#maybe he's just trying to find a person to chat with and try and branch out a bit

[chocostrwberry]

Sentimaggedon!!

Sentimonster designs I came up with bc I was thinking about Argos’s debut in my AU! Bc I’m dumb and I haven’t thought too deep about him as a character to the story yet-

They were originally suppose to all be based on the seven deadly sins, especially Gasumptious (gluttony) and Elvy (envy). But I also wanted to branch into maybe Felix’s other hidden emotions, like his deep love for Kagami and his fear of being replaced by Adrien (Bride and Athazagora).

Argos becomes an official enemy when Dragonbug tells him they need to be destroyed. He defends them, saying they’re just “infants” and can learn how to behave properly with time. But a frustrated and exhausted Dragonbug she tells him they aren’t like humans and are created for one purpose: to serve and destroy. This hits home with Argos, and he develops a fear and hatred for Ladybug and swears his loyalty to Madame Morphisa afterwards in order to take her down and prove just how monstrous he can be.

I’m still kinda trying to find a way to make this concept work in my au. He promised to serve her in exchange for the peacock miraculous, and she wants him to use it to take Ladybug’s miraculous. In a novice attempt, he might have just starting creating multiple sentimonsters that he thought were harmless enough (something she did NOT expect), but they quickly spiraled out of control. It’s much easier to make sentimonsters based on others emotions, because you can predict which one you will create it off of. But instead, he chose his own, which makes it more difficult to tell how the sentimonster will act. I think it would show the aspect that these creatures do have a mind of their own, compared to previous Mayura sentimonsters who were easily controlled by their akumas!!

Red Moon

Red Moon is obviously already canon, but her power is instead hypnosis. If you get caught in her light, you stop whatever you are doing to stare at her. The streets of Paris become like a statue exhibit: countless of unlucky citizens are bathing in her glow, staring at the beauty of the red moon.

Gasumptious

As he devours, Gasumptious grows bigger and bigger. He’ll eat anything, so beware! After finishing most of the city, Gasumptious sits atop the Eiffel Tower and gnaws on its metal posts.

Elvy

Elvy lives in the sewers. She can control water and uses it to drain you of happy memories, which she keeps in floating green orbs and guards for herself.

It’s so silly to me how the manifestation of Felix’s jealousy of Adrien is fought and defeated by Chat Noir, who is Adrien ehehehheeh.

She also sounds like a Pokémon!! Probably like a Lapras, or the one that trills really pretty

Athazagora

A timid creature, Athazagora took over the catacombs, and hides in the shadows. You can hear the creaking and rattling of its wooden limbs in the dark as it stalk you. If you can’t escape, it envelops you in its cloak of darkness, never to be seen again.

Bride

The supposed advisor of Argos. She never leaves his side, and is always whispering something in his ear. To protect Argos, she showcases her ability to turn her arm into a long spear/sword, incredible strength and mobility, and that her body is made of an indestructible crystal.

Plus, he can make multiple sentimonsters bc he’s a sentihuman himself (Other people can’t. You can only make one, kind of like how the Butterfly miraculous can only Akumatize one person at a time, unless they share an object. Current excuse I’m going with that makes semi-sense HEHEHE) . So Lila totally wants to use that to her own advantage!

Ofc he fails, but she’s impressed with his resolve (and the lengths he was willing to go, albeit unintentionally), especially after sharing her goal of destroying Ladybug. Lila was feeling the effects of unification and now has a willing minion to do her bidding whenever she pleases.

If I decide to go with this plot, Lila has to end up forgetting Felix because of the curse. But she doesn’t care: all she really needs is Argos. I might need to retcon her revenge against Felix because of this but idm! It wasn’t very important to the plot anyways!

I was considering having Dragonbug in this episode, since she could use Perfection to snipe Red Moon out of the sky! The lucky charm would be like a wand that creates a sticky translucent web to keep the sentimonsters secure so they can go find their amoks.

And a sentimonster I never ended up including, Ava. I just didn’t have a reason to put her in there but I liked the yin and yang style of her design!!

[mutable-manifestation]

Actual Scientists Jack & Maddie AU Part 3

Part 1 & 2

***

The lab is empty when they get to Fenton Works, his parents busy off helping the JLD wherever it was they were working from.

The journey the rest of the way to the Far Frozen passes relatively quickly under the weight of discussing how to reverse engineer the sarcophagus of forever sleep to make Naptime Box 2: Vlad Edition.

Could they probably just beat him up with the right plan and aid? Sure. But then they risk having to play royal hot potato (Danny doesn't want it and he doubts most of the allies he has would want the extra responsibility. Assuming there are responsibilities - Danny wouldn't know since there hasn't been a king, for all intents and purposes, since well before he became a halfa so who knows what the position even means in the context of the Zone).

Plus it would be way more satisfying to shove him in a box. Vlad gets a nice long nap and Danny gets to live the rest of his half-life without worrying about his Dad getting stabbed or something if Vlad starts feeling impatient.

It would also give Danny plenty of time to find some way to buy the Packers - not because he wants them, just because it would be really funny if Vlad eventually woke up to find that the only thing he wanted other than Maddie was now also very permanently out of reach.

The city of Green Bay could fold eventually, after all. But Danny? Danny would never yield, just to spite him, and Vlad would know that.

He probably won't actually do it, seeing as a) expensive and b) probably complicated.

But it would be really funny.

Their discussion on the ethics of using the Fenton Stockades as the base for the Box cut off as they land.

Without the distraction of their chat the adrenaline of panic comes rushing back, and he transforms as he steps out of the Speeder, nyooming to hover in front of Frostbite so quickly that the entire welcoming party - Frostbite somehow manages to have one arranged every time he drops by, and Danny is usually willing to at least try and indulge them since it seems to make them happy - jolts in surprise.

"Greetings!" Frostbite smiles wide, arms open in a grand welcoming, the only hint of lingering surprise the trails of slightly puffed up fur up his arms and the sides of his neck that has already mostly smoothed itself back out. "The Far Frozen welcomes the Great One and friends-"

"Hey Frostbite sorry for being abrupt but I'm kind of freaking out and you seemed like the best person - uh, ghost to go to because you always seem to know lots of things and I kind of need to know what's going on as soon as possible just in case it's a worst case scenario because the Justice League came to talk to my parents about some papers and I probably haven't mentioned them to you before because they're awful and I thought my parents made them but surprise I was wrong! Which is good! Except the League was mostly worried about them maybe causing the new ghost king to war with the human realm because apparently there's a supernatural branch of the Justice League and they think there's a new Ghost KingTM as in the Ghost King after Pariah Dark and I'm kind of freaking out because if there is a new ghost king there's actually a chance it's Vlad and oh ancients please tell me it's not Vlad or that the League heard wrong please."

Sam and Tucker had caught up by then, coming to stand on either side of him as Frostbite blinked.

"You are...asking me the identity of the current High King?" He asks, face scrunched in a bewildered expression.

"Oh my gosh Batman was right!?" He floats a bit higher at the news. "Please just tell me it's not Vlad! Uh, Plasmius."

"Plasmius?" Frostbite asks, eyebrows crawling higher. "Certainly not! What in the realms - do you truly not know?"

"Oh thank goodness," Danny sighs, sinking back to his usual level. "Not Vlad, okay, one less disastrous possibility. And whoever it is probably already knows they're the king and nothing bad has happened yet so it's probably fine, right?"

He looks back to meet Frostbite's eyes.

"Wait, nothing bad has happened yet, right? Like, is everything okay? I know Pariah caused you guys a lot of grief before; the new guy 's not going around causing trouble for you and you just haven't told me because you're worried about being a bother, right?" He frets, eyes flicking about, searching for fresh injuries on the various members of the welcoming party.

"...No, Great One," Frostbite answers, blinking away the surprised expression to be replaced by something soft. "Though I, and all the Far Frozen, are honored by your concern. While Pariah Dark is no longer the High King of the Infinite Realms, I can assure you, with utmost certainty, that you have nothing to fear from his successor. But I believe we have much more to discuss. Come, let us find somewhere more comfortable to talk - and get your human friends out of the cold."

***

It didn't take them long to reach a sitting room, and soon enough they were all settled into the enormous, fuzzy chairs in one of the warmer rooms available, Danny and Frostbite each with a cup of shaved ice tea while Sam and Tucker were offered beverages warm enough to steam in deference to their need for warmth.

Once everyone had taken a sip - or bite - Danny launched back into his questioning.

"So did Dark have a kid hidden away somewhere or did some kind of council finally decide on his replacement? Actually can ghosts even have - wait right Box Lunch, forgot about that on purpose but never mind. Or is there some fourth option that isn't those or trial by combat that we didn't think of?"

"Before I answer that, Great One, may I ask why you have already discounted trial by combat?" He returns curiously.

"Because if it was trial by combat it would be Vlad - er, Plasmius - and you already said it isn't him."

"Or it could be you," Tucker ribs, waggling his fingers at him.

"We already talked about why it couldn't be me, Tuck," Danny huffs, rolling his eyes and taking another bite of his... smoothie?

"Oh? And why do you think it would be Plasmius?" Frostbite asks.

"Because! I may have fought Pariah Dark, and sure I put him back in the sarcophagus, but I was running on fumes by that point, and he was still slamming around in there! Vlad, as much as I hate to admit it, is the one that turned the key and made sure he stayed locked away. It took almost everything I had to keep him pinned long enough. If...if he'd been even a few seconds later I probably would've died the rest of the way before he even had the time to break out a second time."

"But had you not put him there, no key would have mattered," Frostbite begins quietly. "Plasmius was no match for Pariah Dark; he was defeated in an instant the first time they clashed."

"Well, yeah, but so was I," he protests, not liking the direction the conversation is beginning to take.

"And yet, you alone went to face him a second time. You alone stood against the King of All Ghosts while your armies clashed."

"Our-!? I didn't have- you mean the ghosts that came to help me???" Danny sputtered, incredulous. "They weren't an army they were just-"

He pauses, searching for words that would not come.

"They were just a large group of ghosts who sided with you, who aided you in combat and kept the multitudes distracted while you went to face their leader alone. However you thought of them at the time, whatever they were to you up till then or are to you now, after, in that moment they were your army."

"Danny's totally the ghost king, isn't he?" Sam drawls after the brief silence that follows.

"Indeed," Frostbite answers her, but he looks Danny in the eyes as he does so. "You are the savior of the Ghost Zone, Pariah's Bane. And you are the High King of the Infinite Realms."

"I cheated!" Danny blurts out, shooting up to float above his chair.

"Cheated?" Frostbite's lips twitch as he fights down a smile.

"I had the Fenton Ecto-Skeleton! That's totally cheating! Don't combat trials have to be honorable or something?!" He begs.

Frostbite chuckles.

"I apologize, Great One, but I am afraid there is no such thing as an honorable war," he says, expression briefly turning solemn. "And even if it were, just as you had your "Ecto-Skeleton," did not Pariah have his ring and crown?

You issued a challenge and he answered, your armies clashed while the two of you stood against each other and each other alone; you alone put him back into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, and you alone held it shut long enough for Plasmius to turn the key.”

Danny drifts back down to his seat as Frostbite speaks, then continues slouching further with every word.

“I am given to understand that Plasmius likes to think of others as pawns on his own personal chessboard,” he says, “But at the time he was but another ghost, come to fight Pariah's army on your behalf - as a member of your army. A pawn, to paraphrase his own words, that you used to topple a king - not through any intentional manipulation, but through the sheer magnetic charisma of your willingness to stand against monsters like Pariah Dark and of your ability to do so. The confidence to stand alongside you that such strength inspires. 

He would not have approached if he did not believe you could win - would not risk endangering himself so. At best, you could consider him a referee, calling the match to a close once it was decisively in your favor.

Plasmius may think of existence as a game with himself as the only player, and he may have been acting in his own self-interest overall, but by every measure, in this instance, he was undeniably your piece.

The Zone itself acknowledges your right to rule by the way the crown of fire sits where you left it, unmoving on the floor of Pariah's keep until the day you finally choose to wear it, no matter how many hands may try to move it."

Frostbite's words are slow and measured, but as undeniable as the creeping of a glacier. And by the time they cease, Danny has sunk so far as to end up an undignified heap on the floor before his chair.

The trio remains silent as they absorb his words.

Minutes pass before Danny finally speaks.

"If the crown can't be taken, then how did I get it from Pariah?" He questions, a final hope that Frostbite may be mistaken.

"It will only remain unmoved until you first put it on. After that, it will be up to you whether it stays safe on your head."

Danny groans his despair, final bit of hope shattered.

"I must apologize again, Great One," he says solemnly. "Had I known you were unaware of your station, I would have informed you sooner."

He frowns heavily, looking into the distance thoughtfully.

"The Observants should have informed you long before now."

"Well, that explains it. The Observants hate Danny's guts," Tucker says.

"To neglect their duties for such a reason...," He trails off, his glower highlighting the inhuman nature of his visage. 

The trio fidget.

Danny coughs after a few seconds of tense silence.

“Uh, speaking of duties,” he begins, relaxing as Frostbite’s expression smooths back into something kind and polite as he listens, “What exactly does the Ghost King even do? Like. Pariah was locked away for… a long time? I guess. So does the Zone even need a King? Can’t I just, like, resign?”

“I suppose it might seem that way from a younger ghost’s perspective - Pariah has been locked away for millenia, after all, and the Zone is still in one piece.” 

Frostbite pauses, leaning back in his seat and taking another bite of his drink. 

“However. What you must understand, Great One, is that the problems caused by the absence of a king in the Infinite Realms are not the whirlwind that such a thing would be in the living realm - social order is affected, but the speed of bureaucracy is slower by orders of magnitude in the Realms, and there is not the same level of inter-reliance that the living tend to require - but rather, they are winds and waters sliding against a rock, chipping away at it bit by bit until it is either worn smooth… or the whole structure collapses under its own weight.”

“How does not having a king cause dimensional collapse!?” Tucker shrieks, clutching his cup like a lifeline.

“How long do we have before it collapses?” Sam asks urgently not a second later.

“Oh shit, how long do we have before it collapses???” he echoes, hunching over his cup enough that the steam adds a layer of fog to his glasses.

Danny sits bolt upright, whipping wide eyes away from his friends to join them in staring at Frostbite.

“Total collapse would take millenia more to truly begin,” he placates before taking a more grave expression. “This does not mean that there will not be issues before that point, however; the symptoms of the High King’s absence have begun to show this past millennium. But rest assured, there is time enough to heal the wounds that have been wrought. The only permanent damage would be the collapse itself, and that, as I said, is millenia away.”

“Is… is that why you never mentioned it to me before?” Danny asks, dropping back to the ground in relief. “Because it’s not urgent and you figured I’d just…get to it eventually? Actually, why did you think I knew if you knew that the crown was still in Pariah’s Keep?”

“It is the duty of the Observants to observe, but also, as you have experienced, to oversee - the timeline, trials, the general functioning of the zone. Without a king to report to, much of their ability to act is crippled, of course - their ability to interfere directly with the timeline has always been severely restricted, their options for sentencing are severely reduced, and there are some things the Realms require that only the High King can provide - but one duty remains unaffected: overseeing the ascension of new kings. 

Coronations have taken many forms in the past, from a quick swap in the battlefield to a formal ceremony to a celebration that lasted a decade. Given the dark era we are, at last, able to put behind us and the non-urgent nature of even the most severe problems that the Realms are currently affected by, I had assumed that the large delay was in preparation for that last form - the lead-up to a grand celebration.”

“Except instead it’s just them being petty,” Sam notes, sitting back up from her own relieved slouch. 

Danny groans, leaving his tea to float and covering his face with his hands.

“Why couldn’t it have just been as easy as shoving Vlad in a box,” he whines.

“I mean, we still can?” Tucker offers, prompting Sam to smack him over the head before pausing consideringly.

“OW!”

“He might be right, actually,” she says, ignoring his exclamation. “Given Vortex’s trial and sentencing, there’s clearly some kind of legal system in the Zone that isn’t just Walker on a power trip. No doubt he’s broken some kind of Actual Realms Law - I’d be surprised if breaking Pariah out like he did wasn’t some form of highly illegal - so you could probably send him to actual Ghost Jail. It’s certainly where he belongs, given all the….”

She makes a vague gesture with her hand in lieu of words.

“That doesn’t resolve the problem of I Don’t Wanna Be A King!” Danny exclaims, sitting back and throwing his hands in the air.

Then he turns to Frostbite, eyes pleading. 

“Can’t you be king?” he asks. 

Frostbite opens his mouth to reply, but Danny steamrolls over him.

“It makes sense! You already know how to lead people! And your people love you! You already know about all the king stuff too! You’ve beaten me in spars before! We’d just have to go to the keep, I put on the crown, you beat me, and problem solved!”

Frostbite’s smile is a mix of amused and pitying.

“I have only ever beaten you in training spars, Great One, and you and I both know that is largely because they were focused on improving your skill with ice and ice alone. Even if I could defeat you in a true all-out fight as you are, I believe you underestimate the boost granted by the crown of fire.”

“I can just put it on then take it off again before we fight! And we can stick to ice!”

“I’m afraid it is not so simple,” he shakes his head. “If you do not give it your all, the crown - the Realms - will not recognize the transition. The only way to “throw the match” successfully would require your opponent to fully End you: to crush your core and snuff your spirit from the very fabric of existence. I am unwilling to do such a thing, and I sincerely hope you would not ask it of me - or, indeed, of anyone.”

Danny paled enough that he nearly matched his human form in skin tone.

“Right. Let’s… let’s not do that, actually.”

“On the bright side, you can probably weasel ruling tips out of Aquaman in exchange for not declaring war on the Living Realm!” Tucker chirps, aiming to cheer him up.

“I’m not going to threaten the Justice League!” he yelps, scandalized.

“But you probably won’t have to threaten them,” Sam chimes in. “They’re already trying to summon you, you already know their goal is to avoid a war. As long as you don’t ask for anything unreasonable, they should be inclined to give you what you want in exchange for peace.”

