and then Bakugo suddenly holds you tight against him, wet bodies pressed against each other as he cums.

He lets out a loud moan as you whine into his shoulder at the sensation of his hot seed filling you up. You’re held against his heaving chest for a moment of two, the both of you catching your breath until he slowly backs up and lets you slip to the ground.

It’s suddenly very quiet, the sound of the shower is drowned out by the ringing in your head. You’re shaking, shock overcoming your abused body as you refuse to look at him.

But he won’t have any of that. He steps forward, and you flinch yet again, scrambling backwards to put very necessary space between him and you.

“You got what you wanted. Please leave, I won’t say anything to anyone.” You breath out shakily.

He’s silent for a moment before you hear him chuckle. His low chuckles grow louder and more derisive, he’s booming with sinister laughter and you snap your head up in horror at him.

“You think this is done?”

He crouches to your level suddenly, elbows on his knees as he cocks his head at you, eyeing your naked body that he so recently claimed as his. His gaze travels down to where his cum seeps from between your legs, and you quickly cross your limbs over to prevent him from seeing the lewd sight.

“You’re mine now, Y/N. I already told you, you’re not gonna be talking to Deku, or any other guy apart from me. You think they’ll even want you when they find out how you loved being fucked in the dirty showers? Everyone’s gonna call you a slut, nothing else.”

“No, that’s not true you-“

He crawls to you, and it’s so mesmerizingly terrifying to see a man of his build crawl to you like some deranged humanoid that you shut up, words caught in your throat.

“Shut the fuck up.” He says softly. “You’re my bitch now, and you’ll do whatever the fuck I say, when I say it.”

Bakugo might’ve felt a little bad to see the girl he liked so scared of him all because of his doing, but the way you trembled and crossed your legs like the stupid, helpless little girl that you were erased every hesitancy from his mind.

He grabbed your cheeks and smushed them together, paying no mind to the pleas and whimpers you let out in retaliation.

Licking a long stripe up your neck, you shivered when he growled, “now clean up and be outside in 10 minutes, you’re sleeping in my bunk tonight. The guys are all asleep so we’ll just take an empty room in the cabin.”

He released you and stood back up, grabbing a towel for himself along the way. Drying his hair off, his back was turned to you as he started picking his clothes up too.

You just sat there in a daze, wondering what the hell just happened.

“Oh, and Y/N?” He was dressed, and he was at the door now.

“If you think about doing anything stupid or take longer than 10 minutes, I’ll come back in and get you personally. And I’ll make sure that we stay here for the rest of the night, just in case you like your little time alone that I’m giving you too much.”

[yurimother]

The Best Yuri of 2020

2020 was hell in every way, and many of us are looking forward to new possibilities and advances in 2021. However, the year brought us many small moments and gifts worth celebrating. Among these, the explosive growth and change within the Yuri genre are among the most precious and most outstanding achievements. This second century of Yuri opened with a bang, as phenomenal new works, creators, and moments made their mark and helped change the future genre.

This annual list is a celebration of just a handful of the fantastic titles, people, and events in Yuri. There are likely some even greater ones that did not make the list because there is so much content in both English and Japanese that even I cannot keep up. However, among the troves of treasure, these titles stood out as shining examples of Yuri excellence. Some were released this year, others were recently adapted into English, and still, others are established titles that rose to prominence to dominate the conversation and my mind this year, but every one of them is worthy of being on this list and in your heart.

Here is the Best Yuri of 2020!

15: The Curse of Kudan Remastered

Japanese Yuri visual novel developers show no sign of slowing down as they continue to push to new heights and try new ideas. These are the same amazing people who brought us the delightful educational Yuri game The Expression Amrilato and the hilarious and surprisingly queer OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbando’s. However, this most recent release, The Curse of Kudan Remastered, is their best work yet. Released near Halloween, this game brings a new edge of dark mystery and the occult to Yuri audiences worldwide.

The Curse of Kudan is available on MangaGamer, JAST USA, Denpasoft, and Sekai Project.