“Once you offer peace, they will be invested in your successful rule of their own volition as a means of perpetuating said peace,” Frostbite corrects. “If you would like to set preconditions to an accord you should make them things that will not readily be given as a result of said accord. But before we discuss further, perhaps you can fill me in on why war was a concern in the first place? I believe you mentioned something about papers?”

[vacayisland]

HIII i saw that you were taking request so im just asking if you could make a John dory x reader insert fanfic?

John dory meeting his spouce on the mission with Branch and Poppy when they find Bruce and hits it off with them while their is working at Bruces little diner?

@!; It's always a "vacay" with you. John Dory (JD) / Reader

"Summary"! John Dory didn't expect meeting the love of his life on a mission to save his brother; yet here he was, finding himself oh so fascinated with you that Spruce, Branch, and Poppy are having to physically pull him away from Vacay Island! "Tags"! Fluff! A lil awkward. Also, not proof read. I need to research JD a little more before writing another fanfiction about him, yet I tried my best with his personality!

@!; The last thing that John Dory expected from this mission was to find someone who completed him wholly, fully, and completely. The last thing he expected, when arriving to Vacay Island was to fall in love, head over heels for another Troll. The last thing he expected to come from this mission was to find someone who finally understood; understood him and his ways and how he is. Who made him want to be better while helping make him better; and in turn he helps them be a better version of themself. And it felt like some sort of weird destiny. They were only going to the island to find Spruce; a mission with one end goal, one way to go. Yet, when following Spruce (now Bruce) into his co-owned resort, singing had caught his attention right away...

Branch and Poppy kept following after Spruce, who hadn't turned around yet and kept trying to wave the two off while claiming his band days were over and to keep it all hushed-hushed. Though JD had stopped half way through the walk, hearing a tune flutter through the speakers of the indoor seating area. His interest had been captured, it was held captive with ever flutter of the sweet notes that wafted through the air. Though he slowly started to back up to follow his younger brother to get Spruce, he kept his eye out for the person who held such a lovely voice. "This is my wife, Brandy!" JD had swung himself on top of the bar top just as Bruce was introducing his wife. He was about to wave them off, though took a quick double turn when he actually saw who Bruce's wide was. Then grew even more confused when Bruce was bombarded with 10... 11... maybe 12 kids?! "How do you?-" JD pointed towards Brandy and Bruce, managing to interject between all the kids and chaos; Asking the one question that him, Poppy, and Branch were thinking - maybe less Poppy, and more him and Branch. Yet still, how would such a relationship even work? Nevertheless work so well where they had so many children- wait no, JD scrunched his nose as the thoughts that came to mind. He subtly leaned away from the two, glancing between Branch and Poppy and Bruce and Brandy. He turned them out for a moment, glancing back at the open sitting area as everyone chatted and spoke, laughed and cackled, just having a good time. And that's when he saw a flash of color, different from the other warmer-tones. JD didn't notice the way his breath caught in his throat the moment you swung by, landing on the counter top with a skidded stop. Despite wearing roller blades, the wheels didn't bother you. "Brandy! You got the food for Skid and Mary?" "Oh hey! Guys, that's (Y/N), a worker of mine." Bruce cut in as Brandy nodded, ringing a bell before a basket of fries and burgers were pushed out from the kitchen. She would take them, slide them across the counter to you, and you would, as though these plates weren't triple your size, hooked your hair around the holes of the basket. "Thanks, gotta run! Oh- hey Bruce." A wave, bright smile, and you were off; having stopped in for a brief moment but completely capturing JD's attention once again. He couldn't help but watch as you skated off, dragging the plates behind you while dodging whoever and whatever came your way. "So they was singing." JD blurted, not exactly meaning to. Though he captured his brothers and Poppy's attention. Bruce simply crossed his arms, "Oh, (Y/N)? Yeah! They always sing while they work, sometimes they even take a break to entertain everyone with a musical number." Though JD didn't catch it, Branch give him a skeptical look; being quicker to catch onto the way JD looked on you and the slightly softer tone he had.

@!; JD wasn't sure what attracted him to you yet, but he found himself looking for you every second of their stay trying to convenience Bruce to come help save Floyd. Even during the 'Brozone's back' performance, he looked for your face in the crowd; trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of you and your rolling skating antics. When they were done, while Poppy and Bruce's family were cheering them on, his eyes were stuck on the crowd. His nose scrunched as he tried to keep old thoughts out of his head, wondering why you weren't here praising him for his singing or anything like that. No, he cannot think like that. He's growing, he's outgrown that mindset- "Earth to JD!" JD snapped out of his thoughts at Poppy frantically waving her hand in front of his face. A hard blink and he turned over to the staring company. Brandy had a knowing look, in which JD squinted at trying to decipher. Poppy playfully punched JD's arm, "Oh, good to have you back!" A big grin paired her child like antics, in which JD only laughed and brushed off. "What are you talking about, I've been here since the beginning. After all, I'm the one who found Floyd's lett-" Yet he wasn't able to finish before Branch cut in. "Yeah, half here. Ever since we stepped foot here you've been," And Branch waited no time drawing a circle at the side of his temple, pairing it with a whistle; effectively calling JD insane, or mainly out of it. Poppy playfully slapped Branch's arm away from his head, saying something about how that was rude to do. Branch smiled a little, but tried to keep a straight face, as he gestured over to JD with a 'come on' type of look. Poppy glanced over to JD for a moment then back at Branch, a silent agreement that she would try to make unobvious. Bruce simply chuckled at their antics. "What? What's funny?" JD pointed at Bruce, narrowing his eyes a little as his more laid-back brother. "Oh nothing.." And there was a hint in Bruce's voice that made it sound like there was more. Yet he didn't say anything, arms crossed, as he gave JD a knowing look. An oddly, really knowing look. It threw JD off. He wasn't that readable anymore, he wasn't how he was when the band was together and his brothers shouldn't know how he is! He didn't like that look. So he glanced away from Bruce. Yet there was a feeling in his gut that JD knew that Bruce had some sort of hint of what was distracting him.

@!; The mission had been delayed a day. Bruce needed to stay back for a day longer to help Brandy with the kids and figure out all the logistics of leaving so suddenly. JD had gone off on his own, letting Branch and Poppy do their own thing, as he went to go walk on the beach. There wasn't much else to do than to walk on the beach and take in the scene. He didn't exactly want to get into the water, despite how impressing it might be to you- And there his mind goes again! JD cursed himself and cursed his thoughts and cursed you!- Then he paused, with a scrunch of his nose. He couldn't curse you no matter how much he was irritated you infiltrated his thoughts. He hasn't even spoken to you! How would he know you would even like him? That he would even like you! "A little help!!" JD's attention snapped behind him as he heard the shout from an all too familiar voice. Yet he didn't have time to react, seeing a troll barreling towards him with their arms extended and a panic-stricken look. JD jumped out of the way, landing in the sand and purposefully with more force than needed to dig himself in. You whizzed by him and he quickly shot his hair our towards you, wrapping it around your waist and trying to hold onto the friction from the sand to slow you down. Yet, maybe he should have dug himself in deeper. He knew this as soon as his left foot lost footing and he shot forward, dragging across the sand and towards you. He tried grabbing onto something, yet you both only crashed into each other; And while that helped to stop you, it also caused you both to barrel and roll into the shore of the ocean, effectively drenching you both in salty water. JD groaned, laying in the mushy sand floor, feeling the waves crash up against him and recede slowly back once they came. He felt groggy, a little disorientated, yet he didn't have much time to reflect on that feeling when someone began to shake him. "Oh my god! Please don't be dead- please!" And with a few slaps to his cheek, JD shoved a hand into the face of whoever was trying to bother him at this moment. There was a silence for a moment, maybe out of shock, before JD heard the person beside him let out a deep sigh. It was a sigh like the weight of the world had been lifted off the person's shoulders, releasing them some sort of trouble or entanglement with liability. JD opened one eye when the ocean drew back again, keeping his eyes half-lidded, as he tried to see who was with him in the ocean. He swore he nearly died the minute that he saw you, soaking head to toe and looking down at him with the most worrisome look. He jolted up to a sit, not realizing his hand was still cupping your mouth until a moment later; When he drew it back, glancing down at it and back up at you, then cautiously placing it beside him. "Are you okay?" And despite how awkward this situation could be, you didn't make it that way. And JD slightly hoped it was because you saw the look on his face; The silent apology he couldn't bare himself to say. He's been working on himself, but he's not that level of worked on yet. Especially since he knew he owed a few people some big apologies.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." JD mumbled after a minute. He took in a deep breath before placing his hands on his knees and standing up, letting out the breath in a long sigh as he did so. "Oh- um! That's good." Your smile was anxious, a little weary, as you still sat in the mushy sand in the fire range of the waves. JD offered you his hand. You took it, allowing him to help you onto your feet. And that awkward silence along with a prolonged holding of hands. JD wasn't sure why, but he noticed the way your hand fit perfectly into his like all your hands were made to do was hold each other. He kind of didn't want to let go, but did so for the sake of comfortability. It would be awkward to hold hands with a strange, right? And no matter how many fangirls they had felt with in Brozone, JD would never know that answer. He guessed yes, by the way your eyes shifted to the left in an uncomfortable fashion. Yet he saw the way your eyes flicked back to his the moment he let go. He noticed the way your hand dropped to your side limp-like, and the small smile that crept to your face. There was some sort of glint in your eyes that drew JD in again. Though he couldn't exactly tell what that sparkle was for; he just hoped you were going the same way his brain was. "Hey," A pause, you were chewing over your words. "Would you like to talk over a basket of nachos?" "Were you reading my mind?" JD cocked up his eyebrow, giving you a snicker as he saw the cheeky look that rose on your face. "Maybe I am, you'll never know! But I have an employ discount I still have to use and this seems like the perfect occasion to take my break." And you grinned a grin that made JD feel like you were looking right through him; That you knew all his flaws and strengths all at once and yet still loved him for every single one of them. And maybe he was insane to think so. And maybe JD should get to know you better before he jumps to conclusions. But, shit, you had him hooked in a way no Troll has had him before.

.ᐟ this work is published and owned by @vacayisland. please do not plagiarize, copy, or steal this work; like, reblogs, and saves are appreciated :D

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

Being Inarizaki’s Manager

Miss Manager is Shy and Cute 🥹

Inarizaki x shy and cute! Female manager (she/her pronoun)

Warnings: Atsumu starts off as a butthole but we reform him, fluff

A/N: I wrote a headcanon set earlier with a shy reader and well, now I think I’m a shy reader expect 💅 so here’s one of my favs with a shy manager 😌

Oof- you good, girl?

Seriously this team is like the opposite of shy and calm

I wouldn’t say they are Karasuno level but they get HYPED

Now, many of them had given up the dream of ever having a female manager

They were prepared to brave it alone (namely Kita, Aran, Omimi, Akashi, Suna, Ginjima, etc)

They knew what their problem was…

Well PROBLEMS

Atsumu and Osamu

But it’s fine because they were efficient 💅

Kita did everything and well, Kita did everything

But that all changed when one day our precious Angel, Riseki, met someone new 👀

You see, you were the new girl in school

A curse honestly

Being the new kid is never easy, trying to find friends or fit in with everyone is so hard

And to top it off, you were ridiculously shy and a wallflower

It’s not that you didn’t want to make friends but your shy, cute nature made it difficult

When you first joined Riseki’s class, he thought you were rather cute

You kept to yourself, didn’t bother anyone

You were smart and capable

And most importantly, you had absolutely NO CLUE who the Miya twins were 😌

Riseki had watched you a few times, and you showed a lot of promise

You seemed to be able to ignore all the Miya chat surrounding you

You didn’t seem bothered by the fan girls

And most importantly, when a Miya fight would break out, you’d simply ✨ignore ✨ it

The problem was that Riseki knew you were shy

You’d never speak up in class, you barely talked to anyone

But he also knew this was his opportunity

So what does he do? Well he confides in Kita

“Hey Kita, so I think I might have found us a potential manager?”

Kita 👉🏻😐😑 *not convinced or optimistic whatsoever*

“Is this person a teenage girl?” Kita asks in return

“Yes but-”

Kita 👉🏻 No 🫶🏻🥰

“Here me out tho, she’s a transfer student and I’ve been keeping an eye on her,” Riseki says

Kita 👉🏻🤨 creepy but ight-

“She has shown zero reaction to the Miyas at all! Like none, not even a second glance!” He says

Kita 👉🏻 tell me more…

Riseki goes on to explain more about you and Kita agrees to give you a small trial run

Ok now that Kita is convinced, all Riseki needs to do is ask you

Simple right?

“Hey Yn!” He yells as you freeze

You rn 👉🏻😐😳

Please you are looking around like “is he talking to me? Am I Yn?”

“Hey I was wondering if you had a club yet?” He asked as you just stared 👁️👄👁️

Please Yn, function

Riseki realizes that he probably came in way too strong, so he backs up a bit

“Umm I’m sorry to come at you so strong but I was wondering if you needed a club? The boys volleyball team is looking for a manager and I think you’d be perfect,” he says as your eyes widen even more

Please blink before your eyes dry up

“Ohh umm I don’t think I umm- I’m not sure I’d be good- I don’t play volleyball or know anything really,” you say as you blush heavily

Riseki is DYING at how cute you are 😭

“It’s ok Yn! I can teach you everything and the guys, wellmostoftheguys, are super helpful!” He says as you ponder for a bit

Maybe this is just what you need? You never take chances like this and maybe now is the time to start branching out

“Umm I guess I can try,” you say, a tiny smile lighting up your face as Riseki dies inside 😭

After school, he brings you to practice

The gym is huge and all the guys in it are huge as well

You start to second guess your decision

Maybe you aren’t cut out to be social, yeah maybe you’ll just be shy forever

Suddenly you are forced out of you thoughts when you are approached by four guys

You quickly take refuge behind Riseki and peer out from behind him as the boys all smile at you

“Kita, Aran, Omimi, Akagi- this is Yn! Yn these are our third years!” Riseki says as you blush hard and peek out from behind him

“Umm hello, I’m YN from class 1-4. It’s very n-nice to meet y-you,” you stutter out as the third years practically perish

How the heck are you so freaking cute?? 😭

“It’s nice to meet you YN, I’m Kita, the captain. Thank you so much for coming to meet with us,” Kita says, already impressed that you aren’t making waves or causing any disruptions

“T-thank you for having me,” you say as you stand next to Riseki now, a little more confident

“So Yn, do you know anything about volleyball?” Aran asks as you shake your head

“Not really but I’m a pretty fast learner,” you say as the boys all nod

Suddenly, a rouge ball comes flying out of nowhere as you quickly take cover as Akagi stops it from hitting you

“Are you ok Yn?” Kita asks as you nod

“I’m fine thank you,” you say before being approached by a boy with a yellowish blonde hair color

“Hey girls aren’t allowed in the gym!” He shouts as you reeled back a bit

Who was this extremely rude person?

“Shut up ya idiot! Obviously she’s talking to the captain!” A silver toned man says

“Yeah well I don’t need to be interrupted by any squealing pigs during my serves so get out of here!” He shouts at you as you quietly back up

“ATSUMU! Knock it off, stop being so rude! This isn’t one of your fan girls, this is Yn and she’s going to be our trial manager!” Kita scolds the yellowish blonde as he scoffs

“This? This is going to be our manager? She’s tiny and looks like she’s afraid of her own shadow! How is she going to ever be a manager for a powerhouse?” Atsumu says as you whince a little

Man he was a jerk 😒

“Damn Sumu, you’re being a jerk! Leave the poor girl alone,” a tall black haired man says

“Suna’s right! She didn’t do anything to you,” Omimi says as Atsumu stares at you

“She’s literally taking up space! Like how is she going to even be helpful?” Atsumu says as you finally lose it

“Excuse me,” you say, a little anger and agitation now clear on your voice

Everyone 👉🏻👀

“Yes, I maybe a little shy and skittish at times but it’s extremely rude of you to judge someone you haven’t even been introduced to,” you say as the men all look at you

Kita is like mentally taking notes

Suna has his phone out and recording 📱

Riseki is like “who is this?”

“My name is Yn and I’m a first year. I might not be the best but I’m smart and I learn quickly. If I interrupted your practice, I apologize but I won’t stand here and be treated with disrespect,” you say as you bow and take your leave

Honestly Queen shit 👑

Oohhhh Kita and Riseki are BIG MAD

Kita doesn’t say anything, he just GLARES at Atsumu

Riseki turns and goes after you but not before giving Atsumu the death glare of a lifetime

Aran, Omimi and Akagi are ready to kill

Suna is still recording 📱

Ginjima has now joined the pack and is wondering what the heck is going on

And Osamu, well Osamu is 👀 👇🏻

“YOU TYRANNICAL PIGGGGG!” He shouts as he kicks Atsumu in the back

But this time, nobody stops him from beating up his brother

The team 👉🏻 😙🎶

Meanwhile-

“YN wait! Please wait- I’m so sorry about Atsumu!” Riseki says apologizing to you

“Riseki, I’m sorry but I can’t-,”

“Please Yn! PLEASE! Please just give us a shot! I promise, we will kick Atsumu off the team if we have to just please be our manager!” Riseki says, on his knees BEGGING

Dang these guys really want a manager 😅

You sign, “I’ll do a trial run if it means that much to you.”

Riseki 👉🏻😐😳🥹 really?!?

You smile and nod a little

Riseki pulls you in for a deep hug 🫂 as you simply blush

And this began your journey as Inarizaki’s sweet manager

I wish I could say it was all smooth sailing but alas, Atsumu is still on the team 🙄

You aren’t sure why but at first, he’s just not nice at all

Like he refuses to take a towel from you, or even drink the water you hand him

He kind of makes you miserable

He knows how shy you are so he often puts you on the spot just to embarrass you

“Hey Yn do you know what that was called?” He says as he slams a serve over

Omimi and Akagi 👉🏻🙄 here we go…

Kita 👉🏻 😐😑 Atsumu-

Osamu 👉🏻 just say the word Yn 🙎‍♂️🤛🏻

Suna 👉🏻👀📱

“Umm a serve ace right?” You shyly respond

“Well would you look at that, she can learn,” Atsumu laughs as he walks away

Everyone is GLARING at Sumu rn

Literally Riseki was not joking when he said they would kick him off the team Yn

Idk if you bruised his ego or what Yn but man’s has it out for you 😅

However, one thing about Atsumu is that you can win the man over

It’s simple really… 🙌🏻 praise 🙌🏻

And you do just that

“Sumu your sets are really off today!” Aran says as Atsumu glares at him

“Yeah dude you literally almost flubbed our quick,” Suna says as Atsumu rolls his eyes and walks away

He sits on the bench, putting a towel over his head as he ponders

He’s not sure what’s wrong with him today but he’s been off all day

You noticed something was off, thinking maybe he was just having a bad day

But then you realized that Atsumu Miya wasn’t use to having bad days

So you decide to extend an olive branch

You walk over the him as he sits on the bench

“YN wait!” Osamu tries to stop you but he can’t

Suna’s eyes widen in fear for your life as Kita gets ready to save you from certain destruction

You calmly sit beside Atsumu as he turns his head and glares at you

You smile a little and place your hand on his gently

The team 👉🏻😳😲

“Everyone has bad days Atsumu. If we didn’t have bad days, we’d never get better. I still think you’re an amazing setter and if you ever need a hug, I’m here for you,” you say as Atsumu’s eyes widen

Atsumu is to stunned to speak

Quick Suna take a picture!

Seriously he was so mean to you and yet, you were still so nice to him

You smile and stand up, walking back to practice when it happens 🫣

Two strong arms grasp you from behind as a warmth radiates around you

You smile a little, grabbing his arms and squeezing

“Thanks Yn,” Atsumu says as he lets go and walks back into the court

The entire team is too stunned to speak

You say nothing as you go back to your job, handling towels, volleyballs and notes

“Did that just happen?” Ginjima asks

“I think so? Is this a dream?” Omimi responds

“Holy crap Atsumu actually has a heart?” Suna says

“OF COURSE I HAVE A HEART YA IDIOT!” Atsumu screams from the court

“Not like anyone could every tell ya grinch!” Osamu responds

“EXCUSE YOU SIR?!? WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS, IF WE DISNT HOW WOULD WE EVER GET BETTER!” Atsumu responds

“YN literally just told you that ya dummy!” Ginjima says, rolling his eyes 🙄

The guys go back to practice

This time, Atsumu is much more on point

You smile and clap as the boys all kill it in practice

You don’t cheer loud, simply clap and smile 😊

It’s literally giving them life Yn!

Now when it came time for tournaments, you can’t say you weren’t nervous

This was your first time around so many people

You were still pretty shy, even thought you’d become friends with the entire volleyball team

Literally they were so protective of their shy little manager 🥹

“Ok is everyone here?” Kita asks as you nod

You had been walking in back with Suna, making sure all the members stayed together

“Ok let’s go get warmed up!” Kita shouted as the guys all nodded and followed

You were walking when suddenly, your notebook fell and your papers scattered everywhere

“Crap!” You silently said as you kneeled down to pick them up

However what you failed to notice was that the team had continued to walk

You see where I’m going with this 👀

“Hey guys- oh no!” You said as you stood up, realizing there was every color of jersey surrounding you BUT black and white

You 👉🏻😐😳😢

“Ok Yn calm down, the team is somewhere,” you silently muttered to yourself as you wandered around giants

You felt like crying, scared and nervous because there were so many people around

You had to ask someone for help

Suddenly, you bumped into the back of someone

“I’m so sorry!” You said, tears in your eyes as she looked at you

“Oh it’s fine, hey are you ok?” She asked, gorgeous blue eyes watching you

You shook your head, eyes meeting hers

“Hey Kiyoko, I’ve got the bento boxes all sorted!” A blonde girl said, walking up to you

“What team do you work with?” The girl named Kiyoko asked

“I-I’m with Inarizaki,” you said as they both smiled

“Come with me and Yachi, we can take you to the gym,” Kiyoko said as Yachi stood beside you

“Thank you so much,” you say bashfully to the two pretty girls

Meanwhile…

“Ok Riseki, Ginjima can you help YN fill up the water bottles please?” Kita asks as they nod and look over to you

Only you’re not there 😅

They start looking all over for their precious bby

Please Ginjima even looks under his shoes incase he stepped on you 😭

“Umm Kita,” Riseki interrupts

“Yes,” Kita says looking at him

“YNs not here,” Riseki says as everyone stops

“What the hell? Where is she?” Kita says looking around everywhere for you

“Suna weren’t you walking with her?” Aran asks as Suna gulps

“She was with me just a a minute ago!” Suna says, now panicking too

“Oh my god and I was just starting to actually like her and you lost her?!?” Atsumu says as Osamu smacks the back of his head

Then they hear their opponents say something

“Has anyone seen Kiyoko and Yachi?” Their team captain says

“OH MY GOD WE HAVE A MANAGER KIDNAPPER!!!” Riseki yells as two of Karasunos memebers RUN from the gym

“We have to find Yn!” Aran shouts following them with the rest of the team

All that remains in the gym is Kita and Karasuno’s captain, Daichi

“We could just text them,” Daichi says as Kita nods

Back with you, you are enjoying talking with the two Karasuno managers

They both seem a little shy like you but they still manage a strong school

“The gym is just up this way-” Kiyoko says when you hear it

At first, it sounds like a stampede of elephants

Then you realize it’s just like 15 teenage boys racing toward you 😅

“YN OH MY GOD WE FOUND YOU!” Riseki says pulling you into a hug as your boys gather around you

“Are you hurt? Do you need help? Are you hungry?” Aran says panicking as you watch Kiyoko and Yachi fight off their team

You giggle a little, the boys taken a back

“I’m fine guys, I actually just made some friends!” You says smiling at Kiyoko and Yachi

Inarizaki rn 👉🏻😐😳🥹 our baby is growing up!

“Thanks Kiyoko and Yachi! I’ll see you in the gym!” You say, waving to the two girls as they follow you

You look over at Riseki and give him the biggest hug

Riseki rn 👉🏻😳

“Thanks for inviting me to be your team manager! Now let’s go kick some butt!” You say sweetly as the team stops

The team 👉🏻👁️💧👄💧👁️

No need to worry about the match Yn, I’m sure everything will be just fine 😌

[zero-to-zero-to-zero-again]

Ophidiophobia (2)

Part One

Word Count: 2,144

TW's: Unintentional Fearplay, Angst, Fear of Death, Profanity, Gore (<-Kinda Graphic. Sorry), Injury, Animal Death, Calling A Person An "It"

Characters: C!Tommy, C!Wilbur

Summary: Tommy almost tolerates the presence of the naga he lives with until he receives a grim reminder of precisely why he should have never interacted with it in the first place.

"And then this huge mama bear comes charging at me! I was just like, 'Oh is this your baby?' and then I flew off!"

Tommy hopped from branch to branch as he recounted the story. He stood on one foot, keeping his arms outstretched for balance.

"Scary," Wilbur remarked plainly. He slithered along the forest floor with no particular destination in mind.

"It was! I was almost bear-chow!"

Sometimes it was hard to tell if Wilbur was listening to a word Tommy said. It wouldn't exactly come as a shock if he wasn't. Tommy's attempts to converse-even with people his own size-were always met with some level of irritation or an attempt to get him to shut up.

Honestly, someone nonchalantly pretending to listen was far better than anything like that.

"Sounds like you get into a lot of danger," Wilbur said.

Tommy waved him off.

"I eat danger for breakfast with a side of risk and a big glass of peril to wash it down," the blonde insisted. He leapt onto the closest branch. His heart plummeted at the sound of the crack beneath his feet. His wings snapped out their full span with such force that he nearly pulled a muscle.

The dead branch fell away beneath him, dropping directly onto Wilbur's head. The naga sighed, folding his arms across his chest as he turned to glare halfheartedly at Tommy. The bird hybrid hovered far out of reach. The sun caught on his blue feathers, outlining them with a celestial glow.

Tommy could only chuckle sheepishly, offering a shrug in lieu of an apology. Wilbur rolled his eyes before continuing on his way.

Tommy swallowed hard around the lump in his throat.

That was close

Way too close.

It didn't matter how much time he spent bothering chatting with the snake creature. There was always a pit in his stomach when he entertained the idea of being within a foot of those sharp claws. Or those sharp teeth. Or that giant tail...

"Tommy?"

He snapped back into reality. Golden eyes stared up at him expectantly.

"You look like you've seen a bear.

The bird shook his head.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Just a little tired," he mumbled.

The snake didn't bother pointing out the fact that it was still the middle of the day. Wilbur was known for "resting his eyes" whenever he was given the chance. Still, it wasn't exactly normal for Tommy to be sleeping at such an hour. The naga canted his head in consideration.

He looked apt to say something but Tommy beat him to the punch.

"I think I'm going to go get some rest. I'll catch up with you later," the bird chittered.

Wilbur never really got the chance to respond before Tommy had vanished high above the treetops.

Tommy retreated back to his favorite hollow. He collapsed down into his little bark sanctuary, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Every minute he spent with the naga was taking another year off his life.

At most, he was just convenient entertainment for the giant beast. The second the opportunity presented itself, he was as good as snake food.

He paced about the small space.

Was this a chance he was willing to keep taking? To try and socialize with an apex predator for the sake of having a bit of fun? He knew. Some small, rational part of him knew that it would be better to just pack up and find somewhere objectively safer to stay.

Some far larger part of him was keen on retorting with a firm, "But I don't wanna."

He was being an ass. Maybe it would be best to just talk it out with Wilbur. What was the worst that could happen? The snake could admit to just tolerating him and waiting for the right moment to strike? He could just take off.

Yeah. That was a fine idea.

He flew back towards the spot he'd left the snake. He figured the naga couldn't have gotten far and he was right. Only a few dozen feet ahead, he spotted the telltale glint of orange-gold scales in the glistening sunlight. He wasn't quite sure how to bring up the subject but surely it wouldn't be too hard.

Bring it up as a joke or just come straight out and ask. It didn't really matter. He had plenty of time to bounce between the few options in his mind as he soared on a strong current towards the naga.

He landed on a branch far above the naga's head.

"W-"

His words died on his lips.

The sickening crack of bones echoed through the forest. Talons dipped in crimson twisted through what had been reduced to a writhing lump of brown fur. One more crank of practiced fingers and it went limp all at once.

The absence of its strangled cries was filled with the grotesque ripping of flesh from muscle. Greedy hands shoveled the bloodied mess into a mouth opened far too wide for comfort. Giant fangs sliced through what remained like butter.

Tommy pressed a hand to his mouth, stumbling backwards. He was going to be sick.

The naga's head snapped up. Nausea churned in Tommy's stomach as the monster's eyes sliced over its shoulder to lock right onto him. Ruby syrup dripped from its half-open maw. Its brown eyebrows pinched together ever so slightly.

"Tom-" it began.

Nope.

Tommy was out of there. How nice of the universe to make up his mind for him. He flew as fast as his wings could carry him. Even though he knew it was fur beneath those deadly hands, all he could see was feathers. Blue feathers. If it could do that to a rabbit larger than him, he didn't want to think about how easily it could shred him.

He took off straight past the border of the naga's territory to enter the unclaimed portion of the forest. He didn't care if there were more predatory animals out there. He didn't care if he was more likely to lose his life out there than he ever would be back in the naga's territory. So long as he was far, far away from that snake.

...

Tommy stirred at every twig snap. There was no telling how long he'd been laying on that branch tossing and turning. The best shelter he'd been able to find on short notice was a vacant tree that he could only pray was out of reach of anything that wanted to kill him.

Howls sounded in the distance. Bats screeched high above. Even the buzz of the cicadas had him on edge. He groaned, raking his fingers through sweat-slicked locks. As much as he hated to admit it, he'd slept a hell of a lot better with that snake bitch around.

He knew it wasn't a vegetarian or anything but, Prime, whenever the scene replayed in his head, all he could think about was the fact that he happened to be made of meat as well.

He gave up on trying to sleep. Closing his eyes left him vulnerable to attacks sprung on him by his own memory. He groggily pushed himself upright to stare at the sky. He'd leave first thing in the morning. At the break of daylight, he'd be off and by this time tomorrow, he'd be far away from any creatures. Predators or otherwise.

Creeeaak

Tommy's head snapped up. Another chipmunk on the loose, probably. He was so good at getting scared of nothing.

Grrrrr

Okay...either that was the most ferocious chipmunk of all time or that was no mere rodent. Just as he was about to search for the source of the sound, said source found him first. The branch bounced with the extra weight placed on it.

Two slitted pupils glowed in the ashen moonlight. It crept closer with its head down and pointed ears pinned down against its head.

"Woah. Nice...kitty?" Tommy tried as he prepared himself for a hasty flight.

It jumped. So did he. He dove off the end of the branch with every intention of opening his wings until the paw batted him straight out of the air.

Oh.

He was falling.

The world was a blur around him as he plummeted straight down onto the forest floor. His body landed with a sickening thud and an unnatural crack. The pain was probably the first thing he registered. Even with the blanket of adrenaline thrown over it, daggers shot between his shoulder blades.

He let out a hoarse cry, rolling over onto his stomach. He had no time to assess the damage. Not before the four paws landed silently on the soft ground beside him. As he spread his wings, he realized that the one thing he was praying hadn't broken had likely been the only thing that had.

He bit back another yelp. There was no time. He just had to get away. The damn thing didn't move until he did. Like it was having the time of its life torturing him.

Things looked so different from the ground. As he ran about on foot, he couldn't help but think about the fact that he didn't even know if he had anywhere to escape to. He wasn't a great climber. Or swimmer. Or runner. Definitely not built for evading pursuit beyond his wings.

All he could do was continue on running with the sound of bounding steps like a drumbeat behind him.

What were his options? Run? He was trying like hell. Flight? No dice. Fight? Absolutely not. Only in his wildest dreams did he stand a chance against a lynx. Hide? He was bright blue. Even if it was somewhat colorblind, his hues were a stark contrast to anything else in that forest.

He was running out of time.

And leeway.

He could practically feel the plumes of warm air from its nostrils against the back of his neck. Nothing looked familiar from this vantagepoint. Nowhere felt safe.

He veered a sharp left. The telltale click of jaws snapping shut on air sounded from mere inches away. Too close. He'd bought himself another handful of seconds at most.

A single second at least.

And it always seemed to be the latter with him.

He was knocked clean off his feet, sent skidding through gritty soil and mud alike. The world was upside down when he finally came to a clumsy halt. Any attempt to right himself was thwarted by the paw pressed to his chest.

The beginnings of claws dug into his skin. Looking into its eyes, all he saw was his own pitiful reflection. Bloodied and dirty with the most helpless little look painted on his face.

Tommy growled.

"Get the fuck off me!" he shouted. His voice waivered, cracking as more pressure was applied right around his lungs. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. Though this feline couldn't have possibly been capable of replicating complex emotion, he could have sworn he saw it smirking in triumph.

He was going to die.

He was really going to die.

A messy set of claws glistened as they were raised high above his head. He squeezed his eyes shut, capable of doing nothing except bracing himself for the inevitable.

All at once, the pressure left. There was a loud yowl off to his right. He dared to open his eyes one by one. An all too familiar naga pinned the wriggling lynx to the ground with a single hand. The lynx's frantic claws snagged on the naga's arm. Wilbur drew in a hissing breath through his teeth.

The feline was launched into a nearby tree, its body making a sickening thud as it collided with bark. Tommy saw his chance. He weakly began to push himself upright. Wilbur's wrathful eyes briefly sliced to the bird hybrid.

"Tommy, sit down!" he snapped.

Tommy did just that.

The lynx didn't stand a chance. Even as it thought it had the element of surprise on its side, the naga backhanded it without so much as looking at it.

The feline came to a rolling stop with a surprised yip. It was slow to get back on its feet, obviously injured limbs struggling to hold its body upright. The snake showed off all of its dagger-sharp teeth with a harbinger's hiss.

The lynx stood there a moment longer before hastily retreating back into the sea of trees with a hobbling gait. The naga's breaths were ragged as it watched the fleeing animal, its shoulders rising and falling with a tremble in their motions.

Seemingly satisfied with having scared the lynx off, Wilbur let out a heavy sigh. He slowly turned to look at Tommy.

But Tommy wasn't there.

There was just an empty spot where he once sat and a trail of blood traveling away from it.

~

Part Three

[lethby]

Next summer ⍣ ೋ

Art by: しまも🍖 (@kshima_mo369) on Twitter

Pairing: Bachira Meguru x Mermaid! reader

Summary: A story where Bachira helps a mermaid in problems and they grow attached to each other because of their curious personalities.

"Haha! We got one!"

Two men near a little bay secluded from the quiet coast.

"Look at her scales! So shiny!"

Deep waters full of vibrant corals, home of many fish... and some mermaids.

A strong net imprisoned the mermaid, who fought against the force that was pulling her away from the sea. When a dirty hand went to grab her, she defended herself.

In this world, a mermaid's poison sold like gold, being the most powerful in the world. It was used for medicine and drugs, among others. It was very rare and very precious.

"Ah, careful! Did she stung you?" Panicked eyes stared at their companion.

However, as a mermaid, if your poison isn't deadly or lethal,

"Huh? What is this? It just felt like a little zap."

You weren't worth more than tuna.

"Really? We spent hours fishing for this?"

The mermaid still tried to resist against the tight ropes that held her hostage.

"I don't know man." The stung man ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe we can sell her scales or something."

"Forget it, the government is very attentive about anything that involves the mermaids' wellbeing."

"Let's just go home."

They both sighed and carelessly let go of the net, letting the mermaid fall unceremoniously on the sand. They didn't feel an ounce of respect for her as they left her under the burning sun to die. The mermaid didn't find any energy left to keep resisting and went limp.

Hell, she knew her poison was worthless. Even other mermaids made fun of her constantly, that's why she travels alone. But being treated like this by humans made what she had left of dignity to crumble.

Laughter and chatting echoed through the coast as a numerous group of friends arrived at the beach. They dispersed and played volleyball, swam a little, made sand castles... The usual activities in a summer vacation.