14: Adachi and Shimamura

English audiences were finally treated this year to Hitoma Iruma’s long-running and wildly successful Yuri light novel series, Adachi and Shimamura. Although the story struggles to gain traction, dedicated readers’ have their patience rewarded with a sweet tale full of gay pining. Alternatively, you can jump into its stellar anime adaptation, with gorgeous visuals and realized characters you will actually be willing to put up with the annoying Yashiro just to see where the title characters go. The series shows no sign of slowing down either, as the manga adaptation is coming to Western audiences next year.

Adachi and Shimamura is available to stream on Funimation. The light novel series is published by Seven Seas - https://amzn.to/3rTSZTK

Honorable Mention: Happy Go Lucky Days

The OVA adaptation of Fragtime got most of the attention this year. Still, director Takuya Satou and Pony Canyon also gave us this much-overlooked “love is love” anthology movie based on Takako Shimura’s manga (Sweet Blue Flowers, Wandering Son). The first short in the film, “Happy,” is easily the best Yuri anime of the year. It follows the beautiful yet realistic queer love story of two women hooking up at a mutual ex-girlfriend’s wedding, only for the relationship to blossom and warm viewers’ hearts. Sadly, while stylized, the budget demanded the animation cut a few too many corners. Additionally, the subsequent stories are at best tedious and at worst alarmingly problematic, which is why Happy Go Lucky Days only gets an honorable mention.

The OVA is streaming on HIDIVE

13: Mieri Hiranishi

The Yuri scene has many colorful creators with a breadth of different ideas and stories in the genre, yet few have provided as much humor and joy as Mieri. This talented creator spectacularly tumbled into the scene with her manga essay The Moment I Realized I Wasn’t Straight, which embodies the brutal honesty and realism of Nagata Kabi and matches it with exaggerated hilarity. She continues to chronicle her painful struggles of being a butch girl in love with butch girls in the monthly series The Girl that Can’t Get a Girlfriend. Alternatively, you can follow her on Twitter for just as much heart and laughter.

Read The Girl that Can’t get a Girlfriend on Tapas and Webtoon.

12: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

My Next Life as a Villainess has what can only be described as volcanic bisexual energy. Every character protagonist Catarina Claes encounters is entirely enthralled by her. Of course, she is far too preoccupied with her quest to avoid doom flags and change her ultimate fate to notice any romantic interest. The series is rewarding and well structured, as views are just as focused on how Catarina plans to avoid certain doom as they are with the various romantic misses her band of companions cooks up. While the “friendship ending” did not capitalize on its Yuri potential, it was perhaps the most satisfying possibility for this crazy harem, at least until season two comes out, which looks, unfortunately, to be significantly less queer.

My Next Life as a Villainess is streaming on Crunchyroll

11: Love Me for Who I Am

Kata Konayama’s manga series is less Yuri than a general LGBT work, but it has a lesbian character and explores her identity and struggles in great detail. Few titles before have captured the exciting and nervous waves of emotions that young people feel as they explore gender and sexual identities and try to find themselves. This heartfelt and extremely queer series rubberbands between cute moe dress up to tragic and gripping backstory, keeping readers on their toes the whole time.

Love me for Who I Am is published by Seven Seas - https://amzn.to/3rTSZTK

10: A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986

Oracle and Bone’s debut visual novel, A Summer’s End, is set in a vibrant and electric 1980’s Hong Kong. Drawing inspiration from classic Asian cinema, music, and fashion. The worlds of Michelle, a young office worker, and a free-spirited woman named Same collide. The two struggle to comprehend and accept each other’s feelings just as they struggle against society’s expectations and prejudices. An incredibly thoughtful and touching adventure, the creators incorporated vital contemporary elements include Asian LGBTQ rights and growing political unrest in Hong Kong, into this illustrious game.

The visual novel is available on Steam.