Then, a boy with yellow eyes wandered happily further from the group.

"Hey Bachira! Where are you going?"

"To explore!" He shouted back excitedly as he disappeared behind a bush. His friends decided to let the adventurous boy be, being aware of his curious and playful personality.

When he pushed away a big leaf from a palm tree, he was met with an incredible sight. A bay surrounded of vegetation was hiding there. The clear water clashed against the rocks, making a peaceful sound. Despite this, when his eyes drifted where the sand was more prominent, being in the shore, he spot a laying figure. He walked closer to it, examining her with an inquisitive gaze.

'A mermaid?!'

His eyes fixated on the way the sun reflected on her (f/c) scales and her fins laid like silk in the sand. She had pointy ears and sharp teeth were noticeable in her features.

"Pretty..."

However, his mesmerized trance switched to a worried frown as he didn't see any movement from her, the net trapping her body. Just who is so cruel to do this? He tried to pry off the net from her with no avail. The movements made the mermaid drowsily awake as she saw someone else with her. She followed her first instinct and stung him to try and scare him away. The boy jolted away and held his hand.

"Hey don't zap me! I'm trying to help you!"

Although, seeing as the ropes didn't budge, Bachira went off to find a tool that could help him. He found a branch that was spiky at the sides and thought that it should do. He came back and stuck his tongue out in concentration as he worked.

The mermaid's thoughts wandered wildly. What did this boy want with her? What would he do to her? The idea of him taking her poison by force crossed her mind, but after her earlier failed display of abilities, she doubted it. Maybe he really was helping her after all.

Albeit that hopeful thought, her panic didn't decrease. Her quick ragged huffs made her cough harshly. Her skin was dry and her lungs burned with each breath she took. Thankfully, Bachira got the memo rapidly.

"Ah right! Water!"

He looked back and stared at the fresh water from the ocean. Thoughts as grabbing a bucket or making a small river crossed his mind, but in the end he opted to carry her there. She felt strong arms lift and bring her to the shallow waters. The rope scratched her irritated skin and she winced in pain. Bachira apologized softly.

'At least is better than drying off in the sun.' She thought.

She sighed as her body hydrated again, some water being splashed by the boy to wet the parts that stayed over the water level. After he noticed she was feeling better, he continued his task on freeing her. When he managed to cut down some ropes over her torso, she aided him weakly as much as she could with her arms.

Minutes that felt like hours passed and the net was finally cut down to the point he could take it off her with his hands. The mermaid felt as good as ever, no longer being caged in tight cords. She crawled to deeper waters and stretched, going for a quick swim of freedom right after.

Bachira hoped onto a rock near her and watched as she swam skillfully through the water. His eyes lighted up and a wide smile creeped his way to his face. It was a very beautiful sight indeed. He saw her come closer and crouched down on the rock to be more at her eye level. She raised her webbed hand in order to tell him something, but he high-fived her instead.

"That was awesome! You swim really fast!"

She deadpanned at the excited boy. That was... not what she wanted to communicate. She was growing desperate after many attempts of communication were misunderstood by Bachira, who innocently tilted his head. He laughed as this seemed to be a funny guessing game to him. She face palmed and went for another tactic. She raised both of her hands in a motion.

"You want me to wait here?"

She nodded enthusiastically. She really should have learned to speak human language. Before Bachira could say anything else, she quickly disappeared under the water.

Some time passed and she found him still sitting on the rock, whistling a small tune. She approached him and he saw her from his peripheral vision.

"You're back!"

She smiled and stretched her arms towards him, a beautiful shell resting on her palms. He leaned closer to look at it as she had an eager expression on her face.

"Is this for me? As a thank you?"

She nodded again and pushed her hands closer to him. He raised his hand to take the shiny object from her, a childish smile on his lips.

"Thank you, I love it! It's so pretty!"

She only widened her smile in response. They 'chatted' a little more until Bachira pondered it was time to leave. He got up and trotted in direction of his friends before stopping in his tracks and turning around.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" He shouted.

She gave him a thumbs up in hopes he could see it from where he was standing. She figured he did as he slightly jumped and waved her goodbye, making her raise her hand too. She dived into the colorful reef and swam happily among the fish. Maybe some humans weren't that bad at the end.

Bachira was spotted by the group while he came back, skipping along the sand.

"Welcome back. Did you find anything?"

He hid the gifted shell in his swimming wear's pocket.

"Nope." He smiled.

The next morning, Bachira got ready at max speed so he had time to read a book about mermaids he saw in the shelf in Reo's beach house last night. He found it and quickly opened it, eyeing it's contents.

He passed over all the poison market thing, thinking it was not important. The only thing he wondered is that if that zap from yesterday was it. Having heard a thing or two about the topic, he remembered that a mermaid's poison can be lethal, but very useful.

'I guess her poison is not that strong. Well, lucky me. I could have died.' A drop of sweat ran down the side of his face as he smiled nervously, moving on to the next page.

'Ah, mermaids' behavior and language. This could be useful.'

He read about a lot of stuff regarding body language and signs that indicate emotions, trying to keep all the information in his brain, as hard as that is. Really, this must be the longest time he ever sat in front of a book.

- Shells can be gifted to other mermaids or creatures as a way to express gratitude and/or friendship. The shinier and smooth it is, the more sentimental value it holds.

His smile widened at that information.

'Haha! I knew it.'

He took out the shell and caressed it with his thumb. He did thought it was very nice and lovely. His gaze softened while he felt all giddy in the inside.

"Bachira we're ready! Come down!"

He quickly closed the book and rushed downstairs where all his friends were. He couldn't wait to arrive at the beach and see if you were there, as you said.

When they set up everything at the private beach, Bachira snook out discreetly and went over to the little bay. Sadly, he did not find the mermaid anywhere, even when he called for her. He didn't let disappoint get to him as he was sure you'll come later; so in the meantime, he went for a nice swim. The water there didn't crash as hard as it did in the shore. Instead, it felt more like a quiet lake, all just for him to relax as he floated.

Truth to be told, the mermaid was there. She nibbled on the remnants of what was a fish. She waited amusingly for the boy to get closer to the center of the bay, planning to surprise him.

Just as he was starting to get bored of doing nothing, he felt a shocking zap on his side. He instinctively turned to that side wide eyed, not missing the way something emerged from the water behind him and threw itself over him, making him momentarily sink.

When all movement ended, he threw his head back onto the surface only for his eyes to directly meet (e/c) ones, full of joy and playfulness. A smile also made its way to his face as he hugged her tightly.

"You came!"

They almost sink again from the action, making her laugh loudly.

'God her laugh is wonderful.'

He pulled back with a fake pout on his face, making puppy eyes at her.

"That was really mean though. I thought we were over all the zapping thing."

She maintained her smirk as she snorted and raised her eyebrows, as if saying: that didn't hurt and you know it. That made Bachira squeeze her cheeks as he laughed at her attempts to escape his grasp. This was not welcomed by her as she brought her fins closer to sting him yet again. Turns out that, much to his dismay, this would be a common thing between them.

"Hey!"

She quickly went underwater given the opportunity and flicked her tail strongly, making a considerable amount of water to splash at the boy's face. She peeked from the water and chuckled at Bachira's expression.

Their splashing game continued for long. She was obviously winning by far, but that didn't mean it was less fun. She swiftly made a quick turn and Bachira's eyes lighted up like a kid who got candy.

"Wow! Can you do any tricks?"

'Do I look like a scenario dolphin.' She wanted to retort.

Bachira saw right through her snarky gaze and sulked slightly. He was getting good in reading her thoughts thanks to the information on that book.

"Pretty please?" He asked behind clasped hands.

She glanced at his expectant eyes and gave in, taking a moment to think. He watched her dive into the water, but he wasn't prepared for what was about to come. The next thing he knew, her body was flying above his head, having elegantly jumped and her scales shining under the sun. Bachira was nothing but amazed as she came out of the water again, a sheepish smile on her lips.

"Wow... Wow! Do it again, do it again!"

They spent most of their time playing and having fun together without a care in the world. Eventually, their laughs died down and they grew tired. Well, more like she got tired; the boy still had plenty of energy left. Despite that, she finally convinced him to take a rest, swimming to shallow waters. When the water level was knee-high, they came to a stop and sat down. He dropped on his butt and she laid face down, them being in the perfect zone between land and water.

He looked at her as she enjoyed the way the soft waves brushed though her body, carrying cool waves with them. His eyes drifted downwards to her gleaming scales and he felt hypnotized by them. His attention was also caught by the way her fins flowed with the water's movement. But, could you blame him? He's never seen a mermaid this close, let alone befriend one.

"Can I touch your tail?" He smiled.

Her head turned in his direction and the question pondered in her head. Even when it registered in her brain, it still felt strange for her, as no one has ever asked that. Nonetheless, she still complied because she trusted him. Her tail was draped along his lap, startling the boy at first before he drew his hand near in a testing motion and caressed her tail gently. When he got no reaction from it, he continued doing so. Her scales were soft and slippery and her fins felt like nice fabric under his fingers.

A shudder ran down her spine at the nice feeling, legging her muscles relax. No one has ever been this affectionate to her, so this was new. Having nothing to do, she moved around and went to feel his legs as well. After all, she's never touched human legs before either.

When both of their curiosities met at the same time, they found themselves in a rare but nice quiet moment, just enjoying each other's company.

Like that, they spent the morning and soon the clock ticked until noon. Somewhere in between, they went to where you could barely touch the ground with your feet and got to know the other about various things. However, they were interrupted by a distant voice.

"Bachira, we're going to eat! Where are you?"

"Coming!"

He turned around but didn't find the mermaid by his side. Instead, he felt her fins glide through his legs in a way of saying goodbye as she took her leave. Bachira noticed something being placed in his hand and brought it up to inspect it. It was another shell.

Happiness and excitement flowed through his veins as he got further away from the bay, fastening his step to meet with his group. Boy, he was loving this summer vacation.

Like that, they spent most of the summer time. Between laughs, zaps, and splashes; a month passed and they grew impossibly close. In Bachira's bag stood proudly a pile of shiny shells of all colors and shapes, having kept every single one of them. Sometimes, the boy got her one too just to see the wide smile that would appear on her face. Sneaking out and maneuvering through dense vegetation to meet her became a routine for him, surprisingly not getting caught. The same could be said for her, as she swam through the reef everyday in hopes to see him.

One day, they were playing tag. Bachira cheated from time to time and ran to the dry sand, not wanting to always have it because of her always catching him instantly. Nonetheless, he would eventually come back when she begged for him to do so, promising she would go easy this time. That was a devious lie that he always fell for in one way or another as she jumped on him to tag him the moment he stepped on the water.

One of these times, Bachira deflated and sat on the famous rock in thought, feet still soaking in the bay. The mermaid felt slightly bad as she swam closer, thinking it was because of the game. Despite that, she still wore a victorious smirk that said it all.

'Tired of losing yet?'

"Don't get too full of yourself."

She wanted to laugh but couldn't get herself to do so when she heard the uncharacteristic weak chuckle that left his lips. She looked at him and saw his thoughtful expression, eyes barely duller that usual as they hid a foreign emotion behind them. She started to become worried and crossed her arms above his thighs, resting her head on top to look at him. Bachira snapped out of his trance and started at her. After a few seconds, he squeezed her cheeks with a small smile.

"What's with the long face?"

She was unbothered and reached her index finger to boop his nose.

'You.'

She smiled at the way his eyes crossed to look at her finger then at her, rosy pink covering his cheeks. He let her face go and faked a small smile.

"It's nothing really. Just thinking."

She raised her eyebrows, clearly showing that she didn't buy it. However, he didn't let her insist more as he changed the topic.

"I just noticed I haven't asked you your name!"

Her eyes slightly widened in surprise and she retracted her finger. Well, at least that was something she could say. Bachira heard her literally bubbly voice for the first time as she told him her name.

"(y/n)"

"(n/n)? That's a cute name! I'm Bachira, but you heard it before."

She deadpanned as he didn't understand half of it and said it wrong, but she didn't have the heart correct him seeing the now true, happy smile he wore. It was contagious. She chuckled along him and, when the laughter died down, they were left in complete silence. Bachira fiddled with her hair before parting his lips.

"I have to go back home soon."

So that's what it was. She looked up at him from his lap with an unreadable expression. Moments passed and, when Bachira started to grow anxious, she propped herself up in her arms before giving him a hug. He quickly reciprocated it, hugging her waist close and pulling her out of the water fully to let her sit in a more comfortable position in his lap. Without a word, their embrace tightened. This hug wasn't playful nor lively like the other ones, but it was still as welcoming as ever.

"I'll miss you." He whispered into her wet collarbone as he pressed his head there, which she responded by nuzzling her face on his shoulder.

They sat on the rock enjoying each other's warmth not wanting to separate. Her nose scrunched up when stray hairs tickled her face as they pressed their cheeks together, courtesy of Bachira. Their hearts beat in unison under the blazing sun.

She eventually pulled back after some restriction because of his strong hold. She signaled him to wait with her hands as she dived into the water, disappearing in sight. He began whistling waited for her on the rock, his gaze softening as this moment felt similar to their first interaction ever.

She came back clutching something in her hand, which she placed on his hand that pushed against his chest, the tips of her ears red. He tilted his head and watched her amusedly, but in a blink, she wasn't there anymore. He panicked as he didn't get the chance to say goodbye.

However, that thought was quickly dismissed as he felt something zapping his ankle, making him stand up by reflex. He saw her emerging from the water at the distance before his smile enlarged.

"Will you be here next summer?" He shouted.

She gave him a thumbs up and he responded with a little happy jump. He waved her goodbye, making her raise her hand too. She dived into the colorful reef and swam happily among the fish.

Bachira turned around and trotted in the sand and trough the vegetation. He opened his palm and his face went red, his heart skipping a beat. There sat a beautiful coral of reddish tones. His eyes, wide in realization, squinted closed as he widely smiled. He traveled back home with a happy mind.

'Until next summer, (n/n).'

- Mermaids can also gift a coral, this meaning love and affection. The redder the coral, the more sentimental value it holds.

I have nothing to say except this was very sweet to write.

I had much more scenarios with a mermaid reader but decided to shorten it for it not to be too long.

I tried 3rd person pov here and I'm having a love-hate relationship with it.

Listen to music often, Lethby ༊*·˚

[moodymisty]

Five Times You Flirted With Wrecker, and The Time He Flirted Back - Ch1

< Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 >

Author's Note: Totally not inspired by the Wrecker simps that came out of the woodwork I had the pleasure of chatting with. Hope you guys enjoy it <3 Five chapters of fluff, and the sixth being a steamy pile of sauce to top it off. All the chapters are pretty much done, so it'll be an easy ride to the end. This chapter is the shortest one, with scenebuilding and some fluff of course. Enjoy! <3

This has been a really fun formatting experiment, if you want more, feel free to say.

Summary: Of course out of all the clones in the galaxy to fall head over heels in love with, you pick the one that just thinks you're doing a flip.

Relationships: Wrecker/Fem!Reader

Story-wide Warnings: Eventual NSFW, Fluff, Shy!Reader, Friends to lovers, Awkward flirting, Pining, one instance of a drunk clone being a little pushy but nothing extreme, Reader is too shy and Wrecker is too oblivious, Reader is vaguely one or twice described as being ‘nerdy’ but no details, Size difference, Vaginal sex, Unprotected sex,

Word count: 1791

Ao3 Link

The food the base gives you isn’t good, per say; But it’s good enough. Far better than whatever the clones are regulated to eat per their training and tight dietary restrictions, as you watch Hunter sat across from you finish the last of his designated portions. He’s the final person to finish eating, having managed to sneak their meals out to the Marauder and eat, instead of having to deal with the cluttered chaos of the cantina.

You were also allowed out here in the hanger, versus the cantina that they should be eating in being an area of the base secluded only to the clones.

You know it’s a thing that could technically get them in trouble, disobeying the rules like this; Then again they don’t seem all that apposed to doing so quite often. They also don’t seem apposed to you joining them either, even though you’re technically someone who could write them up for this behavior. In fact, they’ve not been very quiet at all about telling you many different things that could get them in their fair share of trouble from multiple branches of command; From sneaking in contraband to disobeying direct orders from a superior officer.

Or regs, as they like to call them.

Over time they've also given you that same nasty habit of calling them regs as well, which you now constantly have to stifle whenever you speak to anyone that wasn’t one of the Batch.

You don’t mind all that much; It’s a side effect of spending time with them that you consider well worth it. The other GAR civilian workers, medics and the like, are usually too busy or find you a bit too odd to spend time around, so their company is more than appreciated. Now whenever you're on base, it's not long before you're flanked by at least one set of black and red plastoid armor.

Hunter had once joked that it was an apology for making you guilty by association, after experiencing multiple instances of regs giving you the stink eye; Prompted by being around with them in any positive way.

But it's usually Wrecker who tags along with you everywhere however, as much as you might not want him to.

Not at all because you don’t like him. It’s actually the exact opposite, as he tends to make your heart race in your chest so much it feels like it’s trying to break out of your ribcage as if it's a prison.

You don’t exactly know when these feelings started, but you don’t quite remember a time where you didn’t feel this way whenever Wrecker was close. Every time your eyes lock with his you can feel the way your chest gets tight, and there's absolutely no cure for it.

Maybe it's his bright personality; Maybe it's his own brand of gogetitness or his 'on the fly' thinking and endless explosive knowhow, but Wrecker has a remarkable ability to turn you into a mess of fumbled words and nonsensical motions of your hands, attempting to scurry away from the situation and whoever else is involved before you say something stupid.

You have a crush, and it is bad.

It's hair twirling, giggling, kicking your heels in the air while you daydream of him bad, and you have absolutely zero way to tell if Wrecker feels even marginally the same.

It didn't help that there was a little voice in the back of your head that keeps telling you he doesn't, and that you're looking so desperately for hints that are just Wrecker’s overflowing amount of friendliness. It's not too out of the realm of reality, at least in the fighting ground of your own mind.