Honorable Mention: Goodbye, My Rose Garden

In the same vein as A Summer’s End, Goodbye, My Rose Garden is a beautiful period piece that incorporates LGBT views into its shattering narrative. The story follows a bright-eyed immigrant, Hanako, wanting to make a new life in England as an author at the dawn of the twentieth century. She takes a job as a maid to noblewoman Alice, but their relationship takes a turn when Alice asks Hanako to kill her. This poignant tale is beautiful and an honest depiction of love and its conflict with responsibility and society.

Goodbye, My Rose Garden is published by Seven Seas Entertainment - https://amzn.to/3hFSyaG

9: Shio Usui

Usui’s hit Shaikaijin Yuri manga Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon could easily take this spot even though it is not even out in English until February 2021. The manga is already making waves and receiving constant praise. The characters and their journey to discover love and self-acceptance are as charming as they are relatable and grounded. However, it is the creator, Usui, who really deserves acclaim. Not just for their work on Doughnuts, but having a second serialized story, Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita, in monthly Yuri magazine Comic Yuri Hime simultaneously. It is even more remarkable when you consider these two iconic stories are Usui’s first long-running works, as they only contributed one-shots before.

8: Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka

Bloom Into You is possibly the most iconic Yuri series in the past decade, and while the manga deserves its own place on this list, the best thing to come out of the series as a whole is easily the light novels. This trilogy by Adachi and Shimamura creator Hitoma Iruma dives deep into supporting cast member Sayaka. Readers are treated to a delightful journey as she discovers her sexuality, experiences heartbreak, and finally finds herself breaking free and falling in love. With the help of gorgeous illustrations by Nakatani Nio herself, Iruma masterfully captures Sayaka’s unique voice and emotions in this wonderful series. Whether a fan of the originals or not, every Yurijin must check out Regarding Saeki Sayaka.

The light novel series is published by Seven Seas - https://amzn.to/3hFSyaG

7: Our Teachers are Dating

The best a Yuri can get. This workplace romance follows two teachers at the start of a new relationship taking nervous yet enthusiastic first steps, including saying I love you, going on their first date, and even sleeping together. It is so heartfelt and salacious that readers will squeal the whole time. Additionally, our heroines are supported in their relationship by everyone they know, their students, colleagues, and even the principal. It is a perfect world for these two lovebirds! Our Teachers are Dating would easily be number one or two in any other year, but the competition is fierce in 2020. So even though this is only number seven, it is still a master class Yuri manga.

The manga is published by Seven Seas Entertainment - https://amzn.to/38XY3O9

6: Amongst Us

Who would have thought that a comedy alternative universe story spinoff of a fantasy action series would be the single best Yuri webcomic this year? Shilin’s astounding artwork illustrations the hilarious and irresistible journey of girlfriends Blackbird and Veloce. These two eccentric young women get into all kinds of everyday mischief that bounces between tender and touching romance, completely outrageous comedy, and downright thirst-inducing sorcery. Seriously, you should buy the first volume for Veloce’s back muscles alone. The storyline skips between time, but both their established relationship and their meeting as teenagers are adorkable and captivating.

Amongst Us is available online free on Webtoon and the comic’s website. The first volume is in paperback on Shilin’s site.

Honorable Mention: Éclair

There are a lot of Yuri anthologies out there, and they have done some beautiful things. Many focus on themes like Syrup. Others collect a series of stories by an author into one bound work. However, out of all of them, Éclair is the most successful. ASCII Media Works took some of the genre’s most extraordinary creators and let them do whatever they wanted, and the results are spectacular. The incredible talent behind Éclair somehow packs a full volume’s worth of story and character into just a few pages with every chapter. While the first volume came overseas a few years ago, Yen Press gave Yurijin a gift this year by releasing the entire rest of the series in which readers can get lost.

The anthology series is published by Yen Press - https://amzn.to/38XY3O9

5: I’m in Love with the Villainess

A small trend of isekai Yuri with villainesses emerged recently, and I honestly had few hopes of I’m in Love with the Villainess. The series is pretty popular, but I often find that this does not denote quality, and with isekai having some institutional issues, I suspected this would fall flat. Then the volume three cover showcased an incredible accomplishment, allowing for a lesbian relationship to blossom into a family with children, and it blew me away. Finally, I read volume one and realized that the series has incredible character, some of the best world-building I have ever seen in a light novel, thoughtful discussions of inequality and societal issues, and most impressively, open and frank discussion of queer identity and life Yuri has ever seen! This one is something special.