You're a GAR volunteer with a penchant for oddballs and a nerdy disposition, while Wrecker is a dynamo who’s physical strength is only toppled by the sound of his voice. He can craft something that could take an arm off out of only random materials around the scrap heap, meanwhile you're trying to find a partner for holochess. Sure he may have his head in the clouds sometimes, but it's part of what you find so endlessly endearing about him.

Your personalities couldn't be more opposite, would he even fall in love with someone like you?

It doesn’t help your situation that the idea of confessing that you like him only to get turned down would turn you into a puddle of mush right on the floor in front of his boots, so you've currently been settling for a safer but all the more agonizing silence.

It's not been working; As the more time you spend with him the harder and harder it is to not fall more for him, and keep biting your tongue.

You remember going through the effort of smuggling him some sweets once, and even though you knew he wanted to snarf them all down he still shared them with you, despite you having brought them all just for him. You could more than easily get your stomach’s fill when not on the base. But the memory of him holding out a little piece, dwarfed by the size of his hand while you're distracted by the small smudge of sweet staining his bottom li-

"Hey, you good?"

Wrecker's voice suddenly pulls you from your thoughts, looking over to see him leaning over the armrest of his seat, pressing a hand against the side against of the seat you're in. If he leaned anymore forward you'd probably be in his shadow, watching as his eyes glance up and down your form.

You must’ve zoned out staring down at your empty plate, your eyes traveling up his arm before finally meeting his face, giving him a nod and a nervous grimace.

"Oh! Yeah I'm good; Sorry, I was just thinking about something." He's smiling at you, leaning back and taking his hand away from your seat so he isn't so much in your personal space. Not that you minded at all.

Hunter’s sitting across from you in the seat behind the pilot’s seat, where Tech is, while Wrecker sits in the co-pilot’s seat. Crosshair has decided to stand, leaning against the wall just outside of the main group, but close enough that he’s still technically a part of it all.

"Hopefully our last mission didn't leave you with too much to clean up," Hunter gives you a tiny smile, clearly referencing the deployment they’d only just recently returned from. It had been about three standard weeks; No longer than usual, but enough that it had been beginning to get boring around here without them.

"No more than usual; Mandatory write-ups for disobeying superior officers and negligent use of explosives, as well as damaging GAR property without proper authorization and using illegally modified blasters. All multiple counts, of course."

It’s not even the worst list of offenses you’ve gotten with ‘Clone Force 99’ on it, in hindsight. Maybe you’d invest in a high score counter for the troopers, one day. Surely the 501st troopers stationed here would get a kick out of it.

"Granted, you guys get a decent bit of leeway since you get things done and don't ask any questions, so most of it is just going to be ignored anyways." Wrecker leans back in his seat hard enough that it creaks, crossing his left leg over his right thigh.

"You'd think they would stop writing us up if they were gonna keep forgiving all of it," Wrecker has a confident smirk on his face, even more so when you smile back at him and respond. "Everyone has to follow the rules. At least somewhat." 

If someone looked closer on the matter they might consider you somewhat biased, however.

Just as you both finish speaking, Tech all the sudden pulls his nose from his datapad and looks across to Wrecker; Making him turn his gaze from you. Good, because you always quickly run out of words to say while his full attention was on you.

“Wrecker,” Most the Batch looks over at Tech, who’s extended out an index finger in the direction of nothing in particular but towards the back of the ship. “We need some more crates of ammunition from the armory loaded onto the Marauder before we deploy next, if you will.” Wrecker nods, leaning forward enough that his elbows press into his thighs.

“No problem! I'll go get 'em in a bit.”

Those crates are huge, you think; Looking over at him just as Tech is telling him not to forget again.

You don't usually go into the storage areas; Though you have seen those ammunition crates a few times, and know that on you, they reach high enough that you’d have pretty big trouble moving one. Let alone multiple.

“Can you really lift all that? Those crates are massive...” Turning to look down at you beside him, Wrecker’s smile is wide as can be while he tenses his own forearm, making a fist.

“Yeah! That stuff’s easy. Just gotta know how to lift it, that’s the key.” You knew that he was inhumanly strong, however it seems every day you become a little bit more impressed at just how strong he really is.

You remember once he'd given you a giant hug and lifted you off the ground, trapping your arms against your side. It was impossible to remember what he'd even been hugging you for- probably just a hello, he was always overly friendly with you- but you remember Hunter yelling at him to not manhandle you while your legs dangled useless.

Needless to say, that display of such casual strength had left you, impressed.

However when it comes to Wrecker, you being impressed quickly changes into daydreaming about things far too inappropriate to be in your head during the daytime. You manage to avoid going down that path this time, though largely because you blurt out the first words that come into your head; Which also serves to be your undoing.

“Wow, when the Kaminoans wanted you to be strong they really meant it, heh...” Just as the words slip out of your mouth you wish more than anything you could just eat them up again; Hating how they sound so wispy and in awe of him.

Ok, that was way too obvious… I need to dial it down.

Wrecker thankfully however seems completely oblivious to how infatuated your flirty little sentence had sounded, which fills you with endless relief. He keeps talking, leaning closer to you over the armrest of his seat and ignoring all of his brothers.

To the side however almost out of view, you catch Crosshair rolling his eyes at you out of the corner of your own.

[flowers-the-sun-witch]

BMB day 2!

feat: @wizblr-blue-moon-ball's Lurien, and mentioning @hyper-lynx's Hemi and Liam!

The first thing Flowers realises about the ball that it was big.

Well, big might not be the right word for this situation. The main hall ahead of them sprawled out over a gigantic area, and guests who had arrived before them chat amongst themselves, glasses clinking and people laughing. A little ways away, behind a drawn-back curtain, some have taken to the dance floor, humans and elves and beastfolk and others who Flowers cannot categorise all coming together.

Above them, massive, gilded chandeliers dangle from tall ceilings held up with winding gold and silver beams, almost like a cathedral. Blue banners and sconces line the walls, also decorated with gold and other precious minerals that previously, they couldn't even imagine seeing in person. Many doors of all different sizes branch off from the atrium, although some seem to be locked off to guests and others don't even have proper doorknobs; they are instead almost plate-like discs, engravings of the moon carved into them.

Flowers feels incredibly out of place, surrounded by other attendees in outfits much more suited to an event such as this; all elegance and beauty, nothing like the simple blue dress and boots they're wearing. They slip off to the side, next to the door, and watch the guests. A clockwork construct puts a glass in their hands with surprising grace. Flowers thanks them, before moving on. A quick sip reveals it to taste of honey and something they can't place. Alcohol, probably, but that isn't it.

They glance around, trying to find someone recognisable that isn't Liam, Hemi or Lurien. Some part of them wants to talk to someone new, but they have had a surprising level of difficulty starting up a conversation with a stranger lately; it's probably nothing though. After all, out of the maybe fifty-something people in attendance, at least a couple have to somewhat know Flowers, right?

They dismiss that issue for later, taking another sip of their drink. To their side, a distinct portion of people have made their way to the snack tables. Flowers decides on a whim to go ahead and join them. After all, they'll want to try the good food before it all runs out— if it all runs out. With the size of the rest of this event, there's a good possibility that there will be leftovers by the end. Still, they do want to sneak some stuff out for later.

Shaking off these thoughts, Flowers makes their way to the snack tables. It's piled high with chocolates and puddings and other foods that they can't even name, much less know what they are. They pick up what they think is a brownie and take a bite; it almost melts in their mouth. They reach for another, but realise that they probably shouldn't take all the food for themself. They laugh quietly to themself, then make a mental note to ask for the recipe later. They might even actually learn how to cook for this, instead of just sending the instructions to their friend.

Flowers is suddenly aware of everyone moving toward the main floor, just in front of the second-storey walkway. They shove through the crowd a little, continually apologising (and ignoring the voice in their head that keeps calling them a Canadian), until they get to the bottom of the staircase. They see Hemi and Liam almost at the other side of the crowd, and almost start to move toward them, but everyone suddenly starts to quieten down and Flowers stops. They step back so they can see above the banister, on which Lurien is leaning with his glass, a warm smile across his face. He starts to speak.

"Good evening everyone! I'm honored to see so many of you in attendance. For those I haven't met in person yet, my name is Lurien. I look forward to getting to know you all tonight.

"The intent of this ball is to bring together members of our community and celebrate the arcane— so I raise a glass in toast of new friendships forged and old ones strengthened," Lurien says, raising his glass. Around Flowers, others do the same; they follow.

"To new friendships and broadening horizons, may you all enjoy the festivities tonight!"

Almost all glasses have been raised in toast, and as Flowers backs away from the crowd, the music starts. They grin, wider than usual.

This will be a fun night.

[satninbarbie]

my mama and i do this thing every sunday that we call 'sundays with elvis' where we watch one elvis movie (maybe two) and then put on elvis music, we talk about our week and sometimes they are elvis related things and sometimes they aren't but we try to include elvis as much as we can. (would you guys like to do a Sundays with Elvis maybe with me on here to just decompress after a long week? I would love it ♡)

this weekends thing that came up was the Priscilla movie (there is no direct hate to Priscilla in this so if you're looking for that you might wanna move on !!)

and none of y'all asked for this but this is just my take on it. this shit might be a little long so get ready.

nate fucking jacobs is that you?? i know it is, i feel bad stereotyping him because he's trying to branch out and go you, king, slay but stay away from my king. the vibes are just not right, not even a chance in hell for 60's Elvis. how can people think this even looks right. now, i know a lot of people felt that way about austin when he got the role of Elvis, nobody could ever be Elvis Presley, there is only one. austin at least gave off the vibes, the energy, dug deep into the soul and i don't know Jacob's process or whatever but something tells me with how fast this movie got rolling he didn't study our beloved. i know this move isn't about Elvis, he already has one and this one is about Priscilla.

also i find it to be funny that EPE wouldn't let them use Elvis' actual music in the movie and the little review they left saying "looks like a college movie, the set designs are horrific that's not what Graceland looks like." and while i agree with them, i think sofia has a certain style she does and that's respectable but however, i expected more for a movie like this.

not to mention Priscilla herself has said that she wished she wouldn't of told some of the stories the way she did and I respect her for saying she made mistakes but then again my question is, did she have any rights to the movie and did she talk to sofia about some of the exaggerations she admitted to? or did she just leave sofia to take those and run with them?

overall, I don't see Priscilla as a villain, satan or the wicked witch (or whatever anyone calls her) in any story but there are some things she has done that I don't agree with.

however, I will not see this movie because part of me has this gut feeling even though people have spoken out and said that it doesn't make Elvis look bad and part of me wants to believe that Priscilla loves him like she says she does and if this made Elvis look bad or tarnished him in anyway that she wouldn't be okay with it being released.

again, that's part of me hoping.

i'm not excited for this movie, i'm not too keen on sofia i've never liked her movies, i don't know how much to trust priscilla on this, she loves Elvis to this day and proves that but another part of me is very protective of Elvis like i think and hope priscilla would be (probably even more so because she was actually married to the man and knew him on a personal level whereas i didn't). i just adore Elvis but i will not see this movie or support it in anyway. i'm nervous if anything about this movie and part of me thinks i am for sure overreacting but i am certainly a drama queen.

~

i'd love to hear what you guys have to say, it doesn't even have to be about this, it can be about anything Elvis related. I'd love to chat. ♡

[ohraicodoll]

Figment | Chapter 2

(gif credit: sic-vita) Chapters:  2/7 Fandom:  The Sandman (Comics & TV 2022) Rating:  Mature Relationships:  Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Original Female Character, Dream/Reader Characters:  Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Original Female Character, Matthew the Raven, Lucienne Additional Tags: Mix of TV Dream and Comic Dream, Spice a little later, kinda enemies to lovers, Cause Dream likes when people backtalk to him, lots and lots of tension Summary: She had only been able to enter other’s dreams two years ago, but she knew the rules.

Don’t interfere with the dream. Don’t create anything in another’s dream. Don’t destroy anything in another’s dream.

But then she stupidly broke one of those rules and the Lord of Dreams does not take kindly to others messing with his domain. Chapter Summary:  Nightmares and Dream Kings. Read Here on AO3 Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Chapter 2

I was being paranoid.

The first week after seeing the mystery man I downed whatever caffeine drink I could find. Just an ungodly amount of caffeine and sugar that kept me up late and then had me crashing hard. Forcing a crash meant I didn’t dream as much and if I didn’t dream, maybe my little transgression would be forgotten about or unnoticed.

When my body started to get used to the caffeine and I found myself nodding off while typing, I started googling things like intermittent sleeping and if sleeping medication staved off dreaming. The answer was no. So I took to napping a couple hours at a time for the next few weeks, but never a full night's rest.

I was thinking about the mystery guy too much and because of that, I kept seeing him in the brief dreams I did have while napping. He peered into the glass window of the café I sat at while a cat served me coffee and a human girl napped on the floor. When I walked across the branches of 100-foot-tall trees, I could feel those black endless eyes following me from far below on the forest floor. As I walked on the ocean floor with a large jellyfish chatting my ear off, I could have sworn it was his reflection I saw on the surface of the water, large and looming.

Thinking too much about something could bring it into the dreaming and since I was so anxious, he was going to appear of course. Right?

The intermittent napping wasn’t working unless the goal was to give me bags under my eyes the size of a bean bag chair. Another downside was that I was an adult that needed to work an adult job that required focus, which was not something I had.

After sending the same email to the wrong person three times in a row, I gave up and decided to take a sick day halfway through lunch. A girl had to eat and getting fired for fucking up an important document and emailing the wrong vendors wasn’t going to help the situation. I was going to have to sleep. This wasn’t sustainable and it’s not like that was actually the Lord of Dreams!

Of course not.

I splashed water on my face in the bathroom to try and shake off the increasing numbness I’d been feeling. It was disconcerting how much I’d been feeling this way in the past two years. Almost like the real world was the dream and vice versa. I felt like a shadow and after the few weeks of restless days and nights I’d been having, I wasn't even a solid shadow. I was thin and flimsy and my skin was looking a bit more faded.

My coworkers were chalking it up to the breakup but honestly, I hadn’t even thought of Thomas that much. Which probably said something in itself about how attached I had been in the relationship. He’d tried to stop by the office since I’d blocked him but luckily, we had a receptionist who gave me the heads up and he was told I was out of town for a conference. Jennine was a real one.

Hoisting my bag on my shoulder, I began the walk back to my apartment fifteen minutes away. The plan would be to go home, get some sleep, and if I dreamed I would stay strictly in my own. I hadn’t gone into anyone else’s since Thomas because no way was I risking that, but maybe if I was being watched I could act like I was completely normal and he’d move on.

Completely normal and not able to go walking around people’s dreams or remember them during the day or able to break your ex-boyfriend’s dreams out of drunken anger. Normal. I could do that. I had years and years of practice before two years ago, I could totally do that.

Pausing at the crosswalk for the lights to switch, I ran a hand over my tired face. Everything was a blur around me, barely registering, and the combination of heat and humidity from a passing Summer rain pressed onto me.

I was exhausted but anxious, the two pulling my brain in every direction. There was no telling how long I could keep this up. If that was the dreamlord and he was onto me, he was far more powerful than I was. He was already outlasting me. But what exactly did I do wrong? I didn’t ask for any of this.

A loud bird caw right above my head made me jump, startled, a few seconds before I realized my foot had slipped off the curb and into the street right as a semi-truck passed by. The world came back into loud, sharp focus and the truck blared a honk as it drove passed and my heart raced.

Blinking, I looked up to find a very large raven perched on the streetlight above me. It’s head quirked and then it fluffed up its feathers.

My heart was hammering and hands shaking from the close call, but I couldn’t help myself from staring at the bird. For a second, I wondered if I was dreaming and the raven had been trying to warn me.

“Thanks for that,” I muttered under my breath then shook myself, starting to walk forward as the walk sign turned on.

I needed sleep. I had thanked a bird. And I definitely had most likely hallucinated it bowing its head with a look of understanding before it took off into the sky.

_________

The forest was cold and foggy, the treetops so large and encompassing that I couldn’t even see the sky if I tried to in the utter darkness. My breath was coming out in ragged breaths, small puffs of white blowing in the cold.

I was in a nightmare. I hadn’t had one in so long, but the sleeplessness and exhaustion had probably brought it on.

My heart was thumping loudly in my ears and the sounds were so loud around me. Tiny snaps of branches. The chittering of bugs and night creatures. I swallowed and tried to calm myself. I couldn’t wake myself up if I wasn’t calm.

Something was watching me. I could feel its eyes on my back like heat searing my skin. I knew I shouldn’t turn, shouldn’t look behind me, but I couldn’t help it. Holding my breath, I slowly turned my eyes to look over my shoulder into the darkness of the forest. For a second everything was quiet and still except for the soft rasps of my frantic breathing.

Then eyes appeared and then more eyes, hundreds of eyes and dozens of mouths smiling dangerously in stark relief against the black void. I could see the slight inky movement of tentacles reaching and grasping the trees around it.

And then it started to run or whatever version of running a giant mass of eyes and teeth and tentacles could do, grabbing whatever it could to pull itself forward. It was so fast, so very fast and cackling and it rushed towards me.

I took off running.

The monstrous thing laughed, trees breaking under its grip as it bulldozed forward. I flew, hopping over broken logs and dead leaves. My feet were bare, each slap against the forest floor like sharp spikes through my heels, and all I had on was what I had passed out in, jeans and an oversized shirt. The cold stung and the small branches easily tore through the thin fabric and sliced up my skin.

It was gaining on me. I knew it. I wasn’t a runner, never had been, and even in this dream world I could feel the sharp ache in my sides that reminded me of that fact. I tried to choke out a cry for help but the cold ate the words away. There were eyes in the forest, eyes all around me, pressing in against me in the darkness. No moon, no stars, only a void and the cold.

There was a door ahead in the distance. I almost sobbed in relief and tried to force myself a little farther. If I reached it, I’d be safe. It couldn’t follow me through into someone else’s dream. There were rules to the creatures that inhabited the dream world and unlike me, they had to follow them.

Tears stung and I could feel the sharp bite of a dozen little cuts all over my body.

Just a little bit more. The monster laughed louder, closer, teeth gnashing.

My body slammed into the wood of the door, the impact reverberating through me and my own teeth slamming together as I desperately reached for the door handle. It turned easily but when I opened it, my stomach dropped.