The series is published by Seven Seas Entertainment - https://amzn.to/3nedvdZ

4: The Last of Us Part II

Yes, I know this one is not Yuri and that a portion of the population despises this game and will likely be exceptionally angry at me for including it. However, I maintain that it was an incredibly challenging masterpiece. Naughty Dog did not take the easy route out and delivered one of the most devastating media experiences I have ever seen. As I said in my article about the game, playing it changed me, and it sticks with me to this day. The Last of Us Part II earns its spot on this list because it pushed boundaries more with LGBTQ inclusion than any other AAA game. From brave inclusion of LGBTQ themes to queer characters and storylines at its center, the game changes gaming and it will never go back.

The Last of Us Part II is available on PlayStation 4

3: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

She-Ra feels like the culmination of all the LGBTQ progress western cartoons have made over the past few years. From The Legend of Korra to Steven Universe, young people are finally seeing more LGBTQ people represented on the small screen. This epic fantasy concluded with an amazing and powerful lesbian romance, delivering on its queer promise and revolutionized representation in a trope-defying crescendo.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is streaming on Netflix

2:  The Conditions of Paradise

The greatest single Yuri work of all in 2020 was the English release of Akiko Morishima’s breakthrough manga, The Conditions of Paradise. Initially released in 2007, this anthology detailed the love between adult women. It was in every way a manga ahead of its time, and seeing it finally get a small piece of the recognition it deserves overseas is a true gift. The fact that we can own this legendary piece of Yuri history and Morishima’s other anthologies is nothing short of a blessing from the Yuri goddess.

The Conditions of Paradise is published by Seven Seas Entertainment - https://amzn.to/38bh4xq

Honorable Mention: Otherside Picnic

This eerie sci-fi horror series combines the best of pulse-pounding thrillers, complex and intelligent hard science fiction, and exciting Yuri romance. Author Iori Miyazawa spends as much time crafting a well-paced and intriguing narrative about a mysterious world where occult creatures roam as he does establishing two believable and grounded heroes in Sorawo and Toriko. The romance between the two may be slow to start, but their chemistry is undeniable and as the stakes and story build, so too does their relationship. Not only are the light novels incredible, but the series’ manga adaptation is coming soon to the West as well as an upcoming TV anime in early 2021.

Otherside Picnic is streaming on Funimation. The light novels are published by J-Novel Club - https://amzn.to/3niiv1g

1. Yuri subgenres

For a long time, Yuri was not a genre of its own, but elements of romances or bonds between women found in other works. Now, thanks to an increasing library of works, the advent of social media, and a wider audience, Yuri is a genre on its own, with many creators telling different stories in different styles. However, 2020 saw the continued emergence of something extraordinary, subgenres. Yuri is now so vast, we can actually categorize the works within. Depending on their characters, like classic schoolgirl romances or spicy shakaijin office affairs, their world, such as fantasy or isekai series and thrilling science fiction adventures, and even other elements within. One of my personal favorites is the feminist Yuri that emerges from titles like Sexiled, where women celebrate the accomplishments of other women and dismantle power structures stacked against them. Now, no matter what kind of Yurijin you are, there is something for you to love.

I am happy to leave 2020 behind, but I bring with me a renewed love and admiration for Yuri. 2021 looks to be a somehow even better year for the genre, and I am thrilled to experience every minute of it that I can. Yuri has transformed into something far greater than I ever thought it would be, and let us all enjoy its evolution and expansion together in 2021.

[shadowsinger11]

Inspiration

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader

Requested by anon: Could you do a Fred Weasley imagine where he falls in love with Harry’s younger sister. (Maybe a after the war where he lives)

Word Count: 3.3k (my hand slipped oops)

Genre: Fluff, childhood friends to lovers, mutual pining etc.