It didn’t lead anywhere. The frame stood on its own and the other side was only more forest except now there were rows and rows of doors on either side like a hallway without walls. I shook, sobbing, and ran through grabbing the next door’s handle on the left.

Empty. I grabbed the one across. Another empty frame. Another and another. Each one led nowhere but gaped wide back into the dark forest like a never-ending taunt. There was no escaping.

The monster was so close and I could see the thrashing of its tentacles whipping around in the darkness. It was so big, impossibly huge as it came closer. I screamed in frustration and fear as one by one the doors led nowhere. Closer and closer, the mouths talked in a chorus of echoing voices, calling my name and mocking me.

Could I die in a nightmare? I had heard about some that were so scared in dreams that they gave themselves a stroke. I had heard of sleep paralysis and then there was dying in your sleep from unknown causes. And I was more aware in dreams, could feel the echoes of them in the real world. Could it kill me?

I shook another door knob in rage and screamed at it, watching it swing back into the open air.

Tentacles wrapped around the frame of the main door that had led me here, no longer running but curling slowly and dragging its body through. So many eyes, wet and roaming all over its body and taking me in. The mouths were fanged and sharp and grinned at me.

“...so ssssscaaared….soooo aloooone…” its mouths whispered, the voice sliding along my skin like thick, sticky tar.

I backed up, staring at this monstrous creature with disgust and terror. I couldn’t even feel the pain of sticks stabbing the underside of my feet, the small droplets of blood welling up and staining the forest floor.

It was only a few yards away now, grasping empty door frames to pull itself forward, body squeezing and filling the narrow corridor between doors.

I kept stepping backwards, away, but not sure where to run or if I turned around and tried more doors it would grab me and rip me to shreds with all its teeth. Wake up. Wake up! The words pounded through my head. My back hit wood and I could feel another door at my back. End of the line. I desperately reached for the doorknob blindly and let out another sob when it didn’t even open. Locked.

Of course.

“...nooo…where…to..runnnnnnn” the monster hissed mockingly, chuckling as it towered over me.

It lunged. I screamed.

The door opened behind me and arms yanked me back harshly, my body falling backward.

I was still screaming when the door slammed shut and dissolved, leaving me in nothing but an empty black void.

There was no light, no sense of ground or sky or walls, but I could see perfectly. I was shaking so badly. The arms wrapped around my waist let go unceremoniously and I fell to my knees, heaving in deep breaths and shuddering with how hard I was sobbing. It took me a while to understand that I was out of the nightmare, that I was safe. I think. But finally, shaking and face completely wet with tears, I forced myself to sit upright and look over my shoulder at the person who had grabbed me.

The stranger. There he was, standing in the void, towering over my hunched form.

Instead of a peacoat this time, a long inky cloak flowed around him like flickering shadows, flames dancing along the edges. He blended in with the void, made of pure darkness and moonlight. His skin was so pale, like marble, and his hair was a mess of black surrounding a face sculpted sharply from porcelain. But those eyes. Black, pure black, with twin stars staring directly at me, drilling into me. It hadn’t been a trick of the shadows back in the bar.

“It’s you,” I whispered breathlessly.

“So it would appear,” he replied, soft but powerful, like silk in thunderstorms.

The momentary relief halted, fear returning to flood my veins. I wasn’t sure if I should stand, stay kneeling on the ground, or make a run for it. But where could I even go? He quirked his head almost like he could read my thoughts. Could he read my thoughts?

I settled for slowly pulling myself off the floor, my legs weak from the effort. My clothes were torn and shredded from dirt and blood and the dew of the fog, hair matted to my face and neck. But I tried to at least stand with some dignity even if my feet felt like they’d fall off.

“You-,” I licked my lips and could taste coppery blood, “You’ve been in all my dreams lately.”

His face was an unmovable mask as he peered at me with those black eyes, “I have.”

“You’re the dreamlord,” it came out a shaky whisper, as if speaking it out loud would cause the door to burst open and the monster to come in. But he heard me, the barest twitch of a raised eyebrow.

“It seems you do, in fact, know of me,” he replied, almost mockingly, “So I can also assume you are not as ignorant as you try to seem about what you have been doing in my realm.”

I winced, hands balling into a fist at my side. I was scared and nervous and intimidated but there was this feeling deep down of indignation that I wasn’t sure about, “I vaguely know of you, but I didn’t think you were real. Just nonsense adults tell kids.”

“I assure you I am very real,” his words held weight as he took a step forward, “I am Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, and Lord of the Dreaming. And I believe, little dreamer, it is time we had words.”

I blinked and suddenly, my clothes were back to normal. No sign of damage or blood or dirt from my run through the forest. I couldn’t feel any of the scrapes and cuts anymore, though there was still a ghost of pain from where they had been. I was whole again, in one way at least.

Morpheus stepped forward, a good head taller than me and radiating a power I could feel all around me, “You interfered with another’s dream- a dream you should not have been able to access in the first place. And now you seek to hide from me.”

I swallowed, staring up into those bottomless eyes, and tried to find my voice, “I…did, but not on purpose!…I- I mean not the interfering part, I did enter another’s dream and I did try to hide but-”

One of his eyebrows raised as I bumbled my way through an explanation, “I did intend to enter the dream but I was drinking and I was upset and it wasn’t my best moment and before I knew it I was breaking things and-”

“Enough,” he cut me off. “You knowingly entered this man’s dream?”

Shrugging halfheartedly, I sighed, “I didn’t know it was going to be his, but I did know it was someone else’s dream. It’s…something I’ve been able to do for a couple of years. For some reason, before that, I couldn’t even remember my dreams, much less mess around with them.”

His jaw clenched and eyes danced away, a move so subtle I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if he wasn’t hovering over me. “There were…circumstances that kept most away from the Dreaming for a long time. Even thus so, a dream walker has not entered this realm in centuries and for good reason,” Morpheus spoke.

The term dream walker rolled in my head, settling in as if to yes, “Yes, yes, that’s what we are.”

But I frowned, the fear and tension starting to become an even tenor, almost like my body was getting used to being high strung and therefore it was less intense. Afraid but not as much. Dream was intimidating and powerful, but something itched in the back of my head that whispered, “He’s only a man.”

Dream walkers had been around though. My grandmother had said she had the gift when she was a kid and that it ran in the family. She wouldn’t have known about it unless she had done it herself so that was a lie.

“Or maybe they all learned how to not get caught,” I mumbled absentmindedly before realizing I had said it out loud. The implication that he’d been outsmarted, that they’d been under his nose and he didn’t even know it.

His eyes instantly returned back to mine, a flicker of anger in them as the twin stars burned red. And that pleased me for some reason. Like I, a mere mortal, was able to get a reaction from him.

“I am the Dreaming,” he practically growled, “This is my realm and you deliberately have broken my laws. Mortals cannot traverse through other’s dreams.”

“If that’s so, why can I?” I snapped back. It was like an out of body experience. The exhaustion and anxiety and frustration from the last few weeks of pushing myself to the limit to hide from him had it all rearing up. He’d caught me, there was no more hiding, but is what I did so reprehensible?

“I didn’t ask to be able to do this. It just happened and you know what, I’m not sorry,” I bit out, straightening myself out and standing taller, “Yes, I did go into another person’s dream but I didn’t know it would be Thomas’. But even then, that asshole deserves to have his little fantasy smashed to bits.”

It had to be delirium that was propelling my mouth, because I’d gone insane. Morpheus’ lips pursed and those twin stars flashed in his eyes as he stepped closer, bearing down on me.

“You dare-”

“For two years, I’ve been a good girl and didn’t interfere once,” I cut him off, anger roaring in my ears, “I do it one time and you’re acting like I might as well have killed someone. So how about we call that fucked up little nightmare that tried to eat me a slap on the wrist, I agree to not mess with anyone again, and call it a day because I am tired of turning around and seeing you in every corner of my dreams.”

He stepped forward again, so close I could feel his breath on me. Power rolled off him, his cloak whipping around our feet angrily. The flames from the inky fabric did not burn as they danced off him and brushed against me, the cloak sliding along my skin whispering of dreams and nightmares and stars and shadows and stories so ancient. In the vastness of the black void we stood in, he seemed darker than the mind could fathom.

The Dream King glowered, otherworldly and beautiful and full of fury, and glared down straight into me with hot anger, “You deem to tell me what I should do, little dreamer? You have no idea the games you play. The Dreaming is not your playground to do as you like and I am not yours to command.”

I raised my chin, “What is dreaming if not a place where you can play out your fantasies? I didn’t hurt anyone and I don’t see how I’m yours to command either so we’re done here.”

The corner of Morpheus’ lip twitched in unamused humor. “Impertinent little thing,” he whispered coolly, so close to me I could feel it.

“Well you’re really going to hate this,” I muttered, craning my neck to stare back directly into his eyes, almost a challenge.

I could see Morpheus knit his brow as he tried to guess at my words but by the time his mouth formed the shape to yell at me, I’d already quickly whispered out my command.

“Wake up.”

There was no melting away. One second, I was staring up at an angry ancient being and the next, I was jolting upright and breathing hard. My hands gripped the bedsheets, straining to ground myself in some way in the real world. I was awake, the room was whole and empty. No cuts on my feet, no swirling black cloak. No black void, no angry Morpheus. Safe.

I cupped my face in my hands, groaning loudly as my skin settled into normal gravity. I could still feel that anger roiling inside me but reality was taking hold, dousing it quickly in ice as the realization of what I’d done settled in. I hadn’t been drunk this time, had only been fueled by exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and the fear from the nightmare. But still, I had yelled at the Dream King.

I had essentially yelled at him and then shut a metaphysical door right in his face. What was wrong with me?

I was so fucking dead.

[ghostjelliess]

Cinderella's sassy ass

I'm reading this German version of Aschenputtel and first of all, it's her mom's money. Her dad comes back with a new wife and she doesn't mind cus that's normal, but then they're all just spending all the money and she's getting more stressed as they're dismissing servants. Like, this family has a pidgin coop big enough for a whole person to hide in (it's Cinderella who hides there lol). Anyway, daddy dearest is going to the festival with the boys and asks what they want. Playing into his fantasy charade, the first step sister says jewels and pearls, the second says pretty dresses, and he turns to Cinderella, who has become their maid out of necessity and irritation, refusing to spend her dead mother's money outside the first year of mourning, says the equivalent of "oh, father remembers me? Oh father, a stick, bring me a stick and I shall be happy, the first stick you see, that will be enough for me (...to beat myself to death with because y'all are stupid and we're gonna starve)."

So he goes to the festival for like, actual days, while Cindy-relly cares for the entire estate alone. Her clothes are scrubs, she cooks and cleans and preserves food and plants the garden and is trying her best not to die within the same year as her forgotten mother, while her father dances through the festival with his fellow Rich BrosTM, refusing to listen to her lectures about fiscal responsibility and basically agreeing with the whole family that she's just such a debbie-downer ughhhh gross. So on his way home with his trunks of dresses and jewels, a branch AT THE GATE OF THE HOUSE hits his hat and he's like "oh shiiiiiiit, I forgot about my little Ash-sweeper, damn. Good thing there's sticks everywhere, phew." He breaks off the branch and calls them all down and presents the ridiculous outfits to his new daughters and wife and literally hands Cinderella the branch like "here... you wanted this. I don't know why but you said..." *shakes entire tree limb at her*

Cinder-soot gapes at them all, but takes her new pet with an awkward "an avocado... thaaaaaaaanks..." and sticks it in a vase while chatting with her BFF birds and watching her house fall apart. There's only so much she can do, and boy howdy she's tired of doing it alone. When the hazelnut branch has roots, she goes to plant it on her mother's grave and it grows super fast. These two white doves take up residence in the tree as her leveled-up bird best friends because they get to eat magical hazelnuts that fed on her mom's rotting corpse, but we're just going to brush over that. They live in the pidgin house and grant her wishes and make cleaning way easier, so it's fine.

So the king throws another festival, or whatever, and all the eligible maidens must come. Cinderella is an eligible maiden, she follows rules, she must go. Step-mom agrees, she should go, but ohhhhhh noooooo, I spilled this dish of ash and lentils, you have to pick it all up before you can go. Cinderalla is an eligible maiden who follows all the rules, she must pick up the ash and sort the lentils before she can go. She starts to panic-sing and the birds come help her get all the bits back into the plate. She skips into the room and present her step-mother (who she is bound by household rules and propriety to follow the orders of), excited that she can go. Step-mother takes the dish, genuinely impressed, somewhat confused, and maybe a little concerned, and right in cindy-boo-boo's face, drops it again, "oh shoot... I'm so clumsy... there's no way you'll be ready in time now."

Cinderella is a one-task-minded kind of person though, and she's really set her heart on following the orders of the king, so she starts panic crying a second time, and again, the birds help just like day-one ghosts of her mom should. This time, she runs out with the plate to find her family getting in the carriage to go and her dad waves with a shrug, frowning "you don't have anything nice to wear anyway, kiddo. You wanted that stick, remember? Besides, you can't dance, you'll embarrass us."

What a saint, what a guy, what a special center-fold feature of Daddy Issues.

So she cries by the grave of her mom, by the special magic tree, because they're right. She can't go, she's breaking the law, she's going to be outcasted before she even enters society, stuck as their maid forever. If she tries to join next season, they'll ask where she was at the King's orders, and they'll know she's a Bad Person who doesn't follow the rules, or she'll be killed!

The tree interrupts her pity party, dropping a whole gold and silver ball gown and shoes and the birds chirp. She gets ready and runs to join the festival in town. Her family sees her and thinks she's a foreign princess; the prince sees her and dances with her, and refuses to dance with anyone else because if he let go of her hand, surely another would take it. Another prince tries to cut in while they're chatting and taking a break and our Prince steps in front of her and says "she is my partner."

Ashy-soot-foot got tired and wanted to go home and the Prince says he'll walk her there, he wants to see where such a pretty lady lives, and she laughs and walks for a while, but when they get too close, she hikes up her skirt and sprints away, jumping into the pidgin house while the prince is turned away. The magic birds take her dress and she jumps out the other entrance of the roost and darts inside.

The Prince is left lingering at the wall of their estate, confused, wondering if she was a ghost, when the family arrive. The Prince asks Daddy Darling who lives there, and broski introduces his family, but the Prince describes his Perfect Woman, and the family laughs and says there is only what's-her-face inside. They're all pretty wasted, so they get a bunch of axes and hatches and Papa and Prince literally chop down the pidgin house until they're sure no one is inside. The family enter to find Cinderella at the fire, reading or whatever not-like-other-Girls do and fall into their beds after making fun of her for being malnourished and super-short. The birds do not like this, they start to attack, but ya'girl has had a long day, calling them off.

The next day the same thing happens, but she doesn't whine to join them. She waits for the fam to leave, then runs to the tree and asks for a dress and gets an even prettier one. Skipping to the festival and looking for her charming stalker Prince like a creep, she is happy to see him pouty and glowering at a line of friends pushing him to dance, refusing to have fun or dance with any of them until he sees her. He asks her to dance and again, throughout the whole night, refuses to let anyone else cut in, claiming each time "that's my partner" until they backed off. Again, she got tired and wanted to go home, but this time, he walks her back and follows very closely, keeping a careful eye. But once again, Cindy-swiftfoot gets away, because it's her house and the birds like her and she knows all the secret spots. They're just strolling down a road together, when suddenly, she jumps the low wall, dodges through the kitchen garden of herbs and bushy vegetables, and scampers up into a pear tree as light as a squirrel and the Prince blinks "wondering what became of her" (which means either he lost her again cus it was dark and they're probs drunk OR, my preferred interpretation, he saw her climb the tree and wondered if she was like... a tree-person, or a fairy, or something, just watching her from the garden gate cus it's rude to trespass even though he's a Prince).

Again, the father came home, and drunk papa and prince cut down the tree until they were certain there was no one trapped in it. C-Daddy explains that Cinderella isn't really social, she's like, ugh, responsible and stuff, she would never go to a festival. One time he offered to get her a dress with her dead-mom's fortune and all she wanted was a stupid stick, what a prude.

Cinderella, meanwhile, had either left her dress in the tree for the birds to carry away and jumped down on the other side, in the dark, no longer glittering, so the Prince didn't see her come down, OR used the tree to climb into her room and that's just not something girls in pretty dresses do, so they cut down the tree and probably ate pears for weeks looking for the girl they thought was hiding there. Dad, step-mom, and sisters pop in, all curious and swaying to, once again, find Ashy-Ash putzing around the fireplace, reading or sewing or darning socks or whatever DIY nonsense of the day kept their house standing.

Finally, on the last day of the festival, 'Drella waits for them to leave, goes to the hazelnut grave, and pulls out a dress of moonlight and wonder (which we are assured does come from the magic birds and the hazelnut tree, she is NOT pilfering the grave goods of her dead princess-mom). She goes to the festival and meets her Prince for her last day, because the house won't last, and the king's orders were only for the festival, but it's nice to feel wanted each time he starts a new dance with her; it's nice to be spoken to as an equal, as someone with thoughts and dreams and goals and not the scourge of Satan ruining all the fun. The night ends and the Prince goes to walk her home, but her plan to escape him on the final day is just to sprint as fast as she can away from him. It works, because she is small but stupid-fast. She rushes past him in a blur, already too far ahead to catch, and the Prince sighs, absolutely smitten.

But he's not dumb. He knew she would run, and he knew the vague direction she would go, since he'd walked her almost-home twice. He had coated the alley stairs in pitch to stop her from running away, and it also works. Cinderella's foot gets stuck in the sticky mess, but, unexpectedly to the royal Prince, but second nature to the rowdy keeper-of-all-things Aschenputtel, she just steps out of the shoe, leaving it behind. This is ridiculous, people don't walk barefoot, they don't leave golden shoes behind! But already she is gone and the stubborn Prince has only a conjured shoe left behind.

The next day he goes to Cinderella's father's house with the shoe. She lives there somewhere, three times she disappeared on their property. He pounds on the door and says he will marry the beautiful woman who lives there and fits the shoe, right now! The vicar is in the car waiting, let's go, bring her out!