Warnings: Slight innuendo, Fred being cute and hot simultaneously

Tags: @self-ship-love @susceptible-but-siriusexual @hufflexpuff @neovannii @jenniweasley @elf-punk @heart-of-tempered-steel @itseatyourdamnapples

Message me if you'd like to be added!

Masterlist

Ottery St Catchpole, Devon, England, July 16, 2000

It was a chilly Sunday evening. The summer air buzzed with excitement and the tender aroma of magnolia as tiny white and pink petals were gracefully falling from the huge cherry trees, carried by the light breeze. Twilight painted the horizon in liquid gold and fiery red, soon followed by mellow shades of dark blue that brought countless sparkling stars.

It was getting the slightest bit colder, but it did not matter; nothing else mattered but the loud cheers and cheerful music, celebrating the official bond between a Potter and a Weasley under the wide night sky.

You couldn't have been happier for your older brother, Harry, who was currently dancing with Ginny, his now wife - now and for the rest of his, hopefully, but not really likely, peaceful life. For the longest time you've been wondering how he'd always manage to get into trouble even as a small First year with no experience in the wizarding world whatsoever. Or, perhaps, that was the exact reason as to why evil-battling and rule-breaking were such common practices when hanging out with him.

However, there was no fighting that day. There was no room for worry and fear when the entire Weasley family and their loved ones were gathered on the clearing in front of the Burrow, chatting, laughing, dancing, singing, drinking, celebrating and living for what seemed to be the first time since Lord Voldemort's fall. Danger was practically nonexistent in that blissful moment which was frozen in time, once having looked agonizingly distant and impossible to hope for. But that dream was no longer just a foolish fantasy to heal wounded hearts. It was there, and it was happening in the most beautiful way imaginable.

And suddenly, all those clichés of a married life weren't even clichés. They were simply humble wishes of people who had witnessed far too many horrors in such a short period of time, and only craved stability among the massive chaos. So when you glanced at Ginny, a twirling blur of flaming red hair and a gorgeous wedding dress, you didn't feel the need to comment on how banal the color white was. You genuinely smiled, admiring the pure, exuberant joy, visible in her eyes and scarlet cheeks. Harry looked just as, if not even happier than his wife, dancing in the ridiculous but wholehearted way that only he could, and old memories of him winning the golden egg, training Dumbledore's Army and kissing Ginny in the common room for the very first time flooded into your mind.

It had truly been a long time since you had seen Harry careless and free like that.

You yourself had spent an ungodly amount of hours preparing the yard for the ceremony all day; rearranging chairs, decorating, making sure everything was going by schedule, only to then dance your tired feet off, and though you wanted to continue having fun with Hermione, Luna and the rest of the girls waiting for you, you really needed a break. And a drink.

Excusing yourself to leave the particularly interesting conversation you were having with distant Weasley relatives, you slipped off your black flats that, despite looking absolutely stunning, hurt your feet terribly after an entire day of fussing over the color of napkins and flower bouquets. Barefoot on the grass, you walked over to a chair next to a table which seemed to have been occupied, but judging by the mostly empty glasses and plates, the guests weren't coming back anytime soon.

You tossed your shoes aside with a sigh and rushed to rub your aching toes, hissing from how sore they were.

How has Ginny been dancing like that for hours?

"Enjoying the party, I see?" a familiar deep, slightly husky voice commented, causing you to look up.

It was none other than Fred Weasley, dear friend from childhood, staring down at you, his ever-present charming smirk resting on features and hands shoved into the pockets of his dragonskin suit. But it was his flaming red hair that made your eyes widen - it was carefully smoothed back, shining under the moonlight like liquid iron.

Fred's eyes still contained their famous, loveable mischief, except now slightly tamer and calmer. His firm biceps had visibly grown in size, stretching out the fabric of his coat just a bit to give you a prominent silhouette that caught you off guard.

It had been two years; he had changed so much.

And you were afraid to admit you had too.

You blinked in surprise, processing his uncharacteristically sophisticated appearance before realizing what he had asked you.

"Would've enjoyed it far more if my legs weren't killing me," you groaned half-heartedly and leaned back on your chair. "What's with your hair?"

"What's with your feet?"

"I asked you first," you cut him off. "I bet Ginny is responsible for this."

"Actually…" Fred trailed off, and, whether on purpose or not, ran a hand through the ginger locks to keep them in place, unaware of how you suddenly wished the hand doing the graceful motion wasn't his. "Mum insisted that I looked my best. What can I say, it's not like George and I usually listen to her, but we thought we'd make an exception this time; our sister doesn't get married every day. But honestly, Ginny couldn't care less about how we looked as long we showed up."

"So like usual, you mean?" you giggled. "Showing up is an achievement for you even if you're underdressed?"

Fred beamed, pearly white smile complementing his formal outfit. You wondered if he used that exact smile to effortlessly allure costumers and business partners at work.

He rested an elbow on the table as he leaned forward.

"Come on now, darling. I know you find my messy hair irresistible either way."

His cockiness only caused you to laugh, though Fred was quick to spot the flash of nervousness in your eyes; it brought him immense pride to know he was the one to turn you from confident to adorably bashful and flustered in the matter of seconds.

He was looking at you intensely, expectantly waiting for you to deny his flirty accusation despite your shyness.

"Nah, Weasley. It only reminds me that even at twenty-two you still do not know how to use a comb."

Fred's eyebrows shot straight up to his hairline, mouth agape. For the first time, he actually needed a second to form a reply.

"Didn't see that coming, I give you that. Courageous one, you are."

Your heart fluttered with joy and you openly grinned, shrugging in half-hearted humbleness.

"Perhaps I am."

Speaking to him felt unusually energizing, as though you had jumped headfirst into a chilly lake. It was unfamiliar and it set your nerves on fire, causing your stomach to twist and turn with sensations that left you dizzy, but unbelievably thrilled. And you wanted more of it, you wanted more of him.

"Fancy a drink?" Fred offered, already pouring champagne into a glass before handing it to you, and you keenly took it.

"Thanks, I've been thirsty with all the preparations I was doing."

"Is that why your legs are killing you?"

"Exactly, I've been running around all day, making sure everything was in order… you know, a lot of organizing and the like."

"It must hurt quite a bit then," Fred commented with a pained grimace. "But I absolutely get you, Georgie and I are just like that when it comes to the shop. It's a lot of accounting if I'm being honest, though I admit he's way better at it. We need to be completely precise; we can't allow any mistakes."

"Woah," you laughed. "Control freak much?"

He wettened his lips, never breaking eye contact.

"Perhaps I am."

You tilted your head to the side, gaze piercing into his in hopes of finding out what those gorgeous brown eyes were hiding. The tiny playful flames in them were eloquent.

Shifting slightly in your seat, you smoothed out your bridesmaid dress and raised your glass, the ghost of a smirk playing on your lips.

"Cheers to us control freaks then."

Fred mirrored your smug expression and your glasses met with a clink. The bubbly liquid tingled your throat, undoubtedly refreshing you and cooling you off. You glanced at the people dancing in the centre of the clearing and giggled - Ginny had apparently thrown away her white shoes long ago, bare feet stepping elegantly on the grass.

"You see, I'd like to chat a bit more with you, but I'm afraid it's a bit too loud here. What about we go to the pond across the field?" Fred suggested, pointing at the woods behind his back. You had visited them countless times when staying with Harry at the Burrow during holidays years ago; the tall trees and the glistening waters had never ceased to bring you comfort.

The noise started to become bothersome, and you felt it even more necessary to continue your conversation somewhere private, the unknown causing butterflies to erupt in your stomach. Fred's presence could only be compared to a shot of whiskey, or the sensation of anticipating a tidal wave to crash into you in less than a second. It was wild and the tiniest bit terrifying, but oh so tempting as it pulled you in.

"I'd love that, but… you know," you grinned and playfully swang your sore feet. "Can't really walk."

But this didn't at all seem like a problem to Fred Weasley who only shrugged and stood up, "You don't have to. I'll carry you."