Taking the shoe, the step-mother retreats to her daughters' room, holding the shoe out to the eldest as they all giggled about their luck. But the shoe was too small, and even though they were very proud of their beautiful feet (because Cinder-foot did all the walking), the step-mother tells her to cut off her pinky toe so the shoe fits, when she's queen, she'll never have to walk anyway. She does, happily, and the Prince, confused but convinced by the shoe, reluctantly walks her to his horse, ready to ride all the way to the castle.

But those meddling birds, absolutely hating the sisters, start crying and picking at her feet, until the Prince sets chivalry aside enough to look at what all the fuss is about, and finds her foot bleeding all up in his precious shoe, gross! He stomps back to the house, tosses her in, and tells them to try again. The step-mother convinces the second sister to cut off a slice of her heel to fit the shoe, and again, the Prince believes them and walks her to his horse, lifting her up and riding past the grave, until the birds attack her feet before they reach the gate, and he finds his mysterious maiden's golden shoe scarlet and ruined with their blood. He turns the horse around and rides directly up to the door, pushing the sister off, "this is the wrong one. I'll let you try one more time." It is a threat, and the father hears it.

The father stutters forward, confused and hungover and annoyed that all they have to eat are pears, still trying to find whoever cut down his pidgin coop, points to his wife and step-daughters, "these are the only people here. There are no servants. My last wife left a daughter, but she's a runt, it's impossible you met her, she's tiny and ugly, and doesn't know how to have fun. She doesn't go to festivals, and one time I asked her what she wanted, like a dress, or a trinket, or a mirror, and all she wanted was a--"

"A stick, yes, you said." The Prince narrows his eyes down at the father, sighing with a snap of his fingers, "bring her out."

"Oh, no way, she's all dirty. Covered in dirt and ash and gross." The entire family tries to explain at once, "it would be far too embarrassing to present her to you, your royal highness."

The Prince smiles stiffly, glancing at the ruined shoe sitting in a bloody puddle on the stoop, resting his hand on the sword at his hip while even his beloved horse rolls its eyes. But they really don't want to bring her out, so he finally sighs and dismounts, boots creaking, "it's an order."

Cinderella's sisters drag her through the kitchen, doing their best to trip her and cover her in dust and flour as they wrangle her to the door, explaining that it was a prince's orders. Humiliated at her appearance covered in sweat and dirt and dough, dirt under her nails, her hair still greasy from the night before, wooden clogs on from weeding the dewy herb garden, Cinderella digs her heels in, wiping her face on her apron, cleaning herself up as much as she can while the sisters laugh at her. They toss her in front of the Prince, sending her jolting into his chest as she leaps over the stark red shoe, her wooden clogs thudding loudly off her small feet.

Eager not to be tricked a third time, the Prince ignores chivalry and points to the shoe, urging her to try it on without getting excited. She slides her foot in, revealing a perfect fit (OR pulls out her own golden slipper which she'd kept as a keepsake), and the Prince, not quite ready to believe anyone yet, scoops her into a dance, spinning her around the yard and then into a hug, proclaiming that this is the right one, this is his maiden! He knows her despite the rags and dirt, and she could definitely whoop all they asses in a run and if they don't let them go in peace. He will make them race for the title. The two step-sisters, profusely bleeding from their open wounds, stop holding her back and the Prince pulls her onto his horse, probably flipping off the father, as the birds soar above them as they leave the house. As they passed the grave, the hazel bush wilts in a final farewell, the last of the magic used up, her mother finally at peace with Cinderella's freedom.

The day of their wedding arrives and Cinderella sits like a queen in her chariot as she is paraded through the city toward the church, every bit as splendid as her mother once was, back straight and proud, the white birds perched on each shoulder. As her mother's fortune was squandered the minute she left the house, her step-sisters jump at her, desperate to curry favor, for if she only recognized them publicly, they could be the sisters of the Princess. The eldest step-sister limps on her right side, the youngest on her left, but Cinderella does not greet them. They reach for her, enraged, and the birds on her shoulder each pecked at at eye; Aschen-Put-Your-Eye-Out does not call them off. The screaming sisters let go as the procession approaches the church.

After the ceremony, Cin-D-rella emerges with her new husband, and again, her step-sisters lunge forward, demanding the recognition of the Prince and Princess, the crowd surging around them in confusion. The Prince looks at his new wife's stony expression and shrugs beside her "I've never seen these people in my life." The guards move in to drag the sisters away, but before they can, the ghost-birds peck out their other eye in repayment for all the apologies they owed. Cinderella waltzes easily down the cathedral steps beside her Prince, smiling at all the ways they might make their kingdom better economically, the Prince joking that he might not be able to catch her if she runs away again, but his horse could... probably, and the family that took advantage of the only responsible person in their party was left to suffer the rest of their lives in all the ways they'd once mocked Cinderella, stooped short and streaked with dirt.

[kyogre-blue]

Got another ending in Kaveh’s hangout. I think I’ll have to consider this one to have 4 branches, since I can tell the other ending in this “branch” will be about Kaveh’s mother and her notebook, so the content might be fairly different. 

This branch has Alhaitham (sigh) and ruminations about the nature of art and the meaning it brings to life. It’s... more of the same really, in that it’s not awful but it’s quite incoherent and doesn’t really flow. 

Aside from the meaning of art incoherence, I have to say that this continues the trend from Kaveh’s bio in that they present things that are quite similar to everyday real life in a way that makes it seem like the writers have no basic understanding of the real world. 

In Kaveh’s bio, they had that ridiculous mess about how group projects work. (What the hell was Alhaitham even doing, driving people off the project because they “couldn’t keep up,” like, bro....... that’s not how group projects work...)

Here, we have the writers apparently not understanding how libraries work, even slightly. 

Point 1: They have a tradition of writing in the library books. 

And of course, this leads to cases where the notations cause problems.

Point 2: Kaveh thinks it’s fine to rearrange library books at will... but also the “Grand Conservator” rearranged the books based on complaints from students about Kaveh’s long notes, implying they don’t have some kind of structure for arranging the books in the first place...? How do they find things, then. 

Point 3: There’s apparently no rules about keeping quiet in the library. Alhaitham here might be lying like usual, but he’s suggesting that Kaveh is talking very loudly in the House of Daena, and Kaveh mentions that they met when Kaveh saw several other students chatting away near Alhaitham. Neither of these instances prompt any comments about what is appropriate in a library, so the loud talking is fine??

Like, I know Sumeru had that all but forgotten point about how the existence of the Akasha made them devalue books (among other things), but like... this is such a mess. 

This one is not only at best a huge stretch in regard to real life (many people do not consider schooling their “best years,” and it just reflects on the writers that apparently they do), but it also doesn’t make sense for the Sumeru setting. 

Many, MANY characters have conveyed how awful and soul crushing it is to be a student at the Akademiya. Remember Alrani, who would rather get kidnapped than have to work on her thesis anymore? Remember Layla, who is so stressed that she developed a wholeass split personality? Like, these are not people who are going to look back on Akademiya with fondness. 

Additionally, Akademiya is their government?? Half the cast is STILL “at the Akademiya.” They’re employed there, they don’t leave. This is just the writers substituting college/high school with Akademiya when it’s not actually one to one. 

Then, we have Alhaitham’s long monologue about Kaveh: 

This is like......... OK, so this hangout starts when Kaveh straight up walks out on his client. In the tavern, he makes it clear that he’s concerned about doing so because it would have repercussions for his reputation and clients might not want to work with him. Which makes sense. 

What Alhaitham is saying here is..... nonsense? Yes, of course Kaveh spends a lot of time trying to meet his clients’ demands. That’s his job?? 

And yeah, sure, maybe there are architects with bad tempers who get held up as paragons of “staying true to one’s principles,” but the people holding them are probably not their clients. Notice how he very nicely doesn’t bring up whether those inferior architects make any money or even receive any worthwhile work. (Adding on that, if you want to create things as an architect, you must have clients, because otherwise you won’t have the money to create anything. So even from the standpoint of fulfilling his own drive as an artist, Kaveh still needs to take commissions.) 

Alhaitham: have you considered becoming a primadonna that only does passion projects once in a blue moon

Alhaitham, “Admonishing Instruction”: I gave him advice one time, and he broke up with me. Never doing that again. 

And those differences will remain unresolved forever because god forbid Genshin change the status quo after the local Archon quest is over. 

Puzzling comment, to me. Wouldn’t higher-quality timber mean a sturdier, more long-lasting structure? Why is this a matter of aesthetics? 

Kaveh’s comments on art: 

ok, that’s fine.

sure.

ok, also understandable.

(these are from two different conversations, but they fit together pretty well and I missed the dialogue box before the last one)

The last quote is what Kaveh considers as the meaning of art. To create things that can move people, even across time. 

The funny thing is that his definition excludes Nilou’s performances because they are impermanent. Additionally, iirc the original flow of this speech is not quite this smooth. I think he goes back into “art is so painful” at some point, in a way that made me go “you can be passionate about things that aren’t art, dude.” 

AND THEN he drags “divine inspiration” back into it, which doesn’t.... have anything to do with what he’s been saying.......

Kaveh: art comes from believing in and capturing the nuances of daily life. it’s something that moves the soul and will immortalize the artist as their creations are acknowledged across countless years

Kaveh: maybe the gods make you do it

Where the hell did the gods come from??

Assorted comments: 

You don’t know him? If you didn’t play the Sumeru wizard games, you’ve literally only seen him in a few very short scenes with Alhaitham. 

If you have played the wizard tournament, you still barely know him! Like four fifth of what we know of him comes from eavesdropping, no less. 

Why are all you idiots always digging in the desert. Does your damn jungle not have ay buildings for you to investigate? 

Kaveh is more than cool with bragging while also being self-conscious and having too little self-esteem. 

Jumping to conclusions. The woman took one small suitcase with her because she wanted to leave her past behind. But surely the only reason she’d leave behind a book filled with her past is....... for Kaveh. Yup. 

How and why would Haravatat, a darshan she wasn’t even part of, find out her diary password. What is even the point of this comment?  

Rare instance of having a ballpark age! Kaveh is at least 25. 

[vanishingreyes]

TIMING: December LOCATION: Xóchitl’s house PARTIES: Alan and Xóchitl SUMMARY:  In the never ending quest to better himself, Alan decides to make amends and apologize to his neighbor. It’s not too awful. CONTENT WARNINGS: None!

This was stupid. He wasn’t sure why he was even doing this. Yes, to be the better person, but right now, he felt like the embodiment of regrets, standing in front of Xochitl’s front door with a homemade cake in his hands. He’d been craving tres leche cake for a bit but it was not precisely a good idea to cook a whole cake for oneself, and he figured this was better than an olive branch. 

He knocked at the front door, and immediately started wishing that she weren’t home. The car was parked in front of her house, but maybe she had gone for a walk.

Alan shook his head, snowflakes falling off graying curls as he already took his first step off her front stairs.

__

She’d been doing nothing much more than lounging around on her couch, in her lazy day outfit – which, of course, still looked very put together. Xóchitl wasn’t going to risk looking anything other than good, even if she had no plans for anybody other than herself to see her.

So when there was a knock on the door, she raised an eyebrow in confusion – because she hadn’t ordered any food, and she wasn’t expecting anyone over, and yet still, she made her way over, pulled open the door, and only raised her eyebrow more sharply. “Alan? What brings you here? Did you lose something? Need some butter or flour or something?”

__

“I…” His eyebrows furrowed and Alan’s gaze fell to the snow covered front steps, to the marks his shoes had left there. He supposed he hadn’t lost anything recently, even if he already missed Gael. He also supposed she didn’t mean people, but rather his keys, or something in his front yard. “No, I didn’t lose something,” He shook his head again, and, looking up at his neighbor, tried to find a proper way to let her know why he had come all the way to her front door. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Because he noticed she was in lounge wear, and that he owned a cardigan just like hers, in a different color. “Alpaca wool yeah?” He inquired, because that was easier than an apology, wasn’t it.

Clearing his throat, he extended a tupperware box containing a few slices of cake toward her. “I made too much, I figured you might…” He sighed. They hadn’t spoken since he’d sent Siobhan her way and Alan found out that his plans had failed. “I suppose I wanted to have a chat with you.” 

__

“You’re not interrupting anything, no.” Xóchitl shook her head, though the look of confusion still hadn’t left her face. Because while she was in no way opposed to getting any sort of attention, or having people come by her place, Alan was fairly close to the bottom of company that she’d expect. The two of them just hadn’t gotten off on the right foot – at all, and everything seemed to have snowballed and neither one of them was the sort to back down first.

She nodded. “It is Alpaca wool, good eye.” Something close to giving in, but he was being nice, and it only felt right for her to give him something in return. “Oh – that’s very nice of you.” Xóchitl nodded for him to come in. “Come on in, then. Can I get you anything to eat, or drink? What … do you need to talk to me about?”

__

His lips pursed into a thin line, which was the closest he’d get to smiling right then. “I… yeah. I have the same one in navy blue,” rubbing at the back of his neck, Alan was already trying to find an excuse to leave on the spot when she invited him in. Great, well there was no way to politely decline, not when he had no one waiting for him at home, no plans, nothing else to do. He supposed he only had himself to blame for his situation, and this was why he needed seriously to work on improving his situation. 

“I… A drink I suppose would be nice,” he nodded. It definitely would help with his nerves. With a sigh, the werewolf caved in, and stepped inside, brushing his shoes on the mat carefully before further walking in. “I’ve never been in your house,” he noted, taking a look around. It was well decorated, tasteful, which you could tell from the look on his face alone. “It’s nice.”

__

“A drink I can always do. Should I surprise you, or do you have a preference? I have most things.” Because Xóchitl could hardly go two days without drinking something, but Alan didn’t need to know that. Just that she had exquisite taste in alcohol. 

“I am aware, yeah.” She looked over, not wanting to insult him, or make him think she was being intentionally rude. That could come at another time, but right now, since he was trying – or doing a damn good job at faking it – she’d refrain. “Thank you. It’s not maximalist, thank god. Not that – if you have that vibe at all, no judgment or whatever, but I don’t want there to be too much.”

__

“Wine’s alright,” because he didn’t want to seem like the sort that fed himself on tequila and rum, and he felt like people’s wine choices reflected a lot about them. “Red, white, rosé. It’s fine,” his eyes stopped traveling around the hallway and fell on his neighbor. Her confidence drew a light laugh out of him. There it was, the reason why he couldn’t stand her, allegedly. They were a lot more similar than they should have been. 

“Maximalism wouldn’t have gotten that response from me, I can assure you that,” he didn’t like a cluttered environment, and Alan’s house perhaps sometimes lacked warmth, but he felt at home there, which was what mattered most. “Don’t worry, you didn’t accidentally insult my design choices,” he brushed off the comment, and followed after her, unsure of where she was taking them. 

__

“Works for me.” Xóchitl rolled her eyes, away from Alan’s view. “I do know the types of wine, but good to know you’re not picky.” His laugh made her smile, and she shouldn’t have liked that, but it felt nice to laugh, and it wasn’t like she was even remotely trying to sleep with Alan (she did draw the line somewhere, and for all that she thought well of her looks, she was also aware when she wasn’t someone’s type). She let him see that she was smiling, because it was nice – again – an overused word certainly, but well-enough to describe Alan, at least right now.

“And thank fuck for that,” Xóchitl brushed her fingers against the bridge of her nose. “I respect that you don’t want a maximalist lifestyle. You do, in fact, seem to be proving yourself to be somewhat a man of taste. Though I’ll have to come by your place sometime to see for sure, won’t I?” She led him over and into the living room, motioning for him to sit down before she went and grabbed a bottle of red wine, older than she was, and a couple wine glasses. “Here,” she poured one nearly full and handed it to him. “If you tell me you put ice in your wine I am kicking you out.”

__

“Yellow, orange,” he went on with a slightly mocking smile, this once. He didn’t mean to school her on wine types, but rather to let her know all sorts would be appreciated. 

“Thank… fuck, indeed,” Alan did his best to keep a straight face. Her choice of words was a bit insulting. Somewhat a man of taste. But he wanted to behave, and instead of clicking his tongue at that, he smoothed over a wrinkle in his sweater, and fell quiet. He supposed he could host a party for the neighbors. It was nearly the end of the year and it would be nice for everyone to meet. “Sure. I’ll let you know when you can come over,” because there was such a thing as a bad time of the month which was more than those three nights. Recovering from those was always rough. He wondered if it was getting worse with age. For a while, he thought he was getting better at handling it, but now he wondered if that wasn’t just his usual hubris speaking. “The fact alone that you thought I might put ice cubes in my wine. I’m offended,” he didn’t need to approach his nose from the glass to get its scent, or imagine precisely how it would taste. “Someone’s looking to impress me,” he commented, taking a small sip. “And succeeding.”

__

“Listing the colors of the rainbow are we, Mr. Real Estate Duarte?” So maybe this was fun, and maybe he was good company. Not that she was ready to outwardly admit that, not just yet.

“Please do. I can bring food, or something. I know a place that makes banging birria tacos. So good they’re better than…” sex, she wanted to say, but that wasn’t necessarily entirely true, and also not the sort of phrasing she was comfortable with around Alan. Emilio, Jade, Siobhan, maybe, but not Alan. Not because she loathed him (in fact, she enjoyed his company more than she was ready to admit). “I didn’t mean to offend you, but I also just had to make sure. There’s only a few reasons I’ll kick someone out of my home, and ice cubes in wine is… probably, one of them?” Xóchitl shrugged. “Well, I’m glad I can impress you. We should do this more often. The impressing each other thing, because what you brought looks phenomenal.” 

__

“You’ve never had orange wine?” He paused. “You can call me Alan, you know.” There was another brief silence before he added. “I’ll have a bottle sent to you. It’s great with seafood, and impressing your date,” he gave her a knowing, yet appreciative look. It was hardly her fault that she managed to charm Siobhan into some sort of good behavior, when he miserably failed. 