"Merlin, no! Please, it's not necessary."

Fred frowned, but his confused expression was soon replaced by an amused one.

"You said it yourself that your feet hurt like hell. And even if carrying you around isn't necessary, it doesn't mean I don't want to."

You attempted to tame the butterflies.

"No, no! You seriously don't have to, I promise," you frantically protested as you held up your hands in front of you to reassure him, but he only gave you a weird look. "I can walk on my own. I'll be too heavy for you."

"There's only one way to find out."

Fred walked over to you and leaned down, one hand sneaking around your waist and the other slipping under your knees. You shrieked in terror, arms flying to clutch at his shoulders, and heat rose to your cheeks from the abrupt contact. Your chests were pressed together, and you were afraid he'd be able to feel your racing heart. His skin was warmer than you had thought, and it successfully fought off the night summer chill.

"Are we going?" Fred whispered down at you, lips so close to yours that you recognized the nuance of champagne in his breath, mixing unbelievably well with the scent of cinnamon and sandalwood of his cologne.

Not only is he sinfully attractive, but he smells heavenly too?

"Yes," you breathed and let Fred effortlessly walk across the meadow with you in his arms. They brought this new, odd, yet familiar sense of security, and you allowed your head to rest against his chest, nervous gaze wandering off into the distance in hopes of not meeting his. Nevertheless, curiosity eventually took the best of you, and your eyes would occasionally flicker to his, which were now completely black under the night sky. They could swallow you whole, you swore.

Minutes later, you found yourselves in the company of old, enormous willows which surrounded the pond you so vividly remembered from your teenage years. You thanked Fred as he carefully let you down, and took a few steps forward to look around and drench in the misty moonlight that enveloped the area. The waters were crystal clear and completely still, reflecting the moon and its majestic silver glow. The bushes had grown significantly over the time you were away, and you fondly looked back at the moments when you would pick up colorful wildflowers in the summer before your fourth year.

"Shall we sit?" Fred asked quietly from right behind your shoulder, and you followed him with a nod. You found a comfortable spot on the fresh grass to sit, a few feet away from where the water met the soil and moved back and forth ever so slightly.

"It's more beautiful than I remember," you noted, lips curled up in a barely visible smile. Fred hummed in agreement.

"That's why I always make sure to come here every chance I get when I return. But, unfortunately, that's very rare in my case."

For a moment, there was only the chirping of crickets and the soft bubbling of water.

Fred turned to you.

"Remember when mum used to call for us to de-gnome the garden and we'd hide here? We could stay in the bushes for hours before we eventually came back," he recalled, seeming deep in thought. It was an extraordinary sight; for once the playful spark in his eyes was more mellow, there was no cockiness seeping into the way he was holding himself. He was just Fred, the man who was currently thinking with so much adoration and love about his childhood, the most significant memories of it being marked by you.

You wondered, given you ever had the chance to spend with Fred as much time as your older brother did, if the charismatic prankster would have fallen for you like you had done. You wondered, given the chance you had let Fred get to know you better all those summers ago, if his heart would have belonged to you by now just like yours did to him.

Had you possibly missed your chance?

"Oh, I do," you sighed, the tension in your chest vanishing as warm nostalgia crept in like an old friend. "I also remember when I got this really bad nightmare that night. I was so terrified that you took me on a ride with your broom in the middle of the night to cheer me up."

"That's true! My parents don't know about it to this day," he replied smugly. "I can still hear you screaming like a lunatic."

You jokingly smacked his arm, "I was twelve!"

Fred's grin grew wider.

"Excuses…"

This only caused you to stare at him in disbelief and cross your arms, managing your most serious expression, but Fred was aware you were on the verge of failing to keep your stern facade. He squinted his eyes as a teasing attempt to provoke you, smile threatening to split his face in two.

"Alright then, that's enough about me," you announced, and Fred nodded in mock agreement as he studied your playful pretence. "If you're so much better than me, Mr Darcy, what else do you do aside from stealing ladies away?"

"Stealing their hearts," he said confidently, flashing you a seductive smirk, reserved only for special girls back in your Hogwarts days. You giggled, finding his antic utterly ridiculous, but you hated to admit that it still turned your blood into liquid fire. Fred apparently saw right through you, because when your eyes landed on his, they appeared completely dark once again, but, you suspected, for a reason other than the lack of light.

Your throat went dry, and you found it hard to swallow down the lump that cut your breath short.

He ran a hand through his ginger hair as he began to explain, "I'm kidding, you know. But to answer your question, George and I have been working on this potion that should be able to change the color of the eyes and hair. Fun for those who enjoy experimenting with their appearance, but it can also be useful to the Ministry. They're actually going to send a team of a couple of aurors to visit us next month so we can update them on our progress and negotiate the details."

"Wow! That's certainly exciting!"

"Is it? I mean, it probably is, but I've been having second thoughts lately if I'm being honest." He scratched the back of his neck, and you realised you had only witnessed him being anxious when it came to his greatest passion. "I'm afraid we might not be done on time, there's still plenty left to improve."

You put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention, and said, "I'm sure you'll figure it all out eventually. Keep working as you normally do, try not to stress too much over the deadline, and even if things go wrong at some point, don't go too hard on yourself. It wouldn't take away any progress you've made so far."

Fred's body relaxed just a bit and he looked down at you. He couldn't deny the sense of serenity that he felt only when he was with you. Even as a careless young boy, he was able to pinpoint the way his midriff would clench every time you'd laugh at his jokes or ask him to play with you, without knowing what it all meant.

But now, as a grown man, he had a word to describe the bittersweet fire within.

"You know what?" He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. "I could really benefit from having someone like you around to give me motivation."

"Motivation, huh?" you raised an eyebrow, fighting back a smile. Fred sneaked a hand around your waist and pulled you closer.

"Yes, motivation."

"Motivation for what?"

"Marketing strategies, work projects…" he shrugged nonchalantly, "...among other things."

You quickly caught on, suddenly becoming way too self-aware of the way you were practically cuddled into Fred's side, hand resting on his shoulder while his were wrapped around your waist. But his shining confidence seemed to rub off on you, because you asked.

"What's with you offering me a job all of a sudden?"

His bottom lip was tucked between his teeth as he took his sweet time devouring you with his darkened gaze. You didn't know whether you wanted to hide from it, or expose yourself even further to the way it burned its way straight to your core.

"Well…" Fred dragged out in his low, hoarse voice, and caressed your cheek with his thumb before slipping it under your chin to guide it towards his face. You could nearly taste the remaining flavour of champagne on his lips. "I've certainly been feeling…"

Fred went quiet as he got lost in the way you fit so perfectly in his arms; you had always meant to be there, he realised. His mouth crashed into yours, hands tightly gripping your waist, and you let out a gasp. Fred's lips were soft, although slightly chapped, and they moved gently but firmly against yours, turning you into their slave. Your palms naturally slid up his chest and he closed any remaining distance between your bodies by placing you to straddle his lap. The kiss was a dance of pushing forward and pulling back, two lovers having finally found their rhythm after years of living in fearful desire. You were positively drunk on his taste, on him, and you wished to never become sober.

When your need for air overcame the one for physical contact, you pulled away. Your chests were heaving with rapid, shallow breaths, hearts beating in synch like they had always done. You let a finger tenderly trace his cheekbone down to his jawline, then it came back up to draw different affectionate patterns on his face.

"What were you saying?" you asked, clearly out of breath. "How were you feeling?"

He fondly took your hand that was caressing his skin, and lifted it up to press feather-light kisses on your knuckles. His lips retraced their path until they reached the tips of your fingers, and he kissed those with the gentlest of touch.

You heart ached pleasurably from the way he was handling you with such care, much more than you ever believed he was capable of.

After minutes of worshipping you by the moonlit lake, Fred looked back at you as though you were his entire world. And replied with a smile.

"Inspired."

Reblogs and feedback are greatly appreciated!

Masterlist