His eyebrows furrowed at the sentence she left unfinished, though he didn’t comment on it and instead leaned back into his seat, his smile disappearing in his glass of wine. He supposed the way things were going wasn’t the most terrible ground for an apology, and setting his glass on the coffee table, he looked her way. “That’s actually why I’m here. I believe we’d have a lot more fun trying to one up one another in a friendly way,” a pause, “I would also like to apologize for my past behavior or… poor choice of words.” 

__

“Can’t say that I have. I normally go for the harder stuff.” She dug her toe into her carpet. “Okay – I will call you Alan and you can send me wine. Don’t always get to the food part of dates, but I’ll keep that in mind.” There was no reason for her to get into the whole ‘I don’t like or feel comfortable with emotional attachments’ deal.

“I’d much prefer to one-up you in a friendly way. I also suppose that as we are both eligible daters, there’s only a small pool of overlap in our competition. Bi men, who are, for the record, some of the best men to be with, and are actually far more aware of others’ needs than like, straight men, but that’s not my point. I … accept your apology.” There was no reason for Xóchitl to not accept it. “I’m sorry for the rudeness that I’ve been responsible for towards you, too. I can get… snippy. At times. It’s been known to happen.”

__

“Is that so? I find that’s the most delightful part of a date,” because that meant getting to know the other more intimately than a bedroom could ever allow, and Alan, for all he could pretend to be stoic, was one for romanticism. “But fine, I’ll make sure to have tequila on the shelves when you come over.”

Once again, Alan’s eyebrows furrowed. Even if he agreed on bi men being quite remarkable lovers, he was unsure he had reached this point in their new friendship where he felt comfortable talking about this just yet. “I’m glad,” he cleared his throat and rubbed at his cheek to conceal the blush on them. “Sorry, I… I suppose that was on the both of us, yes. I’m glad to put this behind us,” and Alan, who wasn’t one for believing in fate, or luck, managed to see the turn of events as evidence that he could indeed become a better person. 

[mochidreambubble]

What’s a lil smooch between comrades

written for OC x Canon Week (organised by @theocxcanonweek )

Ao3 link here

Day 2 Prompt:

Dancing / Fantasy AU / “Just one little kiss…”

Fic is what is says on the title/tin, and a much more light hearted fluff piece written for fun.

Gilbert Mclane / OC fic for God Eater 2, Post GE2 Rage Burst Ending 

Using an OC Blood Captain: Haruka ‘Ruka’ Shinonome

Will mainly be using the codename Ruka over the fullname 

Written in the span of 30 minutes, thus the length. 

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

It was said without an afterthought, almost carelessly. She was tired; heck everyone else in the team likely was after an arduous chain mission dealing with dozens of Aragami. So when Gil asked if Ruka wanted anything, without any afterthought she replied, “Maybe just one little kiss from you.”

The other Blood Unit members in the carrier go silent, staring at their Blood Captain. Ruka doesn’t even seem to have registered her own words, looking back at the bewildered faces staring at her. 

“What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”

There’s a slight blush on Gil’s cheeks, pulling his hat lower to obscure most of his face from her. Romeo looks between both of them before standing abruptly, pointing at the both of them. “AHA! I knew there was something up between the two of you- AUGH!”

Livie elbows his side, causing Romeo to slump back down into his seat. Ciel, every calm - though even in this situation a little flustered - clears her throat and speaks up. “Um, Captain, did you perhaps not realise what you just said?”

Ruka cocks her head to one side. “No? What did I just say?”

“It’s fine!” Gil catches everyone’s attention, suddenly shouting. “Let’s just… Take a breather and rest, okay guys?”

There’s a murmur of agreement, everyone settling down to wait to return to the Far East Branch. Though clearly the reactionary effect remained as the first thing Julius asks upon seeing his beloved family return is to question if everyone was alright. Even Nana speaks up.

“You got a fever or something, Gil?” She jumps to snatch his hat away, to press a hand against his forehead on her tippy toes. Gil gently swats her hands aside.

“No, I’m fine,” He takes his hat back, stalking off to the lounge.

“Geez, what’s his big deal,” Nana pouts.

Ciel gently pats her on the shoulder, Julius on the other. “There was nothing wrong with anyone according to the scanners on everyone's status, so I’m sure he’s fine, Nana,” Julis smiles warmly, trying to dissuade her worries. But there was undoubtedly concern in his eyes as well.

Romeo just laughs. “Can’t believe Mr I’m So Tough is so flustered just cause the Captain said she wanted a kiss from him for a job well done.”

Ruka, who was working on the nearby terminal, halts and turns to Romeo’s direction in a shock. “I SAID WHAT NOW?!”

~-~-~

“You should have just went for it,” Haru snickers into his drink while Gil grumbles into his. “I mean, your cute little captain said she wanted one from you right?”

“That’s not-!” Gil slams his drink down on the counter, causing Mutsumi to shout Hey! From Cappy’s cage, a rude interruption in her short break playing with the adorably huge capybara. She turns back to the den’s cute pet when Gil mouths an apology and glowers back at his sort of older brother figure slash friend. “It’s not like that between us, alright? She’s… She’s just-”

“The person who you call partner, the shoulder you lean on for support, the one you feel like protecting, and totally regret not saying yes to kiss-”

“Why am I even talking to you about this?” Gil sighs, defeated and downs his drink.

“Because I’m the expert. Obviously.”

“Whatever you say, Haru.”

Honestly though, being able to just relax and chat with Haruomi again, how could Gil not be grateful to have met the Captain, be part of blood, finally getting to work through his low points and come out stronger? Her presence and companionship was something he finds himself treasuring and…

“Uh, sorry,” Although her voice is timid, a large break from her confident bravado and self assurance, it comes down like a crashing storm. He turns to see Ruka, fingers interlocked and eyes cast to the ground. “If I’m interrupting I mean. It’s uh, just that I was wondering if I could talk with Gil for a minute.”

“Sure, sure,” there’s a certain smugness, a This is your shot mental message from Haru as he winks at Gil, whose pretty sure he feels the need to smack said friend right about now. “Ol’ haru’s all tuckered out anyways, and I got a hot date tomorrow so I better go get some shut eye. You kids don’t have too much fun, you hear?”

And that just leaves the two of them.

He invites Ruka to take Haru’s seat, trying not to be flustered about this. After all, she’s had a drink with him several times before by this point, even on nights where it was just the two of them, chatting the time away. 

She nods, careful not to meet his eyes. She speaks up though, after a few moments of silence. “Sorry. For saying that so carelessly earlier. You must, uh, be weirded out by that I guess?”

“Wh- No!” He interjects quickly, Ruka looking up to meet his eyes. “I mean. It just… Caught me off guard.”

“Oh. Uh. Okay…” She looks back to her hands, as if processing his few words. 

She doesn’t speak up again for several minutes, so Gil takes the chance to keep talking. “I mean, uh… I just never thought about stuff like this, not since I transferred out of the Glasgow branch, and all the stuff that went down lately.”

He takes a sip, unsure how to fill up the silence. Ruka finally says something, her voice softer than he’s used to. “If I asked you again…”

Gilbert Mclane isn’t sure what came over him. Maybe it’s that the lounge was now empty since Mutsumi took Cappy on a walk, and that Ruka was just close to him right this moment…

He turns to her and it was as if, despite her apparent shyness, she was hopeful and waiting. He hopes he answers her unspoken question with his eyes, and instead of him, she takes the initiative instead. 

Gil would be lying if he said he didn’t regret it, Haru smacking him on the head in his mind, as with her in the lead, he finds her soft lips on his cheek instead. He finds his face in flames though, so perhaps it was best they were taking things slow…

“On the cheek?! That’s weak sauce, c’mon you two!”

And the moment was broken with Romeo’s loud voice from the entrance of the lounge, the rest of the Blood Unit and Haru tumbling in. 

“Romeo you idiot!”

“I’m so sorry Captain, I tried to stop them-”

“Yeesh Gil, I knew you were green but-”

There’s a horrified flustered shriek from the Blood Captain and Romeo and the rest of Blood find themselves running for their life with the Captain on their heels. Haruomi, sauntering over, unscathed from her wrath somehow, waves his hand in front of Gil’s face.

“Hoo boy, guess you’ve still got lots to learn from ol’ Haru.”

(fin)

not beta read so if you spot any mistakes, do let me know!

Two random things about Ruka:

Her last name 'Shinonome' is very intentional to have a connection to someone else in the whole GE/CV games universe

Initially used a short blade but switched to a spear... to match ;3 (the kurogane to his shirogane)

[ridiasfangirlings]

Few years post rok, Sukuna having a crush on Fushimi.

Kid needs to get in line behind Yata, Munakata, half the alphabet squad, Yata’s siblings, most of the cast… XD Imagine Sukuna being sort of mortified by this though, like say this branches off from those asks where the two of them become friends over video games. They start meeting face to face occasionally too, like they’ll go to the arcade or something. Sukuna hasn’t had much in the way of friends besides Yukari and Hisui so this is a little new for him, he’s always denying that Fushimi’s his friend but he actually enjoys having someone to just chat about video games and terrible parents and annoying stuff with. Fushimi complains about spending time with a kid but he doesn’t mind it that much either, he’s still getting used to having friends besides Yata himself and having someone who understands your shitty rich parents is kinda nice.

A few years pass and I think Fushimi would continue to see Sukuna as more of a little sibling type but Sukuna himself ends up with a bit of a crush. Like by now a lot of the hostility has faded from their relationship and it’s a little more friendly back and forth like how Fushimi still teases Yata, not really serious but just how they communicate. Sukuna’s started to realize by now how talented Fushimi really is, like he probably didn’t think about it much in jungle because he thought of things mostly in terms of fighting and he didn’t realize that Fushimi’s an actual genius. Maybe Fushimi fixes some old childhood game that Sukuna bought secondhand and Sukuna finds himself just a little dazzled (welcome to middle school Yata’s world, Sukuna). Afterward he’s talking to Yukari about how cool it is that he got his game fixed and Yukari teases him about the beauty of first love, Sukuna is immediately like wait no wtf I don’t like that guy.

Except he does totally have a crush now and imagine Sukuna just trying to bury these feelings because ew how could he have a crush on that annoying guy. Fushimi is of course oblivious but maybe slightly less than he used to be, like he notices that Sukuna’s started looking at him the way Yata’s siblings do and he’s probably thinking that this better not turn into anything annoying. Even if he recognized his crush I don’t see Sukuna confessing or anything though, like by this point he’s likely aware that multiple people are interested in Fushimi and he doesn’t want to look like an idiot by blurting it out. He still finds himself staring at Fushimi a little too long sometimes and Fushimi wonders what the issue is, Sukuna acts like he was just making sure Fushimi’s paying attention to their game but internally he’s blushing and quietly freaking out, like why the hell did I have to get a crush on such an inconvenient person.

[bigbadripley]

I Wish you Roses - Prologue

Marc Spector/Steven Grant x Female!OC

Summary: Marc never expected to see his childhood friend Simone ever again. To Simone, Marc may as well have been dead. However, when Simone met Steven 15 years after Marc disappeared, she couldn't help but notice how familiar he was. 

18+!! | 1,417 Words | Third-person omniscient | Dark?fic/Angst/Eventual Smut | AU/AT | Warnings: OC with religious trauma, childhood trauma, sexual trauma. Mention of childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, the effects of child abuse in adulthood, murder, suicide, alcohol use, drug mention, all the parents in this story are terrible, The only saving grace is Steven

A/N: The songs used for this fic may not have anything to do with the story besides my thoughts when I hear the chosen lyrics. That being said, the chapter titles won't always make sense. It's just an idea I had.

I update warnings with each chapter. Only proceed if you can handle the themes included in the warnings. I wrote this entirely as a trauma dump. 

Lastly, Marc/Steven being involved and the addition of a traumatized psychiatrist is in no way meant to romanticize, fetishize, or otherwise; mental illness or illnesses/trauma. 

Minors DNI, DL;DR, if I miss a warning, please let me know.

Chapter list

"Never thought I would be without you I wish you love, I wish you well I wish you roses while you can still smell 'em With pretty flowers can come the bee sting" -"I Wish you Roses" by Kali Uchis

 I'm not great at writing like you are or brave enough to tell you all of this to your face. I don't even know if I'll be able to give you this note, but I want to try. I think you're great, and you should also see that in yourself. I like your hair and how soft it always is, same with your skin. I like the clothes you wear even though you don't always like them, you always look good. You're super funny and smart as fuck, and you're really pretty. I can't stop thinking about how cool it would be to not have to cut through the woods to get to your house anymore. Maybe we could get a place after graduation? I know your mom only likes me sometimes, and this is probably really weird to read, but I'm okay with just being best friends if you don't like me like that. I don't want things to be weird, so we can still run away and play bingo in the old folks home when we're 70. No matter what, I love you Moni. 

-Count Spector

P.S. if you read this and you don't like it please don't yell at me.

 It was an ordinary Tuesday afternoon when they met. 

It likely wouldn't have happened if Steven hadn't insisted that he and Marc go see an actual therapist, and Marc finally broke, telling him to go on his own. 

Ever since the divorce was finalized, Marc had been acting this way. They both obviously had their issues, but Marc was convinced that Steven would likely be his only companion again from then on.

That was what drove Steven to try and seek professional guidance. How do two people living in a single body branch out and get to know other people? He took the first step by finding a psychiatrist in the area. 

Steven wasn't sure what to expect when he picked Dr. Dooley, a polite-looking gent who was likely 60 years old. He just knew one person with an open appointment slot had experience with their problems. 

He arrived 20 minutes early in hopes of getting their paperwork filled out and getting in sooner. Neither he nor Marc expected to walk into the waiting room and be stopped dead in their tracks. 

Directly behind the reception desk was a wooden door with a metal plaque that dawned "Dr. Simone Fredrick" on it, and to the side was a crystal clear glass window to the office. 

The blinds were drawn, and they spotted a woman in a yellow button-up top through that window. This woman had long dark hair, skin that took the same tone as a cup of London Fog, and the sweetest smile that fit perfectly to the lower half of her face. She was chatting with another man who was barely visible through the window but was clearly the doctor they came to see. 

She was the most incredible woman Steven had ever laid eyes on. It was terrifying for him.

Without further deliberation, Marc backed them out of the office and outside. "Steven, Holy shit!" He said.

"She was gorgeous, yeah?" Steven replied. Marc popped back in, feeling slightly panicky. 

"We can't go back in there."

Steven felt Marc's anxiety but couldn't pinpoint why he was suddenly feeling this way. "Why the bloody hell not? We have an appointment!"

"I know that woman, or I knew her, at least," Marc said. Steven took control, thinking he had never seen her before, and stepped over to look through the glass doors. 

There she was, still talking to Dr. Dooley. She turned her head in their direction, and he moved to the side of the building again before she could spot them.

"How do you know her?" Steven asked, trying to make sense of it.

"We were friends in school. She was probably the only friend I had. She's-"

"She's so attractive it's unreal. I gotta meet her." Steven insisted. Marc took back over without warning and began walking in the opposite direction of the office.

"Nope. Absolutely not. Odds are she'll recognize me, and it'll be weird." 

Just as quickly, Steven changed their direction. "She won't recognize me, though." He said. Marc wouldn't budge on the subject. Knowing Simone, she would clock him right away. He pivoted and began walking the other way again.

"Right, the guy who shares a whole fuckin' face with me. Genius! We're going home."

"Why are you the one chickening out?" Steven asked, stopping them where they were, realizing to passersby they must look nuts pacing back and forth.

"Because I know she's gonna take one good look at us and say 'Marc motherfucking Spector' and hit me! And she's got a ruthless right hook that I don't think either of us wanna be on the business end of." 

As he spoke, he started taking off further down the sidewalk. 

Under no circumstances are we coming back to this place. Moni looks happy, let's not fuck that up. Marc thought to himself. Steven had just about given in to Marc's insistence.

"Excuse me?" They heard a sweet, American voice speak up from behind them. They stopped and turned around slowly to find Simone, who had seen them looking through the door after all, waiting for them to respond. 

Steven got in the driver's seat, and Marc retreated back to his corner of their collective brain. 

"Oh, hi." Steven greeted. 

Simone couldn't quite place it: she had seen this man before. Somewhere, somehow. She was surprised that he had a local accent, seeing as she didn't know many locals, particularly ones this gorgeous. She figured there wasn't any harm in coming out and asking. 

"Do I know you? I saw you from inside, and I could've sworn-"

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure," Steven said, holding his hand out. "Steven Grant," He introduced himself as casually as he could muster. She was even more beautiful up close.

Though Simone found him charming, she indeed hadn't met him before. She stuck her hand out and shook,

"Simone Fredrick." She greeted. She found him quite handsome when he wasn't creeping through her office door. So much so that their handshake was dragging on a bit longer than average. 

The pair realized this at the same time and pulled their hands away. Simone gestured to the building they were standing by, realizing there was zero context to how she spotted him. "I work just inside there, by the way. I'm taking lunch now, but I can help if you were looking for someone through that door." She said, followed by a laugh. 

Steven found the humor in it, realizing they hadn't backed out soon enough and admiring how adorable she was about teasing him for it. "Just never been in that building before. Wanted to see what it was all about... psychiatry and all." He told her awkwardly. 

Simone sensed this was a lie, but Steven spoke up again before she could overthink it. "You got a business card?" He asked. 

There was silence between them for a second as Simone thought about it. Business card? Like, he wants my office number? Who am I, Patrick Bateman? 

"I don't, actually. But-" Simone stopped and dug through her bag for a moment, pulling out a pen and an old punch card to a bubble tea place nearby. She put the card on the brick wall and wrote out her office number before, in a feat of spontaneity, she also wrote her personal cell number. "The first one is the number to the office, with my direct extension. The other is my cell." She told him as the card changed hands. 

Steven looked at the card and smiled, noticing how professional her handwriting looked and how she crossed her sevens. "I'll be using these." He told her. He took a second to think if he should ask her to lunch right then and there but realized how quiet Marc was. 

Shit, he thought. I should get home and talk to him about this. 

"I should get going. It was nice meeting you, Simone." Steven said, backing up down the sidewalk. Simone flashed him a million-dollar grin and nodded,

"You, as well, Steven."